Amy Makechnie's Blog, page 6
November 26, 2024
I don't want to get old
if you write and rewrite this enough times, with the intention of painting it, but never actually get around to it, you’ve still practiced some lettering, but also absorbed what good life advice it is. Voltaire. (thx Caroline)Happy Thanksgiving, friends.
I’m grateful for you, and that you spend some time with me here.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that while you’re sitting around the table with your loved ones and those-you-endure-ones, remember that it could be otherwise. When our tables our full and there are no empty chairs, we are the blessed ones.
And hey, here’s a fun get-to-know-you-better question game (I loooove question games). This game has a reputation for helping you fall in love (who knew the right questions were magic fairy dust?)
One of my favorite questions: Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die? (yeah, I’m macabre1).
Speaking of Thanksgiving and gratitude, I had a recent realization on getting old, as I attempted to draw below. It was a small moment - an impactful one.
This was a small, chance encounter that completely changed my outlook. And I’m grateful.
Thank you for indulging my “visual gratitude narrative” (see ‘s recent post; she’s so good). I have great inner resistance to drawing stories, even though they are in my head ALL OF THE TIME. For this one, I gave myself ten minutes with no do-overs. I’d like to change a few things, but...moving on. Thanks for being my support animals and guinea pigs.
Did you know you can get an MFA in Visual Narrative at Boston University, led by cartoonists and professors Joel Christian Gill and Paul Karasik? Intrigued.
Happiest of happy thanksgiving days to you…may we all get old and be happy to have arrived there.
Love,
Amy
recent book reads and recommendations:It’s the week of Thanksgiving, and I’m thankful for books (forever more).
Here’s what I read recently:
We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han: the last book in the trilogy, a truly captivating coming-of-age, who-will-Belly-end-up-with YA series. I’m still thinking about the story, which is saying something as I’m a tad bit older than the intended age group. Did Belly end up with the right brother? The reader is left guessing until the very last pages - which makes this whole series such a page turner. Have I ever finished a book series? Rarely. I had to finish this one. Now a Netflix special.
Ferris by Kate DiCamillo: I like everything DiCamillo writes. Everything. Quirky characters abound.
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz: It’s good, perhaps a little too “on the nose” for me, but what would you do if YOUR favorite book was challenged by a well-meaning parent? The book in question: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler E. L. Konigsburg. This is a book to keep on the shelves!
Tree. Table. Book by Lois Lowry: This is on my Book Lover’s Gift Guide List. Meet eleven-year-old Sophie who is intent on saving her elderly neighbor (who is also her dearest friend) from going to live at a nursing home. I truly adored this story. Confessional: I’m not sure I’ve read a Lois Lowry book before (I know). Will rectify.
Sandwich by Catherine Newman: This year’s vacation places a menopausal Rocky squarely between her half-grown kids and her aging parents, promising the same charm as summers gone by—aside from Rocky’s hormonal swings of rage and melancholy. An unexpected series of events pulls Rocky back into the past, where she revisits the bittersweet joy and heartache from summers long ago. It’s good, lots of rave reviews, and I’m right in the “sandwich” generation myself.
Waiting for on my Libby app: James by Percival Everett, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (I have in book form), Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva, and The Women by Kristin Hannah.
Books on my bedside table: a pile so high I can’t even list… (oh the pleasure of too many books to read).
What are reading and recommending???
The Last Part:WINNING: My three books are up for grabs HERE! Just in time for gifting :)
WATCHING: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. I read the book and now it’s on Netflix as a series. Our protagonist, Pip? Wholesome and curious. Love her.
PLANNING: A Thanksgiving feast! I’m always in charge of the mashed potatoes, rolls, and chocolate pie. New recipe: Sweet Potato Pie with a Pecan Streusel.
RUNNING: The weather is holding; see you out there…
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1macabre: having a grim or ghastly atmosphere; pertaining to, dealing with, or representing death.
November 19, 2024
A Book Lover's Gift Guide
I’m a little sorry to be jumping on the consumerism train, but if you’re buying gifts for the holidays, why not something bookish? Books and reading help the people, right? Here are some favorite ideas.
Custom Book Embosser (dang it, Instagram, why do you show me these things?)
Lord of Maps kit (I am so excited to use it. You can make your own map or make a map of the setting of one of your favorite books!)
Book Stickers (these are all over Etsy…find the ones you love)
Christmas Tree Book Sweatshirt (cuuute; and 50% when I first posted this…)
Best Book Highlighters (I especially like the “boho” colors)
Typewriter (one of my most treasured and most fun items - kids LOVE them and it keeps them off screens…)
Gift Card to a local bookstore
Cool Chunky Reading Glasses (now I wish I needed readers)
A Bookish Candle entitled “Smells Like Mr. Darcy in a Wet Shirt” hahaha (so many book candles on Etsy)
A Guiltless Getaway Writing Retreat or Class (I’d love to take this one with literary agent, Donald Maass)
Jolabokaflod (it’s FREE and sounds like the dreamiest thing ever, anytime)
Date Stamp (great for letters, journals, and stamping books…you too can live out your dream as a librarian)
Book an Author Visit for your book club or child’s class (many authors do free zoom events; I do :)
A Signed Book from your favorite author (the day my daughter got a signed Outlander book from Diana Gabaldon’s bookstore was a good day)
Other ideas, book people? Would love to hear in the comments.
If You Want to Give Books: Amy’s 2024 Recommendations
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (a favorite writer)
You Could Make this World Beautiful by Maggie Smith (the beautiful, wise prose!)
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell and Ashley MacKenzie (a wild fantasy adventure with dragons and unicorns)
The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon (by our favorite social studies teacher)
The Hidden Life of Trees: A Graphic Adaptation by Peter Wohlleben (this is so good)
The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by Arbinger Institute (life-changing. really)
100 Letters That Changed the World by Colin Salter (from Leonardo de Vinci to Anne Boleyn to Nelson Mandela, this sounds fascinating)
Tree, Table, Book by Lois Lowry (an 11-year-old and an 88-year-old who are best friends. ya’ll are gonna love this)
The Crayons’ Christmas by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers (interactive, fun, funny)
All is Calm by Shannon Butler (from the great depression to now, 200 years of life in Maine at Christmas time)
The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair, Ten Thousand Tries, and The McNifficents by Amy Makechnie (already on your list, right?!) Want a signed book? I can send a book plate, sign locally, or you can purchase directly from me.
Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody (for the writer if your life; my #1 go-to when drafting a novel)
Wild Flowers of North America: Botanical Illustrations by Mary Vaux Walcott (so beautiful)
Muji 2025 Planner (very minimal, first time using one…I think I’m going I like it?!)
Nothing catching your eye, here? Tell us what you’re looking for and we can brainstorm…(for instance, there is no Elizabeth Strout here, but there should be…)
Tasting: my first pomegranate of the season
Drinking: UCAN post-run energy protein powder. All-day energy, my friends
Smelling: cold, crisp air that makes my nose tingle
Hearing: the sound of turkeys in the woods trying to escape their fate…
Subscribing: I’m determined to draw more
Lit With Amy Makechnie is a free newsletter, but if you’d like to support my work with a paid yearly subscription, I will send you a signed copy of one of my books + bookmark! 🙏
November 12, 2024
I'm glad to be living through this right now
Dearly beloveds,
This week, wrote about feeling “spiritual whiplash.” It’s the feeling of being whipped back and forth by life. It’s quite sudden and unexpected - this brain-smacking against the skull. Have you ever had a concussion? It’s like that. The recovery is the same: you must be still and dark and rest and let the injury heal on its own. You will get up again. You will be okay. Eventually. Life has taught me this many times (as has the soccer field).
I don’t enjoy whiplash, but I’m still glad to be living through this time. Even as we struggle to write it down, we still should try. Our story is going to mean something to someone, someday.
A favorite NYTimes article comes to me often: “studies indicate that children learn resilience when they hear what their relatives before them have faced.” The Stories That Bind Us (gift link).
I was thrilled to wear the “I Voted” sticker last week.
My daughter, Cope and I, had a terrific time counting ballots in our small New Hampshire town. It was reaffirming to see a long line of people waiting to vote, and how quickly the lined moved. Democracy played out right in front of our eyes - no glitches or meanies. So much organization, clear instructions, a big wooden box with an actual lock on it where all of the ballots were kept. Ballots were dumped onto a table and then divided into piles of 25.
Partners came forward, counted together, and double-checked one another’s work. Some pairs knew each other beforehand and some didn’t. Few of us knew for sure which person was from which party, and it didn’t matter. You could feel the pride in the room. Everyone was kind, and we were all there because we care deeply about the democratic process.
After the ballots were carefully counted, the partnership brought their 25 ballots to the data entry team. This is where I was working. Again, working with a partner, we entered the data, which had to match the ballots, and double checked one another’s work.
Afterward, Cope and I skipped out of the middle school gym, giddy and excited for our candidate to win.
Well.
I feel let down by America. But I still love her.
(An extreme case of being let down by your country: read about Alexei Navalny, persecuted, imprisoned, and eventually killed by the Russian state. Luckily, our situations are nothing alike, but his diaries tell us much about what patriotism really is. Thank you, ).
Last Wednesday was the first time I can remember crying over a political loss, it felt so personal (though I was teary when Obama WON).
Two gloomy, spiritual-whiplash days later, my father-in-law’s friend, George, called.
We’ve just moved my father-in-law, Arthur, into an assisted living home. The last month has been very stressful, hard, emotional, and incredibly time-consuming (the details of finances, insurance, etc…get your stuff in order NOW is my advice). The drive is almost an hour away until he is relocated to a closer facility (“waiting for a bed” is so strange…when someone dies, you can have their bed…)
On this day, I did not have time to visit, so George asked if he could come by and pick up some stuff to bring to Arthur - who is nearly an hour away. It was such a kind thing.
I loaded George up, and as he shut his truck, I saw the political bumper sticker. I had a visceral, physical reaction, but…caught myself.
I do not understand how we see our future president so differently, but the people I love, my neighbors and friends - are all still the same wonderful people. We are simply seeing something - a person, a movement, very differently.
I don’t know how to reconcile these two, opposing truths yet, but like I’m always telling my soccer girls: possess the ball (you control only what you control), take your space, remember that the strongest shape is a triangle, and TALK.
I always knew soccer would solve all of our problems (even if it take ten thousand tries, wink wink :)
To quote Oliver Burkeman’s latest newsletter:
…there’s room for enjoyment in the middle of it all, too. I come back to John Tarrant’s observation that the average medieval person lived with no understanding of when the next plague, famine or war might come along to utterly upend their lives. If they’d waited until the future looked dependably bright before gathering for festivals, or creating art, or strolling under the stars with friends, they’d have been waiting forever. So they didn’t wait. You don’t need to wait, either.
Don’t wait. Keep gathering, keep talking. Keep reading; it’s a window into the soul of another human. And I love windows.
And definitely keep writing. It will mean something to somebody, someday.
Love, Amy
*Word of the Week: Sonder*Sonder is a noun that means the realization that everyone has a life as full and complex as your own. It's the feeling that each person is the central character in their own story, while others, including yourself, have supporting roles.
Thank you for this new word in my life…
The key word for me is “awareness.” If we simply try to be more aware of one another, how can we not be on our way to winning…
Lit With Amy Makechnie is a free newsletter for all, but if you’d like to support my work with a paid yearly subscription, I will send you a signed copy of one of my books + bookmark! 🙏
November 4, 2024
Vote
“That vote of yours has cost millions of dollars and the lives of thousands of women. Women have suffered agony of soul which you never can comprehend, that you and your daughters might inherit political freedom. That vote has been costly. Prize it. The vote is a power, a weapon of offense and defense, a prayer. Use it intelligently, conscientiously, prayerfully. Progress is calling to you to make no pause. Act.”
-Carrie Chapman Catt at the White House in 1920
Thanks for this quote, - everyone, please go look at Kelcey’s latest post on the history of the women’s vote: “As We Head to the Polls, Our Ancestors Would Like a Word.” Yeeesssss!
Lit With Amy Makechnie is a free newsletter for all, but if you’d like to support my work with a paid yearly subscription, I will send you a signed copy of one of my books + bookmark! 🙏
October 30, 2024
Read the Stories
Dearly beloveds,
October is waning
The leaves are falling
Birds are migrating
And we are seven days away from an incredibly consequential election.
Rather than recounting the bizarre and whackadoodle stories of politicians behaving badly (I’m sure you have the internet), I offer you fiction. Fiction can help us in these strange, what-in-the-world(?) times.
For instance, Ruta Septys, one of my favorite writers. Daughter of a Lithuanian refugee, BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY was her 2012 triumphant debut (no…not 50 Shades, though Septys has some hilarious stories about this oft mix-up).
The New York Times Book Review wrote, “Ruta Sepetys acts as champion of the interstitial people so often ignored—whole populations lost in the cracks of history.”
Septys writes young adult historical fiction (that my whole family loves) that is highly researched, featuring ordinary people exhibiting extraordinary bravery in a very specific, and oft forgotten, time in history.
Her characters are fictional, but they are you and me. Ordinary people living in extraordinary times. Fiction has taught me that this is how it’s always been and will always be: mere mortals facing dragons on the daily.
And that’s why stories are so effective. Fiction tells the stories of you and me.
When The Washington Post’s editorial opinion post was squashed due to fears of political retribution, I immediately thought of a Ruta book: I MUST BETRAY YOU.
An independent “free press” newspaper owned by a billionaire was afraid of the retributions of a possible future president?
This is when we all say, red flag, red flag, red flag.
They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and here we are, in 2024. It’s not only strange, it’s scary.
Ruta’s books can be summed up in a one word theme: FREEDOM. And this is why we must read.
Four Ruta Septys Recommendations:Between Shades of Gray: 1941. Soviet Union. 15-year-old Lina is part of a mass deportation to Siberia by the fascist1 Soviet regime.
Salt to the Sea: Winter 1945. WWII. Four refugees. Four stories. Forgotten “undesirable and expendable” refugees on board the Wilhelm Gustloff.
The Fountains of Silence: Madrid, 1957. Political turbulence and dark secrets under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco2.
I Must Betray You: Romania, 1989 (only 34 years ago!), when Romania was somewhat independent of the Soviet Union.
The protagonist, Cristian Florescu, dreams of becoming a writer, but in communist3 Romania, Romanians are bound by rules and fear, dictated by the tyrannical rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu (a real peach).
Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer, leaving him with an agonizing choice: betray everyone he loves or find a way to creatively undermine one of Eastern Europe’s most feared dictators. At great personal risk, Cristian works to publish the truth behind the regime and expose the suffering of his people.
It is free expression versus the high cost of truth-telling under authoritarianism4.
Another theme always emerges in a Ruta Septys book: the danger of authoritarian tactics.
For instance:
"othering"
create an "us vs. them"
breed fear and distrust among neighbors, friends, and family
savior complex “you can’t trust anybody, not even the experts. I am the expert, I will save you.”
spreads disinformation on purpose create enough chaos, and no one will know what’s true.
You may not be able to read any of Ruta Septys’ books before you vote on Tuesday, but they are a cautionary tale of how democracies die - and how great the suffering becomes.
Donald Trump displays and has used all of these authoritarian tactics. He has condemned himself with his own words and actions.
You may disagree. And that’s great - because you have that right and the freedom to write a comment that says so.
Maybe this post will someday be read as hyperbole, that Amy was such an alarmist, how ridiculous to say that Donald Trump was an authoritarian who admired Hitler, Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Turkey’s Erdoğan (except I didn’t say it; he did).
Again, feel free to disagree. This newsletter is currently part of the free press.
Maybe this is the moment in American history when we reject the idea that there are actually “others.” Maybe love does win (it always wins, but how about now?)
Maybe America survives the 2024 election and aftermath because we remembered something from that great book we once read, because we embraced the idea that all are created equal, that we really tried to love one another as much as we loved ourselves. Maybe we will have learned something from all of those books and stories.
Or maybe I’ll be in jail.
Either way, fiction is true - it’s the story of us.
I’ve heard Ruta speak twice, and she is warm, incredibly intelligent, passionate, and mesmerizing. I’m working on my posture.Love, Amy
The Last Part:WATCHING: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. In high school I decided I needed to read a classic - I chose a romantic tragedy (of course I did). I’ve never forgotten Anna.
EATING: grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread with colby-jack cheese. It’s both comforting and stress-induced.
COUNTING: ballots in my little New Hampshire town on Nov 5th. VOTE!
ADORING: Thank you for the witchy October book mail! Fang Fiction and The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch.
Lit With Amy Makechnie is a free newsletter for all, but if you’d like to support my work with a paid yearly subscription, I will send you a signed copy of one of my books + bookmark! 🙏
1Fascism: a far-right form of government in which most of the country's power is held by one ruler or a small group, under a single party. Fascist governments are usually totalitarian and authoritarian one-party states.
2Dictatorship: a form of government characterized by the rule of one person or a small group of people who have no checks and balances on their power.
3Communism: an economic ideology that advocates for a classless society in which all property and wealth are communally owned instead of being owned by individuals.
4Authoritarianism: highly concentrated and centralized power maintained by political repression and the exclusion of potential challengers.
October 22, 2024
Habits: The Commit to Three Strategy
Dearly beloveds,
Happy October days. The wet, sticky summer has dissipated and glorious fall is in full swing, showing off her brilliant colors and delivering cooler, dry air. I love this season, and it’s also extremely busy.
With so much going on all of the time, I often feel scattered and unorganized, but let me tell you about a small tweak that is greatly helping me get a few things done.
The Top Three.
Every evening, list your Top Three for the next day. For years, my list has looked like this:
Run
Spiritual practice (pray and read)
Write
Parenting is too obvious for me to list. So is “walk the dogs”. These are automatic so I don’t list them. The three things are the things I want to focus on and be very intentional about. Therefore, they should get done first, and preferably as early as possible.
The list is fairly unspecific, but I usually know what I want to do within each one.
I was reminded of the importance of The Top Three after reading ’s post Hit Your Goals With This One Simple Tactic. The post had such a good introduction that I became a paid subscriber for the month.
“The Commit To Three tactic will help you focus on what's most important each day.”
This has proven to be true for me, and pairs extremely well with one of my favorite books, ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear. We make progress by consistently taking baby steps toward a goal. Suddenly - BOOM! BIG, ATOMIC RESULTS. Except you know they aren’t sudden at all. It’s all of those microscopic moments that got you there.
Accountability
This is SO IMPORTANT. Gretchen Rubin and her Four Tendencies Quiz tells me I’m an “Obliger” (with Upholder tendencies). Basically, I thrive with outer accountability (most people do). I have accountability buddies for every important aspect of my life: running buddies, writing buddies, spiritual/deep conversation buddies. We check in constantly. Without them, good intentions fall to the wayside.
Side note: our new credit card is connected to both me and my husband’s phones, so whenever one of us buys something, the other gets a message with the amount. I DO NOT LIKE THIS ACCOUNTABILITY buddy. Even though it’s probably good for me (I retract. I would never say that).
Realizing that I needed a reboot with some of my goals, my son and I began a system where every morning I text my top three. (He’s super into systems and accountability, too). There is no obligation for him to respond. I just need to know he’s expecting my text, because I do not like to let people down. At the end of the day, I text 0/3, 1/3, 2/3, or 3/3. This very simple act has gotten me back on track with my top three.
We often are led to believe that personal and professional breakthroughs happen in an instant because that is how it looks from the outside looking in. Instead, as with investing, massive gains come from small daily growth that multiplies over time.
-Robert Glazer of Friday Forward
Be Realistic
I discovered something really interesting about myself by recommitting to The Top Three. I am often unrealistic about how much I can actually get done in a day, and therefore, constantly frustrated.
For instance, while hosting 28 people for a family reunion this summer, “working on novel” was a silly expectation. So why list it? That sets me up for failure. That writing goal needs to disappear for the week unless I really have the intention of squirreling away for an hour every day. But why would I do that when my family is in town for just a few days, once a year? Instead, the top three should shift to one thing: enjoy the family reunion!
Robert Glazer advises getting The Top Three done before noon. As a writer, I can easily write into the afternoon, but also, if I’m focusing on one thing at a time, then I will either finish my writing sooner or write more, and than have more time for the many small tasks later in the day.
What about you? How do you get your stuff done? Does this system appeal to you?
Amy
Some Favorite (and wish list) Books for Fall …
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
with all of the brooding moodiness you could ever want in a setting.
a five minute sketch…the first line of one of my favorite books…can you guess?REBECCA by Daphne Du Maurier. This is one of my all-time favorite reads, and I may love the 1940 black and white movie even more than the book. Mystery - Suspense - Romance! The modern series starring Lily James is good, but my heart belongs to the original with the spooky fog coming up the driveway to the enormous abandoned mansion of Manderley. Mrs. Danvers is the perfect villain (or was it Rebecca…?)
FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley. “It all started with a game: Mary Shelley1 (1797-1851) and her friends gathered on a cold, stormy night2 and challenged one another to write ghost stories.” - I may love the backstory of how and when this story was written more than the actual book. Next time someone dares you to write a ghost story…do it.
THE DARK DESCENT OF ELIZABETH FRANKENSTEIN by Kiersten White. A creative twist and retelling of Frankenstein, from a somewhat-suspect narrator, Elizabeth Frankenstein. Ending was a - I DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING - moment.
Two books that have been on my TO BE READ DURING AUTUMN pile for evuh :
The Cider House Rules by John Irving (a New Hampshire author!) Set in rural Maine during the first half of the twentieth century, a young doctor helps troubled mothers either by delivering and taking in their unwanted babies or by performing illegal abortions. Many themes including change and yearning, morality and human weakness.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt takes place in the fall at the elite Hampden College in Vermont where a group of classics students are involved in the murder of a classmate. I’ve heard it’s chilling and the writing is“fantastic.”
Have you read any of these? Any “autumnal book vibe” books you recommend? Do tell!
And lastly, a true tale of horror…
I got my copy of Rebecca off the bookshelf today to take a picture and when I came back into the room, look what NAUGHTY DOG WINNIE had done to my beloved book!?!
oh look! Another book Winnie destroyed just last week by ripping open the package left on the front porch. Does Winnie thinks she’s reading?The Last Part:WATCHING: Please recommend something good! I started watching Nobody Wants This, and … was disappointed. It had so much potential.
STILL EATING: The most incredible hand-picked NH apples. The crisp sweetness is better than candy.
SMELLING: Wood stoves
REMINDING: “Don’t just boo…VOTE!” (Yes, Barack!)
VISITING: Last week I spoke at a children’s literature class. Even though my entire water bottle dumped into my bag and all of my props were WET, it was so reaffirming to talk to women about stories. Through good times and bad times, we need the storytellers. This is a reminder to keep going - write your stories. Thank you SUSAN and class!!! <3
Bring me to your class or book club!
Lit With Amy Makechnie is a free newsletter for all, but if you’d like to support my work with a paid yearly subscription, I will send you a signed copy of one of my books + bookmark! 🙏
October 15, 2024
Even When the World's On Fire...
Here are ten things I wanted to share with you:
Does Being a writer mean living in New York?…NO: Great read from . I live in a tiny New Hampshire town, population 2000-ish and guess what? I’M A WRITER. Wherever you are, you can write. This essay reminds me of how often I say “I can’t” do something until the “conditions” match someone else’s. Balderdash. Just do it.
There are only TWENTY DAYS until an incredibly significant and important election: Here’s an easy website to register to vote, check your registration, request a mail-in ballot thanks to our favorite Social Studies teacher (and now a #1 NYTimes bestselling author) . Use your voice and VOTE! Your suffragette sisters are cheering you on.
If I’m starting to get sick, I do two things: Take an Oil of Oregano, and chew a Vitamin C tablet (my favorite is Trader Joe’s chewable orange). Seriously, it is a POWERFUL immunity booster and I’ve caught myself DOZENS of times (think of me driving a bus full of coughing soccer players with the windows up…and I’m still STANDING). Also…I hear sleep helps. Is anyone getting enough?
There’s No Such Thing as Talent. So just get on with it already! Any skill is practice practice practice. I’m a huge fan, and this post is golden.
North Carolina artist Kelcey Loomer is a former student, small business owner, and an incredible artist and jewelry maker. I LOVE her work and have several pieces of her Seed and Sky collection Her studio, like so many buildings in NC, was devastated by the recent hurricane. Thank you for helping if you can <3
Share Your Brownies (but this just a metaphor to share your writing). Do not hoard your brownies. Please. Keeping them all to yourself isn’t fair to you, or to the potential brownie-munchers in this world who might just need YOUR specific recipe. Thank you
I know everything is on fire right now by
Please don’t forget to write. Please don’t forget to take ten minutes or a half an hour to sit down and capture your feelings in this moment in time. Go hide somewhere—even your bathroom—if you need to get away for a second. Take your phone or a little notebook with you. Whatever you need to make it happen.
I just know that whenever I’m at my most distracted or stressed out, if I can make just a little time to scratch a few things down, I always feel better afterward. Because my feelings will have been held for a moment, captured and examined, seen in a new light. Writing allows us to see ourselves when we most feel lost or consumed by the world.
I often refer of it as a gift we can give ourselves, to take a look at ourselves like that. But lately I have been thinking of it like this: as a fight for ourselves. To make time to write is to make sure we’re all still here. And we are, we are!
Freshly picked apples: It’s the simple things. They are so so crispy-sweet good.
Kate DiCamillo was in New Hampshire last weekend for the FIRST EVER New Hampshire book festival, co-organized by my friend and fellow writer . Speaking to a crowd of 1300 school children, Kate said “People will tell you no, but it’s within your power to keep going,” she said. “I am a messy, deeply flawed human being, but I write stories, and you can too.” Read all of the writerly wisdom gleaned HERE. Thank you, Sarah!
Thank you Caroline Star Rose for this Frederick Buechner quote I love:
“Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.” -Frederick Buechner Now and Then (1983)
Amy 🎃
The Last Part:New Hampshire fall…
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Leave a comment! I love hearing from you! ❤️
p.s. now is the perfect time to read TEN THOUSAND TRIES. The setting is New Hampshire fall, with leaves changing, and life changing for our hero, Golden Maroni (aka “Golden Macaroni” courtesy of his eighth grade friends). Read it and then bring me to your class, library, or book club. We can talk brain, soccer, and resilience - MY FAVORITE THINGS. Plus, sometimes I like to bring along my body buddy.
If you’d like to support my work with a paid yearly subscription, I will gratefully send you a signed copy of any one of my books 🙏 and then I will do cartwheels because you have made MY YEAR of writing possible <3
My Books:
The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair is part-mystery, part understanding of the human heart 💖
Ten Thousand Tries is Golden’s quest to save his dad and the soccer team ⚽
The McNifficents is one summer with six rambunctious kids and their miniature-schnauzer nanny 🐕 New Hampshire’s 2024 Great Reads for Kids selection!
October 8, 2024
Craft Talk: how to write a book
Hello pumpkins!
Pumpkins and leaves and fall colds, oh my! Today is rainy and a bit chilly, but the country roads are dropping leaves in shades of sap green, ochre yellow, raw umber and burnt sienna (some of my favorite water colors…)
The October beauty is astounding. Are you seeing it? My father, who loves poetry (and has a bad fall cold), sent me this poem:
Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Did you know? Elizabeth Barrett Browning (famed 19th century poet) struggled with chronic illness for most of her life and was often bedridden. She had to adjust to her circumstances to maintain a highly productive writing schedule, writing early in the morning before her symptoms became too severe and she was back in bed.
I’m inspired by those who figure out how to get the work done despite less-than-ideal circumstances - and I have yet to meet anyone without them.
You may have heard this stat: “81% of people feel they have a book in them - and that they should write it.” (New York Times Gift Link)
But writing a book is hard. Most people probably want to have written a book rather than actually writing it. Because - it’s hard.
“Without attempting to overdo the drama of the difficulty of writing, to be in the middle of composing a book is almost always to feel oneself in a state of confusion, doubt and mental imprisonment, with an accompanying intense wish that one worked instead at bricklaying.” -writer Joseph Epstein
True story. Not that I’ve ever been a bricklayer. You get the sentiment.
I think October is the perfect month to commit to a novel because what’s right around the corner? National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)!
I’ve started nearly all of my novels in November because I need inner and outer accountability and an organized challenge with a start and end date.
The daily goal is simple: 1,667 words per day.
There are 30 days in November, so by November 30th, you will have 50,000 words.
That’s a novel.
“What if I don’t know how?”Nobody starts knowing how.
Here are four people who have helped me IMMENSELY, and can help you, too:
Jessica Brody’s Save The Cat Writes a Novel is one of my essentials. I read and reread often. It’s one of the most enlightening, practical how-to writing books out there, with story examples ranging from Harry Potter to Gone Girl to Jane Austen.
KM Weilland’s Helping Writers Become Authors has been another essential. KM has a website and podcast I listen to ALL OF THE TIME. I’ve written the below story structure out, painted it, and printed it so many times I should have it memorized (and I pretty much do!) It’s a permanent fixture in my study.
is a new teacher to me. She’s an international bestselling author and creative writing teacher, and has created a series of (FREE) mini-writing classes. Check out the first one Mini-Class #1: Plant Seeds of Greatness & Nurture Your Ideas into Blooming Concepts. (The series is free! I can’t believe it’s free bc it’s so good).
Julia, Accountability Buddy. You need an accountability buddy. And her name might not be Julia, but he or she needs to have a name. Trust me. You are doing something new and audacious and you need to announce that to the world - or at least to one person! That one person that you’re going to text or email or check in with everyday to say I GOT MY WORD COUNT! Huge dopamine hit.
Dear Heart, I GOT MY WORD COUNT!!! Dear Brain, CONGRATULATIONS! Dopamine delivered!Trust me on this.
It’s super important. By the middle of November, when you’re already exhausted just thinking about the Thanksgiving menu, hosting, and traveling and oh - you’ve reached the murky middle of your story and your brain starts to say things that are super unhelpful…you’re going to need that buddy to remind your brain that you are in charge of your own self-talk: BRAIN, WE GOT THIS.
And if you need extra help facing your creative writing fears (or need to help your students with theirs), it’s to the rescue with this delightful message on mindset! (I LOVE HER WORK).
Plus, it’s way more fun to have a buddy. This year I have four new NaNo accountability buddies: Cope (daughter), Kaden (son-in-law), and Megan (friend!) We are all going to write a book in November and isn’t that so so fun???
Today’s mantra: I am a writer.
Because that is true. You are. It’s essential to tell the truth - esp to yourself.
“Those who tell the stories rule the world.”A haiku:
October writing
Characters and plot and pace
Build them they will come
Are you in?
If not now, when?
Amy <3
p.s. I was struck with inspiration the other day whilst running through rain and yellow ochre leaves. What if instead of NaNoWriMo, we could do NaNoREADMo. RIGHT!? Turns out, others have had this idea, including though it looks like momentum has waned. You could do THAT! Esp since kids are reading less than ever before! The Atlantic reports:The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books
To read a book in college, it helps to have read a book in high school.
😳
Thanks for making this for us
The Last Part:AM GRATEFUL: for the rain and gorgeous mums on my porch
AM TAKING: I’m on my second day of taking creatine per Dr. Mary Claire Haver. I also rotate between taking a multi-vitamin w/D&K, tumeric (joints), collagen + biotin (hair & nails). I could also use a brain boost vitamin - Magnesium L-Threonate?
AM THINKING: about something new. What if I sent a “box of book goodies” to one paid subscriber every month? I have so many fun ideas to put in this box (an autographed book, favorite writing book, book stickers, candle, treats, beauty…?!) Would this generate more paying subscribers? What else would subscribers pay for? Writing classes? Interviews with agents, editors, and authors? Tell me your ideas.
AM WEARING: fall is my favorite wardrobe season because I can wear my blundstone boots and new soft muji sweater with an old and oversized thrifted LL Bean barn coat for extra New Hampshire vibe layer.
AM Reading: We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han, the third installment of The Summer I Turned Pretty series. It’s true, I’m forever 15! Also, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
What are you reading?
If you’d like to support my work with a paid yearly subscription, I will gratefully send you a signed copy of any one of my books 🙏 and then I will do cartwheels because you have made MY YEAR of writing possible <3
My Books:
The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair is part-mystery, part understanding of the human heart 💖
Ten Thousand Tries is Golden’s quest to save his dad and the soccer team ⚽
The McNifficents is one summer with six rambunctious kids and their miniature-schnauzer nanny 🐕 New Hampshire’s 2024 Great Reads for Kids selection!
October 1, 2024
A Story is Never "Just a Story"
A couple of weeks ago I did a deep dive into some sports psychology with Dr. Chad Manning of The Fearless Mind. The most important thing an athlete can possess, he says, is not skill, but self-talk - which must always be true to attain full potential.
Truth telling is the foundation of a positive mindset.
Like most fiction writers, I’m intensely interested in why people do what they do. It’s much easier for me to write character and much harder for me to write plot (but dang it, characters have to do something).
Characters, like real humans, are always telling themselves a story. Remember Gone Girl? It is a mercilessly entertaining novel, but also exasperating when you realize you have no idea if anyone is telling the truth (ah, how fun it is to be the master creator).
Too bad for Amy and Nick (Gone Girl). Their lies and self-deception led to their demise, bc if truth is light, peace, and the foundation for strong mental health, then lies are darkness. Lies deceive and destroy (again, poor Amy and Nick, all they did was lie; it didn’t end well).
Truth and lies are both made of the same thing: words.
“I try to be careful with my words” Manning says, “because they are so powerful.”
Words make up stories, and stories are never “just stories.” They are words that reflect life - they reflect us - and that’s why we like them so much, because we can see ourselves in the stories.
Human thought is our self-talk, and self-talk is made up of WORDS. Pay attention to the words you are saying to yourself. They are powerful. Course correct as necessary.
The mind is dynamic! It’s always in motion and movement. We’re always processing - it’s language - it’s words. How you think is how you to talk to yourself (your self-talk), hence your WORDS ARE CRITICAL.
This scriptural phrase came to mind:
Why was that the beginning?
Maybe because language and communication set humans apart from every other creature. Words are the root of human thought, our consciousness. And consciousness (our thoughts), are who we are and shape who we become.
And of course it’s an election year. Words are everywhere. Some of them true, some of them not. Politicians, billboards, yard signs, mailings, constant news articles…there are A LOT of words coming out of many mouths.
Do the words that come out of our future president’s mouth, matter? I sure think so.
I think words are the most powerful force in the world. They move people into action, to war, or peace. They unite or tear apart.
This past weekend I was in the historic Riverside Church in New York City. (Yes, I brought my sketch journal!) The history of the church is so interesting and inspiring, and the architecture is Neo-Gothic-style stunning.
I’ve visited this church several times now, and never tire of learning about its history, gazing at the stain glass windows, listening to the pipe organs and soprano practicing. Some of the history is this: Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached six sermons there. His last speech was April 4, 1967, exactly one year before he was shot dead on a balcony in Memphis, TN for his words.
using a fountain pen and a muji notebookWords hold power.
Words strung together create stories.
And stories move people to do something.
Do we use those words to stand in front of a camera and repeat lies that we know are not true? (yeah politicians, we see you - we hear you.)
The false stories of Haitians eating pets in Springfield, Ohio? They weren’t true. And those words, those lies, those stories, hurt people. The truth-telling or lies regarding FEMA response in North Carolina? It goes on and on and on…
Stories change minds and the beating hearts of human beings. They have the power to alter the trajectory of lives. I have been forever changed by the stories I have read and been told - and I’m sure you have, too (true and otherwise).
Stories are never “just stories.”
Even the smallest tale - a tik tok video, a reel, a scroll, a picture book - change us in the smallest of degrees. And we know that an airplane, off by just one degree, ends up in a very different place than where that plane started - or intended to go.
We repeat words, we embellish stories, we use them to illustrate, warn, and inspire. We use them to get what we want.
Story Coach, K.M. Weilland uses this Hopi proverb a lot:
“Those who tell the stories rule the world.”One of the pillar questions a fiction writer asks is this: what lie does your character believe at the beginning of the story? What truth will set your character free? It’s around the midpoint of a story, that the truth is seen - and that’s when our heroes go from wandering to warrior (oooooh, I love that part!!!)
As for us humans - it’s the same thing! Stories reflect human nature and behavior. So what stories are we telling ourselves? And if we don’t like the story, why not tell a different, truer one?
This is what I’ve been pondering of late. The power of words and story (the ones I’m telling myself, the ones my characters believe, and the ones I say out loud).
I’m trying to use them carefully. And always seeking what is true.
A haiku:
Tell me your stories
And you will tell me of life
How words ruled the world
What do you think?
What words have changed your life? (from a story or real life?)
Drop your (very important!) words here…
Amy <3
What Are You Creating?
What are you prioritizing, reading, writing, drawing, doodling, painting, planting, dreaming…?
The Last Part:Grateful: for the gorgeous mums on my porch - it’s fall, ya’ll!
Smelling: fall leaves, fall candles, crisper air
Hearing: the crunch of fall leaves under my feet
Tasting: everything fall, pumpkin, and apple from Trader Joe’s. Help me. Their fall blend tea is OMGoodness amazing…
Wearing: this face oil from Just Ingredients. As a dry face girl, I love it. Jojoba oil, Vit B5+E, frankincense, and anti-inflammatory benefits. It lasts a loooong time.
Reading: We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han, the third installment of The Summer I Turned Pretty series. It’s true, I’m forever 15!
What are you reading?
If you’d like to support my work with a paid yearly subscription, I will gratefully send you a signed copy of any one of my books 🙏 and then I will do cartwheels because you have made MY YEAR of writing possible <3
My Books:
The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair is part-mystery, part understanding of the human heart 💖
Ten Thousand Tries is Golden’s quest to save his dad and the soccer team ⚽
The McNifficents is one summer with six rambunctious kids and their miniature-schnauzer nanny 🐕 New Hampshire’s 2024 Great Reads for Kids selection!
September 24, 2024
#14 What to Read
The latest and greatest…
It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han. I don’t think you ever outgrow some books and genres. This is the second book in the Jenny Han The Summer I Turned Pretty series (now a Netflix series) and I think it’s funny how much I enjoy reading it. I’m not 16 anymore, and Belly can be immature and drink too much and swoon over Conrad and fight with her best friend - and it’s all so real, very Judy Blume-ish, and has a way of making me feel great nostalgia as I stay up way too late turning the pages. Han isuyd a writer with staying power.
The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance by George Mumford. I plucked this off my shelf once again bc I’m coaching a girls soccer team. You know what I want them to have? A steady, focused, confident mind on and off the field. I want them to feel and find THE ZONE, even when the ref makes a “bad” call, even when they get pushed around, cursed at, have their shirts grabbed (yeah, it’s a jungle out there). “Control the Controllables” and you know what that is? Only ourselves. I’m a big fan of George and his high-level work.
School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex, pictures by Christian Robinson. The first day of school is Scary! Exhilarating! Fun! Nerve-wracking! But have you ever thought about how school might feel??? With all of those kids descending? This book is so clever.
After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat. Everyone knows about Humpty Dumpty sitting on a wall and his great big great fall. But what happened after? Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat follows Humpty Dumpty, who is now terrified of heights and can no longer do many of the things he loves most (like watch birds!) Will Humpty Dumpty overcome his fears? Love it (Dan’s words and pictures).
What are you reading?
Amy <3
What Are You Creating?Home life is bustling. My oldest daughter, Cope, and her husband, Kaden, are living with us for a year as they work and decide on next steps (big news - they bought a car last week!) Brynne is taking online classes this semester, and Paige is in her senior year. It is Little Women around here…(oh, the peals of constant laughter…their brother Nelson is safely at college 3000 miles away :).
There is wonderful husband and father-in-law, two dogs, and constant comings and goings and careful scheduling and car negotiations. It’s busy (one must be very intentional about getting work done!), but I’m reveling in it all. It is reminiscent of when all four children were at their K-8 school for only one year together, and they all jumped out of the bus at the same time every afternoon…what I wouldn’t give to be waiting by the mailbox, to see that scene again.
This moment in time is chaotic and the floor always needs to be swept, but the chairs around the table are also always full. Life is good.
Cope decided she wanted to paint with me and so we spread out all of the paints and water and erasers and pencils and paper. It was SO FUN to paint pumpkins for forty minutes together (then off to soccer practice)!
This book 15-Minute Watercolor Masterpieces by Anna Koliadych is fabulous. I’m a big fan of Ann’s Instagram DearAnnArt.
What are you reading, writing, drawing, doodling, painting, planting, dreaming…?
The Last Part:Mornings: up at 5:30, read/meditate/pray, run/workout, and then WRITE…I’m working on a boarding school mystery (when not distracted by the Little Women). Think Rebecca Makkai’s I Have Some Questions For You meets Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty. And I’m almost done…
Afternoons: soccer coach…there is so much JOY being with young female athletes every fall afternoon. Truly.
forever the bag ladyEvenings: I have no idea. I’m a zombie. I think the dogs sometimes get walked.
If you’d like to support my work with a paid yearly subscription, I will gratefully send you a signed copy of any of my books + bookmark! 🙏
My Books:
The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair is part-mystery, part understanding of the human heart 💖
Ten Thousand Tries is Golden’s quest to save his dad and the soccer team ⚽
The McNifficents is one summer with six rambunctious kids and their miniature-schnauzer nanny 🐕 New Hampshire’s 2024 Great Reads for Kids selection!
