Goals

"The learning process is endless. We must read, we must observe, we must assimilate, and we must ponder that t which we expose our minds. I believe in the evolution of the mind, the heart, and the soul of humanity. I believe in improvement. I believe in growth. There is nothing quite as invigorating as being able to evaluate and then solve a difficult problems to grapple with something that seems almost unsolvable and then find a resolution."

~Gorden B. Hinckley
Standing for Something, (2000),62

"A Lot of Story Behind the Pictures"

Today we have Rebecca Carlson's sister, Rachel Hoffman-Bayles, to discuss the new book that she illustrated.  We also get to hear from the author of the book as well!  Thank you Rachel, for sharing your experience with our blog!!  To learn more about her book go here.

Illustrator Rachel Hoffman-Bayles’ Reflects on Drawing Art For Sensing Peace, A New Book From Herald Press

WATERLOO, Ont. and SCOTTDALE, Pa.— Rachel Hoffman-Bayles has a bachelor in fine arts degree in illustration from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and has worked as an artist, animator and web designer. Now a full-time mother of four children, she works as a free-lance illustrator and designer. She currently resides in the New York City area, and is an active member of the Short Hills Ward of the Scotch Plains Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the interview below, she shares a few thoughts about illustrating Sensing Peace, a new book from Herald Press about how even young children can experience and make peace in their everyday lives.

Why did you want to illustrate this book?

As I read the manuscript by author Suzana Yoder, I was impressed with her ability to evoke ideas common to my experience, and to the experience of many people. She touches on themes that anyone will recognize, and helps us see how the world around us is full of moments and experiences that can give us a feeling of peace—if we will just take the time to recognize, appreciate, and absorb them.

What do you think young children understand about peace?

Children recognize emotions and feel them perhaps with greater vigor than adults do.  They can sense when there is tension in the air, no matter how hard we may try to mask it from them. They also know when they feel safe and comfortable—I think they are always seeking this kind of security. Peace is their native air, it is what they want to have, when all is right with the world.

We can teach them that they can find those feelings around them, and especially teach them how to be calm in troubled times. They are also very capable of taking responsibility for their own actions and knowing that part of their peace comes from their own responses in a situation.

How did you try to make the author’s words about peace come alive through the illustrations?

Suzana’s words were very beautifully put on a conceptual level. I wanted to make those concepts more tangible by creating a set of characters who were experiencing life and taking in all of these ideas as they went about their regular day-to-day activities.

I focused on two children in particular: An Asian girl and an African-American boy. I liked to think about their friendship, their family situations, some of the things they enjoyed doing, and the things they were learning together and individually. This provided me several situations which were perfect examples of what the text was saying.

For example, I thought about these two friends being in school together and how they would encourage each other’s observations and learning process. I also thought about their parents being friends as well, and the families doing projects and going on outings together. I thought about the relationships between the children and their parents, and how that influenced their experiences with peace.  

In the end, I felt like I got to know these people, and that they were people I wished I could meet and visit with. I hope that people reading the book can get that same sense, and feel like they are having the same “learning journey” right along with the characters.

How can illustrations add to the words in the book?

A good example is the very last picture in the book. On the previous page, we see our two main characters comforting a little girl who has fallen off her bicycle. The little Asian girl is handing her a bright orange flower. This is the same flower we saw at the very beginning of the book in the title pages. To me, the flower represents sharing peace, how when we feel peace, we can help others feel it, too.  

In the final illustration, the little girl who had fallen off her bike is now handing the flower along to someone else, and we see a chain forming as friends pass along acts of kindness, helping others feel peace. At the far end of the chain, we see our two main characters again. The African-American boy and his family are receiving a bouquet of flowers from someone they had served in the soup-kitchen on a previous page. I wanted to portray how our acts of kindness always have a way of coming back to us.

In other words, there’s a lot of story behind the pictures, and I hope that lends a depth to the book.

How does your own faith influence your views of peace?

One of Jesus Christ’s titles is “The Prince of Peace.” Among his great teachings is the beatitude that says, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” I believe that peace is a central principle of His gospel, that it is one of the greatest gifts He can give us, and that making peace is one of the greatest responsibilities He has placed upon us. In a world where there seems to be little serenity or harmony, it’s wonderful to hear a message about slowing down instead of racing by, appreciating what is right in front of us instead of never being satisfied, savoring the simple things instead of craving the extravagant, and reaching out to help instead of reaching out to take.

What are your hopes for this book?

I hope that when children read this book they will discover that there is so much in life to appreciate! That they will learn to look for those things, to point them out to others, and help create moments of peace for themselves, their families, and all their neighbors. I hope children will enjoy exploring the pictures I’ve created and feel like the characters are familiar and that their experiences are something they can relate to. I hope it will inspire someone to be a little kinder, and a little more grateful for the amazing blessings our God has given each one of us.

Sidebar: What Does Peace Look Like For Young Children?

Looks Like Laughing, Cooking, Singing, Eating Ice Cream Says Author of Sensing Peace

WATERLOO, Ont. and SCOTTDALE, Pa.— Can young children understand ideas about peace?

Yes, says Suzana E. Yoder, a kindergarten teacher from Philadelphia who is committed to inspiring children to learn about and act for peace.

“It’s not something too large for them to do or understand,” says Yoder. “I believe they can learn to live out peace in small but meaningful ways. As a teacher, I’ve seen first-hand the ways they are able to understand and conceptualize peace.”

Her classroom experience led Yoder to write Sensing Peace, a new book from Herald Press that helps children ages 4 to 7 see what peace looks, sounds, feels, tastes and smells like in their everyday moments—things like laughing, cooking, gardening, singing or sharing ice cream.

Sensing Peace, which is illustrated by Rachel Hoffman-Bayles, “explains peace through experiences that children can relate to,” says Yoder, adding that she hopes it will “help them see all the ways they already promote peace in everyday moments.”

Yoder, member of the West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship, drew inspiration for Sensing Peace from her students in North Philadelphia, an economically disadvantaged part of that Pennsylvania city.

“I was always encouraged and humbled by their comments and thoughts when we discussed peace,” she says. “Even though many of them live with the reality of violence, they continue to dream and act for peace.”

She hopes that the book will help children realize “they experience and can make peace in many small, but meaningful, ways,” she says. “I hope it gives them a starting point to dream and imagine what peace could be in a larger way.”

She also hopes it will give parents and teachers a way to effectively teach peace.

“As a teacher, I found there are few resources on this subject for adults to use with children—resources that encourage children in what they already do, and that enable adults and kids to dream together of what peace could still be.”

And how would she describe peace to a young child?

“It’s the feeling of having a safe place to live and a warm place to rest,” she says. “It feels like everyone having enough, no one too little and no one too much. It’s the feeling of full tummies for all the world’s children, the smell of summer barbecues and picnics, block parties and neighborhood gatherings wafting through the street—bidding all neighbors to come, eat, share, and be together. It looks like being a friend to everyone, even the kids who seem different than you. It’s something you can experience every day!”

Herald Press is the book imprint of Mennonite Publishing Network, the publishing ministry of Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada. Sensing Peace is available from Mennonite Publishing Network at www.mpn.net/sensingpeace  or by calling 1-800-245-7894 (U.S.), 1-800-631-6535 (Canada). Price: $13.99 USD/$16.00 CAD.

One Track Mind

So I don't know about the rest of you, but I tend to fixate. I am not one of those people who can mulitask when it comes to something I love. (Dishes, housework, and laundry do not count, so I CAN do those things while thinking about others.)

I love writing. They haunt me, these stories in my mind. I wander around most days in a slight fog, registering that there are things to do, kids to care for, chores to be done. Right now we are waiting to hear if my hubby finally has a job (any day, ack!), but all I can think about is writing. And cursing my crazy life right now that is going to keep me from doing NaNoWriMo (Nation Novel Writing Month for all you newbies out there).

Do you want to know how crazy it is? The other day I drove into the Walmart parking lot, the radio on to my daughter's favorite station. Sheryl Crow's "All I Wanna Do" came on, and as I listened to the story told in that song, a image came to mind. A petite blond walks into a bar, her wallet and ID out to show the bartender because even though she's thirty, she still could pass for twelve, and this isn't her regular place. She's there to meet a new client and as a PI only a year into the business, she can't afford to turn down work, even though her ex boyfriend, a police detective and also her ex partner, had proposed several times. She keeps turning him down.

I pulled into the parking stall and it was pouring rain. I grabbed an envelope from the mail I'd picked up before I left for the store and pulled a pen from my pocket. I used Nikki's fabulous tip from last week about plotting from the ends to the middle, and in about 10 minutes, I had the bones of this story. I wandered the store, picking up who knows what because all I could think about was this story, fleshing out details in my mind. I came home and made dinner and babbled at my hubby for half an hour about this story because I was so excited about it. And now all I want to do is NaNo and take this skeleton and fill in the muscles and brain and heart of the story.

Please, PLEASE tell me that I am not the only one like this. Of course, if I am, you can tell me that, too, and I'll quietly go find a therapist to help me find normal again. :)

I'm Writing for the Lord

~Elizabeth Mueller


Upon reading Lisa Turner's post on the 9th of October, I was brought back to the time when I decided to take my writing a step further: publication.

This was my thought:

Knowing the Lord has bestowed the gift of writing upon me, I'd want to share my light unto the world. I love missionary work and have the great desire to reach out to more than those in my ward, neighborhood and other networks.

I know that staying within the LDS market, I can keep my books clean and it is acceptable. But can I spread myself out and still remain clean?

I was confused for a long time.

Then at an LDStorymakers Writer's Conference in 2009, I met a published author whose books are marketed for LDS audiences only. I still wasn't sure which market to hit and if the LDS was for me.

I had asked her her thoughts on being in this market. She shared with me that it's been pleasant, but she wished she had started out in the National Market so that she could reach larger audiences.

My thoughts started churning.

My books are still clean and LDS-worthy, but I'm planning to publish them National. Because of their 'clean level', my target audience acceptable to them is Young Adult. I know that adults find my novels just as intriguing as the youth, seeing that my alpha readers (friends who read the novel before it is published) are both teens and adults.

I've written 8 books and am working on Rock star. It is geared for youth, but has a powerful message for adults as well.

If you're still not sure who your audience should be, pray to the Lord and ask Him for guidance, inspiration and patience. Still keep Him in mind as you compose your stories.

As of now, who is your target audience?



photo found here

A World of Consequences

It's not enough to create magic. 

You have to create a price for magic, too. 

You have to create rules.

Eric A. Burns

As a mother, it is a constant battle to teach my daughter that her choices have consequence and that things are not so just because she wishes them to be.  Our world, our lives follow a certain amount of logic. 

As a writer, the battle is to remember that all aspects of my worldbuilding must have rules and consequences.  Even if it would be easier for things to be a certain way just because it is cool and I like, doesn't mean that it makes sense.   And in the end things do need to make sense.

While they may not have much advice on teaching your children about consequences, the guys at Writing Excuses did a wonderful podcast explaining the logic behind world building.   Their podcasts are 15 minutes long and easy to download and listen to on any mp3 device.  

Have you run into some speed bumps in world building in your current WIP?

Meet in the Middle Plotting

 NaNoWriMo is coming up fast.  For those of you that don't know what that is, it's National Novel Writing Month where you write 50,000 words in 30 days or less.  Needless to say, it's a crazy experience and one I've yet to accomplish.  This year I'm resolving to do better and finish this time.  While perusing the halls of the Muse Online Writers Conference, I came across a class that was just what I needed to help me get ready for nanowrimo.  The class was Plotting your Novel in 15 Minutes or Less by Claudia Suzanne.  Be sure to read her technique below and check out her website.  This concept blew me away because it's so simple yet very effective!  Thank you to Claudia for giving permission to post this!!!



Excerpted from Before Copy Editing by Claudia Suzanne (WCPublishing, 2010) http://wambtac.com

BTW: Before Copy Editing will be available in all the usual online and brick-and-mortar places (Amazon, B&N, Borders, Books-a-Million, etc.) for $14.95 around late November, but you can pre-order directly from the publisher at http://wambtac.com for only $9.95 and receive your copy "hot off the press," as newsmen used to say.

There is an old Hollywood trick that makes first-stage plotting a snap and leaves plenty of room for later development, character intrusion, and twists. It's so simple, it's almost absurd, but you won't think so after you've tried it a couple of times. Best of all, it's a fantastic device for brainstorming. It all comes down to this: Simply decide where the story begins and ends, and let imagination and logic fill in the gaps.

Here it is -- the whole thing:

Number a piece of paper from one to fifteen. Write a one-line blurb of where the story begins next to number one. Then jump down to the bottom and write the ending next to number fifteen. Now go back to the top and write a blurb for what happens after the opening next to number two. Scoot down to number fourteen to write what happened just before the story ends. Continue bouncing up and down from the top of the page to the bottom and in a matter of minutes—voila! Modify this basic outline of the entire novel with additional sequences, subplots, and character PMA+A to bring the story to life.

Yup, that's it. It's called Meet-in-the-Middle, and it's been used by scriptwriters for decades. It only creates a bare-bones structure, of course, but often it’s those missing middle points that cause Writer’s Block. The fifteen scenes created with Meet-in-the-Middle are the highlights, or major and secondary plot points of the story.

So let's do one to see how it works. The example below is a quick boy-girl story mapped out in eight easy steps by my friend and I over breakfast one morning. We just wanted to play with the technique. It took us about 12-13 minutes to put this together between mastication and coffee slurps. Note: for the record, my friend is ex-military/merc/cop. He writes "attack" poetry.

STEP 1

The story begins when boy meets girl. The boy is Bill; the girl is Sandy.
The story ends with Bill killing a murderer. Why? See note above.

1. Bill and Sandy meet.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15. Bill kills the murderer.

STEP 2

Back to the top. Bill and Sandy's true-love-sailing-smoothly needs some kind of interference or there is no story. What better interference than an ex-lover showing up? Whether it is Bill’s ex-wife or an ex-girlfriend does not matter right now.

1. Bill and Sandy meet.
2. Bill's ex shows up.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. Bill finds Sandy being held/tortured by murderer.
15. Bill kills the murderer.

Back down here. There’s really no point in Bill killing a murderer unless that murderer is somehow impacting him personally. What would cause a nice, even-tempered guy like Bill to go after a murderer? Maybe he thinks the lout has hurt his girlfriend. Guess he has to find her there to know that…

STEP 3

Up here again. They’ve met; Bill’s ex has shown up. The only logical next step is for Bill and Sandy to get into a fight over the ex, eh? Welcome to Boy loses Girl.

1. Bill and Sandy meet.
2. Bill's ex shows up.
3. Sandy and Bill fight and break up.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13. The murderer tortures Sandy.
14. Bill finds Sandy being held/tortured by murderer.
15. Bill kills the murderer.

If Bill’s going to find Sandy with the murderer, the murderer must be taking his time rather simply killing her. Hence, a torture scene.

STEP 4

What’s a girl to do when she’s just broken up with her lover because his ex showed up unannounced? Probably go drown her sorrows at a local bar. She's pretty vulnerable, so it wouldn’t occur to her that the guy she meets at the bar might want more than just a goodnight kiss.

1. Bill and Sandy meet.
2. Bill's ex shows up.
3. Sandy and Bill fight and break up.
4. Sandy goes to a nightclub and meets the murderer.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12. Murderer kidnaps Sandy.
13. The murderer tortures Sandy.
14. Bill finds Sandy being held/tortured by murderer.
15. Bill kills the murderer.

If the murder is going to hold/torture Sandy, then he logically has to kidnap her first!

STEP 5

Bill loves Sandy, not his ex. Is he going to sit around and dilly-dally with an old girlfriend/lover/wife when his current heartthrob is out there somewhere, maybe meeting someone new? He is not! He’s going to go out and look for her.

1. Bill and Sandy meet.
2. Bill's ex shows up.
3. Sandy and Bill fight and break up.
4. Sandy goes to a nightclub and meets the murderer.
5. Bill heads out to look for Sandy.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. Bill's ex sics the murderer on Sandy, and in return, he kills her.
12. Murderer kidnaps Sandy.
13. The murderer tortures Sandy.
14. Bill finds Sandy being held/tortured by murderer.
15. Bill kills the murderer.

Why did the murderer decide to pick Sandy, out off all the girls in the bars and on the streets, to kidnap and torture? Why, Bill’s ex must have sic’d him on her. So naturally, he’d turn around and kill her. Hey, he's a murderer, remember?

STEP 6

Bill has just walked out on his ex to go look for his current love. Is she going to take that? Absolutely not! If she didn’t care about him, why did she show up again in the first place? She’s still got her charms, and he’s pretty vulnerable right now since Sandy walked out. All she’s got to do is follow him and seduce him the way she used to before they broke up.

1. Bill and Sandy meet.
2. Bill's ex shows up.
3. Sandy and Bill fight and break up.
4. Sandy goes to a nightclub and meets the murderer.
5. Bill heads out to look for Sandy
6. Bill's ex follows him and brings him home to bed.
7.
8.
9.
10. Bill throws his ex out.
11. Bill's ex sics the murderer on Sandy and in return, he kills her.
12. Murderer kidnaps Sandy.
13. The murderer tortures Sandy.
14. Bill finds Sandy being held/tortured by murderer.
15. Bill kills the murderer.

How would the ex sic the murderer on Sandy if Bill hadn’t told her to leave? He does, thereby setting the rest of the action in motion.

STEP 7

Sandy still loves Bill. She’s left the bar with the mur-derer, which is why Bill and the ex don’t find her, but she doesn’t go home with the guy, she gives him a handshake and one of those “if only we’d met at another time” lines and goes home where, of course, the ex has bedded her honey-bunny.

1. Bill and Sandy meet.
2. Bill's ex shows up.
3. Sandy and Bill fight and break up.
4. Sandy goes to a nightclub and meets the murderer.
5. Bill heads out to look for Sandy
6. Bill's ex follows him and brings him home to bed.
7. After kissing the murderer goodnight, Sandy finds Bill in bed with his ex.
8.
9. Bill tells his ex he loves Sandy; she threatens to make him sorry.
10. Bill throws his ex out.
11. Bill's ex sics the murderer on Sandy and in return, he kills her
12. Murderer kidnaps Sandy.
13. The murderer tortures Sandy.
14. Bill finds Sandy being held/tortured by murderer.
15. Bill kills the murderer.

Before Bill throws his ex out, he’s got to realize he really loves Sandy, not her. And since she decides to be a creep and set Sandy up for the murderer, Bill probably tells her in such a way that she gets furious and vengeful. How would he know there’s a murderer running around out there?

STEP 8

The story has met in the middle. Right after Sandy finds Bill in bed with his ex and just before Bill tells the ex he loves Sandy, not her, Sandy has to become vulnerable to the murderer. Ergo, she logically runs out of the house.

1. Bill and Sandy meet.
2. Bill's ex shows up.
3. Sandy and Bill fight and break up.
4. Sandy goes to a nightclub and meets the murderer.
5. Bill heads out to look for Sandy
6. Bill's ex follows him and brings him home to bed.
7. After kissing the murderer goodnight, Sandy finds Bill in bed with his ex.
8. Devastated by Bill's infidelity, Sandy goes running out of the house.
9. Bill tells his ex he loves Sandy; she threatens to make him sorry.
10. Bill throws his ex out.
11. Bill's ex sics the murderer on Sandy and in return, he kills her.
12. Murderer kidnaps Sandy.
13. The murderer tortures Sandy.
14. Bill finds Sandy being held/tortured by murderer.
15. Bill kills the murderer.

There it is: a complete plot foundation with plenty of room to impose character quirks and interaction, subplots, characterization, motivation, etc., etc., etc. Continue to map out the "What happens next?" in an outline or do a seat-of-the-pants with these 15 points as your backup. Either way, this is the spinal column of the story, so to speak, to which appendages, sinew, muscle, even toenails can be added; i.e., a basic story that can now be fleshed out into chapters.

Is that easy enough?

Your Name In Lights!!!

I wanted to share some more of the great tips I received last week during Kerri Nelson's "Book Factory" workshop. Last time I talked about breaking your day down into 15 minute increments. The next step is GOAL SETTING.

Wait...I hear the groaning. Stop it right now. Let me explain....

Okay. Look. I DETEST setting goals. Why? because I NEVER, EVER, EVER achieve them. I waffle and wiffle and procrastinate. And never succeed. But I still make the goals. I torture myself because I need to remember that having a dream and taking the steps to bring that dream to fruition is part of the creative process. It's part of the God given talent we all have to create. To make something happen we have to be able to see what the end result is, right?

Do you think during the creation God just waved a hand in the direction of the earth and said, "Oh yeah, I was thinking a few animals might be nice"? Of course not. I'm sure He took as much time as He needed to perfect each aspect of of each animal before moving on. Time to measure and review and troubleshoot. Just like we have to do with our writing.

So No. 1 in Kerri's goal setting step is the "big picture goal". What is the end result you are reaching for? And not just finish a book. Or find an agent. Or sell a book. What is the impossible dream you want so bad you can taste it?

What's mine, you ask? (Deep breath.) Okay, here goes. I would like to see my work be as popular as Twilight. There, I said it. (Blush.)

I put up a picture of the cover of Twilight with my goal written on the top on my bathroom mirror, like Kerri suggested. It's to remind myself daily why I'm doing this crazy thing, and to boost my flagging spirits when the road gets bumpy.

So take a minute today and think hard about what your ultimate goal is. Do you want to see your book made into a movie? Do you want to have a whole shelf in Barnes and Noble that has book after book on it with your name on the spine? Do you want people to build a theme park based on your books? Dream the impossible...it just might happen. Besides, without those dreams brightening the heavens of our lives, existence would be awfully dreary, don't you think?

Create

I was browsing the mormon messages section of Youtube when I came across this awesome video. Sorry to all that may have seen it already, though sometimes it never hurts to hear things twice. Enjoy!

Lost and Lonely

This post here is to all writers who feel like they are on the sidelines watching. First off...

*HUGS*

So you've discovered that you can't stay away from it. It brings you joy. Peace. Sanity. Then you realize that it's more than that. You've written an entire novel and there are still stories coloring your horizons.

The next thing you do is, what? Share! The burning desire to share your love for writing bursts from the cracks and shines as you speak. So this world has four moons, two suns and green people who fly through the air and--what? An astronaut falls from the heavens and creates a crater so huge that it's hard to miss.

Okay. So the people you tell smile politely and turn away and start an entirely different conversation with some one else.

Does that sound familiar? Maybe in some way?

It happens to me.

What I did next was find others who have the same mad drive of writing. Oh yes, we are out there. If only you can distinguish us writers with the naked eye. We look like everyone else. Our homes may have the telltale clue that we are writers.

Sometimes other writers will nod politely and pat your hand and say, "sounds like a cool story."And you don't hear back from them. I've had that happen, too.

There was a time where I felt so unlike every other writer. I wanted badly to connect with others. How do I know what rules to follow? How to gain a wonderful online presence? How to sound/be confident with my work?

So I've read a thousand how-to books. But I want to talk about them, philosophize. Something. But with whom?

In my earlier days, I tried to find other writers interested in forging a group with me, but they were dismissive. I felt hopeless. I was alone for such a loooooooong time.

When I first started out into the 'real writing world' from the privacy of my home, I was intimidated. I wanted to mix and mingle with everyone. That was hard at first because everyone seemed skeptical or passive. Tight-lipped if they were writers.

I wanted a mentor with all of my heart. I wouldn't be alone. I'd have a cheerleader. A motivation. Hope.

Slowly, then so slowly miracles started happening. The library suddenly started a writing group. I was thrilled beyond words. Finally! I get to meet with others who are as passionate as I am with the writing craft. I learned of writers conferences (wow, yes, they are out there!), critique groups, contests... As I got myself out there, I discovered whole new worlds made just for writers!

I also learned that there are degrees of passion within everyone. There are some who are ho-hum while I border obsessive. ;)

I don't feel as lonely as I had only a few years ago. I've found my place and have started the journey to publication. I've found so many people places and things that have buffered away the awful spikes of drought.



I've collected a lot of information from my travels and I am more than happy to share them with everyone and anyone who wants to learn. I don't know everything, but I know enough.

A friend of mine just e-mailed me. He has so many concerns and questions and doubts. It touches me that he has gathered the courage to seek my help.

I want all of you, my writing friends, to know that it is absolutely no coincidence that you love writing. Not at all. I have every whit of confidence in you guys that you will get your wonderful stories published if you keep on the pathway to it. If you ever feel lost, lonely, afraid, please consider me.

I love to mentor, help, and nurture through anything.

XoXoX

photos found under bing images search engine

Guest Post - Olivia Carter: Young Adult literature/Teen Read Week Suggestions

My name is Olivia Carter & I was once a "closeted" Young Adult novel reader. I am now here to defend my excessive reading, writing, & my recommendation that all adults at least try reading, YA books. And since next week (Oct 17-23) is Teen Read Week, let's chat about what makes YA so good.

1)  I'll admit many of the YA books I read are escapist. (not all though) Is there anything wrong with that? I say, NAY! We all need a little escape.

I love this quote from Historian Amanda Foreman, a 42-year-old mother of five, & author "Good Y.A. is like good television. There's a freshness there;  it's engaging. Y.A. authors aren't writing about middle-aged anomie or disappointed people.'"

2)  YA books excel in storytelling. Lev Grossman, NY Times book critic said, “A lot of contemporary adult literature is characterized by a real  distrust of plot. I think young adult fiction is one of  the few areas of literature right now where storytelling really  thrives.”       

A lot of YA books have  really simple plots but in turn the authors storytelling skills really shine.

3)  It takes you back. Seriously, the best & worst thing about being a teen are your raw emotions. Teens tend to be more open about their feelings. It reminds you of those days of when who asked who to the dance felt like it had eternal repercussions.

Now, having defended let me recommend some fabulous YA books for you guys to try.

If you want fantastical stories (ie: Harry Potter & Twilight):

(The Mortal Instruments Series, White Cat , I Am Not A Serial Killer, Vampire Academy series)

A very popular genre right now is dystopic & there are A LOT of great ones:

(the Hunger Games trilogy, Unwind, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, the Uglies series)

You want a lovely story with lovely storytelling:

(Keturah And Lord Death, The Goose Girl, Shiver, The Knife of Never Letting Go)

You want some good old fashioned romance:

(Hush Hush, Perfect Chemistry, A Countess Below Stairs, Wicked Lovely)

Any YA fans out there? Any other YA book recommendations?

To hear more from Olivia Visit her blog Gnome Sweet Gnome.

Winners!!!

And the WINNERS of our 1 sentence contest are........(Drumroll here)

Rebecca J. Carlson's sentence - 

"They took the whole world away, but they gave us back the sky," Grandpa said. 

Kimberly's sentence - 

“My life is nothing more than a slice of boredom dipped in melancholy and deep fried in misery,” Kat said.

Jolene Perry's sentence - 

Today love walks out the door with me, keeps my hand in his and I don't even notice when we pass my safe place - I'm already there.

Congratulations to our winners!!!!

Winners you may email 5 pages of a MS you would like critiqued to nickalodeon26 at yahoo dot com.  Be sure to tell us what you want us to look for in our critiques and tell us if you want a hard, medium, or soft critique.  Can't wait to see what you have for us!! 

Muse Conference---Are You Here?

A few weeks ago both Nikki and I encouraged you all to sign up for the FREE online writers conference hosted by Muse-it-Up. I hope there are many of you here, wandering down the virtual halls with me. I was so excited. It's my first conference in forever, and I was really looking forward to it. But....life got in the way, so instead of being online all day, I'm getting to do little snippets here and there. There is one Workshop that I refuse to miss, however. The Book Factory, led by author Kerri Nelson. Even though we've just started, I thought I'd share the first thing she shared with us.

The first principle is breaking your day down into 15 minute increments, and finding 15 minutes here and there to dedicate to writing. The exercise she asked of us was to write down our day in 15 minute increments to see where we could squeeze out some more writing time.

So after fighting it all day yesterday and today, I finally wrote down what I did.


6 am- alarm #1 goes off. Hit snooze.


6:15 am- alarm #2 goes off. Hit snooze.


6:30 am- alarms #3 and #4 go off. Hit snooze. Twice.


7 am- wake up to my own voice screaming in my head, "Wake Up! You're going to be late!" Wake up 14 year old and 11 year old. 6 year old decides to wake up, so I send her in to snuggle with Daddy.


7:15 am- get dressed, encourage kids (loudly) to get up and get moving. Get breakfast for 14, try to get 11 to get into the shower.


7:35 am- rush 14 out the door to pick up rest of carpool. Leave 11 home, staring at the wall in a drowsy haze, still not in the shower.


8:10 am- get home from dropping of 14, rush 11 and 6 into clothes, hair done, breakfast eaten. (11 never did take a shower.)


8:35 am- take 11 and 6 to school.


8:50 am- still in the $#@! traffic getting my kids to school. Yes, they will be late.


9:00 am- get home and make breakfast for 4 year old and 3 year old while hubby takes a shower to prep for job interview.


9:15 am- do dishes while keeping 4 and 3 from killing each other and/or having a cereal fight. Try to get 3 to go to the bathroom (potty training).


9:30 am to 10:30 am- sit at computer and go through email, facebook, and blogs. Open Word and choose a project to work on. Close Word when 4 and 3 start screaming in the other room, and give up the computer to 4 so he will stop fighting with his brother. (It doesn't work, by the way, because 3 decides he wants the computer, too.) Try to get 3 to go to the bathroom.


10:30 am to 12:30 pm- variations on housework, kids, and cheering on hubby as he continues job search. Try to get 3 to...Sigh. Clean up after 3 has major blow out from refusing to go to the bathroom.


12:30 pm- make lunch and clean up from lunch, including the pile of melting ice from 3's enjoyment of the in door ice dispenser on the fridge. Try to get 3 to go to the bathroom


1:00 pm to 3:30 pm- variations on the mommy theme. Try to get 3 to go to the bathroom.


3:30 pm to 11:00 pm- welcome home kids, prep dinner, get kids started on homework, run 14 to choir practice carpool, have dinner, get kids to finish homework and do a job or two, send 14 to youth activity, send 11 to scouts, do dinner, get 3 little ones ready for bed, clean up 2nd poop accident of the day, still trying to get 14 and 11 to finish homework and go to bed, chase 6, 4, and 3 back into bed multiple times, finally get 14 and 11 to go to bed.


11:00 pm to 2:00 am: spend time with hubby, detoxing from day in front of computer watching a movie or TV show, send hubby to bed, think about writing, get disgusted with myself because I didn't write one blasted thing all day, open up Word and type two sentences before I fall asleep.


2:00 am- Wake up with a stiff neck and drool on my chin, stumble down the hall and crawl into bed.


Rinse and repeat.



If I give up one of these things, I find time to write. If I write, something (usually housework) goes to the bottom of the list. So I will never post pictures of my house. Ever.

Books: A History

My mass media class is currently studying books. Here is a short history of books just for fun! After all it is always good to know your roots.

- In 2400 B.C. the Egyptians began writing on thin sheets made from plant reeds found along the Nile - aka Papyrus

- 1000 B.C the Chinese made the first resemblence of a book with wood and bamaboo

- 350 A.D. The Romans produced the first protomodern books by sewing sheets of parchment together and covering them with wood and leather

- 600 A.D. Monks wrote and decorated colorful pages called illuminated manuscripts. These manuscripts were often decorated with gold and gems

- 1000 The Chinese invented the precurser to the printing press and typewriter by assigning seperate pieces of wood and metal to chinese characters allowing them to print quickly

- 1453 Johannes Gutenbers turns a wine press into a printing press, introducing mass production of books

- 1640 Stephen Daye prints The Booke of Psalms the first book printed in the colonies

- 1800's publishing house emerge to mass produce works from good writers

- Mid 1800's Linotype and offset Lithography lower the cost of books and literacy explodes

- 1870's "pulp fiction" is created, printing on cheap pulp paper brought the paperbacks to the middle and lower class

- 1971 Borders speads to a chain of bookstores

-1995 bookstores go online

- 2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows breaks records with a first press run of 12 million

Look how far we have come!!!!!

Be Still my Soul

~Elizabeth Mueller


Today, as chorister of my ward, I will be leading this hymn. As I practiced in my home, the Spirit touched me. Tears burned my eyes. The Lord does love me no matter my trials. Come death, loss, anguish--He loves me.

This is but a small moment we have in this time. How well we live it is up to us.

Please listen to the Tabernacle Choir sing this heart-moving piece.

Hymn#124

Lyrics found here: LDS.org - Teaching Chapter Detail - Be Still, My Soul

Psalm 37:3–9

Doctrine and Covenants 101:14–16, 35–38

Guest Post: Kasey Tross on Rejection

We have heard before from  Kasey Tross and are privileged to have her visit us again.  She is a mommy to 3 and currently authors two blogs, The Beautiful Thrifty Life  and Making It Up As I Go . 

Rejection: it’s not just for pimply hormonal teenage boys anymore. And if you’re a writer, you know that all too well.

            You’ve seen the moral of the story on every after-school special: nerdy boy likes cute girl. Cute girl smiles shyly at nerdy boy. Nerdy boy can’t work up the guts to ask out cute girl. Then a long series of amusingly unfortunate (perhaps fortunate?) events occurs and boy finally gets his shot with cute girl. They live happily ever after, because all he had to do was try! He had been living in anguish over something that was as simple as asking a question and getting an answer, but his fear of rejection was so great that he couldn’t even try until life forced him into action.

            As writers, many of us live in fear of rejection. As writers, we know that we must become friends with rejection, because we’re going to be spending a lot of time with rejection (I’ve named mine. His name is Tom). Just in case you haven’t gotten that memo, here it is: You Will Be Rejected. A LOT. GET USED TO IT.

            I was struggling with this concept recently, as my title of “writer” consisted solely of being published as a guest author on various blogs (hmm, does that sound familiar?) and a second grade writing contest I won when I was seven. Seeing my words on actual paper that would be read by more than my parents and ten friends seemed so far out of my reach I didn’t even want to try.

            Yes, I was the nerdy boy. Or girl. Anyway.

            One day I was listening to an audio version of Randy Pausch’s “The Last Lecture.” If you haven’t seen/heard/read it, well then you must. You just must. In that lecture he said,

            “Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people."

            “…the other people.” I like that.

           

            Suddenly, the anxiety-ridden nerdy boy inside of me had an epiphany. I needed to be rejected. To be a writer, rejection was imperative. How else would I ever prove I was any good at it? I wanted those brick walls. I wanted them so that I could claw my way up them, fighting for every inch, and throw myself over the top- I wanted to prove that I could. It was time to separate myself from “the other people.”

            A strange thing happened to me then. I sent in a manuscript to a magazine. It was just a teeny tiny short little poem (if I was going to slam into a brick wall, I would rather it be a small one for my first collision- I was going for a few broken bones, not a year of traction) and I waited. I didn’t fear rejection; I welcomed it. I eagerly anticipated the letter saying, “Thank you for your inquiry, but at this time…” I wanted to get a good look at that brick wall so that I could start building some climbing muscles.

            Then an even stranger thing happened. I did get a letter in the mail, but it wasn’t a brick wall. It was an open gate. A contract! They wanted to buy my poem! Needless to say, I was a little bit shocked. And oddly enough, slightly disappointed. It seemed a little too easy. I had kind of been looking forward to that brick wall. It’s like a prize fighter who is all psyched up for a fight who gets into the ring and the other guy has a fainting spell. It just kind of takes the fun out of it.

            But I’m not complaining! If anything, I am now emboldened. I am looking to pick a fight, and I know that the bigger the brick walls, the bigger the reward they’re hiding on the other side. My little poem was just a tiny garden border wall. This nerdy boy is on the hunt for some big-time rejection.

            Rejection is not just for pimply teenage boys anymore. There are enough brick walls out there for all of us. Let’s go find some and slam into them at full force, baby! Because they’re not there for us. They’re there to keep out the other people- the ones who don’t want it as badly as we do.

            You are a writer. Isn’t it about time to let go of your fear of rejection?