I Ponder... Wednesdays: I've got nothin'.

Every week, I sit and ponder. I cook and ponder. I drive and ponder. And while I do not suggest that last one, I do believe constantly wondering about the way the world works is a positive thing.

Unfortunately, for me this week?

http://www.unurth.com

I must admit, my brain has been on overload. We have had crazy things go on here at home, not to mention it's been extremely HOT outside (Bethany and heat do NOT equal friends!).

But as I sat here in the cool early morning hours, my mind went on a tailspin about having "nothing" on... well... my mind. Is that ever a possibility? It might feel like it sometimes. But it made me realize and understand that the reality is-

I have TOO MUCH on my mind.

When we have too much going on, we put pressure on ourselves. We become exhausted. We shut down. And as a writer, that isn't something you can really afford, can you? I mean, we all understand that not a single one of us get the amount of sleep we need. We all stress about something (whether writing related or not). But having too much on your mind ends up leading to the inability to create. We find ourselves looking for relaxing places to retreat to. But for me, after I've visited that relaxing place and I feel like my mind has cleared, everything that was bothering me or that was left unsolved creeeeeeps its way back into my brain, and not only am I overwhelmed- I feel guilty.

So, naturally, I have been sitting here pondering up solutions to this dilemma. "How do I write under SO MUCH FRIGGIN STRESS?????" And it dawned on me...

I just... don't.

Whoa! Pressure off, right? How creative can one actually be if they're forcing themselves to be awesome? I don't think the almighty San Francisco Giants pitcher, Matt Cain, would have been able to have his Perfect Game a couple weeks ago, if he would have said, "You MUST have a perfect game. You MUST be the first in Giants' history!". You think that would have been possible? Nope. Me either. Well, it's no different for we writers. If you've got nothin', don't force it. It'll be terrible anyway!

So my question to you this week:

What do YOU do, when you simply have... Nothing?

I hope to hear from you on this topic. I believe it's helpful for all writers and creatives (as I call them) to share how they pull through the everyday garbage that tries to bombard us, and wind up coming up with something terrific.

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Happy writing!!

Oh wait, there's more!

Tomorrow I will be sharing about my first Author/school visit, so please come on back! 

I Ponder... Wednesdays: What REALLY inspires you?

I recently Googled "Writer Inspiration", and you know what I got? Over 1.4 million results that included (but was not limited to) images, blog posts, quotes, art, and books.

Should I say that again? 1.4 MILLION!!
Now, some of you might think that that is a neat thing. I agree! How cool! But it got me thinking... Why do we need things to inspire us that are specifically written to inspire us? I'm not sure it's supposed to work that way, is it? Shouldn't we, as writers, already look to the entire world to inspire us?

I think the answer is no... And yes!

Here's what I mean:

I don't go looking for inspiration on my computer. I usually go for a walk, play with my kids, or sit outside one of their bedrooms and quietly listen to their conversations. It does wonders! I love to cuddle by the fire when it's cold outside. I treasure family trips, and the quiet hush that falls over my house when the boys finally drift to sleep. However, I can understand what writer's block truly does to a person. I've been there.

It SUCKS.

So I can get to the place where reading all the wonderful blogs of other people's ideas on what might inspire me, could work. But, I think I'd end up feeling like I was cheating. Was it really MY inspiration that got that character out of me? Am I being a bit pessimistic and strange? Yeah, I know I am. Especially since I disagree with myself!

We are creative thinkers. No, I am definitely NOT crafty (Seriously. Come back for my post this upcoming Friday, where I'll share pics and talk about my first school visit. You'll see what I mean.), but when it comes to other parts of the creative brain, I do okay. There are others who can create an entire life-sized elephant using some Q-Tips and "easy" directions they found on Pinterest. Creative thinkers have the ability and honor for thinking for themselves. And when they get stuck, they turn to the like-minded friends they might have for help and inspiration. And I love that. It doesn't take much to get us going. It's as simple as seeing a font on someones email. Or the motivation that comes from watching a 3 year-old play Beethoven on the piano, like it was the theme song from Barney. Whatever it is, it helps! And it's insane that there are so many things available.

So, what am I saying? I have no clue... Maybe it's that I am so baffled by our need to be inspired, that we search self-help books instead of walking around in the sunshine. Maybe I am, once again, thrilled to have a community that embraces each of our individual panic attacks when we absolutely cannot think of what to do or say... Or maybe it's both. But, either way, I want to hear from you-

What REALLY inspires you?



And, no, I don't want to hear about which blogs are great (though that sounds like a great idea for another post!) or which quotes rock your socks off... I want to know what it is that gets you, or got you, out of a slump. What is it that cut you to the core, and made your frozen creative juices flowing!

Remember- as "Creatives"- we understand that each project
we're on, starts somewhere...

All it takes is one spark of inspiration.

Happy writing!

I Ponder Wednesdays: What do you value in the writing community?

In April I attended my first SCBWI conference. I thought I'd be nervous. I thought I'd feel out of place. But the truth was, I didn't feel either of those things. Overconfidence? Maybe. Inflated ego? Definitely not. I just felt... Comfortable.

When it came time for our first speaker (lucky for us, it was none other than the sensational LIN OLIVER!), I was downright giddy. I'd met up with my pal, Elizabeth Stevens Omlor (yes, that one!), had a delicious pastry, and I was sitting with my incredible critique group. Now all that was needed was for Ms. Oliver to pass all her knowledge onto me- I mean, us. She spoke about very poignant things that are vital to writers, and gave fantastic examples and quotes that will stick with me forever.

However, in the beginning she spoke about how she got into writing, and how she eventually started SCBWI. She mentioned how she'd written letters to some pretty famous writers (one even being THE Dr. Seuss!) asking their advice after she'd gotten a job writing a bunch of children's stories. She had the audience guess how many writers actually got back to her... Want to know? Every. Single. One.

Cue light bulb moment for Bethany.

"We in the writing community are nice. Plain and simple." she said.

I wrote down a bunch of notes, but I don't remember much of her speech after that. And here's why:

I have been in many situations where I felt sub par. I've felt like the underdog. I've worried about fitting in. But I can honestly say, I have never met a children's book writer who has ever treated me with anything but encouragement, honesty, love, and a whole lot of smiles. I can't say that there are too many industries out there today that are like ours. And maybe that is why at my very first conference, I felt so comfortable and at ease. It wasn't overconfidence (I swear!), it was the few hundred people in the room showing me that I had an entire supportive army standing behind me, should I ever need to call on them. And what made me feel the greatest? I was standing behind them.

My question this week is sort of a twofer (two-for? How do we use the slang, here? Hmmm...). And since we are all so nice, please make sure to not name names or get too specific with the second question:

What is it about the writing community

that you value most?

And

Have you ever encountered a rude writer

that left you discouraged?

As you go today, I'm going to challenge you... Encourage ONE person. Just one, to keep going. Our community is vast, but tight knit as well... But it can't stay that way if we don't continue to hold one another up.

I Ponder... Wednesdays: A World Without Picture Books

I am a picture book author... Duh. But, why? What got me onto this specific branch of the Children's Book Tree? Well the honest truth is, I LOVE picture books... Despite being told it was the hardest genre to get into. I heard it was practically impossible. I heard that picture books were so difficult, in fact, I had a woman tell me that it's not a good idea to start there; She even said, "Get published with a couple novels first, then go for picture books." Wow. Is that everyones' attitude? Surely somebody has to write them.

Okay, yes... Picture books are a trying genre. But, HOLY COW! What a difference they make in young kids' lives. If there were no picture books, do you think the youngest of kids would wind up having a desire to read? In my tiny opinion, I'm going to go with no. There's so much to see in a book already, but then you add beautiful illustrations and BAM! A kids' imagination goes through the roof! Instantly they see themselves fighting off the the Big Bad Wolf, or trying on that glass slipper. If no one writes them because it's "impossible", what would that mean?

"What is the use of a book, without pictures or conversations?"

Now I don't say all of this because I have a soap box hiding under my desk that so desperately needs standing on. I'm actually putting the thought up for discussion. Most of my sweet followers here, write picture books. BUT, some of you write other genres (too), and some don't write AT ALL! I think, though, that all of us have been affected by picture books at sometime in our lives. So here's what I'd like you to ponder...

What would your life be like if there were NO picture books?

How would you, your life, your childhood be different? 

I'd really, really like some deep thought here. For me, I'm not sure I'd be a writer. I'm not even sure I'd be a reader! What do you think?

Happy writing and pondering!

Best Seller = Let's Color!

A fun discovery for me this morning, was finding that Waiting for James in a Sea of Pink is on MeeGenius' best seller list... AGAIN!

*Does a little jig*

To celebrate, I'm making two coloring pages available!! The incredible, sensational, super-friendly illustrator of my book, Tyler Parker, has made these for your kiddos (or, let's be honest, for YOU!). Nice, huh? He's awesome!

So, here you go!! I'll be working on a little easy-access link for my sidebars. In the meantime, enjoy! Thank you for loving my book... You truly have no clue how much this means to me!

I Ponder... Wednesdays: The Waiting Game

This year, for me, was devoted solely to writing. I joined Julie Foster Hedlund's 12x12 in 2012 challenge at the end of 2011 and made a promise to myself that I wouldn't submit anything to anyone all year long. I really wanted to have an entire arsenal up my sleeve. I wanted to feel like I had something much larger to offer if an agent became interested in me. I wanted to be able to submit multiple manuscripts to multiple editors, so that maybe I'd lessen the odds of being rejected.

Well, I broke my promise.

Within the last week I submitted, and submitted, and submitted. It was a rush, I tell ya! I had been doing so much research, I had gone to a fantastic conference where I had been given better opportunities to submit to the unsubmittable, and I had been told I had a product worth looking at. So, I sent out those emails with great pride, diligence, and a teensy amount of unshakable fear. 

Umm... Now what, Bethany?

Ah yes. Now I remember this part. The part where you sit and think of nothing else except 800 million what-if scenarios. The part where you literally put everything else on stand by so that you can check you emails. The part where you chant- "They said four to six weeks... They said up to three months... They said four to six weeks... They said up to three months..." Yeah, THAT part.

Crap.

I've heard of the waiting game as a slow killer of creativity. I'm not sure who said that, but I suppose it could be true. I DON'T WANT IT TO BE TRUE!!!!!


Okay, so I decided I would stay off my computer for nearly a week. I decided that I would focus on the manuscript I have going on for this month that I just cannot seem to find an ending for, and I would concentrate on the other four trillion things I have to do... Like, um, LAUNDRY! Yes, laundry definitely will keep me busy... Right? No? Double crap.

So I turn to you, my faithful, knowledgeable, helpful friends:

When you're stuck in the inevitable waiting game, what do you do to pass the time?

What do you concentrate on? How do you handle each passing day?

Right now, I think I'll take up a new hobby. Underwater basket weaving, anyone? No? Nah... Me either. I think I'll sit here, with this gal...





 http://postadaychallenge2011.com/
2011/12/03/weekly-photo-challenge-waiting/

Happy writing!!

I Ponder... Wednesdays: How do you want to be remembered?

Yesterday was a sad day for all of us in the kidlit community. Mr. Maurice Sendak, author of over a dozen Picture Books, passed away. To me, he was someone I didn't understand until I was older. I was one of the stranger kids who grew up actually not liking Where the Wild Things Are. But when I had kids of my own, and when I began my adventure of writing, I understood him. He wasn't a fan of the sugary-sweet, cookie-cutter stories that many of us think we need to write. He told things how they were, and any interview with him only proved that point. To say he thought outside the box, is a gross understatement. And I cherish him for that.

He once said, "Children have ferocious fantasies." How true is that?! I really think that when HE wrote, he crawled into the exact mind frame of a child. He understood them. He understood what made them imagine. He got it.

All day long yesterday, I was kind of in this distraught, melancholy state. It's been a hard week for me, started by the awful passing of Adam "MCA" Yauch last Friday. He, too, was a great part of my childhood and teen years. But I started to think about the things people have been saying about both of these talented men. Mr. Sendak had a reputation to be brash, frank, and a little obscene (for a children's author) in his interviews. But, he also was seen as a creative genius. He wasn't what you'd picture a writer of children's books to be like. He was simply... Maurice.

"The children know. They have always known. But we choose to think otherwise: it hurts to know the children know. If we obfuscate, they will not see. Thus we conspire to keep them from knowing and seeing. And if we insist, then the children, to please us, will make believe they do not know, they do not see. They are remarkable--patient, loving, and all-forgiving." -- Maurice Sendak

Thinking about his life and what he contributed to my own, I started to ponder what I might be remembered for one day; Would it be my ability to offer help to others in really crappy situations? Would it be my mothering (in)capabilities? Would it be that at one time in my life I was a strange gothic child? Would it be my love of popcorn or my terrible fear of balloons? Or would it be my books, even?

I think it'd be grand to be remembered as a writer who loved all things peaceful and bizarre. I'd want my books to hold a special place in someone's heart, even if that means just in my childrens'.

So, reflecting upon Mr. Sendak's life, answer this:

As a writer, how do YOU want to be remembered?

Thanks for stopping by, today. Happy writing, reflecting, and reading. 

And Mr. Sendak, may you forever be known as KING of all wild things.