A special message for you this Thanksgiving day

Be grateful you’re not the turkey.

books, books, books

friends, both near and far

airplanes, so I can visit those friends all over the world

the love I have for my family

my Mac

supportive bosses

Twitter

my perfect eyesight

family willing to take me in when I have nowhere else to live

Glee

music from Glee

the innocence of childhood—and keeping it that way for the kids I know

warm blankets

hot chocolate—especially at a cafe or coffeehouse

clothes warm from the dryer

cute boots (with stiletto heels, of course)

cuddling puppies and kitties

getting cards or packages in the mail

Christmas lights at Temple Square

laughing and crying over good memories

getting older and maybe a little bit wiser

gorging on a huge turkey dinner—with pie, lots of pie

and for my nephew (pictured here with his sister), who was born exactly one year ago, our own Thanksgiving gift.

And for the part you’re all more interested in . . . the winner of the journal!

Jessica Capelle

Jessica, email your address to me me at michelle dot witte at belletrinsic dot com, and I’ll mail you your prize.

I’m excited to announce that Gibbs Smith, the publishing house where I work as an editor, is seeking submissions of children’s activity books. These can include anything from children’s cookbooks, games, doodling, or any other activity that kids would enjoy.

The books should include activities suitable for children ages 6–14 (or a range somewhere in between). Use your imagination. Be creative. Think of the kinds of things that fascinated you as a child (or your children) and build on that.

Though many of those who frequent this blog write fiction, there is still a lot of opportunity here. For children, just about anything is magical and extraordinary. It is wonderful to help kids use their imaginations, whether through fiction or facts and activities.

To give you an idea of what children’s activity books can include, here are some titles we’ve recently published:

Cookbooks

Pink Princess Cookbook

Easy Christmas Cut-Up Cakes for Kids

Doodling

Pocketdoodles for Girls

Pocketdoodles for Boys

Fun(ny) activities

The Pocket Guide to Magic

The Pocket Guide to Mischief

Just for boys/girls

The Big Book of Girl Stuff

The Big Book of Boy Stuff

Or browse other children’s titles on the Gibbs Smith website: http://www.gibbs-smith.com. (Please note that we no longer publish children’s picture books.)

If you would like to submit your book idea for consideration, upload a detailed outline and sample chapters (or sample recipes for cookbooks) using the online submission page. Visit the Gibbs Smith blog for details and further information.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below.

Good luck to all of you! I look forward to seeing some of your books in print.

A moderately long proposal in which a single woman provides a list of potential partners with whom she would consider entering into a state of marital bliss

This document contains a list of men the undersigned will consider as potential marriage partners, as well as the rules for such consideration. These men, whether through intellect, hard work, or the good fortune of being extremely attractive, have piqued her interest. Their names are therefore listed here as a record of attraction and an invitation to submit a suitable proposal for marriage.

In the event that one of the parties listed below is currently unavailable (either by being engaged, married, in a relationship, gay, or in a coma), his name will be moved to the reserve list and will be reinstated once said commitment concludes or dissolves.

This list is limited to persons of the male persuasion who have always been so. This is a matter of personal preference and in no way constitutes discrimination. (As this is not a valid legal document, the creator of this list will establish rules based on her discretion.*) The author of the list also retains the right to include the names of fictional characters.

Chris Pine

Matthew Morrison

Orlando Bloom

Ben Barnes

Mr. Darcy

Ryan Reynolds

Matt Damon

Ian Somerhalder

Prince William

Jude Law

Mr. Knightley

Johnathan Rhys Meyers

Josh Groban

Hugh Dancy

If any man wishes to submit his name for candidacy on this list, he may do so by contacting the blog administrator with a packet including at least four (4) current and accurate photos of candidate; character references from the three (3) previous girlfriends, including reasons for termination of relationship; a detailed resume including artistic, literary, or other noteworthy endeavors; and a copy of the candidate’s latest tax file (or in the case of tax evaders, documents establishing net worth may be sent from the Swiss bank responsible for his accounts).

Creepy old men, paupers, and jailbait need not apply.

*This is commonly referred to as “It’s my list so I make up the rules.”

It’s hard getting published. Take it from me, someone who works both sides of the fence as an editor during the day and a writer at night. I’ve been actively trying to get published for more than a year now, and I’ve yet to get an agent or a contract. I’ll even tell you a secret: I’ve pitched ideas to my own house, and I’ve been rejected there too. Being an editor doesn’t guarantee publication.

Why do we do it? Day after day, we toil so hard to write, placing pieces of ourselves in the stories, bleeding across the page. It’s not easy—not if you’re doing it right. And yet we keep on, praying someone—anyone—will like our manuscript enough to give it a chance.

Is it worth it?

Working in publishing, I think a lot of us are asking this question as the future of publishing appears a little bleak. The answer I hear from editors, agents, writers, and readers is a resounding YES! Most people don’t get rich working in publishing, and yet so many of us work in this industry because we love it. We need books as much as we need air. Stories, words upon paper, give us strength to live. The magic that happens between the covers of a book surprises, delights, and fulfills. It gives our lives meaning.

Still, it can be discouraging. Months and years struggling to make these stories come alive only to be told no. It’s not good enough—not yet. And so we try again. Revise. Rewrite. Write another story.

I imagine non-book people think us crazy. Why give your life over to a labor of love that often doesn’t bring large financial rewards? They don’t understand. It’s part of us. We can no more deny who we are than deny our need to create books.

To answer the question “is it worth it,” I have one thing to say: the moment you see a finished book for the first time—glossy cover, thick pages, glorious images—it’s like seeing your child for the first time. All of the years going back and forth between editor, agent, writer, and illustrator. The discussions, disagreements, and frustration all had one goal—to create a book. It is beautiful and it is yours.

Here are the details for this month’s contest:

List 10 things you’re grateful for and post it in the comments below. Now, I know you’re thankful for your family, your pets, and your tv, but I want you to dig a little deeper. Think creatively, think weird, think odd. Think of things that show us a little more about you. Specifics are good.

For this contest, I will be giving away a gorgeous journal from Paperblanks. You can use it for whatever you like since I’ll never know, but I’d like to think you’d use it (at least partially) as a gratitude journal. Stretch Thanksgiving beyond one day a year.

I already know I won’t be able to pick a list I like best, so we’ll choose a winner using my fabulous number generator.

Next week when the contest ends I’ll reveal my own list of things I’m grateful for. Prepare to be amazed.

Where do you get your story ideas from? I know this is one of those questions that authors tend to have a hard time explaining. For some reason, I remember the exact moment I started thinking about or suddenly came up with an idea.

Many of you may have seen Stephenie Meyer’s interview with Oprah last week. The thing that struck me about it was Stephenie’s description of how the idea for Twilight came to her. She had a vivid dream of what later became chapter 13 in the first book.

Whether you do or don’t like her books, the way the idea came to her is fascinating. This got me thinking about how ideas for my books arrive (for lack of a better word). I have a list of good ideas for books, some that are more pressing than others. Some are still percolating in my brain, so I put those on a shelf for the moment until they’re ready to be written.

One idea in particular blindsided me. I’ve mentioned this before, but when I started writing Mark of Jasmine I had been frustrated after a difficult day at work. So I went to my local coffeehouse, pulled out a pen and pad of paper as I nursed my hot chocolate. It only took a moment before I got an image in my head: A girl running away from something. Okay, why is she running? She’s trying to get rid of something, to bury it. All right. What was she trying to get rid of? A necklace.

Sitting there in the coffeehouse, I asked myself a series of questions, each time writing until another question came up. This continued until I had written several chapters, coming up with back story and plot and voice and characters. Names were pulled out of the air, just to keep the writing going. By the time I finished my hot chocolate and rushed home so I could transpose my writing to the computer, there was a complete story there. The details weren’t all filled in yet, but I knew the basics for the entire book (which has since turned into three books because one just wasn’t enough to tell the whole story). Three weeks later, I finished the first draft. Life was a frenzy during that time: working, eating, sleeping, and writing. But most of all writing. In every spare moment I had, my thoughts centered on the story.

It felt almost like I was Zeus with Athena bursting fully grown from my brain. Maybe not as painful, but just as amazing. Not all my books have come that way. The first one took me four years to write, but I learned a lot in that time so I was able to write my second book so quickly. Just the other day, I had another idea come to me while miniature golfing during a blind date. Random, I know, but you can’t decide when ideas will come to you. I’m pondering that idea now, and we’ll see if something comes of it. Another time I had a dream that could make a good book. I took notes and set it aside for the time because others were taking precedence.

So now my questions for you: Do you remember how or when you come up with your ideas? Is it slow or sudden? Do they come fully developed or does it take you months to piece the story together?

It’s sad, really, that I never read Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume when I was young. Unfortunately, the stigma of it being a “banned book” equated the story with being bad. As I’ve gotten older and (hopefully) a bit wiser, I realize that I missed out on a beautiful story that may well have addressed some of the very concerns I had at that age.

The charming, innocent voice of Margaret makes her instantly relatable. A lot of “news” like new friends, new school, and new house greet Margaret as she embarks on one of the most frustrating and misunderstood times a girl passes through. Boys, menstruation, friends, and religion all play into the microcosm of her world. I don’t know of a girl who hasn’t wondered about those things as a curious eleven-year-old. It is natural, and Blume handles the delicate topics with finesse and gentleness.

I love Margaret’s relationship with God, a being she didn’t completely understand as far as organized religion, but who she trusted as a friend. Her hope that things would work out, even if it seemed like she would die of embarrassment at the time, struck me as the innocent faith of a child mixed with the maturing realizations of a young woman.

Reading this book, I realized I’m still curious and uncertain about different aspects of life. Though I’m long past the time of training bras and first periods, there is still a wonder and excitement about what life will bring. I hope I never lose that, but if I do, I’ll have Margaret and her story to show me the way.

As a final thought, I’d like to share this:

by Robb Grindstaff

What I’ve learned about writing would fill a book. But a guest post on Michelle’s blog will have to do for now. First, a quick recap of my fiction journey thus far.

My second grade teacher asked all her students what they wanted to be when we grew up. I said, “An author.” I have no idea where that came from. Obviously something had been brewing in that little still-developing brain. She asked me, “What have you written?” I said, “Nothing yet. I’m not grown up yet.” She said, “You’re not an author until you’ve written something.”

So I went home and wrote something. A story, fit on a single page. Perhaps I invented flash fiction but didn’t get the credit. I showed my mom, who gushed over it and said what a wonderful story it was and what a great writer I was. My first review. She posted it on the fridge. My first publication. I’d never been prouder.

This continued, but by high school I realized there weren’t a lot of paying jobs for writers. I took journalism and joined the school newspaper—a paying career until I sold my first best seller. Went to college and majored in journalism. Went to work for a newspaper. Got married. Had kids. Got a mortgage. Writing fiction sort of fell by the wayside as life took over.

Good thing. I needed some life experiences before knowing how to write any fiction that might resonate with readers other than my mom.

Then, kids almost grown, an additional twenty years of life, and the fiction bug bit again. Bit hard. I began writing a novel.

The story flowed out of my fingertips. The character took over my mind. The thrill, the obsession, the joy of writing changed my life from that point forward.

I had almost finished the novel, and I’d read lots of articles about finding an agent and getting published. Read books on the subject. Researched agents. Attended a writers’ conference. Pitched my book to an agent at the conference.

Lesson #1: Do not pitch an agent until you’ve finished writing the book. He loved the pitch, wanted to see the opening chapters. I sent him the opening chapters, emailed about midnight that evening. Figured I had a few weeks to finish writing the novel. He emailed back at five a.m. wanting to see the whole manuscript. I finished writing it that weekend.

Lesson #2: When you’ve finished writing your novel, you’ve just begun. It’s not a novel. It’s a first draft. I didn’t realize that. I thought it had fallen perfectly onto the page the first time.

I joined a writers group to learn more about writing, the craft and the business of getting published. An incredible bunch of writers, all of genres I never read. I learned more from this group in a year than I knew was possible. How to build a world from the fantasy writers. How to stir the emotions from the romance writers. How to build suspense from the mystery writers. How to shock and surprise from the horror writers.

Lesson #3: Associate with other writers. You need the camaraderie of those who share the passion. Non-writers cannot understand what goes on inside your mind.

Lesson #4: Read outside your genre. It broadens your scope of writing tools.

Lesson #5: Learn to take critique and criticism from other writers. Don’t just look for people to tell you how wonderful you are or you’ll never get better. And when the criticism really starts to get under your skin and make you a bit defensive, even angry, that’s a good time to really listen carefully. It’s probably hitting close to home. Thank them for ripping your soul to shreds. It needs it if it’s going to improve.

I revised and edited and rewrote based on feedback from the writers group. I queried more agents. And more. Some form rejections. Several asked for partial chapters and a synopsis. Quite a few asked for the full manuscript. I got glowing letters back saying how great it was, how the character was mesmerizing, the writing impressive, the story compelling, but . . .

Lesson #6: Learn to accept rejection and not let your emotions go on a rollercoaster ride (a partial, I’m excited; a full, I’m deliriously happy; a rejection, I’m depressed to the point of never writing again). Allow yourself a reasonable amount of emotion for a reasonable amount of time, wallow in it, and then move on. Keep querying.

I joined an online writers community for more feedback. I learned how to participate in an online group. I learned what, and who, to avoid in online groups. I made some writer friends for life whom I’ve never met in person.

Lesson #7: Be judicious with online groups, and with what you allow yourself to say. Your words online live forever and can be searched by prospective employers and agents.

While still querying my first novel, I’ve been writing my second. I found it amazing how much better my writing is—from word choice to character arc to plot development to scene-setting to the novel’s organization, pace and flow. I didn’t realize how much I had learned about the craft of writing during the writing and revision of my first novel. Beta readers often say something to the effect of, “I liked Carry Me Away, but I love Hannah’s Voice. Have you finished it yet?”

Lesson #8: Keep writing something new while querying the finished work. It keeps honing your skills and keeps your creative juices flowing, which helps to offset the emotional rollercoaster of queries and rejections. You might even realize that your second book is so much better than your first that maybe your first isn’t as great as you thought it was. Maybe your first book will never be published. Or your second. But with each novel you write, your art is honed and your craft is polished. Many of the greatest writers we know today wrote several novels before ever getting one published, and often that was after dozens or even hundreds of rejections. Why should it be any easier for you?

Lesson #9: Never, ever, ever give up.

You need to write. Your soul requires it of you. And there are readers out there waiting to read what you have to say. They need to read it. As soon as you learn to write it the way it’s meant to be written.

Lesson #10: Looking back on the journey thus far and how much I’ve learned about writing, I realize this: what I have yet to learn about writing would fill a library.

Robb Grindstaff is managing editor of an international English-language daily newspaper. He writes short stories and novels, and does freelance fiction editing. http://tiny.cc/RobbWriter

*Author/transcriber’s note: I’ve kept the original spellings intact so you can truly enjoy the following play. At ten years old, I had more than enough experience to write a number of plays, but this was always my favorite.

2nd farie: We need to hide in the forest. Quick!

1st witch: I have called this meeting of witches and ghosts for a special reason. To destroy this Halloween for everyone!

(Witches and ghosts cheer.)

1st ghost: But what are we going to do?

2nd witch: Yes, those good fairys always stop us.

1st witch: I have a plan that this time I know will work.

2nd ghost: What is that paper you are holding?

1st witch: Ah, this is my plan that I have so skillfully made. It is a recipe for a magical brew that will stop Halloween forever! Did you bring the things I told you to bring?

3rd witch: Yes, we did, are they for the recipe?

1st witch: Yes, bring them forth one at a time.

2nd witch: I have the spiders web.

1st ghost: I will put in the black cat’s fur.

3rd witch: Dried pumpkin seeds is what I brought.

2nd and 3rd ghosts: We brought the worst thing of all, A DEAD FARIES WING!

(All the witches and ghosts scream with delight.)

3rd farie: Oh no! Not a fariy.

(The witches and ghosts go and get the faries and bring them to the 1st witch.)

2nd witch: Kill them!

1st ghost: No, lets put them in the brew.

1st witch: No. Keep them alive. We’re going to let them see the kids with no fun on Halloween night!

2nd farie: Let us go, Now!

1st farie: Shh! I’ve got a plan.

(Witches and Ghosts start to chant, while 1st witch stirs brew, “Witches brew start to bubble, on Halloween night make lots of trouble!”)

3rd farie: What are we going to do? I can’t move my feet.

2nd farie: They must have put a spell on our feet.

1st farie: I am going to put a spell on them, that will make them know it is bad to be evil.

(First farie waves magic wand, and witches and ghosts fall to the ground.)

1st witch: We were wrong. Evil is bad. Now everyone, get rid of that brew! (Song)

(Witches and Ghosts say, “Turn to punch witches brew, so that we can have a drink of you.”)

And now for some analysis:

The key theme of good versus evil is universal and appears throughout literature. In this case, however, the good triumphs over evil too easily. The protagonists are not tried nearly enough, making the end putter out instead of having a distinct climax and resolution, bringing down the level of tension with it.

The obvious errors of punctuation and inability to spell “fairy/fairies” aside, the play does have a certain charm to it. There is drama, of course, but by eliminating the obvious descriptions of action in dialogue and making those directorial notes instead, the piece would flow more smoothly in addition to amping up the intrigue.

As well as the characters are portrayed, there is a certain lack of depth considering none of the characters have names. They are all drones, with none clearly set as leader. As with all evil plans that antagonists declaims to the audience—and to the hidden protagonists—they are doomed to fail. The shortsightedness of the plans—in this case, the misstep in not removing the fairies’ wands—is an opportunity for the hero to triumph. But we see in this play that though evil is vanquished, the villains are not destroyed. Instead they are converted to the side of good, a death-bed repentance, if you will. How this will play into the other 3/4 of the act are yet to be seen as the author never wrote more on the subject.