UVU Children's Lit Forum Day 2

I actually got up early this morning, which was good considering two people were counting on me on getting them to the conference on time. As for the conference, this morning focused more on picture books than I would have liked (and the one speaker who had presentations on YA lit this morning had to cancel for some reason). And even though the afternoon held better presentations for me, I still enjoyed my morning.

I especially loved hearing Shannon Hale speak again. This time on writing and mothering, but really more of how to write around your schedule of a full-time job, or in my case, being a student. I found the whole thing really fascinating. Plus, Carol introduced me to the editor at the conference and mentioned the good quality of my manuscript. Yay!

I have to say that Shannon provided quite a few good snippets over the last couple of days. So below are some of my favorite quotes from her from the conference:

• "[Being a writer] is a form of mental illness."
• "Don't google your name or book's name - it leads to unhappiness and misery."
• "Writer's block is the fear of not writing eloquently."
• "As writers we're crows - ooooo, something's sparkly!"
• "I'm such a story-whore."
• "There should be a session for a cage match"

And to quote Carol and her metaphor about what she does, "Goddess."

UVU Children's Lit Forum

I spent today at the UVU Forum for Children's Lit. Man, today was one of the best days. I apparently didn't take as good of notes as Ben (I'm not organized enough to list it out that way, anyway).

The day started off with me waking up at 8:20 and I was supposed to be at UVU by 9am. Crap. I actually made it in time for the keynote which was Shannon Hale. Let me just say that I had never read anything by her before, so I picked up a copy of "Princess Academy" and polished that off yesterday. Pretty good book. It's a Newberry Honor winner, and it really got me into the story. But Shannon herself is one of the most fun speakers. She had me on the floor laughing through her keynote and her later presentation on "What I Wish I'd Known."

Following the keynote we had a panel with several different individuals (including my idol and teacher, Carol Lynch Williams) who gave several different books that they loved. It wasn't my favorite part of the conference, but I got some great ideas of the books I can read next. Which I guess was kind of the point. This conference was also for librarians and grade school teachers, so I'm sure they got more out of it than me.

I also really liked Abby Ranger's presentation on "Revising Your Novel." She's an editor at Hiperion and had a lot of great ideas about going back through your book. I'm not entirely sure I could wait the two months that she recommended before revising your novel, but she had a lot of great points about looking at your book through fresh eyes.

Lunch was good, if not a little boring. I'm not all that interested in the process of how Newberry Medals are picked. If I ever get one, great, if not, oh well.

The last presentation I attended was by Emily Wing Smith about voice. I think I got a lot from hers, too. If there's anything I have a problem with, it's voice. I've actually heard her speak before, but for some reason I got a great idea to push my second novel forward, and now I'm a few pages in. This book will be mostly about the character, a pretty good shift from my first novel which has a pretty action-packed plot. We'll see how well it goes.

I'm attending the second day of the conference tomorrow, so I'll post more then!

10 Reasons Why I'll be Just Fine in Scotland

1. My coworkers made fun of me today for calling someone a "nutter." I was completely unaware that this was not a normal term here.
2. I made fish and chips for supper. With malt vinegar.
3. Most of the movies in my iTunes are made in Britain, set in Britain, and half of the TV shows I have are set in Scotland.
4. I spend my afternoons reading Scottish literature and criticisms on it. And I enjoy every minute of it.
5. I don't have to look up the call number for a book in the Scottish lit section of the library.
6. I find Irn Bru to be the best soda ever. If only it didn't cost so much here.
   
7. The novel I'm writing is set in Scotland.
   
8. When I see the mountains here I miss the heather-covered mountains of Scotland.
9. I love rain. Way too much.
10. Scotland has Mueller's corner yogurt. I will eat it every day, and laugh at Drew because she doesn't get to.
    

Working Towards my Future

In roughly two weeks I'll deliver a paper at my first-ever literary conference. I'll be one of the speakers at the BYU English Literary Conference and I'm getting a little bit nervous. Granted, it's a conference for undergraduates, but public speaking still scares me. I'm working on shortening my paper and I need to print it out and practice reading it through a few times. And I need to read through and prepare for the question and answer section. Though I'm sure I'll do fine, it's still a little bit nerve-wracking not to know what to expect. And even though I'm nervous, I couldn't be more excited.

This Thursday and Friday I'll spend the day at UVU attending a conference for Children's Literature! I'm probably even more excited for this because I'm going to get to listen to some great speakers and just enjoy myself for a couple of days. I plan on attending BYU's Children's Lit conference this June, too. It's a great way to work to get my foot in the door. I'm really looking forward to actively working towards my goals. I've finished my first novel, I'm in the revision process, I've finished one major paper and am working on two or three more. It's really exciting.

A Milestone

I should have blogged this last week, but better late than never. I finished the first draft of my novel. Right now it's not a comprehensive read since I've changed some plot points from beginning to end, but I have reached the end. Now it's time for revision, though I am enjoying taking a little break from it. I can't wait until I get the second draft done and then print it out. Oh man, that will be rather exciting.

I have started many a novel and never completed one, so that alone is an accomplishment for me. But it's not just the fact that I've finished it, but how much I've connected to my characters. I actually have dreams of scenes I've written with some slight variations. Ok, normally they're nightmares because the book is a mystery/thriller. Which means I'm being chased by scary men with guns. Oh well. It's still rather fun. I've gotten some good feedback and am looking forward to really perfecting the piece. Now I just need to get to work on the two papers that are due at the end of the semester for my other classes. I still can't believe that I'll be graduating so soon.

And, because I couldn't resist, here's a survey that I just had to do.

—YOUR BOY SIDE—-

[x] You love hoodies.
[x] You love jeans.
[] Dogs are better than cats.
[x] It’s hilarious when people get hurt.
[] Shopping is torture
[] Sad movies suck.
[X] You own a car racing game.
[X] You played with Hot Wheels cars as a kid.
[] At some point in time you wanted to be a firefighter.
[] You owned a DS, PS2, N64,or Sega.
[x] You used to be obsessed with Power Rangers.
[x] You have watched sports on TV
[x some] Gorey movies are cool.
[x...about my car] You go to your dad for advice.
[ ] You own like a trillion baseball caps.
[ ] You used to collect baseball/football cards.
[x] Baggy sweats are cool to wear.
[] It’s kinda weird to have sleepovers with a bunch of people.
[X] Green, black, red, blue, or silver are one of your favorite colors.
[x] You love to go crazy and not care what people think.
[x] Sports are fun
[X... only when its important] You talk with food in your mouth.
[X] You sleep with your socks on at night.
[x] You have fished at least once.

—-YOUR GIRL SIDE—

[x] You love to shop.
[]You wear eyeliner
[x..not very often ] You wear the color pink.
[ X] You go to your mom to talk.
[ ] You consider cheer-leading a sport.
[ ] You hate wearing the color black.
[X] You like going to the mall.
[X] You like getting manicures and/or pedicures
[X] You like wearing jewelry.
[] You cried watching The Notebook.
[] Skirts are a big part of your wardrobe.
[] Shopping is one of your favorite hobbies.
[ ] You don’t like the movie Star Wars
[x] You are/were in gymnastics
[ ] It takes you around one hour to shower, get dressed, and make-up
[] You smile a lot more than you should.
[x] You have more than 10 pairs of shoes.
[x] You care about what you look like.
[] You like wearing dresses when you can.
[x] You like wearing high heel shoes.
[x] You used to play with dolls as little kid.
[ ] You like putting make-up on others.
[] You like being the star of everything.
[ ] Pink is one of your favorite colors.

Appearance •

[] I am shorter than 5′5″ (I am 5'5"!).
[X] I have many scars.
[x] I tan/burn easily.
[x] I wish my hair was a different color. (I miss my pink)
[x ] I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color.
[] I have a tattoo.
[ ] I am self-conscious about my appearance.
[ ] I’ve had/have braces.
[x] I’ve been told I’m attractive by a complete stranger.
[] I have more than two piercings.
[ ] I have/had piercings in places besides my ears.

• Embarrassment •

[] I’ve slipped out a “lol” in a spoken conversation.
[x] Disney movies still make me cry.
[X] I’ve snorted while laughing.
[] I’ve laughed so hard I’ve cried.
[] I’ve glued my hand to something.
[ ] I’ve laughed ’til some kind of beverage came out of my nose.
[ ] I’ve had my pants rip in public.

• Health •

[x] I’ve gotten stitches.
[] Broken a bone.
[]I’ve had my tonsils removed.
[x] I’ve sat in a doctor’s office with a friend.
[] I’ve had my wisdom teeth removed.
[] I’ve had serious surgery.
[x] I’ve had chicken pox.

• Traveling •

[X] I’ve driven/ridden over 200 miles in one day.
[x ] I’ve been on a plane.
[x] I’ve been to Canada.
[ ] I’ve been to Cuba.
[ ] I’ve been to Niagara Falls.
[ ] I’ve been to Ottawa.
[ ] I’ve gone to Sudbury.
[ ] I’ve been to the Caribbean.
[x ] I’ve been to Europe.
[] I’ve been to Florida.
[ ] I've been to Japan
[ ] I've been to China

• Experiences •

[x I’ve gotten lost in my city.
[X] I’ve seen a shooting star.
[X] I’ve wished on a shooting star.
[x] I’ve seen a meteor shower.
[x] I’ve gone out in public in my pajamas.
[x] I’ve pushed all the buttons on an elevator.
[X] I’ve kicked a guy where it hurts.
[x] I’ve been to a casino. (Vegas is PRETTY)
[ ] I’ve been skydiving.
[] I’ve drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour.
[x ] I’ve crashed a car.
[x] I’ve been skiing.
[] I’ve been in a musical.
[x] I’ve caught a snowflake or snow on my tongue.
[] I’ve seen the Northern Lights.
[X] I’ve sat on a rooftop at night.
[x] I’ve played a prank on someone.
[x] I’ve ridden in a taxi.
[ ] I’ve seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
[x ] I’ve eaten Sushi.

• Relationships •

[x] I’m single.
[ ] I’m in a relationship.
[ ] I’m engaged.
[ ] I’m married.
[X] I miss someone right now.
[ ] I’ve gotten divorced.
[] I’ve told someone I liked them when I didn’t.
[X] I’ve told someone I didn’t like them when I did.

• Honesty / Crime •

[X] I’ve done something I promised someone else I wouldn’t.
[X] I’ve done something I promised myself I wouldn’t.
[X] I’ve snuck out. (Not out of my parents', but I've actually sneaked out of apartments so my roommates didn't know I had left)
[] I’ve lied to my parents about where I am.
[x ] I’ve cheated while playing a game.
[x] I’ve ran a red light.
[] I’ve witnessed a crime.
[x] I’ve been in a fist fight. (Every interaction w/brothers is a fist fight)
[ ] I’ve been arrested.

• Death and Suicide •
[ ]I’m afraid of dying.
[x ] I hate funerals.
[ ] I’ve seen someone/something dying.
[X] Someone close to me has attempted/committed suicide.
[ ] I’ve planned my own suicide before.
[ ] I’ve written a eulogy for myself.

• Materialism •
[ ] I own over 5 rap CD’s.
[x ] I own designer purses, costing over $100 a piece. (Just one, and I got it at TJ Maxx)
[] I own something from Pac Sun.
[] I collected comic books.
[x] I own something from The Gap.
[] I own something I got on E-Bay.
[] I own something from Abercrombie

• Random •
[x] I would go barefoot 24/7 if I could
[x] I can sing well.
[ ] Stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant.
[ ] I open up to others easily.
[] I watch the news.
[ ] I don’t kill bugs.
[X] I sing in the shower.
[] I am a morning person.
[x ] I paid for my cell phone ring tone.
[ ] I am a sports fanatic.
[x] I twirl my hair.
[x] I care about grammar.
[ ] I have “?”’s in my screen name.
[ ] I love spam.
[ ] I’ve copied more than 30 CD’s in a day.
[] I bake well.
[] My favorite color is either white, yellow, pink, red, blue, black, purple, or orange.
[X] I would wear pajamas to school.
[ ] I like Martha Stewart.
[x] I know how to shoot a gun.
[] I am guilty of tYpInG lIkE tHiS.
[x] I laugh at my own jokes.
[x] I eat fast food weekly.
[] I’ve not turned anything in and still got an A in a certain class.
[] I can’t sleep if there is a spider in the room.
[X] I am really ticklish.
[x] I like white chocolate.
[ ] I bite my nails.
[x] I’m good at remembering faces.
[x] I’m good at remembering names.
[x] I’m good at remembering dates.
[] I honestly have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.
[x] All my answers were totally honest.