It’s Been Awhile! *Breaking out of writer’s block, major life changes, updates, and more*

…Yes it has, and I feel like I need to explain why I’ve been on a blogging hiatus the last 6 months.

It’s a funny thing, writing inspiration. One period of time, you can be bursting with so many ideas and motivation that you can’t put your laptop down. That was my entire January/February. After Storystorm, I was full of inspiration and excitement. Looking at my “STORYSTORM 2018” folder right now, there are FORTY new documents of stories and drafts, most of which were written during that time.

But then- it’s kind of amazing really- how the next day, all that enthusiasm and productivity can get sucked away into some mysterious black hole, leaving you with nothing…that was my entire March, April, and May.

I realized pretty quickly that there was a justified reason for this massive muse swing (see what I did there?) And it was an interesting discovery: A new onset of pregnancy, with its accompanying morning sickness (or in my case evening sickness), lethargy, and weird food cravings, can not only cause “Pregnancy Brain” but it can also cause writer’s block as well.

I’ll never forget the relief I felt around the first of June when my nausea and general feeling of icky-ness died down and Voila! Just like magic, my inspiration returned. I wrote the first decent picture book manuscript in months.

While I haven’t felt quite the same as my pre-pregnancy self, slowly but surely, I’ve been pounding out some new projects ever since. And I have to say, it feels SO good to be back. I’ve been reminded that writing really does make me happy. It was incredibly discouraging to feel empty of ideas for so long. There’s a huge feeling of excitement and fulfillment that comes with writing something new and submitting to agents, publishers, or contests.

So, I guess in the last few months, what I’ve learned is that inspiration can leave for a while, and it’s okay. It feels super discouraging, but it’s important to keep in mind that it WILL come back. It’s alright to take a little break from time to time. Especially when major life events are taking place.

Which brings me to the other big distraction from my writing recently, which is the fact that my husband got a new job out of state. Once we accepted, we had less than a month to get everything squared away – our house, our vehicles (two of which we had to sell), our Jack Russell Terrier Jojo (we couldn’t take her with us ☹) and a whole lot of other things, before moving across the country.

(We are currently in Washington DC but will receive a new assignment shortly that will take us to a new, unknown destination. We are excited to see where we end up!)

Suffice it to say, it’s been a crazy year so far, and now you know my excuses for not blogging in a while. But we are expecting baby #4 this Fall (It’s a girl, hooray!), looking forward to a new adventure with my husband’s job, and planning to keep plugging along with the writing game…in between park adventures, play dates, snack times, temper tantrums, and so forth.

Despite the ups and downs, here’s a few updates/stats for the year thus far: 

• In the last six months, I’ve submitted eight writing projects to agents/publishers/contests. I’ve received three rejections and am waiting to hear news about two more projects by the end of August. Crossing my fingers!
• My goal is to send out a query at least every 1-2 weeks for the remaining of the year... This week is covered - I sent one yesterday! 
• Last week, I departed from the picture book sphere and worked on a creepy short story that’s been on my mind ever since my husband and I made a random pit stop in rural Tennessee two years ago in which we made a TRULY unexpected discovery past a locked gate and down a dirt road (I hope that makes you want to read it 😃) ..Sometimes spooky stories are the most fun for me to write. I'd like to submit it to a magazine (Do you have any suggestions?) once it runs through the peer-editing mill in the coming weeks. 
• My last update is a plan I’ve been formulating through trial and error for years now. It will probably continue to evolve, but I want to share it because it has worked for me every time I’ve used it. The trick is, using it consistently! (That whole self-discipline thing is kind of hard to stick to). Nonetheless, as I've tried my best to implement it more and more, it has brought me not only writing success, but overall life happiness/productivity as well. I also believe it has played a key role in getting me out of my recent writer's block. It probably wouldn’t work for everyone and I’m in no way giving out advice. All I’m saying is it’s been my own personal solution to juggling kids, home and other duties, getting writing projects done, and not going crazy in the process. So here it is:
1. Every night, making a list of realistic to-do’s for the next day. 
2.  Cutting out the social media I’m most attached to for the entire week (weekends are okay). In my case, it’s Facebook. 
3. Spending one-on-one time with my kids each day (I shoot for 20 minutes).
4. Being completely present with my kids when I’m with them, with no unnecessary distractions. 
5. Going to a gym with childcare (as many days a week as possible). This is a key element of success for me because it serves many purposes. A. To get exercise which always reduces my stress and gives me more energy/confidence/happiness. B. To allow myself a short break from the kids, even if it’s for 20 minutes (It’s amazing how a little breather can help me to be a better mom). And C. While I exercise I can read or listen to Audible – Any books, emails, news, or scriptures I need/would like to read that day, can be done while I run on the treadmill. Two birds with one stone = I feel really happy and productive. 
6. Making the very most of down time (kids’ naps/scheduled TV time), which is when I pull out my to-do list and start crossing stuff off.  
7. Getting the kids to bed early every night. Our kids’ bedtime has always been 7pm and it’s been the best thing ever. I mean, EVER (For me AND the kids). I owe this step to the book HEALTHY SLEEP HABITS, HAPPY CHILD by Marc Weissbluth – one of the most helpful parenting books I've read. 
8. Getting to bed myself before 10pm.  
•  What these steps do for me: After my kids go to sleep, I’ve spent quality time with them without distractions so I feel good and not guilty. I’ve already read what I wanted to read that day. I’ve already exercised. I’ve already finished everything on my to-do list (because it was realistic). I still have energy because I’ve been going to bed on time. I feel satisfied about my day instead of discouraged/depressed. I don’t need to worry about being distracted with time-wasting social media because I’m still off it until the weekend. I’m completely ready to write or work on whatever else I’m excited about…which may be watching a good movie with my husband too. I’m not perfect at following this plan, but it’s taken me awhile to realize the necessity of each step and I KNOW that for me, it’s what I need to do to balance my life, get things done, and feel at peace. 

 So anyway, that’s what I’ve been working on and thinking about lately. How about you?

 More soon - Hopefully much sooner than last time!

Writing Conference Highlights: Friends, Inspiration, Awards, and More!

These last couple weeks have been so busy. Filled with outdoor adventures (now that summer weather has finally arrived, yay!), family reunion preparations, traveling out of state, and of course…writing any spare moment I can squeeze it in! But tonight I have a few minutes to update you on a big event that took place in my writing universe last weekend:

THE WYOMING WRITERS 2017 WRITING CONFERENCE!

It’s the first writing conference I’ve ever been to, and it was SO GREAT! If you’ve ever read any writing blogs or articles, you know that attending writing conferences is pretty essential to the publishing process. They give writers easy access to agents/publishers, they provide hands-on workshops with professionals who can critique your manuscripts, and they  offer useful, specific classes on how to write better, how to publish your stuff, and a bunch of other writing-related tips/tricks.  Plus, you get to meet amazing fellow-authors who inspire and motivate you!

Conference highlights:

This is a picture of my fellow children’s writers, who quickly became my friends! We did a critique workshop together, and my oh my, they are all super talented!  I loved reading excerpts of the books they are working on and look forward to seeing where their writing takes them.

The man above on the left is Eugene Gagliano, author of over a dozen traditionally published books for kids, which are just wonderful (I got two of them at the conference, signed and everything, yes!)  It was such a pleasure to attend both his picture book critique session as well as his writing for children workshop, where we explored character development-Hence the tiara and captain’s hat ;).

Eugene was so kind and gave me some wonderful advice and encouragement which I have to tell you, made a big impact on me. I want to share one of the things with you: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. In order to get our stuff published, you have to believe in yourself and your work. He showed our class a huge box-full of rejection letters he’s gotten over the years. He was rejected over and over and over again, but still, he believed in himself, so he didn’t give up. And now he’s an author of about 15 or more published books. ...Oh, and you want to know something else pretty cool? He bought a copy of my book, ITCHY MITCHIE and had me sign it for him. It totally made my day!

This woman above is named Patricia Frolander. I sat next to her by accident when I decided to drop into a Wyopoet’s board meeting during a break in the conference. She was so warm and kind as she introduced herself after the meeting. Eugene was sitting in front of us and told me, pointing to her, “She has a book in the bookstore filled with her poetry that is just fantastic, you should go check it out.”

After the meeting, I went straight to the bookstore, found her book entitled MARRIED INTO IT  and began to read. I absolutely loved the first poem I read and bought the book. Just afterward, all writers congregated to the main hall for an award’s ceremony. 1^st place traditional poetry winner was none other than Patricia Frolander. She read her winning poem.  It was like 5 minutes of reading, and I was BAWLING by the end. Our entire table was. I was officially in awe of this woman and her beautiful, touching, magical writing. If I could but affect people in such powerful ways by my writing, then that’s all I could hope for as an author. Just…wow.  I was so excited to have her sign my copy of her book and agree to take a picture with me.  This woman is what true God-given talent looks like. I feel so honored to have met her and to have been inspired by her!

Above is me receiving the Western Horizon Award! Wait, what? So, let me tell you….this was an award for writers who published their first major work in the previous year.  As you probably already know, my short story was published in THE BOOK OF HOPE, an anthology that came out earlier this year by Silver Owl Publications, and my poem MOVING WEST will be published later this year by Western Press Books. So I applied for this award, and what do you know? I got it! It was kind of surprising since they didn’t tell me beforehand, and then all the sudden my name was being called, and then there was this plaque with my name on it, and I’m like, “WHUH??! Um, holy cow, thank you so much!” The lesson in all of this? If there are calls to submit to an award that you could qualify for, SUBMIT! You don’t win anything unless you try. Ps. the bottom picture is of me and my friend Gayle Irwin, who won the Milestone Award. She writes wonderful stories for dog-lovers, go check her out! 

I had the opportunity to read one of my stories at open mic during the conference. It was a little intimidating and I totally got “dinged” for taking up my 5 minutes before I was able to read the very last lines (sooo close!) But it was just a great experience, not only to read my story out loud and see people’s reactions, but especially to hear other people’s writings. It’s a beautiful thing to listen to everyone’s diverse, unique, heart-breaking, hilarious, and adventurous stories. It’s just inspiring.

Ok, now for an info dump to any fellow authors reading. Here are just a few of the notes I made at the conference of things I found particularly helpful. Warning: they are random tidbits of information put in no particular order, (kind of like the story ideas floating around in my head). Maybe they will be helpful to you too. I hope!

1.  Keys to successfully publish: Practice, patience, persistence, and even prayer! J
2.  For Children’s writers, subscribe online to Children’s Book Insider – super helpful!
3.   Treat yourself seriously. Say “I AM A WRITER.”
4.   Before writing your children’s book, complete the following: My story is about __________ who more than anything, wants to _____________, but can’t because ______________.
5.   Always let your work rest awhile. Then come back to it with a fresh perspective.
6.   Finished your book? Okay, now go back and highlight all the passive words (was, is, am, were, has been, will be, etc.) and replace them with active words.  (There are a lot of writing websites that explain this more detailed, I like this one: https://www.joshfunkbooks.com/lesson-5).
7.   Using your life experiences can make your writing awesome: Don’t stick to the story – real life is boring, use your experiences to get you started, then ask “what if?” and allow it to go wild to make your story interesting and exciting.
8. When titling either a poem or story: Titles are more of a big deal than we talk about –they can/should actually be a part of the story, can even change the story’s meaning. They can be long, even a whole sentence. They can give context, perspective, be the opposite of the poem’s actual meaning – this especially works in humorous poems.
9. Social media presence is a huge factor that agents/publishers look at when considering publishing an author’s works. They want to see that an author is gaining a “fan base” and have put themselves out there so there is something to build  a marketing plan on. In other words, get a Facebook page going, join twitter, create a website, start a blog!
10. When searching for an agent, keep in mind that you don’t want Stephen King’s agent. Because if you do get them, you’ll be the lowly little newbie at the bottom of their priority list. Shoot for an agent that’s in the same career stage as you – a newbie, and you will have greater success.

 There’s more but I’ll stop right there, mostly because it’s 9:30 at night and I’m so ready to go to hit that pillow and zzzzzzzzzzz…

…But before I do, there’s just one more thing I want to say about the conference. I just have to give a shout-out to my other half. There was no way I could have even dreamed of attending if it weren’t for my sweet husband. He took the kids all Friday afternoon and Saturday, and brought them by the conference center every few hours so I could feed my baby during break times…what a guy! How grateful I am that my husband is supportive of my passion for writing. 

Stay tuned for more soon!

Poem on Motherhood

With Mother's Day this month, I've been thinking a lot about the amazing journey of motherhood -the ups and downs and all it entails. I felt inspired to write a little poem about it and wanted to share it here on my blog, along with some "Mom moment" pictures from the last few years. Hope you enjoy!

Motherhood

By Debbie Day

Motherhood is sweaty.

It’s flustered, frenzied, and exasperated.

It’s socks on the table and crumbs in the carpet.

It’s headaches, backaches, and stomachaches.

It’s cleaning up and washing off.
It’s a never-ending mess cycle.

It’s worn-out.

It’s waking up.

It’s dog-tired.

It’s fighting off loneliness, because motherhood is isolating.

It’s fighting off anxiety, because motherhood is worry.  

It’s fighting off an angry rampage, because motherhood pushes you to the edge.

It’s feeling like you’re failing.

Motherhood is your weaknesses magnified.   

It’s guilt. Diaper-loads of guilt, because motherhood is mistakes.

It’s too many treats and too much TV.

It’s yelling and frustration and outbursts.

It’s beating yourself up and crying over chocolate.

It’s comparing yourself and not measuring up.

It’s trying again and again and again and again.

Motherhood is prayer.

Prayers for advice, prayers for patience, prayers for forgiveness, prayers for just one itty bitty nap.   

Motherhood is love.

It’s deep, aching, painful, powerful love.

It’s watching home movies after bedtime because you can’t get enough.

It’s holding hands on the sidewalk, waiting at the bottom of the slide, and spraying on three coats of sunscreen.  

It’s teaching and hoping and wanting what’s best.

It’s indescribable joy.

It’s pride and praise and clapping.

It’s popsicles and bicycles.

It’s collecting rocks and trips to the river.

It’s digging in the dirt and catching grasshoppers.

  

It’s forest adventures, river adventures, mountain adventures, and pillow adventures.

It’s blanket tunnels and table tents.

It’s giggles and kissing owies better.

It’s goofiness, silliness, and ridiculously hilarious.

It’s obsessing over squishiness, and chubby profiles.

It’s cuddling and books and telling stories.

It’s singing and dancing and laughing.

It’s grabbing your chest and uttering, “Awwwwww!”

It’s your heart bursting.

It’s literally heaven.

Motherhood is the hardest thing you’ve ever done.

It’s stretching and growing and learning.

It’s stripping away selfishness.

It’s unparalleled motivation to change.

It’s sacrifice and tears.

It’s not easy.

But motherhood is worth it.

It’s inexpressibly fulfilling.  

It’s all you ever hoped for.

It’s God’s holiest calling.   

It’s the best thing that ever happened to you.

Motherhood is the greatest treasure on earth.