Vacation

My husband was on vacation last week and I was at my nanny job on Wednesday and Thursday which left me little time for writing. It was wonderful to spend time with my husband though and awfully difficult to say good-bye when he went off to work this morning.

My husband is a "car guy." He loves driving them, changing his own brakes, cleaning his wheels, racing them, and watching other people race them. This brings me to this past week during which we spent three days at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and one evening watching demolition derby at Brockton Fair. Being a writer, no matter where I am, I am always looking for stories and inspiration for stories. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy motorsports, but four days of car activities in one week... a lot. So, I observed people and let my mind wander. At Nascar in New Hampshire there were so many 'characters': a man in a bathingsuit, the Indian couple with their young son all decked out in Dale Jr. merchandise, the two Asian couples, the man with a long red ponytail and a bottle full of a vodka/redbull mix, the ladies with their tanktop and bra straps folded into their tanks so they didn't get tanlines on their shoulders, and all of this within three rows of me! If I can't come up with any material from all of that, how can I call myself a writer? The Brockton Fair was interesting because it is like stepping into a time warp and it brings out all of the kooky people. I was also fascinated by the animals in the petting zoo, for sale, putting on a show (elephants, camels, ponies), to ride (ponies), and racing (pigs). I wanted to set them all free. I think I could write a childrens book with the premise of a little girl or boy wanting to free the animals at the fair and imagining what would happen if she/he did OR write a short story from the perspective of the animals OR write a story where the animals are in charge and the people are racing, in a zoo, for sale, and putting on shows. Inspiration is everywhere.
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I officially applied to the Lesley University Writers Conference. It starts on July 27th, so I should be hearing back soon. Waiting is the pits, but I am trying to think positively in the meantime. I appreciate any positive energy you might send my way.
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I have been noticing more traffic and returning traffic to my blog the past few weeks. Thank you for reading!

Fess Up Friday - Part Deux

I have been doing a lot of writing this week in preparation for the Lesley University Writers' Conference. They have extended their application date so I have been filling out the application and preparing a writing sample to send in as required. I have been struggling with what to use as a writing sample because I write poetry, short stories, books for children, and I am working on a memoir. So, basically, I am kind of all over the place, but I think I am going to go with the memoir. I need a reason to get a jump start on that piece of writing and it would be nice to get some feedback on it to see if it is worth my time to continue with it. Applying to the conference and working on my memoir are the two big steps I have taken in the right direction this week.