The characters are suddenly people...

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When asked: What do you like best about being a writer?

“One of the things is 

doing what I like more than 

anything else in the world, 

and being allowed to do it, 

and being paid to do it. 

It’s great. 

And I like setting something 

going and seeing that 

all the characters 

are suddenly people 

who behave like themselves, 

as if they had nothing to do with me at all. 

They come out with remarks 

that I never would have 

thought of myself personally. 

It’s a very odd feeling. 

I like that very much.” 

~ Diana Wynne Jones, 

in The Wand in the Word: 

Conversations with Writers of Fantasy

I've had that experience before, writing along and then all of a sudden a character becomes its own person, saying things and doing things that I never expected. Jones is right -- it's a very odd feeling. It's also very cool! :)

Enjoy the writing...

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"Try to enjoy the writing itself. 

Don't even think 

about publication. 

Just focus on making 

every sentence, every paragraph,

 every page the very best 

you can make it. 

Then, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite 

until the work is even better!" 

~ Suzanne Lieurance

I think that this is very good advice for writers. Enjoy the work, make it the best that you can, and then rewrite it and make it even better. (Easier said than done, I know!)

Listening.

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"Everything in writing 

begins with language. 

Language begins 

with listening." 

~ Jeanette Winterson

In other words, writing begins with listening. Listen to the world around you... what do you hear? What can you write about?

Write a lot.

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"You have to write a lot. 

And you have to rewrite 

what you wrote a lot more." 

~ Holly Black 

Good advice for writers! :)

Writing all the time...

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“I assume that what I’m doing 

is writing all the time — 

even though I’m actually 

doing something else. 

When you are stuck and you go out 

into the garden to pull weeds, 

you are still writing. 

Part of you is. 

That’s why it’s vitally important 

to have a notebook beside your bed. 

Often the resolution of a difficult bit 

that I wrote the day before, 

and that I was stuck on, 

will trot along in front of my eyes 

when I’m lying in bed just waking up. 

So writing isn’t just 

sitting in front of the keyboard,

 although that’s a fairly vital part of the process. You’re still being a writer 

when you are reading or making notes, 

or just enjoying yourself.”

 ~ Terry Pratchett, 

in The Wand in the Word: 

Conversations with Writers of Fantasy

I like what Pratchett says here about writing and writers. Even when I'm busy doing something, fun or not, my mind is still working on my stories and poems! Have you ever noticed that happening to you?

Voices in the reader's head...

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"Writing isn't just on the page; 

it's voices in the reader's head. 

Read what you write 

out loud to someone -- anyone -- 

and you will catch all kinds of things."  

~ Donna Jo Napoli

I agree with Napoli. Whenever I write something, I always go back later and read it aloud -- to myself, to our cockatiel, to my kids. I always learn more about my writing and discover more quickly what needs to be rewritten when I do this than I do when I read it silently to myself. Have you tried reading your work out loud? If so, did it help you with your writing?

Exploring a territory...

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“The word invent 

(or even making up) 

has always seemed a little too 

intentional and deliberate 

for what I do, 

which feels more like 

finding things, 

coming upon them — 

places, people, patterns. 

[...]

Exploration 

is a very good word 

for what one does 

when thinking about a story 

before writing and 

while writing it. 

You are exploring a territory, 

finding out what happens there.

 Only you do it with 

thoughts, images, words, 

instead of with your body.” 

~ Ursula K. Le Guin, 

in The Wand in the Word: 

Conversations with Writers of Fantasy

I agree with Ms. Le Guin -- when I write, it really does seem more like I'm exploring a territory and finding the various parts of my story, rather than inventing it out of thin air. I gather all of the pieces I can find and then put them together with my words.

Do you ever feel this way when you are writing?

Write what you like...

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"Write what you like; 

there is no other rule." 

~ O. Henry

Good advice! :)

A poem is portable.

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"A poem is portable.  

You can carry it around with you 

in your head for days 

while you work on it in secret."

~ Maxine Kumin,

 in The Place My Words are Looking For

When I first read this quote years ago, I pictured someone walking around with a small suitcase (or maybe a fancy bag like the one above) filled with slips of scrawled-on paper -- poems just waiting to be finished. The image makes me smile. I know that I have often carried poems I'm working on around in my head. Have you?

Paragraphs of staggering loveliness.

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An excerpt:

     You will sometimes write paragraphs of staggering loveliness. You will! Probably you already have. You'll want to have those paragraphs tattooed on your forehead where everyone will see them.

     Then you'll discover that they don't help tell your story. Do not do not DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT bend your story to accommodate your brilliant words.

     Revising and cutting take courage and self-confidence. You have to believe that you will write equally brilliant prose again. And you will. There's no doubt about it. And some of your new brilliant prose will have to be revised or cut. But some will actually fit your story. Hallelujah!

~ from Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly,

written by Gail Carson Levine

I really like this passage from Ms. Levine's book. I have definitely had to cut words, sentences, and paragraphs that I loved from my writing because they just weren't helping the stories I was trying to tell. It is very hard to cut lines that you feel are well-written, but sometimes it is necessary. As Ms. Levine says, it does require courage and self-confidence to make those cuts. But, in the end, your writing will be even better than it was before!

Succinct

This week's word, succinct [suh k-singkt], is an adjective that means "expressed in few words; concise; terse". I, myself, am not very good at writing succinctly. I tend to be wordy when I write. (When I am talking, however, I am much more succinct -- mostly because I freeze up and can't get all the words that I want to say to come out of my mouth!)

Here are a few examples I came up with using the word of the week:

I love how poets can take a story or an idea or an image 

and convey it to their readers in just a few succinct lines.

I have one friend who never stops talking, 

and another who is quite succinct.

Do you write -- or speak -- succinctly? Can you come up with a sentence using the word "succinct"?

Trouble writing...

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"Every writer I know 

has trouble writing." 

~ Joseph Heller

I don't know about you, but I am really glad to hear that! I often struggle with my writing, and sometimes feel like I must be the only one. It's good to know that I am not alone.

Words are beautiful things.

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"I love it that as a writer 

you work with the poetry 

and music of words. 

Words are as wild as rocky peaks. 

They're as smooth as a millpond 

and as sunny as a day in a meadow. 

Words are beautiful things. 

Every word matters."

~ Brian Jacques, 

in The Wand in the Word: 

Conversations with Writers of Fantasy

I was reading The Wand in the Word (compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus) the other night and this quote jumped out at me.  I love Brian Jacques's description of writing! Words are beautiful things.

Irony

For this week's word, I want to talk about something that is used in writings and in every day conversations on a regular basis: irony [ahy-ruh-nee]. According to Merriam-Webster.com, irony (a noun) has two main definitions: 1. "the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really think, especially in order to be funny" and 2. "a situation that is strange or funny because things happen in a way that seems to be opposite of what you expected".

For example, imagine that you have plans to go a picnic with friends but on the day you're supposed to go, thunderstorms roll through your town.  You might look out the window and say, "What a lovely day for a picnic."  You would be using irony in that statement because, of course, it's not really a lovely day; it's the exact opposite. (Unless you're a big fan of storms and getting wet while you're eating!)

As for irony in a situation, consider the famous boat The Titanic, which launched in 1912. The Titanic was advertised as and believed to be 100% unsinkable, yet, on its very first voyage it hit an iceberg and sank. Isn't it ironic?

People use phrases with irony in them all the time, like when they say that something is "clear as mud" or when they describe someone as "friendly as a rattlesnake".

What other examples of irony can you think of?

You must write it.

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"If there's a book 

you really want to read, 

but it hasn't been written yet, 

then you must write it."  

~ Toni Morrison

I'm sharing this quote as a reminder to myself.  There are stories I want to read, but they are inside my head.  I need to work on getting them out on paper!  How about you?  Do you have a book that you want to read that is just waiting there in your brain? You must write it.

This BookWyrm is Back

My daughter took this photo for me, Aug. 2015

Hello there.  Again.

It's been awhile.

In fact, it's been almost two years since I last shared a post here.  I wish I had a good excuse for disappearing from this blog, but I really don't have one.  When I posted my previous entry, an excerpt from Alice in Wonderland, at the beginning of November in 2013, I was not planning for it to be my last one.  In fact, I had already started writing up several entries to post later in the month.  But then I got busy with life and put this blog on hold.

Not surprisingly, the longer I went without posting anything new, the easier it was for me to continue doing nothing with Blue Sky, Big Dreams and the harder it became for me to break out of that "do-nothing" mode. And I didn't have that problem only with this blog. The same thing happened with my other writing; I've done very little of it over the past two years.

I've missed writing, though.  I've missed working on my stories and my poetry.  I've also missed this blog and the opportunity it gives me to share poems, quotes, words, and books with all of you every day. That's why I'm back! :)

I finally managed to break free from my writing inertia this week and have several posts already lined up for you this month.  I am determined to keep at it.  And I'm hoping that writing here will help launch me back into writing my poems and stories again.  Wish me luck!

It's true that there's been a dearth of writing in my life over the last two years, but time has not stood still and a lot of other things have happened along the way. My kiddos have continued to grow, for one thing. (Imagine that!)

My daughter Emmalie graduated from high school last year and went away to college in the fall. (I'm pretty sure that transition was much harder on me than it was on her!) We've all loved having her back this summer -- I can't believe that it's almost time for her to return to school again.

My son Nick will be a junior in high school this year.  It is unfathomable to me that he'll be headed to college in just two short years.  He started his first paying job this summer, doing an internship with a local forest preserve.  In addition to that, he's been volunteering weekly at another forest preserve and also Brookfield Zoo.  He's been one busy boy!

My youngest, Ben, will be ten next month.  He starts a new school this year and I'm hoping he will love it!  When I last worked on this blog, I was still reading to Ben every night before bed.  He's since become a voracious reader himself (my little BookWyrm!), constantly working his way through big stacks of books all on his own.

As for me, I've still been reading a lot. (Thank goodness that hasn't changed!) I recently joined the Goodreads website and have been busy recording all the books I've read this year, over 60 so far. (They've mostly been adult fiction, but I've also read my fair share of middle-grade and young adult fiction, as well. I will be sharing those books with you in the weeks to come.)

For most of the time that I've been "missing in action", I've had some problems with my right shoulder and biceps.  Last month I had surgery on both.  (And, yes, I'm right-handed. That certainly *has* been a factor when it comes to my lack of writing.)  Now I'm busy with physical therapy and trying to get my arm/shoulder back to normal.  I still have a long way to go, but at least now I can type with both hands again and also use my right hand to write with a pen or a pencil. (Believe me, that's a big deal!)

For those of you who are new to this blog, welcome! (To learn more about Blue Sky, Big Dreams and my philosophy behind it, please check out this post and this one.)

And for those of you who have been here before, welcome back.  I appreciate all of your past support and am so glad that you are willing to come back now that I'm giving this blog another try.

Happy Reading, one and all! :)

P.S. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I would LOVE to hear your comments on this or any other post!  This blog is even more fun for me when I can have a two-way conversation with my readers. :) So please, don't hesitate to write comments -- whether you agree with something I've written or not. I will be happy to hear from you!

Like lines of quiet people...

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An excerpt:

[...] But real, live authors wrote every one of those books, so the shelves are like lines of quiet people, sitting up straight and polite, waiting to talk to me. Someday I'll have a book of my own.  Someday my book will talk.

~ from Sahara Special,

written by Esme Raji Codell

I just read Sahara Special this last weekend, and it is one of my new favorite books.  One of the things I enjoyed about it (there were many!) is how much the main character, Sahara, loves books, the library, and writing.  I definitely felt a connection with her!  I, too, hope that someday my book will talk....

Websites for Young BookWyrms and Writers

Ben with the book he won in a raffle drawing.

Last night my son Ben's elementary school held "Family Reading Night".  (Personally, I think every night should be Family Reading Night, whether at school or home or wherever.)  The rest of our family was busy, but I took Ben to the 1-1/2 hour event.  He, like the other student participants, went dressed in his p.j.s.  He also brought his best friend (and stuffed rabbit) HopHop along.

There were different activities going on in various rooms throughout the school, including a book swap, a picture book reading and discussion about story elements, and some reading games.  And in the computer lab, the principal talked about various reading and writing websites that kids and their parents can use at home.

I thought I'd share some of those sites with you, since Ben and I found them interesting:

Book Wink -- Through podcasting and short book talk videos, this site aims to "connect kids in Grades 3 through 8 with books that will make them excited about reading."

Slime Kids Book Trailers -- Similar to movie trailers, these book trailers provide viewers with a brief peek into a variety of books and entice them to read.  In addition to the videos, each book listing also offers a description of the book and information about its author.

ReadWriteThink -- This site contains games & tools, tips & how-tos, printouts, and podcasts -- all designed to help parents help their kids learn to love reading and writing.

KidsReads -- On this site, you'll find book reviews, author interviews, contests, and more!

There was also a poetry site that Ben LOVED: ETTC's Instant Poetry Forms.

It helps young writers create poetry by filling in some boxes with their own word choices.  Ben composed two different poems and was so excited about them.  He even asked me if I would share them here on my blog, and I told him I would. :) I have a feeling we'll be logging on to this poetry site often from now on!

Ben composes a poem.

Here are Ben's poems, as promised:

I am a...

I am a snake,

green as a leaf.

I slither around.

I pounce on my prey.

I can camouflage myself.

I can curl around a branch.

I am a snake.

~ Ben H.

and

I Can't Write a Poem

Forget it!

You must be kidding.

I don't know how to spell.

I don't know what to write about.

All the letters come out sloppy.

I keep getting stuck.

I can't keep my eyes straight.

I'm busy.

My pencil keeps breaking.

Each day I have to go to bed and then I forget it.

Time's up? Uh-oh!

All I have is a dumb list of excuses.

You like it? Really? No kidding.

Thanks a lot.  Would you like to see another one?

~ Ben H.

Do you know about any other great sites for young writers and BookWyrms?  I'd love to hear about them and add them to the list here!

From a lawn chair to the clouds...

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"To me, 

poetry is a marriage 

of craft and imagination.  

The making of a poem 

requires attention

 to form, sound, 

revision, and precision. 

(…) 

But imagination lifts you 

from a lawn chair to the clouds.  

And this is the mystery of poetry." 

~ Christine E. Hemp,

 in The Place My Words are Looking For

Hemp's image of imagination lifting poets "from a lawn chair to the clouds" makes me smile and nod.  Yes, it's important for writers to pay attention to the actual crafting of their poems.  But if that's the only thing we focus on, we'll be stuck sitting in our metaphorical lawn chairs, feet on the ground.  To soar to the clouds with our poems, we also need a healthy dose of imagination.

Just Keep Writing...

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Even if you've never seen Disney's animated movie, Finding Nemo, you've probably heard its most famous line, sung by Dory the fish (and voiced by Ellen DeGeneres), "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming."  In that scene, Dory is trying to encourage Nemo's father, Marlin, not to give up.

I've decided to take Dory's line, change it a little to fit my needs, and use it as my personal mantra:

Just Keep Writing.  

Just Keep Submitting.

It seems like obvious advice for a writer, I know.  One's work will never be published if one doesn't first write it and then submit it somewhere.  As I've written here before, however, it's so easy to get discouraged.  I did quite a bit of writing last year and quite a bit of submitting, but all I got in return was a pile of rejection letters.  It's easy to give up after that. I wouldn't say that I did give up, but I'll admit that I haven't been nearly as enthusiastic or motivated about writing and submitting this year as I was last year.  Until....

Until last month when, out of the blue, I received an email stating that one of the poems I'd submitted to Spider magazine over a year ago has been accepted for publication. (Insert happy dance here!)  That one little email changed my whole perspective.  While it's true that I still have to wait a few years to see my poem in print, the knowledge that someone out there liked it enough to accept it gives me hope. It also reminds me that I need to keep on writing and keep on submitting.  

In all likelihood, most of the poems and stories I write will never get published.  I need to keep on trying, though, and never give up.  Someday, when I least expect it, I will get good news again!