Teen Writers Bloc

Part of me still can’t believe that we’ve made it to the end. I’ll walk away from this program grateful for the friends that I’ve made, the feedback I’ve received, and the incredible stories that I’ve been able to read over the course of the past two years.

But, with that said, one question still remains: Would I do it all again?

This experience, though filled with ups and downs, has been rewarding for me. Mostly because of the people I’ve shared it with. So I would do it over again in a heartbeat, even though I don’t know what the future holds. No matter what, I’m lucky to have met such talented and driven people.

With regard to the program specifically, I appreciated that, for the most part, we could submit whatever we wanted to submit. And because of the literature seminars I was able to read books I never would have picked up previously, such as Nervous Conditions, which I read in Darryl Pinckney’s lit seminar, Fiction as Memoir/Memoir as Fiction, a class that I loved. As well as The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Blankets, both of which we read during David’s class in that first semester, which was another class that was really fulfilling and worthwhile. Obtaining feedback from others — twelve sets of eyes analyzing my work — was a unique and helpful experience.

That said, while I do feel that the program was worth it, that doesn’t mean I don’t have a suggestion or two for how it could be strengthened.

The main thing that I feel the program needs is a more diverse faculty. Here are a few suggestions just off the top of my head: New School Alums Coe Booth or Jenny Han , or maybe someone like Matt De La Pena. I’m not sure if they’d even be interested, but I can say that the Writing for Children program is missing something crucial by not having a permanent faculty member of color on staff.  Honestly, I think that bringing in someone new to lead workshops or even a lit class could only make the program better than it already is. And beyond that, students in other concentrations have multiple professors to choose from, so WFC students should have the same opportunity.

It’s only fair.

Another suggestion that I have is that workshops should include more craft exercises and lessons. I think most of our workshop professors assumed we knew everything but it would have been helpful for there to have been a reading list or a weekly or biweekly assignment focused on Plotting, Character, Pacing, etc., with an option to apply that assignment to an already existing piece or a new one. It would also be great if there were more TA and GA positions available during the first and second years. But I’m not sure if that will ever change.

There were a few other things that I didn’t like, but I can’t go back in time and make changes to my unpleasant experiences. So, I’m not going to voice them.

But I will say this: Walking to the subway with my classmates after workshop and congratulating them on successful submissions, or sympathizing with them and encouraging them after tough critiques (and vice versa). Eating dinner at Charlie Mom’s after workshop or getting Korean BBQ at Kum Gang San before peer group. Opening email attachments from certain classmates with anticipation of what I knew would be an exciting, compelling and/or humorous continuation of a piece that I admired.  Working on something of my own diligently and feeling good when my classmates liked what I’d created and then motivated when there were things I desperately needed to fix.

I’m going to miss all of those things. And all of those things are what made this worth it.

Photo Credits: Top Shelf Productions & Craig Thompson

Jane and I shopping at a Korean Supermarket on 32nd St. (Her hands, my picture)

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I don’t think I’m going to say anything different than what many of my classmates have already said: This program was really worth it because of the group as a whole, the fantastic other writers I was surrounded by, more so than the professors.

Don’t get me wrong, our professors were terrific — but we only had them for one semester each. And then there were summer vacations and winter breaks and all that time we didn’t have to write if we didn’t want to. So really, it is that old adage of what you put in is what you get out.

If you decide to apply to a program like this one, think of it as a gift, a period of time in which you can really dedicate yourself to pursuing something you love. I think the most important thing I learned was DON’T GIVE UP. I’m not the only person who tried and failed with a first manuscript. And, as I’ve said before, it was pretty devastating. But I still had time. I had a whole two semesters to write something new, and I did, and what was the result? I just signed with an amazing agent, Charlie Olsen at Inkwell Management. Remember all that fear of “Dear Author” emails and crying into large glasses of wine? Well, I faced it, overcame it, and won. Two years ago, I would never have thought this possible.

So, really, it all came down to DON’T GIVE UP. Push yourself. If you’re lucky enough to be surrounded by incredibly talented writers like I was, make them push you, too. If not, find at least one person to hold you accountable. This was not the path I thought my life would take, and I don’t think it ever would have happened without The New School. Are there flaws in the program? Sure. But I don’t regret this giant (and expensive) leap of faith, not for a single second.

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Last week, in an effort to fulfill our Writer’s Life Colloquium requirement, I stopped by Barnes and Noble to attend a reading for author Rebecca Serle, whose debut novel, When You Were Mine, has just been released. It’s a modern re-telling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with a bit of a twist — it’s told from Rosaline’s perspective. When I went to buy the book and found out she’d graduated from the New School MFA program (Fiction Concentration), I knew she’d be a great person to interview for our blog. Take a look for yourself and see what Rebecca has to say about her journey to publication and her life now as a full-time writer.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became a writer.

I have always been a writer, but it took me a little while to call myself that. It was the only thing I ever felt any good at — that ever felt worth doing, frankly. I think that’s how you know. When you’re a writer, and you write, there is nowhere else you should be, and nothing else you should be doing. It’s this wonderful, perfect sense of productivity — and it has always been there for me.

Can you give us a quick synopsis of  When You Were Mine? How did you come up with the concept for the book?

When You Were Mine is a modern re-telling of Romeo and Juliet from the perspective of Rosaline — the girl Romeo was supposed to love. It’s about first love, and first heartbreak, and what happens when our destiny defies us.

The book came about through and from my own heartbreak. I felt like I knew exactly what it’s like to be the girl who gets left behind. I wrote my way out with Rosaline — we did it together.

Were you a big Shakespeare fan growing up? What was your favorite book when you were a kid/teenager?

I was, but I actually never read Romeo and Juliet as a child, or in high school. I was a huge fan of the Baz Luhrmann movie — Leo, sigh — but it wasn’t until later that I came to the play. My favorite book as a teen was probably Wuthering Heights — it still might be.

Rosaline is so relatable and the friendship between her, Charlie and Olivia is so strong and defined. During the initial stages of the book, did the creation of their voices come easily to you?

I’m so delighted you think so! Not everyone will like Charlie and Olivia (with good reason). They are imperfect people, but they love each other completely — I just see friendship that way. My friends and I, we’re not perfect. We talk about each other, we complain about each other. We care about silly things. But we love one another. Charlie and Olivia can be catty, they can be stuck up and snide, but they are fierce in their love for Rose — that was easy to write, yes. I really love those girls.

Was it challenging writing a story where — technically — readers already know how part of it will end?  

Good question! Well, you know, just because we know the ending for Romeo and Juliet, doesn’t mean we know the ending for Rosaline, right? This is her story, after all.

How was your New School MFA experience? Did When You Were Mine begin as your thesis?

It was great — I learned so much. I think the most important lesson, though, was how to commit to doing it. I really came to see myself as a writer through my time there — something I think is invaluable for an artistic person. If you do not see yourself as what you want to be, who else will? When You Were Mine was not my thesis, no. My thesis was another novel that is tucked safely away in a drawer (where it will remain).

What’s your writing process? What does a typical writing day for you look like?

I wish I could tell you! Sometimes I am very structured, and sometimes I am not. When I’m working, which I haven’t been lately, I try to do 1,000 words a day — more on the weekends. That doesn’t always happen. I believe in consistency, but I also believe in self-forgiveness. So much of being a writer, an author, is wresting guilt — am I doing enough? You’re doing just fine. What gets done, gets done. And somehow, books still get written!

What has your path to publication been like? Any surprises?

Tons. Sometimes it sounds like a fairytale when I tell it but the truth is, it wasn’t always that way. I fought many losing battles, and I’m sure I’m still not done. Writing, and publishing, is a dynamic process — it’s always changing. I just try not to take it for granted. The work is what matters — and luckily that is always there.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever gotten? What advice would you yourself give aspiring authors?

My friend and fellow novelist Lauren Oliver once told me “write for truth and beauty will follow” — that is some pretty A+ advice, right there. When I write I try to always ask myself: is this true? 

I’d tell aspiring authors to be writers, first. Being an author is cool and all, but we all work with the same alphabet, the same blank pages. Writing is 90 percent temperament and ten percent talent — you have to be comfortable just doing it. Also! Get Stephen King’s On Writing. 

What’s next for you writing-wise (and otherwise)?

I’m working on my second book, which should be out in the next two years. I’m always working on a million things. I love the process, I love creating. So, more to come.

Do you believe in being part of a “bloc” of writers? Are critique groups and writing communities helpful to you?

I think community is important in just about everything. It’s wonderful to be able to call up a writer friend and ask “hey, I’m stuck on this chapter” or “when you went through x part of the publishing process, was it like this for you?” I’m lucky that I have those people in my life — writers who have gone before. Particularly because writing is so solitary, it’s lovely to have that dialogue. But I think, sometimes, writers in groups can get a little too focused on what other people are doing. It doesn’t matter. Focus on YOUR best work. No one writes like you. No one has your specific talent. What other people are doing is irrelevant. It’s a balance. Luckily, my writer friends are also, just, my friends! So we talk about lots more than just our work.

Thanks again!

Thank you! This was so much fun!

Photo Credits: Book and Author Image: rebeccaserle.com & Simon and Schuster

Movie Poster Image: Flixster, Inc.

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I can’t believe it’s almost over. How did two years go by so quickly? When I first started the program, I didn’t have any real goals in mind. I think all I was really expecting, as the thesis requirements stated, was to have “a manuscript of 50 to 70 pages of stories or other fiction or nonfiction, or a completed children’s book in a state appropriate for publication.” (I also noticed that the term “state appropriate for publication” is only specified for the Writing for Children concentration. The others are only required to have a novel or book in progress.)

Was it worth it? And if I could do it over again, would I do it differently? Some parts would be yes. I would have written more. I would have been more active in going to the weekend workshops and other writing events. But the parts I wouldn’t have changed were the people I met. Our class was filled with talented people who also became great friends. We had amazing authors and editors who taught our workshop and seminar classes. Just the awesome people I got to know made it worth it.

There are two things I would love to take with me after I graduate. The first is the connection with my classmates. Not only do I value their opinion when they comment on my work, but they’re pretty cool people to know. Of course, anyone who follows Teen Writers Bloc would already realize that! The other is having a thick skin. One thing I’ve learned from the past two years is that some comments about my writing are going to be positive and others will be pretty harsh. Don’t let the bad ones discourage you. When it comes down to it, listen to them all and weed out the ones that will benefit you the most.

So I’ll admit my thesis is not something that’s ready to be published. But working with my peer group and hearing their critiques was a huge part in helping me to improve it. I hope, someday, you’ll be able to find it on the shelves of your nearest bookstore.

Image courtesy of: Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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I’ve followed Teen Writers Bloc pretty much since its inception, and what I’ve loved most about it is the variety of perspectives the bloggers provide on their experience as writers and MFA students. I graduated from The New School Writing for Children program in 2010, and it’s been fun to read their posts and reminisce about my own time there.

The question the bloggers are tackling this month has to do with whether this MFA program is worthwhile. After reading Mary’s response, I realized how different my experience in the program was compared to hers.

Some things haven’t changed. The program still has its benefits and drawbacks, which I’m sure is true of many graduate programs. Like Mary, I didn’t find the adult literature class I took to be very useful, and I was equally offended by the administration’s assumption that children’s literature writers aren’t real writers unless they study adult lit. What a load of crap!

Also, like Mary, the main reason I loved the program was because of the writers I formed a community with while there. The support I receive from them even now, two years later, is invaluable. Not all twelve of us keep in touch anymore, but the five that I do keep in touch with are awesome.

One point Mary made in her post gave me pause:

“Finally, there’s the problem of low expectations. If you wanted to, you could graduate from the program without ever having completed a novel. The thesis requirement is only fifty pages. You could literally write only fifty pages in the entire program and still graduate.” 

Here’s where I respectfully disagree, and where my experience in the program differed.

I agree that MFA applicants need to decide what their expectations are before entering a program like this, because a lot of it is what you make of it. However, I don’t agree with the idea that if you don’t complete a novel by the end of the program, your expectations are too low. It’s not so black and white. The creative section of my thesis was only seventy pages (18,000 words). I certainly wrote way more than seventy pages over the course of the program (since I started several projects before deciding to focus on one), but I didn’t complete an entire novel.

There were two main reasons for this. One was a lack of time. I had a full-time job while in the program, and was also planning my wedding, so I found it hard to write every day. Along with all of the other program requirements (reading a book a week, critiquing several submissions a week, attending readings, and of course attending class), it was a lot to juggle. Second, I had never written a novel before. I entered the program having only ever written short stories.

My personal expectation for the program was to learn more about kid lit (through the literature classes), improve my writing (through the workshops) and get as far into a novel as I could. I would have loved to finish an entire novel, and I wrote as much as I could, but a completed manuscript wasn’t in the cards.

Despite that, I was so proud of my thesis! And I’ve since finished and revised that book. What I really wanted out of the program was to kick start my career, and it did just that.So while I agree that you do have to think about WHY you want to get an MFA and WHAT you want to accomplish, it’s okay if you don’t end up completing a whole manuscript. In fact, I was one of many people in my class who only submitted portions of manuscripts for their theses and completed their books after the program ended. At the time, none of my classmates had agents or book deals. Many of us (myself included) are still working toward that goal. None of us are unmotivated. We were just at an earlier stage of our careers while at The New School. We took our time getting the pages we wrote for our theses right.

One thing that’s very clear about the Class of 2012 is that they are a very motivated and productive bunch. I’m seriously impressed by how they’ve supported each other and pushed one another to write so much. I’m sure they’ll have long and successful careers, and I feel the same way about my old classmates! If there’s one thing I’ve learned from getting an MFA, and being a writer in general, it’s that everyone follows their own journey and writes at their own pace.

Thanks, Teen Writers Bloc, for letting me share my experience!

Ghenet Myrthil is a 2010 graduate of The New School Writing for Children program. She’s currently seeking representation for her contemporary young adult novel. You can find her blogging at www.ghenetmyrthil.com and tweeting @ghenet

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Hello Teen Writers Bloc readers! I’ve plugged it at every opportunity, to the point where you are probably thinking, yes, Mary, we know about the stupid book. But for realz, y’all, it’s almost here!

To celebrate the release of Wuftoom on May 8, I’m having a public book release party at the fantastic McNally Jackson Books, here in Manhattan. Please come and bring your friends, family, children, and any random people you meet. Subterranean monsters are also welcome, though if they stink up the place, we’ll charge a special cleaning fee.

• What: Wuftoom Book Release Party
• Where: McNally Jackson Books, 52 Prince St. New York, NY
• When: Sunday, May 13, 2012, 4:00 p.m.
• Details: I will be reading from the book and having a conversation with The Boneshaker and The Broken Lands author (and friend of Teen Writers Bloc!) Kate Milford. Then we will be eating fun and gross worm-themed desserts, drinking wine/soda, and generally having a good time.

If that’s not enough for you, I’m also reading THIS SUNDAY, MAY 6 at Books of Wonder along with several fantastic teen sci-fi/fantasy authors.

• What: Teen Sci Fi/Fantasy/Dystopian/Supernatural Event with me, Paolo Bacigalupi, David MacInnis Gill, Alethea Kontis, Galaxy Craze, Kate Klimo, and Elizabeth Norris
• Where: Books of Wonder, 18 W 18th St., New York, NY
• When: Sunday, May 6, 2012, 1:00 p.m.
• Details: Come meet some fabulous teen sci-fi and fantasy authors, including Hugo and Nebula award winner and National Book Award finalist Paolo Bacigalupi.

Finally, I’m running a giveaway on Goodreads from now until May 15^th. Enter to win a signed copy of Wuftoom!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Enter to win

Cover Image courtesy Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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I grew up reading Barbara Park, Louis Sachar, Baby-Sitters Club, S. E. Hinton, Paula Danzinger, Beverly Cleary, the American Girls series, and Lois Lowry. Some of my favorite books from childhood are The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Just as Long as We’re Together and Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume, the Anne of Green Gables series, Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, and Betsy Byers’s The Summer of the Swans. So I had a pretty eclectic taste in books, but one thing never varied: pretty much all of the books and authors I liked focused solely on white characters. If there was a non-white character, s/he was usually around to teach the white kids a lesson on race or tolerance or just a peripheral character who happened to be ethnic, but usually not the main character. (Some of the authors/books/series mentioned above did feature non-white characters, but that was pretty rare and even rarer for the main character to be non-white.)

So I know I should be lamenting the lack of diversity in the books I read as a kid and how it made me think less of myself, but honestly, it didn’t bother me or affect my self-image growing up. I never read books looking for characters that were just like me because I didn’t want to read about me, a poor, biracial girl living with an abusive white mother in an economically-depressed and uneducated black neighborhood who was made fun of for attending mostly-white private schools. I knew that story inside and out and didn’t want to read about it while I was still living it. Books were my escape, my chance to see how normal people lived because my life was very abnormal.

I grew up seeing myself as neither black nor white, but as a mixture of both, and so it didn’t matter what race the characters were so long as they took me away from the problems of real life. But now, as an adult, I realize those books did have an impact on me. As a writer, it’s so easy for me to fall into the default white trap. Creating racially diverse characters is a conscious effort and I have to actively work to make sure that my stories represent people of all skin colors.

When I come up with a new idea, I generally don’t think about race. As I start writing and getting to know my characters, sometimes a light bulb goes off and I think, hey, wouldn’t it be cool if everyone was black or mixed-race like me? But why do I think writing a book about non-whites is a novelty? It all comes back to the books I read growing up. Even though I wasn’t bothered by the lack of diversity as a child, it subconsciously left an impression on me and made me prewired to assume my own characters are white, which is troubling since I’m not even fully-white myself.

In my own writing, I sometimes get a bit heavy-handed with my character descriptions. I feel like I have to shove it in the reader’s face that these characters are not white because if it isn’t explicitly stated, then people will just assume everyone’s white. And, frankly, I’m tired of reading stories exclusively about white people as if people of color don’t exist. We do, and our stories need to be told, too. I now recognize the importance of including a racially diverse cast of characters. Nowadays, I get excited when I find a book with a biracial main character and if the character is female, it’s even better. It feels good to be represented in literature.

Guest blogger Jean-Paul Bass recently decided to quit her job to focus on writing full-time and she swears she doesn’t miss having a regular paycheck at all. She is currently working on her MFA in fiction at The New School and writing a memoir about growing up in Cleveland, Ohio.   

Photo Credit: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic, HarperCollins, Viking, Dell Yearling, and Puffin

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As we reflect on our time at The New School this month, I am predicting a repeating theme: yes, this degree and endeavor was worth it for ME personally, but I wouldn’t say it’s ALWAYS worth it.

In the course of my time at The New School, I managed to finish three complete drafts for three separate novels and start countless others; I landed an awesome agent, Kate McKean; and I sold my first book in a two-book deal to Bloomsbury. I am 100 percent certain that this would not have happened if I had not taken the plunge, moved across the country and gone back to school. However, I also don’t think I would have reached these goals, and certainly I would not have reached them so quickly, if it weren’t for my classmates. And that’s the problem. Who you end up in class with is completely luck, right?

Well, maybe it doesn’t have to be. When I think about it, our class did practical things that lead to it’s effectiveness. So maybe we should talk about actual steps that will make an MFA, especially The New School Writing for Children MFA, worth it.

1. Write WAY MORE than required. You’re only going to be submitting every few weeks, but you need to write everyday. In my first semester I imposed a two hour a day rule on myself and I was disciplined. I would come home from work, turn my phone off, disconnect my internet, and set an alarm. Then I would sit at my computer until the alarm went off.  By the time I was required to submit my first ten pages, I had close to 80. When it was time for me to submit, I would then go back and edit the ten pages I was going to send. I would have a much better sense of the shape of the whole because I had so much more written. This made it much easier to weed out the helpful criticism during critique.

2. Find a small group of serious writers from within your class and form an extra critique group. Meet regularly and be dedicated to it. Sona, Corey, Dhonielle, Amy and I did this for the first two semester and Sona, Corey, Alyson, Dhonielle, Lenea and I have done this for the final semester. This has been incredibly valuable to me because I get more written with more deadlines, because I get to have a dialogue about my work, and because I get invested in voices outside my own. It’s easier for me to have a realistic (and not overly negative) opinion of my own work when I’m very invested in others’ as well.

3. Start a project together. I think we would all agree that Teen Writers Bloc helped us to become a unit. It also gives us a way to stay connected to each other and our writing after we graduate.  And, when at times we were perhaps a bit frustrated with some select teachers, Teen Writers Bloc helped us feel supported and reminded us that there is a larger purpose to our writing than what’s happening in class.

4. After the first semester, your classmates are going to know your writing better than your teachers do, because they will have read more of it. Find the voices from your classmates that are helpful to you and listen to them. Listen to your teachers, but remember that they’re only with you for a semester. So you also need to find helpful critiquers among your peers.

5. Find the classmates who really know the business and talk post-drafting. Talk about query letters, agents, publishing houses, promotion, and other aspects of the business. Share agent stories. Share queries. (Heck, Sona basically wrote my query for me, and Mary helped me land an agent.). Get invested in each others’ careers because different people have different strengths. Use yours to benefit the entire class, and then tap on others’ shoulders.

6. Trade full manuscripts before your query. You need someone to read from beginning to end, not just in little spurts, and your best bets are going to be the people in your class, provided you have invested in their writing and careers as well.

7. Become friends. Go for drinks or coffee. Take a walk. Throw a holiday party like Corey did for us first semester. Ultimately, this was a positive experience of most of us, but with a huge side of frustration, disappointment, and lack of control. That’s what happens when you’re really passionate about your career. You will need your friends to commiserate and celebrate with, because no one else will understand what you’re talking about. And because sometimes you need to get a good gripe out before you can get back to work.

Photo Credit: Institute Childrens Lit

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So I was going to write about the bad writing habits I need to get rid of for this month’s topic, Spring Cleaning, but every time I started to write something I felt like a broken record. I’ve mentioned my tendency to procrastinate and to be distracted by my non-writing obligations, i.e. my full time job and other outside commitments, many times before. So writing another post about it doesn’t seem all that useful.

What I really want to write about is something that I’ve been afraid to bring up. It has to do with something that I wish I could easily forget but can’t for some reason — a harsh critique that I received last semester in workshop from my professor.

I won’t say what that critique was. All that I’ll say is that it has stayed with me through this semester, especially because I’m still working on the same piece. The problem is that I still have my professor’s voice in the back of my head, making me second guess whether I should even bother working on what I’m working on. I mean, I am working on it, because I’ve made major changes to it since the critique was given, and I lucked out and got a really encouraging and helpful thesis advisor. But it’s been hard, nonetheless. Even though I really believe in what I’m writing.

Here’s the deal: Our thesis is due in the beginning of May.  And while I must say that I’m extremely grateful for the amazing feedback I’ve received along the way because it’s made me a much better writer than I was before and, honestly, I have loved this entire experience overall, part of me is looking forward to having the ability to breathe again after graduation. I’m ready for the chance to feel like I’m writing the book that I want to write instead of the one that will appease my professors and, though I love them dearly, my classmates. Even if that book might not be the book. You know, the one that sells.

It’s a process. I’m still pretty young, and with all that I’ve learned from my talented peers, and yes, from my experienced and usually quite wonderful professors, I think eventually I will get the hang of this writing thing, once and for all.

Or so I hope.

Image of the ‘Holstee Manifesto’ Courtesy of HOLSTEE.COM/MANIFESTO

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I love spring cleaning, any kind of cleaning, really. Whenever I have a bad writing day, or I’m not sure what’s going to happen next in a scene, out come the yellow rubber gloves, Windex, and Clorox.

The thing is, I know exactly what is going to happen if I scrub the kitchen counters and meticulously vacuum and mop the floors. They are going to sparkle and shine, like it says in those 1960s Hoover advertisements. Plus, cleaning is the perfect distraction from writing and re-writing a scene that could end up being absolute trash. And I’ve managed to rationalize it as a perfectly reasonable alternative to actually working. I’m still being “productive.” I’m outlining in my head. I’m thinking through dialogue. I need a break to digest what I’ve written. Lies. All lies.  I am procrastinating.

And the thing about cleaning is that everything just ends up getting dirty again.  If you like to dust and organize as much as I do, you can find dirt to wipe up anywhere — at any time, like on a Saturday afternoon when I should be writing, finishing my thesis, and catching up on Publisher’s Marketplace. Or at 3:00 a.m., when I should be sleeping. In fact, cleaning has become the very bad habit I have to give up, because my shirts don’t need to be folded or color-coordinated again. But as I edit the final scenes of my manuscript and get started on the next one, I can’t seem to stop myself from rearranging everything around me.

The problem is I’m cleaning the wrong thing, and I know it, even as I take the Scrubbing Bubbles out from under the kitchen sink.

What I need to do is de-clutter my life. I have to clear out space in my mind and make more room to think about my books. So this morning, I woke up early and worked out, for the first time in longer than I’m willing to admit, even to myself. I had time alone, away from my Swifer Wet Jet, to think and brainstorm and not worry about anything except my characters. I got to go somewhere else, a land I invented where there is no such thing as dust.

Photo courtesy Hoover

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