A Quick Submissions Update

A few days ago, I mentioned how I've been sending some of my creative works out to my agent and publishers... Here's what's been happening with those projects...

1) The dragon book: This was revision number 8, and it still isn't going in the right direction. Useful feedback from my agent. This picture book project of mine contains a great idea... but I have yet to tie it to a great plot. It's a case of good topic / bad execution. It's back to the drawing board for this one.

2) The ostrich book: Waiting for agent feedback.

3) The kitten book: Waiting to hear back from editors.

4) The radio play: The good folks at Eldridge like this project quite a bit. They've asked for a rewrite in order to trim some of the beginning and add some more humor in the second act. My writing partner and I will hopefully be sending out a new, improved version early this month.

Have a great Labor Day weekend, everybody!

Revisiting the Classics

So far, my Intro to Fiction course is a blast. Bright students, brisk pace. Best of all, it gives me an excuse to revisit some great novels.

The first is Pride and Prejudice. (I believe this is Cheri's all time favorite book / movie / miniseries.) In addition to being enchanted by the text, I have enjoyed exploring Austen's life, as well as her early works from her childhood years. She was quite the wit!

The other novel is one I haven't read since college: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. I am just beginning chapter three, and it's already proven to be better than my memories (and I recall loving the book back in the 90s). It seems more relevant than ever before.

It's Labor Day weekend, which is nice. But I've also got my first batch of essays, so it will be a working weekend. But for now, I plan to spend the rest of the evening wrapped up in a book.

Sending Stuff Into the Universe

As I often lament, I am not good at marketing myself.

However, I am good at remaining optimistic enough to continue to write, believing that some of those manuscripts will eventually get into the right hands and achieve some level of success.

This summer, my latest book was born, and I was incredibly thankful when my friends began posting photos of their kids reading "Around the World in a Bathtub."

It is ingratiating to know that children and grown-ups around the country (and perhaps the globe) are sharing my stories... and hopefully this is just the beginning. 

This past week, the editors at Eldridge Plays sent me an offer to publish a one-act version of my play "12 Angry Pigs." It's based off a skit I wrote about seven years ago... and since its creation this little parody has taken on a life of its own, being performed at many international schools seeking scripts for reader's theater. I can't wait to see what happens next, now that it runs about 25 minutes and has a lot more characters and a lot more comedic action. 

Also this week, I have been sending stuff out into the universe. My agent currently has two manuscripts of mine, both picture books. One of them is a revision that we've been tinkering with for several months. It's about young dragons. This is draft #8. The other is a brand new project about an ostrich. 

Also, about three weeks ago, my agent submitted a new project to several editors (I don't know how many, actually). This particular manuscript is about kittens at a theme park. 

Finally, I did submit Change the Station to Eldridge Plays. This is the one written by Chris Flowers and yours truly. 

So, here's the run-down of the stuff: 

1) Dragon Book (waiting for agent response)

2) Ostrich Book (waiting for agent response)

3) Kitten Book (waiting for editor response)

4) Radio Play (waiting for editor response)

Keep your fingers crossed and hope that the universe is kind to these little stories. 

Two Weeks Into the Semester

Just a quick note to say that I am enjoying my classes. A great semester is underway. However, I can already tell that my creative energy has shifted from children's books to class preparation. In the last 14 days, I have not written or revised anything creative.

But hopefully that will change this evening. I'm getting back on the horse and doing yet another revision of Kinderdragon. Right now. I'm getting to work. Any moment now....

Adventures at VidCon

I know it's late, but I am finally going through some of my photos and videos on my new-fangled phone. That takes us back to late June, in which my girls and I frollick among YouTube celebrities. So, in that spirit, here's my own film...

Two Days In...

The first two days of fall semester went well. It's nice to be back in the halls again. Good to see my collagues. Great being in front of the classroom talking about stuff I'm passionate about.

I have a slightly unusual schedule this semester. My Mondays and Wednesdays are packed:

8am -- 9:50 am: Introduction to Literature

10am - 11:30am: Office hours

11:30 - 12:45: Introduction to Fiction

1pm - 2:50: English 1A (aka Composition)

I'm not used to having such an early break in the day... And I can't recall having a morning of back to back literature classes, so that should be a fun way to launch the day.

My Tuesdays and Thursdays are simple:

i have one morning class of Eng 1A, and after that I'll have meetings every 1st & 2nd Tuesday, as well as every 1st and 3rd Thursday. The rest of the time, I'll leave for home early. So, all in all, this schedule should be pleasant. The only thing that's wearing me down is that I get up before the crack of dawn... But It's only two days in. I'll get used to it soon.

So far, the only thing we've done in the classroom is the usual Interview Activity. In the Lit courses I have them ask questions about what they like to read (and watch, hear, visit, experience). For Eng 1A, students share information aout one another:

Name
College / Career Goals
What do they do for fun in their spare time?
What do they like to read and/or write about?
Where have they traveled?

I also have students invent a question... The usual stuff, maybe, but it helps me connect names to faces, and more importantly, it helps me develop ways to connect with students and make the class more relevant for them.

To my fellow teachers out there, enjoy the journey!

The Last Saturday of Summer Vacation

Well... today is Saturday... on Monday it's back to school.

It's almost time to get back to days of teaching classes, attending meetings, and *shudder* grading hundreds of essays. But I'm not letting go of summer that easily! We had a great time at a Hollywood party (North Hollywood -- but it still counts).

Check out all these pool toys!

Later tonight, my daughters and some of their friends will be coming over, and I'll be joining them in a game of Dungeons and Dragons... Yes, the Nerdiness is strong in the Bradford Household.

And then... to keep the Geekiness going... I think I'll spend the later part of the evening trying to finish up on my summer read: Ender's Game. 

Just about everyone of my friends and family have read this book, so I finally decided I better hop on board the Ender train and see if it's as amazing as everybody says. (I'm one-fourth of the way through and enjoying it so far.) 

To all of my teacher friends who are about to begin fall, enjoy your last gasp of summer vacation!