Savannah Hendricks's Blog, page 26

Appreciation Monday

I love schedules!

They make me giddy!

When the cable company says they will come between 10am-3pm and show up at 9:45 I get pissed. Sure they are early but it’s not 10am.

While many like to live without a schedule, I am not one of them. I crave structure…to a point.

I attended the SCBWI-AZ conference this weekend and the importance of a schedule was mentioned for writers. I don’t like the “from 6-7 I will write. That doesn’t work, it feels forced. I have no issues with “once you finish this” or “today you will write.”

This is odd since I set schedules for nearly everything else in life. Time accountability is huge for me. Scheduling my day, on paper or in my head is utterly important.

I realized I even have a schedule when I am not aware I have a schedule.

As you can see in my photo I checked off each item until I just got beyond tired (at the end of the day). But mind you I was keeping time that we stayed on schedule. I had no say to move on if time was up, but I sure was aware if we were over or under the time for each.

Back to writing schedules.

It is important for me to have time to write, but to make it so structured doesn’t work for me. Maybe because everything else in my life is so structured that, much like the creative process, writing can’t be scheduled.

I am appreciative for schedules!

1 Pot Turkey and Rice Soup

Perfect for the fall, super easy, healthy and yummy! (No butter and no added salt!)

3 cloves garlic, diced
1 cup fresh tomatoes (preferably Off the Vine) diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 cup tomato sauce (marinara or tomato and basil)
1 tablespoon basil (dried)
1 tablespoon parsley (dried)
2-3 cans chicken broth (14.5 ounces each) or homemade chicken broth (depending on how thick or soupy you want it)
1 pound of ground turkey (or leftover turkey from Thanksgiving)
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup cooked rice (white or brown)

Remove ground turkey from package and add to pot with olive oil, brown. (Since there is literally no fat juices left over you don’t need to drain it). If you are using leftover turkey chunks add the turkey, but don’t brown.

Once the ground turkey is browned, add onion, tomato sauce, tomatoes, garlic, pepper, chicken broth, basil, parsley, and rice. Bring to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Serves 5 hearty bowls.

Appreciation Monday ~ Author Edition

Acceptances received are amazing.

Sure being accepted by others is nice, but what I am referring to is acceptances for stories.  The author’s life.

It’s like a warm hug from someone you love and haven’t seen in years!

It’s like the pop when you open a champagne bottle!

It’s like finding out the guy you have a crush on actually likes, likes you!

It’s like the smell of a new car!

It’s like eating that candy bar that you bought in line at the grocery store, then ate in the car before you got home, so no one knew.

It’s like running and jumping, with a scream, into the pool.

I am appreciative of acceptances for my stories.

 

 

 

Changing Times ~ Dog Parents

It is becoming more socially acceptable for families to consist of fur four-legged babies than babies with fingers and toes. (Birth rates have dropped by 10% in America). More so, small dogs are the most popular selling breed on the rise.

Take Instagram for example is overflowing with dog accounts, which might have seen a huge rise with the popularity of Theo and Beau.

As we know dog adoption ($100)  is easier and cheaper than baby adoption ($10,000 plus). The argument for dogs over children has caused stories in The Huffington Post among other sites. Simply typing in DOGS OVER KIDS gives you endless positives. Car stickers for families have evolved from stick-figures human families to dog stick-figure families. Car magnets blasting out that their dogs are smarter than other’s children, and the list goes on.

It costs the average family $245,000 to raise a kid from birth to age 18.

It costs the average family $5,000 – 40,000 to raise a dog from 8 weeks to 14 years old.

Maybe next they will put out a book on how to tell the grandparents the only grand-kids they will have will be covered in fur.

 

Appreciation Monday

I have not handed out Halloween candy since 2007.

Year after year I spent money I didn’t have to feed neighborhood kids.

I got up and answered the doorbell at every ring.

I locked up my dog who freaked each time the bell rang and she heard noises of kid voices.

But why I stopped was because kids were growing more rude as the years past.

I got less and less THANK YOU and more complaints that the candy wasn’t to their liking, or not big enough.

I am appreciative that I can hide out in my house with the lights out and NOT hand out candy for Halloween.

Changes Within the Publisher’s Corner

If you are a member of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) you should have received your Nov/Dec of The Bulletin in the mail over the last few days. I always skip right to the Publisher’s Corner before I read any of The Bulletin.

When I first joined the SCBWI in 2006 the Publisher’s Corner was at least two pages full. (And this was back when The Bulletin was a larger size. It is so sad to see that over the last few issues it has only been full of changes in the direction of editors and staff. However, this issue even the changes were small. (And it only took up half a page).

Should this be a sign that the children’s publishing world has all but disappears into the few remaining BIG publishing companies. (In which we have to fight celebrities for spots on the bookshelves.) Or is it a sign that everyone has moved to self publishing and independent publishers? Or that, regardless of reports that books are still important and selling, that writers and readers are disappearing?

Appreciation Monday

This fall has surely been one of the biggest years for fall themed food items. (The last few years were just a start to what we have today). One can find pumpkin spice in everything from ice cream to popcorn to drinks. Candy corn flavored items are also popping up. It is really amazing how much “crap” it is available in. We have to try it all…right?!? Either way I find it all very festive and helps focus on fall before Christmas, as oppose to Easter decor than Christmas.

***And now for a sugar intervention

Appreciation Monday

​I am appreciative to have the ability to cut my own hair. This is a skill developed over time and from necessity. For many many years I didn’t have the $30 for a hair cut. I paid attention to the hair stylist instead of the glossy magazines as they trimmed away. Maybe once a year I would actually go to the salon but I haven’t gone in about 1.5 years. My style is not complex or perfect but it works for me.
***Growing up I hated hair cuts. They never turned out how I wanted them. This probably never helped my cause to go to the salon.

One day I will need the help, but for now I am happy that I can complete the task myself.

What Oreos Teach Us About Writing

​ As I bought yet another limited edition Oreo bag, (someone must stop me! I don’t need to try all of them!) I pondered.
Oreo was once a simple cream sandwich when it was first released in 1912. Now they have a regular section of varieties at the grocery store.

So how does Oreo connect with writing? It is said that there are only 7 basic plots an author can write about (The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories by Christopher Booker), but the different spin on the basics is what makes a different story. A sell-able story. An enjoyable story.

Is that not what an Oreo is?

A basic cookie with a cream middle that with slight variations entices new buyers.

As writers we want to make those slight variations of the 7 possible plots shine and sparkle, enticing new readers, and keeping our fans coming back for more.

 

Appreciation Monday

Chocolate.

It amazes me that there is always something new that companies are adding chocolate to.

One can basically eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.

Cereals now come with actual chocolate chucks, Special K, and the other endless chocolate flavored options that have been around for years.

Chocolate muffins, chocolate chip muffins, and chocolate chip bagels can easily be eaten for lunch.

Rib eye steaks with chocolate sauce, chocolate chip chili, chocolate dinner salad, pasta with dark chocolate marinara sauce.

Hungry aren’t you….

You don’t even need to eat dessert to get your chocolate fix.

While I am rather picky about my chocolate and don’t always like it in large doses, it sure is yummy.

I am appreciative for chocolate and its many uses.