I originally posted this last September. But in honor of Beverly Cleary's 95th birthday a couple weeks ago, I'm reposting it because it's just as true now as it was then. Enjoy!
Why I feel like Ellen Tebbits . . .
I am a HUGE fan of Beverly Clearly. Apart from not reading Dear Mr. Henshaw, I've read nearly every book of hers out there (including her "teen" books - Fifteen, Sister of the Bride, etc.)
Some of my most vivid childhood memories involve her books . . . Like when I lost my 9th birthday party (don't ask why) but I still got a couple of presents and one of them was Ramona and her Mother. And then there was the time I cured myself of reading in the bathtub when I accidentally dropped my beloved copy of Ramona the Pest and made it 3 times its normal size.
I do have my favorites: Ramona the Pest, Socks, Fifteen, Emily's Runaway Imagination, Mitch and Amy, and my all time favorite . . . Ellen Tebbits.
Last week, during quiet reading time at school, I pulled out a copy of Ellen Tebbits from our class library and suddenly I was 9 years old again. And I realized that of all the Beverly Cleary books I have read, Ellen Tebbits is the only one I could probably recite, part and parcel, the entire story from beginning to end.
And that made me wonder . . . why is that?
After mulling this question over and over in my brain this past weekend, I figured out it probably has to do with how much I identify with Ellen. Then as much as now.
Ellen tries her best to be perfect . . . to do her best at everything. Obey her mother, desperately wants her teacher's approval and is devastated when things don't work out the way she plans.
For better or for worse, that was me as a kid. And to a certain extent, that's me now. The great thing about Ellen is that she does learn from her mistakes.
And just like Ellen, I like to think that I do too. :)
Showing posts with label ramblings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ramblings. Show all posts
Monday, May 16, 2011
Monday, September 6, 2010
Why I feel like Ellen Tebbits . . .
I am a HUGE fan of Beverly Clearly. Apart from not reading Dear Mr. Henshaw, I've read nearly every book of hers out there (including her "teen" books - Fifteen, Sister of the Bride, etc.)
Some of my most vivid childhood memories involve her books . . . Like when I lost my 9th birthday party (don't ask why) but I still got a couple of presents and one of them was Ramona and her Mother. And then there was the time I cured myself of reading in the bathtub when I accidentally dropped my beloved copy of Ramona the Pest and made it 3 times its normal size.
I do have my favorites: Ramona the Pest, Socks, Fifteen, Emily's Runaway Imagination, Mitch and Amy, and my all time favorite . . . Ellen Tebbits.
Last week, during quiet reading time at school, I pulled out a copy of Ellen Tebbits from our class library and suddenly I was 9 years old again. And I realized that of all the Beverly Cleary books I have read, Ellen Tebbits is the only one I could probably recite, part and parcel, the entire story from beginning to end.
And that made me wonder . . . why is that?
After mulling this question over and over in my brain this past weekend, I figured out it probably has to do with how much I identify with Ellen. Then as much as now.
Ellen tries her best to be perfect . . . to do her best at everything. Obey her mother, desperately wants her teacher's approval and is devastated when things don't work out the way she plans.
For better or for worse, that was me as a kid. And to a certain extent, that's me now. The great thing about Ellen is that she does learn from her mistakes.
And just like Ellen, I like to think that I do too. :)
Some of my most vivid childhood memories involve her books . . . Like when I lost my 9th birthday party (don't ask why) but I still got a couple of presents and one of them was Ramona and her Mother. And then there was the time I cured myself of reading in the bathtub when I accidentally dropped my beloved copy of Ramona the Pest and made it 3 times its normal size.
I do have my favorites: Ramona the Pest, Socks, Fifteen, Emily's Runaway Imagination, Mitch and Amy, and my all time favorite . . . Ellen Tebbits.
Last week, during quiet reading time at school, I pulled out a copy of Ellen Tebbits from our class library and suddenly I was 9 years old again. And I realized that of all the Beverly Cleary books I have read, Ellen Tebbits is the only one I could probably recite, part and parcel, the entire story from beginning to end.
And that made me wonder . . . why is that?
After mulling this question over and over in my brain this past weekend, I figured out it probably has to do with how much I identify with Ellen. Then as much as now.
Ellen tries her best to be perfect . . . to do her best at everything. Obey her mother, desperately wants her teacher's approval and is devastated when things don't work out the way she plans.
For better or for worse, that was me as a kid. And to a certain extent, that's me now. The great thing about Ellen is that she does learn from her mistakes.
And just like Ellen, I like to think that I do too. :)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Deadlines . . . what good are they?
Tomorrow is July 1st, and I haven't decided if that's a good thing or not . . . because it is a deadline I set for myself and I haven't figured out if I'm going to make it yet.
I usually work well with deadlines . . . I always have. I'm a fairly organized person who needs the structure of knowing what I need to get done and when it needs to be done by.
I'll admit I've never had to deal with a formal deadline set by an editor. I have, however, followed deadlines set by magazines, ie: sending a story with a specific theme and/or metaphor, in to a magazine by a certain date to make sure it makes it for an upcoming issue's deadline.
Anyway, I often make deadlines for myself so I can keep myself on task.
Tomorrow, July 1st, is the date I was supposed to have Sophia ready to send to the editor at Viking. Unfortunately as I have been going over her, there are too many questions marks brought up by myself, and my fabulous writing group, that make me wonder if she's ready to make that jump.
sigh!
So we'll see what happens. I still have until tomorrow night to make my decision.
And figure out when my next deadline will be.
I usually work well with deadlines . . . I always have. I'm a fairly organized person who needs the structure of knowing what I need to get done and when it needs to be done by.
I'll admit I've never had to deal with a formal deadline set by an editor. I have, however, followed deadlines set by magazines, ie: sending a story with a specific theme and/or metaphor, in to a magazine by a certain date to make sure it makes it for an upcoming issue's deadline.
Anyway, I often make deadlines for myself so I can keep myself on task.
Tomorrow, July 1st, is the date I was supposed to have Sophia ready to send to the editor at Viking. Unfortunately as I have been going over her, there are too many questions marks brought up by myself, and my fabulous writing group, that make me wonder if she's ready to make that jump.
sigh!
So we'll see what happens. I still have until tomorrow night to make my decision.
And figure out when my next deadline will be.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Sometimes you need to just . . . breathe.
Breathing . . .
Breathing is a good thing, and not just for the obvious reasons. Breathing clears the mind. And for some people, it clears the soul.
I am an anxious person thanks to genetics and certain childhood experiences. When I get to a point where I feel my anxiety creeping up on me, the first thing I do is try to breathe.
Unfortunately, that usually causes me to hyperventilate and then I get that needle-and-pins feeling in my hands and feet . . .
So why am I talking about this, and what does it have to do with my writing?
Well, it has to do with my LEAST favorite part of writing . . . revising.
There's something about finishing the rough draft of a novel (or any other piece I'm working on) that puts me on another plane. Almost a giddiness. Then reality sets in and I realize, once again, that the easy part has been completed, and the real work needs to be done.
I mentioned in my last post I had figured out the tie my two main characters in the current book I'm working on share. I've spent what little writing time I've had today (apart from writing this post) focusing on that.
But I'm fighting off that "feel like I'm over my head" feeling I get when I do.
The Quote of the Week I posted on my FB page is, "If at first you don't succeed, try . . . try again." I wrote that because I've been going through some stacks of papers today and found my REJECTIONS folder. It used to be that my "old" pile - the rejections I received very early in my writing career - was bigger than my "current" pile - the ones I've received since 2004.
Seeing the "current" pile kinda hit me like a ton of bricks and that quote immediately popped into my mind.
However, I'm hoping my revising work on Sophia, Alison, and their problems will help me forget about mine.
Revising, rambling and breathing . . .
Breathing is a good thing, and not just for the obvious reasons. Breathing clears the mind. And for some people, it clears the soul.
I am an anxious person thanks to genetics and certain childhood experiences. When I get to a point where I feel my anxiety creeping up on me, the first thing I do is try to breathe.
Unfortunately, that usually causes me to hyperventilate and then I get that needle-and-pins feeling in my hands and feet . . .
So why am I talking about this, and what does it have to do with my writing?
Well, it has to do with my LEAST favorite part of writing . . . revising.
There's something about finishing the rough draft of a novel (or any other piece I'm working on) that puts me on another plane. Almost a giddiness. Then reality sets in and I realize, once again, that the easy part has been completed, and the real work needs to be done.
I mentioned in my last post I had figured out the tie my two main characters in the current book I'm working on share. I've spent what little writing time I've had today (apart from writing this post) focusing on that.
But I'm fighting off that "feel like I'm over my head" feeling I get when I do.
The Quote of the Week I posted on my FB page is, "If at first you don't succeed, try . . . try again." I wrote that because I've been going through some stacks of papers today and found my REJECTIONS folder. It used to be that my "old" pile - the rejections I received very early in my writing career - was bigger than my "current" pile - the ones I've received since 2004.
Seeing the "current" pile kinda hit me like a ton of bricks and that quote immediately popped into my mind.
However, I'm hoping my revising work on Sophia, Alison, and their problems will help me forget about mine.
Revising, rambling and breathing . . .
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