Serendipity

I love starting a new writing project. Beginnings have all the potential of a great work plus all the fun of research—without much of the angst-y questions, like: Is this any good? Will anyone want to publish it? How will I rewrite this scene so it flows better?

Beginnings don’t bother with specifics and picayune details. Beginnings let me besiege my interlibrary loan system with requests for books on orcas, sailboats, the Pacific Northwest, and round-the-world cruising…and then I get to READ these books.

I have actually been writing, though. After a week and a half of research—when every time I tried to actually start writing, I thought of something else I needed to find out first—I finally crafted the first chapter of the new book. (I want to crank out at least in the next week, because my critique group tackles the Peru book June 5th :P). Today, I drafted another first chapter.

My every-helpful husband suggested that I might confuse the readers, if I keep two chapter #1’s in the book. Good think I keep him around, don’t you think?

Sigh. Writers. We might not always get paid, but man, we have the most fun!

:) Cheryl

Good News!

My writing road took a major turn for the better in the past few weeks, when Agent Gary Heidt of Signature Literary offered to represent me. Yes, I still get a ridiculously silly grin on my face every time I say "my agent". I had the remarkable good fortune of meeting him at the Spring 2009 Writing Away Retreat, where he critiqued 10,000 words of my work-in-progress, a contemporary YA novel.

If you haven't checked out the Fall Writing Away Retreat, do so immediately! It's a fantastic opp, especially for up-and-coming writers. More on that later.
As for Gary—well, what can I say? It’s exhilarating to have someone on my team. He read my middle grade fantasy in a single day and loved it, is enthusiastic about the YA novel he critiqued at the retreat, and we connect on a creative level.

There are no guarantees, of course. I keep telling myself that. I know plenty of writers who have signed with agents and then didn’t sell their books.

But it’s worth a bit of celebration!

:) Cheryl

Looking for Cheryl's Musings?

Cheryl's Musings has a new name and a new location: The Rich Writer. Come on over for my latest thoughts on writing, agents, publishers, and the writing life.

:-) Cheryl

The New Blog!

Drumroll please....

After much thought and soul-searching (helped out by some great posts on branding over at Through the Tollbooth), I think I've pinpointed some common themes in what I write.

This was a daunting task for someone who writes patient education material, medical presentations, blogs about the writing life, science articles for adults, science articles for kids, children's fiction, young adult fiction, fantasy, contemporary, serious, and light-hearted. What the heck does all this have in common?

But as I went through the exercises, some common themes started to emerge:

• I write about kids discovering their worth


• I write about kids figuring out their place in the world


• I write about people finding joy in what they do


• I write about nature animals--topics that bring me joy

Mix them all together--and I found that I write about people learning to thrive in their lives.

That's what I want to do. I want to write about how we, as writers, can thrive even as we balance writing time with other full time jobs, such as parenting, caring for a parent, or doing other kinds of work that satisfy the need for an income, but not the creative muse.

I want to write about the RICH writing life. Writers might not all be rich in coin, but we have our own brand of reward! As of today, this blog is moving to a new address: The Rich Writer. There I'll offer regular encouragement; share useful tools and resources; and present interviews with other writers on the road, about how they balance it all. Please...come pay me a visit!

:) Cheryl

A New Direction

First off, thanks and an apology to all you faithful readers who have been visiting my blog only to find it rather sparse on content of late. Between a flurry of deadlines and end-of-school madness and a bout of illness (pneumonia! Who gets pneumonia in sunny, gorgeous May weather?), this blog has definitely been on a downward slide.

But that slide has prompted a bit of soul-searching, the kind that almost every blog writer undergoes sooner or later. What's the purpose of this blog? Who am I trying to reach? What am I trying to provide for them?

I started this blog July 2007, almost two years ago. When I did, I envisioned it as a place to post my thoughts on the writing process--and the process of being a writer. Fine goals, those, but I think there are plenty of other writers/bloggers out there doing the same thing.

Since then, I've delved more into the blogging community. I've discovered blogs that I love, like the Shrinking Violets, targeted toward introverted writers; Yat Yee's blog, with its focus on book reviews and fostering a community of writers; and, of course, the quintessential children's writers' blog, Cynsations. I find that the blogs I keep reading are those with a focus or perspective no one else offers.

I want to do that.

So...next week this blog will set out in a new direction. Don’t worry—I’m not planning massive changes—but I want to hone my focus. It’s time to shake things up a bit!

:-) Cheryl