Thank you to all who submitted essays, short stories, poetry, and photography for the upcoming edition of Mother Muse, tentatively slated for publication through Diversion Press. Unless you have received emails from me stating otherwise, we are now closed for submissions.
I currently am poring through the submissions, doing a final edit on all pieces I'd like to accept.
The next step will be emailing each individual contributor (yes, you'll receive an email either way) with the proof copy of your piece/s, along with a contract from the publisher and an explanation of what will be needed for each piece to make it to the publisher.
Once I receive all contracts and accepted proofs (and any comments from the contributors), I will send the entire manuscript to Diversion. Assuming they accept the final project, we will be on our way to publication and distribution.
All contributors will be contacted at each step of the way thereafter.
Again, thanks so much for your submissions. If I yet await your submission per a previous email, please get it to me as soon as you can, so we can proceed along this journey together.
Cheers!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Thursday, December 17, 2009
You, awake too early, and me, too impatient
I don't know why I even try to carry an asleep child from the bedside rocker to the living room couch so I can journal or do some other writing or reading. So selfish of me. You always wake up, thwarting my multi-tasking plans.
This time I intended merely to capture with my pen the glow of my rare rocking chair star-gazing at your repose, you so easily comforted with a little snuggle.
And now you should see the paper I write on through your wide-awake play, so crinkled from my 'fight,' handwriting atrocious, stray marks everywhere, as I race to put words to paper before you snatch it again.
This time I intended merely to capture with my pen the glow of my rare rocking chair star-gazing at your repose, you so easily comforted with a little snuggle.
And now you should see the paper I write on through your wide-awake play, so crinkled from my 'fight,' handwriting atrocious, stray marks everywhere, as I race to put words to paper before you snatch it again.
Monday, December 14, 2009
As the weeks are passing, and the Mother Muse deadline is quickly approaching, I have fielded many questions on what specifically will be sought in the selection process. I cannot say for sure (as this is of course the subjective side to editorship). What I can say is that I have not read enough about motherhood. Keep those quality submissions coming.
A few pointers that may help:
- Be concise. Think Cup of Comfort or Chicken Soup for the __ Soul sorts of essays and poetry under about 2-3 pages typed. Don't stress if an essay or story is a little over that, but that's a general guideline.
- Be descriptive & sensory. Let the readers experience what you're sharing; don't just tell us about it in broad terms. Oftentimes, we as humans gloss over scenes, etc., because our minds fill in the sensory details. If your reader has not had your experience, how is he or she to know quite what was going on unless you tell him or her?
- And overall, stay positive - I aim for this collection to be an uplifting sort, just as the original Mother Muse was, so even when you treat challenges in your pieces, be sure the overall tone and 'message' remains positive.
Those are the key thoughts at this time. Keep spreading the word about this collection and its upcoming deadline. And certainly email me with any questions you have along the way.
A few pointers that may help:
- Be concise. Think Cup of Comfort or Chicken Soup for the __ Soul sorts of essays and poetry under about 2-3 pages typed. Don't stress if an essay or story is a little over that, but that's a general guideline.
- Be descriptive & sensory. Let the readers experience what you're sharing; don't just tell us about it in broad terms. Oftentimes, we as humans gloss over scenes, etc., because our minds fill in the sensory details. If your reader has not had your experience, how is he or she to know quite what was going on unless you tell him or her?
- And overall, stay positive - I aim for this collection to be an uplifting sort, just as the original Mother Muse was, so even when you treat challenges in your pieces, be sure the overall tone and 'message' remains positive.
Those are the key thoughts at this time. Keep spreading the word about this collection and its upcoming deadline. And certainly email me with any questions you have along the way.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Defining Moment Writing Exercise and Critique thoughts
I just critiqued a friend's early poem for potential consideration in the upcoming Mother Muse collection, and thought I'd share pieces of my critique as some thoughts for any writer to consider:
No one but you knows what you're thinking/feeling, so kudos for beginning to get your thoughts on paper to begin with! It is the incredible first step to the written preservation of your thoughts.
Perhaps a journal you write in whenever you feel moved by something you and/or your daughter do would help create a collection of thoughts on the subject.
It seems your point is that your daughter is your life; correct? Prove it to me - don't let there be a shadow of a doubt in my mind that this awesome creature that looks just like momma is your world.
In this poem, I 'hear' a lot, as though you're sitting here telling me about what you're thinking. Try sensualizing what you're thinking ... meaning, try to draw on the senses so I can see/hear/smell/taste/touch the ideas you're trying to convey. As it stands now, I feel like saying, yep, yep, sounds about right (from a mom's point of view), but it's the sort of piece that could be easily forgotten as a piece of poetry. A piece of poetry should 'sing' when read aloud - and I don't mean rhyming, sing-songy sort of 'sing'; I mean, the words used should be concise, emotional, informational, and affective (not just effective). Right now, when I read this out loud, it doesn't sound like that 'sing'ing verse.
I wonder if the problem in my reading comes from the 3-year scope of the piece - I mean, it covers your appreciation of your daughter from pre-birth to now. What if you focus on a scene (ie- perhaps a scene that made you reflect on her existence) in either poem or prose form, and integrate the reflection and appreciation?
Perhaps the following exercise might help:
1. Think of a moment when you felt particularly moved by something your daughter does or says, or when you remember something of your own memories.
2. Write down in sentence/sentence fragment/list form everything you remember about that moment, the location, what she or you wore, any smells, sights, sounds, or tastes you remember from that scene or location, etc. Don't censor yourself. You're just prewriting for yourself. Hopefully something from this list will be usable, but if not, don't worry either!
3. Once you feel your 'list' is complete, look it over, and see if anything strikes you as the most powerful part of that moment. If so, write more about it in brainstorming form, or start creating a poem (or essay, if you feel this moment would fit better in that form) right then and there. If nothing strikes you as the most powerful part of that moment, try to figure out what the defining moment was after all. When writing about something so pivotal/emotional/inspiring, you should be drawn by the subject matter, not just sloshing through an exercise, so here is where you should move on to your own poetry creation ideas.
I believe Revising and Editing take place during creation of poetry, as well as after your piece is complete, as you remove unnecessary words, keeping a concise piece that conveys your intended message with affective toned verse.
No one but you knows what you're thinking/feeling, so kudos for beginning to get your thoughts on paper to begin with! It is the incredible first step to the written preservation of your thoughts.
Perhaps a journal you write in whenever you feel moved by something you and/or your daughter do would help create a collection of thoughts on the subject.
It seems your point is that your daughter is your life; correct? Prove it to me - don't let there be a shadow of a doubt in my mind that this awesome creature that looks just like momma is your world.
In this poem, I 'hear' a lot, as though you're sitting here telling me about what you're thinking. Try sensualizing what you're thinking ... meaning, try to draw on the senses so I can see/hear/smell/taste/touch the ideas you're trying to convey. As it stands now, I feel like saying, yep, yep, sounds about right (from a mom's point of view), but it's the sort of piece that could be easily forgotten as a piece of poetry. A piece of poetry should 'sing' when read aloud - and I don't mean rhyming, sing-songy sort of 'sing'; I mean, the words used should be concise, emotional, informational, and affective (not just effective). Right now, when I read this out loud, it doesn't sound like that 'sing'ing verse.
I wonder if the problem in my reading comes from the 3-year scope of the piece - I mean, it covers your appreciation of your daughter from pre-birth to now. What if you focus on a scene (ie- perhaps a scene that made you reflect on her existence) in either poem or prose form, and integrate the reflection and appreciation?
Perhaps the following exercise might help:
1. Think of a moment when you felt particularly moved by something your daughter does or says, or when you remember something of your own memories.
2. Write down in sentence/sentence fragment/list form everything you remember about that moment, the location, what she or you wore, any smells, sights, sounds, or tastes you remember from that scene or location, etc. Don't censor yourself. You're just prewriting for yourself. Hopefully something from this list will be usable, but if not, don't worry either!
3. Once you feel your 'list' is complete, look it over, and see if anything strikes you as the most powerful part of that moment. If so, write more about it in brainstorming form, or start creating a poem (or essay, if you feel this moment would fit better in that form) right then and there. If nothing strikes you as the most powerful part of that moment, try to figure out what the defining moment was after all. When writing about something so pivotal/emotional/inspiring, you should be drawn by the subject matter, not just sloshing through an exercise, so here is where you should move on to your own poetry creation ideas.
I believe Revising and Editing take place during creation of poetry, as well as after your piece is complete, as you remove unnecessary words, keeping a concise piece that conveys your intended message with affective toned verse.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Upcoming Events in the Rochester, NY area
I have confirmed the following events at which I'll be a featured local author, signing and selling copies of all of my books, and soliciting and/or accepting submissions for the upcoming Mother Muse edition:
* Sunday, Dec. 13th - 2-5pm - Local Authors Extravaganza (I am one of 40 who will be featured at this event!) at LiftBridge Bookstore (45 Main St., Brockport)
* Sunday, January 17, 2010 - 3pm - Reading/booksigning at Sacred Grounds Coffeehouse in Mendon, NY
* Sunday, Dec. 13th - 2-5pm - Local Authors Extravaganza (I am one of 40 who will be featured at this event!) at LiftBridge Bookstore (45 Main St., Brockport)
* Sunday, January 17, 2010 - 3pm - Reading/booksigning at Sacred Grounds Coffeehouse in Mendon, NY
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Preschool snack time
I feel like the most anal mom ever! Why do I feel guilty when I disprove of the unhealthy, but healthier than cupcakes and pure sugar snacks, my eldest has at preschool? Why do I feel like I should pull her just to prevent her from getting into a habit of gobbling goldfish crackers, salty, or frosted sweet treats every morning? Am I really the only mom who would not willingly give her child sugary, salty treats that don't fit in any of the major food groups for her morning snack if there's absolutely any convenient way around it?
Yes, we have a rather regimented meal/snack system in the Wells household - cereal or oatmeal with milk for breakfast, a fresh fruit and a grain or a dairy for morning snack, a lunch of at least one grain, usually two veggies, sometimes one fruit, one veggie, a protein, and often a dairy, then an afternoon snack of fruit/dairy/grain combo, or perhaps something I'd consider mostly outside those groups (ie-pretzels or animal crackers), then dinner of a grain, a protein, and two veggies or one fruit/one veggie, small bedtime snack of cold cereal with milk. It works for us, and I feel confident that having the healthy options readily available helps all of us eat better.
When we're at friends' houses, yes, I bring our snack (as do most of the moms we hang out with), and it usually consists of a portable version of our usual grain/fruit/dairy snacks. But I have absolutely no problem letting Kayla try something at their house, especially if the other children invite her to try it and/or if she asks me nicely for it ... I don't want to prohibit foods, by any means.
How do I find a balance between encouraging her to eat healthy and recognizing that not everyone eats the same foods as we do? Please help! I am so tempted to ask the teachers at her school if I can bring some fresh foods every week as alternatives to the (in my mind) less healthy choices the 'snack helpers' bring when it's their turns? Our 'turn' in the snack rotation doesn't come until mid-November, at which time it'll be time for Kayla's birthday celebration ... should I be the parent who has her bring broccoli and carrot sticks (which she absolutely LOVES, not a punishment, btw) for her special day, simply because the whole class hasn't been getting truly healthy snacks yet this year?! I feel helpless, and I hate the feeling. She's only almost three; why should I have to worry about this yet?!
As a not-entirely side question: Am I the only wackadoodle who feeds her children food from the food pyramid?!
Yes, we have a rather regimented meal/snack system in the Wells household - cereal or oatmeal with milk for breakfast, a fresh fruit and a grain or a dairy for morning snack, a lunch of at least one grain, usually two veggies, sometimes one fruit, one veggie, a protein, and often a dairy, then an afternoon snack of fruit/dairy/grain combo, or perhaps something I'd consider mostly outside those groups (ie-pretzels or animal crackers), then dinner of a grain, a protein, and two veggies or one fruit/one veggie, small bedtime snack of cold cereal with milk. It works for us, and I feel confident that having the healthy options readily available helps all of us eat better.
When we're at friends' houses, yes, I bring our snack (as do most of the moms we hang out with), and it usually consists of a portable version of our usual grain/fruit/dairy snacks. But I have absolutely no problem letting Kayla try something at their house, especially if the other children invite her to try it and/or if she asks me nicely for it ... I don't want to prohibit foods, by any means.
How do I find a balance between encouraging her to eat healthy and recognizing that not everyone eats the same foods as we do? Please help! I am so tempted to ask the teachers at her school if I can bring some fresh foods every week as alternatives to the (in my mind) less healthy choices the 'snack helpers' bring when it's their turns? Our 'turn' in the snack rotation doesn't come until mid-November, at which time it'll be time for Kayla's birthday celebration ... should I be the parent who has her bring broccoli and carrot sticks (which she absolutely LOVES, not a punishment, btw) for her special day, simply because the whole class hasn't been getting truly healthy snacks yet this year?! I feel helpless, and I hate the feeling. She's only almost three; why should I have to worry about this yet?!
As a not-entirely side question: Am I the only wackadoodle who feeds her children food from the food pyramid?!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
a mother's night
My daughter's mischievous grin haunts my sleep.
As I lie here dreading another night interrupted by an increasingly independent preschooler who is still testing the waters in her newfound nighttime freedom, my infant awakes, screaming bloody murder. My objectives shift from creative ponderings and putting pen to paper as my mind muses to that of a mother hen, calm, soothe, put back to bed.
Practicality always seems to trump creative mom time - even when all is pitch and I desire only a moment to reflect.
Now I'll lie awake until that child is asleep - her tossing subsiding and her lip-smacking sleep noises resumed.
And then what? I'll wait, knowing - thinking - dreading the other child's midnight waking.
When do other moms ever sleep? How on earth do moms of more than two make it through the night?
***
A growl rises from her throat; is that intended toward the lion beside her, the dream that rudely awoke her, the world in general, mother dearest for suffering so much as to open her door, which seemed to wake her to begin with?
As I lie here dreading another night interrupted by an increasingly independent preschooler who is still testing the waters in her newfound nighttime freedom, my infant awakes, screaming bloody murder. My objectives shift from creative ponderings and putting pen to paper as my mind muses to that of a mother hen, calm, soothe, put back to bed.
Practicality always seems to trump creative mom time - even when all is pitch and I desire only a moment to reflect.
Now I'll lie awake until that child is asleep - her tossing subsiding and her lip-smacking sleep noises resumed.
And then what? I'll wait, knowing - thinking - dreading the other child's midnight waking.
When do other moms ever sleep? How on earth do moms of more than two make it through the night?
***
A growl rises from her throat; is that intended toward the lion beside her, the dream that rudely awoke her, the world in general, mother dearest for suffering so much as to open her door, which seemed to wake her to begin with?
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