I'm reading Cheryl Klein's The Magic Words and doing most of the writing activities she assigns.
One of them is to write down a list of the books you wish you had written, so I started making a list. First it's a hard list to make. Second I learned something about my reading voice that correlates with my writing voice.
I would love you to chyme in and tell me a few of the books you wish you had written and if you can tell something about your writing voice based on the books you love? I had to write the list to recognize the correlation.
Here goes my list:
Picture Books
Home Place by Crescent Dragonwagon
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
The Relatives by Cynthia Rylant
Sophie's Squash by Pat Z. Miller
Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer
Middle Grade
Out Of The Dust by Karen Hess
With A Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo
Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Young Adult
Caged Grave by Dianne Salerni
Dig Too Deep by Amy Allgeyer
The Boy in Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Bread and Roses Too by Katherine Patterson
Beautiful by Amy Reed
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Almost all these books have a very gentle voice or tone. Someone I admire very much, Stephanie Bearce, recently told me I have a gentle writing voice. It meant so much to me that she recognized what I had hoped for since I began writing. Now I need to do what all these published authors did...submit my work until I get an acceptance.
My goals for July and August are to submit my four polished picture book manuscripts, my middle grade novel and my chapter book to at least ten publishing houses. I also want to continue working through Cheryl Klein's book and work on my YA WIP.
What are your goals for the summer?
wow...very cool way to figure out your writing voice. from the stuff i've critiqued for you, i agree you have a gentle tone. i think that makes what you write easier to read. i have no idea about my writing voice but for sure it's not gentle. lol i'm glad you're goal is to submit a lot of things in the next couple of months. you're a good writer and for sure someone will grab up your work and publish it. ...hugs
ReplyDeleteWow! You have lots of awesome goals. I've been wanting to read Cheryl's updated book. Maybe I will soon. I've actually started writing a little. I'm just seeing where it goes.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful goal. I hope that you get to submit your work so we get to read .
ReplyDeleteThere are some story ideas that I wish were my writing work and some one wrote them as Hindi movie script. A couple of times I told a story line to my brother and he laughed and told me that the story was that of such and such Hindi movie. I guess my mind is still set in Indian culture. I have lived in New York for over forty years but whenever I want to write anything creative I find it difficult. I am fine with non fiction
This summer I am hoping to write at least one article in amagazine.
Good luck with those awesome goals!!! I'm impressed!
ReplyDeleteI'd really, really like to finish a rewrite of one project and the draft of a 2nd project over the summer. Crossing my fingers life lets me have the time!
Nice list! And you have a lovely gentle voice. I always enjoy reading your work! Keep writing!!
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon - interesting ... not having children - I've missed that era .. but seen what my god-daughters read and what they were encouraged to read ...hardly anything I remember. I used to devour Fairy Stories - but we had all the volumes ... I don't really remember others - until the teenage years came along.
ReplyDeleteSoft is good ... it draws one in, and then we can stay with the gentle rhythm ... enjoy the writing and it's good to see you back ready to go again - though I'm sure you never give up ...
Cheers Hilary
Quite the list. The worst they can tell you is "no", eh? Get out there and be bold. Enter contests. Query. I've got my toes crossed for you.
ReplyDeleteHi, Sharon....
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice collection of works. I can see why you are so attracted to them. All the best in submitting. Keep your skin thick because rejections are hard to take at times. I am so over them. Hoping some savvy publisher snaps them up!
I actionably penned out a short for the WEP bloghop. First thing I wrote in MONTHS. It felt good. SLOWLY very SLOWLY coming back to me. My submission pretty much expresses what I've felt. Writing can be so therapeutic......