"Embrace What Makes You Unique and Have Fun While Doing It-- Art is about more than technique. A sound mind, healthy body, and desire to learn are essential."
George pushed his way through the crowd. "I need to get past all of these people," he whispered to himself. As he shifted and stammered, he tripped over the lengthy dress of his colleague. "What a clumsy man!" Stephanie thought. She yanked her dress out from under his feet. George kept moving ignoring the woman's glare. His mission was too important. What is wrong with this passage? If your answer was a switch in the point of view, then you are correct! Point of view, or POV, is extremely important when writing a coherent, well-constructed literary piece. POV is the glue that holds the story together. It helps the reader enter the world the author created by placing them directly into the character's soul. They get to escape into the character's foreign world and experience it as though they are that character. (Of course this leads into another related topic of showing instead of telling; but, that is a topic for another date.) So think about it, would you want to be ripped from one character and tossed into the soul of another? No thank you! It is not pleasant and extremely unfair to the reader.
Green Owl Publications is a new resource to help inspire, advise, and educate other artists. Founded by Jaclyn M. Bartz in 2014, Green Owl Publications is an independent publishing company solely dedicated to sharing information and helping others become the best artists they can be. Jaclyn is a published author/illustrator who has been writing and illustrating for over 20 years. Join this new company on Facebook for updates.
Ha ha....sorry for the silliness. I know, I know....I am a professional writer, I shouldn't indulge in these emotions. (NOT)
So why am I doing a Happy Dance? Well, for all of my aspiring author friends, I received the first copy of my book over the weekend! Yes, a physical copy of the story I have been shackled to for the past couple of years. And let me tell you--IT IS AMAZING!!!!
I cannot believe this day has arrived. I am one step away from being a ... bum bad da dum...Published Author!
How cool is that?! The funny thing is that it feels so surreal.
I remember the first day when my character was nothing more than a private joke--forged from the depths of a lost soul with tons of newly useless information stored inside her brain. All of the hardships and pain squeezed until they popped into a final moment of absolute clarity. The day Bea was born.
Who is Bea? Well, Bea was actually Ruby...but, of course, I had to change her name. Why? Well, she is a part of me, and she deserved the initial of my last name--which eventually turned into Beatrice.
What are you talking about? Did you have too much to drink?
Nope, I am just giddy!
For those of you unfamiliar with Bea--she is a Retired Tooth Fairy who collects adult teeth; but there is only one problem--those easy-to-collect teeth aren't so easy to collect! And Bea isn't the best at collecting them. She finds herself in many precarious situations. And thus, my series follows her misadventures as a retired tooth fairy.
Alright, time to return from my little detour.
I can still remember the first day when my character was nothing more than a private joke. My daughter joyfully chuckled as we joked about the most unlikely tooth fairy. After we were done, I jotted everything down (in the worst chicken-scratch handwriting imaginable).
I brainstormed.....
I outlined.....
I sketched.....
And I returned with a very cranky-looking old fairy who was more scary than whimsical. Yikes!
Back to the drawing board.
So I brainstormed....
And sketched some more.....
Until my retired tooth fairy aged gracefully....and looks kind of like a funky librarian. But none the less, she was evolving into the beloved character she is today.
After putting Bea together with a pencil, I decided to add words to her mouth with my pen. Soon, she jumped off the paper and told me about the time she tied herself to a tooth, which then yanked her behind it after an unfortunate magical mistake. After that, we became best buddies! She shared her embarrassing moments, and I told her about the time I....(oh wait...this is public...I don't think I want to share that story).
But then, of course, the "First Timer's Curse" grabbed ahold of me.
...wait, what?....you've never heard of the "First-Timer's Curse"?
Well, my friend, the "First Timer's Curse" is when someone begins to do something creative, but then....it strikes......the worst case of self-doubt imaginable--Am I good enough? Is this good enough? What if no one likes my story? What if no one likes me? What if I get a wedgie while at a formal gathering?
Yes, it is the worst curse ever---even worse than that curse placed on those poor Chicago Cubs! It has devoured many poor souls at the start of their journeys. Such a sad thing. And it almost got me, too!
But, I was too determined. I grabbed a hold of my inner strength....the strength I never thought I had...and I continued on...until....well, until this weekend when I held my work in my hands for the first time.....oh, I love the smell of crisp, newly printed pages smooshed in between the shiny glossy cover featuring my hard work.
And, of course, I look at it and cannot believe I drew the pictures or wrote those words. Absolutely crazy good!
But why does this make me feel so happy?
Well, I remember the days of people telling me that "I don't belong" and the hardships I had faced. The utter depression of losing everything I had loved. Feeling like a loser or unimportant. I remember the struggles, and the unattainable dreams.
But, I don't regret my past because my past has shaped me into who I am, and has led me to this place in my life. And honestly....for the first time, I feel like I belong! I have accomplished something big!
So yes, I am going to do my Happy Dance....
And you can do one of your own too--Just believe in yourself. The journey is only as hard as your first step. And never ever for one second stop dreaming!
Okay, that's enough lip-service from me! I am going to snuggle next to my book, and dream of a brighter future for my family.
.......talking to your characters to find out how they will react in certain situations.
.......people thinking you are crazy because you are having conversations with your characters.
.......having fights with your stubborn characters because they refuse to do what you expect.
.......people avoiding you because you have weird conversations with yourself.
.....inspired at a restaurant, but the only available writing material is the napkin in front of you.
....grabbing your child's crayon to write out the scene as fast as you can.
....your child cries because you took their crayon, so you stop the waitress to ask for an extra pen.
....leaving the restaurant with a stack of napkins that contain your story.
.....sitting at the computer, trying to piece together your story which now lies in piles of napkins, stickers, notebook pages, and grocery store receipts.
....saving the piles of napkins, stickers, notebook pages, and grocery store receipts just in case.
.......constantly showing your significant other the newest sentence you wrote.
.......laughing out loud at your latest sentence while your significant other gives you a concerned look.
.......watching your significant other running out the door before you have the chance to show him/her your next sentence.
.......chasing your significant other down the street while shouting your latest sentence.
Are you looking to reach your target audience? If so, I have
three children ready to read your book. Hello, my name is Jaclyn. I am a
writer, blogger, illustrator, and mommy of three. The books I review are for
ages 0-14 and PG. Any genre is fine. I regularly review on Amazon, but I am
starting a section on my blog for reviews. If we don’t like a book, we will not
review it; however, if we do chose your book, I will tweet and share it on my
SM sites. Feel free to message me at theretiredtoothfairy@outlook.com.
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and G+. And of
course, don’t forget about my blog.
Hope to talk to you soon!
::::Update::::
I am now a volunteer reviewer for The Midwest Review. Reviews I post on my site will also be submitted to the Reader's Bookwatch--a monthly newsletter by The Midwest Review. It is a great opportunity for extra exposure.
In addition, my first book has been published. If you are willing to exchange reviews--I would appreciate if you can return the kindness- please let me know when inquiring about a book review.
Another thing to keep in mind, since my children help review the books, there is a timeframe to consider.
Early Readers can take 4-6 weeks depending on amount of requests. Middle Grade Chapter Books will take longer 6-12 weeks depending on size and amount of requests.
Preference will be given to audiobooks since they are easier to review.
In order to make it as a submission for the Reviewer's Bookwatch, these need to be included in your email:
From The Midwest Review site---
Title
Author
Publisher
Publisher's address
13-digit ISBN number (a 10-digit ISBN is accepted if necessary)
List Price (a.k.a. "cover price"), in U.S. Dollars if possible. Please do not give a book's discounted price on Amazon or anywhere else, because "sale" prices are subject to frequent change, unlike the cover price.
George pushed his way through the crowd. "I need to get past all of these people," he whispered to himself. As he shifted and stammered, he tripped over the lengthy dress of his colleague.
