She starts by sharing us the aim of her book which is to answer questions we often avoid answering such as, "What kind of person am I?" and "What are my dreams and fears?" or even "Where have I been and where am I going?" The only rule Mari has is that we need to go through each of the seven days consecutively, doing all the exercises. Other than that, there is no right or wrong.
Each chapter is set up with an introduction to the chapter's theme, a couple of exercises then tips on how to 'Focus on YOU'. She even gives you a few sample sentences to prompt your creative juices. Each chapter leads into the next, which is why Mari stresses the importance of doing them in order.
The chapter I found most difficult to tackle was Day 5: Courage. You'd think that a person who has two memoirs under her belt would have no trouble writing about things like why I avoid the truth or why I think I shortchange myself or what I'm afraid of. But it was both terrifying and refreshing to complete this section. "Courage can be found in the folds of your beliefs," Mari says. "What do you believe?" It was tough to start but as I wrote, I felt myself opening up.
I won't ruin the joy of this book for you, but I will say I think every writer out there should pick up a copy. It helps get the words out using the art of free-flow writing--that's where you're writing without thinking or trying to be perfect (which many of us writers tend to do). It's all about learning about our inner selves and bringing that into our writing.
I sure wish I'd had Mari there with me when I was trying to get the words out for my memoir White Elephants. Initially, I had so much trouble bringing the words--the right words--out. Without even knowing Mari, I used the very same tactics to help me calm down, work through the anger and tell the story the way it should be told.
Thank you, Mari, for sharing yet another helpful tool to keep our writing strong and keeping our words flowing freely. And, as you always say: WriteON!
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Writers, join Mari's next 7 day journaling challenge, February 20-26, here: http://www.createwritenow.com/Who-Are-You-Challenge-Sign-Up/
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By: Chynna,
on 12/3/2011
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: NaNoWriMo, Self-editing, editing fiction, Chynna Laird, Add a tag
Not my favorite part.
As a freelance proofreader/editor I can tell you that it's much easier for me to edit another author's work than my own. I can rip a manuscript apart, suggest ways to beef up the plot, help to tighten dialogue and even guide the author to make their characters more endearing to the reader. So why the heck is it so hard to edit my own stuff?
I've come to the realization that it's because I'm too close...too intimate...to my own story. Self-editing is tough because we need to let go of the idea that the story is our 'baby' and be just as hard and critical on our own writing as we'd be reviewing someone else's work. (Actually, I don't really have a problem with being critical of my own work...I'm my own worst enemy sometimes. HA!) Here are some things I do as a freelance editor when reviewing a manuscript that I will have to do on my own manuscript:
1) Content edit: When I'm doing a content edit, I give the story a close read--beginning to end--and I ask questions such as: Does this story have a solid plot? Does it make sense? Is the storyline engaging? Does it capture me from the start? Does each chapter have a hook at the beginning and a mini-cliffhanger at the end (that's what keeps readers away all night saying, "Just one more chapter!")? Do I know where the author is taking me on this journey (eg: where is the story located?) Are the characters believable? Are they engaging? Does the author breathe life into them so I can see, hear and feel them? Is the dialogue solid? Is there more show than tell? Is there a gradual peak in the storyline? Is the ending satisfying (or at least makes sense)? Are there, what one of my wonderful writing mentors calls, 'red herrings' sprinkled throughout the story to make me want to keep on reading? These are more but these are the general and, I feel, most important questions to address. These are what make a story solid. Starting with answering these questions will kick your editing in the butt.
2) Line edit: This part of editing is the nitty-gritty, picky stuff. Once all the story has the solid base, you read it through again to check for things like: Is the punctuation spot on? Is the grammar perfect (or as close to it as possible)? Is the dialogue conversational (This is so important. Nothing slows a story down more than dialogue that rambles on endlessly. Think of real-life conversations that do the same thing...ugh!)? Are commas under control? Are paragraphs tightened up? Are there any spelling words (this means making sure words that you check for synonyms or other things that spell check 'fixes' that don't need to be)? This is all the fussy stuff that helps the story read well. And, believe me, when you're getting reviews red marks in this area after it's gone through edits can make the difference between a 3 star and a 5 star rating.
3) Proofreading: This involves more than just making sure all the above things are taken care of. It also means you make sure to check for things like line spacing, format, tabs and other things that editors really hate having to fix or mess around with. This is like the final run-through.
There you go. OH! And one more good idea is to have a writing mentor or buddy read your book over one last time to mak
By: Chynna,
on 10/29/2011
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Writer's Tools, Chynna Laird, writing strategies, how to find different words in writing, Add a tag
When my daughter, Jaimie, started Grade One, she struggled in many areas. In addition to her sensory issues, she also dealt with praxis issues (which means she wasn't able to learn or follow tasks that had too many steps); she would often get 'stuck' on a specific way of doing a task and not understand how to branch out or learn it in a new way; and she struggled with verbal instruction. You can imagine how frustrating learning could be for her when she had all of these hurdles in her way.
With the help of an awesome occupational therapist (OT) and an amazing bunch of teachers, we learned tools best-suited to Jaimie's needs that have helped her bloom and grow. One of these tools was a 'Word Flower', which not only helped Jaimie with learning words and writing but also helped me with my writing! And I thought it would be something that could help all of you too.
This is is a tool that taps into visual learning, gets you branching out beyond your regular line of thinking and really gets those thinking juices flowing. I'm sure many of you have heard of different ways of doing this but I loved the concept Jaimie's teacher used.
See the flowers above? Think of an everyday word you use frequently (eg: sad) and write it in the middle. Then think of five other ways to say that word. For example, Jaimie came up with glum, sorrowful, down-in-the-dumps, unhappy and downcast for her Word Flower for 'sad'. It sounds pretty basic but, you know what? As a writer, I've found this tool useful and I write the words I come up with for my own personal thesaurus I keep beside my computer. And as an editor, it gives me a way to help an author using a specific word way too much to branch out.
Another great writing strategy is creating 'Word Choice Lists'. Jaimie's teacher created a table with headings like 'Speech Words', 'Movements' and 'Loud Sounds' with tons of words listed under each. Or, you could create a table where you have two headings 'How It's Said' and 'Words to Substitute'. Write subheadings under the 'How It's Said' column such as, 'In a happy way', 'In a sad way', 'In a tired way', etc. then list different action words you'd use to show 'sad' or 'tired' beside the subheadings.
Jaimie's teacher got the kids to create a folder where they'd glue their Word Flowers onto as well as keep their other tables I suggested above. This is the place they'd keep their journals and other writing booklets so they had easy access to their writing tools when they struggled with writing assignments. These strategies helped Jaimie's writing so much. And on top of that, it also helped her learn to expand her way of thinking and looking at how to complete an assignment.
Today, she's doing so well on her own that she doesn't even need to use her writing tools as often, which is awesome because I've claimed her folder! Who says we can't learn from kids?
Feel free to share your own writing tools and strategies. Branch out beyond the usual Thesaurus or Dictionary and get those writing juices bubbling.
Happy writing, everyone.
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By: Chynna,
on 10/1/2011
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: White Elephants, tips on writing memoirs, Memoir writing, Chynna Laird, Not Just Spirited A Mom's Sensational Journey With Sensory Processing Disorder, Add a tag
As many of you know, I've written two memoirs (so far!). One is about the painful early years in trying to figure out how to help my daughter, Jaimie (Not Just Spirited: A Mom's Sensational Journey With SPD). The other is about my childhood being raised by a mother with untreated bipolar disorder and alcoholism (White Elephants). Even though I'm narrating these stories, they aren't only my stories to tell. What I mean is, there are others directly or indirectly involved in the telling of the stories---and some of them aren't excited with me sharing them. Sound familiar all you memoir and personal story writers out there?
I didn't find as much of that when Not Just Spirited came out but very much so with White Elephants. In fact, I was actually advised by many people to create a fictional version of the story so that it would be more...'warmly accepted'. I've never been afraid to talk about things that may seem taboo to others but after the story came out, I panicked.
What would my family and friends in the book think?
This is actually a very common thing that many writers face, not just those of us writing memoirs addressing serious issues. Alot of people really don't like their business out there for the world to read whether the story is fun, happy, terrifying, goofy or serious. And one of the most popular questions I'm asked in interviews is, "What did/does ______ think of what you wrote?" I guess I just deal with that because certain stories need to be told a specific way. That doesn't mean I disregarded what so-and-so would think of what I'd written but more remembering that I could still tell my story while being respectful of so-and-so's feelings. We're talked about this several times in recent issues of WOW as well as here on The Muffin but let's talk about the three different ways you can share a story:
(1) Fictional: As I mentioned above this was how I was told to write White Elephants. Here you'd simply tell your story through fictional characters. This is the 'safest' way to tell a personal story because you can hide behind the characters you create, altering the setting, location and other things that would make it recognizable to those involved (or at least veil it so they won't feel threatened).
(2) 'Based on a True Story': Hollywood tells stories this way all of the time. The story or events are true but names, characters, location, etc. have been changed so it's standing on the fence between 'fiction' and 'real'. Again, this helps veil certain things (or people) but you can actually say the story (or events) really happened...to someone.
(3) Memoir: This is the route I went. You tell the story. The whole naked truth with all the people, events and/or issues invovled--the good, bad and ugly. This is the most difficult for others involved with your story because you're naming names. There are things you can do, though, to make it a bit easier:
- Talk to those involved. Tell them you're writing this story and ask how they'd feel. Some people won't care, others may not want to be involved. For those who don't want to be involved, try working around that
2 Comments on Three Ways to Write Your Memoir/Personal Story, last added: 10/4/2011Display Comments Add a Comment
By: Chynna,
on 8/6/2011
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: writing true life stories, biography, autobiography, Memoir writing, Chynna Laird, Add a tag
Much buzz on a few of the author/writers' groups I'm a part of is understanding the difference among a biography, an autobiography and a memoir. I know we chat about this occasionally, and recently dedicated an entire issue on personal writing on WOW, but I thought it would be great to talk about it here on The Muffin too!
I know we have a few memoir writers on here--myself included--but what exactly is a memoir? What's the difference between a memoir and an autobiography? What's the deal with biographies? And can you really write more than one memoir? Hopefully with today's post, and any comments/discussion generated from it, we can take these questions down one by one.
Let's describe each of these kinds of personal books. In the most general way I can, here's how I define each of them:
- Biographies: These are books that authors write about other people. They can be 'unauthorized' or 'authorized'. When it's an 'authorized' biography, the subject of the book usually knows about it and is aware the author is interviewing people in his/her circle but usually doesn't contribute in any way. He/she doesn't do anything to help with the writing of the book but isn't exactly putting together a law suit either. The 'unauthorized' biographies are the ones we hear about that sometimes make the headlines with negative press or result in lawsuits. The author neither has permission to write the book nor speaks to people close to the subject but, more, relies on what they find in research, their own knowledge or their own opinions of/experiences with the subject. I'm not a huge fan of biographies simply because you really aren't 100% sure if the information is accurate or true. I've read a couple that I enjoyed and trusted the sources but these reads should always be read with a grain of salt. And if you're writing one, just be sure you have reliable sources, accurate information and tell the story as spot on as you can.
- Autobiographies: These are personal stories an author writes about her(him)self. They most often span your lifetime, sometimes even generations before your life began if it pertains to who you become. Autobiographies are usually written near the end of the life's journey or after a certain significant events that the author wants to share. I find these books to be more general than the memoir (see below) because they cover a much broader span of time and there is much more information shared. And because you are writing it, the source is a little more reliable than in the biography (well...hopefully!).
- Memoir: I call these personal reads, "Slices of Life." Unlike the autobiographies that cover an entire life's journey, memoirs cover only a tiny part of that journey. They can focus on a a span of a few years or on a specific time along the journey or even just focus on a specific subject or issue. And, yes, you can write more than one because your life's journey is made up of several 'slices' that when pieced together make your entire story! So far, I've written two, with two more on the way!
By: Chynna,
on 5/31/2011
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: young adult novel, writing for your reader, Chynna Laird, clean young adult, Add a tag
By: Wow!,
on 1/4/2010
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: children with special needs, author blog tour, Chynna Laird, SPD, Not Just Spirited A Mom's Sensational Journey With Sensory Processing Disorder, Add a tag
& Book Giveaway Comments Contest!
Chynna T. Laird is a mother of three beautiful girls, Jaimie (six-and-a-half), Jordhan (five) and baby Sophie (sixteen months), and a gorgeous baby boy Xander (almost three). In addition to living her dream building up her at-home freelance business (Lily Wolf Words), she's also studying to obtain her B.A. in Psychology, specializing in Early Childhood Development.
Her hobbies include writing, reading, playing piano and crafting with her girls. A lot of the material she writes about includes childhood experiences, her adventures as a Mom, and her personal observations.
She's won writing contests in Byline magazine and her work has been published in various Christian, parenting, writing and inspirational magazines in Canada, the United States, Britain and Australia. As well, she's had personal essays featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Children with Special Needs and Cup of Comfort for Special Needs. Last year, she released a children's picture book called, I'm Not Weird, I Have SPD, where she describes--through the voice and perspective of four-year old Alexandra--what it's like to live with Sensory Integration Dysfunction (Sensory Processing Disorder).
Chynna is a member of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC), The International Women's Writing Guild, The Writers-Editors Network, Christian Writers' Guild, The Canadian Author's Association as well as The Writers Guild of Alberta. She has press cards through the PWAC and the Writers-Editors Network.
Chynna is on tour for her second book, Not Just Spirited: A Mom's Sensational Journey With Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), and her third book, The Sensory Diet: Setting Your SPD Child up for Success, will be released this year.
Find out more about Chynna by visiting her websites:
Lily Wolf Words: http://www.lilywolfwords.ca/
Blog: http://lilywolfwords.blogspot.com/
Not Just Spirited: A Mom's Sensational Journey With Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)
By Chynna T. Laird
What would you do if your child suffered with something so severe it affected every aspect of her life?
And what if your cries for help fell on deaf ears at every turn? You'd follow your gut and fight until someone listened. And that's what Chynna Laird did. When she was just three months old, Jaimie's reactions to people and situations seemed odd. She refused any form of touch, she gagged at smells, she was clutzy and threw herself around and spent most of her day screaming w
By: Chynna,
on 10/18/2009
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Chynna Laird, Lily Wolf Words, Jennie Linthorst, Poetry Therapy, Life Speaks, Autistic-Like: Graham's Story, Erik Linthorst, Add a tag
______________________________
JENNIE: My name is Jennie Linthorst. I am the mother of a little five-year old guy named Graham, who struggles with Sensory Processing Disorder. The compelling story of our journey with Graham with early intervention therapies is captured in the documentary film, Autistic-Like: Graham’s Story. Go to http://www.autisticlike.com/ for more information.
I also work in the field of Poetry Therapy as a Certified Applied Poetry Facilitator. I work privately with women, exploring their personal histories through reading and writing poetry. I captured my own experience as a mother of a special needs child in my book of poetry, “A Mother’s Journey”.
CHYNNA: Thank you for sharing of your bio with us. Let’s start with your writing. What sparked your interest in writing? When did you begin journaling and writing poetry?
JENNIE: My grandmother, Marion Cannon, was a poet who didn’t start writing until her late 60’s. Her writing was well received and had a very honest, autobiographical style to it. In my early twenties, I began reading her book aloud to a group of seniors at a retirement home, and the reaction to the poetry changed my whole career. I found that the participants responded so intensely to the poetry and it sparked discussion of their own memories in their lives. I created my first poetry writing class for these seniors and we simply wrote in reaction to my grandmother’s poetry. I later discovered the field of poetry therapy, and went on to get my certification, and to create a career in therapeutic poetry writing. I found my own voice around this time as well, and worked privately with a writing coach exploring my own history through reading and writing poetry.
CHYNNA: That’s awesome that you are a Poetry Therapist! You know, I’d heard of Poetry Therapy awhile ago and loved the idea. Writing can be a powerfully healing thing on so many levels. Now, you have two amazing men in your life. Did you want to tell us a bit about them?
JENNIE: My husband, Erik Linthorst is an amazing man. He wrote, directed and produced the documentary about our son. He has become a major advocate in the field of Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder exposing the troubles in the system of diagnosis and treatment options for children who struggle with these special needs. We both hope to inspire change in the system and a separate diagnosis for Sensory Processing Disorder. And of course, my son Graham is amazing too. He continues to be my best teacher in this world, as I watch him work so hard to overcome his struggles with his body and his attention. He has a heart of gold, and his loving of all things shines the brightest to everyone who knows him.
CHYNNA: You and Erik are both doing amazing things for the SPD community and you were both very courageous putting your film out. And anyone who has the chance to see you and your little guy together—like in that gorgeous photograph on the cover of your book of poetry—can see the bond you share. Jennie, as you know, Moms just “know” when their child is struggling with something. When did you “know” with Graham? What signs did you see?
JENNIE: As soon as Graham could crawl, he became obsessed with following and crawling on lines and patterns on the floor. He was also consumed with the spinning of wheels. I was in enough “Mommy and Me” classes and things like that where I was watching the other kids play with toys and be interested in engaging people and new things. His repetitive behavior was extreme and by 15 months I knew that he was not “outgrowing” this behavior. He was so social and verbal with us though, that the word autism didn’t quite fit, but the behavior was very concerning. He also was not gesturing or waving bye-bye which is a major developmental delay. He had low muscle tone and he had great trouble using his hands to play and manipulate his environment. We now can see after so much expert intervention that these were all signs of a sensory system that was out of whack, and a body that was unable to motor plan. The behavior was a way for him to comfort himself.
CHYNNA: I think it’s phenomenal that you never gave up and kept forging ahead to find what worked. You are both incredible parents. That must have been so hard on all of you. You’ve personally gone through so much over the last few years with assessments, diagnoses, and treatments. How difficult was all of that for you? How did you cope with it all?
JENNIE: I am very honest in my poetry about how difficult these years have been for me as a mom. I have experienced major anxiety, depression and all of the feelings that come along when you are faced with a child’s diagnosis and a scary path of navigating the right treatments for your child. Erik and I both have sought out self-growth workshops that have been helpful in working on our own inner pain and expectations and judgments of our child that get in the way of being present and moving forward. We continually work on ourselves, knowing that if we can maintain inner peace and love Graham wherever he is in his journey, the more Graham will grow and we will move together as a family. I have to work on it everyday, and especially when we are in a transition like to a new school. The writing helps me be okay with being honest. It’s a way for me to put it on the page and know that it is okay to have those days. It allows me to be compassionate to myself, and to know that I can share my writing with other moms who will feel less alone on their journey. And lastly, we have turned a “crisis” into an opportunity to help others through the documentary, our advocacy and through our work with parents.
CHYNNA: What incredibly dedicated parents you are. I think what I am most impressed with is how you both work hard at being your individual selves so you can be an iron-strong couple and family—so, so important for families with special needs. I love your book of poetry, Jennie. Your poetry absolutely touches a person to the core of the soul. You are very brave to tap into the raw emotions that create such gorgeous imagery. How important is that ability to writing poetry? How can other writers do that?
JENNIE: I believe that everyone is a writer inside. We all have an inner voice, and if you inspire it, and create a safe place for it to express, you will be amazed at what it has to say. I like to tell my clients that a poem is a snapshot of a moment in our lives. We have thousands of those moments inside of our life stories. It is simply about taking the time to capture that snapshot in words. I guide my clients through discussion and inspirational poetry to bring out those moments, and to tap into the whole experience of where you were, what were you wearing, feeling, what was said inside and out- to recreate it through words. That is what I do in my poetry. I take a moment, and work it out on the page.
CHYNNA: I love your expression, “A poem is a snapshot of a moment in our lives,” and it’s so true. Whether an experience was good or bad, stressful or calm, a poem is a fantastic way to get it all out. You’ve done an amazing thing by combing your writing talents with your passion for helping other moms with special needs kids through your amazing “Life Speaks,” website. Can you tell us about that?
JENNIE: On my website, you can view my different class descriptions. All of the workshops are available privately, and many of my clients are from around the world. We communicate through phone or Skype to read the inspirational poetry together, and discuss the personal meanings it brings up for each client, and then I set you up with a writing exercise that you complete on your own and email to me before our next phone/Skype session. The five week workshop for mothers of children with special needs takes the client through the whole story beginning with the birth, the original dream, and then moves to when you know that something may be different, the diagnosis, the inner strength we call upon, how we meet the challenge, how we look for answers and help, how the experience redefines the family, marriage, and lastly the rebirth we experience of acceptance, blessings, our inner healing and our new dream for our children. In many ways, I take the mothers through their own hero’s journey—inspiring them to dive deep, honor their strength, and harvest the wisdom they have gained on this challenging path. The results are truly life changing.
CHYNNA: What a fantastic resource and service you offer. (I was tearing up just with the description of your class for moms with special needs children). I encourage all of our readers to check out your site. Jennie, you also seem very spiritual—I really felt that in several of your poems. Do you find that writing poetry, or writing in general, is a way to connect with that side of ourselves? How important is that for Moms, especially those of us raising special needs children?
JENNIE: Having a child is in itself a spiritual experience—the miracle of it, and the sense that these children come from something greater than ourselves. It was important for me in my own inner healing to find a way to surrender the sense of myself that felt it was somehow my fault, or that it was my responsibility to fix it and control every step of the journey. I have faith that my son’s life is bigger than I can imagine or control. This experience was given to all of us as an opportunity to grow and give back. In my writing, my inner voice is more connected to that place of inner peace, and I find that it will remind me in my poems what I most need to hear, to get back to that place of love and peace in any situation. We all have that ability to find inner peace however you want to define it spiritually or not. My hope is that I can help other moms find that voice of peace.
CHYNNA: I completely agree with you about needing to find inner peace. Thank you for reminding us of how important that is, especially for us Moms. How can we find out more about your work and your classes?
JENNIE: Please visit my website and read through the course descriptions, testimonials and information. You can contact me through the site or through my email to talk more and set up workshop sessions.
CHYNNA: Great, thanks for the links. What inspires you in life and in your writing?
JENNIE: Wow, big question. In life, being with others and sharing life experiences honestly and authentically is most inspiring to me. I thrive on real relationships with family and friends. I love to cook warm meals and invite people into our home, to laugh, cry and feel safe together. In my writing, it is the little moments of the days we live that inspire me the most. It’s the moments when that voice inside says, “I feel this.” It’s the thought you have at the grocery store, or on your drive home. It’s the thought upon waking as your child stands beside your bed at 6am. It’s those inner moments with yourself where you are truly honest.
CHYNNA: It’s the simple things that mean so much and can be so inspiring, isn’t it? It’s amazing how having special little ones remind us of that. How is Graham doing today?
JENNIE: Graham just started Kindergarten at the public school here in Manhattan Beach. He is in a regular classroom and is getting services with the school to help with attention, processing and handwriting. He mostly struggles with regulating his body to stay on task to finish center time activities. Fine motor skills are the hardest for him. We are working hard on handwriting, coloring, cutting and gluing. He seems to love school and his friends. We are still doing some therapies at home to help with homework and to get his body moving through swimming, my gym and one on one Neurofit exercise sessions that work the vestibular and visual processing systems through movement. He is super social and loves to cook, sing songs, ride his bike and go to playdates.
CHYNNA: He sounds like one amazing little guy. I’m so happy to hear things are going so well for him. One last question: Is there anything that you’d like to say to the other Moms or caregivers out there who may be out there searching for answers or comfort?
JENNIE: I want moms to know that they are not alone out there. I want them to know that it’s okay to have all the feelings that come up each and everyday with our special children. And lastly, I want them to know that they have all of the answers and all of the inner peace inside them. Just listen to that inner voice and be gentle with yourself.
Wise, beautiful words from a wise, beautiful woman, mom and friend. Thank you so much to Jennie for sharing her poetry with us as well as tidbits about her life as a Sensational Mom. Through the therapeutic experience of writing out her own story, Jennie has created her five-week expressive writing workshop for mothers of children with special needs. For more information about her wonderful writing workshops, please go to Jennie’s website at www.lifespeakspoetrytherapy.com
Please be sure to check Chynna’s blog over the next few days as we’ll be posting a contest for a chance to win a signed copy of Jennie’s phenomenal book of poetry. =) We'll also be posting a few of Jennie's amazing poems over there too--you won't want to miss them, believe me.
By: Chynna,
on 10/9/2009
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Canada, Chynna Laird, Canadian Writers, Add a tag
Let me just say from the get-go that I am a proud Canadian writer and author. I mention it in my blog, my bio and whenever I do interviews. “Why then has most of your work been published in the U.S. and Abroad?” you’re probably asking. Well…just because I’m proud of where I was born and raised doesn’t mean I’ve had the easiest time getting published here—even now. I have no idea why! Maybe it’s because some editors don’t feel that I have a very Canadian perspective after writing for U.S. and International audiences for the last several years. Or maybe it’s because I was setting the bar too high by going for some of those big-wig glossies right off the bat.
The truth is here in Canada a lot of the big glossies are Government funded, which means the publishers and editors have to follow very specific guidelines in order to receive their funding. What this means is several places are only able to accept submissions from Canadian writers and those Canadian writers need to offer up Canadian content. The U.S. and International publications seem to have a bit more freedom in terms of who they choose to write for them and when. And that’s why when I was first starting out I turned to the south of the border and beyond in order to get my work out there.
Now that I think of it...the ideas I was pitching weren’t always about Canada or issues that effect Canadians only; my ideas were more global…or I’d like to think they were. No matter what, though, there are still some fantastic publications up here—some of which I’d love to write for one day and others I never will—and they pay really well. What I thought I’d do today is offer up five great places for Canadians (or anyone else) to try. Why not? Some of these places will give non-Canadians a shot if you present your pitch in a way that would be interesting and beneficial to Canadian readers.
Good luck, have fun and be sure to let us know if your work was accepted by any of these places. Having your advice and pearls of wisdom on what worked would be helpful for those who are trying to break in.
Chynna
PS: Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! =oD
Azure Design, Architecture and Art (www.azuremagazine.com): This is a magazine that covers everything about architectural art and design. They look for people with experience and knowledge in this area and look for nonfiction articles from 350 to 2000 words. Pay is $1/word (Cdn).
Family Fun (www.familyfun.com): This magazine is all about how families can have fun together from playtime to travel. They accept pitches in all their departments, including features and they have detailed guidelines on their site in terms of who to contact and what they need in a particular area. Pay is $1.25/word.
Today’s Parent (www.todaysparent.com): Monthly magazine for Canadian parents with kids from birth to 12 years of age. The look for articles “grounded in the reality of Canadian family life.” Pay ranged from $200 to $2200 an article depending on word length and department.
Reader’s Digest Canada (www.readersdigest.ca): Pretty much the same as the U.S. version. Mostly look for those “true life stories” that touch the heart, get us thinking or give insight into a current issue. They pay $1.50 - $2.50/word depending on the type and length of the story. Prefer original, unpublished pieces.
AlbertaViews (www.albertaviews.ab.ca): Got a story about Alberta? This is the place to pitch it to. Whether you’ve visited here or lived here all of your life, they want stories Alberta-based. They pay anywhere from $350 to $1500 depending on subject and whether the article is solicited or not.
Blog: Day By Day Writer (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Author Interview, making time to write, Balancing Tips, Chynna Laird, SPD, SID, writing with a family, Add a tag
Huge apologies to Chynna Laird. I was supposed to put her interview up first thing this morning, but in the middle of a very busy work week, I totally forgot until now. So, I hope you enjoy her interview below. Chynna is one of those amazing people who has loads on her plate and still managed to write not one but two books and get them published.
Before we start the interview, though, my quick check-in. No writing today. Urg! But, I did write yesterday, so here’s where I stand after yesterday:
Current word count: 16,036
Words written yesterday: 628
Words til goal: 23,964 / 352 words a day til end of September
Now onto Chynna!
Hi Chynna. Congratulations on your book, I’m Not Weird, I Have SPD, as well as your memoir, Not Just Spirited: Living With Sensory Processing Disorder, being released in August. Please give us a little background about these books.
Samantha, I am so thrilled to be here … thanks for having me. My first book, “I’m Not Weird, I Have SPD,” is a children’s picture book I wrote for my daughter, Jaimie. Initially, I wrote it to validate her feelings and assure her that there were other children in the world who felt the same way she did. Sadly, the book stemmed from an experience at the park where a small group of children made fun of Jaimie’s behavior and her “different” reactions to things. It hit me then that, not only did I need to help other people understand Jaimie, but I also needed to help her find the words to explain what she went through to others.
Several months before this incident, I did some of my own research to understand what she was going through: I put on itchy, uncomfortable clothes (like tight-fitting or wooly/scratchy materials), I tried walking around with my shoes on the wrong feet, I shined a very bright light into my face trying to work, I put heavy winter clothes on when it was hot outside and I tried doing things with my left hand instead of my right. I know these may seem like extreme things, but these are how the world around us feel to children with SPD every day, and being a yearly volunteer for the SPD Foundation’s “National Sensory Awareness Month” in October, I already had ideas how to help me become more sensory smart.
All I wanted to do was get the slightest inclination of what it must have been like to be constantly bombarded with sensory stimulation that you can’t tune out. It wasn’t until I did these things that I saw the world through Jaimie’s eye. That’s when I had my “A-Ha!” moment and wrote the book.
The memoir is something I’d been working on for a couple of years. In fact, I was still writing it when my children’s picture book came out. I had a few agents and publishers interested in it, but it wasn’t a story that fit into their a usual editorial lineup—it was too much of a “specified niche.” But most of them told me to forge ahead and keep trying. The point of my memoir isn’t to say, “This is what you should do…” It’s to help other parents in the same position be brave enough to find the right help for their child no matter what obstacles get in the way. If you have a gut feeling that something isn’t right … if your child isn’t thriving the way he or she should … keep being that squeaky wheel until someone listens.
Did you always want to be a writer or did it come out of feeling as though you had something to say?
You know what’s funny? I’m not sure I always knew I wanted to be a writer—in a professional sense—but I’ve always loved reading and writing. I think, as you said, I’ve always had something to say so I wrote it down. I just didn’t have the confidence to believe others would actually want to read what I wrote.
It wasn’t until I wrote a story about a wonderful old man that made a huge difference to me during a very difficult time in my life that I felt brave enough to share my words with others. Someone told me to enter it in ByLine magazine’s monthly contests. Not only did it win first prize in the category (“Inspirational”), the editor of the magazine at the time told me to “Get out there and get this story published!” Within a month, it was published in Angels On Earth magazine and the rest is history.
Actually, I’m pretty choosy about where I send my stuff now as I don’t have as much time as I used to to send out a ton of queries. Also, a lot of people ask me to contribute now, but I guess I know that my name will be put with whatever I write, so I want it to … matter, you know? And recently my writing has focused more on children and families with special needs, particularly those with sensory issues or SPD.
You’re the mother of four children under the age of 6, and yet you still manage to make time to write, when you’re not finishing up your BA in psychology. When do you write and how do you fit it in your schedule?
This is a great question, because as my kids get older, and refuse to nap during the day, my writing time seems to get less and less. What I do is write around life. Basically, that means you just squeeze that writing time in around all the other activities you have going on.
Being a Mama is my #1, full-time job—everything else is secondary. The places I write monthly for understand my priorities, especially since I have two special needs children, a baby and another little girl who just needs her Mom’s attention. But editors with major magazines and/or publishers need you to meet deadlines in order to meet their own. If I absolutely need to complete something during the day when my kids are here with me, then I wait until snack time when they get to eat their snack and watch their television show. For that half-an-hour I meet a deadline or answer emails … whatever is more pressing. Then I give my kids my full attention until rest time. Jaimie and Jordhan don’t always sleep during that time (they are 6 and 4, respectively, after all!) but they must have a rest, which just means having some quiet time. It’s especially important for Jaimie who has a lot of difficulty with self-regulation—her rest is to help her calm down a bit so we can do her Sensory Diet exercises. It’s an entire process to help her organize her body.
During rest time, I do a bit of work for an hour or more if I’m lucky. Then I stay up a bit later to do some more. In total, I usually have about three or four hours to do some work. During the school year, I have to divide that between school and writing, then my “stay up a bit later” time is even later. But I can’t stay up late and get up early. We Mamas need our sleep or we can’t do our main job properly, right?
The key is not to get frustrated on days where the kids don’t nap the way they should or you can’t get everything done the way you want to. There will be days where you’ll get tons done and it all balances out.
Are you planning to write any more books?
I’ve just signed on with Sunrise River Press to write a book about the Sensory Diet. This is basically a holistic approach to treating children with SPD combining nutrition, exercise, physical activities and other stimulating activities accustomed to the child’s needs, skills and what he or she is good at. The key is focusing on the natural, holistic approach to treatment and healing.
I got the idea from years of research, interviews and helping to connect parents with the resources they want. Really, it’s for parents with sensory sensitive children who have gotten their diagnosis then are seeking the best possible ways to treat/cope with it. I’ve done the research so these parents don’t have to, and they can just take the information in the book and help their child. That’s very important.
Sounds great. What advice do you have for mothers and writers making time for their passion?
I believe we all need to have something in our lives we are passionate about that helps bring us back to earth and reconnects us to all the significant parts that make us whole: mind, body and soul. And if writing is that passion for you, then you should try finding a bit of time for it each day.
As I mentioned earlier, writing is therapeutic for me—it calms me and gives me a platform to express myself in a creative way. Being a Mom is very important to me, and my children mean more to me than anything in the world. But we mothers need to allow ourselves some time to explore the other sides of ourselves once in awhile. I’ve found since I’ve slotted a bit of time—whenever it may occur—to write … to be creative … to explore a part of me that isn’t “Mommy” … it replenishes the positive energy I need for my children. After all, I’m teaching my children that having some alone/rest time each day is important for the soul, so I should be doing the same.
So, try plugging into that passion—even if it’s just for a little while each day. Mamas need that time to connect to who they are aside from being a Mama. And whether your passion is writing, reading, dancing, sculpting or art, we should all have some sort of creative energy to tap into and recharge us.
Thanks, Chynna. Any tips on managing writing along with a family?
It can be very difficult to squeeze that writing time in when children are young because they need you so much during the early years. They want, and need, our attention as they explore their little worlds. And when you have special needs children, they need even more of your time.
I’ve always tried looking at our situation like we’re a team and each of us has to do his or her part in order to make things run smoothly. I’m very lucky to have such a fantastically supportive partner, Steve. He is a very “hands-on” Dad. He comes home and helps out with the kids so I can fix dinner, he helps me with housework if I get behind, and he gives me a couple of hours to myself every weekend to go off to a coffeehouse to do some work. I think one of the most important things we do is have dinner together. We sit around the table every night—no matter how chaotic it gets—for a meal. We talk, laugh, discuss how to help Jaimie through something she’s worrying about, etc. We’ve found this time helps to connect us, even if it gets really loud some nights!
I’d have to say that the key component in managing a busy career with a busy family is balance. Balance is everyone working together, everyone practicing good communication, mom/writer knowing what her limits are and working within them, and mom/writer not taking on more than she can handle at a time. The last tip was hardest for me because I’ve always been the sort of person who needs to be doing several things at once. It becomes a problem when you have so many things on the go, you can’t give any of them your 100% attention. So, in the end, your family dynamics suffer and your writing suffers. Knowing what you can handle and when is the best way to ensure you do everything you take on to the best of your ability without wearing yourself out.
Wow! Great advice, Chynna, for all of us writers balancing our writing and the rest of our life. I absolutely agree that making the time to do what we’re passionate about is so important.
Check out Chynna’s books, and if you have questions for her, post them in the comments. You can also find out more about Chynna on her website, and hear more from her at her blog.
Chynna, great review. Mari is a genius. I did her 27-day challenge, and it had similar exercises in it. :) Thanks!
Very nice
Thanks, Margo. =D I think every writer should do exercises like Mari's. They really get those creative juices flowing. =)
Amazing blog!
Great article!