Come join me in this world of words.
(And it is okay, right, and fitting that you float on the fables of your own constellation or immerse in a sea of silence and bob up to the surface from time to time. It's all good.)
So this is the thing. I'm slowly pulling back from the practice of nursing and therapy and am back to writing creative fiction. I'm loving re-entering the world of kidlit. But, boy, the publishing world has changed. Hey, it's only been a few decades since my last YA novel was traditionally published!
In the years between, I've been immersed in healthcare and academics, teaching, researching, writing for the university and college classrooms and the practice of nursing. Along the way, I drew in my love of story and my respect for the natural world, enfolding it within my practice and teaching. Now, I'm able to let fly with it in the wonderful realm of creative writing.
So, what have I done to reset myself to launch back into creative writing, while still keeping the lights on with academic work?
Renewed my memberships in CANSCAIP, SCBWI, and TWUC
CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers), SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators), and TWUC (The Writers' Union of Canada) all have amazing resources available to members. Not only do they provide connection to others in the field, they launch informational webinars, offer mentorships and grants, and hold venues where publishers, literary agents, and authors (including aspiring authors) share space together--digitally and face-to-face. They also provide author listing sites, so that you have a ready presence on the 'interweb' as Homer and Marge like to call it!
Here's my author listings, for example:
Started reading current authors of traditionally published kidlit
This was an easy, fun thing to do! Yes, no doubt about it, there is a more 'formula' approach to what is being picked up for traditional publishing. Of course, good writing and clever story telling is foundational as it always was, but what I'm finding (in my own short exploration) is that story structure and tight, sparse writing are highly important. There are a number of story structures (3, 5, 7 point plotting, hero's journey, for example), and there are a few picture book structures, too. SCBWI and CANSCAIP were helpful here, but another writers' treasure trove I happened upon was SCRIBOPHILE (www.scribophile.com). They have the Scribophile Academy ... it's like continuing education for writers! While much of it is free, it is well worth the relatively small subscription fee to be included in the extras. And there is a vibrant community of writers supporting one another.
What I ultimately found was that I missed the old stories and authors that I grew up reading. I wondered what was different about them, and what I was missing. Was it just the familiarity of my old favorites, kind of a nostalgia, or was it something bigger? So, I began rereading what I called my own 'classics' again, too.
Old and new writing, I'm on the hunt to hone my craft!
3. Jumped in and began writing.
And here is where this blog comes in. I'm writing, dammit! 🤣😬😉Seriously, I've found that writing down my 'musings' on what works, what doesn't, and why that may be so, helps. My FaithWrites blog is taking shape into four sections:
Classic kidlit!
All about my reading/rereading and musings about the books I grew up loving and reading over and over again. Some you will no doubt no backwards and forwards. Others you may know because you've seen the movie, or maybe just remember the title or author's name from perusing the school library. I'll also sneak in some modern kidlit classics, too, from time to time.
Creative nonfiction writing
I am drawn to transpose my love of nature and ecotherapy into some narrative fiction ... so this category is all about exploring and learning to write creative nonfiction. I'm immediately putting this learning to use, as I begin to work on a pharmacology textbook ... I figure that if I can inject some creativity into pharmacology, I can tackle some creative nonfiction for kids, too!
Rhythm & Respiration
This is my long-abiding blog that I've written sporadically for a number of years. It is a mix of therapeutic work, spirituality, poetry, nursing and academic education musings. It is all about integrating the fractals of life ... think cycles and seasons, moments and meditations of life as farmgirl, ecotherapist, nurse, writer ... and the list goes on, as I'm sure it does for you, too.
Beta Bookworms
Here is where you come in. I'm looking for beta readers for fiction manuscripts of all genres and sizes. If you are interested in being a beta reader, please let me know! You can do that via the website contact form. I'll add you to the list and send out a blast when I have a manuscript draft ready for a beta audience that is in the genre and length that you are interested in reading. I'll post it under this category for a specified time and provide a link to a short survey. And, beta readers get entered into a draw for a published title.
So that's the blog thing.
Join me! It's going to be a fun journey back into this world of words.
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