12 Months of Writing: 2014, A Year in Review

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Yesterday morning my almost-four-year-old daughter came up to me and asked, “Mom, are you working on your dream?”

I was editing a story in my green binder, which she recognized as my writing binder. The day before we had listened to the song “I’ve Got a Dream” from Tangled and my daughter had asked me, “Mom, what’s your dream?”

I've Got a Dream

I explained that my dream was to have my name on the covers of published books. And then I told her that if you want a dream to happen, you don’t just sit around. You work for it.

That’s what I’ve been doing during 2014: working on my dream. I read the book The Power of Habit and learned how to create habits. I forced myself to focus, to output words when I had no motivation and no inspiration (which was probably 3 days out of every 5). When I found myself truly stuck on one project I would switch to another project until I figured the first project out: I knew that I couldn’t let myself stop writing. I kept a daily writing journal to keep track of my progress.

Writing Journal

There were days where I didn’t write a thing, and days where I eked out a mere hundred words. I intentionally gave myself a day of rest once a week, where I did not actively work on my goal. But most days I spent at least an hour writing, and many days I spent more than that. Throughout the year, I sacrificed all sorts of things so I could write: movies and TV shows I wanted to see, books I wanted to read, activities I wanted to attend, and other hobbies and interests that I love. I sacrificed sleep and relaxation. But it was worth it.

Here’s what I accomplished during 2014:

  • Wrote approximately 135,700 entirely new words. That’s around 550-600 double-spaced pages.
  • Revised a 140 page novella (4 additional drafts).
  • Wrote the first draft of a young adult fantasy novel.
  • Wrote the second and third drafts of a 500 page adult steampunk novel. This was a brutal task.
  • Deleted over 30,000 words.
  • Wrote and revised 6 short stories, ranging in length from 750 to 9000 words.
  • Received 20 rejection letters from publishers and magazine editors.  (I tried to constantly have at least 3 short stories and essays out on submission.)
  • Received 2 acceptances. My short story “Daughter of a Boto” received third place in the Meeting of the Myths contest. Another story, “Three Wishes,” will be published in a digital anthology next year.

According to my writing journal, I spent about 521 hours working on writing over the course of the year. That’s 1.4 hours a day—less than an hour and a half every day.

I’m now much closer to my dream. And 2015 looks like the perfect time to spend another year writing.

10 Books that Make Perfect Christmas Presents for all the Kids on Your List

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10 Books that Make Perfect Christmas Presents

Books are one of the very best things you could give as a Christmas present–they transport the reader to new worlds, wonders, and possibility. And what better gift can you give to a child than the love of reading?

The following are books that I love that would make perfect Christmas presents for 0-14 year old kids. I’ve organized the list by age, with books for younger kids at the top of the list and older kids at the bottom of the list. I’ve listed the ages the publisher recommend, but know that kids older or younger will probably enjoy these books. For example, my two year old absolutely adores the Fancy Nancy book, even though it is recommended for 4 to 8 year olds. And I’ve spotted 13 and 14 year-olds reading Ever After High.

Where is the Green SheepWhere is the Green Sheep?

1-3 years old

This is a delightful, rhyming book with bright illustrations. Children will visit the circus, the train, the beach, and even the moon as they search for the green sheep. This book has been a favorite of both my daughters.

Mr Tiger Goes WildMr. Tiger Goes Wild

3-6 years old

Mr. Tiger is tired of being so proper. He wants to have more fun. So he decides to go wild.

I love all the animals dressed in Victorian outfits and the imaginative story. And kids love it too!

DinotruxDinotrux

3-6 years old

Millions of years ago, Dinotrux ruled the Earth. But they weren’t the friendly, helpful trucks we have today…

Dinosaurs are awesome. Trucks are awesome. The only thing more awesome then dinosaurs or trucks are Dinotrux.

If All the Animals Came InsideIf All the Animals Came Inside

3-6 years old

All the animals from the zoo come inside a little boy’s house. His sister and his parents aren’t very happy about it, but the boy is…at least at first.

This is a hilarious, fun, romp-filled book full of animals and rhymes. The awesome illustrations come from Marc Brown (the creator of Arthur). This is a book that both kids and parents will want to read again and again.

Fancy Nancy Splendiferous ChristmasFancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas

4-8 years old

Fancy Nancy loves everything fancy, so Christmas is the perfect holiday.  But what happens when the tree falls over and Nancy’s fancy Christmas topper breaks?

Fancy Nancy is one of my daughters’ favorite characters. With Fancy Nancy, the world is the place of energy and beauty. And I love that the books teach kids all sorts of new words.

Princess in BlackPrincess in Black

5-8 years old

Princess Magnolia wears flouncy dresses and eats formal meals…until a blue monster threatens the kingdom. She ditches her princess gear, dresses in black, and sets out to save the kingdom.

This is an awesome princess/superhero story, from Newbery Honor winning author Shannon Hale. It’s a great chapter book for young readers. Adults can read it to younger children, and older children can read it to themselves. This is the book I’m most excited to give my kids for Christmas this year.

Diary of a Wimpy KidDiary of a Wimpy Kid

7-13 years old

This is a novel written entirely in cartoons. It’s a funny, poignant story of what it is to be a kid in school. This is a series that is loved by both kids and adults, and if the kid on your list hasn’t read it yet, it’s a perfect Christmas present. There are a number of other books in the series that you can also purchase.

 

Ever After High The Storybook of LegendsEver After High: The Storybook of Legends

8-12 years old

At Ever After High, the children of fairy tale tale heroes and villains are trained to fulfill their destinies as fairy tale characters, whether they like it or not. This is a brilliant retelling of fairy tales that kids will love. You can also buy a boxed set of the three books in the series and the accompanying Ever After High dolls by Mattel. I went to a book signing for this series and it was awesome to see dozens of 8-12 year old girls absolutely in love with this series and the author.

Jasper Dash and the Flame Pits of DelawareJasper Dash and the Flame Pits of Delaware

10-14 years old

Jasper Dash: Boy Technonaut, and his friends Lily Gefelty and Katie Mulligan, must solve a terrible mystery, and go to the state of Delaware to do it. In this reincarnation, Delaware has flame pits, jungles, and an evil dictator. This is one of the funniest books I have ever read, guaranteed to be loved by imaginative kids. 8 or 9 olds who are good readers would love this book as well.

The False PrinceThe False Prince

10-14 years old

An orphan on the streets must pretend to be the missing prince…or die.

This is the first book in a trilogy, and spent some time on the New York Times bestselling list simply because it is awesome. It’s filled with action and adventure, as well as touching moments where Sage must decide who he is and how he will relate to others.

The best part is the entire series is out, so readers don’t have to wait for years. If you want to give a stellar Christmas gift, pick up the second and third books as well.

The Story Behind the Story: “Daughter of a Boto”

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My short story, “Daughter of a Boto,” was published as part of the Meeting of the Myths contest, and won third place. I sincerely believe that “Daughter of a Boto” is the best thing I have written this year.

Boto

If you haven’t read the story, go read it. Then come back here.

The Story Behind the Story: “Daughter of a Boto”

When I was 16 years old I spent 19 days in the state of Acre, Brazil, in the Amazon Rainforest, doing a service project. We started from the city of Cruzeiro do Sul and traveled on a boat upriver for four days to Thaumaturgo, a small town. While we were on the river we saw many gray and pink botos (river dolphins), and it was while we were watching them that I was told the legend of the boto. Thaumaturgo is where the main character of my story is from, and the legend of the boto provides the main basis for the story.

Fast forward to the present time. I’ve been writing a speculative novel with a Brazil-inspired setting and it does have some botos in it, though I’m using a Greek or Roman legend as the basis for the dolphins. So I’ve had river dolphins in my mind. And then this Easter someone gave my daughter a pink dolphin toy, which reminded me of my trip years ago and the legend of the boto. But I still didn’t have the legend on the front of my mind. For months I had been trying to come up with a story idea for the Meeting of the Myths contest, but I still didn’t have one. Then my mom sent me a news article about one of the people running for president in Brazil, and she was from Acre, and the photos of rubber tapping and the river reminded me of my trip. And suddenly I had my idea: a newish member of the LDS church who has always been told her father is a river dolphin.

The story was also inspired by my current calling in the LDS church as a young women leader–we were working on family history this summer as a stake and at one point during a lesson one of the young women said, “How do I do my family history if I don’t know who my father is, and can’t find out?” And as I looked around the room at the young women I realized that was the case for not just one but several of the young women in the ward. And so this story is really for them.

I wrote some of the key dialogue and imagery during a Sunday School lesson, and then did research on botos and wrote the full first draft the next day. Then I spent many hours revising and word crafting, though the final version is very, very close to the original. This is one of those rare cases where the story was almost perfect as originally conceived.

Links to Learn More About Botos and the Meeting of Waters

 

Original Boto Image Credit: Jose Hilton Pereira da Silva, Creative Commons license

The Question of the Meeting of the Myths Contest and the Mormon Lit Blitz

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I have a short story which will be published on the final day of the Meeting of the Myths contest, currently being held by the Mormon Lit Blitz, and as a result I’ve been thinking about the purpose of the contest. In the introductory essay to all the stories, Nicole and James Goldberg explain that a myth is “a story which humans use to make meaning out of existence.” These myths, whether fact or fiction, determine the way we see the world. The contest “asked writers to take some of the myths that fill their worlds and mix them together into new stories to give us new chances at insight.”

But can different myths be mixed? Is it healthy? Is it wise?

2 - Save the CatIn Blake Snyder’s famous writing textbook Save the Cat, Blake Snyder criticizes M. Night Shyamalan’s film Signs for being guilty of what he calls Double Mumbo Jumbo.

In M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs, we are asked to believe that aliens from outer space have invaded Earth. The movie is about Mel Gibson’s crisis of faith in God. Huh?! I’d say proof of an alien intelligence outside our solar system sorta trumps all discussion about faith in God, don’t you think? But M. asks us to juggle both. And it’s a mess. Well, God and aliens don’t mix. Why? Because it’s two sets of different kinds of magic. It’s Double Mumbo Jumbo.

Snyder summarizes:

Audiences will only accept one piece of magic per movie. It’s The Law. You cannot see aliens from outer space land in a UFO and then be bitten by a vampire and now be both aliens and undead.

I admit, an alien-vampire-zombie mix-up does sound like a bit too much for one story. They are each distinct beings–but even more, they each demand their own genre. A good alien movie or vampire movie or zombie movie can take chapters to set up the world building and the rules of the storytelling. And the Double Mumbo Jumbo that occurs when you put them together does seem well worth avoiding.

But back to Snyder’s example, Signs. I actually thoroughly enjoyed the movie. For me, God exists, so I don’t have to suspend any disbelief for that myth or mythos. And I believe aliens could theoretically exist, so the fact that a main character could have a faith crisis concurrently to fighting off aliens seems reasonable to me, and in fact the threat of the aliens helps the character through the faith crisis, and creates several beautiful moments of discovery for the reader.

Yet in other stories, having God and a magic system has created cognitive dissonance for me, and seems like it has a greater risk of damaging faith than promoting it. For example, there are stories all about God and the Easter Bunny, which weave them together for children. Well, the Easter Bunny is not real (sorry, folks) and yet if we connect the Easter Bunny and God, and one is false, couldn’t we just assume the other is a figment of the imagination as well?

From an LDS gospel standpoint, there is also the sense that we must leave our other idols, our other sources of meaning behind, and devote ourselves entirely to God. As it says in Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters.” What then of the Meeting of the Myths contest? Wouldn’t it be better just to leave those other myths behind?

And yet we have other commandments as well. In Doctrine and Covenants 88:118 it says, “seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom.” The best books come from people all across the world and time, of all faiths. And in the Thirteenth Article of Faith we read, “If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”

There is much that is virtuous and lovely and praiseworthy in popular music, in science fiction, in Hindu poetry, and in the traditions and mythologies of every nation and country. And we should not just tolerate these other perspectives and ideas: we should seek after them.

Perhaps there is a balance. Perhaps we can fix our hearts on God, knowing He is the source of all truth, while gaining knowledge and insight and understanding and beauty from a variety of sources.

I suspect, when I read the stories of the Meeting of the Myths contest, I will have some cognitive dissonance, where I find Double Mumbo Jumbo at play–and I suspect that will be intentional on the part of the writers. I’m sure that some myths will act as foils for each other, while others will complement, while others will build upon each other. The editors of the contest write:  “If you join us this week, you will read about tribal shamans and world councils, about zombies and vampires and aliens, about the enchanted ones with the blessings and burdens they carry, about Mormon pioneers in 19th century America and modern Brazil.” If stories from previous Mormon Lit Blitz contests are any indication, I will laugh, I will cry, I will question, and ultimately I will leave the reading experience feeling a little stronger and a little more confident on my path back to God.

I hope that you visit the Mormon Lit Blitz and read each of the seven stories (including mine, “Daughter of a Boto”). Only then will you have a decisive answer on what happens when myths are mixed.
Meeting of the MythsOriginal image by harold.lloyd, Creative Commons license, adapted by Katherine Cowley.

Hush, Little Baby: A Mildly More Sinister Version

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A lot of nursery rhymes and children’s songs and stories have a sinister edge to them: “It’s raining, it’s pouring” is about a man dying in his sleep, London Bridge falling down typically would involve death and havoc, and Jack and Jill suffer traumatic head wounds. Not to mention what it would feel like to be swallowed by a wolf (Little Red Riding Hood) or locked in a cage by a cannibal (Hansel and Gretel).

“Hush, Little Baby” fits in well–a baby won’t stop crying, so a parent sings, offering rewards if the child would just be quiet, yet each of the rewards goes terribly wrong. (The real question: Is this intentional on the parent’s part, or simply bad fortune?)

Baby Cradle

My problem is that I can never remember the actual words to “Hush, Little Baby,” so when I come up with rhyming disasters on the spot, they tend to be a little more disturbing than the original. I do try to censor myself with my little ones, really. But I see no reason to censor myself on my blog. So without further ado…

Hush, Little Baby: A Mildly More Sinister Version

Hush, little baby, don’t say a word,
Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird won’t stop singing,
Mama’s gonna buy you a bell for ringing.

And if your ringing bell calls a ghost,
Mama’s gonna buy you a trip to the coast.

And if at the coast you fall into brine,
Mama’s gonna buy you a silver mine.

And if that silver mine explodes,
Mama’s gonna buy you a treasure trove.

And if that trove comes with bloodthirsty pirates,
Mama’s gonna buy you a friendly primate.

And if that friendly primate bites your hand,
Mama’s gonna buy you a wind-up band.

And if that wind-up band hurts your ears,
Mama’s gonna buy you a box for your fears.

And if that box full of fears weighs you down,
You’ll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

 

 

 

Original image by Marle, Creative Commons license