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?

New site: Writers Support 4U!!

Over the last month or so, I've read many posts and chatted with a few of you about life, writing, and blogging. What purpose does blogging hold?

When I started Writers' Ally, it was at the advisement of my 1st official CP, Marcy. Originally, it was to chronicle my writing journey with her but soon it became more. And with more, my ideas grew and changed and so did the purpose for the Alleyway. I wanted it to become a place where authors, illustrators, and publishing gurus could share their experiences both in life and writing, letting others know they are not alone. And I'm thankful for Writers' Ally's evolution. She'll be open for a long time; however...

{It took me forever to decide how to write this post. Finally, I decided to just be me.}

As time moves forward and I continue to grow as a writer, I find the act of balancing daily life and writing more difficult. This doesn't mean one has to give, only that it's time to reevaluate, restructure.

As the mother of four growing children, who now span three separate schools, life has gotten more complicated. My writing/creation time has been chopped into bits here and snippets there. I'm eternally grateful for each of you and every new writing opportunity that has found its way to me over the last few months. Doors have been opening and I need to take every advantage of them. The final polishing on MARKED BEAUTY needs to be done as does plunging into the querying world, finishing a 1st draft of my MG series, and sending out a few picture books. So, I've decided to take a step back from blogging for the summer.

Do you remember this POST, where I praised ROW80 and talked about the difference between a Support writing group and CPs? Some of you indicated you'd be interested in joining a Writing Group, who's sole purpose is to support each other, giving shout-outs throughout the week on FB or twitter and sharing updates/successes on WIPs, even writing a weekly post to include personal writing/life goals.

Well, I--along with C.Lee McKenzie, Margo Berendsen, & Susan Kaye Quinn--have created a group called SUPPORT WRITERS 4U! on Facebook. If I haven't already invited you, head on over and click to be a member. LOVE, love, love to have you. The more support we all share the smoother our roads to publication and beyond will be. Feel free to take the little logo I created and post it on your blogs with a link. Thank you in advance!!

So, I want to leave you with this thought for the summer.

"I've always been a writer, even when the words didn't hit the page." This quote is from Cher Green, who was interviewed over on Surrounded by Books. It got me thinking about what's lead me up to this point in my writing journey. So often, over the last three years, I've been down on myself, feeling like I should have started writing again years ago. "Look how much time I've wasted. Look what I could have been doing."

But really, every event in my life prior to making the commitment to become a professional novelist/writer/word nark is part of my writing journey. I wouldn't be creating the worlds and characters I am now without my life before the writing thoughts. This is MY journey, and I must embrace it and be thankful for it. Accepting that truth is empowering.

And YOU have your writing road, too. Though different than mine, it's yours and only yours. There is no right or wrong, no special way to become the next hit author.

You must accept your path for what it is, embrace it, and hone your craft, loving what you do. You must live life, letting each and every moment mold and caress you, and you will become all you can be.

I will miss you over the next month and a half. I'll return the second week of August but to blog sporadically for that month. Don't forget to become a part of Writers Support 4 U! We'll stay in touch throughout the summer and beyond, supporting and cheering each other on! Our twitter hashtag is #WS4U.


Here's a smaller logo:

Happy Summer Alleywalkers!! Don't forget to wear SUNSCREEN!!


(WINNERS: a copy of Christine Fonseca's book 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids goes to ~ Ingrid Dallal Fratz!! & a First Five Page Critique goes to ~ Nicole Zoltack!! Congrats!)