Judy Lindquist's Blog, page 3

The Pandemic Truth About Time

The pandemic has certainly taught us things. It has exposed the power of nature and the short comings of humans. It has shown us who we are when faced with real challenges. It has revealed our basic belief systems and what we value.

It has also taught us that some of our former beliefs do not hold water. That some of the things we told ourselves, particularly about time, are just not true.

The “I don’t have time to…. (fill in the blank)” is almost always a lie. One of which I was definitely guilty. Prior to the pandemic I would lament that I would be a much more productive writer if I just had more time. I would work out more, if only I had more time.

Well, the pandemic gave us lots of time and I discovered that I was not a whole lot more productive in my writing and I did not do a whole lot more working out.

The truth is, we have time for whatever is really important to us.

That is not to say that I did not get more writing done during the pandemic, because I absolutely did. In this year-plus of the pandemic, I have gotten four middle grades novels through various stages of the writing process. I freely admit, that would never have happened in my pre-pandemic life.

However, I also grudgingly admit that I had a lot of time in which I could have written and that I chose to do other things. I cooked. I gardened. I read. And yes- sometimes I surfed social media or just sat with a glass of wine and contemplated life.

I do not think I am alone in this time discovery. A friend recently shared that she used to think that she was not organized because she did not have the time to clean and sort and label and arrange all the stuff that filled her home. She admitted that this last year forced her home with much more time, and yet those things are still not done.

At first this discovery made me feel a little guilty. After all, if I was really committed to being a writer, wouldn’t I want to devote all of my time to my craft?


The funny thing about time though, is that it is a constant and never ending balance. A flexible dance of what must be done, what could be done, what should be done, what can be done, and what is done. We are constantly juggling those things as we, often subconsciously, manifest our must, could, should, and can list of tasks and activities.

If something must be done, it usually gets done. Think of those deadlines. Those nonnegotiable tasks and responsibilities. They always get done. The gray areas though, are with those could, should, and can lists.

Perhaps it is time to take a look at what we really are spending our time doing, and use that as a way to reveal what our, sometimes unconscious, priorities may be. And yes- priorities change and shift.

I realized that most of the things I was choosing to spend my pandemic-time doing, were things that helped to bring peace, balance, and beauty to my immediate world. A sort of nesting instinct. Clearly, this was something that I needed in order to survive this most unprecedented time. I needed the comfort of those things and the result they had on my immediate environment.


So perhaps instead of lamenting about what we do not seem to have time to get done, we need to look at what we are actually doing. When we are not engaged in work or other nonnegotiable things, what is filling our hours and days? These activities may reveal more than we realize.

Fully Vaccinated and Still Masked Up

As the country continues to move forward with its massive vaccination push, more and more of us are now finding ourselves in the fully-vaccinated column. While each state continues to have its own roll-out and tiered system of who is eligible when, the bottom line is that with an average of two millions doses being given daily, we are methodically moving toward that elusive herd immunity.

Initially, the health care workers, first responders, and extremely vulnerable were in line, then teachers, essential workers, and those over 65. Now, in Florida, anyone over 40 can get the vaccine. Some states, like Alaska, are now vaccinating anyone over age 16 who lives or works within the state.

The CDC also continues to adjust its guidelines, recommendations, and protocols, as more of the population becomes protected and we learn more about what that means. Who should continue to wear masks when? Who should and should not gather in large groups?


While we know that no vaccine is 100% effective, for many, the feeling of being fully vaccinated and having that layer of added protection, is priceless.


But the bottom line is, there are those within our communities who have not yet been vaccinated, or that cannot ever receive the vaccine. They may be too young, too sick, or allergic to the ingredients in the vaccines. That means that they are still very vulnerable.

Right now we are safer than a year ago, but have not yet reached the threshold of having this crisis behind us. I believe that how we handle this critical stage of recovery from the pandemic, will show the true content of our character.

Are we of the thinking that now that I am safe, that is all that matters? Even though I am protected, will the fact that I could possibly still pass along the virus to those not yet vaccinated, inform my decisions about masking and gathering? Or will I be so eager to return to my normal life that I chose to not think about that?

Does my desire to be free of masks outweigh the risks to our most vulnerable? Do I owe any consideration to the safety of those I may not even know? Am I willing to think of not only my personal liberties, but of the common good of my community?

Yes, these are all philosophical and ethical questions. And the answers help to illuminate what kind of a person each of us is. Because far more than our words about patriotism, or our religious platitudes, our actions now will show exactly what kind of person we are.

Setting the Bar Low

I was recently reading a blog by Laura Vanderkam, author of the books on time management and productivity, where she mentioned the value of setting the bar low.

For me, this was jarring. After all, as an educator, I know the value of setting expectations high and then giving my students the skills, confidence, and support to reach those goals. It does not take much research into motivation and success and coaching to uncover mountains of material and research on the power of big goals.

So this thought of setting the bar low- I wondered if it was just a cop-out. A way to give ourselves permission to not put in the work.

As I read further, she specifically pointed out the value of setting the bar low when we were trying to build habits. You know- those things we routinely do without much thought or consideration. As Ms. Vanderkam often writes, habits are the foundational acts that allow us to reach our bigger goals.

So that got me thinking…. and I realized that in many ways, I was already setting the bar low. At least for some of the tasks that I believed must be part of my daily routine in order for me to ultimately reach my big goals. Kind of like taking baby-steps. Some of the areas in which my goals are low?

- Fitness
o While having a daily workout as part of my weekdays is one of my non-negotiable habits, I realized that I had set the bar low for what that might look like. A 15 minute session on my yoga mat, counts. A 20 minute walk around the neighborhood counts. It does not have to be an hour long session at the gym or result in me being sweaty and spent, for me to feel like I have met that daily goal.

- Writing
o Taking time every day to write is one of my non-negotiables for my work as an author. My goal is to spend time each day on each project. For this habit, I am also pretty flexible in what counts. For the manuscript I am revising, doing one chapter is a win. For the book I am drafting, getting a single page down counts.

- Reading
o As both an educator and an author, reading is critical to my work. It is also a great source of pleasure. So I have established a habit of reading every day. While reading friends’ posts on Facebook does NOT count, reading a chapter of the novel I have going or getting through one or two pages of a nonfiction book I am reading, absolutely counts.

While setting the bar low may initially sound like a cop-out, I am seeing the wisdom in it. Each time we successfully complete that task, we are strengthening that act as a habit in our lives. And our habits truly are the foundation for our bigger goals and successes!

March 14, 2021: A School Author Visit-Finally!

It was almost a year ago exactly that I had my last pre-pandemic school author visit. It was March 13, 2020 and I was meeting with 150- 4th Graders who had read my book Saving Home as part of their Florida Studies curriculum. They had also just returned from a field trip to St. Augustine, so I was able to talk with them about the various locations in the book that they had visited. It was a crowded and rambunctious visit. After my official talk, the kids who had books for me to sign, lined up and we chatted and posed for pictures. No masks. No social distancing.


Fast-forward a year, and this week I made my first in-person school author visit since then. Also meeting with about 120- 4th Graders who had read Saving Home as part of their Florida Studies Unit. This group however, had not been able to take a field trip to St. Augustine, so many had no personal connections to the places in the book. Only about half of the students were there in person, and the other half I saw virtually. Masks were everywhere and social distancing was paramount. Even when I signed books after, we were careful to stay at least three-feet apart as we chatted and passed books back and forth.

The differences were clear. However, there were also many similarities. Looking at both events helped to confirm for me, the real benefits of actually meeting with readers. Even with all of the pandemic protocols in place, in-person author visits are so much better than virtual ones, especially if you write for children.

- Children connect better when physical proximity is part of the experience. When I am presenting in-person to large groups, I walk around. Moving forces the children to follow me with their eyes and bodies. That physical engagement is critical. It helps to keep my young readers from zoning-out or otherwise disengaging.


- There is so much more sensory input for the children in-person. Sitting alone in front of a computer screen is extremely different than sitting in a room with dozens of others. The feelings, the smells, the touch. All contribute to engagement. The atmosphere in the room can be felt and can feed their excitement.


- Nuances are sometimes missed when not in-person. My presentations are interactive and there is much give and take between me and the children. When in-person, those small nuances of giggles, smiles, shoulder shrugs, and winks, are much more natural and organic. During virtual visits, most times the participants are on mute and therefore it becomes much less participatory for the children.


- The connections between the students watching my presentation is missing if they are logged in virtually. There are not the shared laughs, the eye rolls, elbow jabs and other student-to-student interactions that happen so naturally when you gather a group of children together. These participant interactions are a valuable part of the bonding-as-readers process.




There has been much talk lately of the pandemic changes that may stay, even when the crisis is over. Speculation that many shifts to virtual and distance work and interaction may not fade away. All in all, ANY kind of author visit is better than no visit, but I believe when given the chance, in-person is far superior when dealing with young readers.

Historical Responsibility

I recently had a conversation with a dear, life-long friend. She is also an educator, one of my most trusted beta-readers, and we share a passion for both history and reading. The conversation centered on the balance of historical accuracy and artistic license.

Within the realm of real-life and history, there is historical fiction, fictionalized history, documentaries, memoir, and historical narratives. Each is decidedly different, even though they are often clustered into one genre.



My friend was recently sharing her thoughts and experiences regarding a real-life crisis/event that has been made into both a book and a movie. While not personally experiencing the events, she knows those who did. She knows the reality and the facts, and how it has impacted those she cares about. We were discussing the implications and effects when writers veer from the hard-facts and dramatize, or embellish them. This led our discussion into the realm of ethics and morals. It became a very impactful exchange. And forced me to think deeply about my responsibilities as a writer.



I think that when writers are writing historical genres, every effort should be made for historical accuracy, and as a result, research must be meticulous. I also think that the author needs to be clear as to what fiction was added and why. For example, my first book, Saving Home, the characters were entirely fictional and created to tell the historically accurate events of the Siege of 1702. Every effort was made to make them as authentic as possible, but their thoughts and feelings were totally based on creative inferences.

Forcing Change was different because the people who experienced those Civil Rights struggles are still alive. I was able to interview and talk with some of the survivors of the events in the book, but I did not want to hijack their story, so the main character Maggie was entirely fictional- created to tell the events. Her feelings and perspectives were informed by the time I was able to spend with those who were really there, but she in no way represented them.

I also believe that the author needs to seriously consider their goals for the project. If this is a book that the writer would love teachers to select for use with students when studying a particular historical period, the attention to detail and accuracy must be front and center. If however, it is merely a project of fiction for entertainment and the historical period is just another prop to tell the story, much more flexibility can be applied.

I am continuing to think of this conversation and topic, as I am in the midst of research for another historical fiction middle grades novel. This conversation confirms for me, the awesome responsibility that writers of historical fiction have to “get it right”.

Multi-Tasking as a Writer

One of the topics that often comes up when I am presenting at Writer’s Groups or Conferences, is the overall writing process.

While each writer develops their own routines and processes that fit their life and skill-set, it is often helpful to hear how other writers do things.


There might be writers who begin a project and go through all of the steps in the writing process on that single project before beginning another, however, I believe that the majority of writers have multiple projects going, each at different stages in the writing process.

For example, right now I am in the research and planning stage for one historical fiction middle grades novel; in the first-drafting stage of another middle grades novel; doing revisions on another middle grades novel; and in the submissions stage with another middle grades novel. Yes, I realize that is four different novels that are demanding my focus. But there are benefits to having multiple projects going at once.

- When I hit the inevitable obstacle in one project, I still have others on which to work. This allows me to take a break from the problem project, and yet still be productive. Sometimes that time away can refresh my perspective and provide some inspiration. This also helps me to deal with the inevitable writer’s block that occasionally rears its ugly head.


- Having multiple projects in different stages allows for productive use of those waiting periods. Whether waiting for feedback from an editor during the revision stage, or waiting to hear from the agent or publisher after submission, I can still fill that time with productive work on another project.


- I tend to be more productive in smaller-bursts of time and focus. Probably because of that is what writing time looks like in my life. As a full-time Elementary school teacher and a part-time College Professor, the time left for my writing is usually in 15-30 minute intervals throughout my day or week. This is a perfect length for drafting a scene, writing research notes, or editing a chapter.


Whether you focus solely on one project from start to finish before beginning another, or jump from one project to the next, there is no wrong way to write. As long as you are writing, you are making progress.

The Gap Year

The Gap Year. Defined as the year when a student, typically between high school and college, puts their life path on hold to experience things off the beaten path. They may take a breather from academic pressures to travel, work, or try out things that are not normally a part of their everyday existence.

The personal growth that these students usually experience is seen as a valuable component in helping them ultimately design their adult life. The lessons learned, values uncovered, and self-discovery that often comes from a gap year can help to clarify priorities and goals.

Although I am a 60-something woman with a successful career as an educator, I feel like the pandemic has forced my writing career into a Gap Year.

It is not that I am not writing, because actually, I have done more writing this year than last. But it has forced me to hit the pause button on so many of the things that were instrumental in allowing me to build my career path as an author. Book signings, author talks, conference presentations, school visits. These all came to a screeching halt last March. At the time, I thought it would be temporary and brief. Maybe through the summer. I felt sure that by the fall, which is usually a very busy time for me, I would be once again booking events and meeting with readers.

While most Gap Years are chosen pathways for those who are partaking of them, this has been a forced-upon-me-Gap-Year.

I realize I am not alone. Nearly every art form has been impacted. Actors and musicians who can no longer provide live performances. Artists who can no longer host live showings. New York’s Broadway community has been decimated.

Those who are at the top of any of these artistic professions are impacted less drastically as they can still sell CDs or pieces of art, and provide virtual concerts or performances, but everyone has been impacted.

As the reality of 2021 begins to take hold, I am coming to the conclusion that this gap year may be more like a Gap-18-months. Or a Gap-24-months. This can be extremely discouraging, or extremely freeing. Discouraging if I look only at what I am loosing. Months and months of lost opportunities to connect with readers, which ultimately help sales, which essentially helps strengthen my author-career. Or freeing, if I look at it as giving me permission to adjust expectations for sales and royalties and publicity, and focus on other parts of my writing career.

I chose to look at it as a freeing and productive time.

I will continue to use this time to work on my actual writing. With one novel in the research/planning stage, one in the drafting stage, one in revisions, and one in submission stage, there is always something on which to work.

I will embrace the opportunities (and time) to nurture my spirit through reading, cooking, gardening, and writing. Without the usual events, social activities, and commitments that fill my calendar, I will view the free time as a positive rather than a deficit.

I will accept that even when this gap time is over, life will look different. More events will inevitably be virtual, so I will take this time to work on my virtual presentations and virtual presenting skills. Rather than avoiding virtual events, I will seek them out.

To all of those who feel like your life was forced into a Gap Year by the pandemic, I wish you silver-linings, self-discovery, and success!

A Love of Real Books

It is undeniable that we are all spending much more time in front of screens than we ever have before. Whether on virtual platforms for work, Zoom gatherings with friends, or on-line versions of things we formerly did face-to-face, we are all in front of our computers, laptops, devices, and phones more than ever.

This holds true for children as well. Even if they are going into the school building, classroom instruction is relying on computer programs and on-line activities more than ever.

For me, that is reason enough for us to choose real, actual books over ebooks, whenever we can. I am not opposed to ebooks. There are many positives to having many books readily available on a single device. But I also believe firmly that digital versions of books should not be the norm or the fall back. That whenever possible, especially with children, the real book is better.

Even as an adult reader, I only chose ebooks when I travel or if that is the only option for a book I must have. Other than that, I will always chose the actual book. For many reasons….

As a teacher, I want to be able to put the books on my bookshelves for my students to borrow and hold. Real books can be shared in ways that ebooks cannot. Watch a couple of eight year olds browsing through a pile of books and touching and holding them and you will see the power of an actual book.

As a college professor, I want to be able to hold and show and share books with my students. When teaching Children’s Literature classes, holding up the ebook is simply not as powerful as reading from, and showing, the actual book. The book takes on a presence that it does not when it is digital. Think in terms of zoom meetings compared to face-to-face meetings. Both work, but there is a decided difference.

As a grandmother, I want to be able to hold the book while I read to my granddaughters. Having them help turn the pages, looking at the illustrations, feeling the pages. These sensory experiences contribute to the story and the memories. Reading from an actual book engages all of our senses, not just visual. Our senses of touch and smell (yes- books have a smell!) become part of our reading experience.

As a writer, I want to fill my shelves with examples of the great work my fellow authors are doing. Books just bring me joy. Being able to look at the wonderful covers and book bindings that line the bookshelves in so many rooms of my home. Each book seems to have a spirit or a life force (think about all the ideas and information contained in them) that gives them a presence. A home filled with books has a feeling that those without books just does not have.



There is nothing in the world like the feel of a real book in your hands!

Feb. 7, 2021: Children's Poetry

There is no denying that on Jan. 20th of this year, Poetry joined our national consciousness. As a nation, we experienced poetry together. It uplifted and inspired us. It brought us to tears and smiles. We were witness to the power of this art form.

I have always had a love of poetry. As a teenager, I poured my suffering soul into poems that I wrote in notebooks. In college in the late 1970s, I studied the poems of Jack Kerouac, James Joyce, and Gertrude Stein. As an adult, I love reading a variety of poets and poetry types.

As a teacher/writer, I love helping my students to uncover the beauty of language through poetry, and uncover the hidden writer in their soul. Poetry is really a perfect conduit for teaching language and a love of words.

Children also seem to love poetry. While there are many reasons why any individual enjoys poetry, some of the reasons I hear repeated from my young students are:



- There are no rules in poetry

Most grammar and language rules do not apply to poetry, and for young writers, this is extremely freeing. That student who struggles to know when to start a new paragraph or how to avoid sentence fragments, does not have to worry about those things when creating poetry. Children love when rules can be ignored!

- There are no unnecessary words in poetry

The length of a poem is irrelevant to the message. This eliminates the struggle some young writers have with “writing enough”. It comes down to the most powerful and meaningful words. The extraneous is eliminated, and our thoughts are condensed down to the essential.


- As a reader, the text is often not as overwhelming as narrative writing

For many struggling readers and writers, the sheer volume of text on a page can be visually intimidating. But poetry typically has shorter lines, more frequent breaks, and simply takes up less of a page. While this may seem unimportant to us as adults, that visual of more page showing around the words can be so much more inviting for our budding readers and writers.


If, like much of the general public, you have not thought much about poetry, I challenge you to explore the art of the poem. Some of my favorite poets are Maya Angelou, Sylvia Plath, Dylan Thomas and Langston Hughes. However, if reading these poets seems a bit intimidating, start with poetry written for children, because like great children’s literature, children’s poetry has much for all of us.

Getting to Know Your Characters

Characters can make or break a story. You might have the most amazing settings, riveting storylines, and a gift for language that makes your words sing, but if your characters are not authentic and believable, your novel can sink.


As an author, before we even think of beginning to write their story, we must get to know our characters. This may seem silly- after all, as the writer, we are creating the character, of course we know who they are. But before you can write your characters, you must truly and deeply understand them. Characters have a way of evolving and growing and revealing themselves to us as the writer. Our job then is to spend as much time as we can getting to know them prior to drafting the story.

While every writer has their own strategies and processes for doing this, some of the ones I use myself, and share with my students are:

- Create a “snapshot summary”

This is short, descriptive statement that helps you understand the type of person that your character is. I tell my students to start their statements with “She was the kind of woman who….” Or “He was the kind of man who would….”
For example, “She was the kind of woman who would walk across the entire grocery store parking lot on a 98 degree day just to make sure the cart was put back into the cart corral.”


- Create their Diary or Journal

Actually write up journal or diary entries from your character’s point of view. Write about a typical, normal boring day in their life. Imagine events that impacted them and write about it from their vantage point. These “events” and feelings may not be directly connected to the story you plan to tell, and they may never make it into the text, but they will deepen your understanding of your character.

This also helps you to develop your character’s voice, because whether you are writing the story from first or third person point of view, your character’s perspective must come through.


- Write up their personal timeline.

Include the obvious and the relevant, (date of birth, when they first met another character in the story) but include the irrelevant as well. When they got their first speeding ticket, or when they got their first pet. You are creating their entire backstory.
While these events may seem irrelevant to the story, it helps you to understand and flesh out your character in a deeper way. These are the things that help to explain how and why they act the way they do.


- Create a list of their favorites and not-so-favorites

Favorite food, movie, wine, or color. Create a list of things they love or hate. Are they a Walmart shopper or would they rather be caught dead than going through a MacDonald’s drive-thru? Are they a militant non-smoker? Do they love fresh cut flowers? Rap music? Does he hate children? Does she hate broccoli? List both the significant and the insignificant.

Once you really know who your characters are, writing their story is not only easier, but you are less likely to have inconsistencies that may take away from your novel.