Day 4 of PiBoIdMo, hanging out at my keyboard and my online homes, staring at the dragon my daughter made me and thinking about a weekend full of a social catch up and meeting up with Write links- the wonderful writing group for children and young adults I have connected with since moving to Brisbane.
We were all very inspired by our guest speaker, Nicholas Lochel,who shared the journey with his sister to self publish, market and sell the – Zarkora series. His presentation was packed with practical advice such as how to self publish and about the joy of going to conventions with a stand to publicise their book. The first step is to create a product you are proud of in terms of content, and physical look of the book. Writelinks Professional and Development sessions this year have been great for teaching us the ins and outs of writing and publishing. We’ve had guests who judge literary competitions and presentations from members who know a lot about pitching to publishers as well. They all have such wisdom to generously share. Another wonderful aspect meetings is the sharing of news of when people make a breakthrough with their writing or publishing and the critique groups.
My son is playing some blues and country on his guitar and his Dad told him someone from the high school who is a gifted guitarist wants to meet him and play some guitar. When he sings, he sounds like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. His voice has that country feel to it, even though it might not be his most favourite genre to sing. He does like the man in black, Mr Cash though. I think I could create lots of characters who have a passion for music, with a central challenge of how to make a living out of it to be able to do it full time.
It’s a colder morning, which means wearing a light cardigan and drinking a cup of warm Earl Gray tea (which I always put a drop of milk into.) I had a good nights sleep last night, the first in a week. I love soothing cups of tea and keeping myself hydrated whilst I write.
Today, I am serene in that my children have found their life passions, things they can do either professionally or in their spare time, but which will sustain their joy in life. One is into music and social conscience, another art and graphic novels and another sport and movies. I feel like all the sacrifices made for them to be the best mother I can be are starting to show fruit. Cross fingers, it continues. Most of all I am proud of their values. They aren’t clones of me, by any means, but they’re their own people, with a strong core of values from Mum and Dad.
I am excited about writing this morning. A chapter book I was struggling to start, but for which setting and character have been quite clear in my head for ages, has finally taken off. As soon as I leave this blog today I will be back onto writing it. I love that although I have an outline dynamic things are happening where the characters are also dictating the action. Other writing projects I am editing, are progressing. I feel more confident they are closer to completion and sharing time.
I am searching for some part time or full-time paid work, or wanting to create project work to bring in some more income for the family and to be able to build a more secure future. So happy to have writing to continue whatever else happens in this regard. As for PiBoIdMo loving the online community inspiring each other to generate ideas and develop them. My inspiration today might be real life stories of heroes and heroines in everyday life, that haven’t had much shared about them but who would be great subjects for children’s books.
All the best, especially to other creative parents in my position.
aka June, Gumbootspearlz
Note: we are a day ahead of American readers, so it is indeed day 4 PiBoIdMo
Gumboootspearlz 