Black and white sketches

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River Center Mall

 What a great way to start the year! I just received via email the black and white sketches for my next bilingual picture book, Alicia’s Aguas Frescas/Alicia’s Frothy Drinks. The illustrator, Laura Lacamara, has done a great job bringing the characters in my story to life. I think it’s going to be a fun book that all kids as well as adults will like. This is all part of the journey of the book. Pretty soon I will be shown the sketches in color! Then the galleys. Then the finished product sometime in the spring. As I’ve said before, a picture book is a collaboration, a team effort, between the writer and illustrator and publisher. It becomes “our” book when it’s finished.

On the topic of manuscripts, are you about ready to pitch or query the story you’ve been working on to an editor or an agent? Has it been critiqued and polished and is ready to go? So where do you go from here. When I first started, I had so many questions and knew so little. I’m still learning about this business. I came across a blog article by Janet Reid, literary agent, on “ … the difference between pitch and query.” Visit her blog to learn more on this. Be ready. Submit. And best of luck.
“If you doodle enough, the characters begin to take over themselves — after a year and a half or so.” – Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)

Self promote your book

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Yesterday I was on a panel for our local chapter. The topic: learning tips and tricks to market your book through online and traditional methods. There were four of us on the panel, three writers and one illustrator.

Heather Powers, Maritha Burmeister, Lupe Ruiz-Flores, Catherine Stier

As we all know, with diminishing budgets, most publishers want authors and illustrators to do most of the promotion of their books. Some tips:

Promote your book on your Website, Facebook, and Twitter. Contact bookstores and libraries for booksignings. Network at writers’ conferences and at book festivals. I’ve gotten many an invitation for school visits and speaking engagements at these events. Always have with you promotional material for your book, i.e., brochures, postcards, business cards. The objective is to get your book out there in the public eye. Even if your book is not out yet, prepare and be ready for when it is published. It will make a big difference.  
Some time ago, I bought the book, How to Promote Your Children’s Book: A Survival Guide for Published Writers, by Evelyn Gallardo. It offers excellent tips on self promoting your book.

On the topic of Websites, I came across an interesting article, “Update That Website,” on publishersweekly.com written by Barbara Vey. It mentions the importance of websites and blogs for authors and why they should be updated regularly.

“Never try to chase trends. Write what you love, and write the best book you can, and worry about publication later.” – Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Thailand

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Taken at San Antonio Zoo



The other day I was watching a travel show on TV which triggered memories of when I lived in Southeast Asia. Years ago, I lived in Bangkok, Thailand. I remember the day I arrived. The first thing I saw was a water buffalo hitched to a plow out in the lush countryside. The few houses scattered around were built on stilts. I knew then this was going to be quite an adventure.





Pic taken at San Antonio zoo



We lived right in the city and every morning I watched from my balcony as Buddhist monks in flowing orange robes walked by stopping by the roadside to accept small bowls of rice offered by the faithful who came out to greet them each day. Images of magnificent pagodas (temples) around the city also come to mind. I remember the exotic floating markets (boats) with colorful wares of flowers, fruits, and vegetables streaming down the river. I remember being high up atop an elephant and its rough skin rubbing against my leg as my children and I rode on it. Then there were the giant geckos (lizards) that came out at night from the canal behind our house. They would adhere themselves to the outside surface of the windows scaring us to death.
Quite an adventure living in Thailand. I recently wrote a children’s story about a Thai elephant who yearns to be part of the royal court in the king’s palace but is constantly rejected. I will be sending it out soon. Wish me luck!

“Don’t hesitate to use a big word in a children’s story if you think it’s the best word – as long as young readers can ascertain the meaning through the context of the story.” – Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

First day of 2011!

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McNay Art Museum grounds

Hope you’re having a super new start on this first day of 2011! I started a new journal, a splendid one with a beautiful leather cover. It’s got inspirational quotes on each page. I already jotted down my writing goals for 2011. Speaking of goals, I came across a blog article, “Wishing Up Good Goals” by Jan Fields of Institute of Children’s Literature, which mentions goals versus wishes.

She writes about the difference between the two. “Many of us set goals for the year that sound like this: sell two stories a month or get book contract or get more respect for my writing from my family. Those are great things to hope for, but they depend upon someone other than you. Therefore, they aren’t goals, they’re wishes or hopes.”  Visit her link for more on this topic.

McNay Art Museum grounds
I took my own advice for one of my goals: nurture your creative side. I went to the McNay Art Museum in town and had a wonderful day viewing the magnificent art. The grounds are beautiful as well. I hope to do this more often. It’s good for the soul.



Mural at McNay Art Museum



A journal can be an invaluable tool for recording ideas, impressions, and anecdotes for future use. It can also help your career by instilling in you the habit of writing regularly. — Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

New Year’s Writer’s Goals

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Well, the year is just about over. Each year seems to go by faster than the last one. Time to set new goals as a writer. Looking over the soon-to-be-over-2010 list, I seem to have the same goals for the coming one: write and read more in different genres, polish unfinished manuscripts, submit them to publishers on a regular basis, journal, nurture myself as a writer, attend at least one writer’s conference or workshop, value my writer friends, keep the hope up, never give up. Of course, I don’t always get to do everything on the list, but I try.
 My shelves are full of writer’s books, which I really find helpful. One of my favorites, which I plan to read again is The Writer’s Book of Hope by Ralph Keyes. It’s uplifting and inspirational. I want to start the year off right by rereading this one.
Some sentences I highlighted: “Some aspiring writers give the impression that they’re looking for a ‘key,’ some wisdom known only to insiders on how to write and get published. There is none. The only key is persistence and knowing what you’re about.” Another one: “The struggle is part of the process.” And another: “Good writers think nothing of revising a manuscript dozens of times, if necessary.”
A writer friend emailed me that one of her New Year’s resolutions is to not get on the Internet or check emails until late in the afternoon. She’s reserving the morning for writing only. That is discipline. Carve out time for writing and stick to it. I read somewhere that if a writer writes one page per day, she/he will have written a novel by the end of the year. Some of us don’t have the time with our busy lives, but we can still devote at least 15-30 minutes a day to writing. A very good habit to form is to set up a schedule for the week and abide by it.
So for 2011, I shall be persistent in my writing and never give up hope. What are your goals?
Wishing you great writing days and a Happy New Year!

“I am still encouraged to go on. I wouldn’t know where else to go.” – E.B. White

Christmas stories

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Like I do every year around this time, I like to read Christmas stories from two books that my writer friends (who contributed to stories in the books) gave me a couple of years ago. Some stories are nostalgic, some are humorous, others are a little sad but with hope at the end. Always with hope at the end. The stories are uplifting and inspirational. Every morning I read at least two stories from each book.
Maybe you have a story or two that you’ve been meaning to send to publishers who publish anthologies. That is a great way for a writer to break into the business and get a byline. Not only will readers enjoy reading your story, but you’ll have the satisfaction of seeing your name in print. Make it a goal next year to submit your manuscripts to magazines, book anthologies, newspaper articles, as well as to book publishers. I might just be reading your story next Christmas.

Writing Slow

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Waiting for an appointment today, I continued reading the book, Chapter after Chapter, by Heather Sellers. The page I was on seemed to be just what I needed to read. You see, during a critique of my latest manuscript, some feedback was that the last few chapters seemed “rushed.” Hmm… After rereading, I had to agree. How did this happen? Well, according to Sellers’ fifth chapter, “Slow is Fearless,” she points out that sometimes when we’re anxious or nervous about deadlines, the amount of time it’s taking to write a book, or the fear that we have nothing to say, we tend to “speed up.” These are just a few of the reasons. She brings up several others.
But “… writing too fast, wanting too much too soon, is writing scared,” she writes. “Writing books is, and should be, really slow. The great books are still around – just like the great recipes, the great songs, the great trees – because they took a long time to develop.”
I think the word “develop” is the key here. It took me a long time to develop my skill in sewing. In the beginning, I ripped out seams, time and again, because I knew they were not right. But I stuck with it because I loved it. I took it slow, started to enjoy it, and finally became proficient in sewing. “Time-soaked writing is good writing,” Sellers writes. “Slow is good for the alchemy – the rise — of words and ideas and imagination and emotion.”



My cookies for Cookie Exchange Party
So I need to go back and take my time with those chapters that seemed “rushed.” Take a deep breath, take it slow, enjoy the process, and it will all come together.



Cookie Spread – Yum! Yum!



Wishing you a Joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Writers’ Retreat

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I was reflecting on a trip I took several years ago to a writers’ retreat in Pennsylvania. It was around this time of year that I spent a week secluded in a cabin surrounded by hundreds of trees and a nearby creek. It was cold when I arrived and some snow was on the ground. There were about a dozen other cabins for the other writers attending. We met each morning in the “big” house down the pathway where we had scrumptious breakfasts and settled down in the cozy living room to start our day.



Cabins in the woods
There were eight of us plus three faculty and for the next six days, we immersed ourselves in writing, making new friends, reflecting, experiencing great conversation at dinner every night, and joining in critique sessions. We came from all over the country and wrote in different genres. The faculty members gave us excellent guidance in the writing process. It was a writer’s dream. I kept a journal while there. Here is an excerpt from the first day.
My Cabin
It’s cold here but the sun is out and remnants of powdered snow still blanket the ground. Glad I brought my boots. My one-room cabin is nestled in a wooded area. The window in the cabin faces hundreds of huge trees. They stand firm and tall letting the sun filter through. A few orange leaves still cling stubbornly to some trees as if not wanting to yield to the coming winter cold. The small cabin creaks as the wind hits the walls. I like that the cabin has a tiny porch and a rocking chair where I can sit and take in the beautiful scenery. The radio is playing Christmas carols, but the reception is coming in with a lot of static. We’re out in the boonies; no cell phone service here. A few yards away are the other writers’ cabins. Can hardly wait for tomorrow to start the writers’ workshop.



My porch and rocking chair
After that week was over, I was more focused on where my story was going. I had a clearer map of the storyline. I listened and I learned. I had been experiencing doubts about my writing, but after that week, I felt validated. It was great being among experienced faculty and writers passionate about their work. If you ever get a chance to attend such a retreat, do so. We need to nurture ourselves as writers when we get the opportunity. For me, it was an inspirational experience I remember to this day.

“The most important thing you can bring with you to a writers’ conference (workshop) is an open and alert mind, ready and willing to listen and learn. Take advantage of every opportunity the conference/workshop offers.” —  Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Writer’s Inspiration

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In between wrapping Christmas presents and getting ready for the holidays, I’m trying to squeeze in some reading whenever I get a chance. The other day while at the dentist, I reread a few pages from the book, Chapter after Chapter, by Heather Sellers. I remember reading it a while back and really getting inspired to write. The second time around, I felt the same way. Not only does the author offer writing tips but she offers inspiration along the journey of writing a book.
In her introduction, she notes: “… Creating a book-length work is a whole thing unto itself, with quirks and lessons and challenges not found in any other endeavor. This book hopes to light the path, at least a little, so you can see what’s up ahead and prepare accordingly.”



Annual Christmas Cookie Exchange Party
Another form of inspiration for me are images and photos. I’ve gotten some ideas for stories from pictures and newspaper articles. In fact, my latest book, The Battle of the Snow Cones, was inspired by a photo in the local paper. If you’re always taking pictures like I am as you can see by my blog, here’s an interesting article, “Writers, Keep Your Camera Ready,” by Christine Collier, on how to make those photos work for you as a writer. Scan your local paper for ideas. I’ll bet there’s a ton of stories out there.

“A relaxed mind is an open mind, and an open mind is prepared to accept new and creative ideas. Remind yourself to enjoy the craft.” – Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Writer’s Goals

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Trying to get back into the routine of writing is pretty hard after the Thanksgiving holiday. With all the hustle and bustle of family and friends, it takes a while to get back to the PC and pick up where you left off on your manuscript. But that’s exactly what I’m doing. I don’t want to lose too much momentum here.
I’m also thinking ahead to 2011. What are my writing goals for next year? It’s not too early to start planning. The year is almost gone. Where did it go? Is time flying fast for you too? Have you met some of the goals you set at the beginning of the year? I know I haven’t. As the months go by, we tend to forget the enthusiasm we felt around the New Year – all kinds of expectations about where our writing will take us.
Have we pitched those stories we were going to pitch? Have we done our market research? Have we finished that story that needs to be finished? I’ve done a lot of things so far, but I still have a long way to go. Right now I’m trying to squeeze some reading in too. But I’m working on time management as well. Go back and revisit that list that you started at the beginning of the year. It feels good to check off a few off the list.



Santa Fe

 “The scariest moment is always just before you start.” – Stephen King (On Writing)