Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today with another Slice of Life Post. I have finished my book. I’ve made all the changes my Beta Reader recommended, and I’m happy with the result. Now I’m going back and double checking punctuation. It’s tedious, but must be done.
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I’m always looking to improve my story. Sigh. A writer’s work is never done. I’m also overwhelmed because I have so many ideas I want to pursue, I don’t know which one to work on next. I’ll be working on one story and another idea will pop into my head.
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I’m sure this happens to you, too. What I usually do is write down the idea and then continue working on my current WIP, but sometimes it’s hard. Especially when the characters are screaming to be written. They’re not very patient are they?
This is the Writer’s Life. Writing between family obligations and work. I get irritable when I can’t write. I think I may have an addiction. :)
Well. The first step is admitting it, isn’t it?
But this addiction is a good thing. I believe that with all my heart. If I didn’t write I wouldn’t be able to express all the creativity inside me. There’s a lot in there, trust me. :)
My writing inspires kids. That is the most awesome feeling in the world and probably the root of my addiction. When I go to a school for an author visit, the enthusiasm these kids show radiates off them in waves. They inspire me. They make me want to keep writing, so they’ll keep reading. I can’t write fast enough.
Did you know that twenty one percent of the adults in the United States read below the fifth grade level? Does anyone else find this alarming? Check out this article from Huffington Post for more information.
How does this happen? How did they slip through the cracks?
I don’t know about you, but this bothers me. I want the world to be a better place for my kids when they grow up. How can we change this?
I know one way is to donate to libraries. I didn’t realize this until recently, but many libraries are not included in school budgets. So they’re limited in how they get new books. Donations are one of the few ways libraries can obtain new books.
Studies show that improving libraries raises literacy levels in the surrounding communities. I wrote a post on this very subject three years ago. Here’s the link if you’d like to check it out.
Improving our Libraries will improve our Literacy Levels
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This is so important for our young people today because the pace of life is just going to continue to get faster and faster. They need to be critical thinkers to discern between what is real and what is bogus. Reading helps develop that critical thinking process, I’m sure of it.
So there you have it. My burning desire to write stems from inspiring kids to read. That’s why I do it. Recently, a parent of a reluctant reader gave my first Super Spies book to her daughter. She hoped it would inspire her to read, nothing else had worked so far. My book did. She loved it. She went on to read the next two in the series. She wants to read more. I’m writing. I’m writing as fast as I can.
Thanks for reading my Slice of Life Post today. If you’d like to read other Slice of Life Posts, click the link below.
Oh, I have one more announcement! My first book in the Super Spies series has a new cover! I loved my old cover, but this one is good, too. The cover and blurb are below. Check it out!
In a small town in Michigan, fifteen-year-old Sarah Cole is stuck spending the summer at her Aunt and Uncle’s with her sister, Lacey. She’s not happy with the situation until she befriends a girl named Jackie. The three girls stumble upon the ruthless murder of a reclusive neighborhood woman and what’s worse? One of the officers investigating the crime believes the girls are responsible for her death.
Fearing that this officer will frame them for the murder, the girls organize their own detective squad. They become the Super Spies and start their own investigation. The Super Spies can’t understand why anyone would want to murder the “Cat Lady” until they start digging into her past and discover a horrible crime that happened thirty years ago. They uncover a connection between the two crimes and attempt to bring this information to the police, only to be reprimanded for meddling in the investigation. Not only are the girls upset by the admonition, but they also struggle with the fact that their exuberant investigating could provide a legal loophole allowing the killer to go free. Frustrated by this turn of events, the Super Spies realize it’s up to them to snare the Cat Lady killer. Or die trying…
If you have any hints or comments about the writing life or how to improve Literacy Levels, leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!