Dust dogs and Dirty Dishes: A Writer's Life

I've been on a roll lately with KM, so much so that signs that I've been working in the zone for hours at a time are now cropping up around the house. For instance, I'm way behind on laundry, which means my kids must now resort to digging through the sock basket to find a clean pair. The dishes have piled up to the point where I need to do another load (or two) before we're caught up. And the dust bunnies in the house are now dust dogs.

*Smiles as she returns to the KM.* Life is good.

Jewel at School Update

E's service dog Jewel is doing awesome at school, so good, in fact, that at a recent IEP meeting (in which the team met to discuss assessments needed prior to E's move to high school next year) a school rep made a comment I had to share.

"Mrs. W.," Mr. School Rep said. "I just wanted to say, Jewel is working out great. It's like she isn't even there."

Remembering the position school administrators had taken on Jewel last summer, it took all of my will power not to say: "We told you so." Instead I smiled and nodded, and said something civilized and professional like: "Glad to hear it."

Click here for a look at some of the other teams E and Jewel train with each Monday night.

What Inpires Your Muse?

Mine continues to be intrigued by my progress along the road to Rivendell as outlined in the Eowyn Challenge. Yesterday, based on the mileage chart, I reached the point on the road where the hobbits encountered the Black Rider for the first time. *Shudders*

Attention Vampire Lovers! Any Edward Fans Out There?

At one point during the writer's workshop we conducted yesterday, a couple of the teens talked about how much they loved Stephenie Meyer's books Twilight and New Moon. Then to my delight, one of them shared a link I didn't know existed. For anyone hooked on Meyer's series, check out this link from the next book in the series. The entry discusses how the book emerged about a character development exercise. Toward the end of the discussion you'll find a rough exerpt from the new book, Midnight Sun.

Encouraging to learn that I'm not the only writer whose characters interupt her in the middle of the night.

10th Carnival of Children's Literature

Kelly Herold of Big A little a hosts the 10th Carnival of Children's Literature. See her January 20th posting for links to recent musings from the kidlitosphere, including a posting by yours truly about writers and depression.

Crit Group Musings, Part Two

Crit group. I can't imagine muscling my way through last year without it. J, A and I formed our little group in late fall of 2005. Our love of fantasy and the need to work on novel-length pieces brought us together.

Early on we moved from once-a-month meetings to twice monthly, making pledges to stay focused and productive. The built-in deadlines saved me. So did our biweekly face times. Without them, I wouldn't have produced the work I did. The challenges of E's neurosurgery, recovery, and subsequent illnesses would have dragged me under. I'm certain of it.

So, where am I headed with this particular posting? I suppose a big thank you is in order...to the Powers that Be who brought our group together...to the amazing synergy our group has developed...to J and A for keeping me honest...and to my Vermont College advisors, Ellen Levine, Sharon Darrow, Jane Resh Thomas, and Tim Wynne-Jones for teaching me to trust the process.

Writer's Rant and Crit Group Musings, Part One

Crit group went by yesterday without a call from E's school. I didn't realize I'd been waiting for one until after we wrapped up. Odd that I live my life this way, expecting to be interrupted. It's not a glass-half-empty outlook on life, it's reality with a special needs child prone to illness. No wonder my inner critic escapes its cage so easily.