Pebbles on the Beach

         

Are you a collector?

When on vacation, I find it impossible to resist bringing back a piece of the place. How better to preserve memories of special times, gatherings, food, music, and scenery than holding it, literally, in one’s hand?

Sometimes a “piece” means a cheap refrigerator magnet in the shape of the Mayflower, but often it means a literal piece picked off the ground. My husband is from Athens, Greece, and visits to his family always include a trip to the beach. The ubiquitous pebble beaches of Greece are a wonderful place to find packable treasures. Marble chunks smoothed by years in the Mediterranean Sea. The whitest pebbles, or the blackest. Pieces of blue and green bottles. Broken terracotta so smooth it seems like an ordinary pebble, but one that might have originated in some ancient past. Each pebble contains the power to bring back visions of my kids dancing in a village square, laughing and stumbling over the fancy Greek footwork.

Collect words

In my writing, too, I am a collector. When I first began, I voraciously sought out “how-to” books. How to structure a story. How to bring believable characters or plots to life. How to build a platform. Then I realized: I was doing a lot more reading about writing than actually writing. Has this happened to you? We “feel” like writers, therefore we are? Nope. Not unless we are writing! Now, I prefer collecting books of words, unique thesaurus-style books filled with words relevant to whatever theme I am exploring barefoot at the moment.

Keep a small notebook

Collect special sayings that touch your heart in a notebook. They might worm their way into a book's theme. A small notebook can be a writer’s best friend, easily on hand to record the joys/pains of life. Annual events like the 4^th of July would seem easy to recall, as they happen pretty much the same every year—but on a winter’s day writing about it, are you going to remember the sound of the American stripes flapping in a strong breeze, or its hooks clanging a summer music against the flagpole? Will you remember the sting of lemon in a fresh cut, or the pesky bee buzzing around the pitcher of lemonade? 

Rejections Raining on You?

Spring Rains By Suzanne Y. Cordatos

Did you make any writing resolutions this past New Year? How are they going?

In January, my writing friend set ambitious goals: Submit work more often. Research and query agents. Enter contests. Query. Revise. Again. And Again. I meet with this writing friend every week for a hearty breakfast of eggs, critiques, conversation, inspiration and motivation. (BTW, if you haven’t yet found a writing friend, it is easier than you might think. Join a formal association, or simply make a few public comments that you “are a writer”. Fellow writing souls will emerge from the woodwork.)

In March, her effort paid off big-time. Her manuscript was in the hands of agents and contest judges, right on schedule. Even better, the novel we had labored over for two years (longer for her) was placed among the top four finalists of a contest. Her work would be read by a top NYC publishing house! The top finalist would be handed a gold-plated book contract! Yippee! Right? Not so fast.

Like spring rains, however, rejections started pouring down on her good efforts and optimistic spirits. For the past few weeks, her writing pen has barely slogged across the page. Have you ever felt that way? Why do we writers torture ourselves like this? Her self-torture: If she hadn’t submitted more, she’d be swimming happily right now in her pool of dreams, a pool deep with fantasy contracts and book signings.

Why do you bother to write? I keep trying because stories have shaped my sense of empathy, my understanding of the human condition; fiction binds us together as people of a planet who share the human experience: its dreams, sadness, and hopes. Stories help create empathy for others and transport us out of the mundane.

Find out why by reading some of your favorite old classics. Those treasured, dog-eared books you dragged around? The ones whose characters felt more like friends than the kids down the street? I found myself—the values/views/themes/beliefs I hold dear to my heart—in specific sentences of those books. Single lines that rang true. Bits of dialogue. Unforgettable settings. Characters who triumphed over obstacles.

The joy of watching flowers bloom and helping others reach their potential? It’s behind the locked door of The Secret Garden. The value of a good cry? Who didn’t cry over the beauty of life and self-sacrifice in Charlotte’s Web? A sense of adventure and the belief that small people can make a big difference in the world? Just ask Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. The deep sense that Mom cares no matter how bad I am? It’s in the bowl of soup that Max’s mom left at the end of Where the Wild Things Are. After Max’s misadventures, the soup was still hot.

Writers make a difference. Published or not. I sat across a conference lunch table from Newberry Award writer Jerry Spinelli a few years ago and heard about a manuscript he still keeps tucked away – a novel the editors don't care to publish. What if he had stopped writing when they said no to that first try? Whatever is on your heart that needs to be said to the world—it matters! Whatever keeps pushing the keys on your keyboard, the words that speak to your heart, it really does matter.

What inspires you to keep writing through rejection?

Pile Police: Are they after YOU?

Get help sorting out your writing piles with my latest article on 4RV Publishing's blog. Cut and paste this link: http://4rvreading-writingnewsletter.blogspot.com/2012/04/pile-police-are-they-after-you.html#comment-form

Bon Voyage!

My high school freshman daughter, Erica, boarded a plane last night for a group trip to Paris and Barcelona. The kids, about 25 of them, were jumping through their skin with excitement. Parents held a mixed bag of emotions, nerves and envy for their weeklong trip to see some of the world's amazing sights. Book: Entre Nous, A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl" by Debra Ollivier To get in the spirit francais, I pulled a book off Erica's shelf that I had found six months ago when she first signed up for the trip. Erica devoured Ollivier's take on French Women's savoir faire faster than a chocolate croissant. I can see why. Like a fine pastry, the book is layered delicately with quotations from famous in-the-know writers, personal anecdotes, movies with characters who personify these ideals, and fun lists of things like "What's in a French Girl's ideal closet?" French women feel comfortable with themselves in ways American women may never achieve. So much fun to read while my budding teenager walks those cobblestones in search of herself.

To Blog or Not to Blog . . .

. . . that is the question. I am scanning blogs and websites online, dissecting what makes them work. Or not. The blogs that have the most life are the ones that are purpose-driven, that give the reader a reason to stop by. A friendly neighbor popping in for a quick chat or to drop off a borrowed book. What's the curb appeal of your blog? Is it inviting and welcoming? Does it say, "I'm home, and would love your company? If you stop over, I can offer you coffee and cookies or whatever literary equivalent you're after? With a second novel nearly completed and a lovely, inexpressibly fabulous contract-in-hand for my picture book story, Willard the Dragon: Sneeze-Fire with 4RV Publishing, I've set a goal to get a website up and running and to refresh the look and purpose of this blog. The blog will focus each month on how to add more JOY to the daily journey. Have you noticed how putting more effort into something gives you more joy out of it? What kinds of little things do you do to add joy to your life and the lives of people around you?

Seeing Green

Seeing Green

See this blog article on my publisher's website!
http://4rvreading-writingnewsletter.blogspot.com

With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, are you seeing Irish green? How about spring green, avocado or jade? Kelly, chartreuse or lime? Acid, celery or pond? How many substitutes for the word “green” can you make? I've got a list of 72!

Readers like to second-guess what’s coming next. The best writers throw surprises,don't they? It is the secret to what keeps us turning pages. It is our job to learn how they accomplish this feat. The best way I’ve found is to push past the first, second and third idea that comes to mind. Instead of using the word "green" for example, is there another word that fit the setting more precisely? One that will more completely capture the tone of your scene? Pond green might convey a stillness, or gloominess, to a "green" scene, whereas jade implies mystery. Lime adds zest!

If a description, action, characteristic, or mystery-solving plot point shows up high on your mental list, chances are good it will occur to your readers in a heartbeat, too. As a writer, we don't want to be predictable. Push to see what creative idea lurks brilliantly further down your list. While I agree with writing "How-to" books that discourage using adjectives and adverbs, writers can evoke memorable descriptions with an occasional powerful choice, as in "After raining all day, the summer-sweet lawn beckoned to the golfer who jumped from his armchair without further argument."

Beyond the Thesaurus

Scour bookstores for unique "wordy" reference books. Beyond the common thesaurus, there are many books crammed-full with words and ideas perfect for expanding our creative diction. A book of police terms sets the scene for crime writers, while a cookbook of old country recipes offers authentic language to write a story set in a one-room cabin.

While munching Irish soda bread or hot cross buns this weekend, challenge yourself to create banquet-worthy words for your next language feast!

The Writing Journey

The writing journey continues to have bumps, gaps in the road ahead, mucky places I'm getting stuck, and a few mountaintop joys. My sister has been offered a contract by OakTara to publish not one but both her Sophie book and its sequel! An SCBWI friend has also landed an agent this winter and got a picture book contract from 4RV. It is fabulous to see that the system works for good writers. Now...to speed up my pace to join their company is the job of the months ahead!