And So She Begins A New Adventure

It's amazing how friends just know what you need even when you don't tell them. A good friend of mine gave me two perfect new writing tools yesterday:

I'm beginning a new project and I have the idea of writing the entire first draft ON PAPER. I don't usually do this, what with the convenience of my handy netbook, but for this project I feel that writing the first draft by hand is very appropriate. And necessary. For a few reasons:

1. The mood and tone of the story is quite fairy tale-ish, not unlike the German fairy tales my mother used to read to me when I was a child that scared the bejeebies out of me. Ink and paper will give me that "long ago" feel in keeping with the mood. (You know, kind of like the feeling you get when you write snail mail instead of email :))
2. The practice of writing an entire first draft with pen and paper will (hopefully) propel me forward thus thwarting my incessant need to go back and edit every single line as I go. The computer feeds my editing addiction and I generally have a really hard time moving forward as I write.
3. I want to try writing a story that has been somewhat planned out. I'm a "write by the seat of your pants" writer and want to experiment with the concept of planning out a story before diving into it. This writing excercise won't be a flow chart of events or anything like that, but it will be the bare skeleton of a complete story from beginning to end. Emphasis on "bare" skeleton. Thus the THIN notebook.
4. I need to step out of my comfort zone and try something new.

So there you have it. And it seems as though I'm not the only one interested in this new-for-me concept:


So, armed with a pen, hourglass, and beautiful new notebook I begin my new personal fantasy adventure.

Oh, and here's what my new notebook says on the back:


Appropriate, yes?

Non-Readers Only

This is a great cartoon created by my friend Debbie Ohi in light of the new new banned books on flights deal:


Click on the picture to get to Debbie's site. She's fabulous!!

A Big Oopsie. But Worth It.

Wow. So, as you can probably tell, I just destroyed my blog layout. That was totally unintentional (especially since I just had a really nice comment about it this morning!)

But the reason I've unintentionally destroyed it is because I wanted to post my BRAND NEW BOOK TRAILER! So, really, it was worth it.

Check it out. And let me know what you think.

(For those of you reading a feed of this blog, come to the original posting to see the trailer)

500 Words a Day Challenge

You're on, Inkygirl! I must admit, the thought of committing to write 1000 words every single day makes me hyperventilate. But the thought of committing to 500 words a day just gives me slight palpitations and sweaty palms.

So game on!

Thanks for the challenge.

The Best Gift of 2009 - A Pile-driver to the Head

You know, I spent most of 2009 waiting.

I won't bore you with the long list of things I had to wait for (and, if truth be known, some things I'm STILL waiting for) but as I look back on these things I can see some of the different emotions I've had in response to them: anger, fear, resentment, anxiety. Even self-doubt and at times apathy.

And all these feelings have resulted in some major fits of frustration. I mean, when you feel stuck, when you feel trapped, when you feel like you're dependent on someone else to be able to move forward, that's frustrating. That's really frustrating. Especially when it's freakishly happening in different areas of your life, on many levels, and all at the same time.

But the operative word here is "feel". Feelings aren't concrete, are they? They are subjective. They change. They are easily influenced by our surroundings, our situations. But for some reason we base so much of our lives around them. Hmmm...

Now, as much as I'm tempted to do it, I don't want to kick 2009 in the arse and tell it good riddance, which would be the typical response. That would only make 2009 another notch on my 'things that have disappointed me' belt. And I don't know about you, but I want to see my belts get smaller, not bigger.

Instead, I'm choosing to make 2009 my friend. I want to take all the stuff that happened this past year and use it. I'm seeing 2009 as the trusted friend who lets me know when there's something in my life that needs improvement. The friend who speaks truth into my life even though it may sometimes hurt. The friend who accepts me for who I am yet at the same time doesn't gloss over my ugly stuff. Yes, even the friend who tells me when my writing is off. Believe it or not, we all need friends like that. (And here, the operative word is 'friend'. If you have a true one who does these things for you, you'll know what I'm talking about. My advice is don't ever let that person go. They are worth more than your weight, combined, in every precious metal known to man.)

2009 has been that kind of friend for me. Oh, believe me, at times it felt like she was giving me a pile-driver to the head. But what she has taught me - what she is still teaching me - is invaluable.

She has taught me to be more independent. She has taught me to be more assertive. She has taught me to get my head around what I truly want in life. She has taught me that no one can make me feel a certain way unless I let them make me feel that way. She has taught me to take control of my feelings, not to let my feelings take control of me. She has taught me that even though I may have to wait, I am in command of what I do with that time. And that the time I have in every year that's yet to come is best spent wisely.

That's why I'm choosing to make her my friend instead of my enemy.

I hope 2009 was a good friend to you, too.

Post-Christmas/Early New Year's Present

It's been confirmed: I'm going to ALA Midwinter in January!!

For those of you who don't know what that means, it means I'll be signing and giving away a few hundred advanced reading copies of SMUDGE'S MARK at the American Library Association's Midwinter Conference in Boston, MA! I'll be there for two nights and I'll be doing two signings. And this is perfect timing since Smudge's US launch is coming up this spring!

For me, this is a huge event! I don't even know where to begin preparing for it! I'm so excited! My inner giddy little girl is clapping and dancing and skipping all over her grown-woman-defined behavioral boundaries.

One of the best things about going to ALA is that I'll finally be able to meet my awesome editor! It's a strange thing, this publishing biz, that you can work so closely and personally with someone for literal YEARS and never have the chance to meet them. And now I finally will!

I'll also have the chance to meet and hang out with a bunch of authors, editors, agents, librarians, publicists, and other bookish peeps at the "ALA Tweetup" - an informal meeting that's been organized, via Twitter, by Deborah Sloan and Mitali Perkins; a couple of amazing kids' lit women.

I can hardly stand the anticipation!

So here's to you, Smudge! Happy New Year!

Three Ships, Whistling, Singing, and Contentment = A Merry Christmas!

The voice of my family's favorite crooner; Jacob Moon, has been filling our home for the last few days:

He did whistle and she did sing,
On Christmas Day, On Christmas Day
He did whistle and she did sing,
On Christmas Day in the morning.

I, for one, can't wait for Christmas Day.

May your Christmas be blessed and bring a song to your heart.

Sparkly Christmas wishes from me to you,
Claudia