Creating Bits of Magic with Flowers

I've been enjoying the longer, warmer days of late spring and early summer. I managed to get my flowers and plants potted and planted in my garden before I had to leave for my residency. Now they are blooming out and creating little scenes of magic and wonder around my house. I love the growing season for just this reason. Here are a few pictures of one of the ways I keep myself inspired to work by finding a concrete creative outlet beyond writing and reading...

Honest to goodness glass slipper with snapdragons in it that I found at a garden show =)

Fairy garden my daughter and I planted together

The irises were exceptionally pretty this year

Flowers in a teacup sitting in a chair

Couldn't resist this bicolored dahlia

 I also like to plant flowers in with my veggies to help with pollination and attract beneficial bugs to my garden and repel the pests.

Going to have some fresh yellow squash to eat soon. Yum!

What are some ways you add color and creativity to your life? Take some time to enjoy things you love and add a little fun to even the most practical of things you do this growing season.

Short Hiatus

For the next  couple of weeks I will be taking a short hiatus from posting to my blog. I will be doing my residency for the MFA in Creative Writing I'll be starting this Friday. Once I've gotten through this 10 day residency I hope to resume my normal Tuesday blog posts. Until then, take care and for those fellow writers out there, happy writing!

Space Op - er - a - Da-da-da-da...Da-da-da-da

Apologies for being a day later on my weekly post. I've been doing tons of reading for my upcoming residency and a lot of it has involved some in depth critiquing as well. Plus I had to do some research on my topic. Space opera...

Yes, you read right, I'm going to attempt to explain this popular phenomenon in fiction, film, and TV. I've heard of it before, probably even watched some. But I still wasn't really clear on what it was specifically and who had written this kind of work. Hopefully, this post will help clear up some of the mystery for those of you who were curious about this subgenre of science fiction.

Why, you may be wondering am I suddenly interested in space opera? I'll tell you. Tor is doing a open submission for novella length fiction all throughout the month of May. For those of you interested in writing this type of fiction here is the link to the submission guidelines:

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2015/05/torcom-is-open-to-novella-submissions

If you submit, best of luck with your submission piece. For the rest of you who are just curious as to what space opera is, here is the definition that popped up when I searched for it on the internet.

space op·er·a

noun

NORTH AMERICANinformal

1. a novel, movie, or television program set in outer space, typically of a simplistic and melodramatic nature. (definition courtesy of Google)

I'm sure that makes everything clear as mud, right? Well...maybe not. Here is a little more info on what space opera is. It is a subgenre of sci-fi that has actually been around quite a while. It began to gain a following in the 1920's and 30's when science fiction magazines began publishing these space dramas and billing them as "super science epics" (Wikpedia, original sited wiki source, Gary Westfahl, Space and Beyond: The Frontier Theme in Science Fiction, 1 January, 2000). The term space opera is believed to be coined from the term soap opera, which were popular series radio dramas during the 20's and 30's and sponsored mainly by soap manufacturing companies. The main difference initially between space operas and soap operas being that space operas take place entirely in outer space.

Originally space operas were very optimistic in nature with larger than life super heroes fighting evil doers in some other galaxy or on another planet in outer space and trying to save humanity. The subgenre has involved over time, however, growing darker and moving away from "triumph of mankind" template and also becoming more scientifically rigorous in their world building and the technology used. Without bogging you down in too much information about this subgenre, this is a very short summary of what space opera is and some info on how it evolved.

Here are some examples of space opera in both literature and film/tv for your reading or viewing pleasure:

Literature:

The Skylark series (1928-1965) by E.E. "Doc" Smith

The Foundation series (1942-1999) by Isaac Asimov

The Ender's Game series (1985-present) Orson Scott Card

Hyperion Cantos (1989-1996) by Dan Simmons

Saga of Seven Suns (2002-2008) and The Saga of Shadows (2014-present) by Kevin J. Anderson

Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1982-present) by Yoshiki Tanaka

Imperial Radch (2013-present) by Anne Leckie

Film/TV:

Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas (1977-present)

Battle Star Galactica created by Glen A. Larson and Ronald D. Moore (1978-1979 and 2004-2009)

Babylon 5 franchise created by J. Michael Straczynski (1993-present)

Guardians of the Galaxy franchise created by James Gunn (2014-present)

(Both lit. and film/tv lists found via wikipedia.com)

Also, the popular video game Halo (2001-present) created by Bungie is considered a type of space opera (source, wikipedia.com)

So, there you have it. Space opera is a popular subgenre of science fiction that many of you might be familiar with and didn't even realize it. This is also what Tor is most looking for in their open novella submissions for this month. If this is right up your alley, then I hope this helps if you plan to take advantage of Tor's open submissions period. If not, well now you can sound smart and ultra informed about space operas. Maybe you can tackle this interesting subgenre yourself and be the next big thing in fiction or film.

Wizards, Princesses, and Time Travelers

Over the winter and early spring I did a pretty good job of staying away from the library. It helped me make a small dent in my to-be-read pile of books which had grown again over Christmas. I managed to read Persuasion, finally by Jane Austen. I also read a fun new fantasy by J.C. Nelson called Free Agent.

Photo of owned copy of this book

Things were progressing rather well. I even managed to read a few books at the same time. Sometimes I have to do this in order to keep up with the books I'm supposed to be reading for book club or research purposes for one of my novels. Then I hit a book slump. Maybe you're familiar with these. You start reading a book that you thought sounded really good. When you received it as a present you were excited and couldn't wait to crack the cover and get started. Only to find that even though the prose was nice and the character seemed likable enough, the pace was too slow and you just found other things to read as you waded through it. I hate to give up on a book like this, especially when someone has given it to me as a gift. So, I read some of my assigned reading for my writing class. While I was traveling I checked out an audiobook from the library to listen to, and I continued to slog through the book from my pile. I eventually finished it, but this book slump resulted in me visiting the library more than I should have and discovering a few graphic novels as well as checking out the hard cover version of the audiobook I was still listening to, the latest in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, Written in My Own Heart's Blood.

I can't say I'm sorry for veering away from my to-be-read pile again. I absolutely love Diana Gabaldon's books. And reading up on Harry Dresden (from Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series) in graphic novel form was entertaining. Especially, since Mr. Butcher mentioned in the introduction that the illustrator was "spot on" at capturing what Harry looks like. I also discovered another graphic novel series called Fables by Bill Willingham. In these novels the characters from fairy tales, folklore, and classic fantasy stories are forced to leave their magical homes to live in disguise as ordinary humans in New York City. Of course, things don't proceed happily ever after from there. Murders and infighting ensue and it is up to assistant mayor, Snow White, and a reformed Big Bad Wolf, now Bigby Wolf, the in house detective to solve the crime and catch the perpetrators. The stories are entertaining for anyone who might like a noir version of fairy tales told in graphic novel form. Though, I wouldn't recommend these to younger kids, maybe older young adults instead. Once I get through these books I fully intend to get back to my to-be-read pile again, starting with a mystery about novel characters dislocated from their stories called the Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. I'll let you know what I thought of it. In the meantime, I'd better get back to reading if I ever hope to catch up...

Pic of my personal copy of this book

Spring Busyness

Okay, I have a  confession to make. I'm totally embarrassed to admit this...but April is almost over and aside from my blog I have done next to no writing. Part of this is because I've been away from home a lot and it has just been a very busy season for my family.

Me holding my new baby nephew

My middle sister had her second baby, little Daniel. I spent a whole week at her house with the kids doting on this little guy. Babies don't keep as my grandmother used to say, so we had to enjoy this time with Daniel as much as we could.

My daughter with her Papa

My daughter had her 8th grade formal. Several days of planning and helping to decorate went into that event. I also helped chaperone. I was glad I did. She had a good time but she enjoyed having me around to hang out with some. I think she cleaned up pretty good.

My sister is the short blond in the blue dress walking offstage

My second trip away from home involved my youngest sister. She's finishing up her third year in pharmacy school. This past weekend I traveled to Birmingham, AL to celebrate her pinning ceremony. It is a tradition at Samford University and marks the end of her class work and the beginning of her pharmacy rotations.





I've also been trying to get most of my assigned reading done in preparation for my residency for school. In a couple of days, I will be reading a workbook's worth of writing excerpts for the other writers in my residency workshop. Still, it has been hard not having the time to concentrate on my writing. When life gets in the way of your writing life its good to remember that if we didn't take the time to live we wouldn't have anything to write about. That being said when things interrupt your normal work schedule here are few tips for things you can do to get back into the daily routine of writing.

1. Write in short increments of time. Even if you only work on one scene or one paragraph of a scene for 15 minutes it helps you stick with a daily pattern. And as things get less busy you can build on that time to work longer.

2. If for some reason a longer project is giving you grief consider writing a short story or an article for a magazine or writing contest. Sometimes when you've had a long stretch of time away from your notepad or computer working on a shorter project with a set deadline helps you focus. Plus if you win prize money or get paid for the project it bolsters your self confidence.

3. If writing everyday isn't possible, then spend some days doing market research on viable places you can submit your work. By looking at who agencies, publishers, and magazines or journals have published or represented in the past you can get a feel for where you own work might be well received. It also helps you improve as a writer by reading the published work of others.

4. If these don't work and you are determined to stick with a longer piece of writing or a novel, but you're stuck, maybe you need to do some research. One fun way to accomplish this is to pretend you are that character and visit a location from your story. Observe the sights, sounds, and scents of the place. Look at what other people there are doing. Listen to the dialects and tones of their conversations. Think about how your character or subject would react to this setting. Let what you see and hear play out in the scene you've created or are trying to create in that place. If possible take a pocket notebook and even a camera with you to record what you observe.

5. Finally, if life continues to interrupt you then it might be time to reassess your time commitments and decide if there is a way to cut back on some of them. If your writing is really important to you then you need to make that clear to your family and friends. Demand time for yourself to be creative and just write.

Even if you aren't a writer but still work from home and feel you're losing focus some of these tips can apply to get you back on schedule. Work for short increments of time and build on that. Focus on projects that have set deadlines first. Take time to update yourself on current trends or demands in your area of expertise. And if all else fails get out of the house and go for a walk or meet with contacts in your area of interest to talk shop. Remember we are all our own best advocates no matter what we do. So don't panic or beat yourself up when spring busyness like I've been facing arrives. Instead, consider trying out some of these tips and hopefully you can get back on schedule and your work back in focus.

Going to School

Beloved Backpack that I didn't throw out

Today I dug out my old backpack. I'd gone to bed a couple of nights ago worrying that I'd thrown it away. This brought a pang of sadness as I've had this backpack since the end of high school and all through college for both undergraduate and graduate school. My daughter used it as her backpack for a while. And they just don't make bags like this anymore. At least not at prices I can afford. This one actually has a leather suede bottom.

Why, you may wonder, did this concern come up at all? My kids have their own packs to carry around. Why would I need this old thing? Because I am officially going back to school again at the end of May. I'm getting a MFA degree in Creative Writing from Spalding University. In a few short weeks I will be doing my first 10 day residency followed by a semester's worth of independent study.

New College T-shirt

Spalding is a top 10 rated school for brief-residency MFA programs like this in Writing. They have been listed in magazines such as Poets and Writers and Writer's Digest, as well as, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators journal The Bulletin. I first found out about the program three years ago. Then I wasn't ready to consider the idea of entering a writing program like this. I was still working at honing my skills and narrowing my focus on what I wanted to do as a writer. Even before that I considered going back to school once my youngest child was in school full time. But the cost of doing so was prohibitive and I didn't want to go back and get another degree in anything unless I was sure I would really use it. If I went back I wanted to be sure I'd be going into an area I truly loved. This fall I decided to research Spalding University's program and take the plunge. I'm really glad I did. Not only has their faculty and staff been enthusiastic and welcoming to me. I feel that this program is one that helps writers in multiple genres of writing from various backgrounds become better and more professional in their approach to their craft. I've already met some of the other new students and feel like I will fit in great at residency. All the new students coming in this spring and summer for their first residencies are from all over the country, are at different age levels in their lives, and all are serious about pursuing writing as a calling and profession.

I'm still nervous about starting back to school again after so many years. But I think after considering many different graduate programs to pursue, from going back for a Ph.D. in Reproductive Physiology (or something similar) to applying for a Physicians Assistant program, this MFA in Writing degree is the right fit at just the right time for me. I'll be able to finish it and hopefully secure a teaching position at the college level with some time to spare before I have to send my oldest child off to college.

Workshop textbook

So today I happily dug out my old backpack, relieved that I didn't throw it away. I gathered together my textbooks, notebooks and folders and stuffed them safely together inside my dusty pack and made a list of back to school supplies for me. It is a happy experience. One that I don't think anyone is ever too old for. I'm more excited about going back to school this year than I think I've ever been before. Here's hoping I can keep up and excel in my chosen field. :)

Textbooks/Reading Assignments for Residency

Battling the CrossCurrents

A few days ago, I went for a walk. Earlier in the week I'd received yet another rejection on a novel I've been submitting. This time I got lots of personal feedback from the agent. I wasn't surprised at the rejection. I'd been struggling with the middle of my story for months--certain there was a problem, after feedback from both my critique group, and a couple of volunteer readers. When I'd work-shopped it in the fall at a SCBWI conference it had gotten some very positive comments and interest. However, even the guest author I'd gotten a one-on-one critique with warned that with my novel's strong beginning, I needed to be sure I followed through for my readers and gave them the payoff they'd expect. The agent I got a personal rejection from questioned whether I was writing my right story. This came at a time when I've been questioning how I can fix this novel or even if I'm capable of doing so.

When I came home from my walk I wasn't feeling a whole lot better about myself. But my walk had done something positive. It had motivated my family to go outside and fly some kites. As I watched them, all three of their kites were aloft on the wind soaring. But then my daughter's kite hit an unexpected cross current of air grounding it. She struggled and struggled to get it aloft again without success. Asking my husband for help she left and came back only to watch him experience the same problem. Each time it seemed like the wind was beneath it ready to send it soaring another gust of wind would hit it from a different direction and send it crashing to ground again.

I realized that the struggle with this kite, which looks like a beautiful owl, reflected my current emotional state. At the conference I'd come away hopeful and confident that this novel, this story, was ready to be seen by others. Only to find that perhaps it was close but still not where it needed to be to soar. Self doubt, and not a little self loathing followed as I fought with myself to take my story in a different direction than I'd originally set it on. These doubts and defeatist ideas had me effectively grounded. Worse they'd shut me off emotionally from my characters making it impossible for me to guide them or more importantly be guided by them.

My husband continued for several minutes to struggle with the kite. My daughter had given up after just a few attempts. But he knew the winds were right it was just a matter of finding the right current to get the owl up in the sky again. Doggedly he made attempt after attempt to send it flying. String got tangled and had to be untangled, trees got in the way, random air currents viciously slammed it to earth over and over. It was a monumental battle to get it in the right place at the right time. He didn't give up. And I realized I could be like him and continue to fight for my characters or I could be like my daughter, give up and move on to something new. Neither course was obvious as being the right one. The most worthwhile things in life rarely come with road signs offering you directions that say, "this way stupid." Or "this path offers lessons in futility, turn back now." I'm not certain as a writer how you can know you've reached the end of the line with a project. This is the first time I've ever gotten so much strong interest in one of my novels. It isn't my first book, its just my first near success. I haven't decided to shelve it. But I have decided to give it some space and stop trying to force something to happen when I'm obviously not ready to do the kind of writing it requires to fix. The cross currents out there are still very strong. When I'm ready, I'll go back to it with the determination my husband showed with my daughter's kite. And when that moment arrives I will find the right breeze to catch that will send the wings of my novel soaring.