Revising My Writing Life

In January of every year, I look back on what I’ve accomplished or didn’t accomplish. I’ve had to force myself not to dwell on all the things I wanted to do but didn’t. But I do think about them and wonder why…

Mostly, it’s because I gave up at the first wrong turn. “Gwendolyn,” I say to myself, “That was an awesome idea!” Why didn’t you follow up on the critique from your writing group?

Sometimes it’s because another idea or opportunity popped up and I immediately switch gears. Sometimes it seems too hard. I doubt myself. My mind tells me “You can’t possibly write well enough to have it published. Or an editor replied with a discouraging rejection.

Then I notice a new book on the bookstore shelves about a similar subject. My heart dips. My brain sags. My husband has no sympathy. “You shouldn’t have given up,” he tells me. That’s not what I wanted to hear. But is very similar to the advice I’ve given to other writers. Find a new angle. Change your approach. There are tons of books on the market with similar themes and plots. Your job is to dig deep into yourself and find the book that only you can write and then write it from your heart.

Study the craft of writing. Join a critique group or form your own. And listen to your writing group. Try some of their ideas and think deeply about their thoughts as you revise. Think about them even when they seem to point you west and you’re determined to head east.

During those confusing times, I often board Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer and think and write as it travels through our Oklahoma landscape on its way to Fort Worth, Texas. The journey is never pointless because one of my daughters lives at the end of the track. If my revising needs a longer ride, I transfer to the Texas Eagle and chug-a-lug my way east to Longview where a niece awaits me. 

The Heartland Flyer

Are there times your writing needs revising? Does it seem as if it’s heading north and it needs to head in the opposite direction? Try changing your environment. Even a different library or coffee shop can help clear your mind and your writing. I like to visit museums like the Museum of Osteology.

Find your best train for revising. Listen for the conductor’s announcement, “The revision train is now loading on Track SUCCESS!”

Posted by Gwendolyn Hooks

Visiting the Homes and Haunts of Twain's Fictional Characters

Today, I wrap up our series on museums honoring American writers. Esther inspired the topic when she told us of this month's opening of the American Writers Museum here in Chicago. If you didn't read her Monday post describing it, I encourage you to do so, and to watch the video clip it contains. The short video sure inspired me!

I can hardly wait to visit the new American Writers Museum. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying exploring their website, especially the list of affiliate author homes/museums. I was surprised to learn that there are three such museums here in Illinois. The only author home I've visited is in Hannibal, Missouri--the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum. We explored it during a family vacation many years ago.

Unfortunately, the photos of that trip were taken back in the era before digital cameras, and they are stashed away in a shoebox. I keep saying "someday" I'll organize all those old photos and either scan them or put them into photo albums. But even without pictures to help jog my memory, three things still stand out in my mind about our visit to Twain's home.

1) Discussing Twain's novels with my husband before, during, and after the visit.

My husband is not a fan of fiction. A software engineer by profession, he has a very analytical mind and prefers to read nonfiction. So I was surprised to learn while on our trip that one of his favorite books growing up was Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. It was one of the few books my husband was assigned to read in school that he actually enjoyed. I, on the other hand, had read both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on my own for fun. The only Twain novel I'd been required to read was A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, which I read in high school.

2) Walking in the footsteps of fictional characters.

I still recall seeing the sign that read "Becky Thatcher's Home" and laughing out loud. Becky Thatcher is a character in a novel. How could her home exist in the real world? The home was actually that of Mark Twain's childhood friend and sweetheart, Laura Hawkins, who is said to have inspired the character of Becky. You can also find Huck Finn's house in Hannibal, and explore the nearby cave where "Tom and Becky got lost." I loved how the tour guides spoke of all these fictional characters as though they were real people. To me, it exemplified the power of fiction to inspire the imagination.  

3) Buying a souvenir t-shirt for my husband.    

I found it marvelous to be able to discuss novels my husband and I had both read and loved--a rare experience for us--and to visit Twain's home together. My husband must have enjoyed it, too, because he wanted a souvenir t-shirt, which he still wears:

He agreed to pose, as long as I didn't include his face in the picture.

The only other writer's museum I think my husband would enjoy visiting with me is the Truman Capote and Harper Lee Old Courthouse Museum, since we're both great fans of Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. But since I don't expect to be traveling to Alabama anytime soon, I think I'll plan a visit to the American Writers Museum first.

I can't write about Mark Twain without sharing one of my favorite Twain quotes:

The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.

For more writing quotes from Twain, see this site. And to read about Mark Twain's life and publications, see this detailed article on the Poetry Foundation Website.

And don't forget that today is Poetry Friday. This week's roundup is hosted by Kiesha Shepard at Whispers from the Ridge.

Remember to Write with JOY!
Carmela

The Must-Visit American Writers Museum That Opens Tomorrow in Chicago!

America’s – and Chicago’s - newest museum, the American Writers Museum - opens tomorrow, Tuesday, May 16 at 180 N. Michigan Avenue, down the street from Millenium Park and The Art Institute of Chicago!

Lucky me to have attended the Saturday, May 6 Special Exhibits Reception to see how successfully the AWM’s Founder Malcolm E. O’Hagan and the Founding Board Members realized their mission crafted 7 years ago: “to engage the public in celebrating American writers and exploring their influence on our history, our identity, our culture, and our daily lives.”

Honestly, though?  IMHO this one-of-a-kind museum does so much more than engage and celebrate.  It inspires and educates while honoring what all writers do. Writers across all genres, formats and publishing designs, from Cotton Mather to Dr. Seuss.  Famous writers, of course, like those we’ve read and studied.  Writers, best of all, like you and me.

Here’s an overview of the museum’s 7-exhibition design plus a click-away video-tour:

And here are some important AWM numbers, besides 1-of-a-kind, as noted in a recent article by Chicago writer Gabrielle Zepeda:

62 – the number of affiliate institutions with whom the AWM works, such as The Will Rogers State Park noted in April’s post, the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow House noted in Carla’s and William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak noted in Mary Ann’s;

100 – the number of curated works;

11,000 – the Museum’s square footage;

120,000 – the number of expected visitors;

$10,000,000 – the amount of money the museum hopes to raise by tomorrow’s opening; to date $9.2 million has been privately raised.

I was quite taken with the museum’s innovative interactive state-of-the-art exhibits, including:

the 80-foot long American Voices Gallery which presents our country’s literary history chronologically;

the ever-changing Word Waterfall;

and the Dialogue Box in the Anatomy of a Masterpiece Exhibit.

Temporary exhibits include The Writers Room's The Kerouac Scroll for ON THE ROAD and the immersive installation PALM which celebrates poet W.S. Merwin and his conservancy of palms in Hawaii.

I’m saving my favorite gallery for last, though - the Children’s
Literature Gallery!  Designed with help from children’s literature historian, critic and author Leonard S. Marcus, the space features six exhibits highlighting famous American children’s book authors and offers a place for readers and story-time listeners to interact. Mr. Marcus also made sure children’s literature is represented throughout the museum.

My favorite event of the night? Meeting Caldecott medalist Paul Zelinsky
who’d just finished painting his commissioned mural for the Children’s Literature Gallery.

The tree’s book-reading inhabitants pay homage to Paul’s Wilmette, Illinois hometown and its bounty of squirrels.  Together the book titles, purposefully chosen by Leonard Marcus, represent American Children’s Literature – the formats, the genres and best of all, the diversity of the creators.  I was happy to see Wanda Gag's MILLIONS OF CATS, Robert McCloskey’s MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS, Margaret Weiss Brown’s GOOD NIGHT MOON and Crockett Johnson’s HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON as well as a Raoul Dahl title, a representative Golden Book and Madeleine L’Engle’s A WRINKLE IN TIME, just to name a few. If only I’d had a ladder to climb to the very top of the 153’ x 151’ tribute. Paul has cleverly and humorously connected each squirrel’s behavior to the book he’s reading. I did learn of one title previously unknown to me – T. Yashima’s CROW BOY, published in 1955. Closer examination of the mural is certain to reveal more titles.
[Note: please forgive my not-so-terrific picture-taking!]

Click HERE to read about the American Writers Museum's exhibits, the hours, volunteer opportunities and membership.

Living a walkable 8 blocks away, I’ll be out-and-about at the AWM often and early.  Here’s hoping you, too, can find your way to America’s and Chicago’s newest museum, starting tomorrow.

Happy writer-celebrating!

Esther Hershenhorn

P.S.
I’m honored to blog for the AWM.
Here are links to my first and second posts that celebrate two Chicago children’s book creators whose famous titles appear in the hands of Paul Zelinsky’s squirrels!