What Kind of Tracks Have You Left?

We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.--Dakota

I saw this quote n Ladybug Whispers on Facebook several years ago. (See, going on FB is not wasted time!) There are a lot of these quotes and poster pictures, and most are worthwhile, but now and then one comes along that impresses me and makes me ponder awhile. This is one of them.

Stop and think about the tracks you have left as you moved through your life. This includes both your personal life and your writing world. We are leaving tracks in both places.

Are your tracks deep and worth something, or did you skim across the sand and leave only a slight imprint? Are you at a point in your life where you can make a change if you feel you need to? Isn't the beginning of a new year the perfect time to give it a go?

When I look back over the years, I know that I could have done several things differently, but that's finished now. It's the path ahead where I can make some changes in both my personal and my writing life.

How about you? Today's a brand new day, also the final day of 2020. Let's use it in the best way we can. Even better, consider what kind of tracks you want to leave in 2021. January 1st is the day to get started. 

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year. May your muse shower you with inspiration!

NOTE:  Next post will be Monday, January 4, 2021

Happy New Year

Try Something New No matter Your Age

 

You may have heard someone say something like "I'd love to learn to do this, but I'm too old." The time for learning new things is past."  To me, that is a sad statement. I don't believe we are ever too old to try to do something you've not done before. Within reason, of course. I wouldn't advise a 95-year-old man to ski in the alps if he'd never done it before. 

We also hear statements like "I wish I had tried to _____ long ago. Now, it's too late." It's too late only if you believe it is. In that case, you're not going to try a new venture as you have yourself convinced that it is out of the realm of possibilities. 

How many times have my regular readers read my thoughts on your attitude being prime in your ability to do something? I often write 'it's up to you' or 'it's your choice or you're in command.' Who cares if you fumble a bit when you start a new challenge? You shouldn't worry about what others say. Do what feels right to you and fulfill a long-held dream.

I once interviewed several people who had not started writing until well after age 50. Their reasons were varied, but what came through with all the answers was that they had the courage to delve into a new part of life. The article that was published in 2006 is below. A few of the people interviewed have passed on. One has changed from writing to creating art quilts, and others are still writing. 

IS IT TOO LATE? (written in 2006)

"I'd love to write, but I'm too old now." Have you thought or said something like that aloud? Is it too late once you've passed through your forties? Can you learn a new craft later in life? Come along with me and meet several writers who took the first step when well into, or past, middle age.

Tragedy turned Kathe Campbell into a writer at the age of sixty-two. A wretched accident at her Montana ranch resulted in the loss of her right arm. Still in shock and feeling useless, Kathe held many a pity party. No one showed up but the Guest of Honor. Her son built a computer and urged her to practice using the keyboard with her left hand. Once a 120 words a minute typist, she played with the keyboard a little, finding it difficult but challenging. Kathe says "If any old broad ever needed confidence during this settling and coping time of life, I did. I discovered several writing e-zines on the internet and unabashedly submitted the wrenching story of my loss at the age of 62. The entire effort served as mental and physical therapy, jolting me right back into allowing my thoughts to spill over pages once again." Only a few years earlier Kathe had written her first story detailing a journey through her mother's Alzheimer's Disease. Cosmopolitan magazine published it. She never wrote another until after her accident. Now, at seventy-two, she turns out story upon story bringing folksy humor and touching warmth to readers at several website e-zines. Chicken Soup For The Grandparent's Soul recently published one of Kathe's true-life tales.

Did Kathe Campbell start a writing career too late in life? She waited until she harbored a lifetime of experiences to draw from until the goal of succeeding seemed less important than the fact that she enjoyed writing with every fiber of her being. In her own words, "Writing is such a lot of fun." Her accident became the catalyst for a part-time career she'd never considered in her younger years.

Hollywood portrays young men writing the great American novel in garrets, outdoor cafes, or even at a kitchen table. They sweat, they agonize, they labor long into the night until that magical first sale turns them into Pulitzer Prize winners in a flash. Oh, that it might be that easy. Have you ever seen a film that portrays someone over the age of forty-five writing their first story? They don’t fit the stereotype Hollywood has invented, do they? 

More than a few writers launch freelance careers in mid-life and beyond. Madge Walls, the author of Hawaii Real Estate Exam Book, tried to write in her thirties but found the distractions of young children overwhelming. She shelved the writing itself but attended every workshop on the subject of writing that came to Maui where she lived. "I knew I would write seriously someday and wanted to absorb all I could while waiting to get the little distractions grown-up," Madge says. She feels the older you are the more wisdom and experience you have accumulated. At sixty-one, she believes her writing to be much richer now than it might have been years earlier. Madge is currently working on a historical fiction novel and has completed another novel based on her experiences selling real estate in Hawaii 

A woman in her sixties, who prefers to remain anonymous, entered the writing world partly because of being a copious letter writer all her life. Letters filled with mini-stories were a medium of self-expression which, over the years, evolved into writing short stories and novels. She enrolled in a correspondence course to learn the basics, writing many articles and stories that never reached publication. Rather than give up, she signed up for several writing courses found on the internet. Many were excellent but left her searching for more. She needed feedback and interaction, which these courses did not offer. She wrote five adult novels, one for teens and two for middle-grade children. An online critique group became an eye-opener, teaching her more than all the previous period. Nearing seventy, she is an active person who still works to support herself but also writes four hours each day. Her positive attitude and consistent hard work aid this writer on her journey to publication.

Dick Dunlap creates stories that bring both laughter and an occasional tear to the reader. Dick says that anything he wrote in high school was overlooked because of poor spelling and bad handwriting. In spite of that, he won second prize in a Woman's Club essay contest in his teen years. It was the first time he received recognition for his writing, and the excitement was never forgotten. Dick avoided writing through the majority of his life, being ashamed of its appearance. When over sixty, he submitted a poem to a newspaper. A Writer's Guild member contacted him, and he took a big step by attending meetings. Soon, he bought a word processor and signed up for a writing course for Seniors. He created a fictitious family called "The Nevers", writing story upon story about the folks who make up this bumbling family. Dick says, "I like what I write. I laugh, I get a tear in my eye, I live my plots."

"Will the Boots and Saddles Club please come to order?" That was the first line of a novel Molly Samuels penned at the age of 8. Molly says, "That was so horrible, I put my writing skills to work elsewhere for the next forty-four years. I never lost that desire to write a book, even though it was one of those "someday" dreams. I'm fifty-eight now and have been seriously focused on writing for only four years." At fifty-two Molly came to a crossroads in her career. She realized that everything she enjoyed throughout her career related to writing, and a new door opened for her. She spends her free time turning out chapter upon chapter of a historical novel that has captured the interest of her online critique group.

Molly states her thoughts on writers who jump into the writing game at a later stage of life. "I really think we need to age a bit to get experiences, things to fill those wrinkles in our brain for our sub-conscience to ferret out, for our writing to glow. I don't think the first fifty-two years of my life were wasted, even though I never wrote anything more scintillating than a survey analysis."

A teacher's criticism douses the spark of creativity in many cases. Shirley Letcher had an interest in writing all through her high school years. A creative writing teacher criticized her work mercilessly, adding a massive dose of sarcasm. Shirley did not write again for more than twenty years when she returned to college to pursue a master's degree. Professors complimented her on the weekly essays she submitted. It wasn't long before she was publishing articles and getting paid. She writes in her free time and finds it exhilarating.

Leela Devi Panikar operated a lucrative pub/restaurant business in Hong Kong. At the age of sixty-six, her life moved in a different direction. She found it necessary to bring her elderly wheelchair-bound mother to live with her. Leela's care-taking duties are time-consuming, but she is well aware that she needs something else in her life, too. In her precious spare time, she works on a novel set in Hong Kong.

I have a personal interest in the topic at hand. A desire to write occupied the recesses of my mind all through my growing-up years, college, career, and raising children. Too busy now I told myself, until, at the age of fifty-three, I landed in a small town that did not accept new people very readily. I was lonely and homesick for all we left behind when my husband made a job change. I plunged in head-first by enrolling in a correspondence course that promised to teach me how to write for children. I was hooked after Lesson One, and I've never looked back in the fourteen years since.

Middle-aged and older people who have never written before can learn the craft. Bumps and bruises await along the road to a writing career, but if desire is strong, and you practice patience and perseverance, satisfaction and success lie within reach. Draw from your wealth of experience to write that first story soon.

Encouragement or Challenge?

 

I'm a firm believer that out of all bad comes some good. We might have to search for it, but we can find the good if we try. I think one of the positives that has come from the 2020 pandemic is that we realize how much our families mean to us. Of course, we always knew they meant a lot, but maybe now that fact has come to light in a bigger way. Especially for those who have lost family members this past year. It doesn't matter if the loss came through a covid illness, some other disease, an accident, or old age. Someone we knew and loved is gone.

I encourage you to write about those people you lost. Write about the kind of person he/she was. Write about the quirks and the antics and the love shown and what that person meant to you. Write about the sad parts of their lives, and with some, the bad parts. It's who they were. Sadly, we don't always realize what a person means to us until we have lost them. 

Besides encouraging you, I challenge you to write about those you lost and those in your family still here. Not everyone has lost a family member this past year, but we can all start writing those family stories that will live on forever once someone puts them down for others to read. 

You might find that the older you get, the more interested you are in your family stories and the people who have starring roles in them. Sadly, by the time some people become interested in their family history, the people who could have told them the most stories are gone. 

I would like to encourage young people to sit down with an older family member and talk with them. I mean 'really talk' not just swing through the house and say "Hi Gram, how are you doing today?" Young people seldom realize that their grandparents and great-grandparents are a treasure trove of family history, family happenings, and more. 

Don't rely on grandparents only. You probably have some aunts and uncles, great-aunts and great-uncles. They can add to the stories your immediate family tells you and add new ones of their own. 

Many families keep a record of births and deaths in the family bible. That's a good starting point. Ask your older relatives about family members listed in the family bible. You might open a treasure box. Writers often do writing exercises from a prompt of a photo or a short sentence. It's something to trigger your imagination. Those family records could trigger many stories. 

Sit down with an older family member and leaf through photo albums. Many of those photos will trigger stories you might not ever have heard. 

I often write a post about the importance of writing family stories, why, and how you can start a Family Stories Book. It's important to me, and I hope it either has been or will be something you want to do. Lots of people say they have the desire to compile a Family Stories Book, but the desire is as far as it goes. Where do you begin? With one story at a time. There are also plenty of books on writing your family stories. One of my writer friends has one recently published. You can find How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History by Annette Gendler at Amazon. Use your favorite search engine to find others.

If you've never written about anyone in your family before, make 2021 the year you begin. What better time than this new year coming on the heels of a most difficult 2020? If you haven't thought about how much family means to you during this pandemic year, I suggest you give it some thought. All those parents, step-parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins are a part of you. Honor them by writing their stories and gifting them to the present and future generations in your family. 

I usually encourage readers to write their family stories. Today, I am offering a challenge to do so. 

Books You Don't Like and Ones You Do

 

We had a quiet but nice Christmas. Home alone but phone calls with our children and grandchildren made the day. Now, we move on towards the end of the year 2020. I can't imagine anyone who will hate to see the backside of this year. We are all looking forward to a much better 2021. 

Yesterday, I finished reading a book by one of my favorite authors which did not disappoint. Daniel Silva has a series of spy-suspense novels featuring Gabriel Allon in each one. He is an art restorer and Israeli spy who lives through one adventure after another. Somehow, I never get tired of reading about him, his friends, and his enemies. I find each book in the series to be a satisfying read and one that keeps me turning pages eagerly.

Being the avid reader I am, I selected another book from the five I had brought home from the library and settled down with a British mystery. I am not going to name it because it was one of the most boring books I have ever tried reading. There was once an old saying about English movies and books--' they take a while before you get into the real story.' Strange since writers are urged to start with a great opening to hook your reader. I thought this might be the case, so I kept on reading.

I turned page after page hoping something 'good' might happen. The author(s), a writing duo, set the scene and established the main characters, but even the conversation between characters was boring. When we once reached the murder scene, a museum where a dead body is found in the basement, I thought things would perk up a bit. Wrong! It is a rare day when I don't finish a book, but I'm quite 'done' with this one.

This brings me to today's topic. How do unappealing books get published? The book I attempted to read yesterday was published in the UK by a British publisher. It is obvious that an editor thought the book worthy and went to the expense of publishing plus paying royalties to the authors. 

One reason books like this get published is that they are not boring to every reader. I disliked it, but perhaps other readers might find it of great interest. Enough of them so that the book was published, is in bookstores, and on library shelves. The authors have other books to their credit, so they have proven themselves enough to be considered for every book they write. That old 'get your foot in the door' might work here. 

We have all kinds of readers which is why we have all types of books in many genres. One of the things you, as the writer of a book, should do is to be able to convince an editor that your book is worthy of publication. Isn't it awful that we must not only write the book but 'sell' it to an editor as well? What will an editor want to know? They will surely ask you to tell them why your book should be published. You do that in your cover letter when submitting your manuscript or when writing to ask if you can submit it. 

Learn all you can about a publisher so that you know if your book is a fit. If a publisher is known for turning out one romance after another, you don't want to send them your sci-fi adventure. Do your marketing homework. 

Of course, one way unappealing books get published is that they are self-published. When I pick up a self-published book, I know that it can either be quite good or very, very bad. No one but the author has approved it. 

Another way bad books hit the bookshelves is through a vanity publisher--one who will publish anything as long as the writer pays him/her. A whole post could be written on this type of publishing.

As a reader, you want to check the book carefully before you purchase it, or even take it home from the library. Besides reading the frontispiece, open the book at random and read a couple of pages. 

As a writer, give careful consideration to the publisher(s) you submit to. It is hoped you will find one who will help make your book the best it can be. If you choose the self-publishing route, do the same thing--make your book the very best one you can produce. 

Keep in mind that writers have varied personalities and abilities and so do their readers. When the writer and the reader are a good fit, it's a glorious thing.

Once a Christmas Wish, Now a Memory

 

It's Christmas Eve morning. Today, I have a story for you about a Christmas present I wanted more than any I had ever hoped to receive before. Would my twelve-year-old hopes be realized or would I be desperately disappointed? 

Once a Christmas Wish, Now a Memory

A few weeks before Christmas of 1951, I told my mother about a special gift I wanted. She laughed and said, “You’re too old for baby dolls.” My bottom lip quivered and I blinked away tears.

I didn’t think twelve was too old to play with dolls. My cousin, Carol, had the most wonderful baby doll, one the size of a real baby. I coveted that doll more than anything I’d seen in my entire life. The one time of the year we got new toys was Christmas, making this the perfect time to ask for one. 

I took a deep breath. “Carol has one, so why shouldn’t I?” 

This time my mother didn’t laugh at me. She stopped rolling the pie crust dough. “Girls who are twelve and in sixth grade don’t play with dolls. Carol’s only eleven and in the fifth grade.” 

She started rolling the dough again.

Why did a year make such a difference? I only had one doll, a Shirley Temple look-alike 

given to me six years earlier. At twelve, I had perfected sulking, and I proceeded to do so. I watched while my two younger brothers turned the pages in the Sears catalog and wrote the first letter of their name by the toys they wanted. It probably wasn’t worth putting my initials there. I only wanted one thing, and it looked like I wasn’t going to get it.

Even so, I harbored a twinge of hope all through the weeks that led up to the big day. We had little storage space in our small apartment, so my mother immediately wrapped the gifts she purchased and stacked them on the dressers in her bedroom. She delighted in sending us in there on made-up errands so we could watch the piles grow.  I didn’t see a box that might hold a life-size baby doll. Maybe tomorrow…

Signs of Christmas were all around us. We listened to an episode of The Cinnamon Bear on the radio after school. The same story about two children and a stuffed bear searching for a special star ran every year in December, and despite knowing the ending, I listened every day while I snacked on the latest Christmas cookies that Mom baked daily, washing them down with cold milk. But I thought about my baby doll. 

Mom baked many kinds of cookies, storing them in gaily patterned tins. I helped frost the sugar cookies and sampled the others that came out of the oven as soon as they cooled. Tiny rolled-up rugelach, powdered-sugar-coated crescents, and of course, chocolate chip.  Cinnamon rolls, coffee cakes, and frosted layer cakes made our holiday special. We had fudge every Christmas—so soft and gooey, it had to be eaten with a spoon. While the spicy smells of the holiday filled the air, I thought about the doll.

A few days before the big day, Dad put up the tree and strung the colored lights. We three kids hung the ornaments. Being the oldest, I was in charge of the upper branches. Howard worked on the next tier, and Paul, who was only four, put ornaments on the bottom branches. We finished with silver tinsel that shimmered in the tree lights. Holiday music played on our big console radio in the living room. I looked at the tree and thought that, if I got my doll Christmas morning, everything would be perfect. 

A special angel adorned every tree of my growing-up years. Mom pressed the angel’s pink satin dress, smoothed out her gold wings, and fluffed up her hair so she was ready to stand on top of our tree, watching over us. Dad waited until we decorated the entire tree before he put the angel on the highest point. That year, I wondered if angels could grant special Christmas wishes. Just in case, I silently told her mine. She didn’t laugh or scold, just smiled sweetly while I inhaled the special aroma of the fir tree.

On Christmas Eve, my brothers and I brought one of our everyday socks to the living room and Mom pinned them onto the back of an overstuffed chair since we had no fireplace with a mantel. We knew Santa would fill them with an orange, walnuts still in the shells, and a few pieces of candy. Before we went to bed, Howard, Paul and I brought out all the colorful packages from the bedroom and watched Dad arrange them under the tree. 

It seemed almost magical with the lights, ornaments, and the packages filled with secrets underneath, all watched over by the sweet pink angel on the top. All too soon, we were shooed off to bed with the annual reminder that the sooner we went to sleep, the sooner Christmas would arrive. 

In the morning, my brothers found the gifts Santa brought them next to the tree, for Santa never wrapped his gifts. The boys knew immediately who they were from. Each of them received one of the items he’d marked in the Sears catalog weeks earlier. No Santa gift for me. Twelve-year-old girls didn’t play with dolls and they didn’t get gifts from Santa either. I swallowed my disappointment and settled down on the sofa waiting for Dad to pass out the wrapped packages, one by one.

We opened many packages that held practical items like new socks or pajamas and others that had small toys and comic books, some jewelry for me. I noticed a good-sized box in the corner that I hadn’t seen the night before. When we’d opened all the others, Dad handed me that big box. I looked at him and Mom, then at the angel on the tree. Could it possibly be?

 “Open it,” Dad said. 

I ripped off the paper, removed the lid, and gazed down on the face of the precious doll I’d hoped for. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Instead, I lifted the doll carefully out of the box and cradled her against me. It was exactly like the one Carol had.

I looked at my mother, still in her bathrobe and slippers on this holiday morning. I had trouble getting the words out, then finally said, “But you said I was too old for dolls.”  

“Sometimes mothers are wrong. Daddy and I decided that if it was something you wanted so very much, you should have it. You’ve never had a lot of dolls like some girls.”

 I laid my treasure on the sofa and rushed to my mother’s side. I hugged her and thanked her and then put my arms around my dad and squeezed hard, whispering my thanks in his ear.

I picked up my special Christmas gift and smiled from ear to ear. What fun Carol and I would have later in the day when her family joined ours for dinner. Everyone moved to the kitchen to eat breakfast but I stopped to say a silent thank you to the pink angel on the tree top. 

Twelve wasn’t too old for dolls, after all.

(c)

NOTE:  Next post will be Monday, December 26, 2020 

Pick Up An Old Book Now and Then

Books are often gifts. We usually look for something just published to give to someone. This post from 2+ years ago suggests you consider the classics as a gift to another, or for yourself. 

 

Those of us who are avid readers watch the reading sites, newspaper reviews, library notices and more seeking new titles. We thirst for new books to read because, as today's poster says, What an astonishing thing a book is.

As much as we enjoy new books by favorite authors, we should also consider delving back into earlier times and reading some of the classics. Read those you had to read in high school or college now and you might have a totally different perspective and appreciation.

I chose the book for my Book Club to read for the November discussion. We have a very lengthy list of books on our interlibrary loan system that we can get X number of copies gathered from several libraries across the state. It's difficult to select a book because all that is listed is title and author. Many are familiar titles but just as many are not. How helpful it would be to have even one sentence to give a glimmer of an idea as to what the book is about.

We need to choose 3 books and never know which one we will get until the day the book box is to be picked up. My eyes lit up when I found that I had enough copies of Selected Stories of O. Henry for the six in our group. Much bigger than I expected, it is in the 400+ pages range.

The first night I had time to read, I opened to the introduction which is a lengthy biography of O. Henry--a pseudonym. Did you know that? I didn't. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was a master of the short story form but incapable, by his own admission, of writing a full-length book. He led a life that could have been featured in many a short story.

This revered author wrote prolifically in the short story genre with stories set in the early 20th century and in places where he'd lived and traveled. They ranged from New York City to the far West to Central America and back to New York again. He churned out a story per week for a periodical who hired him to do just that along with more for magazines. Think about it. A finished story per week, or more. Not easy as many writers spend weeks on perfecting only one.

His stories were popular because they were written with a dry, humorous style and nearly always contained a twist of some kind. They featured common people, the lower and middle class with only an occasional wealthy person. He writes so that the reader feels like he/she is sitting face to face with the author who is telling him/her the story.

His most famous story is probably The Gift of the Magi which tells the tale of a young married couple, impoverished but deeply in love. Christmas is near and she sells her hair to get the money to buy him a watch chain for a beloved family pocket watch. He sells his watch to buy her decorative combs for her long hair. A gem of a tale!

I am enjoying all the stories in this collection. Because they were written in the early 1900's, I  have noticed a difference in sentence structure and some quite outdated vocabulary. Even so, the story itself is there to savor. Had I been assigned this book to read in a classroom, I don't think I would have gotten nearly the joy in it that I am doing now.

I noticed that the writing allowed me to visualize what happens very easily; O. Henry pulls me into the scene. That is the sign of a good writer.

Take a break from reading those new titles and sail back to read some of the classics of old. I don't think you'll be sorry. You might find many an astonishing

December 23, 2020 Repost from October 2018

Write Christmas Stories NOW

 

This is a repeat post from way back in 2010. Still pertinent ten years later. 

Christmas stories! They're loved by so many and therefore published by myriad numbers of magazines, websites, newspapers, and book publishers. They need to be marketed months and months ahead of the Christmas season. Think of how many editors are reading Christmas stories as air-conditioners keep their offices cool on a hot summer day.

Should you write a Christmas story in April or June so you can send it out in July? Some writers can do it, but for me, my best Christmas stories have been written during the Christmas season. The simple reason is that during December when we're surrounded by Christmas and all that it involves--from the religious to the commercial side--we have more emotion to spread through our story. We feel the story inside so strongly that we can write it easily. It's a time when so many memories are triggered. It's now that we need to write our Christmas stories.

I hear your question loud and clear Doesn't that mean my story won't have a chance of being seen until next Christmas?. You're right. Unless you send to a website that publishes instantly, it probably will not find a home for about a year. But that's okay. Your aim is to publish your work, no matter how long it takes. Remember that one of the keywords for all writers is patience.

Write your Christmas story now. Write it while the scents of this beloved holiday are wafting through your home and other places you go. Write it while the sights and happenings of Christmas touch your heart. Write it while you hear the sounds of Christmas--the bells, the carolers, the commercial songs. Write it while you care about it. Don't wait until March and hope you can dredge up those Christmas emotions while drinking green beer on St. Pat's Day.

Write it now, then put it in a file marked "Christmas Stories" and keep that file somewhere that you'll see it occasionally. Come spring, go through the stories in that file and study market guides to see where you might submit your work.

You're busy with Christmas preparations. We who celebrate this holiday are all in the same boat, different paddle. Make writing your Christmas story a part of your Christmas tasks. Write it NOW!

-

Winter Solstice and Writing Topics

 

Today is the Winter Solstice--the shortest day of the year. Put another way, it's the day we have the least amount of light all year. It's also a time when we know that each succeeding day will be just a wee bit longer as we look toward spring, then summer. 

Winter brings us a whole new set of ideas for the stories, poems, and essays we write. Also for nonfiction articles. Many writers whine--yes they do--that they have run out of ideas. If they are the ones who sit in front of their computer and say they cannot find anything to write about, then they definitely have run out of ideas.

Use your writer's eye wherever you go. There are stories all around us. It's up to us to 'see' them. 

When I'm reading the newspaper, I am always on the lookout for a story I can use in my writing world. I read an article once about the problem of working mothers directing their children to go to the library after school. A safe place, a problem solved for the mothers, and a problem created for the library staff. One of my most popular children's stories evolved from my reading that article. "There's a Dragon in the Library" highlighted the problem. Another newspaper article I read was the basis for "An Angel in the Snow" which is a fictionalized version of a real happening when a child got stuck in a snowdrift and was pulled out by a large dog. Keep your writer's eye tuned in when you read the newspaper or watch the news on tv. 

But back to the dawning of winter. This season offers a great many things we can write about. I have listed some of them below to trigger your memory and get you started. 

1. winter holidays
2. snowstorms
3. blizzards
4. sledding on a snowy hill
5. snowball fights
6. heavy clothing
7. boots
8. frigid temperatures
9. cold, gusty winds
10. icy roads
11. ice skating
12. ice hockey
13. winter foods your mother made
14. head colds
15. flu
16. blankets
17. shoveling snow
18. December holiday baking
19. making a snowman
20. walking to school in bad weather

I could go on, but surely one of the twenty above will trigger something for you. 

Snowy weather lends itself quite well to poetry. Thnk of the adjectives, the similes, the metaphors that are possible. There are science articles to be researched and written about winter weather and happenings like the planets lining up for us to see this evening. Winter brings many things you write about in children's stories.

The idea is to use what is around you. Use what you see and read about. I don't buy that phrase--"I have nothing to write about." You're a writer, you have an imagination. Be creative.  

Do You Have A Blessing Box?

 

During these past ten+ months, it's been more difficult than usual to find the blessings in each day. Some days, we have to look high and low before we come upon one that we can slip into our Blessing Box. I borrowed the term, Blessing Box, from a program going on in our town to help provide food for those who are in need. There are several of these 'boxes' stationed around town. Those who wish to give, put their food donations (or toiletry articles) in the box. The people who are needing some bit of assistance right now can then take whatever they want to without having to face someone and ask for it, without filling out forms. It's theirs, no strings attached. These Blessing Boxes have been used over and over again. 

I would like to think we each have a Blessing Box in our home, not for food and toiletries but for slips of paper that note a blessing in our life that we want to remember and be thankful for. Your Blessing Box can be actual or something tucked away in your mind. It's not the box that is important. Instead, the blessings you uncover daily rate five stars each. 

Considering the problems we've all faced in this pandemic year, this year of civil unrest, and political upheaval, it might be difficult to unearth the blessings in our lives. You can find them if you try. I think listing one or more each day serves as a reminder that, even through adversity in our country and our personal lives, we also have things for which we can be thankful. We thought about a lot of them last month as we celebrated our Thanksgiving holiday, which is more than turkey and cranberry sauce. It's the gathering of families, which proved a difficult thing to do this year. Even so, we have the blessing of family. Whether your group is large or small, these people related to you are a blessing. Sometimes irritating but mostly a blessing. 

Of course, I would need to consider the blessings in my writing life, and if you are a writer, so should you. Only this morning, I learned of a new book on Amazon published by a longtime writer friend, who wrote the book many years ago. At the urging of several other writer friends (and me), she finally self-published. What a blessing for her, and what a blessing for those of us who believed in her book and continued to encourage her over the years. 

Every day, something new pops up in my writing life, something I can call my Blessing for the Day. One day last week, I received a thank you letter from a writer who had asked me for some feedback on his most recent book. He thanked me but also complimented me in regards to the writing world. That, to me, was my blessing for that day. 

Some of the blessings in my writing life are:

• many friends who are writers
• sources for help when I need it
• my online writing group
• the ability to help others with their own writing life
• the fact that my muse and I get along pretty well most of the time
• being published many times
• continue to find new ideas for stories and essays
• being able to accept criticism from those who critique my work
• having readers for the pieces I write

All of the above are blessings in my writing life. More show up on a regular basis. I have also been blessed in my other life, as well. I don't take everyday things for granted. I know that I have been blessed with a wonderful husband and family, a myriad number of friends, and so many more things. The list would be far too long to add here.

When things go wrong in your life, and you know that we all have days when they do, step back, take a deep breath, and look for a blessing. Write it down and pop it in your Blessing Box if you have one. Then find another and another. They may be small but pertinent things. 

If you decide to keep a Blessing Box, wait until the end of the current year, then sit down with your favorite beverage and go through the box. Read those slips of paper, one by one. I am sure many will bring a smile and warm your heart. You may want to date each one. Not necessary but might be of interest.

If you keep a daily, or weekly journal, why not add a blessing you've found at the end of each entry. Read that year's journal at the end of the year and note those small but often significant blessings.

Whether you have an actual Blessing Box or one in your head and heart, I think it helps us to look at the positives in our lives. Something to consider for this new year which will be here in two weeks. 

The Cinnamon Bear--A Christmas Memory

 

Memories are treasured, but Christmas memories seem to take on a special appeal to all who celebrate. If you have a different winter holiday to celebrate, your memories of the times you rejoiced and gathered with loved ones are much the same. 

Christmas memories deserve a special section in your Family Stories Book. You do have one, don't you? If not, no time like the present to start writing and saving your memories in a 3-ring binder so that you can easily add new ones as time goes on. 

Today, I want to share a Christmas memory of my own. It was only a small part of our family's Christmas traditions and festivities, but it is a treasured memory for me. It's one my mother mentioned many times when I was an adult, married, and a mother. It finally dawned on me that my special memory was just as special to her. 

The Cinnamon Bear  

In the mid to late 1940s in Oak Park, a Chicago suburb, I hurried home each day after school to listen to the next 15-minute episode of The Cinnamon Bear. I did this every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, even though I knew the story well. It felt so good to walk into our warm kitchen knowing a new episode of my greatly loved story awaited.

During the holiday period, the story was broadcast six days a week right up to Christmas. I sat glued to the big console radio in our small apartment living room to follow the story of Jimmy and Judy and an Irish teddy bear named Paddy O’Cinnamon. Only days before Christmas, the silver star on the twins’ Christmas tree is missing. The children and the Cinnamon Bear travel to Maybeland to retrieve the precious family star. They fall into one misadventure after another until the star is found and returned to grace the top of their Christmas tree. 

I loved books and stories so it seemed only natural that I would become besotted with this serial. The Cinnamon Bear story became a Christmas tradition in our family. I think my mother listened right along with me as she made dinner preparations or baked Christmas cookies in our very tiny kitchen. As my younger brothers got older, they joined me every afternoon, pushing for top position by the big radio. Why we thought we had to sit practically pasted to the speakers is a wonder. We could have heard it anywhere in our apartment, but being so close somehow made the story more real to us.

From our seats by the radio, we could see our own Christmas tree. An angel, not a star, topped our tree every year. I knew I would have felt as unhappy as Jimmy and Judy if our angel in her pink dress and golden wings suddenly disappeared. I developed the habit of checking that she was right where she belonged every morning before I went to school and again when I returned home. 

Now, when I think of the story, the scent of Christmas baking comes along with the memory for my mother baked wonderful Christmas cookies, cinnamon rolls and coffeecakes. and fudge which never got firm no matter how long she beat it. In December, our kitchen could have won a prize for Best Aroma of the Season. 

When the daily episode finished, my brothers and I pored through the Sears Christmas catalog, marking our fondest desires with our first name initial. Not once, but day after day adding a few new items but never taking any away. Santa would choose which item was best for each of us. We were certain of that.

The Cinnamon Bear did not air on Sundays, and sometimes it seemed a very long time from the Saturday episode to the Monday one. I knew what was going to happen, but I listened with great anticipation each day. I came to know Jimmy and Judy and Paddy O’Cinnamon as dear friends year after year. They always found the silver star and our pink angel never left the top of our own Christmas tree. 

You're Your Own Writer--Not Like Others

 

The quote today (I think new writers are too worried that it has all been said before. Sure it has, but not by you.) shouldn't only address 'new' writers. I think it goes for seasoned writers, as well. 

There are only so many plots for fiction stories, only so many topics for articles on gardening, only so many essays to be written about love. Someone else has already written about almost every idea you come up with. 

But, they haven't written it in the way you would, unless you copy them word for word, and you're not ever going to do that, are you? 

You write in your voice. You write from your own experiences. You write using different angles than others have done. 

Consider a scene where three writers write about a woman walking in a rose garden. Same scene, same woman, same garden. Each one will come up with a different version of what happens, what she thinks, what she sees. One writer might go to great lengths to describe the garden--what it looks like, the scent pervading the air, the dew drops on the roses, and many other details. The second writer might do nothing more than mention the rose garden and, instead, concentrate on the thoughts of the woman. Writer number three could take an entirely different angle bu having the woman meet danger along the path. 

Never worry about the 'it's been done before' as long as you can come up with that new angle, and you very likely can do so. It will take some deep thinking and perhaps some trial and error. You have already learned that nothing comes easy in this writing game so be prepared to work hard. 

Never copy another writer's style. Find your own by writing and writing and writing. Your voice will come through. Your observations will work into what you write. Your experiences will propel the words you put together. 

Gifts That Aren't Packaged

This is a repeat post from 2011 about gifts for writers that don't need to be boxed and wrapped.

 Yesterday, I wrote about the new Christmas anthology that I'd received in the mail. One of my memory stories was published in it. Then, last night, I received a message saying that a children's story I'd submitted several weeks ago had been published at Knowonder! ezine. Angels In The Snow was based on a true story. I'd read in the newspaper that a small girl had been lifted by a giant gust of wind and thrown into a huge snowdrift where she remained--stuck--until a huge dog rescued her. I wrote the story several years ago so was very happy to see it published at last. The editor of Knowonder! had written me a couple weeks ago saying they had a lot of stories about angels in the snow submitted so was unsure if they could use mine. Apparently, it won out over the others. 

These were two very nice Christmas gifts. Every time I have a story published, it feels like a gift to me. Yes, I put a lot of time and effort in the writing, but maybe it's because I started writing later in life that every publication feels like a present. It lets me know I've accomplished something I set out to do when most people are looking forward to the carefree years of retirement. I've enjoyed some of that, too, ever since Ken retired, but I wouldn't trade all the stressful moments of working on a story and working on it again and again for anything, 

The year is racing to a close, only days until we celebrate Christmas with our family and then New Year's Eve with friends. It's been a good year for me personally and as a writer. When I look back on the writing world of 2011, I know I've received many other gifts besides the two mentioned at the beginning of this post. A few of them are:

1. Having one or more submissions published each month

2. Continuing to find enough material for the blog five days a week

3. Spending tme with fellow writers at my crit group's conference

4. More ideas for stories than time allows me to write

5. The ability to write coherently in my senior years

Think back over your year. What writing gifts have you received? There might be more than you think. 

Whatever holiday you celebrate in December, may it be filled with warmth and joy--and ideas for new stories!

- 

December 23, 2011, December 15, 2020

A Writer's Voice

 

Our poster today is one I've liked for a long time. The soft pastels the artist used are pleasing to the eye, and the quote makes me nod my head and smile. "Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures."

I think it is much the same with another group of artists--writers. We also dip our metaphorical brush into our soul, and the words that emerge are from deep within us. Those words we write become our 'voice.' 

Every beginning writer is perplexed when the term 'a writer's voice' is used. Huh? What do they mean? 

The writer's voice is your style of writing, your way with words. It is unique to you. It should not be exactly like any other writer's voice. They have their own, and you have one all your own. A reader cannot see your hand gestures or facial expressions. All he has to know you by is your writing voice.

At least, you should have your own voice. A common mistake that new writers make is to write 'just like.____" writes. Big, bad mistake. You don't want to be a derivative of someone who is a roaring success, even though you may greatly admire them. What you should strive for is to be yourself. Be yourself from the first step on through your writing journey. 

Are you crazy about the way John Grisham writes? Do you want to emulate the writing style of Barbara Taylor Bradford? Go ahead and be crazy about Grisham's style. Like Bradford's way of writing a novel, but do not copy them. They have established their own voice, and they want to keep it. 

It's up to you to come up with a voice that is all your own. Will it happen right away? Probably not. You will need to dip into writing over and over before your own voice becomes visible. You'll need to stop writing exactly as the reference book tells you. It's quite simple. Write like yourself and keep your style in all that you write.

Can you come up with your own voice by reading articles about the subject? It certainly can't hurt, and it might help. Use your favorite search engine and the keywords 'voice in writing' and read as few or as many articles as you like. 

Most writers end up developing their own writing voice merely by writing and writing and writing. The more pieces you write, the more of 'you' is going to come through. You'll be 'painting your own nature into your word pictures."

Opening Sentences in a Story

 

There are numerous ways to open a story. You'll note several in today's poster. They are:

Action

A Setting

A Thought

A Character

Dialogue

A Statement

World Building

I have heard many times that we should open a story with action. Why? That first sentence is meant to draw the reader in, to pique interest, arouse curiosity. Certainly, an action of some kind would make the reader wonder why it is happening and what it is going to lead to. The thought to this kind of opening is 'grab 'em quick.' Of course, that means you will need to continue holding your reader's attention. You don't want a great opening sentence followed by boring ones.

You can also begin with a setting, but you'd better use some pretty nice prose to grab the reader. If I read something like There is a mountain road that leads to a stand of tall trees. My mind suddenly has a mental image. If the writer continues describing the setting with multiple paragraphs, I may begin to get tired of that and start wondering when the 'story will start.' If the setting is of great importance to the story, use it. If it is merely a means to begin, I'd explore other options.

When the opening sentence is a thought, it is probably going to be a thought of the omniscient narrator rather than one of the characters. The thought is being planted in the reader's mind probably to be addressed or proven later in the story. 

Using a character in your opening sentence can create interest immediately. You're introducing a person and perhaps something that happened to them. People are alive in contrast to that mountain road and trees in the section on using a setting. 

Beginning with dialogue can also command your reader's attention. Especially if the person speaking says something intriguing, dangerous, or amazing. Questions rise in the reader's mind immediately. Who is that speaking? Why did he say that? Who is he speaking to? One of the finest writing coaches I have ever known voted a big, fat NO to an opening sentence as dialogue. Second sentence was fine, but she felt the first should show an action followed by the dialogue. According to her thinking, it was too jarring to open with dialogue. That action helped set the scene. 

If you open with a statement, you'd better be able to prove it as your story progresses. That statement about some universal truth cannot stand alone. You will have to show your reader through the rest of your story why that statement is true. 

What is world building? With this kind of opening sentence, you are creating a world different from our own. The opening would be used in sci-fi or fantasy works most likely. 

What kind of opening sentence will pull the reader into the story in the best way? Than can depend on who your reader is. Some readers will respond positively to an opening that is a setting while others will want something to happen right away. We're all different writers, and readers are not all alike either. What appeals to one will be a turn-off to another. There is no one way here; you have choices.

The main thing to remember is that your opening sentence is important, that it sets the tone of the story, and it sends your reader on an adventure. Pick one and call it quits? Maybe not. Once your story is finished, go back and test that opening sentence. Is it the best choice? Play around with a few more and select the one you like best. 

8 Umbrellas Writers Need

We use umbrellas to cover us from the raindrops falling from the sky. Some use them as a shade to the brilliant sun. Are you covered in your writing life from what falls upon you in your day to day effort to write?

What should your umbrellas be so that you are covered? 

1. A positive attitude will get you on the right path from day one. If you enter your writing journey with the thought that you're never going to make it, you probably won't get very far. Do an attitude adjustment, and you'll probably move along the path quicker and with fewer bumps.Is it easy to change your outlook? No, it is something you need to work on a little at a time and on a regular basis.
2. You must take time to read about writing. The learning in this game should never stop. If you read two books about writing, don't call it quits. Add another and another as time goes by. You don't have to be constantly reading these reference books and articles, but you should be consistent. If a full book is beyond you, read the many writing blogs online, yours truly included. They only take a few minutes to read but give you valuable information. But beware of spending far more time on reading about writing than actually putting words of your own together.
3. You must train yourself to write a first draft, do a quick proofread, then file the piece for days or longer. Then, proofread again, revise and edit until you are satisfied. If you don't feel good about it, file it for another short period, bring it out and see if you can find the problem. There is no set amount of editing. It can be done once, twice, or more. Until you feel satisfied that you've done all you can.
4. Join writing groups, big or small. Attend conferences, workshops, and conventions on occasion. Don't fall into the trap of joining too many groups or going to too many meetings. They're helpful but eat into your writing time. Be selective.
5. Look for ideas for stories, poems, or essays whenever you go about your daily chores, visit stores and museums, take public transportation, or are out walking. The stories are there, but you must train your writer's eye to be observant. 
6. Allot time for writing. It's not always easy to find on busy days but create time. If you don't, it is harder and harder to have time to write. One suggestion most reference books give is to get up an hour earlier or go to bed an hour later. Not always fun, but you can make it a habit. Think of it as your 'quiet time.' 
7. Learn the submission process. Study markets so you are familiar with what they are looking for. It's much easier if you know many of the places that your writing might fit than if you start from scratch each time you want to submit your work. 
8. Concentrate on the joy of writing instead of the problems. Problems? Oh yes, there are always problems, but most all can be solved in one way or another. If you never find any joy in writing, then perhaps it is time to reassess the reasons you write

If you use the umbrellas above, consider yourself covered quite well. Keep those umbrellas open to help you move along more smoothly on your writing journey.

 

Holiday Experiences Make Good Stories

 

Christmas Dinner with Czech Students

My husband and I acted as a host family for Czech students who were attending Kansas State University. They stayed with us the first few days after arrival, then moved to campus, but came to our home for dinner off and on through the time they spent at K-State. We always had them over for a Christmas dinner before they left on break, and some of those dinners were memorable. One night, we had ten around our table, several Czechs, one Japanese student, and one from Finland. We often sat at the table talking long after the food was eaten. We are still in touch with many of these students who are now back in their home countries.

If you have hosted special people for a holiday dinner, you have all the makings of a story that you can submit for publication. My story below is an example of the type of story you can write.

It’s The Simple Things

By Nancy Julien Kopp

Ken and I have been a host family for Czech exchange students who come to study at Kansas State University for the past 6 or 7 years. The students live on their own, but we are there to answer questions, show them around town when they arrive, and invite them to our home for dinner now and then. They lead busy lives, but we e-mail or phone to keep in touch.

This year, we have two young women who are both majoring in the study of Architecture. Jana and Klara attend university in Prague, but both come from smaller towns in the Czech Republic. They arrived in the USA the day after the new airline regulations regarding what can be carried on and what must be checked went into effect. The day before they left home, their luggage had to be sorted out and rearranged to meet the new regulations. Then there was a paperwork snafu in New York when they went through immigration and customs. Before they knew what happened, they were taken to a tiny room filled to overflowing with other immigrants who had problems of one kind or another. Most all the people in there were from Asian countries or the Arab world. These two tall blonde girls huddled together in a corner expecting the worst. Finally, the paperwork got sorted out and they had to find a new flight to Kansas City since they’d missed their connecting flight with the delay. The customs officials in New York refused to help them, so they marched off to find the counter for their airline and managed to get on another flight with the help of a kind and helpful ticket agent. 

Meanwhile, we knew only that they had not arrived when they were scheduled. Once they knew what flight they would be on, they did call and a full twenty-four hours beyond the expected time, they arrived at our door--desperately tired, longing for a shower, and hungry after traveling nearly two full days and nights. They spent their first week with us in our home while looking for housing and getting registered on campus. We spent the time getting to know one another and taking them to meetings and testing places on campus as well as orienting them to our community. At the end of the week, they had found a little house to rent with two other Czech students and were ready to begin the semester’s classes. 

That hot August week seems so long ago. In early December I invited Klara and Jana and their two housemates to come to dinner to celebrate Christmas. Most of the exchange students travel around the USA during the holiday break, so we try to provide an evening of Christmas cheer for them each year, as it is often the only Christmas celebration they will have. It is heartwarming to watch the wonder and joy on their faces when they walk into our home and see the decorated tree and other Christmas symbols throughout the house. We have a special meal and linger at the table to talk about Christmas traditions in their country and ours. I place a candy cane above each dinner plate, and this year’s group were as surprised as all the others in years past. Candy canes are not known in the Czech Republic, and the students like them. I guess it is because they are something different. “What do they taste like?” they usually ask. Try and describe “peppermint” sometime. It’s not easy. One of the young men said he was going to Walmart to buy many candy canes to send home to Prague for Christmas. 

Turns out it’s the simple things that mean something to these young people far from their families and their own country. A home-cooked meal, conversation, knowing someone cares about them and maybe having a candy cane for the first time. For Ken and me, it’s another simple thing. We end up receiving far more than we give with all of the students we’ve had. Not every Christmas gift comes in a box with wrapping paper and a bow.

Published in Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas (2007)

Writing, Submitting, and You

 The following is a post that I had published at Michelle Rafter's WordCount blog several years ago. I ran across it recently so am posting today to give some tips and/or reminders.

WHY PUBLISH?

There are various reasons a person writes. A few people do it strictly for themselves, would never want the world to see what they’ve written. The mere act of writing satisfies the soul for some, and for others, a lack of self-confidence keeps them from submitting their work for publication. But the majority of writers strive for publication for various reasons, some of which overlap. 

Chief among them is cash, either needed or desired. Let’s be honest. There must be very few writers who wouldn’t welcome a check in exchange for words written. That old adage “Time is money” holds true for writers. They deserve compensation for the great amount of time it takes to ponder over an idea, to write, and then revise a piece. They offer knowledge and/or entertainment in exchange for money. 

For others, the byline is important. Seeing your name on a story that is available for the world to read gives one a sense of pride and a feeling of accomplishment. I once knew an obstetrician who claimed he received a thrill with every baby he delivered. Writers might feel the same with every new story, essay or article created. Each one comes close to the joy that the doctor experienced with every newborn he held in his skilled hands. 

Publication provides a way of touching the lives of others with the words written and printed in a magazine, newspaper, or ezine. A writer can derive satisfaction in the hope that she has made a difference in someone’s life. The sad part is that the writer seldom knows who, or how many, her words have touched. Occasionally, a reader will respond with a letter, phone call, or comment via a website to tell the author how her words have made a difference, how they taught a lesson or perhaps touched a heart. What could be a better inspiration to continue writing? 

Perhaps some write to fill a need to produce something worthwhile. They hope to leave something personal, a legacy of a kind. Long after a writer dies, her words can still be read by and touch succeeding generations. Even writers who don’t achieve great fame and fortune can be reasonably assured that their work will be passed down through the family for generations to come. 

THE SUBMISSION PROCESS

There is one great truth in writing for publication. You will not be published if you don’t submit your work. Submitting is step one. Sounds easy, doesn’t it, but in reality, a writer must have a few items in her internal tote bag to help in the process. 

First and foremost, she’ll need the courage to send her work to an editor. And don’t kid yourself--it does take courage to send your baby out into the publishing sea. The waters are deep, and the sharks numerous. Other authors have sent their precious words to the same editor. Which one is going to survive? There’s no way to tell, but if you don’t submit, you’ll never know if your words will be the ones to swim right into the publication process. Take a chance and send your work along with whatever is required in the writers’ guidelines. The rejections may outweigh the acceptances, but that’s what this business is all about. Statistics tell us that writers receive more rejections than acceptances, so toughen your hide and send your work to an appropriate publication. If it comes back, send it to another publication. 

The best way to match your story, essay, or article with the right magazine, newspaper, or ezine is to study market guides. There are several guides published annually that offer complete information about hundreds of publications. They list address, phone numbers, editors’ names, requirements, payment, and sometimes list current needs. Guides exist for novel writers, magazines, playwrights, poets, and song lyric writers. It is to the writer’s advantage to study the guide that pertains to her particular type of work. Most library reference sections have copies of the market guides. A writer can spend hours in the library taking notes, but he/she can also go online to find market guides or websites of specific publications, or visit a bookstore and purchase a copy. Keep in mind that they become outdated in a hurry. 

It’s also possible to use an internet search engine for writers’ guidelines. Use keywords to narrow the search. If you have written an article about building a backyard pond, look for garden magazines or How-To publications. If there is a particular magazine that interests you, put the name in a search engine, and look for the guidelines. Ask yourself if your article, story, or essay would be a good fit. It’s a waste of time to submit to them if you feel your work is way off base for that publication. 

Offering guidelines allows editors to reduce the number of unusable submissions sent to them. Guidelines provide a step by step guide for the writer. For instance, a writer can learn if single or double spacing is asked for, if paragraphs are to be indented or not, if there are certain items to be listed at the top of the entry (ie. name, address, phone, e-mail, word count, rights offered). Guidelines might specify that only unpublished work is accepted, or they might say that reprints are welcome. The information is there to help and is meant to be followed carefully. If the writer disregards the information, the submission will end up being tossed, so it is to his/her benefit to follow the guidelines carefully. 

If a cover letter is included with the submission, keep it short and professional. If at all possible, learn the editor’s name and use it--Dear Mr. Brooks rather than Dear Dan. If a writer has never been published, there is no need to point it out. If published, he/she should give a short resume of where his/her work might be found. 

Send the cover letter, the submission, and a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) if you are submitting through postal mail. Don’t add cutesy things to any of the above. Be professional at all times. If indicated that submissions are accepted via e-mail, so much the better. No postage, no SASE to be included. Pay careful attention to the guidelines as to whether the editor prefers attachments or to have the submission copied and pasted into the body of the e-mail. (NOTE: many editors use Submittable now as the only way to submit to them)

Set up a record-keeping system of some kind. It may be a series of index cards, a notebook with a page for each piece you’ve written, or a more complex spreadsheet on the computer. How it’s done is a personal choice, but do it. 

The last step in the submission process is not to sit back and wait for an answer. A response may not arrive for weeks, perhaps even months, occasionally never. The final step is to begin to work on a new story, article, or essay and start the submission process all over again. Keep a Ferris wheel of submissions going at all times.

Write an Acrostic Poem

 

Prague in Winter

Have you ever written an acrostic poem? Maybe you have and didn't realize what the correct name for it happened to be. To write this kind of poem, you write a word vertically, one letter to each line. An example:

J

O

Y

Then you write a line for each letter, using the first letter as part of the first word in the line. The lines should have some relation to the word you wrote. Write your word vertically in caps and the rest of each line as you would normally write. You can also write an acrostic poem by using only one word that is descriptive for the word you selected.

Acrostic poems are fun to write, and they can be used in many ways with kids at school or at parties. Adults will have a little more detailed lines. Acrostic poems can highlight good things or bad, what you like about something or what you don't like. They can be seasonal or use everyday words. Right now, we're getting ready for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. There are lots of words to be used for each holiday. 

Think of the many words associated with these holidays to help you write your acrostic poem. 

C

H

R

I

S

T

M

A

S

H

A

N

U

K

K

A

H

K

W

A

N

Z

A

A

Try taking one item associated with a holiday to write another acrostic poem.

C

A

N

D

Y

C

A

N

E

C

A

N

D

L

E

S

Here's one I wrote that has nothing to do with a holiday:

Writing is a joy

Reading helps me write

I love to write

Try to write every day

Each of us can write if we try

Racing to finish what I write some days

And one more:

Bring me something to read

Owning many volumes

Old ones, new ones

Knowledge comes from a book