Query letters...

Thought for today - "All things are difficult before they are easy." John Norley

Query letters. They strike fear in the hearts of many writers. And probably most agents and editors.

Just once, I would like to write a very candid, what's really in my heart letter. It would go something like this:

"Dear person that I've never met (or only met for 30 seconds in the bathroom at a conference):

"Please buy my book. I love writing and want to make money at it. I don't want to work part-time somewhere else to pay the bills. Please buy my book. I want to write.

"It's a great story, even my mother thinks so (except pages 137 through 151, but she still thinks of me as her child and too young for sex, so what can I expect). That said, I admit it's not a perfect story, but gee, whizz, does anyone ever get it perfect on the first try? Please buy my book. I will make whatever changes you want to see (or at least I think I will, as long as it's still my story when we're done).

"I was published in my high school yearbook. It was a very sensitive haiku. I am quite proud of it and this follow-up story will take my writing career to the next level. Please buy my book.

"Thank you for making time to read my full manuscript. I apologize for the last few pages being in colored ink; I ran out of black but really wanted to get this in the mail as soon as possible. I was desperate. Please, please buy my book.

"I look forward to your call to discuss contract terms."

Well, OK, maybe there is a reason we don't send such an informal, pouring out of our feelings. Writing, and selling books is a business, isn't it? So, a business letter it will be. No mention of my mother. No begging to please buy the book (they know that because I sent the letter, right?). A few points about the actual story told, maybe even the length or genre.

And always, a sincere thank you for making time to actually read at least the query letter.

Carpe diem,
Kellie

Five words to describe your marriage...

Thought for today - We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.

Last night, when I was having trouble settling down to sleep, I ended up watching Oprah on television. (Who knew Oprah was on at 11:00pm?) The topic was five words to describe your marriage. It was an interesting show.

There was the usual set of unhappy couples that brought forward some very negative words to describe their marriages. That was predictable, but what caught my attention was the discussion presented by guest, Gary Zukav, as he tried to help these couples. He focused on how each individual needed to find their own "spiritual self." He didn't use the term spiritual self in reference to direct interaction with God or attending church, but in finding and releasing the "best you" there is.

As the show progressed, the idea immerged that each of us seeks out other individuals that "push our buttons" because we need this confrontation to grow through becoming our best selves. Some how, we are drawn to the specific challenge that we need to help us grow. I found this idea very intriguing.

At one point in the show, Oprah went so far as to say that "romance was the problem" behind many of our unhappy relationships. Her thoughts being that unrealistic ideals about a romantic partner completing us, making us whole, caused individuals to put all the responsibility of changing and growing on the other person, not themselves.

I can understand why she would present this idea for the audience, but what occured to me was, Oprah has never written a romance novel.

If we look closely at what really happens between the hero and heroine in a romance, don't we find exactly what Mr. Zukav and Ms. Winfrey have suggested? Its certainly not all hearts and flowers and candle-light. Don't our two main characters push each others buttons, to the point that they seem like they will never be able to spend five minutes together, let alone embrace happily-ever-after? Don't both individuals have to eventually grow, through their own realizations and efforts, to finally reach that satisfying end of our story? Isn't this emotional challenge and growth exactly why we find that promise of happily-ever-after so satisfying - because the characters have worked so hard to get there?

I know many read romance as an escape from their daily realities. That it is far easier to tolerate the odd, irrating habits of a fictional hero than those of our own spouses. But don't we seem to find that the best loved romances are really mirrors of reality?

Carpe diem,
Kellie

The best laid plans...

Thought for today - Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.


Today I had every intention of renewing my membership at Curves and starting to work out regularly again. I had even gone so far as to schedule time with one of the personal trainers to take a new set of measurements. I was ready to face balancing my life more and focusing on my health.

Then life - more specifically, two of my three children - got in the way. Why is it when "Mom" finally schedules something for herself, the flu bug decides to come visiting?

So, today found me calling the trainer, explaining that I really wasn't giving up on all my new year's resolutions so quickly, and that I wasn't avoiding her and her painfully truthful tape-measure, but instead I was dealing with the simple change in schedules that every mother faces when her little ones need her. She laughed out loud at me, and rescheduled me for Wednesday.

And I was suddenly faced with the question of whether this change in schedule was going to derail my first efforts of focusing more closely on my own health or whether it was just a simple obstacle to be danced around.

Did you know that a jar of spaghetti sauce can make a fairly reasonable hand weight for exercising your arms while reading various stories to your daughter? And that those fancy stair-climbing machines were modeled after, well, you guessed it - the "real" stairs between the mainfloor and the laundry room in the basement?

It was pretty amazing just how much activity I found around the house that I could turn up a bit in intensity and build into a reasonable workout. I definately earned a long soak tonight in a warm tub!

Still, I am looking forward to the friendly faces of the women at Curves on Wednesday. There just something about having someone else to share your pain with that helps it go just a little bit smoother.

Carpe diem,
Kellie

Letting go of fear...

Thought for today - The man who believes he can do something is probably right, and so is the man who believes he can't.




It's January for those of you that haven't noticed. And for me, that means letting go of some of my private fears and getting the two manuscripts that I have been working on for the last few months off my desk and out the door.

Submitting your manuscript. Is there any other single step in the writing process that can stir up so many conflicting emotions? Excitement at the potential for success; fear at the possibility of rejection. Wonder at having finally completed that story; worry over whether it is "good enough." The need to have others read your work; the fear of others reading your work.

Last May, when I was fortunate enough to win the year of being mentored by Brenda Novak as part of the Junvenile Diabetes Research Foundation auction she hosts, I was aware that I was doing something important for my writing career, but not truly aware of how important. We’re just a bit past the half way mark of our year together, and from my perspective, each month that we’ve worked together has clearly advanced my writing career beyond anything I might have imagined. Brenda has been a wonderful, positive, patient, and determined coach in helping me improve my writing, pushing me ever closer to my goal of publication.

But now it's time to push out of the nest and see how much I have actually learned and grown as a writer. Time to get those manuscripts off my desk and out into the real world. Through Brenda's efforts, both directly by introducing me to individuals, and indirectly in giving me advice, guidance, and coaching, this month - January - has become “submission month.” The manuscripts that we have been working with have been requested by four different editors and five different agents, with several interested in seeing both. What a marvelous, if not slightly overwhemlimg way to ring in the new year!

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Carpe diem,
Kellie

The magic of David Copperfield...

Thought for today - The mind, like a parachute, functions only when open.

Monday evening, my family and I had the opportunity to see David Copperfield perform live. My husband and I have seen him perform once before, twenty years ago when he was young in his career and we were young in our relationship. Mr. Copperfield's performance was just as entertaining to us this week as it was twenty years ago, perhaps even more so as I watched the joy and wonder and delight reflected in my own children's faces.

I will never be able to do magic as Mr. Copperfield does. His illusions, my favorite being making the Statue of Liberty disappear, are filled with a special kind of wonder that I can only dream of. But in our own way, each writer creates a special kind of magic, telling tales and creating new worlds.

Through the magic of books, I have traveled around the world and to other worlds. I've met characters that are doctors, detectives, warriors, aliens, vampires and much more. I've learned about surviving in the wilderness, dancing with wolves, living on other worlds, solving a mystery and falling in love.

My mind has expanded to embrace all of this magic and much more.

Like Mr. Copperfield's illusions, the writing of a book takes creativity, skills, discipline, and great amounts of patience and work. As I continue to write my own stories and create my own kind of magic, I wanted to take a moment and thank all those authors out there that have spent countless hours making the magic of the many books that have touched my life and inspired me to attempt to follow in their footsteps and write.

Carpe diem,
Kellie

Good news at the doctor's office...

Thought for today -- "Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises." Demosthenes



Today I received wonderful news. In an attempt to emphasize the importance of keeping my doctor's appointment, the doctor's nurse was a little strong on her choice of words and I don't actually have diabetes - yet.

I actually have impaired glucose tolerance, which is often called "pre-diabetes." It's a warning that my system isn't functioning as should be, but isn't in crisis yet either. It's a wake-up call and a blessing.

So, with this new diagnosis, I will still be taking multiple blood glucose readings per day, be aware of what I am eating and when and how it impacts my body, but I also feel like an apprentice circus performer - I have a safety net. At this point, if I mess-up and eat something wrong, or too much, or at the wrong time, my body will tell me about it but won't completely revolt on me.

All my hopes and dreams and plans as a wife and mother and writer are still all possible. Probably even more attainable than every before as I add focusing on my own health to the daily mix of my life and start to safe-guard rather than ignore my own mortality. Learning new "good" habits and letting go of old "bad" ones will be at the heart of my journey.

So, can a writer really survive without chocolate? It's time to find out!

Carpe diem,
Kellie

Setting up and testing the new template...

Thought for today -- Be careful what you wish for...you may actually get it.

Today is one of those days when I want to write, but I find myself fiddling around to actually avoid it. Like setting up this new blog template to better match my current website. While that is something that needs to be done, it really wasn't on the schedule for today.

But then, nothing this week has gone as scheduled.

I wished for better balance in my life. This week my doctor's office called and indicated that I had tested positive for diabetes. It was a humbling experience. Better balance is something I will no longer be taking for granted and simply wishing for.

But still it is not lost on me that I have many blessings in my life and I shall carry on.

And just for today, I'll allow myself time to fiddle around with my website and blog and scrapbook pictures and such, rather than worry about pushing a schedule.

Just for today...

Carpe diem,
Kellie