Jottings and Such

Snapshot moments

2011-10-31T20:01:00.000-05:00

For one of the writing classes I'm teaching, I read a paper recently by Natalie Goldberg called "Pen, Paper, and the Mind." If you are able to get your hands on it, I highly recommend it. She writes about the physical nature of writing--how we use all of our senses to get the details right. She describes an event when she was in ninth grade. Her teacher turned the lights off and told the students to listen to the rain. She suddenly heard the pattering of the rain's rhythm, the scent of the soaked sidewalks, the gray of the haze outside the window. A quote I love from the piece is: "Writing gave me confidence, training in waking up."

As I'm reading my students' reflections on this essay, I am reminded of my own "snapshot moments"--those moments when time seems to slow down and the details of the day come into clear focus. All of them, by the way, have happened when I'm out of the house. So, for me, I need to be out, among people, watching and seeing what's happening.

The first was early this past summer, maybe in May or early June. I was on a bicycle ride, and passed a house where a mom and her toddler were on their driveway. She was just an average mom, and he was just an average little boy. But the moment was very poignant to me. The sunlight angled onto their driveway in late afternoon. The mom, with a bubble wand, began to slowly turn in a circle, letting the bubbles seep into the air. The boy hopped up to catch the bubbles. I could almost hear the plink of the popping bubbles, though I was not near enough. It was the essence of a perfect summer moment.

Then today, as I drove home, like a movie, I saw another scene that reminded me of my snapshot moments. This time, a boy with a black mask and a blue cape ran across the street, cape billowing behind him in the afternoon crispness. Behind him, his friend, a pirate in a maroon coat and triangle hat, hung on the stop sign, spinning in circles. The scent of fallen leaves gathering on the dewy lawn trickled in through my window. And again, the moment seemed like a perfect snapshot of the season.

Goldberg reminds us to turn off our "thinking minds" and wake up--watch the caterpillar scooting across the sidewalk. Listen to the clink and hiss of the espresso maker at the coffee shop. Breathe in the scents of the seasons. Enjoy!

A few thoughts on writing

2011-07-12T19:31:00.000-05:00

I was just grading a paper for the writing class that I am teaching, and the student discussed a time in his life when he had driven drunk. The emotion and heartfelt raw language he used was something I rarely see in a writing class--surprising though that may sound. But isn't that the real purpose of writing--to connect us to each other, to inspire, to share?

I've been reading a book called "Through a Dog's Eyes" by Jennifer Arnold. In the section I read last night, she discussed body language of dogs and how the curve of their lips, the base of their tail, and the position of their torso communicates a great deal. They primarily communicate through body language.

But people are different. We certainly use body language, and as our technology advances, I am even more convinced that personal communication is vital to a relationship. We miss so much when we email, IM, or even when we talk without the benefit of seeing the other person's facial expressions, tone, and body language. This is one reason why I find it a challenge to teach online.

However, unlike dogs, we use words. Words mean things. Words communicate so much more than our body language can.

New Picture Book reviews

2011-05-27T14:55:00.000-05:00

Ages and ages ago, I started my lofty goal of reviewing at least 10 new picture books each month. Here is my first five, and now, four months later, I am ready to review my next five!

So, here's the real deal. I took a 5-week term off of teaching in January/February, which allowed me to a) spend more time writing in general, and b) write more on my blog. Since then, however, I have been back to my many-faceted writing/teaching combo of life, and have not posted nearly as much.

Before I do my next chunk of picture books (maybe I'll catch up this summer?? Probably unlikely), I thought I'd share an AWESOME book I ran across at the library this morning. It's called The 100 Best Vacations to Enrich Your Life by Pam Grout. If this author even got to take one of these to do her research, I am insanely jealous. The book is chock-full of creative vacation ideas, like taking classes in Door County at a woodsy sounding place called The Clearing where they have all sorts of workshops on arts, crafts, and writing. Another vaca option is going on an authentic Oregon Trail covered wagon ride. (When I asked my husband if he wanted to try that one, he said no-go...why, I cannot fathom.) You could monitor active volcanoes in Hawaii, track mountain lions in the Rockies, and the list goes on and on. I'm buying this book. That's all I can say.

I know you've all been dying for more picture book reviews...so here goes.

If You're Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic (Greenwillow) #6/120

Adore. Love. Smile. Laugh! The author of this clever and creative book took the familiar children's song and made it fresh, original, and fun. This is a great book for storytime. And to my dear editors, would you please, please consider Jackie Urbanovic's whimsical, charming, and slightly-over-the-top illustrations for one of my books?

My Cold Went on Vacation by Molly Rausch and Nora Krug (Putnam) #7/120

Not sure I'm loving this book. I hate to say that about any children's book, but I found the illustrations somewhat off-putting. The concept is clever--following a cold germ around the world. But a) it's kind of strange to see an illustration of a cold germ, and b) the two-dimensional look of the illustrations didn't really appeal to me personally. The "feel" from the illustrations was a bit cold. But it is an interesting concept.

Who Stole Mona Lisa? by Ruthie Knapp, illustrated by Jill McElmurry (Bloomsbury) #8/120

Charming book! This would be perfect for anyone wanting to share the story of the Mona Lisa with children--art teachers, parents, librarians. The text is a tad longer than a typical picture book these days, but then again, it is non-fiction and still within the perfect word count range for squirmy kids. The artwork in this book is a story in itself. The artist brilliantly shows changes in Mona Lisa's face as she is adored by the public, stolen, bored, lonely, and finally returned to the Louvre. And the author's reason for Mona Lisa's smile is adorable. I won't spoil it for you!

My Farm Friends by Wendell Minor (Putnam) #9/120

This feels like a throw-back book to the days of the 1950s when Margaret Wise Brown was writing her remarkable books about animals, farms, and the moon. The cover even looks like it could be a Golden Book cover. I'm so happy to see books like these that parents and kids both love. There's nothing edgy or modern or chic about this book. It's just a book about farm animals. (I also love it because there are lots of kittens pictured throughout.) Thank you, Wendell Minor and Putnam for still producing lovely, timeless children's books such as these.

Fairly Fairy Tales by Esme Raji Codell, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri (Aladdin) #10/120

One reason why this book caught my eye is because I'm doing some playing around right now with some re-tellings of fairy tales myself and wanted to see what else is working for authors today. True, there are a gazillion fairy tale books/versions/retellings, etc. But is there room for other clever, fun retellings? Of course, I think yes.This is one of those clever, very spare texts that just works beautifully.

RRRalph by Lois Ehlert (Beach Lane) #11/120

So, you get a bonus book review since I've been so lame for four months. Don't you feel lucky? The uniqueness of this book, of course, is in Ehlert's unusual "found" art--pop can tabs for noses, zippers for mouths, paper cut-out bodies. etc. I'm not sure the text was satisfying enough for me to warrant a full book-length story (it might be more appropriate for a poem or magazine piece?) but it's a cute concept--the dog "says" things like "rough" and "bark" and "wolf" at appropriate times throughout the story.

So, there you have it...at last. By the way, you might have noticed most of my links were through Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, IL. Let's support our local bookstores!

Guidelines for writing poetry

2011-04-21T09:43:00.000-05:00

April is National Poetry Month, which I have sorely neglected on my blog. I'll try to add at least one more poetry post before the end of the month, but here is one offering for you.

Often I talk to writers who want to try their hand at writing in verse. Writing in "verse" simply means that your lines are rhymed and metered. A common mistake of aspiring children's book writers is the assumption that if it's for kids, it must be written in verse. Not true. Although many, many children's books are written in verse, many, many others are not. Writers sometimes hear that editors don't "like" verse. What editors don't like is poorly written verse. So here are some quick guidelines which I will try to write more about another time.

1. Consider whether your book should be written in rhyming verse. Rhymed poetry packs a lot of information into one line. Each line is full of information. Rhyming verse is actually quite difficult to do well. It takes many, many revisions to get it right. If you want to write in verse, do it well and take the time to revise thoroughly.

2. Near-rhymes are very rarely okay. You should strive for perfect end-rhymes. Yes, even the best poets have at times broken this rule. But 99.9% of your rhymes should be dead-on perfect.

3. The meter needs to be smooth and easy to read. Avoid "off-beat" syllables.

4. Avoid "reversals." Say the words in ordinary English. Often, writers reverse the normal order of the words in order to accommodate a rhyme. Try to make your lines read as logically and smoothly as you would speak a normal sentence.

5. Try an unusual form, like a tercet (a three-line stanza) as opposed to the very common couplet.

6. Use fresh and original language, and avoid cliches.

A milestone?

2011-04-05T11:44:00.000-05:00

So, I normally don't get too "personal" with my blog and try to keep it related to books and writing and teaching. But today I thought I'd post something that hits a little closer to home.

In the past couple of months, I've been seriously trying to trim down a bit. The typical American diet was causing this over-40 body to expand just a bit too much for my good health. So, what did I do? My husband got this brilliant idea that we should adopt a caveman diet. Geez. Basically, the idea is you eat protein (lean meats, seafood, etc.) and vegetables. It's sort of similar to the South Beach diet, from what I've heard. Anything that a caveman could hunt or gather is what our bodies really need--that's the argument anyway. We've cut out all cereal, most carbs (except what's naturally found in fruits and vegetables), and while my husband's weight loss is much more dramatic (and makes me seethe), I'm also seeing good results.

The first week I thought I would die. Seriously, I felt nauseous, grossed out by meat, terrified that my cholesterol was soaring due to eating too many eggs. But it's gotten much easier, and the weird thing is that I am craving lots fewer carbs than I used to.

The milestone I may have reached today was my experience this morning. I picked up two dozen donuts for my husband's pastors' conference this morning, and truly, didn't even feel all that tempted to order a spare to nosh on as I drove home.

I've discovered some great recipes and some not-so-great ones. Here are some of my favorites so far:

- Moroccan Chicken Soup
- Asparagus Soup (very simple--just asparagus, leeks, onion with a recipe like this)
- Curry Chicken Salad (I can't find the exact recipe I used, but this is similar)
- Almond Carrot muffins
- Almond Banana pancakes
- Spaghetti squash with sausage spaghetti sauce over the top (yummy with hot Italian sausage)
- Garlic Lemon Sea Scallops
- Boiled shrimp with Old Bay seasoning

I do miss tacos and pizza. I am not willing to try the "caveman" versions of these. Caveman pizza has a ground nut crust (ew), sauce, veggies, meat, and no cheese. Come on. That just isn't right.

For tacos, the tip is to replace the taco shells with lettuce. Ugh. It just doesn't work.

I adore this store, the Villa Park Fruit Market and only wish it were a little closer to home.

At the same time we're doing this, we're also limiting our grocery expenses. I have to shop around, but between Aldi and the Villa Park Fruit Market, we've kept our grocery budget low as well.

What I did for spring break and Chinatown

2011-04-01T12:26:00.001-05:00

So, this past week was spring break from my online teaching and tutoring jobs, and now I'm wondering...where did the week go? Well, here's the lowdown in case you're mildly interested. Monday, I worked on taxes. Tuesday was my b-day, so my son humored me and helped me find my first letterbox for 2011. (Letterboxing, in case you haven't heard of it, is kind of like geo-caching. If you haven't heard of that, then go here to learn more. It's a great hobby. Shout out to Melissa DeGroot for introducing me to this.) Wednesday, I have no idea what I did. I think I worked on the budget and some editing. I have also been finalizing some poems which I sent to Highlights for Children this week.

Yesterday, I decided to be a little adventurous and take my teenage son and his girlfriend to Chinatown in Chicago. It was quite the experience! Some random thoughts:

- Chicago expressways are too crowded (but we all know that)
- Chicago side streets are riddled with potholes (we all know that too)
- There are such neat little neighborhoods tucked into this great big city. That's what I love about big cities--it's really just a conglomeration of lots of little towns.

Chinatown was well worth an afternoon's visit. If I were visiting Chicago from out of town, I'd say....eh...there are probably better places to spend your time and money. But for a 20-30 minute trip there and back, it was a fun afternoon.

I learned that Dim Sum is--I think--the Chinese version of tappas. It's lots of small dishes that everyone shares. We tried shark fin dumplings (ew) and some shrimp dumplings. My taste buds generally go for the super high fat spring rolls or shrimp rolls, so the lunch was definitely not diet-friendly.

We mostly enjoyed the little shops with the trinkets and interesting hats and little buddhas. It was a blend of all things eastern and western. The grocery stores were the best. In one grocery store, there was a basket to-the-brim-full of live crabs. When we walked in a woman was using tongs to check out the meaty underside of the crab. The poor thing was flailing his little claws around until he got shoved into a paper bag. The whole basket was sort of crawling, and being the very brave person I am, I ran out of the store. Literally.

But we went back in, the kids picked up a few of the crabs, kicked the box of live eels, and we found some of the oddest looking foods, like these:

...and something in a "bakery" called "Green Bean Paste Cake." Those words simply do not belong together.

All in all, though, it was a fun outing. Now, back to reality next week.

My name

2011-03-05T11:11:00.000-05:00

In case you ever wanted to know how to pronounce my name, now you can hear me describe it! Aren't you excited?! Teaching Books.net contacted me recently and asked me to create a recording for students and teachers to use with a little bit of information about my name. If you browse around their website, you can listen to some other authors pronounce their names as well. I recommend listening to Lois Lowry's pronunciation. Interesting!

So, here's mine.

The Big Melt

2011-02-13T16:18:00.000-05:00

Our snow outside is shrinking. The piles are turning to mush, and little rivulets of water are filling the gutters--now that they're visible under the huge mountains of snow. What a relief! There have been days in the last couple of weeks when my recurring thought every hour is, "When can I get to the beach?" January and February (so far) have been difficult months for Chicagoans. Normally the winter is not my favorite season, but not nearly as brutal as it's felt this year. The big blizzard of Feb. 2 and freezing temps that came after that didn't help. I actually don't remember the last day our temp got above freezing, so, I am extra thankful right now to be thawing out.

I keep thinking about doing two things as spring arrives in the next couple of months:

1. Buy a new bike. I'm leaning toward a cruiser or roadster bike, just because I'm not a super athlete and would just want a bike for short distances, or possibly riding on the occasional trail. Something like the image above is just about my speed.

2. Start letterboxing again. There is just too much snow in our area to even consider doing this now. But in time, after the snow melts and the soil dries up a bit, it'll be great to get back on the trail and find some letterboxes. If you don't know about this, take a look here or here.

In the meantime, I'm writing poetry, starting to teach a new class today, and working on some other various writing projects.

SNOWPACALYPSE 2011

2011-02-02T12:11:00.000-05:00

A red-tailed hawk sheltered in our tree yesterday during the worst of the snow/wind

Lucy loves the snow!

The wind was howling as the snow built up last night

Out my kitchen window this morning

The back door

The front door

Well, all the dire predictions actually had merit this time. I haven't seen an official tally of the snowfall in the Chicago area, but my guess is about 2 feet. We have several places in the yard where there are four- and five-foot drifts. Our dog, who is scared of many things, is fearless in the snow. She loves it. She rolls around, bounds through it like a rabbit, carves out a trail for herself with no problem. The teenage son will be heading out soon to try to uncover the driveway. The snow is heavy and wet--good snowman snow!--so he definitely has his work cut out for him.

Movie review: Social Network

2011-01-29T17:32:00.000-05:00

Finally, after months of waiting, I watched Social Network, which was directed by David Fincher, starring Jesse Eisenberg. Here's the storyline from the IMDb website:

On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history... but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications. Written by Columbia Pictures

Here's the link to the official movie website. Basically, the story is a legal battle over the intellectual property of Facebook, interwoven with the back story of the creation of Facebook. It's an interesting movie that caused me to think about several take-aways.

1. The creative process is messy. The legal battle deals with who came up with the original idea of Facebook, as a product. If the plot of the movie is true-to-life, then just how Mark Zuckerberg came up with the idea of Facebook was truly a conglomeration of many ideas he was exposed to or dreamed up himself. I think this is why writers are sometimes skittish when it comes to working in a critique group when sharing original, unpublished ideas. The creative process feeds off of many ideas, and then we often assimilate all of those various experiences and thoughts into something new.

2. Facebook is no replacement of real, human relationships. As a matter of fact, as I've learned through bitter experience, Facebook can sometimes magnify hurts and brokenness between people. Or, on a positive note, it can pave the way for a deeper friendship. *SPOILER ALERT* The saddest scene in the movie is at the very end when Zuckerberg, a successful business person and creative genius, is sitting there awaiting friend confirmation from his old girlfriend. *SPOILER ALERT END* The bottom line is that there's just no substitute for real, face-to-face talking between people that helps bridge some of the loneliness everyone experiences.

3. Creativity can be a curse. Again, if the story is true-to-life, then Zuckerberg, like other creative geniuses live desperate, lonely, difficult lives. Think of Van Gogh, Keats, Faulkner, Hemingway, and many others who either suffered from mental illness or social awkwardness and alienation.

It was a thought-provoking movie that definitely provides commentary on our time. I recommend it.

If, by the way, you want to "like" Mark Zuckerberg, you can find him here on Facebook.

Writing Spaces

2011-01-27T11:16:00.001-05:00

Busy, busy, busy! Life has been too full lately to have much space for thinking and blogging, but I did read some interesting posts this morning from my writing friends in Pittsburgh. Their group wrote about writing spaces and how they store their work, etc.

I've posted photos of my sunroom before, but here is another shot--not in the dead of winter! I'm finding this is more of a 3-seasons room because lately I am longing for the hibernating feel of our warmer family room and my corner on the couch with my laptop. The sunroom is part of an addition to our house that isn't attached to the heating and cooling system of the house. Between the bleakness of the gray and white backdrop of the cold, snowy backyard and the cold temps, I am not working in there as much as in the warmer months.

The Rt. 19 Writers have a nice series on how they work in Pittsburgh. Check it out.

Book Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

2011-01-18T21:33:00.001-05:00

This charming book, around roughly 500 pages, is a fabulous read for middle-grade kids. It’s got adventure, warmth, mystery, villains, heroes, and much more. On one level, it’s a story of good vs. evil, but it’s also a delightful story of friendship and acceptance for those who are outcast and orphaned.

This is my favorite paragraph: “And yet, in these last days, he’d become friends with people who cared about him, quite above and beyond what was expected of him. With perfect clarity he remembered Reynie saying, ‘I need you here as a friend.’ The effect of those words, and of all his friendships, had grown stronger and stronger, until—thought he couldn’t say why he didn’t feel mixed up now—at the most desperate moment yet, he knew it to be true. There was bravery in him. It only had to be drawn out” (p. 421).

What is wonderful about this paragraph and about the situation as a whole is that the friends realize they are brave only because they want to help each other. They aren’t brave on their own or because they want to save themselves. They are brave for others. What a great lesson in self-sacrifice!

The other thing that I love, in addition to the themes of friendship and courage in the book, is the author’s use of language. In nearly every paragraph, or at least once per page, I felt myself inwardly nodding and saying, “Yes, that is the exact, perfect word in that sentence.” One of the things that, in my opinion, shows a book is hum-drum or only so-so in quality is the lack of originality and freshness in language, and the lack of precise vocabulary. But precise, concise, carefully chosen language creates fabulous fiction and perfect prose. So, for example, instead of using the word “walked” to show Constance moving down the hallway, Stewart writes that “Constance came tottering after her… (429). Instead of shouting, Mr. Curtain “barks” his commands. This attention to detail in word choice shows not only careful writing, but also savvy editing.

A delightful read for the whole family—check it out today!

Poetry Monday: Just for Fun

2011-01-17T11:59:00.001-05:00

This morning, while doing some morning writing practice, I came upon this blog: The Miss Rumphius Effect, that has a weekly poetry stretch. This week's challenge is a poem about shoes. Thank you for this poetry challenge! :)

Here is my entry:

Barefoot Day

Toes, toes, attached to feet:
Our first hello to those we meet.

Slender, stubby, and hairy too—
but these toes of mine are hidden from you.

We cover them up with sneakers and crocks,
we dress them in knee-hi’s, slippers, and socks.

What are we hiding? Why do we fear?
Let’s all go barefoot one day of the year.

Bunions, and corns, and warts: beware!
Your day is coming; you’d better prepare.

Let’s scrub those piggies and pumice that heel—
It’s time, oh feet, for your big reveal!

©2011 Julie Stiegemeyer

Kids and Books: Promoting Literacy at your School or Library

2011-01-16T16:16:00.000-05:00

One of the most meaningful events that can promote literacy in your school or library is to bring in an author for a visit. Hearing the author's "story behind the story" can generate excitement and enthusiasm among students. When I visit schools, I often find that kids get "fired up" about writing their own stories and reading more after hearing how I've gone through the process of having my books published. I focus on how everyone has a story to share, and I try to give kids the tools to work through the writing process to create the best possible version of the story.

I've visited schools at various times. Sometimes I have presented in connection to a student authors program. Many schools have special events when students write their own stories and even publish them and make them available for purchase. Those are great times to bring in an author or illustrator. Also, authors can come in connection with Dr. Seuss's birthday (at the end of February) or for a summer reading kick-off at the end of the school year. You can create an exciting event to motivate the kids to gain a love of reading and writing.

The focus of my presentations is usually on how to capture ideas, write about them, refine them, revise, and then finally produce a clean, polished draft. I show lots of photos of how my stories have gone from the idea stage to publication. Illustrators also go through the process of revision, so I spend time showing how some of the artwork in my books went through drafts as well. Since I am not an illustrator, I tend to spend more time on the language, but I also love looking into the artwork and showing how picture books need both the language and the art to work in beautiful concert together.

I share lots of photos and visual aids to help support what the students are learning in the classroom about the writing process and how to revise their projects. If you would love to promote writing and reading with your school or library, consider hosting an author for a visit.

For more info on my school visits, click here.

Picture Book Reading Challenge - First 5

2011-01-13T16:58:00.000-05:00

So my first five books for the reading challenge I picked at random from the shelves of the new picture books at the Elmhurst library.

Book #1/120 - The Rabbit Problem written and illustrated by Emily Gravett (Simon & Schuster, 2009).
The first one, The Rabbit Problem appealed to me because I have read and enjoyed Emily Gravett's books before. Her website is extremely cool. The back of the book says: "This book is based on a problem that was solved in the 13th Century by the Mathematician Fibonacci, but it is NOT (I repeat NOT) a book about math. It is a book about rabbits...Lots of rabbits!"

It actually is a book about math, that is, the Fibonacci sequence of numbers. (I had to look it up on Wikipedia, which says that his goal was to create a sequence in which each number is the sum of the previous two numbers). How Gravett frames the idea is very clever: she creates a family of adorable rabbits and shows the sequence of numbers on the months of a calendar. So, in January, there is one lonely rabbit (0 + 1). Then, February has a pair (1+1). March shows two baby rabbits, plus the couple, and so on. There are cool little interactive elements on each month (an invitation, a newspaper, etc.).

In my opinion, it is one of those kids' books that a child reader would flip through for 1.3 seconds and then set aside. It would definitely take a teacher or a parent explaining what is happening on the pages to help the child understand its significance. However, the artwork is charming and the concept is intriguing.

Book #2/120 - Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Sophie Blackall (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2010).

Love this gentle treatment of the feelings of jealousy and uncertainty of an older child expecting a new baby in the house. My favorite part about the book is the language--so kid-friendly, so authentic. Woodson refers to "jacket weather" instead of October and this I love: "Upstairs, I got that teary, choky feeling." Isn't that just how it feels? "Choky"?

Book #3/120 - The Princess and Her Panther by Wendy Orr, illustrated by Lauren Stringer (Beach Lane Books, 2010).

I'm getting to know the Beach Lane list fairly well, and I love it. It feels familiar, like the books I write and hope to write. Wendy Orr wrote Nim's Island, and Lauren Stringer also published Winter is the Warmest Season with Beach Lane, which I love.

The strength of this book is the more-than-meets-the-eye story of two girls camping out in their backyard one night. It delves so nicely into the imagination of children, that world they slip into so easily. The text is spare, and while I loved the concept, the language, in my opinion, might have been a bit more interesting. The refrain, for example, is fairly simple: "The princess was brave and the panther tried to be." Maybe a rhyme or clever turn of phrase could have spiced this up a bit more. However, I do like how the girls solve their own problem with a nice story arc and climax.

Book #4/120 - Chick 'n' Pug written and illustrated by Jennifer Sattler (Bloomsbury, 2010).

So adorable! So clever! Love this book! The main character, Chick, loves to read about the adventures of Wonder Pug and then finds his very own Wonder Pug to befriend. Warm, charming characters, easy language, clever concept, and funny climax. It's got everything!

Book #5/120 - Just One Bite by Lola Schaefer, illustrated by Geoff Waring (Chronicle, 2010).

My first nonfiction pick! The subtitle is: "11 Animals and Their Bites at Life Size." It reminds me a bit--though the link may be a stretch--of a cool book (and now I can't remember the title or find it) which examines one square foot of ground, on the surface, a bit lower, and still lower into the earth to show what lives in this one spot. If anyone knows the book I'm thinking of, will you comment, please?

Anyway, Just One Bite shows the size of the food that animals in increasing size eat. For example, Schaefer begins with a worm. A speck of dirt the size of the head of a pin is the meal of a worm: "With just one scoop, a worm can eat...this much dirt (and everything in it)!" Then the animals move up in increasing size, until finally we see how much food a sperm whale eats. Clever idea that I think would interest kids.

So, there we have it--my first five!

Picture books go high-tech...some thoughts

2011-01-11T22:42:00.063-05:00

I attended a conference about 10 years ago in which Harold Underdown spoke about i-Books. He told us how this would be the next big thing and that publishers would be shying away from paper-and-ink book publishing. Everyone in the room gasped and subsequently fell into an inevitable depression. However, picture books are still being published with paper, ink, and all of the traditional materials.

Yes, the economy and possibly the rise of iPads and Nooks capturing that interactive, cool, technologically advanced version of books has led to fewer picture books being printed. But they're still around and publishers are still buying new manuscripts.

So here are my random thoughts on this issue that could affect reading for kids and parents. An article from the New York Times features the color Nook's e-reader.

Recently, I was able to view a children's book on my friend's Nook. It was cool. The colors were vibrant and the story still endearing. I also had a chance to look at the interactive elements of a children's book on an iPad.

As a mom, I wonder how many parents would feel about their little ones handling their expensive equipment, like an iPad. I get nervous when my 15-year-old needs to borrow my laptop (yes, I am a bit paranoid, but he also has a habit of dropping things, stepping on earphones, etc.), so how much more would I feel anxious about a preschooler with sticky fingers and a drippy nose handling my iPad? It's one thought that comes to mind. However, the interactive nature of the illustrations and text is very cool. I would definitely sit there and play around with the ticking clock or read-aloud text, and I could see parents really enjoying sharing these resources with their kids.

The other thought I have about e-Readers comes from my experience in reading a recent book for adults on my husband's Kindle, the e-Reader produced by Amazon. At first, I felt totally out of my element. I was pushing buttons on this foreign contraption and just couldn't get used to the fact that I was reading an actual book. As I got into the story, it became more natural. I liked the fact that I could adjust the font size easily, but I guess that normally I must do a lot of flipping around when I read a paper book. I read the info about the author, I flip ahead to see how long the chapter is, I look at the chapter headings. This is not so easy with an e-Reader.

But, on the pro side of the argument, you no longer need bookmarks.

An editor recently told me about a children's book called "It's a Book" by Lane Smith. Love it, love it, love it! One character is reading an actual paper book, and an annoying, slightly ignorant character keeps asking what it is. What does it do? Where's the plug? It's a great story, with a bit of commentary on our cultural obsession with gadgets.

So, I guess the bottom line for me is that I don't think picture books in their traditional form will be going away any time soon. There's still a physical connection we have with stories and with page turns and the story--literally--unfolds. But I also love technology and have my own love of gadgets, so I can see parents embracing this new "delivery system" of books as well. My husband, who has owned a Kindle for a couple of years, uses it occasionally, and also reads regular books. Not all books are available on the Kindle, and he still goes to the library to check out books as well. This is what I picture parents doing. They may have a couple of books on their iPads to share with their kids, but will also make those library and bookstore runs for books as well. As an author, I think the possibilities are exciting, and I hope someday to see one of my books on an iPad or Nook!

The Writer's Work: Not Lonely!

2011-01-10T17:34:00.000-05:00

Do you have this stereotype about writers? We live off on our own, drinking cup after cup of coffee, hair sticking out in weird directions. We're stubbing out cigarettes on a messy desk, and the trash can is overflowing with crumpled up drafts. We're a bit strange, a bit odd, doing so much darn thinking all of the time. We might hang out at a coffee shop, but we definitely would not talk to anyone. Any of this sounding familiar?

I don't know if I'm a typical writer. Most likely not. I write for kids (for the most part), so the stereotype of the frustrated, caffeinated, tobaccoed writer doesn't really fit--at least it doesn't fit me.

But the lonely, isolated part? That definitely isn't me. Yes, I do spend time alone and enjoy it. I need room to think, and quiet in which to think it. But one of the best thing about writers is our community. We need each other. We need advice, moral support, critiquing, and lots of it.

So, I'm excited that tomorrow I'm getting together with a group of children's writers in my area for a critique group. We plan on meeting regularly to critique each other's work, and tomorrow is our launching party. In what ways has the writing community helped other authors?

The Writing Life

2011-01-08T09:38:00.000-05:00

The Writing Life is an audio recording of a conversation with Julia Cameron and Natalie Goldberg, both writers and writing teachers. After owning this for many months, I finally popped it in my CD player in the car and found it to be an incredibly inspirational resource.

Julia Cameron is one of my favorite writing inspirations. She is probably most famous for The Artist's Way or its follow-up Vein of Gold. But I love her book The Right to Write. She considers herself an artist and doesn't allow herself to be pigeon-holed as a writer or screenwriter or poet or musician. But I find that her book on writing is the most helpful and has the closest correlation to what I need.

She speaks a great deal about morning pages--three pages in long hand written every morning. This is a writing practice which gets you in the process of writing so that when you have time to sit down and work on your projects, you are not overly concerned about the marketability of the work. You just write. It's the way to get the "censor off your shoulder." While I'm not completely successful at this, I do try to stick to a writing regimen in that I write in my journal at least several times a week. This is writing just for me, not to sell, not to share. It keeps me connected to the page.

Natalie Goldberg is most well-known for her book Writing Down the Bones, another book on writing and the writing life. I'm not as familiar with her work, but I know many other writers who love it.

This audio CD is a conversation between these two authors and a moderator. In the first part, the three sit down and talk in a studio, and in the second part, they discuss writing in front of a studio audience. It's a highly motivational and inspirational CD that I recommend to any writer, wherever they are in their writing journey--whether published or not. Check it out!

Picture Book Reading Challenge

2011-01-07T22:20:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a fellow kid-lit writer, I just learned about a challenge to read 12, 36, 72, 120, or 200 picture books over the course of 2011. I love the idea of this challenge because it is so important to read, read, read in whatever genre you hope to write. One reason this helps writers is because we learn what is working and what isn't as effective. We also can learn about new genres and many other things. My goal is to read at least 10 picture books each month, which will total no fewer than 120 for 2011. I'm not going to promise to post on every book, but will maybe post on a grouping of them once a month.

Join me in my reading journey!

A great resource for children's writers

2011-01-06T15:33:00.000-05:00

If you are a children's writer and you do not belong to THE ONLY professional organization for kid-lit writers, you need to join today. The organization is the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Here's the link to the national site. Here is the link to the local SCBWI-Illinois chapter. And here is the latest Prairie Wind journal, published by the SCBWI-IL. Great info! Great tips! Read and enjoy.

Plotting and Structure

2010-12-31T14:55:00.000-05:00

Over the last few weeks, I've been pondering plotting and structure. In November, I went to the annual Prairie Writers' Day, hosted by the Illinois SCBWI chapter. One of the speakers discussed the importance of looking at your book--whatever length--in terms of its plot and structure. She used this classic diagram to help describe how structure works in an effective story.

I've read some great books over the years on this very topic, including my favorite (modestly titled): How to Write a Children's Picture Book by Eve Heidi Bine-Stock. In this book, Bine-Stock describes the necessity of looking at pacing and the "beats" a repeated phrase or refrain can lend to a book. She does so by examining classic picture books, like The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss and Bill Martin Jr.'s Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and shows how they work effectively through their structure.

For example, each story is expressed in what she calls acts, like in the acts of a play. A "three-act book" would work in this way:

Act 1 - Introduce character and conflict
Act 2 - Show developing conflict, leading to its ultimate climax
Act 3 - Quick denoument, resolving the conflict

The great thing is that any story can easily fit into this format. Even a saga like Tolkein's Lord of the Rings could be broken down in this way:

Act 1: Introduction of Frodo, the ring, the conflict--the great need to destroy it
Act 2: The journey of getting to Mount Doom to destroy the ring, rising to the climax of its destruction
Act 3: The restoration of Middle Earth, the coronation of the king, the departure of Frodo

Of course, in this trilogy, Act 2 comprises most of the text, with mini stories (with beginnings, middles, and endings) throughout the rising action. For example, their journey through the Mines of Moria is a mini story, within the larger plot of the book.

All of this is in the back of my mind because I am currently working on a project with a very short word count, which would be a young picture book. I imagine this targeting the 2-4 year old range. The stories focus on a toddler who begins to learn how to solve his own problems. What is so much fun for me is to see how short they can be, while still preserving that natural story arc. I'm striving for no more than 400 words total, and telling three little stories in which each one has its own beginning, middle, and ending, with the character figuring out how to solve his own problems. It's been a fun and challenging project, which is almost ready for submission.

The simple joys of work

2010-12-29T12:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, our plumber came over to take a look at the drains in our upstairs bathroom and the garage. After he cleared out the bathtub drain and watched the water going down, he said, "Look at that great swirl!" The water was moving so fast down the drain that it created that familiar little vortex when the pipes are wide open.

It got me to thinking about those little joys we have in our day when our work pays off, when we see results, like the water swirling down a bathtub drain.

So, I thought I'd list some of my favorite "pay-offs" from a good day's work.

- a clean, shiny kitchen sink
- an empty dishwasher
- a well-stocked refrigerator
- clean laundry neatly folded in dresser drawers (can you tell I'm catching up on my housework?)
- a box of books, newly published, with my name on the cover

There are so many small joys in the course of our days that sometimes we overlook. Take time to think about your little payoffs, like the swirling water down the drain and cherish the blessings of work. What are some of your simple joys?

Justice and Hope

2010-12-21T10:27:00.001-05:00

I've decided that it's time to read a book on Martin Luther King, Jr., not only because of his worthy cause of social and racial equality, but because I want to immerse myself in his incredible use of language, imagery, and persuasion.

I recently heard a quote that he paraphrased from its original, which I'd never heard before. (How did I miss this all my life?) The MLK quote is about the moral arc of the universe, though long, ultimately bending toward justice, which is paraphrased from the original by Theodore Parker in the 1850s: "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice." (Apparently, there has been some controversy over the origin of the quote, which you can read about here.) I love this image of the moral arc of the universe. And I say yes to it--though it may be a slow fight, justice will ultimately succeed. That is what we hope, isn't it?

Natural law, deep within human nature, fights against injustice in the world. We've all had that experience when we hear about an injustice and our immediate response is: "It's not fair!" Kids are great at this. They demand equal treatment. Siblings must get the same gift, the same treatment, etc. But adults are good at it too. When friends hurt us or treat us as we don't deserve, when an employer shows favoritism, or when we are punished for things we didn't do, we too rail against the unfairness of it all. We demand justice.

On this Christmas week, I am thinking about Dr. King, moral arcs of the universe, justice, and a situation that was not fair at all. A baby, a manger, a young pregnant woman--shut out in the bitterness of that Christmas night. What would it take to right the wrongs in the universe? What would it take to fix the injustice of it all?

It would take an infant, a small, helpless infant to bring us back to God. It would take a sacrifice to fix us, broken, hurting, and in need of restoration. It would take someone to heal the broken and to balance the injustice. It would take a child who would become a man to seek the suffering and take that suffering to the cross to ultimately bring about what is good and whole. It would take Jesus.

That man did not deserve a painful, humiliating death. It was not fair, but it was perfect. It was not just, but it was good. God, the author of justice, the maker of goodness, knew just what we needed: a Savior, who came, wrapped in swaddling clothes, a baby crying in the night. What we received was perfect love, forgiveness, and hope from this unassuming child, tucked away in a Bethlehem stable. That moral arc of the universe bent toward the stable on that Christmas night. We got something better than justice: we got what we did not deserve. Thanks be to God!

Picture Books live on!

2010-12-16T13:09:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, The New York Times printed a front-page article stating that picture books were on their way out for good. There were lots of irritated authors, publishers, agents, librarians, teachers, parents, etc. who disagreed with much of the content. Apparently, some of those quoted in the article felt their comments were taken out of context. So, I really appreciated this nice article from Publishers Weekly with a response. Bottom line: just because The New York Times says it's so doesn't mean it is.

Book review

2010-12-13T16:30:00.008-05:00

Here's a book review featuring a couple of my books on Christian Book.com by Chris Anderson.

Various movie reviews

2010-12-11T18:51:00.001-05:00

So, here are some movies I've watched recently and my random thoughts on them:

The Road with Viggo Mortensen, the fabulous king-in-hiding in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. On the surface, this could be the most depressing movie ever made. It's set in a post-apocalytic world, where all of the trees are either a) on fire, b) dead, or c) randomly exploding and/or falling down. No animals exist. Food is scarce. Most of the population is dead. We don't know what causes this armageddon, but it's bad...real bad. So, Viggo is the father and he and his son are wandering through this wilderness, trying to survive. I promise. I will never, ever take green grass or standing trees for granted again. Or food.

Okay, so on the surface it's totally depressing. It's bad. But then, I thought about it a bit more, and with Viggo as a Christ figure it makes a lot more sense. There seems some purpose to it. He gives up everything in order to make sure the child is cared for. So, while it's a pretty bleak picture, there is some hope. A father cares for his son--no matter what. And when the inevitable happens at the end, his sacrifice gives the son everything he needs.

Lessons learned: Don't take grass for granted. Enjoy canned pears. Keep a stash of emergency food in a bomb shelter. Know that life has purpose.

Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. This movie is cute. It's a light spy-thriller movie with lots of fun little humorous elements. Pop some popcorn and enjoy.

Lessons learned: Life gets serious. Goof around a little bit.

This next movie, A Perfect Getaway, was a perfect surprise! This seemed like the average thriller/suspense movie, but it actually had so many interesting twists and turns in the plot that I was totally engrossed. Sometimes with a little persistence, you can find those gems while mining through the boring rock pile of average movies. (There is some bad language in this movie, so parents of young 'uns should be aware.)

Lessons learned: Don't judge a movie cover by the thousands of others made like it that suck pretty bad.

Also, I watched The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio recently. This one is a bit (okay, more than a bit) bizarre. There's some supernatural-ish stuff going on, as well as some hippie commune stuff, some pretty nasty violence and a beautiful, perfect beach. Eh...probably not worth it, but the images and the concept behind it were kind of cool. Everyone longs for that perfect beach getaway. (This one is definitely not for kids.)

Lessons learned: It's probably not a good idea to get off the beaten path when traveling in Thailand.

For those of you who know me fairly well know that I have never really liked horror movies. But when I had the opportunity to go with my husband, my son, and my son's girlfriend to see Paranormal Activity 2, I decided to suck it up and do it. Spoiler alert: Freakiest scene #1: in the kitchen when the cabinets open (those of you who have seen it know what I'm talking about). Freakiest scene #2: when the baby starts being sucked out of his crib. Not good. The good news is that I didn't have nightmares, and didn't even get freaked out until some (literal) bumps in the night woke me up. Weirdly, these movies scare my husband and son more than me.

Lessons learned: Don't make pacts with the devil. Seriously. Don't.

So, those are the ones I can think of recently. Any good ones you've seen lately?

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

2010-12-06T15:04:00.000-05:00

I hope you are all enjoying your chocolate coin cookies or whatever other goody that may have been left in your shoe this morning! I wrote about the story of St. Nicholas because of a suggestion from a close friend of our family, Todd Peperkorn. About 12 years ago (or so) at a Christmas party, we were discussing St. Nicholas. "Why isn't there a story about the real St. Nicholas?" we wondered. That little conversation, as well as my own thinking and learning about Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra, led me to put together his story in a book called Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend, published by Concordia Publishing House.

The thing, of course, that is remarkable about Nicholas was his wonderful generosity, and what a wonderful virtue that is to promote--on Dec. 6, at Christmas, and all year long.

The tricky balance...

2010-12-03T12:29:00.000-05:00

...between pursuing creative ventures that might earn a paycheck and those that definitely do. These days, I am finding myself knee-deep in grading English composition papers without much time for writing. I'm frustrated, but working and earning actual money. So, I find myself asking the question: is it better to have the financial security or the extra time to pursue those free-lance projects that may or may not pay off.

The good news is that when teaching writing, I can give back. I can share what I've learned from writing instructors through the years. I can give the gift of sharing my experiences with others.

The not-so-good news is that I'm not progressing as quickly as I'd like to with the 5 or 6 projects on my writing to-do list.

I liked this image because the rocks balance each other out. So, maybe I have a couple of weeks when all I'm doing is lecturing, grading, and answering student emails. But hopefully that will be balanced out by some time after Christmas to write and be more creative.

But, it's all a gift, and I'm thankful for the opportunities I have to work--in whatever form that may take.

Guilty much too often of this...

2010-11-27T18:37:00.000-05:00

...not of blowing up cars. That would be illegal. And probably dangerous.

But I am guilty of what this writer refers to as "bore-geous" writing. Writers, and whoever else works with words, read this. Now.

Ayelet Waldman discusses the importance of avoiding pointless beautiful writing. She emphasizes how important it is to move the plot forward with each scene, each sentence, each word, and when it doesn't, cut it. It's hard to let go of my "babies"--those favorite scenes, characters, stories, whatever that don't really do much of anything.

It's so true! Let's get some action happenin!

Other sources of inspiration

2010-11-15T21:50:00.000-05:00

My pets always inspire me--this is Penny

...and Lucy on Lake Michigan

Places inspire me--this is sunset at Lake Michigan

And Colorado, my home state is always inspiring

Colorado, near Buena Vista

Surprising places inspire me--this is the beautiful ceiling of Macy's in Chicago

My family inspires me

The gorgeous Colorado scenery inspires me


In Colorado - Rocky Mountain National Park

My place of inspiration

2010-11-11T11:14:00.000-05:00

This is my sunroom where I love to work and write. Where do you like to write?

A Shout-Out to My Sisters!

2010-11-05T11:31:00.000-05:00

So, as a virtual **hug** to all the women in my life who inspire or support me, I want to give a shout out this Friday. Yes, this reads a bit like a book dedication, but hey, let's face it, I'm never going to write a book long enough to actually include a dedication longer than one sentence. :) So, indulge me...

To my mom who can remember every detail, including all state capitols as well as my dog's birthday, and who has given support to me every day of my life; who taught me to sing every day and bloom where I'm planted.

To my sister-in-law, Jennifer, whose grace and love and understanding is always just a phone call away.

To my mother-in-law Jody who is always so supportive of my writing.

To my niece Allie, who is growing to be a lovely young woman.

To Jean who is like a big sister to me and we can always pick up where we left off, just like I saw you yesterday.

To Carol whose creativity and understanding never ceases to amaze me (and I don't think you even realize how brilliant you are).

To Pam and Sara and Rachele and Lori who always keep in touch thought we live far apart (and I'm so bad at staying in contact).

To my adopted "moms" Shirley, DiDi and Barb who help to take care of me.
.
To Peggy Kuethe whose work helps so many and who has been such a wonderful mentor to me.

To all of you and so many more...hugs!!

P.S. Sometimes, I have recently realized, I don't take enough time to thank those who mentored me or helped me through the years. I encourage you all to "pay it forward" and give your own shout-outs!

Haiku: moments in time

2010-10-29T11:42:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm going to be reading and working through the book, "Haiku: Learn to Express Yourself by Writing Poetry in the Japanese Tradition" by Patricia Donegan. Haiku, according to Donegan, is the most popular form of poetry today. Perhaps that's because it's such a brief snapshot in time which anyone can observe. But haiku takes that brief moment a step further. It can create a moment of realization or connection to nature or to others.

Here are her seven keys to writing haiku:

1. Form: Your haiku should have three lines with or without a seven syllable count. It should be one breath long.

2. Image: Your haiku should have a descriptive image--for example, not "a flower," but instead "a purple iris in the sun."

3. Kigo (season word): Your haiku should refer to nature and hint at the day's season or weather.

4. Here and Now: You should write from real experience or memory, not imagination; record the present moment.

5. Feeling: Your haiku should not explain or tell, but instead show the feeling through your image.

6. Surprise: Your haiku should have an "ah!" moment that wakes us up.

7. Compassion: Your haiku should express openheartedness toward nature.

This looks like a terrific book--not only informational, but it also gives the reader an opportunity to create poetry while moving through the book. I think I'm going to have to add this one to my Christmas list!

Our birdbath bit the dust

2010-10-26T17:34:00.000-05:00

So sad...in the high winds today in Chicago, a big branch fell on our birdbath and broke it in two. You know it's a big branch when it breaks concrete! Maybe I'll just have to replace it with a cool one like this:

Why I Write

2010-10-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

Did you know that yesterday was National Day on Writing? This is one that I appreciate someone inventing because it gives me a reason to talk about my favorite thing: writing!

This morning while I was drying my hair (always my best thinking time), I was pondering why I do what I do. I often joke that I have about 4 jobs. That is literally true. I am an online writing instructor. I tutor ESL students at a local high school. I write picture books, and I write materials that are assigned to me (curricular, etc.). And, occasionally, like this weekend, I speak and present materials to school groups or other groups. But...in all of those jobs, I basically have one role: to communicate ideas.

When my son was a toddler, I often felt like I was a translator. First, I was my son's translator because when he was learning to speak, he could usually only be understood by me and my husband. But it was my translating for him that I did most often. I explained concepts to him in his language, with words he understood. From that was born my first book, Things I See in Church. This little book, showed in very simple language what was happening in church. "Bells -- Jesus calls us." "People -- Jesus gathers us." The concepts were simple (tied to a tangible object), but the "lesson" was deeper. But through simple words and pictures (hopefully), the child could learn a little bit.

When I teach or tutor English as a Second Language, I encourage students not to use a translating device, but rather, to listen to an explanation of the concept in simpler language. So, the other day, I was helping a student understand the concept of the electoral college from her U.S. History class. Tough stuff, but I think we succeeded in the end.

A writer is all about making those connections--taking an idea and telling it in ways that the audience can understand. So, I'll take a concept, like counting, and turn it into a silly story (like Gobble-Gobble-Crash). Kids count while reading the story, but also just enjoy some goofy turkeys flailing around a barnyard.

That's how I see what I do: I communicate ideas to people and make connections that bring us together...and maybe publish a few books along the way. :)

Katie Luther Presentation: What I'm doing this weekend

2010-10-19T14:27:00.000-05:00

This weekend, I am traveling to Grand Rapids, Michigan for two presentations on Katie Luther, the wife of Martin Luther of the Protestant Reformation. I find Katie Luther, more technically called Katharina Von Bora, to be an immensely interesting woman of faith. She was placed in a convent at age 6, lived there and took her vows, and then began hearing of the reforms of Martin Luther. At age 21, she and some other nuns decided to escape their vows and their cloistered lives.

The escape story is dramatic. On Easter Eve, 1523, Katie and several other nuns escaped in empty herring barrels with the assistance of Leonard Koppe, a local merchant. They shimmied down into the barrels, tucked away out of sight, as Koppe's wagon rolled away in the middle of the night, away from the convent, to freedom.

After two years, Luther finally proposed to Katie, and they married. He was 42, she was 26. She had 6 children in the span of 8 years.

What I find incredible about her was her energy, her devotion to the people around her, and her ardent faith. She and Luther were given an abandoned monastery, the Black Cloister, as their home. She whipped this place into shape and prepared not only a peaceful and hospitable home for her family but also for the many theological students, royalty, and the downtrodden in Wittenberg.

There is so much I could say about Katie, but this just gives a taste of what I'll be presenting this weekend on Friday at Our Savior Lutheran School, and on Saturday at an LWML zone rally in Grand Rapids.

Do Men and Women Write Differently?

2010-07-21T20:49:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting article from the New York Times suggesting that it's not the subject matter or the style or content that shows that men and women write differently, but actually the linguistic choices we make between words like "among" or "myself." Intriguing, eh?

Then, you can go to this website to plug in your text and the algorithm will determine whether you are a male or female writer.

When Someone Dies: Find Comfort in Jesus

2010-07-12T18:43:00.000-05:00

Whew! It's been a looong time since I've posted. I hope to get back to regular blogging, but for now, I'll just announce my other new release for 2010, When Someone Dies: Find Comfort in Jesus. This is a book for children on the subject of grief, published by Concordia Publishing House. Through the text, I tried to show that children may be comforted by the love of Christ in times of loss. The illustrations are gorgeous, and a lot of people are responding to the beautiful cover showing the reflection of the boy and his dog with Jesus alongside him. What a wonderful pictorial interpretation of this scriptural truth. Thank you so much to Peggy Kuethe at Concordia for her wonderful editorial guidance. She is awesome!

Seven Little Bunnies!

2010-06-04T21:52:00.000-05:00

This new book, published by Marshall Cavendish, is a prime story (pun intended) of how wonderfully the revision process can produce a great result! This book began with a set of 10 mice and ended up featuring seven sweet bunnies, illustrated by Laura J. Bryant.

Here's the book description from the publisher: About the Book
It’s bedtime for seven little bunnies, but each bunny is busy having fun! Will they stop? One by one, each bunny gets . . . cozy, then dozy, then drowsy, then . . . drops into bed! Soft illustrations rendered in watercolor by Laura J. Bryant bring this bedtime readaloud to a quiet ending. Count the bunnies as they fall asleep.

Enjoy your little bunnies!

The Creative Process and Matisse

2010-04-24T11:16:00.000-05:00

Last month, I went with some new friends to the Art Institute of Chicago to see the new Matisse exhibit. The exhibit focuses on a short period of his work, from around 1914-1919. It was a fascinating exhibit which highlighted the influences on his art and an extremely creative and prolific period in his life. A few things stood out for me.

First, I loved how the exhibit spotlighted how he revised his paintings and sculptures. The audio recording which accompanied the exhibit (which you must use if you go--it's worth the money) pointed out how he left sketches in his paintings which showed multiple outlines for the arm, for example. These lines blended into the background, but showed how he changed the shapes for his finished studies. In earlier times, as I believe was the point, he would scrap the canvas and begin again. But he learned to make revision part of his work. It was also fascinating to see four "drafts" of the same sculpture (I believe this was entitled "Back" or something like that. It was a roughly chiseled torso of a man).

Whenever I talk about writing, I always focus on the writing process and how revision is absolutely essential to any decent work that will be published. A rough draft is rarely--if ever--publishable. It is the spark, the promise of what the work can evolve into. But it is the layering effect of draft upon draft which strengthens and solidifies the work into something that not only communicates effectively but makes it complete.

Second, the exhibit showed that this was an extremely creative and prolific period in his life. As I am learning, writers, as well as painters and sculptors, go through periods in life which are more prolific than others. During this time for Matisse, influences of Cubism appeared in his work (which makes his portraits appear geometric and slightly unsettling) but he forged through those influences to create his own unique style.

This also has direct application to writing. There are times in a writer's life when ideas dry up, desert-like. Creative writing, like all arts, reveals something of the self, some inner thoughts or feelings which rise to the surface through the story. And at times, we, as writers, pull back, unsure if we want to reveal that inner core. We hide away for a time. And then there are others times when ideas flow fast and furious and, creatively speaking, we are prolific and uninhibited.

But it's all part of the process, and I am very grateful for all of the writing opportunities I have--even in a time when book publishing is almost exclusively focused on YA vampire novels. As my family has often told me, I need more zombies in my stories. Maybe I should take the hint.

10 Things Everyone Needs When They're Moving

2010-02-23T18:01:00.004-05:00

So, here's a list of 10 things everybody needs when a move is imminent. These things could be given as a goodbye gift for the person moving. If you're the one moving, make your own moving kit.

1. A box cutter. You thought I was going to say tape, right? No. Having many, many box cutters (preferably one that can be attached to one's body) is absolutely necessary. Many times during this move, I packed boxes which then I had to open before they were actually transported to the new house. For example, I needed a lampshade the night before we moved because I absolutely could NOT stand the idea of reading my novel by the light of a naked bulb before I went to sleep. But I had no box cutter, so I was using kid scissors and a pen to try to get into a box. Not pretty.

2. Packing Tape. Don't get that wimpy yellow-y kind. Get the super thick durable kind. The scotch clear tape is about $2 at Walmart. That's the best.

3. Many writing utensils and notepads, preferably sticky notes (again, having these items on a key chain is a good idea, if possible).

4. A cell phone charger.

5. A flashlight and extra batteries. These are necessary in the old empty house and in the new empty house. There are no nightlights left.

6. Dare I say it? Instant coffee or tea bags and a tea kettle (preferably borrowed from the neighbor).

7. The dog's leash and kitty crates, along with dog food, cat food, kitty litter, and a litter box. Some sort of bowl is handy too. Oh, and tuna in case your cat decides to go under the foundation of the house and you're trying to lure her out.

8. Many cleaning supplies. These are again necessary in the old and new houses, so bring all types along. Throw in some tp and paper towel while you're at it.

9. Air mattresses (again, for old and new houses) on those weird nights when you're camping out indoors.

10. Beer, wine, or Xanax. No further explanation needed.

Palate Pleasers

2010-02-18T18:37:00.003-05:00

I've had a new idea for my blog. Since moving here to Chicago, I have been slowly getting to know some of the people in our new congregation, Redeemer Lutheran Church.

In the spirit of a "getting to know you" project, I've decided to start with some cooking. I was given the newest church cookbook on the day of my husband's installation. It is called "Palate Pleasers." What better way to get to know some of the cooks in the congregation than by using their recipes?

So, I pulled the book out today, and decided I could try some recipes. This all may sound very "Julie and Julia"-like, and I guess I mean it to. I read the book, Julie and Julia by Julie Powell several years ago, and loved the concept. She decided to make all of Julia Child's recipes (in her Joy of Cooking book) over the course of a year and write about it on her blog.

However, my version will use the church cookbook for my inspiration. Tonight's recipe: Savory Beef Strudel.

Any time a main dish recipe has a dessert term in the name, it's going to be made in my kitchen. I have a terrible sweet tooth. I don't dive head-first into a bag of Doritos, but Oreos at 4 pm sound like a terrific addition to my diet. (Sad, I know.) One of my other favorite main dishes is the classic Bisquick recipe called cheeseburger pie. I mean, burgers, cheese, and pie--how can it get any better?

So tonight's recipe involves strudel. Interestingly, the word "strudel" comes from the German word for whirlpool, apparently because if you take a cross-section of a strudel you can see a sort of spiral shape. Apple strudel is the most common recipe consisting of layers of strudel dough and filling. The strudel dough is very labor-intensive to make, and my recipe, while it still took about 45 minutes to prepare, saved me the labor of making the dough. Instead, it called for phyllo dough (puff pastry dough).

The first time I used phyllo dough in a recipe, I thought the dough itself was the packaging. The sheets are so paper-like that I kept picking up layer after layer trying to get to the good stuff. Alas, the "good stuff" was what I was ripping through and tearing to shreds.

Tonight I knew better, remembering that foray into phyllo dough in my younger years. This recipe is sort of like lasagne. I made a meat mixture with ground beef, celery, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and layered that between buttered layers of the phyllo. Over the top of the layers went a milk and egg mixture. The whole thing is now in the oven cooking.

Well, the timer's about to ding, so I'd better sign off. I'll let you know how the recipe turned out!

My flowers are in bloom

2010-02-18T14:09:00.011-05:00

As promised, here are some photos! Everything is a work in progress, but I do feel like we're MAKING progress, so that is good. Here is a photo of our "icon wall"--the idea we got from Dr. D. Scaer. These are our hand-painted and favorite icons from various places: Ethiopia, Greece, and one commissioned by us by a Russian icon painter. That was pretty awesome (it's the one to the left of the cross of St. Nicholas).

This is my Jasmine plant that I bought at Trader Joes. It's now in bloom. Love it!

Here is a photo of our new living room furniture (which, of course, Lucy just HAD to sit on).

Next are some odd ceiling pictures, but let me explain. The first is our ceiling fan which we now have put up in the kitchen, in place of the green pool-table-esque light fixture.

The second photo shows a much more reasonable placement of our dining room fixture (and I haven't hit my head on it once since it is now over the center of the table).

Next, we have the non-racing stripes in the bottom of the bathtub. Again, this may seem an odd photo, but when we moved in there were these stick-on white non-skid stripes in a zig zag pattern. It took me some elbow grease, but I got rid of those, and now the coral bathroom looks a tad bit better. Also, our wonderful handymen installed a bath fan yesterday, so now it's much better.

This is a photo of our new carpet on the stairs. Love it! We're also getting runners for the upstairs hallway and the area in the living room from the front door to the kitchen.

We also had a really plush shag carpet put in the master bathroom. I could sleep on it: it's that soft and wonderful!

Next, is the new fabulous kitchen sink faucet. The older one was gold/brass and was leaking and not looking all that great. This is the new update! I'm going to switch all of the cabinet pulls to silver/chrome and see how that works.

This is the fabulous table/chairs I found on Craigslist.

Finally a few pictures

2010-02-10T11:01:00.006-05:00

Admittedly, these are not the best photos, and I have many more to add, but they capture at least a couple of things.

1. The installation of the new dishwasher. Yay! This day we also had a garbage disposal put in. Much needed upgrades, and I am so thankful for them (those can be my Valentine's gift). :)

2. Below are some pictures of the recent snowstorm that hit Chicago. It pretty much snowed for 36 hours straight. We don't have it nearly as bad as farther east, but still, it is up to Lucy's belly. Also, I've added a photo of our sunroom (still very much in transition, as you can tell). The sun is streaming in the window, brightening up the room. It's not captured well on film, but it looks cheery this morning.

The fun part of unpacking

2010-02-02T22:14:00.002-05:00

One of the best (only?) things about unpacking is the decorating. We've gotten to the point where much of the house is unpacked. The bedrooms are finished, the linen closet is filled, the laundry room is organized, the kitchen is mostly done, and my work space is functional--oh, and the family room (maybe most important!) is comfy and cozy. Today I was working on the the living room. In every new space, the decor fits in a little differently. I'm trying to use what we have in a new way. Which candles fit where? Where should we hang the tulip picture? etc. It all takes time, but it's nice to see things coming together.

February already?

2010-02-01T11:22:00.004-05:00

I can't believe how quickly the last few weeks have passed during our relocation process. Each day, each hour, something else gets unpacked and put away in our new house, so things are definitely settling down as the house gets in shape.

Scott's installation and dinner reception were last Sunday. It was a lovely service, and the dinner was magnificent. Wow--what an incredibly warm welcome! We are just so thrilled to be here. We know that moving is a roller coaster, and we'll have up and down days, but we've been so pleased and thankful for all of the warm and generous gifts the people of Redeemer have given us. Thank you!

The lost and the found

2010-01-21T09:24:00.005-05:00

So here are things I've found in the last couple of days:

1. my wedding ring (yay! -- I had put it in a "safe" place so it wouldn't get ruined up with all the messiness of the move, but then couldn't find it right away).

2. my jeans!

3. my speakers for my office (so right now I'm listening to Pandora, and my speakers are working!).

4. the bus stop for Jacob--his first bus ride to school ever today.

The missing:

1. most of our drinking glasses...I haven't gotten back to unpacking more of the kitchen yet. Most of everything else for the kitchen is unpacked, however.

2. The batteries (AA and AAA type). So for now my clock is just going to say 4:00.

3. My extra chapsticks and lotion. Ooh! I need those!

Okay, will try to post photos later...

Another update

2010-01-20T12:22:00.002-05:00

So, this morning I've been grading (for my online course), filling up the crawl space with storage stuff, and cleaning the upstairs bathroom and emptying boxes for the linen closet. I think we'll be okay as far as storage goes, but I'm still early in the unpacking process. It's a good house; it just needs some TLC and some replacement "parts."

Jacob got off to school today (his first day) and then called to say it's an early dismissal day. So, that's probably good. He had a peer "ambassador" meet him for the day, so hopefully that will help acclimate him to the school.

Cool news! Scott is featured in this article in what looks like a local edition of the Chicago Sun-Times.

At last

2010-01-19T17:43:00.003-05:00

Well, as you may have guessed, life has been hectic and crazy the last few days. I've carved out a little quiet spot amidst all of the boxes and chaos in the new house. I'll take a photo and post it soon. Right now I just wanted to give a little update.

Jacob is all set up for school tomorrow, and he's adapting surprisingly well. Probably better than I am. But all is well. We're slowly becoming more organized and figuring out what will need to be fixed/replaced in the house. We're also finding nooks and crannies for storage. The house in Fort Wayne had tons of storage space. In this house, it's just different. We have a big crawl space, but closet space is hard to come by. Figuring out where everything goes is just different. I have a lot more storage space in the utility room, for example, but less in the bedrooms, etc.

I had lots of help on Friday and over the weekend. The other pastor's wife, Jan, came and helped for HOURS on Friday, cleaning and scrubbing out the new kitchen. It was so awesome. I don't think my refrigerator has ever been as clean as it is right now. Even when it was brand new, it was dirtier. :) She was a huge help. My sister-in-law also came down with food, quick decision-making ability, and a get-to-it-quick attitude. My brother David shoveled out our ice-packed driveway for us, and my niece and nephews helped with emptying boxes and generally boosting us up.

What I've struggled with most during this entire process is the weight of the anxiety and stress of it all. Every afternoon, I feel like I just need to take a nap. Some days I do. I know that people have much bigger problems in the world, and I'm so glad that we can be a part of this new community to share God's good news with others.

Had a lovely sunny day here. It got up to 37 or 38 degrees. We took Lucy for a walk and found the bus stop for Jacob for tomorrow a.m. I'll try to write more updates tomorrow.

Going, going...

2010-01-13T17:16:00.002-05:00

This is a photo of the moving truck pulling away from our house, on its way to Chicago (well, actually, on its way to Scott's office, and then on its way to Chicago). The house is empty and echo-y, but I've set up air mattresses in two of the bedrooms and snagged a couple of lamps to make the place at least a little bit homey.

The movers were really excellent. Very hard workers, pleasant, funny, and they took good care of our stuff. They wrapped every piece of furniture in pads and taped them, around and around until the pad would be in place. That may not sound like much, but we've moved several times now and while all movers do some padding, this is the most and best I've seen. It would be extremely difficult to ding or scratch furniture when it's so carefully prepared for the move. I highly recommend Bekins.

I'm dreading the time when the unpacking will come, because it's like a mini-explosion with every new box. They pack the items so well, with so much paper that it's a huge amount of rubbish at the end of the unpacking process, but I am confident things will arrive safe and sound.

So, tonight Jacob's basketball team decided they should all meet at Pizza Hut for a going-away bash for Jacob. Then tomorrow morning, I'll bring some treats for his class to have a mini-goodbye before we leave for Chicago around noon. I've been in contact with the new school district, and it sounds like they really do a lot to help transition new students, so I'm grateful for that. But it's not easy for a 14-year-old to leave his friends and school.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to starting afresh with a new (to us) house, a cleaned-out frig, walls ready to paint, and a new place to call our own. But goodbyes are always difficult--and I suppose that's a good thing too because it means we have friends we love.

Packing, Day 2

2010-01-12T09:03:00.002-05:00

The house is now officially in total disarray. I find I'm looking forward to the time when all the boxes are gone, but I also know how strange it feels to live in a house with no furniture. But it's probably best with the animals to stay here and camp until we head off to Chicago on Thursday.

It's unsettling, to say the least, to see the house being dismantled around me. Unsettling, but because I've been through it before, not devastating. I at least know what to expect.

Our movers are professional and great workers, so we certainly can't complain about not having to do all of the intensive labor ourselves.

A primer for moving in January:

Pro - cold food can come with us in a box in the trunk.

Con - having to haul giant trash bags through mounds of snow.

Pro - having clear skies (at least right now)

Con - shoveling the driveway before we can get into the house

Pro - avoiding at least a portion of the winter blues because life is so chaotic

Con - having to get used to everything new in the cold

Pro - don't have to mow the grass next week

Con - hoping that our one surviving plant won't freeze in the trunk

Pro - knowing that God is taking care of us, in all circumstances

Thanks for all of the offers for help and concern. We're going to miss our Ft. Wayne friends, but I'm confident that our paths will cross again--and hopefully soon.

The view from where I sit...

2010-01-11T13:45:00.006-05:00

What more is there to say? I now have floor-to-ceiling boxes in my house. Hopefully, I pulled out everything we'll need in the next couple of days. If not, there's a Wal-mart not far!

Moving, part 5: Chaos

2010-01-10T09:13:00.002-05:00

From now until--I don't know--three or four weeks from now, the house will be in total disarray. (As one of Jacob's friends put it: "Your house looks like a tornado went through here.") I've accepted that fact. So, amidst the chaos this morning, I thought I'd jot a quick note before going to late service.

The last few days have been a whirlwind. Everything went spectacularly well with the closing, and Scott and I are now homeowners! It's going to take some time to absorb that fact, but we're really excited about owning our own home and making it ours. We got into the house on Friday and brought in a few things after shoveling a path through about 8-10 inches of snow.

Yesterday, was a basketball day for our son. His team is fun to watch, especially when they are well-matched to the opposers. Sadly, he's not quite going to be able to finish the basketball season, but he'll be able to play in most of these last games. It's going to be a tough week for him. I know he'll enjoy our new home, but it's always difficult to say goodbye, especially when you're young and haven't yet lived long enough to know that God provides everything that you need--including new friends--wherever you are.

The movers are coming tomorrow for packing, so today is the last-minute surge to get everything sorted and cleaned. I need to separate the things that we're going to take with us in the car, etc. The packing will take a couple of days, and then they'll load the truck on Wednesday, drive to Chicago on Thursday, and Friday the 15th will be our unloading day. I also need to clean out the big freezer and frig today, so if I show up on your doorstep with some random food item (like a package of frozen chicken thighs), don't be surprised.

Thank you for all of your good wishes and prayers during this transition. I have to apologize to my friends who may not be getting quick responses from me via phone or email. I miss you and can't wait to catch up soon (you know who you are!).

Moving, part 4

2010-01-06T09:59:00.004-05:00

So today, I'm paying bills, changing our address, and getting ready to go to Elmhurst tomorrow for the closing. I'm also starting my online class this session, so I have a little work time and errands to run today before enlisting help from the teenage boy in my life to help with moving boxes.

On a different, slightly more random note, I keep thinking about John Lennon's song, "Imagine." For those of you who watched the live coverage of Time's Square on New Year's Eve, you may remember that they played the song one minute before the crystal ball started to drop before the new year arrived. This song seems to have evolved into a sort of "gospel" anthem of our time, for our culture. Imagine that everyone gets along and people everywhere have everything they need. It's a nice sentiment, and basically, I think the song is brilliant in its simplicity. I take issue with the line about getting rid of all religion as well as heaven and hell, but notice that he doesn't say to get rid of God. Maybe that's a slight concession to believers in God.

Scott reminded me of David Archuletta's amazing performance of this song on American Idol from a couple of years ago. Here's the link on You Tube in case you're interested (I'm sorry--I'm really having trouble with posting links on Blogger): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbejACVh8F4&feature=related

Moving, part 3

2010-01-05T09:29:00.009-05:00

Today is a day to finish up things in the garages and move onto the freezer. Blech. First, though, I shined (shone?) my sink. So, if you have heard me talk about Flylady, you can tune me out. If not, it's a great website for anyone who takes care of a house to look at.

Flylady helps you gain control of housework and CHAOS (which stands for Can't Have Anyone Over Synodrome). She suggests simple, quick solutions to making sure your house is at least somewhat neat and tidy. Her rule of thumb that has always stuck with me is to have a shiny sink. Start there. Make sure your sink is free of dirty dishes, and shining clean. To do this the first time, fill up your kitchen sink with a combination of bleach and hot water. Let it sit a little while, and then drain. Wipe out with a clean towel, and you have your first shiny sink. Then try to keep it clean all day. Before you go to bed, wipe it out, shine it up, etc.

This philosophy to me says: start simple. Start with the little things (a made bed, a clean sink), and those little cluttery things won't stress you out.

So, here's my shiny sink with my pretty angel figurines (from my girlfriends and sister-in-law and mom). During the move, I'm trying to keep some areas of the house relatively normal. The sink is one of those.

Below are some cute pictures of the kitties and Lucy.

P.S. Sorry the spacing and font are so weird. I don't have time to fuss with Blogger! Grr!

Moving, part 2

2010-01-04T11:55:00.008-05:00

So, these are the counting-down days to the move, filled with the fun of sorting, cleaning, packing, and generally getting everything messy.

This morning I started in on the garage. Ugh. Cleaning a garage. In winter. In freezing temperatures. After mice have visited.

The kerosene heater helped to ward off the cold. I had to empty the thing out anyway to get it ready to move.

Here's Lucy in the garage, looking a little shell-shocked. I successfully sold her two dog crates this morning to a lady who runs a dog rescue. I thought that was great. The woman told me that she recently got a 6 year old dog that is pregnant, so she needed the large dog crate right away for her.

While moving around totes and sorting stuff, I discovered another dead mouse. Sad, long story, but suffice it to say that I'd rather have dead mice than a non-working blower on the car's heater. The second photo shows the remnants of the mouse nest.

The last photo is of my small bird nest collection (which, of course, were all gathered without babies in them).

Maybe later I'll post a before and after photo of the messy garage/clean garage, but I am too tired right now to finish.

Moving to Chicago, part 1

2010-01-03T17:58:00.010-05:00

Well, I decided that while I'm in the middle of a relocation to Chicago, I'd keep a commentary going on my blog so that people can see what's up (if you wish to). I hate it that I haven't had time to keep in touch with all of my friends as well as I should, so here's a "form letter" type of way to communicate.

This weekend, we went up for a couple of days to get Scott settled in at his temporary lodgings while we await the closing of our house (set for this coming week). Here are some photos I snapped along the way. This is on the Metra commuter train in-bound to Chicago.

We decided to visit the John Hancock Observatory. Really awesome 360 degree views! Loved it.

Here's the view from the bottom:

And here's the view from the top:

This week will mean more cleaning at the house while I sort, sell, and give away stuff we don't want or need anymore. So, if you happen to want a 5-foot artificial Christmas tree or an extra large dog crate (or any other random item), just let me know!

More updates soon!

St. Nicholas Day is coming!

2009-12-01T12:45:00.002-05:00

Here is the cover of a book I wrote, illustrated by Chris Ellison, published by Concordia Publishing House. It is called St. Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend.

St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6) always sneaks up on me because it comes just on the tails of Thanksgiving. But it's a great day to celebrate, especially to share with children the gift of giving.

While many legends and myths surround the person of St. Nicholas, we do know a few things about him for sure. We know he was a Christian pastor. We know he was a Christian bishop. We know he lived in what is modern-day Turkey around A. D. 200-300s. He is best known for his generosity and his gift of gold to a family with three daughters in need of dowries.

I think it's safe to say that he practiced generosity as an extension of the compassion and grace he received from God. This motivation to do good because good has been done to you is what I love best about Nicholas. It's not a call to works of charity because of duty. His example serves as a model for us to give back from the good we've received.

On the night of Dec. 5, encourage your children to set their shoes beside their beds, ready to receive a treat from St. Nicholas. Give them some gold chocolate coins or a small treat. Remind your children that all good gifts come from God and serve as reminders of that best gift of all--the redemption God gives through the gift of His Son.

This is pretty funny...

2009-11-07T11:13:00.000-05:00

This is from:

GRAMMER MADE EASY

HOW TO RITE RITE

Don't abbrev.
Check to see if you any words out.
Be carefully to use adjectives and adverbs correct.
About sentence fragments.
When dangling, don't use participles.
Don't use no double negatives.
Each pronoun agrees with their antecedent.
Just between you and I, case is important.
Join clauses good, like a conjunction should.
And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
A preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.
Don't use commas, that aren't necessary.
Its important to use apostrophe's right.
It's better not to unnecessarily split an infinitive.
Never leave a transitive verb just lay there without an object.
Only Proper Nouns should be capitalized. also a sentence should begin with a capital and end with a period
Use hyphens in compound-words, not just in any two-word phrase.
In letters compositions reports and things like that we use commas to keep a string of items apart.
Watch out for irregular verbs which have creeped into our language.
Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
Avoid unnecessary redundancy.
A writer mustn't shift your point of view.
Don't write a run-on sentence you've got to punctuate it.
A preposition isn't a good thing to end a sentence with.
Avoid clichis like the plague; they're old hat; seek viable alternatives.
Comparisons are as bad as clichis.
Do not use a foreign term when there is an adequate English quid pro quo.
If you must use a foreign term, it is de rigor to spell it correctly.
Avoid colloquial stuff.
It behooves the writer to avoid archiac expressions.
Do not use hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it effectively.
Mixed metaphors are a pain in the ass and ought to be thrown out the window.
Placing a comma between subject and predicate, is not correct.
Parenthetical words however should be enclosed in commas.
Consult the dictionary frequently to avoid mispelling.
Don't use tautological, repetitive, or redundant statements.
Don't use tautological, repetitive, or redundant statements.
Puns are for children, not for readers who are groan.
The Passive Voice shouldn't be used.
Proofread carefully to see if you have any words out
Hopefully, you will use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Always avoid any alliteration, albeit agreeable.
Contractions aren't necessary.
Who needs rhetorical questions?
Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
Do not put statements in the negative form.
Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!
Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
Be more or less specific.
One-word sentences? Eliminate.
The passive voice is to be avoided.
If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Understatement is always best.
Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
Remember to finish what you sta

Six-Word Memoirs

2009-11-05T09:03:00.002-05:00

In one of the e-newsletters I get on teaching, I saw this really cool writing assignment. The idea is to write a memoir in only six words. It's kind of like a really cool new form of haiku. Here is just one link to you tube videos of various groups of students across the country who have tried this activity. I started this activity with my writing students yesterday, and with only 5 or 10 minutes, some students came up with brilliant memoirs! Here is mine (but will probably write a couple of others):

Blonde doesn't begin to describe me.

So, you all should definitely try it! Leave a comment with your six-word memoir.

Super sweet dog

2009-10-23T15:25:00.001-05:00

This dog speaks English!! The funny thing is that every time I play the video, my dog barks. Only she just says woof.

Individualism or Isolation?

2009-10-17T04:23:00.002-05:00

This week I heard in the news that in Fort Wayne, the Catholic Diocese has determined that the best practice for their churches is to limit communion to individual glasses for fear that receiving communion from the common cup may pass contagious germs throughout the congregation. Bishop D'Arcy further recommends that no one shake hands during the passing of the peace.

Yesterday, I talked with a student whose friend's baby had H1N1 and while the family feared for the young one's recovery, is doing much better now, thankfully. But my student's comment about this was something along the lines of, "I don't want to touch anyone anymore."

Both of these situations touched a nerve. Over the summer I read a book called Generation Me by Jean Twenge. After years of research, she has come to the conclusion that the younger generation (born in the 70s, 80s and 90s) are more isolated and thus more depressed, anxiety, and lonely than ever before. I fear for us when our society--and even our churches are afraid to gather together.

We're already isolated enough. Instead of listening to the radio to wait for our favorite song to come on, we select our personal playlist on our iPods and plug ourselves in to our own little world. We cocoon ourselves by putting on those headphones and ignoring the person on the bus next to us.

Instead of talking problems out with co-workers and coming to solutions together, we immediately go to their superiors to complain.

Instead of going to a gathering, we sit behind our computer screen and de-friend people on Facebook whose opinions we don't share.

So, with all of these thoughts in my mind, I saw the news about the diocese changing the policies on communion and shaking hands and realized that not only is the policy an overreaction to the virus itself, it also serves as a way to isolate us further into our own little cocoons. Furthermore, studies over the years have been done which prove that there is no link between sipping from the Common Cup and getting sick. The American Medical Association did a study years ago that shows how unlikely people are to share germs by drinking the Common Cup. The study found that the precious metal of the chalice, the alcohol itself, and the fact that the chalice is wiped clean after each communicant drinks all lowered the risk of passing germs. I also found this good article in the L.A. Times about how communing from the chalice is much less risky than talking with someone in close proximity who is contagiously ill.

I have theological reasons for preferring the Common Cup, and for those reasons, I always prefer taking the Chalice.

But lately, I've also been considering the the sociological reasons. When we tune out the world and the people in our community and the person sitting next to us, we not only run the risk of perpetuating our own isolation and loneliness, but we cut off the other from a connection with someone else who is in the same boat, so to speak. People now are more depressed, lonely, and anxious than ever. The statistics are always on the rise, and I attribute that, at least in part, to our unwillingness to talk to one another, to cut ourselves off from community, and not shake hands for fear of getting sick.

I'm not saying I want people to contract H1N1. Far from it. But being safe and smart with one's health while still connecting to others is important not only for each individual, but also for the community.

A book you must read

2009-09-12T18:07:00.002-05:00

This week I finished the book Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. Kristin Gregory had recommended it to me (thank you, Kristin). I really loved the writing, the story, the Christian symbolism, the literary style. It was a fantastic read. Here's a little section I'm going to show my writing class this week:

“Just past midnight that hunched bundle behind the barn was me, Reuben Land, in deep regret. Skittish, that’s what I was, and unnerved about walking out into the dark. Here all day I’d imagined the glory of this act—waiting for a certain heaviness in the house, slipping on pants, ghosting down to the kitchen, pocketing gingersnaps, easing shut the door, crossing some hundreds of yards into Davy’s night—just thinking of it beforehand slid me into the company of heroes…. Wouldn’t I, too, defeat jitters and win out for Davy’s sake?” (Peace Like a River, Leif Enger, 223).

What I adore about this passage are three things:

1. Word choice - "ghosting" down the stairs, "pocketing" the cookies, the "hunched bundle." This little passage is brilliant in its economy of words--and not just the word choice, but the visual imagery created by those choice words.

2. Detail - the "gingersnaps" is such a small and seemingly insignificant word in this paragraph, but again, it represents the best of writing. I can feel the sweet spicy crumbs in my pocket, can't you?

3. The surprises - perhaps best of all in this passage are the surprises. Instead of the expected use of "quietness" or "stillness" to describe the house, Enger uses "heaviness." And isn't that just right? Isn't there a kind of heaviness in the wee hours of the night? I also loved the surprising sentence structure of that first sentence: "That...bundle...was me."

****

On another note, I've been enjoying my teaching at IPFW so far this semester, and now I am also tutoring ESL high school students. So I'm busy, but I love being in the classroom, and I am finding little pockets of time to write as well.

So great!

2009-08-10T20:07:00.001-05:00

Check out this "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks. It'll get you giggling.

Adorable readers...

2009-08-07T09:46:00.003-05:00

Thank you so much to Rachel for posting these adorable photos of her kids reading my books on her blog. Awesome!!

Connections

2009-08-01T19:49:00.001-05:00

I've been ruminating about the book Generation Me by Jean Twenge, which I finished reading yesterday. The book is an exploration of the "iGen" or GenMe--the generation that follows the Boomers, so basically people born from, roughly, 1970 to 2000ish. The author makes the case that even though a generation typically describes a group of people born within a 20-year span, the generation following the Baby Boomers encompasses a wider span of time due to personality and make-up. I could write several posts on this book. She describes the culture and personality of the generation from the standpoints of: economy, material goods, sex, attitudes on race and gender, and many other aspects that typify people born in this generation. I am, by the way, sort of a fence-sitter. I was born in 1969. My oldest brother is a Boomer, but I see myself in a lot of the attitudes that Twenge ascribes to the GenMe group.

Tonight, though, I'd like to reflect a little bit on social and personal connections. GenMe'ers (or iGen'ers) are, not surprisingly, described as isolated and cut off from others due to our focus on the self. This is, Twenge strongly argues, due to the self-esteem education we received in the '70s and '80s ("you can be anything you want to be!"). We focus on ourselves, we believe in our dreams, we want what we want when we want it. But--Twenge warns--do not call GenMe'ers spoiled; after all, isn't this what we've been taught all our lives? That we're special? Unique? No one is like us? We deserve to have it all?

This enchantment with the self, along with advances in technology (I can set my iPod to my personal selection of music and shut out the world; I can Tivo my show and watch it whenever it's convenient for me, etc.), has, at least in part, cut us off from other people.

Wait a minute! I hear you say, what about email and the internet and texting and cell phones? Don't they connect us more?

Well, that could be true. But Twenge did her homework. Today's generation feels more isolated, cut off, lonely, and depressed than any other. It is counterintuitive, but true, if we can trust her studies.

So even while all of these thoughts ruminating around my brain, I've had some interesting experiences this summer. I helped my parents celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in June. At the party, I saw lots of familiar faces from my childhood--the parents of my brothers' friends, my piano teacher, family friends, friends from church...so many wonderful people.

I had a wonderful chat with Don and Lucy, the parents of my best friend in high school, Lori, who, unfortunately, could not make it to the party. But it was great visiting with her parents. Lucy said she'd been thinking about it and decided that I'd have never married my husband Scott if it wouldn't have been for Lori's grandfather. This seems like a strange deduction to make on the surface of it. My story is not all that unique: I went off to college, met a guy, and married him. Not all that unusual, right? Well, here's the thing.

Lori's family is Lutheran, and Lori went to a small Lutheran college in Ann Arbor, Michigan after we graduated from high school. I went the opposite direction, to Seattle Pacific Univ. But because of Lori's influence on me and our exploration of our faith together, I decided my freshman year of college to join the Lutheran church. That, then, led me to decide to become a Lutheran teacher, which led me to transfer to Concordia College in Ann Arbor, with Lori, which is where I met my husband, who later became a Lutheran pastor, etc. etc.

Lucy pointed out, though, that it was actually due to her father who insisted that all of his kids be educated in Lutheran schools which then influenced his family to remain Lutheran, and perhaps that influenced Lori to attend a Lutheran school. I then, being a new Lutheran, decided I'd go to the same Lutheran school Lori did...

The story gets a little long (and maybe boring), but after she described all of the connections, I had to agree: I would not be married to Scott if it weren't for Lori's grandfather.

And that is a little bit amazing to think about.

I mean, how is it that our lives collide and bump against each other, and we influence each other every day--even in ways we may not realize? Did Lori's grandfather sit in his rocking chair thinking about how his Lutheran beliefs would affect his granddaughter's friend and her husband? I doubt it.

But these are the sorts of connections that all of us have--and we may not even realize it. We think we're floating around alone in the world, and then someone like Lucy says, "well, you know, your life wouldn't have happened if it weren't for..." Sometimes life does feel lonely, but maybe we feel lonely because we've isolated ourselves behind our iPods and laptops. I'm not making judgements--I love the new technology as much as anyone else. But I wonder if it's that personal element, that person-to-person contact that we need more of, and my parents' anniversary party helped me realize that.

So do something social this week. Go to a restaurant with friends. Gather around a bonfire. Phone your childhood pal; even better, go for a visit. You're probably more connected to the people around you than you realize.

Blueberries

2009-07-26T19:42:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure exactly what it is about blueberries that I love so much. They're a nice color, they're delicious, and they're easy to pick. But it's more than that.

When I think of a perfect summer in Indiana, I think of picking blueberries. I remember one summer, about ten or twelve years ago, a couple of friends and I took our kids blueberry picking. (Do you remember it, Kathryn?) That day--after driving out to the country in my friend's old giant sedan, with kids and sunny blue skies, picking blueberries from the bushes in rural Indiana--that day seemed to capture the essence of summer. And I think, somehow, it brought back the simplicity of my own childhood summers, running in the sprinklers, drinking from the hose, playing Green Ghost in the neighborhood.

So now, it's hard to keep me from Blueberry Acres in LaOtto, Indiana during blueberry picking season. And check out how delicious these recipes look. Sheesh.

Christian the Lion

2009-07-24T21:45:00.004-05:00

The last few days I've been listening to a great story on audio book, The Lion Called Christian by Anthony Burke and John Rendell. It's the story of two Australian men who bought a lion cub (yes, a lion) from Harrod's Dept. store (yes, a dept. store) in London in 1969 or 1970. They kept the cub in their home in London and they tried to provide for his needs, but when he got to be about 150 lbs., they just couldn't handle the care for him. So, they enlisted the help of George Adamson who rehabilitated the lion into his natural habitat in Kenya.

Their story became popular when footage was uploaded to You Tube a couple of years ago. The footage shows the moment when Christian's former owners "Ace" and John are reunited with the lion after a year of separation. The lion is so amazingly affectionate to the two men that many people found it quite moving, and interest in the story was rekindled. A new edition of the book was published. It's really a remarkable story, and the book itself is quite well written, describing that amazing connection between animals and people.

Here's the link to the video. (And, no, this doesn't mean that I now want to own a lion...although the thought did cross my mind. This story is a great example of a cautionary tale against bringing exotic animals in domestic situations. However, listening to the story does make me want a kitten.)

Collections

2009-05-29T10:34:00.004-05:00

Matrioshka Dolls, or Russian nesting dolls, have long been one of my favorite things to collect. The ones with political figures on them are way to kitchy for me, but I love the traditional ones and some others.

I have several sets of them: a traditional black, red and orange one, a little bit like the image on the left. I also have a winter scene doll and inside are small Christmas tree ornaments, instead of smaller dolls. I have a kind of cool Biblical one that has Mary with the infant Jesus as the biggest doll, then three gray-haired saint-like men in chausibles (the three persons of the Trinity? Joseph and some other saints? don't know). Then the last littlest object is a tiny little candle.

My favorite nesting dolls are the ones that tell stories. Here's one of Goldilocks and the three bears. I like the story-telling dolls because, I guess, of the teacher/storyteller in me. I want to use the dolls to tell a story. My favorite set (that I own) tells the story of the turnip. I love this story because it shows how important a role everyone in the family plays--from the littlest to the biggest.

A farmer grows a huge turnip. When it's finally ready to harvest, he goes to his field and tries to pull it up. It won't budge. So he asks his wife to help. It still won't budge. He asks his children to help. No good. He gets the dog to help, the cat to help, and still the turnip won't budge. It's only when he enlists the help of the mouse that he is able to pull up the turnip. Pop! Turnip soup!

The turnip story dolls show, as you might guess, the different people/animals who help to pull the turnip out, starting with the farmer, then the wife, then the kids, then the dog, the cat, and finally ends with the mouse (or a rat).

In one of my unpublished-but-I-have-high-hopes-for stories (a tall tale about a western cowdog named Lightning Lulu), I use an echo of the turnip story. Lulu can't pull the flooded chuck wagon out of the river by herself. She needs the help of the cow, the cat, and all of the other animals. Finally, working together, they rescue the wagon.

Folk arts, like matrioshka dolls, the Russian Easter eggs, quilts, Japanese fans, and even origami appeal to me because of the stories they share. Crazy quilts show a lifetime of little scraps of clothing that a family lived in. The memories enfolded in a sheet of paper or a painted egg or a piece of cloth tell the stories of our lives and help us understand ourselves and others.

An Awesome Children's Program

2009-05-07T14:25:00.001-05:00

Dolly Parton is doing awesome work as "the book lady" with her Imagination Library, a program that donates free books to preschoolers on a monthly basis. I was so honored to have Gobble Gobble Crash chosen as one of their volumes. Here's a little article about her and the program.

Birds

2009-05-02T18:13:00.003-05:00

Today I cleaned out the bird feeders. Yuck. They get pretty nasty after awhile. But it was a beautiful day for it. It feels so good to be out in the sunshine after being cooped up all winter. During the ice storm (in December) and the cold, snowy winter, it's refreshing to be able to keep the windows open, to breathe in the spring green air.

Everything is bursting into bloom right now. Tonight, my dog and son and I went for a walk, searching for goose nests. We found two, but one was abandoned (a pair of geese was close by, but it seemed odd that they'd let us get so close without causing more of a ruckus. Maybe it was the dog that scared them.Still, I'd think they'd at least honk at us). The other nest only had two eggs in it, and they didn't look healthy. They had blackish spots on them. One was cracked open, but no baby was nearby. Hopefully the groundskeepers haven't done anything to keep them from hatching. I love the geese.

I was never all that interested in birds until the last few years. When I was a teenager, I had a couple of not-so-great experiences with birds that sort of messed me up for awhile. I was taking care of the neighbor's parakeet, who I think was named Gordo. While I was changing the newspaper at the bottom of the cage, he got out. What happened next was awful. He was flying all around their living room (with a cathedral ceiling, so I couldn't get hold of him), and he kept crashing himself into the chimney and their big living room and dining room windows. It was awful. Finally, somehow (I don't remember how), I got him back in his cage. The poor thing must have been a wreck.

I also remember getting occasional birds in our chimney when I was growing up. Seems like once I had to help take care of getting him out. (By the way, a good tip is to throw a blanket over the bird, and then gently take him outdoors.)

But now I like birds. Some are cute and twittery (sparrows), others silently majestic (herons), still others colorful (cardinals and finches). Until I started watching and identifying the birds that came to our feeders, I never realized how many types of birds there were. I always thought most of those little birds as sparrows, but I've identified lots of others: nuthatch, titmouse, finch as well as two or three types of woodpeckers and many others.

So I've put out my thistle seed feeder (thanks to Shirley who got me started on that) and my regular feeder, and I'm soaking my other hummingbird feeder to clean it out.

I noticed on Amazon today that Kevin Henkes has a new book called, "Birds." Looks interesting.

Some Final Thoughts on Poetry Month

2009-04-30T12:49:00.009-05:00

Today is the last day of April (seems hard to believe) and thus the end of poetry month. But I do hope to post some poems off and on as the weeks continue. And I hope you all will make poetry a part of your lives. One easy way to do that is to listen to a daily broadcast of the Writers' Almanac.

Posting poems (nearly) every day has been an interesting exercise for me. I'm often hesitant to show any of my work before many, many revisions, critiques by trusted friends, many more revisions, etc. So to publish my work, even on such an informal venue as a blog, feels risky to me. But I also benefited from doing so. Several of you helped me revise poems, which I always find helpful. Plus, I got encouragement along the way to keep at it. That always helps.

Being a writer is an odd life. On the one hand, I have to develop this super-tough skin to weather all sorts of rejections and attempt to stay positive so that I can continue working and writing new things. On the other hand, I have to stay vulnerable and sensitive to the emotions of others so that I can portray an authenticity in my writing as well as stay open to critique and edits. So it sometimes feels a bit strange. I'm usually reluctant to share any work until I feel it is "ready" because experience has taught me to wait. I wait because I can easily become discouraged about a project. Keeping that optimism is very important for maintaining motivation, that drive which keeps progress moving on a project that may never have a single reader, except for me. I dream one day of having a published collection of poetry, but poetry is a hard sell since very few people actually spend time reading it.

Anyway, enough rambling. For today, the last day of poetry month, I'll share one of my favorite poems:

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
by William Wordsworth

I WANDERED lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Well...

2009-04-29T16:31:00.003-05:00

I should think of some big blow-out poetry fest to end the month, but sadly, I haven't even posted for a few days. Busy! So, since I have nothing else I can come up with quickly, let's have a throw-back to winter. Here goes:

Sled Ride

On a second-hand sled,
we speed over snowcapped mountains
soaring into snowfall.

We shout
the dips and turns,
this way and that
on our winter roller coaster.

Touching down in one
powdery poof,
a snow pile explodes
around us.

We climb off,
wet, laughing,
grinning with cold teeth.

Eagle Cam

2009-04-28T14:45:00.002-05:00

My writer friend Marcia told me about this website. It's a live-streaming camera of an eagle's nest in British Columbia. Super, super cool!

Today's poem: Seed Packet

2009-04-26T19:38:00.002-05:00

Seed Packet

Tiny seeds
cosied together
in a bundle
of life.

Inheriting My Grandmother's China

2009-04-25T19:49:00.003-05:00

I unwind from a plate
yellowed newspaper from late February
and gaze into the dusty white surface
like looking through a photo album,
reminiscing,
as my grandmother's china becomes mine.

I gently lift from the crate
dinners at Easter
gatherings in late November, and
a family of memories embracing these dishes.

Together,
we stood at your sink after Thanksgiving
in your pale blue kitchen
with stars in the counter top
and a sequined calendar hanging on the wall.

Alone,
my sink full of hot bubbles,
I wash away the dust of time
from dishes which waited for my home,
gently massaging the silver-rimmed surface
with my tattered cloth.

One by one, I wash each dish,
a cup,
a saucer,
plate,
bowl,
drying,
and storing away,
my cabinets now full
of memories
of you.

(First published in Welcome Home, vol. 15, No. 7; July 1998)

Springy thoughts

2009-04-23T12:45:00.002-05:00

Today I'll add a poem about magnolia trees (it's a little short poem), but first, I thought I'd comment on a couple of spring sayings or proverbs that have come to mind recently.

The first is:

Spring is sprung,
De grass is riz.
I wonder where dem birdies is.
Them little birds is on the wing.
Now ain't that just absurd.
I always thought the wings
was on the bird!

I vaguely remember this from my childhood, and I remember thinking it was so strange because the grammar was so messed up. Now I find it charming.

The other one is not so much a poem but a proverb:

Bloom where you are planted.

I remember this one from childhood because my mom had a stained-glass decoration that she set in the bay window, which gave this sage advice.

I have been thinking about this because I'm doing so much reading about the pioneer women on the frontier. They were the ones who provided comfort, nourishment, and sustenance for their families as they walked along their covered wagons, camped out in all elements on their way to the west, and then made a home in spartan conditions once they finally reached their destination. "Blooming where you are planted" applies to them in a very poignant way. They did their best to make homes out of nothing, and in doing so, helped to pave the way for all of us who came after them.

The other saying that pops in my mind is:

Put your nose to the grindstone.

I was reading a book recently in which one of the characters was complaining about his work. He didn't want to do it, it was too difficult, etc. Another character responded: "Well, I'll be glad to put my nose to the grindstone as long as the good Lord gives me a grindstone on which to put my nose." Awesome, eh?

Okay, so now, spring is in full bloom, well, almost full bloom here in northeast Indiana. About a quarter of the trees are leafing out, the daffodils are fading to give room for the tulips to put on their show. The azaleas are blooming, the mowers are mowing the Ireland-green grass.

And, the magnolias are in bloom (so this poem is a little premature), but here goes:

Fallen Petals

Lying beneath
magnolia trees,
pink puddles
of springtime
color the grass.

Summer Bright

2009-04-22T16:42:00.000-05:00

June days
s t r e t c h
until daytime light
shines at night.

Then when darkness
finally comes,
summer
sends
fireflies.

13 Shades of Gray

2009-04-21T13:17:00.004-05:00

A couple of years ago, my very artistic, creative friend Sara Nordling (well, I guess she's one of many friends of mine who are creative and artistic--sheesh, how lucky am I?)...anyway, Sara mentioned to me that there are 13 shades of gray on the official color wheel. When she said that, it was one of those moments when you find poetry. "Found poetry" is, basically, just copying whatever you see. (And "found poetry" sounds so much better than cheating or stealing, doesn't it?) Anyway, it was in that moment that I realized "13 shades of gray" could be an intriguing title to a book, or, as my husband suggested to me over lunch today, it could also be the title to a poem. So, here goes:

13 Shades of Gray

The color wheel spins
shades of reds and blues,
yellows and purples.
in whirling carnivals
of color.

But what of the grays?
the charcoal,
ecru,
ashy,
tawny,
dusty
shades of gray?

Those blurry lines
that zigzag
across my life
in smudges
and smears?

The whys
and wherefores,
unanswered questions
unstated dreams
and unfinished sentences
that linger in smoky clouds around me?

Within the kaleidescope of
canary yellow
crimson red
lilac
chartreuse
and neon pink,
I stand,
as 13 shades
color me
gray.

Growing Spring

2009-04-20T16:02:00.001-05:00

Trees stand
bare in winter,
skeletal,
thin.

In spring rains
and warmer days,
trees
grow
shadows.

Field Day Fun

2009-04-19T14:09:00.006-05:00

This afternoon I'll add one of my field day poems. Several years ago, I wrote about 20 poems on all the different events of field day. Field day was definitely my favorite experience of elementary school. We'd look forward to it all year. I am not athletic in the slightest, so it wasn't showing off my skills or the competition that I looked forward to. It was just the fun of playing games, eating popsicles, and being outdoors for a day.

Water Balloon Volleyball

The net is up. The teams are poised,
the water bombs are set.
Anne Marie steps up to serve.
She eyes the sagging net.

The bomb is launched, away it flies,
but gets there with a splash.
The bomb explodes in Richie's hands,
which starts the water bash.

A splash on us. A splash on them,
oh, who will win this game?
Balloons are raining everywhere--
be careful when you aim!

The game goes on. It's getting hot.
Our server tries again.
More points for us. More points for them.
The score is ten to ten.

We're low on bombs. We're getting soaked.
I hope the game's done soon.
Then comes the call: "Game point!" we hear.
It's getting close to noon.

The final bomb then heads our way,
but doesn't clear the net.
And even thought we win the game,
we most liked getting wet.

A slight digression

2009-04-17T21:07:00.004-05:00

I'm too tired this evening to write a poem or try to find an old one, so I'll write instead about a couple of other things.

First, I've recently been watching a fantastic PBS series. I first watched Frontier House. My dad reminded me of this show when I was telling him of my research into the 1880s pioneer/frontier life in Kansas Territory (Colorado today). Then I learned from my friend Sara that PBS had produced other projects in this series, so I just finished watching 1900 House.

The idea is to take a modern-day family and have them live in period dress, in a house made up just like it would have been in the historical period, and see how they adapt. So, in Frontier House, three different families traveled in a covered wagon mini-journey to Montana and had to scratch out a living with few resources and lots of hard work for five months. The five months ended in the early fall, and a panel of historical judges decided which families would be best prepared to survive the winter.

In 1900 House, one family lived in a house (more like a "rowhouse" as we Americans would think of it) in south London which was completely fitted in 1900 furnishings, appliances, etc. The women wore corsets and heavy layers of long dresses. The father shaved with a cut-throat razor. The thing the women missed most was leisure time and shampoo. For the latter, they tried all sorts of revolting concoctions like egg yolks and lemon juice, etc. in place of shampoo. It all sounded horrid. And the house was so dark! Gas lamps had been installed in the first floor, but they only had parafin candles on the second floor, but the heavy drapes and dark wallpaper and big, oversized furnishings made the rooms seem oppressive and gloomy--even in broad daylight.

The striking thing for me from watching both of these shows is just how much time we have for other things now. In both Frontier House and 1900 House, two of the women mentioned that washing machines seem like magic compared to the older ways of washing clothing. Having hot water within mere seconds on a tap flowing into the kitchen and into the bathrooms and into the tubs and showers...wow! And having light in the evening makes such a huge difference. And those are just the basics. Of course, there was no TV, no computer, communication with the outside world was very limited. But taking care of the house--the cooking, the cleaning, the washing, the shopping--all of that would have consumed the housewife's day, and those days would mean heavy, difficult physical labor, only to have the energy at the end of the day to fall into bed.

There are lots of other projects in this PBS series: Texas Ranch House, 1940s House (in England, complete with bomb raid drills, etc.), Colonial House, and probabl others I haven't found yet.

On another note, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Cedarville Elementary just north of Fort Wayne this afternoon. I spoke to the K-3rd graders about my books, where ideas come from, and the writing process. It is always such a joy to visit with the children and hear their thoughts and questions.

Half-way through the month!

2009-04-16T12:25:00.002-05:00

I love poetry month, partly because I love spring. Spring can be so depressing--the dreary, cold, windy days that hearken back to winter. But it can also be so wonderfully invigorating on the milder, sunny, lovely days. We have one of the latter today, after two of the former, and, my, am I glad! And all that weather out there just makes me want to write.

A couple of other miscellaneous tidbits before the poem:

Neigh!!
Just in case you're in the mood to hear some neighing horses (for whatever reason), here's a good website.

Baseball!
Tonight is opening night for the (weirdly named) Fort Wayne Tin Caps. They are supposed to have fireworks after the game, so I'll be keeping an eye on Lucy, the giant golden retriever who is terrified of thunder and fireworks.

School visit!
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to visiting with the students and teachers at Cedarville Elementary to finish off their young authors week. What a privilege to share writing with kids!

Now the poem:

Awake

In my first
wakeful moments,
I lie, eyes open,
before I remember
the history of yesterday,
the future of today,
before my thoughts
resemble patterns of my own,
my day is
unburdened by guilt,
unpressured by dreams.
I simply
am.

A short poem today

2009-04-15T12:05:00.004-05:00

My cat, Sophie, was a gift to me from my sixth grade students at Emmaus Lutheran School in Alhambra, California, many moons ago. She is 14 years old this month. We think she's almost completely deaf now, but other than that, she shows few signs of aging. She definitely picks her favorite people, who are: me, my husband, and our son has limited access. Surprisingly, our giant golden retriever and Sophie have become buddies in the last couple of years. They sit together on the couch with me. I love animals of all kinds, but especially cats and dogs. Pets can be companions and, for some people, can help them in really significant ways. One young woman I know who was struggling with depression and having a very hard time coping with normal life. She got a puppy, and ever since then has been fully functional, doing really well with her life. It's been amazing to see the turn-around in her.

So here's a poem about Sophie. This poem could be easily copied by simply using picture language. The whole thing is just one sentence, using just three words metaphorically.

Weaver

My black cat
weaves
between my ankles
like a
delicate
silk
scarf.

Summer Storm

2009-04-14T09:13:00.008-05:00

I wrote this poem one day after a thunderstorm crashed through the neighborhood. It only lasted 15 or 20 minutes, but it was one of those drenching, dramatic storms that really get your attention.

This is the type of poem that kids could easily create, and it really challenges the use of active verbs (or gerunds, technically speaking). Speaking of gerunds, it might be interesting to try writing it in the present tense too: "Storm comes / Sun hides /" etc. It would be a good thing for children to recognize and analyze. Which form is stronger? With "-ing" endings or present tense endings? How does it change the feeling of the poem?

Also, notice the construction. The subject of each line is repeated in backward order in the second half of the poem. "Scurry, scramble" is the center point. So, have kids write 8-10 subjects, with simple verbs (or gerunds) following each, leading up to a pivotal point in the poem. Then, using the same subjects in reverse order, have the action diminish.

Oh, and another quick thought. Thank you to those of you who have suggested edits to my previous poems! I love the interaction, and I know that my work only can get stronger with good critique. So, thank you!

Summer Storm

Storm coming
Sun hiding
Birds skittering
Sky darkening
Wind gusting
Rain plinking
Lightning flashing
Gutter flooding
Thunder rumbling
Water pouring

Scurry, scramble! Get inside!

Water draining
Thunder quieting
Gutter trickilng
LIghtning fading
Rain dripping
Wind calming
Sky clearing
Sun peeking
Storm
quiet
now

Not Yet

2009-04-12T12:27:00.003-05:00

"Joseph of Arimathea brought 75 pounds of myrrh to an unused tomb…"

They wrapped
Jesus' bloody body in myrrh,
the scent of death.

This was His baby gift
from magi

his baby gift
became a swaddling cloth
in death

but sweet lilies line
the white-robed altar today

their perfume
the alleluias of life,
resurrection

but even while swooning in
Easter's lily-laden perfume,
here,
for now,
the scent of myrrh,
the bitterness of death
hangs in the air,
lingering in
sacred spaces

How things come together

2009-04-11T09:34:00.004-05:00

Today's poem comes from 8 years ago, but it's really a mish-mash of several poems I've written over the last few years. Every once in awhile, when I visit Colorado, my childhood home, I sense with full force the history of the place, the westward expansion, the hope for gold, the pioneering families struggling to eke out a living. There's a romance in it, but also a sense of connection to the land, the mountains, this place where my first memories were made. These thoughts over the years have finally melded into a work of fiction that I am currently writing.

June 19, 2001, Touchdown

In the flat plains
north of Denver,
our plane bumps
onto the runway
in midafternoon sun.

Suddenly, I am in 1880,
a settler
in the red dirt.
My hair, in a bun,
my dress,
long as Sunday,
my hands,
rough and calloused.
I shield my eyes from the sun
as I look for my man
through dusty wind,
waiting for gold,
settling for flour
to feed my family.

A memory engulfs me:
the claustrophobia
of trees,
leaves,
bushes,
ivy,
grass
of western Pennsylvania,
crowding thick upon me.

But now I open my eyes,
stretch out my
lungs,
wide as miles,
and
breathe.

Hope

2009-04-10T12:52:00.005-05:00

When we lived in Pittsburgh, I was in and out of our church fairly often. I usually went in through the side entrance, which was closer to our parsonage.

Every year, on Maundy Thursday afternoon or Good Friday morning, the order of Easter lilies would be delivered and placed in the stairwell near the sacristy. Seeing those lilies, after the arduous season of Lent, especially at the end of Holy Week made such an impression on me that every year I wrote poems about the lilies. The scent of Easter lilies, to me, is the sweetest for so many reasons.

Hope

Into the darkness,
the gloom,
the despair
of the tomb
is the scent
of hope,
waiting.

Woman at Prayer

2009-04-08T15:21:00.009-05:00

From a slab of cold marble,
pale as death,
weighty and strong,
an artist
with pictures in mind
and art in his chisel
creates a delicate face,
full of health, beauty, movement and grace.

From a rock, stone-cold,
dead, hard,
arises a phoenix,
a creation
aglow with vigor.

And she looks at me
with eyes, light and dancing,
bidding me to come
and pray.

Forest Fears

2009-04-07T10:06:00.006-05:00

Today's poem is one I wrote about 9 years ago. As I re-read my journals from years ago, I am encouraged and frightened. Encouraged, because I think that what I wrote wasn't terrible, and frightened because I'm afraid I've "lost" it. I believe--at least I like to believe--that many writers feel this way. That I've already written my best stuff, that there's not much left in me to write, etc.

So the key is--wait for it--to keep writing! Whether it's crummy or good, boring or engrossing, just keep at it. First drafts usually stink. Or better put, first drafts may have good potential or have a glimmer or something good in them, but really aren't the best a writer can create. Revision is always the key.

But in my experiment this month, I'm boldly and nervously putting out some rougher drafts to stick with my challenge of every-day-poetry-writing. With that introduction, here is "Forest Fears."

Forest Fears

Hansel and Gretel: lost and alone,
Little Red Riding Hood: met by a rude wolf,
Snow White: escaped an evil queen,
Goldilocks: trouble.

So it's no wonder when
forest shadows creep closer,
and day fades fast,
my feet walk faster,
my heart pounds,
my stomach quivers.

But when I am safe at home,
cozy, under blankets,
I remember that

Hansel and Gretel: found their good father.
Red Riding Hood: outsmarted the wolf.
Snow White: won her prince.
And Goldilocks: learned to stick close to home.

Two poems for today

2009-04-06T11:00:00.003-05:00

I'm finding some old files of "opposite poems" I wrote a few years ago to fill up my (maybe-not-so-wise-idea of) month full of poems. Here are two. I was trying to think of all sorts of opposites. I had the playground and baseball on the mind when I wrote these. They are just silly little poems that play with the opposite concepts and words.

Back - Forth

pump -- reach
bend -- glide
back -- forth
swing -- ride

I -- fly
you --soar
just -- one
push -- more!

Better/Worse

Am I a better batter than him?
Is he a badder batter than me?

Is badder
better?

Is better
badder?

Day 5, Poem 4

2009-04-05T16:36:00.006-05:00

I know. I'm one poem behind. I was out of town on Friday, so I didn't have time to post a poem.

I love the simplicity of haiku. I have written a picture book manuscript in all haiku stanzas about a young Japanese girl who moved to the U.S. and adapts by sharing her origami with a new friend.

Traditional haiku is 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second, and 5 in the third and last. Typically, also, it revolves around themes that have to do with nature or the seasons.

Here is a haiku for Palm Sunday:

***
Palms and hosannas,
songs and prayers we offer, Lord,
such small gifts we bring.

But our gifts cannot,
do not compare to the One
who gave everything.

***

From Me to You

2009-04-04T11:02:00.003-05:00

My letter flies,
My letter floats.
It even takes the train.

Through gloomy nights
and sunny days,
and even in the rain.

It's on a truck.
The miles add up.
It's far away from here.

It's on a long,
cross-country trip,
but should be getting near.

It finally comes
to your front door.
It took so long to haul!

My letter flew
from me to you,
but next time I'll just call!

Walking in the Woods

2009-04-02T12:39:00.009-05:00

After winter's cruelty:
icy trees,
ground, frozen hard as stone,
eternal nights, brightened only with dim candlelight,
I am a stranger to sunlight,
layered in polyfill, wool,
wrapped in a scarf,
capped with a hat.

But now,
I shed winter skin,
stepping onto the forest floor,
the carpet rolled out,
green tufts of grass,
strewn with wildflowers,
and I walk
into springtime.

April Fool's Day

2009-04-01T07:39:00.005-05:00

Okay, well, here's the first draft. Any suggestions for edits?

****
An April Fool's Day Limerick

On the first day of April each year,
I always get shivers of fear.
Will I get worms in my lunch?
Or flies in my punch?
Today's a good day to disappear OR It's best to be absent--that's clear!
***

I don't like that last line (which is why I have two options, neither of which I like). So I reversed the whole thing. I'm still not sure if it works, but I think the last line is better.
What do you think of option B?

***
An April Fool's Day Limerick

Some find this day filled with cheer,
but I find myself shivering in fear.
Will I get worms in my lunch?
Or flies in my punch?
It's the scariest day of the year!

April is Poetry Month

2009-03-31T16:58:00.005-05:00

Goodbye to March, hello to April! The month of April is poetry month, and I'm going to try to do something fun--write 30 poems, one for each day. Cinquain, haiku, limericks...I'll try them all, and I'll share the good and not-so-good. We'll see how it goes.

In the meantime, here's a picture of the daffodils outside my window.

Gobble Gobble Crash and Poetry

2009-03-27T07:12:00.006-05:00

Thanks to children's author Anastasia Suen for highlighting my book Gobble Gobble Crash! A Barnyard Counting Bash in her poetry Friday post. Suen's approach to writing, using the 6 Traits model (a common pedagogical tool for writing teachers) is very similar to how I write. Suen's post on this is a good one.

By the way (did I post this already? I can't remember), I found out recently that Gobble was chosen as the Feb. 09 book of the month for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Thank you to that organization for choosing Gobble. I love that it's going to lots of children's homes across the country. I've had such fun with this turkey story, and I'm thrilled to share it with young readers and their families. Dolly's program, Imagination Library, is a great one, providing free books once a month for children under 5.

The Year of Living Biblically

2009-03-26T17:11:00.003-05:00

I’m reading a book my husband highly recommended called The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. It’s fascinating. The author, a self-labeled agnostic, has devoted a year of his life to living the Bible as literally as possible. Not only is the concept intriguing (since he’s an agnostic), but Jacobs’ writing is honest, lively, humorous, and thoroughly captivating. He’s a real pro.

Here’s the thing: I believe that his honest, up-front, curious approach to the Bible is much more appealing than many who call themselves Christians, but end up living pharisaical, hypocritical lives. Their words are sweet, but underneath there is a maliciousness that lurks behind the happy, smiling faces. And who am I to judge? I am guilty too.

But I like the approach Jacobs takes. He genuinely tries. He seeks to live Biblically. He counts the times each day that he lies. He attempts to forgo coveting his neighbor’s belongings. He's honest with himself and with his readers. I like that.

Sometimes his efforts are over the top. However, I find his approach refreshing. This is how to discuss religion: to have a frank, open discussion without judgment.

I’m only about a third of the way through the book, but I already heartily endorse it. It's given me a lot to think about in terms of God's laws, the goodness of God, and the mercy of Christ.

I meant to post about this earlier, but the author is coming to speak at IPFW this evening for an Omnibus Lecture.

Encouraging Literacy in the Very Young, Part 4

2009-03-14T15:57:00.004-05:00

Tip #4 - Allow children to share books with special people in their lives. One of my fondest childhood memories is sitting with my grandfather reading The Poky Little Puppy in his house in Boulder, Colo. We sat together in my grandfather's big chair, and read about all of the antics of the poky puppy who dug a hole with his brothers and sisters under a fence to explore the "wide, wide world." The poky little puppy, always the observant one (and the one with the worst sweet tooth), gets his fill of adventures and of desserts.

But it's hardly the story I recall. What I remember is feeling the utter and complete joy that a child can feel when sharing a good story with someone they treasure.

My grandfather died not too long after that, when I was only nine, so my memories of him are very few. But this is one I hold onto. My grandfather was not a well-read man. He was a carpenter. He worked for most of his life making cabinets and tables and chairs. His garage smelled of sawdust. The tools were lined up on the walls, just so. What I remember, though, and what I treasure most is that he read with me.

Encouraging Literacy in the Very Young, Part 3

2009-03-10T15:12:00.003-05:00

Tip #3 - One of the things I love most about children is their ability to find joy in the small stuff of life. The definition of "walk" to a toddler or preschooler is far different from our adult definition. Adults walk in order to get exercise, to try to shed those extra pounds. Not so with young children. Speed is not a part of a child's stroll around the neighborhood, and I believe, that can teach us as parents to slow down and enjoy those little things that children take such delight in.

Allow your toddler time to feel the cool dampness of mud, the tickly grass, the sounds of honking geese. Then…guess what comes next…read about what your child is naturally drawn to. Find books about mud, grass, and geese. Get fiction and nonfiction. If a thunderstorm rumbles through town, talk about it with your child, and then go get some books on lightning and thunder. The great thing about children's books is that you can find a book on a certain topic for any age.

For example, when I share my book Cheep! Cheep! with preschoolers or young grade-school children, I often show them other books (not necessarily mine) that have similar themes. Cheep! could lead to several different thematic ideas:

- a new sibling joining the family - read Cheep as well as books like Mercer Mayer's The New Baby

- other farm animals - look at Garth Williams' Baby Farm Animals or Margaret Wise Brown's Big Red Barn

- welcoming spring - look at a book by Lois Ehlert, like Planting a Rainbow

For an reader (adult or child), the key is finding what you like to read about--baseball, solar eclipses, giant squid, flea markets, or yes, possibly, even baby chickens. Whatever you like--enjoy!