Author: beccakinla

Switching from the Pressure Cooker to the Crock-Pot: A (much needed) break

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Whew!

At this point last week, I had three looming deadlines ahead: a short story each for Binyan and for Binah BeTween, and my next batch of episodes for Glixman in a Fix, the serial currently running in Binah BeTween. I was feeling stressed out not just because these items needed to be in by this week, but by a whole string of deadlines, pretty much constant ones for months on end.

The Pressure Cooker

I had first drafts for both stories already written, and an outline to base the serial chapters on, but it was a lot of writing to complete in a single week. The previous few stand-alone pieces I did for the tween/teen magazines had not come as smoothly as usual, so I was feeling anxious. Trying to think of multiple fictional plots, spoken in the voices of multiple narrators, overlapping one another for months on end was wearing my creativity a little thin. The quality of my work had dropped, and it weighed on my mind.

In fact, Continue reading →

Let’s take a moment to break for poetry

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Sorry for the sparse posts in recent weeks. Things have been a little crazy ’round here. I took a trip up to the Bay area to see my sister, came home and got a burn on my dominant hand that was serious enough to send me to the ER in the back of an ambulance (I hope to share a personal essay with my readers about that experience soon). Thank G-d, I’m now on the mend and in the midst of several deadlines.

But just to let y’all know I haven’t forgotten you, I’m going to share a piece of poetry I wrote while waiting for my sister to pick me up at the train station in San Jose. Continue reading →

Three in one shot!

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Readers of Binah this week will see a lot of me.

This week’s Binah Magazine contains three pieces by yours truly:

  • My regular episode of Glixman in a Fix inside Binah BeTween
  • A stand alone for tweens and teens in the same supplement, entitled “A Sweet Find”
  • A personal essay in the main magazine, called “Hitting the Road.”

“A Sweet Find” was inspired by the antics of my grandmother, may she live to 120. She’s one of those people who saves things, and has been digging through her treasures a lot recently. As a person who doesn’t generally get sentimental over objects, it’s sometimes hard for me to identify with Grandma’s feelings. But once in a while, something Grandma finds in her stash touches me, and I wrote a fictional story about a character who shares this experience.

In “Hitting the Road,” I confess my driving phobia and explain how I finally conquered it. Next week, I’ll be completing my first year of driving carpool!

Has anyone out there had a phobia and written about it? Please share in the comments.

This week’s accomplishment: My First Publication in 2nd Person…sort of

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Writing fiction in second person point of view is one of those fancy tricks that many people attempt, but few people pull off. I’ve always wanted to do it, but my first several tries sounded stilted and like I was trying too hard.

But this week’s Binyan (inside Hamodia) contains the first story where I think I pulled it off. I think that part of what makes it work is that it combines the first and second person. Let me explain. Continue reading →

Analysis: My first writing workshop for adults

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Along with writing and editing, I’ve coached writers one-on-one off-and-on for the last couple years. I’ve presented writing workshops and made author visits to groups even longer than that, but those groups always consisted of school children. Yesterday, for the first time, I combined the two and taught a writing workshop for fledgling writers aged 15 and up. Actual grown-ups attended!

The Crash Course

Since my greatest area of expertise is writing for tots, tweens, and teens, I decided to offer a three-hour crash course in writing for those groups. My husband agreed to whisk away the kids who weren’t in school (some Jewish day school kids attend on Sunday mornings), and I prepared materials and advertised.

Overtime

I thought three hours would be enough, I really did. Continue reading →

Still need a daisy? 6 years of Raizy

beccakinla A Dozen Daisies for Raizy, advice, art, art project, Jewish, jewish motherhood, Jewish writing, Judaism, klempner, kosher, preparing, recommended reading, shavuos, Shavuot, stories, students Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

My picture book, A Dozen Daisies for Raizy, has now been out for six years. With Shavuos just around the corner, I know that parents and teachers will be teaching about the holiday –some using my book, some not — and I thought I’d provide a few links to help them. Continue reading →