It's here.
After what has been a long winter with days made gray by skies capped with heavy clouds, SPRING is standing on my doorstep -- threading its yellow light across my lawn, nudging the crocus flowers from the flowerbeds, and urging the tulip flowers that are still sleeping in bulbs beneath them to take notice.
In my yard, salmon pinks will follow purple.
These small events... that make SPRINGTIME springy... make me happy.
They awaken the creative sparks, leading me in slightly new directions, allowing me to see manuscripts I've been working on in new ways, making the revision process more crisp and fresh.
With such feelings stirring, it seems near impossible to do anything but breathe more life into the characters that have been reaching out from the page.
Which means it's time for spring cleaning. Or rather, re-energizing.
For that, I'm springing into my writer's chair at my writing desk and tackling a new list, which really is nothing more than the same old list, but with more verve.
1. Write. Write new. Write fast. Write now by visiting the ideas for picture books I've jotted down in notebooks over the last few months at different conferences and in different settings. Choose 10 of the best ideas and crank out rough drafts for at least 5.
2. Write more. Write with focus. Write with intention. Start with the most promising draft from above and revise that into a 1st draft to work on. Repeat for the others.
3. Write through Resting. While those manuscripts simmer on the back burner through April, work on finishing the first draft of the middle grade I've got going.
4. Revise and Restock. I write most of my drafts in notebooks, so I'll have to allow time for restocking ink. Jetstream pens are my favorite. And one of them ran out of ink today. (Which is good, because it means I've been writing). (But I'm okay for now because I've got pens in bundles. Well, 6 to be exact.)
5. Assess my spring and summer calendars. Set goals, plan ahead to make deadlines. Summer won't last forever and I want to make the most of it.
6. Continue sharing and learning what I can from my writing groups and critiques and conferences. Yes, Write.
7. Keep writing, and keep reading, and repeat.
Happy Springtime!
 |
| Don't let the snow fool you. This is springtime in the mountains. #SnowShoeing Last weekend |
After what has been a long winter with days made gray by skies capped with heavy clouds, SPRING is standing on my doorstep -- threading its yellow light across my lawn, nudging the crocus flowers from the flowerbeds, and urging the tulip flowers that are still sleeping in bulbs beneath them to take notice.
In my yard, salmon pinks will follow purple.
These small events... that make SPRINGTIME springy... make me happy.
They awaken the creative sparks, leading me in slightly new directions, allowing me to see manuscripts I've been working on in new ways, making the revision process more crisp and fresh.
With such feelings stirring, it seems near impossible to do anything but breathe more life into the characters that have been reaching out from the page.
Which means it's time for spring cleaning. Or rather, re-energizing.
For that, I'm springing into my writer's chair at my writing desk and tackling a new list, which really is nothing more than the same old list, but with more verve.
1. Write. Write new. Write fast. Write now by visiting the ideas for picture books I've jotted down in notebooks over the last few months at different conferences and in different settings. Choose 10 of the best ideas and crank out rough drafts for at least 5.
2. Write more. Write with focus. Write with intention. Start with the most promising draft from above and revise that into a 1st draft to work on. Repeat for the others.
3. Write through Resting. While those manuscripts simmer on the back burner through April, work on finishing the first draft of the middle grade I've got going.
 |
| A full sunbow (like a rainbow and a moon bow) encircled the sun during our trek |
5. Assess my spring and summer calendars. Set goals, plan ahead to make deadlines. Summer won't last forever and I want to make the most of it.
6. Continue sharing and learning what I can from my writing groups and critiques and conferences. Yes, Write.
7. Keep writing, and keep reading, and repeat.
Happy Springtime!
 |
| View from a snowshoe trek last weekend above Bear Lake, Utah, #AllSnowAndSunshine |
