Archive for Writers

A First!

June 20, 2012 Educators, Kids, Writers 7 comments

A writing milestone. My first book of fiction has now been published! Who Stinks? is picture book story about a bear who wakes up in the spring and smells something bad. Very bad. He stomps out of his cave and around the forest blaming everything he can find: a mouse, a snake, a blackbird, even a tree! In the end, it’s the wind who helps the bear discover who the culprit really is.

I wrote this story a while back – 1986. That’s twenty-six years ago! So, what’s taken so long for it to finally get published? Who knows? You can call it luck. Or timing. I think it was both those, plus a big dose of persistence. What else would make me keep sending it out all those years no matter how many rejection letters I got (and I got a WHOLE LOT!).

Some of the rejections had a personal spark to them (“a funny idea,” “good humor,” “we think kids would like it.”) and those helped me put it out to more than fifty publishers. My agent liked it and sent it to many more. A couple tastes, but no bites.

I could have just let it go, like I’ve done with so many other projects. But this book was different. And, I was getting positive feedback on it. Not just from editors, either. I created a large (11” x 17”) copy of the book, complete with illustrations I had done with the help from my five-year-old son. When I did author visits, I took the book along and read it to the kindergarten classes. The kids loved it, and the teachers would invariably say, “Why isn’t this published?” and I would reply, “I don’t know.”

And then there was the contest run by Writer’s Digest. I entered the story one year and was pleasantly surprised that it won third place in the Children’s Fiction division. Buoyed by that good news, I started sending it out to publishers once more. And again, no luck.

In 2011 I hooked up with E-Readia to digitize another book I had written. The publisher was excited about my work and asked about other titles I had available. Enter Who Stinks? He loved it, maybe as much as I did. No, of course not. Who could? But he liked it enough to offer a contract and an illustrator. Deal!
Since the signing, the children’s book part of the company has become Bushbaby Press (www.bushbaby.com).

So, what have I learned from this 26 year experience? Nothing profound, really. I already knew that persistence can pay off, I was aware that the market changes over time, and I had lots of experiences in frustration dealing with publishers. The most important thing I got from this experience is the idea that if you write something you like, do something with it, even if publishers don’t want to partner with you. In this case, I created my own copy of the book (complete with amateur home-made illustrations) and shared it with lots of kids. And they liked it! So, to have his book actually published by a real publisher is just the icing on the cake.

I’ll enjoy the icing.

In Touch

May 23, 2012 Educators, Writers No comments

It’s not always easy staying in touch with your audience. It used to be, when I was teaching in the classroom everyday. Even when I worked as a language arts specialist I’d spend time in classrooms, doing model lessons and working with kids. Now I’m retired. Luckily, I volunteer. It’s a win-win the way I see it. The class wins because I help encourage and support their writing efforts. I win because I am able to stay in touch with my audience.

Today during my visit to the fourth grade classroom where I volunteer, I’ll be surveying the class. Ill be asking the kids what they worry about, at school, at home, and out in the world. This will be the latest version of the survey that I’ve done over the years. It’ll be fun to see if there are trends. Do kids tend to be concerned about the same types of things over time? How do worries change?

The results will be of interest to me, however they come out. I may use insights for writing. I’m thinking of a not-so-super hero story or series that would address some of the common problems kids have and worry about. Why not-so-super? I think it would add a bit more realism and humor, and I think kids could better relate to a more vulnerable character. Still not sure; lots of thoughts twirling and tumbling. And that’s half the fun!

Saving / Throwing

May 3, 2012 Educators, Writers 2 comments

Getting ready to move. I’ve lived in this home for twenty-seven years and have twenty-seven years worth of stuff to go through. Or, I guess I could just take it all and make it easier. No, this is the perfect time to edit and revise my life.

Furniture, clothes, books, files. I’m looking over them all, making decisions to carry or cut. None of it is easy, but the hardest is deciding which files to take.

I’ve got thirty years worth of work here (yes, I brought some with me from the last place I lived). I have copies of all my works, and although I have been lucky to have had more than twenty books published, I have many more that are not published. Do I keep them and keep trying? Or, dump them and move on?

In 1986 I wrote a picture book called Who Stinks? It’s about a bear who wakes up in the spring and smells something bad. Very bad. Readers follow the bear as he moves out of his cave and into the forest, blaming every creature he comes across for emitting that noxious smell. In the end, the bear discovers who it is, much to his chagrin.

I sent that story to about fifty publishers, and all rejected it. My agent sent it out to numerous others, and the result was the same. I left the manuscript alone for several years, and then started sending it out again. Last year, I finally found a home for the book: Bushbaby Press.

Along the road to publication, I kept all the rejection letters and postcards as well as the few personal responses I received. I wanted to rejoice in them when (not if!) the book got published. Well, I’ve done that now so I guess I can recycle that file.

But it’s not quite so easy. And neither is dumping so much of the other files I’ve built over the years. Here’s the way I’m looking at it, though. I can either hang onto all the stuff from the past, or I can make space – in my head as well as the file drawers – for future projects.

Now, it’s not going to be so hard after all…

Looking Ahead

March 23, 2012 Educators, Kids, Writers No comments

With spring comes sunshine and…snow! At least here, in Eugene, it does. One day after the Vernal Equinox, as we ready to start mowing the grass again and look forward to another warm, wonderful summer, we get a reminder. Looking ahead is fine, but don’t take your eyes off the present, or you may be surprised. And what a wet, white surprise it was!

Fortunately my son Tyler was visiting from his home in San Diego and we could relive his younger years when a snowy day really meant something. Well guess what – it still does!

Sunshine

January 30, 2012 Educators, Kids, Writers No comments

Just returned from a week in Arizona, a perfect place to renew energy and hope. The clear sunny skies are a welcome contrast to Oregon’s slate-grey skies and endless rain. Oh, it’s really not bad here. The green is outrageous, and then there’s the mountains, and the rivers. No complaints, really, except that it’s fun to travel and see what it’s like elsewhere.

Any writing ideas while traveling? Of course! Spending time in the southwest always inspires my interest in Native American history and the plight of the tribes that lived there. It’s a history that disturbs me, and I find myself angry over the wrongs that were committed in the name of expansion and nation-building. I know every story has more than one side to it, but the way the tribes were treated by the U.S. government may be the exception to the rule.

Winter visits the Grand Canyon

Happy New Year!

January 4, 2012 Educators, Kids, Writers 2 comments

And a most happy and healthy New Year to all. 2011 was a very interesting and exciting year; I expect 2012 to be the same. A little calmer would be fine, but I’m not complaining. Not only did I get to travel last year (Idaho, central Oregon, San Diego), but I also had a book published (The Magic of A.C. Gilbert) in both print and electronic (my first) formats. 2012 is looking quite good, with two more books scheduled or release, and shortly, too.

Despite being highly focused on house-building matters, the writing life continues. Currently, I’m creating a display for the Eugene Public Library that will highlight the A.C. book. Hope to have it set up sometime this week. A Ferris wheel made from a 1960 Erector Set will be part of the display. If you live in the area, drop by the children’s section of the library and check it out.

And Life Goes On

December 16, 2011 Writers 4 comments

The priorities of life ebb and flow, and writing is certainly a part of that. After reviewing the last several months of work (see previous calender post in which I keep track of my daily writing and writing-related activities), it is very clear that most of my work has been revolved around writing-related work (esp. marketing). While this is inevitable (if you want to sell books) it is quite frustrating.

The fear, of course, is that you will somehow “lose” the composing skill if you are not actually composing regularly. Since most of my efforts right now involve selling books as well as doing the final prep work for getting books published, I have not started a new book. To keep composing, though, I have been working on anecdotal narrative about growing up. While I have no plans for these “shorts” there’s nothing to say that they won’t become something, sometime. In the meantime, doing this work helps to keep me practicing and helping to improve my skills.

A high priority lately has been the construction of a new home. This began in September, and while I am not actually building it myself, I am helping attend to the many, many details that involve such an undertaking. There are many stories involved in this process and, who knows, there’s book possibilities as well.

Bottom line: Everything has book possibilities.

Walls on the rise

Independent Bookstores

November 18, 2011 Writers 2 comments

There are fewer and fewer of them. Independent bookstores, that is. If your town still has one, consider it a blessing. These stores tend to be small and quirky. You’re greeted by friendly people and the distinctive scent of books. Heaven.

I visited one – Tsunami Books – in my hometown of Eugene, OR yesterday as I continued my marketing swing to local businesses I thought would be interested in carrying my book. I had been to Tsunami before, attending events and buying books, but never as an author pedaling my own work. I thought this might be quite a different experience, but it really wasn’t. I was still greeted amiably, and the proprietor – Scott Landfield – took a genuine interest in the work I had done. Despite not discussing it directly, he seemed to know the rigor involved in producing a book. When it was decision-time, it wasn’t about “if” he would buy any books but rather “how many?” He didn’t hedge his bets with consignment, either. He went for it.

I left Tsunami feeling hopeful, not only for my book but for other local authors who struggle to find an outlet for their work. I am also hopeful for readers who want the personalized experience of shopping at a place where people know your name and are more than willing to help satisfy your reading proclivities.

The number of bookstores like Tsunami is steadily decreasing, but you can stop that by finding the independent bookstore where you live and patronize it. It’s not too late.

Road Trip

November 16, 2011 Educators, Writers No comments

Writing a book is one thing. Selling it is another. Authors write books because we love to write. Being a sales person doesn’t have quite the same appeal. But sale persons we are – all of us (even non-writers) in one way of the other. And there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as we believe in what we’re selling.

With that firmly in mind, I took off yesterday for a road trip in order to…you got it…sell my A.C. Gilbert book. My aim was to find book and gift stores that would carry the book. Believe me, this is not my favorite way to spend time -“Good day, I’d like to share with you my latest book for children…” – but I have to admit it was a lot better than I anticipated.

Writers (at least the ones I know) have to steel themselves for rejection because the simple fact is that most things that are written never even get published. So, coming from a rejection mindset, it’s a challenge not to carry that into the stores you enter. What a pleasant surprise, however, when booksellers greet you amicably, make positive comments about your work, and then order on the spot. Cool! I’m not saying this happened in every store I went, but it did in most. What this did was reinvigorate me about the work I’ve done.

If you live in or around Corvallis and Salem, Oregon, here are some great places to find The Magic of A.C. Gilbert:

Corvallis – OSU Bookstore, Grassroots Bookstore

Kaiser – Booksmart

Salem – A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village, Mission Mill Museum

Carrying books and inflated confidence, I will continue on.

p.s. I’ll keep writing, too.

I Love to Write Day

November 9, 2011 Educators, Writers No comments

Oh, no, not another holiday. But wait, this one is different. No gifts to buy, dinners to prepare, or relatives to endure. Just fun. Writing fun!

November 15 is national I Love to Write Day. Founded in 2002 by Delaware author John Riddle, this is a special day to celebrate writing and remember its importance (ed. note: this can also be done every day of the year). Of course there is a website to visit – http://www.ilovetowriteday.org/ – where you can find activities for kids as well as parents. Enjoy!

And, if you miss this day, make I Love to Write Day the next day. And the next. And the next…

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