Category: Creativity (Page 18 of 19)

June #InkRipples: Must-Watch Movie List

June 6, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

There are certain movies that when I’m flipping through the channels and happen upon them, I just have to watch (at least for a few minutes). They’re not in any certain genre; some of them are award winners; others of them are, well, not. I’m not an old-movie buff, so they’re all from my lifetime.

Some of them are just good movies. You know the kind, the ones that make you feel something deep in your soul. Others remind me of a certain time in my life, a movie time capsule of sorts. They make me laugh or cry, or both! I like to call them my personal classics. Here they are in no particular order:

The Shawshank Redemption
Clueless
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
The Little Mermaid
You’ve Got Mail
The Matrix (only the first one!)
Dazed and Confused
A Few Good Men
The Harry Potter movies (even though the books are so much better!)
Aladdin
Billy Madison
American Beauty
The Hunger Games movies (see above about the books being better!)
Superbad
The Princess Bride
Bring It On

What movies would be on your list?

#InkRipples is a monthly meme created by Katie L. Carroll, Mary Waibel, and Kai Strand. We pick a topic (June is all about movies), drop a ripple in the inkwell (i.e. write about it on our blogs), and see where the conversation goes. Be sure to check out Kai’s and Mary’s posts this month. We’d love to have you join in the conversation on your own blogs or on your social media page. Full details and each month’s topic can be found on my #InkRipples page.

New England SCBWI 2016 Conference Words of Wisdom for Writing and Life

May 11, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

Sneaking in some writing time before the conference started. #amwriting #selfie

A week and a half later and I feel like I’m still catching up after the New England SCBWI Conference. I’m a little behind on my novel writing goals and I have a few deadlines for other projects creeping up, but the momentum of the writing conference usually keeps me going and focused on my writing goals for months.

One of my favorite things about writing conferences is catching up with old writing friends and meeting new ones. My roommate and I stayed up way too late chatting about writing and family and stuff. I almost literally bumped into a friend I met–well it has to be ten years ago now–at one of the many Poconos conferences I attended, and it was awesome to catch up with her. I squeezed in some writing time on Friday before my first workshop, I gathered with both old and new friends for dinner Saturday night, and I happened to wake up early and couldn’t fall back to sleep on Sunday morning, so I went for a run at the hotel fitness center. It all went by too fast, and I was so exhausted by the time I got home Sunday evening.

To keep the inspiration fresh I like to go through my notes from the conference (something I’ve been meaning to do with past conferences as well). So here are just a few of the words of wisdom I came across during the weekend (note that I don’t use quotation marks because these aren’t necessarily direct quotes, though I do my best to keep them as close as possible to what the speakers actually said and the sentiments are accurate):

Marketing is about choices. Choosing to do the things you enjoy and the things you do well. ~Lynda Mullaly Hunt
The most powerful marketing tool is to write a helluva book. ~Lynda Mullaly Hunt
People are grateful on the inside, but it’s important to be thankful on the outside. ~Lynda Mullaly Hunt
This that matter the most in your marketing are also what matter the most in writing: what is uniquely yours and your book, things you care about, and economy & quality. ~Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Kids need to see and identify the characters of book in themselves. ~Zaneta Jung (Assistant Editor, Sterling Publishing)
I prefer the term quality assurance [instead of gatekeeper]. As much as I love art and I love authors and I love books, I think of the quote in Ratatouille from the food critic, “I don’t like food; I LOVE it. If I don’t love it, I don’t swallow.” ~ (Editorial Director, Jolly Fish Press)

If you aren’t working on and submitting at least seven things a year, then what the hell are you doing? ~Jane Yolen
Never neglect and forget your heart books. These are the books the rest of us need to read. ~Jane Yolen
Where does the character story start? Start on the day that’s different. ~Wendy Mass
We totally get a do-over when we wake up every morning. ~Wendy Mass
If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we keep getting what we’ve already got. ~Wendy Mass

How did we all end up in this room together? All these details of your journey of how you go there, that’s your best asset as a writer. ~Patrick Carman
When you collaborate, don’t think “What am I going to get out of this?” but think “How can I help make this person’s dream come true?” Collaborating is bigger than networking. ~Patrick Carman
Intuition and inspiration can only happen in the moment. ~Kathleen Rushall (Agent, Andrea Brown Literary Agency)
Your dream agent is the one who adores the hell out of your work. ~Jess Keating
Unused creativity is not benign. If it’s not being put to use or being fulfilled, it leads to anxiety. (I failed to mark in my notes whether it was Kathleen Rushall or Jess Keating, who presented this workshop together.)
Do a $50 job likes it’s a $500 job, and then you’ll start getting $500 jobs. ~Jarrett J. Krosoczka
I’m being invited into a kid’s imagination and that is a privilege and a hallowed space to occupy. ~Jarrett J. Krosoczka
I had my sketch book, and I was bored. And that is a wonderful thing to do. ~Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Your best achievement is just around the corner. ~Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Dialogue is not about translating real-life situations; it’s about giving your best impression of it. ~Linda Camacho (Agent, Prospect Agency)
It is so easy to get lost in your own world. You’re falling in love, and that’s great, but sometimes you have to rein it in. ~Linda Camacho (Agent, Prospect Agency)
Likeability is boring to strive for. It’s okay for characters to have positive characteristics, but they should make mistakes. You want them to be imperfect; it makes them “human.” ~Rebecca Podos (Agent, Rees Literary Agency)
Writing books you are passionate about makes it easy for kids to fall in love with your books. ~Colby Sharp
Graphic novels are complex forms of texts, and no kid should ever be stopped from reading that. ~Susannah Richards
Being a mommy doesn’t mean you can’t be a real artist. ~Amitha Knight

New England SCBWI Past Conference Gems

April 20, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

Whenever I’m preparing to head off to a writing conference, I always find it fun and inspirational to look back on past conferences. I’m in kind of a discouraged state of mind about my writing. I’m waiting on one thing, I pulled another out of publication, and I have no major projects scheduled to be published right now. I’m trying not to focus on all the negatives in my writing career and instead plug away at my WIP, but I’ve got to admit I’ve been feeling a little low.

But I’m off to the 2016 New England SCBWI conference a week from Friday. I’m heading up early to get in some writing time before the conference starts that afternoon, and then I’ll be attending workshops, keynotes, and panels all weekend. And catching up with old writing buddies and hopefully meeting some new ones. Anyone else attending? Make sure to say “hi” if our paths cross. To keep us all inspired here are my conference gems from 2013 and 2015 NESCBWI conferences.

From 2013:

We should meet the world with all our senses. ~Jeannine Atkins
What’s outside in the setting can reflect what’s going on in the inside of a character, but it can also be in contrast to what’s being felt. ~Jeannine Atkins
How do we access that which we are trying to recreate when we’re sitting at our desks or computers? Sometimes we need a sensory kick in the pants. ~Dawn Metcalf
We work with art and it can evoke an objective response. ~Ruben Pfeffer
It was as if someone else’s words had opened up a whole host of words in me. ~Sharon Creech
As writers we want company; we need company. You come along too, please. ~Sharon Creech
Revision is finding and strengthening the heart of a story, and revision is messier than people want it to be. ~Kate Messner
Maybe I had to stop trying to prove to people I was good enough and just had to do the work I was passionate about. ~Grace Lin
Every story has a message, whether or not the writer was aware of it or intended it. ~Chris Eboch
I come to one little detail that sort of wakes up my mind and then start amassing details like constellations. ~Jeannine Atkins
Writers are somewhat schizophrenic; we hear voices in our heads; we listen instead of conversing. ~Padma Venkatraman
Go down the rabbit hole. ~Greg Fishbone

From 2015 (Wow! There are a lot here, but well worth the read.):

If I like something, I will Internet stalk you. ~Carter Hasegawa
Don’t be crazy on the interwebs. ~Jill Corcoran
Things take a long time because they take a long time. ~Jennifer Laughran
Often what I don’t think I’m looking for is what I fall in love with. ~Alison Weiss
I was led to believe that social media was key to making you great. There are things that can work, but it has to be what works for you. ~Carter Hasegawa
You are my tribe. ~Jane Yolen
Books make the world a little smaller for people to reach out to each other. ~Jane Yolen
Protect yourself so that there’s room to create. ~Carter Hasegawa
Taking a chance, isn’t that what all of us do when we send out a manuscript? ~Stephen Mooser
Taste–the one word to leave this conference with. ~Dan Santat
“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit…” Ira Glass quote referenced by Dan Santat (See the full quote on Goodreads.)
Don’t be biased or censor yourself in what you like and read and how you form your taste. ~Dan Santat
Be aware of your tastes and interests. This is your voice. Your voice is you writing on a piece of paper uncensored. ~Dan Santat
Trust yourself; know that you have something inside of you. Trust that what you have to say has value. ~Dan Santat
The hardest part of finding your style is trusting your own instincts. ~Dan Santat
My skin needs to be thin because I don’t want to protect myself from feeling things. ~Deborah Freedman
I’m just a guy who writes poetry. I’m just a dude. This is not happening (on winning the Newbery). ~Kwame Alexander
You never expect to win, but somewhere in the deep crevices of your mind, you’re always hopeful. ~Kwame Alexander
The answer is always yes! If I say yes and walk through the door, I will figure it out. ~Kwame Alexander
I believe we have to get the nos out of the way to get our yes. ~Kwame Alexander
Everyone has a story. It’s the reason why everyone acts the way they do. I saw my world differently and I was different (after reading THE CHOCOLATE WAR by Robert Cormier). ~Jo Knowles
The more I read, the bigger my world became. ~Jo Knowles
Even if I was afraid to use my voice out loud that didn’t mean I didn’t have one. ~Jo Knowles
Kids understand love…hate and discrimination are what they learn from adults. ~Jo Knowles
The moment we open a book and start reading, we change. ~Jo Knowles
Your book does not belong in a box. Allow yourselves to find the truth and tell it. Open the box and tear down the sides. ~Jo Knowles
People think diversity is a fad and that’s really offensive. I’ll still be brown tomorrow. ~Justina Ireland
Authenticity is hard. Once a book is with a reader, it may not feel authentic to them. Make something that is authentic to you and make it universal. Make things that feel real. ~Grace Lin
Build from an emotional core and that is what is authentic. ~Dhonielle Clayton
Even in a family that is entirely Hispanic, each one of them is different. You still have a lot of work to do to make it real, even if you have a diverse background. ~Cindy L. Rodriguez
Every kid wants to be the hero. ~Sona Charaipotra
Be brutal with your work, but kind to yourself. ~Katie L. Carroll
Write with your heart and soul, but revise with your head. ~Katie L. Carroll
There’s no silver bullet to making your manuscript better. You have to put in the hard work. ~Katie L. Carroll
Go beyond the Cinderella story when searching for inspiration. Think and read outside your comfort zone, and find what resonates with you by mining your own mind and heart. ~Katie L. Carroll

School Visits, a Book Launch, and Dr. Seuss’s Birthday!

March 2, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

What better day than Dr. Seuss’s birthday than to celebrate how I’ve been living a creative life? And though I haven’t been writing in the drafting-a-new-book sense (my favorite kind of writing), I’ve been immersing myself in the creative life in other ways.

The reign of school visits ended last week. In less than three weeks, I taught eight writing workshops to more than 200 students, ranging from grades 4 to 7. This particular workshop is about where story ideas come from and includes a guided writing/thought exercise where the kids come up with their own story ideas. They never cease to amaze me with their thoughtfulness and creativity. The workshop is about inspiring kids, but I always come out inspired by them!

After one session, a 6th-grade girl walked down the hallway with me and shared a poem she had written about herself. It was lyrical, had a great cadence, and optimistic, a beautiful portrayal of herself. After another, nearly the entire 4th-grade class lined up with their scraps of papers and waited in line for my autograph, totally making me feel like a celebrity. Connecting with young readers and writers is 20160302_132004 magical! Plus, talking with the librarians and teachers who teach these kids everyday is informative and inspiring.

Monday the Connecticut Humanities and the authors and illustrators of THE GREAT CONNECTICUT CAPER celebrated the hardcover and audio release of the book at a local library. It’s always fun to catch up with my Caper collaborators. I haven’t listened to the whole audio version yet, but what I did listen to was brilliantly narrated (listen to the Caper audiobook here).

Of course, I’ve been reading a lot. In particular, I’ve been stepping out of my comfort zone of YA and reading adult books and non-fictions. And always, always, always reading to the boys. Last week I squeezed in visiting The Boy’s pre-school class for World Read Aloud Day. I’ll leave you with some of our favorite Seuss books.

February Writing Life Update

February 10, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

February has historically been my least favorite month. It’s a low part of the year for me for some reason that I’ve never been able to adequately pinpoint. I think the weather is part of it. Here in southern New England, the days are short and cold and spring feels a long way off. (Although we did have a nice stretch of warmish weather last week.)

This year I think I’m going to be too busy for the late-winter blahs. In addition to reading a lot, I’m deep in querying mode for one project; looking forward to carving out some writing time for a new project that has yet to move out of the “rumination stage,” as I like to call it; and excited (and nervous!) to have a bunch of school visits booked up for the second half of the month. (Not to mention hanging out with the boys!)

The nerves are because I’m feeling a little rusty as I haven’t done any youth writing workshops since last June, and because some of the upcoming workshops are for students that are a little younger than I’ve worked with before, and because it’s a lot of visits in a short amount of time. But I love working with the students, so I know once I practice a few more times and get going with the first one, I’ll be fine.

It’s the change of mentality I think that’s tripping me up. I spent a good deal of the second half of 2015 in writing and then revision mode (very internal acts), so it’s required a brain shift to move into the more external acts of querying and workshop teaching. Both are important parts of my creative life, but as I get older, I feel like the transition from one to the other has gotten harder.

One of these school visits I’ll remember to have someone take a few pictures of me teaching a writing workshop so I can share it here. What’s in store for all of you this month and the rest of winter?