Skip Counting

Today is my 30th birthday.  Some ask if I feel old.  Some feel compelled to remind me that I am in fact still very young.  Apparently, 30 is the new 25.  But the one thought that keeps popping into my head:

Where did the last decade go?

In the last ten years I

• married my best friend
• moved six times
• completed University
• bought my first car
• bought my first house
• delivered three beautiful babies, and savoured each moment of growth and discovery
• spent two years teaching early elementary
• wrote my first novel
• published several short stories
• made new friends
• cherished the friends still walking alongside me
• read hundreds of books
• worked hard to grow spiritually
• renovated a bedroom
• learned never to renovate another bedroom
• fell in love with Arizona
• developed a greater appreciation for road trips
• overcame my abhorrence for 'spicy' foods and learned to appreciate the exquisite sensory experience that is salsa
• decided with final surety that under no circumstances will I ever skydive.

This list seems exhaustive.  In fact, just reading over it, I feel in a degree the weight of the years.  And yet...

I don't really feel old.  When I was 20, I thought I was old.  Now, as the years pick up speed, I realize how young I truly am.  There are times when I feel infinitely flawed.  There are times I am sure I will never overcome my own faulty dispositions.  There are times I feel I will always fall short of the finish line.

But the last ten years are more than just points on a bullet list.  Those points must be interwoven with the natural insecurities and uncertainties of youth, but knitted together with the love, the joy, the sorrow, the discoveries, the unknown.  Life is more than a list of accomplishments.  And 30 is just a number.

So do I feel old?  I creak more, tire quicker, and court forgetfulness.  I'm certainly not 20.  But I also don't feel old.

In fact, in many ways, I feel that life is still just getting going. 

So here's to the next 10 years...

Blogger Gets Sued For Borrowed Image

I read an article last month (perhaps by now you all have as well) by an author named Roni Loren, who discusses her experienced with being sued for using a google image without permission on a past blog post.

Essentially, she was under the impression, as a writer/blogger, that if you use an image on a blog post and credit back to the source, it was considered Fair Use under copyright law. I have to say, that was my assumption as well. When I add images to blog posts, I simply cite the source (webpage) from where I got it. Now I know, it is illegal.

Some time ago, she was contacted by the owner of an image she had used with a legal notice to remove it, which she promptly did, feeling bad that she had unknowingly infringed on the photographer's copyright. However, despite her immediate action, she was sued by the photographer.

In the article, she discusses many of the misconceptions that bloggers have about copyright and fair use. It is definitely an area I will also be furthering my own education in now.

She also shares some links to resources that provide free images for public use, such as Creative Commons (though some of the comments on her post suggested even there, one should be careful). The best advice she had to share was simply - assume it's copyright, then ask permission. You never know, the owner of the image just might say yes!

With 99% percent of bloggers probably using images the way I was until now, under the same misunderstanding, the chances of one individual blogger being sued are relatively small. However, as this author points out, would we want our work, our stories, posted without permission, whether that person gave the proper credit or not? I think the bigger issue, for me, is whether what I've been doing is honest or not. Since the answer to that is a resounding, no, I have gone through my blog and removed several images I had found on Google image search.  The only images left are ones received from others (which I'm hoping they had permission to send in the first place, though I may follow up on that), book covers and blog tours links that were given away for promotion purposes, and images I made or asked permission to use.

And then I think I will make a disclaimer that any image on my blog is free for sharing (unless otherwise indicated). Hopefully that makes up for all the copyright infringement for which I have been guilty up until this point!

What is your take on this issue?

On Creativity

My husband just finished one of the busiest semesters of his post-secondary education thus far, and as I helped him review his notes and articles for one of his finals, he came across a video from TED a professor had shown the class during a lecture.

He invited me to watch it, and I was glad I did.

I'm going to extend the same invitation to you - it's very entertaining - Sir Ken is an engaging speaker, but it also has an important message.


Though the context of the videos is based on the education system, I want you to focus on the points he makes about creativity.

Because as writers, creativity is like the flour of our story recipe.  It's not the only ingredient, but probably exists in the greatest quantity, playing a role alongside other important writing ingredients, such as research, grammar, spelling, plotting, characterization, editing and voice (this list is not exhausitive - there are as many different types and elements of stories as there are cookie recipes!).

So check them out, and let me know what you think!  Note - they are slightly long (15-20 mins or so):

Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity

Sir Ken Robinson: Bring On The Learning Revolution

You Want Me To Write What?

This post is my late edition of Manuscript In Motion Monday (MIMM). I know, I know, it isn't Monday anymore (nor has it been for several days) but I really struggled coming up with a post for this topic "You Want Me To Write What?", and in truth, almost gave up. Kasey shared an experience of having a friend ask for help with a written legal request, and though feeling inadequate, was able to rise to the task, using her talents and skills with the written word.

I've never done anything like that. I've never been asked to write something out of my comfort zone, and until recently, at least a few of my friends didn't even realize I do write. Why is that? I guess I just don't talk about it much, except on my blog, or with other writer friends.

So as I was formulating a written apology to Kasey for coming up empty with this weeks MIMM post, I had a thought.

It's something I've been wanting to talk about for a few weeks.

Critiques. And I'm not talking about the writer's group kind. I'm talking about the kind we usually label 'reviews' and slap up on Amazon and goodreads, etc.

I've read my share of amazing books. The kind you talk about and blog about and tell your friends about. I have no problem gushing about these books.

I've read my share of so-so books. The kind that were enjoyable to read, but you don't think much about after you turn the last page, and never really mention to others.

And I've read my share of terrible books. The kind that when you get to the end, you think, "Why did I bother to finish?". Those books are the easiest to criticize. And sometimes they are so horrible, I feel compelled to write up a critical review outlining all of their faults.

And then I realize, Why? Who am I to criticize this author? Is my opinion so important, that others should listen and heed?

There's been a few times I've looked a book I hate up on Goodreads to find it has a rather high rating and an equally large fan base. I'm just not one of them. And you know what? That's okay. Not everybody loves every book. But I certainly don't have to verbally attack the author because of it.

Which reminds me of the following Disney villain and one of the things he said:

 

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so."

~ Anton Ego, Disney's Ratatouille

Shannon Hale also weighed in on this topic here.

What do you think, o ye book reviewers and published authors? Is there a place for positive and negative review? Is there a line that reviewers shouldn't cross, or does even the vicious and cruel have a place? If I read a really bad book, should I write an equal review?

Tell me what you think...

Great Writers....Read?

You've probably heard this sage advice before. In fact, it's old enough and prevalent enough, that when you hear it, or see it, you roll your eyes and wonder, "How can anyone think that way?"

What am I talking about? The idea that some people propagate that reading is bad for your writing.

 

It doesn't make much sense, but many people that call themselves readers actually think this way. In fact, a family member told me recently about a Facebook post they'd come across - a friend looking for good book recommendations - where someone had commented along the lines of

"I'm a writer, therefore I don't read much."

Seems shocking to me, but I've seen it before. It's the equivalent of saying:

I'm a lifeguard, but I don't like to swim.

I'm a teacher, but I don't like kids.

I'm a police officer, but I don't like guns.

It's not that you still couldn't do these things with those attitudes. It's that you can't do them effectively.

It's not that you can't be a writer if you don't read. It's that you can't be an great writer if you don't read.

Why do some writers feel that reading is bad for their craft? Truthfully, I don't entirely understand their side of the argument, but I think it has something to do with some of the following points:

1. They think reading similar books will kill their original ideas

2. They think reading requires too much time, which they could spend writing

3. They think there isn't enough quality literature out there that could stand up to their own skills (I know that sounds snobbish, but someone actually told me that once!).

What I'm not trying to do is be critical of those that hold this opinion. However, I believe people, in general, don't read enough these days, and as writers, who thrive on readers actually reading our work, we need to work to change that.

So here is why great writers read:

1. To set an example

2. To support other authors - we are all in this together!

3. To learn from the best and the worst (yes, you can gain something by reading a book that is poorly written)

4. To engage our minds in healthy, creative escapism, essential to our growth and positive well being.

5. To learn more about our world, and beyond.

6. To strengthen and refine our ideas, and plotting, and characters .... this list could go on.

7. Because reading books is what convinced us we wanted to write them in the first place.

This is in no way an exhaustive list. I'd love to hear what you think: why should great writers read?

Teach Them To Read, Tip #1

Wow - so it's been way too long since my last post - I apologize. And I plan to make up for it with an over abundance of dashes in the following 'play catch-up' post. We've been dealing with some health issues - not to be alarmed, I'm talking standard winter cold and flu like symptoms - nothing serious. However, trying to keep on top of life is hard enough when you're healthy. Feeling slightly under the weather trumps blogging, and therefore, my somewhat lengthy silence. However, as promised, lots of dashes.

I promised to give some tips on teaching children how to read, or more importantly, how to love reading. I want to emphasize once again that I'm in no way a certified professional, but having worked as a teacher in the field, I do know the basic tricks. In fact, you may be surprised to learn you actually know them too, even if you weren't aware of it.

And the things I've learned about literacy education I have turned around and used with my own children, so from personal experience, I know they are valid. My six-year-old daughter (notice how I snuck the dashes in???) finished reading Ramona the Pest last night. By herself. I don't say that to brag - I'm just pointing out that there's at least a little bit of truth to these simple teaching techniques.

Aware that I am probably 'preaching to the choir', I will get down off my soap box and get to the point of this post.

How do you teach a child to love to read?

Tip #1 - You read to them.

That's the first and probably most important tip. Read to your kids daily. At least fifteen minutes (that's about three books). We'll get to the how, and what and why in another post, because I think the true emphasis in this technique lies behind the action.

Read to them. Or with them, if you prefer that semantic.

And as simple as it sounds, it works. Professional studies prove that if you do nothing else to teach your child to read but this, they will learn to read (if there are no learning difficulties involved - such may require a different approach).

And as simple as it sounds, it's not as common as it should be. Too high a percentage of parents these days don't even spend fifteen minutes one-on-one with their kids, never mind reading to them. I don't say that as a political/philosophical opinion. I'm just stating a truth.

The beauty of the solution lies in its simplicity as well - it's not hard to adopt the practice of reading fifteen minutes daily. If you are analyzing you're own habits right now, and realize you are missing out on this vital learning opportunity, it's not too late to make a change. If you know of someone who could use this important interaction, encourage change.

Need some inspiration? There's some well known, successful storytellers in the world of children's literature. Names such as Don and Audrey Wood, Robert Munsch and Eric Carle span two or more decades of high quality, well loved story production. But just as in the world of novels, children's literature does not stagnate. Here are some suggestions for authors I have found that are making huge headway with their picture books - because they're that good.

Mo Willems has some incredibly popular books available - including the 'Pigeon' series. This books, however, will remain one of my all time favorite children's books. It's about Leonardo, who just can't scare anybody, and has to learn that there is something more important in life than being a scary monster.

Melanie Watt is an author on fire. Here books are fresh, original, funny and plentiful. Not only does she have the scaredy squirrel series (that includes an admontion to wash your hands with antibacterial soap before reading) but the incredibly popular 'Chester' series, in which Melanie has to wrestle with a Narcissic (did I spell that right?) cat over a fat red pen and the rights to authorship of the story. If you've never read her, head to the library Pronto!

Tom Lichtenheld is also producing a large array of high quality books (most of them co-authored by other up and coming talents). This is one of my favorite. A little cloud who dreams of being something more Cummulous (again with the spelling - I'm too tired to google it).

Finally, for the night, an author I found just this month. Michal Hall makes shapes exciting. This book is about a square that thinks he's perfect until he gets torn up and realizes he can be so much more. I read this book five times today, and still not sick of it. Plus, it has great opportunity for quality art time with the kids.

Snuggle up with one of these fantastic reads with your kids, and I promise you won't regret it!

For The Love Of Reading

A couple of days ago, I promised to write a wrap-up post on the theme of self-publishing (since I've been talking about it all month) and my thoughts, insights, and feelings after the research I've done. However, after much consideration, and some failed attempts at fleshing out the subject, I'm going to postpone that blog for another day. I'll explain more when that day comes.

In the mean time, because it is such an interesting topic these days, and because the field of self-publication is changing so rapidly, if I can across anymore interesting posts/articles/stories, I'll be sure to let you know.

I'd like to kick off the month with a brand-new topic for discussion - and it wasn't even hard to come up with. Because February is symbolically the month of love, I'd like to dedicate the majority of my posts to the topic of love. Not the mushy kind (though that's wonderful too).

The love of reading.

And writing.

And books.

And more specifically, giving our children the gift of loving to read.

My inspiration for this topic actually came from my own daughter. I scanned something I'd like you to read, but before you do, I'll lay out some back story: First, the book referred to, "Meet Kit", is a short early children's novel from the makers of the American Girls Dolls, and was given to my six-year-old daughter for Christmas from a friend at school.

Second, about two weeks ago, my daughter woke up one Saturday morning on the wrong side of the bed. Literally. And she never recovered. It was like a bad preview of what to expect in the teen years. Grouchy. Irritable. Moody. Pouty.

And this from a little girl who scatters sunshine everywhere she goes. Something was definitely off, and though she couldn't find the words to elaborate on what, I figured it probably had something to do with sleep.

So she went to bed early that night. Very early.

The next morning, I found the following note: (Note - I've removed her name and dubbed her 'lil miss' for privacy reasons).

Now my heart absolutely soared with joy when I read this (and yes, some empathy as well - anyone who's read late into the night knows exactly where she is coming from!).

Why? Because I believe one of the most important skills I will pass on to my children is a love of reading. Notes like these are positive signs that all my hard work is paying off. Disclaimer - I certainly am not encouraging her to lose sleep over a book, especially at such a young age. But it is nice to know she loves reading that much, already.

I have a background in early literacy, and experience teaching kindergarten and grade one. I'm not going to pretend I'm even close to being an expert in these fields, but for the month of February, I would like to share some of the activities, books, and ideas I use to teach children to read and write. They're not necessarily peer-reviewed or research-proven methodologies, but they've certainly worked for me and others I know.

I'm also going to highlight some of my favorite children's books and authors!! (One of my all time favorite subjects - Yay!)

You know what else? I'd love to hear about your strategies too. How do you teach kids that books can be fun, and make reading a pathway to future success?

And because I know that there is more to life than children's literature, I thought I'd quickly share two links with you. I saw these recently and thought they fit perfectly with my theme.

The first, from author Jennifer Clark is about an article she found about the statistics on how much people read every year - and the numbers are scary! She weighs in on why it's so important to make the time to read.

Also, writer Lisa Asanuma has proposed a special event for Valentine's Day 2012 - she's calling it Books For Lovers, and the idea is to go out an buy a book on Valentines day from one of the brick-n-mortar stores, instead of purchasing online. To find out why, and how you can support this campaign, visit her blog! It's an interesting post.

In the meantime, I have some reading and writing to do, because hey, I love to! How about you?

Roles of the Self-Publisher

It's late, and I probably should be getting ready to sleep, but I wanted to quickly share some of the interesting blog posts I've found this month on the topic of self-publication. I think it is very important to go into an enterprise with a full array of research and an open understanding of what is involved.

So whether you're considering self-promoting your work, or pursuing traditional publication, there is something to be learned from each of these authors:

Enjoy! Oh, and if you get a chance, tell me what you think!

(Please note, these are in no particular order)

S.R. Johannes put together a eye-opening list of the various roles played by a self-published author. At first, the list sucks the romance out of the vision you keep in your head of the newly emerging ever evolving definition of Indie Authorship. Once you get over the initial shock, you realize that some of the roles that seem so overwhelming are still required by major publishing houses. Not only that, but when all is said and done, the work is worth the achievement of a dream, right?

J.A. Konrath is a name I've heard floating around a lot this month, so I had to check out what the buzz was about. I quickly discovered why he has become a guru of the Indie market - over the Christmas season, he sold $100,000 worth of books. And, he'll tell you how and why, in his opinion, self-published authors can find the same success.

Amanda Hocking is the next stop on my mini-tour. If you haven't heard of her, don't despair - I hadn't either, until three weeks ago. But she quickly caught my fascination with her amazing tale of do-it-yourself success.

Susan Kaye Quinn has put together a great post that gives advice and encouragement to any one trying to market their own books. She includes anecdotes relating her experience with her self-pubbed book, and I found this article very informative. She brings to the light seven questions you should ask yourself - and answer honestly before you decide to take the leap.

Self-Publishing Forum Transcript Goodies

The other night I participated in an online forum that had been advertised on the Indelibles site, and I'm glad I did! I went because the topic piqued my interest, and fit in with the focus of my blog discussions this month - self publication.

Indelibles is a website that has brought together 25 YA and MG authors who are either Indie or self-published novelists. I didn't really understand what those terms meant until I attended the event. To learn more about these authors, and their books, please visit their website - it will be worth you time!

You can also access the whole transcript on their site. For interest sake (and mostly to remind myself) I have cut and pasted a few of the comments that best answered some of the questions that have been stirring in the back of my mind. At the end of January, I will revisit my own thoughts on this topic, but for now, here's what some of these experienced authors had to say:

srjohannes:
as some of you may know - the indelibles is about 25 indie authors that have banned together. Our goal is to help each other and support the indie community.

Comment From Kris Asselin:
I'd love to hear how you all came to the decision to self-pub. Thanks!

Megg Jensen:
Fellow Indelible, Karly Kirkpatrick, told me about Konrath just over a year ago. I read up on epublishing and jumped in feet first. Love it!

Susan Kaye Quinn:
I decided to self-pub Open Minds because of: price, creative control, and writing diversification (I was prev. pubbed with a small press). And to get it out quickly!

G.P. Ching:
My books did not easily fit within a genre. Not Christian enough to be christian but more religious than mainstream was comfortable with. Megg Jensen convinced me to self-pub.

srjohannes:
in a nutshell - i spent 2 years with agent and submitted the first 2 books I'm publishing now. they got to acquisitions but never were bought. I figured they were good enough and I was tired of having someone else run my destiny.

AuthorCKBryant:
For me it was a no brainer. I'd already had BOUND under contract with a publisher (who has since gone under). I'd waited long enough and the book was ready. I was ready. So why not send it out into the world to be read and shared?

Sarra Cannon:
I had too many traditionally published friends who spent years trying to get agents and when they finally got published, they were unhappy because their books were changed so much by their editors. I wanted to keep control of my own work.

Lisa_Nowak:
After five years of trying the traditional route, I heard agent April Eberhardt speak on how ebooks had changed the industry. I was researching the subject when I finally got an offer from a
small press. By that time I'd learned enough to know I wanted to do it myself, so I turned them down and went indie. Never regretted it for a second.

Comment From laurapauling
What started me thinking about it was Nathan Bransford's post that said midlisters could make more money self publishing. That and posts by kris Rusch who pointed out that authors were really getting a bum deal with ebook royalties.

Sarra Cannon:
Good point Sara! If you are Indie it's so much easier to experiment with genre, cover art, price, everything.

Comment From Mandi Thomson
You've mentioned the best part of self-publishing: the control. What is the common consensus on the worst aspect of self-publishing (or is the experience very different for everyone?

srjohannes:
not really a worse side but a hard side - doing it all on your own. it gets lonely. sometimes I would love to have someone get y back if something slips.

Sarra Cannon:
Great questions Mandi! I think the experience is different for all, but for me the worst part is that it's ALL on my shoulders. I love the control, but sometimes it's just so hard to be responsible for every aspect of it and to know there's nowhere to blame but me if I fail.

Jessie Harrell:
@Mandi - it probably is diff for everyone. I am finding that marketing the book has sucked away months of my life. not that it hasn't been fun, but like Shelli says, it's hard work.

RaShelle Workman:
Mandi - I do believe it's different for everyone. As an indie, you work your strengths and hopefully have good people help with the weaknesses.

Stacey WB:
The feeling that you have to market yourself 24/7 or you're going to lose any readers you have. That is the worst. It's a crazy cycle b/c then you don't have time to write!

AuthorCKBryant:
I'm a writer, not a marketer, not a publisher, not a graphic designer, not a business woman, A WRITER. But with self-pubbing you have to be all of those things and the worst part is that sometimes your writing has to take a back seat.

Susan Kaye Quinn:
@Mandi Worst is having so much on your shoulders - very hard to balance all the promoting with writing (not that I think this is much different for trad pubbed)

Comment From Kris Asselin
I'd love to know the difference between self pub and indie pub. Is there a difference or do you use the terms interchangeably?

Megg Jensen:

Indie pub means going through a small press. Self-pub is self-publishing

srjohannes:
technically indie pub is an independent press

Karen Hooper:
Kris, I'm "Indie" pubbed meaning I'm published with a small press. So it's a little different than self-pub. I do have help with edits, cover, some marketing etc

ali: For me personally, I think I'm happy with self-publishing and won't attempt a traditional publishing path anymore/again.

srjohannes:
i think trad pubbing is for some and indie is for others - you have to figure out what that is for you. I just dont think one is better than the other.

Lisa_Nowak:
I think there are a lot of people who shouldn't self-publish. Those with demanding jobs, or who don't like to self-promote, or who only want to write.

Comment From Mandi Thomson
This may be a loaded question, but I'm just curious - if any of you were ever to make it real big, and I mean REALLY big through self-publishing, and got deals from major publishing houses to pick up your books, would you ever consider the switch? Have you ever contemplated this scenario?

Lisa_Nowak:
Okay. One more. Mandi, it would take a LOT of money to make me go traditional. Bye now.

(Note - for whatever reason, I can't get the hyperlink thing to work. To see the forum on the site, go to the following):

http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com/2012/01/writers-chat.html