Amber Keyser

Writing for Children About Science & Adventure
About Me

I'm an evolutionary biologist turned freelance writer, and my primary focus is writing for children.

Recent books include An Algonquin Heart Song: Paddle My Own Canoe and The Basics of Cell Life with Max Axiom. Look for Decoding Genes with Max Axiom and Anatomy of a Pandemic in 2010.

I use this space to report on events and appearances as well as to highlight resources that enhance my writing life. Enjoy!

www.amberkeyser.com

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2011 (10)
2010 (59)
 

Moving on... to amberjkeyser.com and VivaScriva.com

Here's your official heads-up! I'm shutting down this posterous site and moving a few doors down in cyberspace. My new & improved website (amberjkeyser.com) is open for visitors. I blog about writing & reading related antics there and about using effective critique to make your writing sing and your career soar at VivaScriva.com. See you around...

Website: amberjkeyser.com
Blog: VivaScriva.com
Twitter: @amberjkeyser

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Writing about sun from snowland...

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Today we woke up to snow.  I've checked the chickens (that's the coop with the slant roof) and made sure the hummingbirds had access to the feeders.  The kids scarfed bowls of cereal and managed to get 30 minutes of sledding in before the bus came.  It's 8:30 and I'm ready to get to work.  I must say it is weird to dive into a story set in the summer when outside it looks like Narnia before the White Queen snuffs it.  One of the things I love about writing (and reading) is diving into another place-time-universe.  So...  here we go!

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Elk herds in the yard are good for my writing mind!

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 How could I not feel motivated to write when this is the amazing scene outside my door?

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Tuesday, 2/8, I'll be speaking in Seattle. Topic: Learning to Read for Writers & Illustrators

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SCBWI Western Washington 2010-2011 Professional Series Meetings

Meetings take place on the second Tuesday of every month from September through May at Seattle Pacific University, Demaray Hall, Room 150. Registration at 6:45 p.m., program at 7:00 p.m.

February 8, 2011

Mini-Session: Amber Keyser presents LEARNING TO READ FOR AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS. Get in touch with your genre, get a handle on current trends, understand what works, and identify publishing houses that might be interested in your work. Amber will help us analyze books within genres and build a toolbox that will help us understand where our own work fits in the industry. Amber holds a Ph.D. and is the author of several children’s books on science and adventure topics.

Main Program: WHILE THE CENTRAL PLOT SIMMERS:  SUBPLOTS AND SECONDARY/SUPPORTING CHARACTERS with Wayne Ude. Writers of novels, novellas, and long short stories often start out with great plot ideas, but somewhere in the middle the piece runs out of energy. Subplots featuring secondary or supporting characters can help avoid that problem. Because Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice weaves subplots so effectively, we’ll use it as a touchstone for our discussion. Bring a three-sentence description of a plot, whether an idea or something you’re working on, as well as three sentences (maximum) about each of the central characters. We’ll use examples from Pride and Prejudice for similar sorts of subplot weaving in our own work. The author of a children’s book as well as adult short stories and a novel, Wayne is the Whidbey Island Writers Association MFA program director.

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Nurturing a creative life: my report from #ny11scbwi

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Kaitlin & Hailey up close and personal with Jackson Pollock

 

I've just returned from a whirlwind trip to NYC for the 2011 SCBWI Winter Conference.  I'll be writing in more depth about the conference, but as I rush off to speak at Career Day at my high school (St. Mary's Academy), I thought I'd take a moment to post this pic and to sum up my primary take-home message from the conference.  This message percolated from many sources, but the amazing keynote address by Sara Zarr put it best: we must mindfully cultivate a sustainable creative life.  No amount of success in the biz will satisfy the way the act of creation does.  If we focus on the external achievements rather than the internal process, we'll never feel "enough."  

One of the best parts of my weekend was visiting MOMA with my cousins.  As a writer, it's easy to get trapped in words.  Cross-pollination from one artistic genre to another enhances the words.  In a lovely bit of synchronicity, I sat on the AirTrain to JFK with a spoken word slam poet.  We had a great conversation about the synergy between music and poetry.  Take note, Hailey!  (She's got an assignment at Berklee College of Music to compose a jazz piece based on a poem.)  

Okay... I'm off to Career Day.  I'll tell them about nurturing a creative life.  

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I love making connections with other writers

Last week I overheard two people talking at a sushi restaurant about editors and agents and publishers. After much goading by my son (ever the publicist), I introduced myself and made a new writer friend. Recently I learned that Margi Preus, the winner of a Newbery Honor for Heart of a Samurai, and I share the same agent. I absolutely love her book so I reached out via email. She wrote a lovely email right back, and we are going to try to connect in NY later this week.

Then... today I was running in Forest Park when I passed a woman and her horse. (I love horses!) We got to talking and she is also a writer--a science writer at that! And in my neighborhood! Often writing is a lonely business. My connections with other writers are what keep me going through cruddy first drafts, plots that plop, and painful revisions. It's fun to talk about other peoples projects, to network, and to bring resources into the mix. If there is one piece of advice I'd give to new writers, it's this: reach out!

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My new book, Anatomy of a Pandemic, is here!

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 It is always a treat when the doorbell rings and the UPS guy hands me a heavy box.  Author copies!  There is rarely forewarning that they are coming so the surprise is very real.  My son's first comment: "What's with the purple bed, Mom?"  Me:  "I'm not sure but it looks kind of a scary!"  The truth is I scared the pants off myself writing this book.  If you want a creepy, inside look at brain-eating tribes in New Guinea, bubonic plague, bioterrorism, and blood-letting, this is the book for you!

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Evaluating my writing life. Looking back at 2010 and forward to 2011.

2010 is drawing to a close.  When I get back to work in 2011, I want to be focused and motivated, my eyes on some particular goals for the year.  Addie Boswell, one of the Scrivas, passed on series of questions designed to evaluate the past year and guide our efforts for the new.  I think I’ll take a stab at some of them!

What surprised me?

How hard it is to turn over the reins to my new agent.  I’m thrilled to have one, of course, but it is hard to be patient and wait for news.

What disappointed me?

Using social media to connect with other industry professionals.  On Twitter and in the blogosphere, I’ve had some fruitful and fulfilling interactions, but for the most part, I feel like I’m back in middle school watching the popular girls huddle.  It’s not that I feel excluded, but I feel like an evesdropper on conversations that don’t seem to need or want more participants.  

What worked?

Starting an e-newsletter.  After my first issue, I booked several school visits and made some nice connections with other writers.  

What didn’t work?

Multitasking.  I find that I am not very good at working on more than one writing project at a time, especially if they are in the writing/revising phase.  Researching one book while writing another is okay, but I couldn’t even manage to rewrite two measly magazine articles while revising or drafting books.  

When was I happiest?

Revising!  And let me tell you, this shocked me!  I started the year doing yet another revision on Esmé’s Bow, a middle grade novel.  And it was painful.  I mean ripping out fingernails painful, maybe I should try selling insurance painful, give me another piece of fudge painful.  However, the more I revised the more could see the improvement, and the more I loved my story.  It seems like I have learned to love revision.  Go figure.

What does this tell me about 2010?

I think I’m growing up as a writer.  I have a better grasp on how I work, what my barriers are, and what my strengths are.  It gives me confidence to work through the hard parts and to know where I should direct my efforts.  I also have a renewed sense that this business is about more than words on a page.  It is also about relationships.  I want to focus on those professional relationships that really feed me.  I’m not ready to give up on social media just yet, but I’d like to banish the feelings of inadequacy.  Maybe I need to give new structure to my time on-line.  

What do I want to take forward with me into 2011?

I guess this is as good a place as any to discuss my goals for 2011.

  1. Spend Jan-May finishing the first draft of my new middle grade novel.
  2. Focus on building my relationship with my agent and providing him with the information he needs to sell my work.
  3. Build a Scriva website.
  4. Spend June-August researching new nonfiction book.
  5. Spend Sept-Dec drafting aforementioned nonfiction book.
  6. Rebuild my website.
  7. Write those two magazine articles I didn’t get to in 2010.
  8. Keep up with my newsletters.
  9. Book 4-6 school visits or conference talks.
  10. Build a solid marketing resource book for myself and the Scrivas.

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