daily pie

Hello, Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:28:00 +0000

My niece, starting her summer off right. What will you read this summer? (And where?)

Tastes, Then & Now

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 23:51:00 +0000

So I hied myself over to Walgreens yesterday to shop the annual post-Valentine's Day candy sale. As I suspected, everything was 50% off. In fact, half the holiday merchandise area was already stocked with Easter candy. Boo: too early means stale Peeps in the Easter basket.

ANYWAY, I got two big heart boxes -- one Whitman's, one Stover's -- filled with scrumptiousness. Of course, I opened both immediately upon reentering my home (YES I WAITED), and found that the Whitman's sampler included my current favorite heart-box offering: the molasses chew.

Which got me thinking about changing tastes.

Like how I used to want a log home. Now my taste tends more toward a blend of industrial and cozy: wide spaces of concrete, brick, and wood, with small islands of color, soft light, and comfy furniture.

Or how I used to disparage romance novels. That changed last year, when I read over 30 of them. It started as research but continues as pleasure reading (no pun intended)(OK maybe a little).

But mostly I thought about food. No molasses whatsoever passed my tongue as a kid. YECH. But now I like it. Other things I like now that I didn't then:

marmalade
greens
Dijon mustard
brie
currants
grits
beer
wine
olives (though, apparently, I LOVED these as a toddler, when my grandfather let me eat a whole jar under his watchful eye)

I've tended to trade sweet tastes for bitter -- probably how most palates mature, I suppose.

How 'bout you? How have your tastes changed? Do you think it was physical, environmental, or caused by something else?

Cracking Up

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 23:42:00 +0000

Residency's skipping along. We're well into faculty and graduating-student lectures. We held readings as a class and have started signing up to read to the general populace in the evenings (I go Wednesday). And we've turned in a form saying who we'd like our faculty advisor to be over the coming semester. Of about 20 faculty, 1st-semester students choose 8, and we're assigned by some magical, mysterious, possibly-a-lottery system, and we find out our assignments later tonight.

So, work for the next six months has begun, and tomorrow it really gets going.

For now, here's something I found in College Hall. Lots of old photos adorn the walls, showing arrays of students of the many schools VCFA has been. The first shot below doesn't even encompass the whole photo, but you can see College Hall in the background. I don't remember the date on this, but I'd guess the 1930s.

Check out the second shot below, a closeup of the far-right section. I love that the boy in the middle just couldn't keep it together. Plus, he kind of looks like my maternal grandfather, except Papaw was at least a foot taller.

MFA: Begun

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 04:30:00 +0000

There's my own shot of College Hall at Vermont College of Fine Arts, taken this morning.

Arrived last night just in time to grab some dinner. Then we met with the program director and graduate assistants for a welcome/icebreaker meeting. VERY friendly group. My class has 23-25 people. Two are men.

Today was orientation day, during which we got thoroughly oriented in every way possible: non-academic stuff, academic stuff, library stuff (interlibrary loan is VERY COOL)(so is RefWorks, a service that helps you record and cite your research bibliography)(NERD NERD NERD).

Between residencies, the bulk of our work will go into packets we send to our advisors once a month. Each packet will include (roughly) 40 pages of creative work (some combo of new and revised), 2 short critical essays, and an annotated bibliography (a citation-style list of books we've read toward that packet's work, with brief descriptions).

Author Sarah Ellis gave our first lecture, using examples from the history of children's literature to discuss the phenomenon of flying. Takeaway: in many classics, the power to fly is something that must be grown out of to become an adult (such as in Peter Pan). Sarah challenged us to delve more deeply into the deep canon of our field by including in each of our packet's reading assignments at least one book published before we were born.

We also had faculty readings -- middle grade novel excerpts, poetry, creative nonfiction, picture book. Then the graduating class did a great presentation thanking their advisors.

So! The ball is rolling, and a look at the schedule shows a steep slope -- that ball isn't going to slow down any time soon.

Class of 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 22:09:00 +0000

[photo via Ingrid Sundberg]

Got the call November 1 that I've been accepted into the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. It's a limited-residency program, which means I'll attend five 10-day residencies over the course of two years (bookending the semesters). I'll do the bulk of my work at home, sending assignment packets to my advisor about every four weeks. I start in January, so three of my residencies will look that photo up there, and two (in July) should look something like this. (Aw, she's so smiley!)

I'm super-excited about the work I'll do, and it feels like the right time in my life to do it. I've been busy getting forms and other prep documents to the program office and they've been great to deal with. Can't wait to meet them.

To make time and mental space for school work, I'll leave Magik at the end of December. (An extremely capable person will replace me, but I can't tell you who until said person says so.) Magik has taught me a lot about writing and listening and playing well with others. A big thanks to everyone there for supporting my work over this past 6-year stretch.

Thanks also to the two awesome gals who wrote letters of recommendation for me to the VCFA program. I emailed them right away, but it bears repeating.

And biggest thanks to Dave, who is behind me 100% and pushed me to apply when I waffled. I wouldn't be able to do this without his support. I've turned out to be sort of an expensive wife after all, babe.

Writing for My Younger Self

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:50:00 +0000

Author Gary Schmidt gave the closing keynote at this year's SCBWI Summer Conference. His advice to each of us was: Remember your kid self and write for that person.

More than any other piece of advice* I've heard at a conference, that one resonated with me, and I left L.A. with a specific goal: to write for this person...

My 5th-grade self. I sat down with a photo album last night and chose this one to put above my writing space. Why her?

New Physical World
We had just moved from the county into town. For the first time, I lived in a neighborhood, with networks of streets and bike paths to explore, and a lot of kids my age to play with.

New Imaginary Worlds
My 5th-grade reading curriculum had no textbook -- another first for me. Instead, my teacher had two floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in her classroom, filled with books. We could read any books we wanted; to get our reading grade, we just had to sit down with her and talk about the books. I had read throughout elementary school, and liked helping out in the library, but this accessibility and freedom of choice accelerated my reading like crazy.

Ten-Year-Old Me
I was basically a good kid. Intelligent but very naive.** I loved my family. I missed my old friends and tentatively reached out to new ones. The braces were new, too; every three months the orthodontist tightened them, and my teeth ached so bad for the following week I pretty much ate just soup. I wore my hair short, my socks tubed, and my shirts (at least on picture day) frilly.

When I look at this girl, I see someone who was eager to learn. Friendly but shy. Completely without cynicism. Vulnerable to the same peer crap as every other kid but basically safe and strong enough to handle it.

So I put her on the wall above my desk. When I write, it's for her. Sometimes I talk to her.

Things I Say to 5th-Grade Me:

Hey, kiddo.
What makes you happy?
What makes you sad or angry?
What scares the pants off you?
What do you think will happen next? What if it doesn't?
This scene's gonna hurt. I'm sorry. Keep reading.
This character's about to do something really dumb. Keep reading.
I could tell you exactly what everything looks and smells and sounds and feels and tastes like in this book, but that would take a bajillion words and you might forget what was happening in the first place, so fire up your imagination and let's work together.
The braces will be worth it.
Sit up straight.
I love you.
Keep reading.

Verdict: I like writing for her, and I like having a visual reminder. Thank you, Mr. Schmidt!

Question of the Day

Who do you create for?

* Gary Schmidt gave me (us) the second-most resonant advice from a conference, too: All plot emerges from character. I've taken it to heart and am working to focus more on character than I ever have.

** One day, our teacher asked the class what a stereotype was. I raised my hand, planning to guess it was a type of machine, like a double typewriter or a typewriter with speakers. I've never been so glad not to be called on.

Transitions

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:09:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Taking the leap! Starting in February, I'll write full-time. In fact, the upcoming SCBWI Winter Conference will mark my transition into the career I've chosen. I love working the conference as an RA; this time will be extra sweet. As fortified as I was after the Summer Conference, I can only imagine how I'll charge home from Winter, writing tools brandished.

Mayor of Nerdville

Looked at my daily schedule spreadsheet (you know it's true) and the writing time it shows right now, then revised it to show a full-time writing schedule. Watching that green block take over the sheet spurred me to push up my last day at work. Plus, I'll need time to do homework because...

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I'll soon apply to the Vermont College of Fine Arts limited residency MFA in writing for children and young adults. I have so much to learn about writing and children's literature, and the program's alumni and their recommendations of it are impressive. I'm ready to do the work.

Question of the Day

Any big moves -- literal or figurative -- in your near future?

Hippie Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 06:45:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Danced my booty off at SCBWI's conference party tonight. The theme was the 60s, so...

Mayor of Nerdville

Those boots are really good for sauntering, by the way. And the dress is old-school polyester -- pretty sure you had one just like it, Mom! I'll totally be dressed like a librarian again tomorrow, but so will everyone else.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I wore my one-piece bathing suit under the dress. Made a good foundation garment.

Question of the Day

When was the last time you danced for an hour or more?

Go-Go Boots? Check.

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 01:17:00 +0000

Yes. This.

My go-go boots and dress still fit. Good thing, since SCBWI Summer Conference is having a 60s-themed party next Saturday night. I'm totally going to this conference for the professional advice, I swear.

Mayor of Nerdville

The prospect of 65-degree L.A. nights has me swooning.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I'm gonna miss Dave a lot. It's a week long, dudes.

Question of the Day

What was the last thing you did to get closer to your dream?

Lose the Fear

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 04:29:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Played Geeks Who Drink trivia last night at Southtown 101. Here's the recap. Our team, Cupcake C, tied for 2nd place. The crowd decided there should be a dance-off for the rankings. A guy behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said his whole table would vote for us if I danced.

So I did. That recap has a YouTube link. The video's sideways, but if you break your neck to the left, you can enjoy my mad moves (I'm on the left). Got some great applause, but my opponent's moneymakers won the night (by which, of course, I mean 2nd place).

Mayor of Nerdville

Forgot my bag when we left, but going back gave me a chance to apologize to the Quiz Master for using his glasses as a dance prop. He didn't seem to mind.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but my boogie shoes are fueled by Shiner Bock.

Question of the Day

When was the last time you pushed your comfort zone?

Moonrise Kingdom

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 03:57:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Moonrise Kingdom. Saw it on Sunday, been thinking about it since.

Mayor of Nerdville

There's a pen pal sequence in the movie that, in increasingly shorter and accelerating bits, gives us the backgrounds of the two main characters. Brilliant.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but when Dave said Wes Anderson had a new movie out, I wasn't interested because I didn't like Life Aquatic. But every movie's different, eh?

Question of the Day

What recent movie still has you thinking about it?

Wherein Dave is The Man

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 03:05:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Old kitchen cabinets + hardwood flooring + Dave + a few hours = remodel!

Before...

After...

Himself...

See the little quarter-round shelves to the right of the sink? (Pardon the mess -- construction!)...

Dave made another set off the shelves to the left of the sink...

Mayor of Nerdville

The dishes are arranged Just So in a Very Logical Manner. (More pics when I have light.)

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I keep stepping into the kitchen just to peer at the shelves.

Question of the Day

Who's the handy one at your place?

Focus

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 02:17:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Changed my blog template without losing 7 years of posts. The polka dots are gone, and dynamic views are here (check out the dropbox options, top left). Why the change? I wanted a template that listed my pages as tabs/links across the top. Keeping them horizontal saves vertical space -- a commodity when a reader (like me) doesn't like to scroll to read a post. I also wanted a visual change to accompany a change in the thought process behind the blog and its posts.

Here's the deal: when I read other blogs, I look for blogs with a focus. So do most people. But I have too many interests to focus on just one thing! I told myself. Then I had my consult with Greg and he gave some great advice: treat all of those things that make me ME as things that naturally feed my writing.

Sometimes you just need someone else to have a gander and point out the obvious.

Mayor of Nerdville

I learned some new code that lets me post photos side by side. See the results on the Nest page. Yay, new skills.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I'm still thinking through the new focus / thought process behind these posts.

Question of the Day

Do you prefer to reads a blog with a focus or varied content?

This Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 02:47:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Via Design Elements, a blog about architecture and design with gorgeous photos. She got it from Fantastic Frank. What an awesome reminder to venture forth...

Mayor of Nerdville

I met with author and social media consultant Greg Pincus a couple weeks ago, and have been thinking about this blog ever since. I'm not going to give it up, but I sense a renovation coming. Probably soon.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I read a lot of blogs without commenting. Will remedy.

Question of the Day

What was your first foray into social media?

Day Camp

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 03:03:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Summer camp finally started at the Theatre today. So glad the ball is rolling. I like to think the slope to August 25 (the last day of camp) is a steep one. :)

Mayor of Nerdville

Listening to a Pandora station I set around Secret Garden's "Passacaglia" and watching our travel photos -- both through Apple TV. Relaxing and nostalgic.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I ate two hot dogs for dinner. I later felt compelled to eat two handfuls of fresh garden tomatoes to feel less gross.

Question of the Day

Did you go to summer camp as a kid?

Jackman

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:45:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Sat on the tippy edge of my seat, mouth agape, nearly weeping when this preview showed yesterday...

Mayor of Nerdville

OK, maybe that should have gone under this heading.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I got a new story idea this week for a YA novel. The creative brain work of revisions acts like a tinder box for ideas, but at the same time keeps me from acting on them. Starting a list!

Question of the Day

Hugh Jackman or Russell Crowe?

Cherry, Warm Off the Vine

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Mon, 21 May 2012 15:16:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Fast-drafting. This is a technique for getting the bones of a story on the page. Many credit author Candace Haven for the idea, but I doubt she's the first writer to use the method. I haven't taken her workshop, so I can't say exactly what her suggested technique is. What I did was to write each scene using only the dialogue and action narrative required to get the basic story on the page. For description, emotional reactions, dialogue beats, and character motivations, I made notes to myself in [brackets]; on my next pass, I'll expand those bracketed things (and many other unmarked spots). I also made bracketed notes for anything that will need to change in earlier scenes due to something I learned while drafting. Much of the language I used to write the action sentences will change too (finesse is for a later pass). For now, I'm pretty excited that I fast-drafted a full quarter of a novel yesterday -- the final quarter -- and it can now rest in the cloud while I turn my revision sights back to Briar-Bound.

Mayor of Nerdville

Every Sunday evening, we watch BritComs on our local PBS station. Nerdy enough, but really nerdy: I like to drink hot tea when the characters on the shows are drinking it. Since they're British, it happens pretty often.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I've eaten biscuits every day for the past four days. We're trying to perfect recipe and technique. I told Dave it seems like something I should have stored in my brain and hands -- to be able to make a mess of biscuits at any moment. He liked that the collective noun for biscuit is mess.

Question of the Day

Tomatoes: cherry, plum, slicer, or no thanks?

Linda

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:29:00 +0000

Yes. This.

My Mom. Instead of going to church, she spent the morning restaining her log house with her husband, Chuck. Good choice! :) I inherited her laugh, so I try to laugh a lot. Things I didn't inherit, but are also awesome: her ankles (small), her skin (supple), and her fingernails (way more feminine than my mitt-claws). Happy Mothers' Day, Mom!

Mayor of Nerdville

Am completing a first draft of Daughter of the Dead this month. It's a YA historical about a Depression-era funeral home. Anyhoo, half the chapters are drafted as of today. YAY.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but three or four big trees in our front yard are getting cut down tomorrow. They don't know it yet.

Question of the Day

What's your mom's name?

Long Engagement

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:57:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Fresh Air's compilation of interviews with Maurice Sendak.

Mayor of Nerdville

Got to nerd out yesterday talking to my niece about Little House books and episodes. I'm so excited for her, getting to discover those books and so many others.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I have a literary crush on Almanzo Wilder. Setting out between blizzards to save a town by hauling wheat back by sled? Yeah. Plus, look at his photo. Sure, he started courting Laura when she was 15, but then they were married for 64 years.

Question of the Day

Long engagement or short?

Good Day

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:41:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Paid off our house today. Thanks and huge sloppy kisses to Dave, who wins most of the bread in said house and was willing to let me throw it at the mortgage. We got really serious about a year ago, as illustrated by this handy graph...

Mayor of Nerdville

Thanks also to spreadsheets, without which budgeting would suck.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I like budgeting. NERD.

Question of the Day

Good day, bad day, or a bit of both?

Ricotta

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:01:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Made whole-milk ricotta yesterday. I've wanted to try some dairying lately -- bought Ricki Carroll's Home Cheese Making a while back -- but hadn't done much of anything. A stab at yogurt a few weeks ago failed (twice), so I put the project on a shelf. But Sunday's paper had a big article on homemade cheese. I used one of the recipes offered for ricotta (here), and it worked beautifully! No added sugar, so it's not too sweet, though the lemon juice and zest make it taste more dessertish than savory. I'm going to try it again with cider or white vinegar, and no citrus zest, for use in lasagna, ravioli, tartlets, etc. In the meantime, I pressed some into teardrop molds -- here's one with homemade raspberry jam...

Mayor of Nerdville

Ricotta stats: 5 cups of liquid (4c whole milk + 1c cream) yielded about 2 cups of cheese and 3 cups of whey. Ricotta means "recooked" because it's traditionally made from just the whey of ewe's milk cheesemaking. I tried reheating my whey to precipitate more curds, but there weren't enough milk solids left. Whey can also be used in place of water in bread baking, or to water plants (acid-loving plants if you use acid to form your curds).

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I poured my whey down the sink. I'll save it next time.

Question of the Day

What was your most recent foray into homemade goods?

Bleu

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:15:00 +0000

Yes. This.

I've started to do this once a week: after work, I scoot to my favorite grocery store, put on an audiobook, buy a coffee, and wander for an hour. I pick up things we need and get inspired for the next week. Doing this wander once a week helps me get a feel for changes in prices and availability, but mostly it's a nice way to shift from day-job work to at-home work. Also, this store carries 700 kinds of cheese.

Mayor of Nerdville

700 kinds of cheese!!!

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I always look for the tray of free cheese samples. Am always disappointed to remember they only do that on Sundays.

Question of the Day

Favorite type of cheese?

Road Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:30:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Took a drive to Pedernales* Falls State Park yesterday. Gorgeous day. Hiked a bit, put our feet in the river. (There's water in the river! Imagine!) Enjoyed a natural pedicure from nibbly little fishes. Took this pic on the way out...

Mayor of Nerdville

Put 15 library books on hold today, to review for the next production. You know what that means: trip to the library!

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but there was a lot of land for sale between here and Pedernales. It intrigued us.

Question of the Day

What did you on your last day off?

*pronounced "purdnallis" among non-Spanish speakers. FYI.

Rocks

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:22:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Fiesta! For 10 or 11 days every year, things in San Antonio get a lot less work-oriented and a whole lot more party-oriented. Sort of like Mardi Gras, but we make it last. A certain young niece and nephew may expect a Fiesta care package soon.

Mayor of Nerdville

My Goodreads to-be-read list has 47 books on it. Of those, 79% are nonfiction. Of those nonfiction books, 78% touch on homesteading. Two years ago, I barely touched nonfiction. Is this a phase? Dunno. But I've always been a skills collector, and I think homesteading feeds that.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I may have bought a second romance book. Not for research.

Question of the Day

Margarita: frozen, rocks, or other?

SCBWI Conference Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon Morgan) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:51:00 +0000

Yes. This.

Registered today for the SCBWI Summer Conference in L.A. As a regional advisor, my general tuition is free because I'll work at the event (as I did in NYC in January). But I also signed up for a manuscript consultation and a full day of writers' intensives. Very excited to attend -- the faculty is always amazing.

Mayor of Nerdville

Had a relatively huge spike in blog traffic yesterday, nearly all from Russia. The most-viewed post this week is this one. It mentions HBO's adaption of Game of Thrones, so maybe it's now airing in Russia? Interesting.

Shhh, Don't Tell...

...but I spent the second half of a camp fair last night plotting one of my books-in-progress. Attending another tonight, will probably do the same.

Question of the Day

What was the last blog you visited before this one?