Sunday, October 28, 2007

Disclaimer about Sporatic Blog Entries

My blog entries have been sporadic of late. I am the kind of person who wants to do it all: One Deep Breath and Sunday Scribblings as well as the two new writing prompt sites: Writers' Island, and Totally Optional Prompts. I have not contributed to them even though I my intentions have been good. (And we all know where the path of good intentions leads).

I am focused right now on a different writing project. It's writing for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Very reflective yet technical writing. The volume and intensity of this focus is revving up. There is a deadline: March. Everything needs to be done by March. Then I get to take an on-line test. WooHoo.

So for now, I am putting the two new prompt sites on the back burner. I give myself permission to miss prompts from ODB and SS as needed. I may read your blog but not comment. Now I must get back to working on the NBPTS.

Sunday Scribbles: Hospital

"Hospital" is this week's prompt. Oooh, it hit a nerve deep within me. I had a previous life. A life which died close to twenty years ago.

invisible girl
stitches removed, fifteen all
black eye tells the tale

I am blessed and surrounded by love these days. For more on hospitals, click here.

One Deep Breath: Closeness

This week, One Deep Breath asks that we consider the idea of closeness.

daughters by marriage
love DNA connects us
close family ties


diagonal mountains
divide red rivers west, east
chard-organic

See how others wrote about closeness here.

Monday, October 22, 2007

One Deep Breath: Balance

The prompt for last week was "balance". Boy, oh, boy, did I need that prompt.

breathe inhale balance
rocks teeter totter on edge
balance exhale breath

clothing piles here, ther
recycle bags, declutter
balance returns home

mind races top speed
clear, declutter thinking
sanity returns

For more on balance, visit One Deep Breath.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

One Deep Breath: Simple Pleasures

One Deep Breath asks us about our simple pleasures this week. It is a gorgeous fall weekend and I am working in the garden today.

Simple Pleasures

steaming cuppa joe
sunlight peeking through branches
early Sunday morn

thick novel in lap
easy faraway transport
birdsong returns home

moist chocolate earth
holes dug, worms start wiggle dance
moving day for plants

What are your simple pleasures? For more, visit here.

Here I Am and a Conference

I did not mean for three weeks to pass without contributing to this blog. I wish I could say that I have been on vacation somewhere exotic. But I have been here, busy with school and working on Entry Four (National Boards), and a conference.

My husband and I took a red eye to Chicago for the First Annual Kidlitosphere Conference (for authors, book industry, bloggers who love children's literature, elementary, middle, and young adult). We explored Chicago. Went to the Field Museum, saw the Darwin exhibit and Sue, the T-Rex. Then the heat, humidity, and traveling overnight caught up to us and we returned to our hotel. After a brief nap, we joined a group of twenty for some great Chicago pizza.

Saturday was a dizzying day. Our group grew to sixty. We spend our time together talking about blogging for children's books, the CYBILS award (I am one of the judges for the poetry nominations). I learned about pod casting, promoting my library blog, and ways to improve book reviews. It had to be one of the best conferences I ever attended.

It was also an opportunity to meet some great children's authors. Esme Raj Codell hosted a "Meet the Authors" time in the afternoon. Local author and illustrators were there as well as the ones attending the conference. You should check out some of these authors:

Sara Lewis Holmes

Robin Brande

Esme Raji Codell

Ellen Klages

PJ Haarsma

Amy Timberlake

Laini Taylor

Jim Di Bartolo

If you love children and young adult books then head to Jacketflap. It is a fabulous web resource to get the latest information.

We had a grand finale dinner. The location of the next conference was announced: Seattle. For some unknown reason, my hand shot up and these words came out of my mouth," If you have it in Portland, I will organize it."

So the conference will be in Portland next year. Laini Taylor and Jim Di Bartolo volunteered to assist. Meanwhile, my husband is thinking of all the sites in Portland that participants should visit.

Sunday, the day of the Chicago marathon, we were up at 4:30 AM to catch an early morning flight. It was a whirlwind weekend. I should have taken Monday as a sick day as I spent the week trying to catch up.

I will try not to let three weeks go by without writing on this blog. I didn't mean to not write. Most of my writing has been very technical of late.