Marcia Thornton Jones's Blog, page 204
February 7, 2014
When Time is Short (February Theme)
by Naomi Kinsman
1. Make Space: Even though it’s counterintuitive, sometimes it’s more productive to stop doing things and to start organizing instead. If you’re anything like me, as your desk fills with piles, your brain also fills with clutter that clogs up the works. Clear thinking and creativity become difficult, if not impossible. For the past five or so years, I’ve used the tools suggested by David Allen in Getting Things Done to help me clear my mind and desk. I find that an hour spent listing, organizing and getting the big-picture view changes everything. With my new optimism and clarity, I can move forward on all of my projects: work, creative, and personal.
2. Exercise:Research shows that physical activity, especially playful activity, helps spark creative thinking. When time is short, don’t cut out your running or hiking or swimming or biking sessions. Try turning off the iPod at some point during your session, too, and pose any creative questions to your subconscious. In many cases, answers will arrive.
3. Be Consistent: Fifteen minutes of drafting a day may not take you very deep into a story, but even fifteen minutes will keep your mind engaged with the story so that your mind continues to process the next steps while you’re cooking, grocery shopping, or driving to the next appointment.
4. Rely on Routine: One of the best ways to make room in a busy day is to have already decided ahead of time how your time will be spent. If you know you will only spend an hour around lunchtime to check email and reply, you don’t have to waste precious mental energy trying to figure out what to do with your hour. You also know that you don’t have forever to answer, so those more difficult emails to write will often be handled much more efficiently.
5. Go Easy: Do a quick thinking experiment. Mentally list what you ideally expect yourself to have finished by the end of today. Now, assign a time-estimate to each item. Most people find, after making such a list, that they expect themselves to complete about three days worth of tasks in each day. The sense of failure that comes along with not meeting our own expectations day in and day out saps our energy and makes getting things done in the time we have very challenging. Give yourself the extra energy and positive energy that you need by rethinking your expectations. In the end, you’ll get more done and be much more satisfied, too!
1. Make Space: Even though it’s counterintuitive, sometimes it’s more productive to stop doing things and to start organizing instead. If you’re anything like me, as your desk fills with piles, your brain also fills with clutter that clogs up the works. Clear thinking and creativity become difficult, if not impossible. For the past five or so years, I’ve used the tools suggested by David Allen in Getting Things Done to help me clear my mind and desk. I find that an hour spent listing, organizing and getting the big-picture view changes everything. With my new optimism and clarity, I can move forward on all of my projects: work, creative, and personal.
2. Exercise:Research shows that physical activity, especially playful activity, helps spark creative thinking. When time is short, don’t cut out your running or hiking or swimming or biking sessions. Try turning off the iPod at some point during your session, too, and pose any creative questions to your subconscious. In many cases, answers will arrive.
3. Be Consistent: Fifteen minutes of drafting a day may not take you very deep into a story, but even fifteen minutes will keep your mind engaged with the story so that your mind continues to process the next steps while you’re cooking, grocery shopping, or driving to the next appointment.
4. Rely on Routine: One of the best ways to make room in a busy day is to have already decided ahead of time how your time will be spent. If you know you will only spend an hour around lunchtime to check email and reply, you don’t have to waste precious mental energy trying to figure out what to do with your hour. You also know that you don’t have forever to answer, so those more difficult emails to write will often be handled much more efficiently.
5. Go Easy: Do a quick thinking experiment. Mentally list what you ideally expect yourself to have finished by the end of today. Now, assign a time-estimate to each item. Most people find, after making such a list, that they expect themselves to complete about three days worth of tasks in each day. The sense of failure that comes along with not meeting our own expectations day in and day out saps our energy and makes getting things done in the time we have very challenging. Give yourself the extra energy and positive energy that you need by rethinking your expectations. In the end, you’ll get more done and be much more satisfied, too!
February 5, 2014
February Theme: A Valentine to My Favorite Teacher by Deborah Lytton
I have to start this post by stating one very important fact you should know about me:
I LOVE school.
I love learning, reading, thinking and challenging myself. I think a good teacher can change a student's life. There is one very special teacher that changed my life. This post today is my Valentine to her.
My favorite teacher was my Language Arts teacher in middle school, and her name is Mrs. Cox. Mrs. Cox loved teaching, and she approached her lessons with enthusiasm. She loved words and punctuation, but mostly, I remember that she loved literature. I credit Mrs. Cox with teaching me everything I know about grammar and punctuation. She used to assign these very difficult tests with words strung together without any punctuation. Her students had to make sense out of the words by punctuating them properly. Now, you might not share my idea of fun, but I really loved those tests. The rules I learned in her class carried me through high school, college, law school and into my career as a writer. They were priceless.
Mrs. Cox also loved books. She encouraged me to challenge myself with difficult literature, and her love of the written word was contagious. I remember how excited I would be when choosing a new title from her classroom library. It was like she opened the world to me. The year I spent with Mrs. Cox fostered a love of literature and writing that led me to writing books for middle grade students. So after my debut middle grade novel, JANE IN BLOOM, was released, I wanted to share the book with her. My daughter now attends the same middle school I attended--and is in the seventh grade. Mrs. Cox is retired now, but one of the other Language Arts teachers and the school helped me reach out to her. We have emailed back and forth, and I was even able to send her my book.
So it is with love and appreciation that I thank Mrs. Cox today, for making a difference in one shy girl's life. Sometimes you touch people in ways you can't imagine. Mrs. Cox, I thank you for touching my life.
I LOVE school.
I love learning, reading, thinking and challenging myself. I think a good teacher can change a student's life. There is one very special teacher that changed my life. This post today is my Valentine to her.
My favorite teacher was my Language Arts teacher in middle school, and her name is Mrs. Cox. Mrs. Cox loved teaching, and she approached her lessons with enthusiasm. She loved words and punctuation, but mostly, I remember that she loved literature. I credit Mrs. Cox with teaching me everything I know about grammar and punctuation. She used to assign these very difficult tests with words strung together without any punctuation. Her students had to make sense out of the words by punctuating them properly. Now, you might not share my idea of fun, but I really loved those tests. The rules I learned in her class carried me through high school, college, law school and into my career as a writer. They were priceless.
Mrs. Cox also loved books. She encouraged me to challenge myself with difficult literature, and her love of the written word was contagious. I remember how excited I would be when choosing a new title from her classroom library. It was like she opened the world to me. The year I spent with Mrs. Cox fostered a love of literature and writing that led me to writing books for middle grade students. So after my debut middle grade novel, JANE IN BLOOM, was released, I wanted to share the book with her. My daughter now attends the same middle school I attended--and is in the seventh grade. Mrs. Cox is retired now, but one of the other Language Arts teachers and the school helped me reach out to her. We have emailed back and forth, and I was even able to send her my book.
So it is with love and appreciation that I thank Mrs. Cox today, for making a difference in one shy girl's life. Sometimes you touch people in ways you can't imagine. Mrs. Cox, I thank you for touching my life.
February 4, 2014
A Love Letter to Mrs. Raasch from Megan
Some people can point to that one teacher who righted their course and set them on a path to fulfilling their ambitions. For me, choosing just one teacher is a near impossibility. I was fortunate to go through the same school system all the way from Kindergarten through graduation. The progressive Oyster River School District valued independent thinking and creativity, and, most importantly to me, emphasized writing. It is easier for me to list the poor teachers I had than to pick out one or two good ones. So, I thought about being cagey with this prompt, and writing about how it was impossible to choose, all the while dropping in the names of those who I especially admired.
There was, however, one name I kept coming back to: Mrs. Raasch. She taught a three-four classroom and I had her for both years.
Mrs. Raasch was a tough teacher. “You’re in the doghouse with me,” she’d say when someone was acting up. You did not want to be in the doghouse with Mrs. Raasch. When she thought deeply, or when she was annoyed, she would tuck her tongue below her bottom teeth and the line down the center seemed especially deep. Eight year old me feared that it would one day split in two.
Some of her methods were decidedly old school. We had to memorize the multiplication tables in those years, and she kept sheets of paper on her wall where each of us could write our names as we mastered each set. Competitive me was bound to be amongst the first to finish, a fact she realized and urged me to slow down so that I would actually keep the facts in my memory. We did the animal projects that have since fallen out of favor for being a mere regurgitation of facts. I still remember filling out the bibliography sheets.
But in other ways she was more progressive. We were given time each week to pursue individual interests. I macramed friendship bracelet after friendship bracelet. I remember boys in my class poring over baseball cards. When I expressed an interest in writing poetry, she gave me a notebook with a manilla cover that I filled with rhyming verse and haikus. It broke my heart a little when she gave other girls the same notebooks, but I imagine she was thrilled to have a spontaneous poetry collective form in her classroom.
After learning about whales and going on a whale watch -- an adventure I remember primarily as one spent hanging over the edge of the boat hoping I didn’t vomit on the whales -- our class decided to adopt a whale. We raised money selling popcorn in the hallway during snack time.
Mrs. Raasch past her love of this book onto her students.
Her taste in literature was decidedly old-fashioned, but her passion was contagious, whether it was Beatrix Potter or Frances Hodgson Burnett. She had the whole class riveted by her read-aloud of The Secret Garden. It wasn’t until I was in library school that I learned that some children did not like this book. As a student who had her two years in a row, I got to hear the read aloud twice, and found it no less enthralling the second time around. In fact, as fourth graders we rallied the class to build our own garden in front of the school, raising money for the plants and learning which would grow best in the northeastern climate.
Her strong opinions about literature did not cloud her ability to let us read what we wanted. I went through a lengthy Nancy Drew phase while under her care -- both the original and the Files series. I don’t recall her once leading me away from these books. She knew I would come around.
A potter, she kept a wheel in our classroom. She taught us all to use it, and, in groups, we would give up our recesses to use the wheel. Our pieces would be fired in the kiln down in the art room.
Each year at Christmas I hang an ornament she made for me as a thank you for some small favor. It is a simple heart with the word “Love” on it. It’s a common enough idea, but I think for her it summarized her approach to teaching. She loved it, and we, in turn, loved her.
There was, however, one name I kept coming back to: Mrs. Raasch. She taught a three-four classroom and I had her for both years.
Mrs. Raasch was a tough teacher. “You’re in the doghouse with me,” she’d say when someone was acting up. You did not want to be in the doghouse with Mrs. Raasch. When she thought deeply, or when she was annoyed, she would tuck her tongue below her bottom teeth and the line down the center seemed especially deep. Eight year old me feared that it would one day split in two.
Some of her methods were decidedly old school. We had to memorize the multiplication tables in those years, and she kept sheets of paper on her wall where each of us could write our names as we mastered each set. Competitive me was bound to be amongst the first to finish, a fact she realized and urged me to slow down so that I would actually keep the facts in my memory. We did the animal projects that have since fallen out of favor for being a mere regurgitation of facts. I still remember filling out the bibliography sheets.
But in other ways she was more progressive. We were given time each week to pursue individual interests. I macramed friendship bracelet after friendship bracelet. I remember boys in my class poring over baseball cards. When I expressed an interest in writing poetry, she gave me a notebook with a manilla cover that I filled with rhyming verse and haikus. It broke my heart a little when she gave other girls the same notebooks, but I imagine she was thrilled to have a spontaneous poetry collective form in her classroom.
After learning about whales and going on a whale watch -- an adventure I remember primarily as one spent hanging over the edge of the boat hoping I didn’t vomit on the whales -- our class decided to adopt a whale. We raised money selling popcorn in the hallway during snack time.
Mrs. Raasch past her love of this book onto her students.
Her taste in literature was decidedly old-fashioned, but her passion was contagious, whether it was Beatrix Potter or Frances Hodgson Burnett. She had the whole class riveted by her read-aloud of The Secret Garden. It wasn’t until I was in library school that I learned that some children did not like this book. As a student who had her two years in a row, I got to hear the read aloud twice, and found it no less enthralling the second time around. In fact, as fourth graders we rallied the class to build our own garden in front of the school, raising money for the plants and learning which would grow best in the northeastern climate.
Her strong opinions about literature did not cloud her ability to let us read what we wanted. I went through a lengthy Nancy Drew phase while under her care -- both the original and the Files series. I don’t recall her once leading me away from these books. She knew I would come around.
A potter, she kept a wheel in our classroom. She taught us all to use it, and, in groups, we would give up our recesses to use the wheel. Our pieces would be fired in the kiln down in the art room.
Each year at Christmas I hang an ornament she made for me as a thank you for some small favor. It is a simple heart with the word “Love” on it. It’s a common enough idea, but I think for her it summarized her approach to teaching. She loved it, and we, in turn, loved her.
February 3, 2014
For the Love of Books & Bathtubs (February Theme)
Dear Leeann Childers,
I could thank you for so many things: the work you do with students, your cheery, inspiring disposition, your support and enthusiasm for books and for local authors. And I am grateful for all of those things, and more! But today I want to thank you for your bathtub -- the one you keep in the library at Goldsmith-Schiffman Elementary School.
This is a super-cool, inspired, creative thing all on its own. But for me, it's more than that. When I saw your bathtub filled with puffy pillows, it was a trip back to Third Grade.
See, my teacher, Mrs. Fattig, at Padgett Elementary in Lakeland, Florida, had a bathtub in her classroom. (Her husband was a plumber.) For a book-loving gal it was a dream. It was was also a comfort: I had just been double-promoted from a very unhappy few weeks in 2nd Grade to a trial in 3rd Grade. I was lonely and scared. And there was Mrs. Fattig's bathtub.
I spent as much time in that bathtub as possible. Once, when we had to learn the fifty states, I sat in the bathtub to recite them. I memorized them geographically, starting with Florida, and worked my way across the nation.
Unfortunately, I missed a few states. (Note to students: this in NOT the best way to learn states, apparently. Everyone else in my class learned them alphabetically and didn't miss Hawaii and Alaska the way I did. I blame my left-handed/right-brained-ness.) But thanks to Mrs. Fattig, I soon felt at home in her classroom, and the trial became a permanent arrangement. All because of a teacher and her reading bathtub.
And you, Leeann Childers, give that experience to students every day. Thank you for inviting me to your school -- and into your bathtub. :)
Gratefully,Irene Latham
p.s. if any readers know what happened to Mrs. Fattig, or where she is now, I would love to reconnect with her!
I could thank you for so many things: the work you do with students, your cheery, inspiring disposition, your support and enthusiasm for books and for local authors. And I am grateful for all of those things, and more! But today I want to thank you for your bathtub -- the one you keep in the library at Goldsmith-Schiffman Elementary School.
This is a super-cool, inspired, creative thing all on its own. But for me, it's more than that. When I saw your bathtub filled with puffy pillows, it was a trip back to Third Grade.
See, my teacher, Mrs. Fattig, at Padgett Elementary in Lakeland, Florida, had a bathtub in her classroom. (Her husband was a plumber.) For a book-loving gal it was a dream. It was was also a comfort: I had just been double-promoted from a very unhappy few weeks in 2nd Grade to a trial in 3rd Grade. I was lonely and scared. And there was Mrs. Fattig's bathtub.
I spent as much time in that bathtub as possible. Once, when we had to learn the fifty states, I sat in the bathtub to recite them. I memorized them geographically, starting with Florida, and worked my way across the nation.
Unfortunately, I missed a few states. (Note to students: this in NOT the best way to learn states, apparently. Everyone else in my class learned them alphabetically and didn't miss Hawaii and Alaska the way I did. I blame my left-handed/right-brained-ness.) But thanks to Mrs. Fattig, I soon felt at home in her classroom, and the trial became a permanent arrangement. All because of a teacher and her reading bathtub.
And you, Leeann Childers, give that experience to students every day. Thank you for inviting me to your school -- and into your bathtub. :)
Gratefully,Irene Latham
p.s. if any readers know what happened to Mrs. Fattig, or where she is now, I would love to reconnect with her!
February 1, 2014
SMACK DAB NEWS
We're devoting the first post of each month to exciting news and announcements...
Holly Schindler's debut MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY, releases Febrauray 6!
Early response:
"...a heartwarming and uplifting story...[that] shines...with vibrant themes of community, self-empowerment and artistic vision delivered with a satisfying verve." – Kirkus Reviews "Axioms like 'One man's trash is another man's treasure' and 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' come gracefully to life in Schindler's tale about the value of hard work and the power of community…Auggie's enthusiasm and unbridled creativity are infectious, and likeminded readers will envy her creative partnership with [her grandfather] Gus." – Publishers Weekl y
" Folk art is an extension, and in many ways a celebration, of the ordinary; and appreciation of folk art is a form of recognition that the ordinary is also the universal...THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY is a piece of folk art disguised as a middle-grade novel, and it takes a very clever author to pull off that trick." –Susan at TheArtofNotGettingPublished
"Auggie's voice is as original as the sculptures she and Gus create, shining and radiating with love for the people and things in her world. Fresh prose sparkles and lights up each page. This book makes me want to stand up for injustice, embrace creativity and make something new from something old. This book should be on every middle-grade child's reading list."–Darlene Beck-Jacobson, Smack Dab blogger
Purchase THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY
~~~~~~~~~~~
Gone Fishing: A Novel In Verse, by Tamera Will Wissinger, illustrated by Matthew Cordell (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers) is an ALSC 2014 NotableChildren's Book for Middle Readers. Here is their description: "Laugh-out-loud verse and humorous line drawings capture an older brother’s frustration and a little sister’s exuberance when they spend the day fishing with dad."
Holly Schindler's debut MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY, releases Febrauray 6!
Early response:"...a heartwarming and uplifting story...[that] shines...with vibrant themes of community, self-empowerment and artistic vision delivered with a satisfying verve." – Kirkus Reviews "Axioms like 'One man's trash is another man's treasure' and 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' come gracefully to life in Schindler's tale about the value of hard work and the power of community…Auggie's enthusiasm and unbridled creativity are infectious, and likeminded readers will envy her creative partnership with [her grandfather] Gus." – Publishers Weekl y
" Folk art is an extension, and in many ways a celebration, of the ordinary; and appreciation of folk art is a form of recognition that the ordinary is also the universal...THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY is a piece of folk art disguised as a middle-grade novel, and it takes a very clever author to pull off that trick." –Susan at TheArtofNotGettingPublished
"Auggie's voice is as original as the sculptures she and Gus create, shining and radiating with love for the people and things in her world. Fresh prose sparkles and lights up each page. This book makes me want to stand up for injustice, embrace creativity and make something new from something old. This book should be on every middle-grade child's reading list."–Darlene Beck-Jacobson, Smack Dab blogger
Purchase THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY
~~~~~~~~~~~
Gone Fishing: A Novel In Verse, by Tamera Will Wissinger, illustrated by Matthew Cordell (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers) is an ALSC 2014 NotableChildren's Book for Middle Readers. Here is their description: "Laugh-out-loud verse and humorous line drawings capture an older brother’s frustration and a little sister’s exuberance when they spend the day fishing with dad."
January 31, 2014
“Middleview” Interview with Debut Author Rebecca Behrens
Posted by Tamera Wissinger
Today, Rebecca Behrens is joining Smack Dab In The Middle Blog for a guest “middleview” interview. Rebecca’s debut middle grade novel WHEN AUDREY MET ALICE, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, releases on 02/04/2014! Congratulations, Rebecca!
Here is a little bit about Rebecca:
Growing up in Wisconsin, Rebecca Behrens dreamed of becoming the following: a zoologist, an Olympic swimmer, or an author. One out of three isn’t bad! Today she lives in New York City, where she works as a production editor for children’s books. Some of her favorite things are: the beach, bright shoes, running, doughnuts, and laughing.
Here’s a description of WHEN AUDREY MET ALICE:
First Daughter Audrey Rhodes can’t wait for the party she has planned. The decorations are all set, and the pizza is on its way. But the Secret Service must be out to ruin her life, because they cancel at the last minute for a “security breach,” squashing Audrey’s chances for making any new friends. What good is having your own bowling alley if you don’t have anyone to play with?
Audrey is ready to give up and spend the next four years totally friendless—until she discovers Alice Roosevelt’s hidden diary. The former first daughter’s outrageous antics give Audrey a ton of ideas for having fun . . . and get her into more trouble than she can handle.
Here are the links to Rebecca online: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads
Now it’s time to hear from our guest:
Smack Dab Middleview with WHEN AUDREY MET ALICE author Rebecca Behrens 1. In a nutshell, what do your main characters, Audrey and Alice, want?
Both of my main characters want the same thing--freedom--but they want it in different ways. Alice wants freedom to “eat up the world,” which to her means travel, experience, and love. Audrey wants the freedom to live like a normal thirteen-year-old, despite the fact that she’s living in the White House. And, in a deeper way, both girls want the freedom to be her own person.
2. What is in their way?
Alice is largely constrained by her time period, the turn of the twentieth century. Many opportunities weren’t available to women then, and her lifestyle was further limited by her father’s political career. Of course, what other people (including her father) thought didn’t always stop Alice from going after what she wanted!Audrey is constrained by security concerns and her parents’ busy schedules. Media attention on political families also gets in her way.
3. Did you know right away that this was your story, or did you discover it as you wrote? How did the story evolve?
I knew for a long time that I would like to write about a contemporary girl living in the White House, and I also had long wanted to write fiction about Alice Roosevelt’s wild life. Once I had the spark to combine those two ideas together via a long-lost secret diary, the story came about quickly. After doing preliminary research, I wrote Alice’s fictional diary entries first. Then I wrote Audrey’s story around them. It took quite a long time, and lots of revision, to blend the two narratives together.
4. Was When Audrey Met Alicealways for middle grade readers or not? If so, why did you choose middle grade? If not, what had to change for it to be considered a middle grade novel?
When I wrote the first draft, I wasn’t sure if this story would be middle grade or YA, mostly because of Alice’s age (seventeen). Once that draft was done, it was pretty clear to me that Audrey was an upper middle-grade character at heart. I changed up some of Audrey’s hijinks to make them more appropriate for an upper-MG character, and I made some minor tweaks to Alice’s diary entries so she’d be more accessible to the MG reader.
5. What is the best part of writing for middle grade readers?
I love how MG readers are hungry for good storytelling, and that they have so much excitement about the world. It’s inspiring to tap into that.
6. Is there one question you wish you could answer about writing, your book, or the author's life, but have never been asked? Here's your chance to Q &A yourself.I’d ask myself what piece of writing advice has helped me the most.
And my answer would be this quote from Jane Smiley: “Every first draft is perfect because all the first draft has to do is exist.” Whenever I’m struggling with putting a story to paper, that sentence gives me the boost I need to carry on.
Thanks for joining us at Smack Dab in the Middle Blog, Rebecca. Again, congratulations on the release of WHEN AUDREY MET ALICE!
Today, Rebecca Behrens is joining Smack Dab In The Middle Blog for a guest “middleview” interview. Rebecca’s debut middle grade novel WHEN AUDREY MET ALICE, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, releases on 02/04/2014! Congratulations, Rebecca!
Here is a little bit about Rebecca:
Growing up in Wisconsin, Rebecca Behrens dreamed of becoming the following: a zoologist, an Olympic swimmer, or an author. One out of three isn’t bad! Today she lives in New York City, where she works as a production editor for children’s books. Some of her favorite things are: the beach, bright shoes, running, doughnuts, and laughing.
Here’s a description of WHEN AUDREY MET ALICE:
First Daughter Audrey Rhodes can’t wait for the party she has planned. The decorations are all set, and the pizza is on its way. But the Secret Service must be out to ruin her life, because they cancel at the last minute for a “security breach,” squashing Audrey’s chances for making any new friends. What good is having your own bowling alley if you don’t have anyone to play with?
Audrey is ready to give up and spend the next four years totally friendless—until she discovers Alice Roosevelt’s hidden diary. The former first daughter’s outrageous antics give Audrey a ton of ideas for having fun . . . and get her into more trouble than she can handle.
Here are the links to Rebecca online: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads
Now it’s time to hear from our guest:
Smack Dab Middleview with WHEN AUDREY MET ALICE author Rebecca Behrens 1. In a nutshell, what do your main characters, Audrey and Alice, want?
Both of my main characters want the same thing--freedom--but they want it in different ways. Alice wants freedom to “eat up the world,” which to her means travel, experience, and love. Audrey wants the freedom to live like a normal thirteen-year-old, despite the fact that she’s living in the White House. And, in a deeper way, both girls want the freedom to be her own person.
2. What is in their way?
Alice is largely constrained by her time period, the turn of the twentieth century. Many opportunities weren’t available to women then, and her lifestyle was further limited by her father’s political career. Of course, what other people (including her father) thought didn’t always stop Alice from going after what she wanted!Audrey is constrained by security concerns and her parents’ busy schedules. Media attention on political families also gets in her way.
3. Did you know right away that this was your story, or did you discover it as you wrote? How did the story evolve?I knew for a long time that I would like to write about a contemporary girl living in the White House, and I also had long wanted to write fiction about Alice Roosevelt’s wild life. Once I had the spark to combine those two ideas together via a long-lost secret diary, the story came about quickly. After doing preliminary research, I wrote Alice’s fictional diary entries first. Then I wrote Audrey’s story around them. It took quite a long time, and lots of revision, to blend the two narratives together.
4. Was When Audrey Met Alicealways for middle grade readers or not? If so, why did you choose middle grade? If not, what had to change for it to be considered a middle grade novel?
When I wrote the first draft, I wasn’t sure if this story would be middle grade or YA, mostly because of Alice’s age (seventeen). Once that draft was done, it was pretty clear to me that Audrey was an upper middle-grade character at heart. I changed up some of Audrey’s hijinks to make them more appropriate for an upper-MG character, and I made some minor tweaks to Alice’s diary entries so she’d be more accessible to the MG reader.
5. What is the best part of writing for middle grade readers?
I love how MG readers are hungry for good storytelling, and that they have so much excitement about the world. It’s inspiring to tap into that.
6. Is there one question you wish you could answer about writing, your book, or the author's life, but have never been asked? Here's your chance to Q &A yourself.I’d ask myself what piece of writing advice has helped me the most.
And my answer would be this quote from Jane Smiley: “Every first draft is perfect because all the first draft has to do is exist.” Whenever I’m struggling with putting a story to paper, that sentence gives me the boost I need to carry on.
Thanks for joining us at Smack Dab in the Middle Blog, Rebecca. Again, congratulations on the release of WHEN AUDREY MET ALICE!
January 30, 2014
INTERVIEW WITH MATT BLACKSTONE, AUTHOR OF SORRY YOU'RE LOST
Matt Blackstone's new MG, SORRY YOU'RE LOST, released January 21st, and I'm pleased that he's agreed to stop by the blog to discuss his latest book.
What was the inspiration for the story? As Manny would say, it seems it would have to be a matter of vital, flabbergasting importance. Was it based on personal experience of any kind?
No matter where I’ve taught—Baltimore, New York City, and Great Neck—students have suffered recent family loss. I wanted to write a book that would empower these young people—make them stronger, make them laugh, make them lighter. I wanted to do more. I wanted to reach a larger audience who would benefit from the story.
Are your students aware of your publications? How does being a writer influence your teaching?
They do know. Most of them think it’s pretty cool. Others wish I would invent a new iPhone instead of writing books. Being a writer certainly influences how much emphasis I put on revisions. And there’s nothing more that a student loves to do than revise. [Insert student eyerolling and teeth sucking.] It’s cool to show them manuscripts with all the edits on there, and to share with them that book writing is within their reach if they work at it. A ton of my students are WAY more advanced than I was at their age.
To some extent, humor gets in the way of Donuts dealing with his own grief. Did writing with so much humor ever get in the way of telling your story? Or did it help?
For me, it helped. Pacing the book with humor and grief was difficult, but it made for a better book. I think it’s natural for those grieving to crave distraction – in part, through movies and T.V. comedies – a point that I tried to make with Denny and his dad.
Your characters are incredibly spot-on. These really are authentic seventh grade boys. (I especially love Manny's candy-selling. We had a boy who sold Blow Pops after lunch. He racked it UP.) How do you build your characters? From observation? From memories of what it felt like to be that age? Thanks. When I taught in New York City, there was a student named Hubert who sold candy in the hallways. Every day. And made a lot of money. I interviewed him on his techniques and gave him credit in the Acknowledgments page. I also had a student who used the word “flabbergasting” pretty much every day. I thanked him, too. Both kids, Hubert and Joseph, were instrumental in the book’s completion. I was also able to use some of my own middle school memories (Mr. Perfect, soccer practice, idolizing English teachers). More than anything, it helps being around teens all day long.
What was your path to publication? How'd you start writing? Did you always write in the juvenile market?
I started this draft four years ago. It was originally more of a YA novel, but I couldn’t get the voices right, couldn’t figure out the tone. It was a better fit in MG. My last novel, A SCARY SCENE IN A SCARY MOVIE, was YA. I loved writing for that age, and I certainly enjoyed this genre as well. I think it being a MG book allowed my characters to be goofier, which helped to juxtapose the grief throughout.
How does being a teacher influence your writing? Are you inspired first by your students or do your students help shape your spark of inspiration?
Both. I couldn’t do this without my students. They’re so generous to share their feedback, so excited to contribute to the whole process. Because I’m a teacher, I try to write books that will not only entertain kids, but help them.
Did you ever have a teacher who told you to leave your hormones in the hallway? Have you ever told your students that? Do you find yourself mimicking old teachers in real life or on the page?
That’s a great question. I’ve never had a teacher tell us to leave our hormones in the hallway. But I will say that tomorrow before students enter class. The freshman will think I’m serious and the juniors will think I’ve lost my mind. I do use teacher material in my work. For instance, there’s a teacher in our English department who writes “Life is Good” on every worksheet. I wondered, what would someone do if he/she disagreed with that sentiment? Especially if they had gone through a recent trauma. The “Life is Good” material became a refrain that I really enjoyed writing.
After Manny fires Donuts, the solution to missing money is clever. Without giving anything away, how do you feel this is part of Donuts's healing process?
My mom always taught me that helping others is the best way to help yourself.
Do you generally feel, as Mr. Morgan does, that life is good?
Today I do.
Where are you now with your writing? Can you share any new projects with us? Not yet, but I’ll be sure to update you with news.
Be sure to order your own copy of SORRY YOU'RE LOST; you can keep up with Matt at his website.
Matt has also graciously agreed to give one lucky winner a galley of SORRY YOU'RE LOST and a finished copy of his previous release, A SCARY SCENE IN A SCARY MOVIE! The Giveaway runs through February 14, and is open to US and Canadian Residents only.
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January 27, 2014
The in Between Spaces Jen Cervantes
I celebrate my birthday on the 30th of December. It makes New Years even more meaningful and I mark another year of blessed breath and look to a new year of surprises, joy, laughter, to do lists, challenges (another ms?) and all the things that make us human. I think because these two coincide I am challenged with looking back on the year and my life at the same time I am looking ahead. What did I learn (reflect) and what will tomorrow hold (anticipation). Somehow I realize there is no “now” moment in between these two spaces and so my new beginning today (in this breath) is to celebrate this exact moment—I want to live my life the way I read a book or write a manuscript, absorbed in the characters, the plot, the words, style, tone, periods….you get the picture. Because in the end, here and now is all we really have.
Hawking says
there are little folds in time
(actually he calls them wormholes)
but I say:
there’s a universe beyond
where they’re hammering the brass cut-outs .. .
Push us out in the boat and leave time here—
(because: where in the plan was it written,
You’ll be too busy to close parentheses,
the snapdragon’s bunchy mouth needs water,
even the caterpillar will hurry past you? (Brenda Hillman)
It feels very odd to be posting about beginnings just as ...
It feels very odd to be posting about beginnings just as the month about fresh starts is winding to a close--but it gives me a chance to talk about the relationship between beginnings and endings.
Generally, I love beginnings. I love when a story catches fire and I realize it has the potential to really be something. I love having an entire universe of characters and plots just waiting to be created. I love having those moments when elements of the story click into place and make it look like I'm terribly clever as a writer (even though more often than not it is just dumb luck).
But I've noticed as I get to know my characters and the story solidifies, I tend to start dithering about the ending. There are many, many reasons for this, but one of them is that it feels strange to me to create an entire world of characters, finish with them, and then walk away.
Once, when I was at a writers' conference, I wound up sitting next to a very intense woman who described herself as some sort of guru/writing coach/crystal healer type. I told her I'd come to the conference because I was having trouble finishing my book. She looked deep into my eyes and asked me if I feared death.
I replied (as one does) "Um, sure...why? You aren't psychic, are you? Am I in some kind of danger? Should I take a taxi home instead of the subway? Am I going to choke on the soup at the conference at lunch? Tell me! TELL ME!"
Then she told me I didn't want to finish my story because I felt like I was killing it.
Now, this isn't exactly how I feel--but it's not far. When I finish a project, I do go into a period of mourning. I find it hard to say goodbye to my characters and move on to the next thing. I find myself feeling...maybe a bit excluded from that world that I created. And it sometimes takes me a while to shake off this this sadness as I start the next project.
It's like the song says: Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.
Generally, I love beginnings. I love when a story catches fire and I realize it has the potential to really be something. I love having an entire universe of characters and plots just waiting to be created. I love having those moments when elements of the story click into place and make it look like I'm terribly clever as a writer (even though more often than not it is just dumb luck).
But I've noticed as I get to know my characters and the story solidifies, I tend to start dithering about the ending. There are many, many reasons for this, but one of them is that it feels strange to me to create an entire world of characters, finish with them, and then walk away.
Once, when I was at a writers' conference, I wound up sitting next to a very intense woman who described herself as some sort of guru/writing coach/crystal healer type. I told her I'd come to the conference because I was having trouble finishing my book. She looked deep into my eyes and asked me if I feared death.
I replied (as one does) "Um, sure...why? You aren't psychic, are you? Am I in some kind of danger? Should I take a taxi home instead of the subway? Am I going to choke on the soup at the conference at lunch? Tell me! TELL ME!"
Then she told me I didn't want to finish my story because I felt like I was killing it.
Now, this isn't exactly how I feel--but it's not far. When I finish a project, I do go into a period of mourning. I find it hard to say goodbye to my characters and move on to the next thing. I find myself feeling...maybe a bit excluded from that world that I created. And it sometimes takes me a while to shake off this this sadness as I start the next project.
It's like the song says: Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.
January 26, 2014
JANUARY THEME: THE BIG BAD BLANK by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
I have to start somewhere.
A few months ago, I dug right into a new project, reveling in the research, the reading (oh, the reading!), the notes, the lists, the "prep" that I enjoy so very much.
I can make that lovely new idea! explore all the possibilities! stage last a long, long time. Like, long. But a writer has to write, and when it's time to sit down at look at that blank page (yes, an actual paper page in my case) and pull all of those ideas and thoughts and rhythms and scraps together into just one chapter, paragraph, sentence, or word...whew! There is always that brief flash of fear, even terror, of wait, what was I going to do again? Even when I think I have all the ideas and all the plans...the physical act of starting at the beginning, at THE BLANK, is no joke. Picture the trailer for an old, cheesy horror film, me screaming and howling as I'm being overtaken by the menacing, slow-but-sure BLANK.
And then picture the equally cheddar-laden triumphant happy ending, me wielding a giant pen and hopeful new notebook* (and then yeah, my laptop), beating back THE BLANK singlehandedly. Because I take a deep breath, pull up one tiny thought or word or note or memory. And I see that yes, there is something there. There is always something to work with. And accept that it will be messy, and there will be some awful sentences and pages and pages of drivel with an intermittent good paragraph or two, and that's OK. Because I'm writing.
I have to start somewhere.
*speaking of hopeful new notebooks, have you seen this? Hee hee.
A few months ago, I dug right into a new project, reveling in the research, the reading (oh, the reading!), the notes, the lists, the "prep" that I enjoy so very much.
I can make that lovely new idea! explore all the possibilities! stage last a long, long time. Like, long. But a writer has to write, and when it's time to sit down at look at that blank page (yes, an actual paper page in my case) and pull all of those ideas and thoughts and rhythms and scraps together into just one chapter, paragraph, sentence, or word...whew! There is always that brief flash of fear, even terror, of wait, what was I going to do again? Even when I think I have all the ideas and all the plans...the physical act of starting at the beginning, at THE BLANK, is no joke. Picture the trailer for an old, cheesy horror film, me screaming and howling as I'm being overtaken by the menacing, slow-but-sure BLANK.
And then picture the equally cheddar-laden triumphant happy ending, me wielding a giant pen and hopeful new notebook* (and then yeah, my laptop), beating back THE BLANK singlehandedly. Because I take a deep breath, pull up one tiny thought or word or note or memory. And I see that yes, there is something there. There is always something to work with. And accept that it will be messy, and there will be some awful sentences and pages and pages of drivel with an intermittent good paragraph or two, and that's OK. Because I'm writing.
I have to start somewhere.
*speaking of hopeful new notebooks, have you seen this? Hee hee.
