International Dot Day: Make Your Mark, Life Lesson Learned

"The Dot" by Peter Reynolds is a simple little picture book that packs a HUGE lesson..."Make your mark, and see where it takes you."  In every aspect of life I cannot think of a greater lesson.

In the spirit of this amazing book, people all over are celebrating International Dot Day!  It was just too much for this kidlit blogger to resist.

However, the experience was more than I expected.

A little backstory...earlier in the day I had run with my team, training for the NYC Marathon which is only a short 7 weeks away.  We ran through the Palisades in New Jersey.  It was so scenic and breath-takeningly beautiful...although I am sure that it was the intense hills that were taking my breath more.  But, I felt strong, I felt good...until I got done and realized that I was running at a really really slow pace.  My bubble was burst!  I felt totally deflated.  I had only run 11.5 miles and I was hoping for more. 

So...I headed home feeling a little discouraged about the upcoming marathon and wondering just how dark it will be outside when I finally hit that finish line.  Ugh.

After a bite to eat and a hot shower, I dusted off some old art supplies to complete my dot for International Dot Day.   I decided on watercolor...not because it is the medium used in the book, but because it is my absolute favorite...AND I feel totally UNABLE to use it. What a perfect place to start. 

I sat with my aching legs raised and frozen Brussels sprouts on each sore shin, and I slowly dipped my brush into the water and then into the brilliant yellow watercolor. 

I began. 

I made a dot.  I let it dry.  I added more color.  And repeated.  And repeated.  Each time the dot became more and more beautiful than before.  My pride grew.  I was creating something one step at a time.  It was a slow process, but I was an artist.

Remember, I am a picture book WRITER who is always incredibly quick to let others know that I AM NOT artistic and I DO NOT illustrate! 

I am also a runner who does not call herself a runner. 

But step by step.  Dot by dot we create.  We make our own unique mark.

Lesson learned...

My dot does not look like anyone else's because it is mine.  My body does not look like anyone else's either...it is mine.  My marathon will also look like no one else's.  And I will cross that finish line in my own way.

 I will make my mark...however, slowly it may go.  Because great accomplishments take time and patience.

Friendspiration Friday: Jackie Kramer

It is my pleasure to introduce yet another extremely talented member of my Critique Group as part of Friendspiration Friday.

Jackie Kramer is one of the most resourceful, "go get 'em" kind of writer that I have ever met.  I admire that about her and always know that I can get great info and critiques from her because of the passion she holds for this genre.  Plus, not only is Jackie incredibly saavy about writing, she is also one of the published authors in our group.  You can check out her wonderful work at www.Utales.com.

Please welcome the fabulous Jackie Kramer!

What do you do in real life?

 What time is it? No kidding…I need to check my watch first. Here’s an edited version of my CV: actor, director, guidance counselor, singer, sales rep, waitress, arts administrator, voice over/narrator, receptionist. Funny, looking back, I got something out of each and every one of those jobs. Now I’d like to answer this differently, if you will. I, personally, never ask or care what a person does. At one time, it may have mattered, but I’m more interested in “who” you are, than what you do. To me there is no difference between work hard and play hard. That being said, who am I? I’m a mom and wife. I have an artistic soul with a globe trekking spirit. I try to live my life in the moment, present, open with compassion and in search of purpose and meaning. In addition, I write.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

True story…when I was 4 years old, my mother, who’s from Puerto Rico and spoke little English, mentioned to my nursery school teacher how impressed she was because I was already reading. My teacher (sorry to say I don’t remember her name) responded that that was impossible and handed me a picture book to prove her point. Without pause, I happily and convincingly “read” the pages of the story I was making up. She whispered in my mother’s ear, that indeed, I wasn’t reading. My mother replied, “But it’s such a good story.”

How often to do you write? Where? What time of day?

I’ll look for ANY excuse not to write. I’ll read a book, watch an old movie, do anything outdoors, get yummy food, hang with my kids or friends. So, inspiration ends up being everywhere and there for the taking. When the idea hits me there’s no stopping me from writing. When I write, it’s like being in love. I’m excited and I can’t stop doing it, day or night. I want to dive in completely and yet, I feel vulnerable and a little scared of the result. It’s all or nothing for me.

What was your favorite story/book as a child? and why?

The picture book version of King Arthur - Sword in the Stone. I was about 7 or 8 years old and my parents took my three siblings and me out of school for a month to live in Montego Bay, Jamaica. There, in a pile of books, I found Sword in the Stone, and it was glorious. Before that moment, I was horseback riding everyday and pretending I was a mermaid in the bluest, warmest water. I was hooked to this book. What’s not to love about a story of an orphan, destined to be King, if only he can pull the sword from the stone? A quest filled with humor, magic, Merlin and Mad Madam Mim!

What kind of stories do you like to write? Where do you get your inspiration? 

Oh boy, hmmm, I’m going to share big time here. This may require psychoanalysis to get at the core. But, I believe all the stories I’ve written, am writing and maybe, will ever write, are in someway or another, about me. No matter whom the protagonist, like Paolo, in Oinkers Aweigh, a pig who dreams to be in the Navy or spunky Eva the Diva, fashion designer or loving sister, Bella, who’ll do anything to make her baby brother, Miles Smile, I feel it’s me. I believe, it’s called Transference.

 

For those of you who know me, you may want to test my theory. Take a peek at these and my other eBooks, published on uTales.com. Shameless plug, but I’d love to hear your thoughts:)

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Assuming I’ve grown up…I wanted to be a singer with the coolest back up band EVER! Still do.

If you could go back in time and tell your 8 year old self one thing, what would it be?

Easy! You’re an amazing human being, a complete miracle. The future is yours. Be BRAVE! Listen to you’re inner voice…there’s no one-way or right way and you can start again. Be kinder to yourself. While on this crazy journey…love, love and laugh a lot.

What is the greatest piece of writing advice you have ever received?

Honestly, I don’t feel I’ve been given one piece of amazing advice. Rather, I’ve listened and shared wonderful nuggets from various mentors in the kidlit community. Including the two supportive crit groups I belong to, their insights are invaluable. In a nutshell, here’s what I’ve gathered…be inspired and write with complete abandon, but then be prepared to revise, revise and revise some more.

Do YOU have a Friendspiration you would like to introduce us to on a future Friday? Please send an email to marciecolleen@gmail.com and we will make that happen.

Wednesday Writers Weigh In: Onomatopoeia adds OOMPH!

Onomatopoeia.

I grew up watching reruns of the 1960s Adam West Batman television where comic book style onomatopoeias such as wham!, pow!, "biff!", crunch and "zounds" appear onscreen during fight scenes. So much fun!

Onomatopoeia pulls the reader in, makes the story come to life and is a blast to read aloud.  It is a perfect addition to many picture books.

But I neglect to add such fun whimsy into my own stories and often find myself adding it later on when reminded.

Writers Weigh In!  What is your favorite onomatopoeia word?  What onomatopoeia words have you used in your own writing? 

GUTGAA: Pitch Polish

I am participating in Deana Barnhart's "Gearing Up to Get an Agent" and today I am posting one of my pitches for the Pitch Polish Blog Hop. 

Having a solid, concise pitch of your book is so important.  And I have to say it is something that I always fret over.  I never feel like I sound very confident when sharing what any of my stories are about. 

According to Cynthia Liu at Writing for Children & Teens,

• The pitch is the most important part of your letter. If you haven't messed up the intro, this is where the editor or agent will really tune in. You'll want to write something that...

1. Entices (leaves the reader wanting more)
2. Encapsulates the book
3. Matches the tone of your book if possible

• The pitch is usually written in third person, present tense, no matter what person or tense the book is written in.
• Example:

1. When X-year-old MAIN CHARACTER does X, she had no idea Y WOULD HAPPEN. Now ANOTHER CHARACTER is out to Z. MAIN CHARACTER must find a way to thwart Z but her ADJECTIVE ANOTHER CHARACTER and ADJECTIVE ANOTHER CHARACTER aren't going to make it easy for her. MAIN CHARACTER will have to learn X to find a way to Y and that might take some real Z.

• Hahaha! Easy to understand, right? The best way to define a pitch is to study them and draw your own conclusions. Where can you find pitches? Your bookstore and library. Every book jacket is a pitch. Jackets have the same function as query letters-to sell the work, to entice...etc., If you read a lot of jackets, you can begin to boil it all down to a certain structure. A certain rhythm. Look at published books out there now. Find a jacket you think reads well and see if you can use it as a guide for creating your own pitch.

So, without further adieu, here is a pitch for one of my current manuscripts...


NIGHT OF THE LIVING ZOM-PEAS
PICTURE BOOK
440 WORDS

Edgar LOVES vegetables.  He can't get enough of them.  But when everyone, including the President of the United States, starts sending their unwanted veggies to Edgar, he realizes that too much of a good thing can be, well, too much.  Edgar tries to put an end to the vegetable deliveries, finally burying them deep in some very fertile soil.  Add some moonlight, a little dew and the creepiest of gardens grows.  NIGHT OF THE LIVING ZOM-PEAS is The Twilight Zone meets your dinner plate!  Don't be surprised, parents, if your kids want to eat more vegetables by the last page.

First 150 Words:

Edgar loved vegetables.  He couldn’t get enough of them. 
He was crazy about the crunch, frantic for the freshness, and swooned over the snap!
Whenever someone did not want to eat their vegetables,
peas snuck,broccoli crept and lima beans wandered onto Edgar’s plate.
It started with his sister.  Then his parents. 
But soon veggies came from everywhere.  Teachers, neighbors,
school crossing guards, the mailman
doctors,astronauts, zookeepers,
Even the President of the United States!
One day,upon delivery of some string beans from the Queen of England, Edgar had more vegetables than he could eat! 
He tried to send the vegetables back.
He hid under his bed,
He wore a disguise.
He went on vacation.
But the vegetables always found him.
He asked his pets for help, but rabbits can only eat so many veggies. 
The goldfish only stared at them
and the dog quit after an unsavory batch of Brussels sprouts gave him the burps.

Friendspiration Friday: Heather Newman on Elizabeth Stevens Omlor

If today's Friendspiration post seems like a love letter its no surprise! 

 

The 12x12in12 community online is one of the most supportive and encouraging communities.  And that very community is where Heather Newman met her Friendspiration, Elizabeth Stevens Omlor. Its a match made in 12x12in12 heaven.  A true coast-to-coast collaboration!

 

Please join me in welcoming Heather...

 

 

Elizabeth Stevens Omlor joined the 12X12 Challenge in a blaze of banana peelin' glory. I met her when she was looking for an artist to create a badge for her blog series Banana Peel Thursday and she was such fun to work with, I jumped at the chance to be in her critique group. Our group formed in February and by her own admission, Elizabeth was fairly new to writing with no experience in formal critiques. It was a bit of a rocky start. She shared her emotions about the first round of critiques openly on her blog and ended up touching on the side of writing that is rarely talked about. What to do when you feel like you've been walloped upside the head by literary feedback. Well, she crawled out from under the laundry pile, found her voice and kept on writing. Thank goodness she did!

 

I am in awe of Elizabeth's talent and passion. Over the past seven months she has honed her craft to the point of attracting ninja agents at an online conference with her humor and skill. She has written stories that have me laughing out loud as I read them, earning many odd looks from my kids. You'll understand when you have the opportunity to meet her macho men on the bookshelf of your local store because I know that excellent manuscript is going to find the perfect publishing house someday. Her blog offers a witty look at the process of writing for children and her Banana Peel series tames the publishing experience by featuring published authors who share their oops moments from their own writing journeys.

 

Elizabeth is genuinely excited when a fellow 12X12 member receives good news and she is the biggest cheerleader when someone is feeling down about their work. Her critiques have helped me to improve my own writing and I am very grateful that she's willing to share her hard earned knowledge.

 

So, thank you, Elizabeth, for your humor, support, enthusiasm and especially your stories.

 

However, you don't have to take my word for it. Here's what some other 12X12 members had to say about the lovely Elizabeth Stevens Omlor.

 

“I love Elizabeth! She has a terrific sense of humor and her posts are always a bright spot in my day. I love the Banana Peelin' series because it humanizes the writing experience so well - we all make mistakes and have embarrassing moments and it's nice to know we're not alone.”

-Susanna Leonard Hill

 

“Elizabeth is the most hilarious, humble, genuine person I've ever, EVER met! And, yes, I have totally met her IN PERSON! She has this ability to write stories that are bold enough and smart enough to make you sit back and say, "Woah." I'm astonished at her talent, and so grateful for her friendship. She inspires me to write from my heart and she has no idea how amazing she truly is. Love that gal...”-Bethany Telles

 

“I admire Elizabeth's sarcastic optimism. She is able to laugh at herself and the absurdity of life, while also smiling and letting you know that it will all be ok.” - Marcie Colleen

 

"How do I like Elizabeth? I'd count the ways...but there are too many! I glommed onto Elizabeth right away because I like that girl's style and humor. She's simpatica, capite? She makes me snicker. She makes me not feel so weird. She shows me that it's okay to embrace -- nay, to CELEBRATE -- one's quirks, and to capitalize on them. She writes stories involving chest hair. She's not afraid to laugh at herself, or to invite everyone else to laugh at her, too. She's fearless. She's got my respect. I would buy her many beers. And if she ever gets to Italy, we are going to have one heckuva hootenanny!" - Renee LaTulippe


 

Heather Newman is an extremely talented illustrator living in Porter, Maine.  You can check her out at http://hnewmanart.blogspot.com/ and http://www.heathernewman.net/.  Her work has ranged from murals to pencil portraits to books, but her favorite projects have always involved artwork for children.

Do YOU have a Friendspiration you would like to introduce us to on a future Friday? Please send an email to marciecolleen@gmail.com and we will make that happen.

 

 

Wednesday Writers Weigh In: Random Acts of Publicity 2012

 

This week Darcy Pattison is hosting The Random Acts of Publicity 2012 focusing on Conversations about Books. The basic idea of the Random Acts of Publicity is to take the focus off yourself and your own work for a week and instead focus on a friend’s book or a favorite book. 

So today, I would love to blog about a book I have talked about before.

Marathon Mouse, by Amy Dixon will be released on October 16, 2012.  It is her debut picture book and is published by Sky Pony Press.

I am so excited about this book and would love to generate some real buzz in the community about its release.

Marathon Mouse is a delightful story of an ambitious little mouse named Preston who lives under the Verrazano Bridge in NYC.  Although most mice detest Marathon Day, Preston dreams of joining the race.  Despite his family's teasing and disbelief, Preston runs the marathon.  But will this little mouse avoid getting trampled on and make it to the finishline?  For all of those out there who long to be extraordinary and accomplish the un-thinkable, Preston is a wonderful role model.

You can learn more about Amy and Preston at  http://www.amydixonbooks.com/marathon-mouse/.  And please put this adorable, inspiring title on your list of purchases this fall! 

So, now its your turn, Writers!  Join The Random Acts of Publicity 2012 and weigh in!

 

GUTGAA: Meet n Greet

Time to kick off the second year of The Write Routine, and I am going to do it in a BIG way!  I am participating in a challenge on Deana Barnhart's site.  Its called "Gearing Up to get an Agent" and will be running for 6 weeks.  This challenge gives participants the chance to polish their pitches and possibly be noticed by agents!  Count me in!

To begin, we have been asked to provide a Meet and Greet on our blogs.  So, today I bring you a little look into Marcie Colleen.  :)  Read and enjoy!  And head over to Deana's site if you want in on this fabulous opportunity!

Questions for the Meet and Greet

Bio  Marcie Colleen is an aspiring Picture Book writer.  In former chapters of her life she was a high school teacher, an actress, a director, a freelance teacher/director, went skydiving, worked for the legendary Tony Randall, partied with Paul McCartney and Bon Jovi, and worked on various Broadway and Off Broadway shows.  She loves documentary movies (geek!), baseball, cooking and coffee. She longs to dabble more in photography, play a little guitar/ukulele and write songs.   

This November Marcie will be running her first marathon, the ING NYC Marathon on November 4th.   She lives in Brooklyn, NYC with her boyfriend, Jonathan and her sock monkey, Bloois.

www.deanabarnhart.blogspot.com

Where do you write?  I wish I could say that I ALWAYS write in a cute little writer's nook in my house.  But the truth is that I need to write when I can and where I can.  Therefore, I own a little laptop that I carry with me to work and other places that inspiration might hit me.  Currently I am sitting in my local coffee shop so that I can utilize their free wi-fi and delicious Pumpkin Bread.

I often write at work.  I am a nanny so I have a built in "nap time" in my day which can sometimes last up to 3-4 hours.  Then I can be found either sitting legs-crossed on the couch writing or sitting at the dining toom table.

I also have a little desk area in my apartment, however, I do not use it as much for writing as I would like.  I often write during the weekdays...so my weekends are for time spent with friends and my boyfriend.

I also sometimes write at my boyfriend's art studio while he works.  That's always nice.  And of course, like any writer, I am constantly writing something in my head!

Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?  Well, as I sit here in the coffee shop I see a man in plaid shorts and flip flops who is also working.  Its a busy Sunday here.  I love the energy of a bunch of others working in a laid-back neighborhood environment.

Favorite time to write?  Nap time, which is usually between 12-3pm Mondays through Fridays.  If I can accomplish a lot of writing during those hours I feel I can truly enjoy my time in the evenings doing something else.

Drink of choice while writing?  Sitting at this coffee shop I had to purchase something to wash down the Pumpkin Bread (did I mention it was delicious?).  I am, therefore, drinking a hot chamomile tea.  However, usually I stick to ice water.  I am currently training for the NYC Marathon this November, so constant hydration is key.

When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?  In normal circumstances I don't listen to music.  But some girls were at the table next to me talking about last night's drama and I needed to tune it out.  So I am listening to my iPod.  I have my friend Karen Ramos' album on..."Moonlight and Theremin".  She's amazing!  Check her out!  www.karenramosmusic.com 

However, when I start working creatively on some revisions of a manuscript in a bit I am going to have to turn Karen off and perhaps find somewhere quieter to write if these girls have more drama to hash out.

What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?  The latest manuscript, NIGHT OF THE LIVING ZOM-PEAS, that I wrote was inspired by my latest obsession with roasted brussels sprouts.  I was slicing them one night and realized that I could eat them all day long every day.  And then I got to thinking about how too much of a good thing can be bad.  So, in my story, Edgar loves vegetables and everyone around the world sends their unwanted veggies to him.  Suddenly he is drowning in the very thing he loves and something has to be done about it. 

What's your most valuable writing tip?  Share your writing.  Become part of a community.  Whether it is in a classroom setting, a critique group or an online community.  It is very important to share what you have written and learn to take criticism.  Even when it is scary...share.  What you learn will be invaluable.  If anything, it builds pride in yourself as a writer and helps you own that title.