Cheryl Klein Workshop

As preparation for Cheryl Klein's workshop in Saturday, she has asked all participants, who must have a completed manuscript, to create a bookmap for our WIPs. Additionally, she's asked us to read Francisco Stork's Marcelo in the Real World.

I'll be reading Marcelo over the next few evenings.

The bookmap assignment was quite interesting. I didn't finish it, but I did enough of it that I can see the potential value of doing it and I might end up finishing it after the workshop.

My friend Kim has a great post on her blog about bookmaps. She has also made a wonderful video on How to Create a Bookmap. Check out both links; it's worth your time!

I've been sick

Apologies for being out of the loop for so long, but I have been sick for the past two weeks. I even "had to" miss a day of work. I would love to have "had to" miss more, but it's easier to go to work sick than to try to find people to do my programs for me.

Mostly, I was sick on the weekends, which meant I couldn't use sick leave anyway. Now that is a bummer! The only good thing about it was that I wasn't sick during our vacation in Hawaii.

Being someone who doesn't usually get sick, I was struck by how much lower my energy level was (and still is), even to needing to take naps on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. That, and in addition to the fact that we are still in the throes of winter here, did nothing for my mental state. There is snow on the ground. Last night the thermometer dropped to 7 degrees.

My husband, whose normal, knee-jerk reaction is to disagree with almost everything I say, actually agreed with me on something yesterday. I told him I hated this weather and I couldn't wait for it to be over. Expecting him to say something to the contrary, my mouth dropped open when he said, "You think?"

I had no energy to battle with him, and was readying my mouth to simply say, "You have got to be kidding" to his reply. But he agreed for once, and so the battle was averted.

And that tells you a lot about my present, low energy level. No fight in me.

I hope I will feel like myself again soon, and that the weather will warm up, snow melt and go away for good.

Meanwhile, I am privileged to attend a SCBWI workshop in Spokane, WA this coming Saturday with esteemed editor, Cheryl Klein, of Scholastic.

In case the weather is still not cooperating, my friend is driving us up in her 4-wheel drive Subaru.

Don't Break the Chain

I bought a piece of software this morning from The Writer's Store. While browsing, I ran across an article about Jerry Seinfield's method for success. In a nutshell, he makes a big red X on every calendar day that he writes. Seeing those X's lining up strongly motivates him NOT to break the chain.

The Writer's Store has a free download of a 365-day calendar. You can begin on any day of the year. It sounds like a great idea. I intend to try it.


You might be wondering what software I bought. It was strictly an impulse purchase, and I am almost embarrassed to say that I didn't even read any reviews before purchasing it. Generally, I read reviews and then dream about something I want for a few days before buying it. I build my enthusiasm, my yearning for it, until I reach a point where I just gotta have it.

But this one looked like something I would want, absolutely, no matter what, and have great fun with, no matter what. It's called Character-Writer 3.1. What made it an instant purchase was that it helps you create characters based on the Enneagram, of which I have been a serious student for a decade or more.

When you combine basic styles, their wings and instinctual variants, you come up with 70 types. Additionally, the write-up mentions that the software includes how the characters will behave at various levels of mental health.

I used the enneagram as the basis for characterization in my current manuscript, including the use of mental-health levels. A wealth of information, including about the levels, is available at The Enneagram Institute for purchase. It helped me so much to know how each personality would behave in a particular scene, depending on their stress level.

As to the software, I am excited to see what professionals have done with these concepts. I'm sure it will be very fun to play with.

Do you have favorite writing software that is useful and fun to use?

Flying Adventure: Na Pali coastline, Kauai, from a Waco

Hubbie and I are now home from our Hawaiian vacation. We spent a week in KAUAI, which must certainly be Paradise on Earth.
It rained only once while we were there, although the center of the island gets the most annual rainfall of anywhere on earth.

We were on-the-go nonstop, either by foot, car, catamaran, or in Kevin's open cockpit biplane. In one hours' time, we got an aerial view of the entire island. Part of the island, the Na Pali coastline, is so rugged that there are no roads and the only way to see it is either by air or by boat. We took advantage of both.

Our Catamaran left from Port Allen along the southern coast and then sailed on up to Na Pali. The ocean swells were so rugged that day that at least one of the other charter companies canceled their tours. For us, being drenched by waves just made it all the more fun. Until one particularly heavy-duty wave almost washed a three passengers overboard. I'm not kidding. At that point, the captain decided it was too dangerous for anyone to be standing at the front of the boat. She ordered everyone to come in toward the middle, where the center of gravity is such that a big wave will not pitch you over the edge. My hubbie was so disappointed about being ordered to sit down. ; ) He and another guy were taking turns being at the front and having the time of their lives.

And what was I doing? I was sitting farther in, toward the middle, and praying hubbie was holding on tight. We had been ordered to hold on to the railings at all times with both hands. Being that we were not wearing life vests, and being that the railing was drenched with water, and that our hands were slathered with sunscreen, it was still mighty slippery.

We saw whales up close and personal. They breached, tail flipped and otherwise hijacked our catamaran. Even our captain, who spent 15 years on Maui employed at something that had to do with humpback whales, said she had never seen so many whales in one five-hour outing. For a time, three of the 50-ton creatures were so close to our 14-ton boat that hubbie could've reached out and pet one of them.

On the way back from Na Pali, we were escorted by a pack of spinner dolphins who put on quite a show for us.

Kauai is only 30 miles wide west-to-east, and about 23 miles north-to-south, but we managed to put 600 miles on our red challenger rental.

We saw and did pretty much everything except for some of the more rugged hikes into the interior. We did take what turned out to be a three-hour hike to the top of Sleeping Giant. The views were exquisite.

We also spent a LOT of time on beaches, not sunbathing, but watching the endlessly fascinating waves and the brave souls who surf them. If my son and son-in-law had been with us, the men of our family would've tried surfing for sure. Heck, my daughters and daughter-in-law, I am sure, would've tried it too.

In all, hubbie and I took 637 pictures. Hubbie took a bunch of video. I have spent all day today sorting pictures in preparation for creating scrapbooks.

After I've assessed what I have, if I can match all the letters of the alphabet with pictures, I *might* sign up for the A-Z challenge using A-Z Kauai as a theme. Being that the Hawaiian language uses only eight consonants and the vowels, it might be difficult to pull off.

We truly loved Kauai. We have now been to Kauai, Maui and the big island, Hawaii. Each is incredibly different, and each has reasons that make us want to return.

We are already committed to going to Orlando, Florida next winter, as hubbie's been asked to serve at a religious convention. But we hope to get back to the islands the following year and for as many successive years as possible until we are too old to travel. We're even scheming about ways to get our children and grandchildren there at the same time with us. Hawaii is just that wonderful. Especially when you're leaving 32 degree winter weather to step into weather in the 80's.