If These Folks Are Old ...

I must be ancient.

Fun blog. Great name.

You Got Peanut Butter in My Chocolate!

OK, this isn't quite as good as Reese's, but it does combine two of my favorite things.

A Treat During My Hiatus

I'm cutting back on the Internet for Lent, so the blogging has been even more non-existent than usual. But for those loyal readers still dropping by, here's a treat, which one of the presenters shared at the SCBWI MD/DE/WV Writer's Toolbox this weekend. (More on that conference after Easter!)

The Enchanted Drawing, copyright 1900 Thomas Edison.

More videos like it can be found at the Library of Congress Web site. Warning: You could get lost in that site for weeks (but in a good way).

What Font Am I?

I am (drum roll, please!) ... helvetica!

Blech!

At least I wasn't comic sans. I think I would have puked if I came up comic sans.

What font are you?

Seven Things I'm Thankful For

Happy New Year!

It's been a little while (OK, a long while) since the last post. My bad.

Sometime between then and now, the lovely Kimberly Lynn tagged me to reveal seven random things about myself. I already did a couple of posts similar to that here and here), so instead, in the spirit of New Year's, I've decided to name seven things I'm thankful for.

1. My health. Of course. Though I tend to take it way too much for granted except when I'm ailing.
   
   
2. My family. Especially my amazing husband. And my wonderful mom and dad.
   
   
3. My church. Especially the youth group.
   
   
4. My friends. Including those of you I only know virtually.
   
   
5. The U.S. of A. Living in a free country is another one that's way too easy to take for granted.
   
   
6. My job. Keeps me busy and pays the bills. And the clients I work for are some of the nicest people in the world.
   
   
7. My stuff. Especially my cozy home, my iBook, the cat and the puppy.
   

Bonus item: My writing. Much as I have a love/hate relationship with it, it gives me something to hope for.

Here's to a 2009 filled with love, gratitude and hope for us all!

All I Want for Christmas

Is this.

To go with the one collecting dust downstairs.

Battling the Baptist Disease

An aside in my last post reminded me of a funny story.

I was discussing writing with my brother-in-law a few months back and mentioned to him my propensity to overuse the word "just."

"So you have the Baptist disease?" he asked.

"What?"

"The Baptist disease. You, know: 'Dear Lord, we just thank you for this meal and just pray that you'll just, just bless this food, Lord, and just be with us as we enjoy this time together. Lord, just please, watch over us....'"

Hee! Baptists are good folks, but I sure don't want to write like them!

The Good and the Bad

The Good: I was accepted to the 2008 Rutgers One on One Conference for kidlit writers! Yay! You can read my review of last year's conference here.

The Bad: Ron Rosenbaum at Slate is an unfunny goober. Some excellent responses here and here. Puzzling rocks!

I Have a New "Favorite" Blog

For those of you who missed this link on Nathan Bransford's weekly roundup. Such a misunderstood and abused punctuation mark.

What's Your Reading Speed?

I have always considered myself a slow reader. Turns out my reading speed is "average" (though I'm guessing that is slow relative to others who read as much as I do).

How fast do you read? Find out.

Fun with Cliches

Everyone knows the old Chinese-fortune-cookie/between-the-sheets trick.

Well, I've discovered something similar just for writers: Take one of those yearbook signing cliches from back in the day and insert "unpublished manuscript" and, voila! Instant writing advice. Sometimes funny, sometimes deep, often depressing.

To wit:

The unpublished manuscript that doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.

If you love your unpublished manuscript, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was.

May your beer, your women and your unpublished manuscript never be flat.

Don't ever change your unpublished manuscript.

Well, OK, some don't work as well as others....

Mission Work, Rock 'n' Roll and Writing Conferences

July has been an eventful month on the road for this usual homebody. Here's the travelogue (with pictures!):

Montego Bay, Jamaica. Spent a week with some teens from my church youth group on a mission trip to Jamaica, visiting several orphanages, a home for troubled teen girls, a home for kids with special needs and an AIDS/elderly hospice.

Jamaica, of course, is a gorgeous country with a horribly depressed economy. We saw some of the worst of the worst ... many of these folks had nothing and no one, and frankly, no real prospects for improving their situation. Yet, many of them were the most faith-filled and hopeful people I've ever met.

Coming from a country whose entire ethos is built on the idea that "if you work hard, you can achieve your goals," it is hard to imagine living someplace where that might not be the case. (Actually -- dare I say it? -- as a writer, it's slightly less hard to imagine.) In any case, I came away inspired by all those we met, and also by the teens in our group, who took to each new group we visited like otters to water. Their infectious, joyful spirit drew in the little ones and older folks alike.

I forgot my camera for this trip (ridiculous, aren't I?) ... but my roommate was kind enough to share her photos. Here's a shot of me with a little sweetheart in one of the orphanages, who managed to boost her already substantial cuteness factor even higher wearing my shades:




Dewey Beach, Delaware. A few days after my return from Jamaica, Joe and I headed to up to the Bottle and Cork in Dewey Beach to see The Clarks, a fantastic concert at a fun venue. I went to school with those guys, and it's great to see them lo these many years hence still playing together, better than ever.

The Clarks have a huge and loyal following in Western PA and have achieved some minor national successes, including playing on Letterman once and having a few songs used in popular movies, but they've never had that breakout hit that might have launched them onto the national scene. They're as good as or better than any world-famous band out there, though, IMO. If you've never heard of them, I encourage you to check out their Web site at clarksonline.com. (Warning, the site starts playing music as soon as it comes up, so if you're reading this in the library or with a sleeping baby on your lap, you may want to check it out later.)

BTW, The Clarks were opening for Sister Hazel, best known for the song "All for You," which you can check out here. For all I know, Sister Hazel probably has some other hits as well, as the crowd did seem to greet a few of their other songs with great enthusiasm, but being a tad out of today's music scene, I only recognized the one. They were a lot of fun, though frankly I think The Clarks were even better.

Forgot my camera once again, but here is a shot from Joe's camera:



If you look carefully, you can see Clarks lead singer Scott Blasey behind Joe and bass player Greg Joseph (a.k.a. "Chief") behind me. If this shot looks a little PhotoShopped ... well, it is, but only because I was trying to lighten the background so you could see those guys. I didn't paste our heads in there or anything. (Promise!)


Westminster, Maryland. Finally, yesterday I drove up to beautiful McDaniel College for the MD/DE/WV SCBWI conference. The highlight for me was Cynthia Lord's presentation on "The Pluses and Perils of Writing What You Know." In my continuing struggle to bring more depth to my writing, I found Cindy's thoughts on digging into one's own experiences for more emotion and setting details most helpful.

Thank goodness I brought my copy of Rules up with me, because the conference booksellers sold out of them early on. Having Cindy sign what is one of my all-time favorite middle-grade books was a thrill, and even better was when she said she recognized my name from the Verla Kay Blue Boards. Cynthia Lord "knows" me? Cool!

Also wonderful was the breakout session I attended where Aimee Friedman discussed life as a YA author and Scholastic editor. Her level of productivity is both amazing and inspiring. Like me, Aimee works full time at a job that requires a lot of writing/editing/general wordsmithing; she edits her work as she goes, much to her own dismay; and she found that her first manuscript came easily while subsequent works have been much harder. Now, there's someone I can relate to! Sometimes I put so much pressure on myself to produce that I end up accomplishing nothing. Aimee's advice to "do what you can" and give yourself the time you need gave me a sense of freedom that can only result in more, better writing.

Aimee also did a critique of the first couple of chapters of my YA work in progress. She was extremely encouraging and gave me some (much needed!) direction. A wonderful, sweet person, who also did me the honor of signing a copy of her latest book, which I am very much looking forward to reading.

I did remember my camera for this event (woo hoo!) and so here is our panel of distinguished presenters:



Seated from left to right: Cynthia Lord, Clarion editor Lynn Polvino, Aimee Friedman, Greenwillow editor Martha Mihalik, author Jen Bryant and agent Linda Pratt. Standing at the podium is moderator extraordinaire and McDaniel professor Mona Kerby.

It's All About Me

I'm too tired right now to post anything remotely intelligent in regards to writing, but I do want to post something so that my loyal readers -- all two of you -- won't despair that I've completely fallen off the face of the earth.

So ... here's a post about "what I'm up to":

1) Very psyched to be off work for the next 10 days as I head out Sunday to (drum roll, please) Jamaica! This won't exactly be a vacation, as I'm traveling with a bunch of teens on a mission trip to work in some of the country's orphanages. But it'll certainly be exotic and no doubt will give me a new perspective on life.

2) Down two games to one in Scrabulous against the brilliant (obviously!) Tom Angleberger, a.k.a. Sam Riddleburger. But have established a lead (I dare not say "comfortable" vs. that word shark) in game four.

3) Waxing nostalgic as I prepare to see the inimitable Miss Donna Summer tomorrow night with a girlfriend at Wolf Trap. Love to Love You, Baby!

4) Excited to watch local running phenom Alan Webb run the 1500 tonight ... eyes on Beijing, Alan! Update: Woohoo!

5) Looking forward to the Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia SCBWI event later this month, where Scholastic editor Aimee Friedman will be critiquing my YA manuscript submission. Very cool.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend! Will post again after my trip!

Troubleshooting Tips ... and Some Cool Stuff

I'm a little slow in posting this, a revelation I'm sure my readers find shocking given my clockwork-like posting habits. Anywho...

A couple of weeks ago, the Northern Virginia Writers hosted Kathryn Johnson, a prolific author and writing coach, who spoke on "Polishing for Publication: 12 Troubleshooting Tips Anyone Can Use to Create a Marketable Manuscript."

I'm not inclined to reveal all 12 of Kathryn's tips here since that training is her bread and butter, but I'll share two.

1. Make your opening sentence count. Opening sentences should create curiosity in the reader and raise some questions. The example Kathryn shared was Tracy Chevalier's "Girl with a Pearl Earring," which begins, My mother did not tell me they were coming. Who are "they"? Why did the narrator feel she should be told? What will happen when they come? Great stuff.
   
2. Use lots of dialogue. According to Kathryn, dialogue ... and plenty of it ... is all the rage for editors these days. Get your characters talking!
   

Now, onto the cool stuff alluded to in the second part of my headline...

Check out this amazing video, which I discovered in the comment section of my favorite Crossword Puzzle blog, The JimH Crossword Blog. (If you are a NYT puzzle fan, this site is a "can't miss.") (The video is non-crossword related, BTW.)

And, check out the highly amusing GraphJam, which came to my attention courtesy of Eric Berlin, an expert puzzler and a kid lit writer. Warning: GraphJam has the potential to be a major time suck. (It also is non-crossword related.)

I Have a Friend

On May 23, I joined FaceBook, meaning I created a page for "Linda Acorn" with my name and a great big question mark on it. Tonight, a mere two weeks later, I received my first invitation to become someone's friend.

I have to tell you, I felt a little like I did in the second grade, when Leslie Brooks and Dolores Borelli invited me to be their friend. I remember that day like it was yesterday. Back in the day, being asked to be someone's friend was a big deal.

Nowadays, everyone friends everyone ... heck, "friending" has become a verb. I friend; you friend; he, she or it friends. I fully expect the verb form to be added to Webster's before long. (Gotta love our living language. But I digress.)

Having a friend on FaceBook has forced me to upgrade my anemic profile. Now that someone has access to it, I want to put on a good face. I posted some interests, some background info, some details that I hope will confirm to my new friend that I am indeed friendship-worthy. (The great big question mark is still there, though. ... I have the darnedest time finding a photo of myself that I like.)

I haven't yet figured out how to find friends myself on FaceBook, but I suppose that's the next step. Time to expand my circle before Friend #1 starts to wonder whether I'm a total loser.

Wonder if Leslie and Dolores are on?

Update: Friend #1 has written on my wall! Squee!

Update 2: I am no longer a question mark! I have truly put a "good face" (well, I hope it's good) on my page. Also, I have five friends now! And I've even lost at Scrabulous to one of them! (I know, word games should be my forte. Sigh)

Brush with Fame in Baltimore

I'm enjoying a lovely view of the Inner Harbor from my room at the Hilton Garden Inn this evening. What I'd expected to be an utterly banal stay has in fact turned out to be quite the opposite.

I'd spent the day at a conference (alas, not related to writing) and came back to the hotel to find the lobby filled with a whole bunch of folks who looked, dressed and acted a lot cooler than me, and two camera crews and a humongo tour bus outside the front door. Turns out the Making the Band finalists are playing here tomorrow night and they're staying right here in this very establishment.


Sitting in the lobby were two ladies from Danity Kane (the second from the left and the fourth from the left).


I rode the elevator with a member of Day 26 (the dude with the corn rows), who helpfully explained to my clueless self who all these people were and why they were here.

I'm pretty much a reality TV junkie but have somehow managed to miss both seasons of this show. Now that I'm tight with one of the top contestants, I may just have to start watching.

Later, as I relaxed in my room, a fantastic fireworks display started up right outside my window. Not sure if this is a nightly occurrence on the harbor, but it was a nice surprise to me.

Re: the conference ... it was work related and so I won't bore you with a recap, except to point you to this very funny video one of the presenters showed, a spoof on FaceBook.

Ah, the Wonders of Self Publishing

First we have My New Mommy, explaining to kids why mom needs a tummy tuck (helpfully written by a plastic surgeon), and now this.

Even if the topic weren't laugh-out-loud funny, the preachy prose would be. I won't pick on the illustrations, as they do at least seem to be, er, inspired by the subject matter.

Thanks to Word Wrangler for turning me onto it (the book, that is).

(BTW, I do not think self publishing is bad in and of itself. There are some excellent reasons to self-publish, and there are many quality self-pub'd books out there. But that's a post for another time.)

Random, Funny and Slightly Twisted

Thanks to the folks at Digital Camel for turning me on to this gem, since I do enjoy poking fun at myself now and again (and be sure to check out #21 while you're there).

And to Shari Green for pointing to this video of an impressive, albeit slightly disturbing, improv stunt.

UPDATE: OK, one more, discovered via my favorite blogging trio over at Disco Mermaids. I've never been a big fan of the original Garfield comic strip, but this version works just fine.

How Creative Are You?

You Are 65% Creative

You are beyond creative. You are a true artist - even if it's not in the conventional sense of the word. You love creating for its own sake, and you find yourself quite inspired at times.

How Creative Are You?

Now I've Seen It All

Just when you think the Wide World of Publishing couldn't get any stranger ... a friend of my husband's just got him a subscription to this.

I have to say, my Dad will love the piece in the Holiday 2007 edition on beagling.