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August 28, 2008
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Bec
gave  to:
Whirligig (Mass Market Paperback)
by
Paul Fleischman
bookshelves:
middle-grade-fiction,
multi-pov
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my rating:
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read in May, 2008
Bec said:
"Format: 133 pages. Appx. 30,000 words. Throughline POV: third-person. Interstitial POVs: first-person.
First line: "Brent turned toward his clock."
Encapsulating line: "She'd set him in motion, motion that he was ...more
Format: 133 pages. Appx. 30,000 words. Throughline POV: third-person. Interstitial POVs: first-person.
First line: "Brent turned toward his clock."
Encapsulating line: "She'd set him in motion, motion that he was now transferring to others."
Brent wants to belong. He believes that if he could just figure out the rules of his new environment, figure out what's cool and what's not, do all the right things, he'll be accepted by his new classmates. When things fall apart for him and his temper turns from outside to inside, he sets a series of events in motion which affect the lives of people in the four corners of the continental US. The over-riding image is that of the whirligig which Brent must learn how to make and erect as part of his penance for causing the death of a girl. Fleischman interweaves Brent's narrative with short stories focusing on character's responses to the whirligig, responses which vary from simple delight to signs toward life-changing decisions.
Deftly crafted, Fleischman stiches stories of how each of the four whirligig touches the lives of four characters with the story of Brent's journey. Themes of guilt, betrayal, love, disappointment, hope, companionship, and community are all touched on. Complex but very satisfying. (less)
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Bec
gave  to:
Story Structure Architect: A Writer's Guide to Building Dramatic Situations and Compelling Characters (Paperback)
by
Victoria Lynn Schmidt
bookshelves:
craft
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my rating:
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Bec said:
"Cookbook style guide to story structures which provides lists and descriptions of various dramatic throughlines, conflicts, and genres. Designed to give the beginning reader and overview of nearly a dozen master story structures and 55 dramatic situa...more
Cookbook style guide to story structures which provides lists and descriptions of various dramatic throughlines, conflicts, and genres. Designed to give the beginning reader and overview of nearly a dozen master story structures and 55 dramatic situation, the book's strength is in showing how the simplest story structure can yield a complex and satisfying experience for the writer when dramatic situations are employed. Although limited to screenwriting and writing for adults, many of the principles can be applied to children's writing and especially writing for young adults. (less)
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Bec
gave to:
The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile (Paperback)
by
Noah Lukeman (Goodreads author)
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my rating:
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Bec said:
"Lukeman presents several methods for the beginning writer to examine and edit their work in a careful, methodical manner. By examining the mechanics of good prose, Lukeman provides solid advice on strengthening not only the first few pages of a novel...more
Lukeman presents several methods for the beginning writer to examine and edit their work in a careful, methodical manner. By examining the mechanics of good prose, Lukeman provides solid advice on strengthening not only the first few pages of a novel, but also the entire work. He breaks his book into convenient sections, the first dealing with raw text and problems of presentation, adverbs and adjectives, sound, comparison, and style. The second section deals with the mechanics, strengths, and pitfalls of dialogue, while the third section gives the beginning author solid advice on how to make the first few pages of their novel work to make the over all novel stronger and more satisfying to the reader. Covering numerous topics from “show vs. tell” to characterization and hook, Lukeman structures his book in such a way that a reader-writer can pick what troubles them most about their manuscript and find possible solutions. I highly recommend the book on the basis of its thoroughness.(less)
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August 08, 2008
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August 05, 2008
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Bec
is currently reading:
The Language of the Night: Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction (Hardcover)
by
Ursula K. Le Guin
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
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August 04, 2008
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Bec
is currently reading:
Writing And Selling The Young Adult Novel (Paperback)
by
K.L. Going
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
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Bec
is currently reading:
Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark Is Rising, Book 1)
by
Susan Cooper
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
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Bec
marked as to-read:
Life of Pi (Mass Market Paperback)
by
Yann Martel
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
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Bec
marked as to-read:
Twilight (Twilight, #1)
by
Stephenie Meyer
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
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