Spring Writing

As much as I love to visit schools and have conversations with students, I'm also glad to have a few weeks this spring here at home.

Here's an azalea in bloom. It's been full of color for two weeks now. When I lived in Indiana I never thought that I would be able to grow azaleas outside. Here in Georgia, I have a whole bed of these beauties. I wake up each morning and look outside to see what is blossomoing and what plants are poking through the ground. And then I write. Sometimes when I'm out on the road for two or three months, I worry that I've forgotten how to write. (One of the side effects from letting myself get too tired.) But a couple of days at home with no distractions and the words return. (Thank heavens!)

One thing that I love about writing is that I don't have to be pigeon-holed. So far this month I have worked on two I Can Read books,
two picture books, and the restructuring of a middle grade novel. I've also written more than half of a professional book for teachers. I know it's the variety that keeps me enthused. I've never been one for the same routine day in and day out. Concentration. When I'm home for weeks on end, I can concentrate not just on storylines, but on the craft of writing. That's the joy! I have time to experiment with form and language. I sometimes surprise myself, and sometimes not.

For four glorious days, I was part of a writers' retreat. Two friends traveled here - one from Texas and the other from Pennsylvania - and we wrote. It's amazing how you can sit in a small cabin with other like-minded people and write for two hours without saying a word. Then we would stop and stretch, hike a little, and share. We returned to our work with new energy and the cycle began again. We took some great hikes and ate some yummy meals, but the important thing was that everyone wrote a surprising amount. This was our second year to meet and each year the retreat gets extended by another day - more time to accomplish more writing. Hey, if it works, stick with it!

It's time right now for a little walk through the garden. I'll be posting more photos soon. Enjoy your spring!