Amy Makechnie's Blog, page 15
March 7, 2023
Why Do Young Girls Travel in Packs?
First, thank you for your kind emails and texts after last week’s freak out regarding mental health and social media. It’s true we need a better relationship with the online world, but It’s also true that great good has come from being widely connected: relationships, vast libraries of information, scientific and medical discoveries…
Did you know you can set a timer on your phone for social media and tech use? My timer is 30 min (I wish I could say I never override the Instagram reminder). You can also have a personal reckoning by looking at your stats for the week. Super easy. Google it!
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Second, the day after I posted Happiness is a Handwritten Letter, I received 57 in the mail! THANK YOU. All from students at a school I virtually visited for World Read Aloud Day. It truly made my week. I can tell you this - authors love mail. Once I wrote an email to author Scott Turow (I was blown away by Presumed Innocent) and he wrote a really thoughtful email back. So…take a moment to write a letter to someone. Happiness all around.
a serious happiness boost in frozen New HampshireThird, I read a GREAT book. I was kindof shocked to absolutely love a middle grade graphic novel. THE TRYOUT is the creation of two-time Newbery Honoree and Kirkus Prize winner Christina Soontornvat (with stellar illustrator, Joanna Cacao). It brought back all of the insecurities, excitement, angst, and FEELINGS of being thirteen. Even if you’ve never been an adolescent girl trying out for cheerleading, you’ll feel this (locker room: I don’t know these people and now I’m in my underwear with them! What if I’m wearing my Care Bear underwear…???!)
even adults will enjoy this oneThis book also reminded me of something else I think about quite a bit: why young girls, especially middle school and high school girls travel in packs. Mind you, this is not a criticism. I love girls. I love them. It’s an observation. We can’t seem to walk to the bathroom alone, need to make announcements together (boys do this too), hold hands and move together in a ball tighter than a stiff knot…
Oft times when young girls are stuck together in these traveling packs they also can’t seem to stop laughing. Everything seems funnier and safer and better when you are laughing - even at the expense of someone else.
This is what I think: we (they) do it for SAFETY. Both emotionally and physically.
It’s incredibly vulnerable to grow up. We are baby birds thrown to the wolves. It’s hard for boys and it’s hard for girls. Your body is changing, your smells are changing (!) you’re becoming more aware of boys, girls, labels, money, clothes, beauty…how much you lack, how much your worth feels so dependent on those things (it doesn’t). Now double/triple that if you’re a minority in any way…
Reading TRYOUT triggered dozens of memories. Not in a bad way. It’s a book that actually makes you feel good, even as you’re recalling a precarious time.
Leaning over a drinking fountain in seventh grade, a boy snapped my bra. “Don’t TOUCH ME!” I yelled at him. The poor kid; I remember his shocked face. He was imitating others, doing what he thought was okay for 7th grade boys to do. I’m glad I yelled; sorry not sorry my mama taught me well.
Or the time I begged a friend to please please please take up my lunch trey bc I just couldn’t make myself walk past the 7th/8th grade boy’s table, knowing they would be looking me up and down and think something about my body. Or horror - say something. We went together. In a tight, shoulder to shoulder giggling pack of two.
There are hundreds more moments like this - I bet you have your moments too.
From a very young age, girls encounter a constant barrage of looks and comments and messages on appearance, size, and beauty.
Girls do it, too - to one another and to boys - and sometimes it’s worse coming from your own gender, but even so, I come back to the pack. We travel in packs because a pack protects you.
Consider my qualifications:
was once a young lass
have three daughters
have worked in schools for my entire adult life
am very nosy (curious, I’m just curious!)
So when you see a pack of giggling girls traveling in a pack stuck together like bubblegum, you may feel like rolling your eyes. But remember - it’s probably not about you at all; it's safety. The bubblegum pack is its own protective bubble. It’s terrible to be in their line of their fire, but that’s also their insecurity speaking. And often they’re just laughing bc everything seems to be funny for no reason at all - and that feels protective, too. Agree or disagree?
The other book I read this week: The Secret Battle of Evan Pao by Wendy Wan-Long Shang. Our protagonist is Evan, a Chinese American middle schooler struggling to adjust to life in an insular, mostly White town when he finds out that there was once Chinese American soldiers in the Civil War. Wendy did such a good job of telling a story from multiple POVs. No shaming; we have compassion for each character, even the bully. Highly recommended!
Yes indeed it’s been a good reading week. How about you?
❤️ Amy
Good News and Story LinksICYMI: the THE MCNIFFICENTS is coming…
Obsessed with: We Still Need Judy Blume (LOVE her)
Read this: How Do You Serve a Friend in Despair? must read.
Where I’m going: TOMECON23 wheeeeee!
What I’m reading now: I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai
February 28, 2023
Happiness is a Handwritten Letter
Happiness is a handwritten letter…these are from pen pal, Sydnie! I adore them.I’m reading a children’s book about Thoreau right now. I wasn’t even through the introduction before I was longing for the simplicity he found by a pond.
Contrary to what I used to imagine, Thoreau wasn’t a hermit. While living at Walden Pond by himself, he often visited town and spoke regularly to people. He also wasn’t idle. Did you know he had a SEVEN MILE crop of beans?
His life at Walden lasted for only two years, two months, and two days, and yet those two years of focused intention changed the entire world. What he mostly did (when not harvesting all of those beans) was work, think, and write.
His writings were so powerful and so deep and so true that they resonated all over the world. His writings on civil disobedience inspired the overthrow of British rule in India and the civil rights movement in America. All because a man had the wisdom and discipline and courage to give up the world just for a little bit so he could work, and think, and write.
I’m romanticizing this life and seven miles of beans, I know. I once had five measly plants of beans I could barely pay attention to. And gardening in New Hampshire with black flies is brutal. Black flies aside, isn’t there something appealing to dream about digging in dirt, eating off the land, trading beans for flour, and having zero notifications dinging in the pocket?
To state the obvious: Thoreau didn’t have a phone. He had the same hours we do but wasn’t checking a device a zillion times a day, taking selfies, editing his face, posting, waiting for likes and comments and validation that doesn’t last half a second. Typing it out like that makes it all so ridiculous. What are we doing with our time?
Reading Thoreau culminated with reading Jonathan Haidt’s (a social psychologist and professor in the Business and Society Program at New York University’s Stern School of Business) report on teen girls and social media use.
After sending it to my oldest daughter (who has sworn off social media and reports much better mental health), wrote back: “that’s terrifying.”
You’ve likely seen the recent headlines regarding girls and record levels of sadness (The New York Times and NPR). I’m pasting a tiny portion of Haidt’s research here:
7. Conclusion: Social Media Is a Major Cause of Mental Illness in Girls, Not Just a Tiny Correlate
There is one giant, obvious, international, and gendered cause: Social media. Instagram was founded in 2010. The iPhone 4 was released then too—the first smartphone with a front-facing camera. In 2012 Facebook bought Instagram, and that’s the year that its user base exploded. By 2015, it was becoming normal for 12-year-old girls to spend hours each day taking selfies, editing selfies, and posting them for friends, enemies, and strangers to comment on, while also spending hours each day scrolling through photos of other girls and fabulously wealthy female celebrities with (seemingly) vastly superior bodies and lives. The hours girls spent each day on Instagram were taken from sleep, exercise, and time with friends and family. What did we think would happen to them?
What did we think would happen to them?
It’s a dagger to my heart. I have three daughters; two of them are still teens. What are we doing???
My brother-in-law says that one day he hopes we view social media like we now view tobacco. Because smoking is BAD FOR YOU. The conclusions on social media and girls, in particularly, appear just as deadly.
What does that have to do with the handwritten letter? Well, I think it’s related to what Thoreau did when he decided to get really intentional with his life.
It takes courage to be counter-culture. It’s slowing down so you have the time, space, and energy to see and enjoy the small and simpler things. Which are really the big things.
The Handwritten Letter
I’ve always been drawn to the creativity of letters. The different sizes of papers, inks, designs, drawings, stickers, envelopes, and stamps one can use. In middle school I received a calligraphy set. It had five different colors of ink that I could switch out. What fun to imagine I was some sort of medieval damsel writing her last letter - if only I had had a wax seal (maybe I could get one now?)
Thankfully, 13-year-old me did NOT have a phone because I KNOW I would have been ALL OVER Debbie Gibson Tik Tok dance challenges (I can see it now and I shudder) - how would I have found the time to write letters?!?! No, it was the boredom and swaths of free time that fed my creativity.
In college I dreamed of opening a stationary store with my art major bestie (with an adjoining Taco Bell 😂). When my friends and roommates and missionaries left for the summer or longer stretches of time, how would we LIVE WITHOUT EACH OTHER?
We didn’t have cell phones for texting or Snap Chatting. Our family homes had phones that were wired onto walls with curly-cue cords that only went five feet so you rarely had privacy - and long distance calls increased your parent’s phone bill. We did not have to live without each other though because we had paper and envelopes and stamps - and we used them.
I wrote so many letters during those years, to girlfriends and boyfriends, sometimes sprayed with perfume or a lipsticked-imprint of my lips, oh my. We used to make our own envelopes out of ripped out magazine pictures. I still have many of them, and if I wasn’t feeling lazy I’d go dig through the garage bins and find some to show you.
We can’t turn back time, I know. Phones and social media aren’t going away. I’ll admit to being a big-time texting queen. But I’d like to give a plug to this lovely, antiquated art form.
During the Covid years, fancying myself a blooming Georgia O’Keeffe, I bought bunches of blank watercolor cards and envelopes and postcards. I began painting and sending these postcards to my nieces and nephews. And it didn’t matter if I thought my paintings were uh-hm, not Georgia O’Keeffe, because sending was fun and my recipients were thrilled to get mail!
Lest you’re already freaking out because now I’ve made it more complicated, FORGET THE PAINTING part. I’ll Georgia O’Keeffe on my own time.
The point is to write something by hand to someone you love. That’s it.
A handwritten note is simple and doesn’t need to take much time, and yet it does take time, and there are enough little steps that it often feels hard. So this is what you’re going to do.
Set up one area where you keep your postcards, paper, envelopes and stamps
Write the note
Find the address (mine are all on my…phone)
Put the stamp on
Put envelope or postcard in the mailbox
FEEL JOY! (really, what a dopamine boost)
This much I can guarantee: you will feel joy putting your letter in the mailbox. Your recipient will be so tickled that you may even get a response. It’s one big delightful virtuous cycle.
My husband says I’m obsessed with mail. True. I anticipate treasures every time I open the little mailbox door. You likely know the feeling of walking to the mailbox, too, and finding your name on an envelope - WHAT JOY, WHAT BLISS. How good it feels to know someone thought about you. Someone took the time to write out your name, find your address, buy a stamp, and put it in the mail.
Is that not an act of love?
The handwritten letter has become a rare gift, hasn’t it?
I believe it falls into Mother Theresa’s “do small things with great love” advice for a happier, more meaningful life. And when you do small things with great love, you start to feel great love back. Couldn’t the world use a little more of that?
These are images from this past week (a very good handwritten week):
Navigating from top left: postcards from my niece, my daughter’s art desk where she’s designing her own greeting cards, a surprise watercolor from Tjasa Owen (I only know her from interacting on Instagram - SO NICE), and STAMPS!
I always think stamps say something about the sender. The postal worker sold me the dog and cat stamps after she observed the packages I was sending had teeth marks on them (ARTIE).
Q: what if I have terrible handwriting?
A: I’m not saying you can’t type it. Of course you can. There are no rules here.
For Christmas, my husband got me a typewriter. If I ever change the ribbon, I will be sending TYPED letters. Does that not sound like joy?
In conclusion, I think the beauty of the handwritten note is this: you are worth taking time for.
I may not ever have the gumption to sell all of my possessions and plant a seven-mile crop of beans to think and write, but I’m continually reckoning with my use of social media and phone. And I do plan on writing more letters.
I’d like to extend the same invitation to you.
Do you know someone who needs a handwritten note? Particularly a child? I would like to write them one. Maybe I will use my typewriter. Leave a comment OR hit reply with the address - I’m serious!
Happiness is a hand written letter and I give it five stars.
❤️ Amy
Good News and Story LinksPerhaps?: add THE MCNIFFICENTS to your Goodreads - thank you!
ICYMI: Let Joy Find You, Such a great read
A McNifficent Story Map with every pre-order: Here and Here
What I’m Reading Right Now: The Secret Battle of Evan Pao
Help, I have a Lays Wavy potato chip addiction. Just thought you should know.
Thank you for reading Come Along With Me. This post is public so feel free to share it.
After BabelSocial Media is a Major Cause of the Mental Illness Epidemic in Teen Girls. Here’s the Evidence.A big story last week was the partial release of the CDC’s bi-annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which showed that most teen girls (57%) now say that they experience persistent sadness or hopelessness (up from 36% in 2011), and 30% of teen girls now say that they have seriously considered suicide (up from 19% in 2011). Boys are doing badly too, but their rates of depression and anxiety are not as high, and their increases since 2011 are smaller. As I showed in my…Read more7 days ago · 368 likes · 144 comments · Jon Haidt
February 21, 2023
We Are Here, You See. We Are.
Dear wonderful readers,
I would like to say this as EMPHATICALLY as possible: READ THIS BOOK!
THE ANTHROPOCENE REVIEWED: ESSAYS ON A HUMAN-CENTERED PLANET
In this series of essays, John Green rates and reviews specific human experiences and/or things like he would a Yelp Review on a scale of one to five.
For instance, The Academic Decathlon.
When he was a small and miserable, awkward, trench-coat wearing, C-student, Green met his high school BFF, Todd, who invited him to be on the team. It changed his whole life. The essay is called The Academic Decathlon, but it’s really about a relationship:
Looking out at this river reminds me of sitting at the edge of that creek with Todd, and how his love helped carry me through those years, and how in some ways it is still carrying me. I wonder if you have people like that in your life, people whose love keeps you going even though they are distant now because of time and geography and everything else that comes between us…Rivers keep going, and we keep going, and there is no way back to the roof of that hotel. But the memory still holds me together.”
Green gives the Academic Decathlon four and a half stars.
His choices of what to rate and review are sometimes funny, and always insightful: Canadien Geese, Scratch ‘n Sniff Stickers, Diet Dr. Pepper, CNN, Bonneville Salt Flats, Viral Meningitis, the Notes app, and Whispers (have you ever thought about how delicious whispering is?)
Green started writing this book as the pandemic swept the country, triggering his lifelong struggle with depression, severe anxiety and his diagnosed obsessive-compulsivity. His doctor suggested gardening - which he did. And which helped.
What Green is really trying to find is the meaning of life. How much does the “Googling Strangers” contribute to that? And what the heck is “Anthropocene?”
It’s defined this way:
“The Anthropocene is the current geological age in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity.”
And then Green rates those things (the plague didn’t score too highly.)
It’s so smart and thoughtful. He tries hard not to be cynical though I suspect his natural inclination might lean that way. I understand. For a deep-thinking, sensitive person, life hits hard.
He writes of his “old long since” friendship with author Amy Krouse Rosenthal and the famed AULD LANG SYNE song (translated to something like “old long since”).
Before she passed from cancer, Rosenthal wrote in her memoir:
I was here, you see. I was.
Green leans into the vulnerability that is hard to write about. But because he does, we are able to connect with him and his struggles through deep and dark depressive episodes. It almost reads as a love letter to the planet, but he’s also offering a life line: keep going, there is meaning everywhere.
When one of us says, ‘Look, there’s nothing out there,’ what we are really saying is, ‘I cannot see.’” -Terry Tempest Williams
Like Yelp ratings, all of these reviews are based on personal experiences (which made me want to write my own). Green hasn’t had lots of good times with geese, so his rating is low. But Diet Dr. Pepper? He’s found meaning there.
He rates and reviews sunsets (a chapter I loved so much I cried, and then read it to my teenage daughters as their “bedtime story.” Tucked under the covers, they were captive and could not escape me).
I loved this book so much that I wanted to reread it as soon as I finished. I checked it out from the library, but need to own my own copy so I can underline and dog-ear all of the pages. I wrote out dozens of quotes by hand, and am already thinking of all of the people I want to gift this book to.
It’s that good.
If you follow Green on Instagram, you’ll know he can be funny, worried, hopeful, deep, and often annoyed. Because of the way he talks, I’ve sometimes wondered if he’s an atheist, but then I read the chapter on his experiences as a student chaplain. Well, it about broke his heart - and mine. But God and meaning is a concept that he’s felt and just can’t quit. Basically, he’s a human grappling with what it is to be human.
To quote the book jacket: “In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet—from the QWERTY keyboard and Staphylococcus aureus to the Taco Bell breakfast menu—on a five-star scale.”
I loved THE ANTHROPOCENE REVIEWED and give it a book recommendation of four and three quarter stars.
What I really got from it?
We are here, you see. We are.
❤️ Amy
What are you reading now?
Good News and Story LinksPLEASE: add THE MCNIFFICENTS to your Goodreads - it really helps me out!
Let Joy Find You: Such a great read
Obsessed With: Matt Nathanson’s “Blush” Live in Seattle
Watching: Manifest on Netflix
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February 14, 2023
Sneak Peak: McNifficent Illustrations!
Happy Val&Galentine’s, my friends. I’m grateful for you and you and you❣️
Interested in the timeline of getting a book out into the world? This is where we’re at…
A McNifficent Update:
We are four months out from the release of The McMifficents. Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) have been printed and shipped - with a few copies landing on my porch mere hours ago. ARCs are sent out to reviewers, both professional and not, who will proclaim their judgment 😬😃
I take deep calming breaths and try not to worry/stress/care about opinions because I am proud of this book and what can you do? I care very much.
An ARC is an “uncorrected proof” and will not be the final copy. Advance readers will no doubt find typos that are (hopefully) caught before the final printing. Page 10 and 11 are out of order; this has been noted and will surely be fixed.
This week my job is to read through the manuscript via a downloaded PDF. This is called “proofread first pass interior.” It is one of my last chances to make any minor changes and address any queries from the copy editor.
The copy editor’s questions are in red text boxes. My answers are to be typed in a text box in a different color (I chose lime green :)
I’ve read this manuscript so many times that I will need to force myself to go slow, read aloud, and take breaks when I get tired instead of skimming and getting sloppy (all those articles written for perfectionists to relax? They weren’t written for me).
Over the past two years, my editor and I have already addressed all the major stuff: the plot points, theme, character development. We’ve also gone line by line. Now the copy editors are working their magic.
Copy editors are a special breed with very special skills; they catch things that my professional editor and I haven’t, even after a gazillions read-throughs.
If the copy editor asks a question or wants to change something that I don’t want changed, then I write STET, which means “let it stand” (it always give me a bit of a thrill to write STET).
The edits are due Friday, February 27. And luckily, after a two-week debacle with Apple, my Mac computer is back in my hands (unfortunately, I lost part of a future manuscript that…I cannot think about anymore. My friends, BACK UP YOUR WORK).
Here’s a sneak peak of the illustrator’s work. Her name is Ariel Landry and I’m absolutely delighted by what’s she done with this McNiff family. (Feel special, NO ONE ELSE HAS SEEN THEM)!:
Interior illustrations for THE MCNIFFICENTS by Ariel LandryIsn’t it great?! The McNifficents is my first book with illustrations, and I admire and adore Ariel’s work.
After I’m done with this pass-through, I will send it back, and will likely read it one more time before it goes to final printing. I will also get to hear some audiobook narrator options, which I’m looking forward to. Who can do six different children + a miniature schnauzer? Exciting developments all around.
Back to the Advance Reader Copies. I have two copies to get into the right hands. If you have a contact for someone who would like to read and review this middle grade book for the masses (you?), please let me know…I’ve also inquired about free digital copies on Net Galley - stay tuned!
In other news:
Happy Valentine’s Day. My daughter told me that she loves this day because she associates it with heart attacking her grandfather’s door (he lives with us) and making sugar cookies and small treats to deliver. This made me happy.
It doesn’t really matter what form your valentine takes, a little note wrapped in love makes anyone’s day.
Thanks for letting me share some book love with you.
❤️ Amy
Thank you for reading Come Along With Me. PLEASE SHARE!
Good News and Story LinksReel News: I made a possibly-cringey reel on Instagram (BUT ARCs ARRIVED AND I CANNOT BE COOL)
Valentine Staple: these sugar cookies. I make them every year. Thanks, Naomi.
Good-for-you-chocolate: three ingredients!
What I’m Reading Right Now: The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green
Making Me Laugh: Jen Hatmaker’s Valentine’s
February 7, 2023
Don't Invite Your Thoughts to Tea
Hello readers!
I’m writing from the arctic temperatures of New Hampshire, where a record-setting temperature of -109 was set this past Friday. “It’s really an amazing day, an awe-inspiring day and actually a bit of a frightening moment,” said Mount Washington Observatory meteorologist Francis Tarasiewicz. Yes, these are fun times in the Northeast.
I’m in awe of Francis’s use of the word, “awe” as it’s not the first word that comes to my mind. Well, whatever the weather, I am incredibly grateful for a home and food and pipes that didn’t burst over the weekend.
My husband and I banter quite a bit in the cold. While I’m hunched over and shivering, he laughs, stands up straight and declares, “it’s all a state of mind.” This will likely only be endearing…a long time from now. He very rarely ever wears a winter hat and you’ll never find gloves in his coat pockets.
I do find this mindset both intriguing and appealing. After watching Limitless with Chris Hemsworth, I’m even more convinced of the power of our own minds to not just endure cold temps but to get past the mind trolls in our own heads.
(Limitless is an excellent 8-part series where Hemsworth attempts to conquer stress and discover the pillars of longevity while facing extreme physical adversity like scaling a Sydney skyscraper, swimming in the Arctic, and climbing up a 100-foot rope. It’s REALLY GOOD.)
I love the brain. I appreciate how it’s always trying to keep us safe. It’s why we will run from a cheetah rather than pet him. But it’s also why we won’t sing accapella in the talent show or send out the resume or even say hello to someone we want to say hello to - better to protect than be hurt.
But these danger! thoughts aren’t always true or helpful. Sometimes they’re just holding us back.
Don’t believe everything you think.
What to do with our own counterproductive thoughts?
An incredibly valuable phrase landed in my inbox last week from Oliver Burkeman’s terrific newsletter: DON’T INVITE YOUR THOUGHTS TO TEA
Painting the wisdom…Oliver Burkeman was using a metaphor from Christian Dillo's book The Path of Aliveness, where not inviting our counterproductive, spiraling thoughts is one of the basic aspects of meditation.
"Thoughts don't tend to knock, they just show up in the house," Dillo writes. "The host's job is not to barricade the door but instead just not serve any tea."
Burkeman:
Maybe I can't exactly let go of my counterproductive thoughts – but I can resist the temptation to indulge them, metaphorically inviting them to sprawl on the sofa for hours at a time, with a nice hot drink and a generous slice of cake.
“Don’t invite your thoughts to tea” has become a mantra of late.
I used it on Saturday when my two choices to run came down to the treadmill or outside in -12 temps (not happening). I could have also skipped the run, but I am well aware that moving my body keeps many demons at bay, especially in winter.
The “dreadmill” and I have a contemptuous relationship. I’m the problem, it’s me 😉 (I mean, I even call it a bad name). I have a knee-jerk “first reaction” that is completely self-sabotaging before even starting.
So on Friday, when the negative thoughts flared at the very thought of the treadmill, I said: Amy, don’t invite your thoughts to tea.
You know what happened? THEY BACKED OFF. Not completely, but enough for me focus on moving forward: laying out my running clothes for the next day. Telling my family where I’d be in the morning. Setting the alarm. Getting up to eat banana and peanut butter. My mind was primed to do instead of battling with self (so much energy to battle self).
And what happened when I stepped onto the treadmill? Was it all magical?
No.
The counterproductive thought I hate the treadmill wandered in the door. I couldn’t exactly stop it (and sometimes the harder we try, the worse it gets). In fact it did get worse for awhile.
I’ve experienced this scenario so many times that I knew what was going to happen: my mind would FIGHT ME really hard for at least the first two miles.
Distraction helps. For mile one, my daughter chattered away. We discussed addictive tendencies 🙃 and when she got bored, I was left with myself.
The resistant thoughts came at me again. They are not exactly fully formed. They are more like feelings…this is too hard, we hate this, I’m tired, do my knees hurt? there’s no way I can get six miles on this thing. I felt them, but I said it again: YOU’RE NOT INVITED. NO TEA. NO CAKE.
Instead, I tried using fully-formed thoughts and another oft-repeated phrase: you’ve done this before, you can do it again. Over and over I said this. (It’s interesting to note that according to Dan Pink, it’s often more effective coaching to say YOU, rather than I when coaching self…)
Because I have fought with myself enough times on the treadmill, I had enough faith that the deliverance would come. Finally, it did. At exactly mile 2.3. After about twenty two minutes of struggle.
The negative mind trolls must have gotten bored with my lack of engagement because they wandered away as the more productive ones began to take over. Dopamine began to flood the system. There was sunlight hitting my face - serotonin! The combination was powerful.
Note: this doesn’t always happen. But it’s happened enough for me to keep trying.
I know this: You keep trying. It might take awhile, but deliverance will come.
Trust the body, trust the process, and don’t believe everything you think.
With the additional help of a Spotify playlist, I made it to mile 6. And then I ran one more mile just to show myself that I could do that, too.
When I got off that treadmill I was Wakanda forever. Do you know this feeling? This, my mother would say, is how confidence and self-esteem are truly built. Because by doing, we see that we are capable of doing hard things. That the unproductive thoughts ARE NOT THE BOSS of us.
Our capacities and situations will be different. If it’s not the treadmill it will be something else. But once you have just one experience like this, you can let yourself believe that you can conquer the next hard thing.
Maybe you want to try the mantra: Don’t invite your thoughts to tea (the negative ones, of course).
It’s in line with Burkeman’s assessment of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. You might not be able to stop the negative, counter-productive thoughts from getting in the car with you, but you sure don’t have to let them in the driver’s seat!
Thank you brain, for trying to take care of us. But we got this.
Productive, helpful true thoughts get the tea. Cake, too.
The End.
What about you? Does this phrase resonate with you?
❤️ Amy
Thank you for reading Come Along With Me. This post is public so feel free to share it.
Book of the Week: Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
Historical fiction that reads like a thriller. Loved it. Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Historical Fiction (2021)Good News and Story LinksDid You Know? The Brain-Gut Connection via Washington Post
ICYMI: pre-order The McNifficents via my local bookstore & get a story map painted by Yours Truly (if you ordered elsewhere, I’ll send the map!)
Coolest Club Ever: FREE drop-in writing hours via zoom. Mic off, camera on. Write 2 hours. Saving me.
Watch This: The Swimmers on Netflix. GREAT.
Come Along With Me is a reader-supported publication. THANK YOU for subscribing.
January 31, 2023
How I Learned to Structure a Novel
Nearly sixteen years ago I attempted to write my first novel. Like most first novels, it was basically a glorified autobiography. And in many ways, I’m glad I didn’t know what I didn’t know. It might have scared me too much to try. Ignorance can be bliss.
One of my favorite writing maxims is from Stephen King’s ON WRITING: Write with the door closed shut, edit with the door wide open. This is what I did (I hadn’t yet read his book). I wrote and wrote and wrote. I set the buzzer for one hour during the baby’s nap time every day, with the baby monitor on and the door metaphorically shut tight, letting no seed of criticism or self doubt get planted.
I wrote until I began to think maybe I really am writing a novel. I wrote until the story was over, at nearly 76,000 words. It took me about three months to finish. I typed The End and thought where’s the literary agent?!
Oh, sweet lass.
Sixteen years later and that book is not published - but new and better ones emerged!
It was a very important practice novel. But I had to learn something very important: structure. A structure beyond Beginning Middle End.
Thus began a great study.
One of the first books I read for the purpose of paying attention to story structure was Jodi Picoult’s MY SISTER’S KEEPER. I wrote all over the book, kept a yellow legal pad for notes, and did much pondering on “why and how” the book worked.
In retrospect, it was perhaps not the best book to pick as it has multiple points of view and is not easy to pull off even for the most skilled of novelists…!
I read more books, googled “story structure,” read “how-to” books from authors like Larry Brooks and literary agent Donald Maass. I made posters to keep track of rising and falling action in an attempt to understand the three-act structure.
Early days of what would become The Unforgettable Guinevere St. ClairIt was slow learning. How my brain works: it takes awhile, but when I get it, I GET it (ex: learning to read in first grade and learning algebra, oy).
The light bulb moment was discovering K.M. Weiland and her award-winning website Helping Writers Become Authors. The way she writes and articulates story structure makes sense to me.
I’m going to share her process and hope it helps you, too.
Let’s say you’re writing a novel for adults and you want the word count to be close to 80,000 (a solid adult-length novel goal).
Divide the Word Count by 8 (why? Because there are eight crucial structural elements needed to make a story work)
80,000 divided by 8 = 10,000
So…each section of the novel needs to roughly be 10,000 words
This is how you would use the word count within eight structural elements:
Hook to Inciting Event: 0-10,000 words
Inciting Event to First Plot Point: 10,001-20,000
First Plot Point to 1st Pinch Point: 20,001-30,000
1st Pinch Point to Midpoint: 30,001-40,000
Midpoint to 2nd Pinch Point: 40,001-50,000
2nd Pinch Point to 3rd Plot Point: 50,001-60,000
3rd Plot Point to Climax: 60,001-70,000
Climax to Resolution: 70,001-80,000
I used 80,000 words because you can see from the above that it makes it very easy to divide (remember me and algebra).
Now that you have the magic number of 10,000 in your head, you can divide that into chapters. You could have ten chapters from the Hook to the Inciting Incident that are each 1000 words each. My brain likes this way of thinking. It’s organized, but not confining. The structure is how I feel freedom to write. Those 1000 words are a small chunk that can be written in one writing session. Of course your chapters can be longer or shorter - you get to decide what to do with those 10,000 words inserted between two major story pillars.
When I’m first starting a new story idea, I will often just plunk down a few words in each chapter. Or maybe we know what needs to happen at the midpoint (Mr. Darcy proposes to Lizzy!) so we plunk down that sentence and now we have something juicy to head toward.
Let’s say you’re writing a middle grade book and you want the word count to be 60,000 words. Same thing:
Divide 60,000 by 8 = 7,500 words
So, there needs to 7,500 words between each story element
Does every book follow this exact story structure? Well, this is very interesting. Could this be true when Jane Austen didn’t have K.M. Weiland explaining story structure to her? If you read Pride and Prejudice, you will see each and every plot point where it should be. The story is so satisfying to readers because the story hits the major and necessary structural elements, AND of course Austen knew how to craft exceptional characters that we either love or detest in the best way.
There is a formula that leads to a satisfying story end. The plot points land well and keep the reader engaged. This does NOT mean “formulaic.” It means that the bones are good, the structure is solid, the ending pays off.
Is there any wiggle room? Yes! Let’s say The First Plot Point (where everything changes for the hero, launching him/her into the adventure) is “supposed to be” at 25%. That’s just something to aim for. If it lands at 20 or 30%, that’s okay. But launch your story too early with the First Plot Point and your readers might not be invested in yet; launch it too late, and your readers will start to get bored, wondering what the point of the story is.
THE HUNGER GAMES: the hook is Katniss’s world of hunger and hunting and a fragile mother and little sister to care for. The inciting event is Katniss volunteering as tribute for her little sister. The First Plot Point is when a fake romance between Katniss and Peeta begins and they enter the games. We are totally invested. There is no turning back now…not for us and not for Katniss, Peeta, and Gale…
How about STAR WARS? (look for story structure in film!) The First Plot Point is when Luke discovers his home has been torched and his aunt and uncle are dead. There is nowhere to go but embrace the new world he’s been thrown into. A hero must embrace his destiny…
Isn’t this just the hero’s journey? YES. It’s just explained in a slightly different way that makes sense to my brain. What if you don’t know what each story element means? What’s a First Pinch Point and what should happen at the Midpoint? What is the 3rd Plot Point? Click and start readin’!
Weiland also has a terrific podcast with over 600 short, bite-sized episodes about everything story, my favorite episodes being the ones on story structure.
If you want to see a breakdown of movies and books according to story structure, have a look at this link. Once you start seeing the structure, you’ll start paying attention to everything you read and see on the screen - it’s fun and enlightening.
It’s also hugely helpful because if we know where we’re going, the novel becomes a tad less daunting.
Know this: at the end of it all, you’ll still have a very rough and terrible first draft, but you’ve written a novel! And editing is much more fun than the blank page. It’s also a whole lot better than getting to the end of 100,000 words and having a gigantic mess with zero structure.
Are you a visual person like I am? CLICK HERE for infographics. You can print and hang above your writing desk like I do (scroll down the infographics page and you’ll find the three acts with a brief explanation of each story structure element). The photos below are cut off due to Substack’s incomplete photo “gallery view” feature.
I’ll have to do a post on how I use this structure with Scrivener software for my very first draft before transferring it all over to Google docs.
I recently read, ”NEW YORK — More than half of Americans think they've got a good idea for a novel in them, but most have never attempted to write one.” -study.org
Well, this could be your year. With a little structure, you’re ready to start!
I hope this is helpful. If you have questions, I’ll try to answer them. Comment below or add your wisdom to the chat - maybe you have a different way of understanding story structure…
Amy 💗
Good News and Story LinksYippee: World Read Aloud Day is Tomorrow and I’m excited to meet all the kids!
Excited for: Going to Georgia for the first time
Saw this movie over the weekend: A Man Called Otto (loved it; cried)
The cutest mini books:
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January 25, 2023
Get 25% off my new book today
Two posts in one week - BECAUSE - Barnes and Noble is offering 25% off all preorders right now. If you’ve been waiting to preorder The McNifficents, today is your lucky day! :)
Use the code PREORDER25 at checkout, and you’re done! This applies to all formats: print, audio, and ebook. The offer is for today, January 25 until this Friday, Jan 27.
Preorders are a really *huge* deal for an author. They tell the publisher and booksellers that there is interest in the book, which will influence how much they will market and go to bat for you. They also influence bestseller lists - and we want The McNifficents to go far and wide, don’t we?!? I truly can’t wait to get this book into your hands. Order now, get a summer surprise :)
I’m working on preorder bonuses like bookmarks, stickers, and a hand painted STORY MAP…
If a preorder is not in the cards for you right now, will you forward this message to someone who might like this book? Six kids, one nanny…who happens to be a miniature schnauzer. Lots of FUN and JOY coming your way.
THANK YOU!!!
Amy 💗
Thank you for sharing THE MCNIFFICENTS love!
January 24, 2023
⭐9 Business Expenses You Need to Write Off⭐
A few months ago on Twitter I saw a writer’s thread of all of the expenses you should be writing off when doing taxes.
I was extremely chagrined to realize that I’ve never written off any business expenses. Well. Welcome to 2023, where we write off business expenses (like the laptop I bought in June)!
After all, this writing gig isn’t some mere hobby, is it? And this doesn’t apply to just writers. It applies to everyone who can write off expenses for their work. It’s time to get serious about such things. As my favorite finance ladies like to say, “if you’re not writing your expenses off, you could be leaving thousands of dollars on the table.”
The other day on NPR I listened to a tax professional say that many of us will be getting back less money than last year because there is no Covid relief money. All the more reason to spend a little time looking through our 2022 finances.
It’s a big deal. Even a little bit more cash enables us to do the work we most want to do.
BIG DISCLAIMER: I’m not a tax professional (uh, in case that wasn’t obvious). Please feel free to give more suggestions as you read the below.
9 Business Expenses You Need to Write Off:
Start Up Costs (up to $5000 for getting business off the ground)
Home Office (if you work from home, you can deduct the cost of your home office. Ex: if you have a 2000 square foot home and your office is 300 square feet, then 300/2000 = 15%. Deduct 15% of your mortgage interest or rent, + utilities, and home insurance. Watch the video)
Business Meals (Save receipts, write a note on the receipt, take photo, digitally file)
Office Supplies and Furniture (laptop, chairs, desks, printers, paper, paint, chargers, lamps, pens(!)…)
Prepaid Expenses (ex: business insurance, promotional swag)
Child and Dependent Care
Phone and Internet Expenses (only partially if it’s for both personal & business)
Education and Coaching (courses or classes, trade publications, books, business webinars, conferences, memberships to professional organizations)
Travel & Shipping costs (mileage, gas, tolls, parking fees, airfare, ubers, hotels, postage for all those Advance Reader Copies you send)
A plug for Dow Janes (my go-to women owned business gurus!) who have supercharged my interest in being in the financial know. Their free weekly newsletter is invaluable.
Specifically for writers, artist, illustrators: deduct the cut your agent received for commission. Let’s say you earn 10,000, but your agent gets $1500. The IRS still says you earned $10,000. Deduct it!
How to manage and track expenses: I have a Google doc where I record the date, expense, and item. Digitize all receipts (there are apps for that - I need to research. ideas?)
Let’s say you have someone else in charge of your finances, so who cares? I share all financial information with my husband. All of our accounts are shared and both of us pay different bills. Even so, I’m often not very good about tracking money and expenses. He has always done the taxes (because I don’t want to), but with me turning to full-time self-employment it’s been advised that we separate this out. It will cost a couple hundred dollars, but I’ll likely turn to a tax professional next year. This will also keep me more accountable and force me to pay attention to the above list.
Speaking specifically to women: we need to know about money and share financial responsibility with our partners. I think more women are in the know than in previous generations, but many women still leave the financial “know-how” to their male partners. It’s super easy to coast and not pay attention, but I’ve known too many women who hit midlife and tragedy occurs - death, divorce, unemployment, major illness. The stress of not knowing anything about money can be paralyzing. It leaves us poorer and feeling incredibly helpless.
Knowledge truly is Power and CONFIDENCE.
So, that’s my plug: get in the know. Write off expenses. Don’t leave money on the table.
What else? Let me know.
Amy 💗
Good News and Story LinksICYMI: World Read Aloud Day is Feb 1st! I’m super excited to visit you.
Obsessed with: Glossier Future Dew
Currently Watching: Limitless w/Chris Hemsworth SO GOOD
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January 19, 2023
Books: Should We Read The Old Testament?
Oh yes, I love to write in books. This Old Testament version (KJV) has the best margins for notes (Deseret Book)“You should know the Old Testament because it is the backbone of every other book of scripture in Christian tradition.” -Dr. Avaram Shannon
When I was 23-years-old, and two weeks newly married, (our honeymoon was driving from the west coast to the east in less than a week to make it to faculty meeting on time) I became a dorm parent to 14 adolescent boys at a boarding school in New Hampshire. It was fun (and I was completely clueless!)
We had a small apartment that was attached to the boy’s dormitory. I had many memorable conversations with my young lads. Example: Easter. I mentioned how much I loved watching Charlton Heston in the classic Academy Award winning film, “The Ten Commandments.”
“I’ve never seen that,” one of our boys said.
“You know, the story of Moses,” I said.
“Oh yeah…” he said. “…I heard he was a really good actor.”
I stared at him a full ten seconds to make sure he was serious. He was serious. He didn’t know Moses was the Old Testament Hebrew prophet who parted the red sea during the great Egyptian exodus, the most important and revered prophet in Judaism… and not an actor.
From that moment on I decided I better not assume anything about anything…especially when it comes to Moses.
As surprising as this was (actually I was shocked), I’m guessing most kids today might know who Moses is only because they’ve watched The Prince of Egypt (great soundtrack, btw). Thoughts?
In college I took a class at BYU entitled, “The Bible as Literature.” Through art, drama and analysis, we read the Old and New Testament through the lens of literary devices, poetry, styles, and devices. Previous to that time, I had only read the stories from a spiritual/religious/literal view. Both ways of reading became helpful and inspiring.
And now I have just finished a year of reading it again. It’s a monster book: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, etc. 39 books in all, with “major prophets” and “minor” ones (only due to the size of the book, not necessarily importance).
It’s fun to talk with my daughter Cope, who has just begun taking an Old Testament class during her final year of college. Her teacher is the Dr. Avaram Shannon, referenced above.
Yesterday she called to tell me these AMAZING things she’s discussing, later emailing me her notes from Genesis.
A small snippet:
“Mom, Sarah Hale (1788-1879) says Eve is the one approached by the serpent not because she is weaker, but because she is the spiritual spokesperson for the couple [the text itself largely silent on motivation].”
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Have you ever viewed Genesis from this point of view? That Eve was acting as the spiritual spokesperson for the couple, rather than the woman who “doomed womankind forever?” Ah…interpretation matters! And who is doing the interpreting?
“Did you also know, Mom, that the Hebrew word for ‘helpmeet’ is ‘Ezer.’ And the only other character in the Hebrew bible referred to as Ezer is…God! Mom, only two. Eve and God. She has an exclusive title that literally only God has.”
Have you ever heard that? I hadn’t. I’m totally digging my daughter’s interest.
I will tell you that from my own experience, that until you’ve read the OT and have at least tried to understand the stories, then respectfully, don’t be too quick to throw it under the bus. It’s big, the words are small, it’s sometimes hard to understand. It would take a full-time lifetime to understand everything that’s there, but wow. There’s a lot there.
Some important things I’ve learned and thought about while reading the Old Testament (I am NOT an expert on this text; this is me trying to understand it):
It’s an oral history, written over hundreds of years by men (assumingly)
It was an oral history because very few people could read and write (not even kings), so stories were told out loud, to a group, where you had a real sense of communal learning and authorship
If you were telling a story out loud, might you sometimes use…hyperbole?
Context matters; the people, customs, and culture it was originally written for was different than our culture, customs, and people today
It was a living, moving story for the people of that time
It was translated from Hebrew and Aramaic (and the words used to translate it to English don’t always translate the way the word was used originally. Ex: “submit”)
The stories, poems, parables, and morals have shaped traditional western culture
As astounding a text it is, it was written and translated by imperfect humans
Is it word for word, straight from God’s mouth? Or is it translated to the best of man’s ability to understand inspiration from the heavens?
Translations matter. A gazillion modern-day books and translations have been written about the Old Testament. Which translations are correct? What qualifications do the authors have?
The record keepers are flawed humans. Inspired? Yes, but human. Did they get it all right all the time?
“The Old Testament is a record of a conversation between God and man.” The conversation is the point. It’s not a static record; we see changes in the ways God is perceived and represented. That’s the point - God speaks to his people in ways that we don’t always understand because we live in a different time and place
I took a year to read The Old Testament, trying to read a little every day in 2022. And due to my own faith traditions and lens, I’m sure I approached it different than you do or would. I used a couple of different sources like the King James Version of the Old Testament and biblehub.com, but my favorite resource was a podcast.
Nearly each week I listened to Hank and John who had an extremely educated guest expert with a Ph.D in biblical studies, history, near eastern studies, and/or ancient Hebrew (just to name a few) digging in and dissecting, reminding and teaching their listeners of context, geography, politics, and spiritual insights. It was a weekly two-hour highlight that I mostly listened to while driving. I often went back to read the transcripts so I could make notes in my own scriptures.
*I didn’t used to be this person - but here we are. I’m a nerdy adult and I like learning!*
There are thousands of books, references, websites, and translations. If you want to read and understand the Old Testament, there is no shortage of free information available. But before reading everyone else’s commentary, I would first start with the book itself. The next question is - do we even want to know?
The majority of American society used to read the bible. A Pew Research Center study showed that as of 2020, about 64% of Americans identify as Christian. Fifty years ago, that number was 90%.1
Even if you don’t want to rely on biblical stories, it is present in all great literature prior to this century. It’s so often mentioned casually in books, like those written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, where you’re just supposed to “get” a reference. But if you haven’t studied the book, you gloss over it, and don’t get it.
Perhaps you have no experience with Christianity, or you have a negative view of it based on what you read online, or have had painful experiences with imperfect people or churches who have tainted your lens. This is a legit feeling. I humbly submit…try again with the book itself.
One of our heroes is a man who read the book and got it: Frederick Douglas.
“Douglass suspected that the answers he heard from white southern Christians could not be right. How could God, in perfect wisdom and goodness, have made black people to be slaves and white people to be masters? Perhaps, he thought, it “was not color, but crime, not God, but man” that created slavery.”2
Scripture and religion will likely always be misused to minimize women, enforce harmful patriarchal orders, and enslave. In a twisted way, it speaks to the power of the book if one can interpret a book of scripture and use it to justify evil. I’m going to say it again: translation and interpretation matters!
I believe that a truer understanding and enlightening of the Old Testament will lead you another direction. One that is holy and good and fair to everyone.
For the Creatives:
If you’re a creative type (everyone!), you might really dig this next part. Before the massive societal reform known as The Reformation (1500’s) most or nearly all of our greatest painters took inspiration from the bible. And after:
Rembrandt’s painting of Jeremiah (1630)
Handel’s Messiah (fabulous PBS story of George Frideric Handel’s life and the making of the famed oratorio, first performed on April 13th 1742)
Renowned French poet and novelist, Victor Hugo (Les Miserables), wrote
"Tomorrow, if all literature was to be destroyed and it was left to me to retain one work only, I should save Job."
Why? Perhaps because Job’s story transcends his own; our spiritual and physical lives will be tested…and we can survive, our faith in tact.
Min Jin Lee (National Book Award Pachinko), in The Atlantic:
“For inspiration, she looks to the biblical story of Joseph, a tale that’s helped to shape the way she thinks about good and evil. She explained how the story instilled her with a radical belief that supercharges her fiction: If suffering and injustice can be recast as opportunities for empathy and forgiveness, even life’s worst events can feel like divine fate.”
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar (this is New Testament)
The Prince of Egypt (Egyptian Prince Moses learns of his identity as a Hebrew and his destiny to become the chosen deliverer of his people)
Bono and the faith of U2’s core
Prophets, Priests, and Queens: James Tissot’s Men and Women of the Old Testament
Some Favorite Old Testament Take-Aways:
That God is the same yesterday, today, and forever
God is often split into two beings: the “jealous, judgmental God” in The Old Testament and the kind and loving God in the New, but if he’s the same God, then he’s the same God. I believe it’s our interpretations of language or incorrect translations that make it appear so differently
In every book of the Old Testament, there is always another chance at redemption for the hero of the story, another way forward
Jehovah always keeps His promises
The stories of my childhood: Esther, Jonah, David, Noah…
Hebrew translations. Ex: Covenants. “Hesed” describes a covenant relationship where both parties are loyal and faithful to one another. “Once you and I have made a covenant with God, our relationship with Him becomes much closer than before our covenant. Now we are bound together.” -President Russell M. Nelson3 You'll see this theme repeated over and over in the OT
God uses flawed people to do His work; trace the genealogy of Christ himself, and you’re going to have four grandmothers whom society deemed “less”
The WOMEN! Eve, Sarah, Tamar, Ruth, Esther
Why You Might Want to Study the Old Testament:
The writing (symbolism, POV, metaphors, foreshadowing, literary devices, hero’s journey)
Incomparable poetry (Isaiah, Psalms, Job)
The STORIES (are they all to be taken literally or figuratively?)
Because it’s hard and requires thinking
It will help you ponder the really big questions of life
The questions the text will prompt
Do you like history? This is your book
Comfort
Anticipation. Read the prophecies and how they’ve been fulfilled. It makes one think that the coming of a future Messiah wasn’t so random after all - because in the New Testament he did come…
I suppose that is all for now. There’s always more reading to do, more uncovering and discovering.
Here are some other perspectives from faith writers that I enjoy reading:
(Mari is a chaplain) ("a space for spiritual misfits") (I like Nina's take on her Jewish faith), Hank and John, Emily Belle Freeman, Charlie Bird.
I don’t usually have a one-word “theme” of the year, but this year the word Seeker emerged. I’m learning this to be true: the more you know, the less you know. So I’ll keep seeking. It’s really rather exciting.
This year I’ve turned my attention to The New Testament, a rich and much smaller text that I’m definitely more familiar with. I look forward to all the discoveries to come. (more media: Have you seen The Chosen?)
It might just be the perfect book: drama, intrigue, miracles, love, betrayal, mystery, death, life, resurrection. The true hero’s journey.
How about you? Have you read The Old Testament? Does it still have relevance today? Are you a Seeker, too? Do you want to be?
Good News and Story LinksThe Atlantic: What Writers Can Take Away From the Bible
ICYMI: World Read Aloud Day. Only two spots left; sign up now!
Obsessed with: Muji pens
Finished Watching: Harry and Meghan on Netflix
When a writing Discipline = Freedom
1https://www.npr.org/2022/09/15/112328...
2The Radical Christian Faith of Frederick Douglass
3January 10, 2023
Inspiration from the legendary Tomie dePaola
Hello. Writing to you from New Hampshire, where the air is cold, snow is on the ground, and the days are short on light. January is always my tough month.
But I’m remembering a walk in the woods yesterday with my daughter. The trail is called “Dragon’s Pass,” and it’s become a favorite, a magical wonderland where surely fairies and small woodland elves live. My daughter kept stopping to ask me what the icicles poking out of the ground were. I thought they were frozen icicles on frozen plant leaves, but when we touched them, they simply shattered into ice crystals. I am still wondering what they were. They were rather astonishing.
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The great children’s illustrator, Tomie dePaola, painted from New Hampshire, a mere 12 miles up the road from where I walked. One summer I saw him paint in his barn, where he delighted both children and adults with his drawings and colorful paintings. He was very old by then, and still doing the thing he loved. The other day, I checked out this book from the library.
Coincidentally, Sarah Baker, Executive Director of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) sent a note about Tomie this week.
So here you go, creators of all kinds, a thought to encourage you, on a cold and dark January New Hampshire afternoon, where I discovered beauty in the form of icicles, astonishing me from the woodland floor:
Today I’m thinking about the last time I saw Tomie dePaola. I was visiting him in his art studio/barn in New Hampshire, and we were getting ready to say goodbye. I had spent the day in quiet awe, roaming around the art studio, looking at the way he arranged his paints, brushes, and markers. I noticed all the special little shelves and corners where he had placed religious, spiritual, and folk art figurines, and a special chair where he liked to meditate. Inside his home, he had pointed out a woven basket on the floor of his bedroom that was brimming with colorful scarves, each knotted up the same perfect way.
As I got on my coat, Tomie told me something he learned from his former teacher and mentor, Ben Shahn. He told me that being an artist isn’t just about the “art” you create on paper or canvas. To be an artist, you must live your whole life as an artist. Try to find beauty and inspiration in everything you do. When you cook, when you get dressed, when you arrange your nightstand. If you make and discover beauty all around you, you will always have the inspiration to create.
-Sarah Baker
Where are you finding beauty these days?
Amy 💗
Good News and Story Links:ICYMI: McNifficents is coming in June, of course!
Obsessed with: Saucony running shoes
Currently Watching: From Scratch on Netflix
Currently Reading: Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
