What's happening?

It appears that I haven't been regular in my postings.  I've missed a few months.  So I'm going to use this time to tell you what I've been up to.  It's been a busy season for me.

www.welcometoybr.blogspot.com

I've been involved with 2 wonderful critique groups.  The first being TheYellow Brick Road and the other, a newly established critique group, not yet named.  I've been given a lot to work with between the two groups.  Much of my time is spent giving feedback and revising my own stories.  I have four picture book manuscripts I am actively working on in preparation for submission.



I have also been working on an article for the last year, which I finally sent in the mail.  It took a while to write, because it's not easy writing nonfiction in under 500 words.  I wanted to make sure I had all the important points in the article and verify the accuracy of the information.  The most difficult part was gathering references.  There are not too many books on my subject.  I had to fly to Hawaii to gather a lot of my information.  It's a tough job, but someone had to do it.

I am also taking an online intensive picture book writing class by Anastasia Suen.  I'm learning a lot about the basic elements of a picture book- its hook, theme, arc, beats, storyboard, ideas, organization, voice, etc.  Anastasia also got me reading 5 books a week.  But I'm actually reading stacks of picture books a day. So much of my time is spent at bookstores and at libraries.  I have a short list of favorites I started to compile.  Here's a list if you're interested in my favorites.

You've heard of the term, "starving artist."  Well, writers are included in that category.  So to keep my tummy full, I do keep my full time job as a dental hygienist.  I also need my job to support my kids' habits- sports.  My two young boys keep me busy with their activities.  It's basketball, baseball, soccer, karate, swimming, and track.  My youngest just told me he also wanted to take up tennis.  I just about fainted.

So between writing, reading, classes, a full-time job, and family activities, I've got my hands full.  But it's all about time management.  When I'm doing something I love, I'll always make time for it.  It's like food.  Even if I'm full, there will always be room for dessert!