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If you haven’t joined a writing organization, you should do so now. You will really benefit when you join and get involved. A few days ago, we had one of our regular chapter SCBWI meetings. The topic was “School Visits.” One of our own local authors was the speaker. She had an excellent presentation that included not only our membership but some librarians and teachers from the area as well. There was feedback from both sides, the educators and the authors. We learned a lot from one another, i.e., what teachers expect from author visits and what authors offer during the presentations. An event such as this presented a wonderful opportunity for authors to meet and interact with educators and vice versa.
Some other topics at our chapter meetings have been on social media such as Twitter, Facebook, websites, blogs, etc. Critique groups have also sprouted from these gatherings. The support you get as a writer from groups such as these is invaluable. Join now.
I found an excellent blog on writing tools such as emotions, settings, etc., called “The Bookshelf Muse.” Check it out. Happy writing!

“People often ask, ‘How do you start a book?’ Well, I’ve always started this way … Chapter 1.” – Paula Danziger

Florence, Italy

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Here’s another excerpt from the journal I kept while traveling in Italy a while back. Enjoy.
March 14 – Florence, Italy. The architecture of the buildings here is unbelievable. The streets are narrow – so narrow in some places that upon our arrival in Florence, the chartered bus could not maneuver its way through the street leading to our hotel. We all got off the bus several blocks away and pulled our luggage through the streets of Florence to our hotel. It was hilarious. A group of thirty-three people lugging their suitcases on the cobbled streets of Florence. We were quite a sight!
The hotel was a four-star one and elegant. We had a three-course dinner in the dining room where silver and china sparkled on the white-clothed tables. Of course, there was wine. Dessert was scrumptious. Some awesome pastry with strawberries and cream. My room had a balcony, although it was just for show. All night long until the wee hours of the morning, the streets below were filled with people talking and laughing as they walked by.
After breakfast the next day, we walked several blocks to a magnificent cathedral (one of many) where we celebrated Mass. It was raining and we tried to avoid puddles of water on the worn cobbled streets. We must have looked like little ducks waddling in line to some destination. Parts of the church are under renovation so we made our way through some scaffolding on the outside and inside. Some fading frescoes are still on the walls of the church. The pews and kneelers, of course, are not padded. 
Later that afternoon, we visited a monastery with hundreds of other tourists. It was cold, windy and rainy. I am glad I brought that woolen black shawl that makes me look like an old lady but shields me from the cold. Lucky for me that I brought my umbrella as well. Chinese girls (vendors) were all over the streets of Florence. They were selling silk scarves, some made in Rome, I guess because the word “Roma” was etched across the scarves. I wondered where these mostly young Chinese girls with the porcelain complexions lived in Florence. They looped the scarves over their arms, covering them with clear plastic to protect them from the rain. Dressed in loose silk pants and colorful quilted jackets, they looked like dolls. Mostly girls, but I did see some young Chinese men hawking umbrellas.
After dinner, we walked through St. Mark’s Square. It looked eerie at night, the giant statues of David, Hercules, Neptune and others looming over us as we walked by. Earlier that day, we had lunch in one of the cafeterias lining the square. We pay for everything in Euros.
Until next time, have a great writing day!
“Art is really the language of feeling.” — Steven Kellogg

Libraries are cool!

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Just got back from a one-hour writing workshop at my local library. The topic was writing stories about your family history. The instructor had us bring old, cherished photos of family members or events. First, we made a brief list (one-sentence to describe) of family stories handed down through the years. Then another list about stories handed down about us. Third list was about things we’ve kept throughout the years that have special meaning. We were allowed about three minutes for each list. I was amazed at how quickly those lists materialized.
Next, we took one of the pictures we had brought, studied it briefly, then wrote what we thought was the story behind the picture. After that, we wrote briefly about what we thought “was not” in the picture. You’ll find out this can be quite intriguing. The creative juices flowed with this exercise. Another exercise was holding an object of significant meaning to the person doing the writing and writing about it. You’d be surprised how quickly memories come alive and how soon ideas and emotions flow into your being.
Workshops such as these are fun, rewarding, and best of all – FREE. Look around for what your local libraries have to offer. Thank goodness for libraries!
You might also want to check out this blog KENS-5 South SA that features my books. Have a fun productive writing day! I encourage you to comment and sign up as a follower to my blog.

“The greatest children’s books are about the journey to wisdom.” – Jane Yolen

Book Tour

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Remember I told you I journal? Well, I went back to a few years ago and found this entry about a three-day “book tour” that I did. I was new at all this at the time, but found it to be a great rewarding experience. What you are reading is that week’s entry verbatim. Don’t laugh.
My First Three-Day Book Tour

Okay, so it wasn’t a nation-wide tour but it was nonetheless a three-day tour arranged by a big chain grocery store. Three cities in the same state. One book signing on a Thursday, one on Friday, and the last one on a Saturday.

At the first one, I was pleased to see that a nice table with a white tablecloth and a bookshelf full of my books had been set up by the time I got there. It was a good location too—right at the front entrance where grocery customers couldn’t miss me. They had to go by my table as they strolled into the store. Putting on my biggest smile, I greeted them with a friendly “Hello” as they came in pushing their grocery carts. Most smiled back. Some hurriedly escaped from my upcoming sales pitch. Children waved as their parents scooted them along probably hoping they wouldn’t linger at my table and they’d have to buy a book.
But then the real book lovers came by. Many of them teachers eager to buy my book for their classroom, paying out of their own pockets. Or parents who wanted to read the book to their children. Or grandparents who wanted the book autographed for a grandchild. Some just stopped to talk about other things besides the book. Like, “do you know where they’re giving the flu shots?” One man asked, “where do I pay my electric bill?” I think he thought I was the information lady. Grocery lists in hand, others just went right by, ignoring me.
Second store: different city. Bad timing. Too early in the day. Most people were at work or at school. This time, however, the signing table looked more professional. Balloons, a big poster with a picture of my book and my photo on it, plus a nice display of my books. Even a bottle of water by my side. Again, great location by the entrance except right behind me was the bakery lady with the microphone who kept enticing the people to come buy the delicious pastries. Next to me was another vendor hawking a soup mixture giving out samples of the hot soup in little cups. Needless to say, I got a sample of the pastry and soup.
Third location: my own city. Good timing. Store bustling with customers. Very cold day. People hurrying on a Saturday to get their grocery shopping done early so they can have the rest of the day to do other things. Again, grandparents and young parents stop by. Buy books to be personally autographed. Employees from the store come by on their breaks. Admire the books. Talk to me—some about their own aspirations to be writers. The lady with the deli chicken samples comes over and we have a long conversation while she stands with her tray of tiny sandwiches and the customers pick them off the tray one by one and she hardly notices as we talk. Says to me, “I’ve been watching you from over there. You watch people closely because you’re a writer, right?” I nod yes.
Then lo and behold, some of my relatives stroll in with their baskets. They are just as surprised to see me as I am to see them. Of course, we gossip and talk for a while. They don’t buy books; they’ve already bought them at an earlier booksigning but it looks good to have a crowd around my table. Finally, my signing is over, I pack up and stroll over to the deli counter where I buy a sandwich. All the sampling of food has made me hungry. It’s different having a book signing in a grocery store. Different but wonderful.

Hispanic Heritage Month

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I had the pleasure of participating on an author panel of ten to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at a local Barnes & Noble. It was a great venue and we had a big, enthusiastic crowd. Each author spoke for several minutes about the writing and publishing process and how they came to write their books, which is always interesting not just to the audience but to the rest of the authors too. The topics ranged from children’s books to literary fiction and poetry. It’s always fun to be part of such venues and support other published writers as well as aspiring writers. It’s encouraging to see the community turn out at such events. You meet old friends and make new ones. It’s a great way to network too.
And I don’t know what brought this to mind, but I just remembered a school visit in the Rio Grande Valley last year. I did my presentation in the cafeteria to dozens of children. Afterwards, when it was all over and the children returned to their classrooms, a group of cafeteria ladies in their white uniforms came up and asked if they could have their picture taken with me and would I autograph some books for them. I was so honored. I had no idea they had been listening to the presentation behind the scenes. It makes being a writer all worth it. I invite you to comment and follow me on this blog. Happy writing!
“Dialogue is the oxygen of a story.” – Sid Fleischman

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From the editors of the newsletter, Children’s Book Insider, comes an excellent online article titled, “How to write a children’s book based on your personal struggles.” According to the article, “ … writers can transform tough periods in their lives into books for children, hoping to help young readers through similar painful experiences.” The article offers great writing tips if you’re thinking of writing such a book. If interested, go to CBI.
Lately, I have been reading poetry and enjoying it immensely. In his book, Writing the Australian Crawl, William Stafford writes “ … a poem is anything said in such a way or put on the page in such a way as to invite from the hearer or reader a certain kind of attention.” So true.

“Carve out a space in your day for quiet, uninterrupted thinking. Exercise and feed your creative self.” – Penny Raife Durant

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A continuation of SCBWI-LA conference tidbits on writing. Following are some of the comments from the different writers/editors and agents at the conference. Ingredients for a breakout novel:

Your work must be unique. Write what fills you with passion. Who’s your reader? Write with a fresh twist. Work out a one-paragraph pitch before you even start to write. Use strong, fresh ideas. Articulate it successfully. How would you sum it up? A couple of sentences is all it takes. If you cannot do this, your story doesn’t have enough focus. Think beyond your small place. Think big.

Larger than life characters. Vivid. True. Your writing leaps off the page. Know your characters so well they’ll reveal themselves in personality and voice. Show, not tell — not what your character sees, but what he whispers. Description should be a revealer of character. That is its sole purpose, i.e., the way they push back their hair, the way they look at something. Character is revealed by conflict which moves us to the big moment of realization.

A high-stakes story. What does your character stand to win or lose? Tension build up. A good outline. Chapter outline structure to know where you’re going. Use to reach the climax to the ending. A good outline will keep you paced.  High stakes can come in any number of forms but they are vital.

Deeply felt theme – what’s the spiritual theme of your story? Truth about what it means to be human. Do not overwrite. Something integral to your center. What is the central theme of your story and how are you going to get it across, i.e., forgiveness of ourselves or maybe nothing we could have done. The best books teach us more about ourselves than about the tragedy.

A vivid setting – a sense of place in your story all become a character in itself. Story is created by the revelation of the internal and external, i.e., survival, hope, death, high stakes, character, setting).

Voice!!! You need to be a musician. Train your inner ear. Develop a musicality for language. Play the language. Language has a cadence you need to hear. Find your VOICE.

Great advice from the best. Have a productive writing day.

“Surprise is what keeps readers turning the pages and writers filling them up.”  — James Howe

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Did I ever tell you that my picture book, Lupita’s Papalote (kite) came about because of a poem I had written a while back? A past memory of when my father and I flew our first kite together came to me one day. I started reminiscing about the emotion I felt at that time. As I’ve mentioned in some interviews, it wasn’t so much the thrill of making the kite out of comics because we couldn’t afford a store-bought one, but the experience was one of love. I remember being terrified of being swept up into the sky by the pulling force of the flying kite. I was only about six and skinny as a rail. My father must have sensed my anxiety. He placed his big hand on my shoulder. Never said a word. The fear seemed to have oozed out of me. I will never forget that feeling of being safe. The poem was mostly for me. Then one day I decided to expand it. What if I made a story out of it? What if the girl in the story actually did get swept up into the sky? What if … what if… You see, when your imagination soars, it can take you to new places. Who knew? That poem eventually became a story, then a book. Do you have a childhood experience you might want to write about? We all have a treasure of memories. Find yours.

“Search through your childhood memories and rediscover what it felt like to live in the world of a child; the joys, the fears, and the dreams.” — Audrey Wood

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More SCBWI-LA tidbits: Some words of wisdom from author Ellen Hopkins who has written a host of books including Crank and Impulse.
“Get to the top of the mountain. Do not look for the easy way to the top. You don’t decide to be a writer. You are a writer. It takes talent plus perseverance plus luck. Expect to work hard. Enjoy the journey. Start with magazine articles, short reviews. Learn the rules before you break them. Editors don’t want to deal with amateurs. Each conference brings something new. Arm yourself with the latest tools, i.e., laptop, etc. Embrace new technologies, i.e., Kindle, etc. Writing is about communication because this business is communication. Capitalize on your own experience. Find the story you have to tell. Find your own path. Find your talent. Persevere. Create your own luck.”

Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend!

“My never — fail secret to getting your book published … Write it.” — Stephanie Gordon Tessler

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Food for thought. Back to the SCBWI-LA conference notes. One of the top editors gave seven reasons why a manuscript is declined. (1) The manuscript has nice writing but there is no story. It is light on action and plot. Nothing happened to the characters. (2) The manuscript is too similar to other novels that are on the marketplace. You need to put your own spin on it. (3) Don’t know who the reader is for your book. No potential for national markets or libraries. Who is your target audience? (4) Writers who are difficult to work with. (5) Love the concept but cannot connect to the voice. Readers will not connect either. Too predictable. (6) Submitting before the project is ready. Sometimes writers are too eager and submit early. Remember, you only have one chance. (7) Story or project does not stand out.

Have a great writing day!

“A writer who isn’t ‘serious’ isn’t a writer at all.” –E.B. White