Robert Young

As if moving was not enough to keep me from “the pencil” add another interesting twist. My grown son has been on a work hiatus and doing a bit of traveling (Africa for four months). He had been living in San Diego for the past five years and I haven’t gotten to see him as much as I’d like, so when he returned from Africa and invited me on a cross-country road trip, I couldn’t resist.

So, for most of September I have been “on the road” from Oregon to Maine, exploring places I’ve never been (Yellowstone, Theodore Roosevelt national Park, Springfield, IL, Maine) and sharing places I’ve previously experienced (Black Hills, Gettysburg, NJ, NYC, Walden Pond). It was a blast and the time I spent with my son was filled with unforgettable moments.

But, what of the writing? The bottom line is simply that there is more to life to putting words on paper. That said, experiences form the basis of writing so I have many, many bases for doing additional works. Some have presented themselves directly; others with take time to bubble to the front of my mind. Other experiences will remain as such. And happily so.

You don’t always have to be scratching a pencil across a piece of paper or pounding away at a keyboard to be writing. Those are a necessary part of the process, for sure, but there’s always the planning stage and even the composing in your mind stage. I did a whole lot of both, believe me. And, I was greatly inspired by visits to the Kurt Vonnegut Library and Museum in Indianapolis as well as Walden Pond in Concord, MA.

Okay, the move is done, the boxes are unpacked (or put into storage) and life resumes, but there’s lots different. Like waking up to see clouds embracing the hills, the lake shimmering, the birds playing. A mile away cars and trucks thread their way along the lakeside and remind me that people are going places and doing things. There’s work to be done.

And what of this writing work? It appears to have stopped for now, but it really hasn’t. It’s going on – all the time – in my head. Characters, plot points, curious topics to explore. All of them, in there somewhere. I just haven’t had the wherewithal to formalize them onto paper or the screen. Some of them will remain for the plucking, others will dissipate.

Looking forward to moving forward (not “moving” again!) back into the world of words.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Everybody, including writers, deserve vacations and I recently had the good fortune of experiencing one. My muse and I traveled to central Oregon and spent a week at Eagle Crest. An advantage of no longer teaching is that you can vacation during the more mellow travel times of the year: spring and fall. And mellow it was at “the Crest.” Hiking, biking, and viewing birds during the day as well as stars at night.

Of course, “mental vacations” are another matter for some writers, including me. So, during the week I proofread a middle-grade novel I am planning to submit. I also spent time jotting down ideas for other projects and planning marketing strategies for current books. It was a great time.