Real Triathletes Don't Wear Socks

I was a rower in college. It is hard to find a group of people who *think* they are tougher than rowers. And who go out of their way to prove it.

That mindset makes normally sane people do crazy things.

Case and point: During spring break in college, as a favor, I coxed* a boat of burly guys. When they lifted the crew scull out of the water and up over their heads, a heavy wooden seat fell out of the boat, clunked me on the head, and dropped into the slimy lake water. My first reaction (of course) was to jump into the water and dive down to rescue the seat.

I was bleeding from my head. See? Dumbass. Stuff.

Every sport seems to have that crazy kind of badge of honor. Right now, I'm training for a sprint triathlon, and a trainer told me that "real triathletes don't wear socks." We all laughed, because we understood it. It's that weird, in-the-know thing for that particular sport. Of course real triathletes don't wear socks. Have you ever gotten out of the water, sprinted to your sneakers and bike, and stopped to try to put socks on your sandy, wet feet? It would kill your transition. :)

Writers are no different.

We all have those ways to explain to the outside world (or to ourselves) how tough writing is, and how hardcore we actually are, as writers. 

Real writers write 50k in November. (Oh, we're off to a controversial start!)
Real writers kill their darlings. (Painful!)
Real writers wallpaper their office with their rejection letters. (Beautiful decor.)
Real writers measure how long it takes to write a book in years, not days. (Sigh.)
Real writers aren't afraid to put their work out there. (Bigger sigh.)

Real writers meet blog friends irl, no matter how introverted they might pretend to be. :)

Kristen, Sarah, Madison, Matt, and Kelly

Anna, her better half Ray (my 8-yr-old's new best friend) and Chelsey

Real writers insist on taking pictures outside for better lighting. :)

And, real writers poke giant lizards in the eye.

Kristen and Matt

Real writers have an endless number of weird faces to fall back on for fan photos.

Anna. 'Nuff said.

Real writers know how to have a good time. :)

Me, Anna, Kristen, Madi, Matt, Sarah, and Chelsey

Matt, Anna (looking remarkably serious), Chelsey, and Madison

I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet Matt and some of his family (loved talking with Kelly and their daughter Madison who are all kinds of awesome), as well as some local writers--Kristen, Chelsey, Sarah and Anna.

Aren't those great pics? Don't you feel like you were there?

Anyway--what's your writing badge of honor? What's your equivalent to not wearing socks?

*Coxswains are people whose job is to yell. They yell all sorts of motivating stuff at rowers to make them row until they puke and their hands bleed. And coxswains steer the boat. I never learned how to steer. It was a bit of a bummer for everyone involved.

Minding the Gap

There is this gap between our expectations and reality. Sometimes it is just a crack in the sidewalk, other times, the grand canyon. I know that I need to mourn the gap. Mourn the difference between how I want things (in writing) to be, and how they are.

There is a Quote by Neil Gaiman. 

If you have had a Serious Writing Conversation with me, I have probably attempted to tell you about it. Neil says: 

Well, you never achieve everything you wanted to. It's the simple act of writing. You begin with a platonic ideal that is a shivering tower carved out of pure diamond, that is this pure thing that stands there unfouled by gravity and the weather. And then, the thing that you build is this thing that you have to build out of whatever is at hand and you use empty sushi boxes and chairs and get friends to hold it up and try to make it look like it's standing. And at the end of it, people look at it and they say, "It's amazing." And you say, "Yes, but if only I could have done the thing that is in my head."

I am acutely aware of how awesome my writing and ideas are--in my head. The fact that there is a huge discrepancy between how they are inside, rolling about my head, and how they are outside, in black and white, causes me some angst. 

Some very intelligent writers recently have been telling me that it is okay to feel this way. 

But this gap is painful.

And sometimes it is hard to get over.

Sometimes the gap is wide because our skill hasn't caught up with our potential.

Sometimes the gap is wide because we imagine the universe.

Sometimes the gap is wide because we want to hurry up and be done.

No matter why the gap is there, we must mind it. 

And that is hard.

Jumping Into the Shark Tank or, All Those Most Important Things

It has been a little while since I posted a blog post. Sometimes that means that I am writing. Sometimes that means that life has gotten too hectic, in unexpected ways. This time it was the latter.

In the past few weeks my family has had some very big lows, accompanied by some very big highs.

The good news is that everyone is on the road to recovery, and that modern medicine is truly miraculous.

When life altering events occur, they always makes me take a look at what is important. Cliche, but there it is.

What I realized is that I have some amazing people in my life. A supportive network. But it goes beyond that.

I have people in my life who will not permit me to fail.

Even when I try very hard.

:)

If you do not have people like that, go find them. Those people are out there for you. Do not settle for less.

Because in this business, all water slides lead to the shark tank. Would we want it any other way? What would success mean to us if it were easy?

Yup, that's Cowgirl and my dear husband in a tube in a shark tank. Did I mention we went to the Bahamas to see my sister get married?

What would you do today, if you knew you couldn't fail? Not just based on your own merit, but because you had the most beautiful, intelligent, funny, kind people holding you up.

Find someone like this guy. He would not let you fail. :)

What would you do?

I apologize for not being around to be supportive for YOU recently. I hope you know that if you need anything you can ask!

Friday Feature: Tracy Wymer's THE COLOR OF BONES

I am so excited to bring you the news that Tracy Wymer's middle grade book, THE COLOR OF BONES is now out! You can check out his way-back-when (2010!) Friday Feature Interview here.

Here's what THE COLOR OF BONES is all about:

Twelve year-old Derby Shrewd lives in a divided town. Lights live on the Northside of the Line, Darks live on the Southside. Hillside has been that way ever since the Line appeared naturally from the ground, much like a spring welling up from deep inside the earth.

Now the Line controls the town, keeping Hillside separated, zapping those who come near it and killing those who dare cross it.

But when Derby, a Northsider, finds a pile of bones stacked on the Line, he sets out to uncover the person's identity. While doing so, he befriends a Southside girl and soon begins to challenge the Line and the town's rules. And then, before he can turn back, Derby goes too far.

Sounds awesome, doesn't it? 

It is. I've read it. :)

Here is Tracy's website, with all the links you will need to get a copy for yourself and to check out this wonderfully supportive kidlit writer. If you haven't followed Tracy's blog, he's a funny and honest blogger.

So, give Tracy some love, check out his novel, and have a fabulous weekend!

Woo-hoo! Congrats, Tracy!

Stop by here on Monday for my first Cone of Silence (in publication) discussion. :) 

A Spy Like Me, and Cone Of Silence Topics in Publishing

So, I apologize for being less than consistent with the blog posts recently--but you know what that means--I have been in the bat cave, writing. Woo-hoo! I hope that you all have been producing the words as well. 

I am planning on getting back into the regular schedule, with a twist. Mondays I am going to reserve for a discussion around CONE OF SILENCE topics in publishing and writing. You know--that stuff which people tend to not talk about in public, so they don't ruin their professional reputation. I have anonymous comments turned on, and everyone can weigh in with their experiences. I think it will be interesting. 

For today, though, a celebration!

You might have seen Laura Pauling in the pictures from the last post, about How Stalking Gets You Friends. Or from this interview she did for me a while back. 

Today, we're celebrating Laura's publication of her new YA spy book. I'm so excited for her! And, she's hosting a very cool blog series:

In celebration of the official release of A Spy Like Me, Laura Pauling is hosting a three-week blog series: A Spies, Murder and Mystery Marathon. Woot! Woot!

Authors galore, guest posts and book giveaways almost every day!

Gemma Halliday, Cindy M. Hogan, Elizabeth Spann Craig,
Nova Ren Suma, Elisa Ludwig, and Anne R. Allen....Just to name a few!

And here's why she's celebrating!

Stripping your date down to his underwear has never been so dangerous.

After dodging bullets on a first date, Savvy must sneak, deceive and spy to save her family and friends and figure out if Malcolm is one of the bad guys before she completely falls for him.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords

Head on over to Laura’s blog for the start of the Spies, Murder and Mystery Marathon. You won’t want to miss this sizzling series as we head into summer. Stock up on some great thrilling reads! If you dare…

I'll see you over at Laura's!

So, tell me, what CONE OF SILENCE topics would you like to discuss? It can be anything that is hush-hush. Let me know in the comment section! I'm thinking we'll start with publishing contracts. What do you think?