


GUARDIAN
I am the guardian of your 10-year-old-self
I bear witness, child one second
teenager the next
developing a sense
of what is right
what is wrong
and all in between
pushing the boundaries of childhood
like water on the levees
intense daily interactions
reading, writing, thinking
talking, laughing, brooding
until poof! You’re gone
like summer in Vermont
or a flock of birds overhead
flying fast out of sight
I squint to see
the tiny dots disappear.
So when I see you in town
at the grocery store,
don’t think I’m odd
because I stop in my tracks
shaken
because while I’ve stayed
the same in the mirror
you’ve gone through a
swirling metamorphosis
when I wasn’t looking
you’ve danced, sung,
played, changed
and done more than
I’d ever known
or could teach you.
I’m looking for the relic
for the tiny piece
of your preadolescent
clumsy, shining self
searching the pictures
in my mind
head spinning.
So when you see me
on the street
stop and say hello.
tell me who you are now
and I will tell you
who you were then.
Scott
"Live, Learn, Teach"
To my fellow writers:
Feel free to sing along above the original lyrics
Thanks to B.o.B., and the song goddess that is Hayley Williams, for the inspiration!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn6-c223DUU
"Can we pretend that manuscripts
On the hard drive
Are like future ARCs?
I could really use an agent right now,
Agent right now,
Agent right now. (x2)
Yeah,
I could use an agent or a rep or a pub,
To get my manuscript some acclaim and some love
Cause after all the typin’
The editin’, re-hashin’
The late night sessions
Hard work in the trash bin.
SASEs and the standard rejections
There comes a time when you fade to the blackness.
Yeah, you stare at the phone in yo lap
And hopin’ but the agents never call you back.
But that’s just how the story unfolds
You get another lead
Soon after you’re told.
And when you get asked for a partial request
Will they all be thinkin’ that your work is the best?
So manuscript, manuscript
I think you’re dope.
I’ll send you away
So don’t lose that hope.
If I don’t get a rep
Then I’ll switch my sights
I’ll be back on Agent Query
By the end of the night.
(chorus)
Yeah,
Yeah,
Somebody take me back to the days
Before this was a book
Nothin’ but a blank page
Before it ever mattered what I had on Facebook
Back when I was trying to get my photos some looks.
And back when I was writin’ for the hell of it.
But nowa’days I’m writin’ to stay relevant.
I’m guessing that if I can make ARCs out of manuscripts
Then maybe oh maybe I’ll make top 20 lists.
Before my website was lookin’ super sweet
And back when ain’t nobody ever read my Tweets.
And back before I filled up my journal sheets.
But this is for New York,
What’s up Simon Schust?
So can I get a rep to fuel my author rep,
Get a contract and a proof on my step.
So here I sit
And again I say,
I’m hoping’ we can make some ARCs out of manuscripts."
(chorus)
~Scott
"Live, Learn, Teach"
www.scotthbooks.com

Readers:
Meet Kieryn Nicolas, a teen writing prodigy (my opinion) that just hit the scene with her first novel, Rain. In just a few months, she's captured the attention of many with her upbeat attitude and commitment to the craft. This evening, I have the opportunity to host her in my Language Arts and Literacy graduate class. She'll speak to my students (pre-service teachers) about what teaching practices motivated, and continue to motivate her, as a writer.

Fortunately for you, she also agreed to an interview on my blogs. Check out her work. You won't be disappointed!
How long have you been writing, and what inspired you to begin seriously devoting yourself to the craft of writing?
I think I’ve been writing ever since I could write—and that does not necessarily mean I could spell. I have a journal from when I was four, and my first recorded story, from what I can decode, reads: "Laura wus pritty and nice it wus 12:00 at night Laura hred a strang naus. it wus bumping and sloshing and skraching. She did not know wut it wus. so she went out side and thar wus a Baer. She kickd the baer and pushed Him into the woods. the end"
Talk about climaxes.
I was in fifth grade, though, when I decided I wanted to be an author. I had an amazing teacher that year, and we actually did creative writing. That’s probably when I realized how much I loved writing long stories—aka, novels.
How do youlive your life like a writer? What day-to-day habits must you incorporateinto your routine?
Every day I have two emails and two Facebooks to check—my personal ones, and my author ones. I also have to remember to Tweet and do any other social media. Also, I always have something with me that I can record ideas on, whether that something is my phone or a notebook or the note app on my iPod. (I used that app a lot on the bus this year.) Pretty much I make sure that I stay in touch with my professional/author communications, and also the author in my head, who usually gets ideas at the least convenient times.
Who are someof the authors you lean on most for inspiration and craft when you get stuck inyour own writing?
That’s an interesting question. Reading books that I like usually does motivate me to write my own stories. For example, J.K. Rowling is the queen of characters. Everyone in the Harry Potter series is incredibly real, and her writing makes me want to write my characters to life. Suzanne Collins—author of The Hunger Games and the Underland Chronicles—writes incredible action scenes, so when I read her books I want to make my own stories more exciting. I recently read the 1-800-WHERE-R-YOU series by Meg Cabot, and it had an incredible voice. Guess what I’ll be focusing on next time I write?
In youropinion, how important is the link between avid reading and strong writing?
I think the link is fairly important. I’m not saying someone who isn’t an avid reader can’t be an incredible writer, or vice-versa, but personally I attribute a lot of my strength in writing to the countless hours I’ve spent reading. Story ideas have always bounced around my head, and seeing how authors brought their stories to life helped me figure out how to put mine in words as well.
What’s thefunniest/craziest/strangest story you have so far from your writing escapades?
I’m not sure this is the funniest/craziest/strangest, but I got a friend request from someone from Indiana a few weeks ago. Thinking it might be someone I met at the Lit Fest, I clicked on his profile, and did a double-take when I saw I was in his profile picture. Yeah, it was the picture he’d taken of us when I signed a book for him! That was a pretty cool experience.
What can youtell us about your current projects?
I’m currently working on a dystopian story that I absolutely love—but I’m really bad at summaries, so I’ll just leave it there for now. Also, I’ll have a “short” (I use quotes because myversion of “short” always contrasts with other people’s version of “short,”like my English teachers who insist on page limits and nonsense like that) story coming as an eBook from Echelon in the near future. It’s called Poison Ivy, and I wrote it as a response to To Kill a Mockingbird last year in English. We had our choice of projects, so long as we incorporated a theme from the book. I asked my teacher if I could do a story, and she said sure, as long as it was “reasonably short.” Of course, I used my own interpretation of “reasonably.”
Where can wego to learn more about you?
My amazing and tech-savvy grandma designed my website, www.kierynnicolas.com. On there are links to buy my book, a page with links to media about RAIN and myself, the prologue/first chapter of my book, a short bio, reviews of RAIN, and links to my social media pages (like Facebook and Goodreads). Also, I (usually) update my blog, www.kierynnicolas.blogspot.com,at least once a week. Well, I try to.
~Scott
"Live, Learn, Teach"
www.scotthbooks.com