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Happy Poetry Friday!  A poem by Paul Bennett and the link to Tabatha's Poetry Friday post are below.

In TeachingAuthors' opening round for 2015, we are each asking ourselves, "What Are We 'Plotting' for 2015?"

Mary Ann started us out, sharing how she does or does not plot."Planning and plotting are not the same thing," she writes. "Plotting is knowing what happens first, then next, then next and at the end. I never know more than one of those things before I start writing.  I've stopped worrying about it."

Thank you, Mary Ann. I haven't a clue how to plot.  When I sit down to write, I'm never sure if I'm starting a poem, a song, a verse novel or a picture book.  I might be inspired by a color or a phrase from the news. Of course I knew not everyone plots their stories methodically, but it's great relief to be reminded of this!

A group photo of the TeachingAuthors. from morguefile.com

We are each snowflakes in the way we approach writing and life; and beyond this, I think that we are different from moment to moment, year to year, in crisis and celebration.

For example, until recently, I would say I'm fairly disciplined.  I've been writing a poem every day since April 1, 2010 (1,743 poems), I brawl with L.A. traffic every two weeks to meet with my marvelous critique group, I write in amiable silence with three or four other writers weekly, and I have a goal or two tucked away in my writer's smock--a couple of picture books, a novel in verse, a collection of poetry, a Pulitzer Prize.

But when my mother began to fade, particularly this last year, it was all I could do to hold onto my writer's smock.  Why? Partly because of the increased responsibility, and partly because of the foggy lethargy which set in.

Yeah...kinda like this. from morguefile.com

There is so much to do, now that Mom has died.  So, I've stopped attending my critique group, stopped writing books, stopped meeting with other authors at my friend's sunny kitchen table.

I still write a poem a day, though.

So, What am I Plotting in 2015?  Nothing.

Well, writing a poem a day.  But beyond that?  I haven't a clue.

I'm reading Loving Grief by Paul Bennett, a book in brief chapters, each of which ends in a poem, written after the death of his wife.  In the chapter, Coming to a Stop, he writes that the three times over a period of months his legs would no longer carry him forward.  He stopped. On a street, in an airport, on a hiking trail.  Later, he wrote, "those incidents of coming to a stop, those moments of stillness, struck me as early invitations from deep within myself to start new."

Here is the poem which ends that chapter:

Well. I was going to post the poem, until I read the copyright page (oops) which states that I cannot post it without permission.  So I won't.

What I will do is to post my own poem about stopping in my life.  Please note that each person experiences a death uniquely. I don't feel as if I'm in deep grief right now. Still:

STOPPING BY THE WOODS
by April Halprin Wayland

No snow.
No woods.

But I pause.
To hear the hawk.
To breathe my breath.
To hold this stone.

Alone.

poem (c) 2015 April Halprin Wayland.  All rights reserved.

I think I'm listening for the music to cue my next step.

I'll be ready.

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The International Diabetes Foundation has marked 14 November as World Diabetes Day, commemorating the date that Frederick Banting and his team first discovered insulin, and the link between it and diabetic symptoms.

As we approach the festive season, a time of year when indulgence and comfort are positively encouraged, keeping track of, or even thinking about blood glucose levels can become a difficult and annoying task. If good diabetic practice relies on building routines suited to the way your blood sugar levels change throughout the day, then the holidays can prove a big disruption to the task of keeping diabetes firmly in the background. With this in mind, take a look at this list of tips, facts, and advice taken from Diabetes by David Matthews, Niki Meston, Pam Dyson, Jenny Shaw, Laurie King, and Aparna Pal to help you stay in control and happy throughout the festive months:

• Eat regularly. When big occasions cause your portion sizes to increase alarmingly, it’s tempting to skip or put off other meals. But eating large amounts at irregular intervals can cause blood glucose levels to rise significantly. For many, it’s better to snack throughout the day, including some starchy rather than sugary carbohydrates, promoting slow glucose release into the bloodstream.
• Alternate drinks. Big dinners, big nights, and family days are likely to mean you consume more alcohol than normal. Alternating alcoholic drinks with diet drinks, soda, or mineral water can minimize their effect on blood glucose levels, so you can stay out, and keep up, without worrying.
• Help your liver. Alcohol is metabolized by the liver, an organ that also helps release glucose into the bloodstream when levels start to drop. After drinking, the liver is busy processing alcohol, so cannot release glucose as effectively. This increases the risk of hypoglycaemia, especially in people who take insulin or sulphonylurea tablets. To combat this risk, try to avoid drinking on an empty stomach, or eat starchy foods when drinking. You may also need to snack before bed if you’re drinking in the evening.
• Eat more, exercise more. Regular activity can have major benefits on your diabetes, making the insulin you produce or inject work more efficiently. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise will have positive effects, and are excellent ways of giving you a mental boost (though blood glucose levels should be monitored). Many symptoms of hypos are similar to those of exercise, such as hotness, sweating or an increased heart rate. Check blood glucose levels regularly and make necessary adjustments; fruit contains natural sugar and is a healthy way of quickly raising levels.
• Go for your New Year’s resolution. Losing five to ten percent of your starting weight can have a positive impact on your diabetes, not to mention your overall health. Although exercise and eating well are of course promoted by all as the best way to lose weight, there is no medical consensus on one ideal way to achieve weight loss. The key lies in finding an effective approach that you can maintain. Remember that insulin can slow down weight loss, and if you are trying to lose weight, but find you’re having hypos, you’ll need to adjust your medication. Discuss this with your healthcare team.
• Check Labels. Sodium isn’t synonymous with salt, but many food manufacturers often list sodium rather than salt content on food packaging. To convert a sodium figure into salt, you need to multiply the amount of sodium by 2.5. (For example: A large 12 inch cheese and tomato pizza provides 3.6 g of sodium. 3.6 multiplied by 2.5 is 9, so, the pizza contains approximately 9g of salt; one and a half times the recommended maximum of 6g.)
• Don’t worry! Although a good routine is important, occasional lapses shouldn’t have a drastic effect on blood glucose levels (though this varies from person to person). Pick up a healthy routine in the New Year, when you’ll feel most motivated, and stick to it. The World Health Organization estimates over 200 million people will have type 2 diabetes by the year 2015, but (according to the international diabetes foundation) over 70% of cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented by adopting healthier lifestyles. Healthy living is not just a supplement, but part of the treatment of diabetes.

Heading image: Christmas Eve by Carl Larsson. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

The post On World Diabetes Day, a guide to managing diabetes during the holidays appeared first on OUPblog.

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Thank goodness it's finally 2011. I swear, 2010 had some good things and bad things in its suitcase, but I could not wait to see it out the door!

Harper Lee and I have been busy getting the apartment cleaned of holiday stuff (though I've yet to take the wreath down because it's so pretty) and I'm finally working on my new story, which I hope will be my 2012 book. It's about sisters, one of whom has left the family -- and how the remaining sister deals with facing her first real heartbreak alone. No explosions or car chases, but there is an unrequited love and touches of prophecy throughout. So excited to dig into a meaningful story!

The beginning of a year is always a great time for lists - so here's mine.

Things to remember in 2011:

1. You can only control what you do, feel, & think. You are the captain of your own ship.
2. Family and friends can make a huge difference in your life, so treat them kindly.
3. It's important to "pick a point" on the horizon. Decide where you'd like to go before you leave.
4. Help others - especially with their dreams and goals.
5. You deserve a clean house, efficient workspace, good appearance, a home cooked meal. Take care of yourself as you would for others.
6. Leave room for spontaneity and fun in your plans.
7. Life is short so don't put off doing the things you want to do.
8. Trying is never stupid. Not trying is ridiculous.
9. Continue to be courageous, honest, and open - even if it means you sometimes get hurt.
10. "Stay golden, Pony Boy."

Do you have any thoughts to remember for 2011? I would love to see what you're holding in mind as we start the new year...

Love and light,


Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com
Wherever You Go - Harcourt Fall 2011
The Clearing - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen

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I'd like to begin with a tribute to Jon Scieszka, outgoing Children's Literature Ambassador, guy's guy, writer's writer, kids' hero. 

The drive to write is the drive to be connected, to move others in some fundamental way.  Scieszka has said he writes to make kids laugh.  As a mother of preschoolers, I say -- Bless him.  As a writer, I say -- Bless him.  As a teacher, I say again -- Bless him.


A facebook friend posted last week that she regarded this new decade with mixed feelings, as the last (nameless, generally reviled) one marked her marriage, new motherhood, and the advent of the "grown-up" years.  I must say, I feel exactly the same.

I am not a habitual resolver, as I am far from resolute.  Further, once I fall off the wagon (so to speak), I'm gone.  Like most people, I respond far better to positive reinforcement than negative consequences; but of course, what better reward is there than the fruits of one's writing labors?

In the hope that posting it here will keep me honest or at least remotely on-task, here's my six-word resolution for the New Year.  I resolve to:
Rest.  Read.  Play.  Love.  Laugh.  Relax!

You will note that there is nary a mention of writing in my writing resolutions.  However, in these early years of motherhood and consuming day job, I have often failed to nurture myself, to "fill the well" (as they say) and do the things that inspire.  So I hope to make it a nine-word memoir and add write/revise/repeat to the tally.  But I refuse to beat myself up if I don't make it there.  Someday -- as you all have so often and kindly reminded me.

I just had two weeks' vacation from work.  I had time to read!  I downloaded the free Kindle for PC application.  I am neck-deep in mysteries and kids' books and loving it.  I resolved to update my website, and I did that, too.  Being html-illiterate, I tried the yahoo sitebuilder tool.  It's garnered mixed reviews online, and I've hardly built a professional-quality site; but it's serviceable and, significantly, I can now update it myself.  I've spent time reading about teaching and planning my syllabus for the upcoming semester.  I've slept and played with the kids and relished the time we've had to just BE.  And, not so coincidentally, the writing ideas are percolating like mad. 

Today marks

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Happy New Year everyone! Here's wishing all of our readers a lovely, successful, awesome 2009! Thanks for sticking around with us...it's gonna be a great year!

As like so many of you, one of my resolutions is to lose weight. I'm happy to report that I'm down 18 pounds from this past summer and would like to lose an additional 22-ish pounds. My hubby and I bought an elliptical for the house as our Christmas present and the guys from Resolution Gym are coming to put it together today. Can't wait.



But there's more to losing weight than just exercise. We must eat right. No matter the hype with all of these diets...the science is really simple: consume less calories than you expend. Easier said than done...right?

So, I've been looking at a way to jump start the weight loss and reading up on all the fad diets. There are sooooo many of them!



Weight Watchers - been there, done that, did well, bored with it.
Jenny Craig - hey, it worked for Valerie Bertinelli and Kirstie Alley! LOL!
NutriSystem - hey, it worked for Don Shula and Dan Marino - I've heard the food is nasty, though.
Special K Challenge - my lactose intolerance can't handle that much milk
Acai Berry diet - okay, is it just me or is everyone and their brother getting spammed with news of this one that's promoted by Oprah and Rachel (gag me) Ray. What's this all about?
South Beach - I'm not a big meat-eater, so I don't think will work for me
The Master Cleanse - my friend Kristen is doing this and it's working for her, but honestly...tea, lemon, water and cayenne pepper?

There are tons more. It makes my head spin! What works? What's fad? What's hype?



What has been your secret that has worked for you? Of course, different diets work for different people, but do you have anything to share that might help?

Off to drink my XXX Vitamin Water (acai-blueberry-pomegranate - 150 calories!) and get to work.

Hugs!
Marley = )

GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING (Coming May 2009, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) GHOST HUNTRESS: THE GUIDANCE (Coming October 2009, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
GHOST HUNTRESS: The REASON (Coming May 2010, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
CHRISTMAS MIRACLES (Coming October 2009, St. Martin's Press)
SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (Available from Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (Available from Puffin Books)

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