LDS Story Maker's Conference

So me and my dear friend Kristen Knight (check out her website The Fancy Deep down under my favorite sites)went to the LDS Story Maker's Conference this past weekend, and it was fabulous and successful. Not only did we learn some great tips on how to be better writers and get published, but we both pitched to Shadow Mountain Publishing (they are an imprint of Deseret Book) and we both got requests to see more. Fablehaven, 13th Reality, The Candy Shop Wars etc...

So, tomorrow I'll be sending them my first three chapters and the rest of the week will be spent frantically reviewing the rest of the manuscript to make sure it's polished and perfect should they ask for more. This is the part of the process that I hate. I tend to get obsessive. Ahhh well, I'm excited and so very grateful for the window of opportunity. Thank goodness I have such a great support system here at home. Seriously, choosing to marry my husband was the best decision I've ever made.

I'll keep you all posted on the turnout. Wish me luck! Prayers are greatly appreciated

Keats

I've been pretty interested in the poet John Keats since I saw the movie Bright Star and was so mesmerized by his ability to paint vivid, breath-taking word pictures. If I could write like Keats, no matter how old-fashioned it might sound, I would.

Anyway, I've decided to brush up on my 19th century poets...well, Keats anyway, and found a book of his poems at Deseret Industries (fabulous place to get inexpensive books for no more than $3, btw). I've been skimming through this compilation of his works over the last few months, but today, I was captivated by two of his longer, myth poems. The first is called Isabella or The Pot of Basil: A Story of Boccaccio, which I assume means that the story was originally told by Giovanni Boccaccio, the famous 14th century author and humanist.



This story is really sad and kind of...no make that really morbid, but very beautifully and pathetically written. Keats has a way of writing so you don't really get the morbid thing.

The story is about a woman named Isabella and a man named Lorenzo who fall in love and are so happy, but Isabella's brothers are hoping to marry her off to a Nobleman. Consequently the loveafair can't last, and Isabella's brothers end up luring Lorenzo out into the forest where they kill and bury him. There's more to it and it ends totally tragic and morbid. But it's oh, so beautifully written. Keat's writing is like eating a fine, french chocolate tart without the whip cream--a perfect balance of everything.

The second poem I read was his Lamia poem. While Isabella was sad in an adolescently depressive way, Lamia was much more tragic, because aside from the Greek mythology, it was more heart-wrenchingly believable.

For those of you who don't know who Lamia is in Greek mythology, she's a water serpent kind of nymph who lures in lovers. Keats puts her in a much more sympathetic light in his poem, which I like. The story is about her making a bargain with Hermes to become human and be able to woo and wed a man named Lycius she's fallen in love with.



It's funny to me how the tragic love story is so timeless. It's like we as human beings love to hurt. But there's something beautiful about that kind of ache a tragic love story brings. I'd say out of the two, Lamia was my favorite.

I'm a huge fan of mythology and especially artistic interpretations of them in art, poetry, lit and music. If you're the same way, Keats is worth picking up, even if it's just to read these two poems. Put in lame man's terms, the stories are heavy on the pathos, but when you put them to Keats language, he kind of transforms them into something really sophisticatedly magical and exquisite.

Anyway, just thought I'd deviate from the Young Adult book recommendations I've mostly given on this blog, and recommend something more substantial.

Happy Reading!

Truly, Madly, Deeply...

I came across this article http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/fashion/27love.html?_r=1 today, and I just had to share it, because I completely agree with the author. While I adore, cherish, hold my son as my greatest inheritance as a mother, words cannot now, and most likely never will be able to express the way I feel for my husband. If something, heaven forbid and as devastating as it would be, were to happen to my son, I feel like I might be able to go on a little bit easier, because I would have my husband to carry an equal share of the burden--we would be able to mourn together as parents. However, sometimes I greatly question how I would fair if it were the other way around, and something were to happen to Michael. I would be alone in my grief as his wife--as the only one who had just lost the most important person in the world to me. I didn't realize half of me was missing all of my life until I met him and felt whole for the first time. As much as Sam loves his daddy, he just wouldn't be able to empathize with the magnitude of my grief, nor would I expect or ask him to.

I would also have to say that while the author of this article feels guilty for loving her husband more than her children, I do not; I think that that is the way it should be. I think the greatest gift you can give your children is to show them what is possible in marriage. As a child who didn't have that example, I feel greatly blessed that I was able to find someone like Michael, and create the kind of marriage and family we have. If it weren't for divine intervention, I would've never dreamed this kind of happiness was even possible. Now, Sam, and any other children we may have, will see that they too can be married to their best friend, someone who loves them more than any other person in the entire world...including their mother. And they will know how to treat them.

It just makes sense to me. In the end, the two of you are all you have once the kids are gone so shouldn't you be looking out for each other first and foremost? You ought to take that into consideration while the kids are growing up and make sure that relationship is healthy and nurtured all along the way. I think if you do that, everything else will just follow. Some people may think this is callous and horrible, but I would say that they were wrong. I agree with whoever said that the best way to love your children is to love your wife--or husband in my case.

Anyway, just my two cents that have nothing what-so-ever to do with writing.

Thanks for reading.

2010! Write On!

Okay, so first off, I just realized that the title of my last post was totally spelled wrong (I just changed it). For those who don't know, I'm dyslexic, so although I write well, I do not now, and never have spelled extraordinarily well. But I've never let it stop me from writing...thank goodness. What the heck are editors for if not to fix spelling errors? It just go to show you that the only thing that can hold you back from accomplishing your dreams is you.

Now, on to the latest on my book. For the year 2010 I've made some great goals, and to get this manuscript accepted by an agent and possibly a publisher by the end of the year is among those. So, consequently, I've found it necessary to start remodeling a bit. This last week was my first week back with my little band of characters, and I'm pleased to say that chapters one and two are looking very promising with the minor changes I have made. Such as, completely changing the personality and appearance of my main character. This was all a matter of time though, I just had to be prepared to accept that she would have the final word in the end. I've been humbled, she will be what she will be, and I might add that she is awesome!

I've also changed the narration of my story from 3rd person omniscient, to 1st person past-present. I did this for two reasons, #1 was to give more life and depth to my heroin, and #2 was because there are things that happen later in the series that need to happen in her head. It also makes quite a few other things easier to tweak. So, never underestimate the power of perspective, both on and off the page. :)

Other than that, folks, we are back in writing mode, and I just have to say, that after taking a good three months off from regular daily writing intervals, I am so much happier and grounded, and organized and driven, and most importantly, I'm SUCH a better wife and mom when I'm writing every day. So, don't ever underestimate the power of daily writing as an anti-depressant either! ;)

Anyway, I'm hoping to have this draft in the best shape I, with the powers vested in me, can make it by the end of March. If I still don't feel like it's ready to send off to agents, I'll try submitting it to an editor and see what they can tell me. Then I'll try the agents again.

I'm feeling really good about 2010. I think this is going to be the beginning of a truly extraordinary decade!

Wish me luck!

Another "Rubbish" Read

Alright, now that I've let my feelings about Hush, Hush simmer a little, and am thinking a bit more rationally than my last post (A post I felt rather guilty about and so deleted it from my blog for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about), I'm back to tell you that Hush, Hush...was still one of the dumbest books I've ever read.

Seriously. It's a knock off of Twilight on so many levels and it was in sore need of an editor. I still feel that the only thing the book had going for it was a cool cover.

I will say no more.

Why I Love My Husband...

There are no words...

"Bright Star"

My good friend Ashley told me about this film and invited me to go see it with her yesterday. For those of you who haven't heard of it, it's a story about John Keats the poet and his love or Muse that inspired his greatest poems (don't know much about Keats' life, but apparently it's a true story).
Anyway, I can honestly say, without any reservations that it is by far one of, if not my favorite movie of all time. Really and truly. The only word I can give you to describe it, is "Exquisite". When it was over, Ash and I were riveted to our seats until the last credit had run. It's full of Keats poetry which is so beautiful, and apparently it received a 96% or 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
If you love artistic (not artsy-fartsy, necessarily) but very sophisticatedly made, and very human movies, you need to see this one. Bright Star is a real love story.

p.s. This is one of the cleanest, yet most romantically stirring love stories I've ever seen. It's done so well that even the slightest touch of the hand sends your heart racing.