School and public libraries across the country are being cut back or worse.

We see the reports almost daily, like this one from NPR and this Indiegogo project started by two kids who want a library in their school.

I’ve heard people comment that “I don’t need no lie-berry ‘cuz I can find everything I need on my smartphone.” Except, perhaps, the proper pronunciation of the word li-BRARY.

It saddens me that professionals once revered and honored (in the case of librarians) have become luxuries to cut from budgets, and necessary public services (in the case of libraries) are considered expendable.

Rod Serling penned an episode of The Twilight Zone which aired in 1961, The Obsolete Man, about a day when librarians would be considered obsolete, expendable, unnecessary.

It’s fifty years later, and look where we are.

It’s up to us — writers, readers, those who care about public access to information and the quality of life for our communities and our nation — to support our libraries and our librarians.

Learning, and equal access to information, should never be considered obsolete.

Welcome to the first of what I hope will be informative, entertaining blog posts … a bit about me and my work, as well as conversation about the world of children’s publishing.

Thanks to my involvement in SCBWI, I’ve developed friendships with writers and illustrators from all over, from Australia to America and lots of places in-between. I’ve had opportunities to learn about craft from some of the best writers in the business. This is why – if you ask me how to get your children’s book published – I will always tell you that joining SCBWI is the best first step, and the best investment you will ever make in your writing (or illustration) career.

Always.

I may also share tidbits here about works in progress and my radio commentaries, as well as news about other projects.

Inspirational thought by my dear friend Priscilla Burris.

Mainly, I hope this will be a place where we can get to know each other, a place where I can share the wisdom I’ve learned from dear friends like the wonderful illustrator Priscilla Burris:

Until next time … write on!

… and I’m about to find out.

I’m looking forward to being on the faculty of the 2014 West Virginia Writers Summer Conference. The conference is held at the Cedar Lakes Conference Center in Ripley.

I’m also excited to meet the other writers in attendance. I’m teaching two workshops, but it will be as much fun – if not more – to listen to and learn from the other members of the faculty.

My presentations are “Awaken the Child Within,” exercises in which we dig deep in our memory banks for sensations and emotions that will enrich our writing, and “The Children’s Writer’s Journey,” the epic saga of the path to publication, based on the mythic structure outlined in The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler.

Welcome to my web site! I’m so happy you stopped by for a visit. Much of this site is under construction, so I hope you’ll check back from time to time to see what’s new.

I’m the author of four books (so far). These books are out of print, but copies may be found on Amazon or EBay. More projects are in the works, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

I love to hear from readers! Contact me using the handy form below.

Thanks for visiting my web site. It’s being updated, so check back soon!

… this new beginning counts as Life#7.

This has been a busy year. I attended the SCBWI New York conference in January, and the SCBWI Los Angeles conference in July. I also changed jobs in order to have more time to work on my children’s book projects.

One thing I’ve learned in 2010 is that change is inevitable — so let’s roll with it!

We’re about to have our first big winter storm of the season. Around midnight, the white stuff is supposed to start falling. By tomorrow afternoon we should have 2-4 inches. This may not sound like a lot to people who live up north, but in the south such forecasts send people into a tizzy. We go to Walmart and clear the shelves of bread, milk, and eggs. We cancel school. We listen to the meteorologists’ predictions of doom and shiver uncontrollably.

The impending storm has made us more fearful than normal after the ice storm of the century hit here in January ‘09. We were without cell phone service, landline phones, electricity, heat, water, gasoline, you name it, for more than a week. Most people were without electricity for 2 weeks or longer. I can no longer burn scented candles. When you burn 15 of them every night for 12 days, the smell gets sickening.

I’m well prepared for this upcoming weather event. It’s doubtful we’ll lose power, but there are things you need to be comfortable during the blizzardy conditions. So here is a list of the essential supplies I’ve stocked:

• Diet Coke
• Bacon
• Chocolate
• Cheez Nips
• Toilet Paper
• One pink Snuggie (which my BFF bought me for Christmas. Hubby doesn’t need a Snuggie, though. Real men don’t wear pink Snuggies.)
• Laptop with Internet access
•  Cat food and treats (for the cat, of course)

In my neck of the woods, there are about 3 hours left in 2009. Then we’ll have a brand new, fresh and shiny year.

As I look back on the year, overall, I’m pleased with what I’ve accomplished and had some great experiences along the way.

Since this blog is mainly about my writing life, I’ll focus on what I consider to be my successes this year.

 Though my blog suffered from extreme neglect during the final three months of 2009 (due to family issues, increased SCBWI responsibilities, an intense revision of my WIP, and a hectic work schedule), I managed to update it fairly reguarly the other nine months. I’ve Tweeted on and off and really enjoy it (especially the Kidlit chats), but I’ve also found that it’s the first thing to get pushed aside when life gets too busy. While I’ve read comments by social networking gurus that writers should maintain a Twitter presence and use it to grow an audience, I’m not convinced it’s crucial to the well-being of my career. Facebook, however, seems to be easier for me to keep up and I enjoy the interactions there. The newspaper I work for started a Facebook fan page this year and it’s been a fun way to connect with readers.

I only got to attend one writer’s conference this year, but what a conference it was! The 2009 SCBWI-Midsouth conference was two days jam-packed with inspiration and information. I gleaned some great tips for my WIP, and thanks to a presentation by editor Cheryl Klein, had a couple of a-ha moments that led to major changes in the manuscript.

I also attended the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. I heard Kate DiCamillo speak and got to hang out with some of my writer and illustrator friends. I also made the difficult and painful decision to relinquish my volunteer role as organizer of the SCBWI-Midsouth booth at the festival. As much as I’ve enjoyed doing it, I have too many other responsibilities now and it’s time to let someone else enjoy the blessings of serving in that capacity.

I can’t say I’ve set any goals for 2010 — at least not yet. I have a couple of WIPs I’d like to finish; both are novels and I’d like to complete both drafts and have one polished by the end of the year.

The best part of 2009, when it comes to my writing life, has to be the friendships that have deepened and the new acquaintances I’ve made. I am so blessed to know so many talented people from all over the world!

I raise my Diet Coke to you, 2009, and take a sip in honor of 2010.

Best wishes to all!

Newbery-winning author Susan Patron (The Higher Power of Lucky) offers suggestions on purchasing books for kids, based on her experiences as a children’s librarian:

Read the article from the L.A. Times here.

4) What do you like least about writing?

The self-doubt that comes as you wait for weeks and months — or longer — for a response to a manuscript submission. Publishing rarely happens like it’s portrayed in the movies or on TV.

3) What do you most enjoy about writing?

I love everything — everything — about the writing process. I’m not a grammarian. I’m like a person who has taught herself to play the piano by ear rather than reading notes. I consider myself a self-taught writer. I’ve had a few college classes, but most of my progress has come by trial and error, by falling off the horse and getting back on again.

For example, I love formal, metric poetry, like sonnets, pantoums, villainelles, etc. I love how the structure forces you to refine your words until you have created something that’s a pure thought set to an elegant, subtle rhythm. The problem is, I suck at it. Still, I believe like E.B. White, who said that he wanted to be a poet. Poets, he said, are “the great ones.”

Whether children’s writing or journalism, it always means a lot to me when someone takes the time to tell me I’ve written something that’s touched them or caused them to think differently, to see a situation in a new light or to understand a topic better. I love getting letters from kids who have read my books, when they tell me how much they like the characters or that they can relate to the stories.

Another installment from the Q&A exchange I recently had with a reader. Again, my answer is divided in two parts, because of the two types of writing I do:

2) What is the pay like?

Writing for children — Don’t quit your day job. Do it because you love it, because you love to create stories. love the process of writing and love to engage readers. I’ve met many published writers. Many have day jobs.

Journalism — The pay is not great, compared to other careers. The “career journalists” I know do it because they love to write and feel compelled to tell the story of their community, warts and all. They understand the important role newspapers hold in keeping city and county governments accountable to the people. They also understand that with each day’s edition, you are writing history. There are some stories that, when you write them, you know 10, 20, 30 years from now someone will dig through the newspaper archives and use that story as part of their research, as an historical record of some event or person. It’s interesting to think about that.

Had a recent request from a Facebook friend to answer some questions about the writing life. After I read them, I thought they might make a good series of blog posts.

Thanks, Mindy!

1) What things made it challenging for you to be a journalist and a writer?

I split my writing life into two identities, so I will have to answer this in two different ways:

Writing for children — The most challenging thing is to stick with it and not give up. It is VERY difficult to get published. I will not pay to publish my own work and I never have. If I can’t get an editor interested, then I need to polish my work or keep writing stories until I DO write something that will make an editor sit up and take notice. I’ve been fortunate to do that four times. I thought that getting accepted once would mean no more fears. Yet I found the second book was just as gut-wrenching as the first, and so on. The problem is then, “What if I fail? What if I’m out of ideas? What if it’s a fluke that I even got published in the first place?” I’d say that’s the hardest thing, always second-guessing your abilities.

Journalism — Lots of things were hard for me at first, like learning to be bold and ask questions, understanding how open records laws work, adapting to situations I’d never been placed in before (from flying in a four-seater airplane over a brush fire to being at the scene of a car wreck to covering volatile city council meetings). The writing was easy. It was dealing with people and situations I wasn’t familiar with that was the most difficult.

I’ve organized our SCBWI region’s booth at the Southern Festival of Books, which is held outdoors on Nashville’s War Memorial Plaza, for four of the past five years. This year, the weather was not very cooperative.

We tried to set up Friday morning, and the wind was blowing so hard we thought it would blow the booth over. When we finally got our equipment together and started setting out our display materials, we were told to pack up and go to the basement of the Legislative building. There was a severe storm headed our way! My friends and I sat on the basement floor and ate chocolate chip cookies while we waited for the storm to pass.

Once we were able to go back outside, we set up again and opened the booth. A few minutes later, a monsoon hit. The crowd dwindled to zero.

I spent the rest of the evening chatting with my friend, SCBWI-Midsouth Regional Advisor Genetta Adair, in a cozy booth at a Panera Bread. Then, to reward ourselves for surviving such a taxing day, we bought a bag of dark chocolate truffles to eat while we checked our e-mail back at the hotel.

Ah, the exciting life of writers!

On Saturday, we didn’t have rain, just heavy cloud cover, cold winds, and high humidity. Got to hear Kate DiCamillo speak. She talked a bit about the path she traveled to become a published writer, then said she believes it takes more tenacity than talent for a writer’s dream to come true. I got three copies of The Magician’s Elephant signed. She was gracious, even to those of us who were in the back of the line that snaked around the inner court of the Legislative building.

Sunday was a perfect autumn day, sunny and cool.

I’ve decided to relinquish my post as volunteer booth coordinator so that someone with fresh ideas can take over. I may attend the festival next year just as a spectator, so I can hear more author presentations and check out some of the booths I’ve missed.

I have to admit, though, that the best part of the festival has always been hanging out with my SCBWI friends, like Genetta, Tracy Barrett, Shellie Braeuner, Linda Ragsdale, Cheryl Mendenhall, Alison Lyne, Donna Getzinger and Kristin Tubb.

I even got to meet Elizabeth Dulemba  this year, and learn more about her amazing talents.

This event is just one of the many opportunities I’ve been able to enjoy because of my membership in SCBWI. The Southern Festival is for everyone, of course, but being a part of the world of children’s writers and illustrators has made it a much richer experience for me. The chance to meet and learn from others who share your interests is priceless.

SCBWI-Midsouth will have a booth at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville this weekend.

This is our fifth year to participate in the festival. It’s a wonderful weekend! There are author presentations, panel discussions, book signings, musicians, food, children’s activities and more.

And, of course, there are lots of books for sale.

If you’re around the area, stop by our booth and say hi!

It will take my aging brain several days — possibly weeks — to process all the information I gleaned from the 2009 SCBWI-Midsouth Conference. We were blessed to have the warmest, friendliest, and most inspirational faculty I’ve ever seen assembled in one place at one time.

Several upcoming posts will be devoted to sharing what I learned during the weekend. I’ve decided to start with the one “goosebumps” moment I experienced.

If you ever have the opportunity to hear Cheryl Klein teach “Principles of Plot,” go. Don’t miss it. Don’t make excuses. Just go.

Over the years, I’ve spent tons of money on books that I hoped would give me a better understanding of how to plot a story.

There are rare times when we have a thought or impression that is so powerful that it affects us physically. We get goosebumps. We shiver. We gasp, awed by that “lightbulb” moment.

Halfway through Klein’s workshop, a switch flipped in my brain and the light came on. It was as if a thousand puzzle pieces suddenly clicked together, creating a recognizable image. (Looking back on it, I hope I didn’t gasp out loud!)

At last, the principles of plot were no longer mysterious and unobtainable.

My thoughts raced. I flipped a page in my notebook and started writing. My hands trembled. I couldn’t form the words on paper fast enough.

It was such a relief, at last, to understand — to know.

At the end of the presentation, I tried to thank her, but I was so full of nervous excitement that I know I did a poor job of expressing my gratitude.

Hopefully I can make up for that with this post.

Cheryl Klein, if you read this someday — thank you. Thank you for coming to our conference and teaching the principles of plot in a way that I could understand. Thank you for your workshop. I came away inspired to work harder, to keep writing, and to put the knowledge you shared with us to good use.

If you’d like to keep up with the goings-on at the SCBWI-Midsouth Conference, you can follow the live conference blog here.

Final conference tip:

Bring lots of money to purchase some great books at the booksignings!

Time to interrupt the conference tips series with a disclaimer.

Lest I sound all high ‘n mighty, I must confess that I am guilty of some of the aforementioned heinous conference behaviors.

Ugh.

Anyhoo, I’m going to share a few of my past oopsies with you, along with this bit of wisdom: Learn from your mistakes. That’s what I’ve done. I’ve goofed up critiques or conversations because I didn’t know what was against protocol — hence the reason I am posting conference tips, dear reader. Now that I have a few more writing years under my belt, I’ve arrived at the place where I understand that each conference, each critique, each chat teaches me something. When I act in an unprofessional manner, I lose that learning experience. Conferences and retreats are expensive and don’t occur every day. I can’t afford to lose any opportunities.

I am happy to say that I’ve never cornered an agent or editor in a bathroom, janitorial closet, elevator, restaurant, hallway, or gift shop. I am also proud that I’ve never monopolized a conversation or used a cell phone during a workshop.

I have, however, been guilty of:

• Crying during a critique. I know the critiquer didn’t mind — she hugged me at the end! She’s probably the warmest, fuzziest person you’ll ever meet in the business. By the time she was finished with me, she had me convinced I could fly. However, there are lots of agents and editors who are immediately turned off when the waterworks turn on. They say it’s a business and we should behave that way. They are correct.
• Contacting the agent assigned to critique my work prior to the conference. Ack. Looking back on it now, it was SUCH a stupid thing to do! I will never, ever do that again.
• Not listening during a critique, because my mind was racing! I was thinking about what I should say next, how I should respond, rather than soaking up the advice. Dumb, dumb, dumb! D’oh!

So just remember, as you read my final pre-conference thoughts this week, that I have been there and done that.

Now I know better, and so do you.  

Swallow your pride.

Cliche, I know. Yet if you want to gain anything from a writer’s conference, especially if you participate in a critique, you have to learn to set aside your feelings.

It’s tough sometimes to listen to others review, and dissect, your writing. Even when you know your work needs critique and you understand the value of having your work reviewed by other pairs of eyes besides your own, it’s still embarrassing when someone tells you something you’ve struggled to get on paper doesn’t work.

Example — I wrote a lengthy feature at work the other day. Actually, it was night. I’d had a long day at work, couldn’t get to the feature assignment until the evening, and was pressed for time to get it done. Thanks to divine intervention and a large diet Coke, I was able to focus. I finished the story in time to go home and catch the 10:00 news. I printed copies of my story and left them on my co-workers’ desks. Then I sent e-mails asking them to give the story a read-through and to let me know what changes were needed.

The following day, I asked for their suggestions. One was to cut what they described as an “awkward phrase.” Another error was worse – I’d left an important fact out of the story. It was one that I was not aware of (actually, I should have remembered it but didn’t). Fortunately, it was something my co-workers recalled. If I’d left it out of the story, it would have been like leaving the bacon out of a BLT.

I’ll be the first to admit, I was embarrassed about the awkward phrase, and more distressed that I’d omitted the Very Important Fact. I know my face turned red as a beet and my voice quivered with every other question after that.

However, I was so glad my co-workers read my story and found those errors. Better to be embarrassed before, than after, publication! My co-workers are amazingly gifted writers. They have strengths in areas I don’t. I trust them to tell me straight up when they see a problem, and thank goodness they do.  I re-worded the awkward phrase and added the necessary fact to the story.

Of course there’s a difference between news writing and writing for children. Yet the value of critique is just as important for a picture book manuscript as for a spot news story. Whether your manuscript is being critiqued by an experienced agent or editor, or another writer has taken a red pen to your novel, listen to their comments and consider them. If you hear the same criticisms, it’s likely that part of your work needs revision. If you’re hearing the same compliments, consider yourself fortunate.

Critiques will help you become a better writer. I promise.

Attending SCBWI conferences helps you learn how to interact with editors and agents. You gain an understanding of what they’re looking for, how to submit to them, etc., etc., etc.

The first time I had a critique with an agent at an SCBWI conference, I was scared to death. I did and said all the wrong things. That was several years ago, and I have learned from that experience.

Agents and editors, as we like to say here in the south, put their pants on one leg at a time,  just like we do. When you go to a conference, don’t be afraid of them. Be friendly. Thank them for coming to your conference. If they’re critiquing your work, thank them for their comments, even if you feel like crying by the time they’re finished. (And do try not to cry. There are agents out there that do not like tears during critiques. This is a business, after all, and we must learn to behave in a professional manner.)

HOWEVER …

Don’t behave like a used car salesman and hound them until they agree to take your manuscript for a test drive.

Don’t corner them at the end of a workshop, in the hall, in an elevator, on the front steps of the hotel, in the dining room …

And if you’ve paid for a critique, don’t expect them to read your work and immediately offer representation.

Read the Upstart Crow blog for an agent’s perspective on conference groupies. Don’t behave like the zombies in the photo. Zombies are scary. Don’t be scary.

I’ve volunteered at several conferences. Once, I had to literally PULL an agent away from a gang of desperate writers.

It’s not a pretty sight. And believe me, it doesn’t leave a good impression on the agent.

Eleven days until the SCBWI-Midsouth Annual Conference. Woo! If you’re a writer or illustrator and you’ve never attended an SCBWI conference, go to the SCBWI web site and search for a conference near you. It’s time and money well invested in your career.

Perhaps you’re asking yourself, “Why should I go to a conference? How would I benefit?” In today’s post, and in those leading up to the conference, I’ll share some reasons why SCBWI conferences are so awesome, and I’ll even include some tips on how to get the most from your conference experience.

Conference Perk #1: The energy generated at an SCBWI conference is contagious, long-lasting and will keep your creative batteries charged for weeks.

There’s always an air of excitement at an SCBWI conference. Opportunities are there for networking, making friends, finding critique partners, and more. Where else can you sit and chat with multi-published, well-known authors?

Children’s writers and illustrators are an incredibly friendly bunch. I’ve never met one who wasn’t willing to talk about their creative process, what motivates them, etc. From the pre-published to those with book sales in the millions, we all share a common experience — the long hours spent alone at the computer or locked away in a studio, perfecting manuscripts and artwork, wondering if anyone will find our creations fit for publication.

Perhaps we’re all bound together by the insecurities we share that seem to be an inherent part of the writer’s/illustrator’s craft. We empathize with the struggles of our fellow artists and wordsmiths. And we all have that desire to tell a story that will send shivers of delight up and down a child’s spine, or will capture the readers interest so that he’s willing to stay up late at night and read the book by flashlight under the covers.

Whatever the case, it’s wonderful to spend a day or a weekend among like-minded souls who savor a great metaphor or make a living sketching friendly monsters.

Just a brief post tonight …

Had a thoroughly relaxing Labor Day, which was needed to help me cope with the current crunch time at work.

You won’t hear much from me for the next few days. For those of you familiar with newspaper jargon, I have four, 35-40-inch stories to write by Friday, plus get photos to go along with, in addition to my everyday assignments. I still have 3 interviews I need to do for these extra stories.

There are only so many hours in a day.

I am feelin’ the stress.

I am going to try tweeting again, thanks to a recent discussion on our SCBWI region’s e-mail listserv.

I reinstalled Tweetdeck, and it’s improved much in the past two months.

I also found a nifty widget to add to my sidebar, so blog readers can see my tweets.

I’m going to try to stick with it this time.

Still, I’m wondering … will I ever get any writing done?

Speaking of WIP (that’s Work In Progress, for those who don’t know) I’m revising a picture book manuscript, getting it ready for the group critique session at our SCBWI-Midsouth conference later this month.

We now interrupt this blog for a very important message …

***

Hello Ami,

I know you’re reading my blog.

How do I know?

Because I’m your mother. I always know.

Tell David that life goes on, even after the meniscus is gone.

Give Mutt and Minnie kisses, and pat Jasper and Nala for me.

Can’t wait to hug you both at Christmas.

luv, mom

Now get back to work!!!!

***

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging.

Just a random brain dump as the day draws to an end:

• Had a great day off from work. Got caught up on lots of stuff, including editing our SCBWI regional newsletter. Came up with a story idea about a writer with a split personality. Disguised as a bulldog reporter who turns bad guys into Shredded Wheat with her retractable teeth sharper than a box of new No. 2 pencils, this writer is actually a pretty-in-pink princess following the fairy dust trail in hopes of reaching the Palace of Publication. Since Disney just bought Marvel Comics for a cool $4 billion, my animorphous royal beauty/angst-ridden superheroine could be just the character to tie the two conglomerates together. I could pitch my story as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde meet Dr. Suess and Anderson Cooper, but with less blood, more truffula trees, and fewer commercial breaks.
• Happy to report that changes may be imminent at our local animal shelter. Several concerned citizens showed up for the humane society’s board meeting today to let the director know that a 79 percent euthanization rate is unacceptable. They demanded better treatment for the critters. She’s agreed to allow volunteers and let the community become more involved in shelter operations.
• Today marks 25 days until our annual SCBWI-Midsouth conference in Nashville. I can hardly wait! Faculty includes associate editor Kaylan Adair of Candlewick Press; Henry Holt creative director Patrick Collins; Caroline B. Cooney; senior editor Cheryl Klein of  Arthur A. Levine Books; and agent Chris Richman from the new Upstart Crow Literary agency. Best of all, I can’t wait to get together with my Midsouth buddies. Children’s writers and illustrators, whether we’re published or just getting started, are a friendly bunch and I do believe the SCBWI-Midsouth group is among the friendliest!