A month or two ago I stumbled across a unique book while in the Children’s department of our local Barnes and Noble. It was called Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated). I read through it and the story really stuck with me. It impressed me because it was a successful, different take on a princess story. So, when I returned to B&N recently, I happily purchased the book.
The illustrations have a flat, chess piece like quality to them, and the language of the story is simple and endearing. Compromise, friendship, and freedom are the themes that are emphasized.
Though it is not quite an earth-shattering book, I do believe it is a sweet one. And one that can be enjoyed and visited again and again.
This weekend I stumbled upon the blog “Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast” which is also lovingly known as “7-Imp”. It’s a blog about books (primarily Children and Young Adult), writing, illustration, and the industry.
Packed with interviews and features on a variety of people (emphasis on illustrators), it seems like a good introduction to some of the roles in the children’s literature world. After scanning through a few posts I can tell that I’m going to become an avid reader and eventually commenter to the blog. It definitely looks like an excellent place for inspiration and ideas.
*Image is the header for the “Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast” blog. Found here.
The act of writing is an act of optimism. You would not take the trouble to do it if you felt it didn’t matter.
~Edward Albee (1928- )
Trying to take great strides in the optimism department these days. Focusing on the negative does not seem like the best mode of operation.
Hope, dreams, ideas…..those are the things that breed great writing. Optimism is starting to look like an invaluable tool.
Over the past week I’ve pounded the keys on my typewriter and computer fleshing out the beginning of a story. It’s very exciting to get this far in the process, it is a place I have never ventured. I’ve brainstormed, talked, and jotted down story ideas, but this is the first time I’ve found characters and a plot that I love. Love enough to engulf myself in the writing of it.
Finding the time to write has been, is, and I believe always will be my greatest challenge. But here is the truth of the matter: If you love something you will make time for it. That’s true for anything. For some people it is cars, shopping, sports, crafting, or even blogging. Though I have other activities I make time for (and a few I’d still like to), I am making an effort to put writing near the top of the list. As I said before, I believe I have finally found a story I love and that has made all the difference in how much time and effort I’m willing to invest.
Also, I have a standing appointment at the close of each week with a great friend who is also a brilliant artist. Her name is Amanda Dockery (and you can find a link to her work on the side of this blog). We are collaborating on ideas for the story and she will sketch out ideas and ultimately be the illustrator for the book. Having a standing appointment with her gives me added motivation throughout the week and also provides an excellent sounding board for ideas. By the close of each meeting we are always excited about where the story is heading. That encouragement is invaluable.
So let me just encourage you to make time for whatever it is that you love but might also be a challenge. It will most likely push you to grow in unexpected but astounding ways.
I have yet to settle on a favorite writing tool. So far I have used:
Ecojot, the journal
and
Eve, the laptop
They both have pros and cons, and but I like being able to switch back and forth depending on my mood.
And since I just put new ribbons on them, I am now planning to try writing with my typewriters:
Frank, the script typewriter
and
Nancy, the courier typewriter
I tend to enjoy change, so using different tools to write greatly appeals to me. We’ll see if I one day settle on a favorite, though variety and nostalgia would most likely keep me from abandoning journals and typewriters completely.
It’s not all about speed and ease of use, it’s also about the pleasure you find in the act of writing.
I admire anybody who has the guts to write anything at all.
~E.B. White (1899-1985)
That is rather encouraging. Remember, simply writing is an admirable and courageous act.
E.B. White certainly thought so.
Of course I’m still loving the books from the Time Quartet of Madeliene L’Engle, but this week I am going to re-read a book I started on last year. I quite enjoyed reading the parts I did, and the subject matter is extremely appropriate for this week. The book is An Irish Country Christmas.
Though it is wise to not judge books solely by their covers, I remember what caught my eye with this book was the beautiful dust jacket. Then once I read the back summary I was sold. The story is full of delightful characters that speak in a noticable Irish flavored dialect (not that I am all that knowledgeable about Irish lingo) which adds to the entertainment of the story.
This year I might not finish it prior to Christmas day, but I think I’ll finish it this weekend at least. I certainly hope it will be a good holiday treat!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Sky Writings! Hope you have a blessed time and perhaps even curl up with a good book or writing notebook!
*Picture of book cover found at Amazon.com
Update: December 27th at 8:45pm I just completed An Irish Country Christmas, thus meeting my goal of completing it this weekend! The book itself was fine, though I must admit it was not as I expected. Doubtful if I would ever recommend it to anyone, but it was a decent read and it kept with the Christmas spirit nicely.
I remember reading A Wrinkle in Time way back in the 6th grade. At the time, the book rather confused me and I didn’t like it at all. I think that was before my reading comprehension had fully developed, but anyway…
Over the last few years I learned more about the author of A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle. She was an amazing writer, thinker and woman of faith. With that newfound knowledge I started to rethink my young dislike of A Wrinkle in Time and the subsequent books in the series (known as the Time Quartet). Since then, the books have been on my mental “To Read” list. And I got my own copy of the series about a month ago.
I finally sat down and cracked the book open today. Let’s just say that I read a few chapters, took it to the gym to read a couple more chapters while biking, and then completed the rest of the book in one sitting. This isn’t proof of my skill or speed as a reader, it’s a simple and quick read.
However, it is proof of the excellence of the characters, plot and writing found in A Wrinkle in Time. The book blew me away and the themes of love and uniqueness (individuality) happily surprised me. All of the (good) characters were so well described and lovable. It was an added bonus that one of the characters, Mrs. Who, is a constant wealth of quotes, it is her way of communicating. (Quote junkies rejoice!) Also, philosophical concepts were spattered all over the story, just look at the example below.
Meg: “Do you think things always have an explanation?”
Meg’s Mother: ”Yes. I believe that they do. But I think that with our human limitations we’re not always able to understand the explanations. But you see, Meg, just because we don’t understand doesn’t mean that the explanation doesn’t exist.”
~A Wrinkle in Time, Chapter Three
All of the above being said, I heartily recommend the book, A Wrinkle in Time. It has been a great writing inspiration and a truly enjoyable read. I am now extremely excited to continue in the series to the next book, A Wind in the Door!
*Picture of book cover found at Amazon.com
Most beginning writers – and I was the same – are like chefs trying to cook great dishes that they’ve never tasted themselves. How can you make a great – or even an adequate – bouillabaisse if you’ve never had any? If you don’t really understand why people read mysteries – or romances or literary novels or thrillers or whatever – then there’s no way in the world you’re going to write one that anyone wants to publish. This is the meaning of the well-known expression “Write what you know.”
~Daniel Quinn (1935- )
I have always heard “Write what you know.” I’m currently trying to follow that advice. And this quote gives excellent background as to the meaning of that phrase.
Thoughts and emotions are natural, but cannot be allowed to grow into seemingly unconquerable obstacles on the way to the goal of writing. An example would be confusion over which story idea to follow next. That is a feeling that has been eating at me recently. I have been questioning how other writers would pick and choose among a long list of ideas which one is most worthy of time. That’s just silly, why would I need to be concerned about what others do? I should simply push through mentally and come up with an attack plan of my own.
I suppose it’s like running. I like to run for exercise and my goals tend to be either to get a faster time or to increase my overall speed (and sometimes my goal is to just run in the first place!). I don’t really watch other people around me and how they run, I just focus on my own feet, legs and breathing. Focusing on the goal is what helps me get past the pain, sweat and other obstacles I might face.
Accomplishing your goals is about focus and persistance, be it writing or running. Just worry about how you handle it and you’ll be amazed at what you push through and ultimately achieve!
