Tick-Tock, Don't Stop

I recently restarted the clock on some creative goals. No, not at 0000 hours. More like at "Hey, the clock says THIS is where I am, so let's go from there."

I'm taking this approach not because I'd ever stopped making progress. I just figure now is a good time to pivot away from the myth of my own making that I'm thismuch behind in anything and, therefore, somehow behind in Life. (Spoiler alert: I'm right on time, one that's mine alone to tell.)

And besides, doesn't catching all the way up signal The End? No one wants that.

So, I've hit a mini reset button and am taking a quick sec to feel proud of the many creative milestones I've already ticked off while also meeting and/or exceeding other life obligations and expectations.

I'm not stopping. Just taking everything step by step, minute by minute, day by day. 

Feel like joining me?

Deadlines. I've Got Deadlines.

I feel overwhelmed by looming deadlines this morning. This scene from The Pit and the Pendulum comes to mind, in all its Roger Corman–imagined glory:



And now I will stop feeling and get back to working. Must halt that pendulum so I can hop up from the desk, relatively unscathed, in time to truly enjoy a bit of this holiday season.

Getting Over Myself, One Milestone at a Time

I cracked open a new Morning Pages notebook today.

I'd been saving this one for when I reach a particular milestone in my writing work, but I woke up realizing that my mindset contributes to elevating that milestone to a level of preciousness I might decide I can't touch. Something I deny myself because I don't deserve it, or because reaching it means I have to let it go.

But guess what. This is just a notebook I like. I will use it now.

And the milestone? It's just one in the long line of career markers I've already passed. It is just one in the long line of future milestones I'll come to and love and move on from as I travel my long writer's-life road. I will stop holding the bloody thing so close to the bone now.

Musical Message: Sing It to Me, Mama Cass

It's just before nine o'clock this morning, and although I've been up for hours now, it took me a while to truly get "at 'em." Not that there's anything wrong with the occasional slow start. I enhanced this one with a few tunes that fit my mood, which is a-jumble with flashes of transitional melancholia and hopeful determination. (Yeah, it's Monday.)

This song has always warmed me, so I was pleased to stumble upon it when initially searching my library for the more on-the-nose "Monday, Monday."



It perfectly speaks to my mindset as I continue defining and refining my path as a children's writer — and the other things I am, and do. My path, my interests, my work, my particular skills? Well, they are mine. Not yours or his or hers. Mine. And any day in which I get a reminder to sing my own special song is a good day, indeed.

Sing your song today, too, please — okay?

Coming Up for Air

Summer is just about over, huh. I know this because I've met all of my most pressing end-of-season freelancing deadlines and have already switched over to thinking about how to handle The Holidays, work- and otherwise.

But I need to stop that madness. It's time to breathe, take a beat to appreciate exactly where I am in time and space, and focus on crafting an approach to enjoying the rest of the year. Which — according to that primary source known as the calendar — is just not over.

Something to relish after weeks upon weeks of editing other folks' books? How about this: Tomorrow, I write!

Taking Back My Blog

So many post ideas, so little blogging! What's up with that?

Seriously. I'm asking. Except that, actually, I think I know. As mentioned earlier, I've purposefully rearranged my freelancing schedule to commit more of this year's time to getting through my pretty-pet YA WIP. The one I've been pondering for (eek!) decades now and seriously working on for the past year.

That commitment means a lot to me. A LOT. And, so, because the writing — which by most of your saner external measures has gone really, really well — is never quite where I want it to be (let's face it, that means "done"), the Voice in My Head is less than nurturing. She might even be a bit trash-talky. Which, in turn, makes me shy away from the blog. I just don't want that voice writing here, not even in a veiled form.

So, this is the part where I step in to take back my blog. I am perfectly capable of writing in my own dang voice, thank you. Miss Voice can just shut her pie hole. (Which really is a shame for her given that my research includes lots of pie-making practice.)

Because you know what? Writing about my process is one of the points of having a writer's blog. !!! And, just like life with a capital L, that process gets messy sometimes — and messy isn't bad. It's not to be feared. It's just a thing.

More blogging it out to come.

Happy New, New Year!

Hey, You(s?) — I finally made it to 2012!

Yes, yes, I certainly existed and definitely even functioned during January and February of this very year. But March is the first month in which I've been able to exist (and even function) in the 2012 space I set my sights on inhabiting late last fall.

Translation:

I reprioritized my professional life so that I'm actually available to pursue the goals at the top of my list. These include

1. Finishing and submitting my YA historical novel WIP (1/2 of a first draft complete)
2. Ditto that for my humorous picture book WIP (full first draft in hand)
3. Repurposing the three previously sold full manuscripts whose rights reverted to me after a few publication schedules were canceled in the Downturn

Turns out that making significant changes to your day-to-day work life takes a wee bit o' time. Old projects to finish, new goals-friendly projects to pursue/secure, other activities to step away from . . . and all that.

But. Here I am. Right where I want to be and ready to get it all DONE.

Every Day. Every Day. Every Day.

Can you tell that I'm starting to reconnect with this blog? I can  feel that connection reforming, and that makes me smile. I wasn't sure it would come back, to be honest — but I thought it could, hoped it would. My affinity for blogging seems to be creeping back in naturally, which I view as a positive.

I do know why this is happening, and the reason is pretty straightforward: because I've been writing. You know, I almost added just there "writing with a capital W," but that's not what this is. It's writing in lowercase. writingwritingwriting.

Writing with the Cap on is something I've done, and like mad, for the past several+ years now. But that writing has been my WorkWriting. Which, on so many fronts, is the same dang thing as writingwritingwriting while also managing to be completely different. The need to writewritewrite on my own — for my own satisfaction, life processing, and growth — is part of my makeup. WorkWriting is part of my (enjoyable) writer-editor Job. If I had to, I could pick another job type and be just fine.  But I couldn't do any other job or actually be myself without writingwritingwriting — not for the long haul, anyway.

So, now, after, oh, let's say a three-and-a-half-year pregnant pause, I feel like a part of me has come back to life. I did P-L-A-N in early 2009 to force such a return to Me and my writing-for-life ways, but apparently that sort of scheme does not work, no matter how serious you are about it (and I was deadly so). Good to know.

Proof that my real writer's self is re-emerging? Right now I'm in the middle — yes, the honest-to-goodness smack-dab MIDDLE — of writing a YA historical novel that's been wanting me to write it for a very long time. It's loosely based on an 1890s family that first captured my interest in the 1990s. After writing an article about them, I filed away the research thinking I'd someday take a deeper look with a proper book-length work. Adult nonfiction, I assumed. (I wasn't yet writing for children, nor had I even considered that I might.)

In the later 90s there was a day (literally) where the possibility of my writing a chapter book on the family was real. I had a contract to write several titles of my choosing, and I considered lobbying for this subject matter. Ultimately, though, I decided to save it for later to write something-I-didn't-know-what that would feel special enough to do the idea justice. For a time in the early aughts I thought maybe a screenplay was the way to go (ha! that went nowhere). Then, in 2009, I had my a-ha moment (please don't tell Oprah I said that w/o asking), during which I realized that this baby had to be a YA novel, both for its own sake and mine.

Since figuring out what the project should be, I've started the writing a few times: Tentatively in 2009 (my nonwriting life derailed it with one swift kick); enthusiastically but misguidedly in 2010 (wrong POV, too many characters competing for main, my heart and mind still focused elsewhere); and then again this spring-into-summer of 2011, when I restarted from near scratch and promptly — and gratefully — managed to hit my stride.

Now that Fall 2011 is knocking, I have zero qualms about saying . . .

This thing is happening. 

I think it couldn't happen before because (a) I wasn't ready to risk it, and (b) it actually WAS happening all along. Oh, I know. Sorry. Bear with me, if you can.

What I mean about that "b" is that this book is part of me. Its inspiration has been keeping me company for nearly 20 years. It was with me before I knew for sure what I was going to be in this life. Perhaps some part of me wanted to keep it safe until I found that out — so that I'd know for sure what it should be. Whatever else was going on, I never didn't want to write the book. So the way I see it,  Somehow, something was always brewing to further the project.

This book is like every other book I've written, except that I've been writing this one every day. Every day. Every day. And no matter what happens with it when I'm done — will it sink? or possibly stink? — I know that the constant companionship it has given me makes the whole experience valuable enough that I'll feel happy with the result, whatever it is or isn't, and wherever it takes me or doesn't.

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Dearest readers: Whether you read that whole post or simply skipped ahead to see if I did indeed embed the video of every writer-of-a-certain-age's favorite writing-struggles song reference, I salute you.

Please now enjoy — with my compliments — Elvis Costello and the Attractions singing "Everyday I Write the Book" from Punch the Clock.

Change Happens, Yes It Does

I've decided I'd better BLOG something before a squatter takes over this empty space. In other words: (Have Been) Gone But (Have) Not Forgotten.

Still a writer. Still writing. Still interested in the topics of writing, children's literature, publishing, freelancing, and so on and so forth. Still interested in blogging about all of it.

But, see, I've been going through a growth spurt (creative! professional! personal!) for a while now, and that spurt has made me step back and often feel unable to quite "get to" topics that fit within my blog's themes without also talking about the attendant growing pains I've been feeling. I think that's because so much of my energy has been focused on processing the growth and accepting that change happens — like, at all. Apparently I can do that processing and work (for food) at the same time, but I really can't do it all while blogging (for my entertainment) with any regularity or sense of purpose.

The good news is that I've re-emerged (same me, really, just different) and planted my feet back on the ground. I suppose I could have said "planted my hands back on the keyboard," but they never actually left it. I can feel them there again, though, and that's the kind of change I can get behind and keep pushing up my own little hill.

See you back here, and soon!

Good Grammar, Bad Grammar — Both Work for Me

It occurs to me today that I owe my career to the simple process of creating a well-constructed sentence. It has taken me from reporter to proofreader to copyeditor to editor to writer to author. How lucky am I?

The nitty-gritty details of truly working with words aren't of particular interest to most outside the field. But give me a blank page to fill or someone else's manuscript to hone, and I am happy to do what I do best: shape and polish, write and revise — in other words, use the guiding principles of English grammar to craft language that effectively communicates the intended message to its audience.

Yes, there's quite a bit more going on than "just" grammar in any piece of writing or editing. But if you take grammar out of either one, well . . . you can't do that.

I am grateful for my work. And that is reason enough for me to celebrate National Grammar Day.

If all goes well, Good Grammar, Bad Grammar, and I will continue finding satisfying ways to collaborate until one of us expires.

I sincerely hope, of course, that I am the first of our happy trio to go.

If You Can Dream It

Rough night here last night — it was July 4, which always means that — in addition to the known fireworks show from sundown till midnight — random firecrackers must be set off around the neighborhood from about 10:00 a.m. through the wee hours of today. (In this wee case, the last cracker KA-POWed at around 4:00 a.m.)

Anyhoo, I finally got some actual sleep between 4:30 and Later, and my hard slumber produced one of those crazy-real full-blown-storyline dreams I adore:

See, in my dreams, I was hosting a glamorous pool shindig — a launch party for my as-yet-to-be-sold WIP, which will be my first YA novel distributed in the TRADE MARKET. Yes, Universe, I'm shouting to YOU. Seemed like fun with beautiful food, live music, and 70s-chic attire. Guests included friends, family, and . . . Chevy Chase. (Delirious much, Lisa?)

What fun it was to wake up remembering the vision and knowing there was some truth to it.

I will finish and publish this novel. And a celebration will follow. I doubt the party will look exactly like the one in my dream. But that is not the point.

Writer, Write for Yourself. Or, Trick for Treat?

I'm never not writing, you know. Even when I breeze past this blog every day for weeks without giving it so much as a sidelong glance. Even when I let my pet-project manuscripts languish on my desktop — or worse, in the depths of my iMac's complicated e-filing system.

I'm always writing lists, notes, business emails, personal emails, personal blogs, journal entries, Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn updates, rough story ideas, and — of course — large word collections (aka articles, texts, and books) commissioned by outside entities (aka paying clients).

The whole writing various things for those outside entities is a good thing. In fact, it's THE thing, isn't it? I can say quite definitively that I do not wish to go without that.

But. I struggle with wanting to make more real time for the writing I want to do just because I want to do it. So today I did something I haven't in a very long time: I signed up for a writing class. A 12-weeker, besides! (Basically, it's an instructor-led critique group, so I'll get to really move on one of my YA novels.) I decided it's worth the investment because it sets me up to succeed in something done purely for myself. Because you'd better believe I will meet goals I've paid to declare.

And that, dear blog readers, is both trick AND treat for me.

Finding Your Children's Writing Niche, Part 2

Hi all, just taking a few to quickly follow up on Monday's "A to the Q" post about finding your writing niche. I wanted to share these questions to ask yourself, which I think can help you further your quest to narrow your own focus:

• What types of adult books do you tend to read for pleasure? How are they similar to and different from the works for children you enjoy?
• Why do you want to write for children? What attracts you to the idea (or practice, if you're already doing it) of writing for children?
• Consider the works for children you've already written. Have you found the writing experience(s) satisfying? Why or why not? If you haven't yet written anything for young readers, what has held you back?
• If you could write just one (or one more) children's book — ever — what type of book would it be?

Thoughts? Questions? Additional tips? Feel free to comment!

A to the Q: Finding Your Children's Writing Niche, Part 1

A to the Q is an ongoing series of posts in which I answer questions I've received from blog readers, workshop students, and others about writing and navigating the waters of children's publishing. My aim is to share what I know and spark your search for even more information.

Q: I read your post about getting hired as a children's writer. You mentioned the importance of finding a "niche." Can you talk more about this? How do I do it?

A: I think I'll make this a two-parter so nobody gets too terribly b(l)ogged down. Ready? Okay!

Of course many aspiring children's writers know exactly what they want to write. There's no question, they just write what comes, whether it arrives in the form of a YA novel or a rhyming picture book. Others know only that they want to write for children but have no idea where they might begin. Nothing wrong with not knowing what you want till you find it. The key, though, is that you take action.

In my Children's Writing Workshop, I help students refine their writing-niche goals by first taking them through many of the same exercises I featured in my Finding Your Voice series. I suggest reading that as background. If you're strapped for time, just answer the three questions in that first entry. How do your responses play into your current writing interests? I'm willing to bet that they offer some strong insights . . . or at least a good jumping-off point for your thoughts.

Following are four more action items you can try as you hunt for a niche.

(1) Everything about the business, the craft, the endeavor should begin the same way: You have to do your research, and that means you have to read, read, read . . . and then read some more. Your aim is to know both your readership and your market.

Get to know your local children's librarian pronto. Ask him or her for a list of must-reads, then check them out and get to it. You can approach the task in a number of ways. Here are a few ideas:

• Try sample readings from all age levels/genres so you can more easily compare them as you go.
• Try reading books from one age level/genre per week.
• Pick and choose yourself, starting with the age level/genre you think you want to write for and taking it from there.

If you have a great children's bookstore where you live, by all means go there! That's where you're most likely to find the most up-to-date selection of fantastic new children's lit and timeless classics. Sit down on a little-person's chair or in the cafe and read away.

Keep in mind that getting fully entrenched in the world of children's and YA literature takes time. You can't read it all, and you most certainly cannot read it all quickly. But you must make this a priority.

(2) It's helpful to get a feel for how children's lit has changed (and stayed the same) over the years so you can better see where — and exactly how — you might fit into today's market.

Research major award winners. Lists of books that have won awards such as the Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Michael L. Printz, Edgar Allan Poe (juvenile division) are readily available online. Check out the American Library Association's site — this ALSC page lists links to several award-specific sites (be sure to check the descriptions, as some are for adult books). For awards not covered here, just use Google or any other search engine.

Also, the Children's Literature Web Guide will point you to many lists and other great information. It's no longer updated, but its archives have tons of still-relevant info for anyone interested in writing and learning about kid lit.

For additional help studying the children's market and narrowing your own focus, do make the time to visit the Children's Book Council and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators sites.

(3) Read good writers' books that include information about the distinctions between genres. These long-time favorites will get you started.

Children's Writer's Reference by Berthe Amoss & Eric Suben
This all-around reference includes a wonderful discussion of genres called "Age Levels and Formats." Request it at your library!

Children's Writer's Word Book by Alihandra Mogilner
In this resource you'll find grade-specific word lists (along with an annotated thesaurus of the same words), writing samples from each reading level, brief discussions about what kids are interested in and required to learn at each grade level, and tips for writing to given reading levels. You will absolutely need to own this book if you plan to write for the education market. Some publishers will ask you to use it, and once you have, you'll want to keep it handy.

Worlds of Childhood: The Art and Craft of Writing for Children by William Zinsser, editor
This is a collection of essays by some of the best-known children's writers. The theme that ties the essays together is honesty in children's writing, as in what experiences these writers draw upon to help them create authentic stories and connect with their readers.

(4) Research publishers' sites. See what they're producing (and not producing)!

For a list of children's publishers (along with URLs and brief descriptions about each house's specialty), check out BookWire's index of children's publishers. Note that this index, while very useful, is not comprehensive. But there's no better place to start browsing and researching publishers that seem to be producing the kinds of books you'd like to write.

That's it for this post. I'll be back later this week with Part 2 to share a few more links and exercises to help you identify YOUR niche.

Walking My Writer's Path

I'll be honest here. The idea for this post came straight from the title of a recent entry on one of my favorite freelancing blogs "Act As If." I didn't even click through to read the post (bad! although I will, for sure, as soon as I publish this), but seeing the headline was inspiration enough. It gave me the swift-elbow-to-the-side I needed today.

I've been subscribing to the "act as if" principle for years now. I even keep a laminated printout discussing its merits in the back of my planner — yikes, it's dated August 21, 2000 — and, no joke, I print the saying in the footer of my homemade planner pages.

You've probably come across the simple premise behind the saying many times:

Your actions determine your reality.

So if you want to see your work (or anything in life) turn out a certain way, you need to act as if it will . . . or, act as if it already has.

Now, this does not mean that you should ignore reality. I can't act like I'm going to become a painter and !poof! become a painter. I have no painting talent and no painterly ambitions. But, I can act as if I can make a living as a writer. So act as if I do. I can act as if I'm in control of how my writing career shapes up. And so on. My behavior gets results.

Of course we all have days. Days in which we forget to act as if, forget to follow our best path. And I had one of those days yesterday. Nothing went wrong, exactly. It was a regular workday, with calls and correspondence and steady progress on my current manuscript. But in a weak, out-of-left-field moment, I almost signed up for a project of a type I've done many times in the past but had firmly decided I'd no longer do from 2009 onward. It just doesn't fit in with my goals any longer. Working on it would only make me step off my path — and for a couple of precious months at least.

Lucky for me, I slept on the offer. Even luckier, when I woke up at 3:30 a.m. to worry about it ('cause I knew I was flirting with a YES), I recalled having seen that "Act As If" blog title yesterday but failing to click through to the post.

That was all it took to shake the good sense back into me and remember why I bother to chart a course, to ever act as if. At the first hint of a reasonable hour this morning, I said no thank you to the writing work I didn't want. The sky stayed in place. The client wished me well and happily moved on.

As I sit at my desk this afternoon, I like the sense of calm I feel. It comes from knowing that NOT taking that gig has freed up a block of time I can fill with work that supports my pursuit of the "as ifs" that really interest me. Work that keeps me walking my path. And, naturally, the more work like that I do, the more work like that I will do. Until I move my mark again.

As. If.

Happy Birthday, Edgar Allan Poe

Today is the 199th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's birth. I just saw this interesting article about an annual visitor to Poe's Baltimore grave. The mystery man leaves 3 red roses and a half-filled bottle of premium-label cognac — a "toast" to the author — at the gravesite. This tribute has been going on for years, though exactly how many is up for debate.

Poe was one of my earliest all-time favorite authors. For a time as a child, I couldn't get enough of reading his tales or of watching the movies/listening to old radio shows based on them. It was a particular treat to work on my book of Poe retellings. Then just last year, I wrote a high school lesson plan for ReadWriteThink.org on comparing Poe's brilliant "The Pit and the Pendulum" to Roger Corman's remarkable 1961 film interpretation. If you haven't read or seen these works in a while, I recommend reacquainting yourself with them, one right after the other. I know you'll enjoy the experience.

What Sells in the World of Children's Publishing?

That's an easy one — the books that kids actually read.

CNN.com has an article today called "Kids Are the Experts in Reviewing Children's Books." It reminds us that even children's-lit heavyweights have faced rejection, and that publishers can't always predict what will sell. And trust me, what will sell to a publisher's target market (and every publisher has one; that's just good business) is much higher on the agenda than what's special or unique or "good."

From my acquisitions and reviewing experience, I know firsthand that what I think is good differs from what others think is good. Good is so subjective. And as an author, I know that one publisher can hate an idea while another loves it; or an agent can think a book is so-so even as it becomes a steady seller and garners more reader fan mail than anything else I've done.

In the final analysis, it always comes down to the books children read. Not just what parents, teachers, and librarians buy for them because they like a book or think it's appropriate — but what keeps a child's interest, awakens her imagination, speaks to her real-life experience, gets her talking about reading (and sneaking extra chapters after bedtime), and inspires her to recommend that book and seek others. Kids know what they like to read. And those books become the biggest sellers, the classics. Fad and celebrity-penned books may open with strong sales, but they won't go the distance if lots of children aren't really, really reading them.

The point to this post? Oh, I don't know. How about, "Enjoy seeing real children reviewing books, courtesy of the CNN.com article."

And consider my advice —

1. Take rejection, reviews (good and bad), and shiny bookstore displays with a salt lick.
2. Continually work on developing ideas and techniques that will help you speak to your intended audience.
3. And — by all means — take a page from Theodore Geisel's career (that's Dr. Seuss to you, buddy) and keep traveling your own best writing path. In other words, write what feels right to you, do the best work you can, seek out publishers who produce the types of stories you're really, really writing (hmmm, think there's a connection to what kids are really, really reading?), and hope that after 27 rejections your work will make it into the hands of generations of delighted youngsters who will never get enough of your timeless books.

More Context for the Blog

I'm going to go ahead and talk a little bit about my place in the children's writing universe. I did point readers to my other sites in my first post, but since then I've decided that's annoying. You should be able to get a sense of my work right here where you are. (Did I mention that I'm an editor too? Three cheers for the context for the post on the context for the blog!)

How I Became a Children's Writer: I almost hate to say it, but writing for the younger set was never a goal of mine until I started doing it. My career and creative pursuits intersected and evolved in a way that allowed me to study massive amounts of children's literature. That familiarity bred great love, respect, and appreciation for the history and creation of kid lit. And I was hooked. I had no choice but to explore the practice of writing for children. Once I got a taste of it, there was no turning back. I knew I'd be doing it for a long time . . . quite probably the rest of my life.


My first book was Tales of Courage, retellings of classic fairy tales such as "Jack the Giant Killer" and "The Little Dutch Boy." As I wrote the stories (someday I'll do an entry specific to the art of retelling), I was filled with gratitude and creative satisfaction. It was amazing. You know, I had felt that way before. For example, I will never forget the joy and excitement of writing my first investigative news article as a cub reporter. I loved every minute of that, too. But this rush was different. This vibe seemed more permanent. Like I had (schmaltz alert!) found a home.

What I've Done Since Becoming a Children's Writer: I've been writing for children. I mean that not sarcastically, but I do mean it seriously. To do it, you have to do it, after all.

So, I continued writing books and many educational products. Some of that work was completed for my regular employers (I was an editor, but in many settings editors also write), and a lot of it was for the children's publishers for whom I freelanced on the side. I stuck with my full-time editorial career until 2002—the year I left the 9-to-5 world for the freelance life.

Special aside for those salivating over the dreamy prospect of a freewheeling freelance life (you know who you are, and my advice is to check this reality): My typical day is often 7:30-to-6; during a crunch, it can be "All Day and All of the Night!" I am not complaining, mind you. I love it, even when I hate it. One of my 9-to-5 gigs played out like a 24/7 circus. The scary kind. It was awful, and I wouldn't go back to that type of nonstop, gets-nobody-nothin' stress show for anything. (I also wouldn't go back to the perfectly lovely 9-to-5 situations I've experienced, either.) But I never want to give the impression that life as a working writer doesn't involve lots of work. The wonderful difference between the hard work of my former life and the hard work of my current life is that I'm working according to my own vision, which I can shape and take in any direction I choose. That gives me enough satisfaction to get me through hectic times.

It has been 10 years since I wrote Book #1, and I am fast approaching Book #60. Gulp. How is that even possible? Well, I'm what is known as a writer for hire. While I can and do work on projects "just because my muse inspires me," my bread and butter comes from publishers who commission their books. They determine what types of works they wish to publish each season, very often planning specific topics, and then they call me. (That's not entirely true. Nobody picks up the phone anymore.) Or they post job ads to which qualified writers apply. In most such situations the definition of a qualified writer is someone who can write on a fast-tracked schedule and deliver what the publisher needs with little-to-no hand-holding. Writer for hire.

How I Feel About the Writing: Part of what I love about this work is the variety. I've done retellings, historical fiction, informational fiction, contemporary fiction, picture books, early readers, biographies, straight informational nonfiction, and leveled readers designed to work in various K–12 curricular areas. (As in books designed to address content standards in reading, social studies, language arts, character education, science, and math.)

Two years ago, I had the pleasure of serving as series editor for a line of "safe" graphic novels. I wrote two of the titles myself (Black Beauty and The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and thoroughly enjoyed learning how to work with a new genre from all angles. I never would have thought to try writing a graphic novel on my own. But one great thing about working this way is that once you have earned your clients' trust, they will approach you with new opportunities. Those books debuted in Fall 2006, and, along with two recently released nonfiction titles, Pilgrims in America and Ankylosaurus, they are my current tangibles. Several other works are in press, and I am always working on "the next one."

Note: Children's books can hit the market anywhere from a few months to 2+ years after a writer finishes her part. I rarely know exactly when mine will come out. Sometimes they hit out of writing order, and sometimes they never hit at all. It's true, so far 5 of my finished books will never be published. Publishing plans change and books are pulled when bigger publishers acquire smaller ones, publishers run out of money for a given season or forever, and publishers simply change their minds. When you are a writer for hire, the publisher usually owns the rights to your work and so once you provide it, it is theirs to do with what they wish. I don't like it when I finish something and it disappears into the ether, but I have learned to accept it. As long as I've been paid.

My books are not available in bookstores (some of them could be if I went that extra marketing mile and coordinated that myself, but I have not explored doing that), but they are available in classrooms, school libraries, and public libraries nationwide. Via Google Alerts, I've seen that many are also available internationally. I love that my work is in so many kids' hands. I also love that there is a way to make a living writing for children (scoring with a Newbery winner notwithstanding) and that I made it happen for myself.

What Else I Do: I do write in other genres, mostly articles, book reviews, and supplemental educational materials such as lesson plans, student activity books, and teacher guides. As an editor, I work on books of all types, curricula, and really anything. I also do speaking engagements about children's writing, editing, and freelancing; teach writing and editing classes for adults; conduct school author visits; and coordinate the education program for the Editorial Freelancers Association.

I think that's more than enough scene setting. I hope the post gives you a sense of what I do and why I do it, as well as a framework for the many posts to follow.

If you have made it to the end, I thank you and bid you a sincere adieu!