tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post5144498109171896703..comments2024-03-17T12:30:03.009-05:00Comments on Teaching Authors--6 Children's Authors Who Also Teach Writing: 3 Things I Am Doing Today...What's YOUR Fingerprint?Carmela Martinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15543808551988338496noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-67726948674207008632017-02-01T20:01:37.783-06:002017-02-01T20:01:37.783-06:00Oh, dear, dear Kidlit Community! Thank you for yo...Oh, dear, dear Kidlit Community! Thank you for your shoulders to cry on as I wrote this, and now, these virtual hugs--which don't feel virtual at all.<br /><br />It is a comfort to know that this is not an unknown path.<br /><br />I find hope in breathing, in the word "yet," and in all of you.<br /><br />Sometimes I think what we do is as hard as climbing Everest.<br /><br />Other times I am La La Landing barefoot in the Seine as I write. What a privilege!<br /><br />xoxApril Halprin Waylandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13128192997917583478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-14407178967051456452017-01-28T19:43:58.248-06:002017-01-28T19:43:58.248-06:00Okay -- I'm also feeling that: all the lovely ...Okay -- I'm also feeling that: all the lovely caring thoughtful respondents have said it better than I can. But adding to the chorus. Such love for you and admiration for your honesty and hard and smart work. Not a minute of it is easy.Jeannine Atkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12886966069866356470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-33844603402181449262017-01-28T15:16:33.425-06:002017-01-28T15:16:33.425-06:00Oh, how I hear you! I spent so many years waverin...Oh, how I hear you! I spent so many years wavering on the edge of giving up acting. Writing was a change to my creative focus. I thought it would be easier. Hah! I have a few stories that aren't quite right and right now it's hard to find the energy to fix them. April, I love your work. I think it's a valuable addition to our world. Thank you for it and your poem. Susan B Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10752641433121011158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-53975784563347370702017-01-28T11:41:45.700-06:002017-01-28T11:41:45.700-06:00
May the writer with iridescent eyes see
The thous...<br />May the writer with iridescent eyes see<br />The thousands of moments yet to be<br />Yet not compound their misery.<br /><br />Keep looking for your fingerprints - Look at your hands. I think they are closer than you think. Donna Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13738281869266957726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-24674074431281132402017-01-28T10:34:44.344-06:002017-01-28T10:34:44.344-06:00April, PLEASE do whatever it takes to soothe your ...April, PLEASE do whatever it takes to soothe your should and gt your writing feet under you- your voice would be so greatly missed.<br />We all have those WIPs that won't let us go, and yet won't cooperate as much as we need them to do. <br /><br />YET is my favorite 3 letter word. <br /><br />SandySandy Brehlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02073122273951186418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-87151665348726217892017-01-28T10:18:32.852-06:002017-01-28T10:18:32.852-06:00What a brave post, April! I have felt all of these...What a brave post, April! I have felt all of these feelings as well. I jump from one genre to another - my poetry collections, my picture books, my YA, thinking this will be the year. And I believe one of these years, it WILL be the year. But I've also become more zen about my writing, which is the only thing saving me. What if I never get that pb contract, that poetry collection contract, that YA contract? I will still write because I am a writer. Think of all the writers who were not published in their own lifetime! It doesn't mean they were not good because they were published postumously. That could be me and that will be okay because, deep down, I know that I am a good writer and poet. BJ Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05810656260650783785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-74244893155048022872017-01-28T09:47:49.202-06:002017-01-28T09:47:49.202-06:00Dear April, whom I adore: thank you for this vulne...Dear April, whom I adore: thank you for this vulnerable, honest post. Have you seen LA LA LAND? Here's to leaping into the Seine, barefooted. And to you and fly eyes and how much you give the world just by existing. You've already written the book that can carry us through this and so many of life's struggles: Dayenu. And how beautiful: a poem a day for 7 years! How many poems is that?? You could wallpaper a cathedral! xoIrene Lathamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04905936104127707762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-84626679949705141112017-01-27T23:48:12.165-06:002017-01-27T23:48:12.165-06:00Thanks for such an honest post April. the writing ...Thanks for such an honest post April. the writing life is a tough one at times, and joyous at seemingly fleeting moments. your poem gave me joy and left a thumbprint of a smile on my face, so thank you. Sally Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02840326270568153356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-43464423950667859502017-01-27T22:24:49.145-06:002017-01-27T22:24:49.145-06:00Hey April,
I love your spider's iridescent ey...Hey April,<br /><br />I love your spider's iridescent eyes, & the poem's unanswered meaning(s). And I understand the ups & downs of this nutty writing life. My first short story was published in 1991, & of the 15 or so novel-length manuscripts I've written since....zero are published. "Too gentle for the market" is a typical response. Still, the characters, their situations, & their responses to their situations continue to fascinate me, so I keep writing.<br /><br />As to what I'm working on now...I'm about 80% through the first draft of a Micronesian metaphysical tale, about 60% through a revision of a story involving Land Art, a kid living in a cenotaph, & his aspie fashionista love interest, I continue writing weekly posts at Wordmonger (my blog), & tomorrow I'll start beta reading a friend's novel. She's brilliant & I can hardly wait to get started. And this leads me to the thought that if your novel in verse ever needs a beta reader, please know I've tossed my hat into the ring.<br /><br />Thanks for another fine post.CS Perryesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01011651595792156574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-10860446645817498072017-01-27T19:19:49.424-06:002017-01-27T19:19:49.424-06:00Yet...it is such a powerful word...and words and s...Yet...it is such a powerful word...and words and stories are powerful, too, powerful enough to change the world. Stories and just the right words can help us see new things through those iridescent eyes. Thank you for your honesty and openness that lead the way.Kayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08210045352610490115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-10489899753011004452017-01-27T17:40:26.284-06:002017-01-27T17:40:26.284-06:00I would follow these critters anywhere, "Sir ...I would follow these critters anywhere, "Sir Spider" and "friend Fly," thank you for them! And thanks for your honesty and perseverance, who knows what tomorrow will bring . . .michelle koganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16409095111952431780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-53338017603197400642017-01-27T17:04:41.249-06:002017-01-27T17:04:41.249-06:00April, as I was reading your honest, gut-wrenching...April, as I was reading your honest, gut-wrenching post, I kept hearing the word YET and then you wrote it. You turned the corner and brought a sense of hope to light. I say keep on writing-be a difference maker. Words matter.Carol Varsalonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02589714711155938528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-79158371026462599272017-01-27T16:46:13.166-06:002017-01-27T16:46:13.166-06:00I've only published a few poems, but just rece...I've only published a few poems, but just recently had a rejection of a project I thought was good, and while the words back were positive, they also seemed nice and vague. So now I have a whisper of your fight for your novel, and while I'd like to send a hug, I want you to know that you and your teaching authors inspire me often when you share the writing life so openly. Thanks, April, that poem either gave me goose pimples because it was scary, or shivers because it was hopeful. I guess poems give us what we seek. Best wishes!Linda Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14983144542632353870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-43526035142491728232017-01-27T12:08:23.691-06:002017-01-27T12:08:23.691-06:00Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for sha...Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for sharing with such openness and honesty. It's so helpful to know that I'm not alone in feeling this weight of expectation, the sickening worry of "what am I doing with my life??" Sometimes writing does feel frivolous in light of the state of the world - I'm not changing the world or saving lives! But, I'm doing what I can, in my own way, as we all are. So thank you again for letting us into your life, and letting us know that we're not alone! Jane @ www.raincitylibrarian.cahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12721142460522914540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-44373797002443799102017-01-27T12:05:11.438-06:002017-01-27T12:05:11.438-06:00I can so identify with those decades-old stories s...I can so identify with those decades-old stories still missing something, that urge to dump it all for another career, & the difficulty of plowing back into today's work. It helps me to know that I'm not alone, & so does the thought of focusing on today. xox JoAnn Early Mackenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17812079420917080829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-63376297674092028532017-01-27T11:08:30.052-06:002017-01-27T11:08:30.052-06:00Thank you for this post, for your honesty about wr...Thank you for this post, for your honesty about writing and publishing, sharing your doubts. Facebook is quite a mine field -- you can be merrily scrolling through, smiling at the good news of your writing friends and congratulating them, and then one post might hit you the wrong way, and then you start beating yourself up. The comparison game again, which we've been told over and over again not to play. But social media is pretty much all about that. Show me yours, I'll show you mine.<br />Most every day I wish I had more to show for my lifelong love of children's books.<br /><br />These days we will struggle harder trying to justify writing when the call to "save the world," "do something for your country" "be of service" is the strongest it's ever been.<br /><br />But I still believe that the pursuit of art, in whatever form, has the power to heal and shine a light on the best of what makes us human. What else are we fighting for then?<br /><br />So write on!! The missing piece of your verse novel will soon find you.jamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07859083373087448194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-25093537513409742122017-01-27T09:08:47.960-06:002017-01-27T09:08:47.960-06:00April, thank you for another beautifully written a...April, thank you for another beautifully written and honest look at this career. Carla Killough McClaffertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058156420968221446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-59152918212478863682017-01-27T07:45:00.810-06:002017-01-27T07:45:00.810-06:00Such devotion to craft, 30 years. It's impress...Such devotion to craft, 30 years. It's impressive. I have shifted and bobbed from career to career, but always writing. This is the first time I've been in charge of what I write, and I love that. At least you aren't writing for Trump or someone else. You don't have to find words to sell someone else's ego. Or sell a product no one needs. Or defend someone who was selfish. I have a book that is languishing, too. It's a pain in the heart, isn't it? But at least we are writing for ourselves. It's a comfort to me. Maybe what I wrote is too gentle for today's world, but I wrote it from a good place. Brenda at FriendlyFairyTaleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13368709489341876324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-7882600402000393782017-01-27T05:49:32.067-06:002017-01-27T05:49:32.067-06:00Good morning, April. I can't tell you how muc...Good morning, April. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this post, which echoes in some of its emotions (including some greenish ones I couldn't voice) my post from last Friday. http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2017/01/inaugural-3lw.html<br /><br />I'm having trouble writing, too--anything but strongly worded letters. Writing poetry does not feel powerful this week, although it's certainly preferable to shoe shopping, paleo cooking, and maybe even completing report card grading. So maybe I'll give Laura Shovan's 10 found words idea a try, and think gratefully of your fly eyes.Heidi Mordhorsthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16496427007514895950noreply@blogger.com