The final chapter of THE GREAT CONNECTICUT CAPER, a serialized MG mystery, went live last week! Have you all been reading along? I read it aloud at the breakfast table as soon as I saw it was posted, and I thought it did a perfect job of pulling all the clues together and wrapping up the Caper. Later that day the whole family packed up and took a trip to Gillette Castle (which went missing and was a focal point of the Caper) to celebrate at the Mystery Solved event.
I decided not to participate in any kind of official capacity, so it was great fun just getting to be there and watching The Boy take part in a bunch of the activities. And there was a lot to do there, from painting and coloring to making (and eating) marshmallow castles. Plus there were some really fun read alouds…and ya know, the castle and the gorgeous scenery at Gillette Castle State Park. Plus I got to catch up with many of the Caper contributors and meet a few in person for the first time.
The Caper turned out to be a really fun project to be a part of. It was a nonpaying writing job, but it paid out in a lot of other ways, both financially with some workshop opportunities and in non-monetary ways with networking and some unique, fun opportunities with Caper events. It was cool to work with so many other creators on one story, definitely something I had never done before and would consider doing again.
I have really been cutting back on projects that aren’t my main focus (like my own WIP), particularly ones I do for free, but I’m really happy I took a chance on the Caper (and that they offered me a spot as an author!). I think you have to say no sometimes, but it’s good to try new things and stretch your creative boundaries. It was also great fodder for the blog (you can check out all the Caper related posts here).
Have any of you said yes to something that was an unknown and reaped the benefits? Or maybe you said yes and wished you hadn’t (I’ve had that happen as well)?
I’ve had a selection of both good and bad results, but I like trying new things. I do try to weigh things like expected results, required input, possible risks before committing, but you can’t always foresee everything. I’m glad it worked out well for you. It was such a great concept and I’m sure you all made plenty of mystery loving children happy.
I like trying new things too, Kai, and go through a similar process. It’s nice when trying something new works out.
I loved doing this. I had no idea how it was going to turn out or what to expect. Going into it, knowing it was an unpaid gig, I had no expectations, but I too got a few workshop opportunities from it and I really loved meeting you, and it was a treat to be featured on your blog, and to get the opportunity to meet authors, illustrators, teachers, librarians, and all manner of cool folk who love reading, art, and Connecticut. I visited a lot of the places featured in the Caper that I never knew about.
One of my favorite parts of the Caper experience was meeting so many of the authors and illustrators, and also young writers through the workshops I did. It was a pleasure having you on the blog, Beth. Keep in touch!
Glad it worked out so well for you. It can be so hard to pick and choose activities when you’re already doing too many!
It definitely can, Marcia! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂