Author: Tracy Abell

Bid on a Manuscript Critique

/ Tracy Abell / 2 Comments

Tara Grogan-Stivers, otherwise known as  , is a breast cancer survivor.
You can read her story here.

Tara is raising money for the Susan G. Komen 3-day Breast Cancer Walk in Seattle.

Mandy Hubbard, otherwise known as  , is helping Tara’s efforts 
by auctioning off a full manuscript critique.

Full details on Mandy Hubbard’s fabulous critique offer.

Please check it out.
If you’re not interested in a critique, you may donate via Tara’s Fundraising Page.
Also, feel free to share this info and help spread the word.

Go, Tara!
        

Mentor Monday: Emotional Ping-Pong

/ Tracy Abell / 19 Comments

       

Last week I promised to share some insights
from my mentor, Claudia Mills.

Claudia is helping me revise a middle-grade novel
about two girls, one homeless and the other, not.

The first time I met with Claudia, she praised my
"wonderful sense of the shifting terrain of interpersonal
dynamics and psychological nuance."

But, it turns out my sensitivity and attunement to my characters
is also the main stumbling block in my story.

Claudia went on to write in her comments:
"It’s that you are SO good at psychological nuance that I sometimes
felt as if I were watching a ping-pong match . . . feelings were shifting
back and forth with such frequency that I lost sense of where
we were in the overall shape of the story."

She was absolutely right.
And I have a feeling some of my earlier readers had that same issue
(whether or not they were able to articulate it that way).

So that’s what I worked on in my opening chapters
(plus some other issues regarding initial conflict).
I focused on the psychological dynamics in each scene,
watching for the ping-pong effect.
I wanted to build tension in each of my story’s relationships.

I worked and worked.
Last week I met with Claudia to discuss the revisions.

While I nailed the revisions of the initial conflicts,
it turns out I’d written some more emotional ping-pong.

I was frustrated with myself,
and as we talked, I wondered if I’d ever fully grasp what she was saying.
I mean, I’m a hyper-sensitive person and I feel lots of emotions all the time;
I wasn’t sure if I could write characters any other way.

And then Claudia said this:
Your task is to give yourself room to build.

Cue the epiphany music!

I cannot write scenes in which characters’ feelings
jump all over the spectrum from one moment to the next.
Even though they might feel that way inside,
I can only allow their emotions to move incrementally within each scene
so that there’s somewhere for them to go as the story progresses.

For example, if I write a character expressing full-blown anger
toward another character in the opening chapters,
there’s not a lot of room to maneuver the emotions of their relationship.

I need room to build.
It’s as simple as that.
            

(This was taken yesterday afternoon and somehow the imagery feels right for this post). © 2010 Tracy Abell
                         

Revising and yearning for spring

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

   

I met with my mentor yesterday.
The good news is, she loved what I did with the opening scene.
Bad news, I continued to make some of the same mistakes
she’d pointed out after the first read.

I’m going to share her insights with you next week.

For now, I just want to say I’m looking forward
to when all that sad, dead-looking foliage
outside my window comes back to life.

In the meanwhile, here’s a clematis from my patio last summer:

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend.
            

Welcome, Ms. House Finch!

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

           

Five days ago I posted this photo of our brand-new yet lonely birdbath:

  

This morning, Carolyn asked via Facebook if we’d had any visitors yet.
I didn’t have time to respond in the negative since I had an appointment,
but when I got home I went to the window and checked out the situation.

The bird bath was empty.
Or was it?
Feathers!

I got my camera and was photographing the feathers
as proof of avian visitation,
when suddenly . . .
a bird appeared in the bath!

And here she is:

Our back yard is now officially a happenin’ place in the bird world!

Thanks for asking, Carolyn.  I think you’re magic!
                                
            

                                            

Live Journal Tag Management

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

         

I’m messing with my LJ tags today
and am wondering if anyone
has a magic bullet.

You know, some sure-fire method
to consolidate and organize.

For instance, how do you handle
all your writing-related posts?

I’m breaking down my Writing tag
into more specific tags
(for instance, Writing – plot),
and so far like this approach.

But then there are posts
here and there I can’t quite categorize.

This LJ project is beginning to feel a bit like
cleaning papers off my kitchen counter:
I usually make decisions and take action on most everything,
but never quite make the entire pile disappear.

I fear it will be the same here on the blog.

(Which makes me want to sing "Home, home on the blog…")
                 
                

Dorothy, whaddya think?

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

While waiting for mentor feedback,
I have gone back to another project.

Not having much fun.
It’s hard getting back in this story’s flow.

I feel exceedingly rusty
and wonder if I need a jolt from the oil can,
 

a bit of courage,

or maybe just a little faith in the journey.

                           

Friday Five: The Color Edition

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

     

I’m currently reading R.A. Nelson’s DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS, and came across this line:
The next morning the sun comes up like three-day old orange juice. 

And I thought, wow.

Later, I was hooping while listening to Regina Spektor, and heard this:
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet
From far, far away

So then I started thinking about colors
and how they can create such powerful imagery.

I grabbed a book off my nightstand, Laraine Herring’s WRITING BEGINS WITH THE BREATH,
and found this:
The yellow, diamond-shaped sign with the words "SNOW ZONE" on it was covered with snow,
revealing only "S  W   NE" to drivers.

From my bookshelf I opened T.C. Boyle’s THE TORTILLA CURTAIN to this:
His hair was red, for one thing — not the pale wispy carrot-top  Delaney had inherited from his Scots-Irish mother, but the deep shifting auburn you saw on the flanks of horses in an uncertain light.

And Carson McCullers’s THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER:
Besides his workbench and chair there was a heavy safe in the corner, a lavatory with a greenish mirror, and shelves full of boxes and worn-out clocks.

Can’t you just picture all that?
Wishing each of you a glorious weekend filled with COLOR and life!
                      

Not-so-new habits

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

 

I used to smoke.
I know, I know.
Dumb.

And even though it’s been a looong time
since I stuck one of those in my mouth,
I’ve realized I haven’t completely lost my oral fixation.

The whole time I’ve been working on revisions,
I’ve had my trusty pack of gum next to me:

And every time I reach for a new piece
(full disclosure, I chew a half-stick at a time),
I have an overwhelming sense of deja vu.
See, I used to buy cigarettes in the hard pack.

Back in the day, my desktop would’ve contained this:

But now, I’ve got this:

Old habits die hard, I guess.
              

Waste-Not Wednesday: Non-toxic Laptop Protection

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

          

I love my laptop.
I’m sure you love yours, too.

I wanted to protect my laptop
so went on Ebay and found a dandy cover
for just $9.99 and Free Shipping!
Sold!

That cover arrived and I tore open the plastic bag.
Whoa.
Massive chemical outgassing.
Gag-inducing neoprene nastiness. 
(I’ve since learned that neoprene won the Allergen of the Year Award in 2009).

Even after I aired out that sleeve in the sunshine for more than a week,
I still could not tolerate the chemical stench.

Fortunately, I found GreenSmart.

Among other cool products, GreenSmart offers a neogreene sleeve
and a laptop sleeve made from 100% recycled soda bottles.

No fuss, no muss, and even better, no stink.
Today’s tip:  do yourself, your laptop, and the planet a favor by supporting GreenSmart.
                

Won’t get fooled again

/ Tracy Abell / 15 Comments

      

What is it about writing stories that renders us
(and by us, I mean, me) clueless?

I’m revising a manuscript I used to think was pretty damned solid
but with the help of my mentor, I’m realizing I’d hit many wrong notes.

The opening chapter is so much better now
which makes me very happy
but also makes me wonder
what the hell was I thinking before?  

How could I miss the obvious?

I felt a bit shame-spirally last night as I contemplated my cluelessness
but am now trying to focus on feeling grateful for a stronger manuscript,
and am reminding myself I will carry this awareness to later projects.

I won’t get fooled again.
            

Friday Five: Notebook Love

/ Tracy Abell / 23 Comments

       

1)  I love spiral-bound notebooks.

2)  I love this notebook I’m using for revisions,
a notebook formerly used by Wildebeest:

3)  I love that I can keep my pen and pencil handy
for immediate use:

4)  I love that I have pages and pages in which to jot any old thought that pops into my
head and that I can rewrite sentences and figure out characterization issues and vomit
out any angst and uncertainty here, and generally just have lots of room to move:

5)  But maybe most of all, I love that the back cover has a drawing by Wildebeest:

              

Two Bits On Massachusetts

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

       

1)  My favorite headline following the Republican victory in Massachusetts last night:

Obama Finally Gets His Victory for Bipartisanship

I’ve got to laugh.
Obama’s put all his energy into that bipartisan angle
despite many, many people pointing out
bipartisanship was never gonna work with
the Party of No.

(The headline is from Drew Westen
and you can see the entire piece here.
It’s worth the read).

2)  And then there’s this reminder from the ever-insightful Digby:

The Democrats are all running around this morning looking panicked and freaked out which doesn’t give anyone confidence. Everyone seems to forget that a year ago, Obama only had 58 votes in the Senate and everyone was in a state of near hysteria over his massive institutional power and soaring mandate. Now he has 59 and he’s suddenly impotent. But this reaction was sadly predictable. And the message from the media and their centrist muses is also predictable — move right immediately. SOS.

(Digby’s entire post here)

I’ve got a feeling I’ll be laughing a lot in the near future.
You know, to avoid the tears.
                                  

Gaining Flexibility

/ Tracy Abell / 31 Comments

            

Last February I proclaimed to the world (um, my little Live Journal circle of friends)
that I wanted to focus on flexibility in 2009.
I hoped to touch my head to my knees by the end of the year.

I’m not quite there.
But as you can see by these photos, I’m definitely making progress:

  February 2009                                                  January 2010
       

Most every morning I start my day with my litte Kundalini Yoga workout dvd.
I love it and not only because it’s helped me become more flexible.
I love it because during the hardest-for-me pose, the "narrator" says PREVAIL!

            

Moving forward by going backward

/ Tracy Abell / 10 Comments

   

I haven’t been running as much as usual.
I’ve developed some weirdness about running.
I feel intimidated,
psyched out,
less-than-enthusiastic
when contemplating a run.

But today I decided to run my little neighborhood loop
in reverse.
And instead of feeling the pressure to get my Best Time Ever,
I just ran.
And enjoyed myself.

So here’s what I can take from this:
Remove the expectations
and experience the activity for what it is.
In this case, a difficult, mostly uphill slog that I’m proud to have completed.
That is all.

I’d like to keep this in mind with my writing, too.
When I’m feeling pressured and intimidated,
I hope to remember to write in whatever manner gets me writing again.

Even if it means writing in reverse.
           

In case you were wondering

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

     

Earlier this week I shared our bird seed experiment.
Well, today it’s official:
our neighborhood birds did NOT like the hot meats bird seed.

With the possible exception of this Black-capped Chickadee:

(photo by Zippy)

This morning Zippy cleaned out the feeders
(the hot meats are in a pie tin on the patio table
in case that chickadee comes back for more),
and filled the feeders with "boring" old safflower seeds.

The House Finches are very, very happy.
And we’re thrilled to have them back.

                  

Clothes pin?

/ Tracy Abell / 11 Comments

     

I’m supposed to be revising right now.
I was, up until two minutes ago
when I tiptoed away from my pages.

The thing is,
the whole project seems pretty stinky right now.

I’m not sure if I should
(A) call it a night before I do more damage or
(B) put a clothes pin on my nose and keep at it.

Maybe I will 
(C) crack open a cold beer and ponder the situation.
             

Frederick Douglass on Haiti

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments


I regard her [Haiti] as the original pioneer emancipator of the nineteenth century. It was her one brave example that first of all started the Christian world into a sense of the Negro’s manhood. It was she who first awoke the Christian world to a sense of “the danger of goading too far the energy that slumbers in a black man’s arm.” Until Haiti struck for freedom, the conscience of the Christian world slept profoundly over slavery. – Hon. Frederick Douglass, ex-United States Minister to the Republic of Haiti, January 2, 1893.

Here’s the link to Douglass’s entire World’s Fair lecture.

Haiti has always struggled mightily
to survive on her own terms.
She’s strong, I know.
I just wish the universe would quit testing her.

Touched by his noodly appendage

/ Tracy Abell / 11 Comments

             

I take a certain amount of glee
in answering questions about
why the back of my car
is adorned with this:


The Flying Spaghetti Monster

Especially when the person asking
was raised to doubt evolution
and, instead, touts creationism.

I tell the truth, though,
since I am a proud Pastafarian.

And you know what? 
Wildebeest’s friend handled my explanation just fine.         

               

Exhilaration vs. Hyperventilation

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

           

I love roller coasters.
But I also panic at the thought of roller coasters.

I’m feeling those same mixed emotions as I prepare to embark on this revision.

I’m thrilled at the thought of finally creating the book I’d intended
but also a bit nervous about what I might experience along the way.

I know there will be thrills and spills.
And undoubtedly this revision will involve some screaming
and white knuckles.
Followed by more screaming.
Let’s just hope I don’t ever wet myself,
not even a little bit.

Okay,  here goes . . .

Two on a Tuesday

/ Tracy Abell / 10 Comments

             

ONE:
Heading off this morning to meet for the first time
with my new mentor, Claudia Mills.

She’ll be working with me to revise CLOSE TO HOME,
a MG I love and want to see published.

I’m grateful to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI
for instituting this new mentor program.

TWO:
Zippy convinced me to buy hot meats bird seed.
Huh?!

Sunflower Meats, hot chili peppers, and safflower oil.
Supposedly, birds don’t mind the heat but squirrels do.

Zippy thought we’d get a greater variety of birds
if we offered hot meats rather than plain old safflower seeds.

But so far….
no takers.

On the plus side, I haven’t seen any squirrels with pained expressions, either.

(And so you don’t think we’re completely heartless,
we have one of those squirrel corn-cob-thingies available for gnawing).

                        

Incoming!

/ Tracy Abell / 21 Comments

  

Not sure if the perched bird is cheering on the flier
or shrieking "Mayday!  Mayday!"

I know…
more anthropomorphism.
But  convinced me it was okay.
                   

Here birdie, birdie, birdie…

/ Tracy Abell

        

For those who enjoy birds and my feeder photography,
I’m posting this email I received today.
May it inspire you to create something bird-related.

Please let me know if you submit an entry to
the Winter Bird Survival Challenge
so I can look you up on the Celebrate Urban Birds website!

Cornell Lab of Ornithology Jan. 6, 2010 

Take Our Winter Bird Survival Challenge

European Starling by Evelyne Samson
© Cornell Lab of Ornithology

 

Dear Friend,

How do birds withstand wicked winter weather and other daily threats to survival, even in warmer climates? We have a new environmental challenge for you from the Celebrate Urban Birds project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We invite you to show us how birds are surviving in your neighborhood this winter. It can be a photo, artwork, video, even a story or a poem describing how birds are finding the food, water, and shelter they need. You can take part no matter what your age or skill level. Groups such as schools, libraries, clubs, and businesses are also more than welcome. As you may know, Celebrate Urban Birds is a free, year-round citizen-science project focused on birds in neighborhood settings. 

I find it unbelievable how even tiny birds can survive being outdoors 24/7 in places where winter is cold and snowy! Your entry for this challenge could show a crow huddling near a chimney to get warm, birds visiting feeders or raiding a berry bush for food, birds dabbling in a fountain for water, or maybe even one of the lucky birds soaking up the sun in a warm, southern state.

We have more great prizes including a pair of Eagle Optics binoculars, bird feeders, a birdsong calendar, books, posters, cards and more. The first 50 people who enter will receive a copy of the "Little Green Places" poster and selected images and videos will be posted on the Celebrate Urban Birds website.

Here’s how to enter:
1. Email entries to urbanbirds@cornell.edu. If you submit a video, post it on YouTube and send us the link.
2. Write “Survival_yourfirstname yourlastname yourstate” in the subject line.
3. Include your mailing address in your email
4. Explain why you submitted your entry—describe your winter conditions and what you observe the birds doing during winter. 
5. One entry per person, please.

                                        Deadline for entries is February 15, 2010