Stop telling yourself that dreams don’t matter, that they are only dreams and that you should be more sensible.” ~Julia Cameron Dear Writers, Over the past five nights, I’ve been waking up to the same dream. It starts with me finding out that I’ve been cast in an opera. The show is hours away from…
Blog
My 99th newsletter!!!!!
Dear Writers, So, this past weekend, I did not go to NESCBWI’s annual conference. But I did catch a few tweets about it. And here was my favorite: Dan Santat says, “The key to finding your voice is to LIVE LIFE.” How many ways can I say YES??? and THANK YOU! How many ways can I…
Goodbye 2014!
So, one of the funny things about having a blog and newsletter is being able to go back and see how I did. For the record, these were my goals for 2014: Maintain balance. Some writing. Some fun. Some teaching. Some learning. Some salad. Some chocolate. Get that new idea on the page. I have two discovery…
Eat more chocolate.
Let our New Year’s resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word. -Goran Perrson Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. -Abraham Lincoln Happy Happy!!!!! It’s that time of year! This week, many of…
100 page party soup
Every time I get to page 100 of a draft, I make this soup. Since I’m getting close to that magical page, let’s start cooking!!! (Also: my recipe cards are filthy, and I love this recipe so much…I need to preserve it.) Seasoning Mix: 1.5 tsp salt 1 tsp cayenne 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp…
Happy Writing!
Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. -Franklin D. Roosevelt Good morning, Writers! Today, one hour after today’s Monday Motivation came out, I received 25 comments. Apparently, I hit a nerve. Here’s the post: This week, having sent a new manuscript to my agent, I had ONE GOAL. I wanted…
Talking to Real Moms about Banned Books
Today, I had a great experience chatting with a group of moms, concerned about what their kids are reading . . . and what banned books week is really about. It was a fascinating conversation and the questions they asked may aggravate you . . . but all these women had GREAT intentions for their young…
Greetings from the Highlights Whole Novel Workshop!!!
Today, in beautiful Honesdale, I met with my students one on one and discussed their wonderful, inspiring novels. Right now, I feel so lucky! I am surrounded by smart writers, eating amazing food, and working in a community that is vested in each writer’s success. Tomorrow, I give my lecture. Can ANYONE sleep before lecture…
Time to Listen
I posted this on July 3 on Through The Tollbooth. Here it is again (typos and redundancies included!!) Tomorrow is the 4th of July. Independence Day. Like a lot of you, I will go to parties and watch fireworks. Wave the flag. Chill out. Yesterday, I went to a memorial for the three teenagers killed…
I am in the listening phase
My WIP is out on sub, so that means, I have some time to start thinking about what I want to write about next. One story has been knocking on my door, and now, every day, if I walk around and think (without my phone), I notice things. Inspiration. Clues. Ideas. Themes. It is a…