A little good news

I just learned that my YA novel, Sacrifice Area, took second place in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association’s Annual contest in the young adult/middle grade category.

Last year my MG novel, Stranded, took second place.

Thanks for stopping by.

Read Full Post »

Beginnings

The view from the farmhouse in the Italian Alps.

1.  I feel fortunate and lucky to have been able to spend time in Italy. Even though I didn’t visit the towns where my grandparents were born, I still felt an intensely personal connection with the land, perhaps because I spent several days with a good friend at a farmhouse that has been in his family for five hundred years.

A built-to-last stone roof.

2. Tomorrow I start a new job as the English Language Learner Teacher/Facilitator at West Valley High School. It is a semester-long position and will be a great introduction into the ESL/ELL world. I’m a little anxious because I’ve been out of the classroom for a few years but I’m also totally psyched to dive in and do the best job that I can.

3. My middle grade novel, STRANDED, was awarded second place in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association’s Annual Contest. This news came to me via email a few minutes before starting the 21 hour trip home from Italy.

So yeah, I’m feeling jet-lagged from the 10 hour time change, I’m still digesting the Italy experience (which I’ll write about in the future), and I’m a bit preoccupied by the details of my new job that have been streaming in today, but I’m smiling!!!

That's me at the farmhouse with a stone barn in the background.

Thanks for stopping by.

Read Full Post »

Cheryl Klein: Plot and Structure

 

Through Writer’s Digest, I signed up for a webinar given by Cheryl Klein, a senior editor at Scholastic. First, let me say that Cheryl didn’t waste one second of her 90 minute slot and delivered a specific and interesting set of ideas about how to structure and plot your novel. She has a book out, Second Sight, which I don’t yet own, but judging from the table of contents it covers what she covered in her presentation, and much much more!

Cheryl’s analysis of the three act structure and ways to employ it, her thoughts on emotion and action plots, and how to create interesting characters were all top-notch.

Another cool thing about Cheryl’s presentation was that while she did give many points and tips on plotting a novel from beginning to end, she also pointed out the myriad ways to get from point A to point B, the different avenues to explore. It’s like, okay, here’s a map with dozens of intersecting roads and trails, and based on the story you want to tell you need to pick the route and the person(s) traveling the route. So, while she emphasized structure and offered very specific techniques, her ideas were in no way limiting. In fact, they were expansive. Here’s a link to Cheryl’s list of questions to ask yourself about your plot.

I’’ve been to several writing conferences and own over a dozen writing craft books, and I’d definitely take another workshop from Cheryl, and I’ll probably buy her book.

Three ideas she discussed toward the end of her talk have stayed with me:

Truth and emotion are more important than a perfect plot.

Characters need to breathe—they are real.

Strive to tell the story as honestly as you can.

Thanks for stopping by.

Read Full Post »

An Invitation I couldn’t refuse: Project Mayhem

I’ve been given an offer I couldn’t refuse–to join the Project Mayhem Blog–subtitled: The manic minds of middle grade writers. I love that phrase!!

I’m honored to be invited and will be posting over there a couple times a month.

Other Mayhem members include: Hilary Wagner, Jen K. Blom, Dee Garretson, Timothy Power, Dawn Lairamore, Marissa Burt, Rose Cooper, Yahong Chi, Michael Winchell, Caroline Star Rose, and Matthew MacNish.

I’m really thrilled and humbled to be included in such a fantastic mix of writers and bloggers.

Please stop by Project Mayhem and say hello.

Read Full Post »

A little bit of news and what I’ve been doing lately

The blog has been a little quiet lately but that doesn’t mean I’ve been sitting around doing nothing.

1.  I had a wonderful two week visit with my family, one of the highlights being a trip to Grand Haven, Michigan to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary. Yes, I took a dip in Lake Michigan.

2.  I ran the Sunburst Marathon in South Bend, Indiana in high humidity and 80 degree plus heat. I’m glad I crossed the finish line before they called the race due to hazardous heat conditions.

3.  While I was in the Midwest, I received some good news: My middle grade novel has been chosen as a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association’s Annual Contest. Winners will be announced in August at their annual conference.

4.  I accepted a job for the fall semester. I will be teaching English to the ELL (English Language Learners) students at West Valley High School.  It is a ¾ time teaching position and just for the fall semester, kind of perfect for me in terms of keeping my writing going.

5.  I’m going hiking in the Italian Alps in late July/early August.

6.  And, am I working on a new book? You bet I am!!

Interesting. Is that public information?

That’s all the news that fit to tell. What have you been up to lately?

Read Full Post »