Marcia Thornton Jones's Blog, page 71
February 13, 2021
Even Fictional Characters Can Have CLAWS
by Debbie Smith
Because I spend a good part of my day reading books and writing reviews, I immediately thought about sharing a book where the character displayed CLAWS, yet still had room for growth. And though there were several good books that I could have chosen, I decided on one of my favorite middle-grade books, A Many Feathered Thing by Lisa Gerlits.
The Journey BeginsWhen eleven-year-old Clara, whose full name is Clarity Kartoffel, and her friend Orion break their neighbor's glass gazing ball, it is a bigger problem than you might imagine. Why? Because rumors have been flying around for years about the scary old man who lives at the end of the street.
Yes, the very man who lives in the house that once was adorned with an intact gazing ball!
What about an artist's life?Clara is a budding artist who, through research, has decided that most "real" artists live or have lived a tough and tortured life. So even before this horrible gazing ball accident, she'd begun to realize that her present life wasn't indicative of a true artist.
So what's a non-tortured, budding artist to do?Why of course she should suffer like a true artist and trudge up the scary walkway to the scary old house and apologize to the frightening old man. She will ask what she can do to make things right.
And she will do this all alone. After all, Orion has asthma and there's no need to overexcite him.
Surely what she is doing will contribute to a tough, tortured life, right? And it's just the right thing to do, anyway.
But what Clara discovers inside old Mr. Vogelman's house completely surprises her and leads her on a new journey. One far from what she could have ever imagined.What's the deal?To pay for the broken glass ball Clara and the old, sometimes scary Vogelman strike up an unusual deal. You see, while waiting to apologize, Clara stumbles on the fact that her reclusive neighbor is an artist. They make an arrangement that ends up working for both of them. She can be his helper as he works on his art. He ends up challenging her to throw away her eraser and drawing what she sees, not what she wants to see
Huh? Do you have to be an artist to understand that?.
. . . and other stuffAs if paying off a broken gazing ball isn't enough, Clara gets paired up on a project with a new girl in her class, and Orion and Clara face a challenge regarding their friendship.
And The Real Tragedy Comes Crashing DownLife is always full of opportunities to grow and learn. In this book both Orion and Clara allow you to amble down their eye-opening, wonderful journey that starts with a broken gazing ball and ends with lots of new understanding of people, circumstances, bullying, sadness, and much more.
QuestionWhen you read a book do you search for characters with CLAWS?
February 12, 2021
Speaking of Character by Darlene Beck Jacobson
In keeping with our CLAWS theme this month, I am going to speak a bit about CHARACTER and how it relates to my own storytelling.When I looked up character in my trusty old Webster's New World Dictionary there were sixteen definitions for the word.
The ones that cut to the heart of Character for me as a writer are also the ones that build the best qualities in individuals as characters.
A distinctive quality or trait
The pattern of behavior or personality found in an individual or group.
Moral strength or fortitude
An odd, eccentric, or noteworthy person.
A person in a story or novel.
Which brings us to a writer's use of the word. For some authors, a solid idea and plot structure are the elements that launch a story. Others might have a setting so compelling they have to write about it to see where it takes them.
For me, a story always begins with CHARACTER. Or the strong, insistent voice of a character that will not be silenced. A voice that begs me to "listen, take note, pay attention because what I have to say is really important."
Ignoring the voice is not an option, When I listen, I am amazed at the things the character tells me and how the story begins to grow. Even when I get stuck in the muddy middle of a manuscript, when I tune back into that character's voice, I usually get back on track and find a way out of the hole I'm in.
For me, the voice of the character leads to those qualities of character we want to see in our heroes and heroines.When you let a character take over, anything can happen. That's the best kind of writing there is.
February 11, 2021
The Power of Knowing
I was in 1st or 2nd grade when I stumbled upon a report from a parent/teacher conference. Even though it was somewhere in the open – probably sitting on my parents’ dresser, until they could file it will other schoolwork – I stealthily read it.
The generic evaluation list was annotated with the usual high marks along with comments, probably praising my reading skills, my cooperative nature, and my ability to listen (no one knew the extent of my daydreaming). It was one note, however, that I still remember to this day, a single sentence that forever changed my life. It said something like this: Jody is a natural leader, who doesn’t seem to know exactly how much the other children listen to and follow her.
It was a shock to my system. Me? A leader? Shy people aren’t leaders.
I can’t say I truly believed it. For certain, I didn’t act on it, at least not deliberately. But knowing that an unbiased observer deemed it true – seeing those words in print – brought out a certain confidence that grew as I did.
Would I have run for office and joined leadership teams in junior high, high school, and college if my teacher hadn’t written that? Would I have served on executive boards in various organizations since? Impossible to know.
What I do know is this: A person will not remember random snapshots in time unless those moments make an impact. As people – writers, educators, parents, children, relatives, friends, of any age – we have the power by a word or a smile or even a nod to make an impact. Quite simply, the power of knowing can change lives.
February 10, 2021
The Power of Service
Debbie Poslosky
The power of service became so clear to me during one year when I was teaching fourth graders. So many in this class of children were bullies-and they didn’t even realize it. It was just how “they did things”. A particular group of boys constantly made fun of everyone-but especially the two children in our class with special needs. The traditional way of dealing with bullies, such as stern talks, conferences with parents, in school suspension in the principal's office did not work. This has always been a real trigger for me personally, having been bullied myself as a young child. I decided I needed to do something totally unexpected and very “in your face” about treating all people with respect.
Most bullies operate on putting on a bravado because they are scared of people who are different. I asked questions like, “If you see a person in a wheelchair, would feel comfortable going up to the person to say hello?” “How do you feel when you are in a restaurant and you hear someone speaking loudly and not clearly?” I began by doing a survey with this class trying to get attitudinal data as to how they perceive people who are different. I called a school in St. Louis county who teaches children with developmental and special needs. My principal and the parents were on board with our class going to that school to become their buddies. My hope was that once my students experienced these kids as real people who need and want the same things they do, their opinions would change.
It was a huge risk. In explaining to the kids that we were going to begin I just spoke about how these children are looking for some friends. I did not explain the “why” of wanting to do this...yet. One child in particular really pushed back and said he didn’t want to go. Yep, the leader of the pack. Some kids were really scared about going. But we did go. The first time was a huge eye opener for my students. They hugged the walls and just watched. They watched how friendly these boys and girls were. They noticed how their teachers treated their students just the way I treat them.. They noticed how hard it was for some to do the simplest things, but they were not sad about it at all! Every student there just wanted to make a friend and were so happy to meet them!
We processed when we got back and did a lot of talking. The next visit, some of my students were beginning to engage, and as more did, others watched. When those children shared their experiences, that is when I noticed a change coming. Through many visits every single child in my class was totally engaged when we were there, looked forward to the visit, and felt so good about themselves. The children in the other school would light up, clap, and be SO happy that our class was there. My students became very protective of their “buddy” and began to know their personalities and often would make suggestions for example, what to bring or do with their buddy.
At the end of the year we invited those children to visit our school. Imagine the day when students at my west county elementary school saw a busload of kids with many physical and intellectual needs come down the hall! My biggest bully became the biggest cheerleader as he welcomed them to our school. When another student walked by and made a snide comment, he stepped right up and explained that it is hurtful and his buddy is a real person and has feelings! It was the most miraculous thing to witness. The last week of school I gave the students the same survey I gave before we started. The differences in their attitudes was 180 degrees. BOTH groups of children benefited so greatly from this partnership. I was able to do this for three years before the district laid down all these liability issues and canned the program. Yet, learning that when you allow yourself to look past the disability and see the human being inside, there is nothing to be scared of, and it is possible to be friends and champions of everyone. Throughout the years students from that first class that did this service project would contact me to tell me they used this experience in college essays, and some said they went into special education because of this experience. When we are able to open up our minds to learning, responding, and changing, our lives become better. We ended up that year and every year after creating a school wide support patrol of my kids mentoring younger kids who were bullies! They made slideshows, gave talks, and shadowed the younger kids at recess to do “real time” intervention when bullying occurred. Service. So powerful in all kinds of ways. Sometimes for your entire life.
February 8, 2021
CHANGING YOUR ATTITUDE -- by Jane Kelley
"One of life's many lessons . . . ," Megan's dad tells her early in my novel NATURE GIRL.
Megan groans, of course. She doesn't want a lecture. She just wants to avoid being forced to go on a punitive hike in the woods. But she gets Dad's lecture anyway.
"We don't always have control over our situations. But there is one thing we can control––our minds. Even if you can't change your circumstances, you can always change your attitude."
Megan thinks her dad is WRONG. She could easily change her circumstances. All she has to do is go back to the house and flop down on the sofa in front of the TV. But she thinks it's totally impossible for her to even PRETEND to like hiking in the creepy Woods.
Her dad is right, however. She will never move past her unhappiness until she changes her attitude.
This illustration shows Megan's unhappy view of herself. The dots are mosquitoes.
(Illustration by Heather Palisi)
The things we have most control over is our view of our circumstances. If we're able to change that view, we can be happier and more productive.
But how can we change our attitude?
Being a writer gave me a big advantage. I had control over Megan AND her attitude AND her circumstances.
I could shape events to make her go on that hike, be miserable, learn some lessons, and become a better person for that. In the end, I could let her succeed.
Megan's story has resonated with many young readers. I think that's because as I wrote it I was actually shaping my own journey as a writer. I also had to change my attitude. My confidence needed strengthening. In order to help Megan and myself, I included some important things.
1. A goal. Without motivation, it's hard to move forward. Megan knew she was unhappy and wanted to do something about it. She wanted to be reunited with her friend. I wanted this novel to find a publisher.
2. Reasonable challenges that could be accomplished. Megan couldn't cure her friend's mother's cancer. But she could dedicate her hike to that cause. And I could tackle a project that suited my abilities.
3. A Guide. We both benefited from Trail Blaze Betty's wisdom. As she said, "The only way to fail is to quit."
4. The chance to make good choices. Megan must eat some food she doesn't like and be willing to ask for help when she needs it. The same was true for me.
5. The time to reflect upon her experiences. It's hard to learn from our mistakes if we don't take the time to analyze what's going wrong and just as importantly what's going right.
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February 4, 2021
Small Acts of Service
I’m grateful that I’ve already had many opportunities in my life to give back to others. In high school, I was a part of a Student Senate group that had the chance to travel to New Orleans and participate in the Youth Rebuilding New Orleans project. On this service trip my classmates and I were able to aid the organization in their mission to rebuild houses that suffered great damage during Hurricane Katrina. The type of work we did was basically grunt work, nothing glamorous. We spent hours stripping nails from walls and shoveling rocks. But I remember being impressed at everyone’s attitude throughout the long day. The small tasks we were doing at times felt useless, but stepping back and looking at the big picture, it was evident that we did a lot of good for the organization. The trip taught me a lot about attitude and leadership. I think that when it comes down to it, leadership is about keeping a good attitude while modeling tasks that, to the leader, may seem unimportant.
More recently, I’ve had another opportunity where I’ve been able to give back to the community through seemingly small/unimportant acts of service. Last spring, just before COVID hit, some fellow MSU students and I were able to serve at Eden Village, a tiny home community for the chronically homeless. During this service day, I helped clean up the tiny neighborhood, plant flowers, and pave new brick walkways. Again these tasks felt small and somewhat unimportant. But when the man in charge of the organization mentioned how the flowers that might sprout up in the coming months could greatly improve the mental health of the tiny home residents, I understood that those acts could be worthwhile. I think in a time like we are going through right now, where people seem to be more isolated from one another it’s important to find your own personal moments of leadership where you might model the small act of doing something kind for another.
February 3, 2021
D-39: A Robodog's Journey Has CLAWS
Hello Willard Wild Cats! Thank you for sharing your school theme with us this month. I decided to apply your CLAWS to my new middle grade dystopian verse novel D-39: A ROBODOG'S JOURNEY, which will be released from Charlesbridge May 18, 2021.
Character: In a world where real dogs have been outlawed, D-39 is a relic, and Klynt is glad to tinker him back to life and add him to her Museum of Fond Memories. That tells you something about her character! D-39 is one of the most realistic looking robodog models that was popular before people grew tired of fur and feeding problems. And that's not all: D-39 is also a souped up version with a big secret!
Leadership: When boomblasts find their home in the Worselands, and Klynt is separated from her father, Klynt leads D-39 and a young neighbor boy Jopa across war-torn terrain in hopes of finding her mother—and also finding safety.
Attitude: Even as her world is constantly changing, from chaos to isolation, Klynt never gives up. She has faith that her mother is waiting for her, and that they can reach safety across the border, even when everything goes wrong.
Work Ethic: Klynt shows up every single day. Yes, there are disappointments and setbacks— D-39 runs out of m-fuel. There's no more food. Winter closes in. They don't know the way through the war-torn Worselands. But she doesn't stop moving forward.
Service: Klynt continues the legacy set forth by her mother Dr. Ersu Tovis, who, after the government ordered all dogs Eradicated, started the K-9 Corridor in an effort to secretly save dogs and move them across the border and into the Wilds. Of course Klynt does this in her own unique way—and in the process of getting to know her while creating this book, Klynt taught me what it truly means to be a hero.
Join the journey; read the book.
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Irene Latham is a grateful creator of many novels, poetry collections, and picture books, including the coauthored Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship, which earned a Charlotte Huck Honor, and The Cat Man of Aleppo, which won a Caldecott Honor. Irene lives on a lake in rural Alabama.
February 2, 2021
Considering Character
At Smack Dab, we occasionally partner with schools to reflect on their own monthly (or semesterly, etc.) theme, blogging about how the theme shows up in our own lives and work. This month, we're reflecting on the yearly theme at Willard Middle School in Aldie, Virginia. At WMS, they're Wild Cats, so they show their CLAWS: Character, Leadership, Attitude, Work Ethic and Service. Suggested by Laura Hoyler, 6th grade instructor.
How do you assess someone’s character? Sometimes it’s easy. The person is so obviously awful, narcissistic, and scheming that there’s no question their character is not one to emulate. Other times, there’s someone who’s so inspiring or genuinely caring that you know you want to strive to be more like them.
My middle grade novels deal with presidents, specifically the first three: George Washington (George Washington & the Magic Hat), John Adams (John Adams & the Magic Bobblehead), and Thomas Jefferson (Thomas Jefferson & the Return of the Magic Hat).
Here are quotes from the three of them about character:
“I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.”—George Washington, letter to Alexander Hamilton, Aug. 28, 1788
“The longer I live, the more I read, the more patiently I think, and the more anxiously I inquire, the less I seem to know...Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. This is enough.”—John Adams, letter to his granddaughter Caroline Amelia Smith de Windt, Jan. 24, 1820
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”—Thomas Jefferson, letter to Nathaniel Macon, Jan. 12, 1819
In my books, I try to give a nuanced portrayal of these early presidents, balancing all sides of their characters. Yes, they were inspiring leaders who helped create a country that endures almost 250 years later, but two of them, Washington and Jefferson, were slaveholders. It’s a complex legacy.
In a month that brings us both Presidents’ Day and Black History Month, as well as the second impeachment trial of a former inhabitant of the White House, presidential character is well worth considering.
--Deborah Kalb
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February 1, 2021
Smack Dab News
Smack-Dabber Irene Latham is proud to announce that her picture book THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO, co-written with Karim Shamsi-Basha & illustrated by Yuko Shimizu has been awarded a Caldecott Honor!
This book chronicles the true story of Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, who in the midst of the Syrian Civil War courageously offered safe haven to Aleppo's abandoned cats. It will renew your faith in humanity, and inspire you to act with compassion! We can all improve the world with kind deeds—and yes, love exists, even during a time of war.
January 28, 2021
Playlist for all the Karens...
by Charlotte Bennardo
Photo by Vlad Bagacian from PexelsThe theme this month is Playlists. Generally, the themes revolve around the writing process, the publishing community, and all things books. Unlike almost everyone, I don't like to listen to music while I write. Gasp! Right? I find it distracting. If a song comes on that is catchy, I sing. If I sing, I can't write. If a melody plays that is sad, and I'm trying to write a happy chapter, I can't set the mood. If a tune makes my imagination create a shiny new idea, I can't work on the manuscript I'm in the middle of.
No music.
Silence, please.
That's the only way I can work.
But the theme is playlists, and well, I'm feeling a bit cranky because there are too many idiots out there endangering others by not wearing masks or social distancing, acting entitled and feeling like they have rights that supercede the very lives of everyone around them. You know who these people are- we call them 'karens.' (My apologies to sweet ladies who have this name and are nothing like the yahoos who make the rest of us miserable. My favorite aunt was named Karen so it pains me too.) So I decided I would put together a playlist for those annoying people.
In public places: Don't Stand So Close to Me (The Police)
If you won't wear a mask: Don't Come Around Here No More (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
If you're sick, but don't want the vaccine because you don't listen to science but to stupid stuff on the internet: I Need a New Drug (Huey Lewis and the News)
When you whine about your life/routine being disrupted because you have to protect others: Changes (David Bowie)
When you think the pandemic is the 'Blue Flu' or a hoax and not that many people have actually died- Tears in Heaven (Eric Clapton) or Fade to Black (Metallica)
For those denying that Covid-19 is deadly or has lasting or long term effects: In My Time of Dying (Led Zeppelin)
For being a b*tch when things don't go your way: Rich Girl (Hall and Oates)
I specifically chose older songs because a good number of the karens (and the kens) are older and not listening to rap or hiphop. I know there must be a ton of good songs by rap and hiphop artists and I wish I had a better knowledge of them. Now I have to go make a playlist that makes me happy.
Be safe, be courteous, be good to yourself.
