The New Year

Wow!  I can't believe how quickly the month of December has gone by.  Seems like yesterday I was stressing about NaNoWriMo and anticipating the return of our daughter from her barracks in Virginia to our fluffy warm nest in New Jersey.

Now that almost everyone has shed their shell-shocked, what-the-hell-just-happened Holiday look, we can move onto the next self guilt-induced occasion.

Declaring one's New Year Resolution is the only time we can make outrageous promises to ourselves and proclaim them to others without being held accountable.  (Almost like a politician's campaign promises.)

I've learned a long time ago I'm not the only person who isn't completely happy with themselves but if there is ever a time to make any changes, now just doesn't seem the right time to do it.  Will anyone, including myself, take me seriously?

Although Spring is the season better known as a time for renewal, January 1st seems to be when everyone adopts a "New Year-New You" mentality, where the slate of the past is wiped clean and everything starts anew.

My past resolutions have been to rid my house of so much clutter, lose weight, eat less, quit smoking, etc.  Some of those resolutions have lasted little more than the month of January while most of them were forgotten immediately after yelling, "Happy New Year!"

Sometimes we just can't eliminate those parts of ourselves and our lives that cause such embarrassment and anxiety.  If we learn to live with them instead of hiding them or banishing them from our lives, we as well as everyone in our lives will accept those things and feel more comfortable about them, allowing us to enjoy our lives.

This year, I've decided to try something totally different.  Instead of concentrating on things I need to eliminate, I'm going to concentrate on working with what I have.

--Instead of losing weight, perhaps I can  redistribute my excess weight.  Working out may help to lose pounds and if not, the pounds may turn from mush to muscle.

--Instead of giving up the foods I love like pasta, bread, salty snacks, and sweet desserts, I'll be sure to add more servings of vegetables and fruits.  My food intake will be slightly healthier without depriving myself of my favorite foods, thereby avoiding binge eating.

--Instead of dwelling on the clutter in my house and wondering how to get rid of it all and be more organized, Whether writing, sleeping, working, or having coffee and just talking to my daughter and husband, I'll live in the moment and make the most of my time by truly enjoying the person by my side, whatever we are doing. 

My New Year Resolution is to accept myself for who I am and be more aware to savor every moment of my life.

Here's wishing you and yours a happy, healthy, and aware New Year.

"The Rag and Bone Shop" by Robert Cormier (Book Thoughts)

"I must lie down where all the ladders start,
In the foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart."--Yeats

It's the first day of summer in Monument, Mass.  12 year old Jason Dorrant is an introverted student at Monument Middle School.

When a 7 year old girl is found murdered, the town is anxious to find her killer.

The town calls Trent, an investigator from Vermont who always gets a confession, to interview their only suspect, Jason Dorrant.

This thriller is 154 pages of edge-of-your-seat reading.  You'll be wondering, right along with Trent the investigator, whether or not Jason is innocent or guilty.

Mr. Cormier brings you inside the minds of both main characters and the changes you see will shock you.

Christmas Cards

Today is December 3rd.  I went out to my mailbox to pick up my mail and realized that I haven't received one Christmas card yet!  In previous years, I started receiving those festive glittery cards of cheer the day after Thanksgiving.  Here it is, already a week later, and I still haven't received any.

Granted, I haven't sent out any either.  I keep staring at the three boxes of cards sitting on my dining room table and I wonder if I missed an e-mail about some kind of nationwide ban on Christmas cards.  Now I don't know if I should send mine out or wait until the ban is lifted or at least until I get my first card.  Hmmm...I don't want my cards to be the first circulated cards of the season.

What about you?  Are you sending Holiday cards?

Uncle!

Ok, I give up.  Officially.  I know, I know, there are still 28 hours left, but there is no way I'm going to prolong my agony any longer.

I'm talking about National Novel Writing Month of course.  The goal is to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November.  When you break it down, it's only 1667 words per day.  Yes, I said only.  Technically it's about 7 pages of 12pt font, double spaced.

"That's easy," you say.  I'll admit, even I said it.

I participated last year and afterwards, I swore I wouldn't do it again.  Call me a glutton for punishment.  I must have forgotten the agony I lived with because yes, I signed in again this year and figured if nothing else, I would at least get a head start on my newest novel idea.  I swore I wouldn't allow myself to sweat the word count.

I don't know what it is about NaNoWriMo.  There is nothing competitive about the activity.  (Aside from the friendly rival between areas and the screen that shows how many words your writing buddies have written...)  But for some reason, I feel the need to keep up.  Unfortunately, since day 2 I found myself behind by anywhere from 2-4,000 words.  Everyday the distance got larger until finally, with only one more day to go, I am behind by 17,000 words.

I'm out of steam.  I have over 500 e-mails to read, I've got Christmas shopping to do, rooms to clean, laundry to wash, dry, and fold and some friends and family to reconnect with after 30 days. 

There's one good thing to the whole NaNoWriMo 2010 experience.  I've learned that sometimes you just gotta know when to say, "When."

"The Smile" by Donna Jo Napoli (Book Thoughts)

First of all, I need to thank my good friend Courtney Rene, for recommending I read this author's books.

The "Mona Lisa" is one of DaVinci's most famous painting.  It's also a mystery.  Who is the young girl?  Why is she smiling?

"The Smile" is the tale of 15 year old Elisabetta.  Elisabetta will soon be betrothed to one of Florence, Italy's nobles.  She hopes her future husband will be young and romantic instead of an old widower a fate many of the young girls her age have accepted.

The author tells of Monna Elisabetta's life in Renaissance Italy.  Her everyday life, dreams of romance, and heartbreaking losses are intertwined with Leonardo DaVinci (who promises to paint her someday), the Medici Family (whose reign of importance is on the verge of collapse) and beautiful, artistic 15th century Florence (which is going to change drastically).

Like Ms. Napoli, I was never fond of history while I was a student, but am fascinated by other cultures and their stories.  Donna Jo Napoli merges culture and fascinating facts in her fictional stories.  She entertains us while piquing our curiosity to learn more.

I'm looking forward to devouring another of her books.

Reading Fees?

Apparently we write more than we read.  Indie publishing is being crushed by submissions, but we don't pay for their products.

I recently did some online market research for a few adult fiction pieces I wrote.  I noticed a trend that I never saw before.  More and more publications require a fee for reading submissions.  Some charge as little as $2 and others charge as much as $20!

I have only been writing for about two years and have only been actively submitting to adult publications for the past year.  I've personally only heard of paying reading fees for contests.  Understandably, the fees pay for judges and prize money. 

But, bear in mind that some of the publications charging reading fees for submissions do not offer monetary payment for publication.  Your reward for a perfectly polished piece is the inclusion in their magazine.  Some of the literary reviews are well-known and quite hard to get into, but without payment, how will writers fund themselves?

On the other hand, the argument is that their editors are overwhelmed with submissions and by charging a reading fee, the quality of submitted material will be at its best.  True, the odds of a single piece in a slush pile of 200 submissions are better than in a pile of 2000 submissions, but it won't stop lousy writers with hefty bank accounts from submitting. 

I suppose having to fork over $2-$3 a pop will force me to be certain a piece is the best it can be, but I try to do that anyway.

What are your thoughts on reading fees?  Would you submit if a magazine charged one?  What will you do if every magazine began charging reading fees?

Transitions for Mr. Bransford

When I completed the rough draft for my YA fantasy novel, I immediately went to work researching possible agents.  At the top of my list was a young man named Nathan Bransford, a literary agent with Curtis Brown, LTD since 2002.

Mr. Bransford's blog is a writer's wonderland, filled with advice galore.  His blog contains practically everything a writer needs to know, from formatting a manuscript all the way to how the publishing process works.  His blog actually contains a Writing Advice Database that's priceless!

Mr. Bransford has such an easy-going manner and is in no way intimidating.  His posts are humorous and written in a way we can all understand.  He encourages writers to share their thoughts and he actually answers most questions posted by writers. 

I subscribe to Nathan Bransford's blog and get e-mail feeds so I don't miss any.  His blog has over 4600 Google followers and over 2500 Facebook fans.  Today, his post informed his followers that he was leaving the world of publishing and this would be his last day as a literary agent.  Mr. Bransford has been given an amazing opportunity to work at the tech news/review site CNET, where he will be helping to coordinate social media strategy. 

Nathan Bransford's blog and forums will live on even though his posts will change a bit.  If you've never visited his blog, do yourself a favor and check it out.  There is something to be learned for everyone.

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/

I'm extremely pleased for Mr. Bransford, he is so excited about this new challenge and opportunity in his life, and he seems like such a helpful and deserving person.  But I can't help feel a little sad for myself for never having the honor of asking him to read my completed manuscript.  Hopefully I'll find a new agent to put at the top of my list.