Monday Montage

The end of the school year for teachers is a crazy busy time, especially if you travel and have more than one building to close. I have three to shut down this year, and I'm preparing to implement a brand new program for next year. It is a fabulous opportunity for the kids, and I'm excited! Don't tell anyone, but I've got the best job in the district.

I've neglected my blog in May. Sorry! But today I've some things to share. It's a bit of a hodgepodge. No real theme, just some catch up items.

Forty-Seven days until I leave for the Writer's Workshop at Chautauqua (dances with glee in between severe bouts of anxiety).

I'm now on Twitter! That's right, one more writing distraction has been added to my life. You can thank Alex, a former student and current Novel Workshop attendee. He informed me that I needed to join because of the contacts, the information, and the literature chats - specifically #YALitChat, every Wednesday night from 9PM - 10:15 PM. He then proceeded to sign me up, give me a username and password, and emailed the information to me. I asked him if that made us both twits. He laughed, kind of, then forwarded to me a list of Tweet vocabulary. I am now ready for Twitterland, and I promise not to call any fellow tweeters twits.

I am reading a new book called HARMONIC FEEDBACK, by debut author Tara Kelly. You can find out more about her at her website, and on Twitter @AuthorTaraKelly.

Here are some recent posts I've read with terrific writing advice:
Wordiness, Wordiness, Wordiness List
The Ten Best Things You Can Do For Your Manuscript
NaNoReVisMo #1: the electric kool-aid conflict test
Nine Questions & Answers, by Cheryl Klein

Kim Kasch posted a beautiful poem on her blog today: Memorial Day - Let's Take a Minute to Remember

Thanks to author Rena Jones who awarded me the Blogger Buddy Award. (Sorry it took me so long to post). I love this, because it came from Rena, and because I'm a sucker for blog bling...

My garden (aka. the jungle) is calling.  I must attempt to tame at least one area before dinner. The rest of the evening is slated for my WIP.  Have a wonderful and relaxing Memorial Day.

Because It Made Me Think...

I'm amazed at this man's accomplishments. What a difference our mindset and attitudes make!

Mother's Day, Cool blog post recommendations, and Spellbound

Today is Mother's Day here in America, and for me, it's been a good one. My husband took me out for a brunch buffet at a local restaurant named Riley's. It was wonderful to be able to have an uninterrupted conversation! My daughter spent the night with a friend, but she came home with a big smile on her face and roses in hand. My next door neighbor's little girl arrived with a beautiful purple carnation, and my daughter and son presented me with cards that made me laugh and the DVD of Avatar. I have a terrific couple of kids and a keeper of a husband. Thank you all for making my day the best!

If you are a Sci-fi writer and you're world-building, Jaclyn Dolamore has a great post called 10 Awesome Books for Fantasy World-Building.

Angela Ackerman's blog, The Bookshelf Muse, is another great site to help you make your story come alive for the reader. I visit often to use her emotion thesaurus, setting description thesaurus, and color, texture and shape thesaurus.

And finally, I'm not much of a television watcher, but I do like Britain's Got Talent. There are several really good acts this year, but my favorite so far is a troupe called Spellbound. Youtube has disabled the embedded option, but you can watch by clicking here. Enjoy!

Antagonistic Synopsis!

My synopsis is out to get me.

Chautauqua has given me an assignment: Write a one page synopsis to send with the first 2500 words of my novel. Due June 1st. Okay, I can do this. I know what my novel is about. I've written the premise and turned it into a logline. I've prepared a picture file to help me visualize my settings. I've done character studies and I know my protagonist well. I've written the first six chapters. I thought it was all very clear in my head... until I tried to put it down as a synopsis. That's when I realized there were major issues.

First, my ending is fuzzy. How can I write my story if I don't know where I'm going? Second, I discovered I didn't know my antagonist. So I pulled out the big guns - Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, by Donald Maass.

I don't know if you've ever used this workbook, but it's a fabulous tool. Hard to do, but that's because he makes you dig deep to get to know your characters, their motivations, and plot development. He makes you think about your darlings thoroughly, and the results are well-rounded, believable characters that (hopefully) your readers will love, and a plot that satisfies. Did I mention this was hard?

I spent over two hours this afternoon with my antagonist -getting to know her, defining her desires and goals, working on the world of my novel and how she wants to change it. It was liberating! The ending fell into place - the last piece of the puzzle. I hope, anyway. I've listed the major plot points, and I'm confident I can write the synopsis. Now, if I can only get it down to one page...

Library Bloat and E-Readers

It's true. My personal library is overflowing. The shelves are full both at home and school. I've books stacked on the floor by the bed. The top shelf in my closet is stuffed with beloved novels, and I have myriads of books out on loan to friends and students. I keep telling myself I need to downsize, but I find it hard to say goodbye to such good friends. When it comes to books, I'm a pack-rat.

The problem is my to-be-read list keeps growing, and I've nowhere put new books. I know, I know... go to the library, you say. I've tried that. I end up with monster fines because I forget to return them. Sometimes I forget they're not mine and loan them to a friend. Not a good thing, especially if they lose it. But mostly, I like knowing my favorites are available to read whenever I wish.

I've considered e-readers before, but not for long. I love the feel of a bound book in my hands, pages to turn, no back-lit technology burning holes in my eyes. Books aren't battery dependent or terribly fragile. If you drop one, you simply pick it up and find your page again. Drop an e-reader, and you might lose your library, or at the very least an expensive bookshelf. That's something to consider when you're a klutz like me.

My storage crisis has forced me to reconsider my stance on e-readers. I've started to investigate what's out there. Admittedly, I don't know much about them except the prices are a bit daunting. I need to change my mindset. It's a storage unit that doesn't take up wall and closet space. The books are priced more like a paperback. Most I saw were around $9.99. That's less expensive than a new hardback...

Do you use an e-reader? I'd love to know your pros and cons.

Busy, Busy and New Baby!

I have a crazy busy summer ahead, and I'm really looking forward to it!

I've been preparing for the Writers Workshop at Chautauqua. I've finished revising the first 2500 words of my novel, and now I'm working on a one-page synopses. Why are synopsis so hard to write? Getting an estimated 60,000 words down to one page is difficult, but it must be done. It will help the staff decide who my faculty critique partner will be. I should receive a listing of workshops for the week soon. I can't wait to see the choices.

I received more good news last night. I've been awarded another scholarship! This one is to the George Washington Mt. Vernon Teachers Institute. It is a weeklong workshop intensive that explores 18th-century history with top historians. I'll participate in interactive workshops, tours, field trips, and group projects. After the workshop, I'm expected to share what I've learned in a district-sponsored seminar for my colleagues in my home district or state, and I must complete one lesson plan for dissemination to teachers across the nation on the Mount Vernon website. In return, I will receive professional development hours towards renewal of my teachers license - and it's free! Woot! This workshop is two weeks after Chautuaqua and two weeks before school starts again. Might be hectic, but I'm looking forward to it.

And finally, I've a new baby in the house! No, not that kind of baby... This one is an Acer Aspire One 10.1-inch Blue Netbook! I've named her Tink, and I love her. I've missed Humphrey (my deceased and ancient Macbook), and I decided it was time to replace him. Tink is small enough to fit in my purse (and my budget). That means I can write anytime, anywhere, and access the internet wherever it is available. She goes to school with me - I write on my lunch break. We've been to the library (cubicles AND internet), Panera and McDonalds (food!). I plan to write at the park this summer and on my back deck at night. I like the freedom to leave the distractions at home. I don't plan to add many bells and whistles to Tink -that would defeat her purpose. But when I need to see multiple documents and internet pages at once, I still have my iMac. My only complaint about Tink is she is a fingerprint magnet, so I ordered a Lotus flower skin for her.

Fitting for a faerie, don't you think!

Because It is Amazing...

I love this story! Who would have thought an elephant and a dog could become best buddies?