Saturday, May 18, I’m at the Chippewa Falls Public Library (11:00am). We’re going to talk about Malcolm and writing and books, then make these fun bookmarks. Stop by!

>>>Click here for a corner bookmark template from Beauty and the Sweets blog

School Library Journal says, “…The tension and plot twists are captured in the well-paced, expressive reading. Malcolm’s dilemma and identity crisis are neatly imbedded throughout without becoming didactic, making this often exciting, always engaging saga appeal to broad audiences.”

And Booklist says, “…[Charlotte] Parry skillfully helps listeners keep track of the numerous critters. Her reading keeps the narrative moving at a brisk pace, yet she allows time for pertinent details and amusing rodent-eye perspectives to sink in. A fun animal fantasy.” (Full review here.)

Listen to a snippet of the book here. (Thanks for doing a great job, Charlotte Parry!)

Recently my friend Google Alerts notified me that the Arbor Vitae-Woodruff Education Foundation is doing a penny drive to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the penny drive they did to build beloved pioneering Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb a hospital. This time around the pennies (and nickels, and bills, and checks) are going to fund college scholarships and educational opportunities for local students.

Dr. Kate: Angel on Snowshoes

I first came across Dr. Kate’s story almost 10 years ago. Not only was she a doctor in a time when women were not encouraged to go to medical school, but she was the only doctor in her part of northern Wisconsin, often trekking out to patients on skis or snowshoes. She was so beloved that when she wished for a hospital, the kids of her community set out to raise the fund for her by collecting pennies. They were successful beyond anyone’s dreams. Since that time, I’ve been lucky enough to share her story with kids in a book for the Wisconsin State Historical Society’s Badger Biography series.

Watch a little more about Dr. Kate’s story in this video the school did below. And read more about the current penny drive here. Consider donating, too. Every penny counts!

Download a donation form and mail it to:

AVWEF
PO Box 2261
Woodruff, WI 54568

(or you can go here to donate by credit card)

Our northwestern group of the SCBWI Wisconsin (or anyone else interested in writing for kids) is meeting next Saturday, April 27 for a discussion about writing non-fiction for children and young adults.

Helen Swanson will talk about writing non-fiction for preschoolers, Joanne Linden will talk about her poetry/non-fiction nature book for children, Becky Wojahn (that’s me!) will talk about her award winning non-fiction books, and Eva Apelqvist will talk about her non-fiction books for Enslow and Scarecrow. Each of the speakers will bring topics they feel are the most interesting to them, but participants are of course welcome to bring questions and comment. As usual for our northern group, this is a very informal gathering.

And for those who would like to stay for lunch, 12-1, we will then discuss future plans – we have at least three great ideas for future meetings in the works, including the picture book workshop you have been promised, and would love some input and new ideas.

Down to Earth’s Garden Center, 10-12! Hope to see you there!

I’m polishing up my presentation for the Fox Cities Book Festival next weekend. Tons of fun authors and great books; I’m up at 11:30 Saturday at the Little Chute Public Library. Stop by, it’s all free! http://www.foxcitiesbookfestival.org/

The question flummoxes me a little because I don’t have a good answer. Truthfully, most days, I’m frustrated with my lack of writing time. I don’t feel like I do a good job of it. I am an incredibly S L O W writer. But people don’t want to hear that. They want to hear about a magic formula to increase word count or some nifty trick to sleeping less—or maybe even that I’m making ridiculous sacrifices they would never, ever consider: “Well, I buy my kids disposable clothes.” Or, “We only eat drive-through, except on third Sundays.”

But if I’m being kinder to myself, I actually DO write. I have published books, so there is physical proof of it, even if it feels like I don’t. Yes, I wish I could write faster and more efficiently. But I am writing. And I do–somehow–make time for it.

Here are my secrets to writing in the midst of busy-ness.

I find the time because I like it.

I haven’t watched a Packer game since they won the Superbowl. (This is probably actually considered a ridiculous sacrifice for most Wisconsinites.)

One of the best things about having a “day” job, is that I don’t HAVE to write. I have a steady income. I have insurance. I have a retirement fund. Any writing that I do is purely because I WANT to do it. Sometimes I tell myself, “Don’t feel like writing? Then don’t. Quit.” But I always come back to it. I enjoy writing. Others shop or watch the Packers or scrapbook or bake in their spare time. I write.

I don’t have a writing time or place.

If I waited for “writing time,” it would never happen. I have to constantly be on the offense and aggressive about compiling bits and pieces of time to write. Get up a half hour early. Write for 15 minutes during lunch. Write while the pasta boils. Be the anti-social parent who writes in the car while waiting for baseball practice to be over. If you do this regularly enough, eventually, there is something long and book-like.

I write, even when I don’t want to.

Lest you think it’s all hearts and daisies…yes, there are some days I don’t want to write. Many, many, MANY days–when I’m tired, grumpy, and lazy. And on those days…I make myself write. Because that’s what writers do. On those tired, grumpy, lazy days, I ask myself, “Do you want to be a writer? Or do you want to watch Dancing with the Stars?”

I embrace the low-tech.

This stupid AlphaSmart has eliminated most of my excuses—my laptop is running updates, my hand hurts when I write long-hand, we’re camping/there’s no electricity, I just need to respond to this Facebook post really quick—for not writing in the little spaces of my day.

There’s a lot of discussion about what online presence sells books best. I cling to the train of thought that writing another book is the best use of my time. I cling to it because it’s the only option I have. There’s not time to do it all. So I’ve let go the blogging, the tweeting, the Tumbling, the Facebooking. I’m on those places, but I’m not a Voice. Or a Platform.

I also have some really old technology in my arsenal: an AlphaSmart. We had these back in the day when I first started teaching. You can only type on the thing. There’s no clicking. No web surfing. No formatting. No word count checking. You type, then you plug it into your computer, hit “send,” and your words spill out into Word or Scrivener or wherever you designate.

It’s ugly. I get funny looks. But it’s lightweight, take less than a second to boot up, is virtually indestructible, the batteries last eons (maybe literally; I’m on my second year with the same AA’s!), and there’s NO INTERNET.

I have a secret weapon.

Here’s where my tips may become less helpful to you. Because you might not have access this secret weapon. And if you don’t, well, most of my list is a lot harder to do.

What is it? I have a family—a large, extended family—that supports my writing like crazy.
Like CRAZY.

My birthday presents consist of things like new slippers (a writer’s “uniform”), gift cards to coffee shops, and starter funds for housecleaners. My family talks up my books everywhere they go. They attend my book events, even when they’ve heard the speech seventeen times. They keep the laundry and the errands and the meals flowing when I have a deadline or go away to events they can’t attend. They listen–without rolling their eyes–as I debate things like, what kind of injuries would a rabbit get, falling out of a clock tower?

Over and over again, they give me their time and encouragement to keep writing. It’s huge. If you have people like this backing you up, well, it makes every “secret” listed above a lot easier to do.

So, yes, there is not a lot of time to write while working full-time at another job and parenting two busy kids, but it can happen. It DOES happen, word by word, day by day…if you decide you want it to.

And you can even do it without magic formulas, nifty tricks, or having your kids eating drive-through every night.

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This post can also be found over on Sleuths, Spies, and Alibis.