thick and heavy

Today on my walk, I passed by this:

The words made me think.

I wondered who wrote it? 

I wondered how they are doing? 

I wondered if they are still writing? 

I certainly hope so.

collectors

I’m curious about people who collect things. While I was at an SCBWI writing conference this summer, author/illustrator Judy Schachner described her creative process as an act of collecting. She creates characters by collecting and collaging images. I love this idea! So much, I began to search the Internet for things that people collect. Here’s a few of my favorites:

alarm clocks

baseball cards

bumper stickers

coins

Cracker Jack prizes

dried flowers

garden gnomes

guitars

insects

lunch boxes

marbles

mason jars

rocks

sea shells

stickers

t-shirts

vinyl records

Another thing I’d like to add to this list is... words. That’s what I collect.

In third grade, I started my first journal. Since then, I’ve accumulated dozens of journals, filled with thousands and thousands of words. Interestingly enough, I rarely reread what I’ve written. I don’t keep the journals to look over my past. Instead, I keep them because they mark time. I look at the big stack and see the years I’ve lived and the things I have inside me.

How about you? Are you a collector? What do you collect?

word of the week

Our Word of the Week

that I added to the fish bowl on my desk

is...

become (verb) 1. to grow or come to be  2. to be appropriate or suitable to  

3. to show to advantage; look good with

books to read

Excited about

my newest stack of

books to read.

The Lightening Thief - Rick Riordan

Warp Speed - Lisa Yee

Under the Egg - Laura Marx Fitzgerald

We Were Liars - E. Lockhart

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

ambition

Here’s what I thought about today:

Ambition is pushing through things that sometimes make you uncomfortable. Whereas, contentment is doing the things you’re good at, over and over.

Along this line of thinking, Ramona Quimby just might be the most ambitious character I’ve ever met. I love her curiosity, determination, and willingness to try something new.

Photo source: www.keepingupwithmrssmith.com

word of the week

Our Word of the Week

that I added to the fish bowl on my desk

is...

cyclical (adjective) 1. something that goes in cycles, or something that occurs in a repeating pattern

SCBWI LA 2014

Whenever I get home from a writing conference, I feel inspired. At the same time, I’m slightly overwhelmed. There’s so much amazing information, it’s hard to focus.

So, as I read over my notes and think about all of the wonderful speeches, I circle sentences that tug at my heart. Here’s a few:

If you want to write, find your splinter - the thing that pierces you and won't let you go. -Megan McDonald

Treasure your faults. –Meg Rosoff

Be brave in your writing, even if you are not always brave in your life. 

–Judy Blume

SCBWI is an incredible organization and I’m so grateful to be a member.