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I just arrived in the Santa Cruz Mountains for a weeklong writing retreat at the
Wellstone Center in the Redwoods. The grounds are gorgeous...and so peaceful...and I am just settling into my room and thinking of some goals for the week. One of my goals, of course, is to get some blog posts out!
The hustle and bustle of life really does take a toll on you (or at least it does on me), so I am so looking forward to the solitude I'm going to have this week. I've already cleared my regular work calendar and am going to spend the ENTIRE week focused on children's writing. I am excited to get back into the rhythm of writing and creating! And speaking of rhythm....
I Got the Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison and illustrator Frank Morrison has been on my "to blog about" list for far too long. Finally I am here to tell you about it! And a much belated thank you to the publisher,
Bloomsbury, for sending me a review copy.
The very simple text and exuberant illustrations in this book show readers that rhythm is everywhere -- if you just keep your eyes open. Musicians have rhythm in the way they play their instruments. Butterflies have rhythm in the way they flap their wings. Even street vendors have rhythm in the way they pass out food. And, as the main character in I Got the Rhythm finds out, once you find the rhythm, there are many ways to keep it going!
I looked at the rhythm with my eyes. BLINK BLINK
I smelled the rhythm with my nose. SNIFF SNIFF
I sang the rhythm with my mouth. OOH LA LA
The main character also uses her hands, fingers, hips, knees, and feet to keep the rhythm going as she takes a walk through the city with her mom. By the end of the book, her whole body is involved, and she is dancing up a storm!
If I find the rhythm again this week at my retreat, I hope I can keep it going, too. Let me know if you have any other good ideas for "getting back into the rhythm" or "keeping it going" once you find it...whether it's to do with writing, dancing, or another activity you love!
In June of 2014, Kirby Larson invited Augusta Scattergood, Susan Hill Long, and me to have a writing retreat at her beautiful vacation home in Washington state. We all jumped at the chance.
What a special time we had!
 |
| Here we are with Winston the Wonder Dog. (l to r): Kirby, Susan, Augusta and me |
Writing all day.
Then critiquing (so important).
Then breaking to watch the sunset and drink a little wine.
And here's the coolest part:
All four of the manuscripts we were working on at that retreat were published this year!
What are the odds? Seriously.
Here they are:
AND Augusta's book and my book are publishing on the SAME DAY (August 30).
What are the odds?
Here's the fun part: we call ourselves the Butterfly Sisters. Here's why (as I remember it....we might all have variations of the story).
In an early draft of WISH, I had a scene where the main character hurls some very harsh words at her friend. Harsh and sharp. I then wrote that she wished she could take those words back...scoop them up like butterflies in a net.
My brilliant peers pointed out to me that that metaphor didn't seem appropriate for gathering harsh, sharp words.
Dang it! They were right. But I loved that phrase so much I was determined to keep it. I just moved it to a more appropriate place.
So we had kind of a running joke about butterflies.
And all four books have some sort of reference to butterflies. (Go read the books and see if you can find it.)
So there you have it.
AND...this year Kirby invited us to have another retreat. BUT...Delta Airlines dealt me a lousy hand and cancelled my flight. So I couldn't go!!!
But we got together to critique the best we could:
Long Live the Sisterhood!
The course is a three-day intensive which will include master classes in life writing, with Monique Roffey, and poetry, with Loretta Collins Klobah.
Held on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, the retreat is for writers who have experience of work-shopping their work, and have either been published or are working towards publication. Morning workshops will be given over to poetry and afternoons will be centered on life writing. The two strands of writing workshops are intended to weave together and complement each other. There will also be time to work on your own writing, and evenings will feature readings from students and discussions about the creative writing process. The course is open to 16 participants.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
To apply, 1) submit either two poems or 2000 words of life writing (or both) and 2) a short resume of your writing experience to date to [email protected] Once your application has been accepted, booking is done via Mt. Plaisir Estate Hotel, Grande Riviére at [email protected]. You will need to liaise with Piero Guerrini at Mt. Plaisir Estate Hotel, for transport from Piarco International Airport, Trinidad, to Grande Riviére. A welcome dinner at the hotel is at 7 p.m. on Thursday night, 7th January, and we will start out first informal session at 8:30 pm. Please aim to be at the hotel in time for the Thursday night dinner.
The cost of the retreat is $TT 900 per day (including tuition, accommodation and meals) or $TT2700 for three days (£280 British pounds or USD $420 in total). Accommodation is shared and en suite. Single occupancy will be available at an added cost.
About the tutors:
Both tutors have many years of teaching experience.
Loretta Collins Klobah is poet and professor of Creative Writing and Caribbean Literature at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan. She has published poems in many regional and international literary journals. Her poetry collection, The Twelve-Foot Neon Woman received the 2012 OCM Bocas Award for Caribbean Literature in the category of poetry (Trinidad and Tobago). It was also one of five books shortlisted for the 2012 Felix Dennis Prize, offered by Forward Arts Foundation in the UK. She has received a Pushcart Prize and the Earl Lyons Award from the American Academy of Poets.
Monique Roffey is a writer and creative writing tutor, who has taught at COSTAATT in Port of Spain, Goldsmiths College, London, for the Guardian/UEA Master classes, The Arvon Foundation and privately in Trinidad. She is the author of four novels and a memoir. Her third novel Archipelago won the OCM Bocas Award for Caribbean Literature in 2013. She has also been short-listed for the Orange Prize, the Encore Award, the Orion Award and the Costa Fiction Prize in 2015. Her work sells in the UK, Caribbean, USA and has been translated into five languages.
Mt. Plaisir Estate is a world-renowned eco-lodge on the north coast of Trinidad. Behind the hotel, there is a small village and rain forest and in front of the hotel is a half-mile of white beach, the nesting destination of thousands of leatherback turtles every year. For more see www.mtplaisir.com
MIMS HOUSE: Great NonFiction for Common Core
The story of the oldest known wild bird in the world. At 62+, she hatched a new chick in February, 2013. Read her remarkable story. A biography in text and art.
Gifted and Talented
If you have finished a draft of a novel (however messy!), you are Gifted and Talented.
The fact that you are Gifted and Talented has an important implication for revising your story.
GT Learners. First, I’ve talked with Gifted and Talented Teachers about how their students learn. When they learn something new, there’s a stage where they are very uncomfortable. Usually, GTs learn quickly and easily; they catch on. But sometimes the material is more difficult than usual, or more complex, or more puzzling. For some reason, they don’t catch on. They are unsure of what to do next.
At that point, GTs get uncomfortable and since they are rarely uncomfortable with learning, they often bail out. Anger, frustration, fear, impatience–do you experience some of these emotions when you face a revision that just doesn’t seem to be working?
The very fact that writing well is a process of revision is frustrating to a GT. They are used to getting things right the first time around. Maybe the first obstacle is embracing writing as a process.
Once you accept the process, though, you must also accept that facing difficulties in the revision process is normal! But if you’re a GT (and you are!), then it’s doubly frustrating because you so rarely face things that are hard. When I do the Novel Revision retreat, I warn the writers that they may hit a brick wall sometime during the weekend. The process of thinking about revision may start to overwhelm them.
Forewarned is forearmed. I try to head off the problem of frustration by warning that it is inevitable. When revising your story, you will face difficulties. This is normal! Let me say that again: Difficulties are normal. To be expected. Inevitable. A normal part of the process.
You have two choices: face them squarely and deal with them; avoid them and quit. And of course–you can’t quit!
As a GT, you are uniquely qualified to solve difficulties in revising because you do catch on quickly. You know how to locate and use resources that will help. You absorb information from a wide variety of sources. Given a day or so, you could probably tell me 30 ways that others have solved similar problems.
If you have a complete draft of a novel done, you are Gifted and Talented. That’s good news. It might mean you have a lower threshold for frustration, but in the end, it means you’ll make it through the writing process in great shape.
Perseverance or just plain Stubbornness
We’ve heard the stories: Dr. Seuss? first book, To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937) was rejected twenty-eight times. Neil Simon, in Rewrites: A Memoir tells of over twenty drafts needed for his first play.
Most of us would have to agree with Vladimir Nabokov, “I have written–often several times–every word I have ever published. My pencils outlast their erasures.”
Or Dorothy Parker, “I can’t write five words but that I change seven.”
Or John Kenneth Galbraith who jokes, “There are days when the result is so bad that no fewer than five revisions are required. In contrast, when I’m greatly inspired, only four revisions are needed.”
Or Truman Capote, “I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.”
We understand that revising means doing it again until it’s right. But psychologically, that means the best trait a writer can have is stubbornness. On days when there is no hope sheer perseverance takes over.
Help
On those days, I highly recommend Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland. It?s my favorite books on the psychology of making art and goes into much more detail on many more subjects than I can here in five days. There have been days–like when I got that rejection of a novel after two revisions and fourteen months of dealing with an editor–that all I can do is sit at my desk and cry and re-read this book.
And start again.
Perseverance comes in two forms: revising until the story is right and making your art your way over a lifetime. It took Dr. Seuss twenty years after his first book to write The Cat in the Hat. ( 2007 annotated version). It often takes the work of years to hit your stride and produce your best work. We are in this for the long haul and this current book is just one of the waystations. Think career. Get stubborn. Persevere!
How do you deal with those deadly rejections?
By:
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on 7/4/2013
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Hi folks – I am posting today to remind you of the upcoming deadline for the Time2Write retreat. I am going to be one of the hosts for this event, and will be helping with the cooking and cleaning… so y’all can relax and write… draw… take photos… hike… pray… knit.. whatever you need to […]
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Do YOU need some alone time to write? Would you like to get away to a rustic lodge with just you, your computer, and a handful of fellow writers for some focused writing time? How about a chance to have your meals prepared for you, your dishes washed by someone else and no chores to …
By Laura Davis1. Writing retreats lead to deep transformative experiences, cracking us open and awakening us to new possibilities. Nothing is as powerful as walking away from our daily lives to enter a safe, sacred environment solely focused on enhancing and supporting our creativity. One of the things I love most about retreats is seeing people’s faces change from the first day to the last. They often look scared and uncertain on the first day—but by the end of the retreat, their faces are gleaming with love, connection and openness.
2. You leave behind all the things that distract you from your writing. When we are freed from our to-do lists and the relentless pressure of the “undone,” we are free to focus on our heart’s desire: connecting with the deep place the truest writing comes from.
3. You leave behind your excuses. Making a conscious choice to commit to your writing for an intensive period of time focuses the mind and leads to breakthroughs in your work—and in your life.
4. You step away from the routines and obligations that weigh us down and lead us to crave escape, rather than vibrant engagement in life. Escaping the habitual opens the doors to awakening and creativity. When we put ourselves in a beautiful place where the conditions are designed specifically to support and nurture us and our creativity, we hone our focus toward what we really want.
5. Traveling is transformative and enables us to leave behind old, tired identities. As Joseph Dispenza says, in
The Way of the Traveler: “When we move out of the familiar…we set in motion a series of events that, taken together, bring about changes at the very root of our being.”
6. Seeing a new culture awakens our senses and enables us to perceive the world with fresh eyes. What makes great writing “pop” is rich sensory detail. Traveling to a new place lets us see, smell, hear and taste a myriad of new experiences. When we enter a brand new environment, we continually notice the kinds of unusual, quirky details that make writing vivid and memorable.
7. Taking risks in life enables us to take risks in our writing. When I brought writers to Bali last year, I asked them to make the commitment to take a new risk every day. These ranged from tasting an unfamiliar food to starting a conversation with a Balinese person, from climbing under a waterfall to bartering in the market. We kept a log of our daily risks, and they got more brazen each day. These daily risks paved the way for us to take greater risks in our writing as well: approaching a previously taboo subject, trying out a new voice, reading a vulnerable piece out loud.
8. Traveling with an intention and a focus creates a far more meaningful vacation. When you travel with a purpose, your vacation is much richer than when you are simply go to relax or see the sights in a new place. And the fact that you are writing about your experiences guarantees a rich, lasting record of your adventures.
9. Living, working and playing with other writers quickly creates an intimate writing community. When you write intimately with other writers, you are deeply inspired by their stories. When another writer in the group is gifted at dialogue—able to evoke a vivid setting—or a memorable character—or is particularly brave about putting herself on the page—you learn to do the same through osmosis and example.
10. The new habits and friends you make at a writing retreat enrich your life for months and years to come. Students at writing retreats share a profound, life-changing experience. The bonding that happens at a retreat leads to lifelong friendships. People return home feeling refreshed, renewed, and deeply connected—both to themselves and to an amazing creative community.
***
Since she published her first book,
The Courage to Heal, in 1988,
Laura Davis has been teaching and encouraging other writers. If you’d like to experience the transformative power of Laura’s writing retreats, there are still a few spaces left in Laura’s “Write, Travel Transform” summer retreat:
in Bali, from June 21st-July 5th, and
in Scotland, from August 14th-24th. You can reach Laura at lauradavis[at]lauradavis[dot]net or call her at 831-464-9517.
By: Hazel Mitchell,
on 9/25/2012
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I promised a little run down on my recent visit to Highlight's Foundation in Boyd's Mill, PA. It puts the TREAT in RETREAT. Here's one reason ...
and here's another ...
Just in case we were feeling faint they fed us 3-4 times a day. And in between we were welcome to raid the pantry ... yee gads! Thankfully, all the top-notch food is locally sourced, cooked with care and healthfully. Which is good, because you wouldn't want to miss
any of it! Especially 'Angel Poop' .. my fav dessert.
But there's more to Highlights than just good grub. If you've no idea what I'm talking about, here's a link to their
website. They run fabby writing and illustrating workshops for the kidlit world at a wonderful facility in Pennsylvania. Highlights is allied to Boyd's Mill Publishers in Honesdale and the first day includes a tour if you get there a little early. Which I did. A day early because of flights (which they don't charge you for). I was collected from Scranton airport by a very nice chap called Bob. All the staff are very welcoming and helpful. It's a bit like being at a private country club for children's writers and artists, but with no boring golf or rubbish conversation at the bar.)
at Boyd's Mill ... some place to have your office ...
The Barn, where all workshops and meals take place. It's a beautiful building and very welcoming, with informal rooms to lounge around in and a big space for work and eating. Some nights we ate on the patio.
Attendees get to stay in cute little private cabins ... but I got to stay in the farmhouse, which I loved!
The workshop I attended (Advanced Children's Illustrators) had a great faculty - Eric Rohmann - Ruth Sanderson - Kelly Murphy - Floyd Cooper ... plus guests including Neal Porter (Roaring Brook Press), David Wiesner, Donna-Jo Napoli. During the week, staff and editors from Boyd's Mill popped in and shared mealtimes with us, which was very nice and friendly.
Days start early with coffee at 7.30am, followed by breakfast (and 2nd breakfast if you want it!) then workshops at 9am until .... you want to stop in the evening. It was great to have several days to experiment, the wonderful atmosphere and secluded surroundings of the foundation make it a pleasure. After a day your fellow attendees feel like family. The everyday world is a memory.
I wanted for nothing while I was there. Wifi is available most everywhere (phone service is a little squiffy, but there are house phones you can use a calling card on, or get folks to call you back). If there is anything you need - then you just have to ask. Did I say I worshiped the kitchen staff ...?
There is nothing, however, to top sitting down with seasoned professionals and listen to their experiences, chat around the dinner table or next to the outdoor fireplace and hear about experiences on a personal level. With only 24 or so attendees it was great to really get to know each other in intimate surroundings.
If you are looking for a different experience from the usual hurly-burly of the conference circuit, I suggest you give Highlights a try. The cost of the workshops are truly reasonable given the level of attention and accommodation. They also offer scholarships to those who qualify.
I leave you with some photos as they speak more eloquently than I ...
David Wiesner
Neal Porter
Eric Rohmann
Eric was my mentor for the workshop! Lucky me!
Kelly Murphy
Faculty Panel
Portfolio Showcase
Toodles!
Hazel
No, this isn’t a trick. No plastic thumb or fake dove here. Smoke and mirrors? Nah. This is a real treat. Better than chocolate. It’s a PiBoIdMo Retreat!
Yes, I’ve been kicking around this harebrained scheme to host a picture book writing retreat and workshop weekend with a PiBoIdMo theme in late November or early December. Am I nuts? Yes, of course! Only crazy pants people can be children’s authors, silly!
Cozy, no? Don’t you wanna just relax and write?
The Grand Summit Hotel in Summit, NJ is the proposed venue. Located in downtown Summit, The Grand Summit offers walking access to the NYC train, shops and restaurants, plus this mid-sized hotel provides personalized service and well-appointed rooms with a comfortable, hometown feel. (OK, with that description it’s painfully obvious that I’ve been obsessed with “The Price is Right” game on Facebook.)
Two picture book authors (moi included), one picture book literary agent and one picture book editor from a major house comprise the potential faculty.
And you, 24 PiBoIdMo devotees, will be the small, intimate group of lucky attendees.
There will be four workshop classes plus smaller break-out sessions. And plenty of time to write and gossip. How about a Friday night dinner soiree with open bar, too? Cranberry Cosmos for all! (Saturday-morning hangover optional.)
I am busy crunching numbers to determine if this is possible. So, if this sounds even remotely intriguing, please speak up in the comments. Tell me how much is a reasonable attendance fee (bear in mind you’d also have costs for hotel accommodations and transportation) and what you’d want out of the weekend.
I need your input, PiBoIdMo’ers! Let the comments commence!
When an author is invited to speak at a conference–Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of English, Science Teacher’s Association, School Librarians Association, etc–it’s a great opportunity to connect with an audience who is already inclined to like your books. You need to be ready to maximize your efforts at such a speaking engagement.
Do a great presentation. First and foremost, do a great presentation. Plan ahead, make sure the audio-visual setup works, have great handouts. Practice. It is worth everything you can do to make a good impression. Think about the needs of your audience, not about what you want to present. What would help your audience do their job better? Meet the needs of the audience, exceed their expectations.
Build a Mailing List. The second most important thing to do–if you do nothing else right, get this one right–is to build a mailing list. I just have a paper signup sheet asking for name and email. Period. Make it easy for them to sign up. At the top, I clearly state the purpose of the newsletter: Darcy Pattison’s News: Occasional Updates, New Releases, Speaking Engagement and Other News.
I use MailChimp (NOTE: This is an affiliate link.) to actually set up and send e-newsletters. I’ve tried Constant Contact, but found it harder to understand. With MailChimp, a free account allows up to 2000 subscribers. They also offer a simple mailing program–no html formats (which means no pictures in the email)–with TinyLetter. If you’re really afraid of doing this, try TinyLetter for a while: it’s simple, easy and fun.
Handouts. You should have handouts ready. A flyer on your latest book. Business cards. Sales coupon for your book. Something. At conferences, attendees LOVE freebies and will take almost anything you hand them. Think ahead about what you want to promote or what you want them talking about. Maybe you’ve just put up some great book trailers and you want people to go watch them!
Here’s a tip: If you want people to go to a certain website, use the bit.ly URL shortening service to create a custom URL just for them. You must be a member to use this feature, but it’s worth the registration. Try this one: http://bit.ly/ARA2011 Sure, you could do a designer QR codes, too, but how many people have the app? Be safe and try a catchy URL.
Schmooze. Talk to people! If you’re like me, you hate talking to strangers. OK. Find someone else who is standing alone and go talk to them. Remember how YOU feel standing alone and be a friend (To make a friend, BE a friend!)
Another tip: Read the newspapers closely for 2-3 days before you go, so you are up on current events. Choose a couple things that interest you and be ready to talk about them. It can
A new study sponsored by Cornell Center for Hospitality Research gives 3 solid reasons for face-to-face meetings, instead of just virtual meetings.
Co-author Mary Beth McEuen writes,
“. . .we identified three key reasons for face-to-face meetings: to capture attention, especially for new concepts; to inspire a positive emotional climate; and a related point, to build human networks and relationships.”
“Face-to-face meetings possess the unique ability to spur action and drive business results through creating powerful, emotional ties to your business mission and message. The fact remains that there’s no substitute for meeting in person when you want to build emotional support and develop relationships.”
I’m traveling a lot for the next six weeks, going to conferences and retreats.
- MI-SCBWI Fall Conference, on October 08, 2010, @ Yarrow Golf Resort near Kalamazoo, MI
- “Writing and Illustrating for Kids”: Southern Breeze SCBWI, Plotting Workshop and Keynote Speaker. on October 15 2010, @ Birmingham, AL
- Novel Revision Retreat: Upstate NY SCBWI, on November 05 2010, @ Syracuse, NY
- Novel Revision Retreat: Brazos Valley SCBWI, on November 13 2010, @ College Station, TX
I’m booking for 2011 and 2012. Interested in more information? Email me at darcy at darcypattison dot com.
A couple points here:
New concepts: Notice that the report talks about capturing attention for new concepts. At writing conferences, it’s easier to hold an editor’s attention for a few minutes while you pitch something. Practice the elevator pitch! Be able to discuss your story, your idea, your concepts in a few succinct words.
Positive Emotional Climate: Hey, please be polite and gracious and kind to guest speakers. You want them to come away with a great feeling about you and your organization. Put yourself in their shoes: they are in a room full of strangers. You don’t always have to pitch your story to make yourself memorable. Just a small kindness can do that for you.
Build Human Relations and Networks: Casual conversation can reveal unexpected points of connection between people and build tighter ties and relationships. Go to a conference with the idea that you’ll learn something, of course. And, of course, you’ll make connections with influential people. But don’t leave out your peers: they are just as important to network with. In fact, let’s don’t call it networking at that point. It’s important to make friends with whom you can share your joys and trials.
The results of the Face-to-Face study seems predictable: but it’s a good reminder to us of why we go to conferences, to meet people. I hope to meet YOU soon.
Coming in November: 30 Days to a Stronger Scene.
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 A few days ago I posted information about the writer’s Retreat we are having on October 1-3 at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton, NJ. I am happy to announce that Kristin Daly Ren (Remember she got married last year, so we need to get used to her new name) has agreed to join us for the weekend. Here is a little information about Kristin:
Kristin Daly Rens first became interested in children’s books as a career in high school, when she worked in her local public library shelving—and often covertly reading!—books in the children’s room. While studying at Boston College she became sidetracked by a newfound love for the works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and decided to learn German in order to get her Masters in Comparative Literature. In 1999, degree in hand and thoroughly finished with academia, she made the decision to return to her original love, children’s books, and moved back to New York to become an Editorial Assistant at Golden Books. In January 2002, she began working at HarperCollins, where she has been for the past eight years and counting. In May 2008 she joined the team at Harper’s newest imprint, Balzer & Bray.
Kristin has been privileged to work with authors and illustrators such as Michael Bond, Valeri Gorbachev, Charles Santore, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Jack Prelutsky, and Barbara McClintock. Currently, she is especially excited to be working with several talented newcomers to the Harper list, including Sudipta Bardhan, on the picture books Pirate Princess and Hampire!; Audrey Vernick, on the biography She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story and the humorous picture books Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? and Teach Your Buffalo to Play Drums; Diana Peterfreund, on the YA unicorn hunter fantasy Rampant and its upcoming sequel, Ascendant; and debut author Crystal Allen, on the middle-grade novel How Lamar’s Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy.
As an editor Kristin is interested in Picture Books through to Young Adult and includes fantasy, graphic novels & rhyme. She is very selective with non-fiction and historical novels, but does do them. Anyone who knows Kristin, knows she is a great choice for the weekend. You will love her. Hope to be able to announce the second editor soon. I have other goodies to talk about in tomorrow’s post and some new ideas.
Did you know that 12 or more cows is called a flink? Thought I would share what I just learned from a Snapple bottle.
Kathy
Filed under: Conferences and Workshops, Editor & Agent Info, Editors, Events Tagged: Balzer & Bray, Editor, Kristin Daly, Writing Retreat   ![]()
Reports from Idaho: Novel Revision Retreat
 Stonefly Lodge, Ashton, Idaho on May 1, 2010. Yes! Snow on May Day! Several participants from the Idaho Novel Revision Retreat have blogged about the weekend. And here are pictures of some of the great writers who were there.
 Wally  Sydney  Susan  Sarah  Rebecca  Neysa  Marla
A Different Approach to Setting Goals
I’ve been all about goals and resolutions this year, inspired in part by reading The Happiness Project and in part by my desire to make progress with my writing. After reading a challenge from the folks at Teaching Authors, I even wrote up a six-word resolution for the year (Write. Create. Revise. Complete. Enjoy. Repeat.) So when the Vermont Novel Writing Workshop opened with a session on setting goals, I felt like I was in good shape. YA Novelist and writing teacher Sarah Aronson, who organized the retreat and led the goal setting session, urged all of us in the audience to think realistically about how we use our time before setting our goals. How much time do we have to write? How much time do we spend caring for families, working at jobs, driving kids around, volunteering, cooking, cleaning, watching TV, and even, um…, blogging? Write it down, all of it, she said.
Since I write while my kids are at school, I have about twenty hours a week to devote to writing—all of my writing. That includes my novel, blogging here, blogging at StorySleuths, and writing short stories. Twenty hours is a good chunk of time, and I’m grateful for it. Then, Sarah asked us to consider how our schedules match up with our priorities.
Oh, I realize there’s nothing new to the idea of comparing time with priorities but I had never looked at it in the stark light of basic numbers. Twenty hours a week and maybe one or two hours spent on my novel? The rest spent on… what? Blogging? “Research”?
Holy crap.
New resolution: Spend two hours a day working on my novel before working on any other writing. Ten hours of focused novel writing a week should add up to real progress over time.
On Friday, I’ll talk about how the first week has gone. In the meantime, how do you allot your time? Do you set daily writing goals? If so, how does that work for you? I’d love to hear about challenges, tips, and ideas!
 Last weekend, I traveled to Montpelier, Vermont to attend the Novel Writing Retreat at Vermont College of Fine Arts, a workshop for 25 middle grade and young adult novelists organized by Sarah Aronson and Cindy Faughnan. The faculty included Nancy Mercado, executive editor at Roaring Book Press, Emily Jenkins (E. Lockhart for YA fans), and Uma Krishnaswami.Weekend Highlights  10. Visiting Montpelier. This was my first trip to Vermont, ever. It was unseasonably warm when I arrived (temperatures in the mid 60s!). I enjoyed walking from campus to town, which is home to the capitol, several bookstores, and the Capitol Grounds Coffee Shop. 9. Dorm Living
Here, at the end of 2009, it’s time to look forward to events in early 2010. These are recent announcements I’ve received.
Help a New Fantasy Publisher Get a Start
From Stacy Whitman. As you all know, I’m a children’s book editor. Since I was laid off at Wizards of the Coast, where I edited fantasy and science fiction novels, I’ve been freelancing, and I’ve decided that the next step will be to start my own company. If you guys are on Facebook, you might have already seen me posting about the small press that I’m starting, Tu Publishing. If you’re not, I’m working on starting a small publishing company that will fill a gap in the market, to publish multicultural fantasy and science fiction for children and young adults. Our website is http://www.tupublishing.com, if you want to know more about our mission.
To get started, publishing books takes a lot of money, even on a “shoestring” budget. That’s why I’m doing a Kickstarter campaign—to raise enough money to get started and give a reward to everyone who donates. If enough people donate $5, or $15, or $20, we’ll be able to reach our goal. For every donation through Kickstarter, the donator gets a reward: bookmarks, early copies of books we publish, books donated to libraries, etc. For a really big, pie-in-the-sky donation, I’ve even promised an author visit. :) So they get something for their money, and with enough people banding together, the project can become a reality.
The project has had almost 3 months to run. So far, we’re up to $4031 of $10,000, with just under a week left. So we’ve got some ground to cover—no money exchanges hands if we don’t reach $10,000.
Here’s the link to the Kickstarter page. It’s completely secure—payments are handled through Amazon payments.
Note: Scholastic editor Cheryl Klein also used Kickstarter to fund her book of speeches about writing for kids. It seems to be a new way of getting grass-roots support for a publishing project.
Fearless Writing by Crescent Dragonwagon
A Fearless Writing weekend — the Valentine’s Day/President’s Weekend (Feb. 12-13-14, 2010), Fayetteville, AR. Folks can get full details and register here but I’ll spell out a little more below.
We’ll begin Friday night, work/play together all day Saturday, all day Sunday, with a departure on Monday morning: about 12 hours together, plus informal times at meals — intense, but not at all tense. The workshop costs $895, and THIS INCLUDES ALL MEALS AND ACCOMMODATIONS. (Thank you, Mt. Sequoyah Conference Center!) You can pay all at once, or put $250 and down to hold your place.
IF FOLKS BOOK BY DECEMBER 15, THERE’S A $100 DISCOUNT.
I offer a full money-back guarantee (words you almost never hear about writing workshops, right?
I say them because I’m certain everyone who attends all the sessions will get every minute and every dollar’s worth put into Fearless Writing back ten- or twenty-fold, and because I really want people to come — I’m passionate about it).
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But I think it’s a GREAT idea!!!
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Laura--Going to a different place for a writing retreat usually means you can take your writing to a different place as well. I go to a writing retreat every summer. It's at an abbey, there's no TV and limited internet, the food is simple...what stretches in front of me is lots and lots of uninterrupted writing.
Thanks for the post.
I agree, Sioux and Laura. One day, I hope to go somewhere as exciting as Laura is offering! But for now, my critique group also plans a writing retreat every year. This yaer, we are going to Hermann, MO (wine country!), renting a house, and writing (okay and probably drinking some wine, too. :) I agree, you have to get away to write sometimes. Thanks for the post!
I have a writing friend who keeps inviting me to a writing retreat and it always seems life is saying no. One of these times, soon, I need to ignore the obstacles and just go. This post was a great motivator.
An inspiring list that really makes you want to go on a retreat. I guess that was your intent though!
Sioux, I think what happens on retreat is that people often have writing breakthroughs. It's enough to kick start people over a hump or a block or a stuck place. And if they continue to practice when they go home, it can lead to a lasting change, not just a momentary high.
Julie, I hope you say yes to your friend. It can not only lead to real breakthroughs in your writing; it can be a wonderful thing for deepening your friendship as well.
MP, take the leap and do it. You may find that you want to make it an annual event. It doesn't have to be fancy or exotic--though of course those are wonderful--just breaking your routine can make a huge difference.