Introducing: The Frame-Up and a Giveaway!

My second book, The Frame-Up, is now out in the world!

I'm so proud of this book and the love it has been receiving:

“This chapter book’s most memorable element is also its most unusual: the imaginative conviction that art is alive.” Booklist, starred review


If I am being truly honest, I always assumed that the second book I'd publish would be a sequel to It's a Mystery, Pig Face!

But the publishing gods are wiser and had different plans.

They decided my second book would be a fantastical adventure set in a real-life art gallery, and filled with lovable and interesting characters.

I wrote the first sentence of the first draft of The Frame-Up on November 1, 2015.

It is a NaNoWriMo baby, and at times it seemed as if it were writing itself.

In her book Big Magic, author Elizabeth Gilbert talks about the mysterious grace that sometimes assists writers in their work.

The writing process certainly felt like grace to me, although I have often wondered if it wasn't guided by the creative energy of the paintings who live at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

They had stories to tell, and I am fortunate that they decided to share them with me.

And I am even more fortunate that my readers will get to not only engage with those paintings in my novel (and perhaps someday in real life), but also with paintings in their own local art galleries or museums.

The inherent conceit of The Frame-Up is that all original art work is alive.

I have believed that since I was a young child.

The idea that the things we infuse with our creative selves have lives separate and apart from ourselves, is not a new idea, but it is a profound one, which, in my opinion, can't be repeated too often. How many of us see a sculpture and it seems alive to us or hear a song that speaks to our souls?

Dickens characters have long outlived him, and they are as alive as the day he first put ink to paper.

In The Frame-Up, my main character, Mona Dunn, interacts with other residents who in some cases, have lived almost five hundred years behind the frame.  Imagine the things they have seen, the tales they could tell!

Mona Dunn, William Orpen, 1915, Oil on Canvas

In my own small way, I hope that The Frame-Up conveys that magic. It asks us to look again at the art on our walls, to see beyond the one-dimensional surface until we reach the miracle of its creation in our mind's eye.

As the tagline for the book says: Look beyond what you think you see.

Every lover of art, in whatever form, can understand that sentiment.

And so to honour my wild ride since I wrote the very first line: Mona Dunn was late two and a half years ago, I am thrilled to finally be able to share the book with you.

I hope you'll buy a copy of your own or borrow one from the library, but as a thank-you, I'm giving away an autographed copy!

Simply leave me a comment below, telling me what's inspired YOUR creativity lately, and you're automatically entered to win!

Good luck! And I hope you love the world of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery as much as I do!

xo

Wendy

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Reflecting and Rediscovering Your Reasons

I had a busy summer this year. 

Back in March I had an idea for a new manuscript. It was one of those moments several writers have experienced, just walking around and living life when the brain goes off on one of its semi-frequent divergent meanderings and BAM!, you stumble on one of those golden “What if” questions that sets off an avalanche of possibilities. Before long, you start to realize that, yes, there is a legitimately viable story idea coming together. 

It was exciting to have something new come on so strong. I decided immediately I wanted to do it right. I was going to have tons of writing time available in the summer, so I gave the idea the rest of the spring to percolate. I filled the whiteboard in my office with comp titles coming from other books, movies, television shows, video games, and even podcasts. I began tapping idea fragments into a massive list on my phone. I sought out middle grade titles that felt similar to my idea in one way or another, to measure what the boundaries were for the story I was planning and figure out how I might be able to push them.

Once the work started, it came fast. I wrote chronologically with only a rough outline in my head, something I’ve never done before. When the draft was finished, I stepped away for a few weeks, giving my head some time to clear while waiting for feedback. When I got back to it, I powered through the revisions at a challenging pace with an approximate deadline in mind. There was a day or two of sweet relief when I finally reached that goal, but then I started feeling an itch….

I knew NaNoWrimo 2017 would be starting in less than a week. I've been a semi-regular participant over time, but have sat out the past two years due to other writing projects and different commitments. I thought about giving it a try this year, and came up with a number of reasons why it seemed like a good idea: I’ve always enjoyed participating; it would be an amazing feather in my cap if I could lay claim to drafting two complete manuscripts inside of the same calendar year; I had been hit with another idea — not exactly a new idea but one from the vault I wanted to try someday, and the time was feeling right. Since I thought it could be at least a few weeks until I was in a position to do any other revisions on the new manuscript, I decided to sign up.

The thing was, as much as I love this new idea, there is little reason for me to think it will ever see the light of day. I’m a writer of middle grade fiction. This new project would be a memoir, based around one particular area of my life, and not really directed at a middle grade audience. I have no nonfiction platform in this area, so as far as publishing aspirations go, it seems like it’d be a tremendous long shot. Really the only reason I would have for taking on this project is because I want to write it so much.

I felt just as passionate about my middle grade story earlier in the year when I was working on it. The big difference is I wrote that knowing it had a decent chance of eventually being ready for submission, and hopefully would get as far as publication someday. This new one might end up only being something for me and, hopefully, friends and family to enjoy.

It has me thinking:
*Why do we write?
*Is it for the love of it? 
*Do we let goals dictate or influence which projects we commit to?
*Would we still throw ourselves into the work as completely, even if we knew nobody else would ever read it?
*What benefits are there for jumping outside of the box and exploring new areas, just for the sake of exploring?

Not everyone would have the same answers to these questions. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing to occasionally consider the reasons we have for choosing this life. It might reveal something about our choices, or it could provide us with a renewed focus. 

All I know is that right now, with literally hours until NaNoWriMo begins, I’m looking forward to whatever self-discovery comes along with this new project, both personally and from the perspective of pure writing. I think it’s going to be a good month. 

To anyone else out there about to take on NaNo this year, or just entering a new stage of a current work-in-progress, I’d encourage you to reflect on it. You might discover some interesting things.

Take What You Need

Last weekend I had the good fortune to gather with eight other writers at an old (potentially haunted) stone manor house for a three-day writing retreat.

English Inn, Victoria, BC - photo by Kate Boorman

It proved to be an excellent location—stunning common areas, rooms that were both beautiful and comfortable, quirky closets and hallways, and, only a short walk away, the Pacific Ocean and a park with curious, abandoned military structures. The manor ghost stopped by from time to time, occasionally knocking from within the walls and causing unplugged phones to ring, but that only added fuel to our already-out-of-control imaginations. Top it off with good food, shop talk, wine, and chocolate, and you’ve got a near perfect retreat.

Each of us spent the majority of our time retreating in our rooms – for me, that meant hours spent fleshing out a new story idea; others were revising or first-drafting; a few were working together on a joint project; and one person was intentionally resting, nurturing her creative spirit in preparation for the heavy workload she knew was ahead. We all did what we needed, what was right for us at the time. It was bliss.

So, writers should all just zip off to a retreat whenever they feel the need, right?

Yeah, I think it’s safe to say, for most of us that’s not gonna happen very often. Before last weekend, it had been four years since I’d managed to get away for a writing retreat. (Too long!) But here’s the thing: it’s vital that we recognize and claim whatever we need to be healthy and productive in our creative lives. Maybe that means indulging in the luxury of a weekend away from all other commitments, but more often than not, it means carving out time in bits and pieces amidst multiple responsibilities.

Whether you’re on deadline and need to get words on the page pronto, or you’re feeling a little battle-worn and desperate for some self-care—wherever you’re at in this creative life right now—carve out the time and space you need. Value your work, and nurture your creative spirit, even if you damn near have to perform miracles to find the resources to do so.

I know it’s hard, especially when we have so many demands on our time, energy, and finances, or when we’re so used to caring for others and putting our own needs on the backburner. Do it anyway. Use that trusty imagination of yours to come up with a plan to meet your own needs. Yes, your writing is worth it. Yes, you are worth it.

Give and Take: Of course, the flip side of "take what you need" is "give what you can". Got a tip on ways to find time to write, or ways to make self-care a priority? Please share! Having a particularly difficult time claiming what you need? Let us know, and maybe the hive-mind of our comments section can help you brainstorm a solution.

Take care, dear writers, and write on.

The Office Bathroom that Made Me a Writer

As the release date for my first novel approaches, more people in my every day life are asking me questions about being an author. By far, the most common is some variation on, "Why/How did you start writing a book?"

I've got lots of answers for this, because there are lots of reasons - but I haven't shared the most direct reason yet. It's almost kind of embarrassing. But here at Middle Grade Minded we come clean. So *deep breath* here's the story about the day that I first began to write the book that would eventually become The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee.

I was just getting settled in to being married, settled at a pleasant new job, and settled into a really great place by a river that felt like home. Basically, everything was going shockingly well. My coworkers were exceedingly pleasant, caring people, and my boss did things like install a communal massage chair in the office and play meditation music while we worked. It was wonderful.

But I felt itchy. Happy, but itchy - like I was missing something.

http://yogadivinity.blogspot.com

 You know that feeling where there's a song you can't get out of your head, and it fills you up with longing and nostalgia? It was like that only the longing and nostalgia was for some unknown place I couldn't put my finger on. I needed to make something. Unfortunately, I was totally out of practice in my writing. For years I'd only penned comedy sketches, lesson plans, or corporate copy. And also, I didn't know how to write a book. I mean...how do you just, "write a book?"

http://giphy.com

I thought maybe I should take some classes or something, but schedules and conflicts and commutes and blah blah blah - you get the idea.

Then I had to pee. This is a key element in the story.

My boss, the one with the meditation music, was also big on inspirational quotes. So much so that she furnished the office bathroom with its very own quote-a-day calendar. No knock on the effort, but this daily bit of zen usually provided more eye-roll fodder than inspiration for me.

But this day, the day that I first started writing a book, the calendar that sat next to a very nice vase of flowers and some Bath and Body Works hand cream read:

"A year from now you may wish you had started today." - Karen Lamb

I thought about that. I really thought about that. And it was true. I didn't know how to write a book, but I was going to learn, and I was going to start learning that day. On my lunch break I found some paper and started brainstorming. What were those swimming ideas that seemed so elusive to me? It had to do with a river, and it had to do with ghosts, and it even had to do with a cafe that served best-in-the-world hot chocolate. I just scribbled down everything I could capture.

That was Day 1. The day that I really became a writer was due in large part to a bathroom calendar.

So, I've come clean. That's my big origin story. But the sentiment on that calendar, cheesy though it may be, has stuck with me and did absolutely change the course of my life. What do you want to do?

Just start. Start today. Future you will be glad that you did.

On not being afraid to jump

At this very moment, I’m poised at the beginning of writing a new novel, with my thoughts and brainstorming and scribblings scattered about me. My heart speeds up just thinking about what this story could be. I’m excited about its potential, but it’s daunting. (Somehow, all beginnings seem daunting to me.)

You know that gap between what you can imagine and what you can create? When your vision for your story is ^{UP HERE} but your writing ability currently seems to be _{down here}? Yeah, that gap. I always fear it's enormous, and if I attempt to tell this story (meaning, any story that catches my heart) I’m going to plummet to the depths of… what?... disappointment? failure? Truth is, I’ve got a feeling, an image, a hope of what this story could be, and I just don’t want to wreck it.

And yet... Maybe I’ll be able to close the gap enough to do the story justice, to be happy with what it becomes, even if it isn’t the perfect story of my imaginings. It won’t be anything at all if I don’t try! And who knows—maybe what it becomes will be the story it’s actually meant to be. I have to believe that, I think, if I’m going to move forward.

Maybe that’s how it is with all creative work. You start out with a vision, and then you put your heart and soul into it, and you so want it to be brilliant.

But then you look at it, and when you see what you’ve made, it’s not what you were aiming for. And you’re like, what?!?

Maybe somewhere along the way you went off track, or you couldn’t quite “bridge the gap”, and you’re disappointed and maybe frustrated and maybe a bit why-do-I-even-bother. But I want to encourage you to trust that your efforts are not wasted or worthless. Trust that if you put your heart into this act of creation, it will speak to someone else’s heart, too. And that bridges a gap between hearts. Between people. Isn’t that the most important bridge to build?

So… see that gap? It’s okay. Jump.

I'll jump with you.