Five Things on a Friday

Whispering Pines in Rhode Island. Last year I had a room with a secret drawer and a ghost!

1.  I'm off to Rhode Island in a few hours as the author keynote speaker at Whispering Pines, a retreat for authors and illustrators.  This is my second year in a row keynoting this conference.  Editor Cheryl Klein speaks right after me.  *gulp*

2. Lynda Hunt, who organizes Whispering Pines, asked me to speak on the topic of revision.  I agreed to that request, but when I was putting the talk together, I realized what an enormous topic that is.  I always like practical talks from keynote speakers, so I decided not to focus on the whys of revision, but on the hows. 

What happens when that multi-page editorial letter arrives and it's full of concerns and suggestions and thoughts?  How do you then take your manuscript and incorporate those? 

So I organized my talk from wide to narrow:  "Considering Your Idea and Focus," "Techniques for Whole Book Revision," "Expanding and Deepening," "Tightening and Cutting," "Show vs Tell" and "Tips and Tricks."  I pulled lines out of my editorial letters from Touch Blue, and I'm going to show tips and techniques and tricks that I used to deal with those suggestions and concerns. 

Did I mention Cheryl Klein speaks right after me?  Oh, okay, just checking.

3.  I love Steven Tyler on American Idol.  He is smart and just goofy enough to be delightful.

4.  Hot Rod Hamster has made three state kids' choice lists for next year:  South Carolina, Colorado, and Ohio.  Touch Blue has made two so far: Pennsylvania and Vermont.  I'm so pleased! 

5.  Thank you so much for the birthday wishes for my daughter!  She loved them and so did I!