Jodi Stone's Blog, page 6

Confessions of a mad mama in a minivan

For those who know me, you know that my days are consumed with piles of laundry,a nagging need for a clean house and the desire to write whether the words flow or not. Whatever the mood, I long to be the writer that influences lives and encourages children of all ages to read and be passionate about books. So I sit at my handy computer trying to think of a best-seller or sit with my pen and paper and doodle ideas or images wondering where they might lead. But no matter how sporadic or organized my thoughts come out on paper, there is never a moment in my writing career that is uninteruppted. I have read many books about 'how to be a writer' and 'finding time to write' and they might have made more sense pre-kids. Yet now I laugh at those words of encouragement from writing books that say clever things like 'set aside an hour a day to write' and all I can think is 'can it be in increments of five minutes a a time?' because never in my days as a wife,student or mama of three young girls have I had anything remotely close to an entire peaceful hour to devote to writing. But maybe that is what drives me. The desire to teach those precious time Hoarders a love of words drives me to write and draw like the mad mama that I am- that and the fact that every inspiration and story I write about them or for them with the hope that it will be successful in some way. Yet I know deep down that if my books are never best sellers or if I lose my mind writing that I will never lose one thing- and that is the drive to be the best mama that I can be.

Following the path that leads to your dreams

Have you ever started something only not to finish it yet it consumes your mind? Before I was published, I found myself on the writing path that was very foggy. It was like I was walking slowly like in a dream, barely moving to the point I thought I should give up. I would send out story after story only to be rejected. I couldn't figure out why the path was so unclear in my dream of becoming a published writer and there were moments when I would stop writing all together only for fear of the continued rejection. Before my mom passed away, she continued to urge me to follow my dreams. I didn't get my first book contract until this past summer and when I was accepted for publication, I read and re-read the contract over countless times because I couldn't believe this dream I'd had for so long was coming true. The fog in my dream slowly lifted as I realized it wasn't just a dream come true, but my continued hard-work and dedication to writing and illustrating. I could see my name upon books and still smile knowing the fog has only begun to lift. I still have a lot of work to do. Becoming published is a dream come true but I want children and adults to walk into bookstores and see my name in print and my drawings and say, "I know that author. I really like her." My mama passed away before she could see my dream come true. My dad is also a huge supporter as well as my loving husband and three amazing daughters who are daily inspirations for my writing. I ask you to think of your dream and tell you to follow it. We only have this one life to do everything we want to do. Don't give up because you think you've hit a dead end. Continue through the fog and climb those mountains until you see the sun. Believe in yourself. Where will your dreams lead?