Another Experiment

Back in February, I set myself the challenge of avoiding fast food for one month. Since I succeeded, I've been thinking about trying the same thing again.

However, I decided to give myself an even more difficult task. I'm going to try to avoid candy, desserts and sodas during November. To prepare for this, I ate several bags of M&M's on Halloween.

I'm trying to avoid the "unnecessary" stuff. To that end, I am pleased to report that Mom, who does not know about my plan, made brownies Sunday night, and I have not eaten even a crumb.

Wish me luck! It's probably going to be a long November.

Conferences, Conferences, Conferences

I've registered for four area conferences recently, and the first one is this Saturday.

The North Central North East Texas SCBWI Conference is up in Arlington. I'll be getting a written critique and hearing presentations from David Diaz, Melanie Hope Greenberg, Lisa Yoskowitz and Lisa Grubka. I haven't been to this conference before, so I'm looking forward to it. I also used to live in Irving, so it's a chance to see what has changed in the area. Maybe I'll get to see the new, obscenely expensive Cowboys stadium.

In November I'm going to the Brazos Valley SCBWI Conference. This is a conference I went to last year, and I really enjoyed it. This year I'll have a critique with Carla McClafferty. We'll see how that goes.

Wish me luck!

The Dude Abides

I had a dream come true this past weekend when I was able to attend Lebowski Fest 2009 at Stubb's BBQ in Austin - the Speed of Sound Tour.

Lebowski Fest revolves around celebrating all things related to The Big Lebowski, the Coen brothers cult classic. I love this movie. And one of my best friends loves this movie, too, so we both went to the Fest.

The Fest includes a screening of the movie and bowling. We just went to the movie screening, and we had a blast! Because it was outside and seating was on the ground (we had no idea), we had to find an alternative. My friend is unable to sit on the ground, so we got to go to the VIP section and sit in folding chairs.

We saw people dressed as characters from the film – The Dude, Walter, Jesus, Maude, The Stranger. We even saw someone dressed as the rug, the rug that "really ties the room together" and sets off the entire plot of the film.

The head Achievers, who created Lebowski Fest, came out to welcome us to the event and to introduce the band.

A performance from the White Ghost Shivers followed.

The crowd, about 300 or so, enjoyed the band and then got ready for the main event.

But first! a video message from The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges, welcomed us to the event. We all screamed in excitement.

Then the movie started. People quoted along with all the best lines (including lots and lots of cursing) and danced along with characters on screen.

Despite the cold, despite the folding chairs, despite the late hour, everyone in the crowd wouldn't have changed a thing about the night. We had so much fun. I cannot wait to go to another Lebowski Fest, maybe even the big one in Louisville.

Of Parks and Memories

I've been watching the Ken Burns documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea on PBS this week. I find myself amazed at the vigor and vitality of those early users of the parks.

Having been to seventeen of the national parks in this country (and four in Canada!) and hiked some of the trails, I cannot imagine climbing mountains or hanging over cliff edges or rafting down rapid-filled rivers without the helpful guidance of the National Park Service.

I remember going to a campfire talk at Yellowstone back in 1987 and learning that, before the handy boardwalks were built around the hot springs, geysers, mud pots and fumaroles, tourists were told to follow buffalo chips. If the buffalo could walk there, then people could walk there. I think the theory was that if the earth's crust, which is thin at Yellowstone, could support a buffalo, then it could certainly handle a human. Can you imagine that?

I have so many fond memories of the parks. I've gotten lost in Rocky Mountain National Park, nearly been run over by a buffalo in Yellowstone, walked on a glacier on the tallest mountain on the continent in Denali, rode in a boat with a drunken captain in Kenai Fjords, and floated down the Snake River in Grand Tetons.

I haven't been to every national park. I probably never will get to them all, but I have loved every one of them. This documentary has gotten me thinking about my childhood, which has made me nostalgic for those lazy, adventurous summer days with long vacations in a van filled with books and toys and music down some of the most scenic roads in the country.

I had so much to be grateful for about those trips - the parks, the scenery and wildlife, the country and my mom. Without realizing it, I had other things to be grateful for, too. Thanks to Ken Burns, I now know how much gratitude I owe John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Stephen Mather and John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

I don't really know what this post is about, but I just felt like writing this down. Thanks for reading!

My Award-Winning Writing

When I was in fourth grade, I was in the University Interscholastic League Ready Writing competition. UIL is a statewide academic competition for public schools throughout Texas.

I don't really know how I got chosen to compete in the Ready Writing competition. Two other classmates competed with me, and another friend from another school.

The specific writing prompt is lost in my memory, but it was about finding a treasure chest in your back yard.

And I won first place!

Here is the winning entry from my nine-year-old self, copied word for word including any grammatical errors.

Treasure Chest

One day I was digging in the back yard, when suddenly I found a treasure chest. There was a not on the chest, and it said: The key to this chest is fifteen feet deeper than the chest.

So I started digging, but what I didn't know is that the key was one yard away from where I was digging. I didn't find the key.

So I went into the house to get a fingernail file. I got the fingernail file, then I went back to the chest.

I got the chest open. I had to dig through six inches of mud. I thought whatever was in there was going to be muddy. But when I got finished digging through the mud I to dig through three inches of loose sand.

I got through the loose sand. Finally I got down to see what was in it. They sparkled in the bright sunlight, and they were reds, blues, and greens.

They were Rubies, Garnets, Saphhires, Peridots, and Emralds. I went to see if they were real or not, if there were I was going to make jewlry out of them. If they weren't I would just keep them as gifts from the treasure chest.

I finally found out that the Emralds were fake. But the Rubies, Garnets, Saphhires, and Peridots were real.

The man said I would have to give 1/8 of it to the goverment. I didn't want to do it, but I had to.

Then I found out that I didn't have to give them the fake Emralds. But I wish I had to. I did not want to keep those Emralds.

Then I finally found out that I had more of it than the goverment did.

And that won first place! Even with all those spelling errors. Yeesh, those errors are embarrassing, but at least I can justify it by saying I was only nine.

What do you think of the story?

Buckling Down

I really need to establish a writing routine. I've tried various things at different times, but none of them have stuck.

I read somewhere that Kate DiCamillo writes two pages a day. That seemed attainable, and I made a valiant effort. I worked on it during lunch at work. But then I just petered out.

Sometimes, I write or edit during my lunch break. That works, but I find that by the time I get into a groove, I've got to go back to my real job.

What works best is for me to sit in front of the television and write on my laptop. Commercials are particularly wonderful when a good show is airing. I know it seems like I'm not concentrating enough on the writing, then, but that is how I did my homework throughout my entire academic career. And I was an A student.

I already get up at 5 a.m. on weekdays to exercise, and I just cannot get up any earlier than that unless it's an emergency or I have to catch a plane. So, getting up early to write is out of the question.

When I get home from work, I have good intentions and plan to sit down and write until I go to bed. But then I get on my computer, check my email, Twitter and Facebook, and before I know it, two hours have passed, and I've lost all motivation.

I'm open to any and all suggestions.

And now, I really am off to write!

Another Agent, Another Partial

I sent a partial of my YA novel to an agent today. She also requested a synopsis. I really hate writing those. They seem so much like a book report that I can't stand it.

When I was in elementary school, we participated in the Pizza Hut Book It program. There were a few problems with this program as far as I was concerned.

1. We were reading for free pizza coupons, and I didn't eat pizza at that time.

2. We were supposed to read a certain number of books (I don't remember how many) and write a book report about each one.

3. When you read your book and wrote a report, you got a gold star on a board.

I always read the books - often more than the requirement. I rarely wrote the book reports. I just never saw the point. Plus, I wasn't interested in the pizza.

Oh, well.

Wish me (and my book report synopsis) luck!