Look closely

Nestled beneath the protective canopy of these daffodils hides a most egg-cellent surprise:

A perfect nest.

Were it not for our next-door neighbor, who happened to spy Mother Mallard at work, we would have missed the clutch completely. Inspires this writer, and begs a question: how many treasures await discovery beneath the landscape of our fictional worlds? If the nest beneath the daffodils is any indication, a rich bounty might be found, if we take the time to seek it out. Re-visioning anyone?

Hatching eggs and ideas

A wild mallard dug a nest between our daffodils yesterday. She laid three perfect eggs. S & E feel as if they've won the lottery. If all goes well, they will be proud aunties in about 28 days.

Writing What You Know

Write what you know. Time and again we hear this advice from editors and published authors. Makes sense because the more you know about a subject/experience the more specific you can be about its ins and outs and little quirks, providing details that create a rich and authentic story for your reader.

As a writer mom who's been playing nursemaid for far too long, I've had plenty of time to think about the relevance of this advice for a project I've had simmering for quite some time. One of the undercurrents of the proposed work-in-progress is the fact that the MC's sibling is chronically ill. Since I love and care for a child with special needs, makes sense to draw from my experience in order to breath life into my story.

Here's a sampling of what I know about being a writer mom to three active girls, one with significant special needs who insisted on getting sick again this week:

*Setting the alarm to keep track of giving the next med has become second nature to me.

*I can tell by the sound and type of cough when E's running a fever.

*I know the phone numbers of the bus company and school attendance office by heart.

*The truancy officer doesn't call anymore to ask why our daughter has missed so much of the school year.

*I know by the sound of the breathing treatment when it's complete. (A very useful skill when doing one in the middle of the night.)

*The gatekeepers at the doctor's office know us so well now that they put me right through to the physician after they hear E's name.

*Though I would never walk away from our situation, I can sympathize with those people in the world who don't have enough resources, family or friends to draw on in order to take care of themselves and their loved ones, and who, after months without hope of ever feeling "normal" again, might consider leaving rather than muscling through another day.

Writing Contests, Judging, and Learning the Craft

A fair amount of my uninterrupted time this week has been devoted to judging entries for the 2008 Four Seasons Writing Contest sponsored by Windy City Romance Writers prior to the announcement of winners at the Spring Fling Writers' Conference later this month.

Each entry must be assessed for presentation and mechanics, and strength of its craft in the following categories: hooks, setting, characterizations, plot, conflict, dialogue, narrative, pacing. Specific guidelines are given for critiquing each element. Judges are also expected to assign a score for overall impression, and to rate how likely he/she would be to read the entire manuscript, and purchase the book in the store if it were published.

The majority of the entries in my stack show promise, but need more revisions before they're ready for an editor's eye. Two are outstanding. I've already made a note of the titles in hopes of seeing the books on the shelf someday.

I'm also intrigued by the judging process because of how much it's informed my own writing. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Judging the entries feels very similar to the work we were required to do in the Vermont College Writing for Children MFA program.

I used to joke about the fact that I earned a degree for reading books, and while the statement wasn't totally accurate (reading was only part of the degree, and reading critically is a a lot harder than it sounds) there's wisdom in including the approach in the degree program. Learning to read critically not only taught me how to identify what works and what doesn't in a published piece of writing, it trained me how to read my own work with an editor's ear. It made me more confident about the critiques I give to my fellow critique group members. And it prepared me for judging writing contests like Four Seasons.

One Writer's Update: This, That and The Sweet Far Thing

Just When We Thought It Was Over
E's finishing up week four of illness, but at least there's an end in sight. After starting yet another round of antibiotics over Easter weekend, she's finally well enough to make it through the day without a nap. We visit the pulmonologist today to see what we should be doing to prevent another setback as we enter allergy season.

Teen Writer's Workshop
Teen Writer's group meets this afternoon. Today's topic is dialogue. The working title for the group exercise J&A have planned: Behind the Blanket. To illustrate the importance of including inner dialogue, action, and body language when writing dialogue we plan to pair two "volunteers" behind a blanket with instructions to read the lines from selected book passages without feeling, inflections, etc. Then we plan to drop the curtain and have them act out the scene with expression and tag lines and maybe even props.

On J's and my personal agenda: starting with today's session keep a master file about what worked and what didn't. Reference said file at a later date as we prep for our presentation about teen writer's workshops (and how to get one started at your library) at the Illinois Library Association conference in September.

Current Read: Libba Bray's The Sweet Far Thing.

Day Two and Counting

E returned to school for a half day yesterday. She came home wilted (who wouldn't after being home with the flu 2 1/2 weeks?), ate lunch and crawled into bed for the rest of the afternoon. Today was better. Though exhausted when I picked her up, E stayed up longer before needing to take a nap. Each day back is mini victory, bringing me that much closer to reclaiming my uninterrupted writing time.

A Return to Morning Pages

A year and a half ago, I began writing Morning Pages ala Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way.

The practice is simple. Journal three pages first thing each morning. Do not judge the words. Do not plan what you're going to say. Write without thinking, letting your heart speak through your pen. Punctuation is optional. So is form. Use the time to dump, vent, pout, praise, celebrate, plan. Go wherever your muse leads you. Write longer if you wish, but try to complete at least three pages. Do not stop until you are done. Then start your day.

When I first started Morning Pages, I was amazed at the clarity the simple exercise brought me. Each entry became a moving meditation. A way to ground me in the present and warm up my muse. Into my journal, I dumped my fears, worries, to-do lists, hopes, dreams, and duties for the day. The awesome part about this practice was that, once there, my worries, hopes, and dreams were content to wait for me on the page, rather than pratter on in my head while I worked.

For a variety of reasons--kids, illnesses, the life of a writer mom--I fell away from the practice. I didn't think I'd missed it until I began writing my pages again recently.

Not sure where the idea came from, but I bless it. After two and a half weeks of care giving and round-the-clock meds, I consider a return to Morning Pages one of the few good things that have come out of E's latest bout with illness.

Current read: Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. (Began this thrilling must-read for vampire fans a few days ago. Would have finished it already if I wasn't so **** tired.)