Nebraska Novel Retreats & the SCBWI

Even the most solitary of writers need renewal, but where to go can be perplexing. Here is one amazing Midwest destination. Please contact me if you would like additional information. The website is at http://nebraskanovelretreats.com/upcoming-retreats/


I attended Nancy's 2nd retreat with Jill Santopolo - editor and Stephen Barbara - agent. The workshop was amazing with lots of useful information coming from people in the business who know the business.

The site is a fantastic and beautiful modern monastery where you can write in solitude, laugh with good company, learn with intensity, and center your writing muse for the upcoming year by sitting near or walking around the calming lake. Did I mention that the food was excellent? It is!


It was through this retreat that I discovered the membership joys gained through the SCBWI (Society of Children Book Writers and Book Illustrators.)  This organization's website is http://www.scbwi.org/. Great information and retreats/workshops from fellow writers, editors, and agents who offer support, knowledge and encouragement. 


Feed the muse!

What Not to Say to a Children's Book Writer on a 1st Date!

Mish, Mash, & Late Night Musings

Notification of great offer!

 http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/ (July 2nd) has a 24 hour offer for finding critique dating partners. Check it out. I hope she does this again. Right now, I'm in the great swampy middle of my current WiP. Anyone who hopes to tread with me would surely die from sucking in mud.

Pursuing the Writer's Craft:

Love those little sections called: "Tell us who you are." Yes, immediate gag reflex. So, who am I and what is my learning goal for my recent online class?

I'm a successful business owner in the Midwest, but I have given into my passion for writing. As Noel Coward wrote in Waiting in the Wings, "My mind is a sieve." My goal is to keep those sieve holes as tiny as possible as I pursue the writer's craft. I work with young adult.


I seek confidence, consistency, and competence—all of which seem too often in short supply. I promise to keep my Collins COBUILD English Grammar close to hand; unfortunately, it is falling apart and I still don’t have this down. I blame it on President Kennedy. He called for us to learn science and, thereafter, grammar teachers became unimportant apparently and I ended up with a useless chemistry minor in college. I especially look forward to proofreading tips and have a great fear of lie, lay, lain, lying (see my assignment 1), lay, laid, laid, laying, and collective noun/verb agreement gives me nightmares.  Also, I am not a purist—where the *#%^* is spell check?

My profile was woefully outdated. Here is my update. 

Greetings from the heartland.  I'm a successful business owner, but have given into my passion of writing the last six years. I am presently writing for young adults. I'm 58, but was thrilled when several fellow online students assumed that I was in my twenties.

I've taken several classes through mediabistro, through University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival, and once though the Piper Center in Tempe, AZ. I've had opportunities to travel for research and to meet some great editors and authors. My last jaunt was a trip to North Carolina for the Writer's Police Academy. It was a blast, although I happily skipped the murder crime scene when one sweet lady offered to let me dab some of her crest tooth paste up my nose to cover the smell. That night, I sat at a large banquet table with a huge grin, amazed that all these dressed up people were actually discussing how far the body liquids would travel over different lengths of times!  Yes, I'm going to write about that one day...

I religiously write from six to eight every morning, but rarely on my blog. I'm not sure what would frighten me more--being offered a publishing contract or no one wanting to read my work again! Thankfully, people have been kind and gracious.

This pursuit of the writer's craft is a marvelous journey.

If anyone is out there that actually reads this? Feed my fish? They have been zombies now for months and need love-- As you can tell from my infrequent posts, I ain't giving it to them.