Muse On-Line Writers Conference

October 13, 2007

wannabwriter.jpgBefore I launch in Seattle stuff, I want to tell you about last week’s Muse On-line Writers Conference. It was a free conference that I found through an on-line writers group I recently joined.

For a week, people from all over participated in live chats and workshops with publishers, promoters, writers and illustrators, and a full discussion forum with the same. Since I registered late, I had lots of homework, reading handouts and research on websites — and believe it or not, I had never even been in a live chat room before (but it was fun once I got the hang of it.)

I didn’t realize it was going to be so good, or I would have told more people about it before. But I’ll be signing up for next year Oct. 13-19, 2008 — registration starts in January, so I’ll let you know then. And hopefully I’ll have some work done on my book ideas and be bouncing ideas off you before then! :)

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Lesson from a Writer

August 2, 2007

painting_tests1.jpg

Where have you been? you’re probably asking… I don’t know really, just bouncing off the ceiling like a silly thing. Seems lately I’ve either had the opportunity to meet creative people or just take a big bath in the wash of their creations.

In the studio, it’s been hot hot HOT, so I have had little inclination to fire up an iron or turn on a sewing machine. In the meantime, I’ve been playing with paints. In the photo on the left you see a gouache experiment and on the right an acrylic. Also just got back from an Uncommon Threads retreat where I played around (and already washed some essential parts down the sink drain) with my new Airpen. I’ve also just finished revamping my Quilts and Drawing webpages, so check them out and send me some feedback, please!

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by children’s author David Harrison, who has published 73 books. It was inspiring to learn the story of how he’s structured his business life around his writing habit. One of his points that caught my attention — when he was younger he said he chased every single idea. Then as he became a more seasoned writer, he realized writing was a lot of work — so he only pursued ideas that he was really enamored with and were solid, going somewhere kind of projects.

Part of being an artist is play and experimentation. I’m a firm believer in that. But artists can also take his advice to heart, and knowing when to use it is the key.

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