everyday heroes: innovation

MacGyver.

Yes, that MacGyver.

Public schools, for those who are unfamiliar, tend to have fewer resources than would be ideal. Special education tends to be even more impacted because students who require special education services need access to alternatives based on their different needs. I am fortunate that I work in a district with more resources than most, but there are still times where we find ourselves flying by the seats of our pants daily. In the past, I have worked in districts with fewer resources, and the flying pant thing was more of a minute-by-minute occurrence. I'm trying to think if I have ever used actual pants as a resource. Pretty sure I have when doing lessons on clothing ...

In my creative life (can't call it professional because I haven't been paid yet), the same need to try new things and to reuse tools and strategies in new ways exists. It's not the education of a child, but it is a means of personal fulfillment. Being stuck creatively requires a creative solution.

Which brings us back to Angus MacGyver, patron saint of making it work. All he needed was his trusty Swiss Army knife, whatever else was laying around, and a seemingly unsolvable problem. We don't always have everything we think we need. It's there that innovation comes in. Make it yourself, like MacGyver. Reuse what you have in new ways, like MacGyver. Try new things ---well, that's not like MacGyver, since he somehow seemed to know how to do everything, but you get the point. He knew how to apply his knowledge. Do that like MacGyver, or go learn it and then apply what you learn like MacGyver. He always managed to make it out alive. And so will we, if we're willing to be flexible and creative.

a chip off the old writer's block

Okay, it's time for the talk, Self.

I've been noticing you're having trouble with writing. Not the physical act of writing: your typing is improving with practice & your penmanship is legible. No, not that kind of writing. The thinking part. The idea part. What is it, Self? What do you think is going on?

You're a writer, right? You write things. By definition, if you write things, you are a writer. If writers write, do authors auth?

Nice try, Self. You almost distracted me with that little tangent. Almost.

Back to the point: you write things. Yet you have writer's block. The definition for 'writer's block' (being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing, per Google search) suggests that you are, at the moment, NOT a writer. How does that work? You're a writer who writes, except that you're not a writer because you can't think of what to write. It all seems so convoluted, like Schrödinger had a hand in designing your situation. Perhaps we need a different noun to describe you? Or we need to use a modifier? A sometimes writer. That sounds accurate.

The people you choose to surround yourself with are highly motivated & appear to crank out written material with ease. How hard can it be? They've published. Certainly you could do the same?  Oh, right. You're stuck. Sorry, Self. Guess they're onto something you just can't seem to get your hands on. Them's the breaks. It's not like you have to write. It's voluntary. Why not just give up?

Oh, I had forgotten about that, Self. I forgot how miserable you can be when you're not writing ---how you feel like that incomplete puzzle with a single piece missing. I forgot how fulfilled you feel when you create a sentence that shares exactly what you meant to share. You're very strange that way, Self, but you are who you are. I'd like to be helpful. Let's see what we can do ...

Well, writing means that you're putting words together. Why not just start doing that? Oh. That's true. Chomsky did have a point with that whole "colorless green ideas sleep furiously" thing. The words you put together do need to make sense. That's coherence. Whatever you write has to be coherent or else it becomes confusing & boring to read. Then there's cohesion. Where would you go after a "colorless green ideas sleep furiously" sentence? No ideas of where to move on to from there? I'm not surprised!

Hmm ...what's worked in the past?

Twitter? Twitter can be helpful, Self, but it can also be distractingly fun. I know you're looking to write something longer than 140 characters.

Writing prompts? Oh, those are great! My friend, Deb Olliff, gave me this great book ---The Writer's Block by Jason Rekulak. Maybe that would help, Self? Here. Let's open to a random page: "Describe the first person who broke your heart. If you had the chance to take revenge on them, would you?" He had curly brown hair, a wicked sense of humor, & a Nine Inch Nails tattoo. And no.

Okay ... . Maybe a different prompt.

I know! Write about your experience with writer's block, Self! Surely, right now, at this moment, where you are stuck at 12,171 words of what you really want to write, you would have a lot to say on the matter! Maybe the act of writing about writer's block will help you chip away at whatever is standing in the way of continuing to write what you want? Give it a try, Self. Why not?

the glory of the great american road trip

Summer is the perfect season for a road trip. In honor of the closing of the season, & in celebration of the bright & beautiful months that have passed, I'd like to review the joy that is the great American road trip. Many people (particularly Americans) have engaged in this age-old tradition. If you haven't before, I will attempt to describe briefly what you will need when (not if!) you come & try it yourselves.

The great American road trip consists of the following: 

• a vehicle (car, truck, RV, or motorcycle preferred--- a bike, if you're truly hardy); 
• people to drive & ride in/on the vehicle;
• a map or GPS (go with the map--- more adventurous);
• stuff in the back (usually a little luggage of some kind & a cooler full of snacks); 
• some way to pay for gas &/or food; 
• a source of music; 
• a lot of patience;
• a halfway decent sense of direction;
• an excellent sense of humor;
• an even better sense of adventure; 
• & a destination.

I have gone on many of these in my lifetime; the latest, to visit friends Melina & Fred in California this month--- a very happy destination! The list above should be comprehensive, but perhaps I have forgotten something. If I've forgotten something, this is typical of what happens on a road trip--- something is always forgotten, usually shampoo or toothpaste. Did I forget anything?

And on your road trip, where would you like to go?

why art, or answers to michael

My friend, Michael, wrote a blog post (link) at exactly the right time. Or perhaps he posted it at exactly the right time. Who knows? The point is, he wrote something, he posted it, & I read it. It was what I needed to read at that moment. 

To all of you bloggers out there who worry that no one reads you or that no one cares what you have to say, I say this: if only one person---only ONE---reads what you say and it moves them to do something, feel better, ANYTHING, then you have done your job. It can feel a bit like a 'message in a bottle' scenario at times, though.

So, Michael's message in a bottle? He described why he loves making art. I too love making art of different types. Like Michael, I enjoy all sorts of creative pursuits. I've been focusing too much on the HOW lately, though. How do I do this technical thing? How do I find out this information? How many? How much? How? How? How? I was losing track of WHY. Why do it at all? In this life, you have a finite amount of time. Within that lifespan, if you are lucky, you are given choices (not everyone is). Why fill it with the making & appreciation of art? Michael's WHYs can be read on his blog---they are extensive & well considered.

Here are some of my answers to WHY art:

1. Making art helps me make sense of the world. The world is a confusing place.

2. Art reminds me that there is beauty in the world & allows me to concentrate on that.

3. Art provides me models of how to handle the ridiculous & the horrible. 

4. Art touches different modalities. It can be visual, auditory, tactile-kinesthetic, etc. There's something for every mood. If I'm in the mood to listen, music; if I'm in the mood to look, painting or drawing; if I'm in the mood to move, look out!

5. Art provides a way of communicating to other people. I love it when someone else's art touches me, & I love it when my art touches someone else (even if it is only with a touch of indigestion). Art is a collaborative process.

6. Art provides a way to voice my opinions and share things I think I've learned. It allows me to learn from & about others.

7. Art reminds me of what is possible, & in the world of art, all things are possible. It's called world building for a reason.

8. Making art is a process that requires focus on details. Focusing on details is a great way to calm yourself down.

9. Art can be rewarding. Like a magician, you are making something where there was nothing before. When you get close to making something that you envisioned in your brain, there is no better feeling. 

10. Making & appreciating art is a reflective process. It is self-indulgent. This is not a bad thing because life can be pretty demanding. It helps you figure out who you are.

Why do you think art is worthwhile?

file under 'maybe ...'

This is going to be a bit of a long one. Please bear with me. Good writing-related stuff inside --I promise.

Here's part of a post I originally posted on August 2, 2016:

"file under 'will never be published' (no. 7): 
The Girl In The Chair

Background: I work with children like the protagonist/narrator Hannah. It never ceases to amaze me that people treat these kids like they can't hear and have no independent thoughts. They do. It's just that they're locked in bodies that make it difficult to share their thoughts efficiently. They have likes, they have dislikes, they have personalities, they have ideas. In short, they are people. It's important that other people who do not have motor challenges know this. This (unpublished) book was written as a means of introducing this understanding in a non-judgmental way. In my heart of hearts, this is one of my favorite things that I've ever written, but it is a picture book and there are no pictures. I still don't think my illustration skills are up to the challenge yet. Maybe someday ...

In the meantime, if you encounter a person with motor challenges a few things I've learned along the way: talk directly to them; wait for them to generate responses (these responses may be movements or facial expression or eye gaze rather than words sometimes); give them time to initiate their own communication with you; and respect what they communicate, even if it's "no". And if you know someone with motor challenges who needs another way to communicate besides the ones they are currently using, or if you have this issue yourself, please check out the website for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association."

I attended a conference last weekend --the SCBWI Western Washington conference that is held every two years. The last time I attended, two years ago, I knew nothing. I learned a little bit, but the majority of my energy was spent trying to figure out what was going on. Everyone else seemed to know everything already. Me, not so much, and I didn't know much more after the conference was over. A lot of trial and error followed.

After that conference in April 2015, I sent out a flurry of query letters for a variety of different pieces I hoped to get agents to look at. The last query I sent out, as the flurry was dying down, was sent in May of 2016.

Flash-forward to today, April 2017: I've had time to think about agents. Are they necessary? I've learned a lot about self-publishing in the interim, and my mother has had some success taking that approach (good role model, that mom o' mine!). The conference over the weekend covered this discussion very frankly. 

I have decided to try to seek representation again with that story I wrote off as 'will never be published' in August of last year. I took down the text in the hopes that maybe someone will make it official. Of all of things I have tried submitting for publication, it's the one I keep coming back to & the one that means the most. I feel like a publishing house could do more with it than I can alone. I feel like, if someone will take it, it is worth paying someone --an agent --to make that happen. I have a full-time job and other responsibilities that are not promoting myself, and I am human (although I pretend otherwise a lot).

***HERE IS THE MEATY WRITERLY BUSINESS STUFF. GET READY, & PLEASE FORGIVE THE CAPS:

Query letters are the stuff of writers' nightmares. I wrote one in verse once. It was not cool, but I didn't know any better, so I figured, "What the heck?" [Hint: Don't do that. You won't be taken seriously.]

I am including two query letters below. One is one I sent in that first flurry, and the other was sent yesterday. They are very, very different. 

The first one has little to no content; the second has more. It's that simple. 

If you want someone to hire you to write, you have to provide evidence somewhere that you are writing or have written, besides what you are submitting. You have to. You do not have to have been published or paid for it, but you do have to provide evidence that you are serious and it's not a hobby. 

And everything counts. This blog that one of my writing partners, Les Floyd, talked me into? It counts. Guest blogging counts if you don't want a blog of your own.

Send things out to contests. It counts. If you enter things, you have a greater chance of winning and calling yourself an "award winner", even if it feels slightly ridiculous to say that. 

Self publish. Try it out. It counts. It costs very little to do that nowadays, if you're willing to put work in, and it shows you mean to be a Writer (capital W intentional).

So enough shouty preaching. Take a look at these examples. If you are wondering about queries, you can use them as models of what to do and what not to do. Please let me know if you have any questions.  I'm no expert, by any means, but I have read and thought about it all a bit. Discussion is good. Also, if you have any tips, please share them --I'm always looking to improve.

And good luck to you, if you decide to query!

2016:

I am writing to request representation with you.  I previously met with you during a round table discussion in April of last year at the SCBWI-WWA conference held in Bellevue, Washington, and your feedback was very helpful on the piece that I was writing at the time.  It was some time ago, but in preparing to query again, I thought of you.  To provide you some background information on me, I am a current SCBWI member, a certified speech-language pathologist, and public school special educator.  I have years of experience using every trick in the book (pun intended) to get kids engaged in exploring the world around them through spoken language, the written word, and visual images.  I have been developing my illustration skills in hopes of having a wider skill set to offer in addition to my writing. 

I have worked closely with students with disabilities and their families for over a decade now.  Although I do not have a disability myself, I identify as an ally to that community and am very hopeful that my picture book (title: The Girl In The Chair) will find its way out into the world to act as an ambassador for individuals who may have trouble making themselves understood.  I have been working on picture books and middle grade pieces with a variety of other themes as well, including both fiction and nonfiction, but this topic is particularly close to my heart, so I am submitting it for your consideration.

Please find the complete text of The Girl In The Chair below.

2017:

NB: All identifying information removed, but be sure to include it when you write your own query letter --be personal!

I am writing to query about representation with X.  I attended your presentation, “X”, at the recent SCBWI-Western Washington (SCBWI WWA) conference on April 8th. I appreciated what you had to say about the value of having an agent and I respect how much you love your job. You work with DP and KA, whose work I admire.  I thought I would ask if you might be interested in representing my work, as well. I am planning on querying other agents, but I would really love to work with you.

I have attached the texts for two picture books, per website submission guidelines:

• The Girl in the Chair, a 470-word story about Hannah, the narrator and a new girl at school. While this is a common theme for children’s books, Hannah’s story is different: Hannah is nonverbal and has motoric challenges that mean she needs help to move and access items in her environment. The Girl in the Chair is a story that children with or without disabilities will understand --it’s hard, but ultimately rewarding, to make new friends.
• The Life Cycle of Benjamin’s Terrible Problem, a 483-word story about Benjamin and a problem he has that keeps growing and growing. It fits alongside works like The Heart and the Bottle and Cry, Heart, But Never Break --it is lyrical but covers two difficult topics for kids: depression, and how to handle problems bigger than they are.

I am a current SCBWI member, as well as a certified speech-language pathologist and public school educator. I write as Agnes Bookbinder (Twitter: @agnesbookbinder). For writing samples, please see my award-winning flash fiction “Melvin the Destroyer”, poetry such as “Says Simon Cowell” (selected for The Society of Classical Poets Journal 2017), or blog posts such as “Great Aunt Bertha Fussbudget's Mirthless Legacy: Part One”, “One Rainy Night, Soon”, or “The Twitter Collection”. The titles are linked for you to access the samples, if you’d like to take a look.

I am also developing my illustration skills (with DP’s encouragement!), and here are some samples of where I am in that process: “Six Doodles”, “Six More Doodles”, and on Instagram. This information is included to show that I understand visual art and that I am constantly working on improving in different ways.