Book beginnings. Here’s a great post on the Mentorless blog titled, “Michael Arndt About The 5 Steps He Learned at Pixar to Write a Good Beginning.”

I’ve been busy doing research for a picture book about a circus and was delighted that a real one was in town. What luck!  I enjoyed watching the jugglers, clowns, trapeze artists, singers, and all the trappings that come with a circus. It had been years since I had attended one. Super exciting.

CIRCUS!

I also attended the Texas Library Association assembly meeting in Austin on July 9, 2016. See picture. Got to see fellow writers and illustrators. Always a fun time.

TLA ASSEMBLY MTG

I will be doing a young writers’ workshop in August. It will be at the historic San Juan Capistrano, one of the five Spanish missions in San Antonio. I’ve visited all five over the years and am always intrigued by the history behind these fabulous, historic missions.

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou

Agent Search.  If you are looking for an agent, which I am, here’s Sarah Laurence’s blog post, “Introducing My New Agent, Sara Crowe, and How to Find a Literary Agent.” In her post, she offers great advice on how to go about it. She notes: “If you’re looking for a literary agent, take heart from my story. Miracles can happen in the slush pile. This is such a subjective business. Finding an agent takes persistence as much as talent.”

As I write this, I have already sent out submissions to some agents. I am pitching a historical fiction YA with a Latina protagonist. Hopefully, I will get some responses soon although these things take time – quite a bit of time. Patience…patience…patience.

Chautauqua

A nonfiction story that was rejected years ago by a national magazine is being published this fall. I was genuinely surprised when I received an email from the same magazine that they wished to publish my article in their upcoming Fall issue. I had to dig through my files to find it again. Yes, it had been that long. Word of advice: do not ever throw any of your stories away. Even if rejected, they might just be rediscovered and published.

The most difficult task facing a writer is to find a voice in which to tell the story. -–John Grisham

Research for Writers. I’ve been busy resurrecting some of my stories that have been in my file for ages, revising them, and submitting them. It’s always fun to go back and look at what you’ve written so long ago and go hmm….. this has possibilities.

GARDEN PARK ELEMENTARY

Since I love to do research, here’s a neat article addressing this topic. It’s titled, “Research: A Writer’s Best Friend and a Writer’s Worst Enemy” by author Joseph Finder.  He starts his blog post with: “My name is Joe, and I’m a research alcoholic.”

He then continues his topic with: I wrestle with this constantly. I’ve had to set time limits on my research. If questions come up while I’m writing, I might make a call or fire off an email, but I don’t stop writing while I wait for an answer; I keep writing, and fill in details later. Take the word of a research-aholic: don’t let this happen to you. Don’t overdo the research, because the story is what’s important. Without a story, your pile of facts is worthless.

Visit his website www.josephfinder.com to read the complete post.

“The king died and then the queen died,” is a story. “The king died and then the queen died of grief,” is a plot. – E. M. Forster

Writers’ Critique Groups – As I’ve mentioned numerous times, I belong to two writers’ critique groups. I find them invaluable in helping me with my stories. So, here is a post on Jennifer Blanchard’s blog, “How to Get the Most Out of a Writing Critique.” If you’re interested in setting up such a group, visit her blog on how to get started.

Here’s an interesting post, “Adding a Stance,” on the KidLit blog about emotion in writing. Mary Kole, the author, writes:

You can add an emotional stance to almost everything. How does your character see the world? How they react to stuff will be a very good guide. Don’t just settle for describing something or someone. It’s in how you describe them that the reader will be able to read the narrator’s attitude and emotion toward them. It’s all about context, folks!

She shows examples of how to do it as well. Visit the post at the above link for more info.

Here’s a novel contest you might want to enter. But hurry, because the deadline is June 15, 2016. And if you have stories that are ready to submit, here is another publisher who is accepting submissions: PeachTree. Visit their website for submission guidelines. Best of luck!

Two pictures by students at Galindo Elementary after a school visit. First one is for my book, The Woodcutter’s Gift, and the second one is for The Battle of the Snow Cones.  Neat, huh?

The Woodcutter’s Gift

Battle of the Snow Cones

“When I write, I forget that it’s not real, I’m living the story.” – Stephenie Meyer

Texas Literacy Initiative – I just returned from school visits in Brownsville, Texas, and from a speaking engagement at the TLI 4^th Annual Launching Literacy Event held at the Robert Buchanan Art Center in Brownsville. It was a wonderful experience watching some of the students at one of the schools perform the traditional Mexican dance, “La Raspa,” after I read one of my books, Lupita’s First Dance. After the literacy event that night, I was interviewed by The Brownsville Herald. Such an exciting way to end the day!

Writing workshop for students – Last week, I had a really fun time in Brownsville, Texas, doing school visits celebrating Día de los Niños/Libros. I saw some simply awesome skits and performances related to books and literacy in the Brownsville school district. The librarians worked really hard with the students to put these events together.  I enjoyed doing writing workshops for the students who showed great enthusiasm in creating their own stories. They were especially thrilled that we had a writing contest.

Dia de Los Ninos/Libros

Speaking of contests, the Institute of Children’s Literature (ICL), blog is open to submissions for a Katie Davis novel contest. There is an entry fee but also cash prizes for the winners.

Chicken Soup for the Soul is also accepting submissions. They have many topics to choose from. Visit their website for more details.

Describe the most memorable first day of school. — The Writer’s Daily Companion

2016 TLA-Texas Conference-Had a fun time at the annual Texas Library Conference in Houston, Texas. Hundreds of librarians from all over Texas attended. There were sessions galore, vendor exhibits, author signings, panel discussions, keynote speakers, a Lip Sync battle contest, and a Texas Disaster Raffle with art donated by illustrator, Carolyn Dee Flores. But mostly, there were books, books, books. The next 2017 TLA-Texas conference will be held in San Antonio, Texas. My hometown!!

Art donation at TLA

Authors Lupe Ruiz-Flores and Crystal Allen

Revision – I just finished reading this guest post on the Cynsations blog on the topic of revision. Written by author Melanie Conklin, Using an Outline to Revise, it came just in time for me since I am in the process of revising big time. She notes: “… I went through the manuscript. As I went, I noted the scene setting at the top of the page, and jotted a very short list of the key plot points in each chapter. If there was a scene break, I drew a line, noted the new scene setting, and again recorded plot points. I made sure to limit myself to JUST the key emotion, action, and mystery plot points.”

Read the rest of the post to see if her revision process works for you.

SANTA FE, NM

And because April is National Poetry month, here is another post by Skila Brown on the Middle Grade Ninja blog, “How to Write a Poem in Ten Easy Steps.”

Always carry a notebook. And I mean always. The short-term memory only retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper, you can lose an idea forever. –Will Self

San Antonio Book Festival -The fourth annual San Antonio Book Festival, held on Saturday, April 2, 2016, was a huge success. The weather cooperated. It was a beautiful, sunny day with cool breezes keeping everyone comfortable. Authors and illustrators, both local and from out-of-state, did readings, were on panel discussions, and signed books.

Hundreds of book lovers converged on the grounds of the lovely Central Library for a day of literary inspiration. I bought books and had them autographed by some of my favorite authors. I also attended some authors’ readings before signing books myself. It was fun. Be sure to visit book festivals in your area.

San Antonio Book Festival

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” — Anton Chekhov