Category: Writing (Page 63 of 73)

Magnetic Poetry: “take only truth make only love”

July 20, 2011 / Katie L. Carroll

The magnetic poetry writers were at it again. Some of the old favorites showed up (I’m looking at you “pleasure puppet”), but this was some of the best poetry ever to be displayed on my refrigerator.

walk like a skeleton look like a gentle little girl (possibly good advice for a skeleton, but sounds a little threatening to little girls)

squirrel play spark s emotion (as long as the squirrels aren’t eating anything out of my veggie garden, their play is okay with me)

please expose the fruit (that’s what she said!)

explore you r mind and dream sweet vision s as you drown in the puddle of my soul (I’d say that’s one deep soul we’re talking about here, but I’ve heard a person can drown in less than an inch of water, so maybe this soul isn’t so deep after all)

he ly no or (I’m not sure these magnets were put together with any specific purpose in mind, but any form of expression–intentional or not–gets included…for better or for worse)

feel that hard monkey s pleasure puppet give tremendous naked sex (the monkey and the pleasure puppet are always up to no good)

essential bosom compel always (the question here is what does the essential bosom compel one to do)

make another memory to warm the cold night s of no moon and dark shadow s (nothing like anticipating the need to stave off a depressing night)

dead experience (quite the intriguing oxymoron)

take only truth make only love (I think I saved the best for last)

Once again, thanks to everyone who chose to expose the fruit of their creativity on my refrigerator. Your musing never fail to entertain me.

“Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading” Release

July 14, 2011 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve got to give a shout-out to a member of my critique group who had his first book signing last night. Congrats to Tommy Greenwald on the release of his MG novel Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading.

This book has a great hook for reluctant readers with a main character who may possibly be the most reluctant reader ever (and he gives tips on how to get out of reading), but it is also full of great characters, hilarious moments, and a fun plot that enthusiastic readers will enjoy. (And really, even though Tommy is in my critique group, I’m not the least bit biased.)

At the book event, Tommy shared a few of his favorite tips that Charlie Joe gives the readers. Here’s a few of my favorites:

Tip #2: “Never read a book by someone whose name you can’t pronounce.” (I must confess that I don’t adhere to this particular rule. Otherwise I never would have picked up Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.)

Tip #4: “If you want girls to like you, don’t read.” (Not a particular concern for me, but I could see how the target audience might be interested in this tip.)

Tip #9: “Reading can make you fat.” (And I thought I was getting fat because of the whole pregnancy thing…I guess I’ll have to cut back on my reading.)

Tip #20: “When you’re more than halfway through a book, pick up the pace, skim a bit, and get it over with as quickly as possible.” (I have done this one before…not often, but there are some books that I’ve had to read and just couldn’t connect with.)

Tip #25: “When finishing a book, never look at it again.” (With this tip, Charlie Joe makes ten suggestions on what to do with the book…my favorite, “Wrap bacon around it and give it to the dogs.” Proof positive that everything is better with bacon!)

I’m afraid you’ll have to read the book to find out what the others are. Next up, I’ve got some more good reading when I share the latest round of magnetic poetry!

Random Thoughts: Quasars, Artists, Storytelling, Soccer

July 2, 2011 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve had lots of disparate thoughts going through my brain lately and it seems this post is a reflection of that.

First off, astrologists recently found a giant quasar that appears to be not only the brightest object ever found, but also the most distant and earliest quasar ever detected. Quasars are of particular interest to me because they are found the center of young galaxies and surround black holes (you all should know by now how much black holes fascinate me). Who doesn’t want to learn more about a super-bright object that is massively powerful and full of energy?

On an artistic discoveries, check out this cartoon called “Born Like an Artist.” I wonder what the anthropomorphic personification of my artistic soul looks like? I’m not sure it would be an animal. I think it might be something more abstract…maybe some kind of squiggle or a bouncy, round face.

And to combine two of my intellectual loves, here’s a periodic table of storytelling. A couple of “elements” that caught my eye are Jhg, 1wa, Mpb, and Gtb.

Over at Diversity in YA Fiction, the authors are challenging readers to diversity their reading choices. Publicly post an essay about your diverse reading experience and you have a chance at winning “a giant collections of fabulous MG and YA books.”

Finally, a third love of mine (soccer) is being showcased on a worldwide stage this summer. The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 earlier this week. I was pleased to see that the women’s games are getting just as much TV coverage as the men did last summer.

Where have your thoughts been taking you lately?

The Insanity of Being a Writer

June 5, 2011 / Katie L. Carroll

I come across a lot of quotes in my day job as puzzle master (i.e. puzzle magazine editor). After a while, it seems I’ve seen them all. One in particular, though, always makes me think of my pursuit to be a published author.

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.”

I’ve seen this quote attributed to Albert Einstein, Rita Mae Brown, and an Alcoholics Anonymous publication. Where ever it came from, I think it’s interesting that this definition of insanity could actually apply to many writers.

As writers, we are constantly sending out work and getting rejections. Then we turn right back around and send that work out again and hope for a different response. Does that make us optimistic? Persistent? Confident in our work? Well, according to the above quote, it could actually make us insane.

True, because we don’t keep sending our work to the same person over and over again that might not make us insane. Yet I still can’t help but feel like the whole submission process, even when there is hope of an agent or editor who has never seen your work connecting with it, is insane (and masochistic!).

It’s like saying, “Here is my manuscript, a snapshot of my heart and soul in words. I’ve been working on it for months, years, maybe even decades. Please take a look at it. I know you’ll probably say it isn’t ‘right’ for you. Maybe you’ll even hate it. Maybe you won’t even read it before rejecting it. No matter, when you reject me, I’ll take it personally, even though I know I shouldn’t, and I’ll feel like my work isn’t good enough…that I’m not good enough.”

And we do this over and over again. INSANE!!!

Then again, anyone who has a big dream probably has to be a little insane. When it comes to big dreams, success is almost always a long shot. And where would the world be without big dreamers? So maybe a little insanity in the right places is a good thing. I’ll just keep telling myself that anyway!

Finding My Lost Can Opener

May 19, 2011 / Katie L. Carroll

Help! I seem to have broken my can opener. Or maybe the can opener is working, but there’s nothing inside the can. Can anyone help me? Does anyone even know what I’m talking about?

While I figure out how to get the can opener fixed (or how to fill the can back up), I’ve been pursuing other creative avenues.

I’ve been working on a counted cross stitching project (no, I’m not an 80-year-old grandmother) that I started years ago and totally forgot about. It’s of a green dragon on top of a cliff with a castle and a giant moon in the background. If I ever finish it, I think I’ll hang it in The Boy’s room, which we’ve decided to paint a light green.

I’ve also been reading…a lot. In my literary adventures, I was chased by zombies; I was a super-smokin’ rock star who reconnected with an old girlfriend; I tripped in my designer shoes, went back in time, and fell in love; I was an Irish princess who was kidnapped and forced into slavery; and I was two different boys with the same name, both of whom fell in love.

I’ve even been thinking about dusting off my guitar case and plucking out a few tunes. At least I’m keeping busy, even if my muse is on an extended hiatus. What do you do when the mojo isn’t flowing?