Thursday, May 30, 2013
What bugs me?
What bugs me are those parent drivers—going too fast, cell phones glued to their lips like half-smoked cigarettes, blowing cellular ash in their kids’ faces. Mute children stare out the window—no one to tell how their day was because whoever is on their mom’s phone is always more important. The kids sit impotent, unable to voice what’s almost bursting out of them, even if it’s just a warning: stop…STOP!…finally stopping for me and my child in the crosswalk. Screeching brakes, tiny waves, the false innocence of apologetic shrugs impeded by the phone cradled between ear and shoulder. How I want to reach in the window and grab that phone. But I know what I’d find. Too bad there’s no one on the other end, the driver’s equally self-absorbed caller having put them on hold for a better offer—yet another driver in line behind them just calling to say, “Why are we all stopping anyway?”
Monday, May 20, 2013
Can rejection make you a stronger writer? May 20, 2013
Most writers can remember that queasy feeling when opening a response from an agent or publisher, our eyes skimming the page, seeking—yet afraid to read—the rejection between the politely worded lines. While few writers are immune to the initial despair that a rejection brings, I wonder can a rejection make me stronger? I believe the answer is yes. Just as overcoming an illness can up our bodies’ natural defenses, a rejection, if used as an opportunity for growth, can strengthen our writing. Rather than submitting the exact same manuscript (ms) to another editor or agent, grasp the opportunity to reread what you’ve written with a critical eye. Scan your rejection letter for hints on how to improve your ms. Then get out in the company of fellow writers—after all, misery love company—and attend a critique group, conference, workshop or lecture. Take notes and use them to revisit and revise your work. Then send it out again, keeping in mind the encouragement of a fellow local SCBWI member, “Think of each rejection as bringing you closer to the publisher who will accept your ms.” Just make sure it’s an even better ms each time you submit it.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
May 2, 2013: The Writer's Voice Contest Entry
The Writer's Voice Entry #87
I’m thrilled to be part of The Writer's Voice, a multi-blog, multi-agent contest hosted by Cupid of Cupid’s Literary Connection, Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes, Monica B.W. of Love YA, and Krista Van Dolzer of Mother. Write. Repeat.
For The Writer's Voice competition, I'm posting my brief query below as well as the first 250 words of my younger YA romance, ANNIE'S STORY.
QUERY:
When rebellious Irish teen Annie Noolin gets stuck working in an English hospital, a contentious encounter with surly patient Johnny Stanmore sets them on a destiny-changing path. Fourteen-year-old Annie is comfortable living with extended family on their Irish farm, though Da is dead and Mam away. When Mam returns to drag Annie off to the bustle of post-WWII London, Annie submits reluctantly, clinging to the dream of returning home. Sparks fly and her interest is piqued when she meets the brooding schoolboy who, for a mysterious reason of his own, would rather not recover. For the first time, Annie becomes focused on someone other than herself.
Annie's poking into Johnny’s troubled family relationships intensifies unresolved feelings toward
her own. Wounded after a conflict with Johnny, she flees back to Ireland only to discover it’s not the ideal place she believed. While confronting difficult truths about her da, she misses the
freedom and potential of London. She realizes her true place is there and—despite everyone’s disapproval of English/Irish romances—maybe even with Johnny.
I co-authored The Pocket Parent (nonfiction-Workman Publishing, 2001, over 160,000 copies in print). I belong to SCBWI. ANNIE’S STORY (YA romance-75,000 words) originates in my British childhood with an Irish mother and English father.
ANNIE'S STORY:
No stopping it now, for sure—neither the ferry’s inexorable churning away from Ireland’s
azure bays and rolling green mountains, nor the dread that rose like bile in Annie’s throat.
Above, the homesick cries of a lonesome gull echoed in the wind. How she longed to take
wing too and fly back to the only home she’d ever known. But now that beloved home was
retreating into her past, while she, Annie Noolin, was bound for the one country that had
been Ireland’s enemy for centuries.
Another wave of misery washed over her. No matter how firmly Annie braced her feet against
the swaying deck and gulped the sparkling air, still her insides lurched. And with a sickness
that wrenched not just her stomach but deep into her heart. Leaning over the side, she retched
again, unleashing the bitter taste of defeat into the waves. As she straightened up, her mother reached out to untangle her auburn curls.
“Drink this,” Mam coaxed, holding out a paper cup of water. “It will make you feel better,
my darling girl. Happened to me as well, my first time on a boat.”
Annie gently pushed Mam’s hand away. A few drops from the cup splashed onto the slick deck.
“I’m fine. I’ll not be sick again,” she said, her stomach settling but her heart still floundering.
Already fourteen, Annie had a fierce, stubborn mind of her own but Mam was treating her as if
she were still a wee girl.
I’m thrilled to be part of The Writer's Voice, a multi-blog, multi-agent contest hosted by Cupid of Cupid’s Literary Connection, Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes, Monica B.W. of Love YA, and Krista Van Dolzer of Mother. Write. Repeat.
For The Writer's Voice competition, I'm posting my brief query below as well as the first 250 words of my younger YA romance, ANNIE'S STORY.
QUERY:
When rebellious Irish teen Annie Noolin gets stuck working in an English hospital, a contentious encounter with surly patient Johnny Stanmore sets them on a destiny-changing path. Fourteen-year-old Annie is comfortable living with extended family on their Irish farm, though Da is dead and Mam away. When Mam returns to drag Annie off to the bustle of post-WWII London, Annie submits reluctantly, clinging to the dream of returning home. Sparks fly and her interest is piqued when she meets the brooding schoolboy who, for a mysterious reason of his own, would rather not recover. For the first time, Annie becomes focused on someone other than herself.
Annie's poking into Johnny’s troubled family relationships intensifies unresolved feelings toward
her own. Wounded after a conflict with Johnny, she flees back to Ireland only to discover it’s not the ideal place she believed. While confronting difficult truths about her da, she misses the
freedom and potential of London. She realizes her true place is there and—despite everyone’s disapproval of English/Irish romances—maybe even with Johnny.
I co-authored The Pocket Parent (nonfiction-Workman Publishing, 2001, over 160,000 copies in print). I belong to SCBWI. ANNIE’S STORY (YA romance-75,000 words) originates in my British childhood with an Irish mother and English father.
ANNIE'S STORY:
No stopping it now, for sure—neither the ferry’s inexorable churning away from Ireland’s
azure bays and rolling green mountains, nor the dread that rose like bile in Annie’s throat.
Above, the homesick cries of a lonesome gull echoed in the wind. How she longed to take
wing too and fly back to the only home she’d ever known. But now that beloved home was
retreating into her past, while she, Annie Noolin, was bound for the one country that had
been Ireland’s enemy for centuries.
Another wave of misery washed over her. No matter how firmly Annie braced her feet against
the swaying deck and gulped the sparkling air, still her insides lurched. And with a sickness
that wrenched not just her stomach but deep into her heart. Leaning over the side, she retched
again, unleashing the bitter taste of defeat into the waves. As she straightened up, her mother reached out to untangle her auburn curls.
“Drink this,” Mam coaxed, holding out a paper cup of water. “It will make you feel better,
my darling girl. Happened to me as well, my first time on a boat.”
Annie gently pushed Mam’s hand away. A few drops from the cup splashed onto the slick deck.
“I’m fine. I’ll not be sick again,” she said, her stomach settling but her heart still floundering.
Already fourteen, Annie had a fierce, stubborn mind of her own but Mam was treating her as if
she were still a wee girl.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
April 30th: The warmest day since September is upon us
Alighting on a flower petal, humming with contentment, it spreads its wings to the sun.
But oh, a rainy day! I'm snug in my study, the lightning flashing through my soul, the inspiration of a soft pillow at my back, and the waves of music washing over me. While my garden takes a bath, my spirit comes to me purified, ready to create.
April 30, 2013
So what’s this blog about? It’s about creating and nurturing. Just as I, Caroline Winkler, have created and nurtured a three-season garden at my home, I’ve created and nurtured my writing. I've fertilized it with classes, pruned it in critique groups and workshops, and weeded it to reveal its essence. I create and nurture to help others grow and to bring them joy. In doing so, I experience growth and personal joy. I hope my YA novel, Annie’s Story (working title), will bring readers joy and growth as, with my main characters, we explore the many questions that life throws at us all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)