Please excuse the crazy lady mooing at cats

So my parents have a cat. His name is Jasper. This is him.

He is fat and fluffy and has more personality than any cat I've ever encountered. He will literally roll on his back and meow and flail his paws when you walk in to the room. Not in a doggy way either, in a very twisty pathetic feline way. My parents have a drinking fountain, and if he hears anyone pressing it he will run into the room and jump up to watch. He lays on the drinking fountain all the time, making squirting him a constant temptation. And if you're in the bathroom with the door closed he will swipe his paws under the door until you let him in. He only likes to be pet on his head or behind his ears, and will snap at you if you try to pet his back or belly, which is ironic considering how much time he spends doing what looks like begging for belly rubs.

Anyway. Yesterday we were all about to leave my parents house, and he escaped into the front yard. He's not exactly the hardest cat to catch, considering that if you start cooing and sweet-talking him he rolls onto his back, but yesterday he was anxious to stay outside and had barricaded himself behind a bush.

Backstory: My little sister has a stuffed cow that makes a horrendous mooing noise. For a school psychology project she used tuna fish to condition Jasper to come when he heard the noise. And it worked.

We were in a hurry, and I didn't know where the cow was. So yes, I mooed at him. And not just once. Needless to say, it didn't work, and I had to crawl through the bushes and sweet-talk him, which is, of course, much less ridiculous.

I'm not even sure how, but I feel like mooing at cats is a metaphor for life sometimes, and that I've been doing it a lot lately. But either the cats start mooing back or the cows come home, right? Or something...

Sarah Allen

Chaos Writers vs. Structure Writers: Which are you?

I wanted to tell you guys about a conversation I had with my roommate last night. And let me just say, I love being able to have these kind of literary analytical discussions with my friends. Anyway, since both of us are in the recent graduate trying to decide what to do with life phase, we've been talking a lot about what options we have and which ones are best and that kind of thing a lot, especially lately. We were both English majors and both have novels in the works, and a lot of our conversation revolves around how to make our lives conducive to writing careers, among other things.

This is what we discovered last night. For her, when life is structured and relatively calm, the writing suffers. She feels dry. When life is exciting and a bit chaotic, it fuels her creatively and the writing somehow happens on top of everything. She even said that writing is her way of making sense of, and even putting structure on, all the chaos.

This is totally foreign to me. I crave stability and structure. Heavens I need stability. And actually, this is a relatively new realization for me. But really, when I can plan (back to planning. Of course) for writing time, marketing time, all that, and when I don't have a million little worries and stresses and undecideds crowding my mind, and can just WRITE, things work out so much more easily for me. I love being able to start from a solid, stable, structural base, and then building and adding more things from there, perhaps even some adventure.

Of course, the key here is to make the writing happen whether or not life is boring or chaotic. But knowing which end of the spectrum you fall on may help you make some life decisions. It can maybe tell you why the writing hasn't been going well for a while and what you could do about it. I know thinking of things this way has helped me understand that for me personally its best to find me a stable, structured place, work from there, and not necessarily feel bad or lame for not doing something totally crazy. Maybe later, when my feet are planted on solid ground. But solid ground first, at least for me.

What do you think? Is this a fairly accurate dichotomy, and can it help? Which type are you, chaos or structure, and why do you think that is?


Sarah

Live in the present for 15 minutes a day

I'm really bad at the whole living in the present thing. Like, really bad. I have a pretty bad memory of the past as well. In my head it's all about the future. I tend to see today as a way to get to where I want to be later on. I plan relentlessly--how to get an agent, how to do more marketing, how to manage a day-job, how to get this book out as successfully and efficiently as possible--all plans to take me to some future place.

Which is okay, even good, in some ways. Planning is good. However, there are two major consequences to taking the future planning thing to the extreme, which I'm noticing in my life. First, the awesome things I already have in my life go horrifically under appreciated. Second, when plans don't work out as planned, or when, for whatever reason, planning itself is impossible for a while, it tends to lead to some pretty major freak out.

So, I'm challenging myself and anyone else who wants to join me to spend at least 15 minutes a day not thinking about the future, and immersing myself in the here and now. It is going to be hard, but I'm going to do it with certain awesome present presents:

• Music. Maybe some days I'll just lie on my floor close my eyes and feel the rug and totally focus on some really good music. Or maybe dance around to it. I'm not above admitting that sounds fun.
• Nature. This is an obvious one, but for a reason. This is a great time to do it too, when things are starting to get warm and green. I've got some way cool parks and lakes (and even sandstone arches if I want to drive that far) in my little desert bubble of a state, and I could definitely be taking more advantage of that. Every place has beauty, you just gotta find it.
• Food. When was the last time you sat down to a really good meal and just enjoyed the taste of the food in your mouth, and took your time, without thinking of anything else? For me, way too long.
• Other people. This is the most natural anchor-to-the-present for me. I can be listening to music or outside or eating dinner and still easily be thinking about plans for the next blog post or agent research or next writing project or whatever. But when I'm in a good conversation with someone else I just forget to think about all that other junk. It's refreshing, really.

What does this have to do with writing, you ask? (Even my plan to not plan is a plan. I told you, I'm relentless). Becoming more observant will automatically make you a better writer. Your words will be much more vivid and exciting when you know intimately what a crow sounds like or the smell of a wet parking lot or the taste of barbecue ribs. Living gives you something to write about. As well as being, you know, better than not living.

So there's the plan. What do y'all think? Are you as plan-crazy as I am? What other suggestions do you have for enjoying the present, even just for a little while every day?

Sarah Allen

Today's Writing Tips Brought to You By Disney Songs

My Pandora has been set on Disney pretty constantly for the past couple weeks. I've needed it. Also talks by Dieter F. Utchdorf, but yeah. Disney music. There's an optimism and magic in these songs that makes me feel better.

So here are the writing lessons I've gotten in the past little while, listening to Disney music.

Endurance. Sometimes it just boils down to pure grit. We have to fall back on our moments of clarity when we knew what we were doing, and what we wanted, and just let that propel us forward. The important thing, though, is to not give up. Keep writing, keep blogging, keep submitting, because really, we're almost there.

Don't forget you have help. Both professionally and personally. Editors, agents, publishers, don't be afraid to use their help, and be grateful for it. And in your own life, there are people who truly love you and care about you. They want to help, and want you to be happy. Humans are not solitary creatures, and being with people who care can make things better very quickly. Without them, you wouldn't have nothin.

Don't be afraid of uncertainty and risk. This one is particularly hard for me. I like everything to be planned and settled, but that's been the opposite of what's actually happening in my life. But you know what, that's okay. Really it's an adventure, seeing what's around the riverbend.

There you have it. I was going to do more, because Disney has lots of good stuff. But I'll just leave it here for now. Because now you're going to have one of these stuck in your head for the rest of the day :)

"What I like most about rivers is, you can't step in the same river twice..."

What is your favorite Disney song, and why?

Sarah Allen

Beta Readers and How to Find Them

So, I'm getting pretty darn close to the end of this run-through of edits. I'm getting to the point where I really, really need to put this thing in someone else's hands. I'm not sick of it exactly, it still makes me excited and I'm having fun with it, but I'm just very anxious to get out of this phase and into the next. Ready to get this thing out there.

That mean's now I'm looking for the other hands to put it into. Fortunately, I've got a high quality crew already. Three of my roommates were English majors, and two of them minored in editing. So there's them, and some other friends and of course my smart family.

Of course one needs to taken feedback given by family and friends with a grain of salt. This is, I suppose, true of any feedback, but especially true with people who know you.

That's where I'm coming to you. What are some ways I can stretch my beta reader's circle? It might be wise to have some smart strangers look at the book before I start submissions. Is it crazy for me to open it up and say, would any of you be interested in being beta readers? Who have you used as beta readers? People you know? Writerly people from the interwebs?

Thoughts?

Sarah Allen

Writing and Illustrating for Young Adult Readers 13th Annual Conference

There's something very, very exciting going on that I wanted to bring to your attention. The 13th Annual Writing and Illustrating for Young Adult Readers Conference in Sandy, Utah, June 18-22. Spots are already starting to fill up, so if this is something you are interested in, I highly encourage you to check out their website for more information and sign up.

One of the workshop teachers is the wonderful Tim Wynne-Jones, and we're lucky enough to have him answer a few questions for us today:

What is your usual writing process?

The trick is in that word "usual." Every book seems to require a slightly different way of handling it. Sort of like your kids. They've all got the same genetic make-up but boy can they be different! Ideally, I launch into a novel when I have a really strong opening scene I can't wait to write. Whether it actually ends up being the opening scene isn't important but it's my way of getting started. And if the idea is involving enough it will lead me on to the next scene. I never start with an outline. It just seems boring to follow a predetermined course, although I know all sorts of great authors who do use outlines. Sometimes in the middle of a book, especially if there are several voices telling the story, I will need to write out a careful outline of the next few chapters, let's say, so that I get the sequence of events just so. But generally I want to write to surprise myself! Ideally, I write a first draft as quickly as possible -- get the whole thing out there on the table so I can sort through it and find the good bits. That's the second draft and that's when it's really fun to be a writer.

What genre of books do you most enjoy reading?

Mysteries.

Do the plots from your stories come from things you have seen in your life?

Inevitably, at least to some degree. Plots come from asking yourself what if... You see something only slightly odd and make it odder. You see something broken and wonder how it got to be that way. You see, for instance, a street kid staring at a fancy hotel and wonder if he knows that there is food in there on trays outside people's rooms and how would he go about getting it? That's what happened with Blink & Caution. Or you see some weird little article on page three of the newspaper and rather than following up on it to get more facts you let your imagination have a go at it. You introduce some random event to an otherwise ordinary moment and imagine the event that ensues. As a writer you're like a detective always looking for clues to something that never happened!

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

Raising three pretty fabulous kids. Being published in fifteen countries and in a dozen languages. Being made an officer to the Order of Canada. Being nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award.And somehow managing to make a life as a writer for the last thirty years or so.

Hope this is enjoyably helpful, and hope all of you YA writers can find your way to Utah in June. Have you ever been to a writers conference, and what did you learn there? 

Sarah Allen

In which I'm interviewed and show you pretty things

I absolutely love being approached about interviews, or giving or receiving guest posts, stuff like that. It's my favorite, and it always makes me smile. So I am very, very happy to say that today I am over at the blog of the ever lovely Vanessa Eccles, where I answer questions about getting ideas, childhood books, and which character I would choose to meet in real life. Drop by and say hi.

And here are the pretty things I promised you. An animated poem:

And this picture...I just think her face is so so interesting. Awesome character fodder.

And yes, this picture is from my writerly inspiration Pinterest page. That you should check out. After you check out Vanessa's blog and watch the video.

Happy Thursday :)
Sarah Allen

Rejection and a Bucket List

Yesterday was a pretty heavy day for rejection. I got rejected by The New Yorker (not unexpected), I didn't get the job I wanted, and most of all, my roommate did not get into the University of Utah's graduate program. That means she will not be going to Salt Lake in the fall, which means all the options are open, which is a whole new can of crazy scariness.

Anyway, the rejection along with the limbo-ness I talked about yesterday has gotten me thinking about how to shake things up, keep them happy and exciting and inspiring, when you're down and figuring out what to do. Every day can seem like such a repeat of the day before and when things don't work out like you want/expect them to, it can really suck.

So what do you do? I think its time for me to start an actual physical bucket list. I've had reservations about doing it before, because I don't want to gauge the value or success of my life on how many things I can cross off some arbitrary list. I've been thinking about it, though, and here's the thing. When you're in limbo, when you're down, feeling rejected, conflicted or confused, it could be a very good idea to give yourself something you can feel excited about. It may even give you a little bit of the fulfillment you may or may not be missing in the dry times.

And that's where I think a bucket list could come in handy. Not to judge the success of a life, but to have a list to go to when you're thinking, I need something a little ambitious and exciting to do today. It gives you a goal, something to work towards, and something that matters to you. Even on a mini-scale this can be such a big help. I hope this makes sense.

So I'm off to start my list, but here are a few that came to my mind first. (Trying to keep it day-to-day, general life category here, the big career writing ones are of course there too):

-Watch every Best Original Screenplay awarded film.

-Make bread pudding

-Read the entire Bible

-Record a song

-Spend some Saturdays going to cool place within driving distance that I've never been before (like museums or lakes or such)

-Own a puppy (I'll accept playing with one for now)

-Become an amateur graphologist

Then of course there are the other things like meeting Meryl Streep, getting published, and going to Antarctica. But we're talking things you can work on when you need something to work on ideas here.

What day to day things could you do to spice things up? What are some fun things from your own bucket list?

Sarah Allen

Creative satisfaction in the betweens

I feel so incredibly in limbo right now. In every aspect of my life. Including and especially the artistic/creative part of my life. I've finished one novel, basically, but haven't gotten quite to the putting it out into the world phase yet, and the next novel is still in the fuzzy brainstorming stages and being quite stubborn about not wanting to leave it. So yes, limbo is the right word, though I'm still trying to work and push forward.

But the limboness has gotten me thinking; what kinds of things can we writerly artsy people do when one project hasn't sold and the next hasn't started? For me at least, the satisfaction comes in either putting something out in the world, which is sort of the 'end', or in the creation of something brand new and lovely, which is the 'beginning.' When neither of those is happening at the moment, are there ways to keep feeling rewarded to make the going a little easier?

I suppose that means doing the publication or creation thing on a smaller scale. Maybe we're not writing the new novel yet, but we can work on short stories or poetry. There are always random artsy things to try out too, like writing music or making movies or experimenting with photography.

What about the publication side? Are there ways to give ourselves mini-publication rewards in between the big times? If that even makes sense. I've mentioned before that I'm working on a short story collection that I plan to indie publish, right now I'm mostly waiting on hearing back from the magazines where the stories are currently submitted. That's kind of the thing I'm talking about. Part of me thinks I would feel better about this limbo period if I had that littler project to work with. Hopefully soon?

And I think I do want to try the video, music, photography thing, see what I can come up with.

What do you think? What mini-projects or general life things do you do to keep yourself motivated and feeling good between the big things?


Sarah Allen