What’s Next? A Museum of Possibilities…

My Spring 2012 novel EYE OF THE STORM is on its way to copy edits.

Copy edit notes for REAL REVISION: AUTHORS’ STRATEGIES TO SHARE WITH STUDENT WRITERS are on a UPS truck somewhere, heading back to Stenhouse for the book’s release this May.

My mail from readers is answered. The email in-box is empty.

And my fingers are twitchy.

Does anyone else feel this way when it’s time to start a new project? 

Part of me wants to get on with it, to meet the new characters and get lost in the new setting.  But part of me also loves the feeling of not knowing. It reminds me of this photo I saw a while back…


from http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/02/03/the-museum-of-possibilities/

It’s Montreal’s "Museum of Possibilities," a one-day installation last spring that invited visitors to share their ideas for the Quartier des Spectacles public space by writing them on slips of paper and attaching them to colorful balloons.  Then other visitors could vote on them by putting stickers on their favorite. Lovely, no? In so many ways…

But of course, at some point, the balloon people had to choose one plan or there would never be anything in that public space. And at some point soon, I need to decide on a new book project. There are three that are looking particularly shiny, so I’ve sent those to my editor. I’ll let you know if she puts her sticker on one.

For now, though, I’m enjoying the bright rising maybes, the rainbow of ideas, and this feeling that that next book could be anything…anything at all.

SUGAR AND ICE: The iPhone/iPod app is here!

About a year ago, my son started teaching himself how to write code for iPhone, iPod, and iPad applications. The endeavor has taken on a life of its own, to the point where he’s commandeered one of our basement rooms and dubbed it "Snowfire Software World Headquarters."

This summer, the boy’s first app, a custom-background calculator for the iPad, was released for sale in the iTunes app store, and he’s been working on some new applications since then.  His latest project is particularly exciting for Mom…

The SUGAR AND ICE Skating Checklist has a list of different moves, spins, and jumps at different levels so skaters can use it to practice at the rink, and of course, there’s a little about the book included, too. It’s a free download if you’d like to check it out – just click here, or do a search for "Sugar and Ice" in the app store on your device.

On Getting to Work…

I’ve been reading Betsy Lerner’s book THE FOREST FOR THE TREES: AN EDITOR’S ADVICE TO WRITERS – it’s entertaining and thought-provoking, a great book for writers and people who want to write. 

Here’s what she has to say about our ritualized writing behaviors and excuses for not showing up at the keyboard:

If you are meant to write, if you are ready to write, if what you must do is write, then all you really need is paper and pencil…. the more you indulge any neurotic notions about a set of necessary conditions that will enable you to write, the colder the trail will get.

With that, I’m off to review copy edits on my teacher revision book.  Just as soon as I have my Post-It notes.  And some tea. And my very sharp blue pencil.

What about you?  What are your "necessary conditions" that you may not need to write but you sure do like?