Sioux's Page

Lucky 13

2012-02-29T04:58:00.000-08:00

Bylines 2013 calendar is almost closed for submissions. If you want to check out the guidelines, go here. It's quite a helpful site. There are even a few examples of the kind of pieces they want. This is the 2012 Bylines calendar. I sent a submission a month or so ago. I've got another one I'm almost finished with. And since the deadline is tomorrow (at midnight) I am sure

Are You Hooked on Hockey?

2012-02-27T04:23:00.000-08:00

Chicken Soup for the Soul has extended their deadline for hockey stories. That means only one thing: they have not gotten enough marvelous entries to round out their anthology. And that means one thing to us as writers: we have a few more days to send in a submission (or another submission). The deadline is March 4. I sent in a submission about being in the locker room with

A Bloody Writing Contest

2012-02-26T06:15:00.000-08:00

Saturday Writers' latest writing contest has just opened up. This time, it is a short story murder/mystery/whodunit contest. The word count limit is 2,012 and the entry fee is $5 for members and $7 for nonmembers. If you would like to check out the specific guidelines, go to Saturday Writers. I would encourage all my blogging friends to send in an entry. Why? Read on to find out...

WWWP Shenanigans

2012-02-23T15:45:00.000-08:00

Oh, it was a wild critique session last night. Here are some of the highlights-- see if you can guess which member is responsible for which comment/prank: One of the WWWPs is suffering from a back problem. Or so she says. Several times while she was seated on her "throne," she dropped something, and insisted that one of us pick it up for her. We each had to take at least one turn being

Picking Up Men, One Frumped-Up T-Shirt At a Time

2012-02-20T16:34:00.000-08:00

I know everyone has missed my bloggial presence (not!). I was in Santa Barbara--left on Wednesday afternoon and got back late last night--and although I missed my blog friends, I thoroughly enjoyed the west coast weather. photo by Michael Stidham As a teacher consultant for the National Writing Project, I was part of a group working with the SB art museum. Like most museums,

A Dog's Life

2012-02-09T04:11:00.000-08:00

This is Foley. He is like some women like their men: blonde, fast and not-too-bright. Twice a day--every day, he eats the same thing, and gobbles it with relish (and mustard and ketchup, too). When he comes in from outside, he's always hopeful that he'll get a treat. When he's "relaxing" on the couch, he's lovin' it. When he's hurtling after the ball like a bullet, he's

2/3 of a Hat Trick

2012-02-05T14:21:00.000-08:00

Several months ago I submitted a story for the "Here Comes the Bride" Chicken Soup for the Soul anthology. Despite receiving an email that it had made it through the first chute, I didn't feel good about it making it through the final round. Having been told stories that it could be rejected up to a month before publication, I fretted. So I conjured up pessimistic thoughts, and kept

WWWP Highlights

2012-02-02T05:03:00.000-08:00

Last night was our twice-monthly writing critique night. One of our group was missing in action, so it was a bit more sedate than usual, but extremely productive, as always. Here are some of the highlights: ClickClickClickClickClickClick. The sound of pills shaking against the inside of a plastic pill bottle. Three of us sat up on our back haunches and begged, unblinking,

TMI

2012-01-29T12:35:00.000-08:00

Oh, have no fear. This post is not about what people normally think of when TMI is mentioned. I'm not going to paint a picture of what I looked like when I got my head stuck in the sink, too cheap to pay $5 for a shampoo at the stylist...I'm not going to describe what my evening "attire" is, after a long day of herding third graders...I am going to spare you the psychological scarring

The Life of a Teacher

2012-01-28T06:53:00.000-08:00

As a third grade teacher, I am hugged daily. I am given homemade cookies(that look suspiciously like a bite has been taken out of them--probably just quality control at work, I imagine) that have been carried in their hands, without any plastic bag or food wrapper. I have had students lovingly share their stickers by patting one onto my shirt (which I only remembered--too late--when I

Good Intentions

2012-01-24T04:02:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I had a sleep study done. A number of years ago (8? 10?) I had had one done initially. My snoring is notorious, and has been the case since I was a teenager and rail-thin, so fat is not the only issue (although it is exacerbated by the layer of lard I've become so fond of). Over the years, I've gotten used to the CPAP machine--with the long hose that accompanies it--but my

Help! My Head's Caught and I Can't Get It Out!

2012-01-18T21:12:00.000-08:00

This is a horrifying tale. For the weak of heart, go back to the blog you were on previously, and pass on this post. It all began because of my Russian hair stylist. She is determined--with each of my appointments--to jack my bill up. Shampooing...another $5. Blow drying...another $5. A professional dye job...I shudder to think. She tries to bully me into getting

She Asked for It...You Got It

2012-01-12T05:09:00.000-08:00

One of my writing peeps, Lynn Obermoeller, gave me an award. Lynn is a gifted writer, a gentle critic, a wonderful friend. I initially started a list of seven of my fashion faux pas, as I am so not a fashionista (example: I am wondering how wise it would be to wear my Crocs today, and there's snow on the ground) but gave up after 5 or so...Then I read Tammy's post, and it got my thoughts

WWWP Critique Group Update

2012-01-05T04:01:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a loooong time since I've shared any stories from the WWWP's den of hilarity. In fact, it's been so long, perhaps you've forgotten who the cast of characters are? (If you want to read a fairy tale with these same mischievious misfits, go here.) There's GaLinda. Don't let her grandmotherly charm fool you. Inside her chest beats the heart of a cougar--or

Memoir, Anyone?

2011-12-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

a painting of my granddaughter; the artist is her daddy, Jason Reynolds A picture is worth a thousand words. And a well-written story paints a picture with words. Memoir (and) has a call out for submissions. If you are a writer who enjoys writing slice-of-life stories, get busy. You don't have much time. The deadline is February 16, 2012. To find out about the

Why Are There Samsonites Under My Eyes?

2011-12-25T11:26:00.000-08:00

The other night I babysat for my granddaughter. It was a late night; I did not get back home until 2:30. Now granted, I fell asleep on my daughter's couch after Riley was sound asleep. I drooled. I snored. I did my normal routine whenever I'm in a semi-reclining position. However, when I got home, I read until 4, and was tempted to read even later. What was the book that

Fudge-a-Mania

2011-12-23T13:22:00.000-08:00

I just finished making four batches of fudge for neighborhood friends. They're not going to be packaged in beautiful holiday tins. The only thing that is festive about each plate is a brightly-colored bow on top of the plastic wrap. I'm a purist, and I know my friends. They will tear into the fudge so quickly, like a pack of wolverines into a moose, so what is most important is the

Another Friggin' Fairy Tale

2011-12-20T07:24:00.000-08:00

There once was a mythical, magical land, shrouded in spiritual s*#t. Viggo Mortensen (with his long, Lord-of-the-Rings hair) stalked around, searching for his perfect mate: a middle-aged woman (middle-aged, if she was going to live to be 106, that is) with overactive upperlip hair and a poochy belly. (His tastes must have changed since moving into this fantasyland, you say? I'm the

The Hard Way is Sometimes the Best

2011-12-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

Revising is always one of my favorite parts of the writing process. Granted, I only write short pieces--1,400 words or under, usually--so I'm not like C. Hope Clark (in so many ways). She recently worked on revising her novel, soon to debut, which is gargantuan compared to the reworking I do. However, there are a couple of things I've discovered--one because of my daytime job, and

What a Writer Needs

2011-12-16T05:55:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago was my twice-monthly WWWP meeting. The evening where a group of writers share their writing and get it critiqued. As I was thinking about how fortunate I am to be a part of this group, I was also contemplating what a writer needs from their critique group...And here is my list of a few requirements (at this moment): Safety. Writing is a risky business. Even if it's

Book Signing For a Cause

2011-12-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday a couple of writing friends had a book signing at Main Street Books in St. Charles, Missouri. It was a food drive as well; if you brought in a canned food item, you got a discount--everyone was a winner. Linda O'Connell was there, looking lovely as usual, with her pen ready (and busy). Tammy Goodsell was right next to her, looking quite professional (and thin, the b@#ch!)

The Most Precious Gift

2011-12-08T04:01:00.000-08:00

Earlier in the week, I got a present from one of my students. It was in an envelope, so I figured it would be one of the frequent drawings they give me. (Some of them are pictures of me, and I am always tipped off when they have a crayon in their hand and they ask, "Mrs. R--is your hair orange?" as they are vacillating. That tells me I have gone overboard with the hair dye.) He's

Getting Drunk Pays Off (For Me)

2011-12-04T08:36:00.000-08:00

Last night was the John Prine concert in St. Louis. The opening act was great (one singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar) and John Prine's group was spare and pared down--just another guitarist and a bass player/guitarist. No need for anyone or anything else... In spite of no Bonnie Raitt or Emmylou Harris or Iris DeMent making a guest appearance, it was an unbelievable

John Prine is in the House

2011-12-03T15:18:00.000-08:00

Tonight John Prine is in St. Louis. My husband got tickets months ago but unfortunately, he is feeling under the weather, so I scrambled around to find someone who would enjoy the concert. "Who is the heck is John Prine?" most people asked. (Sigh.) I have loved his songs since I was 16, when I asked for a John Prine album for my birthday. His "hit" that year

I WAS Trained by the Best

2011-12-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

You're dry. Not even a drop of a story in your veins. But then you peruse an editorial calendar and--magically--an idea comes to you. It's amazing how the brain works. It gets jogged by certain words, specific smells, particular sounds. That's what happened, resulting in my story in Sasee magazine. If you'd like to read a short memoir of mine, check it out