Catherine L. Osornio, Children's Author

I went from no deadlines to four and a half, all within one week. This is a good thing, but makes for a hectic schedule, particularly with all four due within the next one to two weeks. Two are for stories with 800 plus words a piece, one is for a 300 – 400 word non-fiction article, another is for an article for my church, and the half is for beginning research on a project for early next year.

So how do I prioritize? First, I look at what is due first and what will take the most time to complete. In this case, my non-fiction article is due in one week and it will consist of a lot of research. Even though my audience will be six year old children, I still have to be able to know my facts so I can “translate” it to their level. I began this project with a trip to the library where I pulled out a stack of books on my topic. I am in the process of reading and taking down notes. I should be done with the research by Wednesday of this week, and then I’ll start the article.

While at the library, I also picked up a book for my project for early next year. Since the project requires some prep time, I’m trying to work that in a bit each week so I won’t be overwhelmed with the process, which will also require a lot of internet searching as well.

At the same time I’m also praying about the other stories and articles I need to write. All of them have specific themes attached to them, so I pray for inspiration. I’ll try to work on at least one this week, in between my research. Once I finish my first deadline, I’ll work double time to finish the fiction stories since they’ll take me the shortest to do. I always try to finish each deadline ahead of schedule so I give myself some extra time to play with in case an emergency comes up.

My juggling may not be the best for some, but it works well for me. You’ll have to decide what is the best solution for you.

Unlike many writers I didn’t grow up wanting to write. However, when I started helping a friend develop her writing skills, I discovered that this was the path God had planned for me. But I had one request from Him. If He wanted me to write, then He had to give me the ideas and topics to write about. He has never failed me to give me what I need.

So if you are looking for a good and reliable source for ideas, why not pray and ask God to direct? He is an excellent resource to call upon.

“Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established.”

Proverbs 16:3

In my previous post I wrote about my goal of finishing up my middle grade mystery in a month. So far…I’m doing okay. I really would have liked to have finished another chapter and a half, but considering I needed to make two trips to the library for some research materials (along with dealing with my normal day-to-day mom/wife duties), I think I’m making progress.

In fact, I enjoy writing up a few pages, and then, as I go off to do other things, I can mull over what I just wrote and come up with some good action scenes or some creative snatches of dialogue that will carry the chapter along.

I’m in the midst of Chapter 9. My goal this week is to get to Chapter 12 by the weekend. Of course, the self-editor in me keeps wanting to stop and make changes, but I think if I want to keep my deadline, I will just need to keep on writing and edit later. The flow must go on!

Until next time!

After a busy schedule of deadlines and research, I decided to take a break and do something fun. What does a writer consider fun? Well, for me it’s writing from the heart. I’m setting a goal for the next four weeks to finish the middle grade mystery story I’ve been working on.

Currently I’m in the middle of Chapter 7, so I only have 12 1/2 chapters to go. That may sound like a lot, but I figure if I take two days to write one chapter, I’ll be ahead of the game. This is a realistic goal. If I can write more than that, fine; but I will not push myself beyond what my imagination will let me.

I really enjoy children’s mysteries. In fact my trips to yard sales, thrift stores, and library book sales always have me looking for old mystery stories written for kids. I like seeing how the authors created their plots and presented their clues, and I check to see if the ending was satisfying. There is so much I can learn by reading the work of others. Plus, it helps me recall a time where I would lose myself in a story. I want to be able to deliver that to a child.

I’ll let you know how I’m progressing. I’m really looking forward to this break!

I attended the SCBWI Orange County/Inland Empire Editor’s Day this past Saturday. We had some wonderful speakers who gave very informative and inspiring talks. I particularly liked the presentation by Screenwriter Michael Mahin, who compared plot outlines used in movies to those used in books.

This is the second conference I’ve attended since I began to write. Do you have to go to them to get published? No. My picture book manuscript was accepted by Pelican Publishing before I had attended a conference. However, conferences are a wonderful way to learn more about your craft, meet other local writers, and find out the needs of a particular editor.

There are a variety of conferences throughout the year in many regions across the United States. Some are well worth the money; others could be a waste of time. Try to get some feedback on the conference from past attendees so you can see what they have to offer before you put down your hard earned cash. Make sure they will cover areas you are interested in.

I do want to go to the big regional SCBWI conferences held annually, but at this time they are beyond my budget. So I’m content finding a few good ones where I can get some great information and make some valuable contacts for a minimal cost.

I’ve noticed that writers experience peaks and valleys in their creativity. There will be some stretches of time where idea after idea pops into our heads. We can work on several projects at once without confusion, and we meet our deadlines head-on, often ahead of schedule.

Then there are times when it’s a strain to come up with anything remotely creative. We may even have a deadline looming, but for some reason, those brain cells just don’t seem to be functioning. Our work, although sufficient, doesn’t meet our usual standards, and we wonder just where those ideas went.

As a writer who happens to be a Christian, I use my peaks and valleys as opportunities to get closer to God. When I’m at the top of my game, I can praise the One who gave me the active brain that came up with the ideas and opportunities. But when I feel that my mind just can’t get hold of an idea, I can pray for patience to see me through to the end of the valley and for guidance to write what He wants me to write. Either way I’m in a win/win situation since God is with me every step of the way in the writing career He gave me.

How do you handle those peaks and valleys?

Last week I was a guest speaker for a friend’s critique group. My talk was entitled “Step into a Writing Career with Nonfiction.” Even though I was a bit nervous, it went really well. I even had several people come up afterward to tell me about certain points I had presented that they had never considered.

Public speaking is not my strong point. I don’t feel 100% comfortable before a group of people I don’t know very well. But I know the more I practice now, the more comfortable I will be in the future when I take on speaking engagements and school visits.

But coming up with a topic to discuss can be hard. I was given the topic of nonfiction, but I had to be able to come up with my own talking points. After some prayer, I decided I needed to let my work speak for me. I would show how my choice to go after nonfiction work opened up some amazing opportunities I would never had if I only stuck to fiction.

Believe it or not, there was so much to tell that I had to consolidate my speech. I hadn’t realized just how much I had learned over the years. The only true fear I would have was making sure I got everything said within my time limit.

Do you have to give a talk or know you need to have one to offer in the future? Why not let your work speak for you? You’ll be amazed at all the material you’ll have to offer.

As I develop in my writing career, I notice that I’ve become more passionate about certain subjects. It’s not that my passions have changed so much; it seems they are more fine-tuned. The more I write, the more I see what topics are becoming near and dear to my heart.

I’ve written a variety of genres: devotionals, fiction, nonfiction, Bible stories, early readers, etc., but I have really come to enjoy middle grade, particularly adventures and mysteries. Maybe it’s because I remember the excitement I felt as a young girl when I turned the pages of a great story, sharing in the adventures with the protagonist as she/he opened that squeaky door or entered that dark cave.

Of course, I currently don’t have any of these stories published, but that is a goal I’m tirelessly pursuing. God knows the perfect timing, even if I do not. In the meantime, I’ll follow the doors the Lord has opened up for me, which is currently early American history.

What are your writing passions?

The other day I brought home a stack of thick books, filled with the writings and autobiographies of some of our nation’s Founding Fathers. I’m trying to get an idea of their thoughts and attitudes prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This information is necessary as I prepare study guides and school visit programs for my new book, The Declaration of Independence from A to Z.

There is an amazing amount of information for this time period. I have to be thankful for these primary sources. Some may feel I’m going too far in my research, but I don’t think so. The more eyewitness information I can use, the better. I want to do my homework so I can give a good presentation.

Don’t think you’re doing too much research. If you’re using primary sources, it’s never too much to get your information right.

I don’t know about you, but I hate being last minute. I don’t like the flurried and flustered feelings when I’m scrambling to get something finished. Now, I’m not talking about assignments that have come in unexpectedly. To me those are little blessings from the Lord. I’m talking about knowing you have a deadline or a talk to prepare for, and you wait until the last minute to get things done.

With four kids and a husband and a writing career, my life can get pretty hectic. So I try to stay at least one step ahead of everything. If I have a talk coming up (which I do in about 3 weeks), I stay ahead by first jotting down ideas. Then when I have a few minutes at another time, I write up a rough outline. This continues, step by step, until I have my talk planned out including any handouts or props I need.

The same goes for other projects. I’m currently working on a study guide for my upcoming book, The Declaration of Independence from A to Z. I started by looking at other study guides to get an idea of format. Then I jotted down some topics I would like to cover. For games and activities, I looked online to find out how I could make my own maze, etc. Plus, I have taken several books out of the library so I can add tidbits of interesting information that I couldn’t include in the book itself. When I have finished gathering all these extras, I will put it all together.

If I waited to complete each project first and then move on to the next, I’d never get anything done, especially since some of my deadlines overlap. So I make the effort to stay a good step ahead. I find I can complete more things in a timely manner, and I can live a little stress-free.