Lauri Meyers .

I won two prizes in April!  First, I found an amazing community of writers through Robert LeeBrewer's MNINB Platform Challenge .    Second, I got nominated by Rebecca Barray  for the Liebster Blog Award!    Rebecca was kind enough to share "Lauri has a great voice, and I often laugh out loud when reading her posts."   I usually aim my humor somewhere between "giggle demurely" and "pee your pants," so sounds like I am hitting the target.   Seriously though, I didn't even realize I had developed my voice yet, but maybe it has just been finding its way out.  Maybe that makes three prizes in April.    Here are the Liebster rules: 1.   Thank the one who nominated you by linking back.  2.  Nominate five blogs with less than 200 followers. 3.    Let the nominees know by leaving a comment at their sites. 4.    Add the award image to your site. With no further ado, I...

      Sorry teen lit writers.  I know you have imagined how great your life will be when you become a famous author.  You will be receiving praise from educators for understanding all the inner-workings of teenage life.   You will be speaking at a-list events with your teen nodding in agreement with every amazing quip you make.  Your kids will be in heaven hanging with Robert Pattinson (or insert other favorite hottie).         Too bad your teenager is going to think you suck .  You writing about teen struggle and romance means one of two things: 1. You have been secretly peeking through the window at the goings on in the Kia Soul parked in your driveway and are using her as your writing inspiration.   Not cool. OR 2. You were once a flirty teen in a short skirt having secret crushes and experiencing a growing list of first times, and you are your own writing inspiration.   Ewww. ...

I had a request for another post about the Dirty Girls in my life who serve as a constant source of writing inspiration.   I am a very hands-on Mom.  I like to march in parades wearing a traffic cone on my head.  I teach the children to share the sprinkler with mommy.   I excel at hide and go seek: you only have to count to ten.   I am not a hawk-circling-my-children kind of mom.   I am a bit looser than that.  Well, way looser, like those gray sweat pants you wear all the time but wouldn't be caught dead in publicly.   My parenting style is to let kids be kids.   As such, it probably goes as no surprise things frequently get messy at my house.  Image: DartVader via sxc.hu My friend dropped by with a present the other day.  Let me rephrase- my neat friend popped in unannounced the other day.  My friend who has a loving, committed relationship with her vacuum cleaner.  ...

Confession time.  I have only told three people I am becoming a writer: my mom, my aunt, and my husband.    I want to be a writer.  I am studying and practicing.  I am committed.  "So why ain't you told no one yet, you yeller-bellied chicken?" you ask. by LOLren via Flickr (deep breath)  I don't want to publicly be a "writer" who doesn't turn into an "author." I have always operated on a "need to know basis".    My husband does not.   By the time he leaves the grocery store, the cashier knows he is from Buffalo, loves chicken wings, but gave them up for lent.  Seriously?  You don't even know this lady.  She could be a, well, I don't know what she could be.  But not everyone needs to know you like chicken wings. So building my social media platform this month ( MNINB Platform Challenge ) is an exciting and terrifying experience.  There is a Lauri Meyers (SAHM/Financial ...

In the magical world in my mind my characters are quirky, charming, and adorable.  You just want to make them some pancakes.  I imagine smelling their syrup-scented hair, and I am in love. Alas, when I read them described in my own words, I see they look a little bit like this: Oh dear.  Have I been under the illusion an illustrator would swoop in and bring my characters to life?  Even if the pictures are fantastic, kids won't care what happens in the story if they don't care who it happens to (as the old adage goes). I have only just met my character too.   Perhaps I need to get to know her a little better by creating a character biography or sketch.  So I asked myself a list of questions: How old is she? Where is she from? On an important day what color socks does she wear? What is her favorite song? What is her biggest fear?  Why would she earn a yellow ribbon in second grade?  What does she do in her spare time?  D...

My manuscript is not good enough.  Woo hoo!  I got my first rejection letter!  Why am I excited?   @ProNagger said it best: "Congratulations!  It means you are in the game." Plus, the result isn't exactly a surprise.  Since I submitted the MS, I have been studying and practicing.  I have learned enough to know the work wasn't my best.  I still don't know how to write my best, but I am happy knowing I am moving from Uninformed Pessimism to Informed Pessimism.   What am I talking about?  The Transition Curve of course. I remember drawing this many times for (fellow) yuppies back in my previous life in Corporate America.  It looks like this: Everyone starts in "Uninformed Optimism."  You are doing something new, and the challenge is exciting.  You are going to be the best accountant/librarian/juggler ever! Then some gray clouds start to move in.   You realize the job is going to be d...

I feel terrible asking, but can a writer use bad grammar in a children's book?   They are just kids, right?  A child won't notice a slight rule violation.  Sure, they might struggle in school after reading my book.  I suppose they could flunk out of community college due to the language abuses witnessed at an early age.   I can't be held responsible if they one day write in their shop window:  "Theirs a bathroom around back.  Its green."   Shudder. I don’t want to commit a heinous offense.  I merely want to write a preposition and then end the sentence.   Gasp!   I want to write a sentence a child would say:    There isn't anyone to play with. I just can't bring myself to write: There isn't anyone with whom to play .  (my character is not a snobby English lassie) I have considered these escape routes: He wanted to play with a friend.  (not quite right context) H...

                I got my prize copy of Mooshka - A Quilt Story last week (thank you Peachtree Publishers )!   I felt I had to pay it forward by reviewing the book.                    First, don't let the title fool you.  I admit to being a nerdy, crafty kind of gal, but my mind expects "A Quilt Story" to be told at the Golden Girls' kitchen table by Rose Nylund.   Even in St Olaf, how interesting could a quilt be?   Luckily, the story isn't (just) a quilt story.   It is a coming of age story; a little girl becoming a big sister.   For the sake of this review, let's rename it Mooshka- A Quilt Story #NewBaby#Blankie#BigSister.                 On to the story:                      Karla's quilt, g...

I wore myself out editing in March and in bad slow-motion camera work I crashed head first into a nasty writing rut.  I stopped writing everyday, which had been the source for my creativity.  I also got (don't tell my husband I am admitting to this) grumpy .   Funny how not doing something you enjoy can make you feel unhappy. Courtesy of Caroline's Crayons The first step to getting out of a rut?  Google "getting out of a rut," of course.  Which brought me to Lifehack Blog  for 12 Useful Ways to Get Out of a Rut.  I was too melancholy to process 12 tips, so I used these 4 to claw my way out of my writing rut: 1. Work on the small tasks .  Maybe now is the time to work on the one line pitch for the manuscript.  Update your twitter picture.  Buy some new envelopes.  You may not be finishing the manuscript, though these little steps are at least moving you in the right direction. 2. Upgrade yourself.  Read the Children'...