Finding Something Friday on The Day of (Writing) Reckoning

I reckon it's about time for me to take those dreams and make something happen in 2011. But before I can get started on the new year's To Do list, I like to take a look back and see what I did right. And okay, what I did wrong, too. It's all about reckoning...the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Yikes. Let's start with the good. That always cheers me up...

In the Business sector, I ordered new business cards. Wheee! In fact, I ordered them twice. So, it's a good thing that I really like my new business cards. And I worked hard in marketing, doing that whole social networking thing. Mostly, I figured out Twitter. I'm going to count that as good, too.

Under the Education goals, I wanted to get back to reading, specifically catching up with the hottest YA out there. I read 52 books (if you count the 6 picture books and 4 early chapter books)! Still, I know all about The Hunger Games trilogy and believe me, that's a very good thing.

Organization-wise, I kept my submissions and finances up-to-date every month. The Beneficent Mr. Hall, otherwise known as the Tax Man, was mightily impressed with my good bookkeeping.

As for my Writing, I achieved a 50% rate of acceptance in the Non-fiction department. That's good, right?

But I only sold (or placed in a contest) about 30% of the fiction I wrote. The moral of that story (to use a writer pun) is that non-fiction is easier to sell than fiction. Or I write better essays than short stories. Um, I'm going to go with the former premise.

Anyway, from a Writing viewpoint, nothing really bad popped out. Unless you count that stinky story I wrote waaaay back in January. Which I'm not.

But I had an Education goal to read at least one of my writing books per month. Honestly, I have a bookshelf full. In January, I read the The 2010 Children's Writers and Illustrators Market. In February, I skimmed a few Writer's Digests from 2007. So, that was pretty bad.

And in my Business goals, I determined that I should update my website quarterly. And I should. But I didn't get around to any updating till December. Pfffft. That was bad, too.

Moving on to Organization...I don't even want to tell you how many times I remembered to back up my files on the little flash drive thingie. (Okay, I remembered once. I'm like that little girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead. When I'm bad, I'm horrid. But I did email my manuscript to myself everytime I made major revisions, so I have an inbox of almost 52 emails marked: Pen Pal, Final. Or Pen Pal, Final, FINAL. Or Pen Pal, FINAL. Part IV.)

And now, you're probably wondering about the ugly side of 2010. I had a few goals relating to the effects of the writing life and the need for lifestyle changes in exercise and diet in order to reverse or at least ameliorate said effects.

Hmmmm. I reckon I'll just keep those notes to myself.

(P.S. Did you achieve your goals for 2010? Before making your 2011 goals, why not take a few minutes to review the past year? Pat yourself on the back for what you accomplished, and consider whether that goal you didn't accomplish is really that important to achieving your writing dreams. Then make a new To Do list and get started on your 2011 dream. And may your year be all good!)

What Not To Do Wednesday on Dreams

The chance of celebrating a white Christmas in Georgia is about as good as...well, a snowball's chance you-know-where. But lo! Late Christmas afternoon, snow fell upon my sweet, Southern homeland. A holiday dream come true!

Which brings me to that time of year, grasshopper, when the old year is taking its last gasps and the smell of the brand-spanking New Year is in the air. It's when I'm sitting in my favorite, over-stuffed chair, the Christmas tree leaning a little to the right, peppermint pieces stuck in the carpet, that I take to pondering dreams.

Sure, some folks call 'em "resolutions." Others might even call 'em "goals." But I like to ponder dreams. Dreams of getting a contract for that book I've been writing all year long. Dreams of making enough income from my writing to come out in the plus column. Dreams of hearing the words "Newbery Award" and Cathy C. Hall in the same sentence.

I mean, what's the use of dreaming if you can't dream big? Of course, I don't just ponder and dream. I make lists of Things To Do to get my big-time dreams on track. Still, pondering, dreaming, and making lists is not going to get you far along the track. Don't quit there, grasshopper. Follow through and do the important stuff. Write. Read. Write. Revise. Write. Rewrite. Day by day, month in, month out. January till December.

Because dreams can come true, grasshopper. I've got the pictures to prove it.

And Heaven and Nature Sing!

Can you believe my backyard hawk let me get this close? I've seen him high in the sky, circling above the pines in the late afternoons, the screee-screee of his cry echoing around me.

But yesterday, he swooped down into my yard and I grabbed my camera and headed outside. Whoosh! He soared across the grass and landed on my fence. And there he perched, in his all his glory while I clicked away. I turned to find a spot on better footing. When I looked back to the fence, my hawk was gone. I hadn't heard so much as a flutter.

What a majestic creature! Inside again, I remembered Sigrid Undset's powerful Christmas message and wanted to share it with you.

"And when we give each other Christmas presents in His name, let us remember that he has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, the earth with all its forests and mountains and oceans--and all that lives and moves upon them. He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms and bears fruit--and all that we quarrel about and all that we have misused--and to save us from our own foolishness, from all our sins He came down to earth and gave us Himself."

Finding Something Friday: A Christmas Play!

Wheee! I found a BIG surprise in my mailbox!



Okay, not technically big. Puppet Plays for Libraries is a slim little gem. But in spirit, it was HUGE.



You see, it's been over a year since I was paid for my play, "Oh, Dear! Oh, Deer!" I hadn't heard a word from the editor in ages. And I'd just about decided that this worthy project was a no-go.



But, wheee! I opened the envelope this month to find my swell book! And as it happens, my play has a Christmas tie-in, what with Santa Claus making an appearance. But it's mostly a funny, mix-up kind of play explaining the concept of homonyms to little kidlets.



When I saw this call out for plays to be included in a book for use by libraries, I wasn't sure I could manage an entire play. But I thought it would be fun to try. Plus, you know how I love libraries (and that goes for those puppet plays,too!). And you know what? I found that play-writing tapped into my favorite aspect in story-telling: dialogue.



You can find a sample of the book here. And you can find out more about the program and the librarians who came out with this idea (plus how to order Puppet Plays for Libraries) here.



Oh, and I also found myself in Bethlehem today. But if you want to know more about that trip, you'll have to go see Cathy-on-a-Stick for her tasteful take on the day.



Yes, tasteful. It's Bethlehem, y'all. (Okay, it's mostly tasteful.)

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch Virus

You know how I feel about my laptop computer, right? No offense to the desktop computer (who's listening as I type away here) but my precious is so zippy fast! And so easy to take along, no matter where I roam. And did I mention fast?

But thanks to the latest virus (imagine me saying that with a snarl), I am laptopless at the moment. I'm so distraught that I'm even making up words like laptopless. And what really frosted me was finding out that my old reliable desktop computer (with a veritable treasure chest of anti-virus jewels on it) is just as susceptible to this virus. Why, you may ask?

Because it takes awhile for anti-virus software to catch up with new viruses. So, I'm a little nervous here. But I wanted to pass along a tip that may save you BIG bucks.

According to The Computer Guy, this virus (called System Tool) is in advertising on popular sites, like social networking spots and video-sharing hangouts because these sites carry heavy advertising. You don't have to necessarily click on an ad (I didn't); if your mouse rolls over one, the virus can get in. Keep your mouse in the center of the page.

On a related note, remember to back up your files on a regular basis. Fortunately, I found the article I needed to work on in an email. But that novel I'd started in November, with 7 or 8 chapters completed? Hadn't got around to saving that yet. So I had to pay the premium price to debug my precious, the price that would keep my files intact.

On another related note, guess what the Beneficent Mr. Hall is giving me for Christmas?

Finding Something...er, Saturday on All I Want for Christmas

Well, this is embarrassing. I just talked about the virtue of taking care of business in a timely manner; that is, not putting off tomorrow what you can do today. And here I am, opining on Saturday what I should have opined yesterday, on Finding Something Friday.

So pretend this is Friday and I'll feel better. I'll also feel ever so much better if Santa brings me a sparkly writer's conference for Christmas!

I had a little note yesterday from the Highlights folks about their writers workshops for 2011-you can read all about the workshops here. I've always wanted to go to Chautauqua and soak in all that writerly wisdom. Maybe I'll put one of those workshops on my wish list.

Or I could give Santa Baby a choice and add Springmingle, the SCBWI Southern Breeze conference in February. Honestly, there are so many sweet conferences out there, my list is getting longer and longer.

Maybe you'd like to give Santa a few conference choices, too. You can check out Shaw Guides for a complete listing of wonderful writer's conferences. And then you can dream of a Write Christmas, too!

What Not To Do on Putting off Till Tomorrow...and Tomorrow...and Tomorrow

MACBETH:

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,


Oh, my little grasshopper, you would think after a few years in the writing business, I'd run out of What Not To Do's. And yet, I still manage my fair share of blunders, mishaps, boo-boos and abject failures.

I'm not sure where procrastination falls in that list. It seems more than a boo-boo, but perhaps not quite as bad as abject failure. I mean, putting off blog and website maintenance won't cause the fall of the Cathy C. Hall writing empire. Or will it?

What if an editor wandered in and found links that were no longer active? Out-of-date clips? Or headings that made no sense because a certain writer started making changes then got sidetracked? Would that editor think a. Cathy C. Hall is terribly busy? Or b. Cathy C. Hall is terribly lazy?

And when I think that I've had a note on my bulletin board since MARCH, reminding me to stay on top of website and blog maintenance, I have to accept that what was just a boo-boo in May is kinda ridiculously HUGE in December. Which is why I've finally fixed a few things around the old Hall of Fame. Actually, if I'm being perfectly honest, it's a work in progress. But at least I'm progressing.

So, don't put off till tomorrow...and tomorrow...and tomorrow what you can do in May. And then again in August, and again in December. Update your clips, check links, and stay on top of your writing career. You want folks to notice your brilliance-not your boo-boos.

Pretty Paper (And Good Reads)

You know what happens when you write a blog post while listening to holiday music? Your blog posts have titles oddly reminescent of Christmas songs. Fortunately, I'm a scathingly brilliant writer so I can tie in those songs to what I want to share.

I just wrote a post (on my other blog) about the best children's books from 2010. You can take a peek right here if you want a few good children's reads. But that started me thinking about favorite holiday reads. I can name a ton of children's books I love...How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Polar Express, and A Cajun Christmas come to mind first because the Junior Halls loved those boooks. And I loved reading them. Though I still get choked up, trying to get through The Polar Express. Seriously. I can get a little ferklampt watching The Grinch, too. Probably because that silly cartoon takes me back to my childhood, sitting in front of an old black and white TV, singing along (the wrong words, of course) when all the Whos join hands to celebrate Christmas.

I love that short story, The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. And there's a few novels, though slender, that I'll read almost every December: Story of the Other Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke and Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol. Oh! And who doesn't smile when reading the editor's response to Virginia O'Hanlon's question: Is there a Santa Claus? You can read what newsman Francis Pharcellus Church wrote here. And one of my favorite Christmas poems is called "In the Bleak Midwinter" by Christina Rossetti. You'll recognize the last stanza, when you see the line, "What can I give him, poor as I am?"

And now, I know just what I want from you this Christmas! What's your favorite holiday read? Children's or adult, novel, short story, or poem...it doesn't matter. And you know what else? You don't even have to wrap it in pretty paper. Just leave a pretty, little comment.

(You were starting to wonder how I'd tie that song title in, weren't you? Seriously? I was, too.)

The ONLY Time I Listen to Music While Working

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Fill the air with the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and cough drops! Clutter the house with yule knick-knacks, holly, ribbons and red noses! Listen to the carols and choirs, and the neighbors complaining about the caroling choirs in the street!

Ah, December. Who can work in the midst of all that wonderfulness? But if you can, here's a holiday writing opportunity for you:

The Spinetinglers Christmas Ghost Story Competition is accepting your creepy, spooky yule tales until midnight, December 18th. You can snag a bit of Fame and Fortune from the Brits, who for reasons only they can explain, love ghost stories at Christmas! Check out the details here for this no-entry fee contest!

And here's a wonderful opportunity for you to start the season of giving with a gift that will help a fellow writer:

It's the Season of Love and Hope Auction to benefit Bridget Zinn, who's working hard to kick cancer. Tons of writers and friends have donated books, critiques, and other gifts to raise money for this young, YA author. Why not make a bid and make her day shine a little brighter? But hurry! The auction closes on December 4th!

I'm off to the auction myself, just as soon as I finish belting out "Love on Layaway." I don't want to brag, but it's kinda hard to tell the difference. Is it me or Gloria Estefan singing?