Lara D. Elliott - Inspirations

Children's author  Julie Hedlund , challenged participants of her  12 Days of Christmas for Writers  series to post SUCCESSES (rather than resolutions) on our blogs this year.  It's easy to sit here and say I had no successes. Much of my year was spent applying for mentorships but not being selected, entering contests but not winning, querying agents but getting rejected. BUT, much of what I did this year is paving the way for future successes. So that makes what I did this year successful??? Photo by Gerd Altmann from Pexels Success #1: Revised half of two novels. I could look at this as "didn't finish" two novels, but the half that's done means I don't have to do it next year. Success #2: Wrote 12 picture book manuscripts. They're not all in query-shape, but a few are. I also have several started manuscripts that didn't get finished. I have a huge list of ideas that haven't come to life yet. Success #3: Community. As part of be

I posted on this blog several entries to writing contests recently. My first attempts--the Fall Writing Frenzie and Halloweensie contests--were fruitless. Boy was I dissappointed. It affected my confidence and my motivation to write. I lost Nanowrimo partly because of it. But I plodded on and then entered Susanna Hill's Holiday contest. Twice. The finalists were announced on a Monday. It was a snow day here in WV, so I was chasing after my kiddos all day and completely forgot about the contest until I checked my email that afternoon and got the blog post notification. My heart beat wildly. I clicked on the link. I slowly read through Susanna's introduction. Finally, I got to the first finalist. Is that the title of MY story? I don't believe it. Surely someone else titled theirs the same by coincidence. I read the first line of the story. It was MY STORY!!! My eyes prickled with tears, but I held it together. Now readers got to vote. Luckily I had a concert and exams f

Photo by Adrianna Calvo from Pexels Today someone confided in me how poor their mental health is. They were so amazingly brave, telling me the things they told me. Because of this bravery, I was able to get them to someone who has the expertise to help them. I am so honored that they trusted me. Though I have worries and struggles, I have a lot of things to be thankful for. Days like today remind me that I need to keep an eye on the bright side of things. But also to persevere when things are glum. I've survived depression. I know what it feels like living through the storm. But God gave us rainbows. Rainbows wouldn't be possible without rain. If you're feeling down, remember that your rainbow is waiting. But also, be brave. Ask someone for help if you need it. They can be your umbrella in the storm. Photo by Isabelle Taylor from Pexels When the storm is raging Be brave When the rain is pouring Be brave When the lightning strikes Be brave When t

Below is another entry for Susanna Leonard Hill's Holiday Writing Contest . Enjoy! Photo by StockSnap from Pixabay The Scrumptious Tale of an Allergic Kid 146 words Mom rings the doorbell and I tug at my itchy collar. The door opens and we are greeted by the noise of Christmas music and grown-ups chatting. “Matthew, this is my coworker, Mrs. Archer.” I wave. “Welcome!” Mrs. Archer smiles at me. “Follow me to the kitchen. I want to show you all the goodies.” “No thanks,” I say. “I’m not hungry.”  “Oh, but a little elf told me that you could only eat special things, so several of Santa’s little helpers whipped up a bunch of treats that were allergen free.” My ears perk up. The door to the kitchen opens and there’s a full array of glittering cookies and scrumptious looking snacks. Mrs. Archer gestures to the table. “I double and triple checked. Everything here is okay for you to eat.” I look at Mom. She nods. I lick my lips. “I’m starving!”

Below is my entry for  Susanna Leonard Hill's Holiday Writing Contest . The challenge is to write a children's holiday story about a holiday treat in 250 words or less. This story was inspired by my family's love for gingerbread cookies (super special delicious family recipe). Enjoy! Photo by annca from Pixabay Gingerbread Family 227 words The warm scent of ginger and cloves tickled Isabel’s nose. “Mami, the timer’s going off!” “Okay, stand back, Isa. It’s hot.” Mami pulled the pan out. “Oh no!”  “What’s wrong?” Isa climbed up on a stool to get a closer look. The cookie dough had spread! All the little gingerbread men were plump and lopsided. Mami put her hand on her hip. “They’re ruined. We can’t serve these.” “Why not?” Isa licked her lips. They still looked yummy. “Christmastime with family is special. I want everything to be perfect.” “Can we make new ones?” Isa asked. Mami shook her head. “We don’t have enough ingredients.” “Can w

I had high hopes for this year's NaNoWriMo. That's National Novel Writing Month. Draft a novel (or at least 50,000 words of it) in the 30 days of November. But towards the end, I decided I needed to lose this year. A few years ago, I lost NaNoWriMo with a book about a crush. I didn't even get halfway through the 50k words needed to win. It took over six months to hit 50k. But the book meandered and really had no way to end properly. Over the next couple of years, I tried reworking the story with some beta reader feedback. I rewrote the beginning at least five times. But still, it wasn't coming together. This year, I decided I needed professional help and hired a writing coach (it was sort of by accident, but a happy accident). My coach helped me work on outlining a rewrite of the crush book. She helped me understand concepts like motivation and stakes and helped me define them in my outline. I wrote yet another first chapter and got her feedback and encouragement