Rise to the Occasion

Three weeks into the New Year, and this is only my second post. Shame on me. Well, actually, I've recently been blessed with two new freelance jobs and a speaking engagement, so blogging has to take a back seat. Not like it's ever been in the front seat, or even riding shotgun for that matter, but there have been a few months where I've been a bit more prolific blogger. I'm in the middle of preparing for a workshop on greeting card writing, writing a children's activity book for one company, and composing some poetry for an inspirational gift product line. Yippee! I love it! I've had quite a dry spell on freelance stuff, so bring it on!

Russ and I took the kids to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium at our local bargain theater last weekend. I know, I know, it got terrible reviews, but I thought it was a sweet and imaginative movie. So did the kids. And I absolutely love this quote by Mr. Magorium (played by Dustin Hoffman):

Your life is an occasion. Rise to it.

Happy New Year -- Already?

Since I completely skipped blogging during the month of December, I thought it would be nice to offer a late Christmas present to all you writers out there. Starting out the New Year with a little humor is always a good thing in my book. Hey, we have the rest of the year to be pessimistic and whine and complain! So, without further ado, here's the writer's version of The Twelve Days of Christmas, originally posted on the Disco Mermaids blog:


THE TWELVE FORM REJECTIONS
(inspired by The Twelve Days of Christmas)
In my twelfth form rejection, the letter said to me:
Dear Author/Illustrator,
regarding (CAPS & BOLDFACE TITLE),
thanks for your submission,
we're so glad you thought of our house,
we're proud of ev'ry book we publish,
see Writer's Market for our guidelines,
due to the number of submissions,
we can't give personal suggestions,
though we strive for quick responses,
after careful consideration,
good luck in the future,
but this story doesn't fit our current needs.
So I cried for just a minute, and then
(surging with ambition)
tucked a self-addressed-stamped-envelope
into my next submission.

Cute, huh? Well, it seems to be the story of my life lately. But who knows what lies ahead in 2008? A book contract would be nice. To be continued...