Author Archives: Lupe Ruiz-Flores

About Lupe Ruiz-Flores

Children's Book Author

School Visit

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During one of my school visits a while back, I was pleasantly surprised when one little girl in the audience mentioned something I had not noticed before. After the book reading and during the writing process presentation, I showed a few newspaper clippings with pictures of animals doing amusing things. One was of five raccoons in a row drinking water from a puddle in the street of some big city. I use these pictures as writing prompts for the children to get ideas for stories.
The little girl looked at the raccoon picture on the screen pensively (I was using Power Point) and then said. “They are a family of five. You always see only one raccoon at a time. But in that picture, it’s a family all drinking water at the same time.” A family! I had never thought of the picture in that way. All the children nodded. They had smiles on their faces when they thought of the raccoons as a family maybe out on an outing. In the little girl’s eyes, she saw a family, which, of course, it was.
Another amazing thing that happened that day was unexpected. For me, anyway. When someone asked me how I got started as a writer and I mentioned I had won a national writing contest, to my pleasant surprise, they all applauded enthusiastically. They were genuinely happy for me. I was so moved by this crowd of fifth graders. Makes me happy I’m a writer. 
On a different note, have you ever thought about writing as a well-balanced writing diet? Here’s an excellent article from a Writer’s Digest blog by Stephenie Steele and Joe Stollenwerk about creativity. I enjoyed reading it and I think you will too. The article is titled, “Flex Your Creative Writing Muscles.”
“The young child’s mind is very much like a poet’s mind.” — Charlotte Zolotow

Kindle

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I came back from a trip a few days ago. While at the airport, I glanced around and saw a few people reading on their Kindles. I had a book. Once on the plane, coming and going, someone next to me had a Kindle as well. But the person next to him had a book as did I. We kind of smiled at each other.
Will I ever get to the point where I might buy a Kindle? I don’t know. Right now, I still like to feel the book in my hands. I like to turn the pages. I like to put my inspirational bookmark where I leave off. I like to carry the book in my tote bag. Puts a smile on my face knowing I’ll have some free time on the plane to take it out and read it. Maybe someday … a Kindle. But for right now, I’m sticking with my books.
“Touch magic — pass it on.” — Jane Yolen

Texas Library Association Conference

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I’m getting excited about the upcoming Texas Library Association (TLA) conference coming to our city next month. I just had a peek at the roster of authors and illustrators who will be there either doing presentations or signing their books or both. It’s a thrilling experience rubbing shoulders with some of the greats. I had the privilege of participating last year. I signed books at my publisher’s booth and met so many great librarians and some teachers as well. It’s a great way to promote your books and set up school visits or speaking engagements. Lucky for me, I’m doing it again this year.
Hundreds of books and just as many publishers’ booths filled up the conference hall last year. It made my head swim. My feet were begging for relief by the end of the day. But it was so much fun being among a gathering of your peers who have the same passion for books. And getting your favorite books autographed by their authors is a not-to-be-missed opportunity.
This year Scott Simon of (National Public Radio) NPR and Julie Powell of Julie & Julia fame will address the general sessions. For more information on this great event go to the TLA Website.

“Great stories give us metaphors which flash upon the mind the way lightning flashes upon the earth, illuminating for an instant an entire landscape.” – Paula Fox

That time of year

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It’s getting to be that time again – taxes! There’s some helpful advice on a blog in Writer’s Digest: Tax Tips for Writers by Chuck Sambuchino.
I keep careful records during the year of writer expenses and honorariums. I start a new spreadsheet at the beginning of the year, keeping tabs on a month-by-month basis of all the information I will need at tax time. Makes it a lot easier when that time of the year rolls around. I also keep receipts in a special folder for that year. Being organized is one of the ways to avoid last-minute anxiety when you’re doing your taxes. Keep everything in one place. Just keep adding to that folder during the year and you’ll have no problem at tax time. Know what is tax deductible and what is not. Don’t forget those conferences and workshops that you attended and paid for. Set up your own type of record-keeping system. What works for one writer might not work for another. Good luck.

“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.” — Writing tip from Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

School visits

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I did two author visits to local schools yesterday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Like I’ve mentioned before, these young audiences rejuvenate me. Their enthusiasm and energy is uplifting. Visiting their schools and libraries is always a treat for me.  I also enjoy the questions by the students during the question-and-answer session. They never fail to amaze me. From how old are you to how long does it take you to write a story to how many words does your story have, to do you draw the pictures for the book, etc., etc., they are always curious about how an author works.

After one of the school visits, a couple of young students (with their teacher’s permission) asked if I would take a look at the stories  they had submitted to their teacher for some writing project. I agreed. I was blown away by how well they wrote and what great imagination they had. I sort of critiqued their papers (because they wanted me to) and praised their work. They beamed. That’s what makes some of these school visits so rewarding.

“A good picture book begins with delight, ends with wisdom, humor, warmth, or love, and means more than it says.” – Barbara Williams

Practice

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I’ve been watching the Winter Olympics and am so inspired by these amazing athletes. Every time an interview is conducted with one of them, they talk about the dedication and passion each brings to his/her craft. And the tremendous amount of time they dedicate to their craft in order to achieve their goals is unbelievable. Practice, practice, practice are the words that I continue to hear. The same could be said of the writing process. We, as writers, need to be as dedicated and passionate about our craft as any athlete out there. And above all, practice, practice, practice.

I found a brief article on the online Writer’s Digest Community blog written by Robert Lee Brewer, titled “Simplify to Find Success,” which I found helpful. It lists ways to identify obstacles that keep you from your writing goals, such as short-term and long-term obstacles and how to remove or prioritize them. I have a writer friend who recently did that. She drew up a list of things that she could cut out in order to get more writing time. And it’s working for her. I don’t know about you, but I need to do that as well. In the meantime, enjoy the writing process. It’s all part of the journey.

“Remember, the harder you work, the luckier you get.” — Sheldon Fogelman

Writing YA and middle grade stories

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Do you sometimes go through phases in your life? I know I do. Years ago, I was into pattern drafting, then cake decorating, then ceramics, flower arrangements, bowling, and on and on. When I first started writing, I wrote nonfiction stories. Then I was a staff writer and did interviews and feature stories. Now I’m into writing children’s picture books, which I still love to do. But I also want to write middle grade and young adult stories. For me, it’s a challenge. But I’m learning. It might take a while, but I’ll get there. Nothing like a challenge to make the old creative juices flow.

If you want to write for children or older teens, there is an excellent article on HubPages by jonbard on just how to go about this. The title of the piece is “Creating Characters for Tween & Teen Readers.” It mentions one of my favorite writers, Richard Peck, 2001 Newbery Medal winner (A Year Down Yonder).

If you’re into writing children’s picture books, visit author Anastasia Suen’s blog. She is an author, teacher, and consultant. I was lucky enough to hear her speak at a writer’s conference not too long ago. She has excellent tips on writing for children.

“I identify very strongly with kids. Twelve and thirteen-year-olds feel things intensely. They need to know about what they are feeling, and more than anything else, they want reassurance that their feelings are normal.” — Judy Blume

A deer in my yard

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A while back, imagine my surprise when I came home to discover there had been a deer in my yard. A real deer! My neighbor had a picture to prove it. I had been out shopping and when I got home, there was all this commotion on my block. “We don’t know where it came from,” one neighbor said. “Suddenly the dogs started barking like crazy and there’s this deer running through the neighbors’ yards.”

When I saw the picture, I marveled at how graceful the deer looked leaping through my yard. I wondered where it had come from. I live in the suburbs and there are no woods nearby. There was a lot of construction going on at the time for a new development and some land had been cleared. Had the deer been uprooted from its natural habitat? I felt sad for the deer that must have been frightened and lost at the same time. Did it ever find its way back or was there anything to go back to? I’ve often wondered what happened to that magnificent creature. Maybe there’s a story there. You never know. Have you ever had a deer in your yard?
“I like the idea that magic can be hidden under the surface of everyday life.” — Trina Schart Hyman

Books on writing

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I really identified with the article, “Confessions of a writing-book junkie,” by Janet Pocorobba, which appeared in the March issue of The Writer magazine. She writes about buying tons of how-to-write books because she felt she needed to know the latest about what these books on writing had to offer. She was afraid she might miss out on something new and important if she didn’t order the latest one as soon as it came out.

That’s me! I thought. I am guilty. I don’t buy tons of those writing books like she does, but I do own quite a few. In fact, many of the same ones she mentioned. In an earlier blog, I mentioned a speaker at a writer’s conference who finally told the audience of aspiring writers who kept asking for advice and recommendations for books on writing, “Just sit in that chair and write the damn book.”

Many times I think we get distracted from our writing by focusing too much on these books instead of our own writing. It’s okay to try and learn as much as we can about the writing process, but at some point in time, we have to just sit down and write. One sentence from her article that really grabbed me was, “I’d been looking for knowledge in others’ words and advice, and valuing it over my own experiences.”
I know that we all have a ton of life experiences that we can draw on to write. So get out there and write that book that only you can write.

“Nothing one ever experiences or feels is wasted.” – Lynne Reid Banks

Bilingual Picture Book

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What a thrill when you see your book becoming a reality. That’s what happened a few days ago. Via email, I received the charming final art for my forthcoming bilingual picture story book, Battle of the Snow Cones. It’s a fun and humorous book that I believe children will enjoy reading. 
The journey of a book from idea to final publication is a long road. It’s your baby, which you nurture along the way. But there are also many people behind the scenes who become your friends along the way as well — like the editor who accepted your manuscript, the artist commissioned to do the art, the marketing and publicity people, and on and on. Not to mention your critique writer friends who encouraged you when the story was just a seed percolating in your mind.
The book is not in its final form yet, but it’s almost there. By fall, I should be holding the hard copy in my hands. I can hardly wait. The journey for this particular book will be complete. But not quite. Then the fun begins. That’s when the promotion for your book comes in. You, as an author, have to get heavily involved in this venture because the publisher can only do so much. Plan ahead and make it fun. 
“A good picture book begins with delight, ends with wisdom, humor, warmth, or love, and means more than it says.” – Barbara Williams