The Virginia Scribe Reflections by Amy Tate

My New Year's Gift to You

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:05:00 +0000

2009 has been an incredible year, hasn't it? One of the most valuable lessons I've learned this past year is that I still have a great deal more to learn. So after working on some new material this afternoon, I spent some time researching some of my favorite author's web sites in search of words of wisdom. One of the greatest gifts that writers give to one another is the gift of encouragement. It is my hope that all of you will be encouraged and inspired through those who have gone before us. God bless you and Happy New Year!

Kate DiCamillo
"Writing is about seeing. I can not control whether or not I am talented, but I can pay attention. I can make an effort to see."

Beverly Cleary
"I don't believe in outlining works of fiction because if you have it all worked out, it becomes boring. I love to cross things out and cut a page down to one paragraph."

Stephanie Meyer
Taken from an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Now that Twilight is a huge success, it's hard to imagine any literary agent rejecting it. But Stephanie says she'd submitted it to plenty of people before she was signed. "I got nine rejections, five no answers and then one 'I'd like to read more.'" (www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20091113-tows-stephanie-meyer-twilight/4)

J.K. Rowling
"I don't believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."

"I have to write the story I want to write. I never wrote them with a focus group of 8-year-olds in mind. I have to continue telling the story the way I want to tell it."

"I write what amuses me. It's totally for myself. I never in my wildest dreams expected this popularity. There's no formula."

"I didn't write with a target audience in mind. What excited me was how much I would enjoy writing about Harry. I never thought about writing for children - children's books chose me. I think if it's a good book anyone will read it."

"I've been writing since I was six. It is a compulsion, so I can't really say where the desire came from. I've always had it. My breakthrough with the first book came through persistence, because a lot of publishers turned it down."

"You have to resign yourself to the fact that you waste a lot of trees before you write anything you really like, and that's just the way it is. It's like learning an instrument, you've got to be prepared for hitting wrong notes occasionally, or quiet a lot, cause I wrote an awful lot before I wrote anything I was really happy with. And read a lot. Reading really helps. Read anything you can get your hands on."

"When I went into this, my agent said to me,"I don't want you going away from this meeting thinking you're going to make a fortune." Then I said to him, "I know I'm not going to make any money out of it. I know I'm not going to be famous."

Richard Peck
"I read because one life is not enough."

"For inspiration, I now travel about sixty thousand miles a year on the trail of the young. Now, I never start a novel until some young reader, somewhere, gives me the necessary nudge."

"What started me on a career as a writer? A mother who read to me before I could read, and teachers who never put a grade on a rough draft."

E.B. White
"A writer has the duty to be good, not lousy; true, not false; lively, not dull."

"There is no trick to it. If you like to write and want to write, you write, no matter where you are or what else you are doing or whether anyone pays any heed."

"A writer should concern himself with whatever absorbs his fancy, stirs his heart, and unlimbers his typewriter. He should tend to lift people up, not lower them down. Writers do not merely reflect and interpret life, they inform and shape life."

"It is my belief that no writer can improve his work until he discards the notion that the reader is feebleminded, for writing is an act of faith, not of grammar."

"Writing is, for most, laborious and slow. The mind travels faster than the pen; consequently, writing becomes a question of learning to make occasional wing shots, bringing down the bird of thought as it flashes by. A writer is a gunner, sometimes waiting in his blind for something to come in, sometimes roaming the countryside hoping to scare something up. Like other gunners, he must cultivate patience; he may have to work many covers to bring down one partridge."

Laurie Halse Anderson
Taken from her website, http://www.writerlady.com/
"For years Laurie considered writing as a hobby. It eventually dawned on her that people would pay her to write so she became a freelance reporter. She also began to write all types of books and accumulated several inches of rejection letters: hundreds of form rejections that were both intimidating and discouraging. She joined SCBWI and found a supportive critique group. That made all the difference."

Mark Twain
"The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is that you want to say."

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and the lightening bug."

"To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement. To condense the diffused light of a page of thought into the luminous flash of a single sentence is worthy to rank as a prize composition just by itself...Anybody can have ideas - the difficulty is to express them without squandering the paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one paragraph."

Words to inspire us in 2010! Happy New Year and Happy Writing!

I'm Tagged!

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:50:00 +0000

I love the feeling of living outside the pressure cooker. I've enjoyed the quiet all weekend. Last night's sunset was perfect, did you see it? I curled up with my January/February edition of Victoria Magazine and a cup of tea. The children were playing in the living room, Shannon was tinkering with something in the garage, all the while I sat in my recliner with my magazine, my tea, and my cat. No more classes, no more shopping, and no more chaos. My mind was free to dream again. It's been awhile since I've experienced that freedom and I savored every second. I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. We enjoyed ours immensely. The children slept until seven this year which was an unexpected treat. We thought they'd be up at 5:30a.m. like they did Christmas Eve. But that extra hour and a half gave us the extra boost we needed to enjoy watching them tear into their presents. It was such a memorable day.

Right before Christmas, picture book author, Shelley Moore Thomas and fellow blogger/writer Bethany Mattingly both tagged me. Please forgive me for taking so long to post this! But I promise I'm enjoying your questions a whole lot more in the peace and quiet.

1) What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?

The last time I sat at my computer, I wrote my Rhetorical Studies critical analysis paper on how popular culture affects historical accuracies. The first thing that I wrote was an entry in my diary. I was seven years old, and I still have that diary.

2) Do you write poetry?

Yes, on occasion. However, after enduring a poetry class at Hollins I'm not as comfortable as I used to be. I'm more of a straight shooter, and that is unpopular in a room full of moody eighteen year olds.

3) Do you write Angsty poetry?

No, not really. I'd rather yell at somebody and then write something nice.

4) What is your favorite genre of writing?

Good question. I love children's books but I'm still trying to figure out where I fit.

5) Who is the most annoying character you've ever created?

I wrote a short story titled, Wild Magnolias. Treena is a redneck gold-digger with whom I had a lot of fun.

6) Best plot you've ever created?

Hmmm. Maybe Wild Magnolias is on the brain, but I had fun with that story. It is about an elderly woman named Beatrice, and her beloved grand-daughter, Callie. They out-wit some redneck relatives who try to place Beatrice in assisted living. When the rednecks attempt to swindle her out of her money, Callie moves her grandmother on a cruise ship. There is a little romance sprinkled in the story too.

7) Coolest plot twist I've ever created?

I'm still waiting on that one!

8) Do you type or write by hand?

Both. One of my favorite inspiration spots is in the surf. I can't use my laptop while I'm sitting in my beach chair, but I do write in my journal. I love fufu journals. I buy the prettiest ones I can find. The more fufu the journal - the better the writing ideas.

9) Do you save everything you write?

Lord no. Whether we like it or not, our words are our legacy. I don't know about ya'll but there are a lot of words that I wouldn't want anyone to read. After I fill up a journal, I burn it. Unless it's one of my idea journals. I do save those.

10) How often do I get writers block?

That depends on how you define writers block. I write every day in my journal, but I don't work on my stories every day. I have to have it in my head before I'm able to write so I spend a great deal of time thinking.

11) Do you write fan fiction?

No.

12) Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it?

Sure. I'm never short of ideas. There are stories everywhere.

13) What's your favorite thing you've ever written?

My novel, Attack at Fleetwood Hill. I still have some more tweaking to do, but I love this story. I've had a blast writing it.

14) What is everyone else's favorite thing you've written?

I suppose that depends on the audience. I wrote a silly poem about memories that my cousins and I made with our grandmother. That was fun. I've written sentimental essays for weddings and funerals too. And if everything goes right, my essay A Family Affair will be included in Chicken Soup for the Soul's NASCAR edition in a couple of months. I've been told that I can celebrate after I get the book in my hands, so I'm trying not to get too excited...yet.

15) Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?

Yes, and it's in the back of the file cabinet. Maybe I'll get back to it one day.

16) What's your favorite setting for your characters?

Somewhere that means something to me. If it left an impression on me, then chances are good that it will find its way into one of my stories.

17) How many writing projects are you working on right now?

Ha! That's the question of the year, isn't it? I have two that I'm toying with...other than my novel.

18) Have you ever won an award for your writing?

Yes, I won the Creative Talent Award at Hollins University in 2008. I also won the Roanoke Branch of American Pen Women's writing scholarship for the past two years, and I won the Smyth-Bland Regional Library Sherwood Anderson Short Story Contest last year for my story, Wild Magnolias.

19) What are your five favorite words?

snickerdoodle, (because it's fun to say), freedom (because it evokes so many emotions), sassafras, (I don't know why...it's just fun), eternity, (I picture my spot on the beach), swannee, (all my family members have said it for years...it's a southern thing.)

20) What character have you created that is most like yourself?

Elizabeth Burgess in Attack at Fleetwood Hill.

21) Where do you get your ideas for characters?

People that I've met through the years. I've always thought that reality makes for the best fiction.

22) Do you favor happy endings?

I need a satisfying ending, but it doesn't necessarily have to be happy. Life isn't always happy, but it can be satisfying. Take the movie Titanic, for instance. I was really sad that Jack died in the end, but the reunion scene on the bottom of the ocean provided a sense of closure.

23) Do you ever write based on your dreams?

No, not really. My dreams are too bizarre!

24) Are you concerned with spelling and grammar when you write?

No. That's for my critique group. I'll clean it up as best as I can before I let my group read it, but I don't obsess over it.

25) Does music help you write?

If I hear it while I'm not writing! I can't write to music. Every thing has to be quiet. But if I hear a song on the radio that fits my story, it helps me visualize events in my head. For example, Jamie Johnson's In Color is the theme song for Attack at Fleetwood Hill. When I first heard it I cried.

26) Quote something you've written. Whatever pops in your head.

This is a poem that I wrote for my poetry class at Hollins.

Shoes

Aligned against the closet wall,
Boxes covered in cat hair and dust bunnies;
Some ragged and tried, others new with tags but trapped in time.

Heels and sling backs in flirtatious skirts
Energize my feet when I walk
And play peek a boo in the fabric when I sit.

Boots encrusted in crackled red clay
Leave a trail of scattered specks on my floor.
Peppered in dry grass and shriveled clover,
They reek of gasoline and sweat.

Sneakers painted in Dora the Explorer
And Sponge Bob, fit in the palm of my hand.
The impotent Velcro is stained in raspberry Kool-aid
And grape Hubba Bubba sticks to the sole.

The pink and silver Nikes lay by the door.
The once clean inlay now greys with grime and dirt.
A perfect impression of my once petite and pedicured foot,
Comfortably lay on its side.

A symbol of who we are,
A history of where we've been
An ornament for our feet
An accessory for our lives.

Christmas Tree Blooper

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:16:00 +0000

With three days until Christmas I threw out my tree! Yesterday Caroline climbed into my bed at 7a.m to inform me that we had even more bugs. After investigating the window and upon discovering hundreds of black critters, I threw in the towel. It took us all day to undecorate it, drag it out to the back porch, and then clean up the mess. I kid you not, it took us two and a half hours just to pick all of the needles out of the carpet. It clogged my vacuum cleaner, so we used the shop vac and our bare hands. I have tiny red scratches all over the tips of my fingers, but I have never been so happy with my artificial tree! It has a perfect shape, it smells nice, it's bug free, and there are no needles! Now I'm off to decorate Christmas cookies with the kids. By the way, I found out today that I got an A in Spanish and an A in my Rhetorical Studies class....whooooooo! Not even a bug infested Christmas tree could steal my joy!

Merry Christmas blogger buddies!

Snow Storm, and Chuck Sambuchino's Web Seminar

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:12:00 +0000

All of Roanoke is buzzing with excitement. I just returned from running my errands and the city is electrified. We're expecting over 14 inches of snow in the next 24 hours. The last time we had a storm like this was in 1996. It was two months before my wedding, and my sisters and I were in charge of keeping the house and my father's bookstore. My parents took a trip to Israel, and while they swam in the Dead Sea, we managed to get both trucks stuck in the snow. We couldn't open the store for five days! Shannon just called me from work, and even the Weather Channel's Jim Cantore is stationed downtown! I should ask him to autograph my sled.

It feels wonderful not to worry about Spanish. The exam was awful. It was ten pages long - all fill in the blank. Needless to say, I left school very grouchy last night. I even dreamed that everyone spoke Spanish at my family's Christmas dinner. Ugh! No me gusta Espanol! Prior to taking the exam, I enjoyed Chuck Sambuchino's web seminar on finding a literary agent. The man is a walking encyclopedia and I've never heard anyone who talks as fast as he does. I took five pages of notes. After a few technical glitches in the beginning, I felt like I was back in NYC at a conference. The seminar was very informative and I would definitely be interested in doing another. I've summarized my notes below:

When is a manuscript ready for submission?

When you think it's spotless/free of mistakes

After you're critique group says it's ready

After you've set it aside for a while and then gone back over it.

The best place to locate an agent is through publishers marketplace. The site is updated daily and you can research what types of material an agent has most recently sold. The only downside to this service is the $20 per month fee, but on the upside you can cancel your subscription at any time. Chuck also mentioned the Guide to Literary Agents market guide which is also available online at writersmarket.com.

When searching for an agent, rank your pick of agents and query no more than five to seven at a time. But don't query your top five all at the same time. You want to allow yourself enough time to accumulate feedback on your manuscript, so if you discover a problem you can fix it before you blow your chance with one of your top five agents. Chuck says that querying five to seven agents at a time is the norm, and if you're querying more than twenty, you're querying too much. Simultaneous submissions is recommended and is also the norm. However, multiple submissions is a no no. Multiple submissions is defined as submitting more than one book to an agent at a time.

Someone asked about hiring an editor. Chuck stated that if you're involved with a good critique group, then you don't need to hire anyone. However, if you still want a book doctor then expect to pay anywhere from $1.50 - $5.00 per page. Also, if you're submitting a novel then never ever submit over 100,000 words. Anything over that amount is considered an epic novel.

How much do writers get paid for a first book? First time authors get paid anywhere from a flat fee of $3000 to $50,000. If royalties are offered then the publisher sets the amount that the author gets paid based upon the sale per book.

What is the best way to find an agent? Agents are found at writer's conferences, by referrals, through contest judging, literary journals and through query submissions.

Queries should be no more than one page in length. It should explain who you are, what the book is about, and a paragraph asking if the agent would be interested in reading more.

Chuck mentioned that every writer should have five versions of their manuscript on hand.

Byline - One sentence that encapsulates your story.

Short synopsis - a one page double-spaced summary of your book.

Long synopsis - no more than five double-spaced pages of your book.

Pitch - This goes in your query letter and should read like the back of a DVD cover or flap copy of a book.

An Author Bio - I thought this part was very interesting. Chuck stated that unless you hold an MFA, then don't mention your college degrees, because anything short of a MFA won't impress an agent or editor. (So much for stressing over Spanish class, right?) Do not mention your family or how many children you have either. If you have been paid to write then mention those credits, and also any writing awards that you've received. Anything else is unnecessary and screams amateur.

How do I find agents who represent my work? Read books that are in your same genre and look through the acknowlegement section. Also check author websites. If all else fails, then call the editor. (He mentions that getting in touch with them is next to impossible.)

One last interesting tid bit. If an agency has a strong online presence, and/or appears regularly at conferences then they are actively seeking clients. Any agency that is difficult to research is more than likely not accepting new clients - in other words, don't waste your time trying.

Again, this is only a summary of a hour and half seminar. Mr. Sambuchino's presentation was fantastic. I hope to meet him at a conference one day. It was definitely worth my time and money, and I highly recommend the seminar to other writers. He gave me the road map I was looking for.

As I type this, the snow is falling. I'm finished with exams and it's Christmas time. I'm off to play!

My Puckering Star of Bethlehem

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:52:00 +0000

Yesterday Shannon and I attended Caroline's Kindergarten Christmas play. While her teacher read from Cynthia Cotten's This is the Stable, the children acted out the parts - it was priceless. I don't know why Caroline felt the need to pucker. Perhaps she felt that Baby Jesus needed kisses. Shannon had the hardest time holding the camcorder steady as he filmed the performance. Tonight is Ben's Christmas program and the children's last day of school is tomorrow. I told our school principal that they need to have a lock in for grades K-5 for 24 hours. My children aren't sleeping anyway. They're beyond excited. Just think of all the things that parents could finish in 24 hours!

In the midst of all the Christmas cheer and final exams, my order for 100 Green Arboritvae Trees arrived. After Caroline's program, we planted 55 of them near our driveway. We wrapped the rest in damp paper towels and hope that they'll be all right until the weekend. I haven't had any time to work on my novel, but I am eagerly awaiting Chuck Sambuchino's seminar this Thursday on finding the right literary agent. I promise I'll post more about that as well as catch up on all of your blogs. Until then...I'm off to cram for my Spanish final and water some trees!

BTW...Shannon caught poison ivy from our problematic Christmas tree, lol!

Help! We have Bugs!

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:46:00 +0000

Our bug infested angel

At least it's remained upright for the past 72 hours.

Bethany, author of the Aspirations blog gave me this wonderful award this week! Thank you Miss Bethany, I am so honored! Bethany is a college student and a die-hard agricultural lover and I wish she was here to advise me about my infested Christmas tree! Yes, that's right, my tree has BUGS!!!!! I was putting the finishing touches on our tree when I discovered tiny insects crawling all over my new Walmart angel. They look like tiny gnats. AND I discovered tiny red bugs crawling in her hair. I don't think they are chiggers, but they look more like the red bugs that you see crawling over concrete or brick in the summer time. Do you think they were hibernating? Maybe I caused them to hatch when I brought them inside? Whatever they are, they are not welcome in my living room!

I'm beginning to think that I should go back to our artificial tree. We bought the real tree for the sentiment of the season, hoping to spread the fragrance of Christmas throughout the house. But ya know, I could get the same effect by lighting a scented candle!

The Leaning Tower of Treesa; A Christmas Tree Tale

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:13:00 +0000

Hmm. Which one?

Daddy, this is IT!

Uh oh.

Over the weekend we piled into the truck and drove to a Christmas tree farm. For the past several years we've put up an artificial tree, but I miss having a real tree. Even though Ben and I are allergic to pines, I miss the way a real tree fills the house with the fragrance of Christmas. So Ben and I popped a pill, and began our search for the Tate Family Christmas tree. Ever since Thanksgiving ended, Caroline has been wild. She scrambled out of the truck as fast as her little legs would go. It was all we could do to keep up with her, and of course her big brother wasn't about to be undone by his little sister. It was a picture perfect tree hunting day, with blue skies, icy mountain peaks, and a whopping 34 degree chill.

When I was young, my family always bought Frasier Firs, but we never paid what they go for now - $80! So Shannon and I decided to try a different pine this year. We chose a Scottish Pine for $30. We were thrilled with our tree and thought we had really snatched a bargain...until we brought it home. This tree isn't as thrilled with us as we are with it. Poor Shannon tried to get it through our back door and it wouldn't fit. As hard as he pushed and I pulled, that tree wasn't going any where. So he carried it back down the steps and around the house, while I met him at the kitchen door. By the time he reached the deck, he was covered in sap and needles. Have you ever seen the inside of a Scottish Pine? As green as it appears on the outside, the inside is full of brown dead needles. We tried to shake them off in the yard, but by the time we dragged that tree through the kitchen and into the living room, we had a two foot wide path that covered my white carpet and ran the length of the house.

"No worries! It's a bargain and I'll vacuum it right up." At that moment, it was wishful thinking.

Shannon worked for over an hour to secure the trunk into the tree stand, but every time we thought we had it fixed, the tree would lean one way or another. It was getting late, and I still needed to vacuum the pine needles and work on my Spanish oral exam. The children were wild, so we decided to call it a night. We'd fix it later. But the next morning when I checked on the tree, it had slumped into the living room window. The angel was sitting on my valance! I could almost hear her fussing. She did not look angelic. I laughed and figured that we'd fix it when Shannon came home from work. I loaded up the kids, and my backpack and headed to school. After supper last night, we went to work on our tree.

We had to handle it with yard gloves because the needles are so sharp. The more we handled the tree, the more needles spilled on to the carpet. Ben found a plastic orange rake that we took to the beach with us last summer. He worked on raking the needles while I held the tree so that Shannon could work on the trunk. Meanwhile, Caroline bounced off the walls without a job. So she put on her pajamas, a fireman's hat, and her black boots. Then she returned to the living room with a drum. She banged that drum and sang We Wish You A Merry Christmas at the top of her lungs while Shannon instructed me where to push on the tree. I started sneezing, and then Ben started sneezing. But the more we sneezed the harder I laughed, and the louder Caroline sang. What is with this tree?

To Be Continued...

Don't Forget to Look Up

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:34:00 +0000

This writing thing never ceases to amaze me. What a difference a week makes! You have no idea how much I appreciate all of my blogging buddies. Your encouragement and wisdom are truly priceless. What on earth did writers do before the internet? I used to be an emotionally stable person before I took writing seriously. But never in all my life have I experienced feeling like pond scum one day, only to feel like a rock star the next. And my poor hubby thought PMS was rough!

I've had some wonderful email conversations with so many of you this week. I've learned through your experiences more about the market, the pitfalls, and how to stay true to myself. I received an exciting email from my English professor at Old Dominion. The director of the honors college at ODU is collecting essays for a literary journal to showcase the work of some of the writing students - and they picked mine! That absolutely made my semester, as I never dreamed of being included in a literary journal. I've written so many papers this term, that had forgotten what I wrote for my evaluation essay! Ironically, that essay was the biggest pain to write. Three fourths of the way through, I almost tossed it because I kept hitting brick walls in the research. As soon as I'd find a source, I'd stumble upon another source that contradicted it. I've never wrestled with a paper as hard as that one. I suppose wrestling pays off.

In another email conversation this week, I spoke with Elena, author of Mselanaous Pics about the whole agent thing. As many conferences and writing events that I've attended in the past two years, I've never really delved into the ABC's of literary agents. The publishers that I submitted to over the past year, were all publishers that allowed unsolicited manuscripts or allowed me to submit because I attended a conference. After mulling over our conversation, I realize that I have two reasons why I've never gone forward with the search. First of all, I've never chosen a business partner out of a market guide. How do you get to know someone from a profile on the internet? I can't help but shy away from signing a contract with someone I don't know. Second, the whole thing is overwhelming. I listened to a panel of agents in New York, and they sound tougher than editors. As I understand it, they are the key that unlocks the publishing industry...but you still have to get across their desk, and that's just one more hoop to jump through. So I've decided to educate myself. If I'm going to have to make a decision then it's going to be an educated decision. No more guessing.

I signed up for Chuck Sambuchino's web seminar, How to Land a Literary Agent on December 17 at 1p.m. The cost is $67.15 and it looks like a very informative seminar. I'll be able to ask questions and for once I'll be able to get some solid answers so that I can start seriously researching. Life is so much like a hurricane, - a big red blob spinning across the radar screen. My mind yells at me like Jim Cantore in his L.L. Bean rain wear. "You have so much to do! Hurry up!" But the trick is to stay in the eye, where there's sunshine and blue skies. All around me, in every direction lay chaos: final exams, shop invoices, environmentalists digging in my yard, rejection letters, revisions to make, laundry, dishes, children's homework, etc... The only way to escape is to look up. God sent His Son to Bethlehem on the very first Christmas so that I could experience peace this Christmas. I'm infamous for pitching hissy fits when the rain bands beat my face. Shame on me for forgetting to look up. Tomorrow Shannon and I are going to put up our Christmas tree. Then we'll watch the children hang the ornaments on its branches. I love how the top half of the tree always looks empty, because they can't reach the top. One Christmas very soon, the ornaments will make it to the top. And I better stay out of those rain bands, or I'll miss it.

Refined by Fire

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:32:00 +0000

For the past 24 hours I've tried to blog, but couldn't. Every creative fiber in my being is numb. I don't know whether I'm burned out, tired, or both. For the past six months we've been landscaping. The back yard slopes into our patio and rainwater threatened our newly finished basement. We fixed that problem and moved to the front of the house, where we plan to level it so we can use the land. But someone from outside our neighborhood turned us in to the county for disturbing the land without a permit...our land, that we own. Anyhow, to make a long story short, Shannon had to pay to get a license to run a bulldozer on our own property, and now we've had to hire a civil engineer to design a landscaping plan to satisfy the Federal government. It's a mess - a royal pain. As I type this there is an environmentalist testing the soil in my front yard. We were told by the engineer that all of this legislation came from Democratic environmentalists during the Clinton administration. He also informed us that Franklin County is on probation with the state, and all of their jobs are on the line. So guess who gets to be the guinea pig? As it turns out, we can do exactly what we want to do. We just have to pay the Federal government an enormous fee and fill out a bunch of forms. If that's not a creativity killer, I don't know what is. It's Christmas time, and we don't have the money to pay environmentalist's salaries.

I've ordered 100 Giant Arborvitae trees that have a growth rate of four feet a year. In three more years, no one will be able to see what I'm doing in my front yard...for which I own and pay personal property taxes. I have a Confederate flag in my basement, and I've never been so tempted to hoist it from my roof. As you can see, I'm in a sour mood. And to make matters worse, I received a rejection letter that I'm struggling to understand. I usually handle rejection very well. I don't stew over them for days. I don't mind when editors critique my writing skill, because I will benefit from that, but this one grates my nerves because she attacked my story. Granted, it's nice to get a rejection letter that gives an explanation, but my problem is that I don't know what to do with it. I write historical fiction. And this editor disagrees with its accuracy. She didn't find it believable. Before I began submitting the novel, I had two reputable historians review it for accuracy, both of whom are on the board of the Brandy Station Foundation. I passed both of their tests with flying colors. But this editor flippantly informed me that only the winners get to write history. I refuse to accept that fact. I'm not rewriting history just to appease someone.

Most of you know that I'm taking a fascinating class at Old Dominion University this semester. It's called An Introduction to Rhetorical Studies, and I've learned how commercials, speeches, music, art, and many other forms of performance are purposely designed to influence society. All weekend I was so bothered by this letter that I couldn't enjoy the holiday. I started thinking about all of the historical events that have been reshaped to suit political agendas. Somewhere in the midst of propaganda and greed lay truth, even if it is twisted beyond recognition.

Before I received the rejection letter, I spent Thanksgiving day with my parents on the lake. My father showed me a letter that he recently discovered while going through some family documents. The letter was written by my great grandfather, Samuel Douglas Shackleford in 1916. The letter contains six typed pages of what my great great grandfather, James William Shackleford, endured during the Civil War. It was so exciting to read. For years I've been researching this, and to read it in my great grandfather's words was just thrilling. James William owned a farm and a mercantile in Fauquier County, Virginia which is now Warrenton. His store was the first to carry kerosene lamps in 1857. When Virginia seceded in 1861, James William enlisted with the 6th Virginia Cavalry. The letter went into detail about skirmishes that I had never heard of, and how he was captured and escaped. One day while riding near the West Virginia border, a Union soldier shot a woman in the street. James William immediately dismounted, and carried the woman back into her house. But when he remounted and galloped toward his unit, his horse was shot from underneath him. He was forced to carry his saddle one hundred miles back to his farm so that he could get another horse. By 1865, he lost everything he owned. By the time I finished reading it, I was in tears. Is his story to be disregarded because his lived south of the Mason-Dixon line? To put it differently, how will future generations tell the tale of September 11th?

After I cycled through the different emotions, my will kicked in. I'm not going to let someone tell me that it didn't happen. This is a story that I want to tell. I need to tell. In its current form, I omitted much of my own story, but I'm not going to make that mistake twice. This time I'll write it in first person...in a woman's voice, my voice. In its current form, there is a girl named Elizabeth who almost took over because she's such a strong character. This time I'll let her have her way. Coincidentally, Megan Rebekah posted an interesting entry about burning your novel - the timing couldn't be more ironic. It was this time last year in which I posted about finishing the novel. I was excited to take it to the SCBWI Conference in New York. It was my first novel, and the first time I'd ever flown by myself. I've come full circle. I've learned a lot from my writing journey in 2009, and I'm not giving up. Next time the novel will be stronger. It's time to begin again.

Building a Website Part Two

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:54:00 +0000

Thank you for all of your comments, ideas and suggestions about building a website. The more I research, the more I realize that this is a task requiring much thought and planning. My husband and I built one for his auto business through Yola, and I planned on using them again for myself, but after researching some of your suggestions, I'm going to wait. Anita, author of Blue Country Magic advised me to make certain of my goals and what I want it to look like before I sign up anywhere. She is so right, and I've slammed on the brakes. When I built one for the shop, I was clueless, and I'm not satisfied with it. I want to add sound and more photos, and I don't want to make the same mistakes twice.

Debi, author of Greener Pastures recommended Justhost.com. I've compared them to Yola and GoDaddy and their prices are not only very competitive, but they add more features than the other two. I've been very frustrated with Yola's customer service. When I have a question, I like getting my answer asap. The last time I asked a question (and I had to use email, there is no phone number) it took three days for them to email me back. If I had known this before I built the shop website, I wouldn't have signed up with them. Live and learn.

I've heard wonderful things about Wordpress, but my stink with them is the fact that I have to have their name included in my URL address. I know I'm picky, but if I'm going to do this I may as well build what I want. As I continue to find more useful information, I'll pass it along for those of you in the same boat. Regina, author of Regina Rhythm posted a very helpful article on her blog about building a website. I've learned a lot from this gal, and I highly encourage you to visit her blog, and Becky Mushko, author of Peevish Pen recently built her own site. I like the colors she chose - very easy on the eyes. I think her design draws you in without screaming "Look at me!" in neon blinding style. I want a web presence, not a Myrtle Beach billboard. Do you know what I mean? Becky's site has a very professional appearance.

My next step will be to sketch on paper what I want the home page to look like. The more I research, the more ideas I collect. I have two more weeks of classes, exams and papers and then I'll have more time to get creative with this. I'll try to post as much of the process as I can, so people can learn from my mistakes. My goal is to have a site up and running by the end of January. If anyone wants to join me, I'd love the company.

I Need Your Advice

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:19:00 +0000

I know everyone is scrambling around this week in preparations for Thanksgiving, so I'll make this short and sweet. I'm working on building a website, and I'm finding this much more difficult than blogging. I would love to know from those of you who have already have a website, what d0 you like best about the process and what did you find most difficult?

I've already signed up with Yola, but I'm discovering that the templates are restricting and I'm having trouble with the layout. Any thoughts?

Basking in the Afterglow

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:59:00 +0000

We had our first Roanoke SCBWI meeting today, and I am thrilled with the new group. Marcie Atkins recently returned from the fall conference in Arlington and she was gracious enough to print everyone a copy of her notes. She is working on her final project for her M.A. in Children's Literature at Hollins University - a YA novel in verse. I can't even imagine tackling a project like that. And did I mention that she is a full time 4th grade teacher and that she has a 5 year-old and an infant? She puts my Spanish trials to shame. She brought a picture book manuscript for us to critique and it is delightful.

Angie Smibert brought a chapter of her YA science fiction novel today. She humbly let me ramble on and on, until half way through the critique I asked her where she was in the submission process. She informed me that she just sold it to Marshall Cavendish and picked up an agent too! After I picked my lower jaw off the floor, I asked her about its release date. Memento Nora will be coming out in the spring of 2011. And did I mention that Angie received one of the SCBWI Work in Progress Grant, Letter of Merit Awards? Congratulations Angie!

Our other three members were involved in book signings and soccer tournaments today, but we look forward to working with them next month. I can't express how thrilled I am to be apart of this group. I'm way out of my league, and I appreciate them working with me! I know that I won't be able to bring near as much expertise to the table, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that their input will take my work to the next level. I can hardly wait for the next meeting!

Keeping it Real

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:07:00 +0000

Whew! I've been missing in action this week, and I've missed my blogger buddies. It's the end of the semester, but I'm beginning to see the light at the end. I have four more exams, and two more papers. I hope to finish strong. Can you say Christmas break? I'm counting down the days. And believe it or not, as crazy as life is right now, I've been able to squeeze in several new books. I've found that reading before going to bed, relaxes me more than watching T.V. I'm enjoying a book entitled, Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, by B.J. Lossing. It was originally published in 1848, and this edition is a reprint. I justified buying it for myself since I've begun to research for my next novel. And I'm not the only one with my nose in a book. The children have discovered a new picture book entitled, Nubs, The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle by Major Brian Dennis, Kirby Larson, and Mary Nethery. It's one of the few picture books that have made me cry...in a good way.

Every once in a while a book hits me between the eyes simply because its so real. Do you know what I mean? I'm blown away by the sacrifices made by the signers of the Declaration of Independence AND their wives. What those people gave up for you and me is...well, I'm a writer but words don't do it justice. The picture book about Nubs is another true patriotic story of a marine and a stray dog. It's one of those tear jerker, feel good stories, but I love it because I'm an animal lover and it really happened. Even when it's fiction, I think the story still has to ring true. If it doesn't, the reader loses faith.

Caroline has been into the Wizard of Oz ever since we battled the Swine Flu. Children her age watch the same movies over and over again. I can recite every line from memory. There is one line in the beginning of the film that grates my nerves. While the twister approaches their farm, the farm hands and Uncle Henry scramble to unlock the storm cellar so that they can hide. But Aunt Em stands on the porch and hollers for Dorothy. Do you remember the scene? Anyhow, Aunt Em's tone doesn't match what's happening. She's yelling for Dorothy while the twister destroys the fence in the background. But the way she calls for Dorothy sounds like she's ringing the supper bell. If my daughter, or in this case niece, was missing and there was a tornado at my back door, I would be a little more panicked than good ole' Aunt Em. That one shot blows the entire scene for me. If I were reading the story, I would put the book away. Slam. Bam. No more story. That sounds harsh, doesn't it? But I think we need to think about those little details because they have the power to destroy a good tale.

One of the greatest joys that I experienced while writing Attack at Fleetwood Hill, was inserting truths in and around my characters. I pulled direct dialogue from Private John Opie's diary and weaved it into my story. If you're not a history buff, you would never know it. But I know its there and it makes the story even more real. Good writing is like good acting. If it's not there, the audience will know it. Have you ever read something that made you think it was real?

Historic Virginia, by Emily J. and John S. Salmon. Time Travel Has Never Been This Much Fun

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:56:00 +0000

"I know of no way of judging the future but by the past." Patrick Henry, 1736-1799

Along with writing Spanish papers and researching material for my Rhetorical Studies class, I've been digging through old family documents this week. I stumbled upon two DAR membership certificates that I've been hunting for months, as well as a current events study that my grandmother did during 1933. The box has become a drug - there's something about those black & white photos, yellowing papers, and dust. I can't keep my fingers off of them. This second novel is coming together much like my first. I started writing it as a contemporary piece. But every time I get to the end of chapter three, visions of Patrick Henry and the 1774 Continental Congress pop into my head. I can't help it. And I've noticed that when I'm contemplating an idea, signs pop up all around me. Guess what UPS brought me this week? Historic Virginia; Your travel guide to Virginia's fascinating historic sites, by Emily J. and John S. Salmon. Coincidence? I don't think so.

There is no way to include every significant Virginia historical site inside one volume. However, this book is special because it reads like a private tour guide. It's table of contents are broken into categories of interest. For example, there are sections for African-American and Civil Rights sites, art, literature, music, sports, battles, business and commerce, education, cemeteries and famous graves, homes, museums, justice and confinement, infrastructure, museums, natural wonders, politics, religious sites, settlement and exploration, and Virginia Indian sites too. So if you're stuck vacationing with relatives, and Aunt Bernice doesn't enjoy battlefields, tell her to be patient. After you visit Chancellorsville, you can take her to Martinsville Speedway, or better yet, go visit Patsy Cline's grave outside of Winchester, Virginia.

The book includes a regional map as well as an index, and in the back of the book there is a page which groups the sites by region too. Each historical site includes a photo, as well as a small map. But my favorite feature is the fact that the book is so user-friendly. Under each historical site, the authors listed the physical address, the phone number, the website address, and the hours of operation too. This allows visitors to maximize the amount of places they see for their time. I love that!

After I received it, one of the first things that I did was to flip to the index to see if they included the Battle of Brandy Station...and I'm proud to say that they did. The Graffiti House is featured on page 21. If you've never been to the Graffiti House please make plans to see it. They have a wonderful Christmas open house event, and you will not be disappointed! Someday I hope that my novel, Attack at Fleetwood Hill will grace its shelves. But until then, I'll use Salmons' book to plan my next research trip to Patrick Henry's Red Hill Plantation. Time travel has never been so much fun.

Ferradiddledumday by Becky Mushko

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:25:00 +0000

Yesterday I received my advance reader copy for Ferradiddledumday An Appalachian Version of Rumpelstiltskin, by Becky Mushko. Even though this is her book, my hands shook when I opened it. For the past two years I've watched her labor over this and it is such a joy to see it come to fruition! It truly is a work of art. The book is categorized under juvenile fiction, but the format makes it suitable for all ages. I really like the layout. The illustrations capture my Kindergartner's attention, and yet the reading level is suitable for my ten-year-old. I love books that are versatile for family reading, and those are hard to come by. The illustrations are phenomenal. Small details such as walking sticks, bare feet, and fiddles pop off the page. To say that Bruce Rae is talented is an understatement, he's more like a magician. He beautifully captures life in the Appalachians, and his art harmonizes with Becky's words. I've read other illustrated juvenile books where the text competes with the illustrations, but Ferradiddledumday is perfectly balanced. The reader is instantly swept into Gillie's world from the beginning with words like,

Indeed, when she took her sheep down the rocky and wooded mountainside to the bottomland pasture, the ticks and chiggers never bit her, the copperheads and rattlesnakes kept themselves hid, and the wild panthers that lurked on the mountain gave her a wide berth. The sun never shone on her too hard and the rain rarely wet her.

Educators will love the fact that the book includes a discussion/study guide. It's divided into four sections, including literature, geography, science and history. The questions are thorough, and thought provoking. Yet the story is so captivating that children will be mesmerized by its poetic tale. Ferradiddledumday is published by Cedar Creek Publishing and will be available in January 2010. Congratulations Becky!

Never Stop Learning...

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:56:00 +0000

I don't have to say that writing, parenting, and going back to school is insane...many of you do the same routine. But sometimes it gets down right comical. If I'm not pulling my hair out while trying to make deadlines, I'm laughing about it. This is one of those weeks. The children are still trying to catch up from missing a week of school from the Swine Flu, and I'm having to stay on their backs about it. My Spanish professor decided that memorizing 200 vocabulary words a week isn't enough. So with five weeks left of classes, she introduced a new tense, and I love what it's called...IMPERFECT. For those of you who have never had Spanish, consider yourself blessed. It's not that I don't enjoy learning a foreign language, it's just that grammatically speaking, if English lived in the North Pole, then you'd find Spanish living in Antarctica. Each verb has six conjugations. For example, I said, you said, he/she/it said, we said, and they said. There is also a formal Vosotros conjugation that is used only in Spain. Go figure. Anyhow, in English we use the same verb with each pronoun...but not in Spanish. They have entirely different words. So, I said is Yo Dije, you said Tu Dijiste, He/she/you El/Ella/Ud Dijo, we said Nos Dijimos, they said Ellos/Ellas/Uds. Dijeron. And that's just in the past tense! All the words change again for the present tense and the imperfect tense. The hardest part about this class is the fact that every exam is open book, but the final will be all from memory. In other words, I have no idea as to what will be on the final. God help me! At least my Rhetorical Studies class is fun. If I didn't have at least one class that interests me, I'd be in serious trouble. And yesterday I found out that I will have to take three more math classes and two more science classes. I've reached senior status and I swear I have more credits than someone working toward a doctorate. By the time I graduate, (which keeps growing with each semester) I'll be a walking encyclopedia.
On the positive side, all of these classes provide plenty of writing material. I've met some very interesting characters who are bound to appear in future projects. I've learned the latest trends in toe nail art from the girl who sits next to me in Spanish. I heard all about the U2 concert in Charlottesville because half the kids attended. (I didn't know that U2 was still that popular, I thought that was my age group) I get to hear all about their weekend plans, and who broke up with who, and their greatest fears about graduating...so far it's between having to do their own laundry and getting the cable bill paid on time. Hmmm. Bless their hearts. Life is an education, is it not?

It's a Small World After All

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:15:00 +0000

Today was so beautiful and the children played outside all afternoon. That makes for a great writing day! I've been studying Elana Johnson's new book, From the Query to the Call and I highly recommend it. It's so user friendly and I like being able to look up my topic and get the answer quickly. Not only is she a talented writer, but she is wonderful about sharing her knowledge! For instance, I had a question this afternoon concerning how to submit a requested manuscript. Within the hour, Elana emailed me back with the answer. Thank you, Elana! In each section, she includes a highlighted box containing important tips, links and things to remember. For everyone who has completed their novel and is ready to submit, this is a must have book. She goes into great detail concerning how to construct the query letter and how to communicate with interested editors and agents. And she even includes sample queries to study. I'm a visual learner, and I love that part! Be sure and check out her website and her blog, I promise you'll learn something new.

The writing world is actually a small world, and I feel so blessed to have talented colleagues who are willing to share their knowledge with me. I emailed Rachelle Gardner with a CBA question this afternoon and as busy as she is, she emailed me right back. She not only answered my question, but provided me with two more sources as well. The writing world would be clueless without selfless literary agents like Rachelle. I have no idea how she makes time for people like me, but I'm so thankful she does. Thank you, Rachelle! And thank you to all my literary buddies for taking this journey with me.

Nook

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:06:00 +0000

I feel disconnected from the blogging world this week - please forgive me! Thank you so much for your kind words and well wishes while my family was so sick. We appreciate you so much!

It's been all I can do to try and keep up. My children have an enormous stack of make-up work from being out with the Swine Flu, and I've been working on a four page Spanish take-home exam, and a paper for my Rhetorical Studies class. Only six more weeks and this semester will be over! In between classes and homework, I've started my online Christmas shopping. In the past few years, I've finished over 75% of my shopping online. It saves so much time and around this time of year, many stores offer free shipping too.

I was doing a bit of shopping at Barnes & Noble when I discovered Nook. For some reason Kindle doesn't attract my attention but this little gadget does. It retails for a whopping $260. Anybody else heard anything about it? I must admit that I'm intrigued. I spend so much time in transit that it would be easy to cart around, wouldn't it? I know what you are thinking - you're thinking, NO! But I don't think these sort of gadgets will ever replace books. On the contrary, I believe that even more people will be reading and publishers will be buying even more manuscripts. Perhaps I'm an optimist, but technology is addicting and technology sells.

Take me, for example. I never thought I'd use an ipod in a million years. I mean after all, I have a perfectly good radio in my car - why would I use that thing? But my father in love gave me a mac-daddy Apple ipod Classic for Christmas last year and I LOVE that thing. It will hold thousands of songs, and I love listening commercial free. I think that the Kindle and the Nook will catch on in the same way. People are always going to curl up with a book. I for one love the feel and the smell of a new book. But the Kindle and the Nook make reading convenient when you're not at home, and anything that boosts our industry is a good thing. And one more thing, it sure would make my back pack lighter! What are your thoughts? Do any of you own or use one of these devices?

Feed Your Creativity

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:51:00 +0000

Ahhh...a new day, a new week, and a new month! After Shannon left for work, I took the children to school. By the time I returned home and sat down at my desk it was 8:30. The house was quiet, and for the first time in over two weeks, I was alone. I stared at my Spanish. Then I stared at my computer, but I couldn't focus. I can't remember the last time I got out of the house by myself, so I took the day off. It was wonderful. I drove to the mall and headed straight for Macys. I love walking through the cosmetic department just to smell everything. Call me weird, but I love how the mall smells. When I was seventeen I worked for Leggett, which is now Belk. I have wonderful memories of working at the mall...especially around Christmas time. I love the smell of new clothes, new shoes, pizza, coffee, and leather.

My grandfather used to own a formal wear shop in the mall in Fayetteville, North Carolina. When I was little, he'd take me to work with him. He had one of those antique cash registers that you had to wind up to get the drawer to open. There was a tobacco shop several stores down, and he'd take me in there when he ran out of cigarettes. I still remember the large wooden Indian Chief that stood outside the door. It was painted in deep red, navy, and brown. I suppose that would be considered politically incorrect these days. But I thought it was the coolest thing when I was little. And I suppose no one would take a child into a tobacco store either. Can you imagine if he did that today - the nasty looks people would give him? Funny, I never thought about it. Pipes and cigarettes were just part of him. Actually, it was cigarettes, coffee and fine clothes. Nobody could dress like my BigDaddy - and he always smelled wonderful. Bless his heart, - he and my grandmother both dressed to the nines until the day they died.

This time of year I always think about him. He died on October 30, 1998. I was pregnant with my son, but I didn't know it. I've often thought about how he would have loved my Ben. He's been gone for eleven years, but he will forever live in my heart. My point in sharing all of this is that sometimes it's good to take some time off. We need to refuel, feed our senses, and spark creativity. We're entering the nuttiest time of year, where everybody is running in a zillion different directions. But I think it's healthy to take a breather, gather our thoughts and experience the moment before we try to get it down on paper. If you're feeling a little burned out with blogging, writing, and querying...take a break. Better yet, I'll meet you at the mall.

Never Stop Believing

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:49:00 +0000

We're on day six of the Swine Flu and hopefully it will be history by Monday. We've been watching movies, sleeping a lot, and eating chicken noodle soup and jello. Shannon and I must have caught the adult version which isn't near as bad as the children's. We've experienced dizziness and extreme fatigue. I ran a low grade fever one day, but it wasn't too bad. Caroline was hit the hardest. Her fever reached 103 for a couple of days and was still 100 this morning. She caught the vomiting part too. Ben's fever broke Wednesday night and I'm hoping Caroline's will tomorrow. I emailed my Spanish professor and was told not to come to class last night. The only stinky thing about trying to spare my classmates is the fact that I missed the review for an exam. I've tried a couple of times to get the notes, but so far I haven't found anyone to respond to my emails.

I've spent the last few days cat napping and watching movies with the kids. One of our favorites is Remember the Titans. Not only is it an emotional movie, but my father has a personal memory that makes this movie even more special. My parents moved from Alexandria, Virginia to Roanoke, Virginia in August of 1971. My father taught at Howard Middle School which feeds into T.C. Williams. When he moved to Roanoke, he took a job at Cave Spring High School, teaching U.S. Government, American History and coaching the track & cross country teams. When Andrew Lewis played T.C. Williams for the state championship at the former Victory Stadium, (the old Roanoke Stadium) Dad said that he was the only member of Cave Spring High School to sit on the T.C. Williams side. He said that he knew many of the players, and he couldn't help but cheer for "his boys."

Here's another tid bit of interesting history for writers. While watching the bonus features included in the DVD, I learned that Denzel Washington, and several other members of the cast took salary cuts because no one believed in the film. The writers went through oodles of rejections because no one thought it was good enough for Hollywood. I find that fascinating since the movie is such a blockbuster hit! That speaks volumes, doesn't it? When we believe in our work, eventually it will pay off. On that positive note, have a wonderful trick or treating weekend!

The Calm Before the Storm

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Isn't God the Master artist? I took these last Sunday evening. It was the calm before the storm. Both of my babies have the Swine Flu so I won't be writing much this week. Ben came down with it yesterday, and Caroline came home with a fever today. I'm not going to take her to the doctor because Ben's doctor told me last night that there isn't a thing I can do but to ride this out. In my generation it was the Chicken Pox. I remember lying on my bed, wearing one of my father's white T-shirts. I had whelps all over me, and my mother kept telling me not to scratch. I have several scars on my back from that horrible virus. Thankfully, we have vaccines for the Chicken Pox now. I suppose when I'm a grandmother, my children will tell tales to their children about how in 2009 they caught the Swine Flu. Every generation has its own idiosyncrasy, but thankfully the sun still rises and sets, and this too will pass.

"There are Some Mysteries Within a Book that Should Remain Mysteries" DiCamillo

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:45:00 +0000

I rarely post twice in one day, but I have to get Kate DiCamillo's webcast into words.
This was the first time that I've ever "attended" a live webcast from my living room. I didn't know what to expect, but soon discovered that it's a lot like being there in person. The interviewer did a great job introducing DiCamillo, but she never introduced herself or from where they were broadcasting. That's a detail that I would like to have known. I gathered that it must have been in New York or New Jersey because several children introduced themselves and stated where they attended school.

Kate DiCamillo shared quite a few golden nuggets of writing wisdom. Like Richard Peck, she doesn't think that writer's block exists. She says that she has bad writing days, but found that when she pushes through them, the story unlocks. She compared it to running. She says she runs two miles every day whether she feels like it or not. Likewise, she writes two pages every day whether she feels like it or not. I giggled at the fact that she has Christmas lights around her computer to trick herself into thinking that writing is fun.

I was happy that the interviewer asked the question I submitted. I was curious as to where she gets the names of her characters. She said that they pop into her brain so she keeps a notebook with her at all times. She said that she sometimes rides the city bus for hours at a time so that she can listen for more story ideas. However, her editor at Candlewick Press didn't like her main character's name and she had to change it mid-way into The Magician's Elephant.

I found it interesting that she never once spoke with her illustrator, Yoko Tanaka. Yet she said that Tanaka's character sketches are identical to how she pictured her characters in her mind. I can relate with this. When my first fiction story appeared in The Friend, I never met my illustrator either. I was amazed how Caleb looked exactly how I pictured him.

DiCamillo said that she got into writing after a couple of college professors encouraged her. She went to J.C. Penny and bought three black turtle necks. She went to parties where she'd hear people say, "There's Kate - she's a writer." But then she realized that she'd never get published without actually writing something. She writes early in the morning before her "You're a loser...who are you to think you can do this?" voice gets out of bed. I love that fact! Afterwards, several children stepped up to the microphone to ask her some questions.

Why do you always write about animals?
I've tried to leave them out but they keep showing up.
Do you have a pet?
I am a part-time dog owner. I babysit my friend's dog while she goes to work.
Have you seen the movie, Despereaux?
I have - which did you like better, the book or the movie?
I haven't read the book.
How many times do you re-write a book?
Usually eight or nine drafts.
Why does the name Gloria keep showing up in your books?
It's my favorite name.

And the last question is my favorite. Every single one of us can relate with it. Someone asked her,

"What is your favorite part of your books?"

Kate replied, "Walking into a library and seeing my name on the spine."

The Ugly Pumpkin

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:39:00 +0000

I couldn't resist this book. I bought it for Caroline but I think I laughed harder than she did. The Ugly Pumpkin was published in 2005, and it is written by Dave Horowitz. There are tons of seasonal picture books out there...many with the same themes. But this one stood out. This is a great story for anybody, but especially for the child who feels left out and different. It definitely earned the Tate Five Star Award for the following reasons:

Great pacing and rhyme
Art that leaps from the page
It made us laugh
It's priced right - $6.99!
It's more than a Halloween book - it's seasonal, mentioning Thanksgiving too.

The Magician's Elephant Webcast

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:11:00 +0000

Just a reminder that Kate DiCamillo's live webcast is tomorrow, October 25th at 4p.m Eastern time, 1 p.m. Pacific. Click here to register!

Have a Super Weekend!

Filling in the Gaps: Educators, Librarians, and Children's Writers

Amytate@gmail.com (Amy Tate) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:15:00 +0000

Today, I'm following up on some thoughts from my previous post, Pumpkins and Reading Statistics. I had no idea when I started writing this research paper, The Effect of Harry Potter on Literary Culture, that it would ignite such a fire inside me. Thank you for such thought provoking comments! I did some more digging over the weekend, and I'm astonished at what I've found. I think we as writers focus so much on our craft, the publication process, querying, agents, etc... that we lose sight of our ultimate goal. We write children's books for children. These precious kids should not be viewed as simply a means to an end. Children's books are written for children, and its characters have the potential to impact future generations.

Kay Williams, a writer for NewsBlaze interviewed Dr. Ben Carson, in February of this year. For those of you who are not familiar with Dr. Carson, he is the director of pediatric neurosurgery at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. He grew up in a single parent home - his mother, one of 24 children, married when she was 13 and later find out that her husband was a bigamist. She had a third grade education but continued to work three jobs to stay off of welfare, all the while raising her two sons. The following is a snippet from that interview:

"KW: Still, there must be something very exceptional about you to transcend such humble beginnings to become one of the world's leading brain surgeons.

BC: I think that one of the keys for me was that, early on, I developed the big picture. When I was in the 5th grade, my mother turned off the TV and told us we had to go the library regularly, borrow two books apiece and submit written book reports to her. I started reading a lot at that point, first about animals, plants and rocks, then about people. And I read a book about Booker T. Washington called Up from Slavery. It talked about how it had been illegal for slaves to learn how to read. Yet he taught himself to read, and he read every book he could get his hands on. And he became an advisor to presidents.
I was very impressed by that story, and by the story of Joseph in the Bible, because he was sold into slavery by his own brothers. Did he cry about his lot? No, he eventually winds up the prime minister of Egypt. What that says to me is that it doesn't really matter where you are, you can make something out of any situation. And it really helps you once you develop that sort of mindset. Even after I became a physician and the director of pediatric neurosurgery at the #1 hospital, there were still people saying, "You can't do that" and "Oh, no one's done that." Thankfully, I had long since developed a mindset that I didn't get discouraged by such negativity."

You can read the entire interview by clicking here.

What an impact that mother made on her son's life. What if everyone took children's potential that seriously - can you imagine the difference we could make in our communities? To say that the responsibility is awesome is quite an understatement.

I stumbled upon a website that I think every children's writer ought to visit, Teacher Magazine. Yesterday's post is profound. It was written by Donalyn Miller also known as the Book Whisperer. This woman sounds remarkable, and I wish we could get her to speak at a writer's conference! She has a new book out called, The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child. I've ordered it and as soon as I finish reading it, I'll post more about it. One of the positives about being a mother and a children's writer is the fact that by jumping in and out of roles I'm able to see the bigger picture. And I see that educators, publishers, librarians and writers need to work together for the sake of the children...not the industry. There are holes in our system that need filling. And one of the largest gaping holes that I see is that young boys are getting left behind.

I first discovered the problem when my son started preschool. But I did not realize its magnitude until recently. But the more I research, the more I talk with other parents, and the more unconnected dots I discover, the more I'm disheartened. Donalyn Miller says,

"Considering the data (and we all know it is about the DATA these days), boys score lower than girls on standardized reading tests and report less motivation and interest in reading. I often wonder how much of the disengagement many boys have for reading stems from classroom instruction designed by predominately female English teachers, though. Wehn every class novel and reading activity filters solely through the predilections and worldview of a female teacher, boys can become demotivated and believe that their personal interests and opinions are not valued in English class. It is clear that when selecting books to read aloud, purchasing books for a library, or designing lessons, we must be mindful of the boys we teach and our latent prejudices about the reading material we offer to students. Boys want the same thing that every reader wants --to open a book and find themselves in the pages. As teachers, invested in creating readers, we owe it to our boys to help them find such books."

In my last post, I wrote about the statistics released by Scholastic's 2008 Kids and Family Reading Report. 89% of children say that they enjoy reading books that they choose for themselves and the report also indicated that half of all kids surveyed stated that there aren't enough really good books for boys/girls their own age. Hello? Those numbers are huge! We need to identify these missing link, and fill in the gaps. Are publishers not communicating with libraries? Does this have to do with budget deficits? Are teachers so concerned with passing the SOLs that reading gets tossed aside? We as writers need to pay attention to these holes, and we need to be proactive in how we approach this. I'm blown away by this information and I'm itching to get my hands on more.

I've been digging all weekend for every academic resource that I could find on how J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter influenced our literary culture. There hasn't been a study performed in the United States, but The Federation of Children's Book Groups in the U.K. performed a study in 2005 that surveyed 1000 British children, ages 8-16, and 59% of them stated that they believe that Harry Potter improved their reading skills and 48% of them stated that Harry Potter is the reason that they currently read more. Are boys not included in this group? Are educators not paying attention to these numbers?

These thoughts have been simmering in my brain for months, and this latest writing assignment brought them to the surface. SOL or no SOL, money in the budget or not, we need to think about the needs of our children. In fifty years or less, we'll be gone. What will we leave behind?