All the Noise, Noise, Noise, Noise*

I like to write in the study during the day when it’s peaceful and quiet.  Most of the time, I’m surrounded by silence.  The only sound is the clicking of my fingers on the keyboard or the purring of Ozzie, our cat.  Throughout the day there may be a few noises—the ticking of a clock or the humming of the clothes dryer.  But these sounds don’t interfere with my writing.  It’s the outside noises that put my writing to the test.    

For every season there is a noise.  During the fall, leaf blowers blast leaves into piles. In winter, snow plows rumble down the street.  When spring arrives, spray-cleaners drone on and on, driving dirt from decks and house siding.  Throughout the summer, lawn mowers roar and children scream.  

So you say, lighten up.  You're too sensitive.  Deal with it!

But noise distracts me.  My brain stops working.  My fingers freeze.  My muse packs up, taking inspiration and ideas along with her.  There’s no other choice.  I’ve got to stop writing until the outside world calms down.

I long for peace and quiet, but the fact is I can’t change my neighbors’ habits.   Noise happens.  (I just wish it didn’t happen while I write).  Meanwhile, my picture book manuscript stares at me.  I can almost hear it whisper, “Come back.”     

But it's useless.  I consider turning off the computer.  Maybe writing isn’t for me.  With a sigh of resignation, I gaze out the window at kids riding bikes up and down the sidewalk.  Then, I glance around the study and look upward.  The ceiling fan catches my eye.  The study is stuffy, so with a flick of a switch I turn it on.  

Suddenly, the fan begins to drown out the noise.  A gentle calmness washes over me.  I am able to return to my manuscript, to the sentences that need revising.  The words are powerful.  Like magic, they cast spell over me, and I am writing because writing IS for me.  My fingers click on the keyboard, Ozzie purrs, and the outside noises get dim and slowly fade away.

Check out Ozzie's cute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLvQ5cCVQPw&t=5s

* How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess

All the Noise, Noise, Noise, Noise previously published in the Creativity Connection, 2005.

Get to Know KIT

Most of my followers know that I’m the editor of Kid’s Imagination Train.  I am fortunate to have people on the staff who understand the vision and value of KIT.  

Book reviewer Donna Smith, voiceover talent Sharon Blumberg, and illustrator Shelley Dieterich donate their talents to produce Kid's Imagination Train. Regina Montana recently joined the staff as our marketing promoter. Because Shelley and Donna will be pursuing other interests next year, Anjali Amit will become our new book reviewer and illustrator Denise Woodward will be creating art for KIT.

KIT began as a blog in 2013.  Oh my goodness, how we have grown!  In a couple of years we earned a little income to purchase a domain.  Not long after, we found Youblisher, a website which generates free page-turning flipbooks.  We also have an audio page where children may listen to their favorite features. 

There are two reasons why Kid’s Imagination Train was created:  one, to give writers a place to get published since the children’s magazine market was shrinking, and two, to inspire children to learn by giving them the opportunity to illustrate a story or an article and have their pictures published online.  Over four years, KIT has given children educational and entertaining features which can be read in the classroom or at home.  It has also given writers a way to build their bios.

KIT is a free online magazine.  It's a small publication that is funded through donations and advertising.  

Since the inception of our little magazine, no one on our staff earns a salary.  Not many people are willing to work for free for so long. I admire the talents of Shelley, Donna, and Sharon, and welcome Regina, Anjali, and Denise.  I'm so proud of our staff.  These special people are dedicated and believe in the value of KIT.   

Turning Down a Nice Submission

The other day I received a nice submission for KIT.  The author had a remarkable 

bibliography, so I could tell the article was well-researched.  But there were multiple 

reasons why this piece was turned down.  

• The manuscript was not formatted correctly and the contact information was missing.  Contact information must be present on the first page of a manuscript.  This is fairly standard for any magazine.  

• The word count exceeded our limit.  We state in our guidelines that we'd like articles to run about 500 words.  Kids are more engaged with shorter pieces.  Going fifty words over the limit is not egregious, but 200 words is simply too long. 

• The Flesh Kincaid readability tool measured the piece at seventh grade level.  The range of our audience is from first to six grade.  To achieve a readability score more suitable to KIT, writers can reduce the number of compound sentences, explain complex concepts in simple terms, and use grade-appropriate vocabulary. 

• The subject of the article was too mature for young readers.  This is where writers have to put themselves in the shoes of kids and figure out what they would like to read and know.  For instance, we believe an article that discusses animal reproduction is  not appropriate for our magazine.   

It's very possible if this writer had taken a look at our guidelines, a rejection could have been avoided.  

But, all is not lost for this writer.  In this case, we provided reasons for the rejection, not the typical "the piece is not a good fit for us."  And this writer has the opportunity to submit again.  KIT believes that every writer deserves a second chance.  We promote writers and encourage them to perfect their submissions.  It is our mission to help writers succeed in reaching their publication dreams.  

Don't be a Vampire

Children's Writer's World warmly welcomes a guest blog by Melissa Carrigee.

October is the month for vampires - the creatures that stalk you from the shadows and come to suck the life out of you, draining you.  Well in the writing world, vampires are around year-round.  

Have you ever had just a small success and the minute you do, you have people coming out from places you didn’t even know existed just to ask you questions like:  

Tell me EVERYTHING.

How did you get your book published?

Where do I go to get my work published?

Can I have your contact list?

Can you look over my manuscript and tell me what’s wrong?

Do you have an agent?  How did you get one?

And the list of questions goes on and on and on.

DON’T BE A VAMPIRE!

As a writer, you know how much work you put into it.  It’s a 24/7 job.  If you aren’t physically writing, you’re mentally writing and plotting.  And when you are not writing on paper or in your head, you are navigating the confusing waters of the publishing business.  

So now you have a writer who isn’t willing to do all that work – they want it all for free.  From you!  The writing world is one of the nicest communities there is.  We understand each other and share as much as we can…but there is a limit.  

Sure, I will tell you everything I’ve learned in the past 3 years working in the business, but you better buy a dang book from me or have something else to offer.  I know it sounds cruel and bitchy, but try to understand how it feels when people want to pick your brain.  Those people had not purchased a book and didn’t even intend to.

They wanted one thing – to suck an author dry.  That’s just bad etiquette.  If you ever want to talk to an author and you know it’s an in-depth conversation, for goodness sake, buy their book and ask them to autograph it and THEN ask your question.  Authors make so little off their book and hardly anything on conferences. We need to buy groceries too!

You can buy Melissa's exciting book here:
https://www.amazon.com/I-Dream-Dragons-Melissa-Carrigee/dp/0998893218/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510427845&sr=1-2&keywords=i+dream+of+dragons

Learn more about Melissa:  https://www.melissacarrigee.net/

Tips for School Visits

I am meeting new fans of Maggie and the Summer Vacation Show-and-Tell by doing school visits.  The young kids are great listeners and they ask thoughtful questions.  

Doing school visits is new for me, but with each visit, I learn more and more how to make it go smoothly.  

Kids and teachers LOVE authors.  Here are a few tips:    

• Google the directions to the school if you've never been there before. 
• Bring something to drink and ChapStick (you'll be doing a lot of talking)
• Show up a little early to use the bathroom or to go over your notes.  
• Sign in at office.
• Have a time schedule printed so you know where you're going throughout the morning.
• Wear a watch to check the time (it's less distracting than checking your phone).
• Silence your phone.
• Bring extra books and a pen for signing them.
• Wear comfortable clothing and shoes.  Often times school are warm, so wear layers.
• Read slowly and with expression.  
• If a class is rowdy, continue with your program. Pause to get their attention or read louder so they can hear you. 
• Ask the students questions before you read the book.  This will get them engaged.
• After the book is read, tell the students about the theme of the book, or the points you would like them to takeaway. 
• Have a hands-on activity or a game to play afterward. Young kids like guessing games. Older kids like word scramble puzzles or crossword puzzles.
• Hand out signed books and tell the students you can bring more if they would like to buy a copy.  
• Stick around and get your picture taken with the students.

Please Write a Review

Did you know book reviews directly influence the sale of books?  That's why it's so important to get reviews.  However, as an author, getting reviews are easier said than done.

I've asked friends, family, work acquaintances, classmates, picture book bloggers, and the list goes on and on.  

Many have taken the time to read Maggie and the Summer Vacation Show-and-Tell and post an Amazon review.  And for that, I'm sincerely honored and grateful. 

So, dear followers.  Please leave a comment or email Rlmrvos@gmail.com and request a free copy of Maggie.  One or two sentences is all you'd need to write. 

Some people are not sure what to say and that holds them back.  Have no fears.  It's easy:  write if you liked (or disliked) the story, the themes, or the illustrations.  Write about  the discussion guide or Charlie's story which appears at the end of the book.  Write if you think kids will like the book. 

It can't be stressed enough the value of reviews, and for this reason, this blog post will be published on The Maggie Project Blog, too.  This message bears repeating.

I urge you to reach out not only to me, but to other authors.  Write a review.  The instructions are easy and can be found here:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201145120

Please know that your words are important.  Even a few words can make a huge difference.

Post-Publication Blues

When I gave birth to my daughter, I was lucky that I never got the postpartum blues.  But after the "birth" of my book, the post-publication book blues set in.

Everyone assumes that when you get a book published, life is grand. They think that now, for you, a publisher author, nothing will ever get you down again.

But that's not true.  After your book is published, a little depression may settle in.  For instance:

You may be wit's end trying to get reviews because reviews sell books. You might be trying to figure out new marketing schemes.  You may have to get out there in front of fans at book signings and on television even if you are an introvert (and most of us writers are introverts).

You may find that you can't give up wearing a thick skin (which you developed during those days of submitting and then getting rejections) when friends don't write you to congratulate you, when business managers won't return your phone calls and emails, when newspaper reporters fail to take interest.

You may be constantly thinking about sales, and if you're not, then someone will ask:  How many books have you sold?

So writers have a lot on their minds after the publication of a book and it's not always pretty. However, that's part of publication and we must learn to shrug off the blues because it can make us feel miserable when we should be rejoicing.

What can we do about these post-publication woes?  We can concentrate on the GOOD things that come with publication:

the positive reviews
the encouragement of a spouse
the throng of people coming to your book signing
a librarian who wants you to do a school visit
a child who wants your autograph
the conversations with friends who tell you your writing touched them in a profound way
flipping the pages of a book that was once merely a manuscript

We can't make the post-publication worries go away.  But we can choose to redirect our focus away from those worries.

When we can concentrate on the good things, we may find we have a lot to be thankful for.  And we may find that after publication...life can be grand.