20. February 2010 by admin.

I’m on vacation this week, but it hasn’t been a very productive vacation.  I know, I know…vacations aren’t supposed to be productive.  (That’s why they call it a vacation, right?)

But I decided to clean off a bookshelf today, and wowza!  I hit the jackpot!

I came across two old writing notebooks that had random thoughts and scribbles in them.  Each notebook was more than five years old, and I was delighted to discover that each had some dated journal entries, some writing project ideas, some really neat title ideas, and even some old rough drafts of pieces that have long since been published. 

What an amazing and serendipitous treasure these notebooks are to me!  I’ve been trying to write something decent all week, with little to no success.  Maybe I just needed a rest from my routine, I don’t know.  But every time I sat down to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, I came up empty.  Flipping through these “old” pages, though, really seemed to bring back some of the inspiration.  Looking at one page in particular, which I know was written in 2003, I had a vivid memory of writing it - not a nostalgic memory per se - but a sensual one.  For a brief moment, I was back in 2003, sitting at my desk, penning those words.  This wasn’t your average flashback.  I was able to pick up my pen, and continue working on this piece as if my work hadn’t been interrupted by the course of seven years’ events.  Cool!

Not to jump off topic, here, but I’m currently reading a really great resource for writers by Julia Cameron, author of the highly-acclaimed The Artist’s Way.  This title, The Vein of Gold, is a treasure trove of ideas and methods to keep your inner creativity flowing to the surface.  In this book, Cameron talks about the connection we forge with our work when we write by hand, rather than typing on a computer:

“There is an energy to the hand, an energy of the blood, of truth, and knowledge that is deeper than skin.  Blood is the body’s ink.  We write our lives in it.  The blood remembers what the mind forgets, and when the blood remembers, it tells the hand.  Writing by hand is not merely writing.  It is ‘righting.’ ”

 I think that Cameron has spoken a golden truth in these words.  There’s something about feeling your own warmth pulsing on the page as your ink and psyche breathe life into words.  That’s why these notebooks were such an amazing discovery for me today.  I feel very connected to the muses and scribbles within them.

I think I’m going to make a concerted effort to write more on paper and less on the computer in the early stages of my writing pieces.  And I’m going to search those packing boxes in the basement for more treasures.  I seem to remember a black leather-like notebook with pages of ideas clipped from obituaries and wedding announcements and classifieds ads.  Maybe I’ll hit the jackpot for the second time today!

What treasures help you to stay connected with your writerly voice?

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

4. February 2010 by admin.

Ugh!  I hate getting behind!  Getting behind adds weight.  Not the kind that makes your waistband bulge, but the kind that presses and opresses - presses on your brain, and opresses your mood.  I’ve had a super productive day, and managed to get caught up on quite a bit, so now I’m here trying to catch up on my blog.

 It’s been a learning week for me.  I’ve been immersing myself in technology that is both exciting and unfamiliar.  What I love the most about this new technology is that it appeals to both my science-y/logical side, and my creative side at the same time.  I get to apply my logic in trying figure out the technology, and I get to apply my creativity in learning how to use the technology seamlessly in my classroom.  This type of work is right up my alley, folks.

I’m always amazed at how my non-writing life compares to my writerly one.  Just yesterday, for example, I was troubleshooting with my new SMARTBoard in front of my students.  I had run into a little snag, and I needed to find the solution.  Mind you, I have no training in the software I was using at the time.  I’m trying to self-teach on the fly…so when I ran into this little snag I had two choices.  I could simply abandon the technology for the moment and try to improvise my lesson without it, or I could take a risk in front of my students, and “look” (blindly) for a solution that was no doubt buried deep in the protocols of the software.  My students, completely mesmerized by the SMARTBoard, had no problem with the lesson being interrupted, or with my need to click randomly across a toolbar while the colorful display reflected in their glazed irises.

 I took a deep breath, and began testing my options at random.  The first three clicks I made were miserably unsuccessful.  I stopped and turned to face my class and gave them an eloquent speech entitled “This is What Learning Is All About.”  (You saw that one coming, didn’t you?:) )  I explained that no matter how old you are, you will always have something to learn…how there’s no reason to be afraid of something that you don’t “know” or feel comfortable with…and that you can’t learn without taking risks.

Then I turned back around for click number four.  Success!  It worked.  

Loud clapping ensued.  My second graders gave me a standing ovation! ”Way to go!” and “She did it!” and “Mrs. Mahoney learned something new!”…  (Gotta love those kids…they really know how to boost morale!)

So, I was thinking about this glorious moment in my classroom and its parallels to my writerly life.  Here’s what I think:  1.  In writing, as with all of our pursuits, you must take a risk and venture into the unknown to learn something new.

2.  When you learn something new, you grow.  You’re better somehow, even it’s only your morale that got the boost.

3.  Craft /Skill + Creativity + Desire to Grow + Risk-Taking = The perfect formula for success 

4.  Success feels truly awesome when you share it with an audience!

BTW, my class now refers to the SMARTBoard as the OUT-SMARTEDBoard.

What’s your perfect formula for success?  What risks have you taken lately in your writing? 

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

13. January 2010 by admin.

It’s official.  Every time an uber-juicy clementine squirts you in the eye, you get to make a wish.

Why?

Why not?

I just decided, that’s why.

It’s been that kind of day.  I’ve been gone for 13 hours.  I deserve to make a wish. I’m writing. Super. Short. Sentences. Because. I. Can’t. See. Citric. Acid. Burns.

(There’s a poem in here somewhere, I just know it.)

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

9. January 2010 by admin.

So, this was my first week back to school after vacation.  It’s always hard coming back after having so much family time, but this year seemed especially difficult.  Maybe it was because I had a super amazing vacation this year - no one got sick, we all got along, and it was just, well…relaxing.  Or maybe it’s because the weather kept me home more than usual.  I didn’t even get a chance to go to my classroom over the break to get some work done, which is something I always do on my “vacations.” 

Actually, I think it was especially hard to go back this year because I wasn’t sleeping well.  And when you’re not sleeping well, your body and brain don’t work together.  And when your body and brain aren’t in sync, trying to teach a classroom full of young children is about as productive as trying to convince your eight-year-old that dentists are good guys.

I went to school on Monday, operating on about an hour and a half of good sleep.  Not good.  I was snippish at my own children in the morning, and miserable all the way to school.  In the forty-five minutes before my students arrived, I continued to feel misery biting at my facial muscles.  My left eye was twitching.  My neck hurt.  My eyes were begging for darkness.  And, I was having a bad hair day.  One thing was clear.  I wasn’t going to be able to smile today. 

My students were tired, too.  Many rested their heads on their hands, or stared at me glossy-eyed.  I made lots of mistakes in my half-awake state.  I got the new year right at calendar time, but forgot the day of the week.  It seemed like the day was going to drone on like this forever.  I would just have to drag myself through it. 

About an hour into the school day, though, a miracle happened.  

It wasn’t as sudden as it sounds…it happened very subtly, really, like one of those amazing summer sunsets that starts off as just a warm, pink haze in the distance and then, before you know it, sets the entire sky on fire.  The kind that turns your irises from hazel to fuschia because you can’t stop looking at it, because you feel immersed in it.  That’s sort of what happened in our classroom.  We were on fire.  All of us.  My students and I were awake, and we were in sync.  We shared questions, we shared learning, and we even shared laughter.  Laughable moments seemed to present themselves naturally among a series of teachable moments.  But the experience was more than a teachable moment.  It was a teachable day.  Those of you who teach know how very special days like these are.

The rest of the week went smoothly after that, despite many more sleepless nights, and the fact that I have been out of chocolate for more than a full week now.  :( 

What’s keeping me up?  One word:  ideas.

I forgot to mention that over vacation, I was on a serious writing roll.  I was uber-productive.  I wrote lists (see previous posts), I revised old pieces, I added four pages to my submissions binder and filled them all.  It was one good week for Liana’s pen.  That’s the good news.  The bad news, though, is that it was ONLY one good week for Liana’s pen.  And then it was back to school time.

I have, sitting in front of me on my desk, a list of writing ideas that poured so fast that week I could have drowned in them in my effort to keep up.  A few are crossed off, but the ones that remain keep me up at night.  They want to be written.  Only right now, I am in sync with my students and my classroom, and not with my writing. 

Well, would you look at that?  I just wrote a few hundred words in only a few minutes.  Hmmm…maybe I won’t be drowing in that list after all.  Maybe it’s time to sync and swim.

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

3. January 2010 by admin.

So, yesterday, I read about a new magazine debut.  It’s called Motherhood Muse, and I read about it on the SCBWI discussion boards.  For $4.00 (paid with PayPal) I purchased the debut issue.

 Wowza!  I hit the jackpot!  This magazine, I swear, was written for and about…ME.  It could have even been written BY me, it felt so familiar.  I snuggled in with my e-issue like a pair of gently worn-in, decades-loved shoes, and was content to read it from cover to cover.  If you are a naturalist and you are a mother, this magazine is better than a bubble bath.  If you’re a teacher, too, it’s better than a bubble bath on a snow day.  You really need to check it out.

 Motherhood Muse is also of interest to writers.  They are currently accepting submissions in several areas, including poetry, and have two adult writer contests per year, plus one children’s poetry contest (for young writers).  Check it out at: www.themotherhoodmuse.com

And, hey, hey, hey!  I got a good start on those New Year’s Resolutions today.  I wrote two new poems in under three hours.  Yes!  And, the best part is, they don’t entirely stink!  I’m actually quite pleased with the end product.  Of course, they are still in draft form, and my critique groups still have to weigh in, but overall, they are close to being ready for submission.

 How are your resolutions coming along? 

(Yes, I know it’s only the second day of 2010, but it’s also the date of a rare palindrome, so there’s no better time than today to get started, right?  Also, I like to think that if a neurologist ever has to crack open my skull to get a look at what’s going on in there, he will see nicely organized dendrites.  None of that random networking in my head.  Nope…my dendrites will look very much like a flowchart.)  :) 

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

1. January 2010 by admin.

So here we are…another year passed, and another to look forward to.  Today - um, what’s left of it - is a wonderful day…because…(drumroll, please)…

Today is the day to I get to make a new list. 

(You know what’s coming next, don’t you?)  That’s right - New Year’s Resolutions.  I know many people don’t believe in resolutions, but they work well for me.  I think it’s all about how you perceive them.  Are resolutions real, or are they nothing more than talk?  Are they goal-based, or are they grounded only in fantasy?  Are they realistic, or completely and hopelessly unachievable?  Are they good for a laugh, or can you take yourself seriously when you’re making them?

Here’s what I think: 

Resolutions = List.

When I make a list, I mean what I write.  So, when I make a list of resolutions, I mean everything that’s on the list.  Achieving an item means I get to check it off, and - yep, I know it’s a little weird, but - I LIVE FOR THOSE TIMES I GET TO CROSS SOMETHING OFF!  I make sure that everything I write down is attainable and realistic, and directly related to everything on my Bucket List.  (Yep…that’s the front page in a binder that holds my VILs:  Very Important Lists.)  I also always resolve to do something that will take me out of my comfort zone a bit…stretch myself…challenge me in some way.  Two years ago, that was ‘making my own website.’ 

 Last year’s resolutions were pretty well on target, and all but one of my resolutions were realized.  Looking back, that eighth resolution was somewhat out of my hands, though I did, in fact, give it my best shot.  I even got to cross another item off my Bucket List.  That moment was accompanied by a dark chocolate truffle.

So what’s on my list this year?  I’m putting it in writing, right here, for all the world to see…where it won’t go away.

1.  Start querying agents again.  At least five agent queries in 2010.

2.  Begin a promotion plan for my upcoming picture book.

3.  Add new material to my website.  (Maybe to coincide with #2?)

4.  Answer 2-3 submission calls for anthologies.  I’ve only done this once before, and had a great experience, so I’m going to try some new ones this year.

5.  Get something accepted with a new market.  (I got an early start on this one today, as I sent out three submissions to new markets I’ve never tried before.)  Ok, so this one’s a little out of my hands…somewhat out of my control.  But, still, if I keep my volume of submissions up, it should be easily attainable.

6.  Write at least 5 new articles, 5 new poems, and one new picture book manuscript.  “Write” = create a polished, ready-to-submit manuscript.

7.  Finish a rough draft of my newest non-fiction picture book.  This one’s going to require some research.

8.  Add 50-100 new macro photos to my wildlife pic gallery.

9.  Maintain this blog!  I know I won’t be able to do this every day, but I think that 3x per week is a good goal.

Ahhh…that feels good. 

Can you hear it? 

The sweet melodious sound of a Sharpie pen scratching a checkmark.

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

25. December 2009 by admin.

Really?  She’s starting a blog on Christmas? You’re probably wondering why, of all days, I would do such a thing.

 Well, to me, Christmas is a day of counting blessings.  It’s a day to take an inventory of your life.  It’s a day to celebrate gifts - and I don’t mean the ones that come in sparkling packages.

I have many gifts to be thankful for:  a beautiful family, kind and loyal friends, a comfortable home, quirky pets, and - not one, but two - jobs that I love.  I teach and I write.  And while neither of these jobs is easy, and both can be heartwrenching at times, God gave me the ability, perseverance, and the patience to do both.

Up until now, I’ve avoided the blogging bit. But today, after inventorying, I decided it was time to share with the world my thoughts about this gift in my life.  If you’re a teacher, or a children’s writer, and especially if you’re both, please join in the conversation.  Most days, I’ve got plenty to say.  Other days, my silence speaks volumes.  And if you are a writer who teaches, or a teacher who writes, I know you understand what I mean.

 Have you taken inventory today? 

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »