Tag Archives: life

Tides

Amazing minus tide Friday in Santa Barbara (coinciding with—or because of?—the Super Moon). I forgot my camera, but my sister had her phone and all its very cool, very smart apps. The wind was up, so we couldn’t stay long—my … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, fish, Me and Us, middle grade, ocean related, Santa Barbara, To Explain | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Valuable Information

The ever helpful YA Muses blog has wonderful posts up on the writing process and revision and what the heck writers do to make novels make sense (including cutting mass portions, creating charts—oh, go see, go see). The YAM posts … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, Fiction, middle grade, To Explain, writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Fever!

I need the sort of writing fever that allows multi-tasking. I need to be able to be ill AND revise a novel and engage the 3 year old and toss the tennis ball for the dog, fold laundry, garden (i.e. yank … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, dog, Faction, Fiction, Me and Us, Poetry, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, writing, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Moon Night

Shawls of cool sea fog wafted along Anapamu Street just in time for the event, chilling the artists set up on the gallery’s front patio and across the way—in front of the hushed, monolithic library—attempting to capture the full moon … Continue reading →

Posted in Me and Us, ocean related, Poetry, poetry reading, Santa Barbara, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Writing Fever

It’s going to take longer for me to reach my number one goal. I can’t rush this revision, even if I wanted to. Yes, domestics ALWAYS come into play when it comes to writing, such as: My son’s flu, this … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, Poetry, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, writing, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Books Interlude

Have you visited YA Muses? They are a lovely, helpful, inspiring quartet, all with backgrounds, current writing-situations and future-talk I appreciate. They inspire me. They give me hope, or remind me that there is hope when it comes to writing … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, middle grade, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hi Ho!

My little shining writing-prize moment of 2010 made the Kite Tales newsletter. I am the giant on the far right. (???) I will never forget hearing the name of my book called out and almost falling off the auditorium chair, … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Fiction, middle grade, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ready, Set, Write!

Preschool is a go! (See my other blog—or, not) I now have 3 hours 3 days a week to write. Am very confident that by next week (after the holiday excitement dies down around here) I will have my Number … Continue reading →

Posted in dog, Me and Us, middle grade, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Poet Distracted By Whales

Had to take a break from editing Trouble. Did so by editing a new poem. It’s almost 9p.m. My spouse has once again passed out with the toddler when putting him to bed. There is nothing to distract me from editing … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, Me and Us, Poetry, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, writing, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When You’re Writing…

My official “Trouble” roughhead blenny mascot returns The good news is, I haven’t been posting because I am going over Trouble Beneath The Waves. I do this while my son eats his meals. I do this when my husband returns … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, To Explain, writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

SCBWI Writer’s Day

Trouble Beneath The Waves received a Special Mention at today’s SCBWI Writer’s Day. For some reason I thought winners of the contests (2 honorees in each category—Most Promising Manuscript and Special Mention) had already been announced and printed on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, Steps In Promotion, writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Time (said in 3 syllables)

Currently difficult to impossible to fathom where the time is going, has gone. October nearly vanished, we are actually moving into the hyper-acceleration months of November and December, when Thanksgiving and Christmas bleed into one and my son turns 3. Another year … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Pack Leader

I have not posted of late. See picture on left. We brought him into our pack and I have been adjusting to the dog element as it relates to freaked out housecats and a toddler with beaucoup d’energy. Le French … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, dog, Faction, Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, Poetry, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, writing, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Writing Companion

Sometimes Julian joins me in my bed office, keeps an eye on me while I fuss with the keyboard, picks at his rope, emits charming whistles. He’s a good listener when I read a draft out loud—although my voice seems to make … Continue reading →

Posted in Me and Us, Parakeet, To Explain, Writer's Angst, writing, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New Workings

Depending on who you talk to (my spouse, Facebook, my infernal muse, ABC.com…) I am working on a new poem. As proof, and in danger of ex-ing myself from the writing genre, here are some lines from this new poem … Continue reading →

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Boo, Moan, Woo

On the heels of a rejection, I finished editing my short story and submitted it today—thanks to my spouse whisking the boy to Zuma Beach for the afternoon, leaving me to my laptop in my quiet bedroom office—quiet but for … Continue reading →

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Cooler I Have Been

I’m over the Book Club Blues and previous “froggy” state and have moved on to more-than-contemplating my goals, which meant working on a short story today in this freaky heatwave of 113 degrees, which is all anyone in the San Fernando Valley … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, Book Club, Fiction, Me and Us, Writer's Angst, writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Tad Froggy

This is me right now. Not well seen. Murky on the outside. Rough. Blug. Frozen in dubious water. Were it not for the toddler, I would be an exact copy of the frog fish in the photo, only atrophied. I … Continue reading →

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Welcome Home, PB And Child

I think the most interesting part of my recent retreat was learning that I can, in fact, contrary to previous experience, do the temporary-single-parenting thing and write. Away from my husband for 6 days, away from playdates and email and constant internet … Continue reading →

Posted in Me and Us, middle grade, Writing Progress | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

TGIF?

It appears to be Friday–again. I managed to finish this week’s immediate goal, which will ignite a slew of similar goals in upcoming weeks, especially next week, when once again I go on:   r e t r e a t. With. My. Son. The … Continue reading →

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Spelunking (brain), back soon

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To Really Explain

I realized I wanted to attend a children’s literature writer’s day.  When I realized this, I also realized (with what felt like a bucket of icewater dumped on my head) that the deadline for registering for the writer’s day was … Continue reading →

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About Ready Is My Middle Name

I am about ready to record my Moth Radio submission. Also about ready to mail my BB submission tomorrow morning. Feels. Like. I’m! Ploughing. Through. Serious goo. (Said using Captain Kirk cadence.) I’m not as swift as I used to … Continue reading →

Posted in Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Friday Night

Suddenly, we are going to watch a movie because suddenly my husband returned home from work this evening with the movie pictured left and “Casino Royale”, for which he is assigned to watch the beginning of for a certain vital … Continue reading →

Posted in To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Distraction

I know all about distraction. Writers are always griping about it at conferences and on their writing blogs—about dusting behind headboards and vacuuming behind toilets and taking walks in heatwaves to buy lottery tickets and FBing, IMing, texting, checking email every 5 mintues, about gazing at People.com and clipping toenails and making popsicles and hanging out at Big Foot websites analyzing Big Foot photos and downloading bizarre Big Foot screams, instead of you-know-what. Continue reading →

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