The gift of a second chance

    On this Thanksgiving, like on so many others, I read and appreciate the wonderful posts about thankfulness. I love reading about the joys, gifts, and special moments in the lives of those around me. While many people dedicate themselves to thirty days of thankfulness, I am just not that steadfast. For me, it can be summed up in one main idea. 

    There are no words to fully explain how thankful I am for having the opportunity to experience the past six years. In November 2006, right around Thanksgiving, I almost died in one of my heart surgeries. The surgeon made a critical error, causing a blockage in the lead vessel transporting the blood out of my heart. Numerous specialists and surgeons have told me it is miracle I did not suffocate on the operating table.

   Six years later, while I still struggle with the long-term effects of that blockage, I also try to appreciate each day for the opportunity to simply live it. There have been lots of highs and lows, but I am here. I am alive. I have been able to watch my children grow and thrive. I have laughed and cried, I have yelled and danced. I am living my life thanks to the gift of a second chance. For that, I will be forever grateful.

 

Photo Credit: Pinterest

First Book

    As a reading specialist, a mother, and a writer, there are few gifts I consider more valuable than the gift of a book. My children have grown up surrounded by books. In the womb, stories were read to them. One of my baby showers was a book shower. It is hard for me to imagine life without books.
    In my humble opinion, I believe all children should have access to high-quality books. All children, not just the ones who can afford them. Now I am certainly not naive. I understand that many children lack basic needs, i.e. nutritious food, clothing, adequate housing. Again, as an educator, these are issues I face daily. I still believe that our students need and deserve books. Their brains and bodies need to be fed. Sadly, 80% of the preschools and after school programs serving children in need do not have a single book for the children they work with.
     This is where the amazing work of First Book comes into play. To date, First Book has provided more than 90 million books to children in need. Yes, 90 million books! First Book currently serves over 35,000 schools nationwide. Their goal is not to fight illiteracy but to end it. Music to my ears!
     As you consider your holiday gift-giving this year, please consider including First Book on your list. Your $10.00 donation will provide four brand new books for children, perhaps even youngsters in your neighborhood. Please visit their site, talk to a friend or co-worker about  First Book, and encourage others to do the same.

 First Book

Coffee and Critique

Coffee and Critique

I miss my critique group. They are a fabulous bunch to say the very least! Almost all are published authors, writing in a wide range of genres. Each member brings a unique writing style, point of view, and knowledge of both reading and writing. Working with them fills my cup, if you will. It allows my creative juices to run freely and their wisdom is vast. My schedule has been more demanding than ever as of late, making it impossible for me to meet with them. It is clearly evident my writing has suffered in their absence. That said, this post is about the the importance of critiques, especially finding a critique group with which you can trust your work and heart.

A few thoughts about critiques:

1. Find someone (or several someones) who is honest but also understands tact. A poorly delivered critique can be crushing. You also need to find someone who understands writing and reading. They have to read in-depth and in a variety of genres. If you can find someone who writes in your specific genre, i.e., children's or horror, even better!
2. Make sure your work is ready before you give it to them for a critique. If you present a rough draft, critical time will be wasted on basic grammatical and structural errors.That is a major no-no in our group!
3. Be prepared to possibly have some kind of emotional reaction (good or bad) but understand their critique is not about you.You did ask for their opinion about your work, like it or not. 
4. After you review or listen to the critique, let it sit for a few days. Any emotions, the highs and the lows, will have subsided, and you will be able to look over the critique(s) more objectively. I often need a good week.
5. Revisit the critique(s) when you have dedicated time to work through it. Focus on how the suggestions and revisions would help make your work better in the long run.
6. In looking through the critique(s), label or identify your technical errors because those things absolutely need to be fixed.  
7. Once this is completed, review the more subjective comments. Chew on these for awhile and then make your own decisions as the author about what you’ll use and what you’ll ignore. A word of advice - if you had multiple critics and they all made certain comments about the same thing, pay attention to it! 
8. Last but not least, make sure you thank your critic(s). Even if you disagreed with some (or all) of what they had to say, they did take the time to help you. In the end, if you were not satisfied with the critique(s), find a new critique partner or group. There is help out there!

Young Writers Program

    As many of you know, I am plowing my way through Nanowrimo in an effort to churn out a novel in one month. Don’t worry, this is not another blog post about my nano adventures. Nope, it is a post about our 14 year old daughter’s adventure with Nano through the Young Writers Program.

   Upon hearing about my participation in Nano via social media, Jordan’s interest was sparked and she did a bit of investigating. On November 1^st, I received a text from her (she lives out of state), asking me if I thought she should try it. Pride running through my mother/teacher veins, I encouraged her to give it a go and that was all she needed!

   Over the past eleven days, Jordan has blended her creativity, smarts, and determination. She has already written over 17,000 words, putting her over the halfway mark (the youth goal is a mere 30,000 words). She is outpacing many senior nano-ers, myself included, and from the tiny bit she is willing to share, is creating an amazing story.

   At the end of the month, I don’t really care if Jordan reaches 30,000 words (but I think she will). It is not about the word count but more the process and the craft. She took on a challenge few adolescents would and has risen to it. While other kids her age are out causing trouble or siting around doing nothing, she is creating magic with her words. I am so impressed by my stepdaughter and feel blessed to play a part in her life.

Photo Credit: Nanowrimo