hugs across the universe™

The Writing Life

"Hatu" by my boy, age 6

I'm just finishing up the book dummy for book 2 today, which is actually the first book I wrote. I'll be making copies of it and pasting it up on bristol board in a picturebook format and then half of this endeavor will be done. It feels great to get it out of me but with the excitement also comes the fear, that soon this book will leave the nest and have to stand on it's own two feet without my help. I've done all I could to nurture it and fill it with emotion and love and hopefully skill and a dash of talent, and now it has to do the rest. Good luck, my baby. At least I can say that this is a book for all ages and something I would have gladly welcomed at any point on my journey. I guess that's why I felt it needed to be written and hopefully others will get something out of it too.

The writer's life can get a little weary though. I feel like I've been sequestered for days on end with not enough time in the sun. The writer's life means you have to go inside yourself and deeply. Picture all those writers who go off with their typewriters to cabins in the woods for months. I'm getting ready to come out of my cave--soon. Good news is I know for sure I'll make my deadline. March is still a month away and I can't believe I actually pulled this outta my hat, two of them at that!  I've come a long way since I first sat down at my desk full of procrastination and doubt and all the years I fiddled around with the concepts.

 I pulled out my old book dummy of Snowbear today and the copyright on it is 2001--when I wrote it. It finally came out in 2004. If these books get picked up, you probably won't see them until 2011, 2012. It's still a long road ahead. That's why you gotta love what you do. Only time will tell what is to become of all this.

The path of the hero

I've been spending some time watching "The Power of Myth" Dvds with Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyer. A refresher course for me. Good stuff.

And here we have a brake down of my favorite movie based on the mythic structure.

The magic of uncertainty

I can't help feeling like this is an auspicious moment for me at this juncture in time and for that, I am most grateful.

I feel there are two books inside me wanting to come out. The first one, which I wrote the manuscript for already, seems to be giving birth to a second one which is revealing itself to me day by day and is coming about by the drawings I've been doing daily and which I've been posting to this blog as of late.

I have a vague idea where the story is going but there is a lot of uncertainty about where I will end up when I get to the end....but I trust in this "new-to-me" process. The musical selections have a lot to do with my inspiration and I wish there was a way to preserve the audio portion for each post (TypePad, are U listening?). I hope it isn't too frustrating dealing with that because I consider the audio portions of my blog as important as the rest of it.

If I've learned one thing in all my years, I've realized I have an amazing intuitive ability--I trust in the power of my own heart to show me the way. I've come to realize that these two books are in fact, companion books and I would love to see them end up in a slip-cased edition. One is a concept book, and the other is a narrative. How's that for ambitious?!!!
Crazy old me.

Will the book(s) fly? If so, WOW! What a future to behold! All these printed words now will stand even taller in "the making of... where did you get the idea from?"... printed on the jacket flap. And if it doesn't fly, then it's all just me exercising my pencil, getting something out of my system; all for my own good and part of the legacy I leave my son. I can't lose.

But I have to say these books are different from anything I have ever done before both in content and my creative process. I feel they are already there inside me, waiting to be discovered. And the music, oh, the music! That is the new me that has developed along the way. You see, I once spoke about a theory I have about loved ones gone--they live on literally in some way in the ones who loved them. I took up sewing when my mother died--there's a part of her blended with me in some way. And now I realize Johnny's love for music has invaded my being, my blog, my whole world. And I am so inspired by it. These books are born of music, haunting melodies that stir me to create what I feel. These books feel like movies that play again and again in my mind and give me pause to ponder the magic of uncertainty and behold the wonder of it all. For it is in the not knowing that gives me a reason to do. I would love to animate the whole thing for sure.

I also realize that the birth of these books is an experience I will only have this once and for that reason I am also aware that this is a very special moment in time for me. For the discovery and creative process involved is quite meaningful and filled with many emotions.

I consider this creative time to be my Christmas present from the universe. If there was snow falling outside my window it would be just divine so I will imagine it to be just so.

snow-08-04
Originally uploaded by sewingstars

Write What you Know

Hmmmmm...I guess this book of mine is looking a bit autobiographical. Most books are though in one way or another--wouldn't you say?

I trust everyone had a great Turkey day. I had just finished serving the feast, consumed it with friends and family and promptly came down with a bad case of stomach flu about an hour after we finished eating. And it lasted for the remainder of the vacation. Lovely. At least I got to watch a ton of movies in bed. Fun. yeah. I do love my movies. Great storytelling. Unfortunately though, that left me without the ability to do my ornaments for the ornament swap hosted by Amy. Bugger. I must admit, however, after the Halloween and Birthday and Thanksgiving festivities I've done the past couple of months I am a bit worn out. We will see if I get into the Christmas spirit this year. I know...this is so unlike me.

Anyhow, I returned to good health just in time to feel an overwhelming urgency to get this book out of my system; so that's all I'm going to do for the next couple of months--get it ready for submission. My goal is by March. So much to do--it's such bits and pieces. It's easy to procrastinate about it too...but I'm trying not to--sometimes you just have to muddle through it--it's not like a bolt of lightning strikes with the whole idea mapped out for you. You have to just show up at your desk everyday and see what comes---and what comes of this idea or that idea. The doing leads to more inspiration and away you go. or not. Try not to get distracted...try not to think of failure--that just leads to more procrastination.

But I don't think I shared the news with my blog as of yet--my website is done!

 

Peng-Peng did a great job!! And this rehaul was a long time coming. Just the thing to get me back on track. And a perfect excuse to contact my editor and not only find out that she now has her own imprint(!) but she told me she was just going to get in touch with me as they decided Snowbear was going to be made into a paperback edition come next winter (this would be a different edition than the Scholastic Book Club edition--more mainstream).

I'll take that as a sign that it's time for me to come back.

;-)

The Write Way

So Today was the day....

I started my day early enough--got the kiddo ready for his first day of kindergarten--packed the lunch, made turkey bacon and eggs for breakfast, checked my email. I sold the mummy ornament yesterday and today was "mailing day" so I had to wrap up that package to take to the post office later. Then I got dressed, walked the dog, poured a cup of tea and made my own breakfast. Compiled a list of ingredients hidden in foods that are actually milk and emailed it to the school and then, yes, then, I was ready to sit at my desk. It was 12 noon already.

Cleared a space on my cluttered desk, sharpened my pencil, made another cup of tea. Actually, this wouldn't exactly be a first draft...

I've tossed this concept around in my head for the last few years, under many different incarnations--there are four mini book dummies sitting here. So I read them all over and tried to make some sense out of it all once more time.

And then I went to the library to get a book for research. I was thinking about two books I know in the same vein as the concept I might be using. They didn't have one of them so I had to order it through the library system. Should get here in a week. It's the same book I looked at when I came up with the first draft. Some things don't change I guess. The other book I have here at home. So I went in the kiddo's room to find it in his library--still there luckily--not in the garage waiting for the next garage sale. Good... I leafed through that for about two seconds and just started filling up the white legal pad--with words and pictures. Good, on my way! Didn't change a whole lot from some of the early drafts--just trying to take the best of all of them and string them together in some coherent way.

Fine. Enough of that.

I'm a visual person and a film type. Had to start making a dummy book so I could flip through the words to feel the rhythm of the book. Decided to go full size. I like the square format. I use Strathmore Drawing Paper--medium weight--400 series. It's quite sturdy and can take a lot of erasures. Next I go to the computer and start typing up the text--finding the brakes for the pictures. Then I do a cut & paste job in the dummy book using removable tape so I can still fiddle with it. After I do that, I edit some more. Back into the computer--print out more text--finalizing it a bit more--making the font more the right size and choosing one that seems best for the story. And hey, I created my own cut-paper font, so I printed it out with that. Looking good.

And so it begins...

Not very surprising, is it?

Then it was about time to quit for a late lunch and head on over to the school to pick up the kiddo and go to the post office and the grocery store.

Tomorrow is another day to sit and fiddle with it.

I'm resting my bones today

Put this guy in my shoppe this morning--I finished him over the weekend even though he and his brother were started oh, let's see, I think it was about two years ago.

They are my first attempts at spun cotton figures through an instruction kit I bought over the internet by Paula Walton. She warned us that our first attempts would resemble mummies so I decided to just go with the flow and make mummies then! Of course, I would love to get back into this again. But I have to admit, lately I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by all my interests and am starting to think that I need to just focus on one thing and then allow myself the luxury of getting good at it. BUT I do have a lot of things that I started and are almost finished and so I'm feeling I need to finish them up first before I concentrate on this one craft. Hmmmm...I wonder how long this is all going to take?
;-P

Anyhow, today is my last day with the kiddo--and I'm kinda sad about it surprisingly. Tomorrow he officially starts kindergarten and I officially go back to my children's book career. This was always my plan when I got pregnant way back when---even though at times I meandered back and forth between trying to figure out if it was the right thing to do.

So tomorrow I sit at my desk with paper and pencil and I write. a new story. I begin and I remind myself the first draft is always horrible but a necessary step to get out of the way. One must simply put away all inhibitions and begin.

Oy. It's hard just thinking about it--so I won't. Today I just rest my bones and play Star Wars.

saying it with style

Typewriter Fever!

 In yesterday's mail, I got the pack of zines I ordered from etsy seller Niku--and I really liked the one on mailart. It brought back to mind my initial attraction a few years ago to carving rubber stamps which lead to artistamps and all that other good stuff--including my postage stamp collection from age six--and mostly how letters are a dying art that despairately needs to be revived. Niku talks about her vintage typewriter and how she typed up some of her zines on it and I've been thinking about that for weeks since my initial order! I've never seen a typewriter at any of the thrift stores around here in all my years and now I've got my brain telling me how badly it wants one on a daily basis. My birthday is coming up at the end of this month; and by golly I got to have one!!!

These two beauties are killing me from Mr.typewriter.com! And so is their asking price! I could write an awesome novel a la Hemmingway on one of these! Where's a royalty check when I need it?!

Anyhow, you know you have it bad when you just can't sleep. I tossed and turned all night with desire and wanting and my brain was thinking about all the things I want to type up and leave behind--my stories.

The idea of the zine is really appealing to me right now. There is so much one can do with the concept. It's possiblilities are endless. I've always thought I would write a memoir and this could be a nice way to do it--simple, DIY. Crazy, huh?

I've thought about all the kinds of zines one could make:

• artzines/mailart zines
• instructional zines/tutorials
• comic zines
• memoir/diary zines
• coloring book zines
• zine as a kit of some sort
• inspirational zines
• magazine/slice of life zine (various subjects all in one issue)
• Full-color zines
• black and white cheapies

And they come in all shapes, sizes and colors! Did I leave anything out? Makes me want to start one right this very minute! But not yet....not yet. I'll just add it to my "to-do" list.

The Thrill of a New Blank Book

I've been writing in a journal since I was thirteen. They have run the gamut from loose leaf pages collected in an envelope to paperback lined notebooks to hardbound sketchbooks--all shapes and sizes. Yesterday I finished one volume which always feels good because that means I get to start a new volume, a new chapter--and I'm all about starting new chapters.

It's part of the evolution process I love so much.

This one had an annoying sticker on it that would not come off cleanly so I glued on a Mary Blair illustration which makes it rather nice now. I haven't decorated the cover of my journal for a long time so it got me thinking about when I did and that was when I was persuing illustration like gangbusters so I couldn't help but contemplate that for a while. I also haven't written in such a large volume since then either. This one is 8 and 1/2 " by 11" and I prefer the small ones that fit in your hand discreetly. I always set an intention for each volume now when I give it a title and they pretty much come true by the last page--so I try and think very carefully about what that title and intention will be--it's a be careful what you wish for kind of thing.