Tom's Blog
Welcome! The purpose of this blog is to open a window onto my writing world through an informal, off-the-cuff journal of what I'm working on, how it's going, what I'm thinking/feeling, how my life figures into what I write, and vice versa. I hope you find it insightful in some way, and helpful in your own journey as a writer or a reader. If you'd like to send me a comment, or suggest a "Tom's Blog" topic, have at it. I encourage feedback, and dialogue. My email address is tom@tombirdseye.com.
P.S. I also post Tom's Blog on Facebook. Feel free to "friend" me if you'd like to get them via Facebook "New Feeds."
Note: entries appear with the most recent at the top. Previous year's entries are archived; links are at the bottom of the page.
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3/8/10 -- Last May I spoke at the International School of Curitiba in Brazil. It was a short trip -- only 48 hours in the country -- but a great experience. Now, ten months later, I've heard from one of the students there, Lucas. He wrote:
"When you visited our school I didn't talk to you, but I watched your presentation about your books. I wasn't very interested in what you were talking about, but since the moment you said that when you were younger you didn't want to become a writer but a basketball player you caught my attention. I’m a basketball player and I want to become a professional basketball player. So, after that you gave some tips about writing, and the one I learned was to write all the ideas that come from your mind first and then worry about commas, spelling etc. Now in school I'm being way more successful with my writing assignments."
That's how it is with teaching; you often don't see or hear about the fruits of your labor until later, if at all. Nice to get the good news. Thanks, Lucas!
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3/4/10 -- After a fun trip to South Carolina (family reunion) and Alabama (school visit at South Shades Crest Elementary in Hoover), I'm back in Oregon until March 19, when I travel to Israel to speak at the International School in Tel Aviv. Should be a great adventure, with some extra time in the country to go to Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and Masada, and the West Bank. I'm even more excited than usual, because this trip lines up with Debbie's Spring Break, so she gets to go with me!
In the meantime, I've received the copyedited manuscript of STORM MOUNTAIN for my review. This is when we (the editor, copyeditor, and I) get down to fixing the last little details in the story -- spelling, punctuation, capitalization, all that writing mechanics stuff which I'm not very good at. Check out the list of goofs. As you can see, I have a particular problem with compound words. Maybe my Southern upbringing has something to do with that. We Carolina-Kentucky folks tend to have slow-moving tongues that blend syllables together.
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2/28/10 -- I'm at the Charleston, SC airport. Spent the weekend at a family reunion. Really fun to reconnect with everyone, and squeeze in a nice hike in the low country woods -- Spanish moss and palmetto trees, so different than my Northwest forests of Douglas fir and vine maples. Tomorrow I speak at South Shades Crest School in Hoover, Alabama. I'm looking forward to meeting all those budding young authors!
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2/22/10 -- The entire family kicked in to help Kelsey move to a new apartment in Portland on Saturday, then Debbie and I hit the ski slopes with friends on Sunday. From the photo you can see that we've all been watching the Olympics, and are in our racer tucks. Still, I think Lindsey Vonn and Bodie Miller have nothing to worry about . . .
A great weekend. Now back to my writing!
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2/19/10 -- It's always great to hear from readers. One, a Missouri fourth grader named Ryley, says I remind her of Henry Winkler of Happy Days fame. (For those who don't know, Happy Days was a very popular TV show from 1974 to 1984. Henry Winkler played The Fonz.) What do you think? See any resemblance?
P.S. Henry Winkler is now a very successful children's author. Check him out on Wikipedia by clicking this link.
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2/17/10 -- A beautiful, sunny afternoon, temperature approaching 60, daffodils and plum trees starting to bloom. Hmmm . . .
Sometimes the best thing you can do for your writing is take a break, clear the cobwebs from the mind, refresh the spirit, get outside. Time for a mountain bike ride!
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2/15/10 -- After a great weekend, I'm back in the driver's seat:
Regardless of where you write -- school, home office, at the kitchen table, in a coffee shop, or even under a bridge -- this is the place that we, as writers, create the universe known as "story." How cool is that?!
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2/12/10 -- I'm off to the mountains for the weekend with friends, and my wonderful wife, Debbie -- who has put up with me for 35 years, and I love dearly. Skiing, both downhill and cross country, is on the agenda, as is good times around the wood stove in the evening.
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2/11/10 -- Went to the indoor climbing gym at Oregon State University last night. Was a bit tentative at first, due to the shoulder surgery. Thought pulling hard might set me back. Ironically, it actually made my shoulder feel better! I worked my way up to 5.9s (moderate grade, but still challenging). Next week I'm going to go twice and see if I can get back to doing 5.10s (much harder, at least for an old guy like me).
You may be thinking, "That's nice, Tom, but what does it have to do with writing?" Well, the main character in REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR is learning to rock climb. So I guess you could call it a form of research. Really fun research!
P. S. I'm also posting these blog entries on Facebook. Feel free to "friend" me if you'd like to get them via Facebook "New Feeds."
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2/10/10 -- Busy day: Writing, planning an April trip to the New York City area (two school visits -- Queens and Enfield, CT -- plus reconnecting with editors, publishers, and my agent in Manhattan).
Oh, yeah, and then I worked on my taxes. Which, no matter how I turned it, was not the most pleasant job in the world.
But then the clouds burned off and I just had to get outside. Had to. Or at least that's the way it seemed. Amazing what blue sky can do for the spirit. If you got it, enjoy it!
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2/6/10 -- Yesterday I was busy with an author visit to McKinley Elementary in Salem. Thanks, Pat Knight and all the wonderful kids and teachers. They even have a young authors club, filled with aspiring writers who like it so much they're willing to miss lunch recess to discuss their work.
Today it was back to Salem (I've been beating a regular track up there) for the Oregon Association of School Librarians regional conference. Thanks Andrea Surfleet for hosting me. Nothing like a room full of book lovers to perk an author up. I had a great time!
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2/3/10 -- Just back from a fun day with the students of Morningside Elementary School in Salem, Oregon. Lots of good writing going on there. Great kids and staff. I told them that yesterday I finished the last rewrite (I hope) of STORM MOUNTAIN, and that it is now on its way to New York. Normally, I would take a day off to celebrate with some mountain time (skiing/climbing), but I've got to get taxes done -- ugh -- and then -- ah! -- return to REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR.
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2/1/10 -- Had a great weekend with family in the mountains. (Me and the girls below). Also got back on skis for the first time since my shoulder surgery. At first I was a bit tentative, but after a few runs I opened it up and skied fast again. Flying over the snow, I was reminded of why I love skiing so much. What a fantastic sensation!
In the evening we played games and talked and laughed, and checked out Mark's new electronic book, the Kindle. With its growing popularity, and the release of the Apple's iPad, the way we read seems headed toward significant change. Personally, I love the feel of an old-fashioned book in my hands, but believe there is room for multiple ways to experience a story.
Speaking of stories, I'll finish this final rewrite (?) of STORM MOUNTAIN tomorrow and sent it back to New York. Yay!
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1/29/10 -- As will often happen with writing -- as well as many other things in life -- I hit a snag. STORM MOUNTAIN will not go in the mail today. It's taking more time than planned to get all the details and wording just the way I want them. Thankfully, my editor is very understanding, and is encouraging me to: "Take the time you need to do it right! (And take some time off to enjoy the weekend!)" There you have someone who truly understands the writing process. And the need to step away from it, too.
Which I will be doing this weekend. We're headed up to Odell Lake to stay in a mountain cabin. Yesterday the doctor gave me the go-ahead to ski again (rotator cuff surgery in late October), so I am pumped to get back on the slopes!
There will be plenty of down time in front of the wood stove, too, though, so I'll take STORM MOUNTAIN back to the mountains again and keep working on it.
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1/27/10 -- Three long days of rewriting have gotten me through the most recent round of editorial suggestions for STORM MOUNTAIN. (Which are excellent, by the way, and have improved the story a bunch. Never underestimate the power of a good editor.) The new draft is ready to read aloud -- tomorrow's big job -- then print out, and off it goes to New York and the road to publication. Woo-hoo!
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1/25/10 -- This past Friday I spoke at Riverview Elementary School in Lebanon, Oregon. Great kids and teachers. Thanks for the invitation, Kirk Phillips!
Saturday morning Debbie and I got up early and drove into the Cascades, where we met our good friends Gary and Sally and snowshoed into a remote cabin. The snow pack is shallow, what with El Nino flexing its muscles. But we still had a great time. Below is the cabin, built in the 1920, cozy and rustic. Perfect! 
Here is the view from the living room, out onto Fish Lake.
I hauled the edited version of STORM MOUNTAIN in my pack, and had a great time discussing mountaineering details from the book with Gary, who has lots of experience on peaks. I also took the manuscript outside and waved it in the breeze. Who knows, maybe that will add a bit more mountain flavor to the story.
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1/21/10 -- Fed Ex delivered the most recent feedback from New York on STORM MOUNTAIN. Not much more rewriting to do, which is a good thing, since my editor, the wonderful Julie Amper, needs it back by February 1.
Still, I'll be going over it with a fine-toothed comb, making sure all is well with the story, characters, setting, details, voice, etc. Then I'll read it aloud to make sure the language flows smoothly. Publication is scheduled for next fall. Exciting!
P. S. Check out my publisher's logo. Perfect for a purveyor of children's books, in my opinion.
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1/20/10 -- If REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR tightens up as well as the doormat I just finished weaving from old climbing rope I'll be one happy camper . . . er, writer.
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1/15/10 -- Today, during a short break from writing, I finished up the first stages of a doormat I'm weaving out of old climbing rope. The initial pattern is there, but I've still got much tightening to do before I call it done.
Kind of like my novel -- the story structure is there, but I've still got lots of tightening to do, and tweaking, and no doubt some additions, too, before I type, "The End!"
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1/12/10 -- Yesterday was my first author visit of 2010. Nice to work close to home, only a two hour drive from Corvallis to Fairview, Oregon. Great kids and teachers at Salish Ponds Elementary. Unusual in that all three third grade classrooms had male teachers. Nice to see guys in there making a difference for kids, too! We need more, though.
Several people asked for photos of the snowshoeing on Saturday. I didn't take many pics, but here are a couple: (Debbie on the left, and a creek that runs into Gold Lake on the right.)
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1/9/10 -- A pleasant change of plans has developed. Up early this Saturday morning, I'm getting a bit of writing done, then, instead of going for a run, I'm off to the mountains for snowshoeing with Debbie and friends. I'm stoked at the prospect of being out in the natural world for the day. Hopefully, it will clear my mind for continued writing. Happy Saturday!
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1/6/10 -- Today I went for the first hard run since my shoulder surgery on October 26. After a morning of working at my desk it felt especially good to move. By the third mile, however, it didn't feel so good any more. Still, I kept at it, and pushed through. Hopefully I won't pay the price this evening. Regardless, I'm on the mend, and excited to be getting back to my old self. This weekend I'm even going to try my favorite 10 mile loop out to Bald Hill and back. I'm sure I'll be slow, but that's okay. I'll approach it the same way I do my writing -- one step at a time, focus on the process, and enjoy the experience, even when it's hard.
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1/4/10 -- My first official work day of . . . I almost wrote 2009. No, it's now 2010 and I'm off to a good start with a productive writing session on REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR.
True, I had to stop after lunch and pay bills -- such a lovely way to spend time -- and am faced with tax records and all that other adult end-of-the-year stuff. But I can see clear sailing not too far ahead, and will make good use of it. Onward, toward the horizon!
P.S. Note the Blog Archive links below. After all, the past is past, but not totally worthless. Or something like that. I hope . . .
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Archive of Past Years