Contrary to my blog title, I was patriotic this weekend. We journeyed up north and stayed longer than expected, ate more than necessary and had not internet connection. Henceforth my hiatus.
We also had a little mishap–or two. Henceforth my title.
Eldest broke his toe in a barefoot soccer match. He should have been wearing tennies, but impromptu backyard games make us forget to nab our sneakers before fully engaging.
On the same day, DH capsized his sailboat in the middle of the lake. When my father-in-law jumped in the speed boat to save him, I followed without thinking. In the trial and error process of rescuing DH, I ended up bruised and battered.
Eldest and I reluctantly wore black and blue.
The red, however, was all good news. Last year at an SCBWI conference, I heard an editor speak about a new book she had recently acquired. She was thrilled to have it in her hands and spoke enthusiastically about this YA novel.
Turns out Sisters Red was worthy of her praise. It’s not often I find a fairytale that really grabs me, but this book did. And it got me thinking. Did I love the book because of Jill Dembowski’s enthusiasm, or would I have loved it equally without her gushing about it?
I had no intention of buying this book as I scanned the shelves on Friday. Yet the title popped into my head after lying dormant for over a year, and something stirred deep within me. I knew I had to have it.
I was prepared to love it and I did. I was not prepared to rescue DH and I suffered for it by fumbling with a wet, heavy mast in gale force winds. Eldest was ill-prepared to kick the ball around and will pay a high price for his foolishness as marching season ramps up.
Preparation goes a long way in dictating how we experience things. It also plays a major role in how we present our writing.
A great novel deserves the undying love and respect of its author. We should be able to paint it with passion in a few choice words. If we can’t, we will end up with a battered a bruised hook. One that does nothing but highlight how ill-prepared were are to represent our writing.
How do you answer when someone asks, “What are you writing about?” Do you have an enthusiastic and engaging hook to present? One that will stir something deep inside and suck your potential readers in? Or, are you a bit unprepared and fumbling?
Words from the Woods 