Nikki Loftin

Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category

The Power of Pajamas: How Not Changing Clothes Can Change Your Life

Guess what, Writer Friends? My very first newspaper interview EVER was just posted! I think I avoided embarrassing myself too much, although I may have given a little TMI on what I wear when I’m writing, and how much chocolate I consume. Click here to read more about the Power of Pajamas, and how refusing to get dressed changed my writing life. (And a big thanks to Melissa Buron for asking me to contribute!)

Now, I’m off to Dallas for the ALA Midwinter conference to hang out with the literati and act like I Know Stuff. So excited. But I have to pack — I’ve heard a rumor that (unlike Austin) jeans and a nice t-shirt do NOT constitute appropriate conference attire in Dallas. Weird, right?

 

Fighting for Silent Night: Keyboard Struggles

I can’t play the piano. Well, not really. I took a few months of lessons when I was a seven, a semester of class piano during my “voice major” phase of college, and four months of lessons when I was pregnant with my first kid. So I can sit down and plunk out a melody line, sure. And I played enough other instruments in my life to be able to read music well enough. But no one would make the mistake, after hearing me massacre a minuet, of thinking that I could really play piano.

Some of my very favorite memories of childhood, though, were of my mom playing piano music with us kids, all of us singing along. We had dozens of songs memorized, harmonies and descants included. Whenever a day had really gotten to one of us, the sound of those songs trickling in from the living room would pull us out of our funk and onto the piano bench, right next to Mom, and the day improved in an instant.

I wanted to give that to my kids. I wanted to play those songs, and more. But I was a Very Difficult Child, and broke my mom like a dry twig when she tried to force me to keep up the practicing as a child. And the time, patience, and will to learn to play as an adult eluded me.

So I settled for the Most Important Songs: Christmas Carols. Even if I couldn’t sit down and play some gorgeous classical piece, by gum I was going to nail Joy to the World and Jingle Bells. You know what? I did it. I mostly have those, even if they are pretty easy versions. Even though I have to struggle and sweat through every new song I want to add to my repertoire (Silver and Gold? O Come, O Come Emanuel? You are mine!), I am adamant I will succeed.

I think all of our Big Dreams are like that. There are things we want, and things we’re willing to work for, and things we’re willing to accept. Too often, we’re willing to accept less than we are capable of, and far less than we’d dreamed.  I accepted far less in my dream of playing the piano with my kids — but I’ve made my peace with what I can do and have done.

Whether it’s in writing or music, there comes a point when you must draw a line in the sand and say: this is what I want, and am willing to work for. Fight for. Even if it means sitting down to the keyboard and coming face-to-face with your current state of mediocrity, even if it’s embarrassing and your kids/critique partners don’t seem all that enthused.

Even if it means the dogs howl and the neighbors post anonymous complaints about the noise, even if the agents and editors send form rejections and nothing else, keep working toward your goal. At the end of your journey, you will have earned the right to be proud of yourself. So what if your work only ever appears in a local magazine, or a church newsletter? So what if all you can play is Silent Night?

Personally, I’ve always loved Silent Night. And the most meaningful thing I’ve had published was in a church magazine.

So, Writer Friends… what are you willing to work for? What are you willing to accept?

The Perfect Writing Day

On the best writing days, it rains.

It’s cold outside, just a little, so I’m not tempted to venture out. My favorite pajamas are clean, and I keep them on until at least noon.

I have my special tea – the cinnamon/orange/clove stuff, along with my insulated infuser tea pot, and one of my fancy schmancy, Jane Austen-y, bone china tea cups.

My dogs sit quietly at my feet. My big dog only smells faintly of skunk.

The phone doesn’t ring.The Internet is boring and holds no magic for me.

I know what I’m planning to write about. Not every word, but the next chapter or two.

When I get to a place in the manuscript that needs a little research, I can find the information I need in seconds. I get to research old fairy tales and witchcraft and call it working.

The writing goes fast. I produce thousands of words without it feeling forced or tiresome. I re-read what I’ve written, and it sounds… if not good, at least like something I can work with.

I think about my story all through lunch, which happens to be the very best of leftovers from a home-cooked meal.

I have enough chocolate (Lindt Intense Orange Dark bars, to be precise) to help me get over that afternoon slump.

The perfect writing day. That’s what it’s been like today, Writer Friends. Go ahead, be jealous.

But you don’t have to feel too jealous. I’ve never actually had two of these in a row.

Yet.

So, what’s the perfect writing day for you?

 

Will Write for Food (and Love)

News flash! You have two (count them: TWO!) opportunities to buy anthologies with my work in them this month.

If you’re a lover of personal essays, chock full of humor and (gasp!) recipes, check out the newest Chicken Soup for the Soul: Food and Love edition.

 

Or, if you’re more of a black turtleneck and beret type (and don’t we all have those days? Come on, admit it.), you might be interested in Improbable Worlds: an anthology of Texas and Louisiana Poets.

 

Actually, I had a fainting spell when I saw the names of the other poets in this anthology. I’m still a little overcome by the whole thing.

Now, I don’t have time to mess around. I have a whole lotta words to churn out to meet my next deadline. So, answer me this: if Santa were planning on bringing you a recently-published book (in addition to these lovely anthologies), what book would you ask for?

Did Santa ever bring you a book when you were small? Or was that considered socks-and-underwear-ish?

Write well, Friends!

Book Launch Envy

Austin has a lot: great music, wonderful food, a laid-back, wear-your-jeans-to-the opera vibe… and books.

Oh, do we love our books.

I’ve been hanging out at the local indie bookstore, Bookpeople, a WHOLE lot recently. Not only am I attending to support my Writer Friends’ book launches, I’m also being dragged there by my kids, who also love them some readin’.

Last week I noticed something… interesting. Book launches are getting more and more exciting.

I mean, seriously. At Cory Putman Oake’s launch for her new YA novel, The Veil, there were… cheerleaders.

Also brownies, but that may only be exciting to me.

And then, at John Flanagan’s launch for Book One: The Outcasts of his new series, The Brotherband Chronicles, there was honest-to-goodness sword fighting. (By trained professionals. If they’d given swords to all the kids, there would have been a higher body count.)

Also, knights in real armor, and more Ranger’s Apprentice look-alikes than you can shake a bow staff at. I thought I’d wandered into the Renaissance Festival for a minute.

It was absolutely cool.

I can’t even express how much I approve of this new trend. But it has me a little worried. How will I make my own launch next year stand out?

Have a gingerbread school contest?

Get impoverished and/or child actors to act out the scariest scenes?

Hire a local coven to come with a cauldron full of fake body parts… or worse?

I could use some help here. I don’t think I can work the sword fighting in at this stage – I’m proofing the final pass pages this month! (And can I just say that seeing my name on the copyright page is the HUGEST rush?)

 

 

 

Books for Bastrop

Good Monday morning, Writer Friends!

Most of you probably heard about the devastating wildfires earlier this year that virtually destroyed the town of Bastrop, Texas, not far from where I live. It was a horrible time for so many – and continues to be, with years of rebuilding ahead. The Bastrop Library didn’t burn down – thank goodness – but MANY books were checked out when the fires came, and the homes they were in were consumed by the fire.

So the library needs books (and/or money, of course). And, on their December 10th Open House, they plan to give the kids in the community two gift-wrapped children’s books…. since, in addition to the checked-out library books, the children’s own books were also burned up.

Wow. Think about that. We have a town full of kids who have NO BOOKS. And a library who wants to give those kids books. And us, reading about this, and wondering what we could do.

Do this:

Send your checks, made out to the Austin SCBWI  with Bastrop Library Fund written in the memo portion of the check, to ASCBWI, 709 Wood Mesa Ct., Round Rock, TX 78665. Book donations can be sent to that address, as well. (For more details, read this post at the Austin SCBWI posted by our excellent RA, Debbie Gonzales.)

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and we all have a lot to be thankful for, right? Why not say a big old THANK YOU to the libraries that helped you grow into your Awesome Writer Selves, and give to the Bastrop Library.  Or to your own local library!

Keep on writing!

 

 

The Power of Naps

I’m going to come clean about a part of my writing process that might look… suspicious, if you actually saw me doing it.

(And I’ll come clean about why I’m coming clean: I’m about to write a “Day in the Writing Life” post for the Apocalypsie blog, and this part of my “process” will be there. Better to make a clean breast of it, right? Haha I said breast. Sorry, I couldn’t help it.)

The part of my writing day I’m talking about is this one:

I know, I know. It sounds like such a cop-out. “I’m not sleeping, I’m resting my eyes” — or in this case — “I’m not sleeping, I’m pre-writing/writing/revising.” But it’s true. A good nap – not a real, deep sleep one, but a cat nap when you’re thinking about your manuscript – can be just the thing.

Try it! Maybe you’ll have the sorts of epiphanies I’ve been having with startling frequency these days with your own manuscript. If you don’t, who cares? You still win. Because, seriously, you need the sleep.

We all do.

Now get some rest! Then go back to your crazy NaNoWriMo lives.

 

 

 

 

How To Get My Agent

First off, no. I will NOT give you her phone number. But I’m going to give you something better.

Those of you who have known me for a while know that I signed with the supertalented, ninja-agent-of-awesomeness Suzie Townsend in late 2009. At the time, she was an agent at Fineprint Literary Management. I “found” her – or rather, she found me – when I entered my query and first pages in a contest for the Backspace Conference in New York.

When she called, I had no idea who she was. She’d read my pages (since she shared an office with the contest judges), she was just starting out as an agent, and would I pretty please send her the full manuscript?

I think you can guess the rest of the story. But it all started with that query, and a contest.

Now, thanks to my Agent Extraordinaire, you have the chance to get her attention JUST LIKE I DID. Or, almost. She’s having a query contest to celebrate her move to Nancy Coffey Literary. (And, yes, I “moved” with her. Of course!) So, Writer Friends, polish up your queries, and hop on over to Suzie’s blog. But be quick! You only have one hour on Tuesday morning to get your query in.

Be brave! Enter!

Also, check out Jill Corcoran’s blog post on How To Get An Agent. Lots of great info there.

 

The Biggest Book Nerd Ever

I think it might be me, friends.

Let me explain. This weekend was the Texas Book Festival, the most wonderful, free, fabulous event ever in Austin. I did it right this year.

I sat in on panels with authors I know and love like Elaine Scott, Varian Johnson, Jeanette Larson, Chris Barton, and Jennifer Ziegler — and authors I don’t know as well, but still love, like Rosemary Clement-Moore, Jill Alexander, and Joe Schreiber. I had lunch with the amazing Mary Johnson and other writer friends at Z’Tejas on Saturday, then took the Texas State Cemetery tour after dark.

At the cemetery, I shook Louis Sachar’s hand (then couldn’t wash it until I got home and rubbed the talent germs on both my sons, not kidding, I KNOW), then hung out with Cynthia Leitich-Smith, Jessica Lee Anserson, Shelli Cornelison, Jen Bigheart, Emily Kristin Anderson, oh and let’s not forget freaking Libba Bray and Sarah Dessen and… I can’t remember them all.

On Sunday, I listened to Rebecca Stead and Kate DiCamillo talk about their writing processes and what it’s like to win a Newbery (frightening and wonderful and dangerous if you believe it means you are the bomb because of it, according to these two). They were hilarious. I skulked around their signing tent with my husband and son until we were able to snap these pics.

 

 

Afterward, I went to MORE panels, bought books, visited with magazine editors – ones I’d worked with before who I’d never met (which was so cool) and ones I may work with in the future (yay!) — librarians, booksellers and even some official Penguin people. Squee!

That night, after dinner, I was exhausted, but so happy.

Then I heard that Johnny Depp was playing an unscheduled gig (who knew he played guitar?) at the Nutty Brown Cafe, a hot hill country music venue at the end of my street. (I knew he really was in town, since a bunch of my friends had their pics of him from the night before up on Facebook.) We were driving past the Cafe, the music was going, and Dave said – “wanna go?” It wasn’t even that crowded.

I thought about it.

I mean, this guy?

But then I thought – no big. I’d already been in the presence of my rock stars all weekend- the authors who write so well, feel so passionately, and are so incredibly generous with their time and energy. Johnny Depp has nothing on Kate D. or Louis S.

And it was a school night, after all. And… I *did* have a new book I’d gotten at the Festival to read…

So we drove on.

And that, my friends is how I know I am the Biggest Book Nerd Ever.

Now, I’m off to write another thousand words on my Shiny New Manuscript. I might stare at a few Johnny Depp pictures later. You know. Just for inspiration.

The Only Place to Be — Texas Book Festival Time!

Y’all, seriously. It’s free, it’s fabulous, they give away candy and stuff for kids.

There are books everywhere. Stacks of them. And people who love them almost as much as you do.

You can hear Libba Bray and Sarah Dessen, Ernie Cline and Rebecca Stead, Kate DiFreakingCamillo, for crying out loud. You can meet them.

Why are you not in Austin, or coming as fast as you can?

Check this out. The Texas Book Festival is the only place you’ll find me this weekend.