Leonardo Ramirez's Blog, page 30
November 10, 2011
Bullying Seminar
Hi Friends!
This week I attended an amazing seminar on bullying put on by Jim Williams. He was deeply impactful and engaging and my wife and I enjoyed it very much. For more information on Jim, please visit http://www.callmejim.org.
Here are some of the points we walked away with.
For Parents/Teachers:Create a Family Mission Values Statement – this would consist of values, beliefs and principals that the family as a whole adheres to and actively demonstrates in their relationships and interactions. Family members can hold each other accountable with a clearly understood and stated value statement that builds on those foundations.
Learn to see the world through their eyes – kids come to us with varying degrees as to how they are perceived and valued at home. It's important to keep that in mind when interacting with them.
Empathy is learned by age 5.
"Programming" ends by age 14. Once a child reaches that age their value system is in place as well as how they perceive themselves.
Have 15 minutes of one on one (each parent) with your child.
Every child needs to have their feelings validated by someone they care about. It's ok to feel angry but its how they react to that anger that determines right or wrong.
Children need to like the way they look. They need to be told that they are beautiful on the inside and that's what counts.
Seek first to understand than to be understood.
Every child needs to be good at education, social skills and an extra activity.
On Bullying:Bullying happen when someone with greater power unfairly hurts someone with less power.
There are two groups of students that give bullies power: followers and bystanders. The group who can take the lead in preventing bullying are the bystanders.
Bullies hurt. Leaders help.
Bullying is a form of violence and comes in three forms: physical (destruction of property), verbal, and social (excluding someone).
The primary needs of a child are to fit in and to belong.
To be a bystander is to participate in the bullying.
Bullies never remember. Victims never forget.
Never start a rumor.
Types of Listeners
Those that flat out ignore.
Those that pretend to listen (kids can pick up on that).
Selective listeners.
Attentive.
I don't want to relay his entire seminar in a blog post because it would not do it justice by a long shot. If you're an educator and you're interested in having Jim come to your school shoot him an email at Jim.Williams@callmejim.org.
Chat soon!
Lenny
Leonardo Ramirez is an author or prose fiction and graphic novels in the genres of Young Adult and Children's Books. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.Thanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
This week I attended an amazing seminar on bullying put on by Jim Williams. He was deeply impactful and engaging and my wife and I enjoyed it very much. For more information on Jim, please visit http://www.callmejim.org.
Here are some of the points we walked away with.
For Parents/Teachers:Create a Family Mission Values Statement – this would consist of values, beliefs and principals that the family as a whole adheres to and actively demonstrates in their relationships and interactions. Family members can hold each other accountable with a clearly understood and stated value statement that builds on those foundations.
Learn to see the world through their eyes – kids come to us with varying degrees as to how they are perceived and valued at home. It's important to keep that in mind when interacting with them.
Empathy is learned by age 5.
"Programming" ends by age 14. Once a child reaches that age their value system is in place as well as how they perceive themselves.
Have 15 minutes of one on one (each parent) with your child.
Every child needs to have their feelings validated by someone they care about. It's ok to feel angry but its how they react to that anger that determines right or wrong.
Children need to like the way they look. They need to be told that they are beautiful on the inside and that's what counts.
Seek first to understand than to be understood.
Every child needs to be good at education, social skills and an extra activity.
On Bullying:Bullying happen when someone with greater power unfairly hurts someone with less power.
There are two groups of students that give bullies power: followers and bystanders. The group who can take the lead in preventing bullying are the bystanders.
Bullies hurt. Leaders help.
Bullying is a form of violence and comes in three forms: physical (destruction of property), verbal, and social (excluding someone).
The primary needs of a child are to fit in and to belong.
To be a bystander is to participate in the bullying.
Bullies never remember. Victims never forget.
Never start a rumor.
Types of Listeners
Those that flat out ignore.
Those that pretend to listen (kids can pick up on that).
Selective listeners.
Attentive.
I don't want to relay his entire seminar in a blog post because it would not do it justice by a long shot. If you're an educator and you're interested in having Jim come to your school shoot him an email at Jim.Williams@callmejim.org.
Chat soon!
Lenny
Leonardo Ramirez is an author or prose fiction and graphic novels in the genres of Young Adult and Children's Books. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.Thanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
November 9, 2011
Need Your Help...
Hello Friends,
In a previous blog I mentioned that I'd be starting up my own publishing entity. It all starts with one book that we are in the process of producing that I will be sharing with you as soon as we get the trailer done. It's a project that I am very excited about. In order for us to get the ball rolling on the publishing entity we need to cover the costs of producing the first book out of the gate. Through a website called, Kickstarter we will be able to do that so in the coming days or weeks I will be rolling out the trailer and synopsis in order to get that going. Kickstarter is a website that allows anonymous donors to give towards a creative project.
Please know that asking for money in these hard financial times is extremely difficult for me but I also believe that it's in times like these that necessity becomes the mother of invention and should we come out of the other side of this financial crisis still breathing something good may come out of this. It's not about helping further my career. It's about sharing heartaches in a fictional setting and how I've learned from them.
That's the single most important reason why I write.
It doesn't take a good writer to be successful but it does take one who is willing to lay everything out to see and the reality is that there is a cost involved. Also know that because my family and I have weathered some storms ourselves every penny will be greatly appreciated and put to good use. Please do not feel obligated and I hope I haven't offended anyone. I will send out a notice when the proposal goes out.
In the meantime, please visit http://www.facebook.com/jupiterchronicles for some preliminary information on the book. I've also included a synopsis below:
The Dawn of Steampunk Rises on a Faraway Planet called Earth.
It is the year 1892 and Ian and Callie Castillo have had to suffer the hardships of a single parent family since their father went missing five years ago. Since then Ian has refused to use the last gift that his father left the wounded boy; a telescope that sits collecting dust in the attic. When Callie decides to peer through its murky lens it activates the device and sends the Castillo's to the steam-powered floating cities of Jupiter to rescue their father and save the Jovians before the Martians launch their attack.
What follows is the beginning of an era that will forever be known by its strange name…Steampunk.
Sure there's plenty of action but what's the real story here?
As one who grew up in a single family, I can relate to the struggles that kids go through as they try to find themselves in the midst of surviving each day. Things like resentment, lack of focus or self-confidence, and even self-blame can really wreak havoc on a child's persona. Through a fictional setting, my hope is to convey to kids who find themselves living in that day-to-day that a resolution can be found and that the only decisions they are responsible for are their own. In this story, Ian and Callie Castillo have not seen their father in a very long time. Callie was very young when he disappeared but Ian (being older) has suffered the loss in a much deeper way.
Thanks so much in advance!
Chat soon,
Lenny
Leonardo Ramirez is an author or prose fiction and graphic novels in the genres of Young Adult and Children's Books. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.Thanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
In a previous blog I mentioned that I'd be starting up my own publishing entity. It all starts with one book that we are in the process of producing that I will be sharing with you as soon as we get the trailer done. It's a project that I am very excited about. In order for us to get the ball rolling on the publishing entity we need to cover the costs of producing the first book out of the gate. Through a website called, Kickstarter we will be able to do that so in the coming days or weeks I will be rolling out the trailer and synopsis in order to get that going. Kickstarter is a website that allows anonymous donors to give towards a creative project.
Please know that asking for money in these hard financial times is extremely difficult for me but I also believe that it's in times like these that necessity becomes the mother of invention and should we come out of the other side of this financial crisis still breathing something good may come out of this. It's not about helping further my career. It's about sharing heartaches in a fictional setting and how I've learned from them.
That's the single most important reason why I write.
It doesn't take a good writer to be successful but it does take one who is willing to lay everything out to see and the reality is that there is a cost involved. Also know that because my family and I have weathered some storms ourselves every penny will be greatly appreciated and put to good use. Please do not feel obligated and I hope I haven't offended anyone. I will send out a notice when the proposal goes out.
In the meantime, please visit http://www.facebook.com/jupiterchronicles for some preliminary information on the book. I've also included a synopsis below:
The Dawn of Steampunk Rises on a Faraway Planet called Earth.
It is the year 1892 and Ian and Callie Castillo have had to suffer the hardships of a single parent family since their father went missing five years ago. Since then Ian has refused to use the last gift that his father left the wounded boy; a telescope that sits collecting dust in the attic. When Callie decides to peer through its murky lens it activates the device and sends the Castillo's to the steam-powered floating cities of Jupiter to rescue their father and save the Jovians before the Martians launch their attack.
What follows is the beginning of an era that will forever be known by its strange name…Steampunk.
Sure there's plenty of action but what's the real story here?
As one who grew up in a single family, I can relate to the struggles that kids go through as they try to find themselves in the midst of surviving each day. Things like resentment, lack of focus or self-confidence, and even self-blame can really wreak havoc on a child's persona. Through a fictional setting, my hope is to convey to kids who find themselves living in that day-to-day that a resolution can be found and that the only decisions they are responsible for are their own. In this story, Ian and Callie Castillo have not seen their father in a very long time. Callie was very young when he disappeared but Ian (being older) has suffered the loss in a much deeper way.
Thanks so much in advance!
Chat soon,
Lenny
Leonardo Ramirez is an author or prose fiction and graphic novels in the genres of Young Adult and Children's Books. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.Thanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
November 7, 2011
Where I've Been…
I really hate talking about myself but for posterity's sake I wanted to have something that would reflect the person that I am, where I've come from and where I'm going as a result. As I've alluded to before, we're all a product of our experiences good or bad but ultimately everything comes down to choice.
I was born in New York and specifically, the Bronx. I still remember the address my parent's brought me home to. It was 700 Oakland Place. Just for kicks I searched for it on Google Maps.
The only thing I remember from living there was how my mom got me off the bottle (isn't that strange that I would remember that?). She put hot spice on it. Maybe that's why I remember it.
Anyway, we moved from there to 3232 Seymour Avenue still in the Bronx.
My best friend at the time was Lee Clark. Funny kid. Always happy. Hope he still is. The next door neighbor's dog was named Blackie. I remember that because every time I'd leave the house that stupid dog would chase me down. He never could catch me. I thought those people were evil for leaving that dog out all the time. Aside from that, this is pretty much where my life started changing but before I go into all that let me just say right off the bat that I do love my parents very much. I've spent too much of my life trying to figure out why things happened the way they did but that's not done anyone any good.
I was six at the time and my father came home and my parents got into an argument. Somehow Mom ended up underneath the dining room table with a ton of broken glass surrounding her. I remember asking my dad, "Is she dead?" "No," he answered. "She's sleeping."
He walked me into the living room but being curious about what had actually happened I didn't stay there very long. My mom had already gotten up and closed the door behind her in my room. When I tried to go in there, she slammed the door on my toe and smashed it. To this day, I'm not sure of exactly what started that altercation on that day but I have moved passed it and the times my mom threatened to put my hand on a hot burner if I misbehaved.
I don't want to paint my parents as being evil because there were some good moments. My father used to take me to the city to see the sites. I remember standing at the foot of the Twin Towers and looking straight up the wall and getting dizzy. He also took me to the Statue of Liberty and I remember getting obscenely tired from the spiral staircase on the way to the top.
My dad was the first person to introduce me to karate. I wish he had kept it up because he never made it passed white belt. I just got my 2nd degree black last September.
My mom was also very affectionate which was passed on to me. It drives my daughter nuts. She'll come to appreciate it later.
My father now suffers from Alzheimer's which is a dreadful and torturous disease. I pray for him all the time and love him very much. It was a different time and they didn't see things the same way as we do now. It's not that I condone their behavior, I just forgive them for it and have moved on. There's a lesson there as well since there is no way that I would ever put my daughter through anything of the sort.
When I was seven years old, my parents divorced. My mom decided to move us to Puerto Rico and by us I mean my two sisters and I.
At the time, I didn't speak a lick of Spanish at the time so I had to learn it the hard way. One day I was out in the schoolyard and a kid told me to yell a certain word in Spanish. The teacher who caught me showed mercy. It was the other kid who got into trouble. My dad soon followed us there but not before he remarried. We found out after the wedding.
Things didn't get any better between my parents. My Uncle Frank and Aunt Patti always took us over to their house. It was there that I was able to experience a functional family. They loved me very much and still do.
We lived there for three years before my mom decided to move us again. This time it was Florida. Ah, the life of a nomad.I'll share more about where I've been at a later date. I don't want this to end on a depressing note because there's a very happy ending and that's all that matters.
Chat soon!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction (YA), graphic novels, and children's books.For more information, visit http://www.leonardoverse.comThanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
I was born in New York and specifically, the Bronx. I still remember the address my parent's brought me home to. It was 700 Oakland Place. Just for kicks I searched for it on Google Maps. The only thing I remember from living there was how my mom got me off the bottle (isn't that strange that I would remember that?). She put hot spice on it. Maybe that's why I remember it.
Anyway, we moved from there to 3232 Seymour Avenue still in the Bronx.My best friend at the time was Lee Clark. Funny kid. Always happy. Hope he still is. The next door neighbor's dog was named Blackie. I remember that because every time I'd leave the house that stupid dog would chase me down. He never could catch me. I thought those people were evil for leaving that dog out all the time. Aside from that, this is pretty much where my life started changing but before I go into all that let me just say right off the bat that I do love my parents very much. I've spent too much of my life trying to figure out why things happened the way they did but that's not done anyone any good.
I was six at the time and my father came home and my parents got into an argument. Somehow Mom ended up underneath the dining room table with a ton of broken glass surrounding her. I remember asking my dad, "Is she dead?" "No," he answered. "She's sleeping."
He walked me into the living room but being curious about what had actually happened I didn't stay there very long. My mom had already gotten up and closed the door behind her in my room. When I tried to go in there, she slammed the door on my toe and smashed it. To this day, I'm not sure of exactly what started that altercation on that day but I have moved passed it and the times my mom threatened to put my hand on a hot burner if I misbehaved.
I don't want to paint my parents as being evil because there were some good moments. My father used to take me to the city to see the sites. I remember standing at the foot of the Twin Towers and looking straight up the wall and getting dizzy. He also took me to the Statue of Liberty and I remember getting obscenely tired from the spiral staircase on the way to the top. My dad was the first person to introduce me to karate. I wish he had kept it up because he never made it passed white belt. I just got my 2nd degree black last September.
My mom was also very affectionate which was passed on to me. It drives my daughter nuts. She'll come to appreciate it later.
My father now suffers from Alzheimer's which is a dreadful and torturous disease. I pray for him all the time and love him very much. It was a different time and they didn't see things the same way as we do now. It's not that I condone their behavior, I just forgive them for it and have moved on. There's a lesson there as well since there is no way that I would ever put my daughter through anything of the sort.
When I was seven years old, my parents divorced. My mom decided to move us to Puerto Rico and by us I mean my two sisters and I.
At the time, I didn't speak a lick of Spanish at the time so I had to learn it the hard way. One day I was out in the schoolyard and a kid told me to yell a certain word in Spanish. The teacher who caught me showed mercy. It was the other kid who got into trouble. My dad soon followed us there but not before he remarried. We found out after the wedding.
Things didn't get any better between my parents. My Uncle Frank and Aunt Patti always took us over to their house. It was there that I was able to experience a functional family. They loved me very much and still do.
We lived there for three years before my mom decided to move us again. This time it was Florida. Ah, the life of a nomad.I'll share more about where I've been at a later date. I don't want this to end on a depressing note because there's a very happy ending and that's all that matters.
Chat soon!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction (YA), graphic novels, and children's books.For more information, visit http://www.leonardoverse.comThanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
November 2, 2011
A New Course...
Hi Friends!
Hope you're all doing well. I've been out of touch for a little bit because our daughter has had a rough year with strep and stomach viruses. It sure seems like there's a lot of that going around. As I write this I'm struggling a bit with some sinus issues myself. Allergies have always plagued me. Hopefully, the shots I'm now on will work.
In any case, we did have a great Halloween and hope that you did as well. Kristen and I sat outside in front of the fire pit and handed out candy.
Our daughter dressed up as a ninja. It was a little chilly so we didn't last long going door to door begging for sweets.
I've also been busy writing a children's book that I'm excited about and will share more about it at a later date. What I am prepared to share is something that I've been thinking and praying about for quite some time. As I mentioned before, an agent had asked for a prose novel version of the graphic novel, Haven.
After six months of late nights I submitted it back in July as promised (actually, I was early in my target date). In the four months since then there's been a tugging on my heart to move into a little bit of a different direction and there have been doors along the way that have been opened I had also mentioned in a previous post about getting the most out of where you are and learning as much as you can.
So with all of that said, I'm going to be starting up a publishing company of my own. I've already tagged some folks to help with certain things and I will mention them later. I'm sure I'll come across more friends who would like to help in their area of expertise. For them, there will be no stifling of creativity. The work that will be published through this entity will be solely my own at least for now. Who knows what the future holds?
The reason (in part) that I feel good about this decision is that I look back at my life and experience and I don't want to waste it. I also don't want to leave it up to someone else to market my work nor should I expect someone else to feel as passionate about it as I do. That's the rule of thumb anyway, right? No one can market your work like you can! I also don't need to wait a year before something is finished and it goes to print and it'll be my words, not someone else's.
Most importantly, I want to leave something for my daughter to benefit from in the future should we make some pocket change along the way and free her up to pursue whatever dreams she wants to chase down. That is my real dream. My wife and I are doing this for her.
I'll keep you posted on how everything progresses. If you've subscribed to my blog, I could never thank you enough. Every once in a while I log into feedburner to see the list of names subscribed and I whisper a "thank you" under my breath to all of you.
By the way, I never got an answer from the agency but that's ok.
Chat soon!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction (YA), graphic novels, and children's books.For more information, visit http://www.leonardoverse.comThanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
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Hope you're all doing well. I've been out of touch for a little bit because our daughter has had a rough year with strep and stomach viruses. It sure seems like there's a lot of that going around. As I write this I'm struggling a bit with some sinus issues myself. Allergies have always plagued me. Hopefully, the shots I'm now on will work.
In any case, we did have a great Halloween and hope that you did as well. Kristen and I sat outside in front of the fire pit and handed out candy. Our daughter dressed up as a ninja. It was a little chilly so we didn't last long going door to door begging for sweets.
I've also been busy writing a children's book that I'm excited about and will share more about it at a later date. What I am prepared to share is something that I've been thinking and praying about for quite some time. As I mentioned before, an agent had asked for a prose novel version of the graphic novel, Haven.
After six months of late nights I submitted it back in July as promised (actually, I was early in my target date). In the four months since then there's been a tugging on my heart to move into a little bit of a different direction and there have been doors along the way that have been opened I had also mentioned in a previous post about getting the most out of where you are and learning as much as you can.
So with all of that said, I'm going to be starting up a publishing company of my own. I've already tagged some folks to help with certain things and I will mention them later. I'm sure I'll come across more friends who would like to help in their area of expertise. For them, there will be no stifling of creativity. The work that will be published through this entity will be solely my own at least for now. Who knows what the future holds?
The reason (in part) that I feel good about this decision is that I look back at my life and experience and I don't want to waste it. I also don't want to leave it up to someone else to market my work nor should I expect someone else to feel as passionate about it as I do. That's the rule of thumb anyway, right? No one can market your work like you can! I also don't need to wait a year before something is finished and it goes to print and it'll be my words, not someone else's.
Most importantly, I want to leave something for my daughter to benefit from in the future should we make some pocket change along the way and free her up to pursue whatever dreams she wants to chase down. That is my real dream. My wife and I are doing this for her.
I'll keep you posted on how everything progresses. If you've subscribed to my blog, I could never thank you enough. Every once in a while I log into feedburner to see the list of names subscribed and I whisper a "thank you" under my breath to all of you.
By the way, I never got an answer from the agency but that's ok.
Chat soon!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction (YA), graphic novels, and children's books.For more information, visit http://www.leonardoverse.comThanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
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October 12, 2011
Update: GMX, Southern Festival, Upcoming Title..
Hi All,
Just wanted to update my friends on what's been happening as of late with scheduling. As I tweeted earlier this week I had to make a financial decision about GMX which really wasn't that hard after looking at our bank account. It came down to putting food on the table or GMX. The nice folks that run the con were extremely understanding and that very same day refunded the table cost. When folks are more caring about people than making a buck it says a lot and their support speaks volumes. I hope to go back next year. If you have not been, please go.
On Southern Festival of Books well that's a whole other story. Last year I was a guest of the now defunct Council for the Written Word and I was extremely grateful for the invite. My family went with me (as they do for most events) and being the sweet, outreaching lady that she is, my wife reached out to the folks that run it and obtained some contacts. I always try to follow up with those as soon as the event is over which I did in this case. I received no response for about 8 months or so. When I reached out again I received an apology and then was told that they would get back to me. Weeks turned into months once again with no response. I reached out again (by now you must be thinking, "let it go!") after finding out on their website that they had made their decision as to who would be scheduled as a guest and was greeted with another apology and an offer to host a one hour spot around 3-ish. That's when most kids are just coming out of school not to mention when rush hour starts so there was really no point in accepting it. Needless to say, I've learned my lesson and I'm moving on. That's that.
I didn't write this portion to whine about what happened but to let it simply be a source of encouragement for others. As a writer (or whatever your creative outlet is), you're going to have someone somewhere not be as courteous as you would like. Don't take it personal. Do what you do for the joy of it because when you do it shines through and folks take notice. That's what it's about anyway.
Now about that upcoming title. I can't give out details yet only because when you hear of it you'll assume that it's been done before but shockingly there aren't a lot of books out there with this combination of genres so my wife (who is a librarian) told me to keep my mouth shut until it's out. I can share that it is a children's book (grades 2-3) and once it's done it will be scrutinized by librarians and teachers that we know and trust (thank you Jessica and Anne). It will also match up with state standards so that it can be used in the classroom.
How did I come up with it? I didn't. I was sitting in my chair throwing some thoughts around on a new children's book (I had written some before and wanted to visit the genre again) and had come to a working plot. Then, my nine-year old daughter came down the stairs and said "Daddy, Daddy! Why don't you write a story about….."
I looked at my wife and then down at my laptop and then back at my wife again. My response?
"That sounds better than what I was working on." So there you have it. I may have elaborate it, polished it, gave it detail but the story is hers.
Of course I'm going to give her credit. What kind of a dad do you think I am?
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction, graphic novels, and children's books.For more information, visit http://www.leonardoverse.comThanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
Just wanted to update my friends on what's been happening as of late with scheduling. As I tweeted earlier this week I had to make a financial decision about GMX which really wasn't that hard after looking at our bank account. It came down to putting food on the table or GMX. The nice folks that run the con were extremely understanding and that very same day refunded the table cost. When folks are more caring about people than making a buck it says a lot and their support speaks volumes. I hope to go back next year. If you have not been, please go.
On Southern Festival of Books well that's a whole other story. Last year I was a guest of the now defunct Council for the Written Word and I was extremely grateful for the invite. My family went with me (as they do for most events) and being the sweet, outreaching lady that she is, my wife reached out to the folks that run it and obtained some contacts. I always try to follow up with those as soon as the event is over which I did in this case. I received no response for about 8 months or so. When I reached out again I received an apology and then was told that they would get back to me. Weeks turned into months once again with no response. I reached out again (by now you must be thinking, "let it go!") after finding out on their website that they had made their decision as to who would be scheduled as a guest and was greeted with another apology and an offer to host a one hour spot around 3-ish. That's when most kids are just coming out of school not to mention when rush hour starts so there was really no point in accepting it. Needless to say, I've learned my lesson and I'm moving on. That's that.
I didn't write this portion to whine about what happened but to let it simply be a source of encouragement for others. As a writer (or whatever your creative outlet is), you're going to have someone somewhere not be as courteous as you would like. Don't take it personal. Do what you do for the joy of it because when you do it shines through and folks take notice. That's what it's about anyway.
Now about that upcoming title. I can't give out details yet only because when you hear of it you'll assume that it's been done before but shockingly there aren't a lot of books out there with this combination of genres so my wife (who is a librarian) told me to keep my mouth shut until it's out. I can share that it is a children's book (grades 2-3) and once it's done it will be scrutinized by librarians and teachers that we know and trust (thank you Jessica and Anne). It will also match up with state standards so that it can be used in the classroom.
How did I come up with it? I didn't. I was sitting in my chair throwing some thoughts around on a new children's book (I had written some before and wanted to visit the genre again) and had come to a working plot. Then, my nine-year old daughter came down the stairs and said "Daddy, Daddy! Why don't you write a story about….."
I looked at my wife and then down at my laptop and then back at my wife again. My response?
"That sounds better than what I was working on." So there you have it. I may have elaborate it, polished it, gave it detail but the story is hers.
Of course I'm going to give her credit. What kind of a dad do you think I am?
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction, graphic novels, and children's books.For more information, visit http://www.leonardoverse.comThanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
October 6, 2011
Create as You Wait!
This week has been emotionally tough. My sweet wife (who is a school librarian) is busier than ever. I’m wishing I had more hours in the day to write and watching the news is well, if you’re keeping up then I need not say more. This week I struggled with the performance of my first graphic novel, Haven and wondering if I could have done more. In fact this week I had to cancel my appearance at my favorite local con (GMX) which by the way, is a lot of fun so if you’re in the area then please go and say hi to all the nice folks for me.
When it comes to my work I’m not one to readily blame anyone but myself. I did my tour of duty which included retail outlets, libraries, schools, conventions, talks, you name it – I’ve done it. Despite all of that (and phenomenal reviews) I thought things were supposed to be a little different by now.
I was wrong.
Here’s where we writers always seem to get it wrong. We hate to wait. As Jack Nicholson said in “As Good as It Gets”, I’m using the word hate here! I love that movie. We hate to wait for the agent to respond to our query. We hate to wait for the publisher to read our manuscript. I hate to wait for my burger order (I’m hypoglycemic). The reality is that when you’re starting out it does take time to build an audience and yes, we are in a bad economy. Be patient (I’m talking to myself here). The good news is that in our heart of hearts we are writers and nothing can change that.
So what should we do while we wait?
Create! Turn the drive to succeed into a burst of creativity. Turn off the personality who has sold a gazillion copies of their book and set yourself down and carefully craft the world where only your characters can voice the thoughts and feelings you are dying to get out and don’t stop (unless you’re going out for a burger).
Be ready for when the good times come because when they do you’ll be ready and reap the rewards you’ve waited for your entire creative life.
Now go and create. Be ready for when the good times come.
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels.
For more info, visit http://www.leonardoverse.com or http://leonardoverse.blogspot.comHaven
When it comes to my work I’m not one to readily blame anyone but myself. I did my tour of duty which included retail outlets, libraries, schools, conventions, talks, you name it – I’ve done it. Despite all of that (and phenomenal reviews) I thought things were supposed to be a little different by now.
I was wrong.
Here’s where we writers always seem to get it wrong. We hate to wait. As Jack Nicholson said in “As Good as It Gets”, I’m using the word hate here! I love that movie. We hate to wait for the agent to respond to our query. We hate to wait for the publisher to read our manuscript. I hate to wait for my burger order (I’m hypoglycemic). The reality is that when you’re starting out it does take time to build an audience and yes, we are in a bad economy. Be patient (I’m talking to myself here). The good news is that in our heart of hearts we are writers and nothing can change that.
So what should we do while we wait?
Create! Turn the drive to succeed into a burst of creativity. Turn off the personality who has sold a gazillion copies of their book and set yourself down and carefully craft the world where only your characters can voice the thoughts and feelings you are dying to get out and don’t stop (unless you’re going out for a burger).
Be ready for when the good times come because when they do you’ll be ready and reap the rewards you’ve waited for your entire creative life.
Now go and create. Be ready for when the good times come.
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels.
For more info, visit http://www.leonardoverse.com or http://leonardoverse.blogspot.comHaven
Create as You Wait!
This week has been emotionally tough. My sweet wife (who is a school librarian) is busier than ever. I'm wishing I had more hours in the day to write and watching the news is well, if you're keeping up then I need not say more. This week I struggled with the performance of my first graphic novel, Haven and wondering if I could have done more. In fact this week I had to cancel my appearance at my favorite local con (GMX) which by the way, is a lot of fun so if you're in the area then please go and say hi to all the nice folks for me.
When it comes to my work I'm not one to readily blame anyone but myself. I did my tour of duty which included retail outlets, libraries, schools, conventions, talks, you name it – I've done it. Despite all of that (and phenomenal reviews) I thought things were supposed to be a little different by now.
I was wrong.
Here's where we writers always seem to get it wrong. We hate to wait. As Jack Nicholson said in "As Good as It Gets", I'm using the word hate here! I love that movie. We hate to wait for the agent to respond to our query. We hate to wait for the publisher to read our manuscript. I hate to wait for my burger order (I'm hypoglycemic). The reality is that when you're starting out it does take time to build an audience and yes, we are in a bad economy. Be patient (I'm talking to myself here). The good news is that in our heart of hearts we are writers and nothing can change that.
So what should we do while we wait?
Create! Turn the drive to succeed into a burst of creativity. Turn off the personality who has sold a gazillion copies of their book and set yourself down and carefully craft the world where only your characters can voice the thoughts and feelings you are dying to get out and don't stop (unless you're going out for a burger). Be ready for when the good times come because when they do you'll be ready and reap the rewards you've waited for your entire creative life.
Now go and create. Be ready for when the good times come.
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels.For more info, visit http://www.leonardoverse.com Thanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
When it comes to my work I'm not one to readily blame anyone but myself. I did my tour of duty which included retail outlets, libraries, schools, conventions, talks, you name it – I've done it. Despite all of that (and phenomenal reviews) I thought things were supposed to be a little different by now.
I was wrong.
Here's where we writers always seem to get it wrong. We hate to wait. As Jack Nicholson said in "As Good as It Gets", I'm using the word hate here! I love that movie. We hate to wait for the agent to respond to our query. We hate to wait for the publisher to read our manuscript. I hate to wait for my burger order (I'm hypoglycemic). The reality is that when you're starting out it does take time to build an audience and yes, we are in a bad economy. Be patient (I'm talking to myself here). The good news is that in our heart of hearts we are writers and nothing can change that.
So what should we do while we wait?
Create! Turn the drive to succeed into a burst of creativity. Turn off the personality who has sold a gazillion copies of their book and set yourself down and carefully craft the world where only your characters can voice the thoughts and feelings you are dying to get out and don't stop (unless you're going out for a burger). Be ready for when the good times come because when they do you'll be ready and reap the rewards you've waited for your entire creative life.
Now go and create. Be ready for when the good times come.
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels.For more info, visit http://www.leonardoverse.com Thanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
October 4, 2011
The Business of Writing
Ok right off the cuff this may sound like a boring subject to cover for some but not only is it absolutely necessary but it is one that I would highly recommend be embraced especially for younger writers or those just starting out. Trust me, I ignored this very important facet of writing for some times and found myself getting antsy about where I was in life. After all, we’ve all had jobs at some point or another that at the time we think to ourselves, “What am I doing here? I’m a writer!” Well, aside from having to keep the lights on and food on the table you don’t ever want to discount the experience you’re gaining from whatever job you’re in.
I was blessed enough to be an International Marketing Manager for a well- known music company for a number of years before the recession hit and it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me as far as my writing goes. I managed royalty reports for a number of foreign countries on a monthly basis and set up production schedules for album releases in the same. Now when I say set up production schedules that means ensuring that each country had the parts that they needed for manufacturing the titles and/or ensuring that they had all of the marketing material and finished product they needed prior to the street date of certain titles so if a title was not properly set up by an announced street date then it just wasn’t a good time for that distributor.
Sound boring? Perhaps but all that to say that now I know how to keep a schedule come hell or high water. I learned the impact that missing one step in the production chain can have on a whole lot of people as well as learning what everyone’s role is in the process. I’m not saying that we all need a lesson in keeping our word because whether or not we have the experience our yes should be yes and our no should be no but there is a deeper insight into learning the process part of it.
Don’t despise it. Learn everything you possibly can where you are right now and when you’ve learned all that you can….
…remain real and true to yourself.
Leonardo Ramirez is an author or prose fiction and graphic novels.
For more information, visit http://www.leonardoverse.com or http://leonardoverse.blogspot.com
I was blessed enough to be an International Marketing Manager for a well- known music company for a number of years before the recession hit and it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me as far as my writing goes. I managed royalty reports for a number of foreign countries on a monthly basis and set up production schedules for album releases in the same. Now when I say set up production schedules that means ensuring that each country had the parts that they needed for manufacturing the titles and/or ensuring that they had all of the marketing material and finished product they needed prior to the street date of certain titles so if a title was not properly set up by an announced street date then it just wasn’t a good time for that distributor.
Sound boring? Perhaps but all that to say that now I know how to keep a schedule come hell or high water. I learned the impact that missing one step in the production chain can have on a whole lot of people as well as learning what everyone’s role is in the process. I’m not saying that we all need a lesson in keeping our word because whether or not we have the experience our yes should be yes and our no should be no but there is a deeper insight into learning the process part of it.
Don’t despise it. Learn everything you possibly can where you are right now and when you’ve learned all that you can….
…remain real and true to yourself.
Leonardo Ramirez is an author or prose fiction and graphic novels.
For more information, visit http://www.leonardoverse.com or http://leonardoverse.blogspot.com
The Business of Writing
Ok right off the cuff this may sound like a boring subject to cover for some but not only is it absolutely necessary but it is one that I would highly recommend be embraced especially for younger writers or those just starting out. Trust me, I ignored this very important facet of writing for some times and found myself getting antsy about where I was in life. After all, we've all had jobs at some point or another that at the time we think to ourselves, "What am I doing here? I'm a writer!" Well, aside from having to keep the lights on and food on the table you don't ever want to discount the experience you're gaining from whatever job you're in.
I was blessed enough to be an International Marketing Manager for a well- known music company for a number of years before the recession hit and it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me as far as my writing goes. I managed royalty reports for a number of foreign countries on a monthly basis and set up production schedules for album releases in the same. Now when I say set up production schedules that means ensuring that each country had the parts that they needed for manufacturing the titles and/or ensuring that they had all of the marketing material and finished product they needed prior to the street date of certain titles so if a title was not properly set up by an announced street date then it just wasn't a good time for that distributor.
Sound boring? Perhaps but all that to say that now I know how to keep a schedule come hell or high water. I learned the impact that missing one step in the production chain can have on a whole lot of people as well as learning what everyone's role is in the process. I'm not saying that we all need a lesson in keeping our word because whether or not we have the experience our yes should be yes and our no should be no but there is a deeper insight into learning the process part of it.
Don't despise it. Learn everything you possibly can where you are right now and when you've learned all that you can….
…remain real and true to yourself.
Leonardo Ramirez is an author or prose fiction and graphic novels.For more information, visit http://www.leonardoverse.com or http://leonardoverse.blogspot.comThanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
I was blessed enough to be an International Marketing Manager for a well- known music company for a number of years before the recession hit and it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me as far as my writing goes. I managed royalty reports for a number of foreign countries on a monthly basis and set up production schedules for album releases in the same. Now when I say set up production schedules that means ensuring that each country had the parts that they needed for manufacturing the titles and/or ensuring that they had all of the marketing material and finished product they needed prior to the street date of certain titles so if a title was not properly set up by an announced street date then it just wasn't a good time for that distributor.
Sound boring? Perhaps but all that to say that now I know how to keep a schedule come hell or high water. I learned the impact that missing one step in the production chain can have on a whole lot of people as well as learning what everyone's role is in the process. I'm not saying that we all need a lesson in keeping our word because whether or not we have the experience our yes should be yes and our no should be no but there is a deeper insight into learning the process part of it.
Don't despise it. Learn everything you possibly can where you are right now and when you've learned all that you can….
…remain real and true to yourself.
Leonardo Ramirez is an author or prose fiction and graphic novels.For more information, visit http://www.leonardoverse.com or http://leonardoverse.blogspot.comThanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
September 27, 2011
Martial Arts Seminar This Weekend
This past weekend my family and I had a blast with lots of new techniques that we learned and lots of great fellowship. We attended the annual seminar that our school (http://www.americankarateacademy) hosts once a year. It's a lot of work but tons of fun. We had instructors come from all over the U.S. while our featured guest instructor was Bill "Superfoot" Wallace.
Grandmaster Wallace retired undefeated and has his kicks clocked at 60 mph and in his 60's with a hip replacement and two knee replacements he can still go toe-to-toe with black belts less than half his age. Master Lisa Heitke from Wisconsin taught a women's self-defense class that is unmatched. My wife thoroughly enjoyed her class.
Other instructors included Grandmaster Bernie Fritz whose calm demeanor I've always found invigorating and encouraging, Grandmaster Floyd Burk who is my Sensei's instructor and writes for Black Belt Magazine and my friend, Sensei Matt Stonerock who taught a class on tournament sparring. He also lent his martial arts expertise with Haven: The Graphic Novel.
Finally, there was my Sensei who means a lot to me as well. He's been the mentor I never had. In fact, when Mrs. Chapman asked me if I wanted a picture with the greatest kicker in the world (Bill Wallace) I said, "I want one with my Sensei." It was very cool to watch him be promoted to 9th degree black belt. How many people have you even heard of that have reached that rank? He's got one more dan (rank) to go and he will have reached the highest rank possible in American Karate.
Me and My Sensei, Grandmaster Danny Chapman
There was a great deal of information to take in and lots to take home.
The highlight of the evening was the seminar banquet. This is the event where black belt promotions take place and those who have worked hard during the year are honored for their efforts. That's one of the things that I love about martial arts is that success solely depends on you and as a writer I can appreciate the fact that you're not always recognized for the hard work that you've put in when it comes to writing. Martial Arts is a totally different story. If you work hard, you will do well and you will be recognized for it.
If you take in what you are taught you will learn and the learning never ends. I think that people sometimes don't place value (for reasons of insecurity or otherwise) on honoring the achievements of others. I don't mean that as a boast at all because I really do derive great joy from honoring others as well. I've never understood why some don't or why some refuse to.
My wife and daughter (who are also martial artists) were with me as I was promoted to 2nd degree black belt and what a joy that was. It was nice to hear everything that my Sensei said about my contributions to the school and what I mean to him and the school. Again, not a boast. The point of this story is that I simply want to encourage others to encourage others. It's not just good for them but it's good for you as well.
Find someone to encourage today.
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels.For more information, visit http://www.leonardoverse.com or http://leonardoverse.blogspot.com.Thanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
Grandmaster Wallace retired undefeated and has his kicks clocked at 60 mph and in his 60's with a hip replacement and two knee replacements he can still go toe-to-toe with black belts less than half his age. Master Lisa Heitke from Wisconsin taught a women's self-defense class that is unmatched. My wife thoroughly enjoyed her class.
Other instructors included Grandmaster Bernie Fritz whose calm demeanor I've always found invigorating and encouraging, Grandmaster Floyd Burk who is my Sensei's instructor and writes for Black Belt Magazine and my friend, Sensei Matt Stonerock who taught a class on tournament sparring. He also lent his martial arts expertise with Haven: The Graphic Novel.
Finally, there was my Sensei who means a lot to me as well. He's been the mentor I never had. In fact, when Mrs. Chapman asked me if I wanted a picture with the greatest kicker in the world (Bill Wallace) I said, "I want one with my Sensei." It was very cool to watch him be promoted to 9th degree black belt. How many people have you even heard of that have reached that rank? He's got one more dan (rank) to go and he will have reached the highest rank possible in American Karate.
Me and My Sensei, Grandmaster Danny Chapman
There was a great deal of information to take in and lots to take home.
The highlight of the evening was the seminar banquet. This is the event where black belt promotions take place and those who have worked hard during the year are honored for their efforts. That's one of the things that I love about martial arts is that success solely depends on you and as a writer I can appreciate the fact that you're not always recognized for the hard work that you've put in when it comes to writing. Martial Arts is a totally different story. If you work hard, you will do well and you will be recognized for it.
If you take in what you are taught you will learn and the learning never ends. I think that people sometimes don't place value (for reasons of insecurity or otherwise) on honoring the achievements of others. I don't mean that as a boast at all because I really do derive great joy from honoring others as well. I've never understood why some don't or why some refuse to.
My wife and daughter (who are also martial artists) were with me as I was promoted to 2nd degree black belt and what a joy that was. It was nice to hear everything that my Sensei said about my contributions to the school and what I mean to him and the school. Again, not a boast. The point of this story is that I simply want to encourage others to encourage others. It's not just good for them but it's good for you as well.
Find someone to encourage today.
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels.For more information, visit http://www.leonardoverse.com or http://leonardoverse.blogspot.com.Thanks for reading!
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
