cultivate

What's the Hardest Thing to Cultivate?

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on January 27th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

My daughter is an aspiring chef and baker. Perhaps more accurately, she is an aspiring competitor on a reality cooking/baking show.

She's currently very into a trio of family-friendly cooking shows on Disney+: "Be Our Chef," in which five families go head-to-head in Disney-themed cooking challenges; "Disney's Magic Bake-Off," in which teams of kids and tweens make fancy Disney-themed cakes; and "Foodtastic," in which professional pastry chefs, ice/pumpkin carvers, and food artists must make elaborate (you guessed it) Disney-themed foodscapes.

These shows have sparked her interest in helping out in the kitchen. She and I have baked together for a couple years, but now she really wants to be involved. As a toddler, her primary jobs were mixing, making a mess, and snacking. Now, she wants to chop veggies and crack eggs. She wants to add seasoning. She wants to zest lemons. And with desserts, above all, she wants to DECORATE. 

What she doesn't want to do—ever—is wait. 

"I'm not very good at being patient," she tells me repeatedly, every single time we cook together. 

Granted, she's five and a half, and five-and-a-half-year-olds are not typically known for their skill at waiting patiently. But I don't think her age is the only factor at play. When she watches those cooking and baking shows, she is seeing a highly edited, fast-paced version of working in a kitchen. She watches ingredients getting thrown into a mixer and then, moments later, sees the cake come out of the oven—and she never has to wait long for the decorations (oh, those wonderful decorations!) to go on. 

Cooking in real life isn't like that. In real life, there is waiting involved. It's just part of the process. The pasta has to boil. The meat has to sear. The cupcakes have to cool. Sweet-pea, you have to be patient. 

I don't think this is just a five-and-a-half-year-old problem. 

In the email header, I asked, "What's the hardest thing to cultivate?" I propose that for many of us, it's patience. 

I was thinking about patience earlier this week, as I was struggling to dive into drafting the write-for-hire project I'll be focused on for the next few months. My outline and character sketches were approved with only a few minor tweaks—yay!! The next step is to submit three chapters, just to make sure I'm on the right track, voice-wise, before I write the whole book.

I'm really excited about this project, and yet, on Monday, I was having a hard time getting words on the page. I didn't like the words I did manage to type. I felt blocked. I wanted to do something, anything else. I wished, desperately, that I could skip ahead to the part of the drafting process where it starts to flow, where it feels almost effortless. Or even to revisions, where you get to dig in and polish all the nonsense you wrote before until it properly shines. 

I wanted the highly edited, fast-paced TV competition show version of writing a book. Instead, I was in the real world, and there was no way forward except one step—one word—at a time. 

Sweet-pea, you have to be patient. 

Cooking with my daughter is an exercise in patience. (For both of us...) Writing a book is an exercise in patience. I can't simply skip the hard parts or the boring parts and end up with a delicious finished product. The only way out is through. 

Do you struggle with patience? Or is there another skill that you find it really hard to cultivate in your life/work?

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: Short stories! I am a huge fan of Rainbow Rowell's books, and this week, I grabbed her short story collection, Scattered Showers, from the library. It did not disappoint! Featuring a mix of new characters and callbacks to her beloved novels, Scattered Showers is like a snapshot of what Rowell does best: build big feelings. While it was great to see more from characters I knew and loved, I think my favorite story in the collection was the last one, "In Waiting," a meta tale about two characters meeting in the author's imagination, some time before they're ready to emerge into stories of their own.  

Baking: Chocolate whoopie-pies with pink marshmallow buttercream.  

Loving: Kiddo lost her first tooth this past week! We're officially entering "big kid" land... 

What Am I Hoping to Cultivate in 2023?

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on January 13th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

Last week, I shared that my word of the year for 2023 is Cultivate. This week, I wanted to talk a little about what, exactly, I hope to cultivate in my professional life! What seeds did I plant that I'm ready to nurture? What's on tap for me in 2023? 

I have one book release this year: the paperback of Madison Morris is NOT a Mouse! on April 11th. I learned a lot last year, as I released two books in a little over a four-month period. (Technically, I had four book releases in 2022: the paperback of Tally Tuttle, the hardcover and paperback of David Dixon, and the hardcover of Madison Morris!) I am hoping to make the most of this upcoming paperback release, so stay tuned for giveaways, readalouds, collaborations, and more in the next month or two. 

The Thirteenth Circle is moving steadily through the production process. MarcyKate and I are waiting on copyedits, as well as a final cover design and a release date. (As far as I know, this book is still slated for winter 2024.) Meanwhile, we've been working on sample chapters for a proposed Book Two in the Science & Strange series! The Thirteenth Circle is about a crop circle phenomenon. Who wants to guess what paranormal thing our intrepid seventh-grade researchers are going to investigate next? 

I am also embarking on a new writing project this year. I mentioned several months ago that I was auditioning for a write-for-hire gig...and I got it! This week, I submitted a 10-page outline/synopsis as well as character briefs for all of the main players. Once I get approval from my editor and the client, it's time to start drafting in earnest. I will tell you more about this project once I know what I am allowed to disclose (remember, sometimes ghostwriters are allowed to take credit, whereas other times they stay fully behind the scenes). Suffice it to say, I am so excited that I took the chance on this audition last fall and am embarking on this new adventure! I think it will be a lot of fun. 

I did my first few in-person Class Critters school visits in 2022. I not only refined my presentation each time, making it more engaging and more effective (and becoming more comfortable in front of a crowd of kids), but also learned some tricks about reaching out to schools to pitch myself and my books. I am currently in talks with a couple different schools about in-person visits in the spring, which I am so excited about! But also, I am really pushing forward with booking virtual visits. I already have 10 virtual school visits scheduled on and around World Read Aloud Day (February 1st), plus another few virtual visits coming up in March. Speaking of which, if you want me to read/speak to your elementary school students, either virtually or in person, please don't hesitate to reach out! I would love to make something happen. Learn more about my school visits HERE. 

In other professional news, this week I led my first professional writing seminar for the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, and it went really well! (You may recall me writing about imposter syndrome as I was crafting the presentation...) The facilitators and the attendees seemed very pleased with the information that I and my Class Critters editor, Erica Finkel, shared. And there were approximately 85 registrants, which blew away my expectations for how many people would attend! While this workshop technically happened in 2023, I'm counting it as a seed planted last year, because that's when I laid all the groundwork. Now, I know that I can lead a successful seminar. I do have valuable insight to pass along to other writers. I am not an imposter! So what else can I pursue in this realm? What other opportunities can I seek out? More workshops and seminars? More podcasts? Guest blog posts? 

All of the above is...a lot. I am going to be busy, busy, busy. But I hope to be busy doing what I love—or else doing things that are necessary to support projects I love—and that takes the some of the existential stress out of it. Writing is my job, and I work hard at it, but it's also my passion. I hope that above all, I can continue cultivating enjoyment in my work. 

What word is guiding you this year? 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: I've got a long library hold list at the moment, including several holiday-themed romances that didn't hit my account before the holidays, but I've also just started a new middle-grade fantasy novel! (Remember how I said I was going to read more middle-grade this year, in preparation for my own middle-grade debut in 2024?) Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit by Jesse Q. Sutanto is about a boy who must team up with his brother's fox spirit after his brother passes away. Together, the two—who have never gotten along—must uncover why the brother died. I'm only a few chapters in, but I'm enjoying it so far! 

Watching: "Willow" just finished its first (only?) season, and it definitely got better as it went along. "Abbott Elementary" is back from winter break, and as fun as ever. Oh, and my husband and I watched "Matilda: the Musical" on Netflix a few days ago, and it was absolutely wonderful! 

Eating: Have you ever made a Mississippi Roast? I cooked a version of this in the crock pot a few days ago, and it was divine. (Spoiler alert: there's a lot of butter...)  

Loving: I checked my PO Box this week to find a packet of letters and artwork from a group of 1st and 2nd graders I Zoomed with in December! Here are a few of my favorite pictures. Getting fan art from kids is the absolute best.  

Happy New Year! My Word of the Year Is...

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on January 6th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

Happy New Year!! What are your goals and dreams for 2023? 

I don't really do New Year's Resolutions. Instead, a decade ago, I was introduced to the idea of choosing a Word of the Year. This word will set the tone. It will guide you and give you purpose. It will ground you or lift you up—whatever it is you need at the moment you set the intention. 

In January 2013, the first time I did a Word of the Year, I chose Patience. It had been almost three years since I'd graduated from my MFA in Creative Writing program, and I'd been writing, revising, and periodically querying literary agents ever since. I was trying not to feel defeated, even though landing a book deal was taking longer than I'd anticipated. I'd also begun a new manuscript in 2012—the book that would become The Distance Between Lost and Found. I was in love with this manuscript. I felt strongly that it was the best thing I'd ever written. But I didn't want to rush to send it out if it wasn't ready. 

In January 2014, with Distance on the path to publication, I chose Momentum. Things were happening! Amazing, exciting things! I didn't want to slow down for a second. I wanted to ride the wave as far as I could. I wanted to be ready to put in the work to turn one book deal into a career as an author. 

In January 2015, the year my debut novel was set to hit shelves, I selected Gratitude. I knew I had some stress ahead with launching a book and facing reviews and such, and I didn't want to lose sight of how very lucky I felt to be doing what I loved. I wanted to approach every opportunity—and every setback—feeling thankful. 

For some reason I can no longer recall (maybe just...life?), I neglected to set a word for 2016. But by 2017, I was in a publishing slump. My second book had released, but had underperformed. My option book (a proposed third title with the same publisher) had been rejected. I'd taken that book on wide submission to other publishing houses and had failed to sell it anywhere. I'd set that manuscript aside and was working on rewriting another, earlier book. I was trying not to panic. (I was also pregnant at the time, which made everything feel very fraught...) And so I chose the word Persist. I was not going to give up. I was going to tell more stories. 

As an exhausted new mom who still hadn't sold a third book, in January 2018 I figured that Persist could stay my theme for another year. And then, in 2019, I moved on to Trust. I'd gone on submission a few more times. I'd rewritten both unsold books, and still hadn't nabbed a contract. I was beginning to draft something entirely new: a chapter book for young readers. I wanted to trust that one way or another, I would find the story that would become my third published book. But beyond publishing, I wanted to trust that the life I was living—as a tired mom to a toddler, in all its joy and its tedium—was exactly where I was supposed to be.  

My chapter book series sold in January 2020, and somewhere between the excitement and celebration of that milestone and the arrival of a global pandemic, I never set a word for that year. (In retrospect, my Word of the Year was probably Survive.) 

But in 2021, I chose Nourish. I wanted to find my way out of survival mode and into a healthier, happier space. I wanted to nourish my body, my mind, my soul. I wanted to eat more healthily. I wanted to go on a writing retreat. I wanted to make time for walks with friends and fresh air and other things that would feed my spirit. After a year that was challenging and scary, I wanted my theme for the year to basically be, "Be good to yourself." 

Since I managed to skip January 2022 (thanks, Omicron...), we have finally—finally!—reached this year!

If you're still with me, let's have a drumroll...

For 2023, I have chosen the word Cultivate. 

In looking back at 2022, even though I never set a formal intention, I do see a major theme. 2022 was about work. 

Last year, I released two new books. I revised two others (one for publication and one that's not yet there). I started doing in-person school visits for the first time since my YA novels in 2015/2016. I hired a marketing consultant to help me figure out how I could help my stories reach more readers. I launched this newsletter. I pitched myself and my books to podcasts and reviewers. I organized social media campaigns and giveaways. I auditioned for new writing opportunities. I worked. 

In 2022, I planted a lot of seeds. 

In 2023, I want to cultivate them. 

I only have one book release this year: the paperback of Madison Morris is NOT a Mouse! in April. Since I'll be spending a lot less time in promo mode, I want to dig deeper into everything else. I know I'll be writing first-drafts of various things, but I also want to finally get that magical middle-grade book I've mentioned before back to my agent. I want to go on another writing retreat. And I want to create more opportunities for myself and my stories, using what I learned last year as a jumping-off point. I want to be creative, and I want to try new things. 

I also want to continue to cultivate a balanced life, in which I can be present as a parent to my daughter and as a partner to my husband, while also making time for myself to dance, do yoga, walk with friends, etc. My life is a garden, and it is my job to tend it so that it can flourish. 

Did you pick a Word of the Year for 2023? What did you choose? 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. This is a Young Adult fantasy novel about a Black teen studying at an early college program who stumbles upon a secret society based on the Knights of the Round Table. The true secret? Arthur and his Knights were real, and so is magic! Bree, the protagonist, is grieving the recent loss of her mother, dealing with living away from home for the first time, and nursing a major crush on her student mentor Nick...who also happens to be the heir to King Arthur himself. One of the most interesting dynamics of the book is the contrast between the Arthurian style of magic with the magic that seems innate to Bree's family—a magic that reaches all the way back to the time of enslavement. I'm not done with Legendborn yet, but it is really great so far. If you're a fantasy fan, definitely check it out. 

Watching: My husband and I are currently rewatching an old season of "Taskmaster," the British show in which a comedian asks a group of other comedians and television personalities to perform a series of absurd tasks and scores their performance. What can I say, we needed some absurdity (and some belly laughs) after the stress of December! If you like to laugh, there are at least a dozen seasons of this show on YouTube. Season 7, which we're watching now, is one of the best. 

Writing: So much!!! Did I mention that December was stressful? Because January isn't slowing down. I've got an outline and character sketches to polish up for one fiction project (more on that soon!). I'm first-drafting and working on a proposal for a possible Book Two of the Science & Strange series with my coauthor, MarcyKate. I've also got a couple dance articles on my plate this month. Wish me luck over the next few weeks! 

Loving: My kiddo is learning to read. It's actually happening! And it's incredible to witness. The other night, as she sat on my lap, working her way through a series of BOB Books, I thought my heart might burst with pride.