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Monday, January 27, 2014

What I'm Reading This Week (1/27)



I'm reading THE IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY by Laurie Halse Anderson. (Love her!)

The 6-year-old is reading PETE THE CAT: I LOVE MY WHITE SHOES by Erc Litwin with art by James Dean. (He is literally reading it. That makes me one happy mama.)

The 12-year-old is reading  THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY AND THE PERILOUS JOURNEY by Trenton Lee Stewart. (In the car yesterday, she chose to read instead of playing her iPhone. Again, one happy mama.)

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

I'm 80% There!


I love writing. It's what I'm meant to do. But there are times when it feels impossible. I start asking myself questions.

Why isn't it coming together? Will this book ever be complete? Will it be any good? Can I get a job at Starbucks?

Woody Allen said, "Eighty percent of success is Showing Up." 

OK. I'll give you that. I'll put my butt back in the chair. I'll put my fingers on the keyboard. Now, please tell me what the other twenty percent is.

Luck. That has to be part of it. And maybe Natural Ability. (Though I'm one of those people that likes to think that hard work can trump natural ability, except maybe in the NBA--where along with hard work you have to be tall and male.)

Thomas Edison said, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."

So not only do I need to put my butt in the chair, I need to pull out my hair in frustration, mumble under my breath, forget to shower, doubt everything, drink high-octane coffee, and not give up.

I can do that. At least this morning, I can.

I'm 80% there.