Still Writing

At the recent bookstore signing for my latest Creatively Human - Why We Imagine, Make and Innovate , a shopper asked me whether I still had copies of my writing book. This would be 101-and more-Writing Exercises to Get You Started and Keep You Going .  Amazingly, even though it was published 19 years ago, I still do. And people are still using it. '101X' came out of repeated requests from students who asked, "What should I write about now we've finished the course?" They liked the prompts I provided in class - all of which came with an explanation of the element of craft featured, and how it played into their writing work. The book has been used by writing groups - one of which has been ordering occasional copies for more than 15 years, as new members joined their group.  By teachers who found it useful in class - high school and adult continuing ed. And by writers, working alone, wanting to improve their craft.  I still use it occasionally when I need to 'exe...

Actually, I dislike that phrase. But in this case... My newest book came out this week - my tenth for children and teens since 2008's Meeting Miss 405 , all from Orca Book Publishers.      I am proud of them all. Even the one that did not 'earn out' the advance, despite good reviews from review journals and readers. I am proud of the work I put into Creatively Human .  Proud that I was able to focus on the premise I had started out with - that 'Everyone is Creative. Creativity is Everywhere.' My ability to stick with my editor as together we developed the outline in a way that responded to the editorial committee's input. To do the research necessary. Nip and tuck the writing until it fit the required 17,000 words. Come up with section titles and headings that help the reader find their way through the book. Seek out photos that work with the text and write captions once they were in place. Have the patience to let the editorial and design process do their work....