Jamie A. Swenson | The Studious Cat

Muscle Memory

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Janesville Critique Group: Left to Right Front Row: Me, Georgia Beaverson, Ann Bausum, Elizabeth Fixmer, Judy Bryant Back Row: Pam Beres

The idea that muscles have memory is not a new one. For those of you wanting to know more about it, I found this https://www.popsci.com/what-is-muscle-memory/

For our purposes, let’s just say that the more we do something, the easier it becomes. This applies to a myriad of things – both positive and negative. The more you put off writing, the easier it becomes. You can go for days, weeks, months, years — dare I say — forever. No, I daren’t because I tend to despise the phrase ‘dare I say.”

At any rate – Pam (pictured above) invited me to join her Cardio Class (okay, technically I invited myself as I am apt to do — but the point is, I’ve been going. Mostly. She’s going more – go, Pam, go!). I’m enjoying the class. Today the instructor said we were like a really good Show Choir — which is fantastic because I had been imagining that it was 1986 and I was back in Show Choir. The point of this is — my muscles remembered. Sure, it was a lifetime ago — but once you learn to grapevine with a bunch of like-minded people, you don’t soon forget.

Which brings us back to writing. As always.

Today I came home and wrote a silly poem — in the style of Edward Lear. It’s ridiculous, but I enjoyed writing it. I enjoyed rhyming it. And my muscles remembered, if only for an hour — that they like to write.

But if I never do it — I will forget.

So if you are like me — God bless you — but if you are struggling to do the work: remember, a HUGE part is muscle memory. Sit down. Write something. Anything. Your muscles will remember.

Prompt: Pick one of your favorite writers and write something in their style. It doesn’t have to be very long. It doesn’t have to be very good. It doesn’t have to go anywhere. Just let your muscles remember.

Collective Joy

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January is a high-pressure month for a multitude of reasons. There’s a collective push to better ourselves. To set goals. To create healthy new lifestyles. To let go of the past and all the stuff weighing us down – whether it’s mac-n-cheese or our inner critic. Mostly, this is probably a good thing … 

But it’s rough, you know?

I tend to resist a lot of this. I tell myself I don’t need goals. That January resolutions just make me feel depressed in February. That picking a word only works if I can remember what the word is in July. (I remember 2019’s because I found a Post It note on my “office” wall with the word COURAGE scrawled across it while I was moving everything around to fit in some rabbits … but that’s another story).

Of course, resistance is futile.

This morning, despite my best efforts to avoid resolutions – I joined a very good friend at a group fitness class. As we were concentrating on which foot to lift, or kick, or tap – the instructor mentioned Collective Joy. You know – the idea that when people gather and dance together, they tend to experience more joy than those who are alone in their basement “office” dancing. She didn’t mention that last part, but I think we can go there.

It struck me that this is exactly what I’ve been missing: being part of the collective. 

The Borg Collective: Star Trek

Which is why, earlier this morning, I had already planned a writing chat for February at my local library. I just hadn’t quite put it all together under Collective Joy. But that’s what talking about writing with other writers is, at least, for me. That’s why I loved working towards my MFA, it’s why I love going to conferences, and why critique groups work. It’s the collective joy of the group.

So maybe that’s my theme for 2020: Collective Joy. Only time will tell.

Prompt: Think of a character in one of the books you’re working on. What groups does this character belong to? Wish to belong to? Excluded from? Quitting? Trying to quit? Write a scene where your character is entering a new group. Write dialog between the character and another character who is already an established member of the group. Now write dialog between the character and another character who is new to the group.

Happy Writing.

If you’re interested in chatting about writing, and you’re near Janesville, the details can be found on my FB page under the Events Tab. https://www.facebook.com/jswensonwriter/

 

 

 

Necromancy: The Art of Communing with the Dead (Manuscripts)

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Image from page 239 of “Science and literature in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance” (1878)

You’ve likely heard that manuscripts need to simmer. Simmering should likely be more than an hour and less than six years. 

You’ve likely also heard that you should stop dragging around a dead cow, or dead horse, or dead anything – referring to a manuscript that has been to every critique group, conference, and workshop with you for YEARS — but you do very little to revise it — so your crit. mates have seen the SAME THING countless times. The key here is the lack of change/revision. Dead manuscripts are dead because the author lacks the willingness or the ability to make intentional, impactful revision. (This means that you did a lot more than just fixing that wrong word or comma issue.)

But just because you have finally called time of death on a manuscript and put it away – doesn’t mean it’s dead to you forever. OH NO. This is where the magic of necromancy comes into play. 

Manuscripts might become stagnant, but writers do not. We keep growing. We hear the same advice over and over and slowlly, but surely, the advice begins to errode our dense grey matter. One day we sit down to write and suddenly (as if by divine grace or dark magic) we understand a concept that we didn’t before — and more than that — we see how it applies to our own work.

This has happened to me – with a resulting sale. I went to a conference. Heard some brilliant person talking about looking through the files for old manuscripts that might still have a bit of life left in them. Looked back at least four or five years into the Dead Files — and brought one up that I had worked and worked and worked to death. 

And this time – I looked at it – and immediatley saw my mistake. It was all in the pattern. And it was so obvious. I sat down and revised it. Sent it off to my agent – long story short – it sold. It will be out in the world in 2021 — and once I have real dates, I’ll share more about that one.

But it just goes to show – sometimes we need to put manuscripts away for years. This is not simmering. This is death. But death is not final.

Today’s Challenge: Put that manuscript that you are not revising, but still holding onto, some where far, far away. Set a reminder for January 13, 2024 – to find it and resurrect it. (Of course, you can resurrect it earlier if you hear it calling you — but wait at least six months — you’ll be amazed at what you see with fresh, knowledgeable eyes.)

Canceled Plans

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Yesterday I was all about “Let’s CANCEL that and WRITE!” Today I’m all about, “WHY must things get CANCELED!?” Which got me thinking about good and bad disruptions. When my kids were small and a Snow Day meant an unexpected day to stay home and cuddle — I was all for it. But this weekend the predicted Snow Event is threatening something FUN. This is, of course, unacceptable. 

Today’s Prompt: Think of a time when an event (or anything) that you were excited about was canceled — or worse yet — you were not allowed to go (by parent or otherwise). What was so important about the event? How did you feel? What good, bad, or otherwise was the result of your not attending said event?  Then flip it on its side – Think of a time you were FORCED to attend an event … follow the prompts.

Kids/Teens have so little control of their lives – so controlling social events is a big deal. For me, being forced to attend something I didn’t want to do was much, much worse than not being allowed to drive about at all hours of the night with my dearest teen friends. My parents had a thing against that — teens driving about without plans or direction. ESPECIALLY if the weather was bad – and I lived in Wisconsin. The weather was bad from October to June.  

Stolen Moments

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“I’ve seen women insist on cleaning everything in the house before they could sit down to write… and you know it’s a funny thing about housecleaning… it never comes to an end. Perfect way to stop a woman. A woman must be careful to not allow over-responsibility (or over-respectabilty) to steal her necessary creative rests, riffs, and raptures. She simply must put her foot down and say no to half of what she believes she “should” be doing. Art is not meant to be created in stolen moments only.” – Clarissa Pinkola Estés

This is so very true – HOWEVER – do not let the fact that you are stealing moments stop you either. Art shouldn’t be created in stolen moments – but of course it is, and likely, always will be. In a perfect world, we would not consider the theft of time the only way to do something that nourishes the soul. We would have time set carefully aside – no – blocked off in gigantic letters and highlighted in neon colors. Time that would be ONLY for ART. And we would feel so artistic during this time that we would create AMAZING things that our friends and family would all behold and say, “Oh, yes – this is why we never disturb her during her special Art Block.”

But, welcome to the real world. If you want to write – find the time and steal it back. Yes, it might be at 5 a.m. or maybe it’s somewhere between dropping a child off at school and running to an appointment.  These are your precious stolen moments. Grab ’em up.

But ALSO look for those special blocks of time that you might otherwise give to a volunteer project or to the laundry. Use that neon highlighter and BLOCK IT OFF. I used to do this with great intention — and it worked. I knew I had two hours a week to write – and like clockwork – I showed up, butt in chair – and I wrote for a good forty-five minutes of that two hour block. I needed the whole two hours though – to simmer – to think – to daydream – and to write. In the past few years, I’ve allowed that time slot to evaporate – which was a HUGE mistake on my part. I’m taking it back. But, in the meantime, I’m stealing my moments wherever I see them. 

In all honesty, I’ve never really allowed the mundane housework stuff stop me too often. Dishes will wait. Laundry will pile. Crumbs on the floor build character, and if your child eats one, all the better. According to WebMD (a trusted and valued source of backing up my thoughts on this topic) “the young immune system is strengthened by exposure to everyday germs so that it can learn, adapt, and regulate itself, notes Thom McDade, PhD, associate professor and director of the Laboratory for Human Biology Research at Northwestern University.”

So, really, you’re not only stealing moments to create your art – you are helping prevent any number of childhood illnesses. You’re welcome.

Prompt for today: Think about the cleanest house you were ever in as a child (or adult if your want – it’s your prompt). Describe that space and the person(s) who kept it clean. How did it make you feel? Now imagine something terribly messy happening in that place and the reaction of everyone involved. 

Hello Again

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I’m back. I took what I expected to be a brief break … and in the scheme of life, I guess six or so years could be considered brief. In the writing world, it’s the blink of an eye.

So WHY am I back? Because I’ve missed you and this form of writing. I’ve spent nearly a decade chasing after contracts – and catching a few. And I’m proud of the books that have ended up in the world — and the books to come. I have a book due out in 2021 and 2022 one from Sleeping Bear Press and one from Paula Wiseman Books.

Of course, I’ve stopped holding my breath. Books simply take their time. That’s a hard lesson to learn in this world of immediate gratification and instant self-publishing. Oh, believe me – I’ve been tempted at times to upload a file and TA-DA a book. I’ve edited quite a few of these types of books over the years — and have decided that, for your good, my good, the good of the world and the reading public — it is best that I wait for the traditionally vetted product. The whole simmering (for years at times), rejections (for years at times), interest/contract stage (for years at times), editorial & illustration process (you know what goes here), and then finally – this amazing book that represents the creative talents of a small community of people — that is pretty darn cool. Plus – I REALLY, REALLY need a good copy editor. You likely agree with me if you’ve read many of my blog posts. Blogs are a different beast – errors and all – and the closest to immediate publishing gradification I will allow myself. 

This little lovely arrived in 2018. It’s finding its way into the world – I love hearing from teachers and librarians who have added it to their fall storytimes.

What to expect in future posts: a bit of this, a bit of that – thoughts on storytelling, writing, reading, raising adult children, finding writing space for yourself (and not feeling guilty about it), prompts, encouragement, and a little conversation in this sometimes dark, but always spectacular world. 

Writing Process Blog Tour

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Last week one of my favorite authors, Kashmira Sheth, asked me if I would like to participate in a blog tour focused on the writing process. Process can be a mystery — and even after nearly thirteen years as a writer AND after completing an MFA in Writing, I am still learning about process. Process is nearly as important as a good idea. So I said yes.

So, thank you, Kashmira. Check out Kashmira’s answers at www.kashmirasheth.com Kashmira Sheth writes picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult fiction. Her eight books have received many awards and honors. Kashmira was born and raised in India and comes from a family of storytellers. She studied science in college but her enjoyment of reading and sharing stories nudged her into writing. Her latest picture book, Tiger in My Soup, is about sibling relationship, power of imagination and love of reading.

Writing Process Q & A

1) What are you working on? 

I’m currently working on revising a few picture books, researching for a new picture book, brainstorming a new novel idea, and planning the launch of my latest picture book IF YOU WERE A DOG with illustrator Chris Raschka (Sept. 30, FSG/Macmillan)

2) How does your work differ from others of its genre?

I think my picture books stand out because they are exactly what I would (and do) read during storytime with young children. My books are filled with opportunities to get the kids involved in the telling through actions and sounds. I’ve worked as an associate librarian storyteller since 2000 — so when I sit down to write a picture book, I am thinking about HOW the text will interact with the kids from the first word. As I write, I visualize the kids’ reaction and how I will, as the storyteller, bring them into the telling. For me, picture books are very much a drama to be acted out between reader and listener — and the whole experience requires both reader and listener to bring something to the telling to bring the words alive. Whether it’s the FLASH CRASH BOOM BOOM BOOM of a thunderstorm, the URRRRNNNT-URRRRNNNT! of a big rig’s horn, or the CRIK, CRIK, CRIK of a cricket — I am always working to bring actions and sounds into the book. Which is why I find myself not only talking aloud – but sometimes clapping, tapping, and hopping about while writing. This probably makes folks in the coffee shop wonder what I’m actually drinking…

3) Why do you write what you do?

Because it’s what is moving me at the moment. When an idea hits me — it’s overwhelming. I have to write it down. Sometimes – that’s all it is, a moment of inspiration and then it’s gone. But sometimes, the words linger and change and continue to evolve over the course of days, weeks, and even years. When the words stick with me and new thoughts keep popping into my head after the initial burst of inspiration — that’s when I start to pay attention. A sudden inspiration is fun — but it takes a bit more than that to create a full story. In the end, I write the stories that stick to me and won’t leave me be!

4) How does your writing process work?

As I said above, my process starts with a burst of inspiration. It may come in a complete sentence, or a title, or a funny question – which is what happened with my latest picture book IF YOU WERE A DOG. coverA little boy came to the library. His grandma warned me that, today, he was a dog – not a boy. The dog barked at me and sort of wagged his tail. I smiled and asked him, “What sort of dog are you? Will you listen in storytime or bark?” The little dog barked, which made me laugh. And made me start to think — what sort of dog would I be? What sort of dogs had been my friends? And for that matter — what about cats? Birds? Fish? Bugs? What SORT of bug, dog, cat, fish, bird would I be? The first lines of the book popped into my head. “If you were a dog, would you be a speedy-quick, lickety-sloppidy, scavenge-the-garbage, Frisbee-catching, hot-dog-stealing, pillow-hogging, best-friend ever sort of dog? Would you howl at the moon? ARRRRROOOOOOOO! Some dogs do.”  I liked that so very much that I kept playing with it and asked myself a ton of questions. They made me laugh as I thought about the type of animal I would be — and trust me — I would certainly be howling at the moon.

During the inspiration phase — I also do a lot of reading. I read nonfiction books about whatever it is I’m writing about. As I wrote IF YOU WERE A DOG, I remember I brought books about birds of prey, bugs, and frogs home. I wanted to immerse myself in the language of those animals so I would be thinking about what it might really be like to be a fish, a cat, a bug, etc…

Once I have the inspiration and the research part down – the real work begins. Inspiration is great – but picture books have a very specific format – pace, structure, page limit – so I spend a lot of time visualizing the final book. Where would I want to turn the page? Does the ending satisfy the beginning? Is it too long? Too short? Are there enough opportunities for an illustrator to be inspired too? (It’s not enough that I’m inspired — there MUST be space for an illustrator to play and dream and be inspired too).

After all of that — I read aloud, take the book to my critique group, and continue to revise until I think it’s good enough to become a real book. Once it gets to that point — I start sending it off into the real world and hope, and hope, and hope that someone else sees what I see and will turn it into a book that I can share in storytime.

That’s about it for me! But, as I said — every writer has a slightly different approach. In the end, there’s no right or wrong. If it works, it works. If you’d like to learn more about process — follow this blog tour to the next two stops:

Robin Stevenson is the author of sixteen novels for teens and children, including the 2014 Silver Birch Award winner Record Breaker, Record Breaker (1)the Governor General’s Award finalist A Thousand Shades of Blue, and the ALA Rainbow List selection, Inferno. Robin was born in England, grew up mostly in Ontario, and now lives on the west coast of Canada with her partner and their ten year old son. She writes, edits, and teaches creative writing classes for people of all ages. Robin loves hearing from readers and can be reached through her website at www.robinstevenson.com

Elizabeth Fixmer became passionate about writing for children during her twenty years as a child psychotherapist in Denver. In her practice elizabethfixmer1she used middle-grade and young-adult novels extensively to help children identify with characters, and equip them with a vocabulary to express their own thoughts and feelings. Elizabeth was so enamored with writing that she returned to school and obtained a second master’s degree: an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults (Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota). She loves conducting workshops and presentations. www.elizabethfixmer.com

 

 

Character Driven Stories

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image 4If you’re a writer – you know the drill. Write a character-driven book.

I’ve been writing for some time now. I’ve been around. I went to Hamline University and completed my M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults. I contemplated character, wrote essays on character, read a zillion and one character-driven books and asked myself endlessly – what makes a good character? Is it all in the name? The voice? In some dark secret that he/she is carrying from page one to the bitter end? Is the extreme characteristic – the BEST, the WORST, the MOST POWERFUL, the WEAKEST… Maybe it’s a talent that only he/she possesses. Maybe he/she is an outsider – thinks differently than everyone else in the book. Is he/she the hero? The only hope? The last of a line? The first?

Characters are important. No doubt about that. Especially if you want to sell a book.

Believe me – I write a ton of books that do not have character driven plots (much to my agent’s chagrin – Sorry, Sean) — BUT I have been thinking about writing a book with a real, honest-to-goodness character-driven plot. The NAME of said character will be prominently displayed in the TITLE. It will happen.

So, with character in mind – it’s not surprising that when I heard Jill Davis of HarperCollins speak at a recent event – and she said that a strong character will be able to be printed on pajamas – or bed sheets – I took note. That makes sense – right?

When I think about my books to date – I would say Frankie 2468 Frankiethe truck from my book BIG RIG could be awesome pajamas. Also, I would vote for Fred (the bear from my book BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!) as a charming sheet set.

So if I have done this – why is it so hard to do this when I sit down to write? The main thing I am going to focus on is giving a character in the book an actual NAME. You roll the eyes (I see you) – but seriously – I write a lot of sense of place poetry. There might be dogs, cats, fish, children – but they do not always have NAMES. Plus, when I read to the young folks, I tend to pick books that give kids an overall feeling – such as I LOVE SPIDERS by John Parker or ALL THE WORLD by Liz Garton. These are fantastic, poetic, lovely books for twos and threes — and they do not have named CHARACTERS. Still, they would make nice pajamas – or maybe wallpaper.

What have we learned here? That editors would very much like a character to sell, and we, the authors would also like a character to sell. We also know that kids like characters (because they like pajamas with Curious George or Spiderman on them). So, with you as my witness – I am going to TRY to write some seriously character driven books – but I will very likely keep writing those other books too. Because they are important and all fun to read too. Even if they don’t translate EXACTLY to a twin comforter set. hee hee hee …

 

 

 

 

The Wheels on the RIG

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rocket drive in
Copyright: Ned Young 2014/Disney-Hyperion

Here’s a fun way to use my book BIG RIG in storytime — change the words to the traditional Wheels on the Bus – incorporating the sounds/actions from BIG RIG. The wheels on the RIG go round and round

And here’s a more printer-friendly version: The wheels on the RIG printer friendly

I’ve been out and about using this book with lots of kids – and I just love watching them do the URRRRNNNT-URRRRNNNT! ned young copyrightsound while pulling the horn. Nice when an idea for text works exactly the way you had imagined with the real kiddos!

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