Marcia Thornton Jones's Blog, page 210

Know yourself; know your charactersNever base your worth ...

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K now yourself; know your characters N ever base your worth as a writer on whether you publish or not O bstacles that are most challenging are those we create for ourselves W rite for yourself instead of the markets V illains mirroring protagonists’ internal conflicts make strong antagonists E stablish character, setting, voice, genre and conflict as early as possible M ake every word on every page count B UTT in chair is the only cure for the mythical writer’s block E njoy the process; eating chocolate helps R evise, revise, revise: it’s where the best writing happens
(For a month of ways to stay focused on writing by saying NO during busy KNOW-vember, check out my June 10, 2013 post!)

Accepting No as an Option (November Theme)

by Naomi Kinsman

Everyone knows that determination is a key factor in success. We're taught from the time we are very small that if we give up when a situation becomes tough, we're giving up on the possibility of success. In writing, this is particularly true. The going does become rough, multiple times on a writer's journey. We hear the story of Madeleine L'Engle's ten year period of rejection letters on A Wrinkle in Time or about Kate DiCamillo's nearly 400 rejection letters before the launch of Because of Winn Dixie and tell ourselves: I have to stick with this. I have to never give up, because what would have happened if Kate gave up on her 399th try, or Madeleine gave up after nine years and eleven months?

Don't get me wrong. I believe these are important, essential things to tell ourselves. In fact, I've built my life on my near-to super-power of stubbornness. A strength? A weakness? Yes––both. When I see the spark of potential in a project, I stick with it until the bitter end. This is how I've managed to dream my organization for young writers, Society of Young Inklings, into reality. And also how I managed to write a series of four books in what seemed an impossibly short time.

Recently, though, I've started to consider the dark side of persistance. Over my professional life, between the Young Inklings, my curriculum development and consulting, my writing clients, the elementary schools who want me to direct shows for them and my growing collection of finished and unfinished books, I've collected quite a few projects. Projects have a way of not quite feeling done when they're completed. The first project leads to a new idea which builds on the old one, causing a balloon effect that at some point swallows up one's entire life. At some point, one has to stop and take stock.

This is when accepting no as an option becomes crucial. I came to such a point this fall, and it was one of the most frightening moments of my life. I had to step back from all of my projects and assess. This was no longer a "Who am I?" question. I know the answer to that: I'm a writer and a teacher and an entrepreneur, the identity that has manifested itself in all of these projects. The question now was, "While I will always write, always teach, always dream... which projects will I invest in putting out into the world, and which will I allow to stay small and private?"

Since this was an others-focused question, I had to stop charging ahead and insisting on my own way, and start listening. I asked my writers' group, my board of directors, my instructional staff, my friends and family: What are these creations separate and beyond me? What do they mean to you? One of my friends said, "You know, because you're willing to let go of this manuscript, I feel free to be honest with you."

Her honest feedback was unlike any she had given me before on my writing, and ultimately led me to commit even more deeply to the story. And I'm committed to not only to finishing it so that I am satisfied with the book, but so that it will work for a wider audience as well. New commitment didn't happen with all of the projects, though. Some have been left behind for now. In some areas, I've given up my leadership role and allowed others to start leading the charge. The many changes have been difficult because I'm still sorting through whether I'm giving up or flowing with life's constantly shifting landscape. The habit of persistence is deeply ingrained.

I'm grateful for my stubborn persistence, though, which means I won't suddenly transform into a person who gives up every time life pushes back. But I'm growing into the kind of person who can also accept no as an answer. I think that's essential, and may be just as important as not giving up. Listening to others, hearing how our work connects (and doesn't connect) with them, and choosing how to focus our time is another key to success. How about you? Do you need to step back and take stock? Come on in, the water's fine.

No-vember Theme by Deborah Lytton

Our No-vember theme calls to mind my journey to becoming a writer and how not saying no helped me along the way.  I began my career as a professional actor at the age of six with a guest star role on the Mod Squad.   I went on to work on television shows and films including five years on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives.  Growing up in the film industry, I heard nofar more often than I heard yes.  Auditioning is the most difficult part of being a professional actor—and I can still remember the acting jobs I really wanted—and didn’t get.  When I discovered my passion for writing and telling stories, I found great freedom.  Suddenly, I didn’t have to hear the word no.  For as writers, we push our creative boundaries—and say yes far more often than we say no.  We can write whatever we want to write, and we can make our own rules.  Once we begin submitting to agents and editors, of course, we will experience rejection—that is the unfortunate part of the profession.  But we don’t have to wait for the next audition in order to try again.  All we have to do is pick up a pen or sit down at the computer.  There is a whole world we can explore and the most important thing we can do is try.  I spent many years studying the craft of acting, and many lessons I learned have helped me as a writer.  One lesson I would like to share with you today I learned at The Groundlings.  The Groundlings is an improvisational theater company in Hollywood.  There is really only one rule to improv.  And you learn this rule the first day of your first class.  Never say no.  When you are in a scene and the other person is creating an imaginary character or world, you can change it and make it something else, but you cannot negate it.  Saying no stops the flow of the creativity and negates the importance of everything that came before that one small word.  No.  Today, I challenge all of us to remember when we are writing that is the yes that moves us forward and the yes that makes our imaginations take flight.  I hope you will say yes today.     
This is a publicity photo from Hot Lead and Cold Feet.  I am in the middle. 
Next to me: Michael Sharrett, Jim Dale and Karen Valentine. 

Megan: Saying No to Infection

I have a friend who is a talented musician who makes a living by writing and playing. He’s generally one of the sunniest most open-hearted people I know. Yet a month or so ago he posted a link to an article detailing how Mumford & Sons represent just about everything that is wrong with music today and probably with all of America and maybe the world. A couple of weeks ago, Boston.com posted a slideshow “Much-Better, Local Alternatives to Mumford & Sons.” It begins: “Few things make me want to resort to violence more than turning on the radio and hearing Marcus Mumford’s aggressive wail.”
Why all the Mumford & Sons hate? When I turn on the radio and hear the twanging banjos and plaintive voices, I turn it up and sing along.  My family does a mean car-version of “I Will Wait.” It seems petty to me to tear down a band that, while they may not be the best band ever, do something and do it well and, in so doing, bring joy to a lot of listeners. Is it jealousy? Do these musicians simply know more than I do and thus are in a better place to critique the band? Probably. That still doesn’t change my opinion of the band. Love them. Unabashedly.


And yet. Yet. I can’t help but wonder about these seemingly-sensitive guys reading this type of critique over and over again. Or, bringing it to our world, what about Stephenie Meyer or Suzanne Collins or even, my personal bugaboo, James Patterson. Do they hear it? Do they care? Ha, ha, it’s easy to think, they are crying all the way to the bank.
But I have read my own negative reviews. And I have read the good ones. Both can be paralyzing. When The Water Castle first came out, it got the type of reception I had only ever dared to think to dream about -- a starred review in Kirkus, a New York Times review. At the time I was working on edits for my next novel, which is quite different from The Water Castle. Whereas The Water Castle is tightly plotted, as many of the reviews noted, The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill is far more linear and character driven. I worried that this new book was not as good, not as remarkable. It took effort and self-discipline for me to see again the strengths of my new book and to believe in it once more.
With the buzz, The Water Castle gained more attention by bloggers and others, some of whom questioned why it was receiving the buzz in the first place and explained in detail why they thought it was undeserving. I like to think I am tough, but reading these is the torture of a thousand cuts. As Sarah Aronson put it in a recent blog post on on unlikable characters:

I’m still a writer who, like everyone else, would really like to be liked.

She goes on:

Today, many of us are preoccupied with our images and what others say about our work. We know that in today’s world—Janine’s world—we have access to what our readers think of our creative decisions. Here is the big problem: if we let it infect us too much, it will hurt our work.

When I read those words, it was like someone speaking my heart. Infection. That’s exactly what it feels like. That little voice that is always there telling you you are a sham, that you have everyone fooled, those reviews give it a megaphone.
So here are my No’s for November. First, no tearing down other writers or their work. While I understand that bloggers, reviewers, and other gatekeepers have a vital role to fulfill, that is not my role. It has never been my habit to do so publicly, but I've said my share of derisive comments to friends and colleagues. Second, no reading the online discussions of my work. In this interconnected world, it can be difficult to avoid finding them. But I will do my best. And when I do read reviews -- good or bad -- I will try to keep the infection at bay. Because I have more work to do.

NO LIE: "YES" IS MY FAVORITE WORD

More than once during the Q & A portion of a school visit, a student has asked, "What's your favorite word?"

My answer:

YES is a door opening, all mystery and wonder.

YES is being alive to possibility.

YES will take you far in this writing business:

When an agent says she needs a proposal right away to turn your stand-alone to a series: YES

When an editor says she needs the revisions in two weeks instead of the six you were planning: YES

When a library wants to book your program, but doesn't have the funding: YES

When a striving writer asks you to read his first draft, and you don't really have time, but you remember being a striving writer...heck, you still ARE a striving writer: YES

When a reader/blogger/teacher/fan requests an interview, after you've already done so many that you are sick of yourself: YES

And YES, one does need to know when to say NO. But don't put your creativity in a cage. You may accomplish your word count, but imagine what you might be missing...

Life is the art of saying YES.

I urge you: be open to YES!

Unfinished Writing Under the October Sky: Jen Cervantes

It all started the night Mrs. Winchester’s house was torpedoed by a falling star. Of all the houses in all the world, that star picked 222 Happleberry Lane right next to Ruby’s house. And as quick as a mean strike of lightning, Mrs. Winchester was gone. They found her bones as deep as twenty feet, scattered, broken, even melted into the blackened earth. Some of her bones were never found.  The stately Victorian house (which had just been named a “historical gem” by the Historical Society of Misty Crossing) was miraculously still standing. Barely. Its wide wraparound porch was scorched around the edges. Dark smudges marked the planks, as if something very black and very big had been dragged across it. The wood pillars looked more like toothpicks, splintered and bent, not nearly strong enough to hold up the porch. And the third floor roof suffered a dozen canonball-sized holes, one had slammed through two floors and Mrs. Winchester’s bed. But the house still had its Historical Gem sign planted in the front yard right next to the Condemnedsign. As Ruby lay in her bed she thought about coincidences, mishaps, and mistakes. If only her mother hadn’t been visiting Mrs. Winchester that night. If only she’d stayed home to sew the green sequins on Ruby’s silk slippers. If only….Those two words floated like dainty snowflakes too small to grab hold of before melting. And now unable to sleep, Ruby sank into her down pillow and stared at the flickering stars millions and millions of miles away in the black October sky. They were fixed, unmoving, like someone had fastened them with screws. None dangled, drooped, or swung. No tell-tale threat that one was about to fall. Suddenly, she hated those stars.The grandfather clock downstairs tick tick ticked with its predictable rhythm, growing louder and louder the more Ruby thought and tossed and turned. She could hear her father’s soft crying floating down the hall. It had been three weeks since her mother had died and her father had closed himself off from the world. He was unshaven, pale, skinny, and even somewhat crazed. At first Ruby had wanted him to come out, to talk to her and tell her it was all going to be okay, but as the days passed and his eyes grew puffier and redder and his mind grew more lost and his heart more broken, Ruby secretly wanted him to stay behind the closed door.  The moonbeam grew brighter, like a flashlight shining on her pillow. It was no good.She rolled back the covers and slipped out of bed. In the silvery moonlight, Ruby peered at the road outside. Tall Victorian houses lined both sides of Happleberry Lane. The black pointed roofs looked like crooked rows of giant witch hats. Ruby let her eyes follow the moon’s light back to Mrs. Winchester’s sad and lonely house. It looked pale, ghostly, almost see through. And then...Sshhhhkrape…The sound sent shivers up Ruby’s spine, spreading like tiny fingers tickling her scalp. Sshhhhkrape…There was something coming up the road. But from her vantage point, Ruby couldn’t quite see…Taking two stairs at a time, she hurried into the living room and peered through the velvet drapes. She’d been wrong. There wasn’t something coming up the road. There were two somethings. Two dark hooded figures drew closer. And closer. The figures’ arms hung so low that their knuckles nearly dragged on the pavement. Their heads lolled around like puppets and their hoods flopped back and forth but never enough that Ruby could see any faces hidden there. They staggered and limped like their legs were nothing but string.Ruby ducked beneath the windowsill. Her eyes hovered over the edge. The dark figures were coming toward her. Closer and closer. She held her breath.They dragged themselves across Mrs. Winchester’s front yard.The moon turned its face behind a veil of gray clouds.The clock ticked. Ruby’s father whimpered.She couldn’t tear her gaze away. She had to know what they were. She strained to see.The somethings each dragged a big black bag behind them.Sshhhhkrape…It sounded worse than rusty scissors on a chalkboard.  One bag slammed into the Historical Gem sign, knocking it into the dead grass. A trail of bones tumbled out. Ruby’s gaze followed the dark things as they hobbled up the walkway.Up the stairs.Onto the porch. Their black tattered robes dragged behind them like trails of smoke. And then came the knock. 

The Mysterious Ducks of Haunted House Pond that Didn't Quack in the Night

It’s October—and flocks of geese have been flying over my house as they migrate south for the winter (although to me it always looks as if they are flying west).  It is the time of year in which my dogs run through the house baying at the ceiling as they hear their honks, then trip into the walls and doorframes and over each other because they weren’t paying any attention at all to where they were going. 
It seems like not that long ago I was out with the dogs in the backyard, watching as a flock of migrating ducks landed in the neighbor’s pond for the night.  They splashed around and quacked to each other—almost like they were discussing everything they’d seen that day on their travels.  Then, quite suddenly, they all went quiet just like someone had told them to shut up and go to sleep.
I should probably explain about the neighbor’s pond though.  It’s a man-made, but it’s big enough to have its own dock and a two-person boat.   And the yard it sits in is probably the biggest in the neighborhood  The house itself is much, much larger and much grander than the houses that surround it.  Or at least I think it is—it’s up on a hill and hidden from view by a mess of trees and shrubbery.  The owner lives elsewhere, rarely visits, and won’t sell (according to someone I met once who tried to buy it from her).  I’ve been told there is a caretaker, but I’ve never seen anyone there ever.  At night sometimes I’ve heard something large crashing around the grounds (the locals tell me it’s either deer or drunken teenagers, but I’m not ruling out ghosts or the jersey devil quite yet).   
God, I love that house.  Seriously, it's like every haunted house or spooky mansion from every scary or mysterious book I ever read.  It is The Westing Game, The Headless Cupid, Nancy Drew, and Scooby Doo all rolled into one.  And someday I'm going to write about it.  

IMAGINATION GAME - HOLLY SCHINDLER

When you've got a creative gig like writing, it's easy to focus solely on the end results:  A finished book.  An acquired book.  A book on store shelves.  But you don't get a finished project without a starting-off point, an inspired idea.  (Ideas are sometimes the most important part of the creative process!)

Creative games (like my cloud game in the video below) keep the imagination in tiptop shape and the ideas rolling:

Monthly Theme: October Traditions

by
Stephanie J. Blake

Man, I love October! And Halloween.

I decorate the house.

We "Boo" the neighbors. (Boo-ing includes leaving a bag, box, or basket of treats and ringing the doorbell and running away! Find out how on this website: http://beenbooed.com/.)

Here's our treats for the neighbors.

I bake.

I dress up the dog.



One of my kids has a birthday towards the end of the month and we always have a Halloween-themed birthday.

We watch Halloween movies.



Some of my favorites are Hocus Pocus, The Haunted Mansion, Monster House, and Teen Witch. This year, we added Zombieland and Warm Bodies to the lineup.

I always dress up to hand out candy.


Want some candy?

BOOK BLIND DATES: Smack Dab in the Classroom by Dia Calhoun

This month, teen librarian KATIE MITCHELL from Saline Library shared some wonderful ideas when I asked her how to use middle grade books in the classroom. From Book Blind Dates to Reader's Response Journals, read on for ways to engage young readers.
DIA CALHOUN: What tips do you have for getting a group of kids actively engaged with the same book? Kids who might have different interests?

KATIE MITCHELL: As a librarian in a public library, this has been an area that has been very challenging. The kids in my teen book group often ranged in age from 11-15. That’s an amazing time of growth and the levels of maturity are all over the map. Knowing your group is the first main step. I would always emphasize to the kids that all opinions were valid, all feelings to be respected. And I would tell them that if they *didn’t* like a book, I really wanted them to feel welcome, because figuring out what you don’t like in a book helps guide you to genres and writing styles that you like.

Reader's Response journals are great; as they help young teens make strong connections between their lives and the lives of the characters. Another great connector is having the kids themselves booktalk the titles. If you do rotational reading with your class, you can have the group that just finished the book talk it up to the next group to get it.

Finally, this is a group that still really enjoys having people read to them. Reading aloud, or having the audio book playing as they read can help your auditory learners and connect the students who have more challenges with reading. (But, please don’t make kids read out loud if they are uncomfortable. I know adults who stopped reading for pleasure in middle school due to extreme embarrassment in English classes.)

DIA CALHOUN:  Do you remember a specific activity with a specific book that really set kids' imaginations on fire?

KATIE MITCHELL:  Book trailers! Particularly 90 Second Newbery trailers. (See this one of THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND) I think it’s the blend of costuming, acting, playing together (when “play” time is really falling off the radar for these kids), and using technology that makes this an activity that reaches kids across the board. So many teachers use book trailers, sharing the student produced ones is a fantastic connector!

DIA CALHOUN:  Have you ever done something "outside the box" that worked really well?
KATIE MITCHELL: Book Blind Dates. Our middle school is directly next door to the library. Once a trimester, the Language Arts teachers bring their students over for booktalks and some other activities. One of the best ones is the Book Blind Date. We set up groups of tables for 4-5 students, with 7-8 books on each table (I usually do it by genre, so they get a fuller experience). Then when I blow the whistle (apparently, this is hilarious in a public library), they have to grab a book and just read for 3 minutes. After three minutes, they need to record it on their playlist and write down an few keywords and write it from 1 (it’s a match!) to 5 (see you never!). We usually do about six tables. The kids love it and it’s a great way to push some of the older titles that you still love.

DIA CALHOUN:  If you could give teachers/librarians one piece of advice for engaging kids with middle grade books, what would it be?

KATIE MITCHELL: This is such an incredible age group. While you will have readers who are at both ends of the spectrum in terms of reading ability, these are all kids who can be engaged with middle grade fiction. Always look for the connections. If you have a reader who seems too “jaded” for books about middle grade characters, this can be a chance to give them a time where they don’t have to try so hard to be grown up. For kids who are still finding their place in the middle grades (and frankly, who isn’t), these stories are touchstones for feeling normal. As they are growing and changing and their world is expanding, it is so imperative that they have some books that reflect their experience. We get to bring them that! Don’t ever forget how cool that is!

DIA CALHOUN:  Wonderful ideas, Katie. I want to try Book Blind Dates myself! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience. Katie Mitchell works with the amazing AMELIA BLOOMER PROJECT.

Dia Calhoun's Smack-dab-in-the-Classroom series runs on this blog the 23rd day of each month.