Category Archives: Writing

carry on, girlfriend

06 Wednesday May 2009

Posted by in Motherhood, seasons, Writing

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My friend Joan’s stories been such a joy to read from day one; with each story I learn more about her as a woman, a parent, a survivor and a friend.  She writes with an honesty and humor that I find refreshing.  Recently she wrote a sweet story of how one word has epitomized each stage of motherhood for her.  She carries on, following her path even when the turns ahead are not yet clear.

dsc_00541Sometimes we all just keep going out of faith that our efforts will pay off in the end.  I planted these flowers at the end of last season.  The grocery store was giving them away, because it had reached the time of year when no one in their right mind would still plant pansies, even though they can overwinter in this zone; it depends on the year.  I took three flats worth and felt very lucky to have shopped there that day. I am a sucker for unwanted plants; I think it is an odd personality trait.  I will take any unwanted plant and find it a home, on my property or at school.  This soft spot for unwanted things is a compelling reason for me to not volunteer at an animal shelter… it would be disastrous for our household!  Also, I should not work at Goodwill.  Or the library book sale.

I knelt on the cold ground and tucked in the sad little flowers.  They bloomed a bit late last fall, but the snow soon came and frankly they all looked like goners. I silently berated myself for once again spending time on irrational pursuits instead of the dozens of unfinished projects I have around here.

Spring came, and some didn’t make it.  But some did.  Each time I walk out my front door, these beauties say to me,

“Voila!  Violas!”

They bring me more joy than many of the expensive plants that I just expect will come up each year.  They say to me, “Just carry on, and some things will work out, and others won’t, but there will be beauty if you look down at where you are.”

Like Joan, I find that stories bubble up from underground.  There are so many stories waiting for the right time to pop out and surprise someone.  The ideas are there for the taking; they just need a place to grow for a while before they bloom.  They just need me to set aside my logical pursuits and let them be.

day at the museum

24 Friday Apr 2009

Posted by in Motherhood, Photography, Writing

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On a recent trip to Chicago, we had the opportunity to visit some incredible museums.  It was not quite the famed Million Museum March of family lore, but we packed a lot into a couple days.  This handsome fellow graced the atrium of the Field Museum of Natural History.  Turns out our local museum center membership gave us free admission to many of Chicago’s best, so we were able to come and go without those pesky fees.  The program is called the ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers) Travel Passport Program. What a deal!

We watched the movie Night at the Museum quite a while ago, but the scenes still fueled our imaginations — at every turn we would stumble upon something that would be very creepy to see come to life after closing hours…  Usually art museums are more my scene, but experiencing the Museum of Science and Industry through the eyes of the boys (all of them) made it much more rewarding and fun.

Reconnecting with some wonderful cousins of mine, meal after meal of fabulous food, the feeling of staying downtown in a vibrant city — some of my favorite things.  Another unforgettable moment:  doing my first book signings.  Not formal signings, just signing the stock on the shelves and seeing the “autographed copy” sticker be placed on the front.  It was a thrill for this beginning writer, no doubt about it.

the rest of the story…

21 Tuesday Apr 2009

Posted by in Writing

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Earlier, I wrote a post on my rookie experience as a lego robotics team coach.  Now, we hear the rest of the story!  I am so pleased to share the work of my first guest blogger, The Professor.  He wrote a personal narrative about a memorable moment in his life.  The experience left an impact on me as well.  Without further adieu:

Lego Tournament, Day Two

So, you have a mob of people here in the East freshman building. Now, split this mob into 23 teams. In one of these groups, you’ll find me amidst my friends in my Lego Robotics team, Team G.E.E.K., which is part of the mob. And we’re here for a reason.
The reason? To have fun. To finish off the day as the champion of the 1038 regional tournament.
Our team was 15th of the 16 teams going into the elimination tournament. Facing the 2nd ranked team wouldn’t be easy. The team, The Nano Killer Whales (from my school), had a high score so far of 165. Our team: 85.
First, let me get something straight. We have all had 3 runs of our robot, which are counted up in points (we get points by completing missions: move balls, lift things, etc.) and your highest run is counted as your score. From there, the top 16 teams move on to the elimination. The problem: you have 2:30 to do a run, with a possible score of 400 points (no one got over 200).
It was our turn. We eagerly (or not eagerly) took our place. My job was to keep my team behind the blue line and to call out who is operating the next program. Our first 2 people set up our first attachment, a plow-type contraption, onto our three-wheeled robot, nicknamed G.E.E.K.bot.  Speaking of G.E.E.K.bot, all the robots were made out of LEGO NXT pieces and had an NXT, a computer brain the size of a pocket dictionary that acted as the control center. It moved using 2 NXT servo motors, which are precise electric motors that can measure distance. It had a third wheel in the back that turned with the robot. The NXT fit into the robot in an upward but slightly tilted back position. As of all the teams, the entire robot was made out of LEGO Technix pieces and LEGO wheels.
3! 2! 1! GO! Our robot wheeled out of base, scooped the bricks and the LEGO bike, and pushed them into the green grid area.
“GO G.E.E.K.BOT!”
“Yeah!”
G.E.E.K.bot backed into base, the only place on the board that you can touch the robot on. The board is the enclosed space the robot moves on, roughly the size of a table. Next mission.
Leaving the plow on, this program’s operators put the tall thin bricks in the plow. Out went G.E.E.K.bot. It pushed them, turned left, and ALL 5 were on the red colored area.
“Woo Hoo!” we yelled.
The next people ran out to run the next program. They attached our platform (mounted on a servo motor to tilt), lined it up, and loaded on the LEGO person.
“GOGOGOGOGO!” we all yelled, mostly me.
G.E.E.K.bot dropped the person on the picture of the city, and backed into base. The next operators put on the polar bear figure, the LEGO person, and the LEGO snowmobile. G.E.E.K.bot turned under the weight. It dropped the objects over the barrier, and the polar bear was standing up! 5 bonus points!
Not that I was watching them, but I saw the Nano Killer Whales robot crash into the LEGO house.
SNAP OUT OF IT! YOUR TURN! My brain screamed at me. I dropped my card and scrambled over to base.
5, 4, 3!
I lined up as fast as I could and frantically pushed the button.
1! Off it went.
Weooweooweooweooweooweoo! The siren squealed. G.E.E.K.bot was already going, so I figured that it would still count. The only sound was G.E.E.K.bot’s buzzing noise. The platform was off, and in the scoop’s place was the wedge. G.E.E.K.bot drove the length of the board to the barrier. It hit the barrier and the wedge lifted up the front of the robot. It went up and… it stalled, spinning its wheels.
Shoot. My program had to be the ONLY one that failed, but looking on the bright side of that, everything else worked. A judge counted up our score.
Now we waited. We looked up at the scoreboard screen for our score. 105! A mind-boggling score for us, but The Nano Killer Whales were capable of more. Their robot crashing into the house played through my head.
There! The sound of cheering must have blasted the score right out of my brain. I think it was 75. The Nano Killer Whales all had their mouths hanging.
“WE WON!” we all were yelling. Our other rival team already lost, so we were the best at of the three (I don’t think so, we just got lucky, but who cares!?).
Next round, we were done. NOTHING worked; we ended up with something like 60 points. We were all bummed out, but we couldn’t have done better, judging on practices.
I was surprised to win the robot design award, because as far as I know, we copied the robot out of a manual (which is within the rules).  The Nano Killer Whales went on to the state championship, along with W.E.S.T., our mentor team, and two others.
Of the mob of teams that entered today, 4 teams are happy because they get to move on and at least one person (me) is coming back next year, having learned a lesson: don’t give up, because there is always a chance to do it.

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Now there is a message that I can embrace every day.  Thank you, Professor, for sharing your work with the world.

Kilborn conniption

19 Sunday Apr 2009

Posted by in get along like cats and dogs, Writing

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Jack Kilborn paid a visit to our house, and our dog had a conniption.

As usual, my adventures with this intrepid author-on-a-mission started out innocently enough.  He had blogged about his upcoming “book tour on a budget”, repeating his 2006 grass roots marketing, manically ambitious yet cunningly practical, value added, trend-setting 600+ bookstore book signing extouraganza.  (New!  Now 30% more effective than the previous formula with extra cost fighting power!)  He is promoting his new book Afraid, which I now own and has freaked me out so badly with its hard-core-gore that I can’t crack the cover again.

He had already traveled 742 miles and dropped in on 47 book stores in a couple days.  We offered this weary traveler a good night’s rest, and knew we would likely have a Saturday night far more interesting than usual.

As you may suspect, he is fascinating to talk to.  He tells great stories.  It was a hoot and an honor to have him visit and have the opportunity to shoot the breeze for hours.  Unfortunately I am such a new newbie that I did not even know what to ask him, this author with half a bazillion books in print, sitting in our living room.  After reading along on his 31 day blog tour, I had read the 283 Q&A interviews he had already done; with a mind like a steel sieve, I managed to ask lots of questions to which I already knew the answers then mentally thump myself on the head.  I hope I was at least charming in a dumbfounded kind of way.  He gave me good advice.

joe, friend of dogs I am a big fan of his blog The Newbie’s Guide To Publishing,  with its archives of extremely helpful and generous information for new writers like me.  His real name is Joe Konrath.  He’s funny.  Look at his picture.  How scary could he be?

Then something went awry…

Maybe she sensed the creative mind that wrote a scene involving a jingling dog collar with no dog in it.

Maybe she was really ticked that he would not share his beer.

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Whatever the reason, this is apparently who the dog saw sitting in the recliner:conniption producing visitor

She slept with one eye open all night.

She is, as I type, growling in her sleep even though he left the house six hours ago.

She had a canine conniption.

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They made a truce this morning, my befuddled pet and bewildered guest.  After he left, I realized I did not remember to take a picture. (Mind, sieve, daggnabbit.)

It was a Saturday night to remember.

april came in like a wall

05 Sunday Apr 2009

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OK, I’m back.  I had an unfortunate, uncomfortable, unforeseen, uncalled-for case of writer’s block.  My magical month of March ended and I was left with April brain showers.  I wandered around the house, unable to get anything else done either.  I banged my head against the keyboard for several days and still… nothing.

snap out of it, goofballKitty said, “WHAT are you doing over here?  JUST WRITE SOMETHING.  Get over yourself, already.”

So I did.  I feel better now.

put on a happy face

30 Monday Mar 2009

Posted by in Motherhood, Writing

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Happy Monday, folks!  I’ve put away the crowbar for another week — there’s nothing like getting a couple growing boys out of bed on a Monday morning to give those biceps a good workout with garden tools.

No one was smiling this morning.  Well, except me.

See, Monday morning now means a quiet house where I can just write.  Writing gets me out of bed.  Writing gives me energy.  So does reading great writing.

And coffee!  Coffee is really good too.

Finding happiness on a Monday, or any other day, is the basis for the wonderful blog  The Happiness Project.  (Yes, yet another great link found on Zebra Sounds!)  On The Happiness Project, author Gretchen Rubin shares her “adventures and insights as I grapple with the challenge of being happier”.  In one poignant post, she shares the paradoxes of happiness;  just one thing learned during her year-long journey of test-driving every happiness theory she could find.  Good reading!

To me, the true paradox of happiness is its unexpected painfulness.  A broken heart hurts like hell, but happiness/beauty can also pierce the heart with its sweetness.  When I look at my children, I feel so blessed and happy and lucky that it hurts.  The heart aches when sad things happen, but it can also ache with joy.

An alternative is to go through life slightly oblivious to all the intense beauty around us, keeping busy and on task to keep the mind and the heart from feeling too much.  A conscious or unconscious decision.  Plenty of fun and happy and laughs and pleasantness, just not the joy so sharp,  it cuts.

Happiness brings tears to my eyes nearly every day.  Is it a fear that all that makes me happy in this place could be ephemeral?  The knowledge that in this crazy world, anything can happen, any day?  Maybe happiness and sadness are separated by a very thin line, and the heart feels them both as one.  Either way, I cry at inopportune times, but that is me.

my happiness projectAll I have to do is look at those sweet sons of ours in the morning, before they are awake, and breathe deeply in their sleepy necks to wake them up.  It feels like as much happiness as I deserve all day.

Of course, the sleepyheads are so much cuter before they start moaning about the need to get up.  The onset of puberty might also change my tune.  We’ll see.

If all else fails to stir the happiness in my soul, there is always the option of putting on a happy face, even on the days when life’s blessings are less obvious.  Gretchen says it is possible.

The Little One has discovered that a paper plate works in a pinch.

spring is all a-Twitter

27 Friday Mar 2009

Posted by in seasons, Writing

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My new friend Karen introduced me to a new word: * twitterpated *.  We were discussing flutterbys vs. butterflies and somehow twitterpated was suddenly in context for the conversation.  I don’t know how I went through four decades and never heard of this charming word.  Urban Dictionary has 17 definitions for twitterpated;  my favorite is “that happy, jumpy feeling you get that causes you to smile uncontrollably.”

Here’s a quote from Bambi, an early cinematic proponent of twitterpatedness:

Flower: [about two birds fluttering around] Well! What’s the matter with them?
Thumper: Why are they acting that way?
Friend Owl: Why, don’t you know? They’re twitterpated.
Flower, Bambi, Thumper: Twitterpated?
Friend Owl: Yes. Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime. For example: You’re walking along, minding your own business. You’re looking neither to the left, nor to the right, when all of a sudden you run smack into a pretty face. Woo-woo! You begin to get weak in the knees. Your head’s in a whirl. And then you feel light as a feather, and before you know it, you’re walking on air. And then you know what? You’re knocked for a loop, and you completely lose your head!
Thumper: Gosh, that’s awful.
Flower: Gee whiz.
Bambi: Terrible!
Friend Owl: And that ain’t all. It could happen to anyone, so you’d better be careful.
[points at Bambi]
Friend Owl: It could happen to you…
[points at Thumper]
Friend Owl: … or you, or even…
[Flower looks at Owl shyly]
Friend Owl: Yes, it could even happen to you!
Thumper: Well, it’s not gonna happen to me.
Bambi: Me neither.
Flower: Me neither.

Ahhh, spring in 1942.

Addictionary offers a different definition of twitterpated, and I am guessing that we are living the first spring where this definition is accurate:

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twitterpated by Shelley Ryan at The Marketers Addictionary

adjective, So distracted by twitter you forgot what you were supposed to be working on.

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Ahhh, spring 2009.

is wordling a word?

23 Monday Mar 2009

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I like the wonderful blog Zebra Sounds where I always find fun, inspiring, and thought-provoking word bites.  This author pulls together information from diverse sources and she weaves it in an entertaining and enlightening way.

I particularly enjoyed her post about Wordle and how it is being used to make a statement in politics, advertising and elsewhere.  Here is the explanation of Wordle’s basics from the official website:

“Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.”

Here is a Wordle of jane,candid:
janecandidwordle

Wordle can even be a handy gizmo for writers.  Because the size of the word is correlated to the number of times that word appears in the text, I can see which words I use most often.  For example, it is clear to me now that I just use the word “just” too often.  I also must have been writing about the author J.A. Konrath quite a few times, because he and all his aliases, as well as his new book Afraid (to be released on March 31st), appear all over the place.  Scary!

I like the back story of the inventor of Wordle, Jonathan Feinberg, and how shares his toys with the world.  On his Wordle Blog, he tells how he made a Word Vader for his son.  I make up little stories at bedtime about flying lawn care machinery — he creates mind-blowing visuals with some code he just had lying around.  That’s a Cool Parent.

I normally do not like little gadgety internet things, but this one makes words into art, and those are both good things.  Plus, if Zebra Sounds says it is interesting, I usually agree.  I like wordling.  Beware though, it is addictive.  You can randomize your chosen word cloud an infinite number of times — and before you know it, time got wordled away…

I made a collage of Wordles for the Little One, filled with adjectives about him, his hobbies and interests and collections and words that make him smile.  I framed them and hung them in his room.  Free art that is personalized, and a person who shares his toys.  What could be better?

scaredy-pants

18 Wednesday Mar 2009

Posted by in good reads, Writing

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How did I ever get mixed up with a guy like Jack Kilbourn?  It started out innocently enough…

One of the very first comments I ever received on my blog was from a lovely children’s book illustrator and writer.  Katherine Battersby had stumbled upon my blog in its first few weak-kneed days and was kind enough to leave a note of encouragement.  Her blog, The Well Read Rabbit, became a favorite.  I loved its gentle tone, captivating illustrations, and her inspiring words for writers.  I check it every day because it makes me smile.

Perusing her calm oasis of a website one day, I read this post as my first introduction to J.A. Konrath’s blog,  A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing.  (Irony alert.)  Katherine wisely urged her readers to read all the way to the end of Konrath’s “cheeky” comments, lest we miss his true intent of encouragement.  I did read the whole thing, and was hooked — now Konrath’s Newbie blog was on my blogroll as well.  I trolled through lots of his past blog posts and found a wealth of helpful information about getting started as a writer.  He’s a successful novelist already, with the Lt. Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels suspense series and many other publishing credits.  Plus, he was just scary funny (insert foreshadowing music here).  He made me smile in a completely different way.

Then he turned a whole different cheek of cheeky.  J.A. Konrath launched an ambitious blog book tour, creating lots of buzz for his new book  Afraid along the way.  This horror novel, set in small town Wisconsin, is to be released on March 31st.  Every day in March, he has been on a break-neck-paced blog marathon that makes me wonder if he is going to make it to 3/31 in one piece.  And, who is this Jack Kilbourn?  Just his pseudonym for when he wants to write the hard-core horror.  If you have not been following along, it is worth a look to watch J.A./Joe/Jack in action.  As I have mentioned before, I see blog tours as a fun ride for us as readers to follow.  I find so many interesting people…

But, how did I wind up in this story?

afraidus

Afraid is billed as the scariest horror novel ever written.  He invited anyone to read the book before it’s released (he’d send you a copy) and write a review.  I have since read many reviews that sound convincing.  “Carnival of carnage?”  “An absolutely unrelentless nightmare??”  I am convinced I would not sleep for weeks if I attempted to read this book.  This is not my genre.  I feel much more comfortable hanging out in the blogosphere with a well read rabbit.  Preferably one that does not have blood dripping from its fangs cute little bunny teeth.  I wrote Joe Konrath a note saying I was too big a scaredy-pants to read his novel but I wished him luck anyway.

And here is what he sent back to me:  A Top Ten List to help readers like me who are horror challenged.  Under his alter-ego pen name Jack Kilborn, he writes a sick, gory story — but I am starting to suspect that this J.A./Joe/Jack fellow is really just a nice fuzzy bunny inside.

I hope.

I’m leaving all the lights on while I keep hoping.

Top 10 Ways To Get Through Afraid by Jack Kilborn if You’re Just a  Scaredy-Pants

by Jack Kilborn

10. Keep repeating “It’s only a book, it’s only a book.”

9. Read it in the daylight, surrounded by people you trust.

8. Get the audiobook version, and listen to it while driving or working out, so your attention is divided.

(Note to self: I don’t think I should be operating a motor vehicle while listening to something that might make me wet my pants in terror.)

7. Stop every five pages for cookies and milk. You can’t be frightened while eating cookies and milk.

(Finally, an appealing idea!  Except what if I toss my cookies after reading about the woman’s toe being gnawed off?)

6. Give it to a brave friend, and have her cross out all the scary parts with a marker. (added benefit: you’ll be able to read the whole book in eight minutes.)

(Anyone? Anyone?)

5. Visit www.JackKilborn.com and play the Afraid game. You’ll realize the writer is a goofball, and not scary whatsoever.

4. Keep the phone nearby, with 9 and 1 already dialed.

3. Make sure the doors are locked, the lights are on, and your gun is loaded.

2. Read it drunk. Then you won’t remember the scary parts.

1. Don’t read it at all. But for heaven’s sake, buy a copy. The author wants to buy a Porsche.

So, there it is, compliments of the scary man himself.  A big, happy, fuzzy bunny hug to Joe for including me on his blog tour.  I am honored.  I may not be brave enough to read Afraid, but I am now a loyal reader of his other work.  AND, I’ll always remember that when one blog leads to another, there is no telling where I might end up.

Afraid comes out March 31. If you think you’re brave enough, give it a try…

an amazing day

18 Wednesday Mar 2009

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In December, I attended a Writer’s Digest Editor’s Intensive event.  I found it extremely helpful and informative.  Jane Friedman, the Publisher and Editorial Director of Writer’s Digest, did an extraordinary thing for me today:  she quoted a letter I wrote about that experience, and included a link to jane, candid in her blog There Are No Rules.  I am so grateful for the kind comments, encouragement and exposure.  Thank you, Jane!