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Today we have an extra-special Wednesday Writing Workout, provided by the terrific teacher and amazing author, Kathi Appelt!

In case you're not familiar with Kathi's work, she is the author of the Newbery-honor winner and National Book Award Finalist The Underneath, as well as the highly acclaimed novel Keeper, and many picture books. She is a member of the faculty at Vermont College’s Master of Fine Arts program and occasionally teaches creative writing at Texas A&M University. Kathi has two grown children and lives in Texas with her husband.

We invited Kathi to be our guest today to celebrate last week's release of her new middle-grade novel, The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp. (What a gorgeous cover!) The book has already garnered starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, PublishersWeekly, and School Library Journal. That's right--FOUR starred reviews! Several reviewers have referred to this novel, set in a Texas swamp and filled with a great cast of characters (including humans and critters), as a "rollicking tale." Here's a brief description:

Twelve-year-old Chap Brayburn, ancient Sugar Man, and his raccoon-brother Swamp Scouts Bingo and J'miah try to save Bayou Tourterelle from feral pigs Clydine and Buzzie, greedy Sunny Boy Beaucoup, and world-class alligator wrestler and would-be land developer Jaeger Stitch. 

I can't wait to read it!
If you'd like to know more about Kathi and her work, check out her website. And be sure to read through to the end of this post, where I ask Kathi about the connections between today's Writing Workout and The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp.

Kathi Appelt's Wednesday Writing Workout:
                          Whirled P’s

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http://kellyraeroberts.com/flying-lessons

Artists live a life of wonder. At times, it’s wondering what to do next. I will not lie, I have been wondering this for the last few months. I am looking for the sweet spot! It’s my favorite place to be in Art. It’s the place where you are working and you don’t want to stop. I think it’s a divine place where God kisses your life with ideas that flow out in a steady stream.

A lot of things can bar you from this place. Looking in the wrong direction, self doubt, self pity, self self self. Ha! Get the point? You have to get rid of the”self” part. If the sweet spot is divine, then you have to seek out the divine.

A few nights ago I had a dream. My dad was in the dream. Someone had driven him to my house. He slowly came up the steps to my house and said to me, ” Bloom“. In a small whisper he said, “bloom where you are planted”.
Then he was gone.
I woke up knowing the “divine” had spoken to me.
No grinding out ideas, just let the divine IN me out… to make the art I was born to make.

A flower does not worry about the bloom. All the coding for that bloom is IN the seed. It simply drinks up moisture from above and the roots go down and the bloom comes.

So… BLOOM today! You were meant to be like none other.

Filed under: dream, God STuff, Inspiring, Kicking Around Thoughts, Reflections

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What a wonderful summer day! I spent the afternoon napping and reading a book. The clouds darkened the skies and a gentle rain ensued for the good part of about 6 minutes! I do love summer days and WEEKENDS!

Deadlines for art submissions have passed and there has come this summer season of looking for new ideas. Crunch time gives way to the relaxed season in which i can play with the wonders of my imagination.

How do I get ideas? I plow through magazines, books, stores, websites, looking for something to inspire. Color combinations, trends, shapes, textures charge me up! I am always careful NOT to steal ideas. But one idea may spawn a new one in my mind.

As far as writing ideas? They most often come to me on my walks. I have to be sure to bring paper and pen.

And so I thank you summer months! For your green leaves, spectacular flowers, fruits and veggies in the garden and warm moon lite nights. Summer bounty spills into my studio! I love it!

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I am always amazed and humbled when I attend conferences. I go to meetings and programs...and then I attend what I consider to be the "real" conference. The part where I sit down or stand in the hall or share an appetizer or a drink or a laugh or a chat with a friend, or a colleague or new acquaintance. I might be talking to a young  librarian or a coworker or a friend I've known since...I don't know ...forever. Or maybe someone I've only known online, now here, IRL.

Whomever I meet, whomever I reconnect with, whomever I talk to, these are the people who enliven me, who sustain me, who challenge me, who humble me. Maybe they are new MLIS folks who, without a thought or maybe a realization, push the envelope beyond where it's been.  It might be doc students who are fresh eyed but steely and battling forward in research and library awesomeness. It might be my old compadres - those who have have worked in the field and worked for the association and broken so many barriers we can barely remember them all. It might be those in mid-career who are stepping out and up as leaders in the association.

We talk smack. We talk libraries. We talk the future. We talk nurturance and support.  We talk about our seasons and our power - when it waxes and when it wanes. We push and push and push and lift the veil of the possible and make it inevitable and probable and then, like magic, reality.

These are my colleagues. These are my friends. These are my companions on the road to excellence in library service. Whether we feel mighty or in need of rest, here we are. Together, focused. In a band. My tribe.

This rhythm is is the one that generates ideas statewide or nationally. This is the spark, the ignition and the push that generates new ideas and efforts. And I get to part of the gestalt and the celebration.

So if you ever wonder what is the use or the purpose of going to conferences or whether we can do it all online, I urge you to attend regional, state and/or national meetings. You'll grow a little or alot.  And after all, isn't that  why we are really in this?

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A recent RadioLab podcast about improv got me thinking about where stories come from.

The two comedians featured in the podcast, TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi, have a show that I'd call extreme improv. Most improv shows start with the audience shouting out elements of the improv, and the comedians riff from there. Like, "there's a hippo in the room!" or "you're at the beach!". But TJ and Dave start from nothing, every single show. They stand on the stage and just stare at each other. Finally one says something, anything, random. And they take it from there. Every show is different. When they walk out on stage, they have no idea what they'll do or say that night. 

Shoot, isn't that just like writing a novel? The only difference is that you don't have anybody to stare at and create with. It's just you, and the laptop, and the void. When you first sit down, you don't know what you'll write. Sure you might have an outline. But really? You can't predict what's going to flow out of your fingers. 

A lot of pressure, right? The interviewer asked TJ and Dave, "why aren't you afraid you will look for this story... and nothing will occur?". They laughed, and one admitted, "Is that a constant fear? Yes. Absolutely."

But they have a fantastic way of dealing with that fear, one that I think every writer should try. They tell themselves the story they're telling is already out there. "It's already happening," one of them said. "It's not our job to make it." They imagine that right before they begin, the stage is filled with characters. The lights come up and one story is frozen on stage. That's the one they'll tell.

Isn't that enchanting? 

"To think of the show as it's already set and all I have to do is stay out of the way takes a huge pressure off," they said. "I'm along for this excellent ride."

That also made me think of another Radio Lab podcast ("Me, Myself and Muse"). Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of EAT PRAY LOVE, talked about ideas looking for a home. If you ignore them, they might go somewhere else. 

She's really saying the same thing. Artists don't make the story. It's already out there. So our job is actually to capture the story, claim it, and get it down on paper or on the stage.

I love this idea, particularly as I'm working in my 40-days-of-wandering mode. So I'm off with my butterfly net and laptop. If I'm lucky, I'll catch myself a really good story. 

Here are both RadioLab episodes, if you'd like to listen to them from this blog entry:

Radiolab Presents: TJ&Dave:

Me, Myself and Muse:

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 What’s an idea? The mere concept of an idea is difficult, maybe even impossible to perfectly define. Even notable philosophers couldn’t seem to agree on what an idea truly means. The Free Dictionary Online indicates that according to the philosophy of Plato, the definition of an idea “is an archetype of which a corresponding being in phenomenal reality is an imperfect replica.” The web source goes on to say that according to the philosophy of Kant, “an idea is a concept of reason that is transcendent but nonempiral.” But, even Hagel said it differently. He claimed that an idea means “absolute truth; the complete and ultimate product of reason.” In the dictionary, the definition of an idea reads “something, such as a thought or conception that potentially or actually exists in the mind as a product of mental activity.”

To me, an idea is something that begins as a glimmer; a mere flicker in the mind that can suddenly grab hold, and unfold through any period of time, like the single root of the ivy plant that grounds itself deeply into the soil before it grows upwards, clinging to a wall with its tiny tentacles, reaching out and hanging on, until it forms its own shape and dimension. The ivy grows and grows, like no other ivy plant in existence, and reaches for the sun in a way that suits itself in order to flourish. Like an idea, the ivy didn’t plant itself. Someone had to place it there. The gardener of the ivy had to have foresight to buy or rent the house, invest in the fertilizer and the soil and the tools; he had to invest in the plant and spend his time digging the hole and planting it in the hopes that it would grow.

Like the gardener; creative professionals must make an investment in time, be committed to the outcome, and diligently work to understand and meet the project objectives.  That’s a lot of footwork and fancy dancing already.  But, what about the ideas you generate…those tiny seedlings of thought, that grew and took shape and added a dimension to the project that were unlike every other idea before it…those absolute truths…those nonempiral transcendent concepts of reason…those imperfect replicas…what about those? Those ideas, my friends, have value and they are your greatest asset. Sometimes, we forget that and give them away too freely, as if they have no value.  So if you’re questioning your creative worth, maybe you should start looking first at your assets.  #yourideashaveworth

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What warms your heart on a cold day?  What warms your heart when the tides of change come crashing in?  What warms your heart when the” no’s” become overwhelming? What warms your heart when the crowd scatters and you are “Home Alone”?

I have a whole list of favorite things I like to look at periodically.  These are things that Warm My Heart.   I found myself smiling and even laughing. They are things I feel that God has blessed me with.  When I look at them I see stories! I see people, I see events…  and more.  Life is so much more than what we see during our day.  Life is a tapestry of stories that intertwine and make memories for us.  Some are so real we can almost re-live them just recalling them to our memories.

Favorite Things

1. God my Father, Jesus my elder brother, the Holy Spirit my helper.
2. All my Family
3. Friends / art friends
4. People
5. Rosie and Violet
6. Coffee with cream
7. Purses
8. Odd things for the house
9. Floor Pillows
10. Blankies
11. Coffee Shops
12. Art galleries
13. Hankies
14. Sketch books
15. Lists
16. Personal chef
17. Trip to Maine and beyond
18. Jeep
19. Toys
20. Children’s books
21. Goat yogurt and blueberries
22. Zinnias
23. Colors : purply blue, raspberry, Yaya green
24. Good movies with popcorn
25. Breakfast in bed with a good magazine.
26. grandsons!
27. my SONS.
28. a zillion best friends!
29. colors
30. the valley between Kenosha and BaileY
31. the mountains
32. a crackling fire in the stove
33. falling snow
34. deep snow and 4wheel drive
35. My cozy studio
36. a good book
37. a comfy chair
38. writing a story
39. a bike ride . . …… and today…. Matthew!

Today’s Warm Fuzzy came from a friend.  She took this wonderful picture of her son sleeping with my Peepsqueak plush.  He is so cute!  Matthew is on my list!

What are your favorite things?  I am sure mine will grow!!

Filed under: Kicking Around Thoughts

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Peepsqueak LOVES BEARS!  …. and so do I!! I LOVE toys!  I love weird toys, stuff animals, special teddy bears, and more. Having three grandsons gives me a great excuse to buy MORE toys!  I took a trip to the thrift store just this week to look for action figures!  I ran them through the dishwasher and stowed in my big toy trunk.  Three more trucks are sitting near the book-case in the “YaYa” room.  Its great fun!  On Tuesday I played “Superhero”!  My youngest grandson loves the stuffies!  Including my own little Peeksqueak plush by Merry Makers.  If you want to order one, you can go to the website, or call them.

retail orders online at http://www.merrymakersinc.com and retail and/or wholesale orders at 888-989-0454 or via email at [email protected]

They are a great toy company.  I want ALL THEIR TOYS!  ha ha!

You can also find Peepsqueak on his Facebook page.  I am going to have another book Give-A-Way as soon as the new toy gets here!  Peepsqueak and I are so excited!  I may also put it on this Word Press site so stay posted!

Filed under: Just for fun, Kicking Around Thoughts, Peepsqueak!, Surprises

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During one of the recent dust-ups about the worth/importance/immediacy of youth librarian's work vis a vis the larger library world (sorry, but I refuse to link to posts where the troglodyte comments are too depressing to read), one comment in particular rocked my socks off.  The writer sniffed that during the time she worked as a youth librarian she had never seen anything done in an innovative way.

Wow. Simply, wow. I am never at a loss in finding youth folks pushing the envelope of innovation. Check out my blog roll on the left for just a small selection of innovators. Colleagues working at small libraries; colleagues working with tots; colleagues working with teens..I mean, really, I see so much innovation, sometimes I think my eyes will bleed, my brain will pop and my heart will bust...all from happiness, of course!

I got thinking about this when Amy over at Show Me Librarian blogged about how she pushed her thinking forward while doing a literacy night. She liked the positives happening with school partnerships but started visioning and problem solving while out at schools. She saw new paths and blocks to build on. It is leading her to innovate and do more effective work that is simply...more...and better...and wow!

That's how innovation happens, in my opinion. You chat, you listen, you read, you reflect and when you are in a situation, you start evolving your thinking and solving problems. R. Davis Lankes recently wrote that being a rock star librarian is getting people to question. I would posit that all innovation grows from questioning. Questioning and thinking and re-thinking and puzzling until a way becomes clear.

In the national youth services community, we are celebrating Library Journal's selection of one of our own - Melissa Depper, she of the marvelous Mel's Desk and a founder of Flannel Friday - as a Mover & Shaker. Her work is consistently innovative as well as foundational. She pushes the envelope and enfolds people though her mentorship and support and sharing with those around her.  I am so, so pleased that she is a "sung hero".

Everyday, I watch my co-workers innovate and solve - two share what they know and discover through social media and blogs. Sara over at Bryce Don't Play and Brooke over at Reading with Red explore their paths to discovery. Like Amy; like Mel, they turn a clear eye and an inquiring mind to bringing service to the kids and the community. With their co-workers, I watch them invent, solve, innovate and create. Through this process their ideas - and mine - grow and change and our service evolves and becomes even better.

Innovation isn't technology. Innovation is evolution. Innovation is clearly connectivity.

Youth librarians have been pushing that innovation envelope for so long that "rock star" isn't even in the vocabulary anymore. We are all, at the least, galactic stars!

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We had an awesome snowstorm, last week. Mom took me for a lot of walks, and each time we went out, it got deeper and deeper.  Here I am trudging through the snow.

It was almost up to my my belly, but not quite. That would’ve scared me! It was deep enough to make walking slow and difficult, but FUN!

Mom is working on two new stories at once. She’s in deep, just like I was. Each day she works for a little while on one of the stories and then she works a little while on the other one. It’s slow and it’s difficult, but she’s having fun. That’s because being an author is a blast! It’s just like being a dog in the snow!

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There’s a crack in everything – that’s how the light gets in.
~Leonard Cohen~

There seems to be a crack in the head of my laughing dog. Plus his ear is missing.

I think his head accidentally cracked open because Mom turned on the switch and he started laughing too much. I’ve heard of “laughing your head off,” but I’ve never heard of “laughing your head open so the light can get in.”

Mom is always looking for where the light gets in. She says if her story is tight enough, nothing can crack it open. So she checks it and checks it. She says she’s troubleshooting. I don’t like trouble and I don’t like shooting, so I hope she is just kidding. But she reads her story out loud to herself all the time. She says, “Does the ending match the beginning?” and “Is my character believable?” and “How much does the problem really matter?” and “Where is the laughing dog’s ear?!”

Mom keeps deleting and rewriting sections of her story trying to make it perfect before she brings it to show her writing group named DavidLaurieandOtherDavid. She says, “Am I telling too much?” and “Am I showing enough?” and “I guess I’ll have to sew up the rip in his head.”

Mom might be able to make her story perfect, but as you can see, the laughing dog’s head will never be perfect again. I wonder where his ear went…..

Click the video to hear the laughing dog laugh.

Thanks to our writer friend, Chelsea at Jenny Mac Book Blog for giving us the Sunshine Award and to Bubba and Mumma and the gang at Bumpy Road to Bubba for giving us the Why I Love Thee Award. Click here for our Sunshine questions and answers, and here or here for the story of how Mom and I found each other. We love all our sunshiny blogging friends, so feel free to take an award or two and list your own Sunshine answers or Love Story.

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Mom has been workin’ at her writing class every day, except on the weekends. So far she is keeping up and doing fine. She is writing a story she likes and talking about it with people she likes and learning things she never thought she would like.

One thing she is learning about is called plannin’.  Mom never did plannin’ before. Usually she gets an idea, thinks about it in her head, and then starts writing a story. When she gets to the end, she fixes it up and shows it to her writing group named DavidLaurieandOtherDavid.

I’ve been plannin’, too. Last week, I got my nails cut….

and got a new jacket.

On Saturday, Mom picked out a dress for me and brought me to see my friends at the Veteran’s Home.

I sat on laps, gave kisses, ate treats, danced, and got lots of hugs and cuddles. Whew. That is what I call workin’.

When Mom finishes workin’ she isn’t tired at all. She puts her coffee cup in the sink and then goes shopping and out to lunch and does other fun things.

When I finish workin’ …. Well, see for yourself…..

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Oh little Peepsqueak.  This picture of you reminds me of something that happened to me when I was little.  We were visiting an aunt in Washington.  She had a rope that dangled from a tree in her backyard. She also had a big DOG that came running into the yard barking at ME!  I jumped on that rope and UP, UP, UP  I went!  I did not even know I could climb a rope!  I just did it!  ha ha!

Most of my art comes from my imagination, but it is also from my memories and from my life experiences. All that being said, I think I can still climb a rope!

Filed under: My Characters, Peepsqueak!, Reflections

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Mom loves a happy ending. When she writes a story, she makes sure there’s a problem, and then her characters try to solve it, but they always face obstacles trying to get it done. Mom struggles with the conflict in her stories. She says, “I don’t like trouble.” and “Why can’t things just go smoothly?” and “GET DOWN!!”

I LOVE trouble. Sometimes I surf the top of the piano to see if there’s anything for me to play with or eat. Mom said, “You’re going to get a spankin’!” I thought she said, “You’re going to get some bacon.” I ran into the kitchen so fast, I crashed into the cabinet. No bacon. Why does life have to be so difficult?

At the end of Mom’s stories, the conflict is gone, the obstacles are overcome, and the problems are solved. I love a happy ending.

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I was thinking the other day about how ideas come to us. It is always at the weirdest places and strangest times, isn't it?

Why do you think that is? Maybe is because we cant "force" our creative minds at times or perhaps is because there is so much stuff on our minds from our daily lives (grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, paying bills, kids' after school activities, to do lists..) that all that noise just doesn't let us hear our ideas clearly.

I started to do Yoga everyday now. It's been wonderful so far. One of the hardest things I've done, ever... but very rewarding. In Yoga, my teacher says at the end during relaxation time that we have to let the mind free of thoughts and to not let it wonder. She asks us to concentrate on all of our worked out and stretched muscles that are now relaxed and to go deep into our breathing. This is a lot more difficult that one could think, clearing the mind.

But I believe that doing yoga and doing what I call "auto pilot stuff", which are activities that you do without thinking that you are doing them, like driving, doing the dishes or walking your dog, can take you to the same creative place. I get most of my ideas while driving the kids to and from school. When I reach home I have no idea how the heck I got there, which if you think about it, is extremely worrisome, LOL! My mind just wonders far away. I can't help it.

I truly think this is good for us, specially if you are in the creative field. If you draw, paint or write it is vital to let your mind go. To not work so hard at accomplishing something but to instead, have faith that the answer will come to you if you are brave enough to let it go for a while. Maybe is just me but I really believe this is the way to go. :o)

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We had a blizzard this weekend.

The snow got really high, the wind blew really hard, and it was really cold. Even though I wore my heaviest jacket, I had to run around in a lot of circles to keep warm. And when the snow was deep enough to touch my belly, I wanted to come inside right away!

I couldn’t sniff the grass, because it was covered with snow. So I sniffed the snow instead. And guess what I found! An empty potato chip bag. It was hidden under the snow! Mom said the word, “Leave it.” before I could investigate and possibly taste some frozen potato chip crumbs, but it was an exciting find, anyway. In the morning, I tried to find the bag again, But the snow was too deep and I couldn’t even breathe in there.

Sometimes, Mom has a blizzard of ideas. But sometimes, her ideas are hidden. They’re not under the snow, or frozen, but they are buried in the back of her brain. When she studies at her online writing class, the hidden ideas start to pop out of her head. Mom says, “I’ve never tried that before.” and “That’s why this part wasn’t working.” and “Stop barking at the snowblower!”

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Today I will ask 5 questions that have had me thinking lately.

1. Why is coffee so magical?

I think coffee makes people smart. Whenever Mom sits down to write, she always puts a cup of coffee next to the computer. I think it magically helps her brain.

2. Is a laundry basket a bed?

Bed is a good place to read books. Mom reads books a lot. A laundry basket is a good place to sleep. At least until Mom says, “OUT!”

3. Can a light chase away monsters in the dark?

When Mom writes about monsters, dragons, dinosaurs, or cats, I am afraid. I am also afraid of the dark. And balloons. And the golf cart. And pumpkins. And street signs. And soccer players. And….

4. Is a dog head good medicine for a sore knee?

This is how I help Mom when her knee hurts. I help her with her writing, too, mostly by staring at her when she’s trying to work.

5. If a chair is not pushed all the way under the table, is it OK to climb up and eat cake out of the box? I love cake.

Speaking of cake and coffee… Thanks to our friends at DogDaz for inviting us to coffee and our friends at Bumpy Road to Bubba and Angels Whisper for including us in their coffee party.  Definitely take a visit to their blogs, if you haven’t already. Also, we will include ALL our blog buddies in our coffee party, so feel free to take the badge and answer the questions if you’d like to join us.

1) How many cups of coffee per day? Mom has 2 or 3. I have as many slurps as I can beg, borrow, or steal.

2) What is your favorite caffeine delivery system? Mom likes her Keurig. I like when she leaves her cup on the table and doesn’t push in her chair.

3) What was your best cup of coffee?  They are all perfect.

4) What was your worst cup of coffee? No such thing. Even the stale, strong coffee in the teacher’s lounge at Mom’s old school, was delicious to her.

5) What does your favorite mug say? Mom’s favorite has a c-c-c-cat on it.

6) How do you take your coffee? Cream and sugar – very light and very sweet, just like me!

7) When was your first cup? Mom drank coffee flavored milk when she was little. My first taste was the morning after Mom found me at the rescue event.

8) Have you ever gone on a coffee tea date? We’re on one right now!

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Long ago, when I was littler and naughtier, I used to eat the rent bill. Every single time the man slipped it under the door, I yanked it out of his hand and ate it – the bill, the envelope, the carbon copy and the return envelope.

Mom kept a few xeroxed copies on hand so she’d have something to mail back with her check.

I have learned that the rent bill isn’t delicious because it isn’t food. I stayed home alone with the bill on the floor all morning, and I didn’t even taste it. I learned. 

Today, Mom will start learning at Susanna Hill’s class called Making Picture Book Magic.

MAGIC! That might be what’s been missing around here! Mom has all her supplies ready, like it said in the introduction email. She got some picture books from the library, made computer folders, bought index cards (in case her iPad index cards aren’t allowed), and she is getting her brain geared up to get started. Mom likes learning.

I don’t really like learning, but when there are Cheerios involved, I can learn. I am finally learning to fetch, just like Mom planned in her New Year’s resolution.

MAGIC!

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The other day I had a mentoring client ask me, “Is it possible to make a living writing only what I’m interested in?”

I’d like to answer that question here, because there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye.

First of all: Yes, if what you’re interested in is technology, health, business, or a few other in-demand areas — you can make a living writing only what you’re interested in.

But for the rest of you, who may love writing about quilting, or butterfly collecting, or bluegrass music, or auto racing — it may be somewhat more difficult to earn a good living writing about these topics.

That said, there are ways to make more money than you would expect writing about topics that you love but are in lesser demand. For example, you can think of ways to slant these topics so they’ll fit into a variety of publications.

For instance: My husband Eric is the news editor at BoardgameGeek.com, and before that he wrote about boardgames for magazines. There are really only one or two paying markets for this interest — so what Eric did was to match the boardgame to the market. He wrote about a game called Primordial Soup for Discover, a game about sheep herding for Sheep! magazine, and a game about fish for a magazine for aquarium enthusiasts.

That’s a smart move! But keep in mind that even so, Eric did also have to write about topics that weren’t particularly interesting to him to keep his income up.

Now, I’m going to make a crazy claim: I make most of my writing income writing about what I’m truly interested in.

How is that?

Well, part of my job as a freelance writer is to find what’s interesting about a particular topic and convey that to readers in a fun, reader-friendly way. My job is to be interested in whatever I’m writing about.

For example, I recently wrote an article for a trade magazine about cold-water carpet extraction. It’s not a topic I would normally be interested in, but my editor was paying me to be interested.

I interviewed three experts in the industry, and really, nothing is more fun than talking to people who are passionate about what they do — even if what they do is clean carpets. One of the interviews was especially fun — it was with a source who said, “I can talk about carpet cleaning all day!”

(By the way, it’s funny — I’ll interview a top celebrity who’s a bore, and then have a great time talking with a sanitation/janitorial expert.)

Freelancers need to be inherently curious about everything. If your goal is to make a living through freelance writing and you’re doing a lot of marketing, it’s a certainty that one day you’ll be presented with an assignment on a topic you don’t love. If you can become interested in that idea, then yes — you’re earning a living writing only about what you’re interested in.

How about you — do you write about topics that don’t interest you just to pay the bills? Do you have any tricks for making yourself interested in a topic you don’t love? [lf]

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Today I picked a toy out of my toy box for the very first time. All by myself. I stuck my head in and pulled out …. none other than the dreaded mechanical hamster.  I wasn’t confused by the toy box , and I wasn’t afraid of the hamster. Mom said, “Look at you!” and “What a smart, brave girl!” and “Now what?” 

Nothing. That’s what. I didn’t actually DO anything with the hamster. I just sat with it. But it’s a start.

Mom is a first timer, too. This month, she joined a bunch of other writers in PiBoIdMo. That means she got a story idea every single day in November. It’s her first time ever doing that and she did great at it, except for writing down the same idea twice. Luckily she caught the double yesterday, and got a final idea just in time. She didn’t DO anything with her ideas. She just sat there with them. But it’s a start. 

Someday soon, I will pick another toy out of the toy box. Maybe I’ll even play with it. We’ll see….

Someday soon, Mom will pick out one of her new story ideas (probably the one she wrote down twice) and make it into a story. Maybe it’ll be Book #2. We’ll see….

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A couple of days ago it snowed. Snow! Right after the hurricane! There was wind that made my ears stick out like wings,

cold that went right through my pink parka,

and about four inches of the white stuff that made my feet freeze. 

Guess what else is frozen. Mom’s brain. It’s been two days since she wrote an idea in her PiBoIdMo list. The numbers are still there, but there’s nothing next to the newest ones.  

After the snow, I got a surprise. It was a package in the mail from my friend, Rumpy.

He had a contest-giveaway, and I won! I won some Frosty Paws dog ice creams, and the Frosty Paws stuffed animal! I love ice cream! And I LOVE stuffed animals! Thanks, Rumpy! What a wonderful surprise. 

Maybe Mom will get a surprise inside her head – some surprise ideas so she can catch up in her PiBo challenge. She needs 30 ideas by the end of the month. Come on, ideas!

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Mom and I were pretty lucky. Hurricane Sandy took away the power and hot water at our house, and knocked down a couple of trees on our street, but we were fine and our home was not damaged at all.

I had to wear my sweater and stay under my blanket because of no heat, and we had to go to bed early with flashlights because of no light.

Mom said I was a brave little soldier the whole time. (Plus, I think I looked adorable in my sweater.) Many of our friends had a lot worse trouble than we did, and we hope and pray they’re doing fine. 

Through it all, even though we couldn’t write on our blog, or look at anybody else’s blog,  Mom got started on PiBoIdMo, all on her own, right on schedule. There are still mostly numbers on her Iconic Notes page, of course, but the first five numbers are filled in with five brand new ideas. 

So here’s to a wonderful new month filled with ideas and opportunities and productivity and success and no more charging the phone in the car…

and no more gas lines….

and no more scary wind that sounds like a baby screaming.  And no more Hurricane Sandy!

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Somebody named Hurricane Sandy is coming to my house soon. I like getting company because then people will say I’m cute and they’ll pet me. But Mom says when Sandy comes, I have to be ready. Like this….

On Saturday, I worked at the Veteran’s Home. Mom got me ready to celebrate Halloween there. Here I am ready in the car….

and ready when we got there…

Mom wanted me to stand by the giant eagle for my picture, but I was suspicious.  That thing looked ready to peck my eyes out and claw my face off!  This is close enough!

Mom is ready, too. She’s ready for PiBoIdMo which will start on November 1st. She didn’t really DO anything to get ready, but she got ready inside her head, and typed on the computer a little bit. She will have to think of a bunch of ideas that she could maybe, possibly write about sometime. I think she has to get 30. Or 50. Or 9,000 ideas in a row. She will type them into her Iconic Notes App on her phone. That’s what she usually does when she has an idea, but in November she will start a brand new page of Iconic Notes ideas. She already put the numbers in – from one to nine thousand …..or whatever.  So she’s ready.

 Now it’s time to get ready for dinner. This is my favorite kind of ready! Yum!

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PiBoIdMo= Picture Book Idea Month

Thirty ideas in thirty days wrapped in unlimited potential!

http://taralazar.com/2012/10/26/pre-pibo-day-2-donna-w-earnhardt/

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