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Bluefire Writing Contest for Teen Writers

9/29/2019

The 2020 Bluefire Writing Contest, $1000 for 1000 words, is now open for teen writers (students in grades 6 through 12). The deadline is February 1st, and the contest is run by Leyla Beban Young Authors Foundation. For more information, see their flyer below, and visit the Bluefire website.

Bluefire writing contest for teen writers

Good luck teen writers!

Disaster Preparedness: When Fiction Meets Reality

9/25/2019

Spoiler alert: writing disaster fiction
doesn't necessarily prepare you for real emergencies.

Disaster Preparedness: when disaster fiction meets reality

During research for my YA novel Pandemic, I learned about emerging infectious diseases and the concept of sheltering in place. The more I read, the more I became convinced that my family should have decent emergency supplies in the house, just in case of a disaster. You know how right before a hurricane, grocery and hardware stores will run out of flashlight batteries? I wanted to be prepared ahead of time.

I made lists of what we needed, bought supplies, then neatly stored everything. I thought we were ready.

That October, our town and the surrounding areas were hit with a freakish ice storm. The ice broke many large tree limbs, causing widespread power outages. And—surprise--I realized that we weren’t that prepared after all. I only lasted three days before packing up the kids, their Halloween costumes, and our dog to stay with family who still had electricity.

Here are a few lessons learned:

Pretend you don’t have electricity for an evening and analyze your situation. Can you find the flashlights in the dark? Do you have a way to prepare food without power? Can you easily access vital records if you need to leave? Also, test any new gadgets ahead of time. I wanted to throw our inexpensive hand-crank phone charger across the room, because one hour of tiresome cranking resulted in a miniscule battery charge.
Keep supplies on hand for pets. Make sure you have extra food available as well as pet medicines. If your dog frequently throws up, for example, having some extra anti-vomiting tablets is a good idea. Driving to the vet during a disaster is best avoided, if possible. (I learned this the hard way.)
Stock up on over-the-counter pain relievers, rehydration drinks, broth, and crackers. It doesn’t require a pandemic to be grateful for these. A bout of stomach virus or food poisoning will do the trick. (Also, if you’ve written a novel about contagious diseases and don’t keep these items in the house, your family will be understandably bitter.)
If there is a possibility of losing power, hold off on using the washing machine. If the spin cycle can’t complete, you will need to wring out all of the laundry manually and find a place to let it air out (like in the shower or bathtub). Otherwise, you will end up with moldy, smelly clothes.
Books make everything better. Stock up on easy reads, suspenseful novels, funny ones. Have books on hand that the whole family can enjoy. You’ll want something to keep you distracted from the puking dog, the stomach ache, or the laundry stench. And don’t forget to buy extra flashlights batteries to read after dark.

I hope my "lessons learned" help with your own disaster preparedness. (If you're looking for more National Preparedness Month information, FEMA provides some checklists.)

If you're interested in the award-winning YA novel that inspired my own disaster planning, here's a brief description:

In PANDEMIC, only a few people know what caused Lilianna Snyder's sudden change from a model student to a withdrawn pessimist who worries about all kinds of disasters. After her parents are called away on business, Lil’s town is hit by what soon becomes a widespread fatal illness. With her worst fears realized, Lil must find a way to survive not only the outbreak and its real-life consequences, but also her own personal demons.

No Such Summer as the One Before

9/4/2019

Summer's End

In Sonnet XLVI of Fatal Interview, Edna St. Vincent Millay writes about "no such summer as the one before" to describe the end of a relationship. But in a broader context, that phrase has always stuck in my mind as a reflection of the general passing of time, because no two summers are exactly the same.

In old journals, each September I would characterize the season with a few words: the summer of garage sales, when we seemingly had to stop at each and every one so my daughter could look for inexpensive treasures. The summer my kids learned to swim, or the one when my son broke his ankle. There were summers of mastering the claw machine (the arcade game where the kids try to grab a prize with a swinging metal crane), of their driving lessons, of preparing to test for my black belt in Isshinryu karate, and of celebrating the publication of my first novel (Pandemic was a July release).

Of course, summer is an arbitrary choice. I could make lists for "the winter of" or "the spring of," but I blame Millay. More so than New Year's Eve or birthdays, this season has always been the most poignant passage of time for me. (You can read the complete poem here.)

How about you? How do different seasons resonate emotionally?

IWSG Blog Hop

The monthly blog hop is another way that shows time flying by! Each month, the Insecure Writers Support Group poses an optional question that members can answer in their blog posts. Special thanks to Alex Cavanaugh for founding IWSG and to this month's hosts: Gwen Gardner, Doreen McGettigan, Tyrean Martinson , Chemist Ken, and Cathrina Constantiner.
The question for September is:

If you could pick one place in the world to sit and write your next story, where would it be and why?

I’m revising a story set at a lake in the Poconos, and it would be amazing to stare at the setting while I write for the next few months. But working at home in NJ with my dog nearby is a close second choice.

Pennsylvania

Luna in my writing chair

How do you choose settings for your writing?
Is your latest story set in a real place?

Bluefire Writing Contest for Teen Writers

Disaster Preparedness: When Fiction Meets Reality

Spoiler alert: writing disaster fiction
doesn't necessarily prepare you for real emergencies.

No Such Summer as the One Before

Summer's End

IWSG Blog Hop

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Bluefire Writing Contest for Teen Writers

Disaster Preparedness: When Fiction Meets Reality

Spoiler alert: writing disaster fiction ​doesn't necessarily prepare you for real emergencies.

No Such Summer as the One Before

Summer's End

IWSG Blog Hop

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Spoiler alert: writing disaster fiction
doesn't necessarily prepare you for real emergencies.