Cat York

Teach and Inspire: Interview with Juli Schumann, Art Life Studio

2012-01-29T07:13:00.000-08:00

Art by Juli Schumann

"Life is a great big canvas and you should throw all the paint on it you can."

Danny Kaye

Every so often, I'm lucky enough to meet a person who can take life and run with it, without fear or judgement, with only the best intentions for all who gather to learn from her strength and vision. I recently took the opportunity to interview Juli Schumann, local pottery and painting teacher here in Nashville, Tennessee. Within the first moments of entering her studio, without hesitation, I knew I was in the presence of a force who creates change in her environment by helping others find meaning through their own creations.

Students' work, glazed and ready for paint.

Art Life Studio, nestled in the eclectic atmosphere of the East Nashville district, invites the curious customer in with hand-painted signs, warm lights, and brightly colored art work in every corner. At the center of the creativity, Juli welcomes her guests, encouraging visitors to touch, ask questions, make observations, learn, and enjoy. It's the kind of place that allows even the most hesitant spectator to shed his skin, and dive into a project under her thoughtful care and positive guidance.

Juli helps students find tools to create texture in clay.

What makes a person with this much energy tick?
I was honored to get the chance to ask Juli a few questions about how a place like Art Life brings Creativity and the people closer together.

How long ago did you move to Nashville?

14 years. At first I felt really landlocked being from Florida. It's one thing to be in New York and be landlocked, but it's another thing to be in Tennessee. And I didn't like it at first. But it wasn't soon after we moved that Nashville got The Frist Center and a football team, and the convention center; I'm really excited about that. I think that Nashville embraces the arts ... clearly music is the top dog, but the arts go together. Musicians need the film and visual stimulation around them to make music. Musicians want to be entertained, too.

You said you went to school for psychology? When did you decide you wanted to teach art?

I'm a self-taught artist. I never got a job anywhere near psychology. My very first job out of college was for a clay artist in NY. I walked in and started volunteering for her. I knew she didn't have much to pay me, but I wanted to be around it. I took to teaching right away, it felt really natural and normal.

What kind of projects do you offer for beginners?

I try to create projects that are predesigned to be successful, but I totally encourage people to go in the direction they would go. The majority of my visitors are beginners. I don't want say "here's a blank canvas", that's going to be the advanced painting class where I can get on them a little bit. But for the beginner, they need a direction.

Do you find students are sometimes nervous to dive in?

(Laughing) They love to tell me right away that they can't draw. Even parents love to tell me that. They put their kid in front of themselves and say, "I can't draw a stick figure, here's my kid." I try to hook them in, too. Art has a lot of mystery around it. This process takes away some of that mystery that says you can't do it.
You can.

What do you feel happens in the experience here in class? What do your students take away besides the arwork?

For kids they don't really need to forget about anything. They just need to be kids. For the adults, I think it's that they need to forget about stuff ... it's meditational ... the mind stops and the hands begin again. But the kids, they teach me more than I teach them. I believe that. There are a certain amount of kids that need this to help them know who they are. I see children that are shy or don't talk to me a lot, but by the time they're leaving, they're awake and engaged and they feel confident.

Class at Art Life Studio

And when you have a beginner in your studio, what materials are they most comfortable working with?

Beginners choose clay, because it's so forgiving. You can really see how it was one of the original tablets because people can write in it and smear it out, again and again. It's so workable for so long. I believe oil painting is that way too. A lot of people think it's too permanent and scary, but it's very forgiving.

And I tell them: There aren't mistakes. Only things you might change. And you being the artist, you have that right to change it. I don't ever try to change someone's mind when they say they messed up. I try to maybe change the way they approach it, like it's more of a learning experience, rather than a "mess up." I'll ask "So what would you change?" and when they have the answer I'll ask "So how can I help you make that happen?" If it comes down to getting a whole new sheet of paper then we'll do that, but it's not wrong. It's not a mistake.

Do you think more people are eager to work with their hands as a push against the increasing need to be available online and work digitally?

Actually, I've gotten a lot of emails recently from people who've lost their jobs. "I'm unemployed. I have all this time and I need meaning. Something meaningful." Loss. Loss of income. Loss of Jobs. Loss of security ... having creative knowledge gives us some stability, we understand that sometimes we need to dig in deeper to find the meaning in life. And I think a lot of people are getting that.

There's a book I recently read by Daniel Pink "A whole new mind." It's all about how you have to think creatively in the new economy. What you know isn't going to cut it anymore. It's how you take the information and do something creative with it.

Julie reminded me that "The concept at art life is not limited to WHAT you make, but HOW and WHO you make it with."

Julie offers painting, pottery, and design classes for children and adults, by appointment or during her scheduled workshops. Her studio includes a pottery wheel, a kiln, painting easels and a printmaking press.

She is an inspiration to her students and the people who are lucky enough to know her.

Much thanks to Juli and Art Life Studio, for permission to post her interview and photos here on my site.

Who inspires YOU to find art in YOUR life?

Dabbling in Photo Illustration Part 1

2012-01-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited to do this post.

A) Because it's positive. No ranting from Cat today.

B) I get to introduce you to Jelena Mostovaja who is awesome in that she researches all things science so that anyone who would ever need to practice World Building would be able to find loads of data in one place, her website: The World Building Journal wbjournal.info She's also a writer and an artist. A jack of all trades. My kind of internet pal.

C) I get to try a multi-part post, which I've never done before. Ooo the lessons in blogging never stop.

So this is part one, where I show you the image I've been working on, and explain how I've been wanting to build a portfolio that deals more with environment and lighting - with subjects that lean more sci fi and dark YA than the cute, fuzzy stuff I've been doing for the last 10 years.

I'm embracing my sci fi nerd inside and loving it.

So here's the finished piece:

And here's a close up of the character Falaha, who is traveling on Quennah, a star ship that has been in her family for generations. Read about Falaha's journey here on Jelena's site.

I liked the idea of a ship that is passed down through generations, and the promise of a long voyage to distant star systems. I'm a huge Firefly fan (for those who don't know me) and I miss vicarious trips into the black. I'm prepared to geek out over Jelena's short story series. She does a nice job of setting the scene and putting the reader in the futuristic world where Falaha and Quennah exist. Can't wait to read more, Jelena!

To see the steps I took to build the environment, click to CHECK OUT PART 2 HERE

Dabbling in Photo Illustration Part 2

2012-01-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

I've always struggled with environment. I usually find it's best for me to start with an idea and be sure I sketch out the perspective before I do anything else. But that takes a lot of time, and some of the purpose of photo illustration is to build layers fast. So this time, I started with an element. I wanted this character to be on a bridge over a quiet part of the ship. So I started with the bridge, which I built in Adobe Illustrator.

I was careful to layer the elements and bring them into photoshop separately, so I could deal with the shadows accordingly, and be able to layer the character behind the front rail, as well.

Also on a separate layer, I decided what kind of background I wanted. I imagined a large scale window, showing the celestial sky, would be a good way to indicate the scene and tone of the narration. I built the hull of the ship to look like this, in a stark format:

But the photo part was fun for me. NEXT

Dabbling in Photo Illustration Part 3

2012-01-27T18:39:00.000-08:00

Choosing to blend texture into an illustration by using photos doesn't come natural to me - she who feels the need to control everything with a pencil. But I have to admit that photo texture eliminates a lot of painstaking detail work. While I'm still a sucker for a nice hand-drawn pattern, I understand the need for me to adapt to the faster pace and clean lines of the new visual world. If I want to spend days on a pattern, that's days of my life I can't get back. This was kind of fun, and got me out of the drawing seat to take pictures, which is good for me. Trust me. I need to get out more.

Basically, I took a bunch of pictures of rusty, mechanical things, like our air conditioning units that need replacing ...

Oh look. My shoes.

This doesn't even work anymore. It just takes up space in my yard.

After I loaded the pictures into photoshop. I cut, transformed, and pasted the textures over the areas of the environment that I felt needed some "spacecrafting."

I used blending options for the layers to integrate the photos into the original design. Usually a color burn or a simple overlay was enough to get the pieces to look like they were fixed in the scene. Sometimes I had to play with the opacity.

Can you tell which part of my air conditioner went where?

After I was happy with the background, I added the bridge.

Then added some shadows and effects to the layers.

And then I had some fun with the scene outside the window. NEXT

Dabbling in Photo Illustration Part 4

2012-01-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

I added the moon behind the window layer, using a radial gradient.

For the moon's texture, I used this really pretty stone from the beach.

Then airbrushed some stars into the night sky.

And filtered a gradient over everything for a nice unified color scheme.

All I need now, is a character. NEXT

Dabbling in Photo Illustration Part 5

2012-01-27T18:36:00.000-08:00

My daughter graciously volunteered to be my model for this last bit. I am not the best character artist, so I thought it would actually be fun to try the whole deal as a photo illustration, to see how it turned out.
First, I took a picture of her in estimated perspective.

Then I cut and pasted her into the scene, giving her red hair and dropping shadows under her arms.

And now my daughter is headed for a distant galaxy. I hope she remembered to clean her room!

Thanks for hanging out for 5 posts.

Be sure to visit Jelena's site for more stories about Falaha.

See you soon.

Cat

Do You Subscribe to Me by Email?

2012-01-26T09:44:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to say: thanks so much for the support, but I post pretty often and I'm not so sure you want email from me every day. There are so many things to read out there, I want you to feel free to come visit my site when you like, and not because I'm filling your inbox with my thoughts.

To unsubscribe - you can click on the link at the bottom of one of the emails you've received from me.

I've taken the "Subscribe by Email" option off this blog until I know more about it.

I apologize for my confusion. I thought the "Subscribe by Email" would generate a list of folks who could get emails from me when I chose to send one. I just recently realized an email goes out every time I post. Live and learn.

Thanks again!

Cat

Library Learnin': The 590s

2012-01-26T09:14:00.000-08:00

The 590s are always a mess. You could say it's a zoo over there. Birds and snakes living on the same shelf. Frogs mixed up in the mammals. For every elementary school class that visits, there's a group of kids who flock to the 590s and eagerly pick through the selections. And as much as I know they try to use their shelf markers to get everything back in order once they've found the creature book that best suits their mood, I usually make a point do a quick clean up of the 590s before my shift ends.

There's a list of people who make the 590s the great source of frenzy that it is.

I'd like to do a shout out to those folks right now, because I don't think they get enough credit.

Pamela J Gerholdt has written a pluthora of books about bats for Checkerboard Books. I couldn't find an author page on Pamela, but I just want her to know, in case she ever comes across this entry: At least one kid checks out one of her books on bats every time I'm in the library. Bats are cool and kids love to read about them. Thank you, Pamela, for sharing your knowledge of bats with the elementary readership.

Valerie J Weber writes on sea life and snakes for the Weekly Reader Science series. Again - can't seem to find a picture or a biography. She is not seeking fame and fortune as far as I can tell, but in the event that a child doesn't know what book he/she wants to check out during a 10 minute library visit, I can almost guarantee that one of following: snakes, manatees, or dolphins, will fill the void every time. Thank you, Valerie, for all your hard work.

Lynn Stone works for a number of publishers producing animal books from anything on birds to bears to farm life. I know we see a lot of checkouts from the "Wild Animals of the Woods" books, Rourke Corp, in the North American Discovery Library series. Thanks, Lynn, for making the 590s a place to be!

The list goes on and on, but since I'm a shelver, I picked out the names I know put away every time I help out.

Colleen Sexton, Scholastic "Ocean's Alive" Series
Deborah Nuzzolo, Pebble Plus, Capstone Press
Louise Martin, Rourke Corp, Discovery Library

You guys rock, and I wonder if you know how much joy and learning you bring to an average day at school.

Here's to the 590s.
May they always be a mess, as long as the reading party lasts!

More Elephant!

2012-01-25T08:53:00.000-08:00

Love elephants.

Here's my new elepainting.

I might have to go over the vines a few more times now that I see it reduced to web colors, but her red flower was a good way to use up some of the vermillion that's been screaming for a turn on the palette.

I have
great strength

under the thorns

that bind me

to this life.

Cat's New English: Bearing or Baring?

2012-01-21T21:38:00.000-08:00

From The Free Dictionary:

bear·ing (bârng) n.

1. The manner in which one carries or conducts oneself: the poise and bearing of a champion.
2. a. A machine or structural part that supports another part. b. A device that supports, guides, and reduces the friction of motion between fixed and moving machine parts.
3. Something that supports weight.
4. The part of an arch or beam that rests on a support.
5. a. The act, power, or period of producing fruit or offspring. b. The quantity produced; yield.
6. Direction, especially angular direction measured from one position to another using geographical or celestial reference lines.
7. Awareness of one's position or situation relative to one's surroundings. Often used in the plural: lost my bearings after taking the wrong exit.
8. Relevant relationship or interconnection: Those issues have no bearing on our situation.
9. Heraldry A charge or device on a field.

baring present participle of bare
Verb:
Uncover (a part of the body or other thing) and expose it to view: "he bared his chest".

In other words:

We bear left at the fork in the road of life. We bear children and bear scars from the process. Once we get our bearings as parents, we bear the responsibilities of raising decent human beings. We bear in mind: the life we knew before parenthood has little bearing on the present situation. Our backs start to hunch from bearing the weight of little people all day.

We bare our souls to the wonderful people we raise from babies to adulthood.
We bare our teeth at anyone or thing who would hurt them.

And now - I won't mix those up anymore.

Where does barring fit into the discussion? Any takers?

Where I belong

2012-01-21T15:57:00.000-08:00

"There's no stopping curiosity

I want to turn the whole thing upside down

I'll find the things they say just can't be found.

I'll share this love I find with everyone ...

I don't want this feeling to go away."

- Jack Johnson, Upside Down

One of my favorite songs by Jack Johnson. It reminds me we should always be curious and believe that the impossible is possible. People change this world every day. We can be a part of that change, or we can sit by and watch it happen. Either way ... there's an opportunity to appreciate the ride.

Since I decided to start blogging more regularly back in November 2011, I've gone through the ups and downs of that sharing-your-life-and-opinions-with-the-world process that can so easily lead to self-analisation, brooding, and striving to do better.

Some of the downs:

I stress out about hits and traffic, follows and comments.

I wonder if I'm writing anything worth reading, showing anything worth interest, helping anyone with my ideas.

I spend a lot of time hesitating, and writing drafts that don't go live, and hiding posts that came and went without drawing a single click.

Some of the ups:

I'm learning fast.

I'm connecting with others who are willing to share what they've learned along the way.

I'm starting to relax and get in a groove of where I belong in the blogging community, and how I can add to it.

Like anything that's worth pursuing, I've found it's going to take time to get in the swing of things. Sharing my views in a public forum with an audience of, well, anyone that happens to drop by, gives me the the chance to see what works and what doesn't, what resonates with others, what inspires, and what stirs controversy.

And I'm the sort of person that can't leave an idea alone. I have to take it apart, turn it around, try it different ways, and share my explorations with anyone who would like to hear about them.

I'm looking back on these last few months and seeing how I've grown.

I've been motivated to keep going by what I've seen so far.

Everywhere I turn there is new inspiration to move forward and see what comes next.

I guess you can say that, for now, I'm right where I belong.

Thanks for anyone who has taken the time to stop by and take part in my trials, errors, and successes.

Yours truly,

CAT

Image credit: Cat York, Meditation, 2010, "I am sitting on top of the world, appreciating all the places I've been and all the things I've seen. I am right where I belong." I'm also wrapped in a blanket because I'm always cold.

Finding Old Stuff

2012-01-19T11:24:00.000-08:00

Going through my illustrations as I gear up to redo my website.

I love finding images like this one:

From a couple years ago.

I have not a clue as to which of my stories this drawing belongs.

If you'd like to make something up feel free.

Have fun.
Thanks for visiting.

Cat's New English Post 1

2012-01-17T20:05:00.000-08:00

I've heard that repeating a bad habit just makes a person more inclined to repeat again. The more we repeat, the more the bad habit gets engrained in our system.

But I've also heard that calling attention to bad habits makes a person more likely to do something about it. We're all pretty lazy about one thing or another, it just depends on what your thing is.

I get pretty lazy about the English language, mostly because I'm always in a hurry when I'm writing it.

Sometimes it's because I really don't know the right way to write, say, spell, or punctuate something.

If someone doesn't call me out on it (because it's actually quite jarring and a little annoying when someone actually does) I have to notice myself when I do it.

I caught a few errors in my brain-blasting comments on Facebook today. I'll post them here for my own personal self ridicule, but also to train myself not to do them again. (And also so you can not feel so bad if these are things you do yourself.)

But I stand by Public Ridicule. Public ridicule works well. I learned this in school, you know.

Today Cat said, in her New English:

"I like that there's options."

If I turned this sentence around, I could say "Options are there."

What I'm saying in my New English is "Options is there."

Real English would say:

"I like that there are options."

Today Cat also said, in her New English:

"Give a kid an iPad and they're set for several years."

"A" kid doesn't equal more than one kid.

The sentence should read:

"Give a kid an iPad and he's set for several years."

Plus - copyeditors just like when a writer picks a gender for an article and stays with it. A general "they" doesn't do it for Real English, unless a writer is referring to a specific group of people.

But the kicker New English said by Cat, today:

Let's hope the new software let's you highlight.

Awesome. I used lets correctly and incorrectly in the same sentence.

Real English would say:

Let's (let us) hope the new software lets you highlight.

Or "Let's hope the new software allows you to highlight." Because "lets" is one of those dang words it's just so fun to hang an apostrophe on for no reason. "Allows" is a way better word for that sentence.

Or we could talk like salad:

Lettuce hope the new software tastes like lettuce.

Because that's fun too.

Alright. That's enough Cat English for today.

Let's hope my brain lets me retain my corrections.

Stay tuned for new ones. I'm always messing up my mother tongue!

CAT

P.S. All my New English appeared in one place today ... a Writer's Digest editor's FB page. Good one, Cat. I received an invite to the "Elements of Effective Writing: Grammar and Mechanics" course hosted by Writer's Digest an hour later. Coincidence? Hmmmm. Somebody might be trying to tell me something.

Celtic Borders

2012-01-17T08:14:00.000-08:00

I've been having fun working with borders this week and last. This is very reminiscent of the work I did on McQuiddle Riddles (here for artwork) - but at the time I was doing that project, there was very little online on "How to do borders". Now there are some really cool sites.

The Calligraphy Pen had some great advice. Silly me. I've been using only a ruler all these years to draw my borders, and measuring EVERYTHING out. Yes. It's very good to measure. But screw that. Graph paper is the new ruler. (Or the old rulers, it's just taken me a long time to catch up.) With graph paper, you only have to use a ruler to get a straight line or measure something asymmetrical, otherwise, create a pattern and repeat.

Here is also a great post by TessDB on Wet Canvas. This article goes over the basics to celtic border designs and corners. Since I'm an Irish lass, I felt it was my duty to learn (as shown in the sloppy knots above - I'm still learning).

The castle is something I put together by looking at different illustrations and photographs. It doesn't really exist. I'm actually going to add on between the tower and the gate, and I'll post that when I'm finished.

I've always wanted to design my own castle.

Hee hee.

Have a good day!

CAT

Ode to a Tea Kettle

2012-01-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

Copper container, brewing brightness!

Trusty late night companion and early morning herald -

Steaming with love and inspiration and comfort

with a hum and harmonic tune you called.

To give me water, to fill my cup.

Tasting with me the leaves of Marrakesh,

the twist of ginger, the grey of Earl.

And waited patiently on the stove top,

through bouts of coffee kicks that lasted weeks, months,

until I noticed you again, and remembered my friend,

who had served me through seasons of work and respite.

How many times did I curse the dribble from thy spout?

And leave you cold and forgotten?

But you were there, when I yearned for sleep,

preparing a soothing river of chamomile.

Like a saviour you rescued me from dozing,

with a savory cup of mate.

Steady, honest, dependable soul,

with ease you took fire and water

and made libations.

Where can I find another spirit such as thee?

The one I left burning on the range that day,

until thy metal spiked and brandished oxide like flaky petals,

And called until your water went dry

And your insides cracked with the dust of the years gone by.

So strong, you never crumbled

And my house still stands, untouched by flames you held at bay,

That day, I will remember as the day my home did not burn.

The last whistle from a fearless friend,

echoes in my memory.

Library Learnin': What Kind of Bunnies?

2012-01-09T14:06:00.001-08:00

I learned something very important today while working my shift at the local elementary school library.

If first graders come in and ask you, "Where are the bunny books?"

The next question out of your mouth should be, "What kind of bunny books?"

This is why:

In the children's section of any library you will find ...

Dumb Bunnies

Dav Pilkey's humorous stories about the Dumb Bunny family.

A huge hit for kids who love to say the word "dumb."

Knuffle Bunny

The awesome Mo Willems's tale of a sweet stuffie gone missing.

Another small fry fav.

In the case that you don't know Mo Willems, you should definitely check out his "Don't Let the Pigeon" series.

Mo is pretty much the bomb.

For the older crowd there's the Stone Rabbit books.

My kids' fav in that series is certainly "Night of the Living Dust Bunnies."

And then - just in case you forget about them - there are the real bunnies.

Those are located in the mammal section of nonfiction, specifically: 636.9.

So that's how you field a question for bunnies.

Don't even get me started on naked mole rats.

So glad to be back in the library after a long Christmas break.
Have a great Monday!

Cat

So You Say You Can't Draw a Stick Figure?

2012-01-02T11:05:00.001-08:00

I love this blog written and illustrated by Amber Dusick "Parenting - Illustrated with Crappy Pictures"

http://crappypictures.typepad.com/

Which proves we all have a story to draw, even if it's done quick and dirty.

We all have pictures inside us.

It's your duty to put yours to paper!
Amber is totally awesome for sharing hers.

Learning and Planning for 2012 ... so I Can Go Back to Bed

2011-12-30T23:07:00.000-08:00

I get sappy at night. After my comic-sketching tweeners have gone to bed, and my husband has shut down his home-office edit bay for the night (talk about creativity bursting in every corner of the house) I snuggle up to my pillow, ready to go to sleep, and BAM! All the words I couldn't find in the midst of distractions during the day bubble up like a river as soon as I close my eyes.

So I come to my blog to sort them out.

Hope Clark wrote a very inspirational post today about looking back on 2011. She described events of her year past, highlighting her successes, losses, friendships and endeavors. Concerning the endeavors, she reminds us to discern what worked from what didn't, so we can learn from the struggles, and be grateful for the opportunities to gain experience. This way, we can plan better for 2012.

It's good advice. I'm hoping 2012 is an extra special year for everyone.

For my family personally - My husband started his new business editing TV shows and commercials from home. He's run his own corporation in the past - but he was always gone from the house long hours. This summer and fall he was away for almost 5 months, doing work back in L.A. We see this office at home as an opportunity for him to spend more face time with the kids and have some flexibility in his schedule. He took a break around his lunch hour to run to the store for me today. Score for Mom!

Also, my sister and her family just moved to town from Reno. They're busy getting settled in their new house, and I'm really grateful for their presence here in Nashville. I have family nearby again. Family nearby is a good thing.

I've looked back on my writing posts over the last year and I know I've learned some things.

Content writing for hub sites was a practical way for me to get paid to get some experience writing. There's a community there that supports the effort. Copy editors correct articles. Rewrites suck, but oh well. I never made less than minimum wage the whole time I was doing it. The folks who rail against the sites probably never wrote for them. They're really not so bad. No pressure. No harm done. I learned some stuff. Thank you eHow and Livestrong, for paying me to write. I made some money, and I used a pen name so ... Cat York is still squeaky clean.

Pursuing my dream of writing that best-selling YA novel is going to take more than 1 year (or two or three). Why? Because I need to get better at it. Period. I have a lot of ideas and a lot to learn about long form fiction. When I release a book - I want a team of people behind me saying "This is the one! We got your back!" That day is still in my future, but I'm not holding my breath right now.

Illustrating and self publishing picture books for children is supposed to be fun. I was getting pretty grumpy about it. Most likely because I'm someone who puts a lot of time into meetings, getting to know my clients, making all the changes they wanted, and then feeling guilty about charging them after the book doesn't make them a zillion dollars. I need to butt out of this business for a little while and let the happy folks write and illustrate books for kids. Kids should have books from happy people who don't worry about money. I have a favorite teacher's voice in my head reminding me, "If you're doing a job you're not meant to do, you're stealing the opportunity from the right person for it." (or something like that - he probably says it better.)

Here's my new take on all that: When I'm happy - I'll write, illustrate and publish my own books for kids again. That way - I won't have to worry about how much money they make. It will be my risk alone. But for now - I need to find a more credible, established source of income. So I can be a little happier.

On that note:

I like to interview. Who'd a thunk it? I mean - I did a few interviews for my content articles for Livestrong, but they were mostly product-based and only to gather a few quotes from knowledgeable sources. But today I had a very wonderful chat with a charming community teacher who has a unique business and a great perspective on life. She made my first "official" interview so easy, I couldn't wait to write my article. What's more - she gave me confidence to do more interviews. I'm already planning, outlining, and targeting magazines who can benefit from local professionals who have interesting views of topics I understand and activities I enjoy. I can write this stuff! And I can get it published! Without waiting years! Thank you Jeff Goins for your article "Making the Most of the Holiday Season by Telling Someone Else's Story" and Hope Clark for always encouraging her followers to try local venues for writing opportunities. It finally sunk in. I can still write fiction in my night owl hours, but I really love the idea of seeking out local stories during the day and using my writing to tell other's stories. REAL stories with personal value.

And now - my fiction can be fiction ... and fun!

Wow. 2012.

Bring it on.

Happy New Year Everyone!
I wish you all the best!

xo - CAT

Themes That Tug the Heartstrings: #10 - Toys Who Get to Be Real

2011-12-25T09:20:00.000-08:00

"He was fat and bunched as a rabbit should be; his coat was spotted brown and white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were lined with pink sateen. On Christmas morning, when he sat wedged in the top of the Boy's stocking, with a sprig of holly between his paws, the effect was charming."

I saved this post for Christmas, because I knew I would get sentimental watching my kids open their presents. We've gotten past the toy years in the York household. Now it's mostly clothes and electronics on Christmas morning. But I recently helped clean out my children's rooms for the Good Will truck, and I know which Christmas presents from past years still linger in footlockers and occupy dusty shelves.

Worn down and well-loved toys represent the age of innocence that passes in the blink of an eye. We all have memories of that favorite stuffed animal we hugged until the fur came off.

The more famous stories in the Real Toy Hall of Fame:

Pinocchio

The Velveteen Rabbit

Pooh Bear

The Toy Soldier Army from the Nutcracker

Paddington Bear

The Misfits of Toy Island

The Indian in the Cupboard

Maggie's friends in Behind the Attic Wall

Corduroy

The entire cast of Toy Story.

But none of these stories compare to your own friend. The one you left out in the rain - so that the music box inside it rusted and didn't work anymore .... but you loved it anyway. The one you forgot in the hotel on your family trip, and your mom or dad had to go through hell and high water to get it back, and you cried every night you went with out it. The one you brought everywhere you went. The one you loved until eyes were replaced with buttons, and the stuffing fell out.

Or maybe it's not your toy - but your son's or daughter's. And one look at the thing will bring back memories of sandy days at the park, and nap time, and snuggling with books and animals in bed.

Toys take a beating and stay loyal, smiling through good and bad times. They gather the chocolate stains, and tears, and sickie germs, and bundle them all up into a gentle, quiet soul. They take a piece of our love with them when they're passed down.

And when they've been loved so much and so long that they've surpassed the wisdom of any human being ... you can bet your checkers they that love doesn't go to waste. It's out there, somewhere, waiting for the chance to be a toy again.

To make some lucky kid happy at Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

All the Best for 2012!

Cat

Image credit: William Nicholson, 1922, from "The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Become Real"

Themes That Tug the Heartstrings: #9 - Little Guys With Big Hearts

2011-12-23T12:41:00.001-08:00

Not gonna lie to ya. In this category of archetypal characters ... you're going to see a lot of mice.

Stuart Little

Mrs. Frisby

Ralph S. Mouse (The Mouse and the Motorcycle)

Micky

Bianca and Bernard (The Rescuers)

Fievel Mousekewitz

Good Mouse Amos (Ben and Me)

The cast of REDWALL

Angelina Ballerina
Mighty Mouse

But the tale of Little Guy vs the Big Guy goes all the way back to Aesop's "The Mouse and the Lion" and the Old Testament's "David and Goliath." Who doesn't like to see the big, bad ____ go down because our hero, the underdog (undermouse?), wins through spirit and perseverance.

More little guys who aren't mice ...

Arriety Clock - The Borrowers

Little Bear - The Indian in the Cupboard

Chester - A Cricket in Times Square

Tinkerbell - Peter Pan

Hazel and Fiver - Watership Down

Thumbelina

The Nutcracker

... And all the Hobbits.

Here's to the Little Guys with Big Hearts.

Let's hope they win every time.

Cover Art by Robert Lawson, from Ben and Me, 1939

Sharing My Kids with the Internet - How Do I Do It?

2011-12-22T11:34:00.001-08:00

Up until about three months ago, I didn't worry about internet stalkers and my kids. I had a blog where I shared my artwork and my daily life without worry. Everyone's names were easily accessible. Pictures and school fundraisers were plastered on every page. If anyone had any reason to download the names, dates, and coordinates of my life, they could totally do it. Of course - I was only forwarding our posts to friends and family, and my kids barely used the emails we got them to keep in touch with friends and family in CA, so there was very little risk of something spooky happening. At least - that's how I felt about it then.

After reading a few scary articles and one FB stalker later - I wiped my web slate clean. I deactivated my FB page that displayed my personal life (it would have taken too long to privatize 3 years of pictures and comments), and started a new "professional page" where I could make contacts through online writing and illustration circles. I shelved all my blog posts that mentioned my kids, and I took a whole new approach to my online connections which was "Don't let anyone too close."

I definitely feel safer now. I feel like it was the right choice at the time. I had to learn how to back off and keep from sharing every experience or thought that popped into my head. I've learned how to share good news without giving away all the nitty gritty details. I'm still learning. It's a process.

But I have a new dilemma. My girls are growing up, fast.

They're responsible, smart, thoughtful people who are starting to navigate the online world.

They do homework online.

They keep in touch with friends from their old school through IM and emails.

They email their teachers for assignments when they're sick.

They go to websites like YouTube when they're at sleepovers with friends.

They're budding artists and writers who want to showcase their work and enter contests.

They're super techno-savvy, and they figure stuff out on their own if I don't show them.

And they're learning more and getting more anxious to be online every day.

But we're responsible too. My husband and I make sure they:

Do written homework, book time, and face time before any screen time.

Play sports and take part in after school activities that don't involve computers.

See their friends face-to-face on the weekends.

Know the rules of the internet. (*never post numbers, last names or geographical locations in public forums, *only give your email to people you know, and only answer emails from people you know and alert mom or dad immediately if you get an email from someone you DON'T know, *don't go to any sites that haven't been Mom and Dad approved)

So far, they've proved to be trustworthy. I'm really proud.

A few things came up recently that made me reconsider my rules to sharing my family:

* My daughter asked me why I don't write about them on my blog or post their pictures on FB anymore - which made me a little sad. (They are total attention hounds.)

* My daughter's former kindergarten teacher (and my friend and mentor) told me that my real gift to writing lies in sharing how I raised such responsible, caring kids while staying creatively focused. (Her words - not mine. I think my kids could pick up their dirty laundry more and I really don't see a lot of focus behind my madness of being a mom/artist/yogi/writer - but I listened and let the words sink in.)

* A few of my friends mentioned that they missed my posts and updates on my family - but they understood why I "had to do it." :(

* I started watching how other writers, bloggers, artists, actors, and TV personalities share their lives and families online and in public, and the different ways they handled comments and hecklers.

Also - because my husband and I are giving our daughters our old laptops for Christmas (because they're super students, and we know this online, typed-only homework thing is only going to get more obvious in middle school) we know that we're opening the floodgates of the online world to our innocent girls, and we've already talked about how to handle their eagerness to enter the world of computer geeks.

Like any new, scary, first-time thing: the street, school, riding your bike, going to the skate park, playing a sport, giving a performance ...

they need someone to be there for them, supporting them, showing them how it's done, talking through the scary stuff and red flags. They also need to hear all the positive aspects of a new endeavor. My girls can't wait until the day when they can go public with blogs and Facebook pages, and I tell them it's going to be great - really. I'm having fun with it ... why would I lie to them? But I need to be part of everything they do for the first few years. Just like school. Just like sports and play dates and riding your bike and skateboarding and going to the beach. I tell them, "I need to be there, to help you when you run into something not-so-pleasant, like a shark ... or an online predator."

Someday they're not going to ask my advice. And I hope they make the right decisions. I hope I equip them with enough good advice to get them through any uncomfortable moments.

Until then, I promised I'd share a little bit more, so they feel like they're a part of the process. We're actually having fun with a new family art blog where we'll post pictures and blog about creativity.

But we're doing it as a family and everyone has to agree to follow the rules. Together.

That's how we've done everything else (the skate park, the beach, a new school, crossing the street).

Why should the internet be any different?

How much do you share on the web?

Themes That Tug the Heartstrings: #8 - Teachers Who Inspire Change

2011-12-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

Just when you think it's okay to pass notes in detention ... they swoop in to boost moral and raise test scores. They expect more. They ask for nothing less than your soul. And maybe, if you listen up and work hard, you'll accomplish more than you ever thought you could.

They're the kick-butt mentors of the book and film world.
They hold class in the highest sense of the word - in both fictitious and historical settings.
We know their stories and remember their names.

Anne Sullivan
Joe Louis Clark
Jaime Escalante
John Keating
Sylvia Barrett
Kesuke Miyagi
Mark Thackeray

And yes ... I strongly feel I need to add Professor McGonagall to the list.

You don't want to draw their scorn, and you wear their hard-earned respect like a badge of honor.

The teachers who helped us navigate the school of hard knocks with tough love ...

Gotta love them.

Themes That Tug the Heartstrings: #7 - Kindness At Christmas

2011-12-20T20:48:00.000-08:00

We want to feel that Christmas is a time for joy and good tidings.
But that's not the way it is for everyone.

People are alone in this world.
Sometimes they have no hope.

When I feel alone in this world. I need stories of faith and hope to get me through rough times.

But what really gets me through - are stories of kindness.

Compassion. Understanding.

Characters who lack these traits have to learn them to get to the next level of existence.

Where would Ebenezer be now, if he hadn't been frequented by the ghosts of Christmas?
Where would George Bailey be without his sweet, kind, guardian angel, and the friends who were there in his ultimate time of need?

How can we exist without kindness?
At Christmas - or any time at all?

Illustration credit: George Alfred Williams, from A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, 1905
Thank you Project Gutenberg for making this beautiful image available to the public.

Themes That Tug the Heartstrings: #6 - Unlikely Friendships

2011-12-15T06:59:00.000-08:00

I cry every time I read Charlotte's Web. No one could blame me, of course. The scene where that crafty little spider says farewell to Wilbur is one meant for some serious tear-extortion. Mr. White knew what he was doing. He must have had stock in hankys.

But it isn't just the sadness of all things coming to pass that gets me. No. I'm all ready to cry the moment Charlotte calls out from the darkness to Wilbur, "I'll be a friend to you. I've watched you all day and I like you. Go to sleep. You'll see me in the morning." And Wilbur is so excited to meet the party behind the small voice, and so nervous about his fate as a pig on a farm, that he wakes up several times in the night with "too many things on his mind."

Don't you just love Charlotte for that moment? She didn't have to call out to a heart-sick, lonely, little pig sobbing in a pile of manure. She didn't have to get involved. She could have stayed up in the rafters, unseen and out of the way, and let life on the farm go on as it always had. But she didn't. She spoke up and changed EVERYTHING.

I'm choking up just thinking about it.

We hold a certain, special admiration for characters who have the ability to see through the limitations of social norms. We're thankful that someone like Charlotte exists - in fiction and in real life - who is willing to risk a safe, comfortable situation for a friendship that leads to new perspective and mutual growth - sometimes at painful costs.

We benefit. We change. We allow ourselves to be moved as we watch these chancy relationships unfold.

Jess and Leslie - Bridge to Terabithia
Mattie Ross and Rooster Cogburn - True Grit
George Milton and Lennie Small - Of Mice and Men
Scout and Boo - To Kill a Mockingbird
Bruno and Shmuel - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter - The Help

Privileged are we, the readers, to have the opportunity to look over the shoulders of protagonists who have painfully paved the way to a world where - if we choose - our understanding of each other has no limits, and new friendships are sealed with a few kinds words and a willing heart.

This is for all the Charlottes out there, who go out of their way to introduce themselves to a future friend.

Illustration credit: Garth Williams, from Charlotte's Web, written by E.B. White, 1952

Themes That Tug the Heartstrings: #5 - Horses Who Beat the Odds

2011-12-14T04:19:00.000-08:00

"Horses lend us the wings we lack." – Anonymous

Horses are a symbol of hope throughout literary history.

Why?

Because horses have been around waaaay longer than cars, silly. If you had a horse back in the day - you had a ticket to see the world. You were going places. You had a ride and a friend all in one package. It's no wonder many cultures still revere them. A horse is a treasure not easily replaced, and as a supreme being of nature, horses continue to inspire stories of overcoming great obstacles and finding the will to go forward against unbeatable odds. The tale of the pony who finds that one good person in all the world that was meant to be a friend, meant to ride the animal to glory or bring him home to safety, is one that has been told throughout the ages.

Let's name a few:

Black Beauty
The Black Stallion
Seabiscuit
My Friend Flicka
National Velvet

And then there are matches made to last forever:

The Lone Ranger and Silver
Gandalf and Shadowfax
Artax and Atreyu
Perseus and Pegasus

Passion, freedom, friendship and strength.
Humanity craves these ideals, and horses have it all.

To ride a horse is to ride the sky. - Anon

A dog may be a man's best friend, but the horse wrote history. - Anon

No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle. Winston Churchill

Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses. Elizabeth Taylor

She knew that the horse, born to serve nobly, had waited in vain for someone noble to serve. – D.H. Lawrence

To me, horses and freedom are synonymous. - Veryl Goodnight

The horse is God's gift to mankind. - Bedouin saying

Thanks to Habee from Hub Pages for collecting all those great horse quotes.

Here is also a link to a page on the Humane Society regarding the Agriculture Appropriations bill which rewords our position as a nation on the funding of inspections of horse slaughter plants. Thank you, to my friend, Jen, for posting this recently. Please click the link if you don't think horse should ever be on a menu.

https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=5095&s_src=fbtakeaction5095

Image credit: William Sewell and Gilbert James, from the book "Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians" by Woislav M. Petrovicth, 1914. Thank you Project Gutenberg, The Internet Archive, and American Libraries for making these images available to the public.

Better pics than the Associated Press Image I had before I read THIS article.

Free Clip Art For Bloggers: December Seasonal Images

2011-12-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

I'm uploading pages of clip art illustrations I've created for fun and for networking. It's something I will continue to do on a weekly/monthly basis. Be sure to check my "Selected Posts" lists for new images under "Free Clip Art for Bloggers" on the right-hand side of my page. All friends and bloggers are free to use my images. It's my gift to you for visiting my site. You can credit my images to Cat York or leave the caption when you post. I appreciate the credit and the link!

Image: Cat York

Season's Greetings and Thanks!
Stay tuned for more Free Clip Art!

Themes That Tug the Heartstrings: #4 - Feisty Orphans

2011-12-13T10:49:00.001-08:00

They're resourceful.
They're hungry.
They use adorable, slang-slapped language.
They fit in closets, under beds and other small, tight places perfect for spying.
They're constantly making the acquaintance of the most interesting and ill-reputed people ...
and they never cease to stay out of trouble.

We love those rag-tag street kids who figure out a way to survive the harsh, cruel world. They usually come with a team of orphan friends or equally hungry animal pals - which makes for great pick-pocketing scenes or fighting in the alleys. We're drawn to their stories because we not only want to see them through danger and deception, we want them to rise up and bring justice to all the bad guys who did them wrong!

The Feisty Orphan Short List:

Aladdin
Annie
Oliver Twist
Lyra Belacqua
Pip Pirrip
Anne of Green Gables
Huck Finn
Sara Crewe (The Little Princess)
Harry Potter

If they came asking after a second bowl of porridge, could you turn them down?

Nor could I.

Let's hear it for the Literary Orphans who brought us to tears, made us laugh, and did it all with roguish, incorrigible charm!

Image Credit: Cat York (moi)

Great Author - Great Books - Great Blog

2011-12-13T06:16:00.000-08:00

Just finished "Darkfall," the last book in the Healing Wars series by Janice Hardy, YA rebel. Loved the whole series and looking forward to Janice's next endeavor. In the meantime - I will be a frequenting her very informative blog "The Other Side of the Story" and studying her Idea-to-Novel brilliance up close during my rewrite phase this winter. Check her blog out if you haven't already, and leave her a note of thanks for all the great advice and superb story-writing skills she shares there!

Library Learnin': Poetry is Nonfiction?

2011-12-12T12:26:00.000-08:00

Last week was "Poetry Week" for the 4th grade here in our little world. Which means I am reorganizing the poetry section in the library THIS week.

Here's what the fourth grade liked:

And Jeff Foxworthy

Yep. Jeff Foxworthy is a poet. A funny one. He writes adorable, fictional poetry for children.You should look him up - in the nonfiction section of the school library - in the 811s.

Why do libraries shelve fictional poetry in the nonfiction section?

Best answer: The 800s of the Dewey Decimal System is the "Literature" section. Since libraries have such a huge literature section, they pretty much have to separate the fiction from the non-fiction and list authors of fiction by last name. Can you imagine how big the 800s would be if they didn't?
Apparently, there aren't enough library-established poetry books to have a stand alone poetry section ... so poetry has stayed in nonfiction. The 808s house poetry collections, the 811s are specifically designated for American poetry.

As a side note - you'll find Shakespeare under 822.33. He is the only author with his very own Dewey Decimal code. He's shelved in "British Plays".

Which poses the question: Where would you find Shakespeare's Sonnets?
Sorry Billy - Queen Elizabeth still has those over in 821.3!

image credit: arthursclipart.org

Themes That Tug the Heartstrings: #3 - Tragic Heroes

2011-12-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

“A man has to be what he is, Joey. You can’t break the mold."

"We want you, Shane. Shane! Come back!"

*sniff * sniff* ... Ah. The tragic hero. Wants to change... but he just. can't. quite. do it.

Cowboys, kings, soldiers - Clint Eastwood as a grumpy, old man defending his front porch - the tragic hero plays the role that no one else wants. He stands by his self-proposed, simple truths and personal sense of honor. We can see that he's heading for a sad ending, but we know he won't change course. We love him anyway.

We always fall for the bad boys. Don't we?

From the age of Aristotle to the modern world, the tale of the tragic hero haunts us because we appreciate his imperfections. His flaws bring him closer to us. We understand his weaknesses because we all have weaknesses, yet we admire his strengths, his want to do the right thing, his honorable traits... because we want to be that way too. We could say that in our current culture, infatuations with the lives of athletes and rockstars who have bumpy biographies stem from our need to know that everyone has troubles, no matter how talented you are or how lofty your position in society.

The word for a tragic hero that overcomes his fatal flaw and helps bring on an HEA? I would call him the anti-hero ... the unlikely hero that saves the day.

But the tragic hero will always live in tragedy.
Sorry, Shane. It's your job to make us cry.

*sniff*sniff*

Engraving credit: Artist unknown?

Themes That Tug the Heartstrings: #2 - Young, Doomed Love

2011-12-08T06:26:00.000-08:00

Romeo and Juliet.
John Smith and Pocahontas.
Tristan and Isolde.
Buffy and Angel.
Katniss and Peeta.

We fall for their stories like heart-shaped bricks, hoping the outcome will be different ... this time, next time ... maybe if I read it again ... but star-crossed love is never easy on the players. If they don't end up dead in a mausoleum, they probably have to endure war, famine, and super-angry parental figures, to be together.

Why are we so drawn to love stories that end in tragedy?

Easy. Because we've all been there. We've all been young, stupid, and in love.

Sure. Our romantic situations most likely didn't dictate the fate of a kingdom or involve a war between good and evil, but we know how it feels when the objection of our affection turns out to be unattainable, and forces beyond our control interfere with a romance we know could survive if we just got away from all those pesky obstacles ... like parents. Did I mention parents? Parents are SO against teenage, forbidden love. A writer couldn't ask for a better antagonist and catalyst. Mom and Dad say no - several times - in many different ways - driving our young, doomed lovers from different worlds straight into their unlucky fates.

And if you're lucky enough to survive parents, (or war or famine) then you end up with the tragedy of old, doomed love. I mean, how ridiculously soul-sobbing was The Notebook ... or UP? You know what I'm saying? Yes. You do. Even if you don't want to admit it. We can only hold on to what we love for so long. These stories are here to remind us to love hard and true, despite the obstacles, and cherish the people who matter to us while we have the chance.

We are drawn to young, doomed love because most of us want to root for those tenacious characters to step outside their boundaries and change the world.

So we can say we were on their side, all along.

image credit: Romeo and Juliet painting by Sir Frank Bernard Dicksee from wpclipart.com

Add This Button

2011-12-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

The share buttons at the bottom of this post are the result of code I found on addthis.com. They have easy-to-follow instructions for getting code for social media buttons and share buttons.

Themes That Tug the Heartstrings: #1 - Devoted Doggies

2011-12-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

From the tear-jerking reunion of Susie Salmon and her dog, Holiday, in The Lovely Bones, to the obsessive puppy-love that grabbed hold of our hearts in Where the Red Fern Grows, our emotional investment in Man's Best Friend never fails to pull a few sobs out of readers. Dogs are (according to my daughter's wise and knowledgeable kindergarten teacher who is never wrong) "Little light-beams of love that we just don't deserve."

They're cute.
They're funny.
They forgive you for anything past five minutes ago.
They stand by their favorite person in the face danger.

Dogs add friendship and valor to a story, whether they are a supporting or central character. And the really sure-as-Shih-tzu thing is ... dogs don't stick around as long as human characters usually do. Most centrally dog-themed books do not end with furry friend and owner skipping off into the HEA at a ripe old age. Yet we KNOW this and STILL we paw the pages, ready to weep and cuddle a box of tissues.

Dogs that made us cry:

Old Dan and Little Ann - Where the Red Fern Grows

Sounder

Shiloh

Old Yeller

Marley

Winn Dixie

Dogs that made us laugh:

Hank the Cowdog

Ribsy

Harold - Bunnicula
Marley (yes - he gets to make the list twice)

Loyal Supporting Canines:

Nana - Peter Pan

Fang - Harry Potter
Ham, Peg and Gru - the Chikchu from First Light

Mrs. O'Leary - Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Yup. The pure devotion of a playful pup hits home every time.
Feel free to add your favorite literary dogs to the list, and stay tuned this December for more "Themes That Tug the Heartstrings."

Word Count Meter

2011-12-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

If you want to keep up your word count progress outside of Nanowrimo - a quick search of the net will give you several options for code to paste to your website or blog.

I found this one - composed and delivered to us by the awesome Svenja Liv.

http://svenja.atspace.com/wordmeter.html

Nice. Colorful. Hopefully - it will keep me motivated in December.

I need to see visuals of my progress. Oh yes. I do.

Library Learnin': Parables and Fables

2011-12-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

New books came to our local elementary school library today. This shipment brought us a stack of brightly illustrated parables and fables from Child's World.

Parables and fables are short stories that feature a moral lesson. Parables can have a religious setting, such as the Parables of The Bible: The Prodigal Son, The Good Samaritan, The Unmerciful Servant. Sometimes we use the term "Parable" to define any short, moral, story with universal cultural/spiritual appeal, such as The Water Bearer and the Cracked Pot or The Donkey in the Well.

Fables, such as the age-old tales of Aesop, are famous for the use of animals as characters who portray human thoughts and actions: The Tortoise and the Hare, The Lion and the Mouse, The Ant and the Grasshopper. Fables are not limited to animals, however. The Maid and the Milk Pail and The Boy Who Cried Wolf, are both fables that feature human characters and semi-realistic scenarios.

Technically, stories that include inanimate objects that talk or think, or humans who have power over natural forces (the sun, moon, wind) are fables, while parables can tell a story without utilizing elements of magic or requiring a reader's suspension of disbelief. What do you do if you find a story with a religious tone that portrays talking animals or inanimate objects? Call it folklore and note the cultural content.

What does the Dewey Decimal System say?

Parables of The Bible are located in the nonfiction category of a library, in the 220s.
Fables, myths, and legends are located in the 390s - customs and costumes.
Myths and non-Christian religious tales are located in the 290s - Non Christian Religions.

Image credit: arthursclipart.org

Where Goals and Artistic Drive Meet

2011-12-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

I spent a month on a script in Nanowrimo that I never intended to write. Not complaining. This is just a fact.

Tomorrow, I will jump back into my "real" writing. You know - the work I actually intend to submit. Not that my Nano-script wasn't chock-full of kooky ideas that might actually make it into a real book one day - I just have a different plan for my publishable work that doesn't involve mobsters, kidnapped elephants, and invisible islands in the South Pacific ocean.

A month can be a long time depending on how you look at it. It didn't really seem that long when I was "taking a break from real writing to see if I could do this nano-thing". Now I'm back to my work-in-progress finding that I can't really pick up where I left off. It's been too long since I was involved. I definitely have to reread my book (so I remember what's going on) and decide which of my newfangled writing methods discovered during November's writing frenzy are sustainable and practical enough for everyday writing goals.

There's one thing I know is a must-keep lesson:

Set goals. Stick to them.

Goals are the only real way to gauge progress. If you have goals and you achieve them - you've made progress. If you have goals and you don't achieve them - you need to re-evaluate some part of your game plan.

The artistic side of me likes to argue with "goal setting" all the time.

"You can't rush good work."
"Deadlines kill creativity."
"What is progress mean anyway?"

These are all very valid points that should not be forgotten. Still, at the end of the day, if you muck around and do whatever you want, you can't be quite sure if anything has really happened. Which is alright for some people - but if you want to FINISH something - a daily/weekly/monthly goal is in order.

I've had it out with my artistic side this year. I told her that finishing something that I'm proud of makes me very happy. I told her I need to get more serious about setting goals and seeing them through. Yes, I do like to explore tangents and I am flexible enough to go easy on myself when I'm running low on creative juices.

But I don't have to wander aimlessly, hoping that "it will all come together someday." I have tools to help someday come a little quicker, and I intend to use them.

Hear that?
That's the sound of my artistic side - ready to meet me halfway.

Short Post from Nanowrimo Bliss!

2011-11-29T13:38:00.000-08:00

Excuse my puctuation right now - I'm high on silicone fumes and I have numb fingertips.

I just thought I'd take a small post to celebrate before I collapse in bed with a stack of books I've been itching to read all month ...

I did it! I wrote 50290 words in 30 days or less. :) Yay me!
I don't know that I've written that consistently ever in my life. I've been more of the "creative burst" writer than a 2,000 word a day writer. I certainly learned quite a bit about my habits and my excuses this month. It was a real eye opener.

But these last couple of days were very fun for me and my script.

Once I saw the end in sight, and I knew what I wanted for my characters, and I saw how at least a few of the plot lines tied together, and I created some fun places for them all to interact (and I even found a theme in all of this - who'da thunk it?!) ... I wanted to write straight through while I still had it all in my head. Over the last two days I think I wrote a total of 8,000 words. Despite the fact that I wrote them quickly, I also wrote them with a big ending in mind, and a mission for my main character to have an HEA ending (more or less - she's made her sacrifices).

I also know my book is unpublishable and I don't want to look at it for a while. Which is a very realistic view to take, in my opinion.

I also had a lot of fun. I learned a lot about myself and I think I raised my potential to actually finish more of my unfinished works just by partaking in this experience. Thanks Nanowrimo!

I'm a donor now, too. Nanowrimo and other writer-based projects are organized by the Office of Letters and Light. A $25 donation allows a classroom of 35 kids to participate in the Young Writers Program. I am happy to be a part of it!

Check the link below for more info on that!

http://www.lettersandlight.org/

In the meantime - keep writing! Keep writing and see what happens next!
xoxoxo
CAT

Families Go to Disney World, and Book Nerds ...

2011-11-27T06:10:00.000-08:00

... Go to Harry Potter World!

But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Let me tell you why I've been offline for more than a week.

The York family Thanksgiving was spent in Florida with a sunny and 75 weather forecast, Grandma York's turkey, sketchy internet connections, and 4 wonderful - though exhausting - days of Disney World Theme Parks. Our nuclear York unit was celebrating the return of our very own Captain Provider (my husband) from his extended business trip to L.A (extended by 3 months, give or take a few days) and looking forward to a little family time.

We got some family time. (note the excitement on those faces!)

On the way down to Orlando, Captain Provider's prediction of the week was that his family was going to "DESTROY DISNEY WORLD," which only means he intended to ride every awesome spectacle in the 4 theme parks at least twice, and walk over 6 miles a day without complaining. By the second day, Disney proved the opposite was in store for us, as the kids were already showing signs of Characteraphobia * and Mommy was wishing for a Walgreens to magically appear in the middle of Epcot so she could buy some gel-padded inserts for her walking shoes. Captain Provider was unstoppable though, slathering sunblock on us while we waited in line, waking up early to make PB&J sammies to prepare for the many "I'm hungry"s we heard throughout the day. If there's any two things I will remember about this trip, it will be my in-laws generosity to their kids and grankids, and my husband's undying knack to be a kid when the opportunity presents itself.

It's so good to have you back with us Captain Provider!

After a nice, cozy Thanksgiving with family (and a day of nursing my new intolerance to mixed drinks which I won't brag too much about), our nuclear unit branched off from the larger group to indulge in our geeky obsession of the Harry Potter books and movies with four tickets to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure.

HARRY POTTER! (I think I was more excited than my children were.)

At the opening of the park, we made a bee-line from the park gates to Hogsmeade Village and went straight for Harry Potter's Forbidden Journey. This was the ride that took us inside Hogwarts castle, mixing 3D animatronics ** with motion interactive movie screens where Harry leads you on a flying adventure through and around the castle grounds (you even fly with Ron and Harry out onto the quiddich pitch!). Even the wait in line was cool, as it wound through the castle, and included appearances from Dumbledore, Harry and the gang, and paintings that actually moved and talked.

Inside Hogwarts, around the corner from Dumbledore's office.

Omigosh was I geeking out.

Three rides total in Harry Potter World - four if you count the two separate Dragon Challenges - and in between the flying, looping adventures, Harry Potter fans could eat at the Three Broomsticks Café (make sure you watch the walls for mini shadow shows) or check out the theatrical demonstrations by scholars from the Beaxbatons Academy and Durmstrang Institute. There is also a very unique performance from the Hogwarts choir and their singing frogs! Potterphanalia *** lines the little shops along the streets of Hogsmeade; we saw sneakoscopes, extendable ears, rememberalls, quidditch jerseys and marauder's maps - to name a few.

The girls check out the Marauder's Map display, shadowy moving footprints and all!

The best part of our day?

I would say - aside from getting to ride The Forbidden Journey twice in a row due to some poor chap getting sick on the ride and working wizards having to stop it - our favorite part of the day, collectively as a group, was our first sip of butterbeer.

I also had a buttery nose.

We got ours in frosty, collectible mugs (so much better that way) and let me tell you - someone went through a lot of trouble to come up with a recipe that matched the inspiration behind J.K. Rowling's well-named beverage. How funny it was to watch adults walk around all day with creamy butter-staches and sweet smiles as we all indulged in this delicious, Potter-fan-unifying drink.

What inspired me most, though, (as we stood in line for Olivander's wand experience) was that - as many people as there were involved in the movies, and the park's creation ... the names of the characters, shops, creatures, places, things ... all came from one person's imagination. She was everywhere. Her ideas. Her creations. Her story.

Isn't wonderful what writers can inspire?

Getting excited in Honeyduke's. The Hogsmeade candy shop.

Thank you Ms Joanne Rowling for sparking the magic in all of our hearts.
We loved the park.
We loved the movies.

But we love your books best of all.

My little Harry Potter fan reading The Sorcerer's Stone for the first time a few years ago.

Next time - we'll remember the Dr. Scholl's inserts (and that mommy shouldn't mix rum and cokes with Margaritas).

The Monster Book of Monsters , of course, needed to be kept under lock and key. Funny!

* 9 and 1/2 year olds are, all of a sudden, too big to be interested in Mickey Mouse or even speak of princesses, and suddenly go silent and fidgety when presented with the option to meet one. This intermediate phobia is suddenly cured in high school, when wearing mouse ears and having a favorite princess - for whatever unspeakable reason - becomes cool again.

** We're talking dementors that actually approach you, giant spiders that spit "poison", and fire-breathing dragons. Some of the best animatronics I saw all week.

*** Potterphanalia is the term my husband and I used to describe the book/movie inspired items strewn throughout the shops that magically drained our pocketbooks.

Nano Update

2011-11-25T20:37:00.000-08:00

I will be coming from behind in the 5 day stretch to the finish. I have 35,000 words. I still like my characters, and I still have an idea of how it's all going to end. Yes. I lost some ground on vacation, but I'm not giving up until the Nanowrimo lady sings. (I'm not sure that's what's going to happen -I've never done this before.)

The thing is - I started my Nanowrimo on day 2 of November, knowing full well that my entire family and extended family was taking a week long trip to Disney World at the end of the month, and I also knew my wonderful Dad was coming down to Nashville for a long weekend mid month. Knowing this, and totaling in the normal commitments of kids and school and family and friends, I shrugged and said "What the hey? What do I have to lose?"

And now, 35,000 words into Nano, I feel I have my choice of something to lose.
I lose either 25 days, or 11 months.

Either I can bust my butt for the next 5 days and write my Nanowrimo script like I never thought I could, or I wait 11 months to try again, telling anyone that knows what Nanowrimo is that I didn't have the gusto to get'er done.

So now that my week in Orlando is coming to a close, I must finish what I started in the first days of November.

It could be 50,000 words of nonsense.
It might be the craziest story I've ever written in my entire life.
Or I just might produce a manuscript that holds a few sparks of creativity that could only be brought on by extreme giddy, desperate, love of writing that is the found in the pressure-cooking last days of Nanowrimo.

Here I go ...

Filling Your Written Canvas

2011-11-18T20:26:00.000-08:00

How is writing a story like painting a picture?

As an artist and a writer, I can tell you that the processes of writing and painting have similarities I would have never noticed had I not been at both art forms long enough to see how many different attack plans there are to both.

I was trained as an illustrator, which is a fine art form that can involve painting. Doesn't have to though. Illustrators are colored pencil artists, scratchboard artists, pen and ink artists. Illustrators use gouache and markers and airbrushes and computer programs. One thing illustrators tend to do more than painter folk, is take the time to plan out every inch of their composition. Once a composition is planned, pencils have been drawn, and composites for color are roughed out, an illustrator works in sections at a time until the work is finished. Mistakes and redos in acrylics, watercolor and gouache are hard to fix (unless you're using the undo button in Adobe Illustrator) so illustrators make sure they spend as much time planning as executing. Even an illustration that looks totally fun and simple and whimsical was probably planned and planned well.

I tend to write like I illustrate. I'm an excellent outliner. I love to plan and work in sections. But I've come to realize that writing a book takes more time and planning than illustrating an illustration. It can get weighty and start to fall apart. Outlines don't show holes and blank areas like a canvas does. (Illustrating an entire book can take longer than writing a book, but that's a different story with many variables.) Sometimes the best laid plans end up scrapped and rewritten and rewritten and rewritten. My book planning has not worked out as efficiently as my illustrating methods. I've started more than twenty "books" and actually finished three. Not a wonderful record.

Through Nanowrimo, I started to think of my writing process more as "painterly." I still love to paint, and I think very differently when painting a canvas than I do when I'm planning an illustration. I'm remembering back to advice given to me by all my fine art teachers, whether we were using charcoal, or pastels, or oils. They had similar plans for attacking a big piece of work. "Sketch your design. Determine your focal point. Find your light source. Block out color. Fill the canvas. Go back over everything once the canvas is filled. Add details."

How to apply this to a novel?

"Sketch your beginning, middle, and end. Consider your character's(s') perspective(s). Determine your themes. Block out scenes. Go back over everything once your story is written. Add details."

Working fast is really messy sometimes. Yet, finishing something can give you a clear perspective on what is working in your story and what is not. Where are the blank spaces on your written canvas? What needs to be filled out and detailed? What needs reworking?

Some of the best painters used blocks of color and loose brushstrokes to create a feeling.
There's no one way to attack a work of art.

photo © Andrew
for openphoto.net CC:Attribution-ShareAlike

Believe in Yourself the Way Grandma Believes in You

2011-11-17T06:31:00.000-08:00

Self-doubt is one of the hardest obstacles to overcome. Ask any writer, musician, or artist who has been trying to achieve or maintain some kind of success. They'll tell you: You have to have faith in yourself. You have to be stubborn with your reasons for taking the hard road. You have to look into the eyes of the naysayers and tell them, "I got it - not to worry - I know what I'm doing," (even if you don't). And if the nagging, self-doubt starts to creep in, remember not to lose heart.

Keep at it.
Keep your chin up.
Keep your eye on the prize.
And when you feel like you've run out of reasons to keep going ...

Do it for the lady who believes you can do no wrong.
Do it for Grandma.

The grandmas I know think the world of their grandkids. Even my sweet, thoughtful, little Grammy knows how to brag. The sun rises and sets on the people that descended from her own flesh. She's toughed out the hard times, and she knows I can too - it's in my blood. Everything I've created has the stamp of her approval. Everything I try gets an "Attagirl" from Grandma. She'll hold up my worst painting and tell me it's a masterpiece. She looks at my experiments in self-publishing, and truly believes I've got a best seller on my hands. She knows I can achieve whatever I put my mind to.

So I can't let her down.

I have one Grandma that is no longer in this world, and one that is still fighting to stay.
I owe it to both of them to make my name a good one.

I know I will still be my own worst critic, but when I feel like giving up, I won't.
I'm a fighter because I descend from fighters.
It's in my blood.
Thank you, Grandma.

And We Have a Plot, Ladies and Gentlemen!

2011-11-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

It is week three of Nanowrimo. I am 2500 words behind. My character is a mess that keeps falling into the wrong storyline (do I even know where she is now? not really) but two things have happened that weren't happening before.

1. My character finally knows what she wants. -

To be fair - she did know what she wanted when I started the story. But it was lame desire born from being forced to make a choice. Through all the unexpected characters and half-cocked plot twists she's encountered these last 16 days, she's finally decided what she wants to get out of all of it. The motive cookie fell in her lap - yes, I made it fall there - but now she wants to keep it. Hooray for that!

2. A for-real plot has shown up on page 100 of my story.

I've had several plots since I started my Nanoscript. The overall premise was that my character was opting out of her current situation and leaving her life. That's just a premise, though, not a plot. I sort-of had an ending too, and knew the decision she would eventually have to make - but that's ALSO not a plot, that's an ending. Between the premise and the ending, I've introduced mobsters and kidnapped zoo animals, an abandoned manor house and a chess game for an engagement ring that's worth $17K, but all that doesn't add up to a plot - that's all just a bunch of crap that happened while I was typing.

A plot is what ties it all together with a series of events that has rhyme and reason and pace.
I don't have that.

But on page 100 - today - in between paragraph 842 and 843 - a plot was born. A character emerged to lead the way. A place I didn't think I'd see pop up in my novel became a place I wanted to write about - and SUDDENLY there's a rhyme and reason to why they matter and how my main character is involved and why she wants to be.

OH MY GOSH GOLLY.

I started Nano just to see if I could keep up, and figured I was going to write a funny, nonsensical manuscript in the process ... but I may actually have a real idea for a grown-up book. It will take the next two weeks of Nano, and then who knows how long after that to see if I actually do, but I have to say, I've surprised myself.

Sometimes it takes writing through a bunch of crap to uncover something worthy.

Thanks Nanowrimo.
I'm a little humbled by this process, but I'm glad to be here, and so is my story.

xo
CAT

The Need to Create

2011-11-15T06:38:00.000-08:00

"Every human being is interested in two kinds of worlds: the Primary, everyday world which he knows through his senses, and a Secondary world or worlds which he not only can create in his imagination, but which he cannot stop himself creating."

W.H. Auden

W.H. Auden borrowed the terms Secondary and Primary worlds from J.R.R. Tolkien - the ultimate world builder. Although the philosophy behind the division of worlds can be examined closer, (see Nirmal Driss - Rebuilding Babel: The Translations of W.H. Auden) I've always appreciated the simplest concept behind this quote: the potential for humankind is awesome. While on one hand, a secondary world could be a dictator's plan for world domination; from my perspective, it's a permission slip for the writer to keep doing what he is doing, regardless of the messages - good or bad - he may encounter in the primary world.

It's the secondary world where we are truly free to explore the possibilities of life, the depths of emotion, the limits of the written word. My daughters and I make a big show over fictional stories that make us laugh and cry, reading passages aloud so we can share as a group the great mystery behind the question. "If it's just a story, why do I feel like it's so real?"

Because we know that secondary world exists and becomes tangible through our creations. The adventures of the human mind are endless, and we can share our perception of secondary worlds through stories and illustrations. As Albus Dumbledore says: "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on Earth should that mean that it is not real?"

So if you're a writer of fiction who has hit the wall of "Who cares? Why am I doing this anyway?"

Don't give up. To motivate you ... I'll leave you with another Auden quote:

“You owe it to all of us to get on with what you're good at.”

Scholasitc's One For Books

2011-11-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

Today at the book fair, I was lucky enough to see Scholastic's One for Books program in action. One for Books is a non-profit program that allows kids and parents to donate dollars and pocket change, to help buy books for their library and fellow students in need. Scholastic matches monetary donations collected by schools with a donation of books to Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc., the Kids In Need Foundation, and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

And I got the best job. I got to deliver the letters to the kids who got books this year.

I can't tell you how fun it was to go from class to class with a stack of student certificates that announced: "YOU'VE BEEN VISITED BY THE BOOK FAIRY - COME TO THE LIBRARY TO SEE WHAT SHE BROUGHT!"

Students took turns coming to the library to find the Book Fairy had left them a little something from the book wish lists they filled out earlier this week.

I saw one 3rd grader walk away from the Book Fairy line, clutching her book to her chest. She was choked up to tears, "I'm so happy right now," she said. "I really really really wanted this book!" She hugged it again before she skipped away. My heart melted.

It just doesn't get any better than that.

So check out your local Scholastic book fair if you haven't already. Good things are happening at school libraries all over the world. Be a part of it!

Winds of Inspiration

2011-11-09T06:23:00.000-08:00

Today is cold and drizzly, but yesterday was the epitome of a perfect fall day. It was breezy, dry, and sunny. All the leaves had changed. They were falling so fast it looked like it was snowing a rainbow on my street. I took an extra long walk with my dog. Snapped a few photos of our neighborhood. Had a nice chat with my neighbor. Played soccer in the backyard with Thing 1.

And wrote 5,000 words.

Ever noticed that you get more done when you take breaks?

I'm not talking about spending ten minutes sorting through the leftover Halloween candy for a Snickers bar, or standing next to the coffee pot as it brews. I'm referring to those breaks that inspire you, give you perspective ... remind you that you're not some bleary-eyed zombie tapping away at a keyboard ... you're alive!

I've noticed during the Nanowrimo writing challenge (where I have to clock in my word count daily - something I've never done before) that the days I hem and haw at the computer, ignoring the rest of my life and vowing to "get something done" ... are not the days I usually "get something done." The days I make a quiet promise to take care of life as it comes, while still having my computer up and ready for writing, are the days I really make progress.

I'm not saying that we don't need some hemming and hawing now and then. Grumbling through a tough edit day or a rewrite is usually standard. I wouldn't begrudge anyone of their Hemhaw days. Those come in handy.

But there's something that happens when we free our minds for a moment - or an hour - to appreciate the things we appreciate (which is different for all of us so I'm not going to get too specific) which distorts time in a such a way that we look back on a full day and say "Wow, really? All that and no one had to twist my arm!"

Yesterday, I enjoyed fall, coffee, my kids, my dog, my neighbors - I even fit in a "Nanowrimo Write In" at Starbucks in the evening - and throughout the day, each time I decided to sit down and work, the words came freely.

Next time you think you can spare a Hem or a Haw, remember you have sources of inspiration all around you. Take a break and indulge!

Writing is Like Soccer ...

2011-11-07T18:10:00.000-08:00

Oh boy.
There it is.
The soccer mom card is gettin' played.

But first, before you (accurately) picture me in my min-van with the automatic doors and the GO TEAM bumperstickers, I want to tell you how Nanowrimo is going.

For those of you who don't know, Nanowrimo has been held every year in November since 1999. It stands for National Novel Writing Month, and the event includes an online manuscript-writing challenge to finish a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. That's 1667 words per day. I started a day late and a plan short so I've been slowly scraping to catch up to the pros and veterans who know what the heck they're doing.

If there's one thing I've learned these past 6 or 7 days of writing out of my blankity-blank, it's that I have to keep going without revising, editing, or whining about my situation. There is no time to go back and fix loose ends or coulda dones. Kinda like soccer? You say? Well yes.

Yes, but there's MORE.

I'm learning MOVES.

WRITING moves.

I kinda had a handle on a few moves before Nanowrimo. Questions at the end of the chapter. Dialogue that reveals exposition. Showing motive instead of telling motive. These are all little tricks that keep the reader engaged.

In Nanowrimo, I'm not trying to keep the reader engaged. I'm trying to sidestep the big, nasty fullbacks of Fear and Failure blocking my way and keep MYSELF engaged in the play. Which is where the Coach S. Switch comes in.

Those of you who have medium-sized soccer stars will recognize this move. You've seen it before.

Your kid is dribbling up the line. She had a chance for the breakaway a second ago, but now, the other team is closing in. It looks bad. They're really big, and your kid barely fills her jersey.
Then suddenly!

"SWITCH!!!"

At this command from Coach S., she crosses the ball to her teammate on the open half of the field! The parents go wild. There's time, still time, but NO!!! That midfielder from the other team is crazy fast. The pressure's on. She's boxed out. She can't get a shot off, and then ...

"SWITCH!!!"

She boots it back to your kid who got open during the distraction ... but she doesn't have options. Too many defenders in her way ...

"SWITCH!!!"

"SWITCH!!! SWITCH!!!"

Do they score? Maybe. Maybe not. But if they keep switching fields and pulling the opposition's defense off their marks, they stay in the play and keep the audience cheering.

I'm my own audience for Nanowrimo. I have to switch it up or the self-doubt closes in. I have to change plays or I start losing ground. Every time I find myself not wanting to put out the wordage, I visit the forums and see what kind of mind-switch will keep me moving the plot forward.

I don't feel like picking up where I left off.

There's a Nanowrimo forum for DARES. I take one.

SWITCH!!! I suddenly have to write my characters playing chess while drinking excessively and no one in the scene is allowed to think the behavior is abnormal. Yeah! Nailed it! 1200+ words to my pages.

I start to hate one of the characters. Wow is he boring. I don't know why I put him smack in the middle of this scene. I should delete him.

SWITCH!!! He has to wear a fedora that he loves more than anything, and no one is allowed to touch it or say anything about it. My mind latches on to the task and I suddenly decide he's the unsung hero of the whole book.

The dialogue is getting stale. I say the same things over and over.

SWITCH!!!
I grab lines from the Adoption Threads. I grab a plot bunny while I'm there. I answer a question at the reference desk while I'm at it. Yes! I remember what I learned in Sophmore history class - let me describe it for you ... and does anyone know anything about hocking diamond engagement rings?

I've been doing too many fancy moves.
The word count goal is straight ahead of me!
I leap off the forums and ...

SCORE!!!

And I collapse in a heap in my recliner.
Which is very different than my collapsible, portable, canvas chair.

But I still feel like I played a game I won, and made some new moves, and pulled some muscles.
If I survive my first Nanowrimo, I owe it to the Coach S. Switch and the 90 - 150 thousand Nanowrimo participants who are online to yell SWITCH anytime I need them.

Suddenly - writing is a team sport.

The Smell of Books

2011-11-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

Not only do I frequent our public library at least once a week to pick up holds for myself, my husband, and my Things 1 and 2, I also keep my weekly commitment to volunteer at the Things' school library.

I'm addicted to sorting and re-shelving, because I LOVE a well-organized plan, and I think the Dewey Decimal system is pretty much on the top of the "Best Ideas for Organization" list. But - a better reason to be out on the floor putting books away, is to help the occasional mini-bookie find a good read. I'm learning where all the princess and barbie books are, but I'm also sure to point out Eloise and Madeline. (They are princesses in their own right.) For the junior bookies (and I have some regular customers), I flock to their side to get a glimpse at what series they're diving into and ask them really Momwriter questions like: "Who's your favorite character in that one? Why do you like her? What did you think of this part, that part? Oh ... you have to get to class? Okay. Yeah. Cool. We'll talk later."

Could I embarrass my 4th grade Thingers more?

But the real reason I think I love being in the library is the smell of it. Old books that have seen hundreds of eager faces have a spirit about them that can only be desribed as magic. I especially love to see the ones with bindings that have been taped, and frayed corners, and dog-eared pages, getting checked out over and over. Ah - to be loved like that. Kids don't even mind the occasional pen mark and pizza sauce stain. It's all good. The story inside makes up for the shabby exterior.

The Scholastic book fair is this week, which is always exciting. I was there today to help the kindys write down the names of the books they wanted, so they can badger their parents for pocket change to bring them home. They filled their request sheets with hopes of shiny new paperbacks and glossy pages. It was fun. Lots of Barbie requests. And Ninjago. And Lego. And 3d Sharks. Things have changed since the days of Mayer and Berenstain.

But not that much. Kids still dig books. The evidence is overwhelming.

I bought a book to donate to our library. It was a new release. Shiny. Perfect. Glossy.
"You'll be old and loved someday," I thought, as I filled out our donation tag on the inside of the cover. "And I'll be a part of this library for as long as you hold that binding together."

After the rush died down, I hurried back to the stack of nonfiction that needed to be reshelved and got happy. I know where the dolphins go. I know where the fighter planes go. I know where the poetry goes, and the point difference between myths and legends.

Ahhh. Every book in its place.
Smell that organization.

When and How to Network

2011-11-06T05:12:00.001-08:00

I'm still figuring this out, so this will be a shaky post.

I started thinking about this since I refacebooked (that's cat speak for I got rid of my page with all my kids' pictures and lists of my favorite ice creams and run-on threads which revealed my step-by-step process for purging my dog of fleas ... and started being more professional and responsible on an entirely different page.) and I came to a few conclusions which I wanted to write down just for the sake of seeing how I change my mind about it later.

For online networking, I started thinking that I should be in touch with bloggers and authors who make a living at writing ... since that's my goal in life. I'm following writer blogs more closely now, which means getting on email lists and putting my mug on the public "follower" box for writers who have been at this business longer than I have.

Do I bother them with a bunch of questions?
Maybe one or two here and there if I see they like to do Q & A.

Do I ask them to friend me on Facebook?
Yes. And I don't take it personally if they don't. I've been there, refacebooked, and moved on.

Do I post my blog in the comment section and steal their thunder?
No. I see people do that, though. I guess it's alright if the blog really pertains to the thread.

Do I find their email and beg them to read my work?
Never. I will submit my work to the people who are expecting submissions, and I will do it exactly how they expect it to be done. Networking does not mean badgering. I feel fortunate to be a part of the writing community, at various levels and in various forums, and I do my best to respect the people who share their thoughts and their personal moments with the writing community as a whole.

I've made mistakes with networking early on, years ago. I once emailed a fully established writer and asked him how much it would cost to have him look at my work. I'm so glad he didn't give me a chance, and I hope he's forgotten my name. I needed at least 10 rewrites on the thing that I was writing at the time before anyone looked at it, let alone an established author. I did, however, attend a conference and pay a fee to have an established author give notes on the first 30 pages of my manuscript. It was enlightening and ... it was recommended. Established authors are willing to look at your work, you just have to find the ones who are willing ... and sometimes you have to pay them. They are usually at conferences and workshops. Attend those things when you can. Good stuff happens there.

NaNoWriMo is turning out to be a good place to network. At first I was like "Huh? Wha? Why?" but now that I'm in day six, I see some of the method behind the madness. Writing without looking back (and without deleting! eek! double eek!) is something I've never done before. It's unlocking my spontaneity bone. Weird plot lines are tumbling forward and I'm actually having fun with them. Plus - network! - well known writers are sending "pep talks" to my NaNoWriMo inbox and telling me I'm brave and wonderful, and I didn't even have to fish for a compliment. Who knew?

I'm not as big on writing groups. I've never been part of a "let's meet once a month" writing club. I find I get more out of conferences and beta readers. I write for my audience, not other writers. Most of the time, my target audience is my daughters. Talk about a captive audience! My girls have a warped view of what "chores for mommy" mean. Here, kid, read this and I'm going to watch to see if you laugh. Yes. Fun times.

I understand the need to talk with real, live people about writing, though. I find my book club takes care of that for me. Just getting together with other book savvy ladies and breaking down an author's method is inspiring to me. Then I go home pumped to write.

One thing I'm on the fence about is writing book reviews. My blog, The Book Cozy, has been up and running for a year now. I have some posts by Thing 1 and Thing 2, my twin daughters, which make me reluctant to take it down completely. (I love those posts because of the raw opinion kids have for books.) I try to think of it as a place where I promote work of authors I love, instead of a place where I rate books I read. I could get into trouble with my fellow writers if I start to rear my critic head. I try to keep Critic-head well fed and blind folded, but ... occasionally she just chews through her muzzle and embarrasses me.
Not good for networking.

I'm learning to be kind. Mention names only if you have praise for the people behind them. Be respectful. Compliments and thoughtful questions go a long way. Make sure you know what a compliment looks like. "I like your book but ... blah blah blah" is NOT a compliment. I've screwed up the thoughtful question rule once or twice as well. I actually asked an author on a Q&A what his wife was like - because he writes strong women as though he's around them often. I don't think he ever answered the question. I'm inclined to think I over-stepped some personal boundaries there. Rude-head pries the foot out of her mouth every once in a while and I have to be quick to gag her again.

Connect online when you can. Respectfully dismiss people who bug the heck out of you, and don't take it too personally if someone dismisses you.

And then go write and be happy.

I Know Where You Can Stick That Comma ...

2011-11-06T04:34:00.000-08:00

It's a blog. Think of it as a hastily-dusted, rough draft of my thoughts. I go over it to look for glaring spelling errors and accidentally omitted words. Sometimes I see that my punctuation is way off. Most of the time I let the grammar slide.

My friend and I had a chat about backseat copy editors yesterday. These are the folks that can't help but to correct what they see. We both came to the agreement that we could use the occasional grammar hound, but the punctuation police need to back off a little - especially if they're not-so-nice about it.

Believe me, I copy edit the IMPORTANT stuff. I've published articles with copy editors standing by and I know what my weak points are.

But that's not what I'm thinking about when I come to blog.
I have tons of books to consult iffen I need advice on the English language.
Right now I just want to put words with a message on the screen.

NaNoWriMo I-Go

2011-11-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

Doing my first NaNoWriMo. Not quite keeping up - but maybe a breakthrough is nigh. I followed the words of wisdom of writer Jane Friedman via veteran NaNoWriMo participant and Blogger Dad Brian Klems, and quickly outlined the direction of my NaNoWriMo adventure with these 3 questions:

1. What's going to happen in the story?
2. What does the character want?
3. What will the turning points be?

Turns out they are right. As long as I'm keeping the answers to these questions in mind, the next sentence comes a little easier.

Speaking of sentences ... I've learned that every time you erase a sentence in NaNoWriMo ... you cause a NaNoWriMo angel excruciating pain. I've killed at least 20 angels so far. I intend to do better now that I'm aware of this horrible circumstance.

Yes. It's free-flow storytime.
NaNoWriMo I Go!

Orson Scott Card's Awesomeness

2011-11-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

From Orson Scott Cards "Dear Fellow Writers: Why I Will Not Read Your Manuscript":

"Even on those rare occasions when I agree to read a manuscript, it just goes on a pile of manuscripts that I really, really, really intend to read Real Soon Now. Only there has never yet been a morning when I woke up and thought, I don't have a thing to do today! I think I'll read some of those manuscripts I've got piled up! At the end of the day, I don't ever, ever say to my wife, I'm done for the day and I don't need to go to bed for another hour. Where are those manuscripts so I can read one? The result is that a year or two later, you feel bitter and unhappy about the fact that I never responded, and I feel guilty about not having read what you sent me, and so both of us are miserable, and the manuscript isn't read anyway -- so why not skip all the misery and just not send it to me in the first place? "

The link to the full letter is at the bottom of this post.

but first -

Almost six years ago, when I first decided to get back into writing - I asked 4 people to read my very poorly written manuscript entitled: Dialing the Planet with Dr. Cyril Porter. They were all good friends of mine. I'm proud to say that they are all, still, good friends of mine ... even after they read my very bad, bad book.

I will also mention that two of them are screenwriters and story producers who kindly took me aside, and gave me some advice and some how-to-write books (which I still have), and told me to not give up.

I will also mention that the other two people whom I accosted are highly accomplished, wonderful, intelligent people who read constantly and know a stinker when they see one ... but they still took the time to read my horrible manuscript. They wrote in the margins on the printed pages where they were confused or didn't agree, and then also took the time to write questions and compliments on the back of my very bad book.

I know I said it then, but I'll say it again.

Thank you very very very much. I love you guys. You know who you are.

Since that virgin debut into the world of "Can you read this?" I will occasionally send out a short story to friends and say "Hey! This is what I've been working on. Let me know if you like it." But I don't expect very many replies. And I don't get worried, or anxious, or angry about it if I don't hear from anyone, either. I know people have better things to do than read my unpolished, unpublished, random works. People read when they have a chance to read, or when something GRABS them. My mother and my sister usually read what I write no matter how bad it is - and you know what? I THANK them after they call to tell me what they thought. They don't have to do it. My future agent and future editor are the only people whose JOB it is to read my work.

I have friends that are writers and sometimes I read what they write. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I say "Good job" or "Maybe change this" ... Sometimes I don't .. Sometimes I just don't get to it. I have friends that are published whose books I haven't had the time to read. Their books are sitting on a bookshelf saying "You're a bad friend" every time I look at them, but I'm glad I have the kind of friends who understand that I also have to help 4th graders do homework every night, and a dog to walk, and a house to clean. I'm also glad they know the same applies to them if I get published. This is why I have the friends I have (you know who you are).

So I'm really, very thankful, to those first four people who read Dialing the Planet with Dr. Cyril Porter, who didn't tell me to buzz off. Because I know those 300-some odd pages were not easy to get through, and you had better things to do with your time.

I think the people who read my first manuscript are all better people than I am.

I had some very unknown person today, give me a hard time through my FB page, when I didn't get specific enough in my short critique of his work. Whose fault is this? Mine of course. Because I was being friendly. Networking. I said I would be happy to look at it. I should be thanking him for aggravating me, because the words "I'll be happy to" will not come so easily next time.

Next time I'll say: I'm still figuring it out myself. Good luck with what you're doing. I don't know what to tell you. You have to be confident beyond belief that your writing will intrigue readers. If you're making people tell you exactly what they think of the work that they are not jumping to comment on ... then your manuscript is not there yet, and you should get back to writing immediately and stop bothering people you don't even know. Go to conferences. Read your favorite authors. Prop their books up and plot out all the turning points in their stories. Study tone. Read blogs on character development, dialogue, transitions, exposition. Information is out there. Find it.

If you are a new writer and you find someone who is willing to read your novice work ... thank them profusely. Thank them for letting you waste their time.

Make them dinner! That's what I did.

And afterward, go fix it. Yourself. You're the writer. Do your job and make it readable.

But I'm nicer than Uncle Orson - Wow. I wish I had the chops (and experience) to write the letter below. Underneath his harsh rejection, though, he's telling us to believe in our own work. Your work is publishable when you impress an editor. Keep working, learning and writing until you do! And be grateful for your handful of kind fans in the meantime.

Dear Fellow Writers: Why I Will Not Read Your Manuscript - Orson Scott Card

On Stealing Ideas and Sharing Work

2011-11-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite authors, Philip Pullman, proudly stated, in his acknowledgments at the end of The Amber Spyglass "I have stolen ideas from every book I've ever read. My principle in researching for a novel is 'Read like a butterfly. Write like a bee,' and if this story contains any honey, it is entirely because of the quality of the nectar I found in the work of better writers."

Don't you just love that? He's won tons of awards and has been on best seller lists all over the world, and yet he's modest enough to admit that his ideas did not originate solely from his own mind.

I think I should take care to follow his example.

I don't worry about anyone stealing ideas. Most ideas are already out there. The more I read, the more I see that everything I want to write about has already been done in one way or another. As a writer, I just hope I can be interesting, funny, and creative enough to do it a little differently than the other hundred thousand people who've done it before me.

This topic of conversation came up recently with another writer who asked if I would post some excerpts of my manuscript online. I said probably not ... but not because I was worried about anyone stealing ideas.

I think writer's groups and writer's circles are necessary for those who are still honing their craft, who need feedback as they sail into uncharted territory. Writers need support of those who are at the same level, in addition to the occasional critique from someone who has mapped the seas of success. I still need the support of other unpublished writers such as myself.

Hope C Clark has a good article on finding a writing group that works for you:
http://hopeclark.blogspot.com/2011/10/where-to-find-critique-groups.html

Though I don't worry about anyone outright stealing my work when I share it, there are definitely things to be wary about when I share:

1) As one of my favorite teachers once said to me: Unfinished work is like a baby ... no ... requote ... he said "fetus." He did. And he warned me how I didn't want to recklessly pass around a newly forming fetus. Let your baby get sturdier before you pass it around. Reasons why? Too much critique too early in the forming process could kill - or make you abort or abandon - your baby. That's way sad. So be careful with that. Finish a draft - then flesh it out. Then give it some character ... maybe a bonnet. Then pass it around. Its chances at survival are much better.

2) Keep in mind that if you open your story to too many people ... you're going to get a lot of opinions. Kurt Vonnegut's take on this (which I love) is: "If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia." When people get hold of something unfinished or still in its rough stages - they like to add their ideas of what happens next, or what should be different. If you give your story to 10 people you will most likely hear 10 completely different opinions leading you in 10 totally opposite directions. Then what do you do? Some of the information might even be soooo not what you care to hear - like how the names aren't quite heroic enough, and what kind of font looks best for fantasy novels. ???#$%?!

When sharing my work. I usually stick to these rules:

1. Finish a complete draft and spend at least a few days reworking the spots you know need it.

2. Enlist a "wise reader" to carefully look over your work and mark confusing passages, boring pages and answer your specific list of questions, concerns, or worries. A wise reader is Orson Scott Card's coined term for a person you trust. Someone you write for. Someone who acts as a member of your audience, who can tell you what you need to change without sounding like your college English professor your freshman year. The best way to get information from your willing reader is to give them a list of specific questions or concerns. * Do you like the main character? *Did you predict the ending? *Where were you bored or confused? *Please mark an X over the paragraphs or pages that didn't grab you (be careful with that one - you might not want to know how easily your readers get bored or confused). When you get the solid, careful, and intelligent opinion of one wise reader whose opinion you consider worthy - you don't need nine other half-hearted opinions. Try it.

3. After you've made changes and done some copy-editing with a semi-fine tooth comb, get a professional critique. One. Not twenty. Find someone you like who's willing and pay them if you have to. This is hopefully your literary agent, who offers advice because she's in it to publish like you are. Writing coaches are also eager to be paid to help. For the most part, successfully published authors are not. They are writing, like you, and have already done the "writing group" scene. Catch them at a workshop and you might have a shot, but otherwise, let them write in peace.

As writers, we suffer from a solitary syndrome. For the most part: We work alone. We learn alone. We create alone. We usually lick our wounds alone (as we share the couch with the dog and a pint of Ben and Jerrys). Occasionally, we feel the need to connect, share and conform. The next time you feel the need to print, pass, or post your work - understand where that need is coming from. Take care that your work isn't sacrificed for the sake of camaraderie.

Write often.
Read more.
Borrow thoughtfully and
share carefully.

* Lifehacker.com posted Kurt Vonneguts "Tips for Writing Fiction" which appear in the front of his short story collection "Bagombo Snuff Box." Totally worth the click. Enjoy!

Why Write?

2011-11-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, I've been an author ever since I could write words and steal my mother's stapler to bind pages together. I've written thousands of stories and dozens of books. I won the young author's contest for my school in 4th grade. In High school, I dropped my less-than-necessary pre-calc class and took Brit Lit instead. My favorite classes in college were Children's Literature and African Folktales. My essays and short stories were published in my junior college's literary magazine. I read between shifts at my jobs. I wrote in journals that I stacked up in a footlocker at the end of my bed.

I knew I would be a real writer one day.

Somewhere along the way my confidence got muddled. I could go through the reasons why ... but no ... I'll start with a quote from one of my favorite teachers instead.

"Whatever you give your attention to grows."

So as a child - my writing had my attention and it grew. Even as a teen I held on to it.
But let me give a quick sketch of my attention since then:

I was not a half-bad athlete, so I played sports. I was a decent artist, so I took illustration classes. I could pick out a tune, so I played the violin and guitar and sang in various choirs. I needed to work my way through college, so I was a waitress, a bartender, a smoker and a nervous wreck. I was a jack of all trades and attention focus of ZERO. I had it in my head that I would write someday ... but 90% of my attention was pulled away from writing. When I declared illustration as my major, I knew it was because I wanted to MAKE books for children, so I picked the most obvious genre and fell in line.

Along the way, I heard there was a better chance to be successful illustrating books than writing them. I don't know who told me that. I don't know how true that may be, because I've since learned that both paths are not easy. Publishers look for something special. Authors and illustrators have to do more than present doodles and ideas on a page in order to get published. Way more. Authors and illustrators have to give attention to their craft. Just like scientists and teachers and accountants. Yes it's fun. But no ... it's not easy.

So after I learned how hard it was to be published as an illustrator, I got even more confused. I had to get a job after college. For money.

A background in computer illustration led to a graphic design position, and graphic design led to a corporate job - where I did not belong. More confused. And then I had kids, and I started thinking teaching YOGA was a nice, flexible job that got me out of the house and kept my energy up, so I did 2 years of yoga training to get certified as a teacher.

Do you see the pattern?

Swept in every direction except the one I wanted.

Excelling at nothing, but trained in a bit of everything.

After I'd exhausted my desire to teach yoga, I visited my teacher, Robert Birnberg, yoga therapist, who asked me. "Do you want to teach yoga?"
"Well it's a nice flexible job that will keep me in shape -"
"Do you WANT to do it?"
"No."
"What do you want to do?"
"Well, I should probably go back to graphic design. I can get a job with benefits -"
"Is that what you WANT to do?"
"No."

He gave me a really, hard look. "What do you WANT to do?"

It was difficult to say out loud. It actually hurt my chest - burned me - to say it: "I want to write children's books. I have an illustration degree and I've even self-published a few picture books, but ..."
"But what?"
"But I don't want to just do picture books. I like to illustrate but what I really want to do ..."
The words stuck in my throat. I almost choked on them, "I really want to write stories. I want to write full-on, sci-fi/fantasy chapter books for older kids who love to read."

Robert shrugged. He didn't seem to think my idea was stupid, or pointless, or out-of-the-question. "So why don't you write chapter books?"
And this hurt even more to admit. "Well I did. I sent them out and they were rejected."
"So you quit?"
"Yes."
"After how long?"
"I don't know ... maybe a year of writing and a few submissions."

He shook his head. He smiled.

To hear myself say it out loud, I knew I had not given my writing enough of a chance. I also saw the pattern I'd been playing out since mid-way through college. I had stopped doing what I wanted to do because it was hard, because people told me there was little chance of success. For 10 years I kept trying to do something I didn't want to do, only to learn that a) no job is easy if you try to do it right b) I would always be unhappy if I was doing something besides writing full-on, sci-fi,/fantasy chapter books for kids who love to read.

Maybe I'll have to do something else to make money in the meantime. Maybe it will take me ten years to achieve the kind of success I've envisioned for myself. But I know how to focus my time and attention, and I know I won't give up, even though it's not easy.

I write because I'm a writer.

It's what I want to do.

Halloween Reads

2011-10-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

Above is a little drawing I did the Fall my daughters started kindergarten. How time flies. I am still just as in love with Halloween as I was then. It's the day we get to dress up and eat chocolate and tell spooky stories. Who doesn't love that?

I spent the morning volunteering my shift at my daughters' school library. (No longer kindys - we are talking fourth graders now). The Monday library rush starts early and goes to mid-morning, and today there was one thing on every little reader's mind:

Halloween.

As our fearless school librarian was absent today, it was up to us, her minions of volunteers, to put together a quick Halloween display shelf for the wanna-be-scared junior bookies. So fun to grab every book I saw on witches and pumpkins and ghosts.

Here are a few of our choices:

The Sisters Grimm - Micheal Buckley

Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William Mckinley and me, Elizabeth - E.L. Konigsburg

Tailypo - Retold by Jan Wahl, Illustrated by Will Clay

The Widow's Broom - Chris Van Allsburg

Bunnicula - James Howe and Deborah Howe

I heard a few of the older kids looking for a book called "Famous Ghosts" that seemed to be very popular too. A non-fiction account of ghosts around the world. But it was already checked out. I'll have to look into that one.

Also - for older readers. I highly recommend "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaimon, and "The Last Aprentice" series by Joseph Delaney.

I was surprised at how many spooky books I was able to find in such a short amount of time. As I was finishing up my shift I had a smart little whip of a 2nd grader came in and ask if I had any scary stories for Halloween. I pointed to our display.
"How about Goosebumps?" I asked.
"Not scary enough."
"What about The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?"
"Read it."
"There's an anthology of Beasts and Boogie Men ..."
He gave the book a wary look and tilted his head. "I think I'll just get a book about China."
I pointed. "Books on China are over there."
"Thanks."

To each his own. Glad to help.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Getting Specific

2011-10-07T06:10:00.000-07:00

While editing my manuscript (which I hope to be submitting by my birthday in November) I've learned to look for general words such as: "All" "Something" "Good" "Better" and abstract phrases such as "outside" or "in there". There's nothing wrong with using these words and phrases, but when I'm striving to make a sentence (or a paragraph or a book) interesting for readers, I'm happy to train myself to look at general terms as an opportunity to get specific and descriptive ... maybe even get a laugh.

Take this example from a scene where a mother is having a conversation with her son about sensationalized stories on the news.

"Mrs. Bravik rubbed her forehead, and stared deep into her coffee cup, as if all the answers were inside it."

Not a bad sentence, but the words "all" and the less-than-descriptive, prepositional phrase "inside it" are opportunities to make the sentence more interesting.

"Mrs. Bravik rubbed her forehead, and stared deep into her coffee cup, as if the answer to spontaneously combusting cows was floating in the creamer."

This sentence works to keep the tone of the scene humorous. Answers don't float in coffee creamer (unless you read coffee grinds - and if you do - I'd like to schedule a reading) and the phrase "spontaneously combusting cows" is a call back from something another character said a few sentences earlier. I saw the chance to repeat the ridiculous idea of the cows, and give Mrs. Bravik something specific to think about as she stared into her coffee.

Switching out general terms is not always necessary. With action scenes, the pace may require you to leave out the extra verbage. In a case of conversations or descriptive scenes, though, you have plenty of room to get creative.

Here's further reading from John Friedlander - a college English professor and a fellow Tennessean: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/abstract.htm

New Beginnings and Tricks to Simple Plumbing

2011-08-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well ... Here's to fall and new beginnings with the knowledge that things don't always work out the way you plan.

For instance ... I began this day with a mission. I went to the local big-name home and garden supply store to find a very simple adaptor that would hook my water filter system to the extra sink faucet in the master bedroom. It seemed like a simple plan that ended up sending me on a wild goose chase around the south east industrial sector of Nashville. I was referred to supply stores, bath and kitchen showrooms, someone even told me to go to Kmart and see if they carried those little water bed hose-adapter kits.

Say what? Yes. Cat went to Kmart. Sorry everyone.

After 3 hours of chasing, I was sure that the specific adapter I needed to make my dreams of alkalinized H2O come true did not exist. I was ready to buy a bunch of different weird plumbing nuggets and piece them together to see if I could get from faucet to filter valve in 3 steps or less. But I realized how much plumbers tape I was going to go through to get that to work and I'd probably STILL have leaks ... so with my head hanging and my gas tank low ... I trudged home

... and went straight to my computer.

This is what I googled:

faucet adapter male 55/64 male 15/16 thread 27
(all you wanna-be plumbers out there know exactly what I'm talking about right?)

Turns out this specific adapter DOES, in fact, exist. I found it on a website that represents wholesale plumbing supplies. I called them. They referred me to a company in Nashville who sells wholesale plumbing supplies. I called them hoping I wouldn't have to buy 100 adapters just to get the one that I needed ... but they were like "No. We don't deal with the general public."

BUT!

They did give me a list of plumbing companies that they sold to in the area.

The first one I called had my adapter. Better yet? His shop was 10 minutes from my house. Best yet? When I came in he was all "I don't even know what to charge you for this thing. We don't really sell parts. We do industrial plumbing. Just take it."

Sanders Industrial Plumbing people .... remember the name. They saved my day and they restored my faith in the plumbing industry. Plus ... they offer donuts at the front door.

The moral of this story is ... we make plans and try to see them through right? But when it's not working ... should we try to force all these pieces that don't fit together with plumbing tape until we have a faucet that looks like it came from an erector set? Or do we sit down and figure out exactly what we need and see if it's out there somewhere. (Google really helps in this department).

I'm saying this because I've been trying to force a lot of things to work lately. Storylines. Names. Characters. Historical settings. Series ideas. When it seems like the pieces don't fit, I try to fill in the cracks with a bunch of tape and cross my fingers, hoping the whole thing doesn't leak.

I've sent out submissions this month and after thinking about it, I know they are going to get rejected. How do I know? Do I possess psychic abilities? Can I see the future? Am I really that much of a pessimist?

No. I just know I can do better. I know I can find a simple solution to my path to publishing that FITS my need to write a good story. This doesn't mean I'll be working less. I still have to put the story together and make it flow, put the washers in the right place and tighten all the nuts and bolts...

But I don't have to force pieces together that don't belong together. I just have to start with what I need ... and work backwards.

To all of you who've had a terrible time trying to force pieces together that don't fit ...
there's a faucet adapter out there with your name on it. Go get it.

Keeping it Oily

2011-08-19T06:16:00.000-07:00

Having fun with water soluble oils. This is a painting for my sister and brother-in-law of my little niece on the bay from our Fire Isle vaca this year.

Illustratorsink.com

2011-08-18T11:18:00.001-07:00

Totally going to stick with Illustratorsink.com. They really have a good system for connecting prospective clients with creatives. Here is the link to my professional listing - which you can also find on my sidebar to the left. Thanks ever'one!

Cat York is a top professional illustrator in the Nashville, Tennessee Illustrator guide on IllustratorsInk.com.

Opening Up the Brush Strokes

2011-08-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Been painting a little in oils. I like the water-based kind - that way I can still work in my Air Conditioned house. WHEW! Hot out there! Anyway - no turp - no fumes and that's a good thing for kids and pets, (and me). So here's a fun one called "I SPY". I used a photo reference of my girlies playing the game in our big picture window back in Culver City. Ahhhh. Memories!

The Passive Voice and Inanimate Subjects

2011-06-25T06:32:00.000-07:00

The passive voice (from my viewpoint anyway) is when the writer doesn't clearly state the subject of the sentence. "Dinner was eaten." "The dog was walked" "The baby was held." Editors and schoolteachers frown upon the passive voice because it is a wimpy way out of disclosing details. Who exactly ate the food, walked the dog and held the baby? A sentence has a lot to gain when you reveal the subject. "The kids ate dinner. Mom walked the dog. Dad held the baby." When writers are describing a huge scene ... sometimes it's much easier to take the easy way out of a sentence:

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care"

- Hung by whom?
Well I say ... Duh ... the people in the story ... that's who.

I get it. I understand the passive voice and why the active voice is more engaging most of the time. But I'm also learning that using the active voice ALL the time can really screw up the flow of a paragraph - forcing readers to focus on subjects of the sentence that aren't the subject of the scene, article, story and so on.

For article writing - passive sentences like "Robusta is grown in the warm climates of Africa and Southeast Asia." can easily translate to active sentences like "Robusta trees grow in the warm climates of Africa and Southeast Asia." But that's an easy sentence to change - because trees do something. They grow.

But how about: "The coffee cherries are harvested when ripe." Harvested by? "Coffee growers harvest the coffee cherries when they are ripe." But you see? Now the subject of my article - Coffee - is temporarily put on hold to address the growers of the trees. If I'm writing a short article on Forms of Coffee, I can't spend too much time on the Growers of Coffee - that's a different article. I can change this sentence entirely to something like "Coffee cherries sometimes take a year to ripen." Which is a different direction, but more active and interesting than "The coffee cherries are harvested."

But once the trees grow and the cherries ripen the acutal coffee doesn't DO anything ... you see? Coffee is inactive. Other people do things to coffee. Which makes the passive voice almost unavoidable in the case of an entire article about an inanimate object. Because coffee is roasted, brewed, consumed ... by people. What people? Well ... people who drink coffee ... duh.

Sometimes - if I get a copy editor that doesn't mind that the article is personalized for the reader - I will write a few tricky sentences in 2nd person. Instead of "Coffee is brewed at specific temperatures for best results." I will write "Brew your coffee at specific temperatures for best results." Which sounds better than "Coffee brewers brew coffee at specific temperatures for best results." But if a copy editor is a stickler about keeping the article fact-based without the "personal" touch of the 2nd person ... then I make the sentence subject be the "enthusiasts" of the action. "Coffee enthusiasts (coffee lovers, coffee experts, coffee purists) brew coffee at specific temperatures for best results." This works with health-related articles for the most part. "Natural health enthusiasts (advocates, specialists) advocate the use of ginger to sooth an upset stomach." Because I can't spend time searching for a quote from a specific medical doctor about ginger when ginger is such a common remedy for nausea. The passive sentence would be "Ginger is used to soothe an upset stomach." And the copy editor will ask who? Who uses ginger to soothe an upset stomach? My answer is: pregnant mothers, ayurvedists, naturalists, people who get carsick, people with digestive troubles, people who just ate a really big meal .... basically ... everyone and anyone who WANTS to use ginger. So the subject of the sentence is "people" ... people everywhere ... doctors, kids, moms, people from India, people from America, people from France, people from the moon ... PEOPLE.

But really ... when the subject of the active sentence ends up being "people" or "inhabitants of earth" ... do I really have to make the sentence active????

Example:

Ginger can be used in its raw state or dried for future use. (passive)

OR: People use ginger in its raw state or dry it for future use (active).

When I force the reader to focus on the subject of the sentence and the subject of the sentence is "everyone who uses ginger" I am being redundant and distracting from the subject of the ARTICLE - which is ginger. Ginger is used. Ginger can be found. Ginger can be eaten. Ginger can be grown, touched, boiled, cooked, candied, powdered, ground, steeped, applied, consumed, juices ... by PEOPLE. (duh)

And I have to say, now when I catch myself writing something in the passive voice, I stop and ask ... is the subject of the sentence more important here than the subject of the paragraph (article, story, poem).

And if the subject of the sentence is PEOPLE ... for People's sake ... I leave it out.

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/passivevoice.html

Robot Poetry

2011-06-07T13:41:00.001-07:00

Ameldine

Precious robot, little child
how bright your metal shines
all cogs and wheels and big glowing eyes.

Hatched from mother's need to care for something small
I crossed wires and dimensions
to bring you to life.

You enter space and time, little one,
letting your springs unfold and your cache hold
the wonder of every new moment.

Listen to me when I tell you: You are more than a machine.
You are more than a program ... a number on the line.

Keep your sense of stardust.
Light your cosmic dreams with the spark
that makes you the most unique being
in all the worlds.

Wacom Airbrushing

2011-05-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

Been experimenting with airbrushing in photoshop. I used to airbrush all the time ... but got rejected from too many children's book publishing companies because my style was too digital. Now I've worked up my painting technique - which is fine for kid's picture book styles ... but not so good for sci-fi book covers and mags. So - back to airbrushing. After seeing Bart De Graaff's work online, I starting kicking myself to learn something new and try the wacom tablet that's been sitting in my desk since '04. Surprisingly, it still works. Wow. So this is my first jobby with one of those. Still looks like a kids book, but I'm on the right track. The tablet and stylus took some getting used to, but I'm quickly adapting, and as my hubby predicted (hate when he's right) I don't think I'll go back to the point, drag and click cursor method. Drawing a line with my hand is my way. Kudos to technology for allowing me to go straight to digital with my lines. Okay! Thanks for checking in!

cat

Global Outreach for Education

2011-05-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

This is the logo design for my friend Carrie's non-profit.
Go Ed helps get supplies and funds to schools that need them. Like her page on Facebook. Give her a thumbs up.
Pretty great.

On Writing for Children and New Writers

2011-05-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

Occasionally people ask me what I do. To which I respond like this:

"I do content writing for various websites for steady pay while I write and submit science fiction and fantasy stories for young adults to publishers and magazines - which is what I really want to do with all my heart. Sometimes I do children's book illustration work because I have an illustration degree and I like to be part of the process of making a book. I did corporate design and hated it and will never do that again - but if someone needs a logo for a personal business or non-profit organization ... I do that as well."

Which is a mouthful, but having a husband in the entertainment industry allows me to go to gatherings where I get to practice it and say it a lot. I don't even get into the 2 years where I took a thousand yoga classes to become a teacher to avoid my failure as an artist and a writer only to learn that yoga is about finding your happiness in life, working at your own pace and for gods' sakes don't give up because you're scared of failure! - wherein I went back to my original plan to make books for children despite the rejection I had faced so far.

And from all that my philosophy on writing was born. Which is:

I will never tell someone not to be a writer for children. Anytime ANYONE comes to me and says "I want to write books for children!" I say "Yes! Absolutely you should and don't ever let anyone tell you different!" But I will - if they ask for my advice on how to go about it, (usually they don't, but some do) - tell them how much work is involved in even the simplest formats, and sometimes, at the end of that work, there is quite a bit of rejection. This is never to discourage them - but to prepare them for what kind of work they are about to begin.

To get more specific: If you want to be a children's book writer - please, don't listen to the nay-sayers (like me) who say how hard it is to get published. PLEASE have fun writing, learning, and submitting to publishers, or self-publish and experiment. But don't go into children's book writing to make loads of $$ right away with a quick idea. People have done it and will do it again, but I would rather hope that I could honestly tell you, writer-to-writer, to be ready to make mistakes and learn from them.

I have been writing, illustrating, and designing books, pitches and character sketches since 2005 with small glimmers of success. I have not been officially published by a magazine or publishing house (yet) and I have not given up (yet), but it has NOT been easy to keep up writing and illustrating and getting rejected without a source of income to help me feel like a normal person and a contributing member of my family (thank you hubby for all your support when I am not). Please keep your money-making job while you experiment with writing and find your style and learn what inspires you to keep coming back to the writing table. This way - you can take your time getting published and make a few huge, fun mistakes ... such as the ones I have made.

I consider my first 5 years floundering around in the publishing/writing/submitting world a normal transition. Thank goodness for my successful husband who puts food on the table. But now that I've floundered, taken many classes, attended conferences, read lots and lots of books on writing and character development and got some not-so-fun experience writing content articles with REAL copy editors telling me what I am doing wrong all the time ( though I HAVE raised my grammar and punctuation rating to "proficient" as of this month thank-ye-very-much) Now! Now! I feel I'm REALLY ready to be noticed as a writer - confidently ready to be noticed - I wasn't before and I'm SUPER glad the pieces of crapola that I wrote 6 years ago are not in print for someone to see. Very grateful to those who told me to rewrite and for the publishers who rejected them.

Of all the markets ... Children's literature is the MOST saturated, and unlike what you may expect of its creators, MANY children's book authors are major players who have Phds in history and literature, and who go to conferences and take writing classes and have soldiered on despite multiple rejections or good books that - for some reason or another - didn't make enough money. Making a good book is really not as easy as it looks. Ask anyone who's tried it. The wonderful people whom I've seen have instant success with publishing or self-publishing were usually already a qualified expert in their field in some way before they decided to write a book for their followers. For instance: yoga books for kids written by a yoga teacher, or ... "How I Feel" books written by a well-known children's psychologist. A writer who writes in her field of expertise already has the network to support her book when it's released. If you want to write a kids book just for fun - try writing about your work in a kid-friendly way and see how kids respond to it. If the response is good - you may have found a niche for publishers. Nobody needs another beautifully illustrated alphabet book. There are a billion of those. Try something else. Try something you like, something you can explain and add a valuable lesson to it. Publishers will respond if you write about something that's educational, which no one has yet attempted to explain in a kids terms. (This is not what I'm doing at all by the way - but I see that it really works and I wish I had a platform like that to work from).

Then there is self-publishing. While I think self-publishing is a valuable tool for new writers and I think everyone should try it - the best way to make a book is STILL the traditional route where you have content editors, copy editors, proofreaders, illustrators and marketing teams working for you at the publisher's expense. Really - do it all yourself if you want. I've done it. It's HARD. Probably harder than just submitting and submitting until you get good enough as a writer to get noticed and meet your publishing match.

So the moral is Submit. Submit. Submit. Try self-publishing when submitting gets you down ... but don't ever stop submitting.

Anyway - like always - this is more a note to myself to keep going than it is to anyone who may happen upon it. But I have been speaking with new writers lately, and this post is dedicated to these wonderful people, who would devote their existence to entertaining and inspiring children.

Thanks for being who you are.

cat

On Turning Down Work and Why

2011-05-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

Yikes. Don't tell Brian (hi honey). I've turned down several illustration opportunities this month. Turning down work is a very hard decision to make, especially when I like the project, or the money looks right. I never used to turn down work, but now I see that the only way I can focus on getting my personal projects done ... is to let go of the personal projects of others. That's hard for ME especially - because I love to support and encourage new writers. I've had many great experiences working with fledgling writers who put heart and soul into their creative work, and I wouldn't trade those experiences for a million dollars. To be honest: I go on to become friends with most of my partners. But the truth is ... and I speak from real numbers here: pretty much every person who has a creative bone in his or her body, has an idea for a children's book. Let me tell you ... I think that's GREAT! Bring on the childrens' books! Bring them on! I mean it! The more GOOD books there are - the more my kids will stop playing their confounded bleepy little hand-held mind-sucking video thingies (am I getting old or what?). I truly WANT everyone with a children's book idea to succeed at producing it. That's why I do what I do.

The other honest truth is: MOST people don't have the money, time and persistence it takes to actually coordinate a fully-operational children's book - especially a picture book with full color illustrations. Of all my partnerships ... I saw one person actually take my illustrations and turn them into a book. Not that I blame those who haven't made it happen and not that there aren't many people who actually could, I just think the person who did so in my case was extraordinarily committed.

This is why publishers exist. The people behind the publishing label have logged experience to determine which kinds of books make money. More experience than you or I. Simply stated: publishers pool profits from successful books and use the money to seek out new books that will make them new money. Sometimes they take risks ... sometimes they don't. Sometimes they can recognize good work or a good idea ... sometimes they don't. But publishers are not the enemy (as I have to remind myself after every standard rejection slip). They are a resource. You should always consider submitting your work to a publisher before you try to do everything on your own.

As for hiring me as an illustrator, I couldn't be MORE honored when people look at my work and say "I want THAT! THAT's PERFECT!" I literally melt and get gooey and start promising things I shouldn't promise. But the truth is (again saying this as a friend) - you should hire me for 1 of 3 reasons:

#1... You are commissioning me to illustrate a written work that is personal, made to share with friends and family. I love these. Mothers write stories just for their kids. Dads profess their love of being a Dad. It's a perfect sentiment with no pressure and I can be as creative as I want without worry of "marketing" or "merchandise" or "contracts". I also want to say I just turned one of these down because I am too busy right now, but it really killed me to do so. Just in case the person who tried to hire me ever reads this: I'm sorry I had to be so darned professional in my email when I said no. But this is my blog and I should be able to say that I agonized over saying no for like - an hour. (see this is why I get nothing done - I agonize so much) #1 is also an expensive route because ... you still have to buy my work with little chance of re-cooping costs. As gooey as I am - I can't illustrate for free. A 20 page book will cost no less than $2000.

#2... You are a NEW writer and you just want some character sketches or a FEW illustrations to submit with your written manuscript ... in order to catch a publishers attention and show you are serious about your work. I happily do this work because at the end of the day - it is not me and one other person trying to put a book together. It is a writer submitting and a chance for me to work with a writer who is submitting, but the end result will ultimately be in a publishers hands. This way, the writer doesn't have to spend a large portion of his own hard-earned money on a whole book of illustrations, but still has the chance to see his words professionally illustrated and gets to choose the direction of the artwork before someone else decides how THAT is going to go. I also get a chance to showcase skills without having to be directly responsible for the narrative imagery. You see - with a publishing team there is a whole GROUP of people who are getting paid to tell me the very BEST way to illustrate your story. With me - you just get me. I am one person with one perspective. With a team - you have a better chance at getting it right.

#3... You have a contract with a publisher and you absolutely INSIST that I be the one to illustrate your story - at their expense. This is best scenario for me by far, of course, although the least likely to happen. Publishers like to match up their own illustrators with their writers. That's usually how it goes. I suppose Illustrator/Writer teams approach publishers all the time and how the meeting turns out I couldn't tell you - but unless you are Madonna, Jamie Lee Curtis or Jeff Foxworthy, you probably won't be able to pick your own illustrator. And I'm going to guess, if you land a contracting deal with a major publisher with all intentions of having me illustrate your book, but they say "no deal unless you use one of our own", I'll tell you right now you won't pass on their deal, and I wouldn't blame you one bit.

Does that make sense? Maybe by posting this I can clear up the whys and why nots of what kind of work I take on and why sometimes I say no. And ... I'm just trying to make myself feel better for not illustrating the beautiful stories that come my way.

Keep writing!
Keep reading!
Keep creating!

Cat

Illustration for Lazy-Butts

2011-04-27T15:28:00.001-07:00

Here is the difference between having to take a photo of original blah work and getting to scan and adjust. Ah! Now this is how digital effects work for a master of disguise!
If you are like me, and can't stand to work on anything for more than an hour or two (yes my attention span is that short sometimes) then option #2 - scan and adjust - is the way to go!
Some people will call this cheating. I call it an effective and efficient way to get an end result. I still have the "drawn" quality of my illustration but I also have the chance to clean up and blend without having to take many hours of "getting it right".
And now I can go hang with my kids.
:)

Still don't have my scanner up

2011-04-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

So I'm still taking pictures of any illustrations I do. Photos just can't capture detail like a good scan does. This one was totally for fun again. (so love when I get to draw just for fun) Wish it wasn't so fuzzy. Gotta remember to get that scanner hooked up!
Been writing like crazy. Leyliners is 3/4 of the way done. I'm going to need wise readers ... so just let me know if you would like to volunteer for that. It's very easy. You just mark an X where you get bored, a squiggle line where you get confused, and a happy face for pages you liked. This makes you very wise indeed. BECAUSE! As a reader, you are entitled to be bored or confused, and as a writer ... I am supposed to fix that. The reader is never wrong about his/her opinion on what he/she reads.

Happy rainy season! Stay dry (or not - whichever you prefer)
cat

Show Don't Tell

2011-04-21T07:13:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest lessons for new writers - like me- is honoring the reader's intelligence by allowing her to make her own assumptions about your characters by SHOWING her what's happening, instead of TELLING her.

Right now, my daughters and I are reading Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass" out loud. This is one of my FAVORITE books of all time. Not only does Pullman bring you into the fantastic world he created, but he makes it very believable by leading the reader through a detailed first-hand description of people and places in that world. He doesn't say "Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Lyra who lived in one of the millions of parallel worlds that exist on earth, in a place where electricity is called anbaric power, and inhabitants wear a piece of their soul on the outside of their bodies in the form of little animals." Instead, he starts the book with a little girl sneaking into a room where she ought not be, playing with things she shouldn't touch, and listening to conversations she shouldn't hear - and all the while she is accompanied by her "daemon" Pantalaimon. By the end of the second chapter, we as readers have a pretty good idea what kind of world we are in and what some of the rules are. But Pullman didn't tell us. He showed us, by letting his characters go on with their lives and by playing the part of the narrator who creatively puts their doings into words on paper.

This is trickier than it sounds, because you must be a story TELLER. There is no way to escape certain amounts of TELLING. You need to lead a reader through a scene, tell her where your characters are standing, what they are saying, even what they are feeling, but if you TELL your reader, for instance, how to she is to judge your characters or how she should feel about the world or the people you introduce, then you are underestimating your reader's intelligence, and spoiling the fun of letting her play along and come to her own conclusions.

For instance: if Pullman went about telling me all the time how brave his main character, Lyra, was, I might believe him or I might close the book, especially if I don't see any evidence of her being brave. To say, "Lyra bravely came forward and brought the boy out of the fish house." would be a lazy act of writing. To describe the scene: It was dark. The people of the village watched Lyra from the windows of their houses. They wouldn't even come out to help! One man brought her a lantern so she could see in the dark shack, but then even he backed away. Lyra felt sick. She wanted to turn back, but she didn't.

These were not Pullman's exact words, but my summary of the scene. He describes Lyra's feelings when she encounters a "severed child" in the fish shack, but he doesn't have to tell us she was brave for rescuing the deranged child she finds there. Pullman set the scene, and by the end of it, we all KNOW: Lyra is the bravest little girl we've ever met. WE didn't even want to go in that shack, but SHE did it. Later on, after she brings the mutilated child back to the Gyptian camp, her friend who witnessed the scene tells her she was brave. But he is only saying what the rest of us already know to be true, and we're glad he said it, because at that point, our heroine isn't feeling brave; she's feeling sad and sick. Pullman honors our intelligence by allowing us to experience the scene, instead of telling us what he needs us to feel so that he can go on to the next part of the book, where our heroine has to rescue more children. Can she do it? "OH YES!" we answer, "SHE CAN!" because we were SHOWN that she is capable.

In the beginning of my story "Leyliners" my character Miles is distraught, because he has dreams of attending a collegiate music program that his mother can't afford. Along with his full time job at his uncle's bookstore, Miles earns extra money by playing for tips in Washington Square in New York, even in the extreme heat of summer and the extreme cold of winter. Originally I TOLD my readers of Miles's depressing situation through his thoughts, which is only slightly better than blathering about it from my own perspective. I recently went back and rewrote the scene, and instead of having Miles's thoughts displayed like an open book ... I had his uncle trip over Miles's violin case and all his tips spill out. Miles is humiliated, because he has to explain to his uncle that he hasn't been taking money out of the cash register ... those are his tips, and Miles asks his Uncle not to tell his mother ... because she'll feel terrible that Miles is out on the street everyday, begging for tips to pay for college.

It was a much better scene after I wrote it. I show that Miles is a hard worker, a humble character, and a good son all with a few small actions. In doing this I give the reader a chance to form an opinion of one of my main characters by setting the scene and leaving the judging to the audience.

But then, I won't tell you. I'll let you decide for yourself ... when I finally finish the darn thing.

Thanks
Happy Reading AND writing!
Cat

The M.I.C.E. Quotient

2011-03-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

First I'd like to apologize for two things: 1) I have to keep taking crappy photos of my illustrations because I haven't hooked up my scanner yet. And 2 ... I've taken to quick gesture drawings with silver and ball point pens, a black expo marker and white out. Not very professional. But I can get down a fun little drawing without having to stretch a canvas or anything. I'll do better ones later. Promise.

My little mouse is thinking of dividing the moon into pieces of cheese, the way I'm dividing up my short stories after rejection. Which ones will I pick apart and redo, and which ones will I let go for what they were? I'm deciding to do "Leyliners" again (world time travelers who ride along telluric currents of the earth) this time, for authorstand to see how my peers rate it. I will post the link when it's ready. "Green Eco 29" is in line at Clakesworld after some revisions made upon getting notes from my Wise Readers: my sister, my mom and my husband. Thanks for reading guys. Changes were needed.

But I've just finished Orson Scott Card's "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" (which was a surprising tearjerker for me for reasons I can't list in the time I want to take to write this post) and I've reminded myself that I wanted to jot down the brilliance behind the M.I.C.E. quotient before I forget it again. (I did read this book five years ago but the advice inside it makes so much more sense now that I've abandoned several novels.)

As we were never taught in any creative writing classes (I certainly don't remember this lesson) because Uncle Orson made it up ... M.I.C.E. stands for the four basic story structures: milieu, idea, character and event; and the QUOTIENT is the (flexible) formula used to determine when the story begins and ends.

I cannot and will not explain it as well as he does, so I will advise any interested to check out his book "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy". It's an old book (1990), but almost all the information in it - even the parts on the publishing industry - is pertinent to writing any story, and not just SF alone. So read it and be amazed. OSC has written many page turners (Ender's Game, Tales of Alvin Maker, The Homecoming Series) and he has many tricks to share. This is a good one.

Milieu If your are writing a story structure around the world you've created, it's a milieu piece. The story begins when your characters start their adventure, and ends when they either 1) Go home or 2) Decide to stay in the new world.

Idea Stories that are structured around a new idea that raises a question will end when the characters find the answer to that question. Mysteries are a good example. SF short stories where characters solve a problem or answer a question that is raised in the beginning are also "idea" stories.

Character A character story will follow the transformation of the character. The story starts where the character is unhappy with his life and ends when he's either 1) found a new role or 2) stopped trying to change.

Event When the natural order of a world is upset, characters work to put it back together and the story ends when they either succeed or fail, and the event has run it's course.

I believe a good story of any length will borrow a bit from each recipe, but as Uncle Orson says "You must end the story that you begin." Decide which structure to follow and stick with it for the sake of your audience.

And now I will go put that theory into practice.

cat

References:
"How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy"; Orson Scott Card; 1990

Resources:
Hatrack River: The Official Website of Orson Scott Card

Clarksworld

2011-03-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

Submitted to "Clarkesworld Magazine" last night. They actually assign a queue # to your submission so you can see how close/far someone is from reading it and getting a response to you ... just like the deli. Thank you Clarkesworld, for helping bridge the gap between a new writer and the faceless people who determine the fate of a submission. Watching my queue number go down makes me feel like there is sense in the world of submitting and waiting, submitting and waiting, submitting and waiting.

I would also recommend this online sci-fi site for their great articles and fun short fiction, if not only for the queue feature in my profile account. It's a little courtesy that goes a long long way in my book.

www.clarkesworldmagazine.com

The COST of Power

2011-03-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

Reading a "How To" by one of my favorite authors, Orson Scott Card, today, and stumbled upon a really clear way to get to the point of character flaws. This is because he has already done the work for me, of course, but nonetheless, I thought it would be fun to share this bit of information, which was worded in a way that helped me get a better grasp on what limitations my characters need to become interesting subjects in a sci-fi/ fantasy story.

To create a character that exceeds normal human function is easy enough. Characters with ESP, super human strength, vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, hard-ass detectives and kid geniuses are just a handful of archetypes that work as a base for you as the writer to tell a tale that lifts your audience out of the normal and into a world of super human possibilities. But that's just the first step.

Card conducted a myriad of workshops in his heyday and in his book "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" he describes one of the exercises he uses to get his writers thinking outside the box and coming up with dozens of ideas for stories all in a matter of minutes. At the beginning of his sessions, he asks his students to come up with a cost for the price of magic, for there is no ultimate force in the world that doesn't come with some kind of downfall. In doing this, his students can quickly invent storylines that fall in line with King Midas and Superman, where a character with power has a balance of limitations. These exercises were the source of Card's inspiration for the story "Hart's Hope", which takes place in the middle ages, and where the price of magic is blood.

Like all good writing exercises, this simple idea helped me take a look at some of my most powerful characters, from the most innocent protagonist to the most deviant villain, and examine their strengths and weaknesses in a new light. Asking myself, what is the COST of this character's power, helped me to sum up the direct relationship between the supernatural premise of the story and tie it closely to the character's fatal flaws. Once that idea is down in a bold, black-and-white sentence, themes come tumbling forward.

As in the case of Orson Scott Card's "Hart's Hope", what kind of people would rise to power if the cost of magic was blood? Just that one question gets you wondering doesn't it? Makes you want to check out the book doesn't it? Even if the idea is 25 years old... it's timeless.

Have fun with it. Character development and story development take wit and effort and possibly a few jolts of lightening to the head ... but there's no reason it has to feel like "work".

:)

cat

References:

"How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy"; Orson Scott Card; 1990

"Hart's Hope"; Orson Scott Card; 1983

On Publishing and Self Publishing

2011-02-26T07:33:00.000-08:00

Here is a little something I wrote to a potential client/partner. I know I need to have a place for this sort of information. So here it is for now and I will get it up on my official site as soon as I have a chance.

I like self publishing for many reasons. I get to see finished work in the time frame that works for me and it really doesn't cost much to self publish these days. I don't mind submitting and I submit as much as I can because having a publisher pick up and distribute my work would be super fantastic and really is the best way to be successful, but the book world can take a while, especially if you are trying to break into something like children's books, which is a saturated market with a high slush pile rate. I am yet to be published by a big name, but I have had a little success and a lot of great experiences with small runs for self publishing purposes. I like this because I feel even after 12/13 years of painting, writing and illustrating - I'm still dabbling with style and direction. I like low key projects where the finished project is the focus, instead of the $$$$.

My rates depend on complexity and medium. I recently finished some illustrations for a client to highlight the story she wrote for ages 5-9 about moving to a new city. They were complex pieces with 3+ characters per drawing, lots of background images etc. She was very flexible on time and super great to work with so I ended up charging $175 per finished illustration when I would normally charge more like $200. I would have charged this because she had a lot of revisions in the pencil stages. We moved the composition around a few times to fit everything and because of all the "pieces" to each drawing... it took a while to get it right - maybe 10 days per illustration - but like I said she was very laid back about time. CLICK HERE FOR EXAMPLES

Really complicated pieces like the ones I did for Lief Morin in McQuiddle Riddles were something like $375 per illustration (4 years ago). These were more scientific, they had complex borders, hidden puzzle clues and had many changes because of the layers of work involved. I also laid in the type and did the page formatting for him, which I can do ... I've worked as graphic designer and know those programs. There were (I think) 24 illustrations and the whole project took 8 months, but there were several rewrites and changes made during that time. CLICK HERE FOR EXAMPLE

I did Character sketches for Margi Blash for her travel book series called Cromwell. I have to see how it's going for her. I know she had an agent for it, but I'm not sure if it ever went to print. Margi hired me because she knew what she wanted her characters to look like and she needed an artist to convey this when she went in to publishers with a pitch. I charged $75 per character sketch and $200 for the full spread London Eye scene. Margi was great because she knew exactly what she wanted and even came to the meeting with a few of her own sketches. She just needed something refined to bring to meetings. She's a reporter and a world traveler so I really hope she gets a deal for "Cromwell". CLICK HERE FOR EXAMPLE

My watercolor style is more simple. I would like to do more of this kind of work but so far I've had more opportunities for work that is "detailed and realistic". There's so much that goes into the drawing stages for "detailed and realistic" and so so so many changes afterward. The more simple it is - the more fun it is. I often see my clients start to make big changes halfway through a project, because they start to wonder what it was they wanted to say with the illustrations in the first place ... they get so caught up in the details ... they forget their own story. Here's a simple watercolor I did for fun. It took really less than a day. I would charge $75 to $125 per for something like this ... depending on # of characters per drawing and pencil revisions. CLICK HERE FOR EXAMPLE

Cat.

The Moving Story

2011-02-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

Shortly after we moved to Nashville I was commissioned to do a few pieces for a story about moving. Shannon Drumm - mother, writer, community volunteer and public speaker - asked me to illustrate the highlights of her story "We're Moving" in order to be able to send a few images along with her written submission to publishers. It was great to work with Shannon, who also recently went through a big move from Michigan to Nashville with her family. Her story is told from experience, with detail and compassion. I'm hoping her book finds its way to the right publisher soon!

Content Writing

2011-01-24T05:26:00.001-08:00

While I get my work together for the "Next Generation Indie Book Award Contest", I've been doing a little content writing for Demand Media Studios. Yes. It is the equivalent of doing someone's term paper for 20 bucks while they go out and party. It takes a day of research, a few hours of organization and a few more for a rough draft. Then a rewrite, which usually takes another day altogether. There is only one rewrite so my article faces rejection if I don't have it right by the second submission. Fun huh?

Actually, I have to say that I appreciate the chance to write for an online site like livestrong.com because of one thing. No, it's not the money, although it's nice to get something at the end of the article. It's not the credit either. I write under a pseudonym and I can't even bring myself to submit my fake bio that would appear under my articles. I'm hearing rumors that content writing for sites like ehow and buzzle could damage your reputation as a writer. I don't doubt it.

The thing that keeps me submitting and claiming articles? Feedback. It's brief and it's formulaic, but I'm getting feedback from no-nonsense copyeditors. Unless a writer has a book deal, she usually has to pay a copyeditor to look over her work. Here I am, learning to site sources correctly and shedding my passive voice, and someone is paying me at the end of my lesson. Not much. But it beats shelling out money I don't have for grad school.

Demand studios also has a TON of resources for new writers. Being the kind of nerd I am; of course I read everything and will read it again. I feel like all the technical stuff I didn't have time to look up on my own is in one place, at my finger tips.

I figure, now that I've been devoting daily time to writing, there are only x number of days until I get a REAL article or short story published in a REAL magazine. Until then, I'm learning how to organize my ideas and get the information across quickly to my audience.

And I've stopped using so many hyphens in the wrong places. Check it out. Progress.

Thanks for visiting.
Cat

The More and Less of Daily Goals

2010-12-26T07:35:00.000-08:00

I'm starting off this day after Christmas with a post on daily goals - something I'm learning to take a little more (and less) seriously the more I try to have them.

The More:

Daily goals have become really important to me because they are such a challenge to keep. They are promises to myself, and let's face it, being a mom and a wife and a pet owner ... the promises I make to myself are usually the first ones out the window. Even the dog gets walked before I have a chance to eat breakfast.

Promises to others are much easier to keep. If I promise to do something once tomorrow - I've got it. Done. You can count on me. If I promise to keep an appointment for next week; I write it in my calendar in black marker and I'm there, in the flesh, with bells on. I take my promises very seriously, because if I don't keep them ... I feel like a massive jerk.

So why don't I feel like a massive jerk when I break a promise to myself?

Truth is ... I do. Not every day, but the pain comes in waves of guilty failure, usually after I've had a block of time to mull over recent events my life ... say a holiday (Like Christmas?) and I start to poke holes in my self esteem as I take a good look at all the goals I set and didn't keep, from my non-existent yoga practice, to my neglected blog, to my inability to stay away from chocolate for a long period of time.

The more I shove off my daily goals ... the more times I've set myself up for a good self-beating later on. I've learned that this is a really big deal. More than I've cared to acknowledge in the past. I stopped making any kinds of goals for a while, deciding to forgive myself for being an aimless and wandering voyeur - but that only works for so long. I need purpose. I think we all do. Goals are our way to string the days together and set them apart. As humans - we have the ability to remember and learn from the past, and plan for the future. It's a beautiful gift, not to be wasted.

Keeping promises to myself should mean everything to me, because if I don't keep my own promises, there's no higher power that's going to do it for me.

That's the More of it.

Here's the Less:

I've learned that, for myself, the more time-consuming the daily goal, the faster it gets thrown out the window. Not all the time - but it's a good rule of thumb. I did manage to keep a three-times-a-week yoga practice for almost two years in Los Angeles, but expensive memberships, driving time and having to set aside 90 minutes of class time over any other meaningful part of my life ... really did more harm to my yoga than good. When I quit - I quit hard. I hung up my allegorical yoga shoes (this is funny - because we don't wear them) and threw in the symbolic towel - because I wanted to have more time for ... my art and writing.

Trading a semi-big goal for goal as big as a semi is my trademark move. I have a HUGE habit of saying something grand like "I will finish a painting a day for the rest of my life ... then I will be a true artist. " (please refer to earlier posts where I tried to do exactly that - and had to give up due to the fact that paintings take- at the very least- several hours to plan, execute, photo, post, link and explain). When we started our move to Nashville - I had absolutely no time for this insanely time-consuming process. Not to mention ... no yoga practice = cranky Cat, so there was a she-devil running around trying to impersonate me while I painted my house, packed all our belongings and shipped my family southward.

The next chance to bite off more than I could chew (between all the relocating, unpacking and adjusting ) came with the promise to focus on my writing. I figured it would be easier to commit to writing than painting - less messy - less mind boggling. For the record - so far this is true. There really is something nice about curling up on my couch with my lap top, or jotting things down in my notebook in my favorite coffee shop ... as opposed to dragging paint supplies and cameras and scanners from room to room as I try to display my work somewhere for people to see. Text files are so cute and easy to tuck away in simple little well-labeled digital folders. Paintings crumble in storage when they aren't sold. So I decided to simplify and write more often - with big writing goals to finish all the novels in my head in a timely fashion.

Funny enough, my new goal to write daily, did not stop me from picking up freelance graphic work and illustration jobs that came my way. In fact - I think it was easy for me to scare myself back into that line of work the moment I set foot in a new town. Old habits die hard. The need to establish myself as a career girl in my new city took over my budding need to fulfill my promises to myself. And then there was, of course, my steadfast habit of setting HUGE goals while I tried to maintain my happy little life. "I will have this 500 page novel finished by September 1st. I will submit it to 40 publishers by Christmas. I will manage three blogs and keep an hour-long daily yoga practice while I job hunt and make new friends and raise my kids in a perfectly organized, clean and happy home." It seemed the less time I had - the bigger goals I would set, leading to the self inflicted feelings of guilt and failure that came when I didn't acheive. It's been an endless cycle of setting up and falling down.

I would like to state for the record - that this post is not the result of a mental break down. I think I'm getting too old for break downs. I've spent quite a bit of time in quiet reflection these last six, lovely months in Nashville. I simply woke up one morning and sighed the longest sigh of my life and said: "Something has to change."

The something was the Less. I was reminded of my teacher who once said to me: "How can you take your big dreams and live them a little bit each day?"

So, I broke it down for myself. How can I do this? Daily? Keep promises to myself? Be happy AS I pursue my dreams, instead of clawing for happiness that can only be had at mercy of publishers, clients and financial success? How can I love the three parts of me that have always had to struggle to make time at the expense of the others ... the artist, the writer, the yogi?

The only answer is ... less.

I HAVE been managing to keep my daily goals for a couple months now - only because I have reduced them to the simplest tasks imaginable. I write no more than six pages, no less than four ... once a day. I do no more than fifteen minutes of yoga, no less than ten ... once a day. I sketch a simple thought on a 2 x 3 inch piece of paper ... once a day. I walk my doggie up the hill to the stop sign at least once a day ... after I've had breakfast.

It's working for me. And here's why:

Writing a specific and reasonable number of pages every day means I don't have to be a novelist to be a writer. This has been the best decision for my writing. In fact - in less than 2 months - I've produced 7 short stories and have sent them out to different magazines. That's a record for me ... the queen of unfinished manuscripts and scant submissions has actually been producing work and submitting ... consistently.

Yoga? I can't tell you how nice it is to do my practice in my jammies and be done by the time my kids wake up. It's so nice, in fact, I was able to give up caffeine because yoga has now taken the place of my coffee ritual. If I'm not planning on teaching yoga - there's no need for me to be in a class for 4+ hours a week learning the most complicated postures in town. And the best part is ... I don't feel guilty about this decision. I keep my yoga promise once a day and I can smile at myself in the mirror and say "I did yoga today." Simple as that.

The sketch a day is a present to myself. I paid my way through the illustration program at NIU and I've had a love/hate relationship with my drawing skills - mostly hate - ever since. I've been competing against the modern version of the working artist since graduation day- drawing in a world where there's always someone who can do something faster, better, and for less cash than me. That's not going to cut it anymore. I want to enjoy the idea of being an artist for a while - as a gift to myself for spending all that time learning how to create art. I get to decorate my blog with pieces of myself - little visual tokens of my viewpoint.

In the rest of my time - I can work, play, do chores, walk the dog, keep appointments, blog or not blog. As long as I keep my daily goals - my promises to myself - I'm standing a little taller - more and less.

Have a happy Day After Christmas.
Enjoy your presents and gifts.

Love
Cat

Coroflot Portfolio

2010-07-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

I'm in Nashville! I'm slowly setting up my office and revamping my website to provide links to all my work on coroflot. Coroflot is such and easy set up for me and anyone who wants to view my past work and check out my new projects. I'm still waiting for results of the fried hard drive ... but until then ... Cat York Illustration a-flows on Coroflot.

A clear day in LA

2010-03-17T18:03:00.001-07:00

Yes, in fact, we are making plans to move to Nashville. Which is why I've been too busy to post. We're excited and nervous and a little sad to say goodbye to LA - but we feel strong about making a change that will be better for us. Here's a photo I took a few weeks ago from the top of Kenneth Hahn Park. On a clear day in Los Angeles - you can see to the snow peaks. Something I'd like to remember.

Sometimes I wear them for Lunch

2010-02-16T08:38:00.000-08:00

This is my entry for the SCBWI 2011 summer conference tuition contest. Illustrators were given the sentence "Sometimes I wear them to lunch." With the instructions to illustrate what came to mind. The winner will be published in KITE TALES magazine. We'll see. It's a fun idea. I'm glad I made the deadline. It was a busy week.

Flight

2010-01-26T13:03:00.000-08:00

Since my studio is in back of the house - in the heart of humming bird territory - I've actually experienced a humming bird, or three, inches from my face. I'm assuming my little friends are only telling me to "buzz off", but I hope that maybe they are saying hello. We do spend quite a bit of time together - perhaps they've come to think of me as a big strange bird who paints half the day away in my strange nest of a studio. I also like to think they "check" on me sometimes. I'll see them hovering in the window on occasion. I've missed them since the gardeners cut down all the shrubs for the winter. The rain and 50 degree weather has also kept them away - but it's nice to think they'll be back to visit me in the spring. Until then, I will paint them. :)

Tree of Enlightment

2010-01-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

Haha! This painting took me a few days to do, which helped me realize a little something about myself. Here it is (whether or not you care) : I'm happy while working on a painting - and VERY happy when I finish a painting - but somewhat grumpy and unsettled if I leave a painting unfinished until the next day. Note to self - choose subject matter easier finished than glowing lanterns in a tree. :) Although it did turn out nice and I'm hoping no one buys it so I can keep it for myself. :)

There is a tree like this in Culver City that I see when I walk my kids to school. Very cute. I morphed the real image of the tree into my own illustration, and only half-way through painting it came across a funny blog where someone said that in India - putting lanterns in a tree is a humorous approach to enlightenment. I will have to ask my teacher if he's seen anything like that in India. I wouldn't know first hand. But I do like our little "Tree of Enlightenment" in Culver City.

To purchase this item click here for the listing on etsy

January 14th, 2010

2010-01-14T17:43:00.000-08:00

Hi! I have moved the blog off my website. I like the idea of having a blog where others can leave comments. That's all! Keep in touch!