This entry is also on my NaNo blog, but I'm posting it here, too.

I did it! I finished my novel — and it’s a day early. I surpassed my 50,000-word goal and hit 50,700 by the time I tied up the loose ends. I wasn’t available to my family as I usually am, and I had to endure some lip, but eventually my husband came around and did his best to keep the kids and other distractions away from me. I entered this week at 39,000 words. For a minute there, it didn’t look too promising. But I kept going. And now I’m finished. The real work begins now, though. I’ll be revising and revising for a long time. But at least it’s there. The story is mapped out. My characters feel real to me.
I downloaded and printed a winner’s certificate that I will hang in my office. Whenever I need some motivation to keep going, I can just look at that and remember that I completed a challenging marathon.
Thanks, family for your support. I’m taking the few days “off from work” which I continued to promise you.

What Are You Thankful For?

I can't believe it's almost here. Thanksgiving is on Thursday. Before you know it, it will be Christmas. The busy season will seem to take forever for the kids, but will be a blur for the grownups.
As Thanksgiving approaches, we reflect on the things that we are thankful for in life. I'm thankful for my family and for chasing my dream to become a children's author. However, the thing I'm most thankful for is that for the most part the kids have been healthy. They've avoided hospital stays (except for one for Jacqueline) since at least September. I'm thankful that some bone pains she was having are nothing major to worry about.

What are some things you're thankful for this season? Feel free to share by posting a comment.

In a terrible world ....

Warning: You may want to shield kids from this post. However, I found it necessary to talk about it.


There is an officer in Philadelphia who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was doing his job and responded to a robbery. Unfortunately, she was shot in the process of protecting the public. As of now he is still alive and fighting for his life. A friend sent me an email for prayer requests for this officer. Here is what I responded:

"The Officer lives on the block of John's parent's house. We were in shock! Jacqueline (age 5)saw all the commotion and incidentally saw the news coverage. She was very upset. I told her we can help by praying for him. She was also confused about officers because they carry guns ( we had to explain why, which was a whole other discussion in itself.)

She was then angry that police put themselves in dangerous situations. She said,"They should all just come here." I'm glad she feels home is a safe place.

I didn't know what to do for her, so I called the police station and asked if it was okay to stop by. They said it was fine, but they didn't have Halloween candy because of the day's events.

We decided to bring one of our hand out bags to the station with us.( We could only afford three bags of candy and they were all opened. So I told the officers that this was for them. I didn't think it would be enough to hand out.)

I don't know how many times the officers had smiled that day, but Jackie got to see at least one.

It's amazing what that did for everyone involved. Jackie felt a little better about Police and their jobs. I felt as if I helped spread some good in a crazy world. And we encouraged a smile in a terrible situation.

I just wanted to share some good. It's not much, but it's something.

We continue to keep The Officer and all the officers in our prayers. "

NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month -- a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I must have had one huge cup of coffee before I visited that website. Whatever it was, I was driven to sign up for the challenge.

It looks like it will be fun along with being challenging. I'll just have to make it clear: No emergencies this month. If mom acts strange, it's because she wired up on caffeine trying to hit her 2,000-words-a-day goal. And remember, there's no need to call an ambulance. I'm not attached to the computer chair. It only appears that way.

Really, though, I'm up to the challenge. My idea is brewing in my head. Confidence is rising. And of course my will to achieve this goal will drive me to the finish line.

Check out this link to follow my progress:

http://www.nanowrimo.org/user/217690

The Muse 2007 Online Writer's Conference

We are almost finished the Muse conference and it has been a blast. I am learning truckloads of information. If there's any writer out there who missed it this year, I highly recommend you attend next year's. The boards are great. I've interacted with editors and fellow authors. The tips we have all learned from each other are invaluable. I enjoyed it so much, that I've already registered for the 2008 conference.

One of my favorites so far is the "Call to Action: The Writer's Adventure" workshop. I've learned so much about myself as a writer and how to defeat the struggles we writers place on ourselves.

One of the things we had to do for the workshop is write in our journals about our adventures. This has been a second blessing for me. I used to write in my journal every night since I was around ten years old. The day I married, I had stopped. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because life changed so much or that I was too tired after a long day. Whatever it was, I hadn't journaled on a consistent basis since.

The workshop showed me how much I miss it. I forgot what it was like to write my thoughts untill I became drowsey. We've had some very tough times, our family. If ever I needed to journal, it was during the past seven years--yet I didn't.

So I owe it to this workshop that my desire is back. Thank you Beth, for relighting that spark which faded so long ago.

Fall Philly Conference

I was a nervous wreck weeks before. What would it be like? Did I even belong there? Would there be anyone in my household who wouldn't try to talk me out of going?

I was looking forward to the Fall Philly Conference for months, and it was finally here. It was time to hush those nagging voices- from both - inside and outside of me.

"The conference will be fun and educational," I responded to my inner critic. "Of course I belong there. "

"I'm going so I can meet and talk to other people in the writing industry and to learn valuable information," I said in not so many words to family who preferred I stay home with them. "Don't worry--I'm coming back!"

That statement was true, but I never realized how much I was not going to want to leave. The day flew by. I enjoyed all the seminars. I met many interesting writers and illustrators. It was refreshing to be around people who understood the writing process and everything that it takes to be a successful writer.

I think the most rewarding part of the conference for me was our Keynote Address speaker Laurie Halse Anderson. Her speech comparing the stamina it takes to write a novel to running a marathon was inspirational. She stressed what it took to be successful at what you do and how to manage your time so that you are doing what you set out to do--write!

Maybe it was because some things were similar to what we all go through -- family needs us and expects us to put the writing on hold whenever a need arises. I found it energizing that we all go through the same thoughts, doubts and obstacles. So, thanks Laurie, for the inspiration to take control of our careers and reach for the stars.

Thanks SCBWI! I can't wait for the next one!

School's Back In Session

The mornings are quiet. The birds are tweeting. There are no arguments between sisters. School's started again. I'm now free to dedicate more time to my writing without interruptions.

That is until my two--year--old son wakes up and immediately demands my attention. It seems the minute I'm on a roll, he finds chaos for me. I finally start typing more than two words a minute, when my son decides to chase the dog, have a scream-out-the -window contest with our next door neighbor, or sneak upstairs and throw items in the turtle's aquarium.

With only one child in the house during my writing hours, one might think my schedule is less hectic. Unfortunately, having one toddler in the house seems like having 10 children. So I still find myself exercising my creativity to sneak in my writing. But that's alright. He's so happy to see the girls at the end of the day that I get a brief hour to write when they walk in the house.

No matter what, if writing is your life...your dream...make time to include it. Toddlers are a great distraction, but if you write or brainstorm on the floor while they play at Jungle Gym Parent, then you've successfully got in some writing time. That time might even give you a bonus: an idea for a story!