Blog
Falling Leaves Retreat 2010
Every November the New York chapter of SCBWI offers a weekend writing workshop: Falling Leaves. Last year the group concentrated on picture books, and this year, middle-grade and young adult novels were the focus. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending, and arrived one day early to work on a novel revision. After getting lost in […]
The Dragonfly
For months now, there have been rumors of a dragonfly living in the toy store. According to the children who have seen the insect, it spent much of its time in the stuffed animal room, but occasionally admired the puzzle boxes in the game area. The dragonfly has also hung out with the praying mantis finger puppets and explored the dress-up area, […]
Free Fall Fridays and My Approach To Prompts
In the past month, I have won two first-page contests. One for Searching For Big Meanie, and the other for Majestoral Dragon. The contests were ultimately judged by two editors and it was exciting to have my pieces stand out. But in truth, I had already won something. I have two new story beginnings, actually, […]
Hats For Sale
Ah, yes, Halloween approaches. The toy store has a full display of dress-up. Firemen suits. Fairy outfits with wings. Secret agent coats with spy sunglasses and mustaches. Dorothy dresses and red ruby slippers. Doctor coats. Knight armour. Capes, and hats. King Tut hats. Crowns. Toy Story hats. Jester hats. Princess crowns. Thanksgiving turkey hats. Witch hats. And […]
What is Your Definition of Tons?
Now that school is back in session, the energy in the toy store has shifted. Fewer people come through the door, and I can actually hear which songs are playing on the radio. During school hours, the wee ones who frequent the store are generally in strollers. And wearing diapers. Boxes arrive needing to be checked in, […]
Never Forget
Last year, while attending the water fires in Providence, RI, I happened upon the Wall Of Hope: a community response to September 11th. Set beneath the street, the area is decorated with hundreds of tiles, many created by children. Beyond the Wall of Hope, the canal was filled with people laughing, music blaring, and the scent of […]
Beverly the Moth
My day starts with the arrival of my four-year-old granddaughter. It is barely 7:00 a.m. She prances in, kicks her sandals off her feet (leaving them where they land–in front of our refrigerator), and stops cold. “Grandma . . . Grandma! Look at that little cute moth,” says Ava. Cradling a cup of coffee in my hands, I nearly trip […]
Searching for Butterflies
Whenever I work in my gardens, go for a walk, or play outside with my granddaughter, I look for butterflies to photograph. If a flicker of yellow or orange flits past me, I run for my camera, hoping. Have the butterflies arrived? Might one linger on top of a flower long enough for me to capture it in a photograph? What […]
The Stable
One of the things that I live for are those moments of surprise. Moments you don’t anticipate. Moments which take your breath away. For me, this week, it involved a stable. And a horse. And a bale of hay on which I sat on a warm day in Boise, Idaho. I have spent the last five weeks revising a […]
Inspire Children To Write
Yesterday, my four-year-old granddaughter asked me why I am always writing. “Grandma, why do you always do that?” “Because I love to write. And I am writing stories.” “Oh,” says Ava. She picks up my notebook and studies it. “I want to write stories too.” I turn on my computer. “Okay, Grandma will type it out […]