Writing is my Part-Time Job: 2015, a Year in Review
I failed at every single one of my writing goals this year. But I did spend a lot of time writing (over 600 hours) and consider the year a great success. The goals I made and fell short of motivated me to keep moving forward. And during 2015, one of my stories was published in a print book, which was a longer-term goal that I hadn’t anticipated reaching this year.
600 Hours
600 hours means I spent, on average, an hour and forty minutes every single day writing. That’s 11.5 hours per week. Here’s the break-down of how I spent my time:
- I spent 53% of my time revising words, making chapters, scenes, and sentences better. Revising is painful, but it’s also one of my favorite parts of writing, because I can see my writing getting better at doing what I want it to do for the reader.
- During 2015 I critiqued 7 novels and a number of small pieces (also known as grad school applications).
- I wrote relatively little new content—in total, I wrote 46,000 entirely new words (compared to 135,700 during 2014). Of those 46,000 words, a lot of them were on my blog or personal/family writing. However, I did write two new short stories and a 10,000 word brainstorm on a new novel idea.
Project Focus
- I spent most of my year revising my steampunk novel, writing approximately one and a half drafts. It’s getting close to being ready for submission.
- At the beginning of the year, my novelette “The Clockwork Seer” was accepted for publication. Between the editor and the copy editor, it went through five more drafts. It was an amazing experience to work with an editor, and to learn about publishing and marketing. And now I have a book with my name on it sitting on my bookshelf.
I would like to point out that being published in print has instantly made me wealthy and famous. To prove this, a picture of my first royalty check:
Other Publications During 2015
In addition to “The Clockwork Seer,” I had three other publications during 2015.
- “Yongrui and the Tree of Life” won first place in Segullah’s 2015 fiction contest.
- “Breastfeeding Mama” was a first place winner in the Tempe Community Writing Contest.
- “The Five Year Journal” was published as a finalist in the 2015 Mormon Lit Blitz.
During 2015, I reaped a lot of benefits from previous years’ work. Both “Yongrui” and “The Clockwork Seer” were originally written during 2014. “Breastfeeding Mama” was written in 2012, and then suffered major revamps in both 2013 and 2014.
A Part-Time Job
Many people ask me when (and how) I write as a stay-at-home mother. But the same can be asked of anyone who has another job and is unable to devote all their time to writing. Basically, you treat it as a part-time job on top of your normal job, spending an hour here, an hour there, and setting a minimum for how much time you will spend, no matter how tired or busy you are or what other things you are doing. Writing has become like brushing my teeth before sleeping: I will do it no matter what happens.
If there is a goal you want, learn how to build a habit (I recommend the book The Power of Habit) and then work for it every single day. Yes, I have those magical moments where writing just flows. It happens a handful of times every year. But most of the time, I don’t know where the muse is and I sit down and treat it like a work project, something that gets done. And, slowly but surely, I make progress.
A Tribute to Crappy, Little Parks (And Other Crappy, Little Things)
Today we walked to our neighborhood park. There was a mom’s group there, one of those groups that takes their kids to a different park or activity every week. “I think now we’ve been to every crappy, little park in the area,” one of the women complained to her friend.
Just as you can become a Connoisseur of Wines or Chocolate, you can become a Connoisseur of Fine Parks. And there are some pretty amazing parks within a 15 or 20 minute drive of my home, parks with splash pads and fancy climbing equipment, kid’s zip lines and real trains that you can ride for a few dollars.
Our crappy, little park has four swings and a modest playground. There is a poorly kept sand volleyball court and a few basketball hoops. And then some grass and trees.
A rather crappy picture I took at our park a few months ago. But my kids are smiling.
But even though I’ve been to Fine Parks, I love our crappy, little one. At a toddler’s pace, it takes us 5 or 10 minutes to walk there from our home. And we always walk–we never drive. My little daughters race across the grassy field toward the playground, thrilled at the adventure. It’s a neighborhood park, so there’s always a swing available. A canopy shades the playground, so even when the Arizona heat is stifling, we can still play as long as we go early enough in the morning. My girls run and make up pretend games among the grass and the trees, and build things in the sand of the volleyball court. Sometimes we visit our little park 3 or 4 times a week, and we can go for a short 10 minute visit. It is always a familiar, intimate, and fulfilling experience.
I can attend a world-class performance of an opera or ballet and never be satisfied with community theater again. After seeing the great works of art in great, metropolitan cities, we can find a local museum boring and mundane. We can undervalue our own attempts at singing, writing, photography, art, decorating, or any act of creation, simply because we know how our attempts compare to the best on youtube, instagram, and pinterest.
Or we can find joy and value in the little things. We need little parks that add greenery to our neighborhoods, that we can walk to instead of driving. We each need to create, to make something truly beautiful and valuable, without having any need to compare it to the world’s best things in its category. We need to find meaning and joy in the everyday, or we will be forever seeking something bigger and better, and never find happiness.
And that is why I love my crappy, little park.
“A Witch for a Day” – A Picture Book Illustrated by a 4-Year-Old
I wrote a picture book for my 4-year-old daughter and she illustrated it. She wanted me to post it online so that everyone could read it for Halloween. It’s titled A Witch for a Day and her illustrations are absolutely delightful.
But before I include the story/pictures, a little background. (You can scroll to skip if you just want the story.)
Last week, I received my very first fan art, for my novelette “The Clockwork Seer.”
It was made by my daughter Myra. When “The Clockwork Seer” was released in the anthology Steel and Bone in June, Myra asked me to read it to her. It took two days, but she listened attentively to the entire thing, despite the lack of any pictures.
After one of our reading sessions, Myra declared, “she feels tastes!”
I read it to her four months ago, but she still randomly brings it up (“there was an automaton, wasn’t there?”). And the picture she drew me about the story (which includes the title, under the orangish-brown square) even says “The Clockwork Seer.”
I flipped over the picture and on the back I found the following:
Myra said, “I drew you a pumpkin because your next story needs to be a Halloween story. And it needs to have witches and wizards in it.”
So I brainstormed a little, and sat down and wrote her a picture book. I printed it out and read her each page so she could illustrate it.
The results make me very happy. I hope you enjoy our story and have a very Happy Halloween!
A Witch for a Day – by Katherine Cowley; illustrated by Myra Cowley
And that, folks, is A Witch for a Day. Part of me thinks that every picture book should be illustrated by a 4-year-old.
Bonus Witch Pictures
My daughter has been rather excited about witches this year. Not only is she dressing as a witch for Halloween, but she has drawn several other witch pictures that she wanted me to share.
Happy Halloween!
A Fancy Nancy Birthday Party and Activities
Books are well-loved in my family, so it was quite natural to throw a book-themed birthday party. Having a Fancy Nancy themed birthday party made it so my daughter could have all the fancy, pink things she wanted. For activities we did everything from Fancy Nancy crafts to a Fancy Show and Tell.
You could easily throw a Fancy Nancy birthday party for children from ages 3 to 8 (and there are books targeted to both slightly younger and slightly older children). In this blog post I’ve included alternate activity ideas in addition to the ones I used. I’ve also included my approximate prices.
Fancy Apparel
What’s a Fancy Nancy party without fancy apparel? On the invitation we invited everyone to wear fancy clothes to the party. My husband even wore his tuxedo.
My daughters in their fancy clothes, waiting for the guests to arrive.
Opening Activity: Pin the Accessories on Fancy Nancy
I made a large Fancy Nancy poster and printed and cut out lots of jewelry, bows, ribbons, butterflies, and other decorations.
When the kids arrived, they were able to color in the accessories and then tape then on to Fancy Nancy. Because my daughter and her friends are rather young, they pinned the accessories on with their eyes open. Slightly older children could do it blindfolded.
Planning your own party:
If you want to print a poster at Office Max or another copy place, download a high quality file from Google. (On Google Images search Fancy Nancy. Click on Search Tools, Choose Size, and then select Large so you have a high quality image.)
I actually created my own poster by using a high quality black and white image, expanding it in Microsoft Excel, and then printing, assembling, and coloring it myself.
Fancy Nancy Crafts
I found a ridiculous number of paper crowns at Hobby Lobby for $2, bought sequins, and provided fun markers and glue. And then the kids decorated fancy crowns.
For those who finished their crowns more quickly, I also printed out Fancy Nancy coloring pages from Fancy Nancy World, an awesome website made by the publishers of the Fancy Nancy books.
Fancy Show and Tell
This was one of the highlights of our Fancy Nancy birthday party. On the invitation, we asked each of the kids to bring a fancy item for show and tell. The kids had an awesome time talking about their fancy items, and it was a great way to introduce kids who didn’t know each other.
Fancy Nancy Story Time and Dancing
What is a Fancy Nancy party without story time?
I read the kids the book Fancy Nancy: Budding Ballerina (which you can buy on Amazon for a few dollars).
In this book, Fancy Nancy decides to teach ballet lessons to her family. It’s a delightful little story.
After reading the book, all the kids got to dance, which was one of the highlights of the party. My daughters loved spinning and twirling with their friends. For music they chose “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.” There are also lots of great CD collections like The Little Ballerina! The Greatest Classical Ballet Music for Kids.
They also danced to the song “Anyone Can Be Fancy” from Fancy Nancy: The Musical. Yes, there’s a Fancy Nancy musical. It’s very existence makes me happy.
Fancy Nancy Birthday Treats and Party Favors
My daughter insisted on a Funfetti cupcake mix and pink frosting (she actually planned this part over six months in advance of the party). I bought several cans of Betty Crocker Cupcake Icing at the store, which made decorating the cupcakes really easy, as they already comes with four tips. (I just used the basic flower one, and went in circles from the outside of the cupcake in.) My daughters added sprinkles and umbrella toothpicks (Walmart–$4). The results are very similar to the cupcakes Fancy Nancy makes in the books.
For favors I bought a couple packs of girly party favors (which you can buy from a party store, Walmart, Target, etc.). I also purchased candy bracelets, extra rings and butterfly hair clips to add to the mix. And the favorite party favor of all: ring pops (from the dollar store).
If you want to go to the next level, you could give each kid a Fancy Nancy book. There are a number of paperbacks available for just a few dollars a copy. (For example, Tea for Two, Puppy Party, The Delectable Cupcakes, Super Secret Surprise Party, or, if you have slightly older kids and want an early chapter book, Secret of the Silver Key.)
Fancy Nancy Birthday Party: Additional Activity Ideas
- Fancy smells (perfume testing) or for older children, fancy nails
- A Fancy Nancy rhyming or fancy words activity
- Making fancy name tags or hair clips
- Turn the birthday party into a tea party, and read Tea for Two
- Fancy Nancy Hide ‘n Peek House Game (this is an awesome game, targeted for ages 6 and up, though you can simplify it for younger kids). This would work well for a more intimate party, with 5 or 6 guests.
- Fancy Nancy World has a number of printable games and crafts that could be used or adapted for a party.
My daughters were pretty worn out by the end of the party (when we had this picture taken) but they loved the party and so did the guests!
Flashback Friday: Jane Austen and the Art of Argument (Ignite Phoenix)
Two years ago I gave a presentation to 800 people at Ignite Phoenix titled “Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen and the Art of Argument.” I argue that if they had lived at the same time, Jane Austen and Aristotle probably would’ve fallen in love, because Jane Austen’s novels are really rhetoric textbooks that teach the art of argument.
In honor of one of my favorite holidays coming up, Talk Like Jane Austen Day, I’ve decided to repost the video of my Ignite Phoenix presentation:
More details on some of the rhetoricians and how Jane Austen uses their techniques can be found on my page, The Art of Argument in Pride and Prejudice.
In case you can’t tell, I heart Jane Austen.
I Read 107 Books When I Was 10, And Some Of Them Surprise Me
When I was ten years old I decided to keep a reading log. I wish I had kept one all growing up, but at least I have a little window into the past. I rediscovered the notebook the other day while unpacking after moving.
Highlights
When I was 10, I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time. I actually read it twice: in the Spring/Summer, and also later that Fall.
Never one to let labels of age-appropriate reading deter me, I read not only The Hobbit but the entire Lord of the Rings series, and a few other J. R. R. Tolkien novels. Lest you think I only read novels generally considered “great works,” I also read books such as There’s a Snake at Girl’s Camp. I don’t remember it, but surely it was pivotal in my personal literary formation.
The View from Saturday may have been my favorite book–it is the only book on the list that has a star and a “very good” next to it, and I also read it a second time.
I read 5 novels from the Wizard of Oz series, Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series, and all eight novels from the Anne of Green Gables series. Even then, I liked to binge on my favorite authors. And like now, I read all genres, though I had a soft spot for fantasy. Unfortunately, it’s been a while since I had time to read 107 novels in a year, though I still tend to read at least 60.
Perhaps someone’s reading habits at the age of ten can tell you everything you need to know about her. If so, feel free to browse through the entire list.
The Reading Log
Other Reading Log Glimpses
When I was ten, I also wrote a list called “Books read in Past.” I suspect these were books I read at the age of 8 or 9, which I wanted to remember having read. I also attempted to keep a reading log at the age of 11, but suffered from inconsistency, and only wrote down 10 books that year (though I likely read around the same number as at age 10).
