I just found an e-mail from early December (of last year, at least, and not earlier) about a publication called Talking Writing. I don't have a prayer of ever being able to read this thing regularly, or maybe even at all, just as I don't have a prayer of reading some other on-line and traditional publications I come upon these days.
What I've started doing is Liking their Facebook pages. These are professional pages, not personal ones, so there's no friending and interacting with them, which suits me just fine. As if I have time to be friends with a magazine. But what these publications do through their Facebook pages is post now and then with links to some of their recent articles. At least I'm seeing that much, and if there's something that interests me I might be able to make a few minutes to at least skim it.
Oh, my goodness. It's two in the afternoon. I need to eat.
Friday, July 15, 2011
What A Change
One of the many, many little things I'm doing this week is tidying up my blog roll. I just took a look at Author School Visits By State, which I have listed under Lit Blogs. This isn't a blog I visit much because I'm not in the market for an author to visit my school, myself, I'm an author who visits schools.
It seems to me that this site has improved in appearance and professionalism a lot since I first connected with it years ago. Do I recall a map of the U.S. with a few authors listed here and there? If so, the map is gone, and instead there's a nice little author blog. Also, the number of authors connected with the site has increased dramatically.
The whole thing is maintained by children's author Kim Norman.
It seems to me that this site has improved in appearance and professionalism a lot since I first connected with it years ago. Do I recall a map of the U.S. with a few authors listed here and there? If so, the map is gone, and instead there's a nice little author blog. Also, the number of authors connected with the site has increased dramatically.
The whole thing is maintained by children's author Kim Norman.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Mystery For Child Readers
I heard through one of my favorite bookstores that Elise Broach has a new book out, Missing on Superstition Mountain. Now, I heard Elise Broach speak a little over a year ago, so the next time I went to the library, I picked up one of her earlier books, Shakespeare's Secret.
And that, folks, is one of the wonders of marketing. No purchase was actually made, but a promotional e-mail led me to mention Elise Broach's new book to all of you, and one of her older ones, as well.
Shakespeare's Secret involves a young girl trying to find a jewel that appears to have belonged to a long-dead queen of England and been passed down to a contemporary person through a family member with connections to Shakespeare. Personally, I felt the various plot threads didn't tie together very well. However, I definitely liked the historical aspects of the book, which is why I was so very vague about describing them just now. I didn't want to give away the best stuff.
There are two big difficulties when writing mystery for children, and I think Broach does manage both of them here. The first difficulty is that kids are kids and can't go far or do much on their own. Thus it's hard for them to investigate things. That problem is addressed in Shakespeare's Secret by making the mystery very close to home. The second difficulty is that in the twenty-first century we expect parents to keep an eye on their kids and not let them wander off investigating things. That's why in so many child mysteries, the parents are distracted by work, a bad marriage, or finanical woes. The kids suffer from benign neglect and are thus able to go off sleuthing. Branch handles that issue, again, by keeping the action close to home.
Another thing she does is give the child some traditional child problems--new kid in school and trouble making friends. In The Fletcher Farm Body I didn't actually give the main character a child problem, but there is something youthful going on with him and his friends.
Now I'm thinking...why? Is it because we writers of child mysteries want to give them a real child feel/setting? Is giving the child detective some kind of child personal life the equivalent of giving an adult detective a job and maybe a love interest? (I hate love interests in mysteries. Just thought I'd mention that.)
By the way, my library still stamps books with due dates so readers can tell how often a book has been taken from the library. Shakespeare's Secret has been stamped a lot.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The Significance Of Finishing This Draft, And Why It Doesn't Signify Anything At All
At 5:02 this afternoon, I finished the last few sentences of the first entire draft of The Fletcher Farm Body. Many chapters don't have titles, and there's a long list of items I want to address in the next draft stuck into the beginning of Chapter One. But there is some kind of entire story completed, and now I can take a few weeks off to let it all rest while I work on other small projects.
The Fletcher Farm Body began on January 1, 2009 as the 365 Story Project. If you read that post, you'll see that I actually began working on it in 2008. I believe I was keeping a handwritten journal type of thing with the first drafts of the stories-a-day I originally saw this thing being. I actually began talking about that project back in December, 2005. But let's say that I've only been working on it for real since January 1, 2009.
That's a little over two and a half years.
In those two and a half years, I finished another book (somewhere, somehow) and spent a great deal of time submitting it to publishers and agents. I made six professional appearances (yes, I know, that's pathetic for two and a half years) that involved various amounts of preparation, and I attended seven literary events of one kind or another. I wrote and published one essay. I updated the website (though not recently), continued my flash nonfiction here at the blog, and joined Facebook.
I was also in a hospital emergency room at least three times with one family member and once with another. I made untold numbers of holiday meals and transported them to one family member's home. I had two family members in different nursing homes the same year, though not at the same time. The same two family members were hospitalized the same year, but not the same time. One family member had a knee injury with a two month wait for surgery, follow-up visits to the surgeon, trips to a podiatrist, and then cataract surgery twice. I planned both a funeral luncheon and a rehearsal dinner and attended same. We had two weddings. We have a relative in another part of the country dealing with work disabities who requires a lot of support. Since the fall of 2009, I've only been working three days a week, if that, because of the older family members who need support.
While I believe very strongly that in this life you'd best put one foot in front of the other and just do what you have to do, I can't say that I'm particularly good at it. I am easily distracted. It doesn't take a lot to overwhelm me. I hope I keep the griping to a minimum, but there's often a low-level hum in the back of my head that is my internal whimper. I do not define grace under pressure. I am ashamed that I can't cope better than I do when I know that there are people, like my friend Tom, who have sick, elderly family members living with them.
My biggest asset in life is perseverance. The fact that I slogged through to the end of this manuscript, no matter what its quality, is all about perseverance. Here is an analogy: I have been a martial arts student for nine years. In that time, a large percentage of the adult students I've encountered were younger, stronger, faster, and more flexible than I am. But here's the thing...they left. I stayed. And that's why I'm a third dan black belt, and they're not. I gritted my teeth and stuck with it.
That's pretty much how I wrote this manuscript. I gritted my teeth.
So finishing this freaking thing has great significance for me. On the other hand, though, it has no significance at all because I don't have a publisher lined up. I don't even have an editor I've been working with recently who knows I've been writing this thing and is interested in looking at it. I have nothing but the incredible relief I feel at having reached a milestone.
Hey, but that's good. For the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be happy.
The Fletcher Farm Body began on January 1, 2009 as the 365 Story Project. If you read that post, you'll see that I actually began working on it in 2008. I believe I was keeping a handwritten journal type of thing with the first drafts of the stories-a-day I originally saw this thing being. I actually began talking about that project back in December, 2005. But let's say that I've only been working on it for real since January 1, 2009.
That's a little over two and a half years.
In those two and a half years, I finished another book (somewhere, somehow) and spent a great deal of time submitting it to publishers and agents. I made six professional appearances (yes, I know, that's pathetic for two and a half years) that involved various amounts of preparation, and I attended seven literary events of one kind or another. I wrote and published one essay. I updated the website (though not recently), continued my flash nonfiction here at the blog, and joined Facebook.
I was also in a hospital emergency room at least three times with one family member and once with another. I made untold numbers of holiday meals and transported them to one family member's home. I had two family members in different nursing homes the same year, though not at the same time. The same two family members were hospitalized the same year, but not the same time. One family member had a knee injury with a two month wait for surgery, follow-up visits to the surgeon, trips to a podiatrist, and then cataract surgery twice. I planned both a funeral luncheon and a rehearsal dinner and attended same. We had two weddings. We have a relative in another part of the country dealing with work disabities who requires a lot of support. Since the fall of 2009, I've only been working three days a week, if that, because of the older family members who need support.
While I believe very strongly that in this life you'd best put one foot in front of the other and just do what you have to do, I can't say that I'm particularly good at it. I am easily distracted. It doesn't take a lot to overwhelm me. I hope I keep the griping to a minimum, but there's often a low-level hum in the back of my head that is my internal whimper. I do not define grace under pressure. I am ashamed that I can't cope better than I do when I know that there are people, like my friend Tom, who have sick, elderly family members living with them.
My biggest asset in life is perseverance. The fact that I slogged through to the end of this manuscript, no matter what its quality, is all about perseverance. Here is an analogy: I have been a martial arts student for nine years. In that time, a large percentage of the adult students I've encountered were younger, stronger, faster, and more flexible than I am. But here's the thing...they left. I stayed. And that's why I'm a third dan black belt, and they're not. I gritted my teeth and stuck with it.
That's pretty much how I wrote this manuscript. I gritted my teeth.
So finishing this freaking thing has great significance for me. On the other hand, though, it has no significance at all because I don't have a publisher lined up. I don't even have an editor I've been working with recently who knows I've been writing this thing and is interested in looking at it. I have nothing but the incredible relief I feel at having reached a milestone.
Hey, but that's good. For the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be happy.
Monday, July 11, 2011
I Just Love Getting Out Of The House
I don't know of anyone who appreciates a trip out for any kind of professional event as much as I do. I mean, any kind of event at all.
Today I went to what I guess I'd describe as an author luncheon/book talk at Bank Square Books in Mystic, Connecticut. Yeah, it's located at the corner after Mystic Pizza. Oh, my goodness! If you look at the store's page Author Events, you'll see a photo entitled "A store full of children's authors and illustrators." That's me right in front. Sigh. I think I've lost one of those bracelets. And it belonged to Grandma Gauthier, too. My father gave it to her. How awful is that?
Well, let's think about pleasanter things, shall we?
The author I had lunch with today was Dawn Tripp, and the book she has just published is Game of Secrets. I had never heard of Dawn before last week. I found out she was going to be at Bank Square Books because I'm on the store's e-mail list. I've been wanting to hit one of its author lunch events, Game of Secrets sounded interesting, and this week worked for me because by last night I was paragraphs...paragraphs, I tell you...from the end of a complete draft of The Fletcher Farm Body.
Clearly, this was one of those deals in which I was called to be in that store with that author. Dawn Tripp can speak about what she does in an informal situation with great ease and eloquence. Perhaps this is because she has experience teaching writing. I just know I would have been frantic in her situation because I didn't have a PowerPoint presentation with me.
What was so wonderful about hearing Dawn talk about her writing process was that she writes in a more leisurely manner than many of the writers I read about or hear speak. Perhaps it's because she comes from a more literary tradition or because she writes for adults. I do not know. I just know that she took five years on this book. It's not unheard of for her to stop working on a project for a month during which time she reads. She doesn't work through to the end of a draft without revising. She talked about sometimes starting with fragments, some of which she puts together, rather than with...I don't know...without whatever your strong plotting writers do. I can't even imagine what they do.
She was able to talk about a couple of different kinds of structure and give the name of an author who discusses them, which gives me something to look for and try to study.
I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be in the same room with another writer who doesn't work through to the end of a draft without revising. I keep reading and hearing that that's what writers ought to be doing. I can't. And while I'm accustomed to the outsider thing and even, to be perfectly honest, relish feeling a bit of a literary outsider, there's being an outsider and there's being someone who's working all wrong. I often worry that I'm more the latter than the former.
Today, not so much.
The lunch was good, too. I discovered very recently that wine goes really well with sandwiches. So there I was with a little wine, a sandwich, and this marvelous speaker just feet from me. Then I listened to Springsteen all the way there and back.
And then I got home and worked some more on that last chapter. Now I am just sentences...sentences, I tell you...from the end of that draft.
Today I went to what I guess I'd describe as an author luncheon/book talk at Bank Square Books in Mystic, Connecticut. Yeah, it's located at the corner after Mystic Pizza. Oh, my goodness! If you look at the store's page Author Events, you'll see a photo entitled "A store full of children's authors and illustrators." That's me right in front. Sigh. I think I've lost one of those bracelets. And it belonged to Grandma Gauthier, too. My father gave it to her. How awful is that?
Well, let's think about pleasanter things, shall we?
The author I had lunch with today was Dawn Tripp, and the book she has just published is Game of Secrets. I had never heard of Dawn before last week. I found out she was going to be at Bank Square Books because I'm on the store's e-mail list. I've been wanting to hit one of its author lunch events, Game of Secrets sounded interesting, and this week worked for me because by last night I was paragraphs...paragraphs, I tell you...from the end of a complete draft of The Fletcher Farm Body.
Clearly, this was one of those deals in which I was called to be in that store with that author. Dawn Tripp can speak about what she does in an informal situation with great ease and eloquence. Perhaps this is because she has experience teaching writing. I just know I would have been frantic in her situation because I didn't have a PowerPoint presentation with me.
What was so wonderful about hearing Dawn talk about her writing process was that she writes in a more leisurely manner than many of the writers I read about or hear speak. Perhaps it's because she comes from a more literary tradition or because she writes for adults. I do not know. I just know that she took five years on this book. It's not unheard of for her to stop working on a project for a month during which time she reads. She doesn't work through to the end of a draft without revising. She talked about sometimes starting with fragments, some of which she puts together, rather than with...I don't know...without whatever your strong plotting writers do. I can't even imagine what they do.
She was able to talk about a couple of different kinds of structure and give the name of an author who discusses them, which gives me something to look for and try to study.
I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be in the same room with another writer who doesn't work through to the end of a draft without revising. I keep reading and hearing that that's what writers ought to be doing. I can't. And while I'm accustomed to the outsider thing and even, to be perfectly honest, relish feeling a bit of a literary outsider, there's being an outsider and there's being someone who's working all wrong. I often worry that I'm more the latter than the former.
Today, not so much.
The lunch was good, too. I discovered very recently that wine goes really well with sandwiches. So there I was with a little wine, a sandwich, and this marvelous speaker just feet from me. Then I listened to Springsteen all the way there and back.
And then I got home and worked some more on that last chapter. Now I am just sentences...sentences, I tell you...from the end of that draft.
Friday, July 08, 2011
Closer...Closer
Now I am paragraphs...maybe pages, so a number of paragraphs...from the end. I must meditate a bit on this over the next day or so, because the trick is going to be to maintain the main character's voice while doing a mystery reveal that isn't too much of a eulogy.
I am going to go fold some clothes and wait for a breakout experience.
I am going to go fold some clothes and wait for a breakout experience.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
So Close, So Close
I am a shortish chapter and some pages from being done with the firstish draft of the never-ending work in progress. (I say firstish because the first four or five chapters have already been through...ah...eight drafts.) I plan to let the thing sit for a few weeks before working on it again, during which time I will do some other things. If I can finish it before Monday, one of the other things I'd like to do is attend this booky luncheon. So I'll be working for a bit this evening.
This explains why you're not getting a more compelling blog post.
This explains why you're not getting a more compelling blog post.
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
After Plot, My Next Big Element To Pay Attention To Is Now Theme
Or maybe the two go hand in hand. I'll get back to you on that.
Check out Figuring Out Theme at Routines for Writers in which a writer/blogger struggles with theme.
For what it's worth, I've heard that some (many?) writers aren't aware of theme until after they finished a work. That is definitely the case with me and my early books. I think now that that's probaby a mistake, particularly for children's/YA writers. There are specific themes that help make a book a children's book rather than, say, an adult book that simply has a child main character. Therefore, I think those of us who are truly setting out to write children's books should be working with them.
NOTE: I am posting less because of your more positive family events--weddings and holiday weekends. Plus this year I'm reading a lot of Terry Pratchett's adult books, giving me less reading to post about. I have a little less material.
Check out Figuring Out Theme at Routines for Writers in which a writer/blogger struggles with theme.
For what it's worth, I've heard that some (many?) writers aren't aware of theme until after they finished a work. That is definitely the case with me and my early books. I think now that that's probaby a mistake, particularly for children's/YA writers. There are specific themes that help make a book a children's book rather than, say, an adult book that simply has a child main character. Therefore, I think those of us who are truly setting out to write children's books should be working with them.
NOTE: I am posting less because of your more positive family events--weddings and holiday weekends. Plus this year I'm reading a lot of Terry Pratchett's adult books, giving me less reading to post about. I have a little less material.
Friday, July 01, 2011
The Anti-Bella
Because I don't write paranormal romance or even paranormal novels and don't read widely in those genres, I'm not knowledgable enough to address the question of a Buffy Factor in YA literature. I do think Buffy, herself, was a high point in television as far as powerful younger women are concerned. I don't see how anyone who was a follower/fan of that show can read the Twilight series and not be uncomfortable with Bella's passivity and child-like dependence on a man. I sometimes thought of Buffy while reading those books.
Hmmm. So while I don't know if there are any BTVS parallels in YA literature right now, I guess I'd have to say the show had an impact on me as a reader. I want some strength in the female protagonists I'm reading about.
Hmmm. So while I don't know if there are any BTVS parallels in YA literature right now, I guess I'd have to say the show had an impact on me as a reader. I want some strength in the female protagonists I'm reading about.
Stealing Scenes
I heard about candy bar scenes sometime last year and used the idea a few times with the present never- ending WIP. Just now, through Cynsations, I found a post on using scenes for plotting.
I'm sure I've read about using index cards for this kind of thing before. However, this time it seems a little more meaningful than it has in the past. What I'm thinking is that with the next project, I'll try formally planning scenes like this as a way of sort of backing into the plot--sort of tricking myself into creating a plot.
I want to get away from the word plot, since it causes me so much angst.
I'm sure I've read about using index cards for this kind of thing before. However, this time it seems a little more meaningful than it has in the past. What I'm thinking is that with the next project, I'll try formally planning scenes like this as a way of sort of backing into the plot--sort of tricking myself into creating a plot.
I want to get away from the word plot, since it causes me so much angst.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)