Candice Marley Conner's Blog, page 3

Writing Goals: A Look Back on 2018

Last year I participated in children’s author Julie Hedlund’s 12 Days of Christmas for Writers series. She challenges participants to post SUCCESSES (rather than resolutions), believing the way New Year’s resolutions are traditionally made come from a place of negativity – what DIDN’T get done or achieved in the previous year. Instead, she suggests we set goals for the New Year that BUILD on our achievements from the previous one. I felt good about what all I accomplished last year so I decided to participate in this Anti-Resolution Revolution again. It really helps for when someone kindly asks: “Anything new with the writing?” and I give a hesitant “no…”

January: I didn’t make it into the Writing with the Stars mentorship or Sun vs. Snow, but I did join an online picture book critique group with five fabulous writers, who have proven to be invaluable. I can’t imagine submitting something without their critiques. I was also featured on Sub It Club’s blog for winning their “Small Steps to Success” contest. And I came up with 30 picture book ideas in 31 days thanks to Tara Lazar’s STORYSTORM. Submissions: 1 MG ms, 5 subs; 1 PB ms, 3 subs

February: I joined the picture book debut group, Newin19, for Sassafras and have learned SO MUCH (and how much I still have left to learn, gulp!). I was also encouraged to create an Amazon Authors page which made me feel pretty legit. I wrote another Bean & Jilly entry for Susanna Hill’s ValenTINY contest, and while I didn’t place, I hope to one day expand it into a chapter book. Submissions: 1 article, 1 sub; 2 PBs, 4 subs

 

 

March: Fireflies & Fairy Dust published 2 poems and 1 flash fiction piece of mine, and our local Mobile Writers’ Guild published our first ever anthology which had one of my poems, and 2 of my short stories in it, one being a story I co-wrote. I manned a table at the Mobile Literary Festival which was exciting to be a part of. Also got an agent #PitMad request. Submissions: 2 articles, 2 subs; 1 MG, 1 sub; 1 YA, 1 sub; 3 PBs, 3 subs

April: Submissions: 2 MGs, 2 subs; 1 PB, 1 sub

May: My YA was a top 3 finalist in Southern Fried Karma’s 2018 Novel Contest. Submissions: 2 PBs, 8 subs; 2 MGs, 3 subs (1 garnered a full agent request!); 1 poem, 1 sub

June: I entered picture book manuscripts into SCBWI’s Southern Breeze contest and Rate Your Story’s Free Day and received super helpful feedback on both. Submissions: 2 articles, 2 subs; 2 MGs, 4 subs

July: I sent my resume to 2 educational publishers as a Writer-For-Hire. Submissions: 1 MG, 1 sub; 1 PB, 1 sub

August: I participated in Marcie Colleen’s August Study Hall with 4 PB mss which was intense and eye-opening. Also met some lovely writer-friends there. Submissions: 1 MG, 1 sub; 1 article, 1 sub

September: I spent this month revising the mss from Study Hall critiques, and received a full agent request on my MG magical realism. My picture book critique group and I launched our brand new blog, Wonder of Words!

October: I participated in my 1st ever twitter chat hosted by Matthew Winner with the Newin19 debut group, and did my 1st public reading at a local indie bookshop’s grand opening! Owl Hollow Press published my short story “Swamp Mallow” in their anthology and I really, really just love Halloween. The poem I submitted to Susanna Hill’s HalloWEENSIE contest didn’t place but I expanded it to a prose PB ms that I am absolutely in love with and hope to start querying in the new year. Submissions: 1 PB, 1 sub

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SQUIRREL GIRL! & family Halloween

November: For my birthday, my super supportive parents gave me Callie Metler-Smith’s Writing Magic Lab so I can focus on one of my MGs. Submissions: 2 PBs, 2 subs

December: Pretty much shocked that this month is almost over. I read one of my Christmas poems at the Mobile Writers’ Guild Christmas party and was pleasantly surprised at the applause, lol. My picture book manuscript “Little Oak” won Honorable Mention in the Writing Magic Holiday contest. I decided to invest in myself and used Christmas money to enroll in the Children’s Book Academy workshop in the New Year. Super excited for that! Submissions: 1 poem, 1 sub

So maybe there is ‘something new’ with my writing. Laying out my accomplishments like this helps me see how my writing has grown this year. Maybe next time I won’t answer the question with a hesitant no.

I encourage you to do the same!

Eighth Annual Holiday Contest!

Susanna Hill’s holiday contest has arrived–the festivities may officially begin! Complete rules are here but the gist is that it cannot exceed 250 words (mine’s at 243, whew!) and must have an act of heroism. Mine is a quiet sort of heroism, so we’ll see if it works. It’s my love letter to old-growth forests, the sacred Earth, and Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree which I’m unable to read without tears. [image error]

Thank you, Ms. Hill, for hosting these contests that exercise our writing muscles.

I hope y’all enjoy!

Little Oak

In a deep forest, the wind whispered adventures that made a little oak tremble with excitement.

Little Oak wanted a big adventure too. But his roots went deep into the earth.

One night a storm blew in on the daring wind.

CRACK!

Lightning struck the tallest tree. Squirrels fled to Little Oak’s branches.

“You’re so little that we should be safe here,” chittered one.

“I’m glad my smallness is good for something,” said Little Oak.

“This is a forest,” the squirrel reminded him. “Everything has a purpose.”

The next morning sunlight streamed where the other tree once stood.

“This could be my adventure!” Little Oak reached his limbs as high as he could.

Time wheeled by. Forest creatures used his growing branches for shelter. Gathered his acorns for food. Collected his leaves for warmth.

Oak knew that he would never have the adventures he had dreamed of.

“I hear something,” Squirrel whispered to Oak one day.

But Oak had stopped looking for adventure.

A child paused in front of Oak. “This is the one.”

“Good choice for our Yule log,” the father said.

“It needs an adventure,” the child whispered.

Startled, Oak’s limbs twitched and snow fell on the child’s head. The giggles sent joy through his bark.

“I have a purpose now” said Oak. “To be a light on cold, dark nights.”

“Oh, Oak. You’ve always had a purpose. You give so much for so many.”

What a grand adventure, thought Oak.

 

A Witchy Halloweensie

One of my new Halloween traditions is participating in children’s book author Susanna Hill’s Halloweensie contest. Last year was my first time and I had so much fun–plus exercised my writing muscles, and practiced brevity–with all her seasonal contests. (I even won Honorable Mention for Memorable Characters!) It’s called “weensie” because it’s just that, entries max out at 100 words and must include shiver, cauldron, and howl. For all the spooky details, you can check out her site here.

While I was mulling over what my short would be about, Mermaid Girl had Honors Assembly which fell on the same day as Hat Day. As I was going through ALL my pictures (yes, I’m that mom), this one where she’s taking an AR [image error]test started a brainstorm–the witch hat, the NASA book in her lap… What witch wouldn’t want to ride her broom to the moon?

I hope y’all enjoy!

A Broom to the Moon

Willa was a good witch,

she wore her pointy hat with pride,

her whipping cloak gave shivers

when she hopped on her broom to ride.

She collected crawlies for the cauldron,

nightshade and lost lockets.

But when she looked up at the moon,

Willa also dreamed of rockets.

To fly her broom up to the moon,

it’s what she wanted most of all.

Her aunties howled,

“But there’s a chance you’ll fall!”

Willa had Halloween plans—

she’d build boosters on her broom.

A bit of engineering, a tinkering here and there,

With a BOOM, she zoomed up to her moon!

A Fruitful Post

Hi y’all! I hope everyone had a nice, relaxing Labor Day. We just got back from a family beach trip in time to batten down the hatches for Tropical Storm Gordon’s arrival.

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Yep, this is the sister that always urges me to read those adult thrillers and mysteries. We love reading together, it’s our favorite thing. 

My lovely picture book critique group started a joint blog and our inaugural post went out this Saturday. [image error] Each of us focus on a different area of children’s literature, mine centering on creativity and inspiration, and we’d love it if you follow along with us at the Wonder of Words. Our posts will go out the first and third Saturday of each month. Obviously from how I post here, I need the accountability

Are You An Early Morning Writer?

Last week I posted this picture on my private Facebook page and a friend and aspiring writer asked me for tips on waking early to write (thanks, Danielle!). [image error]As I replied to her, I realized I had a good bit to say on this so thought it might help and encourage other writers who are also searching for more time to write.

Two years ago on the eve of Dinosaur Boy’s 3rd birthday, I blogged about my struggle of finding time to write with a toddler and a newborn. You can find that post here. Now, as DB is on the cusp of turning 5, here are what works for me, and hopefully some of these resonate with you as well.

First off, I’m one of those people who need pretty much silence to write. I can edit and critique with noise and flurries of activity around me, but I can’t hold onto plot threads when there’s too much distraction.

I figured out pretty early on that my writing time would need to be when everyone is asleep. Before even the chores wake up and start demanding my attention.

How Do You Get Out of A Nice Warm Bed to Sit In Front of A Computer?

Nothing gets you out of bed faster than the sounds of a hacking cat or screaming child.

Some mornings are incredibly tough.

Especially if I’ve been up and down all night with a sick child. Or if the A/C hasn’t kicked off once and the house is finally frigid and my covers deliciously warm.

What makes me drag myself out of bed is reminding myself that THIS IS THE ONLY TIME I GET. My day runs so much better when I start it feeling accomplished rather than regretful.

Because my writing time is so limited, that in itself is a motivator. I’m usually forced to close my computer by hungry kids so the whole rest of the day I keep a brain-browser open in the background (and my journal), brainstorming different ideas so that when I finally do have the chance to write, I’m excited to do it.

I look forward to pages to fill and coffee to drink.

I’m Up. Now What?

As my brain and body got used to our arrangement, it became easier to wake up and immediately have enough brain function to write. I don’t always have the ability to speak coherently, but that comes once coffee is consumed and the hubs wakes. Sometimes taking a shower first thing is what it took to get my creative grey-stuff moving along.

A habit must be created and that takes time and doing it over and over.

But for the times I don’t wake bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, or I don’t have an active [image error]manuscript, I have my to-do lists so sleepy-me doesn’t waste time. Just crossing things off helps me feel accomplished and jump-starts my brain. It’s something I can leave out and add to throughout a busy day too.

 

 

 

Accountability

I’m a self-motivator for the most part, but accountability is a pretty awesome thing. Don’t have any early-riser writing buddies? No worries.  Some super smart early birds set up a twitter account with the hashtag #5amWritersClub to help connect with other early bird writers.[image error]I hope sharing what works for me helps motivate other writers who want to start their day with words.

Please share any tips for what works for you too!