Seems like a simple enough notion, doesn't it?  When I was a kid I first heard the Latin term carpe diem in a movie.  It sounded kind of brainy and positive, so I bought a t-shirt and made it my mantra.  Way back then, I had a very loose interpretation of the words and generally considered it to be a blazon rebel call to venture out into crazy new adventures.  Today, with my innocence a few days (alright, several decades) behind me, I still like to think of it in that way, but I've also embraced the essence of the term on a much simpler spiritual level.

My younger self focused on forging forward into unchartered territory, where my weathered soul now recognizes the beauty in seizing the simpler moments and memories with the ones I love. 

Today was a very special day for me and my father.  The first time in over 20 years we've spent Father's Day together.  The last Father's Day we shared together we had no idea that he would move so far away, and then I would move, and the years would pass too quickly and then he would get so sick.

I realize every single moment I spend with my dad is special, because he and I cannot deny the number of days we have left together is finite.  Before his diagnosis, we never thought of it that way.  I suspect no one ever does.  But when stage four cancer rears it's ugly head, it slaps you into reality mighty quick.  And as my dad passionately fought the vicious disease, my mom was also fighting something.  Alone.  In March, while my dad was sleeping off his latest chemotherapy, my mom made breakfast and passed away before her meal was done.  I didn't have a chance to say goodbye or to thank my mom for the gifts she'd given me, but during these very valuable days I have left with my dad, I'm determined to seize every moment to honor and show my unyielding love to him. 

Carpe Diem to the great fathers of the world and the children who adore them. 

Happy Father's Day.               

I like a good challenge as well as the next writer.  So, here we go.  I was on Twitter yesterday and noticed a contest for writing and submitting fractured Fairy Tales. At first I just read through a few entries, envious that I didn't have a submission.  Then, it hit me, write one.  Whatcha got to lose but the remaining threads of your dignity?  For the next hour or two, I struggled with cute little names,  funny word flips and came up with lots of ideas, but nothing worth losing my threads over.  I was surrounded by a stack of my favorite books, and I then I saw The Paper Bag Princess.  Would they consider that a fairy tale? Let’s hope so, cuz my low watt light bulb immediately flickered and the Cardboard King was born. It's actually a story I've fiddled with on and off for two years, but even after chopping 300 words and changing it around, I still love it. Coming in at EXACTLY 400 words, I've entered Susanna Hill's fractured fairy-tale March Madness writing contest. The story must be posted on my blog, so you can read in the previous post entitled The Cardboard King. If you're interested in entering the contest, check out susannahill.blogspot.com for details. The deadline is 3/24/14 so HURRY! 

               Cardboard King has been removed for recycling.  Stay Tuned! :)

I realized last week that I haven’t written a blog post in months.  Sometimes, when our lives take an unexpected turn, it’s difficult to balance everything.  This past year has been very challenging for me.  My dad is very sick, and as much as I hoped and prayed he’d get better, he hasn’t.  In the midst of my struggle to cope with what is happening, I accidentally stopped writing.  At first I just skipped a day or two.  But as the year progressed, and my dad’s condition worsened, a few skipped days eventually turned into a few skipped weeks.   

It took several months for me to realize I was gradually moving further and further away from writing.  Thankfully, the month of October would be my turning point.  I attended the James River Writing Conference with my good friend Lisa (Elle) Blair.  A few times leading up to the event I thought about skipping it.  I wasn’t sure my heart was in it, but something told me I needed to be there.  And if I could share one piece of wisdom with you, it would be this – when something deep inside tells you to do something, DO IT.  Because by following my instinct and going to the JRW conference, I had a front row seat to glory.  I watched my dear friend Lisa pitch to an agent, submit her manuscript and eventually receive the CALL.  For any new writer who may not be familiar with the CALL, there are two earth-rocking types.  The CALL is either (1) An agent – wanting to discuss representation OR (2) An editor – wanting to discuss the option of publishing your book.  At this point in my career, I have not had the pleasure of receiving either type of CALL yet, but thanks to my writing buddy Lisa, I experienced the next best thing.  The joy and bliss of watching her receive her CALL.  I’m delighted to report that Lisa (Elle) Blair is now represented by Beth Phelan of The Bent Agency.  

Coming out of October, my excitement for Lisa lifted my spirits and helped me dive back into writing.  And as luck would have it, November is THE MONTH for picture book creativity.  One of my favorite picture book writers on Twitter, Tara Lazar, dubbed November PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month).  So I dropped by Tara’s website and joined over a thousand other writers in a fabulous month filled with inspiring blog posts and fun giveaways.  By November 30th, I had over sixty new picture book ideas and a few new complete manuscripts ready to submit to my critique partners at Richmond Children’s Writers. 

Now that the holiday season is in full swing, I am swamped with additional responsibilities and commitments, but I am happy to say I am still committed to making writing a top priority.  In the chaos of everything, I know writing brings me peace and joy.

For more information on the two talented ladies I mentioned above, you can visit their websites:

Lisa Blair (pen name Elle Blair):  www.elleblair.com

Tara Lazar:  www.taralazar.com

Have a wonderful holiday season filled with peace, joy, love and writing!

  

 

About five years ago, give or take, I attended my very first writing event.  A newbie to Richmond and children's writing, I remember leaving my house several hours early.  My printed directions (it was my Pre-iPhone era) estimated travel time at 40 minutes. I think we can all agree, "estimated" times are generally calculated for the directionally savvy traveler. So, if something is important, and I want to be there, I ALWAYS add a huge buffer.  I'm a writer, not an explorer.
 
I'd love to tell you that I arrived with oodles of time to spare, but let's just say I made it there.  And, although I was incredibly nervous about finding the place, and being around other writers who knew more people and more about writing than me, I bravely took a huge step outside my comfort zone.  And, I'm so happy I did.  Because, it was on THAT day, at THAT event, I decided to become children's book writer.  Although I was totally new to the world of children's literature, I had miraculously stumbled into an event with two of the best children's book writers in Virginia.  Gigi Amateau and Meg Medina.  And as they shared their stories and as I listened to them talk, I grew to like them. I became genuinely happy for each of them and their success. And as they confidently chatted about their craft, I felt as if they were encouraging me and the rest of the crowd to embrace our dream of writing.  To become fellow writers.  To join them.  Before that day, I toyed with the idea of writing stories for children.  After that day, I decided it was more than just a passing urge.  I knew I needed to write stories for children.  And so I did.  

Over the past five years, I've learned quite a bit about writing and who I want to be as a writer.  I've attended countless events, created mind-boggling manuscripts, made several friends and joined one incredible critique group.      
 
And then last Thursday (June 27), I had the honor of sharing a stage with Meg Medina and two other talented writers on The Writing Show with James River Writers.  We talked about the writer's platform, branding, websites, tag-lines, social media, networking, book launches and community involvement.  We discussed the importance of being authentic.  Sitting next to Meg and listening to her voice, I remembered how her words had inspired me years ago. It was an incredibly surreal moment.  

For more information on James River Writers, visit my Shout Outs Tab.

Over the past twelve months, I have attended SEVERAL book events.  When a local children's writer is launching their latest and greatest – I try to be there. When an award-winning author visits my favorite indy bookstore (BBGB) - I mark it with Sharpie on my calendar.  I am honored to attend these events and celebrate in a fellow writer's success.  I'm not into movie premieres or music concerts. I am a book lover and a writer.  

If you are a kidlit writer in the Richmond area, I hope to meet you at one of your events or bump into you as we celebrate another writer's success.  If you are an aspiring writer and you’ve never attended a book launch or author visit, you really owe it to yourself and your fellow writers to go.  Enjoy the positive energy in the air.  Meet other writers and readers.  Take note of the details and learn.  I promise you’ll be inspired.  And maybe one step closer to hosting your own event someday. 

Here are just a few fun photos from my recent travels:     

One of the biggest challenges for me as a writer is my desperate  need for EVERYTHING I write to be special.  Different.  Mind-blowing.  Sure, as writers we want our manuscripts to hit those buttons, but for me, I want every single little scrap of handwritten data or e-mail I produce to be gold-star material.  Yes, I realize it’s compulsive.  And no, most of the daily things I write are never gold-star-worthy.  Sometimes, I have 2 or 3 revisions on a little note to my kid’s teacher. Instead of a simple line or two about my kid’s latest bout with the flu, I feel compelled to produce a full doctoral thesis on the impact the absence will play on my daughter’s ability to master the subject matter.  

In my infinite  wisdom, I realize why I drive myself crazy with the words.  I believe as a writer, people expect more from me.  I expect more from me.   So, to challenge my sanity, my oldest daughter has recently presented me with one of my toughest writing prompts ever.  For her final year of elementary school, I will pay tribute to my daughter by purchasing Love-Lines in her yearbook. For a small fee, I will be allowed to submit a dedication of 25 words or less to my daughter.  She will assume I spent a few minutes one afternoon jotting down some sweet sentimental thoughts.  In reality, I will have logged hours worrying about the best way to compress all my love, hope and pride for her into one gentle heartwarming sentence. In the end, 25 words are not enough.  But, 25,000 wouldn’t be either. 


My Love-Line submission to my daughter:

May you always be filled with as much joy as you bring to those around you. 

 
All Our Love, Mom & Dad

    Although I have only embraced the idea of being a writer for a few years, I have always found comfort in the written word.  I enjoy all forms of writing and deeply respect my fellow writers.  Sometimes I grab one idea and twist it for months, and sometimes the words come in the form of a whisper.  To be honest, writing haiku would not jump to the top of my 2013 resolutions, yet I’m not completely turned off to any style of writing.  Up until 2011, I never considered haiku or creating anything related to September 11th.  Yet on the 10th anniversary of that tragic day, I heard a whisper and I wrote it down.  It is my only haiku. It's called Patriot Day.  I don't foresee another haiku in my future, but only time will tell.  My 2013 resolution is to write with an open heart and mind.  Best of luck with your projects and resolutions in the new year. 
 
May the words be with you.      
              
Patriot Day
Leaves yet to descend
Four birds doomed by evil thoughts
Scar sleeping eagle   


    

Where are the words?  I sit silently at my laptop-Typing. Erasing. Typing.  Erasing.  Two weeks ago, I couldn’t wait for a few free hours to punch out my latest and greatest.  Now, I can vividly see those book ideas floating above me, yet I am unable reach them.  I cannot reach them.  For now, I must remain low.  On my knees.  Praying.

In the midst of grieving, I hope our nation will pull together and take steps to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again.  Whether one is pro-this or anti-that, It is our wake-up call.   THINGS MUST CHANGE.   WE MUST CHANGE.    

I have two daughters in elementary school.  On the day of the tragedy, I knew I had no choice but to tell them.  I didn’t want to tell them, yet in this modern age of instant news, they would quickly find out.  I pulled each one aside separately and summarized the unspeakable tragedy in a few sad sentences.  We do not watch the news or read about it.  We are not ignoring the tragedy; we are LIMITING the traumatic impact of the tragedy on our children.  We choose to LIMIT their fear.  We choose to LIMIT their anxiety.   We choose to protect them from the deep and dark level of grief we feel for the victims and their families.  Fear and sadness float everywhere around us, but for now, our girls will remain close to my husband and me.  On our knees.  Praying. 

For all those who grieve, we pray for you this Christmas.

The Dudley Family