Ten Years Later

Like most Americans, I remember where I was 10 years ago the morning of September 11, 2001. I also remember the feelings of shock and horror in the following days along with the feelings of unity and patriotism that came for months afterward. Horrific events like this will remain etched on our lives forever. What I wish was still present 10 years later, however, are the intense feelings of unity and patriotism expressed not only in this country, but by so many others across the world. It's for those feelings I long the most. That's probably one reason I don't like books with sad endings. In fact, I loath them and wonder why so many adults like them. Most kids I know might read a book with a sad ending once, but they won't reread it. It doesn't become something that is loved by generations of children. Parents and academics might like such books and push them on their kids, but my experience is that these types of books aren't something most kids want to reread. They want happy endings. The good feelings one gets from reading a story matter. This is one reason I write children's books. Books for kids almost always have happy endings, for the good guys and gals, that is. Most kids I know seem to be drawn to the hope they feel toward the heroes or heroines at the end of books after their characters have gone through the proverbial wringer. I'm sure that there are some out there who have counter examples of kids who like tragedies, but I'll stick with the majority of kids on this one and go with the happy endings. I want my books reread more than ten years later.

What would you have done?

Money has been in the news a lot recently with the whole debate in congress over balancing the budget and raising the debt ceiling. Part of me sees the two arguing parties in congress as two spouses fighting over money in a marriage that has gone sour while we, as the children, sit back and wish our parents would get their acts together, after all, its our future they're playing with. The idea of common shared goals and unity that makes marriages and our country great often seem a thing of long forgotten fairy tales. It's not a perfect analogy, I know, but I think it's something that most of us can relate to.

Last month, a story in the news about money and attitude caught my attention. A thirsty man wanting to get a drink and something to eat didn't have enough money for both, so he went to an ATM for more money and along the way found a bag with over $17,000 in cash and checks inside. He ended up returning the money without using any of it to help himself get food or anything else. "It's not my  money," he was quoted as saying. What if policy makers and others in charge of decisions regarding money held that same attitude? Parents often look at the money they have now and plan how it will help their family both now and in the future. I'm not claiming to be perfect in this area, but I think this man's attitude is worth emulating.

What would you or I have done if we found that bag of money and what does it tell us about our attitude regarding the tool of money? Something to think about.

Here's a link regarding the story if you want to read more.
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=711&sid=15900600

Be a Builder

It's been a while since I've blogged, not because I don't have a lot to say, but because I want to say the right things. I want people to consume content on my blog that is uplifting and builds them up as well as talk about writing. Building up others is one of my classroom rules. We give Build-Ups in my room, not put-downs. To that end, I am going to focus on posting as many uplifting stories or experiences as I can on the site, along with my writing, so as to make it a place people want to come to read about good, uplifting experiences as well as what is happening with my writing. These uplifting experiences might include stories of overcoming challenges like debt, bad habits, or even tragedy. Feel free to leave your uplifting comments or send me your true story of overcoming challenges in your own life. Together, we can make this a place where we build up each other as well as talk about writing.

To start, I wanted to post about Mary Hunt, who, through hard work and determination, got out from under a pile of debt. I chose debt as the theme for this post because the novel I'm currently working on has a running theme around greed and how caustic it can be to people and relationships. Here's a link to Mary's story from CBS news.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/07/eveningnews/main4078793.shtml

I think Mary's determination and hard work are admirable. It took 12 years for her to get that far in debt and 13 to get out. That also shows commitment and self control. We could use a lot more of these kinds values in all our lives. I could use more of them when it comes to buckling down and finishing my current project. Way to go Mary!

LDS Storymakers Conference is Coming Up!

If you haven't seen already, LDS Storymakers Conference is coming up in May. I'm going for the first time this year and bringing a friend or two. The panels look interesting and informative and there are sessions to pitch to editors. If you live near Utah, you should consider looking up the website and getting more information. Here is a link to the schedule:

http://ldstorymakers.com/2011schedule.php

Current Reading List

There are so many good books out there to choose from in Middle Grade and YA fantasy. Here's what I'm reading or just finished. Dragon Spear, the third book in the Dragon Slippers series by Jessica Day George is a great book I'd recommend for kids. I'm in the middle of it now. The whole series has lots of dragons, lots of action, and a great female protagonist. My oldest daughter loved the series and she got me hooked on them.

For a bit of an older crowd, I'm slowly making my way through the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and just finished book seven, Crown of Swords. I'm hoping to get through as many books as I can before the last one in the series comes out at the end of this year. A local Utah author, Brandon Sanderson, is finishing the great work that Robert Jordan started all those years ago. What are you currently reading?

Triage Editing

What's triage editing? According to Dave Wolverton/Dave Farland who taught an excellent workshop on editing at this year's Life, the Universe, and Everything (LTUE) Science Fiction and Fantasy writing conference this past February at BYU, it's the first stage of editing your rough draft and that's what I'm currently doing to my book. This is the time I go back over each scene and make the necessary large adjustments many times with a hacksaw and lots of gauze. Dave says he goes over a draft at least six times, for different reasons each time, to get things where they need to be. I expect that's what I'll be doing to polish up this current piece. Wherever you are at in your current WIP, keep it up and don't give up. Hack those adverbs. Strike down that dreaded passive voice. Make your manuscript shine.

Spelling lists

Whenever I give a spelling test to my students, I try to make up a story while using the words for that week in sentences. It's a blast, and the kids enjoy the test even more, but can also be challenging depending on what spelling/phonics skill we are studying that week. One huge benefit for me as an author is that using the words challenges me to create something interesting for an audience on the fly and within certain parameters. It has also produced some great ideas for characters or monsters or situations that I have put into my current novel. So if you have to help someone study for a spelling test, I encourage you to try it out. You'll be amazed at what you come up with.