TAKE THE WRITE ROAD
LET'S TAKE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED TOGETHER!
Thursday, March 25, 2021
#SpringFlingKidLIt: MYSTERY CAT
Note: This is my first attempt at creating a GIF, so bear with me. I can animate the print but not my main characters.
Saturday, March 6, 2021
BOOKDROPPED ( contest piece for #50PRECIOUSWORDS 2021)
Time again for wonderful author and friend Vivian Kirkfield's #50 Precious Words Contest. It's a fun challenge to tell a story in 50 or less word. My recent library visit and an overdue book fiasco got me thinking about how a book feels in a bookdrop. Voila, it became the inspiration of this very short tale taken from the POV of the book.
The guidelines state our story must be 50 words or less and appropriate for kids ages 12 or under. It may be prose, free verse, silly or serious. You can enjoy all the entries in this post.
I hope you enjoy my entry. (P.S. Always turn your books on time so you aren't hit with a $400+ overdue fine! I finally found all my run-away books and am out of library jail.)
WC: 48 words
Monday, December 28, 2020
12 Days of Christmas for Writers :2020 Successes
Children's author Julie Hedlund, challenged participants of her 12 Days of Christmas for Writers series to post SUCCESSES (rather than resolutions) on our blogs this year. She believes the way New Year's resolutions are traditionally made come from a place of negativity - what DIDN'T get done or achieved in the previous year. Instead, she suggests we set goals for the New Year that BUILD on our achievements from the previous one. I decided to participate in this Anti-Resolution Revolution! Here is my list for 2020. I'm proud to say I've participated in this challenge since its inception. Thank you, Julie.
Goals Met from the 2019 Challenge: 6/9 Met = 66%
1. Attend new workshops/classes this year: SCBWI Smithsonian NF, Highlights NF Retreat, Illustrator courses/mini-classes at Storyteller Academy
2. Write new stories: 6 new PBs
3. Expand my critique partner network: added an NF group and several individual CPs
4. Expand speaking engagements: accepted for the Virginia Hamilton Conference 2020, accepted for Mazza Summer Institute 2020 (rebooked both for 2021)
5. Grow Twitter Presence: passed 2000 followers in an “organic” way
6. Continue weekly check-ins w/Beth Stillborn, accountability partner
Note of Transparency: some goals not met due to pandemic and my state of mind: I didn't keep up with submissions (found work I was subbing needed revision), didn't keep up w/bullet journal, and never finished organizing my office files.
My motto for 2020 was "Keep Swimming. Fall Forward," which meant I'd keep on taking steps towards my goals even whilst discouraged. If I made a "mistake" or "fell," I'd pick myself up, find the learning, and move on.
2020 Successes (continued from above)
Thursday, October 1, 2020
The Road to Fall - #FallWritingFrenzy 2020 by Kathy Halsey
with pops of pumpkin orange.
It lead to murky mists
settling in the hollows.
What's there?
The road to fall hints of hidden haunts
with dappled leaves shadow-dancing,
hovering overhead.
What lies beyond?
The road to fall rolls down shrouded paths
where the chitter-chatter of chipmunks
is swallowed by
sudden stillness.
What looms large?
The road to fall—
floats
somewhere between real
and make-believe.
Step-by-step we creep closer
What's behind brambles and bushes?
The road to fall reveals steep stone steps
up-up until a cold metal gate stops us,
prevents our climb
inside a squire's castle.
The road to fall...
It's on our minds—
murky mists,
hidden haunts
between real and make-believe.
What wildness might we unlock?
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Where Is Spring? by Kathy Halsey
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
A Tail So True - #50 Precious Words by Kathy Halsey
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Anti-Resolution Revolution 2019 version - Successes - Big or Small
Children's author Julie Hedlund, challenged participants of her 12 Days of Christmas for Writers series to post SUCCESSES (rather than resolutions) on our blogs this year. She believes the way New Year's resolutions are traditionally made come from a place of negativity - what DIDN'T get done or achieved in the previous year. Instead, she suggests we set goals for the New Year that BUILD on our achievements from the previous one. Here is my list for 2019.
18. 39/100 submissions. I stopped subbing around August as I spent the last quarter the year revising my work.
19. My motto for 2019, "Say Yes to Every Opportunity" worked for me.