Wednesday Writers Weigh In: Aaaaaarrggghhh!

Hey writers!

I know I have been MIA lately.  I didn't post on Friday and I didn't post on Monday.  Grrrrr. 

Truth is, I have been feeling a tad overwhelmed lately with writing activities!  The result has been that I have shut down.

So...Writers Weigh-In!

Sometimes we can have too many writing activities.  My list just keeps growing.  And most of the deadlines are self-inflicted.  Between writing class, critique group, critiques to return to fellow writers, grant applications, blogging, reading, reading blogs, etc I am pooped!

How do you organize it all and make sure you are productive but not over-productive?  I keep telling myself to relax.  There is no hurry.  But its difficult.

Help!

Wednesday Writers Weigh In: Give Up...

" I skip social engagements, I skip sleep, I skip showers. If it is important, fit it in. No one has time to write."  - Kiersten White on finding time to write.

I started this blog back in September 2011 with one goal in mind...stop dabbling in writing and make it a part of my daily life for the next 10 months.  However, in order to stop dabbling in writing I had to give up some other things I loved dabbling in.

I had to see a decrease in my time spent noodling around on the guitar or ukulele.  I used to take my uke with me to work every day and spend time playing it during naptime.  But now, I strictly take my laptop.  That is the time I get the most writing done.

I used to attend an open craft session every Monday evening sponsored by Etsy.  Every week we would be taught a new craft (ie. making lip balm, working with clay, sewing, etc). I loved those nights!  But alas, to focus on my writing I am now taking a Children's Writing class on Monday nights.

Bottomline, I LOVE to dabble! I love to spend countless hours learning new skills and being creative.   But I challenged myself to focus mostly on writing for 10 months (the duration of a regular school year).  I felt that I needed to set this goal in order to make writing a priority and a habit in my life.

I have to admit, it has worked.  I feel more like a writer now than I ever did!  And I am only 6 months into my 10 month challenge.  Its a sacrifice...but one I am willing to make.  After all, Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers: The Story of Success figure that it takes ten thousand hours of practice to become an expert in almost anything.  Well...I'm giving it 10 months...we'll see from there.  :)

Writers Weigh In....is there anything you have had to sacrifice. "give up" or see a decrease in to focus on your writing career?

New Friday Series: Its all about Treats!

OK. Maybe not those kinda treats.  Many of us indulged in too many of those early in the week and still have some laying around the house.

But today I want to talk about Treating Your Writer-Self.

I am starting a Friday series on "Treating Yourself and Having Others Treat You as a Writer".  For many writers, simply identifying yourself as "a writer" is difficult.  In this new series we will discuss techniques and activities to help you do just that.  If that means carving daily time out of your schedule, or taking a class, or attending a conference...I am aiming to give advice on how to make each of these happen for you!

If you know of a writer who could benefit from these Friday posts, invite them along.  The more the merrier.  We are all writers here.  :)

For more info on this idea, please visit a previous post from December 2011.
If It Walks Like a Writer and Talks Like a Writer.

And to kick this off...

What does "treating yourself as a writer" mean to you?

What can you do this weekend to "treat yourself" and "have others treat you as a writer"?

Happy Writing!

Wednesday Writers Weigh In: The Cybils, The Controversy

Yesterday the winners of the Cybils (Children's and Young Adults Bloggers Literary Awards) for 2011 were announced. 

In the Fiction Picture Book category, there was a strange result. The award was given to "Me...Jane" by Patrick McDonnell.  According to the write up cybils.com, "Me...Jane" is a touching glimpse into the life of a young Jane Goodall as a curious girl with a love of nature, and books, and a stuffed chimpanzee named Jubilee. A unique combination of dreamy watercolor vignettes and nature-inspired vintage engravings complement a simple and evocative text. Every element of the book's design, from its album-like cover and heavy yellowed pages to the inclusion of photographs and Goodall's own childhood drawings, helps create a picture book that feels like a relative's cherished scrapbook. Readers of all ages will take inspiration from a young girl who so fully follows her dreams.

But am I mistaken?  Isn't this book a Non-Fiction Picture Book?  Apparently it was orginally nominated in the NFPB category and then was switched to Fiction.

Don't get me wrong.  I love love love this book and have blogged about it in the past.  However, I believe it should have won for Non-Fiction.  Otherwise it takes the award away from a real Fiction book.

Writers Weigh In!  Do you think this book is Fiction or Non-Fiction? How do you feel about this award given to "Me...Jane"?  Anyone have any answers as to why?

Looking forward to hearing your opinions and getting a discussion going on.

How to Kill Your Darlings

Well, I did it.  It wasn't easy and I didn't feel great about it at first.  But I did it.  I committed murder this weekend.  That is saying that while revising my latest picture book manuscript, I "killed some of my darlings".

The phrase was first coined by William Faulkner who said, "In writing, you must kill your darlings."  Stephen King followed up by saying, “kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings” in his book On Writing.  But what exactly does this mean?

Basically, this phrase is referring to those parts of our manuscript that we have simply fallen in love with but are no longer needed for the story and can perhaps even be distracting to the reader.  It can be a character, a phrase, an image, a joke, etc.  As writers, we feel maternal towards these "darlings", but once a manuscript has grown these items might need to be pruned.

I had a few of these darlings in my latest manuscript.  One was the opening line.  Although I thought it was a fine opening line, the rest of the story did not convey the same feel or voice. 

The other darling was an event in my story that framed the main event.  When it came right down to it, I had to kill it.  I was sad.  I really liked this framing, but as the story was fleshed out, I realized it was no longer needed.

Perhaps you have some darlings in your manuscripts.  You might know they should go, but you don't know how to do it.  You might have your knife positioned to kill, but there is something inside you that won't let you delete this text.  So...how does one kill a darling?  Here are 5 tips.

1)  Use the strike through tool.  Do not delete entirely.  This allows you to still be able to see the text, but work around it in a new way.  Plus, it is always nice to know that you can "go back" if you regret your murderous ways.  :) 

2)   Use footnotes.  This gives you a place to gather all of the darlings, if you cannot quite pull the trigger yet.  They aren't far, so you can always pull them back up into the manuscript if you decide to resurrect them.

3)  Place them in a "graveyard" document.  Sometimes placing your darlings in a separate document helps you rid them from the current manuscript, yet know you can retrieve them for something else later, should you want.  Perhaps they can be placed in another story, if they were that good.  Others' you might be ready to fully kill at a later date. 

4)  Slash or pull them off like a band-aid.  Sometimes the only way to get rid of a stubborn darling is to completely delete it.  Highlight the text, push the delete button and then walk away.  Take a deep breath.  It will only hurt for a minute.

5)  Start a whole new version of the manuscript without your darling.  Basically, as the Girl Scouts used to say, "Make new friends, but keep the old."  Therefore, that older version is there if you want it. 

Chances are, you will not ever resurrect a murdered darling.  But hopefully these tips will help you do the deed when the time comes.

Happy Writing Revising!

SCBWI Winter Conference Recap Part 3: The Breakouts

Well, today I conclude my SCBWI Winter Conference Recap with a look at the Breakout Sessions that I attended.  I should start by saying, however, that the Breakout Sessions were based mostly on Genre at this conference.  One could choose to go to Thrillers or Fantasy or Fiction or eBooks and Apps.  For someone who was looking to learn more about a certain genre to see if they were interested in trying their own hand at it it was a nice offering.  Personally, I was a little disappointed.  As a "picture book only" writer (at least at this time in my life), I felt like the offerings left a little to be desired.  But more on that later.

Here are some basic notes from the 3 sessions I attended:

********************
Breakout #1 ~ Making Your Picture Book Stand Out (presented by Martha Rago, Executive Art Director, Harper Collins)

Martha Rago focused on her "4 Tent Poles of a Successful Picture Book)

1)  Characterization

• emotional connection between character and reader
• character needs to be likeable and appealing
• character must seem real and relevant

2)  The Narrative

• each image is a simple dynamic scene and sometimes tell more than text
• attention paid to pacing and Point of View
• page turns are thoughtfully considered
• rhythmic
• reader is "moved along"

3)  Voice

• fresh
• unique
• solid and stylistic
• this comes from trusting and loving your own work

4)  Skill

• whatever you write, do it well
• write with objectivity and discipline

Rago also added that in addition to these 4 Tent Poles, one should consider humor, universal appeal/resonance and form.  Bottomline, she said, was to be honest and "create from the heart"!

********************
Breakout #2 ~ Picture Books (presented by Samantha McFerrin, Editor at Harcourt)

Samantha McFerrin focused mainly on what a writer needs to know in order to make their pb viable in today's market.  She said writers need to know a) their audience, b) competition and c) the current pb market. 

In addition, she spent time talking about what an editor looks for...mainly, promotability of the book.  In doing so, she says that editors ask themselves 4 questions.
1)  Do I love it?
2)  Is it fresh?
3)  Will I want to keep reading over and over again?
4)  Does this story need to be told?

********************
Breakout Session #3 ~ Narrative Fiction (presented by Alvina Ling, Editorial Director at Little Brown)

Alvina Ling chose to base her talk on Narrative Fiction by focusing on a work's voice, structure and plot.  What was perhaps the most interesting here was the time spent on Structure. 

When talking about Structure, Ms. Ling told those present to be adventurous!  Be creative!  So many examples in today's market take structure to a whole new level and break away from the conventional novel format. 
Examples:

• "ttyl" by Lauren Myracle which is told completely in instant text messaging lingo.
• "Falling for Hamlet" by Michelle Ray which is partially told in a tv talk show format.
• "Chopsticks" by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral which is told in photographs, pictures, words and even a youtube.com link.

It was refreshing to see how many alternate ways stories are being told in today's market.  We are artists.  So let's not limit ourselves to the conventional way.

********************

As I said at the start, I don't think these sessions were anymore than an overview of the business through genre.  Perhaps nothing earth-shatteringly new was shared.  But it is always good to refresh the basics. 

All in all, the conference was a win for me.  The people I met, the connections that were made, the inspiration garnered, the time spent being treated as a writer...it was ALL PRICELESS!

Therefore, continue to join me on Fridays as we look at conferences worldwide and how to get YOU there!  Stay tuned.

Have a wonderful weekend.  And as always, Happy Writing!

Wednesday Writers Weigh In: Questioning Querying

Back in December I wrote the post, You Gotta Know When To Hold 'Em, regarding why I was not going to send any queries to the publishing world during the week between Christmas and New Years. If you didn't read it...it is worth checking it out.

Which brings me to this past week.  I have had a few conversations with writer friends regarding this issue: Knowing when its best to send a query.

Ever hear of "Decision Fatigue"?  Wikipedia defines "Decision Fatigue" as

In decision making and psychology, decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual, after a long session of decision making.  It is now understood as one of the causes of irrational trade-offs in decision making.  For instance, judges in court have been shown to make poorer decisions later in the day.  Decision fatigue may also lead to consumers making poor choices with their purchases.There is a paradox in that "people who lack choices seem to want them and often will fight for them"; yet at the same time, "people find that making many choices can be [psychologically] aversive."

As if us writers did not have enough to think about, it is worth giving thought to when your manuscript hits an agent or editor's desk.  Of course we cannot be in complete control over this.  But giving thought to the time of day and day of the week that you query could be beneficial.

Querying over the weekend or early Monday might not be the best, due to the mail piling up over the weekend.  However, querying at the very end of the week when editors and agents are tired/overwhelmed from the week might not be in your benefit either.

Also consider...

1. NOT querying during holidays/long weekends.  Most people return to work after such days to be faced with an overflowing inbox.  This almost guarantees your manuscript will be buried.
2. what is going on in the publishing world.  Querying during busy times such as the annual ALA conference when most editors and agents are "away from their desks" is not advised.
3. If you can, keeping a tab on the individual you are querying.  Don't query them the week they are getting married or on vacation, etc.

Just be saavy and mindful.  Remember, you want to be "seen".  Do whatever homework you need to to make sure you are.

Now its time to Weigh In!  What time of day and day of the week to you think its best to query?

SCBWI Winter Conference: One Writer's Recap Part 2

I had another topic all lined up for today, but I gotta give the people what they want...and they want more recaps of the SCBWI Winter Conference which took place last weekend.  :)

On Friday, I recapped with Part One...Saturday's events.  Today I move on to the shorter Sunday's events and on this coming Friday I will give my little recapped of the three Breakout Sessions I attended.

But, as promised...here's Sunday!

I have to be totally honest, I was exhausted from a chock-full Saturday and took my sweet time getting to the conference from Brooklyn on Sunday morning.  So I do not have a recap of the Tomie dePaola Award and Art Showcast Winners.  I apologize.  However, you can read about the winners and see their work by clicking here and here.

When I did arrive at the conference, I found time to grab a bagel and a cup of coffee, and be in the Ballroom to hear Jane Yolen's surprise announcement...which was NOT the fact that she says she still gets rejection letters...although that was a total surprise, and actually, depressing to me.  If Jane Yolen still gets rejected what does that mean for little ol' me??  Anyway, Jane's actual announcement was about her new Mid-List Author Grant that she is launching.  Again, I am not Jane Yolen...so click here to hear Jane, herself, tell us about it.

So, onto the next Panel entitled "Methods to the Madness:The Process of Making Picture Books featuring the Bookmaker's Dozen and moderated by Laurent Linn".  First let me say that this panel was made up of some true stars!  Of course, it was exciting to see one of this year's Caldecott Honor winners, John Rocco. As well as others such as John Bemelmans Marciano who took over the Madeleine franchise from his father.  True talent!  And the little bits of wisdom and peeks into their processes were just as golden as the talent they were!

Perhape the most inspiring part of the panel was when each of the Bookmaker's Dozen was asked to finish the following, "If you only knew then what you know now..."

Sophie Blackall responded with the need of community and making connections.  She said that moving into a studio she shares with 4 other artists has been fun.

Peter Brown talked about how the hardknocks are part of creative growth.  Learning the hard way can be so important in  moving you to the next step forward.

Brett Helquist spoke of a need to have a "broad sense of the world".  He said that when he was younger he was so focused on art classes, but he wished he had a broader education.

David Gordon waxed philosophical with "success is proportionate to the ability to take rejection."

And Sean Qualls said to embrace people who embrace your work.  They see the raw talent.

Next up was another panel, perhaps not so light-hearted.  "The Current Market for Your Work: Four Agent's Views".  Bottomline, they all agreed that in order to sell these days, a book needs to have a clearly defined “hook.” As Ken Wright of Writers House observed, an agent can no longer “acquire a book just because you like it. You need to know where it will fit in the marketplace.” Knowing how your book will be positioned means you need to research what's currently in the marketplace and who your audience is.  Also, it is important that a writer research agents to find who is best to represent their work.  Regina Brooks, founder of Serendipity Agency, got both chuckles and smiles from the audience in saying that there is an agent out there who is our “soul mate,” and we just need to do the work to find him/her.  Personally, I would LOVE to believe that!  In any case, writers are advised to always do their homework before approaching agents, and to show that they’ve done their homework. No agent wants a submission that’s not appropriate for him or her or to be a work's first reader.

Closing out the conference, Kathryn Erskine gave a wonderful keynote on "What is Your Focus?"  This was an excellent way to help all in attendance be inspired and look for ways to apply all that they learned over the weekend in their hectic lives at home.

She used FOCUS as an acronym to bring home the following ideas....

Freedom: believe in yourself; put all your daily tasks and other distractions into a waiting room, and tell them you’ll get to them when you’re done working; “think about that one kid out there that needs you.”
Organization (again with the tech stuff!): make electronic folders for each aspect of your work: business, marketing, works in progress, etc.
Creativity: take care of yourself; daydream; if you get stuck, try techniques like sitting down and interviewing your character, or eavesdrop on him/her.
Understanding: what is it you’re trying to say with your book? Get out and do research. As much as you can, literally experience your story. Do the things your characters do, and go where they go.
Sharing: let your baby out into the world, but make sure it’s well-prepared when you do. And start connecting to your readers before you send your baby out. Make a book trailer to generate excitement. Do school visits, book signings.

Her final words...DON'T GIVE UP!

So...with all of that, I boarded the F Train back to Brooklyn with a fist full of business cards and a heart full of inspiration and sense of community. 

Thank you to SCBWI for a wonderful conference.  It was a great introduction into this amazing community.  As a first-timer it was exactly what I needed.

In June I will be attending the NJ SCBWI conference in Princeton, which doesn't seem as "overview like" of the business and will help make even more industry connections.  However, I am so happy I had this experience. 

Tune in Wednesday for Writers Weigh In and then on Friday I will recap the 3 Breakouts I attended.

And as always, Happy Writing!

SCBWI Winter Conference: One Writer's Recap Part 1

A week has passed since the SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC…which was also my first conference with SCBWI.  I admit, like many other fellow attendees, to have been a little overwhelmed and brain-dead this past week.  It has taken awhile to gather my thoughts and reflect on the experience.  I’m not even quite sure I have been able to do that, yet.  But as promised, I am blogging a brief overview today.  Bear with me…it’s not an easy task.  J

(Today, in the spirit of keeping things as brief as possible,  I want to focus only on the events of Saturday, January 28, 2012.  Sunday will come next week.)

At 7:45am I joined the crowd, made up from 20 different countries including the US (49 of the 50 states were represented…Lin Oliver couldn’t remember what the one absent state was).  Its always a little scary to enter such an event alone, but in only minutes I was chatting away and swapping business cards at the coffee table.  It is totally true what others have said about SCBWI…they are the NICEST people!  But more on that later.

Chris Crutcher was the keynote speaker and a great way to kick off the weekend.  His address inspired his audience to “tell the best truth in the language it needs to be told.”  Crutcher, himself, has been banned often because his books are deemed inappropriate.  However, he refuses to write to the censors.  He encouraged us to write for the audience, despite the censors which have gotten so loud as of late.  He said, “You can ban books, but then you ban those kids.  You tell them their lives don’t matter.”  Through excerpts from his own books, as well as personal anecdotes, Crutcher set the tone for the rest of the weekend for me…writer empowerment…believe in your own work…write what you have to.

Next up was a panel on “Children’s Books: Today and Tomorrow: Four Expert Impressions”.  What a powerhouse of a panel!  Lin Oliver referred to those on the panel as “the minds behind the modern Golden Age of Children’s Literature”…and that was evident!  The star-studded panel was made up of Jean Feiwel, Barbara Marcus, Nancy Paulsen and Rubin Pfeffer.  I am not going to go into their bios here, as they are way too extensive, but I highly suggest looking them up! 

The highlight of this panel for me was the through line that although publishing houses are acquiring a smaller amount of titles, they are taking the time to truly choose the BEST titles and invest in them.  This is huge.  As Barbara Marcus made a point of saying that before the houses had beautiful books but no commitment to market them.  Now the houses have fewer titles on their lists, so more thought is placed on how to successfully position each book.  The cream is definitely rising to the top…and I plan to be that cream!  J  Of course, all four experts agreed that writers need to be more responsible these days.  We need to connect to our readers and build a community.  Jean Feiwel used the phrase, “it takes a village.”  In this day, it is truly a partnership between the publishing house and the author.  So, keep blogging, keep taking those marketing classes, keep researching how to build the best platform you can…

It was then time to go to our first Breakout Workshop.  I attended “Making Your Picture Book Stand Out”, presented by Martha Rago (Executive Art Director from Harper Collins).  I am not going to discuss this session at this time.  Instead I will focus on the large, full conference events.  However, I will blog about the Breakout workshops separately if you want me to. 

So next up, after the first Breakout, was a very compelling keynote by Cassandra Clare entitled “Love Triangles and Forbidden Love” Creating and Maintaining Romantic Tension in YA Literature”.  Clare stressed the fact that readers “go where tension is” and therefore writers need to make stakes high and create as many obstacles as possible.  “The bigger the obstacle, the bigger the love needed to overcome them”, she said.  She had me there.  I was with her.  As a picture book writer I know that stakes and obstacles have to be high…of course, for my audience, not having the toy you want to play with and having your arm chopped off are of equal magnitude…but she had me.  I got it.  And then she started to talk about ways to up the tension through 1) Forbidden Love and 2) Love Triangles.  She discussed good ol’ familial taboos like those in Romeo and Juliet.  She then went into great detail on societal taboos such as homosexuality, age difference, incest, teacher/student relationships, and dangerous love such as being in love with a serial killer.  I have to admit, my jaw dropped a tad onto the carpet.  Not sure I can use much of that in picture books…but it sure was interesting to listen to.  Her point was that sometimes authors have an idea but are scared to go all the way with it because they are scared they will scare off their readers.  Guess I will not be afraid to use burping and farting in my WIP…that’s about taboo as I have thought about getting.  J 

The second and third Breakouts were next.  First up for me was “Picture Books” presented by Samantha McFerrin from Harcourt.  Again, I won’t go into detail today…but I can tell you we didn’t talk about incest.  J  And then I went to Alvina Ling’s (Editorial Director, Little Brown) session on “Narrative Fiction”.

And that took me through til the end.  Whew!  What a day!  What a fabulous day!

I left the Hyatt in the evening with about 4 new friends and a spinning head…no, it wasn’t a door prize, my head was just spinning.  J

When I had blogged prior to the conference, looking for advice, it was evident that most people remember SCBWI conferences for the fabulous people in attendance.  At the time I felt like this was kinda a lame comment.  But after experiencing a conference, myself, I am in total agreement.  The like-minded people assembled in the Hyatt last weekend were some of the most encouraging, open, fun-loving and supportive people I have had the honor of meeting.  When I left the Hyatt for home, as cliché as it sounds, I was walking on Cloud 9.  I felt like a writer because everyone there treated me as such.  I was not isolated, I was not alone with my laptop, I was not looking for a community and connections…I had found it.  I belonged.  And that is why I could not want to return the next morning.

Stay tuned next week for my recap of Sunday’s events. 

Also…it is still in the early stages of development, however, I am challenging each one of you (especially those of you who have never been to an SCBWI conference before) to find a conference and go!  I am dedicating my Friday posts to conference and will discuss how to make that happen for you in 2012-2013, including tips on saving the money, etc.  So, keep following…and get others to, as well.  Because YOU belong!

Have a wonderful weekend…and, as always, Happy Writing!

Wednesday Writers Weigh In: Are you Saved?

Alright, writers!  Here is your Wednesday Writers Weigh In...better late than never...but I had that champagne to drink to celebrate receiving the Liebster Award.  Yeah.  I won the Liebster Award.  Did you know that?  :)

Anyway....

Today's Weigh In is "ripped from the headlines", as they often say.  Many of us in the 12x12in'12 community were saddened when a fellow writer had her laptop stolen out of her car and therefore, her novel was gone.  Horrifying...and a writer's worst nightmare.

In a movie with Colin Firth it is funny, even charming.  But in real life...not so much!

I got to thinking...how should I save? 

I mean, I have an external drive that I save to (although I admit not often enough). 

Should I also email copies to myself? 

Print copies out? 

Use an online source like Dropbox?

So....writers...Weigh In!  How do you save? 

Please comment and get in on the conversation.

The Liebster Award?? Aw Schucks!

In my first days of blogging, which weren't that long ago...back in August 2011...I often wondered if anyone was out there who cared about what I had to say. 

As time went on, I gained more Followers and perhaps more importantly, my postings started to attract many comments!  It was great!  Finally, I was able to generate conversation on my blog.  What an accomplishment.

Today I have 44 Followers and I am thankful for them all!  On days when I do not feel like writing, or when I feel like what I have to say doesn't matter, they remind me that it does.  I love writing a post and later getting a comment that it was "so helpful" or "just what I needed".  So thank you to all 44 Followers.  I hope that number grows and prospers...but even if it doesn't...you have shown me I matter.

Of course, what is greater than being recognized for something??  Well, I was shocked when I found out that Bethany Telles over at Perched in a Tree chose me as a recipient of the Liebster Award.  Who me??  Awwwww...shucks! *looks down shyly and kicks the dirt*

The Liebster Award is given to blogs which have fewer than 200 Followers in a hope to recognize that blog and drive more readers to them...and hopefully generate higher Follower numbers.

Thank you so much, Bethany!  Bethany and I met through the 12 x 12 Challenge and I really admire her work.  In fact, go to her blog and read her exciting news...she her picture book WAITING FOR JAMES IN A SEA OF PINK has been chosen as one of the editorial staff's top ten favorites in the MeeGenius Author Challenge!  Go check her out so you can say...like I will someday...I knew Bethany when....  :)

So...onto my Liebster Award. 

As a recipient I am supposed to list 5 Things About Myself.  Here goes it!

5 Things You Might Not Have Known About Marcie Colleen

1. I have a newly found obsession with Roasted Brussel Sprouts
2. My first job in NYC consisted of working for Tony Randall at his National Actors Theater.  Yes, that Tony Randall.  One day I sat in his penthouse on Central Park West waiting for him to get out of the shower so I could have a one-on-one meeting with him. 
3. I am currently training for the NYC Marathon which takes place on November 4, 2012.
4. I have been skydiving.  10,000 feet, baby!
5. I do not have a television and I use my dishwasher to store dishes.  I know...I live in NYC, but its like I'm Amish.  :)

And now...I get the honor of presenting the prestigious Liebster Award to 5 other lucky...and deserving...blogs.

1. Reading on the F Train by fellow Brooklynite, Mrs. Silverstein
2. Mona Meanders
3. Carol A Bender, Children's Author Extraordinaire
4. Frolicking Through Cyberspace by Heather Ayris Burnell
5. On The Write Track by Donna Martin

Check these ladies out! 

Oh...and today's Wednesday Writers Weigh In will be later today!  But for now, I am going to pop the champagne.  I'm a winner!!!!!  :)

Happy Writing!