Books for Boston

If you haven't already heard of Books for Boston, and haven't donated, here is a great project being run by AC Gaughen. 

She is asking for authors and non authors to donate books for children. But before you send the book, write a message of hope, courage, or resilience. 

Here is a link to the blog post and information about how to donate: http://www.acgaughen.com/blog/2013/4/25/books-for-boston.html

I think this is a fantastic project and I found that in writing my own message of hope, I felt encouraged as well. Hope you will too!

Taking the Conference Home: A Post for NESCBWI13

It is always so exciting to attend a writer’s conference. To be surrounded by like minds and to rub elbows with published professionals, even well-known published professionals. I often hear people saw how much they want these feelings to continue even after they go home.

Well guess what? You can!

Join a critique group. Critique groups aren’t just for sharing work, they are for continuing that conference experience of being surrounded by people who share your need to write and talk about children’s books.

If you meet some great people (which I know you will) and they don't live near you, start an online group. 

If you want to meet people in your area, look for ways that the conference has provided for getting you together with them. At NESCBWI13 we start the conference with a Regional Meetup on Friday night. Open Group Leaders will be wearing stickers that say, "Ask me about my group." If there are no open groups in your area, take the time to find some people who want to start one. Don't worry if none of you have ever done it before. That's why you have a person like me (Regional Critique Group Coordinator) who can give you advice. I had never attended a group when I started my first group and now I coordinate the whole region. 

If you will not be at the Friday night meetup but will be at the conference, I will be holding office hours during Saturday and Sunday's conference registration. Please come by my table, introduce yourself, fill out a Looking for a Group slip, and check out our New England open group listings. You can also see these listings at http://nescbwicritiques.blogspot.com and looking at the list in the New England NEWS. 

And if you approached me at the conference to tell me that you want to join a group or even better, run one, don’t put it off. Do it. You’ll be glad you did. It really does make the conference last all year long.

Even the Writer Can Be Surprised

The other day I was working on a story and I said out loud, "Wow, I can't believe that happened." My seven year old daughter looked up from a piece of artwork she was creating, slipped off her stool, and came over to the table when I was writing.

"Mommy," she said. "You say that all the time. But how can you be surprised? You're the writer! Don't you make the stories?"

How could I explain to my seven year old, that while that is true, I do write the story, I often find that I am not entirely in control of the plot. Matter of fact, sometimes I have no control at all. I am just the fingers that type the words down. The words themselves come from someplace deep inside.

At least I hope they do. Other wise the answer to my child really should be that mommy's just a little nutty and not to mind her.

Do you control your stories or do your stories control you? Leave a comment and tell me about it.