With one snow storm behind us and another one on the way, I’m thinking warm thoughts to try and stay toasty.
The latest weather report predicted 18-20 inches of snow for us over the weekend. Today I’ll join the masses buying up extra milk and bread in case we’re stuck in the house for the next three months. I’m also in search of a sled so we can make the most of the white stuff.
One of the most amazing women I blog stalk is Rachel Coleman, the co-creator of the Signing Time series and a mom of two girls. This week on her blog she had an inspiring post on Creating The Year 2010. For the past few years, she and her family have declared each year The Year of ___________. They’ve had The Year of No More Somedays, The Year of Fun & Adventure and The Year of Health & Fitness.
I love the idea and started thinking about creating my own 2010. I’ve decided it is going to be The Year of If Not Now, Then When? No more procrastinating on those projects floating around in my mind or the adventures I want to plan with my family. This year I will take the time to pursue all those story ideas I’ve come up with and make time for more of my personal writing. It is too late to make it to Punxsutawney for Groundhog Day this year, but I’m going to start researching hotels and book a trip for 2011.
I’m going to print my new little mantra out and pin it above my desk, so each day I’m reminded to take advantage of the opportunities that come my way. And for those opportunities that I just can’t pursue right now, I’m going to answer the question of ‘when?’ I hope to come up with more concrete answers than ‘someday’ or ‘when things slow down.’
Thanks, Rachel, for the great idea and for offering up so much inspiration on your blog!
And, I’m curious, what is your year 2010 going to be?
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There was an interesting article in the LA Times today about the downward trend in freelance rates. I would write more about it, but I have a story due tomorrow (one that I am getting paid for) and I need to get writing! So, I’ll just post the link to the article, Freelance Writing’s Unfortunate New Model, here.
The new book tour dates for Jodi Picoult’s House Rules, which will be released March 2, are up on her site. It is a draft schedule (visit www.jodipicoult.com and click on appearances), and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Picoult will make a stop near me. For the past few years she has and I’ve been lucky enough to make every one. Well, almost every one. There was the time my son arrived five weeks early, just a few days before Picoult’s reading, so I had to skip it. I’m sure she’d understand.
Even though I’ve been to several of her readings, I am star struck every time I see her. My heart beats fast, my palms get sweaty, I begin to utter mere syllables instead of actual words. It is pathetic.
After her reading of Handle with Care last year, she took questions and answers. When she announced she had time for one last question, I decided I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to talk to her, so I shot my hand up in the air. It was right as she called on me that I realized I didn’t have a question to ask! So, I pulled together a really lame, boring question: Has your writing routine changed since your first novel? Ugh. I might as well have asked what toothpaste she uses. She answered it graciously saying her routine hasn’t changed at all. Go figure.
Next came the signing. I waited in line hoping I could get a picture with her, only to find out she wasn’t doing photos. She wrote my name and her signature in my book and I tried to think of something to say to her. "I love your writing" seemed too obvious. So I came up with the incredibly witty, "I love the MP3s you post on your Web site." That was it? That was all I could come up with? I’ve read every single one of her books, some of them twice and that was all I could think to say? I blame it on the butterflies. She thanked me and told me she’d be posting a new one next month. I walked away shaking my head.
I’m looking forward to redeeming myself at her next reading, so here is hoping she stops in the D.C. area!
Great sources make great stories. Every so often I need to reach beyond my usual list of contacts to find someone to interview. Instead of scouring the internet for potential contacts, I recently started using Help a Reporter Out–an online service that connects journalists with sources. You just have to fill out a quick query about the publication you’re writing for and your story. Then, HARO shoots a message out to its list of sources (the Web site says there are over 100,000), and you sit back and wait to see who responds. If you’re not on a tight deadline, it takes a day or two to start hearing from potential sources.
So, give it a try! It has worked for me. Journalists have a page just for them here. Potential sources can sign up at http://www.helpareporter.com/.
Whew! The hustle and bustle of the holidays are over and I’m looking forward to getting back into a routine. I haven’t had as much time for reading as I would like, so I’m ready to dig into a new book. For the next book club, let’s read Jeannette Walls’ Half Broke Horses. Walls is speaking near me next month. I’m planning to attend and capture some good info and a few pics for the blog. For those of you in the Washington D.C. area, you can catch her on Jan. 20 at the Borders in Baileys Crossroads. I’ll plan to post about the book on Jan. 29, so let’s get reading! See you in a little less than a month.
I am trying to come up with the next selection for the virtual book club. Does anyone have any suggestions? Jeanette Walls is going to be speaking near me next month, so I am leaning towards her new book, but I’d love to hear what others are reading right now. E-mail me or leave a comment.
The winner of the Loraine Despres autographed book plate is Sarah! I will get it in the mail to you right away.
I read yet another article today about how hard it is to make a living as a freelancer. I will be the first to agree that a successful freelance career requires persistence, determination and a lot of hard work. Yes–it is time consuming and no–it is not easy. But how many jobs really are easy?
My time spent as beat reporter at newspapers wasn’t a walk in the park. Covering Cook County Criminal Court in Chicago was a tough gig that came with daily deadlines, whether or not a trial went the way I thought it was going to. Some days writing pitches and facing an editor’s rejection can seem easier than walking up to the family of a murder victim and asking for a few minutes of their time.
Covering transportation at a weekly paper came with many of the same deadlines, obstacles and challenges that I face as a freelancer. You know that source that promised to be available at 3:00? The one that you’ve been counting on so you can wrap up your story? Well, he will forget, but that can happen whether you’re a staffer or a freelancer. Finding and cultivating sources takes time. So does learning who you can trust—no matter who you are writing for.
When I moved on to edit a trade magazine, I not only had to create editorial content, but also had to deal with creating budgets, monitoring ad sales and maintaining the bottom line. I also had to commute an hour and a half each day.
So, every time I hear someone say that freelancing is hard, I remind myself that most things in life are. Luckily, I’ve never been afraid of hard work and I have had a great year as a freelancer. Plus, the benefits of the freelance life far outweigh the obstacles. I promise.
The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell by Loraine Despres grabbed me with its opening lines. The book starts, "Belle Cantrell felt guilty about killing her husband, and she hated that. Feeling guilty, that is. A lady shouldn’t do something she’s going to feel guilty about later was a rule Belle kept firmly in her mind, along with its corollary: No sense in feeling guilty about all the little pleasures life has in store for you."
I fell in love with Despres’s first novel, The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc, and the main character, Sissy (you can read my post about Sissy here). Belle is Sissy’s grandmother, so I couldn’t wait to read about her.
The book introduces us to Belle in the 1920s. She is a young widow and is pushing the limits of what society deems socially acceptable for her. It starts when she decides to cut her hair and keeps getting better and better.
Here are some questions I found online to get some ‘virtual book club’ discussion going:
he Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell celebrates the tie between women of different generations. Discuss the relationship between Belle and Miss Effie. How did it change? What was Belle’s relationship with her own mother? How did it change? Do you think their relationship affected Belle’s relationship with her own daughter?
Belle makes up her own rules for her "Girl’s Guide to Men and Other Perils of Modern Life." If you had to pick one, which rule did you find the funniest? Appropriate for our time? Would you like to make up your own rule? Would you like to share it?
Do you think Belle was foolish or wise to risk so much for love?
My question for readers is, did you read Sissy first? Do you think that created expectations for how Belle would act? Do you want to re-read Sissy now that you know more about Belle?
Do you have any discussion topics? Post them in the comments!
If you’d like to learn more about the author, you can visit her Web site at www.lorainedespres.com. Also, I was lucky enough to interview Despres for an author Q&A on this blog last month. We had a wonderful conversation and Despres spent so much time with me that I had to break the Q&A into two posts. Read the first Q&A here and the second here.
