Several good things have happened since the end of the summer that have substantially benefited my writing life. Things that are helping to keep me moving along “the write road”.

First, my dear friend Valija, from my original writing group, the “dissertation writing group”, way back when I first started my novel, has moved back to town after a few miserable years in Kansas. Not only is she here, but in procrastination of her academic work, she’s writing a delightful young adult book! So we’ve resumed our weekly writing sessions, making Sunday morning one of my favorite times of the week.

In addition, we’ve formed a middle grade / young adult critique group, with another friend Karen. Karen is working on a YA novel as well, plus a charming chapter book, that I keep telling her to send out as soon as possible! We are hoping to eventually attract another one or two fellow writers who are excited about working seriously on their MG/YA projects.

Until then, we are having fun, the three of us, writing at the Barnes & Noble cafe (it’s the most central option), trading “must read” titles, planning to attend events together, etc. It sure helps with motivation and inspiration, having people to talk and laugh and commiserate with!

Another exciting thing is that this fall I officially joined the SCBWI – that’s the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. And I do have to say that somehow being a member of a professional organization does make me feel more… professional. Like what I’m doing, working on my book, is actually for a real purpose, not just some story I tell people to make my life sound more glamorous.

Also, on the last Wednesday of the month, the local SCBWI chapter has a critique group that meets at the Eric Carle Museum in Hadley. It’s great. You never know who’s going to show up there as the valley is inundated with successful and talented children’s book authors and illustrators. So far I’ve been able to share two of my picture books, with very positive feedback, which was thrilling. I’m waiting on the novel for now. I’d like to have a complete readable draft first.

My friend Chrysler and I have reinstated our weekly “fresh writing” time. We are now meeting on Monday nights for a two hour write and a hot drink, which you have to include to make venturing out on a winter night that much more acceptable.

Chrysler is working on her third novel now that the first is out at a contest and the second, THE HAWLEY BOOK OF THE DEAD, will be going out to agents shortly. I have done three in-depth line edits of the HAWLEY book this year and spent a lot of time talking to Chrysler about various plot, character, and voice issues.

It is incredible to be involved in the editing and revising process on a book that is not my own, as it shows me that there is hope! That slowly, bit by bit, edit by edit, draft by draft, the book gets better and better. That books don’t just come out perfectly the first time through. That they are made slowly with a lot of blood, sweat and tears. (Okay, hopefully not blood, but sweat and tears for sure, and maybe carpal tunnel or a stiff neck or something a little less dramatic than blood).

What else? Let me think…

I’ve been reading a LOT this year. It’s good but does suck up my time – because once I’m into a good book, it’s hard to do anything else. Still, it’s important. Again, proof that it can be done! And it’s amazing how good some of the books out there are… while others aren’t as good (in my opinion). I just want my book to be one of the REALLY good ones! I really, really do.

So quickly, to wrap it up, as I know I’ve been babbling on here… HAPPY NEW YEAR and best of luck in 2012! To you, to me, and to my journey along “the write road”.

First of course, I was very excited. I took pictures, I called my dad, I bragged to the people at class – But then the panic set in. The reality. My car has 300,000 miles on it (with the original engine and transmission, I might add)…

Holy toledo!

What’s going to happen now? How much longer can I reasonably expect even the most hardworking, reliable, martyr of a Toyota to keep rolling?

Yikes, I guess this means I’d better get moving on my book! I’m going to need to use some of that advance money to buy a new car!

Wish me luck :)

I have struggled to write this post ever since.

At the Celebration Of Her Life, I joined her husband Caleb, her family, her doctor, and countless friends to honor and remember Teri, to comfort each other, to cry, to laugh, and to speak over and over again of her completely contagious smile.

Teri was one of those rare people that no one has anything bad to say about. She was strong and confident. She was creative and smart and constantly involved in projects that showed just how creative and smart she was. She was the one from our early twenties on, that always had a good job, doing something she loved, that was cool and also paid the bills. She was a rocking drummer, a loving wife, an accomplished television producer, a videographer, and as of late 2010, she had achieved her dream of becoming a lawyer, which she bravely worked at until her death in June.

Sadly, I was not an active part of Teri’s life during the last several years. The Northampton music scene of the 90s was where we spent most of our time together. When my band disbanded, I gravitated toward my quieter interests of writing and riding. I regret now not keeping in good touch, but you never think that one day it will be too late to reconnect.

I have her picture hanging where I see it often and she reminds me to not take my days for granted, to learn from the way she lived her life, to work hard for the things I want, to enjoy them when I get them, to smile, to rock, to make other people smile, to be brave.

It is humbling to see some one so young and so talented lose their life. It really makes you stop and think about your own life, and what you have to leave behind when you go.

As I work my way along “the write road”… I will think of Teri often. She will inspire me to put pen to paper and to work as hard as I can to create something with my time here in this life, that will last – always.

Thank you, Teri. We miss you.

(Theresa Anne Morris June 6, 1970 – June 9, 2011)

A tornado watch means that conditions are ripe for the development of tornadic activity and to keep a close eye to the sky and ear to the weather if you’re going to be out and about… but a tornado warning is serious stuff. It means that a funnel has been spotted in your area and is either on the ground already or could be momentarily.

Here in Northampton, we were very lucky. The funnel never did touch down. However, our neighbors in several other western Massachusetts towns were not so lucky, as a huge EF-3 tornado ripped through their communities leaving a path of destruction up to a half-mile wide.

As unusual as it is for Massachusetts to have tornadoes, it is a much more common occurrence in states that are a part of Tornado Alley… like Iowa.

My book takes place in a small rural town just south of Iowa City, Iowa, and as the plot unwinds, my characters have to face some severe weather of their own, including tornados. There is a scene where Jacy and Travis and Olivia are sitting in the basement at the Beal’s house, terrified, wondering what is going on out there, as the tornado siren blares from the direction of the fairgrounds.

So thank you Universe for keeping us all safe! And for helping me to write more detail and tension into the tornado scenes in my book!

I’ve always loved driving. Maybe it’s the motion, the scenery zooming by. The anticipation of whats-around-the-next-corner.

When I was a kid, we often “went for a drive” after dinner. Just to see the sights. Sometimes we’d stop for ice cream or some other treat, but mostly we’d just drive. I of course, was always hopeful that I’d see a horse, any horse, in a field by the road. And maybe that’s the emotion that driving elicits in me still. Hope.

Then, there was always an undercurrent of excitement around our drives through the countryside. If I did see a horse, would it be a tall black horse with a long mane, a chubby pinto pony, a “lucky, lucky white horse”? Would my dad pull over? Would the horse come up to the fence to say hi? I’d trail my fingers out the window of our red VW Rabbit, feel the push of the wind, smell the sweet fragrance of cut grass or hay, and dream.

Now, I think driving still helps to put me in that dream state. The one where I can be with Jacy and Travis and Olivia. I can be in Iowa even though I’m in Massachusetts.

Maybe one day I’ll realize the dream of having my own little farm, and I won’t have to drive in the car to look out at beautiful open fields. I’ll just step out the back door.

Finding a place where you work well is so important for a writer. And I think I’ve found mine. It’s in my car. My good little car. My trusty Toyota Corolla with 296,000 miles on her. She’s old but she’s not dead yet. (I hope she sticks around till the book’s done and I get some kind of advance!)

I’ve taken to heading out with my yellow writing pad and pens, driving for a while, and finding a good place to park. With windows on all four sides, it’s better than any desk. And Boca contentedly snoozing in the back seat, happy, knowing we’ll go for a walk after I’m done scribbling. It’s great. I don’ t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.

My own private mobile writing studio.

And the hope and excitement and anticipation of whats-around-the-next-corner that came to me as a child on those drives with my family, comes to me now again while I’m writing.

It’s a case of something has to give.

I guess it’s a good sign in a weird way that I haven’t made blogging a priority recently, because instead I’ve been busy trying to keep my head in my book. And time, as usual is the dictator of when and how much. The laundry still has to get done, the dog groomed and walked, the snow tires taken off, and of course there’s always work-work. Something has to pay the bills.

The good news is that now it’s not the book that’s getting pushed out.

I’d say really for the last couple of years, I’ve been struggling. I wouldn’t call it writer’s block, per se… but more of a grudging reluctance to push forward. And I never really put my finger on why until I read this little bit of advice by NYT best selling author Jamie Ford.

A few years ago, I took an online writing class at the Gotham Writer’s Workshop (which I highly recommend!) And because of that, I still get their newsletter and check out their website each month. This tiny gem of wisdom came from there.

Jamie Ford was asked about “writer’s block” and said this:

“For me, writer’s block is my subconscious telling me that what I’m working on kinda sucks. And in almost every instance it has something to do with my ending—that my ending isn’t sound, or what I’m writing will ultimately conflict with the directionality of my story. I look at those two areas and figure out what’s not working, cut, go back to the taproot of my story and proceed from there.”

You know how sometimes you can hear something and it just clicks in your brain? And that thing that’s been evading you, lingering there just out of reach, suddenly comes into perfect focus? Well, that’s what happened for me after reading Jamie Ford’s words.

That grudging reluctance to move forward that I mentioned… it’s because what I’ve been working on “kinda sucks”. And certainly not all of it sucks. But I started writing this book six years ago and I’ve learned a lot since then. I’ve read a lot since then. My writing has improved. My taste has become more discerning. And when I go back to the beginning of my book now, I think, “Yuck!”

It’s all about voice. I know I’ve said that before and I’m sure I’ll say it again.

I believe I have all the ingredients I need to make a really good middle grade novel. I want it to be good enough to stick around for years. I know it’s a matter of using just the right amount of each ingredient, stirring it just so, cooking it for just so long. But it’s a delicate process and I’ve still got a lot to do to get it all right.

The other part of what Ford said that spoke to me was, “…go back to the taproot of my story and proceed from there.” So that’s what I’m doing.

I’ll tell you more about it in another installment. Right now, the sun is shining and it’s a beautiful day. I want to go to the park and walk the dog and then find a nice place to park and write (or more accurately, work on that outline :)

The first thing I did last week when I finally got it plugged in was to print everything. I printed my picture books, my short story, my poems, my bits and pieces of future projects… and then I printed the novel.

I know it’s not done, the novel, but it’s long! And it took a long time to print.

There are nineteen different chapter files; a few have only one or two pages of single-spaced text, but others have twenty-five to thirty pages; there are at least a dozen “free-write” files, comprised of scenes that were originally handwritten and are now typed in but have not yet been inserted into the corresponding chapters; and then there’s the “miscellaneous notes” file that holds thirty-three pages of everything from one-liners to multiple-paragraph chunks, also not yet placed into the body of the text… or maybe waiting to see if they’ll be used at all.

It can be a little bit overwhelming to consider all of this material in a window housed in a twelve-inch laptop screen! But now, because of the miraculous workings of this wonderful thing we call “printer”… I can hold all of these pages in my hands. The hard copy.

Piled into a big stack, they feel like a book. They look like a book.

The stack is thick and heavy. I can flip through it. No scrolling! It’s very satisfying. Or, I can spread the pages out, everywhere, all over the desk, the bed, the floor. I can see all different parts at once. This is a really important part of the process for me.

So, I just want to say how grateful I am for this gift.

No longer will I have to fess up to people that, “Well, I don’t have a printer.” And they look at me and say, “Aren’t you a writer?” And I say, “Yeah, but…”

It’s just too cool, and it has already helped beyond measure. More about that to come soon, but it’s all very exciting.

But it’s a special treat when the writer is someone truly extraordinary.

On Wednesday night, I attended a reading at The Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, MA, by New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman.

Hoffman read from her new book THE RED GARDEN, which is made up of, in her words, “interlinked short stories”. These stories take place over a period of three hundred years in the small fictional town of Blackwell, in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.

Hoffman said she, “put everything she loves about Massachusetts into this book,” and mentioned as well that several historical figures wandered into the stories, including Emily Dickinson.

In THE RED GARDEN, there is a plot of land in the town of Blackwell where everything planted on it all blooms red. I love this!

And I think it would be fair to include this book in the ever-elusive genre of magical realism, where certain magical elements blend into an otherwise realistic world; although, I wish that I had thought to ask Alice the other night what term she was most comfortable using to describe the magic in her books.

My book will also fall into the chasm of magical realism. I know I don’t openly talk about this part of my book, and only a few of you know of the magic that is found in the Iowa cornfields by my characters, Jacy and Olivia and Travis. So it was nice to hear Hoffman reveal that she’s “a big secret keeper” and that she doesn’t share much while she’s working on a book. I’m not the only one!

In answer to a question about her writing process, Hoffman said that her initial writing is very “dreamy”. She doesn’t exactly know where a story is going until later on. She outlines, makes mood boards (with different color markers:) And then outlines again. She said she does, “a lot of revision”.

A great example of this is the way she worked on her latest book that’s due out in October, THE DOVE KEEPERS. She went into the book knowing that there would be four women characters, and she would write in each of their voices, and that by the end, two of them would die and two of them would live. But she didn’t know as she was writing along which two would survive.

I know I’m not that brave yet as a writer, and the book I’m working on now is a bit more plot driven, but I do love the questions that arise for me in my own writing when I just think about working this way.

Several audience members were clearly huge Hoffman fans, having read most if not all of her eighteen novels for adults and eight novels for teens and young adults. Many of them had special favorites and were curious if Alice had any herself. She said that often her favorite was the one she had just finished or the one she was currently working on. She said, “I learn the world of the book and then I exit it.” And I think that makes sense, to be closest to the one you’re living in on a daily basis.

One woman asked how it was possible to work on two projects at the same time, to go back and forth between two worlds, imagining it to be quite difficult. Hoffman’s answer was: “You’re in Paris, and then you go to Venice for a few days; then you go back to Paris. It’s more like that.”

I do agree. Working on multiple projects is wonderful. You can then take a vacation from one and go to the other – and still be working!

One last thing that stuck in my head… Hoffman said, she believes “where you live does change who you are and what you become.”

Now that’s something to think about, isn’t it? Am I living in the right place to become who I want to become? Do I know who I want to become? Can I write the book I want to write, living where I’m living?

I’ve always kept track of my hours. Initially, it was because I had weekly hourly goals for my writing group. By the time that group disbanded, two years later, it was habit. I have an exact hour count for each of those six years.

To date, I have logged 1,434 hours on my book. That is equivalent to working an eight hour day, every day for six months. Or maybe more realistically, a four hour day, every day for one year. So in terms of how far along I am in accordance with the number of hours worked, I appear to be right on schedule.

There’s something I like about knowing this. I think it would be dandy to finish, have a published book in hand, and know exactly how long it took to write it.

And the perfectionist side of me hasn’t wanted to let go of this possibility, hasn’t wanted to stop counting those hours. I mean, I’ve done it for such a long time already. I’m so close…

But the reality is that keeping time is extremely limiting! You heard me, extremely limiting. I do not advise it at all.

On the one hand, it’s a good way of making sure you visit your project for a certain amount of time each day or week or month or year. It can keep you honest. And there’s no doubt that if you work, you will make progress.

However – it means that every time you go to write, you have to look at the clock. You have to look at the clock when you stop. You have to write it down. And you have to do it again the next time, and the next. This can get tiring.

I keep track in one hour blocks but I can note half hour blocks and fifteen minute blocks as well. So, what happens if I want to just grab my manuscript and sit down for five minutes? Well, that would be a royal pain in the butt in terms of keeping track… so, I don’t do it.

I don’t bring my work with me to the laundromat because there would be too many distractions, too much stopping and starting. I don’t think about the book when I’m driving in the car (which I do a LOT of) because I’m not on the clock. If I have five minutes before work, I don’t sit down and read through the scene I wrote yesterday. And if I wake up in the morning, I don’t roll over in bed with my yellow pad and scribble a few lines down… Because how do you document that?

You can see how this requirement of keeping time might hinder the process of actually getting the book done.

I don’t do it with my other projects, with the picture books or the flash fiction or the blog. I will not do it with my upcoming novel projects, with Mira or Miguel or with Jessie and her marbles. No way. I don’t watch the time when I do agent research or read books in my genre, or when I go to the library or the book store to see what’s out there, or to readings to hear authors. Nope.

So, the other day, I had a realization. I just have to stop.

And I did. I have.

I recycled the notebook where I write down my hours. It’s the old one, the one I started with back in January of 2005 when I had my first writing group. I kept the cover, put it in the art cabinet. It’s orange plastic and I think I can make a cool frame out of it some day.

But the rest is gone. Except for the total number of hours which will be recorded here for posterity, it’s all gone. And I feel liberated. Yesterday I worked on the book several times, here and there. I couldn’t tell you for how long. But that doesn’t matter. All that matters now is going forward, gettin’ her done.

Because of this change in my work habits, I will no longer be able to make weekly hourly goals. Oh well. You understand.

Initially, when you start working on a new project, it’s all about discovery. Your job as a writer is to learn everything you can about your characters and what happens to them in the course of the story you’re trying to tell. You might have to scratch and dig deep below the surface to find some little bit, some buried jewel that makes all the difference.

You’ll want to meet each character face to face, hear what each one has to say in his or her own voice, contemplate each individual character’s take on the events that transpire and their part in them.

It’s really only after you, the writer, knows everything, that you can make wise decisions about how best to tell the story. And this process could easily take several drafts and much revision; as you organize your thoughts, sift through the facts, substitute subtlety for forthrightness, settle on the right voice.

You have to determine where to start. Is this story best told chronologically from the beginning? Is it more intriguing to start at the end and then go back? What about jumping around in time? And where do you sprinkle in all that back story?

Which of course leaves us with the question of, who is telling the story?

I am now at the point where I know a lot of what happens in my book – but not everything. I still have some things to figure out, to uncover. And I’ve been playing with my characters, trying to get a feel for whose story it really is. Am I sure that it’s Jacy’s? I think so.

But I am eager to have that first completed draft, the one where I just get everything down. And although I realize that that’s where the real work begins, I’m excited to be there, to look at it from above. I’m excited to see it in its entirety.

I want that eagle’s eye view.

And when I can see it all… when I’m able to soar, to glide, on my great outstretched wings, when I can gaze down at the story I’ve unearthed and see each minute detail… then, I’ll know how it should be.

But for now, I keep on pluggin’…