Just for fun? What a concept!

My husband and I play in a pool league with another couple. He also plays on a different night in a serious league with serious players -- getting ready for the State Pool Tournament. Last time the two guys decided that OUR pool night was just for fun. We all sang to the jukebox (even though only one of us should be allowed to sing in public!) and we laughed and ate and oh, played some pool. Thursday pool nights are "just for fun pool." It got me thinking about how stressed I've been about my writing lately. I lost sight of the fact that it should be FUN! I need to lighten up and forget about editors and publishers and focus on story telling. Focus on how my characters do interesting and surprising things. How they say things that make me laugh out loud. If I focus on the story itself, I think writing will be fun again. And that would be a wonderful thing!

Super-Duper School Visit!

I had a marvelous time at Corse Elementary School in Burlington, IA on Wednesday! They were celebrating Constitution Day and they did it in style. They created a Hall of Honor which had photos of service men and women related to the students -- it was wonderful to hear them telling others about their military member! They also made a flag of handprints -- every student's hand is part of the flag -- very impressive! The students were so well behaved, attentive and full of questions I never wanted to leave.

Questions ranged from EASY: Where did you get your boots?
MEDIUM: How much does the Statue of Liberty weigh?
HARD: Why were we at war with England?

After my presentations and some quick (but fun!) visits with the kindergarten classes I attended their Constitution Day assembly. Wow. Fifth graders recited the preamble to the constitution and it gave me goosebumps. They also sang "American Anthem." The Principal played the guitar and led everyone in a sing-along of "This Land is Your Land!" There was a veteran sitting across from me and he was struggling not to cry listening to all those voices singing along...

Corse Elementary ROCKS! The students, the staff, everybody there was fantastic! One of the fifth grade classes went back to their room and wrote me letters so I got to bring them home with me -- Oh, they're wonderful! Thank you Mrs. Woods students!!!!

On the long drive home I just kept thinking of all those fabulous, curious and adorable students and said to myself "This is why I write for children."

And now I am pumped up to get back to my writing! Nothing gives you a boost like
spending the day with kids...

And if that wasn't enough, a reporter from the HawkEye came -- here's the link to an article about the day!

http://www.thehawkeye.com/Story/constitution-day-091808

Road Trip!

I'm off to Burlington, IA for a school visit at Coarse Elementary School tomorrow for their Constitution Day -- and I can't wait! WOO-HOO! More details when I get back home...

Rain is a pain

I used to love to fall asleep listening to the gentle, lullaby sound of rain pitter-pattering on the roof. No more. Not after this summer's devastating flood. Instead, hearing rain during the night makes me nervous. I keep wondering when it will stop and if the river is rising. It's been 3 months since the flood and people are STILL mucking out buildings. And some of those that want to renovate and rebuild can't even though they've removed everything down to the bare beams. Because the beams are still wet! There are 3 plans to "redo" the riverbank and protect us from future floods -- all cost millions of $$$$$ and will take years. But, at least the city is moving in the right direction and working on recovering and rebuilding. No matter what plan is used, we'll never forget. And will probably all be nervous when it starts to rain.

Wonderful Wildlife

Ah, I was gazing out my office window when four deer ambled by, nibbling on the grass. Such a wonderful sight! Wildlife in all its glory! What could be more beautiful that those graceful creatures? And then one lifted his tail and proceeded to "relieve" himself in the yard. Totally ruined the picture postcard moment. When you gotta' go, you gotta' go. But couldn't he have waited until he was out of the front yard? I'm just saying...

Next month -- NOVEL RETREAT!

Since this is September, that means we're getting close to the October Novel Retreat for IA-SCBWI! I'm equal parts excited and nervous. I have a mg novel with my editor right now and I'm waiting to hear it's fate. Even if that one sells I feel like I have so much to learn about writing a novel. The retreat will have 2 tracks -- plotting and revising. I don't mind revising so I'll concentrate on the plotting aspect. It's one thing to intellectually understand themes, subplots, story arcs and all that good stuff, it's quite another thing to DO it in a novel successfully! I bow to everyone that has published a novel. Working on a novel makes writing a pb look like a piece of cake -- but if that were true, I'd be cranking them out more often. Note to self: ALL writing is hard.

Fall fell when I wasn't looking!

I can't believe it's September! What happened to August? Heck, what happened to SUMMER? With the flood, a wedding, youngest moving to an apartment, family health issues... it's been a bit of a blur lately. But with the "back to school" atmosphere, I feel ready to get back into a daily routine. Summer is meant for goofing off and "school time" is meant for working. Which is weird because I don't have kids in school anymore -- unless you count college -- but it's not like we still shop for school supplies together! Also, we've been doing some much needed cleaning. I'm not sure if this is Fall cleaning or belated Spring cleaning. Or maybe we're getting a jump on NEXT spring's cleaning! I tackled the hall closet yesterday and filled two boxes for Goodwill. They're sitting next to four other filled boxes... It feels great to do some de-cluttering! I even weeded out my bookshelves. Not to de-clutter but to make room for the stack of picture books I just bought!

I plan on having a rough draft of my new pb idea by the end of September. Hold me to it!