What’s the Rush?

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Earlier this week I read an article by Rachel Macy Stafford which really struck a chord with me.

In the article she talks about an “aha moment” where she realized what she was missing by rushing through her day, moving from one thing to the next on her list.

I love being busy. I love the feeling of falling into bed at night feeling accomplished and bodily tired from the efforts of the day. My husband and I have spent the last 9 years renovating our 1975 Colonial home, so there have been many weekends and week nights full of planting, weeding, painting, hammering, tiling, and framing.

However, it is a daily struggle to balance spending time with my family, reading, writing, time for what needs to be done, and time for myself. There just aren’t enough hours in the day.

This article reminded me as summer winds downs to take advantage of every moment. To enjoy my children at this age. To feel the wonder of harvesting vegetables from my garden. To be open to the experiences that may never come again.

Those are the things that will drive my writing- not the loads of laundry and the dust piling up on my furniture. The chores and errands still need to get done, but they will certainly be here tomorrow.

Water, Water, Everywhere…

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During the summer months, my children enjoy exploring theme weeks. We plan some activities and at least one adventure around topics they are interested in. This summer, we are learning about different parts of Earth and space. We had a packed week along with some family friends learning about space: learning each of the planets (I still say Pluto is a regular planet, darn it), making rocket snacks, putting on alien temporary tattoos, and producing a space movie. This week we’ve been learning about the oceans.

Earlier in the week, we joined some friends at a local beach on a lake. It was lovely – much sandier than most lake beaches I’ve been to. The kids and I talked about how a lake is different than an ocean: salt water, tides, waves, etc.

Beach

Today we visited the real thing – the ocean. The kids were beside themselves with excitement. We spent the morning playing in the waves, making sand castles, and generally getting sand everywhere a body can hide it.

On the drive back, as I peeked at my two sleeping angels (As hyper as they are, they really do look like angels when they’re asleep. That is, if angels snore.), I thought about our adventures for the week.

So here’s the metaphor for this week: writing stories can be like water. Fundamentally, it is still water wherever you find it, but it feels different depending on what form it takes. Your story might be a picture book, or a middle grade novel, or a short story, but in each of these forms the story feels different, as the ocean feels different than a lake.

My first middle grade novel has just finished a big revision cycle, and once Joanna can read it, it’s off to some agents. Let’s hope some lucky agent likes oceans as much as I do.

Writing From the Heart

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This summer, amongst the nature hikes, bike riding, dips in the pool, and visits to the museum, my son and I are working on his writing skills. Last summer we worked on reading. We read together over and over – fiction, non-fiction, adventure, science, humor – until it clicked. One day, he started to love reading. He felt proud of his ability to read by himself. Not without challenging words here and there, but it was FUN.writing

This summer, I’m hoping for a similar aha moment. We’ve done journalling about the week’s adventures, but no excitement so far there. Now we’re trying letter writing.

Aidan gets to choose who he writes his letter to. Last week he chose Grandma and Pa. He could write whatever he wanted. So he wrote:

Dear Grandma and Pa-

I love my family, and I love you.

Love, Aidan

It was short certainly, but very sweet. No mixed messages or confused syntax there. Just “here’s how I feel.”

It remains to be seen if this will get him excited about writing. We’ll see how he does on his next letter. It does, however, inspire me to write a little today. Not for any direct purpose, but just to write. How I feel today. What I’m thinking.

I won’t be mailing it off to Grandma and Pa, but maybe knowing it’s really not going anywhere will make me more uninhibited.

Take a few minutes on this hot summer day to write. A poem, a story, a few lines. You might be surprised what’s on your mind. And where it takes you.

Fast or Slow?

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BMW

Photo by Katie Cullinan

Often, while out running errands, a car races past me and others, weaving in and out of traffic. I shake my head, secretly hoping he or she gets pulled over (especially if they drive down the shoulder!). Sometimes, right after this car zooms past me, traffic ahead slows down to a stop. I pull up right behind Mr. Speed Racer. So what did all that racing around accomplish?

On the other hand, I sometimes I end up behind slow cars, who seem to take forever to get where they are going.

There are risks and potential payoffs for both approaches. If you drive fast, you may get to your destination quicker. However, you run the risk of causing an accident, and possibly hurting yourself and others. If you drive slow, it will take longer to get to where you’re going, and you might be late, but you increase the chances of getting there safely.

Let’s extend this metaphor to writing (novels in particular). What is the right speed to write a novel? If you write extremely fast, you may finish your first draft quicker, but the risk is higher that the novel crashes and burns from unfocused sloppy narrative or plot. Writing very fast also only works when there are no barriers (like the traffic stopping unexpectedly). When was the last time you experienced no barriers in your writing (or anything else, for that matter)?

Writing slowly means taking much longer to finish your novel. You will delay the satisfaction of completing the manuscript, and you could possibly lose momentum.

Neither approach is ideal. I think I’ll write as a slightly sporty sedan. Maybe with a convertible top for when I’m feeling daring. I will take a moderate pace, and keep moving. I’ll save speed for those sunny days when a revision cycle is ending- just grammar and logistical cleanups. Then I can take my novel for a spin. By then, I’ll have travelled the route many times. I know it well.

Purity

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They are beautiful gems, shining for a brief moment before dimming in the reality of life. They are rare, and transient, and precious. They are pure moments – moments unclouded by opinion, or rhetoric, or worries. They are the moments when time stops, and the wonder of nature and life take your breath away.

I have experienced some of these moments before, so I know they exist. But life hasn’t been quiet enough for a while for me to be open to one. I yearn for just a few minutes where life is quiet down to my soul. Where I can look at the sky, and remind myself of my small (and hopefully meaningful) place in the universe.

Sometimes I feel ungrateful wishing for such things. The noise in my life is often due to children’s songs or requests for more pushes on the swing. Honestly, there are many more annoying and stressful moments, but we won’t linger on those here.

Strawberries

This week, I caught a glimpse of a pure moment riding back from the strawberry fields on the bumping “Berry Ferry.” My kids and I were slick with sweat, covered in hay and dirt. And we were each grinning ear to ear, reveling in the feeling of accomplishment after picking two overflowing boxes of rich, ripe, perfect berries.

I close my eyes now as I think of it, hoping for the mental “click” as I attempt to imprint the memory on my brain.

These moments come rarely – not because they don’t exist, but because the reality of life is too loud. The news, the chores, the responsibilities, the traffic, the things we hate to do but must… it all intrudes. And when do catch a pure moment, like a butterfly on our hand, it doesn’t last long enough. I suppose that’s what makes them so precious and valuable.

Catching some pure moments is on my must-do list for this summer. They help to feed my soul, and my writing. I hope you can pause to find some of your own.

The Music of Life

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I’m sure each of us has a personal philosophy about music and its ability to enhance or detract from an experience. Film critics often discuss how a movie soundtrack either elevates or destroys the feeling of a film. Some people would not have gotten through college without some rock and roll in the background, while others preferred the silence of the library.

For me, different situations require different musical support. When I clean my house (which I detest), I play some music from my “Upbeat and Fun” playlist. And I play it loud. It seems to give me a little hop in my step as I wipe the same counters and wash the same floors, week after week. Extra bonus if my kids pop into the kitchen for an impromptu dance party.

When I am writing a first draft, I prefer to write in relative silence. No external distractions to take me away from the getting those thoughts out of my head and onto the page, as quick as possible. When I’m writing this blog, I do have a little wiggle room- not music exactly, but right now the swish of the dishwasher is proving to be quite soothing.

I was always the silent studier- probably because I know that I am easily distracted and I need to actively work to be focused. So it surprised me to find that there is some room for music when I write. Not in my first draft, granted, but during revision.

You may have read on this blog about my second middle grade novel work in progress – it is a time travel story set mostly in 1983. At one point in revising and expanding the story, I got stuck. So I put on some 80’s music for inspiration. And it worked! Many memories of my own experiences in the 80’s came back to me, and I had fun adding lots of vivid details to the story. Who knows if they’ll all make it to the final version, but it should be a more realistic and fun story.

This past week, music proved a happy little accident. I had made revision mark-ups to my first novel, and was sitting at the computer in the kitchen in the evening entering them. And my husband fell asleep in his chair in the next room. And snored. Loudly (sorry for giving up your secret, dear). So I put on my headphones and played some Justin Timberlake and Brian Setzer Orchestra to drown him out. Before I knew it, it was 11 PM and all my revisions were done. Yay!

So whatever part music plays in your daily life – inspiration, cheerleader, soul-soother – make sure to turn it on. Whenever the mood strikes you. And have fun!

Review – The Magic Rabbit

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The Magic Rabbit coverThe Magic Rabbit

Written and Illustrated By: Annette LeBlanc Cate

Candlewick Press, 2007, Hardcover Version

Target Audience: Ages 4-8, although my 3 year old enjoys it

Genre: Fiction

How We Discovered This Book: This book was among the Easter/Spring books at our library (perhaps because it has a rabbit in it, but it doesn’t really have anything to do with Easter or Spring).

Summary: Ray the Magician and his bunny assistant do everything together. When they are separated while performing on the city streets, bunny must try to find Ray before it gets dark.

What I Liked: It is a simple story, where children are rooting for the pair to get back together. There is enough suspense, without heavily manufactured “dangers.” The author/illustrator also has chosen to prepare the book completely in black and white, with the exception of some important gold stars. These illustrations really support the purity of the story.

What Did My Son Aidan Think? After repeated readings, Aidan discovered that Ray is in the background of many of the pictures where bunny is looking for him. Each time we read it, Aidan “finds” Ray, and many other hidden details in the rich illustrations. Aidan also loves the sweet ending. Aidan is now 6-1/2, so I would expect his interest in picture books to wane eventually, but I have been pleased to discover that he still loves the picture books that are of high quality in story, theme, and illustration.

Resources:

Magic and Magician’s Rabbit Activities

Teaching Activities for learning words with a silent E (with the help of a magic rabbit)

Learn Easy Magic Tricks- for kids (and beginning adults!)

Tending to Your “Flowers”

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I was working in my yard, tending my planting beds and garden recently, when a metaphor came to mind. Just like gardens, writing needs tending. Irises

My planting beds of flowers and plants, are like my writing craft. It requires a lot of work to establish the beds, giving them a strong beginning. I place landscape fabric down to decrease the amount of weeds that creep in. To make sure my plants are healthy, I refresh their mulch, prune the dead branches, and weed them occasionally. My writing craft needs refreshing too. I take a few courses and workshops each year to learn new skills.  I read writing blogs, and I check in frequently with my critique partner. Chatting with Joanna really helps me identify the good “plants” to keep, and what parts are the “weeds.”

My vegetable garden is like my writing work. Based on past successes with raised-bed gardening, I decided to significantly expand my vegetable garden with a new 12 x 12 foot fenced-in area at a sunny spot at the back of my property. I also wrote two more novel manuscripts this year to add to my works in process. Both need my ongoing care and nurturing if I want to see them bear fruit this year. I’m crossing my fingers for tasty sweet corn and huge tomatoes for making sauce (and an agent, if I’m lucky!)

What this all reminds me is that both plants and writing require regular maintenance and nurturing. Just as I find time each night to water my plants, I need to ensure I making time to continue working on my manuscripts. Perhaps then both will bloom!

Keep on Running, Keep on Running…

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Almost 2 weeks ago I ran in my first 5K race on Mother’s Day. It was a great experience, running with almost 1300 other women. There were families all along the race route with signs, cow bells, and lots of cheers. All of the smiling faces spurred me on. On one particular hill, a child held up a sign that said, “This hill is no match for my mom.” Even though the sign was not made specifically for me, it still motivated me not to chicken out as I strained up the hill. If their mom could do it, so could I!

I started running as an attempt to find an exercise that I liked. I really don’t like going to the gym – I find it boring and I don’t see any physical results after going repeatedly. I’m more of a sports gal – swimming, skiing, softball. However, since I have two young children, it’s hard to commit to a league or any regular schedule. So running has provided me with flexibility (if the kids were up too much during the night, I’ll try again to run the next morning), an exercise where I see the physical results, and many other unexpected benefits.

I’ve posted on my experiences with running before. I feel amazing mental clarity during and after running. Whatever chemicals are released in your system when running (adrenaline?) give me a real rush. And once I saw the finish line at my first race, I did what I never thought I would do. I sprinted. I passed four women in my mad dash for the finish line. I made sure my stride came down right on that timing mat (just in case, you know?). And I felt GREAT.

Going across that finish line gave me such a rush, I was replaying the last minute of the race over and over in my mind for days.

So what did I learn from this experience?

  1. Give yourself an aggressive goal and stick with it. Signing up for the 5K made me challenge myself in my weekly running. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself!
  2. Be reasonable and forgiving with yourself. Did I run the whole 5K? No. I walked about 3/10ths of a mile on some tough hills and to catch my breath. But that was okay. I finished my first race at 2-1/2 minutes under my best time. Yahoo!
  3. Take the high of each achievement (big or small), and use to to push on to the next goal. Now I’m pushing myself to see if I can run the whole 3.1 miles without stopping by the end of June. If I can, I’m going to sign up for a local 8K at the beginning of July.
  4. If you don’t meet your goal, try again. I wanted to be done writing the first draft of a new novel by Christmas. Life intervened. But I kept pushing at it, and I’m thrilled that I finished it a few weeks ago. Now I’m revising my first novel, which I’m sure will take a lot longer than I want it to.

So best wishes to each of you as you seek clarity, decide what’s important to you, and determine where you want to be.

racepic4

You Are a Lion – Review

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You Are a LionYou Are a Lion

Written and Illustrated By: Taeeun Yoo

Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012, Hardcover Version

Target Audience: Ages 3-5, although my 6 year old loves it too

Genre: Non-fiction

How We Discovered This Book: This book was read at the weekly story time at our local bookstore. Elizabeth loved it so much, we bought it so Aidan could join in at home.

Summary:

This book introduces children to yoga. On each page, a child tries another yoga pose, with prose to guide them.

What I Liked:

The prose flows nicely, and introduces one yoga pose at a time, based on animals or a mountain. Children can follow along without really knowing they are doing yoga. The smoothness of the language and the pacing caused my children to focus so that they could follow along, which is a big accomplishment in my house.

What Did My Son Aidan Think?

Aidan likes finding a spot on the carpet next to his sister, ready to do each of the poses. He also enjoys reading the book aloud while Elizabeth completes the poses (with some coaching from him, of course). He has now proudly added “Namaste” to his vocabulary.

Resources:

The Kids Yoga Resource: additionally information for children interested in yoga, as well as many related links about kid yoga

Interested in teaching some yoga in your classroom? Check out this site, which has some tips specific to teaching children yoga, along with some coloring pages and other information.

Taeeun Yoo Etsy Shop: If you love the illustrations and would like to buy a print of the children doing yoga (or prints from her other books), check out her Etsy shop.