Work Photos

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A photographic look into my library life:

Each month my library puts out a magazine featuring our upcoming events. Rather than using stock photos, they use pictures of staff members. So, hey, look, there’s me modeling for a Photoshop class. I’m famous! (Also, apparently I have red highlights.)

This is what I made while on the clock the other day. Clearly I missed my calling as a professional finger-paint artist. (I’m hosting a train-themed program for preschoolers in two weekends, and after storytime we’re finger painting.)

All in all, being a librarian is pretty great. We get crazy patrons, but really amazing ones, too. The biggest downside? Wanting to read everything. Seriously. My TBR pile is ridiculous.

Doing

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Hello, I'm a Mac

When I got my first personal computer in 2001 (a high school graduation gift), my favorite thing to do was change the background image. I really liked the idea that a simple picture could change the entire look of a screen.

Since then, I changed my background rather routinely. That is, until March 2010. Around that time I discovered Smashing Magazine’s desktop wallpaper calendars. For three months, starting in January, changed my background to one of the site’s beautiful calendar images. I loved them. But, again, I stopped in March 2010.

That month, I found a background that just seemed…perfect. A simple tan background, it had the quote…

Are you doing all you can to become the person you want to be?

At the time I was trying to write a book. I was starting and stopping and starting and stopping and nothing felt right. So I kept the background to push myself forward, to give myself the inspiration to keep going. Keep writing. Because that was who I wanted to be…a writer. (And, as it turned out, a librarian. But more on that later.)

You all know the ending of that story. I didn’t become a major author that year, but I did finish a book a year and a half later and today I have an agent. It’s lovely, really.

So yesterday, looking at my desktop background, I considered changing it. Why would I need something to push me to write? I do it easily now. I became what I wanted to be.

But to me? That’s not enough. I want to keep going, keep pushing, keep being. I want to remind myself to keep trying no matter how tough it gets. Because I want to continue doing all that I can. Because it’s not always easy, but man is it rewarding.

What do you want to be? And what are you doing to get there? 

Teens of Today

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At the library, the majority of our volunteers are teens. They’re all really sweet and really helpful and pretty much only know me as that stereotypical librarian (complete with glasses and cardigan. I am a walking stereotype). So it’s fun when they ask me something and my answer surprises them. I was a drummer? I was in the circus? Yeah, like that.

So today I was talking to one of our volunteers, and mentioned being obsessed with pop punk when I was around his age. To my delight, the genre is still around and while I don’t know any of the current popular artists, I’m happy to know people still like it. So he jotted down some bands for me to check out, and I told him I’ll come back with recommendations of my own.

And that – just that – is why I write young adult novels. Because while times do change (I didn’t have a cell phone in high school; Facebook wasn’t invented; Leonardo DiCaprio was the dreamiest – okay he still is), basic things don’t. In high school there will always be the jocks, the cheerleaders, the geeks, the drama kids (me!), the artists, the guys in bands.

But also? There will always be heartbreak so bad you don’t know if you can go on, best friends who you’ll give your life for, crushes that are dreamt about in class over and over again, embarrassments that you think will haunt you forever, pressure that’s beyond overwhelming, songs that feel like they were written just for you, and moments you know you’ll remember forever.

Yeah, I’m a decade older than those teens, but I know what they’re going through because I went through it, too. And knowing that – knowing how things really don’t change – is really kind of great, isn’t it?

Golden Age

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I’ve been heavily editing and working on Book 2 lately, thus my lack of posts. BUT! I have missed you all dearly, so I’m stopping in to say hello (hello!) and offer you this quote:

“We’re in a kind of golden age of books for teenagers — in fact, the best ones are more satisfying reads than most of the best books published for adults,”  (via NY Times.)

While I don’t think we should be comparing, I DO think more people should see YA lit as fiction in general. Not just books for children, and not “lesser” fiction. There’s some good stuff out there. Why not check it out regardless of its location in a bookstore/library?

Fun fact: At the library we have a giant display of new YA lit. There isn’t a sign on it or anything, just a great display of prominent authors. Many adult patrons pick up – and love – the books not even realizing they’re perusing a young adult section.

Distractions

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Sometimes, when writing, I just need to get up and get away from the document for a handful of minutes. I lose interest, strength to go on, and know that if I keep typing (not writing, typing), nothing good will come. I need to stretch, take a breath, and not allow myself to not scream “I’M THE WORST WRITER IN THE WORLD.”

Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there.

Anyway, I used to clear my mind by doing the normal social media rounds (Twitter, Facebook, GReader, etc…), but realized that instead of clearing my mind, they distract me even more and 10,000 clicks later I’m nowhere closer to coming up with a witty retort for my main character. So I’ve stopped doing that (for the most part…) Since then, I’ve been trying different distraction techniques to see if anything could let me breathe for five minutes without fully sucking me in. A quick yoga stretch? Running around the apartment to let my energy out? Singing to whatever Glee song happens to come on my iTunes?

The other day I tried polishing my nails. They were short, brittle, so why not spice them up. And then this happened:

Me: I put glitter on my finger nails! See?
S: Why’d you do that? That’s dumb. (pause) Oh wait, you meant to. (pause) They look great!

And then we laughed. And then I got back to writing. He means well, he really does.

What are some of your mini-distraction techniques?