Once Upon a Time...

New York SCBWI

2012-01-28T17:33:00.000-08:00

Brought my latest work for the roundtable intensives.
Two full days of learning, learning learning.
I love it here and made two important contacts.

One of the highlights was a surprise visit from Henry Winkler, actor and author. Sometimes it is just the best to laugh. Winkler is hysterical and loves to write. He was probably the most inspiring speaker. The son of German immigrants who once called him dumahound. My father would know how to spell it but not me. In essence, the translation is "dumbdog." Winkler, I believe, was serious. So here is a man filled with doubt who came to infuse with hope.

Chris Cutcher spoke. Inspiring. He shared several writing stories and his reasons for not censoring the nitty gritty rough episodes of life. He shared several personal anecdotes that were truly funny and truly heartbreaking.

A Fierce Green Fire

2012-01-26T06:40:00.000-08:00

The documentary we saw last night was ten years in the making. It was a thorough, selective look at the last 50 years and the environmental changes, catastrophes, successes of the earth. Love Canal, Greenpeace, Chico Mendez...It was an excellent piece of work--yet, it wasn't as enjoyable because it was nothing new.

I'm taking this idea and applying it to the groundbreaking books that happen to have an original premise.

I have no interest in vampire, paranormal and now dystopian novels. Too many. Overdone. No matter how good they are, they will not have the same possibilities because they're nothing new.

Here's to originality. And the idea that my work in progress is a NEW idea.

Second Night at Sundance Festival

2012-01-25T16:58:00.000-08:00

We love the creative, artsy, atmosphere of the Sundance film festival. Sometimes at the beginning of the film, or more often at the end, the director will answer questions. It's always a great moment to hear the creative talent, trials, patience and perseverence that goes into making a film.
Jillian and I had a phenomenal experience at our second film.
We saw WEst Memphis Three, a story about three convicted men, serving time for the murder of three eight year old boys.
The movie was crafted so well, that the beginning of the film, we see the prosecution's side and all the evidence that put the young men in jail. As an audience observer, it's clear that they are guilty of the murders, but as the film progresses, we're given piece by piece of information that puts their guilt in doubt. By the end of the film, it's more than likely that they are innocent and recent DNA evidence points to another suspect.
The film ends. I still wonder who's guilty. The director comes to the front, then invites Damien Echols up to the stage--the teenager convicted 18 years ago who has spent half his life in jail. For over two hours, you spend time in judgment in this man and there he stands before us.
Profound moment.

Success

2012-01-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

Writing group partner has had at least 2 full requests for her novel. It is so exciting to see the process of success. In at least one case, the agent adores the manuscript and this is just how it's supposed to be--like falling in love. I hope I can post her novel release date real soon. L'chaim!

When I Find Beautifully Used Words

2011-12-11T08:34:00.001-08:00

The syntax of words are like a string of Christmas lights-arranged beautifully by color, design and strung on the Christmas tree or across a garage roof, they are delightful.

I found a string of Christmas lights today in Tricia Springtubb's "What Happened on Fox Street." It looks like an early reader.
Here is a short excerpt:
"It was a short street, five houses on either side, smooshed close together but in a nice way, like friendly people in a crowded elevator...Mo Wren's house was in the middle where a heart would be had Fox street been a person.

Lovely.

Clean Teen

2011-11-25T21:18:00.000-08:00

I learned a few weekends ago that there is a new emerging category: clean teen. Editors and agents ask about it and have recognized the demand. I only put clean teen on my school bookshelves. I even wish it was a label that went on all YA that fits this category. I wouldn't want it to be its own genre, just a label that fit books that weren't riddled with intimacy and perversion.

Hooray for those who are asking for it! Hooray for those who are writing it!

WIP at 29, 864 words!

2011-11-25T21:16:00.001-08:00

Newest WIP Rambling

2011-11-04T21:14:00.000-07:00

I was able to knock off 3,000 words today bringing the newest story from apprx. 22,000 words to 24, 917 words.
I've read in several places that your first three novels will be unpublishable. This is my fourth! This is the one!!!
Tenacity, audacity and persistence! If only publication was guaranteed by these three requirements--but they are the precursers to luck! And every published book needs luck. Hard work and luck=success.

Catching A Glimpse of Editor Coma

2011-11-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

I'm glimpsing over my notes from SCBWI LA and I noticed something that I think is new. The advantage of sitting at a round table or in a class with people reading portions of their manuscript is that you realize how many, certainly the majority of manuscripts all sound the same. It is apparent why some work gets noticed immediately and that the freshness, the newness would make an editor jump out of his/her seat.
This is what I wrote exactly in my notes: Probably the best thing I’m taking away is what an editor has to sit through. I was dying when I kept hearing the same old voice. I undersatnad when someone or something
jumps off the page.

More Laurie H Anderson on Character

2011-11-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

Characters have 3 levels
a. Outer-stuff obvious to reader, physical description, physicality, hobbies, do they read? Cd player, know more than we put in story. Give character something quirkly, every choice tells us more about the character, favorite book, each choice tell us more
b. Inner character, dreams, desire, what do they like?
c. Deep secrets-know more about the character than they know, greatest fear, desire, what was the most embarrassing moment of their life-ask what would I do to avoid that situation again.
d. Have character avoid embarrassment-character must come face to face with their scene.
e. What does your character want to avoid at all costs-bring it on.

2011-10-31T22:27:00.000-07:00

Advice from award winning author Jennifer Holm, Turtle in Paradise:

1. Don't give up
2. Stop counting after the 16th draft
3. Hire a baby sitter--or in my case, housecleaners, a cook, etc.

Laurie Halse Anderson on Characters

2011-10-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

Where do we find characters?
1. steal them-we’re surrounded by fabulous people-students-
2. disguise them if it’s unflattering,
3. uses self. Steal relentlessly from yourself.
4. Cast the book as if I’m writing a play
5. When we really write specific, we usually get something that people can understand
6. Finds for each of her main characters a photo that looks like them
7. Clip articles about cool characters and the things they do.
8. If we’re alert to story, we find them everywhere
9. wrote a YA novel based on a babysitter,
10. Create them from the whole cloth-answer questions about characters

A Lifetime to Create an Award Winning Book

2011-10-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

Author Rukhsanakha Kahn gave a brief talk about her picture book, The Big Red Lollipop. She took a story from her childhood, thought about it for ten years, then wrote the story in 15 minutes.

She admonished her audience to glean stories from childhood. We know them so well. It makes me think of two conflicting cliches about writing: Write what you know and write what you don't know.

The first certainly makes sense.

As does the second-what we don't know but want to know about will be just as compelling as we are driven to research and create.

WIP at 50,000 words!

2011-10-21T21:15:00.001-07:00

I Find I'm Happiest When I'm Writing

2011-10-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

So why do I allow so many things to keep me from what I love?
Portions of this essay/talk by Steve Jobs can be found all over the internet. His stunning death in relation to this piece are strong food for thought.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
"When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: ‘If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.' It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been ‘No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

And so, a reminder to re-prioritze my life and write more.

I teach Socratic Seminar-- an amazing combination of Language Arts and World History taught by Socratic methods. This is my third year, but in order to continue, I would have to get a history teaching endorsement in addition to my Secondary English teaching endorsement. I tried. I really tried to fake it: I signed up for a Roman History class which would have allowed me to continue pursuing the endorsement to continue on this path. I went for a month. I loved the learning but I loathed the requirements to continue. The first exam I would have had to spend hours memorizing minute details about the Roman Empire that I really couldn't have cared less.
Whenever I had questions, I would go to a dear teaching colleague who has a master's degree in Greek/Roman History. He is so passionate for his subject that it is inspiring. And an amazing support to Steve Job's call to do what you love. From Dustin's passionate love for all things Greek and Roman, I learned that I didn't have it and was being untrue to myself.
I can't imagine giving up this incredible teaching position but I've got to be true to who I am.
I dropped the class.
Doors close, windows open. I hope it's not a second story window from which I must leap.
But then, there are ropes.

Beverly Horowitz Part 2

2011-08-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

Things an author might do to understand her novel:
*Where's the focus?
*Who is your market?
*Who will buy it?

Be your own best advocate by:
*Be able to clarify what your book is about
*Get on the other side of desk and figure how to pitch your novel. Do not describe it as then, then, and then..
*Always get another set of eyes to look at your work-especially helpful if they are your own eyes which requires distancing from your work.
*Put manuscript away, come back and say, "I'm going to read from a new perspective."
*Have I brought my character my own gender sensibility? (I can't remember quite what this means).
*If I don't love my character, who will? The character doesn't have to be loveable to love-Voldemort is a great character, and we can love his character because it's so wonderfully, fulfillingly evil.
*Are all your scenes age appropriate for the protagonist's age?
*It's ok to write about anything as long as its intent isn't to titillate or exploit. Don't throw in anything that isn't needed or meant to achieve exploitation.
*Analyze each scene--is it necessary? Ask why this tangent was taken?
*The writing cannot have an agenda. What makes our work different from what adults do?
*Young people are still in the process of growing and becoming. They are a blank page.
*Remember that teenagers have limited experience when they come to the party.
*What is my moral obligation to kids who are still a blank slate?
*The story must bring a sense of hope-even a story that Random House published about a boy and his transgender transformation, though it was sad, the story offered hope. In the Chocolate WArs, there was a ray of hope for the boy who dared to disturb the universe.
*Book must be the best and at the inspiring level.

Once your novel is in the publishing que:
*Write flap copy for the book-to further understand meaning. Would you buy the book from the flap copy? (once you do this it may help to write a query).
*The industry has become smaller.
*Try to understand what is beyond sending the book in.
*Do I love my character? Enough to revise as much as might be required?
*Ms. H. looks for honesty in writing because kids can smell a fake a mile away-no fakes.
*If someone gives an author the respect to read her book, the reader deserves the very best the author has to offer

When a manuscript comes in, what is the dealbreaker?
1. Author must be willing to revise
2. Editors must receive the manuscript in their name.-Understand that publishing has its own chaos.

The Illustrator David Small

2011-08-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

"The body expresses what the mind is not allowed to do."

David Small wrote/drew "STitches" the story of his abuse and consequent disease from not communicating or dealing with this abuse. The time spent with him was moving and at the end when he danced and sang to James Taylor's How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You, I was very moved by his passion, his suffering and his ability to overcome the angst by putting it all down on paper.

My take-away was that writing has to be honest, raw, and will always reflect what the author has experienced and may be what the author has to give, must give. Sometimes it's a matter of survival and healthy living.

The One and Only Judy Blume

2011-08-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

I went to breakfast one morning and standing right in front of me was the prolific children's author Judy Blume. At first, I thought, Wow, there's Judy Blume. But guess what? Judy Blume was just....just ...another person--who dug in her heals, worked hard and had publishing success.
We had a chance to hear from her when author John Green canceled for gall bladder surgery. Now that would have been interesting...
She told us:
She keeps her old IBM SElectra in the closet and whispers "I love you" when she passes.
Because of the OLD way of writing she would write from beginning to end. She has succumbed to the constant editing due to the ease of the computer.
Her adult novel Summer Sister took 23 drafts and over 3 years to write.
Her basic ideas for books live in her head and percolate.
She doesn't understand the creative process and plot isn't how her ideas/books come to her.
When you write, you become the age of your character.
Your novel starts the day something happens.
Supposedly her dialogue is the best ever and it's the only thing she likes to write.
Question your characters and ask the questions that don't have answers.
She knows where her novel starts and when it ends but loves the mystery of not knowing what is happening in between.
She takes lots of notes and scribbles things down before she starts writing.
Every writer needs someone who's supportive.
Suggested taking everything I've learned at the conference and then letting it go.
When she wakes up, she's excited to go in her little room and work with her characters.
While writing, she cries and laughs out loud. --That is how moved she is by her own characters and to me, shows the depth of her creation and how real they become.
Natural determination counts as much as talent.

The Phantom Tollbooth

2011-08-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

How did I become 51 years old without reading Norton Juster's Phantom Tollbooth? I've ordered it and look forward to this timeless (1961) classic. I still appreciated the wisdom from this literary giant. He said, "Boredom is not an unmixed blessing." This is what helped him write his book. I think of all the years I spent trying to keep my children from being bored. A mistake? Possibly.

He also told us to spend a large part of our time out of context. Now, I don't remember his context for making this statement and I don't remember any details, so I'm going to re-interpret what this might have meant.

I think he means that we need to think and experience outside of our norm, push ourselves to go outside of our box, whether this is driving a different way, walking a different route, reaching out and speaking to strangers, skydiving (I still haven't taken my birthday present), or maybe it's as simple as eating African food when we always eat American. I'm unsure, but from a man who wrote a timeless book, it's a thought to ponder.

Second Intensive with Leasa Adams

2011-08-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

This woman was darling. Knew her stuff. She's an editor, a good one and of course she knows her stuff. Though I gathered from her comments, that there is rigidity in the editorial establishment. INflexible to what will work, what will not, they look at the manuscripts they see as formulaic. But then they know what works and what doesn't.
The workshop was about plot. The format for the intensive was again: terrible. Three hours, again too many people-probably 25, and the expectation for each of us to give a premise for our story and then for Ms. Abrams and the class participants to jump in and tell us if our plot worked--all in five minutes. But, Ms. Abrams announced right at the beginning that she was not a school teacher and didn't know how to manage the masses. IN her previous class, not everyone had their ideas reviewed. Unless we managed our time well, not everyone would have a chance. What do YOU think happened?
And honestly, how can you tell a person if their plot is working or not in 5 minutes. WEll, some people took 20 minutes. Three people left the class. I wanted to join them but felt if I was the fourth, well that was just too rude.
Never mind that the first guy who went had a chip on his shoulder because he wanted to believe that his 20 year old protagonist was the perfect age for children's literature. He'd had three teenage readers, not relatives, read his manuscript and they thought the age was just right. He basically engaged Ms. Abrams in an antagonistic fashion. She handled him well, but my oh my, another greatly horrific start. When the argument was over, he basically admitted that he wanted and expected the fight.
The only way that this format was helpful was that when the leader and participants asked me questions about my plot, I wasn't confident and sure-which spoke to me that I didn't have my plot down solid. So in that way it was invaluable. I'm a firm believer that every situation can be turned into value.

Questions or Plot checklist-from the editor
1. What does your character want? Must be specific, concrete answer-watch for abstractions like happiness, or to fin in etc.
2. Will your readers know what the obstacles are for your main character within the early pages of the novel? Can you list them clearly?
3. do these stakes resonate with your readers--taking into account gender and age level of target audience?
4. If your story is fantasy/science fiction rather than reality-based, can you still pinpoint what makes the stakes feel relatable to kids in our world?
5.Does every single scene serve a clear plot/character development purpose that you can easily summarize?
6. I there any kind of time pressure for the character to solve her or his conflicts?
7. Does your character have choices as part of the building conflicts that affect the trajectory of the story?
8. Is all of the action character-driven? Do the characters' motivations always make sense and feel consistent?
9. Will readers understand why your character is making the choices he/she makes?
10 Will the payoffs satisfy?

Day After Intensives-For Mary

2011-08-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

As a participant in the day after intensives, I must say that the energy was gone. Where did it go and who lost it? The participants? The teachers?

I was highly anticipating my time with Arthur Levine-a powerhouse in the world of publishing. And he certainly was a delight. The class was not. Three hours long and formatted...hmmm...
I'll describe the format, you, the reader must decide.
First of all, there were too many people. Too many people. Three hour class and Levine chose to go over the beginning chapter of each of our novels. Of course there was not enough time and each author listened to 3 minutes of feedback with 100 minutes of listening to feedback from someone else's novel after only hearing the first page read by each author.
I tried to listen and glean from the experience and the master in editing. But really, how helpful was it?
What ARthur did teach us was some fantastic insight on that first chapter. He compared it to a first date. Did the analogy work? Somewhat. We must compare our first chapter to the impression we want to present on a first date. What do we want to happen on a first date? We want to engage the guy, get him interested and hope, (if he's a catch) that he will come back for more, or in book terms, turn the page and read the next chapter.
So what kind of impression are we making on our first date?
He also took examples from several celebrated books. It only took the first few paragraphs to see the strength of these novels, to recognize that they had all presented themselves very well, in very different ways.
The examples were: Harry Potter, book 1, Millicent Min Girl Genius, The Golden Compass, Marcelo in the Real World, The Bad Beginning: A series of Unfortunate Events, James and the Giant Peach, When She Was Good, Deep Down Popular, In the Shadow of the Ark, The Year of the Secret Assignments.

There was a strange, really strange aspect of the class. After our tutorial, Arthur called on each student to read the first page of their novel, after which he made very good comments-negative and positive, and suggestions for improvement. The first woman he called on didn't have her manuscript with her. She had a meltdown and it started the class in a humiliating fashion-it was like we were all back in first grade and Suzie forgot her homework and was falling apart. Arthur was shocked and showed it, that a participant didn't bring her own manuscript--there were three or four others who didn't have theirs either-(remember I said the class had too many participants--24?) They too were overly embarrassed, too much for the adults that we were.
Right away this established Arthur as the almight-which authors tend to look at editors that way too much already. Go figure.

Would I stay for after-conference intensives again? No...

The Protected vs. the Unprotected Child

2011-08-12T08:01:00.000-07:00

Donna Jo Napoli began her talk by telling an incident of a woman standing up in a crowd and berating her for writing a terrible thing in Song of the Magdalene. I have never read this book, which I understand to be about Mary Magdalene and a rape.
Ms. Napoli defended herself and then based her talk to us on the thoughts and emotions that sprang from that encounter.

Formost, empathy is critical to our society and when it is missing, society disintegrates.

In our society we have the protected and the unprotected child. The unprotected child is the child who may live in poverty, who may suffer abuse, who may suffer from parents who are mentally ill, who are drug abusers, parents who don't look out for their children. They are children who suffer in war and through famine. Often these childrens' stories are the subjects of books. It is critical that these children find and read these books so they understand they are not alone and that they can learn from others' experiences. Traumatic books can help children get through and resolve their own trauma.

Then there are the protected children who must also gain empathy and no one would ever wish the above circumstances on the protected child. Thank goodness they are protected. But the protected child must learn empathy and this may only happen through vicarious circumstances found in a book. It is safe, yet emotion evoking and if written beautifully, will move the child to empathy without having to experience the horrible.
It is critical that children learn about suffering from books.
Remember the emotion you felt in A Tree Grows In Brooklyn? Remember everything that you learned? Remember how you loved Anne Frank and understood the injustices of Hitler's decrees without living in 1940's Holland? Remember Laurie Halse Andersen's Speak? And you knew what it was like to be disconnected and desolate? And to watch out for the wrong guys?

If a hard book is in one's heart, it is that author's obligation to tell that story--for the sake of the children.

"All I Ever Wanted to be Was a Storyteller" Bruce Coville part 1

2011-08-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

Class with Bruce Coville, of Into the Land of the Unicorns fame. I've never read any of his books but I can compliment his terrific class on plot and character.
Most often books are labeled as character or plot driven. According to Bruce, one with out the other is like a coin with one side-it can't exist.
According to Coville:
*The best stories from the beginning of time partake equally between the female/male; it was how Dickens and Shakespeare wrote-they created incredible male and female characters with lots of action.
*Plot imposes discipline on the disorder of life. When someone re-tells an event, when it is a great event they often say, "And it was almost like a story." As humans we crave, even live for a good story because it is a basic desire of the human race.

A good plot:
*brings closure
*has a perfect ending-both a surprise and the inevitable, but not a coincidence.
There are rules for using coincidence-use only at the beginning of the story, never at the end. The further coincidence in the story, the more unbelievable.
*REaders are becoming less and less tolerant of conicidence. And fiction is held to a higher standard of believability than real life.

A good story consists of:
The HA-a belly laugh-not a joke- but a laugh that grows out of story itself-when a bully gets come-uppance, situations where we think of the perfect thing the next day),
The WA-a tear, kill the dog, most endangered character in books-tear of joy or relief-because something fills your heart so much that it has to come out of your eyes. Third kind of tear-tear of personal connection-the right person who needs to hear that thing at that time) The right story at the right time at the right moment can be an arrow to the heart that allows something to be pierced and released

The YIKES- a gasp of surprise—formula-where the world of the story seems right-a great turn-love that surprise.

Thought This Quote Deserved A Space of Its Own

2011-08-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

We need to raise a new generation of writers and artists not for our nation's economy but for the nation's soul.
Mark Seigal

Gary Paulsen-Recipient of Three Newberry Awards

2011-08-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

Not what I expected from a man who won three Newberry awards. He is old, bitter but still writing, still a caring man-probably a very tender man who has overreacted from his hardships and the way he claims to have been treated by publishers, attorneys, wife etc. But this is not a tabloid for writer-tell-all. And I heard a gem from Gary, twice, that has resonated with me to the core.

"Turn off the television. Throw a rock into the screen. It's nothing but disgusting trash."

I'm not a TV watcher, but I have my lazy moment weaknesses and this was a much appreciated wake-up call.

In his school visits, this is his mantra to kids everywhere and sometimes they act on the TV destruction and he'll get a phone call from a parent. But he is right!

His second greatest recommendation was to read like him: two to three books a day. He also recommended to not let anything get in the way of writing, including family--which might explain some of his bitterness. Sure, something has to give away to writing time, but let it be television!

Thank-you Gary. Two to three books a day! It's possible and reaffirmed what is espoused by most writer's talks-they became writers, learned the story of craft, from reading stories.

Hatchet, Dogsong,--Gary is an amazing example of living to write his stories. He lives a Spartan life in the woods. He did the Idiatrod dogsled race in Alaska several times. His stories are brutally real and truthful, but he has lived these stories and that is why they are award winners. You should have heard what he called Jack London for only living the Alaskan life vicariously through the stories of hardship he heard from the guys who lived them.

Paulsen explained that he's been a millionaire but supposedly now is somewhat broke-everything about his appearance supported this. But...it helped to explain the love one must have of writing to keep writing and a real writer must write without thought to money. Motives must be absolutely pure! I'm pretty convinced that Paulsen loves to write.

Gary is a keynote speaker today, which I am going to miss. I'm excited to hear feedback from the masses. i wonder if he'll tone it down for the main group.

The Candy Shop

2011-08-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

SCBWI attendance is like walking through a candy store and trying to eat it all. There is so much here! So much inspiration and a lot of craft information. I'm going to write about each speaker or workshop in separate posts instead of throwing all the gumballs at you. Day 2 and I'm exhausted from getting up at 3:30 this morning because of excitement and anxiety--but I can't rest. I'm off to dinner and a party where some of our funner writers will be dressed up in pajamas!

2011-08-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

Conceive an idea. Then stick to it. Those who hang on are the only ones who amount to anything. You can do anything you please. It's the way it's done that makes the difference.
A good thing is no better for being done quickly.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, American sculptor

SCBWI LA in THREE DAYS

2011-08-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

I have the beach house all to myself. Lovely weather too, yet I can't wait to head up to LA. I'm most excited about the class with Arthur Levine. Just couldn't hold this in this morning. Off for a beach run!

Writers Belong In Jail

2011-07-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

A novel idea proposed in a New York Times article by Tony Perrottett. He begins with the story of the unsavory character Marquis de Sade and his prolific/horrendous writing because of incarceration and follows through with several writers who did so because they were so restricted in their freedom. Especially from the internet slaves of email etc.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/books/review/why-writers-belong-in-prison.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&src=rechp

Faustina and the Lesson of Voice

2011-07-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

I sat on the cold hard floor of the Getty museum with 20 other adults, trying to sketch a marble statue. The subject was Faustina the Elder, the Empress and wife of Antoninius Pius, Emperor of Rome. We made several different sketches with different instructions from the teacher/artist. Each person made four drawings. Some of the sketchers discovered they were natural artists, others did not. I learned the latter.
At the end of the exercise, the instructor had us lay out our sketches for everyone to see.
We were all sketching the same marble statue and for the most part, all the drawings represented Faustina the Elder, BUT...they were all so distinctly different. Apprx. 40 drawings of the same object all interpreted differently. Some were classic, some comical, some primitive; others emphasized lines and the geometry of the space, others were embellished with background.

The lesson was apparent-this was VOICE, the indescribable, coveted, VOICE. It can't be imitated, it can't be copied. It is only truly voice if it is original. Drawn from what is at the core, only us. Nothing else.

While I Was at the Getty Villa...

2011-07-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

I just spent three days studying antiquity, art acquisition and preservation at the Getty Villa in Malibu California. It was a fantastic experience and I loved every moment of it.
While I was there...the beginning seeds of a new story began to emerge.

I Met My Antagonist Character Yesterday

2011-07-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

I drove to SLC for a wedding and while heading for the freeway, I saw my character Kels. She was sassy, confident and lost. She was crossing the street that I was turning on. She wore white hotpants that barely covered her cheeks, knee high white boots trimmed with fur and had an unbelievable attitude apparent from behind. I never saw her face but I did see her do a sidekick to trigger the crosswalk sign.
I was anxious to get home but in hindsight I wish I would have followed her, even asked her if she needed a ride...but I didn't, cause I knew she'd be trouble.

Then and Now

2011-07-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

When I was in the battle trenches of motherhood, time alone was as splendid as ceasefire. But times have changed and now, time alone, is more of the norm. So much, that I reach out to spend time with others instead of being alone.
My half-week in Malibu was by myself so I called Melissa and was lucky to spend two of my free nights with her.
My upcoming week in Century City at the SCBWI-LA was also going to be spent alone--until I learned a dear friend and her daughter have to be in LA. I offered my hotel room for the company I will enjoy. A simple call to the Hyatt and they changed my king size room to double beds. I'll work and concentrate hard during the conference then hopefully will have friends to dine with at night. Life is good and inclusive.

Fabulous Book Information

2011-07-18T10:49:00.001-07:00

http://bookexpocast.com/

Passion in The Raft of the Medusa

2011-07-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

The little woman who was referred to as starting the Civil War was visiting Paris in the spring of 1853 (McCullough 216). She spent her days exploring the city and once while in the Grand Galerie of Le Louvre, she made this astute observation concerning the paintings on display: There were too few from a distance and close up that were "glorious enough to seize and control my whole being." Harriet Beecher Stowe felt that too many artists, "painted with dry eyes and cold hearts, thinking little of heroes, faith, love or immortality."

I ponder the impact of Uncle Tom's Cabin and think that it was written with all the passions she claimed were missing in the great paintings worthy of hanging in the Louvre. However, there was one painting that she spent one hour just looking at. It was Theodore Gericault's The Raft of the Medusa. It's a remarkable painting and shares the emotion that emerged from the paintbrush and the pen.

I will be contemplating how to write with tears, a warm heart, while thinking of heroes, faith, love and immortality. What a book it would be.

WIP 21,959

Matthew's Drama Students

2011-07-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

I met a man named Matthew who is the drama teacher at a middle school for performing arts in Hollywood California.
I asked him if he came across some incredible talent. Yes, he did and though he found that there were a lot of talented kids, he encountered only rarely, the few talents that were so outstanding that he recognized them right away. It seemed the kid was born that way. Matthew may be right, but by the time he sees the students they've already been developing/honing their skills for 12 years.
I wish I was the kind of talented writer with the knock-out voice. Pure, gifted, talent - but I think it can be something developed or that it is always something developed. How do I know how long she's been working on that voice. Pure writing may just look like it's a pure gift.

Current WIP at 18,935 Words

2011-07-11T15:06:00.001-07:00

AND an email from a senior editor who is taking a collaborative work to acquisitions. It may be a long two months of waiting, hoping and praying. I'm not going to think about it...I'm not going to think about it.

Writing Collaboration

2011-07-09T11:51:00.001-07:00

Sometimes when Becca, Annie and I sit around a table and I'm reading my words, I get this wonderment that someone takes me serious.

Creativity is a precious thing and flourishes in the right environment. I'm thankful for the precious few moments I share with these women.

16, 415 words in the current WIP.

14,800 Words in the New WIP

2011-07-03T21:53:00.000-07:00

I've never written like I'm writing right now. I have the whole plot mapped out. The idea/plot has been percolating for many months. I even put it on the back burner, literally forgot about it, re-found it, realized it had possibility and started working on it again. So I started writing it. Went for a walk on the beach and the innuendos, ins-and-outs came in that one hour time.

I knew what was going to happen so I was free to write the scene I felt like. I've written the very last scene, the in-betweens and now I just go through and fill in what is left out. It's an amazing way to write-it's how I write short pieces and usually how I wrote my newspaper columns. But the length required for a YA novel--I was incapable. Until now.

I gave the premise, peppered with written, unedited scenes to my two writing partners and they both gave nods of approval. Working hard.

A Masterpiece

2011-07-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

I found this creation on the beach while walking home with my mom from a delicious dinner at Chez Loma. I continued my walk, then returned to take a few photos. I wish I'd seen the master at work. He took a simple element: sand, and turned it into an enjoyable artifact. I wasn't the only person taking photos-wanting to make it last, because it was after all, a sandcastle.
The creation out of sand got me thinking about the simplicity of words and how the right combination can make us laugh, cry or change our lives. Yet words are just representations put to symbolic lines, dots, arches. Unlike sandcastles, the right combination of words can last forever: the constitution, marriage vows, ancient texts, famous speeches. Yet, so much that is written will, like sandcastles, get washed away with the outgoing tide.
This comparison makes me want to excel at building great word combinations with the power to endure.

I'm Convinced

2011-06-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

That voice...that coveted, unexplainable thing that makes story, is found when an author finds her self. We've all lived unauthentically. Trying to find our tastes. Trying to feel comfortable in our own shoes. Feeling uncomfortable after something we said, not because it was bad, nor stupid, but because it wasn't me.
And it's like going to the shoe store and finding the perfect pair of shoes. We often have to try on several pairs before we find the right shoe. That's why most authors have to write several books before the shoe fits.

First you try on a really high-heeled shoe because you're short and you'd love to be taller, if just for one night; but you walk around, wobble, even buy the shoe. You wear it out to your occasion but take it off after the first dance for obvious reasons. Then you see some cool, cool leather boots, try them on and they emphasize the size of your large knees. Oops. The selection, the trying on process, continues until you find the comfy loafers. Ahhhh. It's a fit. And you accept that you're a loafer girl.

This theory gelled when I read an interview of a young author whose hit series has brought her author success. In a NYT article, 6/17/2011, we read:
Throughout the tour, Hocking seemed surprisingly mature, comfortable in her own skin. Back in the car, she agreed, attributing this to her writing breakthrough, and to Goldman’s counsel, too. “When I stopped judging myself, that was actually a huge turning point in my whole personality. I realized that it’s O.K. to like things like ‘The Breakfast Club’ even though it’s not critically acclaimed. It’s O.K. to like the Muppets. I’d always been a closet lame person,” she said and laughed. “I think I became cooler when I stopped trying to be cool.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/magazine/amanda-hocking-storyseller.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&hp

It was also with the help of a friend that had the nerve to tell Hocking that she looked ridiculous in the pink fur go-go boots:
One day, Goldman intervened. “He just said: ‘These books you’re writing are not you. You’re forcing yourself. That’s not who you are. You’re a silly, fun person who likes silly, fun things. Stop trying to be a dark person.’ ” She paused. “I told him: ‘No, you’re an idiot. Those books are crap.’ ”

But she took his advice and started writing stuff that resonated more personally.
It’s a formula, however, that took a while for Hocking to concoct. She recalls a moment of truth around the time she was 21. “My whole life I would always read things like I write — lighter young-adult stuff. But I would also read stuff that was darker, like Kurt Vonnegut and Chuck Palahniuk, and that was the kind of stuff I would try to write. Because I was like, these books are good” — worthy, highbrow, of artistic value.She summed up the difference between her books and the likes of Vonnegut thus: “Theirs are not actually character-driven, they’re not books about people. People are just used to explain an idea. And my books are about people — who might happen to have ideas.”

Markus Zusak at the Provo Library

2011-03-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

Tickets were gone within the hour that they were available, but fortunately, the consideration of the Provo Library personnel streamed it via computer -the library website. Markus Zusak-almost everyone's favorite author of The Book Thief. Here are my notes-not translated incredibly well.

You become the owner of the story when you know the details. He used a personal experience of leaving his jacket on an airplane(?) He went to the lost and found and because of the details he knew about the jacket, the note in the pocket, they handed it right over to him.
You have to win the audience over-reading audience that is.
Wrote the first 80 pages of Book Thief at least 150 times. Editing is so important-he claims not to have a great imagination, just has a lot of problems in his writing and works through those problems.
He had a problem with death narrating-creepy, sadisistic, "This is a story about a young girl. Do you like young girls? Well I do. But then again, I like everybody." Too macabre. Then Lisa's point of view: she sounded too Australian for a German ww ii stoyr.. Tried to avoid another book about wwII.
Last line: "What if death is afraid of humans. Asked why this question. Wrote the narrator with this question in mind. The unexpected idea.
Using your own life to write. Impossible not to use own life. You don't think that everything in your life is mundane and that it isn't going to help you.
Remembered boxing with his brother in the backyard
Pomeranians spook him.
What used to happen in his house-his parents grew up so different-didn't realize the seed was planted. Interested in things that weren't quite right. A combination of two opposite things that come together.Listened to parent's experiences of life in Austria and Germany. Mother heard a noise in the street and she ran to see the kids but it was people she saw. a teenage boy, one of the worst kids, gave ethe old man a piece of bread.Pure beauty vs pure horror. Book thief came from all the stories his parents told him.

What a gracious man.
Questions from audience:
1. WE are Drawn into story when something unexpected happens.
Foreshadowing-Why did you tell us rudy was going to die and then you did it?
I wanted death to tell the story slightly different. Talk about trees and give things away. element of character. take the risk. ..what if I just tell everything what is going to happen. wanted to prepare people for the movement when these people were going to die. Instinct. Heard exact sentences. Listen to that instinct. I'm going to do this book exactly how I want to do because he thought it was going to be his least successful.
Max and Lisa's relationship was ambiguous. 1. unintentional,2.
Suggestions for the middle section? people who want to write and can't get the "middle section" it's because its not your top priority. spend time with it. Has to be number 1 or 2. It's like waiting for a wild animal to come out of its hole. write, write, fail, problem, do it enough times and it gives you your middle. the only way is spending time with it. Ask self, "if your book never got published, would you still write? That's when you become a writer, when you can answer yes.
When do you let a story die? Doesn't have to die, it slides into another story, you start again and use your best stuff and keep on going. The answer might be a little to the left or a little to the right.

After re-reading these notes, my take-away is that he wasn't afraid to take risks and he wasn't afraid to ignore the questions. When he had a question he went with the unexpected answer-didn't play it safe.

The Positive Spin On Writer's Block

2011-03-19T08:23:00.001-07:00

“Embrace your writer’s block. It’s nature’s way of preserving trees and your reputation. Listen to it and try to understand its source. Often writer’s block happens because somewhere in your work you’ve lied to yourself and your subconscious won’t let you go any further until you’ve gone back, erased the lie, stated the truth and started over.”
–José Rivera, playwright and Oscar-nominated screenwriter of The Motorcycle Diaries

Shewrites.com

2011-03-04T09:38:00.000-08:00

Just a website I want to remember. Excellent suggestions for manuscript preparation.

Beautiful Language

2011-03-01T11:22:00.000-08:00

Beautiful language is like a bite of favorite ice cream. Its flavor is so distinct and recognizable. I literally stop reading.

In my most recent read of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin, I came across two descriptions that tasted like ice cream.

...the sun seemed to disappear like a closing flower (132).
The moon's reflection fastened onto the water's surface (133).

Lin simply chose to see the sun with unique imagery and chose an uncharacteristic verb for the moon's actions.
This reminds me of a quote on a card a friend gave me for my birthday long ago. Underneath an amusing, startling photo, the caption reads: If everyone thinks alike; no one is thinking.

Mark Twain Wisdom

2011-02-28T11:17:00.000-08:00

"Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write very'; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be."
Mark Twain

And we have "word replace." Imagine the shock and ease of correcting overly used words.

Sunburn

2011-02-26T11:10:00.000-08:00

It is with words as with sunbeams. The more they are condensed, the deeper they burn. Robert Southey

I put up a sentence with extra words for my 9th graders to edit. It was rather obvious, or so I thought. The sentence: I just wanted to tell you that you are just great.

They easily identified the overuse of "just" and I erased them from the sentence. Good. Then a student suggested deleting "that."
Done. Then a stroke of brilliance shouted from a corner of the room, "If you really want to get rid of extra words, it should be 'You are great.'"

Why yes!

Some of the words that are so beautifully condensed have stayed with me for a long, long time. The first that comes to mind is Dostoevsky's from The Brother Karamazov. Unfortunately, I have to paraphrase: Be kind to children and animals for God gave them the beginnings of thought.

Beautiful and written with minimal words-just enough to explain a profound idea.

Tom Romano Quote Worth Quoting

2011-02-24T10:56:00.000-08:00

Voice is the writer's presence on the page. It is the sense we have while reading that someone occupies the middle of our mind, the sense we have while writing that something or someone is whispering in our ear. Tom Romano

I'm still asking myself about my own voice. If something is so distinguishable, so original, why don't I recognize my own? What does it take to develop my own voice? Yet, I think it is something like class-when someone has it, it is truly recognizable. Especially if I am the beneficiary of her classy actions.

Maybe voice requires the confidence it would take to let someone dwell inside or occupy my mind-an open book unashamed to let someone in or possibly let myself out. So maybe voice requires a letting go-to trust my thoughts so implicitly that I quit censuring what I want or need to say. Perhaps this is what keeps me from saying, "I have a great writing voice."

Voice-the Single Most Important Element of Writing

2011-02-22T14:17:00.000-08:00

Can't buy it, borrow it, sell it...it just is what it is...you.
Jennifer Rees is an assistant editor at Scholastic. She is the woman behind Hunger Games and several other well-known Ya's. I listened to her speak in Los Angeles last August. Putting together her thoughts and other editor/agent thoughts that I've heard over the last few years, I am overwhelmingly convinced that the single most important aspect of anyone's manuscript is that the first page, but especially the first line must be intriguing, must catch their attention. You could have the best book in the world but if it doesn't start off beautifully, with a punch or a bang or a thrill, it will never go anywhere.

So entranced was she with the beginnings of Hunger Games, that Ms. Rees missed the subway stop to pick up her own children. That is what an author has to do these days if she wants her work published. In Ms. Rees' own words, a manuscript has to say to her, "Hey you. I know you're busy-come with me."

When she picks up a manuscript from the slush pile or one sent from an agent, she turns to the first page and reads the first page until she's bored...and she expects to be bored.
Again, voice is the most powerful and absorbing aspect of the manuscript.
Her recommendations for studying voice are:
Cynthia Rylant-When I was Young in the Mountains
Sunny Holiday-Forget Me Not
Sarah Pennypacker-Clementine

The Flash From Heaven --Alice Sebold Continued

2011-02-20T14:52:00.000-08:00

"Waking at 4A.m.-3a.m. when i am truly driven --is surely no fun for anyone, but having an image sneak up on you before the rest of the world wakes up is heaven. A small and precious secret that no one can see in the dark. Hours later, when the house stirs and I hear my husband making a fresh pot of coffee in the kitchen, I begin to feel the pressures of the day invade. I feel as if the air around me literally changes, and the work that comes then is harder and driven by will, not grace. I finish up for the day--always in the middle of something with notes jotted down that make no sense to anyone )and if I leave my desk for more than a day, that often includes me)--and go into the world of responsibilities where that necessary if often oppressive goddess of discipline takes center stage.

The work I leave behind in my study is unfinished and unknowable almost every day. Characters come alive and die in an instant, metaphors wobble, and sentences shift meaning without my fully understanding how. After all, conscious though is the death of creativity and to have faith in one's unconscious is the ultimate need of a writer--at least this one. Dreams go unfinished while we sleep but can be completed upon waking if we both have faith and are willing to do the grueling work of followthrough. In this way faith is a figment, a dream, a creation--something beautiful I never hope to lose.

Understanding the Myth of Writing With Help from Alice Sebold

2011-02-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

As a writer, I've experienced the mysterious-ness of writing. I once dreamt an entire newspaper column, woke up, wrote it up and saw it in print a few weeks later.
As a writer, I've experienced the magic of an idea.
I've heard of writers dreaming their story.
Alice Sebold wrote a short article for the Oprah magazine in May of 2007. I loved it, saved it and am now recording it:

In some sense, faith is what I'm all about and also what can disappear in the blink of an eye. For a writer, it is as simple as words coming easily one day and failing you the next. During bleak times, when my characters sound like so many holiday-drunk-relatives--and not the garrulous kind--I reassure myself that writing, like dreaming, is a function of my unconscious and will never leave me entirely on my own. I wake in the very early morning and like to start an hour or two before sunrise as if to catch the tailwind of my dreams. Also, pragmatically, I prefer to start when all the judges are still sleepy, including the harshest one--myself.

A difficult lesson, which I fought at every turn, is that what often must substitute for faith is discipline. Faith has a lovely ease about it, an ethereal ring. Discipline is the rod, the staff, your insecurities internalized and sprouting rules and limits on your life. Why can't I just have faith that books will be completed? Why isn't faith alone enough? I hear my Southern roots respond. Faith doesn't dig ditches, they say; faith doesn't scrape the burn from the bottom of the pot. Ultimately, faith gives freedom, and discipline, its sister, makes sure the job gets done. Authors, when alone, often talk of page counts or word counts or how many hours they spent working that day. Rarely do we discuss our own attempts at poetry even though it is the poetry of others that routinely charges us with enough faith to go on.

To be continued...

Ahhh...Revision

2011-02-16T09:55:00.000-08:00

Revision snippets from notes taken at various writing conferences ( cleaning out files):
I look for bad transitions, unnecessary words, and descriptive gaps. And I pay attention to the pace and the music of the words. Janet Evanovich
Rewriting is the essence of writing well: it's where the game is won or lost...clear writing is the result of a lot of tinkering. William Zinsser
With every small refinement I feel that I'm coming nearer to where I would like to arrive, and when I finally get there I know it was the rewriting, not the writing, that won the game. William Zinsser
When am I finished rewriting? Never. The novel never attains the level of perfections (you will know when to stop rewriting ) when yo see the problems but, no matter how hard you try, you can't improve on what you have. That's it. Walter Moseley
To write is human, to edit is divine. Stephen King
See revision as envisioning again. If there are areas in your work where there is a blur or vagueness, you can simply see the picture again and add the details that will bring your work closer to your mind's picture. Natalie Goldberg
Approach revision the same way you approach writing--with the understanding that there is no right way and the assurance that you will learn how to do it by doing it. Lisa Garrigues
Just as stories aren't written but rewritten, so should beginnings be written and rewritten. Look at your opening and ask yourself, "If I were reading this, would I be intrigued enough to go on?: Barnaby Conrad
I write my stories in scenes and always from a particular character's point of view. Then i may rewrite the same scene from a different character's point of view and find that it works better. Elmore Leonard
The best approach to rewriting is an attitude of discovery, seeking to find the inherent form in each small section within the sprawling rough draft, and editing out or chipping away anything that does not serve the idea. Then comes the building-up phase when skeletal impressions are fleshed out and specific examples and more precise language are added. Roberta Jean Bryant
It is a good idea to wait awhile before you reread your writing. Time allows for distance and objectivity about your work. Natalie Goldberg

Is Writing Ever Finished?

2011-02-14T09:50:00.000-08:00

When I come to the end I will... pause for that ever precious moment of completion. I will reverence that a whole world, life and events have come to the page. A life has ended..had begun. How did they get there? Some stories have always lived but where did they live? Is it a primordial association? Is there a library of writeable thoughts in the deep recesses of the brain, or do they reside in the heart? Is there a valve that stories flow from? Or are stories like butterflies, twitting about an author poised with her net-catching a monarch?
When I come to the end it will only be another beginning. A beginning of revision and edit, a search for a home.

Little Details About Word Choice

2011-02-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

Even, just, really---Excessive words to be used only if absolutely necessary-cut those trite words.
Use word search to ferret them out like termites in the attic. Words such as then, or so, can alert an author to overuse of compound sentences.
Prose has its own poetry and lyricism.

Strong words such as fettish, chortle--you know them-they can be overused too. Great phrases should be used only once.

Always read OUT LOUD. I'm starting to have my students regularly read their work out loud in class. I think they are surprised by the on-stage editing they do. It's one of the greatest editing tools.

Nuggets from a Conference on Character & Dialogue

2011-02-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

Characters must be necessary and different and have a specific purpose.
Characters must sound different in their voice-read dialogue without the tags. See if they really do sound different and their voices are distinguishable from one another.

Always consider body language and actions to show character personality. Actions speak louder than words; leave out the parts that readers will skip.

Every character needs back story. What may be obvious to the author may not be obvious to the readers.

Teenagers especially want to know what people look like and what they're wearying but this must be introduced subtly. In this line: she hitched up her jeans-we are given a slice of the personality. I like to think of a character as a 10 course meal and each part or personality, quirk, action, spoken word contributes to the 10 course character personality.

Language must match time, people, atmosphere.

Satisfying Ending Notes from Patti Sherlock Continued

2011-02-08T09:27:00.000-08:00

4. Aristotle described a seven-point story incline. Three of them dealt with the story's ending
* The narrative climax is point 5. In it, the protagonist makes a strong moral statement. The statement can be in word, thought, or deed. It needn't be a statement; it can be implied. It signals a change of heart. Often, it's a statement of courage.
*The dramatic climax-point 6 grows out of the narrative climax. The reader gets to watch the protagonist put actions to her statement.
*The denouement, pt. 7, gives the reader a chance to say goodbye tothe character(s) he has come to love and care about. Often it's a chance to see the protagonist in her altered life.

5. We don't need to follow Aristotle's incline. It's a tool. And we mustn't let it get in the way of imagination. But it can be useful during rewriting.
*We can see whether a narrative and dramatic climax might strengthen our story.
*We can ask whether we've given the reader a chance to say goodbye.

6. During rewrite, we can ask ourselves:
*Did I tie up the loose ends?
Did I keep the ending honest?

My own notes:
*Surprise endings must be foreshadowed-can't come out of the blue
*If there are several subplots or even a few, they must all be resolved by the end of the book. Remember how we felt when "Lost" ended. So, so many subplots left unresolved...

White Tornado

2011-02-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

I've been re-shuffling my study-drawers, boxes, files and a lot of writing information is stacking up. I'm going through as much as I can; gleaning all that's important and turning them into writing posts. The convenience of a blog!
From a SCBWI writing conference in SLC 2008-a handout by Patti Sherlock author of Letters from Wolfie:
Satisfying Endings
1. It's okay to not plan ahead-
*character, theme and plot may change as you write
*Let your imagination carry you away, and carry the story.
*John Steinbeck, Tony Hillerman, Barbara Kingsolver report that the story points them where to go.
*Let go. Give up control

2. Writing, and how stories come to us, may be as mystical as religion/spirituality.
*Thomas Aquinas said we can't know what God is. We can only know what God is not. Something similar might be said of stories. We can't pin down how they work.
*In Aboriginal cultures and some earlier civilizations, the shaman, healer, medicine man/woman was often the story teller, too. Those cultures realized the link between the Gods and the persons the Gods gave stories to.

3. But even if we don't have to carefully plan or contrive them, we can be mindful of what effective endings do.
*They tell the reader the story is coming to an end. Then, they bring the story to a halt.
*Some books follow a pattern, as in musical pieces. In a sonata, the theme is expressed , repeated, and, near the end, recapitulated. Some books share this pattern.
*Strong endings don't resort to gimmicks. No deus ex machina, fairy godmothers, amnesia or lightning. The reader wants the protagonist to solve the problems.
*The ending does not have to be happy, but should be satisfying. It should have a feeling of inevitability about it.

Contd. in next post...

She Told Me...

2011-02-03T19:40:00.001-08:00

I'd have to kill my darlings. The editor. The first paragraphs are the old version and I see why they don't work. THe voice begins with that omniscient, ever present adult telling the story to which she said "Kids don't want to begin a story with an adult telling them about it." So I've re-worked it in the second set--first draft, not yet right but a step in the right direction.

But then, I imagined that the editor looked right at me when she gave the group her email address and instructions to send her a query. Chuckle, chuckle.

Old version-which truly are my darlings:

Watching the little girl from behind, an observer would sense the child was timid and slow; a soft heart would pity, a stone heart would scorn. She leaned slightly forward, her movements no faster than a shuffle. At the crown of her head, a small patch of hair, looked like an eggbeater had whipped it during the night. The sisters of the Sacre Coeur, their bald heads covered by habits, had failed to teach Mimi to brush the hair at the back of her head.
But if looking into the face of the child, an observer would see that she was tiny, with eyes like empty baskets in a field of ripe berries – waiting to be filled. Her shuffle was not an impediment but the speed at which she chose to travel, because every place – a crack in the sidewalk or the window of a shop, was full of discoveries. Because of this delightful curiosity, and her age of eleven and three quarters, the Sisters were sending Mimi to the Prefecture of Police, Lost and Found. Mimi was neither lost nor found in the way one would think, but by dire necessity of the times, she was on her way to help at the Lost and Found. With the spiky spires of Notre Dame as her guide, Mimi crossed the Pont St. Michel over the Seine River and knocked on the door of the Paris Lost and Found.

Beginning New Version of which I still see problems:
The Sisters of the Sacre Coeur huddled around the splintered wooden gate, watching, stifling their tears, as Mimi headed into the streets of occupied Paris. At the crown of Mimi’s head, a small patch of hair, looked like an eggbeater had whipped it during the night. Mother Katarine, a sharp intake of her breath, clutched at the habit covering her bald head: she had failed to teach Mimi to brush the hair at the back of her head.
Because of Mimi’s eleven and three quarter years and a delightful curiosity, the sisters were sending Mimi to the Prefecture of Police, Lost and Found. Mimi was neither lost nor found in the way one would think, but by dire necessity of the times, she was on her way to help at the Lost and Found.
When Mimi reached the end of the block, she turned so the sisters could have one last look at her forlorn eyes and frowning lips. She paused, she waved, inched around the corner then sprung into a delightful skip. As instructed, she looked for the the spiky spires of Notre Dame to guide her ,crossed the Pont St. Michel over the Seine River and knocked on the door of the Paris Lost and Found.

Creating Characters With Humor

2011-02-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

Everyone loves to laugh. My favorite thing is to make my husband laugh--and then everyone else.
The notes below come from a panel on humor with Douglas Florian, Lenore Look, Mo Willems; I was only familiar with Mo Willems and his one picture book which I never thought was very funny. In spite of that, I've translated my notes in hopes that Becca Wilhite, in her upcoming class on truth (previously mentioned as humor at LDS storymakers will find something in the jumble below.

Brief one liners on writing humor (can be applied to any character development):
Write to illuminate character
Choose things that are not inherently funny
Pick something not funny
The manner in which you tell it so no one sees the funny coming
Do not start with ”I’m going to tell you something funny.”
Tangents help us to create diversions
Hide humor
Let bad, unexpected things happen to characters--do not protect characters
Give flaws

Perfect characters are humorless--will kill a book
Preoccupation with self-self delusions, overly enthusiastic, confident,
Spend time with character answer all the who what why when , how she feels, believes in, what you’re afraid of.

All characters are 50% me and 50% what you create
Don’t write to just make them laugh; make them writhe, laugh, hold their sides, roll on the floor.
Listen to kids, kids are funnier than adults, write it down.

Incongruity-in Look's Alvin series books: Shakespeare doesn’t fit within the Alvin books. When father gets mad, he curses in Shakespeare vernacular .
Look for incongruities in our own life.
Word play:
chapter title: the apes of math-a pairing of two words that really don't fit together.
Play with clichés, flip them on their heads. Look originally wrote ”it really fried my patience" and changed to "It really fried my rice.”

The omission reader: the reader sees trouble coming but the character doesn’t.
Peggy rafman-all stories stem from embarrassing moments
The shock value of inappropriate behavior.
Why do humor? Is it just to make them laugh.
Surprise you and make you look again.
Failure, school, emotions, philosophy, society, religion,
Reading should be a path to the soul.
There are several kinds of stories, but only one difficult thing-humor
Humor is a form of athletics-do it a lot to get good at it.
From a comedian's point of view-you have to write six months for 5 minutes of material.

Nobody knows what funny is. We only know what isn’t funny.

Mo Willems said that every draft becomes 20 % less words than the previous draft. So maybe the key to being funny is to edit, edit edit, because we all know----unedited work is not funny.!!!!

Lois Lowry-The Origins of Her Ideas and Other Notes

2011-01-30T08:38:00.000-08:00

I took great notes on Ms. Lowry's talk and will try to piece them together here. Foremost, it was an honor to hear her speak and hear her creation process of nine of her thirty-something books.
LL feels the root of her writing came from having given words to her sorrow and strong emotions.

She often wrote couplets that were the start of her books:

Things that happened
way back - when then told and shaped and told again.

Anyone who is a writer can often look back on their childhood and see the path they were always on to become a writer. Often, I look back with shame at the lies I used to tell. And maybe I shouldn't hoo hoo the seriousness of untruths, but I'm going to start taking a more gentle perspective of the stories I told as a kid and the satisfaction it used to bring me. LL had the same problem:

Here are a few of her great book lines:
The sweet sadness in her voice had affected him in an odd way. The sound of that little tremble as she spoke entered his skin and burrowed into his brain and made him into someone he’d never been: a liar.

James Priestly had an overwhelming urge to use deoderant the first time in his life.

Anastasia Krumpnik-one of her books
How did she think up Anastasia?
LL's father was pres. Nixon’s dentist. She had a bizarre fascination with pres.’s daughters. Amy Carter was the inspiration for Anastasia. A couple lines from Anastasia:
She had hair the color of hubbard squash,
She was listening instead to the words that were appearing in her own head, floating there and arranging themselves into groups into lines into poems…

Number the Stars
The idea and base of the story came from a conversation with her friend Annelise Platt who grew up in Denmark. They took a vacation together and realized that they both had lost an older sister. LL learned that AP sister had died because of living in Nazi occupied Denmark. In 1943 King Christian X was allowed to take his horse and ride among the people.-LL modeled the character Peter after one of the resistance fighters the Nazis executed in Copenhagen.

Some of her book ideas have come from asking the questions
What if? What if? Always there are so many answers.

The Giver came from an experience with her father. He was older and living in assisted care. She flew into see father every 6 weeks-showed him photo albums. The photos would bring back memories for her father. “There you are with your sister. Helen. What ever happened to her?" Her father asked. He had forgotten and it was if it had just happened and so he expressed his grief. She turned the page. Another photo and when showed him another picture of the girls, again he asked what happened to her? He experienced the grief all over again.
What if, she thought, if we could give people a shot where they didn’t remember the sadness?

Another couplet:
Moment caught by lens and light-not to solve but ponder--write

Ms. Lowry inherited photos from aunt with no names or info. The photo of a farm boy that haunted her became the reason for another book. The Silent boy. An autistic boy. “He was thin, I saw now, and tall for his age, and I thought, still growing fast, for his overalls were riding up his ankles and he would soon need longer. He was wearing a cap…

A haunting phrase and little more--imagination, take wing—and soar.

Her mother became a vehicle for A Time for Courage.

Gossamer

LL's mother was in a home during a lapse of alzheimers. She would laugh and laugh and cry and talk about a baby her friend was expecting and the baby died. She would talk to the friend named Dorothy. LL asked her mom when she was completely lucid: "Were you actually with Dorothy?" Her mother responded, "In the dream world it doesn’t matter. LL creates a time—the beginning of the book; Gossamer. “They collected pieces of the past, of long ago and of yesterday…

More Adventure

2011-01-29T08:19:00.000-08:00

While on our way to Boston, our luggage was on its way to San Francisco. Too bad we don’t accumulate sky miles for how far our luggage travels.
We fly into LaGuardia and our luggage is still coming in from Atlanta. Expected to arrive one hour after us. PJ and I hop in a cab with hopes that I will make it in time for the first intensive. Tony waits for the overdue luggage.
Having worn the same clothes over a 24 hour period, four hours of sleep, I walk into the intensives with minutes to spare.

The irony in all of this is that, while driving to the airport PJ commented, “Isn’t life good.” Instant agreement from all parties. Over the next 24 hours, we had to remind ourselves that life really is good. It is often in the inconveniences and even tragedies that we see how good life can be.

When You're Willing to Fly All Night

2011-01-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

So...here I am sitting in the airport. JFK was closed and our flight was canceled. We, along with hundreds of other people scrambled for another flight. The most immediate, first option was to fly late tonight and arrive tomorrow at 1:00. Not an option. Second option: fly to LA at 8 tonight, then to Atlanta, then to NY, arriving at 10:00 in the morning. I might arrive for the first intensive, might not. Then of course, there was the option to just bag it and go home. But I love to write and contemplating failure and dismissing months of planning, writing, re-writing,...no. There had to be another way. And there was. Five p.m flight to Boston. Arrive past midnight, cheap airport hotel, early 6:00 a.m shuttle to New York and worst case, (which is an under-calculation) arrive at the Hyatt just in time for intensives.
The adventure begins!

I love writing.

Wow.

2011-01-25T17:07:00.000-08:00

How important is creativity? It is a beginning. A starting place of success. And nothing inspires me more than this short video of Jay Walker's Library of Imagination.
http://www.walkerdigital.com/video/

Bringing Home the Baby

2010-08-12T12:22:00.001-07:00

Some of us have brought home a new baby, and we know that intense new period of getting acquainted.

After all I've read and heard over the past few weeks, it came to me that creating a new character is like that getting-acquainted-with-baby period and requires a lot of devotion. The best part is that your new character shouldn't wake you up at night. But if he/she does--get to know them.

From author Rachel Vail, I learned that we should be listening to our characters as much as we should be listening to our own children or spouse etc. We've all experienced that magic that comes with the character-they eventually reveal their own agenda, temperament and idiosyncrasies--at least if we're listening to them.

At Deren's recommendation, I headed over to the Writeoncon.com and read through a panel discussion on voice. Several gems of advice we're given of which here are just a few.

Anica Rissi:Often it's not what makes the voice teen so much as what makes the voice so clearly NOT teen.
But if it's teen, it's all about the intensity of the moment. Teens don't have a ton of perspective on what's going to matter in 5 years, 5 minutes. It's all about NOW.
I don't mean to be condescending here. There's something amazing/wonderful about that, and I think one of the reason adults read YA is to reconnect to that intensity.

Anica Rissi:
Read and read and read and read is an important thing to do. But you should be telling the story that only you can tell, the way that only you know how to tell it.

Suzie Townsend:
If you know your character inside and out, your character's voice should overpower the voices of other things you've been reading.
For Emily:
Joanna Volpe:
WritingLeigh--ABSOLUTELY. Voice trumps all. Heck, if there were another angel book with a completely compelling, fresh, exquisite voice that we've never heard before, it certainly has a good chance at selling. Good writing is good writing.
Suzie Townsend:
Jessica, the voice needs to feel immediate and authentic no matter the tense. And of course the tense has to hold steady throughout the ms. If it jumps back and forth between past and present with no rhyme or reason then it's frustrating and in need of editing.

A couple of other tips are filling out questionnaires for your character. Yesterday afternoon on the back of a tandem bike coming down a canyon fast, thoughts about my character came to mind. "What would my character keep hidden in her drawer?" I knew immediately. That was the first time I could answer a question about her so quickly. This must mean I'm getting to know her a little bit better.

In conclusion, if your voice is not genuine, sincere, authentic, it is more than likely that you have not gotten to know your new baby. And just like a new baby, they require the effort, time, devotion and getting to know you period.

BYU's Reader's Symposium

2010-07-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

In a small group of apprx. 15 people, I asked Patricia MacLachlan (Sarah Plain and Tall), about her writer's group. I could tell from a previous address that the group played a big role in her success.

The story she told was that SP&T was really her mother's story and she wrote it as a picture book to honor her mother who was at the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease. She wanted the story to be simple and visual so her mother could still understand it. Also, she was running out of time because her mom was getting worse.

While at her writer's group meeting, she presented what she thought was a final version. Fellow writer Jane Yolen said, "You know Pat, this is really a chapter book.

Ms. MacLachlan was so angry, she threw the manuscript on the ground.

As you may or may not know, the book was re-written as a chapter book and went on to win a Newberry, was made into a movie with Glenn Close, received various other awards and opened up a lifelong career for Ms. MacLachlan.

Ms. MacLaclan also shared that she's been in the writer's group with Ms. Yolen for 35 years. This means that they have played an important role in each others' very successful careers. AND, they were willing and had the backbone to give/take criticism.

The Baked Potato vs. The Buffet

2010-07-08T18:14:00.001-07:00

For the upcoming Reader's symposium on July 15-16, I am required to read and critique ten books by the contributing authors. Some of those are picture books, thank goodness. Brandon Mull is one of the authors and I have picked up Fablehaven (again) but I'm finding a different reading experience as I try to read for understanding of its success.

What I have found might be understood by a simple comparison to two different meals. The first meal is a potato bar- a giant Idaho spud. Simple, yet it provides endless possibilities for embellishment-sour cream, bacon, ranch dressing, chili, chives, chedder, jack...etc. etc.There's no question what the crux of the meal is-a potato.

The second meal is one of those Vegas buffets-huge room with every kind of food imaginable and nothing is incredibly good because there is so much.

Fablehaven is a baked potato with great embellishment-a simple premise or starting point: grandchildren visit grandparents who run a preserve for mystical creatures. From that premise, Mull has added all the mystical characters, their intrigue, a few mysteries that are explained well. The mysteries aren't resolved yet (p. 137) but the mysteries are well laid out: grandma is missing, the Society of the Evening Star has a clear goal. There's nothing elusive. We don't know what the chili tastes like yet but it's clear that it's chili.

I see a mistake in my writing as I see the mistake of a buffet full of unappetizing food. Tons of stuff laid out with no clear center. My premise isn't at the center of the plate with the details enhancing the taste of story the same way they enhance the taste of a potato.

Now, I'm going to look for the potato in my writing. And add for the lovely details it needs to make it taste good.

Ode to Procrastination or a Pathetic Examination of the Self In Ideal WRiting Circumstances

2010-06-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

This is in response to my friend and writing blog colleague about what to do when we get stuck writing. Here goes. True to the title--IT's quite pathetic.

I'm all alone, sequestered for five days at the beach. Alone. My laptop, a dozen resources and an amazing time to kick off at least one novel. Do you think?

I start the day with a beach walk, a little surf kayaking, a ride around the island, ( twice a day) a visit to the library, watching tv all night the first night, a promise never to do that again, renting a movie the next night, connecting with old friends via the internet, planning party for friend in LA, taking two naps a day, get the picture?

A one time attempt to write and....I don't know.

Before this incriminating examination, I had planned to comment in Shelley's post all my suggestions for writing inspiration, and then I realized none of it worked. And it boils down to discipline. Yep. Good old fashioned discipline. Thank-you my friends for the medium to discover my own weakness. So I have 24 hours before I'm leaving on a jet plane...you have inspired me to use discipline. Thank-you, thank-you. I will report --no I'll be at girls' camp next week--I will report on Saturday-or maybe before girls' camp my effort at teaching this old dog new tricks.

When You Can't Wait To Get Home To Write

2010-06-06T17:42:00.000-07:00

Last night, I was at a very fun event. But I couldn't wait to get home to write.
Writing is an amazing form of expression and communication.
I'm preparing a manuscript for submission to the LA SCBWI conference.
You know how you feel when you having a magnificent secret or when you've put something away for yourself to savor when you have a minute? A giant chocolate bar, the last piece of cake, a movie you want to watch all by yourself, the last chapter of a novel? This is how I feel about this conference. Four days at the Hyatt by myself to learn as much as I can about writing. Dinner with my best HS friend. It is an absolute indulgence. And so is writing.

Simple

2010-03-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of this semester, I implemented a new writing program. I bought the students their own .99 cent notebook. The notebook was to be kept in the class. I had them personalize the front covers with nothing more than images from magazines affixed with glue.

Over the last few months, I've noticed that there are only four or five notebooks put back in the box each day. Ok.

Periodically, I check their notebooks for the required work. Today, I had three students come to me and ask if they could just show me their notebooks right now because they didn't want to leave them at school and then I had a student clutch her book and say it was her "security blanket." Did that make my day?

So, here is my thought/question for us...we write on our computers and if you're like me, you don't like to drag it along, fire it up etc. I know there are little hand held devices that are like notebooks, but the print is so fine, I'd have to put on my glasses-so what do you have to write on, quickly, constantly, when you're on the move? I have a little pink book that was given to me. But because I rely so much on computer writing, I haven't used it for a few months to write down those little details that make writing so great and unique. As soon as I finish this post, I'm putting it back in my purse.

What is your writer notebook?

A Jumping Fun Exercise!

2010-03-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

I love the present participle and how it can take on the adjective form. For those of you who don't enjoy this grammar stuff-hang on, I'm going to show you the application that can sharpen your writing craft.

We can take a plain old verb and change it to a present participle by simply adding ing. We can then use it to modify a noun. Notice the fun language and description that comes to life.

verb: strut

present participle: strutting

Used to modify a noun: His strutting image reflected across the pond. (I'm making these up as I go).

Here are some of the descriptions my students came up with:

loiter

loitering

“The loitering stars twinkled a sense of comfort.” Shannara J

walk

walking

“The walking hair of the boy needed to be smoothed down.” Jenna K

Cynthia Rylant in her Newberry award winning book The Relatives Came, writes about hugging time, and uses the proper noun Virginia as an adjective, "wrinkled Virginia clothes." So verbals and nouns can both function as adjectives. You know when you've come up with a good one-it's a joyful surprise.

Anyone willing to try and post your effort?

There IS No Such Thing as a Writer

2010-03-12T12:53:00.000-08:00

There are only re-writers.

I don't know if it's true, but I just read that Harper Lee's one and only magnificent novel was rejected 50 times. Imagine all the in-between re-writes. And in-between those re-writes were probably some great friends. Who told her it wasn't quite there. Yet. Keep going, but this part is really bad, and this character is sooooooooo in-authentic.

True story: My family and I were swimming in the ocean. We got in at point A and got out at point B. In between, the part of my bathing suit that covered my behind, ripped. When I walked out of the surf I had no idea I was so exposed. But my family let me know right away so I could cover-up.

I decided to give my manuscript to two voracious readers at school. I printed 2 copies without my name because I really wanted an HONEST opinion and if they knew it was me, I feared not getting an honest opinion. It felt really wonderful knowing I was anonymous and I would get honest feedback. The second student wasn't there, so I sent the other manuscript with a fellow teacher whose been asking to read my stuff and has daughters who are writers and readers. Paranoia set in--What if it's really terrible? Will I embarrass myself in front of colleagues? One of my students? Ugh. Then I wondered if you, my wonderful writing friends really haven't told me that my rough manuscripts are terrible? And that is what this post , I think, is supposed to be about.

A writing group should be the family that walks out of the surf with you and lets you know your backside is exposed. Before you send your stuff into the world.

I know this is sort of a recurring theme in my posts. I'm not sure why. Personal insecurities?

I'll let you know what my beta readers really think.

Going With the Flow or What To Do When the Flow Dams

2010-02-27T07:59:00.000-08:00

There's been a cyber discussion among my writing group about life's little and big interruptions: hospitalized child, death in the family, a pregnancy, etc. I remembered the words of Katherine Patterson that always bring peace when my writing train is de-railed, "The very things that keep me from writing are what give me something to write about." I believe her reference was specifically to children.

Currently my focus is on the 55 children in my classrooms. My focus on a new curriculum has kept me from writing consistently. I won't be teaching forever and I believe the trade-off, the things I am learning will immensely help my writing. We are focusing one hour of our two hour block on writing. When I have to teach something I always learn a ton.

Voice Revelation

2010-02-23T20:44:00.000-08:00

I've always thought that I could write like a fifteen year old. I'm not fifteen but I've been fifteen. And twelve and fourteen. And every age for a few decades. But I can't write like a teen anymore.

I owe this revelation to my students. In their fiction and nonfiction writing, some of their "voices" are so fabulous. And of course they have authentic fourteen and fifteen year old voices.
Currently I have a seventeen year old teaching assistant. I've asked him to write along with the class and share his writing process and his drafts. Today he had the students enthralled with his piece about entering his "man cave" on a Saturday morning to spend the day with his XBox. I read his piece just before retiring for the night and had a smile on my face in my last awake moments as I recalled a particularly funny line.

This has been a fantastic learning experience for me. I hear the real voice and I don't have it. Plain and clear.
I'm questioning my ability to speak and write in first person as a MG novel writer.
I may start writing in 3rd person narrative. Again.

Writing Personal Narrative With My Class

2010-02-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

The piece below was written in tandem with my class. I went through several drafts and was able to show them a final color coded version that was highlighted red for cuts, blue for changes and blue for additions. The color coded version wouldn't show up on the blog-I guess black is the standard and only color available. So please leave a comment with your email address if you want the example.

Writing with the class I hope has created a new enthusiasm. Foremost they see my passion, my bad writing and hopefully a transition/evolution to something that's decent. And yes, I'm very embarrassed about the shoe count. But the piece helped me realize why.

I’m riding my bike when I see a young man wearing shoes that are duct taped so many times, he limps each time he takes a step. When he lifts the left foot, the heel hangs off. On the down step, it slides back into place. He looks like a nice kid, but what about those shoes?

“Hi.”
He acknowledges me with a nod of his head.
“I was just wondering, your shoes, I have a daughter who loves to wear her worn out shoes. Are you the same?”
“No.”
“Do you walk to school everyday?”
“Sometimes, I take the bus when I can catch it.”
“Where do you go to school?”
He names his school. “That’s a long way to walk.”
He keeps looking down.
“Well, I was thinking. I have this gift certificate for a free pair of shoes and I know I’m not going to use it. Could you use it?”
Silence.
“Really. If you would just write down your address and I can send it to you. What d’ya say?”
He’s wishing I’d go away.
“C’mon, you’ll never see me again. I promise.”
I reach in my backpack, pull out a scratch piece of paper and the kid actually gives me his address. And his name.

I google map the young man’s address and pick a shoe store only a few blocks from his house in case he has to walk. While driving to the shoe store, I wonder why it’s so important to buy this young man a pair of shoes. It’s just a pair of shoes…but here I am-- driving by the boy’s house to make sure he didn’t give me a false address. I feel like a stalker.

I once read if you have more than one pair of shoes, you’re wealthier than three quarters of the world’s population— What does it mean if you have fifty-eight pairs of shoes? Are you rich, old or really insecure?

My memory of the shoe fairy coming to take away my patent leather red shoes is still vivid. The kitchen was electrified like a lightening bolt had struck the room. I must have wanted more than anything for it to be true-how else could I endure the ugly white corrective shoes I was forced to wear- the punishment from a silly jump I took off the top of the dresser in a pair of my mother’s high heeled shoes. Doctors and x-rays. It wasn’t broken but I needed help. Help came in the form of these shoes made for babies learning to walk. I was so ugly in those horrible shoes.
~~~
I walk into Famous Footwear and stroll down the aisle of teenage boy’s shoes. I want him to have enough money so he can wear his shoes with pride. But they’re more expensive than I thought. No wonder the kid is walking in duct tape.
I’d like a gift card,” I tell the cashier.
“Sure, how much?”
This is tricky. It has to be just the right amount so he has to be wise.
“Fifty dollars.”

~~~
I remember my grandmother’s pride while wearing a good pair of shoes and my mother’s anger when my sister and I broke her exquisite gold and green heels after sneaking into her closet to wear them just one more time. I remember when my father took me shoe shopping and explained that classy women only wear close-toed shoes. I wonder why my father took me shoe shopping and I think he must have seen a need. My husband and I were in college which means we had a small apartment and a sparse income. My shoes were probably worn and it must have been that worn shoes were unacceptable in my family. The first time my grandmother met my husband to be, she was congenial, she liked him, but at the end of the meal she pulled my mother aside and told her to buy my fiancé a new pair of shoes. Everything Tony was, he wasn’t enough.

I put the Famous Footwear gift certificate in an envelope, write his name, his address and affix a stamp.
Return address? No.
Personal note? Never.
Because when he steps forward, I want him to see the shoes he deserves and not the stranger who thought he wasn’t enough.

Neurotic

2010-02-20T09:14:00.000-08:00

A high profile agent recently requested the first 30 pages of my historical MG novel. Wow.
I sent an emergency email to the best editor/writing group friends I know. And they came through. I edited/cut/fixed the 30 pages in 24 hours. I wanted the agent to understand that I could deliver. The next day she replied to my email!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't open her email. It was too exciting, too scary,,tooo, tooo too many possibilities I didn't want to face. I emailed all of the friends who'd worked on the pages and told gave them the scenario. And then my daughter who knows my email password took charge and opened the email against my mild protests.

What???
The email said, "Thanks"
That's all.
Much ado about nothing.

So, I'd never thought of myself as neurotic until fellow writer EJ suggested differently.

Thanks EJ for pointing out the truth. But I kind of like the truth.

Contest Opportunity

2010-02-10T15:37:00.000-08:00

Head on over to http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/ for the entry rules for a chance to win an agent critique.

It's a great blog too.

In the Words of Shannon Hale

2010-01-30T14:25:00.000-08:00

While organizing and cleaning out files, I found these words of advice from Shannon Hale. I'm unsure if it came from an interview, a blog or wherever. But it's worth reading.

Getting through a story

And in my ongoing quest to answer emailed questions, here's one I get a lot: "I'm writing a book and having trouble finishing it. Do you have any advice on how a person can get their thoughts out or should it just come to you naturally?"

First, I think the writing process is very unique for each writer, so what works for me may not work for you. But in my personal experience, I wasn't able to finish a book until I:

1. Had lived long enough to have something to write about. I tried for 15 years to finish a book, but was unable until in my twenties. I think I needed to experience enough and have a certain maturity to be able to look at story with perspective.
2. Learned to make and keep daily writing goals. Until I decided, I'm writing this many words or pages each day until I'm done, no matter what, I was never able to finish any stories of any length.
3. Accepted a lousy first draft. Once I really understood that I was never, ever going to write something wonderful on the first draft, I gave myself permission to write a bad draft and found writer's block didn't haunt me in the same way. Remember, it's true for most writers that rewriting is easier than writing a first draft, so the goal is to get that sucker out.
4. Discovered my own writing process. Do you outline with obsessive detail? Do you discover the story as you go? Do you write the story linearly always or do you jump around to any scene that appeals to you at the moment? Once you know your own writing process, getting through your book will be easier. But, in order to discover that process, you have to WRITE. A lot.

Try to have fun with your story. Try to enjoy the writing process. Turn off any thoughts of publication and just find your story. I think that's the best advice I can give.

Clarity After The Storm

2010-01-24T22:09:00.001-08:00

The storm that pounded the coast this weekend eventually caught up to the Rocky Mountains. One night, it snowed harder than I ever remember. I had to drive to the bottom of the hill to pick up my daughter whose friend's car wouldn't make it up the hill. On my way, I watched a four wheel drive slide sideways down the road. Daunting.

Yet, the next day, the air was crisper and clearer, and the mountain so far away was shimmering with details. Details that I usually wouldn't be able to see. I saw every crevice, every line, every road and beauty heretofore seen. Breathtaking is an inadequate word. It's like trying to explain how much you love a person when the word love is limited by all the phrases we expend or waste it on: I love ice cream! I loved that movie! I love a rainy day! I love my children.

The clarity that came from after the storm gave me hope for my WIP. I've written it from different POV's, approached it from different strategies, framed it in different storytelling modes. I love the premise, but the attempted creation of this story has been stormy. I know the storm will pass; persistence will bring clarity.

Expecting the Worst From the Best

2010-01-22T09:45:00.001-08:00

My latest pursuit of seeking a teaching certificate put me smack in the middle of 7th grade. Again. And it's funner the second time.
This time I came to seventh grade with:

* zero self-conciousness,
* sure knowledge that seventh grade is a sliver in time,
* twenty-six years of mothering,
* knowledge that bad behavior doesn't mean bad, and if you get in a photograph with seventh grade boys, YOU WILL BE BUNNY EARED.

But it IS what I expected and that is why the photo is so endearing. It is the same reason that we compassionately hold babies that cry, forgive children that say "I hate you mom," and keep our cool after our sixteen-year-old's first car accident. It is what we expect and we are prepared for these moments.

Because I expected to be bunny eared I did my best to prepare. In the moment before the photo was shot, I thought I could swat away their attempts; but I only made it more fun...which leads me to conclude, expect the worst in the best, prepare the best you can, then smile and say cheese.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

2010-01-20T06:59:00.001-08:00

Finally, a book I really love and wish I had written. That must be the ultimate compliment and a standard for a one's personal canon of best books--Do I wish I had written this book? A few days after I read it, it wins the Newberry!

First Impressions, First Lines

2010-01-17T08:33:00.000-08:00

First looks. You can't be everybody's friend, you can't read every magazine on the rack, and you can't sample everything in the bakery window. You have to make snap judgments based on first impressions. Did you go for the pink frosting with sprinkles because it looked the best only to later sample the plain brown pastry that was ten times more delicious? Too bad, too late, we have to go with first impressions. There's not enough time in this lifetime.
Slip into the slippers of our warrior agents and editors. Imagine 1000 queries in your inbox. Same rule of thumb on choosing a pastry. You can't taste, smell, touch every manuscript so you must rely on first impressions.
I've taken the first lines from a list of books-the kid's reading list featured at oprah.com. See if you can see a pattern, a pull, or a hook that would make a great impression, because, it seems, that's all we have.

Slam
By Nick Hornby "So things were ticking along quite nicely."

Shark Girl
By Kelly Bingham: "I remember the first time, and the last time, I wore my pink bikini."

Ringside, 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial
By Jen Bryant "That morning, Jimmy and me had hiked clear to Connor's Pond, halfway up the mountain and back again."

Paper Towns
By John Green: "The longest day of my life began tardily."

Found
By Margaret Peterson Haddix "It wasn't there. Then it was."

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
By E. Lockhart "I Frankie Landau-Banks, hereby confess that I was the sole mastermind behind the mal-doings of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds."

Skulduggery Pleasant
By Derek Landy; illustrated by Tom Percival " Gordon Edgley's sudden death came as a shock to everyone-not least himself."

Red Glass
By Laura Resau "Even before the boy appeared, I thought about the people crossing the desert."

Trouble
By Gary D. Schmidt "Henry Smith's father told him that if you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you."

The Wednesday Wars
By Gary D. Schmidt "Of all the kids in the seventh grade at Camillo Junior High, there was one kid that Mrs. Baker hated with heat whiter than the sun. Me."

Generation Dead
By Daniel Waters "Phoebe and her friends held their breath as the dead girl in the plaid skirt walked past their table in the lunchroom."

After Tupac and D Foster
By Jacqueline Woodson* "The summer before D Foster's real mama came and took her away, Tupac wasn't dead yet."

A Curse Dark as Gold
By Elizabeth C. Bunce* "When my father died, I thought the world would come to an end."

I definitely see a pattern. What do you see?

2010-01-14T08:16:00.000-08:00

The admonishment to write consistently and everyday is like the number one song on the radio-you hear it over and over again. Annie D. a fellow writer and friend recently gave an insightful perspective to this admonishment: When they say to write daily, I'm seeing another reason why it's so important. Think about a time when you've picked up a book and read it quickly, in a day or two. Now think of a time when you've read a book a day here and a day there, as time permits.

How does reading this way affect the meaning of the story? Does the story speak differently to you?

I'm seeing that consistent writing helps me write a better, more meaningful story. I'm more engaged with my characters.

I completely agree with Annie and the multitude of other voices- editors, agents, writer, who shout from the rooftops "Write everyday!" Yet, how many of us are as consistent as we should be? Annie's reading to writing comparison caused me to look at the way I read.

At this moment, I am reading When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead; The Story of the World and The History of the Ancient World, both by Susan Wise Bauer; Homer's The Odyssey; Write Beside Them by Penny Kittle, and Have a Little Faith by Mitch Album.

I know. Quite the array of genres. But this is how I thrive as a reader. So, could this have anything to do with how I could thrive as a writer?

For many months I have been snailing at my new edgy YA. In the last month, I've gotten two new ideas for yet two new edgy YA's. But working on three YA's? Crazy, distracting, possible?

Because most writers are avid readers, here is the challenge: Look at the way you read. What are your patterns, time frames, even the hours you love to read? Do you sit down for hours? Or grab snippets of time here and there? What keeps your interest? While examining every aspect, see if you can apply your reading discoveries to your writing success.

Frolicking-Your First Assignment

2010-01-12T17:50:00.000-08:00

This trip to the beach wasn't entirely for myself. By Monday afternoon, I hadn't played in my kayak or on a boogie board and my body was craving the salty water.
The day before while waiting for Mom's surgical procedure to end, I had taken a walk to the glider port on the La Jolla cliffs and wished for younger years, more time and a surf board.

Two days before, as a socializing adult, I had stood on a beach terrace and with mesmerizing fascination, had watched three human Merboys play in the waves. It was a short beach, surrounded by reef where the final wave curl ended right on bare sand. The Merboys were wave masters and I stood with a small crowd of spectators in awe of their prowess.
So, by Monday afternoon it was time to play. I squeezed, pushed, into my wetsuit and stepped into the surf.
The tide was strong and confused, making it hard to stand my ground but there was no need to. Instead I rolled and dove and floated. I discovered if I faced the wave in a runner's lunge that it shoved me back maintaining the pose.
On my final body surf, I rode the water until it was dime thin and running back to sea. My hands pushed through the heavy, wet sand; head down, dripping hair, I saw myself in my daughter who as a child, sat just like this,completely surrendered to the sea. I pulled myself up and cartwheeled up the shore.

For Meagan: Tomorrow. Wake up and surrender yourself completely to some form of play. Go outside and build a snowman, fill the front yard with snow angels. Lay out a blanket, turn on the hot air popcorn popper, and take off the top. Take a walk pretending you are seeing everything for the first time. Finger paint, draw a hopscotch board in the driveway with chalk. Then jump it-keep score against yourself besting your previous jumps. Take note of how you feel, how you laugh, how you feel silly. When you're finished, walk to your computer, your notebook and frolic with your words in the same way.

Patience and Articulence

2010-01-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

At the end of a long relationship with my characters and story, when I am ready to send them via manuscript on their way, I become a little impatient/anxious.

This time it was Mimi and her Parisian and German cohorts to the Utah Arts Council writing contest. I had edited the manuscript what...a hundred times? Yet, it still needed polish and preparation. So I worked on it until the characters felt like imposing relatives.

So, I printed her up. The printer stopped and I had a beautiful looking manuscript which I thumbed through. I put her in a box, wrapped and taped her for her postal passageway. But something felt wrong. Two certain paragraphs came to mind that I shouldn't be happy with. So I unwrapped and went through the manuscript on computer. Then I sat down with the manuscript and I could not find the perplexing two paragraphs. So I decided to do another thorough read-through/edit. Found a few more mistakes and then I came to the end and I still hadn't found it, but the end was only page 124 and...there are 177 pages.

The printer had run out of paper. But the thick manuscript looked complete. I had almost sent out my work with fifty end pages missing. Surely the manuscript didn't have a chance of winning with a third of it missing.

I wondered how many times my impatience had sent out an incomplete manuscript?

The Forklift

2010-01-10T10:34:00.000-08:00

Somewhere I read that a major publishing company stores the manuscripts they receive in a warehouse and the manuscripts are moved around on a forklift. Interns and bottom-tiered employees read the manuscripts with a flagrant eye. If the first sentence catches their interest, they move through the first paragraph. If the first sentence doesn't bite them-manuscript trashed. From first sentence, to first paragraph to first page--if it makes it past the first chapter, the manuscript moves upward to a more discerning eye.

With this in mind, I saw my opening sentence/paragraph with new eyes-in the trash eyes.
Here is my original:
Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, restlessly slept on the eve of departure for yet another battle. Weeks earlier, spies had brought news that the Russian and Austrian armies were preparing to invade France. Before sunrise, Napoleon’s Army would begin their secret march to thwart the invasion.

2nd Version: Napoleon Bonaparte, startled upright from his nightmare, reached for the silky toy bear hidden under his bed. Over thirty years ago, on the eve of his departure for military academy in faraway France, Napoleon’s mother, while smothering him with tears and kisses, placed the bear in his arms. He was only nine years old. Even then he had to hide Chou Chou,-- but Napoleon would become used to a life of secrets.

My thinking: Napoleon at war is nothing new-reaching for a toy bear is.

REality: This opening paragraph has been revised, succintitized, rewritten at least ten more times from these two examples.

If you re-think your opening sentence: post the old and new and give your rationale.

"Don't tell me the moon is shining, show me the glint of light on broken glass." Anton Chekov~

2010-01-09T10:19:00.000-08:00

Raymond Carver

2010-01-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

Writers write, and they write, and they go on writing, in some cases long after wisdom and even common sense have told them to quit. There are always plenty of reasons—good, compelling reasons, too—for quitting, or for not writing very much or very seriously. (Writing is trouble, make no mistake, for everyone involved, and who needs trouble?) But once in a great while lightning strikes, and occasionally it strikes early in the writer’s life. Sometimes it comes later, after years of work. And sometimes, most often, of course, it never happens at all. Strangely, it seems, it may hit people whose work you can’t abide, an event that, when it occurs, causes you to feel there’s no justice whatsoever in the world. (There isn’t, more often than not.) It may hit the man or woman who is or was your friend, the one who drank too much, or not at all, who went off with someone’s wife, or husband, or sister, after a party you attended together. The young writer who sat in the back of the class and never had anything to say about anything. The dunce, you thought. The writer who couldn’t, not in one’s wildest imaginings, make anyone’s top ten possibilities. It happens sometimes. The dark horse. It happens, lightning, or it doesn’t happen. (Naturally, it’s more fun when it does happen.) But it will never, never happen to those who don’t work hard at it and who don’t consider the act of writing as very nearly the most important thing in their lives, right up there next to breath, and food, and shelter, and love, and God.

—Raymond Carver (introduction, Best American Short Stories 1986

Be As Good A Person As Your Dog Thinks You Are

2010-01-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

Had a good laugh when I saw this on a billboard.

Jim Sheperd on Writing

2010-01-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

In the July 2009 issue of O magazine author Jim Shepard, a National Book Award finalist, writes about getting the first draft down:
"But we need to be allowed to make that mess in the first place. When we shut ourselves down prematurely, it's as if we came across a child happily playing in the sandbox and asked what she was making, and when she said she didn't know, we told her, "Then get out of the sandbox. If you don't know what you're making, you have no business in there." Or if she answered, "I'm making a castle," we respond, "Oh, a castle. That's original. No one's ever made a castle before."'

"That girl in the sandbox has every right to respond, 'I don't know if it's original. I won't know until I've made it.'

"We need to do everything we can, when writing, to stay in touch with pleasure. With fun. With the passionate engagement that we all manage, as children. Not only because that will keep us going but also because it will generate the freedom and the energy that allow us to exhilarate ourselves, and so exhilarate others."

Beauty of Words

2010-01-03T10:14:00.001-08:00

I often am captivated by the possibilities of language. I may very well express myself in a way that has never before been expressed or write a sentence never before written. Today I wrote on the board: wishy washy. One of my students questioned whether or not it was a word. Again the flexibility and fluidity of our language. I love words.

I especially love words when the imagery is so vivid, I can see what is happening.
From The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara-a Civil War Novel:

"He was telling the story about the time during a cannonade when there was only one tree to hide behind and how the men kept forming behind the tree, a long thin line which grew like a pigtail, and swayed to one side or the other every time a ball came close,...

"He moved as if his body was filled with cold cement that was slowly hardening,..."

Imitating the Masters

2010-01-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

They do it in the art world, why not the writing world?

I've taken an excerpt from one of the Library Journal's best books for 2009. After reading excerpts from several, I can clearly see why they are the best books.

The beginning of From Lips Touch Three Times by Laini Taylor immediately hooked my interest. I couldn't copy and paste so if you want to read more go to amazon' search inside option.

"There is a certain kind of girl the goblins crave. You could walk across a high school campus and point them out: not her, not her, not her.The pert lovely ones with butterfly tattoos in secret places sitting on their boyfriend's laps? No not them. The girls watching the lovely girls sitting on their boyfriends laps? Yes."

Using these best books as a model in the same way we'd use a Van Gogh, let's try our hand at imitation. Let's have our own writing exercise. Pick your own favorite passage from favorite book, type it in along with your own re-write..

I'll be first to put my self up for ridicule: There is a peculiar type of girl who will always find her way into a trap. You could walk through the children's park in Paris and recognize who they are: not her, not her, not her. The girl who waits patiently for her turn on a swing? No, not her. The girls swinging high trying to touch the sky with their pointed toes in red patent leather boots. Yes.

OOOhh, that was so much fun because I felt I looked at and wrote from a totally new angle. I love it. Now, must we worry about plagiarism? I wouldn't write a book like this but I would practice like this just to twist my thoughts around and think outside my gray cardboard box so I'm thinking outside of a shiny new Nordstrom box with a big blue bow. And a bell. And an origami dragon attached to the bow.

2009-12-29T12:51:00.001-08:00

It is the night before we return to America, so my husband exchanges every EU dollar minus the small amount needed for the taxi ride to the bus stop and train tickets to the airport in Amsterdam. The bus tickets that will take us to the train station were already purchased in an economical book of ten fares.

We have come to Holland to bike the tulip season and to celebrate more than two decades of marriage and my forty-fifth birthday. Our home base is Noordwijk aan zee. We have a beautiful room with doors that open to the sea.
Each day we pedal to a different destination; Haarlem, the home of Carrie Ten Boom, Keukenhof, the garden with millions of tulips; Leiden, the ancient village with the oldest running outdoor market.

Each day is series of discoveries or take-your-breath-away moments such as when we turn a corner and see an unexpected ocean of yellow and red tulips. However, it is the morning that our taxi pulls up to the bus stop that I have the most enjoyable surprise; for travel is as much a discovery of self, as it is of people, of culture, and land.

Through a series of unfortunate events led by a national holiday that closes banks, and changes bus schedules, my husband and I are stranded at the train station without Eu dollars. Our carefully calculated money was spent on the taxi that agreed to bring us farther than expected and for less than the charge.
The train ticket vendors will take neither credit cards, nor American dollars. We have one commodity: our unused bus tickets. There is only one option and after a moment of self-reflection, I am standing outside the station trying to sell our tickets. The comedy is that today is my birthday and I couldn’t have imagined a scenario like this.

A wonderful thing happens when you reach the mid-life meridian, or so I’ve been told. Well-wishing friends expressed this in tenets such as: “I love middle aged women because they know what they want and they are not afraid to get it,” or “When I turned forty-five I finally didn’t care what other people thought.” These are words of encouragement as I stand in a foreign country desperate to sell some bus tickets.

Finally, a young woman allows me to tell my story. She recognizes the bargain, and hands me enough euro for two train tickets.

With relief, we board the train.

It is almost fate’s purpose to remind or reward me for this forty five year old awakening. As I previously wrote, we left Holland on my birthday. When we arrive home the next morning, with the change in time zones, we have gained a day and it is my birthday all over again!

Speaking to Children

2009-12-27T10:05:00.000-08:00

An author must always ask him/herself if she is really speaking to children, middle graders or young adults.

I like the liberties that A.A. Milne has taken with language. I've included two excerpts for study from the classic Winnie the Pooh series:

"They both listened...and they heard a deep gruff voice saying in a singing voice that the more it snowed the more it went on snowing and a small high voice tiddely-pomming in between."

"Winnie the pooh woke up suddenly in the middle of the night and listened. Then he got out of bed, and lit his candle, and stumped across the room to see if anybody was trying to get into his honyecupboard, and they weren't, so he stumped back again , blew out his candle, and got into bed. Then he heard the noise again."

One more beautifully written paragraph: "Owl coughed in an unadmiring sort of way, and said that, if Pooh was sure that was all, they could now give their minds to the Problem of Escape."

It's the LITTLE ways he has written that make his writing so uniquely childlike. And so timely. And such a classic.

Last night, I delivered a tiny container of a dessert, cherry rice, to a neighbor girl who needs to be reached out to. Perhaps ten years ago, she had this dessert at our house and loved it. Over the years she always asks for it and I always tell her that if we make it I'll bring her some. It's been at least 3 years since we've taken her any. As I walked towards her house, I thought how silly it was because it is such a little thing--but was reminded that from small things come great things.

Apply that to your writing language-the new word you coin, the original simile, the unique syntax of a sentence. Put those little things together with a great plot and it may be what elevates a manuscript to publishing level. Now, think how uniquely children can use language. And perhaps that is what makes it child-language-the experimentation-the childlike use of language.

Bottom line: Pay attention to the little way you use words.

Memorable Los Angeles

2009-12-26T07:26:00.000-08:00

I had an amazing short week in LA. A significant editor gave me her card and asked to see my revised manuscript. But that was the little stuff. The funnest experience was meeting Ruth's daughter and son-in-law:

One morning while returning to the hotel, I felt an immediate impression to cross the street at a certain point. It was Olympic Blvd., an incredibly busy 4 laner that resembles more of a freeway as it passes under Century City. But there was a lull in traffic; I looked both ways several times and ran across. At the exact spot where I crossed, there was a wallet laying in the middle of the road. There is no center island, just a small in-between the passing lanes. A wallet. Yippee, a chance to return it to its owner. The contents held a driver's license, an American Express credit card, a social security card and an insurance card. Ruth, the woman whose picture I looked at was born in 1925, and I could feel her anxiety over her lost wallet. Sort of the same way I felt with the lost dog Kolo. Remember that one girls?

Her address was posted on everything but not a phone number in sight. Called Tony to search the internet for her number, enlisted the help of the concierge, searched the LA phone book. Called a phone number with the same initial. Wrong person. There was the number of the insurance agent who insured Ruth. I gave him a call, no answer, left a message. I knew everything would be ok, because I could always send Ruth her wallet, but again, I could feel her angst.

Later that day: an ecstatic phone call from Jeff, Ruth's son-in-law. They shared the same insurance agent and he had contacted Jeff. Ruth had been extremely worried about her lost identification.

Later that night, Jeff and Ruth's daughter met me in the lobby of the Century Plaza Hotel. They were so grateful. We talked for a short while. Jeff moved toward me and I thought he was going to hug me but instead he was trying to give me money. pfffff.

Silly man! I told him to put it in Ruth's wallet and surprise her.

2009-12-20T15:32:00.000-08:00

In every book is a little vacation. This was quoted at a talk today that I heard on literacy.

Other important thoughts about reading:
*Reading is to the mind like exercise is for the body.
*Children that are read to have 4000 to 5000 more words in their vocabulary.
*Nursery rhymes are very important and rhyming words are the beginning recognitions of the flow of language and rhymes are critical to language acquisition.
*Implement a strict bedtime but allow child to stay up another half hour to hour for reading.
*Give books for birthdays and holidays.
*Listen to CD's instead of watching DVD's in the car and at home to foster imagination.
*Do library and bookstore story time.
* Get children their own library card when age eligible.
*keep books in the car-reachable from child's car seat.
*Child should have own place for books or bookshelf.
*REaders are 300% more likely to: attend plays, museums, exercise, volunteer, not pick their nose (chuckle-not really).
*Two book recommendations on the importance of reading to children: Read to Your Bunny by Rosemary Wells and Reading Magic: Why Reading aloud to our children will change their lives forever-I haven't read either yet.

Violin Kindling

2009-12-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

My friend went to school at the U of U and lived on the Avenues in an old house with a giant fireplace. One of her roommates worked at Peter Prier violins. When anyone made a violin that was the slightest, (even 1 millimeter) off, in measurement, it didn't sound right and was scrapped. She brought these home to burn in the fireplace. There were times when you would walk into the room and the fireplace would be full of perfectly looking, good violins--but they were not.

They weren't in tune or didn't have the capacity to be in tune and therefore were considered worthless.

May All Your Fences Have Gates

2009-11-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

“Meet me at the fence,” was the most common telephone phrase shared between our neighbor, Helen, and the baking members of our family. During the 1960’s, last minute shopping wasn’t always an option as our family had one car and dad had taken it to work. We met our neighbor at the fence for a cube of butter or an egg and the conversations that I took for granted as a child, but remember fondly as an adult.

When one sister inquired of the other, “Where’s mom?” the other would answer “check the fence.” More often than not, mom was standing at the low fence talking and laughing with Helen. My grandfather, a mason by trade, built our fence, creating this knee-high meeting place where pathways from each house greeted each other naturally. He learned his skills in Switzerland where fences were built to last centuries. The rest of the fence was a six foot high wall of cinderblock that surrounded our house like a fortress. And perhaps it was to my parents, the protectors of their three little girls.

I hadn’t thought about my childhood fence until last spring when I discovered a neighbor building his own fence. I was moved by the beauty of his design and was reminded of Robert Frost’s poem, Mending Fences. The poem describes the author and his New England neighbor meeting in the spring to mend the stone fence between their properties. On the surface, it is a joyful retelling of a necessary chore, but the poem has become a metaphor for a myriad of human relationships and experiences. President John F. Kennedy is said to have quoted the first line from Mending Fences when he visited the Berlin wall in 1963, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.”

A fence is a part of our language as well as our landscape. To mend a fence means to resolve a conflict. To put up a fence describes an emotional barrier. To hurdle a fence defines a success. August Wilson wrote a Pulitzer Prize winning play about racism that was entitled Fences. As an African American man born in 1945, Wilson encountered the fences of prejudice first hand. Disgusted by the racist treatment he endured in school, he dropped out but was determined to educate himself in the local library. Wilson knew it was possible to overcome fences that others may erect, and to dissolve the fences that we may create. When asked to sign a copy of his play, he wished his young fan well by writing, May all your fences have gates.

Years ago, I followed a pathway along the cliffs of the Scottish coast. It was an enchanting world of vibrant green grass, grazing sheep and baby lambs. Along the way, I climbed on the ruins of an ancient castle and ate my sack lunch on its stone steps overlooking the North Sea. The sky was overcast and every breeze carried the scent of the sea. Every half-mile or so, my hiking companions and I would come to a fence. Fences are an integral part of the Scottish landscape given that grazing and farming at one time covered three quarters of the land and boundaries were an important part of building good relationships. But in spite of the fences, the hike was possible because there was either a gate or a rough wooden step to hop over.

In the past few months, I’ve thought a lot about fences. I cannot drive my car or ride my bike without noticing fences. Fences can be works of art or expressions of creativity, but mostly they serve as boundaries, to keep children safe or to keep the dog confined. Fences have shown me the kindness of strangers who allowed me to enter their yard, take a photograph and hear the story of their fence. Given the prevalence and power of fences, whether they are mental or physical, whether they hold back, hold in, divide, unite, or inspire, I think of Wilson’s phrase and try to implement it often. To you, the reader, I pass along the wish: may all your fences have gates.

Writer is a Synonym for Optimism (You Just Didn't Know This)

2009-11-24T15:54:00.000-08:00

Let me begin today's post by setting up the scene...Here I am typing in front of my screen. It is 9:25 and I am still in my pajamas and robe with a large bowl full of buttery (repeat for Becca), buttery popcorn, melted with Kraft parmesan cheese. I can hear your moans but it really is a deeeeeelicious combination. Anyway. I am especially happy, because I got up the nerve to email current editor and ask her what has happened to my manuscript. Never expecting a reply, I was shocked when minutes later she wrote back that she has it, has been busy, but will get back to me soon. But,,,, what does soon mean? And that is the point of today's post. Writers are optimists: We can write better, come up with more ideas tomorrow, someone, someday will love what we write. And we can never ever lose this! The day we do, we can no longer call ourselves WRITERS.

Also, I am looking forward to Becca's book signing on Saturday the 14th. It will be the first time I have supported her and I can't wait. I have to buy her book for my current shelf.

I also have come to the conclusion that I have been missing how important the query is-It needs to be as well crafted as a manuscripts. We really ought to start critiquing queries.

I'm Truly Happiest When...

2009-11-17T20:49:00.000-08:00

I'm reading 6 or 7 books at a time. Currently I'm reading 4 very different YA and MG novels. I want to highlight a bit from each.

Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti. A first novel, picked up by Egmont or Elizabeth Law. I'm not sure who discovered it though. A really cute, strange, unique family with a butler who plans to leave the family after 200 years of of his family's service. It's an Adam's Family meets Matilda.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate-by Jacqueline Kelly. A first novel by a woman who is a physician and a lawyer. So far beautifully written. Opening paragraph: "By 1899, we had learned to tame the darkness but not the Texas heat. We arose in the dark , hours before sunrise, when there was barely a smudge of indigo along the eastern sky and the rest of the horizon was still pure pitch. We lit our kerosene lamps and carried them before us in the dark like our own tiny wavering suns."

Another sweet line: "The little boys actually managed to sleep at midday sometimes even piled atop one another like damp, steaming puppies."

Guys Write For Guys Read-presented by Jon Scieszka/ A compilation of stories or experiences by the most prolific male writers. A few stories in, I'm a little stunned by the the retelling of vomiting, farting and ...what can I say never having a son, a brother or being a female my entire life. It helps me understand why I can't write in the male first person. Hopefully this will get better.

The Luxe (series). Really, a steamy, bad rich privileged girl book of the 19th century. It's YA, and even though it intonates some risque behavior, the writer doesn't include the actual sex. So it's clean enough for YA but don't kid yourself.

Given the variety of these books--I know there is room out there for all kinds of writing and stories. Keep writing and your writing will find a home.

Take it Easy...Write a Novel

2009-11-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

I have no idea where I got this-I don't even know if the credits are right. But I wanted to post it to reemphasize the importance of persistence in this endeavor.

Ron Empress/Lilianamama
Author of about 15 drafts of Mourn Their Courage

A friend of mine who used to write a lot wrote this in reply to someone who was vaguely wondering if he should start writing the next best-seller. I thought it was amusing and thought I would share:

Morning Russ: All you gotta do to become the great writer is one step at a time, same as the other. First step's to cogitate for a week, then write a single page plot summary.

Second step is to use that plot summary to turn out a single page chapter summary for each chapter, say one per week if that suits your schedule.

Third step is generating all your characters, one page per character, one character per week, say, learning everything about each one, whether what you're learning has anything to do with the book or plot at all. Just becoming intimately acquainted with each character and everything God would know about them and their neighbors and best friends don't.

Fourth step is knowing that chapter summary, characters and plot well enough to write, say, chapter 5, ten pages of first draft. Then the rest in any order that suits you.

Fifth step is to put down the first draft and let it mellow for six weeks while your immortal prose turns to trash.

Sixth step is to take that first draft up after six weeks and read it, faint and revive yourself, shrug, and begin the first re-write. Cutting and pasting, firming up the plot, inserting mechanisms in chapter three to allow things to happen or explain them in chapter seven, etc, firming up dialogue, characters, maybe removing some and adding others.

Seventh step is putting all that into a second, clean draft, then putting it down six weeks and letting it turn to garbage.

Eighth step is picking it up again and beginning the final draft.

Ninth step is sending out queries to publishers trying to get someone willing to read sample chapters.

Nothing to it.