The Musings of Patricia Shirra

Best of Luck to the New England Patriots!

2012-01-31T15:40:00.000-08:00

Super bowl XLVI will be upon us in just five days and the New England Patriots will go up against the New York Giants. Will the Patriots add a fourth Super Bowl ring to their collection? Go Patriots! :)

Author, or Not?

2012-01-10T02:06:00.000-08:00

What makes an author? Is it a passion for or a dedication to writing that makes one an author? Is it an MFA (Masters in Fine Arts) or sound writing skills that make one an author? Or, is a published manuscript the badge of a true author? Am I an author?

Let's assess ...

I have a passion for writing--I love writing and I get new ideas to further develop a piece in progress or for something totally new. My ideas come at different times, in different places and in different situations. My mind works like a book reads--with a beginning, a middle and an end.

I am dedicated--why else would I get up at 4:30 in the morning to write? Enough said.

I do not have an MFA--it wasn't on the radar as I worked as a professional in the financial services industry, took care of a household and family and pursued an MBA. (Well, I thought wanted to climb the rungs of the corporate ladder, but that turned out not to be my life's ambition.) In 1999 I enrolled in an elementary education program at a teaching college as I had a longing desire--which I kept trying to suppress--to teach children. I completed 5 masters level courses but I didn't finish the degree ... my second-grade student teaching experience revealed I'd waited too late to transition out of the conference room into the classroom. (The need to go home and nap every day after school was a key indicator!) I took my teaching experience and used it at home with my children and as I saw each of their skills and abilities unfold I began to supplement the teaching materials I was using, customizing the learning experience for each of them. My curriculum development experience was my segue to writing creatively for children and I completed two courses through the Institute of Children's Literature to build my skills and learn to write for children.

I have been writing for children since 2005 when I enrolled in my first structured writing class through the Institute of Children's Literature. That was seven years ago and in those seven years I have not had one article, poem, short story or novel published and I have written and queried them all.

So, am I an author?

Yes, I am ... and I have the pile of rejection letters to prove it!

P.S.: I have had a word search puzzle published in a children's ezine (Stories for Children) and ten math lessons published in a teacher's guide. So I am not completely without some publishing credits under my belt.

The Unfocused Mind

2011-09-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

I'm working on edits to two manuscripts to meet a September 30, 2011 submission deadline for both. Why is it that when the pressure of a deadline is upon you and it's imperative for you to focus, you simply can't?

Oh well, wish me luck.

Which Will Triumph?

2011-08-10T03:28:00.000-07:00

One of Each

2011-08-08T02:45:00.000-07:00

I am the mother of a 19-year-old girl--who loves to read-- and a 15-year-old boy-- who does not. Having a child of each gender has made me realize that boys often get short changed in life. Girls have an assortment of stylish fashions to choose from while boys are offered more standard garb. Girls have far more interesting toys to play with while boys have the basic sports equipment and action figures. (Do either of these toys really encourage imaginative play?) Even with literature, there are many more reading titles for girls to choose from and fewer options for boys. So, it's no wonder that every story idea I have conceived of and manuscript I've written centers around a male protagonist.

In J-O-E Spells Brat, the central character is 8-year-old Sam who learns that his baby brother, Joe, is Autistic and not a brat as he'd thought.

Sixteen-year-old Morgan is the primary character in Aspie, a coming of age story about a teenage boy with Asperger Syndrome.

In The Book of Isaiah, a young minister, Isaiah Lawton, struggles to keep his deceased father's church alive while dealing with the imposing Mother Board who's focused on finding him a wife.

Ethan Jameson takes center stage in The Audition, a new novel about a teen whose overwhelming desire to star in Hollywood films takes him down a road that he never imaged himself going.

Perhaps one day I will conceive of and write a story with a female lead, but for now, I think I'll stick with the fellas.

The Gift of Writing

2011-08-07T18:47:00.000-07:00

Before I became a writer I thought writing was easy enough to do. Now that I write, I realize it is one of the most difficult things I have ever done, especially as I strive to write well.

To write for the sake of writing is one thing, but to write for the sake of reading, that's something completely different.

A gifted writer is not just one who knows the mechanics of writing, but one who can also create pictures in the minds of her readers.

–Patricia Shirra

New YA Novel In Progress

2011-08-07T04:04:00.000-07:00

The topics I write about are largely inspired by events in my personal life, including Pervasive Developmental Disorders and an overwhelming desire to make a mark in Hollywood. I write because I enjoy the adventures, joys and heartaches my characters experience as they pursue their dreams, against all odds. If you want something badly enough you will persevere to make it happen.

The same is true of Ethan Jameson, a talented young actor from New England who is driven to make the 3,000-mile trip from home to Hollywood so he can act in films. Will Ethan succeed? Failure is not a word in Ethan's vocabulary.

Stay tuned in for updates on The Audition (working title.)

If At First ...

2011-04-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure. ~ Samuel Johnson

The Grass Is As Green As It Gets!

2011-02-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

I used to think that solitude was a writer's best friend. I couldn't wait to take early retirement from my day job and with my children off (prayerfully) conquering the world, I would be left alone to write. Then, I came to realize that the proverbial grass is as green as it can possibly get, right now, while my children are with me and are full of victories, challenges, rivalry, love, hope, disappointments, happiness, sadness, new experiences, and old emotions -- all the things a writer could ever possibly hope to imagine if not experience first hand.

An Author Doesn't Just Put Words on Paper

2011-02-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

Being an author means so much more than just putting words onto paper. Being an author means to …

CONCEIVE ideas,

ORGANIZE thoughts,

RESEARCH facts,

CREATE pieces,

EDIT works,

SOLICIT publishers,

SELL manuscripts,

MARKET wares, and

MAINTAIN platforms.

So, if you were one who thought being an author was simply putting words onto paper, think again.

2010 NaNoWriMo Winner!

2010-11-29T23:38:00.000-08:00

I competed in and won my very first NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) competition and I am so proud of myself! 50,335 words ... woohoo!

NaNoWriMo Update!

2010-11-26T13:39:00.000-08:00

30,016 words. Woohoo!

NaNoWriMo Update!

2010-11-26T05:47:00.001-08:00

25,045 words down; 24,955 words to go ... 111 hours to write it in!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

2010-11-20T22:42:00.000-08:00

Well, it's day 20 and I should have 33,334 (out of 50,000) words written to be on target for completing the National Novel Writing Month contest, but I don't. Instead I have 14,308 (out of 50,000) words written.

I am working on my novel with the working title "The Book of Isaiah." I will strive to write the 3,570 words/day I need to finish on time.

Whew!

Three Simple Words

2010-10-06T16:39:00.001-07:00

“Understanding, not judgment.” –Patricia Shirra

2010-09-14T03:14:00.000-07:00

I dream so I write. –Patricia Shirra

Think Again

2010-08-08T05:08:00.000-07:00

Being an author means so much more than just putting words onto paper. Being an author means to …

CONCEIVE ideas

ORGANIZE thoughts

RESEARCH facts

CREATE pieces

EDIT works

SOLICIT publishers

SELL manuscripts

MARKET wares

MAINTAIN platforms.

So, if you were one who thought being an author was simply putting words onto paper, think again.

The Story or The Experience?

2010-08-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

My 18-year-old daughter, an aspiring screenwriter and film maker, suggested that we collaborate on writing an action screenplay. So, we devised a plot and identified several key characters and were then off and running with our individual assignments ... at least so I thought. I was dumping, editing, revising, "making it work" while she was sitting idle. Whenever I would ask how she was progressing, she would emphatically state that she'd never written an action story before and was having some difficulty. So, we made some adjustments to the assignments -- she got to create the sub-story between the male and female teen characters while I worked on other parts -- and we each went off writing again.

When we regrouped a couple of weeks later, she made a similar report as before, that she didn't have a lot of practical experience with relationships to apply to the situation so she was again having difficulty. I grew perplexed. I explained to my daughter that, "As a middle-aged woman I've never experienced life as a 16-year-old boy with Asperger Syndrome, but I've used largely my imagination and a lot of research to create a 35,000-word novel about the same. Aren't fiction writers expected to write about things they've never experienced before? If not, J. K. Rowling surely has had quite an interesting life.

So, I pose this question to all writers - established, aspiring and hobbyists - as a general rule when writing fiction which comes first, the story or the experience?

Talk to me ...

Rose-Colored Glasses

2010-08-01T06:11:00.000-07:00

"Don’t look at people through rose-colored glasses. See people for who they are. But, before formulating an opinion about them, try walking in their shoes."

–Patricia Shirra

Capabilities

2010-07-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

It is said “those who can’t, teach;” but I say “those who can, write.” -Patricia Shirra

The Gift

2010-07-11T04:54:00.000-07:00

A gifted writer is not just one who knows the mechanics of writing, but one who can also create pictures in the minds of her readers. –Patricia Shirra

A Look Through The Window

2010-07-01T03:11:00.001-07:00

Writing is a window to my soul ... my pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, ups and downs, my today and my tomorrow. Writing is truly a window to my soul. -Patricia Shirra

What Inspires Me To Write?

2010-06-19T03:39:00.000-07:00

The events in my life inspire me to write. I've often thought when my oldest child goes off to college -- surely never to return to the nest -- and my youngest child is off making his mark on the world that I would then have time to sit, uninterrupted, and write. But when I really thought about it, as I tried to imagine myself in that scenario, I realized that my writing inspiration comes from my children and with them so removed from me I'd likely have no inspiration to write at all.

So, I recognize that the proverbial grass is as green as it can possibly get, right now, while my children are with me and are full of victories, challenges, rivalry, love, hope, disappointments, happiness, sadness, new experiences, and old emotions -- all the things a writer could ever possibly hope to imagine if not experience first hand.

PDD Challenges

2010-05-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

“Parents of children with pervasive developmental disorders face many challenges, starting with the insensitivity of others because of their inability to understand the situation. People may think a child is misbehaving and consider the parent unable to control him, but when a child acts out there may be an explanation other than a lack of discipline as to why the child is behaving the way he is.” -Patricia Shirra

Aspie

2010-04-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

One who has Asperger's Syndrome, which is believed to be part of the autism spectrum. Aspies, while being quite gifted verbally, have social, emotional, and sensory integration difficulties, among others. Aspie is an affectionate term, and is not meant as a put down. -- Urban Dictionary ((c) 1999-2010)

Day Off

2010-03-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

“People with disabilities have “off” days too. -Patricia Shirra

Capacity

2010-03-06T06:16:00.000-08:00

“If I had to deal with even a portion of what my child deals with on a daily basis, I wouldn’t manage it half as well.” –Patricia Shirra

Ker-plunk!

2010-02-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

“Ker-plunk! … That's the sound of the other shoe dropping.” –Patricia Shirra

Does Older Mean Easier ... Not!

2010-02-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

“Does living with a child with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) get easier as he gets older? Not really. While the up-and-down cycles may not be as frequent they are definitely more intense!” –Patricia Shirra

The Cycle of Life

2010-02-07T04:15:00.000-08:00

“Living life with a child with a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) is a life of guaranteed ups-and-downs. When times are tough, you ride the storm of consistent parenting, tough love and pray for strength to hang in there until things get better. When times are good, you’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

–Patricia Shirra

Who Advocates for the Advocate?

2010-01-28T16:23:00.000-08:00

“An advocate is someone who gives support to someone else. But, who advocates for the advocate? Another advocate, of course. So, the ultimate advocate is the most high, God.” – Patricia Shirra

The Inner Circle

2010-01-22T20:02:00.000-08:00

“Caregivers, advocates, educators, doctors, and therapists; friends to the disabled.” –Patricia Shirra

Quality

2010-01-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

“If life is 10% action and 90% reaction, it’s no wonder the quality of life for people with disabilities is lacking.”

–Patricia Shirra

Special Needs

2010-01-01T21:23:00.001-08:00

“The term “special needs” is used to refer to an individual who lives day-to-day with a medical, mental, and/or psychological disability. The term may also justly apply to the caregiver of such an individual.” -Patricia Shirra

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T21:21:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a spirit-filled 2010! Much love and many blessings in the year ahead.

Crossing the Line

2009-12-25T04:58:00.001-08:00

“There’s a thin line between oppositional behavior resulting from a disorder and that resulting from a child’s simple desire to exercise his will. A child with disabilities knows the difference, and will occasionally try to cross that line. What’s abnormal about that?”

–Patricia Shirra

Pushing the Buttons

2009-12-16T22:18:00.000-08:00

“Don’t ever let a kid with a developmental disorder discover which of your buttons to push because then she’ll push, and push, and push …”

–Patricia Shirra

Other People's Shoes

2009-12-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

"Don’t look at people through rose-colored glasses. See people for who they are. But, before formulating an opinion about them, try walking in their shoes."

–Patricia Shirra

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T04:20:00.000-08:00

Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.
-- Author Unknown

ASPIE by Patricia Shirra

2009-08-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

Aspie -- One who has Asperger's Syndrome, which is believed to be part of the autism spectrum. Aspies, while being quite gifted verbally, have social, emotional, and sensory integration difficulties, among others. Aspie is an affectionate term, and is not meant as a put down.
-- Urban Dictionary (©1999-2009)

A coming of age fiction novel targeted at teens, ages 13 - 18.

Sixteen-year-old Morgan Williams is always on the outside looking in. His inability to socialize and make friends alienates him from his classmates and makes him the perfect target of class bully, Peter Davidovitch. One day, Peter’s taunting gets the best of him and he loses it, resulting in Morgan’s expulsion from school. Morgan is hospitalized and undergoes a neuropsychological assessment following his breakdown.

After some time in the hospital, Morgan is released with a working diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome. Unable to understand the disorder, he looks for answers in places outside his comfort zone. His mounting frustration with being “abnormal” and inability to accept his newly diagnosed illness leads him to engage in deviant behavior. This ironically makes him feel in control, for the first time in his life. After an arrest for Breaking and Entering, Morgan is committed to a 90-day residential program.

The stay at Sinai starts off rocky. Morgan is uncooperative and sometime oppositional with the hospital staff. He undergoes psychotherapy; drug therapy is resisted. When Morgan participates in family therapy sessions he begins to understand that he isn’t the only one adversely affected by his condition, nor is he the only one wrestling with a life-altering problem. He meets a fellow Aspie named Janine who helps him to understand and control his disorder.

At the end of the commitment period Morgan returns home and attends the local high school. While he is now better equipped to handle his internal conflict of accepting that he is different, he must still deal with the external conflict of interacting with people.

Status: Manuscript under development; targeted completion fall 2009.

Featured Author

2009-08-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, I'm one of the featured authors in the Write What Inspires You August 2009 Newsletter. Follow the link and check out the interview. This is a great magazine so while you're there, opt-in as a monthly subscriber. http://www.donnamcdine.com/images/Write_What_Inspires_You_Newsletter-August_2009_Issue.pdf

Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)

2009-07-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

What in the world is PDD-NOS, you may be asking yourself? Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD,) refers to a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialization and communication. This group includes Autism, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, Childhood disintegrative disorder, and Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS.) While PDD is a classification of disorders, PDD-NOS is an actual diagnosis, the most common of the spectrum disorders and one that I have personal experience with. My 13-year-old son struggles to deal with the complications of PDD-NOS on a daily basis. I am an advocate for my son and have spent countless hours, since his first assessment at age four, consulting with physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, specialists, teachers and other parents about my son's disability. My tireless efforts to understand and help my son manage this disorder, over the past nine years, makes me somewhat of an expert. So after much encouragement to ‘write a book about it,’ I’ve decided to heed the advice. While there are many books in the market that focus on PDD they are largely of the non-fiction genre. My literary focus is on developing fiction short stories and novels featuring characters who struggle with disabilities, such as PDD.

Thought for the Day

2009-07-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

"Experience is one thing you can't get for nothing."
- Oscar Wilde

J-O-E Spells 'Brat!' by Patricia Shirra

2009-05-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

J-O-E Spells 'Brat!' is a transitional chapter book targeted at young readers between the ages of five to eight years.

Synopsis: Allicyn and Baby Joe sure know how to ruin a perfectly good day. That’s 8 year-old Sam’s thought about his smart older sister and bratty baby brother who monopolize all of his parents’ time. A no-win situation, right? Well Sam sure thinks so when he wins the Good Citizen Award at school and no one seems to care. Tired of being the forgotten one, Sam decides to leave home and in flight overhears Mom and Dad talking about his ‘artistic’ baby brother. When Sam learns about Autism, he begins to understand his role in the family. What he learns that night causes him to think differently about Baby Joe as he no longer sees his brother as a brat.

This 3,627 word fiction book has a real-life twist – Autism – that applies more and more to the average family today.

Status: Manuscript complete; seeking a publisher.

Words of Inspiration ... to Me and Anyone Else Reading!

2009-04-23T00:03:00.000-07:00

"Nothing you write, if you hope to be any good, will ever come out as you first hoped."
(Lillian Hellman)

"Writing is like everything else: the more you do it the better you get. Don't try to perfect as you go along, just get to the end of the damn thing. Accept imperfections. Get it finished and then you can go back. If you try to polish every sentence there's a chance you'll never get past the first chapter."
(Iain Banks)

"The writer learns to write, in the last resort, only by writing. He must get words onto paper even if he is dissatisfied with them. A young writer must cross many psychological barriers to acquire confidence in his capacity to produce good work--especially his first full-length book--and he cannot do this by staring at a piece of blank paper, searching for the perfect sentence."
(Paul Johnson)

If At First ...

2009-02-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

Writing brings about a roller coaster of emotion. How do you know if that great idea you have for a manuscript will be of interest to anyone else, let alone everyone else? Even when you don't stay 100% true to yourself and heed the advice of instructors and/or critique group members your ms still may not be selected for publication. So what's a fledgling writer to do? I know the answer is don't get discouraged and keep trying,' but there's only so much rejection a human can take before she becomes discouraged.

I've found that getting published is a lot like finding that first job ... no one wants to hire you without experience BUT how do you get experience if no one will hire you?

Ay!

The Artist's Way

2009-01-28T19:08:00.000-08:00

How many of you perform some sort of writing ritual on a regular basis? A couple of years ago I was given and read a book called The Artist's Way and as a result I spent the next few months compiling writing pages. This is a ritual of getting up in the morning and the first thing you do is write a few handwritten pages of whatever comes into your head. You don't edit the pages; you don't even have to re-read them. You just write and stow the pages away for later. This exercise helps to keep the creative juices flowing.

As I said, I did this faithfully for a few months then stopped. Why? Because, I needed the time to write; my best writing time isin the morning, before work. And write I did until I had a brain cramp ... so, I'm going back to creating writing pages because this and other exercises like this, really do help me to write a little easier, and better.

How about you?

Betwixt and Between

2009-01-19T02:46:00.000-08:00

I write largely in my "free time" as I have a "day job" as a business analyst. My day job allows my family (me and my two children 12 and 16) to have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs and food in our mouths. I've been working at a large financial company in Boston, MA for 24 years and like most companies my company is facing a pretty huge layoff THIS WEEK. The last layoff in October 2008 affected people with seniority as well as people high up in the organization; this next layoff is bound to trickle down to us workerbees. Part of me is nervous because I need the income as the sole provider for me and my children, but another part of me is okay with the idea of being laid off so I can focus on writing. It would be nice to drop the children off at school grab a Big One from Dunkin Donuts on the way home then think great thoughts all day long until the children are brought home at the end of the day. I'd have time to research publishers, research content material, write and keep blogs and web pages updated. Seems like a nice thought for a fledgling writer like myself. But, alas I don't want to wish anything on myself so we'll just wait to see what happens.

Is anyone feeling what I'm saying?

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T09:44:00.001-08:00

Wishing you all the best in 2009!

Patricia Shirra

Updates to Web Site

2008-12-29T19:42:00.000-08:00

I've made some updates to my website. Check it out and let me know what you think! The URL is http://home.comcast.net/~patriciashirra/psmainpage.htm.

Honest Scrap Award

2008-12-27T04:31:00.000-08:00

I was nominated by Donna McDine http://donna-mcdine.blogspot.com/ for the "Honest Scrap" award. :-)

Below are the guidelines when winning the Honest Scrap award:

1. List 10 honest things about yourself (make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep!)
2. Pass the award on to 7 bloggers.

So let's start with the 10 honest things about myself.

1. I turned 50 this year on my birthday and am determined that the next 50 years will be spent pursuing a successful writing career.

2. I have two children (12 & 16) whom I love dearly but my writing muse can't co-exist with them. My muse always goes into hiding when they're up and about.

3. I ALWAYS check the caller ID and OFTEN DON'T answer the telephone when it rings. I have to be in the mood to chat, and that's rare.

4. I find the writing industry both rewarding and frustrating. The constant stream of rejections can bring you down some but you get a real high when someone reads something you wrote and can't wait to read more!

5. I hated English in high school and avoided Literature courses in college. I was a Math and Scinece geek.

6. I'm not an avid reader. I never have been, but I'm working on that.

7. My siblings refer to me as the walking TV Guide; although my amount of TV and movie watching has decreased significantly over the past decade.

8. I don't enjoy reading Shakespeare.

9. My favorite novel is Jodi Piccoult's "My Sister's Keeper."

10. I want Jerry Bruckheimer to produce my first blockbuster film.

The second part of this isn't possible since I am new to the blogging community and don't know seven bloggers I can pass this award on to. Unfortunately, it stops here. Sorry. :-(

The Calm Before The Storm

2008-12-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

I've found the best time for me to write is early morning, when my children (12, 16) are asleep and I'm not. While I'd have no problem sleeping until Noon most days, I'm more of a morning person than a night person. Trying to write late at night results in little more than me getting a crook in my neck as I usually drift off to sleep while sitting at the computer.

Prayerfully, when my alarm clock sounds at 4:00 AM I get out of bed and not hit the snooze alarm so I can get some serious writing done during the calm before the storm, because once my 12-year-old son gets up for the day all writing bets are off.

When is your best time to write?