It's almost time!

November is almost here and that means one thing--National Novel Writing Month! Let the madness begin!

http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/312950

Speaking up for SPEAK

Several years ago I did a unit of Literature Circles with a group of students. The process of Lit Circles has students choose novels and the students who read the same novel work their way through the book together. The few years that I have done this, I usually choose a book and read with a group as well.

One year, I chose to read the novel Speak with a group. That year the group happened to be all girls--there were three of them, and I made member number four.

I remember talking about how sassy Melinda was, how we loved how she nicknamed her teachers, and that we ached for her lonely situation. One of the girls in the group was very artistic and made wonderful art pieces to go along with the book.

I got to "the scene" before the girls did, so I knew what was coming, but I was unprepared for their reaction. They had read that part on their own, and then we were to have a discussion. I remember that day as the girls sat kind of quietly for a while, we didn't really know what to say. Then one of girls looked up at the rest of us and there were tears streaming down her face. We all froze; we all knew what she was trying to say. One of the other girls reached over and grabbed her hand. I knew if she wanted to talk, she would, and I did the only thing I could think of--I read the next part to them. I wanted desperately to show them that Melinda was okay, that she was able to overcome what happened to her. I remember looking up to see those hands clasped together as I read to them. It still chokes me up to this day. A few days later, the girl came up to my desk during class, her copy of Speak in her hands, and asked to go see the counselor. She seemed like a weight had been removed from her shoulders. She never told us her story, she didn't need to, Melinda told it for us.

The power of this novel speaks volumes. Students and teens must have a chance to read this book. Taking this book away from students or calling it "soft porn" is the same ignorance that took Melinda's voice away. We must continue letting this story get to students and the world.
I had the good fortune of meeting Laurie Halse Anderson a few years ago. I wanted to tell her this story of my student, but just got choked up instead. That's the power of this book. It speaks for us--for all of us.

For more information about Laurie Halse Anderson or the article that is misleading people about her book, please visit her blog and please SPEAK up for her book.

"The Twitter"

I know that I am years behind when it comes to this, but I finally got me a "Genu-wine" Twitter account. And now I am totally lost.

**Random Thought: I love the movie trailer where Betty White says, "I'm also on the Twitter." Adding the "the" just cracks me up.

So, I am asking for Twitter Tutorials. Can anyone help me out?

Like,
What does the # mean?
How do I find people to follow?
How do you make heads or tails of your homepage with all those random quotes?
How do you find stuff about writing?

I may be better off just reading Jane Friedman's Best Tweets for Writers once a week . . .

Nostalgia

It's fall in West Texas and that means that there is one thing on the minds of a lot of people--Football. We started school last week and already, here they come, young men in their ties and jerseys, ready for Friday Night Football.

We went to our first game Friday. The weather was perfect. The kiddos dressed in the school colors, Little Miss A even wore her tiny cheerleading uniform for her special half-time performance with the other 40-50 little girls from the summer camp. As I kneeled on the track snapping countless photos of my little girl dancing on that field, I was transported. Who wouldn't be? I love the lights shining down in a stadium, I love the cheering crowds, and I love hope that comes when those uniforms come out. I actually missed the first two touchdowns because I was just taking it all in.

I have been doing this all my life--going to football games. I can think of so many memories that started or ended at a football game.

And I know again why I write Young Adult books. Because for me, that the THE TIME. There were so many beginnings and endings, so many football games, so many memories that come out of those years, so many possibilities. It's worth writing down.

I can't say it all myself, but this video helps. Enjoy!

My New Best Friend

I have an aging, temperamental laptop. I am forever trying to prolong its life and double/triple back things up. My gmail account is becoming littered with files that I have sent and resent to myself just so that I have a backup copy somewhere.

Then I found a new site that is saving so much time and is literally saving my writing. Dropbox is awesome. It offers an easy way to backup files, sync files, and share files. And I love that I can save things on my laptop and still be able to get to them on other computers--like my reliable, tech supported school computer! Best part--it's free.

No more emailing files. No more worries. My new best friend.

Secret

Yesterday I read six submissions from my critique group, commented on three on them, worked on an outline for my own book, blogged a little, caught up on the Verla Kay boards, and reread a MS that I wrote a couple of years ago. It was one of the most productive "writing" days that I have had in a while. School starts here in a week and I went back to work on Thursday, so this is usually one of the busiest times of the year for me. I surprised myself by being so productive. What was the secret of my productive day? No, I didn't hire a babysitter, the dogs were still running wild in the house, and everyone got fed. One change made the difference--I turned off the darned TV! This is not something that is easy for me. I like the "noise" around me, but man, I sure got a lot done!

Let's see if I can be productive again today.

Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.

Dear Neglected Blog,
I know you have been sitting idle for quite a while, and I understand that you may be feeling lost and alone. I apologize for not getting over here to post more things. I could go on and on with excuses about writers block, or messy houses, or dirty laundry. I could blame your neglect on my kids wanting meals or my dogs needing water, but I won't. I take full responsibility for your neglect. What can I do to make it right?

Okay, okay. I will try to think of more things to write, more information to share, and more pictures to post. I can't promise that you will never be neglected again, but I will do my best to pay more attention to your needs. At least until I get into another book.

Your friend,
Aimee