Jo Knowles's Blog, page 34

NESCBWI-Can't wait!

My husband and I registered for the New England SCBWI Conference today! Can't wait!

I'm going as a participant this year so I won't have any nerves to get in the way of enjoying every single second.

My only questions: What is the Silver Anniversary Ball about? Is this just a fancy name for the usual cocktail party? Or... are we supposed to get really dressed up this time?

And...

Are you going??

The theme continues

When Peter and I went out to get wood on Saturday, we had a little problem:



The snow always collects between rows of wood but I've never seen it get THAT high before.

Meanwhile, I had a lovely talk with my See You At Harry's editor and she liked my revision suggestions. I'm feeling completely ready to tackle the manuscript. However, first, I have to take care of this:



My freelance job is due on Wednesday. I woke up this morning feeling sick sick sick. Flu-y symptoms. Blah.

Roadblocks seem to be the theme of my life lately.

But... isn't it that way for all of us?

There's only one thing to do.

Grab a shovel.

And maybe, at some point, a quick nap?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Monday Morning Warm-Up:

What's your best method for getting through road blocks?

Thankful Thursday—Finding a Way Out

Revision is hard.

Sometimes you think you've finally made it. Connected all the dots. Smoothed out all the rough edges. Fit all the pieces together.

Sometimes you think you are DONE.

And then you get an e-mail from your brilliant editor.

She asks a question. Just something for you to consider.

At first you think. Nope! Nothing to consider. That change would never work. It would make the entire book fall apart. Sorry! No can do! (Yes, I know I would never actually say "no can do", but I have wanted to from time to time)

And yet...

This is your editor. She is really smart. If something's bothering her... there's probably a really good reason.

You e-mail your trusted readers, nearly begging them to agree with you. But even you can sense the hesitation. You can hear them thinking through the internet waves. I don't know, Jo. She might be onto something...

Crap.

You sleep on it.

And you wake up knowing your editor really is onto something. The only trouble is, all you can think about is how much WORK it will be to fix.

And you look out the door and you think. Yeah. This is pretty much my life right now.



You really truly feel as if there is NO WAY OUT.

You are stuck.

SOoooooo stuck.

But then... you pour yourself a glass of wine. And you ask your very patient husband—who of course insists that you shouldn't make the change, because YOU are the one who is brilliant, and oh, you love him so much for that—to listen to you talk out the problem.

You define what the "big thing is" that you're trying to achieve. And then you start to think of other ways to illustrate it. And you talk and talk and your husband listens and listens and asks questions. You come up with scenario after scenario and go nowhere. You think you might cry. You think you might need another glass of wine.

But then you think deeper. Think more internally about the characters and their flaws. You come up with one word that defines the part of them that leads them to make the big mistake that your editor thinks you should change.

OK. So what else could they do? What other act would illustrate this flaw? Think about the characters. Who are they really? What do they themselves need so much that it would lead them to make this big mistake? What is it that they need so badly?

And then suddenly you can feel it. You can see them in your mind's eye doing that new thing. And you want to scream YES! That's perfect!

And your husband says, YEAH! That would work!

And the rightness of it hits you like a wonderful, warm beam of light and you swear you hear angels singing. And your husband looks at you like you've finally completely lost your mind.

But you don't care. Because you've done it. You've found the other door out.



And then you collapse with the relief of it all. Because it's all going to be OK. In fact, it's going to be even better.

And you think about calling your editor to tell her how amazing and brilliant and wonderful she is. But then you remember she's calling you tomorrow, and you can tell her then. Today, you've been given nine straight hours of home-alone time to work on your freelance job, and you really can't squander another minute.

Except to say. PHEW!

Wordless Wednesday—Letting my husband do the talking. :-)

ETA:

Er. I guess the embedding doesn't work. Here is the link. :-)

http://www.wcax.com/global/video.asp?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=5547298

What do you see?

w

George has been looking out the window this morning
confused
someone shoveled the deck yesterday
and now there is a snowbank
it's blocking the view of the bird feeders
and the road
and the man with the two fuzzy yellow dogs
who walk by at 7:55 each morning
he can't see the couple who always amble past
who pause and look through our window
curious, just like George
or the runner in her hot-pink jacket
who never looks anywhere
but at the road straight ahead
What he can see
are the bare branches waiting for their green gloves
and gray sky waiting to turn blue
he can see a power line
waiting for the crows to gather for their morning chat
and the pine tree
waiting for the sun to rise up over it
like magic

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Monday Morning Warm-Up:

What do you see and not see out your window?

Digging Out, Digging In, and Facing Your Fear

I am deep into my work in progress. Deep into my freelance job. And buried deep in the snow.

Sometimes, it feels like no shovel and no amount of strength is gonna dig you out.

Know what I mean?

But then you start digging.

And even though it's exhausting. And sweaty. And even painful. There's this beautiful moment when you stop, turn around, and see your progress. For me, that's often enough motivation to keep going.

Because even though the snow is still coming down, look at that. You've made a path to the door.



Next month, I'm going to be on a panel with three other authors to discuss how we've overcome challenges. This means I've been reflecting on various challenges I've faced over the years A LOT. And I think I've come to the conclusion that my biggest challenges, while all very different on the surface, can all be boiled down to one (very big) thing: Fear.

FEAR.

I'm not sure what this means. But it feels like that moment when you finally face your shadow, you know? And you're like, ah, it's YOU! It's been you all along?? Sheesh. I wouldn't have guessed it but now it all makes sense.

So. Now what?

I'm still mulling it over.

But... For whatever reason, I feel stronger, knowing my opponent at last. :-)

How about you? What's been your biggest challenge? What have you done about it?

Wordless Wednesday-Snow vs. Jo. Snow Wins.

Lies, Retreats and a Warm-Up

Happy Monday!!! <-----Me, trying to trick myself into believing I'm actually excited. Didn't work. :)

Today I am shifting gears to focus on an intense freelance assignment which is due on 2/16. I may not be around much for the next couple of weeks. Or, I may be around a LOT because I am procrastinating. It's hard to say. This project has to do with weight loss, so most likely I will wind up eating constantly because the minute I think about dieting I suddenly start craving all the foods I think I should stop eating. I wish I had willpower. And enjoyed exercise.

In other news, blackholly has a post about writing retreats that I love. Especially the part about camaraderie and the benefits of a pool. :-) I don't think I will ever be able to go away anywhere for a month, but I do enjoy weekend retreats. Like Holly says, it's really hard to do a short retreat because it takes a while to get into that frame of mind and the rhythm of writing intensely for long stretches. One way I do this is to start thinking about what I'm going to write and work on ahead of time. I start daydreaming about my WIP and really mulling over where the story is headed so that I'm more or less in the writing mind when I open my laptop the first day. It's not as ideal as getting away from it all for a month, but it helps.

I'll be heading out to my own retreat at the end of the month with three sweet and brilliant friends. Just for a long weekend, but I can't wait. These getaways, for me, are about so much more than getting lots of writing done. They're about connecting with dear writing friends. Letting go of the daily worries that so often trespass into my writing mind, leaving damage and destruction in their wake. They're about sharing thoughts and ideas with people who listen and offer genuine support. They're about nourishing my creative soul, lifting her up a little, and giving her the courage to explore her basement a la Stephen King style.

The great thing about these retreats is that they can be as cheap or as expensive as you want. The true challenge, if you're a parent, is figuring out how to get away. If you have questions about retreats, I'm happy to answer them in the comments. See? I'm already finding ways to procrastinate.

:)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Monday Morning Warm-Up:

If the main character in your current work in progress had a nightmare, what would it be? Describe it in as much detail as you can.

Sometimes Food is Poetry

I don't think I've ever done a "Poetry Friday" post before, but this one is for jeannineatkins , my favorite poet, whose raspberry muffins I made this morning.



If you'd like the recipe, head over to Jeannine's LJ, for more than recipe's—for words of love and hope and inspiration. Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Jeannine (and for the recipe, too!).

I'm taking these beauties to my sister today. :-) And yes, I sampled one already and yes, they are delicious!

This weekend will involve a read-a-thon, a shopping spree with my niece, dinner with my family, late-night chatting with my sister, a pinewood derby, cross-country skiing, dinner with friends, and watching Harry Potter 7 one... more... time...

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Keep on noticing those beautiful moments. Hold on tight.

xo

Not quite wordless

Via blackholly :



Printed on back:

INSTRUCTIONS: Prop up or frame in a very visible area of your workspace. Employ as needed.
FOR BEST RESULTS: Use when you are feeling hopeful or gullible.

Ha!