Today’s Work

I had my mind on the next scene in the hi lo book. I went ahead and wrote another chapter. When I checked, I had 362 words and it was on less than 4th grade level. I haven’t named the character and wonder if I even need to? So far I’ve referred to him as He. The story involves his mother and I hope readers will be able to read that word. There are lists of high frequency words and grade levels where they are learned. I probably should go to those lists if I change any words in yesterday’s chapter, which was 5th/6th grade level. I want new adult readers to be able to read this book without help. Here’s an example of Kindergarten level high frequency words:

Putting “high frequency words lists” in a google search bar will help you find lists, if you have more interest.

Now I’ve turned to the Blindman book and uploaded almost 1500 words into the kdp template for that book. They are in order, with lots of missing info between them. I think the missing info is in the file somewhere, and I will adjust it as I continue to look through the file. With 114,000 words, I’m sure there are repeated scenes written in different ways. I’ll try to insert scenes where they go chronologically. I cannot skip what is there and come back because it will confuse me. I’ll keep going and see how this works out.

Lastly I have added 1419 words to the Stories of a Public Schoolteacher book template. That was a long chapter! I usually write short chapters.

It’s mid afternoon and my writing for today is over. I have no idea how long I worked, but I’m glad I got some work done on all three books.

hi lo Books

I just worked on the hi lo book I’m writing. (hi adult interest/lo reading level). Last time, the first chapter I wrote was on less than a fourth grade reading level. Although I tried to keep the words simple, this one was on a 5th / 6th grade level. I might go back at some point and change some of the words. So far I have written 1050 words total. Seems like so few, but the plot is well developed and I have a long way to go. I’m trying to keep the chapters short because new readers get tired after reading a certain number of words. And if they don’t, they can read the next chapter. I hope these sell and I hope people improve their reading skills by reading my books.

When I was in grad school, I asked a teacher in the class who taught adults to read if she’d do a survey to see what kinds of books they wished they could find to read. One of their problems is that if they read the easy books, they are mostly written for children and adults have trouble being interested in the subject. I ordered one hi lo book from Amazon just to check out the competition. I didn’t have any problem reading the book, but it bored me to death. It was about a waiter and a regular customer who came in every night. It was about one meal, one night and nothing happened. What was the point? That’s when I was sure I could write more interesting books than that. Plus the book was large like a child’s book. While I might use larger print, I intend to make my books the size of regular paperback books so anyone reading it will not feel conspicious. I have no idea if people learning to read care about the appearance of the book, but I would think a regular paperback sized book would be easier to handle.

I enjoyed writing that chapter. I enjoy working on the Stories of a public schoolteacher book too. I don’t enjoy the Blindman book, but I am determined to finish and publish it and do what I can do to change society. It’s written. . . mostly. Let me upload a chapter. Then I’ll edit and upload a story to the Stories book, and then I’ll have done all the book work I can do today.

 

Lost A Blog Today

I don’t know what happened to the blog I wrote earlier today. I had written it and was trying to copy/paste it so I could check the number of words and the blog disappeared and was replaced by something I’d pasted in a word document earlier today. How did that happen? I have no idea.

My hands were badly damaged by a pitbull attack a few years ago. All I know is I hit a key that I didn’t intend to hit and what I’d spent time writing completely disappeared and the other copied document was pasted into my blog. I could not find what I’d written anywhere.

I had worked on another chapter in the Stories book.

Just now, and yes, it’s after dark, just now I uploaded a few chapters to the Blindman book. There are missing parts and I don’t know if they’re written and in the wrong place or what, but I will continue to load the chapters I have and hope the missing ones turn up. I might not have written them, but I thought I’d written everything. If they don’t show up by the time I upload everything I’ve written, I’ll go back and write them as I read through the book. I’ll be reading for continuity and not for grammar or spelling.

Once chapters are added as needed, I’ll go back through and read it three more times. Once for the flow of the story and twice for grammar and spelling.

I’m tired of the Blindman book. I’m very, very tired of it and I get angry when I read it.

I enjoy the Stories book.

I plan to publish both before this year is over and revise the Black History book. I sent the Black History book to two education colleagues, but have not heard back from either of them. It’s probably not as good or as useful as I thought.

I feel like the tree on the cover of that book. I’m tired of the wind blowing through my life. I’m tired.

At This Rate

At this rate, I’ll finish Stories of a Public Schoolteacher long before I finish the Blindman book.

I am currently at a point of needing to write two or three chapters for the Blindman book. How I can have 114,000 words and still need more, I do not know. I know I spent one evening writing one of the missing chapters a couple nights ago and cannot make myself write anymore right now. That night’s sleep was filled with nightmares.

So instead when I come to this computer to do my daily writing, I work on the Stories of a Public Schoolteacher book. I wrote and edited and perfected a chapter in it. It’s very good. I’ve spent a lot of time on it. (Anything to keep from having to write anything on the Blindman book. I can edit the Blindman book and I can upload chapters after skimming them, but I cannot immerse myself in that right now.)

Solution? If for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction . . . is that how that saying goes? For every problem, there should be an equal and something solution.

Ok. How about this? How about I write the words INSERT TRANSITION CHAPTER HERE for the next section on the template and go back to uploading what is already written? I’ve already found one or two chapters out of chronological order, so maybe what I need is written, but just saved to the wrong section?

If I can’t find it ever, I can put “Imagine what happened between then and now” and publish the book anyway??? No. That won’t work. My mind can only play so many tricks on myself before reality kicks in.

Well, I can postpone writing the chapter, and it is possible the missing ones will show up later. If not, I’ll tackle writing them later.

Meanwhile, the Stories book is a little closer to being ready for publication.

Stories Book

Two things I learned after working on the Blindman book last night:

1. I will NEVER work on it after dark again. It affected my night’s sleep. I had nightmares and physical problems, and I just will never work on the Blindman book after dark again.
2. I have other projects I can focus on, if I realize after dark that I haven’t put in my hour’s writing yet that day.

This morning, because my mind is still so focused on the Blindman and the travesty of justice during that time in my life, I opened the Stories of a Public Schoolteacher file to see where I was in it. I believe the last time I worked on that book, I realized I had much more done than I remembered having done. I believe I can publish that book this year as well if I continue to work on it daily.

So I skimmed through the saved stories and saw I had noted on the one called “The Puzzle” in my file that it had not been entered in the Stories book format. I read though that story . . . all 909 words and changed words, fixed punctuation . . . edited those and copied/pasted them into the kdp format. Well, now I have 909 words added to my Stories book. My mind goes to math when I’m stressed. Somehow focusing on those predictable numbers reorders my brain and things make sense again.

If 250 words are on each page (estimate), I have just added almost four whole pages to my book.

The stories in the Teacher Stories book are fairly short. Some are shorter than that one, but I still haven’t done the heavy editing on the book. I am merely attempting to get each story in the book in a logical order.

One thing I did wonder as I had nightmares last night was whether or not Stephen King’s books gave him the same stress that his books give me? I read a couple of his books, and I saw the movie “The Shining”, but I will no longer subject myself to anymore of his books. They are good, interesting stories, but perhaps not the kind I should be reading.

I do hope nothing I write ever gives anyone nightmares. I may buy a copy of the Blindman and burn it up in a symbolic gesture at erasing that time in my life from my mind. I doubt it works.

Switching Lawyers

I just uploaded the next chapter of the Blindman book. It was about an appearance in court. I was so upset with the outcome that I asked to switch lawyers. I didn’t know if I could or not, but the one I had was very old and couldn’t hear well. He had all but promised we’d get some answers, and what we got was a three week continueance after I’d already waited four weeks for what legally should have occurred within ten days. I didn’t feel like we were making progress fast enough, but maybe I was too impatient? Looking back on it now, maybe I was? I don’t know.

As I began to write, I remembered that was not when I finally gave up on my first lawyer. We’d had yet another court appearance and he just kept repeating over and over what he’d been saying for weeks/months. So that means I have two or three more chapters to write.

I do have a binder here with some printed out chapters I wrote and perhaps the missing chapters are written and in there? I don’t know. I’ll check another day. All I know is writing that one extra chapter was very difficult. It’s why it’s taken me so long to get this book done.

I guess I’ll continue working on it, but truth be told, I’m about ready to throw in the towel. This is harder than I expected. I thought with 114,000 words that I had the book  completely finished. Now I think I have to write three more chapters?

Will anyone even read this once it’s written? Do other writers doubt themselves? Does a time come when you are a good writer, a respected, widely read author and you have confidence in everything you submit and write?

I heard from kdp publishing, which is where I’ve published the two books I’ve already self-published. Some of my pages were read on Amazon kindles this past month and I’ll be getting some money from that. I have no idea how many pages were read or what I’ll get paid, but I know the last time I made any money from the kindle reading that it wasn’t much.

Well, I’m not doing this for the money, although money for doing it would be nice. I’m writing this book because the story needs to be told. So I will push myself and before the year is out, the Blindman book will be in print.

This is exhausting work.  I saw the doctor Wed and it was not a good appointment. There are more tests to be run and I don’t see the point. Then I was unable to eat. It rained all day. I stopped by the storage unit where things are stored and inside the unit felt damp/humid. I need to find a better place and I have that to deal with now. My old doctor is in the town I used to live in. He was setting up a test and I walked out. I went to the storage unit to check on the things stored there. Then I stopped to eat and couldn’t swallow, which is one of my symptoms.

Why am I writing all this? I need to get this book written. Oh, I’m so annoyed that 3 chapters are not written, or if they are, I typed them up and printed them out without saving them.

Writing is hard, hard work. It’s always come easy, but this book is hard work. And it’s not as “done” as I thought and I’m very discouraged.

Carrying On

I just worked on the Blindman Book. I uploaded the chapter where I met my court appointed attorney. Reading through that first meeting and remembering how much he seemed to want to help me, I regret asking for a different one. The man was old and had trouble hearing. Still, I think I remember my mother saying he was a very good lawyer, back when she was a legal secretary and was also the court stenographer in town.

He seemed to believe in me. He wanted a hearing as quickly as he could get one. He suspected the person it turned out to be who had set me up, but I was sure she hadn’t. I learned from this ordeal that you can’t trust people, not even family.

But it may be that the opposing counsel wanted me to be displeased with Mr. Woolard and wanted me to switch lawyers. I don’t know. I know he was right to request a hearing. I know I wish I’d stuck with him.

But that’s all water under the bridge, and my tendency to ruminate causes me more harm than good.

It was an interesting chapter and one I hadn’t read in a long while. I think it is well written. It was written on October 14, 2015 and has 846 words. There is dialogue, but I don’t describe him. I remember I describe him in later chapters during court hearings. He was an old man. I can see him now in my mind’s eye. I may need to put in more description, or it might be fine as is. I did describe his office. I did a little tidying up on the chapter, putting in commas and changing a word here or there.

I had written on this book for twenty years. When NaNoWriMo came around in November, I added 50,000 more words and finished the thing. I think I’ve written in this blog how many, many words this book now has. It is too many, but I imagine I will find some redundacies as I continue. This chapter had to be inserted before the Stephen chapter. When I put these chapters in chronological order, I should have put this one there.

I also am working daily on the Schoolteacher stories book. When I opened that file, I saw I had done much, much more on it than I remembered. It is also in the self-publishing format, and I’d love to see them both published this year. Then there’s the Black History Teacher Resource book I want to edit and republish by December.

I have plenty of writing projects in the works. I have many more as well that I want to finish. I’m working on a hi lo book and doubt it will be finished this year, but as I try to put in my hour (or more) daily, it’s one of the things I turn to.

I used to teach Kindergarten and I’d joke and say the job fit me well because I had about the same attention span as they did. I do bore easily and I get tired of the same ole, same ole. That might serve me well in my writing career. We will find out.

Three Books

New Idea.

I feel like I work on my books, hit or miss, with the Blindman book being the main focus right now. I work on it, when I work on any book. I just don’t work on it every day.

I have health issues and some days I’m unable to work. I have things I have to do outside of the house, and I am too busy.

I can make excuses. Bottom line is, I need to work on my book every single day . . . maybe take off Sunday, except for that verse about when your ass is in a ditch, even if it’s Sunday, get it out. (Does everyone – anyone? – know the Bible story I’m referring to?)

Ok. I will make a pact with myself and my readers to work on my book for one hour a day (not long? You come sit here and do it.) whatever else I do that day. No matter how sick I am. Work one hour a day for at least six days a week. How many days a year is that? Six Times Fifty-Two is Three Hundred Twelve.  So three hundred twelve days, starting today, for the next year, I will work at least one hour a day on my book . . . make that books. I noticed today when I uploaded and proofread the next Chapter in the Blindman book, and this chapter is about Stephen, it took twenty minutes. Now what?

I glanced at the following chapter where Stephen dies and no, I cannot do another chapter in this emotionally wrenching book. I’m done with the Blindman for one day. Forty minutes to go.

I opened the file with Stories of a Public Schoolteacher in it. Wow! That book is much more “done” than I imagined. I added a chapter/story to it. Yes, the story needs editing. Heavy editing, but it’s now in the book.

Now what? I opened the file of hi lo story ideas. Those are stories written for adults who are just learning to read. I am a Reading Specialist and know how to recognize Reading Levels and the sentence structure in beginner’s books and I know the hi lo books are high interest / low reading levels. Adults learning to read would rather read stories about things they are intersted in, rather than the stories six year olds read as they begin to read books.

So I selected the story idea I had most recently thought about and I started writing. I got the first chapter written. I tried to write in the style/words that you’d find in a first grade book. Then I went to one of the wordcount online tools and checked. I had written 422 words and it was less than 4th grade reading level. That works. Or I think it will. I’ll come back to that book, if I have time tomorrow (Sunday) or Monday when I put in another hour’s work.

I still had some time in my hour. I came to this blog and here I am telling my readers what I’m doing today. An hour to work. I have seven more minutes. Then I’m going in the kitchen and start to cook a roast for dinner tonight. I love to cook. I love to sew. I love to create things.

Am I creating a headache in your head? I hope not. Let me stop and see how many words are in this blog, proofread it, add tags and publish it today.

This is 582 words. That’s 82 more than my goal in each blog. Reading level is 5th/6th grade. Usually I write in 8th/9th grade reading level, according to the word count tool. I guess writing in less than fourth grade reading level lowered my normal level. Does it matter? No.

 

105 Pages – Twenty Chapters

This is most delightful. I just uploaded a couple more chapters in The Blindman book and noticed the page number at the end of the last one. I now have 105 pages and twenty chapters of my book in the template for kdp self-publishing site. That is awesome, considering how long I’ve worked on this book.

As I upload and read through each chapter, I realize I have some heavy editing to do on this book. I found a binder I’d started at one point when I was trying to organize the chapters chronologically. I had no idea what was missing and still needed to be written. I’d written whatever was on my mind on the days I worked on this book. The outline was in my head, but I didn’t follow it. I knew the beginning, middle and end, but wrote best when I wrote about what I was currently thinking about that was tormenting me. Memories. It’s a memoir. It’s also a very good story (will hold your attention) and might help others at some point.

I am so excited to see over 100 pages with my words on them. The other two books I’ve published, one had less than 50 pages, and the other one had 57 pages. One was a book of my poems that I’d written about pets and wildlife. Each poem tells a story in a rhyming format. The other one is a reference book for teachers to use during Black History month. For the reference book, I intend to expand it to at least 100 pages and republish it in November.

When I taught school, there were very few books on First Grade Reading level about African Americans. Each February I’d go in the library and search for relevant facts and information to use as I designed lesson plans. I took notes and kept many of them to use in subsequent years. I also began to write rhymes to help children remember what each person was famous for.

Here’s one of those rhymes. It’s about Garrett Morgan. He invented both the traffic light and the gas mask. He probably invented other things as well. Since six year olds are more familiar with traffic lights than gas masks, I wrote this rhyme. If you put a picture of three traffic lights under the rhyme, you have a simple activity for a Learning Station. The children can read the rhyme and color the lights – First one color the red light, second one, color the yellow light, and third one color the green light. Likewise you can put illustrations under the rhymes for Mohammed Ali and other famous African Americans.

Garrett Morgan

Garrett Morgan,

Red, Yellow, Green,

Made the traffic

Light be seen.

by Constance Barr Corbett

 

Writing Courses

Dear Writer’s Digest Magazine and Anyone Else Offering To Sell Me Writing Courses,

I have taken the last writing course I intend to take.

I took English Courses, some of which were composition, in college. I had writing included in my high school courses and even in lower grades.

I took a Creative Writing Course from NCSU in the 1980’s.

I took a Correspondence Course from that Children’s Literature Company and learned a lot.

I took a Memoir and Truth Telling Writing Course when I was in grad school in 2006 at UNCW.

I took James Patterson’s online writing course.

I’ve subscribed to Wrtier’s Digest Magazine for years. I also subscribe to Poets and Writers Magazine.

I’ve bought self-help books on writing over the years. I have quite a collection.

If I don’t know it by now, I don’t intend to learn it. Pleaase quit sending me mail and emails offering to sell me writing courses.

I’m done studying.

Constance