I’ve been busy as a beaver writing. I joined a new SCBWI book group last month. I’ve belonged to the Florida Writer’s Assosiation since November and learned so much, but I felt the need to connect with children’s writers. Last week, I submitted two chapters of my novel for the new group to critique. I came home charged up with writing energy.
I’m going to need that energy! A couple weeks ago, on a whim, I emailed Lisa Michaels, a Florida illustrator/writer. Lisa is a treasure vault of children’s book knowledge. She runs several blogs, plus her own site, a successful children’s writers’ online group and has just started an online group for Florida’s west coast illustrators. On top of that, she teaches art classes and writes and illustrates books. I get tired just thinking about her schedule. You can see Lisa’s work at her Whimsical Scribbles site http://wscribbles.blogspot.com/ . While you’re there, check out the links. You’ll be glad you did.
Lisa invited me to join her illustrator’s site. I’m honored and excited to be a part of this talented group. But now, the question is, can I keep up with all this activity? I’m not a super woman like Lisa. I don’t have endless energy and I get easily bogged down in life’s every day challenges. The schedule I’ve set for myself requires two to three chapters of my novel submitted every two weeks to the SCBWI group and one chapter submitted every other week to the FWA group. Somewhere I have to squeeze in time to do artwork for picture book projects and I have several stories in draft stages to submit to different publications.
This week, I had minor surgery. I’ve used my recuperation time to make progress on the novel. I have three chapters ready for the next two critiques, and I’m working on the next three. After editing chapters all day yesterday, I sat back at the computer after dinner. At 7:30, I was bleary- eyed with not an ounce of creative energy left. I asked the computer to save the file. It told me I already had a file by that name; did I want to replace that file? I mistakenly said “yes.” Just like that, I erased a chapter I didn’t mean to erase. Thank goodness for my husband who insists on back up files. The moral of this story is, quit before your brains are scrambled!
