Blog Posts

Posted in Uncategorized

Critique Groups: Good Reasons to Keep Quiet

Posted on by beckylevine

If you were to visit my critique group and ask, “Who’s the most guilty member of the group,when it comes to interrupting?,” they’d smile and say, “Oh, that’d be Becky.” And then you’d look at me, and I’d be nodding sheepishly.

Yeah. I get excited about the ideas going around, or I’m thinking along two tracks at once–what the critiquer is saying and what I “know” about my story, and I’m trying to put it all together, and I forget to do it quietly. Silently. In my head.

You’ve probably heard that, when you’re being critiqued, you don’t get to argue with the critiquer or defend what you’ve written. You may have heard threats about duct tape being used to keep a critiquee quiet. I’m pretty sure those are just urban legends. But there are good reasons for not interrupting while someone’s presenting their critique. And, if you’re in an online group, those reasons are just as good for not sending off a “But….!!!!” reply too fast, without giving yourself and the critique time for the feedback to settle in.

Thought I’d share a few today.

  • Not interrupting is partially just manners. But you can also throw off your critique partner by cutting off the flow of what they’re saying. Yes, hopefully, they’re reading the overall comments they’ve written up before the meeting, but they’re probably doing a lot of other stuff at the same time: listening to themselves to see if they’re actually making sense, watching your face to see how you’re reacting, and trying to catch the new ideas that are bubbling in their brain as they talk. I don’t know about you, but if I get interrupted while I’m trying to handle all that, I’m going to get confused and forget what I was trying to say. And, yes, this does get worse as I get older, thank you so much for asking.
  • The no-arguing, no-defending rule actually makes a lot of sense. Your critique partners are letting you know their feedback about what they read, what you managed to get on the page. These are the words that, if you sent them out today for publication, would be read by the agent, the editor, your readers. None of those people are going to have contact with the very-possibly-different ideas in your brain. If you didn’t make it clear enough for your critique partners, you haven’t made it clear enough for your readers. That’s why you’re here, in this group.
  • Here’s another thing about your critique partners: They have feelings. Really. If you argue too often, or question what they’re saying, or just make it hard for them to give you their critique, guess what they may start doing.  Giving you a less thorough critique. Not necessarily on purpose, but in unconscious reaction. When we face an obstacle too many times, what’s our likely response? To go around it. To avoid it. And, even if there are days when you might feel like this, you really don‘t want your critique partner backing off. You want all the help they can and will give you.
  • Sometimes you have to let critiques sit. Let me rephrase that: Often, you have to let critiques sit. Your initial reaction about what a critique partner is saying will very likely change after an hour, a day, by the time you get around to revising. While you’re listening, your brain is going very fast, trying to keep up with the feedback, trying to align it with what you know about your book, trying to visualize a hundred possible revision changes all at once. Honestly, sometimes, it’s just too hard to listen and think at the same time. So take notes, let the comments drop into your brain, and–yeah, keep quiet.

It’s not always when you’re being critiqued that you feel like jumping in. You can be listening to a critique partner give feedback on someone else’s book, and get a lightbulb moment that you just have to share. Now. Immediately. Your impulse is to just blurt it out.

Hello. Been there.

Resist the temptation. Keep a pen and piece of paper handy and take notes. Scribble down your idea or your question, and wait for your turn. One of the most important things a critique group can do is leave time after the critiques for discussion and brainstorming.  Use that time.

And, meanwhile, pass around the duct tape.

Posted in Uncategorized

My First Book Festival: Local Authors Live

Posted on by beckylevine

This Saturday, July 23rd, I’ll be heading down Highway 1 to Carmel with a couple of writer friends to attend my first book festival. I know, what was I waiting for? Well, probably just the right timing, and–yeah–company. I’m not sure which one of us will drive. Probably the one who gets carsick on curves if they’re NOT driving:

or the one who worries that the person who IS driving will lean over to look at the incredible view and take us all off the cliff:

Have I mentioned I love Highway 1? Which probably means they won’t let me drive. Sigh.

So Saturday, from noon to 4:00, you can find me and a lot of other authors signing away at Local Authors Live. If you’re anywhere in the area, please do stop by.

And for those of you who’ve done this before, I’m trolling for ideas to make my table a little more cheerfully busy. I’m thinking a mini critique kit to give away with every book I sell–if I can find those really little gift bags & put in some tea, chocolate, and a must-have red pen. Some of those, in different colors, scattered around the table maybe? I’m up for any other EASY ideas!

Posted in Uncategorized

Thankful Thursday: Getting My Butt Kicked

Posted on by beckylevine

So, this week, I started back in on yoga. Let me tell you a few things about me and yoga:

  • I have never been able to touch my toes. Knees? Okay, yes. Barely.
  • I am not good at the slow, in and out, breathing thing. Especially, and this is important, during yoga.
  • I’m not fond of being told what to do. Like, you know, to touch my toes.

But…in the past year or so, I’ve been getting some of those little aches and pains that I thought weren’t supposed to show up for another decade or three. Sore back. Tight neck. Possible arthritis in, of all places, my left middle finger. (Best explanation I’ve come up with for that one: that’s the finger that has typed oh-so-many Es on various keyboards over the years.)

So, when I saw that a local yoga center was offering GENTLE yoga three mornings a week, at a time of day that I’m basically just puttering, I decided it was time to try again. I’ve gone twice so far: Day 1: not so great, but I gritted my teeth and got through it. Day 2: AWESOME. Probably, yes, because I concentrated on (see above) breathing, more than anything else. I think I remembered to do it about 90% of the time.

As opposed to about 10%, which is my usual.

Result of both Day 1 and Day 2?

Yes, it’s a GENTLE class. Yes, I see the irony. But this goes back to my baby steps vision of life, and I am willing to give up a few hours of brain productivity, now, for more strength and (in my dreams!) the possibility of touching my toes in the future. And, I’m sure, the increased clear-headedness all that breathing will bring me.

So, today, I’m thankful for the OWS! I was uttering all day Monday and Tuesday. I’m thankful for the lessening ows that came on Wednesday. I’m thankful for the incredible sleepiness that has hit me three days in a row, at about 7:30 p.m. and the awesome nights of sleep that have gone along with it. I’m thankful for the need to sit out side in the sun and imbibe a bit of caffeine before getting started in the mornings.

And I’m VERY thankful for my wonderful husband who has happily taken on driving our son to his job at camp, so I can go and (try to) bend into positions I’m still not sure are meant for humans to achieve.

What have you taken on lately that you’re doing for the long-term benefits, rather than the immediate positives? And how’s that going for you?!

Posted in Historical Fiction

Historical Fiction: The History Part

Posted on by beckylevine

I think I’ve told the story here of how I started writing historical fiction. I was reading a nonfiction book about the 1913 Suffrage March in Washington, D.C. I read a scene about the march and knew, instantly, that I wanted to write a hero who was part of that scene. Of course, that turned out, eventually, to be the other book I still have to write, but still…that was my entry into a genre I never thought I’d be part of.

I was, honestly, never a big fan of history. Maybe it started with the high-school history class where we were given copies of a page in the text, on which certain words had been whited-out, and our job was to read the page, then fill in the blanks. Yes, really. Anyway, when I decided to write this book, I had to face reading a lot of stuff I thought I wouldn’t really enjoy. What I found out, though, is that (duh!) there are good writers of history* and not-so-good writers of history, just like in any genre. (Side note: For one of the best examples I know of one of these good writers, go pick up a copy of Amy Butler Greenfield’s A Perfect Red. You will not be able to put it down.)

And I learned something else. For me, history is people. Not wars, not political parties, not socio-economic statistics. People. Individuals. Yes, sure, I’ll read about the impact those people had on their times, and the impact their times had on those people. But if you don’t catch me with how the person actually ticked, how they thought and how they behaved…well, you won’t catch me.

Which, hey!, fits pretty well into writing historical fiction. Because, again, fiction for me is about people. Aka characters. How they act, why they act, and how they interact with/off each other.

This weekend, I wrote a scene, in which the people of history and the people of my story finally came together. There is really one reason why the book I thought I was working on has been put in second place on the writing shelf. That reason is Jane Addams.

When I started reading about Chicago in the early 1900s, I was so blown away by how Addams was everywhere, doing everything, and by the person everybody and their great-nephew’s-cousin’s-sister-in-law described her to be, that I was lost. Or maybe found. But I haven’t been sure whether I would really write Jane Addams into my book. It’s the story of a teenage girl, the daughter of an immigrant mother who lives her live in a too-narrow world of fear. The girl finds Hull-House, finds the world that the settlement residents move in every day, and has to break out of her mother’s shell to become part of the settlement life.

Anyhoo…Like I was saying, I knew that Hull-House would play a big part in the story. Huge. But by 1910, Jane Addams wasn’t always around Hull-House. She traveled, she spoke, she had a finger in just about every pie inside and outside the United States, let alone Chicago. And I didn’t want to force her in, just to give her the cameo.

But Saturday, she stopped by. Just like she did so many times in real life, dropping into a class that was being taught for a few immigrant girls, in one of the many Hull-House rooms that were always full and busy. She talked to the girls, she stayed to help, and then she was drawn away by another resident with another demand on her time. All with grace, warmth, and ease.

I think I got close. I think I may have painted a TRUE picture of who this woman was, who I see her to have been. A woman who always had time for her neighbors, for the people who were the reason she built a Settlement House, the reason she settled onto Halsted Street in Chicago, in 1897. A woman whom people not only respected and admired, but truly loved.

And I think, after all, she may very well stay in this story.

Posted in Uncategorized

Friday Five: Baby Steps

Posted on by beckylevine

“Baby Steps”–I find myself saying this lately–to myself and to other people. When I was younger, I was more of an all-or-nothing kind of person, which, in my case, usually meant a lot of nothing. I think I’d set myself up with this vision of the huge, end goal, which looked so huge I’d too often just give up on it. As I get older, I find myself trying to break those visions into little pieces, ones that feel much more doable. And, thus, get done.

For today’s Friday Five, I thought I’d share some ways I think baby steps can help us move along our writing paths.

1. They let us focus on the short-term and keep the long-term where it sometimes needs to stay: in the future. This means we focus more on writing and less on finishing big drafts, doing the agent search, and getting a published book. You know, until those ARE in the short-term.

2.  They let you work on scenes, passages, paragraphs, dialogue–on the specific words you need to be putting on the page right then. As much as a fan of structure as I am, I do realize there are times you need to let go of the overall plot and the major character development. If you don’t have it all figured out, all that big-idea stuff can block the flow of the little stuff. Get the little stuff down and see what else it shows you. Eventually, all the little pieces will build to a big image.

3. They let you deal with critiques. When I talk about revision, I advise people to start with the small critique comments they’ve gotten–the yes/no questions and the little changes they know they can make right away. As you do this work, the bigger issues, the rest of that feedback, has time to simmer in your brain. When you get to it, and you will, you’ll be much more able to attack and revise.

4. They let you stick a toe into the marketing pond. Don’t sign up for a blog AND Facebook AND Twitter AND Goodreads AND Google+ all at the same time. Pick one, set up an account, and play–for a few hours, days, weeks, month. Whatever makes you happy. The things you learn will make the next social-networking site easier for you, if and when you decide to add it.

5. They let you say “yes” to new (ad)ventures, whether that’s a new project or an entirely new genre. Take a look at the first few things you need to do–are they manageable? Take them on, get through them, and then see where you are. My guess is you’ll be ready to do what’s next in line—a lot more ready than you would have been if you hadn’t already accomplished those first tasks.

Baby steps can feel slow, even sluggish, especially when we set them next to the whirlwind-brain that is telling us we have to do it all, right now, with perfection. I really believe in those baby steps, though, if not for your whole journey, than definitely for the first few steps in. Think about the tortoise and the hare. Or go back in time to playing Mama, May I: How many times did the person who took slow, careful baby steps end up crossing the lawn first–with all those giant-steppers still far behind?

Posted in The Writing Path

Changes

Posted on by beckylevine

Two statements of fact:

  1. The earth does not, as much as it seems, stay still in one spot. It rotates on its axis, and it orbits the sun.
  2. I wrote a scene this morning.

There is, actually, a connection between those two facts. And that connection is in the post title: Changes.

July seems an odd time for me to be thinking about changes. The New Year? Sure. My birthday? Okay. The start of a new school year? Yeah. But July? I’m guessing it has something to do with the heat the last few days, and family visits, all of which added up to slow me down and give me time to muse on life. Which, as usual, is changing.

I think, when I was older, I knew about change. I saw it all laid out before me, in a pattern-school, work, marriage, children. And, of course, mixed in with it all: writing. I think I saw it as nice, neat chunks–I’d do one thing for a while, then there’d be a change, and I’d be doing something else. I’d do that for another while–in a nice, calm, settled manner, and then,yeah, another change would come along. And I’d always have time for consideration, preparation, and development.

What was I thinking?

That kind of change would imply that the world was, in fact, standing still, letting us control our movements, letting us be in charge of where our feet landed in space and time. That the spinning of the planet had no agenda or impetus of its own, that external events had no impact on us, personally. Or, to use Terry Pratchett’s imagery, that the disc is not resting on the back of four elephants riding on the shell of Great A’tuin, the Giant Star Turtle, all of whom are traveling along with no help from us.

Change happens. As I get older, it seems to happen faster–perhaps because I’m watching my son grow up, perhaps because I’m more deeply invested in friendships with people who’s lives also have their own ebbs and flows, perhaps because the increasing numbers of my age really do mean something. Overall, I try to look at change as a good thing, as an opportunity. I listen for the chafing in my psyche that says it’s time to do something different, to add another element to my day. When the irritation gets to great, I start to look around for that something–other people may be able to let it come happily and comfortably to them; I seem to need to chase it down.

All this is the long way of saying I have added something new to my life. It’s the first small step on returning to paying employment when my son moves out for college. It’s volunteer, so no money yet,  but it feels like a good door into a dimension I need to be heading toward. At the first meeting, I felt my brain waking up to that attraction something new can bring, especially something that takes you a little further away from excess navel-gazing. Of course it’s hours out of my days and weeks. It’s hours that I could be writing. Which is a little bit scary.

But which also brings us to the second fact above. The scene I wrote this morning.

Change doesn’t just disturb a pattern, it can actually pull us out of a rut. I woke up today with the knowledge that I would have less time for writing. Guess what that knowledge did. It made me write. It got me to open the laptop, start Scrivener, turn off social networking, and write. It put me back into the awareness that, if I don’t get my writing done first, it isn’t going to happen. It reminded me how much I want to be able to work for income and work at my writing: If I can’t do both, I am not going to be happy.

So here’s to change–to watching out for when we need it, grabbing the good stuff as it comes along, and welcoming the sharpened focus it often brings.

Posted in Uncategorized

Out and About: Elkhorn Slough

Posted on by beckylevine

With my parents visiting this weekend, I thought it would be good to get out of the house for at least one day. I’ve been to Elkhorn Slough before, but it was in a kayak, and I thought I’d see if they had any walking trails. Why, yes, they do. And with the new that it was going to be over 90 degrees at our house today, heading toward the coast sounded even better.

So we drove down Highway 1, turned left at the power plant, and found our way to the visitor’s center parking lot. We stopped in for a look around and a day pass, and I did a quick look through the gift shop, noting the t-shirt I’d talk my mom into buying herself on the way back out. We brushed off our shoes and stepped into their lye solution, so we’d avoid spreading Live Oak disease in the preserve. (The ranger looked a bit worried when we talked about the oaks that have died on our property the past few years and added a very determined PUH-LEASE to her reminder not to forget the lye! Obviously, we were glad to oblige.)

Then we strolled. It was a beautiful day. Those of you who familiar with the California coast know that, when it’s hot inland, you have a high chance of running into a pretty thick fog bank at the ocean. Not one wisp of fog did we see. The sun was out, the weather was in the seventies with a nice breeze, the trails were wide and comfortable, and the views were pretty darned spectacular. For a relaxing, holiday blog post, I thought I’d share a few shots.

I did not get a shot of the huge flock of white birds that was lazily circling and circling in the sky above us. At first we thought they must be egrets, but it didn’t feel right–not with the clump of them. Eventually we figured out that they were white pelicans. The sun was reflecting off their wings and they looked as white as if they’d been through a bleach cycle, except for the bits of brown on the tips of their wings. They were having as much fun as we were.

We topped the day off with a late lunch at the Sea Harvest restaurant & fish market. Sea Scallops and Chips, plus a big glass of iced coffee–delicious. I’m not honestly sure we’ll need dinner tonight!

Hope you’re all enjoying your holiday weekend!

Posted in Agents

Interview with Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary Agency

Posted on by beckylevine

I’ve been following Karen Grencik’s return to the world of agenting, from seeing that she had reopened her own agency, then reading the news about her forming Red Fox Literary with Abigail Samoun. I think it must be pretty amazing to come back to being an agent in the midst of all the big changes going on in publishing, and I had a few questions simmering in my mind.

So I was really happy when Karen agreed to answer those questions here. And even more grateful when I saw the honesty and detail she put into her answers.

And here are those answers.

BL: You stepped out of agenting in 2006. Can you tell us a little bit about what you were doing for the past few years?

KG: I stepped out of agenting in order to retire with my husband part-time in Costa Rica. At that time submissions were made through regular mail, and the little town of Tamarindo, Costa Rica did not have a post office. After several years of going back and forth between Tamarindo and Shell Beach, my husband and I parted ways. I am quite happy to be back living full time on the lovely central coast of California, and he is very happy to be spending the majority of his time on the beach in Tamarindo.

BL: What brought you back to agenting?

KG: At the time of our separation, I had several interests I was pursuing. I was court reporting again, had been hired to accompany wealthy people on vacations to video their adventures, had tried my hand at making book trailers, and thought about going back into agenting. When I joined Sarah Wilson at the 2010 SCBWI summer conference to test the waters of the children’s book business, I felt like a war hero who’d just returned home. It was a perfect fit. From August through the end of the year I studied all I could about the current market trends, then relaunched the Karen Grencik Literary Agency on Jan 3, 2010. Little did I know that just six months later I’d be partnering with Abigail Samoun and launching Red Fox Literary!

BL: Publishing has gone through some dramatic changes in the past five years. What is the biggest difference you see in children’s publishing, now that you’re back and digging in again?

KG: The biggest difference, obviously, is the e-book component and the new publishing platforms that are available. But for me as an agent, I’d say the biggest change is the increase in the number of high quality manuscripts I see compared to the decrease in slots available for publication through traditional means. Authors are working so hard to improve their craft, and it really shows. Unfortunately, it’s harder to make a sale today because everyone at an imprint needs to be on board, along with the marketing people, and it’s tough to win over so many people no matter how good something is.

BL: Do you think the agent’s role in publishing has changed? How? Are you approaching the business differently than you did before?

KG: I think it has changed in that we have to wear even more hats today than we did before and it takes a lot more time just to keep current with the daily changes in the industry.   So much more time is spent at the computer with social networking, and I have a really hard time doing that. I just want to read submissions, make submissions, be in touch with my authors and editors, and live my life. I don’t want to live at the computer or be on my Blackberry 24/7. I have dogs to hike with, yoga to do, and friends and family I want to spend time with. You won’t see me tweeting, and I’m rarely on Facebook, but I will be working hard for my authors!

My approach really isn’t much different. I agent because I love it. I love my authors. I love their books. I love the editors with whom I work. I love everything about the industry. It’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever been involved with. I never know when it’s going to be Christmas morning and I’m going to open an email that makes my whole body quiver. That is the BEST part of the business for me! I just love people and I enjoy being their cheerleader.

BL: When would you recommend that a writer seek representation? What do you look for in considering whether to sign an author?

KG: I think a writer should seek representation when the majority of their critiques are very positive and supportive. Agents and editors in the children’s book world are very kind and encouraging. We want to see authors and illustrators succeed. Unfortunately, with so many people seeking representation before they’re ready, it plugs up the pipeline and makes the waiting time insanely long for everyone. And although it costs money to attend conferences and to get critiques, it really is necessary in order to have a barometer against which to check your skill level.

As for who I’d like to represent, first and foremost, of course, I look for talent. My second requirement is a good attitude. I don’t have a minute to waste, so complaining and pity parties are lost on me. I just want to keep moving forward, and I want authors who can pick themselves up, shake off the dust, and get back in the game. I’m kind of tough that way. We have work to do!

BL: Do you have a current wish list of the kinds of books you’d like to see?

KG: I want to see beautifully written books that will make me grow as a human being and increase my understanding of the world in which I live. Dystopia, paranormal, high fantasy and science fiction aren’t for me. I prefer reality-based stories that will show me a world I would not otherwise have the opportunity to know or a picture book that will literally take my breath away or make me laugh out loud.

Posted in Uncategorized

Monday Magic

Posted on by beckylevine

This morning, I heard our cat meow, in that weird “voice” she usually reserves for letting us know she’s caught a mouse. Not thrilled, and ready to call my husband (he does mouse duty around here), I went to see what was up. She was standing at the screen door looking out. And on the other side, looking in, was one of these:

I didn’t recognize what it was at first. Here’s what went through my mind:

1. Okay, looks like we may be getting a kitten sooner than I’d planned.

2. Oh, I really don’t want to deal with a feral kitten.

3. Wait a minute. Those are tufts in its ears.

4. And those spots don’t really look like a tabby pattern.

Me out loud, at this point, to the kitten: “What are you doing here?”

Kitten scampers away.

5. Okay, yeah, that’s a pretty short tail.

6. I hope its mom is somewhere near.

7.  Maybe not too near.

We’ve been in our house for something like 18 years, and this is only the second bobcat I’ve seen on our property. The first was much older and I barely noticed it, because it camouflaged so well against the dirt, leaves, and sticks on the ground. That one was motionless for-just-about-ever, before it moved with lovely stealth up the hillside. The little guy this morning was either lost and lonely or bold and adventurous. I’m hoping for the second and that it found its mom quickly and is even now being scolded for venturing so close to the humans. My cat, I’m pretty sure, is just happy its gone.

Yes, we live in the hills, but we’re not as far out in the boonies as people often think. Today, though, I’m realizing that we’re also a little further out than I’d believed.

Either way, it was a pretty cool way to start the day.

Posted in Uncategorized

Summer Writing

Posted on by beckylevine

Well, we’re not even a week into summer vacation, and I can already feel the shift in patterns–the patterns of the day and the patterns of my writing. Things are slowing down, which is wonderful, but which I also have to remind myself to roll with–let my brain unwind along with the schedule. We’re not taking any big trips, but we’re scheduling plenty of Summer Fun around the bay area, and that takes a different kind of planning. There’s sleeping in and staying up later, board games and reading in the sunshine. It’s all good.

As long as I don’t let the writing drift away on the clouds of relaxation. 🙂

  • I thought I’d throw out a few tips for keeping the writing going during the summer and invite you all to drop your ideas into the comments. Between all of us, we can manage to have a fun and productive summer. Sleep in, but not too long. If we don’t have anything planned, my son will sleep till 11:00 at least, and, oh, there are so many mornings where I could just lie in bed and daydream or read. I’m working on getting myself up and about an hour or so later than usual, and letting myself move more slowly than I do during the school year. I figure I’ll get better at this as the summer goes along!
  • Take your work to a new place. I’m getting outside a lot more this week. I’ve got a nice new laptop, with a more powerful battery, and there’s always an extension cord if I need it. Maybe you’ll need to schedule a few evenings out a the coffeehouse to write–maybe I will, too. There are a couple of Netflix movies still lying around the house that I”m not that excited to see–maybe the guys need a movie night without me around!
  • See about reducing some of that social networking. This one is big challenge for me, especially when summer can feel more like tiny pockets of time that lend themselves to dawdling, more than to intense productivity. But I’m working on it. I’m going to try & chunk out the time I spend on Facebook & Twitter and keep it away from my concentrated writing. I’ll probably also reduce the number of blog posts I put up–it’s writing time, yes, but it’s not BOOK time.
  • Don’t wait for kid-time to just come along and rear its head. Around here, that leads to a lot of gray time where I and my son aren’t really doing anything–separately or alone. If I make the tiniest effort to pull something together for us–guess what? We both have fun, and whatever we’re doing adds that little bit of structure to our day that lets us relax and enjoy the rest of the day. (Hey, kind of like plotting!) Like I said, we’ll play board games, get our books out together, do some easy outings, and–yes–check off a few chores on the list. And I’ve decided that one summer goal for me is to get better at Mario Kart. Since this pretty much entails learning to keep Yoshi on the road, improvement should be possible. Hand-and-eye coordination, folks. And video games together are more social than video games alone.
  • Stay present. Again, this is a biggie for me–since I tend to live a good percentage of my life in the future: worrying, planning, just thinking “out there.” If you’re one of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld characters, there’s probably some value in this, or at least humor. Not so much in this world. My goal this summer is to enjoy what I’m doing while I’m doing it, and move as gracefully and happily from one thing to another as the day rolls. And one of those things will be writing.

What about you? What tricks do you use to enjoy the summer and get your writing done? What works best for you?