I finally finished my narrative outline for chapter 6 last week and sprinted through the actual writing of it. A confession: I cheated a bit! There were supposed to be two major “points of focus,” two major events, that were to form the basis for the chapter. When I actually did the writing, the first… [Read More]
Work in Progress #8: Through the Nitty Gritty to the Good Stuff
August 19, 2013 By
I’ve hit yet another “thin” place that I’ll have to thicken up with more research before I continue with my narrative outline of chapter 6. My subject took a “motor” trip from New York to San Francisco in 1915. It seemed like a bit of a lark that had nothing significant to do with the… [Read More]
Work in Progress #7: Writing Thin
August 5, 2013 By
As I was plugging ahead with the narrative outline for Chapter 6, I discovered I was “writing thin.” As thorough as I try to be with my research before sitting down to write, there are numerous spots along the way when my writing gets “thin” – it becomes hesitant, tentative, and starts to sound like… [Read More]
Work in Progress #6: Snails Take Heart!
July 29, 2013 By
I am a hopelessly slow writer. I set aside three to four hours each morning for writing and on a good day, I have one and a half typed pages to show for it. On a bad day, I can have two paragraphs. I never sit and stare into space. My fingers are always on… [Read More]
Work in Progress #5: A Masterpiece! (Or…Not)
July 22, 2013 By
Last Friday I came to the halfway point of my young adult biography. I finished chapter 5. I decided to go back and read the whole thing from the beginning. After focusing on words, sentences, and paragraphs for so long, it seemed like a good time to take a look at the Work as a… [Read More]
Read to Your Dog!
July 8, 2013 By
When I think of therapy dogs, I think of dogs assisting blind or disabled people. It turns out dogs can be “Tail Waggin’ Tutors” as well. Yep! Dogs can help teach kids to read! Actually, the dogs are trained to just sit still and listen, which is something we helpful adults are not very good… [Read More]
Work in Progress #4: Elizabeth Gilbert to the Rescue
July 2, 2013 By
Writers, like all who create, suffer mightily. We wonder if we will ever write anything “worthy” and, if we do come up with something that gets noticed, we wonder if we will ever be a second act. I’m told that the great Dr. Suess (a.k.a. Theodore Geisel) felt the Cat in the Hat constantly taunting… [Read More]
Work in Progress #3: Writing and Then Really Writing
June 24, 2013 By
Confession: I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. Translation to my nonfiction writing life: I have trouble keeping piles of research straight while trying to write a decent story. Writing is often about solving problems of this sort and here’s an idea I’m trying that seems to be helping with this particular… [Read More]
The 2013 OKI Children’s Literature Conference
June 22, 2013 By
Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge and Andrea Cheng (author of ETCHED IN CLAY) will be presenting at the OKI Children’s Literature Conference on Saturday, November 2 at Thomas More College. This year’s conference is entitled “The New Face of Nonfiction: So Much More to Explore”
Work in Progress #2: To Write or Not to Write
June 10, 2013 By
I mentioned in my last blog that I would talk about when to stop researching and start writing. The truth is, I’ve already started writing…but only sort of. I’ve found it really helps to get the first three chapters of a piece down as quickly as possible. So, as soon as I’ve read four or five key books on my… [Read More]