Monday, August 29, 2011

Writers' Ally is BACK!! Summer Writing Lessons...

****WAVES frantically****
Did you miss me as much as I missed you??

I really did, you know. We're all aware of..."Absence makes...blah, blah..." Well, my heart is definitely fonder of each of you. And a special spotlight welcome to my New Followers. Please leave comments. I ADORE your thoughts and love chatting with you. Can't wait to get to know you.

I do not say this lightly: you are all important to me. You are my energy in this writing game, and I'm so grateful for you. So....if you stay tuned, you'll find out how grateful I am. Yes, I'm teasing you with a giveaway. I have like 25 Young Adult & Middle Grade books, just weeping for new homes, laying prostrate on my office floor. A giveaway is in the near future. :)

But I wanted to catch up a bit before we move into the Fall season.

I had a quiet yet busy summer. My kids' last day of school was only a week and a half before the Fourth of July. That really shortened our summer. We swam in our pool, chatted, and barbecued a ton. Went to the beach, did the amusement park thing, parades, and camp visits. Of course, being HUGE Red Sox fans, we hit three games!!! One of them was even on that day in Boston when, at game start, it was 108 degrees. Phew....Now that's hot.

On the flip side, we spent half a week in six ice rinks in Massachusetts for a summer hockey tournament, and then fried at our daughter's premier soccer tournie in New Hampshire. Yeah...we're a versatile bunch, aren't we?? More like crazy. I do have one story to share with you about when I accompanied my hubby on a business trip to New York City and than Atlantic City, but that will take too much of your valuable time, right now. Let's just say--ICE CHIPS FROM THE VENT ABOVE MY SEAT FELL ON ME, WHILE WE WERE FLYING IN THE AIRPLANE!! I so wanted off! Other than that, we were kind of lazy, which was fantastic for our busy family of six (Dad, Mom, & the 4 kiddos, for those of you who are new to my crazy life).

Editing, writing, and freelance work took up some of my time. Mostly, I reflected and totally sucked in all I could from observing my kids and their friends. I'm a children's book writer. What better way is there to formulate ideas than by watching kids and teens in action? My brain regressed back to that two-year-old mentality, soaking up their actions, mannerisms, word choices, and attitudes. The list was endless.

The main lesson I learned over my eight week hiatus from blogging is that I can't allow my love for storytelling to get bogged down by the business of life. Each day is a new day, which will bring new challenges. Most of those challenges will have nothing to do with my writing career. Honing in on daily life can fuel our writing, creativity, and our drive.

Take advantage (and notes) of every moment you're given. They ALL really do count!

So happy to be back.

Splat: I've devised a new schedule for the Alleyway: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (occasionally alternating with Friday, just because I love Friday posts!!) Each day will host a regular lineup. But I never decided on exactly what I want to do. I'll need your opinions for that. I'm hoping to list them soon. :)

On the writing front, I'm normally private about my true activity and any leads I might be pursuing. Just keep me in your thoughts. I'd set writing goals for the summer...

What have you learned over the summer that can make you a better writer?

25 comments:

  1. Great that you're back. Glad you had fun with your family. I had a hectic summer with my daughter's swim, but we enjoyed some fun family time together.

    I did another revision on my manuscript. Each time I do I learn more about writing better.

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  2. YAY! Welcome back! You had a nice summer it sounds. :)
    I agree, just having the op to sit back and watch/listen to kids gets the creative juices flowing. I had to break out my lil notebook at a restaurant the other day because my kids' conversation was so adorable I thought it'd make a great PB!

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  3. Welcome back! Sounds like you had a fantastic summer! I got a lot of writing related things done- critiquing, finishing a first draft, and beginning the query process again. All of it a learning experience!

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  4. Welcome back. It's been a crazy summer all around. A tornado, an earthquake and a hurricane!

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  5. WElcome back!! I've learned that I can only move myself forward and to do this at my own pace. I will get there one day.

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  6. Hi, Sheri! Welcome back! I did miss you -- although I "saw" you on Facebook. Thanks for starting that Writer Support FB page. I met some new people that way!

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  7. Welcome back, Sheri! I too am private about these writing adventures I'm on. Let's just say I'm trying to win the game. :-)

    EGAD! Red Sox?? Go Braves! *sigh* That's a hopeful attitude if I've ever seen one. *wink*

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  8. Welcome back! I've learned that teen betas are awesome!

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  9. Welcome back, Sheri! It sounds like you had a busy, fun summer! I didn't blog much either over the summer either. I love my time with the kiddos!

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  10. Glad you're back! You had a busy summer.

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  11. Yay! I'm so glad you are back!!! Sounds like you had quiet a summer!

    Things I learned this summer...Just do it already!

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  12. Welcome back! One of these days when you're near Cambridge, I'd love to see you in person.

    My daughter is digging you peace symbol at the top of the blog.

    What did I learn this summer? Everything is hard work. I have to learn to let go of preconceived notions if I'm going to progress.

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  13. Welcome back to the blogosphere! Seeing your comment this morning made me smile. :D <-- see? Good luck with whatever your secret goals are!

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  14. Thanks for warm welcome back! I really did miss everyone. Seems like you all have some great suggestions for me. Thanks!!

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  15. Welcome back! We missed you too!
    Wait. You're a Red Sox fan? *goes to click 'unfollow'* (Just kidding...or am I?) Yankees FTW! (even though I don't need to say that, because the Yankees will win even without me.)

    Can't wait to see you around more!

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  16. Every one of those moments is important. I never can get enough reminders to enjoy the moment!

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  17. Yay! So glad you're back! It sounds like you had an excellent time. So true, honing in on daily life really does enhance one's writing. This summer I learned the importance of allowing a novel to simmer. Mine has become so much stronger for it!

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  18. Glad you're back! This summer, I've been spending a lot of time editing - working as an editor, not editing my own stuff. There's just not enough hours in a day to get to everything!

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  19. Yes! You were totally missed. Glad to have you back. Reading about your summer made me tired, though. Now I need a nap.

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  20. Missed you! I learned so much over the summer...very, very productive, but glad to be back to the "normal" routine. :)

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  21. Welcome back baby! Now let's get kickin' :-D

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  22. Hi Lovely! I too am back in the action of commenting and I have to say it FEEL SO GOOD!!!!

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  23. ugh. I've learned REVISIONS ARE GOOD. They eat up all your time, they're hard as heck, but they really do result in a stronger MS...

    and YAY! YOU'RE BACK! I did miss you, and it is hard to do these hiatus things. But they're necessary. And it sounds like you guys had a ball. Too cool~ :o) <3

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!SPLAT Your Awesomeness! I'd love to hear from you!

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