Three Things

Today, I am stealing an idea from Stewart at Hustle and Go.  (Have you met him yet? He’s has one of those blogs that makes me laugh, think and want to go jogging.)

His latest post is on “Five People I Would Like to Meet”.

I’ve decided, just so I’m not a complete copycat, to name three things instead of five. And what are the three things?

THREE PHRASES I WISH I’D COINED

1. Cool Beans!

2. I’m just sayin’…

3. Finer than a frog hair split four ways.

 

I am going to find a way to incorporate these into my stories.

What are some of YOUR favorite phrases?

 

 

Poem Queen

If you love poetry, know children who love poetry, or love children who love poetry, then you MUST visit Joy Acey’s site:

Poetry for Kids: http://poetryforkidsjoy.blogspot.com/

Joy calls herself the “Princess of Poetry”, but I think she’s climbed the ladder to Queen! You can make up your own mind when you hop over to her blog. And if you wonder if she has anything interesting to say, just know this.. “Joy has hopped a freight train and rode in a boxcar over the world’s second largest wooden trestle bridge. She was on a TV game show and won enough money for a trip to Australia. She has lived in England and Japan.”

And that’s just a few of her adventures!

 

On How to Write a Query Letter that doesn’t Stink

Here are some things you shoud NOT do when writing a query letter:

1. Start out with a sob story.

2. Write with an overly friendly or familiar tone.

3. Talk about how beautiful your kids are.

4. End the letter by saying, “I have sent you my best work, but can I have a second chance if you don’t like it?”

 

I found a copy of a query letter I sent to a lit agent about seven years ago.And now I feel the need to openly apologize to the agent, but I’m not sure she would want to re-live my atrocious use of emal.

WHY didn’t someone stop me??

Because at the time, I wasn’t part of any critique groups. I didn’t know any better. And I didn’t have enough sense to know that I could find fabulous examples online.

So, in a couple of days, I will post the aforementioned query letter in all it’s “how-not-to-land-an-agent” glory. I would love to include y’alls horrible examples, too. If our pain can prevent someone else from experiencing the same, it’s worth all the ensuing giggles, moans and groans… right?

So how ’bout it? Anyone game? Email me at: wordwranglernc @ hotmail . com (take out all the spaces)

 

Writing stuff

Okay, so I had a BLAST at the Write2ignite conference! We had editors from Focus on the Family, JourneyForth Books/BJU, Kids’ Ark magazine and several agents including Terry Burns from Hartline! Lots of great info!

Also – came away from the conference with a renewed desire to get my backside in high gear and finish up some projects I started a long time ago.

And did I menttttion my lapttop is having issues? Bad issues? The tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt keeps sttttttttttticking.

Seriously. Itttt does.

No. I don’t know why. Sometimes it works fine. Other ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttimes ittttttttttttt goes crazy. I had to work really hard to keep them out of the first half of the post. It’s weird. And a little disturbing when a family of TTTTTs start dancing across the screen.. and you aren’t even touching that letter or even the keyboard. REALLY WEIRDTttt.ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt.tttttttttttttttttttttttttt

Oh – and one more thing -

I finally got another pb polished (as much as I can polish without wearing off the shine) and sent it out to agent world. I’ll let you know what happetns!

*not responsible fort tanty wild card ttttts in this post. ttt

WOW.

A week to go and Write2ignite is here. I am blown away that it is this close!

If you are going to Write2ignite, please let me know so I can be on the lookout for you!

And if you haven’t yet registered, you need to hurry b/c registration ends this week. Get thee to the Write2ignite site and sign up!

 

Come on

Mount Washmore

If you’ve known me for more than 5 years, then you know that I’m a “FLYBABY” whose wings have been clipped. The Flylady herself would probably beat me with one of the wet noodles from my spaghetti dinner tonight. And then she’d execute my dust bunnies, one by one.

Let me be clear – this is NOT a Flylady bashing session. Far from it. This is just another late night confessional. So sit back and enjoy.

Fact 1: I love the Flylady system and her guilt-free approach.

Fact 2: I’ve failed at it miserably the last few years. And feel guilty.

Fact 3: The Flylady says to just jump in where we are. I’d be glad to. But a horde of Little dust-Bunny FuFu eyes are staring at me from under the furniture, daring me to make a move. 

 

As previously stated, there is a possibility that we are going to move at some point in the future. (That was somewhat, kind of vague, wasn’t it?) And I would love a clean slate and more room to store the things that seem to be growing at an exponential rate, even as I type this.

More space. Clean slate. New wings and no wet noodle beatings. Yes. That would be nice. Yes, indeed.

What does YOUR week look like? How do you keep housework on an even keel with homeschooling, working, childcare, dust-bunny wrangling or whatever your life entails? 

 

Looking for a Reasonably Priced Writing Conference?

I know that I post a lot about Write2ignite – but it’s an important part of my life that I want others to know about! I am sure that most of the folks who read this blog have read at least one of my other posts concerning the Write2ignite conference. But just in case you haven’t, here is is the lowdown straight from the Write2Ignite webpage:

The Write2Ignite! Conference For Christian Writers of Literature for Children and Young Adults is the only Christian Writers Conference specifically for writers who desire to write for Children and Young Adult markets. Writing for children and for young adults is much different from writing for adults. Write2Ignite! offers Christian writers the opportunity to develop their skills and learn more about the writing craft from experienced professionals from the Christian publishing industry.

Write2Ignite!’s goal is to ignite the fire of future generation of Christian writers by offering quality workshops presented by Christian Publishing’s finest authors, editors, and agents.  For a complete list of the presenters for the Write2Ignite! 2012 conference scheduled for March 16th – 17th, go HERE.

The first Write2Ignite! Christian Writers Conference was held in 2009. In the years that followed, conference attendance doubled. It is our hope that more writers join us for Write2Ignite! 2012. For more information on the history of Write2Ignite! Christian Writers Conference, please visit the About page HERE.

The Write2Ignite! Christian Writers Conference is held annually on the campus of North Greenville University, a beautiful facility conveniently situated between Greenville, South Carolina and Hendersonville, North Carolina.  For more information on North Greenville University, driving directions, or lodging, visit the North Greenville University page HERE.

Registration for the Write2Ignite! 2012 is open!  Check it out here: Registration Page

Be on the look out for blog posts from our leadership team and from our presenters. Should you have any questions, feel free to use our Contact Page and send us an email.

 

I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

GUEST POETS!

Today I have the sweet pleasure of posting a poem written by my 8yo and 9 yo. They collaborated and have been working on this all day. I’m just the publisher!

ENJOY!

Pancake Tortoise

By Zee and Cee

I have a Pancake Tortoise

                I have him as a pet

I have a Pancake Tortoise

                I caught him in a net

 

I have a Pancake Tortoise

                He likes to bike and dance

I have a Pancake Tortoise

                He won the Tor-toise-France

 

I have Pancake Tortoise

                Today he’s feeling blue

I have a Pancake Tortoise

                I think he’s got the flu

 

I have a Pancake Tortoise

                He’s in the zoo quartet

I have a Pancake Tortoise

                He plays the clarinet

 

I have a Pancake Tortoise

                He made this poem fun

I have a Pancake Tortoise

                 He says this poem is done

 

 

For more info on the Pancake Tortoise, here are a few links:

http://www.knoxville-zoo.org/case-studies/70

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/pancake.htm

http://www.unc.edu/~dtkirkpa/stuff/pancake.html

The Icky Places of Parenthood

It is 1:30 am and I am watching TV with my 14yo.

This is not a fun sleepover.

I am not a bad mother.

And she is not a happy camper.

At all.

The reason we are up? The tummy bug that hit others in our family last week suddenly hit her this morning. And then.. it has hit her tonight.

And when it first hit her, I was there beside her in the bathroom.

Then a sympathetic wave of nausea rolled over me and I yelled for my hubby. He was already at the door before I finished calling his name. He came in and I scurried out before he had two messes to clean up.

I rushed back with a glass of water and a wet cloth. Then hurried out again. Then back again… but with my mouth and nose covered to help keep another sympathetic wave from rushing over me.

Seriously.

I repeat…I am NOT a bad mother. I just have a very sensitive gag reflex.

I love her. She loves me. And obviously, my hubby loves us both!

It was soooo nice to know my hubby was there to step in and take care of both of us. To know that we could rely on him to take care of the ickiness of the evening. Our daughter’s tummy bug + my weak stomach could have equaled a very icky place. And he was willing to clean up the mess.

Isn’t that the way it is with God on a much larger scale? He loves us in the middle of our icky places. And He is there for us, even before we finish calling out to Him.

He sends us help in the middle of sticky, icky places. Jesus came in the middle of our world’s ickiness… but didn’t turn away. He didn’t stop loving. He didn’t stop saving. And He hasn’t stopped!

Today, no matter what you are going through, may your icky places be filled with the presence of the Comforter and healed by the touch of the Great Physician. And may you KNOW that Jesus is there, even before you finish calling His name.

Writing Conference… are you looking for one?

It. Is. Coming.

    Closer…

            and closer…

                   and closer…

ARE YOU READY?

WHEN? March 16-17.

WHERE? North Greenville University, near Greenville, SC

WHAT? FIND OUT HERE!!!