Savannah Hendricks's Blog, page 12

The Truth About Writing

A few days ago, as I wrote, something profound came to me.

Writing is not JUST writing. Yes, you can sit down and write a story. But, everything before and after is what makes writing… WRITING.

Writing is about the great books you read. It’s about the horrible books you read.

Writing is about the places you go. And the places you cannot go.

Writing is about who you meet. And who you want to meet.

Writing is about television and movies. It’s about the then and now, past, present, and future.

It’s about what is popular. It’s about what is popular to you.

Writing truly is, much more than writing.

Dear Netflix

Dear Netflix,

Did the writer’s for Bloodline go on strike after season 2? I’m confused as to what exactly you filmed ten episodes of for viewers.

Were you holding the actors against their will to believe their scenes would come together during editing?

Bloodline season 3 started off good, only because it was leftovers from season 2.

Somehow, Kevin continued to be more stupid than, well, anyone! 

John’s role felt like what I imagine a bad night of drinking is to Bill Murray’s Groundhogs Day. (Was episode 9 mixed with the final of Lost?)

Of course, I finally realized young Danny was played by the same actor who played Danny’s son. Then I thought , was that a clue for episode 9 (see paragraph above)?

Please deposit ten hours back into my life bank.

Are you confused by my rambling blog post? So am I. What the heck Bloodline writers? WHAT DID YOU DO?! You’re not bad people, but you wrote a bad final season.

Continued Stages of R/R

An hours worth of revisions….

I re-wrote the best sentence ever!

OMG, this is the worst sentence ever!

The story is much better now!!

WAS to HAD, and then back again, and again….and again. 

Stages of Receiving an R/R

I recently received a revise and re-submit option from an agent. I wanted to share with other writers what it was like to receive such an awesome email.

Reading the email

Realizing what I just read

The feeling of it sinking in

Can I do the revision? Yes I can do it! Oh no, I don’t know if I can!

Realizing I need some direction from friends

After getting some feedback from friends

 

Library Haul for May – Children’s Books

[image error]Brunhilda’s Backwards Day by Shawna J.C. Tenney – 2016 – I rather enjoyed this fresh story about a witch. The illustrations are beautiful and the story has a message, but subtle.

[image error]Black Dog by Levi Pinfold – 2011 – Reading this book took me someplace else, far away from my couch in Phoenix. The illustrations are classic and slightly different then the fluffy artwork we see in many newer picture books. The story read fresh and new, yet an old classic. I simply loved this book!

[image error]The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt – 2017 – First off this book was a blast to read!!! Second, I felt maybe it was written for adults to enjoy over children. I say this because it seems a little aggressive for a picture book. Now, the story was well written and engaging, what a awesome way to get from beginning to end. I recommend this book for adults and older picture book readers.

[image error]Yoga Bunny by Brian Russo – 2017 – I would call this a quiet picture book. The story focuses on well-known yoga poses and mixes it with  curious animals, which take a while to warm up to the idea of what Bunny is doing.

[image error]Wombat Walkabout by Carol Diggory Shields with illustrations by Sophie Blackall – 2009 – This is a fun story mixing non-fiction with fiction. The rhyming felt off in places, which caused me to not  get fully into the story. Loved some of the words, but overall it felt done before, as so many counting books do.

 

A poem for Mom

[image error]A smile of yours, in a frame of gold. 

Visions of what you were, frozen without ice. 

Knowing your flesh is not here, but your soul is close. 

Could you send a breeze with a butterfly, missing you might sting a little less. 

Too Many Queries

Is there such a thing as too many queries? We are well aware of the long waits a query takes, even after the marathon it took to write and personalize it along the way. So, maybe the question is, too many at once, or not enough at once? Is there a perfect formula? 

I’ve often read, small batches of queries work best. The reasons behind this is because A. agents talk to others and it could look bad (even though they assume it’s a simultaneous submission). B. Because one should make the needed changes based on feedback from those rejections. However, due to an agent’s high volume of submissions, most don’t reply or only reply with a form. Thus you don’t have a direction needed to fix something before sending it out again. 

I guess as a writer, one must ask who crosses the road and what comes first, type of mentality. 

Are you going to kick yourself if you get twenty rejections or if you get ten rejections (in the sense that you still have ten more to go, which you sat on for an extra four to six weeks before sending)? 

Or will you kick yourself for getting feedback from your first twenty and wish you had fixed the issue so you could send a “better one next” with your ten, in four to six weeks? 

One final thought on too many queries. A tree falls in a forest mentality. If you have ten queires verses twenty queries out at once, will the ones coming back as rejections be as painful? What seems better? Well, I still have nineteen more to hear back. Or, well I still have nine left? 

Us vs. the demons

We fight many known demons within us. 

Sometimes daily, other times weeks or months apart. 

Some days the demon wears fancy bright clothes, and is nothing but a clown. 

Other days the demon is black as coal and soot covers everything we thought was hidden.

Both our friend and enemy. 

Don’t cover the demons with food and drink, with hate or love. Ignore them with power. 

 

Superhero Snacks

Have some super kids, but picky eaters? Did you know changing the name of something can often trick kids into eating those foods? After author Jane Haseldine posted a picture of her kids in their own Superhero costumes, I got to thinking about some ideas I had saved during the extensive research I did for my Child Genius 101 series. Ideas which were meant for children outside the age scope of the series. And snack time fun was one of those ideas. Below you will find some ideas for renaming healthy snacks for your picky eaters.

In addition, if your children are making up their own Superhero characters, ask them what their Superhero character would eat. If your child is picking unhealthy choices, narrow the options down by writing three examples and presenting them.

“Would ____________ eat cucumbers, tomatoes, or carrots?”

“Why would ___________ eat ___________?”

“How does ____________ increase your superpower?”

Try changing the environment in which you eat as well.

“Where would ___________ eat his/her food?” (picnic, UNDER the table instead of AT the table, on the patio)

 

[image error] The Flash Sticks

 

[image error] Captain America Super-Solider Trees
[image error] Supergirl and Superman Berry Bowl Flyer
[image error] Iron Man Sticks
[image error] Batman Wings
[image error] Mini Thor Mjölnir (hammer) Heads

*Jane Haseldine is the author of The Last Time She Saw Him and Duplicity (a Julia Gooden mystery series). You can read an interview here.

Candle ~ poem

[image error]The only memory you are, wrapped illusions.

A candle with cellophane,

Never burned.

Smells good, looks new.

Up close its yellowed and faded.

Tonight I’ll unwrap and light it.

The glow will dance,

It will be used like me.

It’ll burn to the end,

Then go out with a breath.

For the only memory you are, honestly gone.