Monday Mishmash

Monday Mishmash was created by Kelly Hashway.

1. Goals- Yeah. It turns out the week you both start a new job and start packing to move is not the week to go off sugar and write a children's story. There is always next week, I guess? And while we're talking about goals, I learned my university doesn't have summer classes which is going to make getting those classes knocked out much more difficult.
2. Easy Reader- I want to write an easy reader, but my agent is no longer represent them. Does anyone know of a magazine or anthology I could submit to?
3. House- I just bought a house Friday. We are moving in this weekend. It seems like things have completely turned around from last spring.

That's me this week. What's up with you?

Follow Friday

Follow Friday is hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read and Rachel aka Parajunkee.

Do you have any fun collections (other than books)? Yes, I collect cups (mostly coffee cups but have a few others) from all the places we go.

Why You Can't Get Your Book In School Libraries

First of all, one day after I posted my goals I missed a day of blogging. Wow.

Okay, now let's talk books. You have an awesome novel for young people that you can't get into the school library market even by giving away? Oh. You happen to be self published and you have an awesome book for young people you can't get into school libraries or even classroom libraries. Those jerks won't let you donate the book. And forget about buying it. It's so unfair.
If you really do have a well edited, well packaged product that they won't allow you to donate, it probably is unfair. But before you put a hex on the school librarian or the teacher who won't put your book in her classroom, you need to get upset with someone else: your self publishd colleague who doesn't use an editor.
What does that Other Writer have to do with this? Everything. Too many self published books do not use an editor. The grammar is attrocious, and before you quote the age old adage "Most people read for story not for grammar," you may be wrong. Some people call me a grammar nazi. If you've read this  blog for anytime at all, you may doubt that. But when I notice a grammatical error it does pull me out of the story. (If it hadn't, I wouldn't have noticed). For a teacher and school librarian, there is something more important than story though. They are working with young people to help them become literate. Teaching basic grammar is imperative to young people, so that they can understand complicated text (be able to read a legal document after high school) and write to a level that would be satisfactory in the work place. I understand in many work places you wouldn't need to be able to correctly use quotations, but in many work places you will need to undestand and apply the rules. So if a young person picks up a book (7th graders aren't going to investigate the publication method.) and sees something completely opposite of what they've been learning they will either become confused or assume school is wrong--this is a professional author, after all. Worst? What if the student really enjoyed that unedited self published book? Well, the purest form of flattery is imitation...
Educators have enough to do. They aren't usually looking to make their job harder. Those jerks are afraid to put your book on the shelf, not opposed to it. So how do you get around this? 1) Demand more professionalism of your colleagues. You're not going to get far with this option though. They don't care if they slaughter the English language. Their primary concern is spending no money and making as much as possible. 2)Meet people. Befriend a teacher or librarian. A bookclub may be a good way to do this. Get to know people in the education industry. If they your process, it might be easier for them to put your book out. Once you've been included in  a school or classroom library cite this in your next query. "Mrs. So and so at X school just put two copies of this in the library." This is the best advice I have for you.

Goals

2014 was the year of setbacks in most areas of my life. I'm not interested in reliving that, so I won't go into the details. But I am looking for a way to recover and not waste 2015. The reason my new year's post is so late is because I thought long and hard about not only what to post, but what goals were obtainable and helpful. I wanted to set goals that wouldn't just make me feel like I accomplished something but would contribute to my journey in some meaninful way and help me get back on track.
I decided for that reason the best way to accomplish was not only listing goals but stating why they were worth accomplishing. I've asked a couple of wiser people for feedback on how to best move forward, so this list is likely to grow when I hear back. But I'm starting witht he following and have put a hoped completion date in parenthesis:

1. Read 52 books-- For whatever reason, this always seems to help. I'm thinking of reading them all straight from a school library as this might help me figure out how to break into the school library market. (December 31, 2015)
2. Blog every day Monday-Friday-- Blogging every day helps me stay connected in the writing community which is where most of my support comes from. It helps me feel like a writer and get advice when I'm in a slump as opposed to this year when I just stayed slumped. It also means I'm writng something even if it's not fiction. One of the hardest things about 2014 was that I wasn't writing which felt wierd but I had no idea how to write.
3. Reread the Twilight Saga-- I need to rekindle my love for writing and this is how I found it in the first place.
4. Write an Easy Reader-- I actually outlined this to apply for a ghostwriting job on elance. I turned the job down and doesn't make sense  not to use an already developed outline. (Feb. 1, 2015)
5. Write The Last Marlowe Girl-- My fans have been waiting for a very long time. (July 1, 2015)
6. Revise Perfect Harmony-- This one may change. I can't figure out what to do. I thought it was done then wored with my professor on the first 30 pages and quickly realized how much stronger it could be. I can't decide if I should try to revise this on my own or if it's best to use it as my thesis project. (who knows).
7. Lose 35 pounds-- This would just make me healthier and probably reduce some back pain. (December 31, 2015)
8. Get off sugar!-- So this is another health goal, but it's not just a health goal. Being able to function off sugar helps the writing too. (ASAP).
9. Write something new-- Okay, I realize I've already listed the easy reader which is something new for me,but I need to make a serious contribution to my million word goal this year. (December 31, 2015).
10. Get my permanent certificate-- I'm currently working on a probationary certificate. To get my permanent certificate, I have to do some internship projects and complete 50 hours of professional development. (I can't do this until next Janurary, but I hope to finish the requirements by May 31, 2015).
11. Take two/three graduate courses-- This chips away at my MFA. I'd really like to take three, but funds may be a problem. (December 31, 2015).

What are your goals for this year?

The Big Dreams Blogfest

The Big Dreams Blogfest is hosted by Misha Gericke and myself. Update day is the day for everyone to check in and share the progress they've made on their goals.

For me, this has been a horrid year for writing and many other reasons too. I can't say I'm sorry to see 2014 go. However, I did accomplish my December goal of finding a teaching job. I'm thankful for that. And I'm trying to work through the writing slump I've been in lately to find my way back to the write path.

How was your 2014? What are your goals?

Monday Mishmash

1. Teaching - Okay. I've been keeping my mouth shut because you never know who may stumble across your blog and I didn't want to come across as negative to potential employers, but I believe for the first time ever I'm finding that a day job search can be as maddening as the query process. I've been subbing all semester and most of the schools I've been in have asked me back. Yet I cannot seem to get my own classroom! I want to teach English and I'm published, what else am I going to have to do?
2. Sick- On top of the madness, I'm sick this week. Cruddy chest congestion, runny nose bad cough the works. I'm asthmatic, so it's a little bit of a concern. But I have a doctor appointment today, so hopefully we can nip it before it gets worse.
3. House- We are in the process of buying a house. Again. We have an inspection in a couple of days and hopefully it goes well, because I love this house. It looks a lot like our old house, with more space!
4. Writing Woes- Next week on Unicorn Bell, I'm doing a theme on writerly woes. Things you wouldn't usually say in the blogosphere, but we all struggle with. It would be super helpful if you left some of your woes in comments.
5. Success- As a writer, how do you judge it? I really want to know. Are you looking for a certain sales number or Amazon ranking? Some days I feel like I'm getting somewhere and other days I feel like I need a map to find somewhere. 

So that's me this week. What's up with you?

The Big Dreams Blogfest

The Big Dreams Blogfest is hosted by Misha Gericke and myself. Update day is the day we all come together to discuss what we've done to meet our goals.

Theoretically, I have two goals. 1. Write a million words. 2. Make a million dollars. And I feel like most of this year, I've done nothing to accomplish those dreams. In fairness, for my family and I this has been a really hard year. If I'm being objective, I can understand why I can't write. Lately, another goal has been more pressing: find a job. I'm looking for a teaching job. I actually started working on my teaching license before 2010, but about the time I got really serious about it, we moved across the country. The requirements were totally different and after two days of Wisconsin, I knew I was coming home. It seemed unlogical to try and complete the requirements there, when I would have to come back to Texas and start all over. So we're back in Texas, and I've completed the requirements. Mostly. To get a license I need to work on a probationary certificate for a year. The problem is to do that, I need a job. To get a job, I need a license, so you see the conflict...

But my family could use the extra income, and teaching gives me a similar schedule to my duaghter's. Not to mention, I have an English degree, and I'm a writer. There is no other job that utilizes these skills. After three months of searching for a job to no avail, I decided I needed to come at this the way I come at writing. With a business plan. Last night, I started writing out a 30 day action plan. My goal is to have a job teaching middle school English by January 28th. I currently work as a sub which allows me to keep my daughter in the preschool she loves. Subbing, I've got to see a lot of schools, and I love working with middle school students and upper elementary kids. But middle school libraries are completely YA. Umm. Can you say heaven???

I know what you're thinking. A 30 day action plan should yield results in like 30 days. But there are some things to take into consideration here. I'm going to be in India for 15 days of December. I may or may not have internet connection and I'll be working with a 12 hour time difference. Schools will also be closed for two weeks. (I'm leaving a week before schools close, so I'm actually losing 3 weeks here). It's unlikely new jobs will be posted during this time, and entirely possible I'll miss them if they are. So I've built extra time into the plan. Any days I'm unable to conquer from abroad, I'll come home and work on.
I haven't written anything in months. It's sad. It makes me feel like a has been. Or a never was. I think I'm going to blog this process, which means I'm writing, right? I realize these blog posts will have nothing to do with writing and I may lose some traffic, but I haven't blogged since September, so no more traffic loss than staying silent. And many of you just drop by for moral support, which I can tell you I have never needed more than right now.

How are your goals coming along?