Pages

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Reflection

It's been quite a year, 2013.

I am looking back now, although I really don't want to look too hard because it is late and I am tired.

But before I sleep, I want to think about my writing, the highs, the lows, and all that jazz.

The Highs--I wrote a LOT of stuff.  And I have some exciting news about some of it, but I am not allowed to share yet, which makes the whole mention of it seem kind of mean, so forget I said anything.

The Lows--I do not think I have ever been so tired as I have been this year.  Ever.  Not necessarily because of writing, but because life just doesn't slow down.  And because Honors Geometry is hard. Very.Hard.

Hmmm...well....maybe it is too much to ask of my feeblish brain to coherently reflect on the whole year--that's 365 days.  Maybe I ought to just come clean about my NaNoWriMo and PiBoIdMo projects instead. That's only 30 days.

Soooo....er...um...my NaNo project got off to a swell start.  I hadn't hoped to finish it, but thought if I got around 20k I'd be feeling pretty great.  HA!!!!!!  (That was the loudest, most explosive HA you can imagine.)  Needless to say, I did not get that far. Oh....um...  you want to know how far I got?  Well, starting a book is hard sometimes, you see.  You need to make sure you begin it the right way, or the next thing you know, you are skipping down some path you never intended to go and it turns into a forest, a dark forest, with gnarled trees and witches and you are thinking Hey, I am not writing about trees and witches!  How did those things get in here?  And the story you wanted to write is gone, gone gone.

Well, that did not exactly happen to me, the witch part and all.  But I did discover at about 10k that I was dreading the writing of it.  I had such a hard time "getting into it" each time I sat down to work.

Not good.

So I tinkered a little, tried a section in a different point of view and BAM!  I realized the story couldn't be told in third person.  It HAD to be told in first.  So, back to the drawing board.  But better to know by 10k, right?

Yep.  Still working on it. I call it MYHP or TULOTA. Both are acronyms for possible titles.  Okay, only one is, the other is a little inside joke I have with myself. You can guess which is which.

As for my Picture Book Idea Month challenge, I was supposed to come up with an idea each day for a month.  I was finally brave enough to open the file today to see what I'd come up with.

It's not pretty, folks.

Out of 30 days, I managed only 20 idea.  And 17 of them stink.  I mean, really, truly stink.

But there are three that are workable, which is three more than I had at the beginning of November, so there is that. My possible stories are M, C and P, and B.  I wish I could tell you more, but if I start to talk about them and they sound dumb, I will never write them.

So, I've got some work to do in the next bit--continue on a Middle Grade Novel, and try to flesh out three picture books (although one might be an easy reader....how I'd love to do another easy reader!)

Okay, so more soon--and more coherent, I promise.

xo--

Shelley

Monday, December 23, 2013

Magical and Bookish

Merry  Christmas!  This is our fabulous Book Tree.  I have wanted to make one since last year.
 I think I need to work on height for next year, though.
It is when you think that things are going to get easier that they actually get harder.  Life is funny like that.

I keep thinking I will have time to post a blog, especially since I am now on break, but things haven't let up much around here.  Lots still to do to make Christmas happen.

However, I wanted to show you how magically bookish my students and I were as we prepared for the holidays this year before it was January and posting about Christmas in January is just, well....

Anyway, here are gifts we made for others.  Bookmarks, of course!!
That's a washer wrapped with embroidery thread.  Cute!

Love the creativity and use of color!

Ta-da!  Here is one being useful in our class read-aloud.

We had visited the "olde" parts of our city last week and decided to create our own little village, taking a tip from my favorite pop-up author, Robert Sabuda.

A tiny tea-light inside adds warmth.

The village grows.

I think that is a reindeer in the yard!
And now for the truly magical part.  I took my class to Legoland on Friday and they got to play in this:

REAL LIVE SNOW!!  IN SOCAL!!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!  

Wishing you a holiday that is both magical and bookish!!

xoxo-

hrh




Sunday, December 1, 2013

Trinket Gets a New Look in Paperback

The Seven Tales of Trinket is getting a new look for the new year in paperback form!  I am super happy!!  Don't get me wrong, I loved the original cover, but it is so much fun to see the book re-envisioned in a different way.  I believe the paperback will be available in February.

Erwin Madrid did the amazing artwork!
Also, I will be at Barnes and Noble in Oceanside for the annual Jefferson Bookfair Night on Tuesday, December 3rd, from 4-8.  This year, I believe there will be a bit of Zumba, a visit from St. Nicholas (who I am told is in 5th grade, so don't sit on him or else you might squish him), and folks, ukuleles!  UKULELES!!  Of course, the usual hula-along will happen, as well as scavenger hunts, bookmark making and if you come early, you might just get to eat an Oreo with Oreo.  
No, not you, Baby Dragon.  I know you like cookies as much as the next puppet, but the tradition is to eat an Oreo with Oreo, the monkey.  Get it?

 
Oreo the monkey telling everyone how much he likes Oreos.

So, come if you can!

hrh