I had high hopes for February. I never heard a word from Author Mentor Match. I didn't get any love on PBPitch. My Valentiny story was not a finalist. The only thing I know for certain at this point is that if I quit, I will never get published...and I still find writing fun, so I may as well keep at it! I have written two full manuscripts during these snow days!

Haikus on being a Writer

I feel like a fraud

A middle-aged white woman

Writing cutesy scripts

How do I become

The author every agent wants

Who writes good stories

Teaches them something

Gets readers to laugh out loud

Makes them love reading 

The next Kate Messner

Maybe Kate DiCamillo 

While still being me

W-R-I-T-E for Each Other

 

 

W-R-I-T-E for Each Other -- 213 words

by Elizabeth Muster

Valentiny 2021

Zane the Zombie cut a heart from red construction paper. He smiled as he wrote the word “Happy.” He wrote V-A-L. Then he frowned. Did E come next or did I? Zane crumpled the heart and threw it away. 

“Why celebrate Valentine’s Day when your heart doesn’t beat?” a classmate asked. “Halloween is the only holiday for me.” 

But it was February 14, and Zane wanted Zelda to know how he felt. Zelda had pale skin and yellow eyes and smelled wonderfully of rotten meat. She was the best at scaring humans from the playground during recess. 

With a shaky hand, Zane made another heart. This time he wrote, “You look like death wormed over.” 

He was pleased until the classmate looked over Zane’s shoulder. “You didn’t even spell it right.” 

The words seemed to wriggle, and Zane couldn’t decide which one was misspelled. Bravely, he gave Zelda the valentine anyway.

“Thank you,” said Zelda. “I have a valentine for you too.”  The card read: You can’t scar me.

“It’s perfect,” said Zane. He and Zelda showed their valentines to the teacher.

“I think you two are just W-R-I-T-E for each other,” she said with a smile.

“What’s that spell?” asked Zane.

“Write,” said the teacher. 

“Right.” Zane smiled.

 “I agree,” said Zelda.

So last night's conversation with husband went pretty much like this...

If I get published, I'm going to thank you in the acknowledgements for putting up with a messy house and microwavable dinners. 

When you get published, I'm still going to be living in a messy house and eating microwavable dinners. 

Well...I'm going take that as encouragement...and he does have a point.

While I didn't get selected for #AuthorMentorMatch, I do get to proudly display -- 

And yes, some of my ideas did come while playing Animal Crossing with my daughter.  But I have 50!  That's quite a difference from last year where I fizzled out after a week. Wonder where that notebook even ended up?

I'm gearing up for next week's #PBPitch. I'm drafting a Valentiny story. I'm trying to keep this writing momentum going. Not going to let rejections get me down. Because I've got some AWESOME critique partners on both the MG and the PB front.