Category: Writing (Page 28 of 72)

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?

February #InkRipples: The Magic of Chocolate

February 1, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

#InkRipplesBlogBanner

Every month when it’s time to start thinking about the new #InkRipples topic, I say to myself, “You are not going to write about books,” and then I end up somehow connecting the topic back to books. And February’s topic of chocolate is no exception.

It’s not my fault. See writers are infamous for turning to chocolate in dark times (say when we’re working through a tough revision, or are facing chocolate-183543_1920 writer’s block, or are afraid to look at our inboxes because of an influx of rejections). It’s bound to turn up in our writing.

Whenever I think of chocolate in books, I think of J.K. Rowling’s masterful use of it in the Harry Potter series (really, is there anything that woman is not masterful at?!). There is no shortage of pieces written about chocolate in Harry Potter, from the Harry Potter Wiki page to the Pottermore website itself. In short, chocolate is used to used to ward off the depressive effects of Dementors. But it’s also used for fun, with the many magical confections Rowling invents for wizards (care for a Chocolate Frog, anyone?).

Chocolate is actually a pretty magical food, even for us muggles. Dark chocolate in particular acts as a mood booster, is an anti-inflammatory, is full of antioxidants, and is fiber-rich (see “10 Ways Giving In To That Chocolate Craving Can Benefit Your Health”).

I guess what I’m trying to say is please send me all the chocolate!

#InkRipplesblueandgreen #InkRipples is a monthly meme created by me, Mary Waibel, andKai Strand. We pick a topic (February is all about chocolate), 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. Full details and each month’s topic can be found on my #InkRipples page.

Time to Fill the Creative Well Again

January 18, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

I finished the big revision I had been working on and then made it through the holidays. Now I find myself on this side of the New Year with a need for a creative recharge. This isn’t the first time I’ve been here, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

The creative life can be draining when you’re constantly putting words, thoughts, and ideas out there, so I tend to go through periods where I’m in need of replenishment. I’ve written about the idea of a creative well (see the full post here) here on the Observation Desk before. Here’s a snippet:

The well is where ideas come from.

Some ideas are a tiny trickle dripping from the bucket. Others a deluge as the bottom of the bucket falls out, gushing water over my head.

I’m not the only one with access to the well. An intricate labyrinth of tunnels connects other writers, artist, dreamers, and musicians to the well. But it’s not only for artsy types. Mathematicians calculate numbers and equations there; astrophysicists explore the stars and galaxies; doctors find cures for disease.

The well connects us all.

I mistakenly think I write to make connections, take the thoughts and stories in my head and share them with readers, giving them thoughts and stories of their own. I actually write to explore the connections that already exist through the well.”

I feel like I’ve been putting a lot into the well lately. So it’s time for me sit quietly and soak up all the well has to offer. I’ve been reading a lot (something I didn’t do as much last year), watching TV (sure some programs are more mindless than others, but it does help to fill me up creatively), and paying attention to life and nature.

And thinking…lots and lots of thinking. Part of my writing process is to think about a new project for awhile before I dig into writing it. More than thinking about what I’m working on next, though, I’ve also been pondering my career as an author and where I’m headed next. Part of that depends on other people as I’m currently querying agents with a manuscript, but much of it is internal.

Speaking of querying, this part of being a writer is one of the hardest for me. It’s makes me feel intensely vulnerable, and I really, really, really hate feeling vulnerable. I’m in need of lots of tea and chocolate, and maybe some hugs!

Hopefully soon, I’ll have a better sense of this next book I plan on writing and I’ll be able to immerse myself in it, which helps to desensitize me to the querying process. A new project brings excitement, direction, and hope.

What have you all been up to lately?

What’s in a Year of Blogging?

January 1, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

Happy New Year! One of my favorite things about a new year on the blog is taking a look back at the old year. There are all kinds of analytics available with stats at the ready, which makes this post really easy to compose. So here are some of my favorite tidbits about the Observation Desk (did you know that was the name of my blog?!) in 2015:

Most Viewed Post – “No Matter How You Do The Math, Death Just Doesn’t Add Up”

This post about my late sister, Kylene, on what would have been her 30th birthday got more hits in a single day than I’ve had in entire months. It was a really special post, and it brings a smile to my face to know that so many people are interested in the beautiful person that was my sister. I wouldn’t have wanted any other post to garner so much attention.

The Great CT Caper was a really big part of my 2015 and I hosted many of the authors and illustrators involved in the project, so it’s fitting that one of those guest posts made it to the top. The Japanese Wedding post was actually from 2014, but it proved to stand the test of time with a lot of hits in 2015. I’m cutting back on guest posts for 2016, so it will be interesting to see how this category pans out in the next year. (With that being said, I’m not eliminating guest posts, so if you are interested in posting in 2016 simply contact me!)

Views by Country – By far the most views came from the United States, but Brazil (surprisingly) and Canada put in good showings as well. A few one-offs of interest included Mozambique, Andorra, and Fiji.

Most Fun Search Terms – This is probably my favorite category to look back on. There are always some really wacky search terms that bring people to my website, though a change in how the data is collected definitely limited the specific search terms used (there were over 700 searches listed in the all-encompassing “unknown search terms” category). A couple of my favorite were “good one liners for a girl named katie,” “the way of chatting to a rude boy so that he can get impressed,” and “genie female.”

Turning to 2016, keep an eye out for a continuation of #InkRipples, starting on Monday with the monthly topic of travel. There will, of course, be the usual writing/bookish updates and cutie pictures of the boys. I don’t think I ever did a final look at my attic writing space, which technically isn’t 100% finished (what ever is!), but has turned out quite nice. If I remember, I’ll post about that some time this year.

What else? Who knows! I’m sure there will lots of other things that pop up. Anything particular you’d all like to see on the blog? I’d love for you to share in the comments. And thanks to everyone who takes the time to pop in and read…I wouldn’t be here without you (well, I might still be here, but I’d just be talking to myself!). All the best to you and yours in 2016!

A Year of Short Stories with Lightning Quick Reads

December 11, 2015 / Katie L. Carroll

My final short story for Lightning Quick Reads go up today! It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since the blog started…and that I’ve produced 12 short stories for it. There were definitely months where I was sweating to get a story done by the 11th (my posting date), but I feel like I ended up with a body of work to be proud of.

Many of them were in the Tales From the Field series about a women’s high school soccer team. These were really fun to write and I pulled so much from my own high school soccer experiences. It was a world that I felt like I really knew inside and out, and it was really easy to immerse myself in it as I wrote. I was worried that that stories wouldn’t interest a wide audience, but they seemed to receive a positive reception from readers. This series isn’t complete, so I suppose, I’ll have to get the rest of the players’ stories written and figure out what I want to do with them going forward.

I was most surprised to find that several stories from my writing archives (meaning they had been hanging out in a folder on my computer for several years untouched) got such a great response. These stories required far fewer edits than I expected when I pulled them out and dusted them off (figuratively!).

April’s tale, “Odeletta, Princess of Spring,” was a myth story from the ELIXIR BOUND (which I believe is still only 99 cents right now! Hint, hint!) world. And I’m ending the run on Lightning Quick Reads with an ELIXIR related story as well. Here’s a sneak peek:

Winter Solstice Offerings by Katie L. Carroll

This short story takes place before the events of ELIXIR BOUND. Siblings Katora, Kylene, and Bhar Kase are performing their annual celebration of the Winter Solstice.

“Do you have the acorns and your offering for the sacrifice?” Bhar asked with an impish grin and a glint in his blue eyes.

“Sacrifice?” Katora raised her right eyebrow and thumped her younger brother on the shoulder. “You know the Great Mother doesn’t approve of sacrifices. I do have all but one of the offereings, and Kylene should be getting it right now.”

Bhar laughed as he ran deeper into the trees of Faway Forest. Katora shook her head in annoyance and wondered if Bhar would ever be serious about anything. She shifted her backpack and followed his indelicate footsteps.

She stopped in a small clearing. Bhar stood in the center, a series of stacked rocks interspersed at regular intervals around him. She dropped her pack outside the rocks and sat inside the circle, legs crossed.

Katora had been coming to this place on the Winter Solstice for as long as she could remember. Her two older sisters used to participate in the ceremony, but they had recently moved out of the family home. They now held their own traditions. This was the first year they wouldn’t be there, and Katora wasn’t sure she wanted to be there either. Maybe she was getting too old for such traditions…

I’d love for you to check out the rest of the story on the Lightning Quick Reads Blog, and thanks for reading all year long with me!