When the Well of Words Is Low

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Today is Reveal Day for the winners of the awesome Lyn Miller-Lachmann’s young adult novels, Rogue and Gringolandia. (And if you’ve heard the TED Talk of Jill Shargaa, let me quickly say that I mean awesome in an appropriate way. Wondering about that talk? Head to the awesome Ellar Cooper’s blog here to listen to the talk.)

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Lyn and Jill

If you’ve decided to remain here, that’s cool too. I want to apologize for dropping the ball lately on blog posts. This is one of those weeks when the well has been on the dry side. The words that come to mind most readily—“Are you going to pay me soon?”—don’t make a good blog post. And no, I will not go into detail about that question. Suffice it to say that the life of a freelancer is often fraught with weeks like this. (If you know a freelancer, be kind to that person. Ply him or her with fruit salad, warm mittens, snuggly blankets, and popcorn. Chances are, he or she could use those.)

Fruit Salad

So, lately my mind has been filled with cotton batting and those words I mentioned in the paragraph above. When I’m feeling anxious or “pen tied” (my way of saying, “at a loss for words”), I let my crochet hook do the talking. And lately it’s been saying two words: “Make hats.” When life hands you lemons, make hats, I always say. I’ve been on an owl and minion craze. It’s my way of keeping my toe in the pool of creativity.

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004A hat still in the making

One thing I need to do that I’ve done in the past is return to the exercises of this book.

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I recommend it to anyone feeling a bit “pen tied.” Friot reminds me that writing can be fun and frolicsome. But what do you usually do when you’re at a loss for words but feel the need to be creative in some way?

While you consider that, let me introduce you to the minifig given to me by Lyn Miller-Lachmann. I’m calling him Jordie. Lyn felt that Jordie would make a good addition to the blog. Please say hello.

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Jordie says hi back.

You’ll see more of him in posts to come. Today, he wanted to be present when the winners were announced. So without further ado . . .

16101109The winner of Rogue and some crocheted flowers is . . .

Is . . .

Is . . .

Is . . .

Charles Yallowitz!!!

hbc_gringolandia_front_medThe winner of Gringolandia and some crocheted flowers is . . .

Is . . .

Is . . .

Is . . .

Andra Watkins!!!

Congrats, winners! Thanks for commenting. You know the drill. Please confirm below and your book will be mailed to you.

Fruit salad from teamripped.com. Book cover from Goodreads.

31 thoughts on “When the Well of Words Is Low”

  2. Very cool. I was just talking to a friend about Rogue too. As for freelancers, I know a few and many of them seem to be easily calmed down with hot chocolate. Even the ones that live in the warmer regions.

  3. Congrats to Charles and Andra.

    I love your hats ~> If you can’t “ply [a freelancer] with fruit salad, warm mittens, snuggly blankets, and popcorn,” giving them a “Who? Who?” hat is the next best thing! Awesome!

  4. Congratulations to the winners! I just love those little hats, L! Angus looked so adorable in his. I am loving the cover of The Inspiring Poet’s Journal…it’s so colorful.

    • Thanks, Jill.
      The journal is a great book to have. One of my advisors suggested it as a way of helping me to be more playful in my writing. It really works!!!

  5. Love your name for the Jester; s/he looks like a Jordie! Kudos for the gender-neutrality as well! I know what you mean about the freelancing issue. A study by the Freelancers Union in 2010 revealed that 40% of the amount owed freelancers in New York City could not be collected. That was my experience as well when I did a lot of freelance work. A lot of people I know adjust their rates to compensate for uncollectable debts, and others have gone onto websites that hold the clients’ money in escrow (for a fee). The Freelancers Union got some protections passed in New York State, but the big account that stiffed me in 2010 was in Florida, and the state did absolutely nothing to help me.

    • Oh that’s horrible, Lyn! I’m sorry that happened to you!
      Freelancers are usually the last to get paid, though the projects, most of the time, are fast-track projects.

  7. Hope the check comes in the mail soon, Linda. BTW, have you thought about selling your amazing knitted goods on etsy.com as a side gig? My mother-in-law does some good business selling vintage clothing there.. May be a way to fill in those payment gaps! Anyway, just a thought.

  8. I’ve been pretty dry for blog ideas lately. Or, rather, I haven’t felt like investing the time and mental energy into meaningful posts.

    • I enjoyed the one you did on diversity. I need to get around to blogs more. I’ve been a bit swamped with my weekly curriculum deadline. I wish I were more organized.

  9. Congratulations, winners! The creative tide ebbs and flows, but you’ve created great hats, Linda. I LOVE them, especially the minion. What fun! Phillip and Eric are right. You could sell those! 🙂

  10. Hello, my friend! I have been “hiding out” lately and didn’t realize that you were taking a bit of a blogging break as well. Sorry you are going through a freelancer’s daily struggles and that it’s robbing you of your words. How great that you have your crochet hook to keep your creativity flowing. The owl hats are fantastic!! You are so multi-talented, Linda. 🙂

    Congrats to the winners.

  11. Hi Jordie! Hi Linda! I love the hats too. And the Fruit Salad looks so good that now I have to go raid the fridge for something. LOL 🙂

  12. Welcome to Jordie! I’m amazed at how fast you can make hats. They’re very cute.

    I thought I’d write some posts ahead, and I’ve finished a few. My idea was to write enough to take me through the end of the year because I know I’ll be busy buying gifts, writing on Christmas cards (Yes, I still do that.), and visiting my daughter for ten days. But now I’ve run out of ideas. Maybe tomorrow I’ll think of something.

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