thewritehook

2010-11-05T17:12:00.006-04:00

Support the Fight Against Lung Cancer!

My dear friend Sara, a life-long nonsmoker, lost her battle with lung cancer several years ago. Lung cancer kills twice as many women each year as breast cancer. It kills more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers COMBINED.

A group of dedicated survivors, advocates and healthcare professionals have organized the first state chapter of the National Lung Cancer Partnership, called the North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership, to increase awareness and funding of lung cancer.

Join the North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership by visiting www.NationalLungCancerPartnership.org/NC, and participate in the second annual Raleigh FreetoBreatheTM 5k Walk/Run on November 6, at North Carolina State University Centennial Campus. Visit www.FreetoBreathe.org to register. All proceeds fund lung cancer research.

2009-09-13T13:40:00.000-04:00

Family Fun and Fantastic Authors at the North Carolina Literary Festival at UNC Chapel Hill

2009-09-13T12:51:00.007-04:00

Saturday was a beautiful day to listen to some inspiring illustrators and authors talk about their work at the literary festival at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. North Carolina authors such as RL Stine, author of the popular "Goosebumps" series, and Lee Smith, author of "The Last Girls" were present to share their journeys as artists and sign books for fans.
Illustrator Brian Pinkney also spoke at the festival. Pinkney has illustrated numerous books for children, including two Caldecott Honor books, "The Faithful Friend," by Robert D. San Souci, and "Duke Ellington."

Family-fun activities, such as live performances and music, face-painting, mask-making and coloring provided entertainment for children. A highlight of the festivities were appearances by Clifford, the North Carolina State University wolf mascot and the Berenstein Bears (pictured).

A host of other authors joined in the festival this year, including John Grisham and one of my all-time favorites, Jill McCorkle. If I could pick my dream mentor, I think it would be McCorkle, as she is the one who made me fall in love with the southern voice at a young age and start picking up books written by Clyde Edgerton, Doris Betts, Pat Conroy, and Gail Godwin.

I am so thankful that I finally had the opportunity to attend the festival. One of my favorite parts was watching the children at the Carolina Parent exhibit area draw and color pictures of their favorite book. Talk about some creativity! Some of these illustrations will be posted soon at Carolina Parent magazine's site. All in all, a very fun day!

Fun Science for Kids!

2009-06-15T14:13:00.014-04:00

Want to have some indoor and outdoor fun and teach some science in the process??
Check out the June cover article in Carolina Parent! This issue also has a nice article by Aleta Payne about author Sarah Dessen, who spoke at The Regulator Bookshop,Durham, Quail Ridge Books and Music, Raleigh, and McIntyre's Fine Books, Pittsboro.

"Grow a Crop of Summer Scientists"

Kitchen cupboard science

When stifling summer heat calls for an indoor activity at home, look no farther than the kitchen cupboard for fun with a scientific bent. Many Web sites provide easy instructions for kids’ experiments (see resource information below for some top sites), but if you prefer a book, try one of Janice VanCleave’s, such as 202 Oozing, Bubbling, Dripping and Bouncing Experiments or the Science Explorer series published by Henry Holt.

Here is an excerpt.. a simple activity to get kids hooked and a list of some great science activities in the area and some fun science websites!

Quicksand-Like Slime

Supplies
Cornstarch, Water

Instructions
1. Mix 1 cup cornstarch with cup water. Stir with your hands. It’s fun!
2. Add a few drops of food coloring (if desired).
3. Move your hands through the goop and let it slide through your fingers. Does it move slowly or quickly? When do you get stuck the most?

The Science (Physics and Chemistry)
The cornstarch and water mixture is a suspension, or a mixture of both a solid and a liquid. When you press down on the mixture with your hand, it is like stepping into the sand near the water at the beach. Your hand sinks into the cornstarch mixture as if it is disappearing into quicksand.

What is quicksand? Quicksand acts like both a solid and a liquid. On the surface it appears to be a solid mass of sand, but it is actually so saturated with water that it will disperse and engulf anything that puts pressure on it.

While real quicksand can be difficult to get out of, it doesn’t really suck people under according to a September 2005 article in the journal Nature. It’s like a trap because it liquefies and then collapses, but humans cannot be completely submerged because they are less dense than quicksand. If you happen to get caught, slowly wiggle your arms and legs.

Family-Friendly Local Programs

Several area museums, parks and nature centers have periodic or ongoing programs for families and children that focus on hands-on science and nature fun. The following are a few places to look into. Many require registration, and some have a fee, so check details.

Morehead Planetarium
250 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill
919-962-1236, www.moreheadplanetarium.org

Museum of Life and Science
433 Murray Ave., Durham
919-220-5429, www.ncmls.org

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
11 W. Jones St., Raleigh
919-733-7450, www.naturalsciences.org

Agape Center for Environmental Education
1369 Tyler Dewar Ln., Fuquay-Varina
919-552-9421, www.agapekurebeach.org

Bass Lake Park
900 Bass Lake Rd., Holly Springs
919-557-2906, www.hollyspringsnc.us

Eno River State Park
6101 Cole Mill Rd., Durham
919-383-1686, www.ncparks.gov

North Carolina Botanical Garden
Old Mason Farm Rd., Chapel Hill
919-962-0522, www.ncbg.unc.edu

Stevens Nature Center/Hemlock Bluffs
2616 Kildaire Farm Rd., Cary
919-387-5980, www.townofcary.org

Wake County Parks
www.wakegov.com/parks

Find a variety of family-friendly programs at www.ncparks.gov and in the Carolina Parent print and online calendar of family events at www.carolinaparent.com.

More At-Home Science Activities
* Build a stomp rocket.
* Grow special corn for popping.
* Make ice cream in a bag.
* Build a toothpick bridge.
* Make (or buy) your own mini-butterfly house.
* Make invisible ink.

Cool Science Web Sites
www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer
www.pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci
www.science.howstuffworks.com
www.coolscience.org
www.kidzone.ws/science
www.stevespanglerscience.com/category/science-fun (includes retail products)
www.hometrainingtools.com (includes retail products)

Some Fun with Kathy Joosten of "Desperate Housewives" at the Lung Cancer Summit in Dallas, Tx

2009-04-30T10:25:00.007-04:00

I was privileged to be chosen to participate in a gathering of advocates, survivors and health professionals at the second annual Lung Cancer Summit in Dallas, Texas hosted by the National Lung Cancer Partnership. What an amazing experience! Members of the North Carolina Chapter enjoyed meeting Kathy Joosten, a lung cancer survivor and cast member of "Desperate Houswives." Props to Joosten (second from the right), one of the few in Hollywood who will admit to being a lung cancer survivor. Whether people have smoked in the past or not, they deserve effective prevention and treatment. Lung Cancer has neither of these. It is the number one cancer killer and the least funded cancer. Of those diagnosed with lung cancer 60 percent will be non-smokers, either former smokers or people who have never smoked. People with heart disease have effective treatments. Why can't lung cancer patients? Instead, half of all lung cancer patients succumb within five years. Join the North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership group on Facebook or visit www.NationalLungCancerPartnership.org/NC for more.

Some Quotes on Happiness

2008-10-24T14:20:00.013-04:00

During these unsettled times, I thought some quotes on happiness might be in order. Obviously, Mark Twain is a favorite of mine, but there are a few others in the mix!

"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up."
--Mark Twain

"Nothing can bring you happiness but yourself."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.
--Helen Keller

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
-- Dalai Lama

"Happiness is a Swedish sunset; it is there for all, but most of us look the other way and lose it."
--Mark Twain

If you want to be happy, be."
-- Leo Tolstoy

Come to a Spring Gala to Benefit Lung Cancer Saturday April 25, Duke Nasher Museum of Art

2008-10-23T14:49:00.026-04:00

A NIGHT OUT FOR THE CAUSE! The North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership and Duke Cancer Center will present a night of art, music and fabulous prizes at the elegant Duke Nasher Art Museum on April 25, 2009. Contact Carol@NationalLungLungCancerPartnership for more information.

Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in this country, yet the least funded of all cancers. It kills nearly twice as many women each year as breast cancer. Our spokesperson this year is a 23-year-year old college student and lifelong nonsmoker.

My dear friend, Sara Saunders, also a lifelong nonsmoker, succumbed to lung cancer in 2007. Please be aware of your lung cancer risk.

"Bird by Bird"

2008-09-15T23:01:00.003-04:00

Anne Lamott’s book, “Traveling Mercies” is one of my all-time favorites, but for writers who want some good advice, Lamott’s book, “Bird by Bird” should probably top the reading list. It is full of good common sense and suggestions for writers.
When creative writing students ask Lamott what they should do, she mimes picking up a pencil and a pad and scribbling. This sounds pretty basic, but it’s 90 percent of the battle most of the time, when you factor in all the writer anxieties, insecurities and paralyzing perfectionism.
It can be downright intimidating to have all these characters screaming to be written. We writers want to do them justice after all, but what we really need is to “do them period.”
Who does it serve to keep these people bottled up like forgotten genies with magic that will never make anyone’s dream come true?
The key then, Lammott says, is to accept the humbling fact that we probably won’t do them justice and we will write, instead, a rotten first draft, not exactly what she calls it, but she’s much better at cursing in print than I am.
Writing is an exercise, Lamott reminded me. It’s a work out. Sometimes it’s a sprint, and sometimes a marathon.
As far as character development goes, I for one, am always worrying like a mother hen about where my characters will go and what will happen to them. It doesn’t do to be so protective. According to Lamott, if characters are actually true to themselves, “They will take you where you need to go!” I have probably heard this before, but it may have gotten bogged down in muck of my peanut-butter like brain.
It takes a lot of courage to set characters free to run willy nilly through your pages, a bit similar in some ways to letting go of your children. Maybe I would feel better if I gave them all cell phones. That way, maybe they won’t stray too far without clueing me in!

Stay Thankful and Motivated!

2008-06-04T15:41:00.015-04:00

Want some help with motivation?Check out this blog:
"Get Motivated with Maryann"
shared with me by an
NBC-17 contact.

Everyone needs the ability to bounce back and keep a positive attitude, including writers who are brave enough to risk rejection after pouring heart and soul into a manuscript and sending it to an editor's "to-be-discovered pile" (we don't like to call it the slush pile). So,if any of my writing colleagues need some motivation, check out this blog and read my article about teaching children resilience.
What is that proverb? "In teaching others we teach ourselves."

A positive attitude is something one can cultivate with easy daily habits, most of which center around gratitude. In his books, "Learned Optimism" and "The Optimistic Child" renowned psychologist Martin Seligman sets forth methods for practicing optimism.

Seligman's research found that simply writing and delivering a letter of gratitude made people happier and less depressed for up to six months. In the same study, people were asked to write down three good things in their lives each day for a week and include the cause of those good things. These participants, like those who wrote letters of gratitude, reported more optimistic feelings, even months later.

So thank someone in your life today! I'll start. Thank you to my inspiring,talented, and hard-working critique group, which has been an invaluable tool to me in my journey as a writer. And thank you, Maryann, for sharing your blog and your own motivational tips!!!

Tagged!

2008-04-28T16:49:00.004-04:00

I've been tagged by fellow writer and illustrator, Karen Lee. I am to pick up the book very most nearest to me, open it to page 123, jump to sentence #5 and post the next three sentences.

So.... "It was easy enough for her to be amused, the King thought. She didn't have to solve the problem of the thief. She didn't have to sort out all these missing items and who had taken them and where they were now and how to find the thief (or thieves) and what to do with him (or them) once found.

These lines are from "The Castle Corona" by Sharon Creech. I picked it up last time I was in the library because I enjoyed her Newberry Honor book "The Wanderer," and I am a sucker for castles. Am I the only one who wants to be "Queen for a day?"
Thanks, Karen. That was fun!

SCBWI Goalies Critique Group Hosts Schmooze with Guest Speaker Frances O'Roark Dowell

2008-04-14T18:42:00.000-04:00

Our critique group hosted its third annual schmooze Sunday, April 13, at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC. Acclaimed author, Frances O'Roark Dowell, spoke about her journey as a writer and what she has learned since publishing her first novel, Dovey Coe, in 2000, and her subsequent books, Chicken Boy, the Secret Language of Girls and, her most recent book, Shooting the Moon.

Dowell stressed the importance of "getting out of the gate quickly" to catch the reader's interest, and also said that 90 percent of writing is "just showing up" to do the work.

"Show up at the same place a the same time every day so the muse knows where to find you," Dowell advised, a quote attributed to Stephen King in his book, On Writing.

It was a great opportunity to learn more about the craft of writing and visit with other writers! Many thanks to Frances and fellow goalies!

On Writing and Fishing

2008-04-14T18:41:00.002-04:00

The more I learn about writing and fishing, the more similarities I find in these pursuits. Both activities require a lot of determination, patience, and above all, I learned recently, the right bait for the fish you are stalking.

Experienced fishermen do not just grab a pole and cast into any old watering hole. That is called sitting by a lake and hoping something will accidentally hook itself onto a pole. As a writer, I've been guilty of that modus operandi. My brother says you can do a lot fishing that way, but not a lot of catching.

This past year, I learned how many different types of fishing lures can be used to catch the same type of fish. To catch a bass, for instance, you can use a spinner, a jighead, a worm, a frog, or chatter bait. The clincher is that it depends on your fishing hole as to which lure works best. It's only by trial and error and talking with other experienced fishermen that you would actually know what type of bait works best for which location. With that in mind, Old Salts and seasoned writers know what they need to do:

Choose a type of fish (Audience)
Research fishing holes (Publishers)
Talk with other fisherman (Writers)
Use the right hook (Make every word count)
Reel it in (Hold the reader to the last line)

So now that spring is here, pull out those poles (errr,..I mean pencils, laptops, computers) and come home with a great catch!

Many thanks to the fisherman out there who helped me snag my first bass and catfish (by the whisker no less), and who unknowingly taught me a great deal about writing while we were reeling in the catch!

Support the North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership!

2008-04-14T17:49:00.013-04:00

My dear friend Sara, a life-long nonsmoker, lost her battle with lung cancer this past year. Lung cancer kills twice as many women each year as breast cancer. It kills more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers COMBINED.

A group of dedicated survivors, advocates and healthcare professionals have organized the first state chapter of the National Lung Cancer Partnership, called the North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership, to increase awareness and funding of lung cancer.

Join the North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership by visiting www.NationalLungCancerPartnership.org/NC, and participate in the second annual Raleigh FreetoBreatheTM 5k Walk/Run on November 8, at North Carolina State University Centennial Campus. Visit www.FreetoBreathe.org to register. All proceeds fund lung cancer research.