Sarah Aronson's Blog, page 7

Good morning to all

It’s hard not to be affected by all the bad news in the world. The last few days, I’ve found it hard to sleep and concentrate.

Terrorism. Guns. Political rhetoric. The news is filled with sad stories. There is less daylight. Almost everyone I know has a cold.

A few things have helped. My class, for one. The writers work so hard. They inspire me so much. My editorial notes. The Worst Fairy Godmother Ever makes me so happy. Also reading about spontaneous acts of good will, like the one Naomi Shihab Nye writes about in Gate A-4.

So I decided to a tiny something to help battle pessimism in my neighborhood. Yesterday, as I walked to work, I went out of my way to say “Good morning,” to every single person I saw.

(My walk is a little more of a mile, through neighborhoods to my office at Northwestern University. Usually, I use my walk as a sort of moving meditation. I turn off my phone and walk silently, and usually end up with a few good ideas for my WIP.)

But today, I kept my head high.

At first, it wasn’t hard. I live between two elementary schools, so the first people I saw were grandmothers with babies in strollers (Note: grandmothers with babies ALWAYS say hello with a beautiful smile), and mothers and fathers chasing young children to the school’s playground. They were easy, too. But as I walked toward the center of town, the people I said hello weren’t all like me. They were old, young. All races. All genders. (I LOVE Evanston!!!)

The best things happened.

I got a lot of smiles. A lot of “And a good morning to you.” One guy shook my hand. Another bought me a coffee. One young guy took his earbuds out to ask me what I had said.

“Just good morning.” I smiled. (A little sheepishly.)

“Oh cool,” He said. “Good morning!” He gave me a thumbs up, before walking away.

As I continued to greet people, others could hear me. Some said, “Good morning,” to me first. I also heard others saying Good Morning to other people. It was sort of contagious.

 

I know that simply saying, “Good morning” isn’t enough to change the world. But it is a start. It is a way to begin knowing the people in your community. It is a way of saying that you are ready to listen.

I don’t think I’m alone in this. I think there are a lot of people in our world who would like to stop the shouting. I think it is our responsibility to try.

Timely and timeless

 

“I learned a long time ago that life introduces young people to situations they are in no way prepared for, even good girls, lucky girls who want for nothing. Sometimes, when you least expect it, you become the girl in the woods. You lose your name because another one is forced on you. You think you are alone until you find books about girls like you. Salvation is certainly among the reasons I read. Reading and writing have always pulled me out of the darkest experiences in my life. Stories have given me a place in which to lose myself. They have allowed me to remember. They have allowed me to forget. They have allowed me to imagine different endings and better possible worlds.”

― Roxane Gay, Bad Feminist: Essays

Dear Writers,

Salvation is a good reason to read. It’s also a good reason to write. This week, at the Chicago Humanities Festival, I was lucky enough to hear three great writers speak: Jacqueline Woodson, Salman Rushdie, and Roxane Gay.

In response to a question about writing and submitting, Roxane’s advice: “Write stories that are timely and timeless.”

Wow, I just love that. Thank you, Roxane.

It’s funny, but in one way or another, this was a theme. Salman Rushdie asked, “How do ordinary people respond when they are faced with the extraordinary?”

(In the margin of my notebook, I wrote: sometimes, not so well. Sometimes, better than expected.)

Human reactions: TIMELY and TIMELESS.

Jacqueline Woodson talked about her family. About love and yearning and how the book HAD to be written in free verse because it was like music. And life. There needed to be space between the words.

Family. Love. Conflict. TIMELY and TIMELESS.

I went home and looked at my WIP and my revision notes. Did my story seem timely? Timeless? Neither? I began to take notes. About my characters’ very human reactions to conflict and bad news. I thought about why they are behaving in such flawed ways. Of course, I came back to the first question I always ask:

What do they want?

And then I laughed.

What is more timely and timeless than desire????

Are you ready to stretch??????

Are you trying to write something timely? Something that reflects on culture RIGHT NOW? Are you veering too far to TIMELESS, and perhaps falling into (my favorite pitfall), didactic mode?

Find the scene where your character’s true heart is revealed, where what he or she wants cannot be disguised at all.  Where they act purposely to get what they want. Look for seeds that can help you think more about this idea: timely and timeless. What are you saying about now? What are you saying about the human condition always?

Have a great writing week!

xos

Like this post? This is what I do every week in my newsletter, Monday Motivation. It’s free. Sometimes it’s really great. Sometimes, not so much. But it always honors the process of writing. Find it on my website under TIPS. 

Why THIS retreat?

Tomorrow is registration day for the Writing Novels for Young People Retreat at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

(insert: squeal!!!!)

This weekend is one of my favorites of the year. Why? This retreat, unlike many retreats, focuses solely on CRAFT. Although we invite an editor, there is no talk of markets or trends or deals. In other words: it’s what I call a safe place. Dedicated to creativity. The goal: to dig deep. To find seeds. To explore writing. To talk and think and most of all, be INSPIRED. To reconnect with or find your tribe.

What is it like?

For some, it’s an introduction to VCFA. For others, a mini residency or post graduate enrichment. For others: the moment you figure out why you are a writer.

I call it magic. 

The second I get to campus, I feel different. It’s like inspiration KNOWS there will be takers here. So she visits . . . and hangs around. As the weekend progresses, I watch the lightbulbs turn ON. To BRIGHT.

How does that happen?

Call it the VCFA way. During the weekend, there are lectures. If you like, there is writing time. If you need more feedback, there are workshops. Enroll in a workshop and you get a bonus: a one on one consultation with one of our guests. This year, Carolyn Coman and Martine Leavitt are coming. Micol Ostow, our alumni lecturer, will also be leading a brand new guided workshop. And editor Laura Schrieber will give us a peek into HER process. (One on one sessions with Laura are limited! Act fast if this is important to you.) My favorite part of the weekend is Saturday night. In part, because we eat PIZZA. But mostly because everyone reads two pages. THIS is magic, too. When you read, you are declaring to the world, I AM A WRITER.

There is nothing more important than that.

So, if this sounds like something you need, PLEASE REGISTER. Our lectures are geared for writers who are advanced. That means: you have an MFA. Or are published. Or have finished a manuscript and have revised it. You’ve been at it for a while and know you need a spark. Or it means: you want more. You want to study. You are ready. You want inspiration.

This is not the only place to find it, but it’s one place.

The weekend takes place: March 18-20, 2016. You can come early on Thursday.

It’s always a WONDERFUL weekend.

xo sarah

From the newsletter: Tennis and Writing

“You gotta be willing to fail… if you’re afraid of failing, you won’t get very far.” Steve Jobs 

“There is no such thing as failure — failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.” –Oprah Winfrey

Dear Writers,

Did you enjoy the US Open? I r did (although I was really sad that Serena and Rogelost!!) Do you love a champion? Or are you all about the underdog? Were you sitting on the edge of your seat when Donald Young came from two sets down? When Vinci beat Serena?

As I watched, I couldn’t help thinking about how tennis was like writing. I imagined what it was like to be alone in the middle of Arthur Ashe Stadium.  I thought about the pressure to succeed, how whether I was up or down, the need to do my best would be high.

I listened to the crowd cheer their favorites, especially Young, when he was down two sets. Everyone LOVES an underdog, a comeback performance. In some ways, the player/performer who “rises from the ashes” is the quintessential American hero. We love a person who makes the most of her second chance.

So, essentially, we like people who have failed.  At least once. We admire people who climb their way to the top…from the bottom.

I don’t need to tell you that failure is something every writer learns about at one point or another. There is no avoiding it. Ideas that seem fantastic seem banal on the page. Manuscripts get rejected. Books get bad reviews. 

The archetype demands that we  keep pushing, keep working, find the momentum and SOAR. We have to go for it!  

So is that all there is? Is tennis just an excuse to talk about failure?

Not at all.

As I watched the matches, I saw something else: the players that risked the most, won the most, too. The players that skid and slid and fell and TOOK CHANCES were also the ones hitting winners. Do you remember watching tennis before every player grunted? I do. Do you remember when we didn’t think that was appropriate?

I LOVE the effort on display in tennis. I love watching the athletes all alone on the stage. I am inspired by their effort.

As Arthur Ashe said: Success is a journey, not a destination. 

As writers, of course, we get this journey idea. We know we must all take chances. We must trust that those chances and risks might pan out, even when, at the same time, we can be pretty sure that many of them won’t. The problem is: we can’t know unless we try. An idea not put to paper is just an idea. Once we get writing, maybe…just maybe….we will succeed.

Are you ready to hit some aces???? 

Let’s take another lesson from Arthur Ashe: Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

This week, commit to getting up and first thing…before coffee or conversation or any social media;….take out a pencil and paper and WRITE. Don’t think. Don’t worry about logic. Think of this like Serena’s tennis warm-up. Or Donald Young’s comeback. Show up. Start hitting balls. Get some lines on the paper without worry of failure or product. 

When you are done, you will have given yourself a running start to your day. You will have some momentum. It is so much easier to take risks when it is just practice…or for fun. 

Have a great writing week! 

xos

My letter to Bethany House

Dear Bethany House,

 

I want to tell you a little bit about what it has been like growing up Jewish in America.

 

When I was in first grade, the crossing guard (a sixth grader) wouldn’t let me cross the street until the bell rang. His reason: Jews cross last.

 

When I was in High school, Young Life advisors told my friends not to hang out with me, since I was going to Hell and would drag them down with me.

 

Men threw rocks at me as I walked with other kids in an Israeli Independence Day Parade.

 

I have been asked:

Where do you hide your horns?

Why is your house so dark?

Why don’t you celebrate Christmas? Do your parents not love you?

Why did your people kill Jesus?

Why do our children have to read Anne Frank’s Diary? Or Night? Why do they have to be exposed to all that Jewish history?

Could Jews responsible for 911?

 

About ten years ago, I believe I read an excerpt of For Such A Time in an online group. In my critique, I urged the writer that there could not be a credible romance between a Jewish prisoner and a Nazi commander. That this would be rape at best. That no Jew would yearn for a Nazi. That even if they saw some spark of humanity, that this story was not yearning to be written. If there is ONE statement we can all agree on, it’s that Nazis don’t belong in romances. Then I left the group. The concept sickened me that much.

 

Of course, I also believed that such a book, no matter how well written and researched, would ever find a publisher, especially Bethany House, a publisher I have always admired.

 

Stories are most powerful when they create discussion. As a writer who sometimes delves into themes that include faith and religion, I know that there is no way to offend no one. But I also believe that there are some things too terrible to toy with. Although I believe that most Christians would join me in scoffing at this premise, there will be many people that will use the story to discount the existence of the Holocaust. There will be others who will use it to justify statements about Jews that are hurtful. There will be a lot of people who will see this book as validation for feelings of racism and Anti Semitism.

 

You are a Christian publisher.

 

In publishing and celebrating this book, I believe you have done harm.

Sincerely,

 

Sarah Aronson

 

 

From the newsletter: Dream, Dream, Dream

Stop telling yourself that dreams don’t matter, that they are only dreams and that you should be more sensible.”

~Julia Cameron

Dear Writers,

Over the past five nights, I’ve been waking up to the same dream. It starts with me finding out that I’ve been cast in an opera. The show is hours away from opening, and yet, I don’t know ANY of my lines. I have had dreams like this before–I call them “imposter” dreams, but this one has been interesting, because in my dream, I am not worried. I put on a headset and listen to my part. I sing along. Although everyone around me is FREAKING OUT, I am as cool as a cucumber! I feel that I am prepared (even though I am clearly not).

When I woke up (for the fifth night in a row) just as I was going on stage, I started thinking about dreaming and how it relates to creativity and writing. I was very sure I was not the first writer to ponder this connection.

Here is Stephen King from ON WRITING:

In both writing and sleeping, we learn to be physically still at the same time we are encouraging our minds to unlock from the humdrum rational thinking of our daytime lives. And as your mind and body grow accustomed to a certain amount of sleep each night — six hours, seven, maybe the recommended eight — so can you train your waking mind to sleep creatively and work out the vividly imagined waking dreams which are successful works of fiction.

Cool. I buy that. I thought about my BEST writing routine–in other words, what I do when I am really IN THE ZONE.

I like to write in my office or in a comfy chair. Both spots are like a cocoon–and that helps me feel “dreamlike.” If I’m not quite there, I can encourage this state by drawing or reading poetry or reading some good writing advice or just by sitting down, butt in chair and retyping my last paragraph. Lately, I’ve been trying to write the second I get out of bed, even before coffee! I put pencil to paper before my brain is truly awake. It seems hard, but then coffee can become a reward.

And I am a very goal oriented writer!

But seriously, this idea–that writing is like dreaming–is not just King’s either. But in our crazy mixed up world, it is often associated with a lack of drive.

As children, we are urged not to daydream. As students and workers, we are rewarded for following rules. As writers, we often spend too much time thinking about product. In THE WAR OF ART, Stephen Pressfield urges the writer to overcome what he calls “resistance,” or what I’ll call “all the conscious excuses we have for not putting words on paper.”

Sometimes, we all need a little bit of dreaming and procrastination to be able to find a story.

Writers, dreams are wild. They are like wishes. They don’t always make sense. They are unstructured and seldom finished in one night and don’t always reveal themselves in one shot. In my case, after five nights of my silly opera dream, I let myself think about what it all meant to my characters, plots, themes, and settings that I’ve been wrestling with. As silly as my dreams were, they were helping me imagine the kind of emotions I wanted to write about next.

When Robert Olen Butler is starting a new book, he uses a technique called “dream storming.”

He writes:

I certainly don’t write outlines, taking that term to suggest a fixed, predetermined structure that inevitably leads to a resolution that I know beforehand. I do, however, have a system I call “dreamstorming” where I can free-associatively anticipate a wide range of possible paths for the book. Early in the process, I go into the zone of my creativity and make a long, long list of possible scenes in the book. These scenes are recorded very succinctly—no more than a dozen words—and I make no attempt at this stage to arrange them or structure them or even to resolve incompatibilities. Then I transfer these to index cards—one scene per card—and I lay out possible sequences. But those are done and redone numerous times, even during the writing of the book, and they never ossify into an outline.

So are you ready to DREAM, DREAM, DREAM????

Today, let’s try and enter that dream state before writing. FIRST, be still. Make sure you are in an environment that is conducive to DREAMING. To thinking. If you need some time, close your eyes. If you can’t write first thing in the morning, start with a quiet walk. Or meditate. Simulate that dreamlike imagination during your writing hours. (So yeah, turn off that wifi!!!) Let your imagination go.

Then write. OR dream storm. Write what you yearn for, the very secrets that sometimes, we are only willing to confront when we dream.

Have a great writing week!

xo sarah

My 99th newsletter!!!!!

Dear Writers,

So, this past weekend, I did not go to NESCBWI’s annual conference. But I did catch a few tweets about it. And here was my favorite:

Dan Santat says, “The key to finding your voice is to LIVE LIFE.”

How many ways can I say YES??? and THANK YOU! How many ways can I shake my pompoms in agreement?

Live life.

This is really the first job of the writer.

It’s funny, because, during this week’s Skype visits with sixth grade student, they asked a question that offered me a chance to talk about this very topic.

Where do you find inspiration?

What do you need to do to become a writer?

My advice?

Everywhere!

Try everything!

in other words:

Live life. 

I got into it AGAIN (proving that ideas fly in the air) when a fellow writer asked me about momentum–and sustaining her career–and possibly, what I was doing wrong.

She asked: how fast do you need to get your next book out? Do I need a book a year? What if I can’t do it?

We are all so nervous about product. But that’s not the part of the writing life we can control.

I want to make an oasis for people who are not as worried about their production as they are about creating the best books possible. Look, we ALL go through slumps. We ALL get told NO. We all worry that readers will forget us. Or even worse, that editors will. And let’s not even talk about the market!!!

But we also know that if we keep working and digging and discovering, we will find a great story.

And I believe that a great story will always EVENTUALLY find a home. And readers. Even if that means taking your time.

And living life.

What choice do we really have? This is how we find stories and characters and voice in the first place. And THAT is what makes people fall in love with our books.

It’s when I am out in the world walking/talking/observing/discussing that I find the seeds to a future story. It’s when I am living in real time that I find the most satisfaction that allows me to retreat to the cave and write it all down.

Ursula LeGuin says it best.

My mother died at eighty-three, of cancer, in pain, her spleen enlarged so that her body was misshapen. Is that the person I see when I think of her? Sometimes. I wish it were not. It is a true image, yet it blurs, it clouds, a truer image. It is one memory among fifty years of memories of my mother. It is the last in time. Beneath it, behind it is a deeper, complex, ever-changing image, made from imagination, hearsay, photographs, memories. I see a little red-haired child in the mountains of Colorado, a sad-faced, delicate college girl, a kind, smiling young mother, a brilliantly intellectual woman, a peerless flirt, a serious artist, a splendid cook—I see her rocking, weeding, writing, laughing — I see the turquoise bracelets on her delicate, freckled arm — I see, for a moment, all that at once, I glimpse what no mirror can reflect, the spirit flashing out across the years, beautiful.

That must be what the great artists see and paint. That must be why the tired, aged faces in Rembrandt’s portraits give us such delight: they show us beauty not skin-deep but life-deep.

Are you ready to stretch????

So this week I wonder if maybe you might want to get away from that computer? Go out and listen. And talk. And run. And visit. And get excited about something. Volunteer. Make a new kind of art.

Go do something crazy that helps your process! Pick a new writing spot. Or take a day off. Or call an old friend. Or do something you have never done before. Talk to people you don’t normally talk to.

Live a little!

Then write!

xos

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Goodbye 2014!

So, one of the funny things about having a blog and newsletter is being able to go back and see how I did. 

For the record, these were my goals for 2014:

Maintain balance. Some writing. Some fun. Some teaching. Some learning. Some salad. Some chocolate.

Get that new idea on the page. I have two discovery drafts and one loosely formed idea sitting in a drawer. I need to make up my mind and go!

Volunteer for something to make my local community stronger. On a regular basis. Make a difference.

Send cards and gifts on time. YES. This may seem like a gimme to some, but in my family, it’s a big deal. I am going to ignore my genetic disposition, stop making excuses, and put things in the mail!

Laugh more. Make more time with family and friends. 

More yoga, if possible, too. Because it makes me feel great and puts everything else into perspective. 

So, I think I did okay.

I taught. I worked at Northwestern. I revised TWO of my ideas and I took both to a new level. One has had great rejections and some close calls, plus lots of feedback. (Rough but the jury isn’t done yet!!!) The other will get to the agent soon. I also wrote two picture books (one didactic, one needs an ending) and started a nonfiction project. 

I volunteered at my synagogue. 

I laughed a lot, and if I didn’t do MORE yoga (thanks to a bum shoulder), I have been in the gym! 

Also: THE KIDS ARE DOING GREAT.

Sadly, I still hate going to the post office and have once again sent NO holiday card. My kids get coupons for the holidays. I have just finished wrapping holiday gifts for co-workers. Sigh. Maybe next year. Or maybe everyone can simply give me some slack. 

I feel really great about 2015! I have one last discovery draft to deal with plus a blazing hot new idea to play with. I have two graduations and a wedding this spring, Highlights in August, VCFA in March, and KW in Feb. That’s a pretty good head start on fabulous.

I feel humble and lucky! I LOVE working with writers, and I am so happy when writers who read my newsletter send me a note. Happy New Year!!!

Eat more chocolate.

Let our New Year’s resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word.
-Goran Perrson
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.
-Abraham Lincoln

Happy Happy!!!!! It’s that time of year!
This week, many of us will make New Year’s Resolutions! (I LOVE LOVE LOVE setting goals. I evaluate them at least every 6 months.)

No joke (sort of): My first resolution is ALWAYS to eat more chocolate. (And I am always successful!!! Shocking, right??!!!)

Here are a few more serious resolutions that have worked for me:

1. Make time for writing…even five minutes a day. 

Do you have a full time job? Small kids at home? Other responsibilities? Then don’t make a resolution to write 5,000 words a day. That will only get you down. Instead: be realistic. Make a promise to write 2 pages a day. Or nine lines! Commit to a time of day when you can realistically sit down and get some words on paper. Your job is to write. And READ. You will be surprised how fast consistency pays off.

2. Keep a journal. Not a diary. A writing journal. This will help you know what works for you….and what doesn’t. (Silence works for me. Silence and writing in the morning.) Perhaps you write more after a walk. Or yoga. Or in a coffee shop. Or you hate noise. Or you can’t write until the dishes are done. The writing journal can help you know yourself. That is a priceless gift.

3. Try a new genre. 

Tired of your manuscripts? Stuck shuffling words? Try a new genre. With lower expectations, a new genre can help you break free of writer’s block.

4. TAKE A CLASS. With me!!!! I’d love it!!!! Or someone else! (I won’t be insulted!!!) There’s nothing better than talking about the craft. Plus: a new set of eyes will help you get a handle on a new revision.

5. The business of writing can be overwhelming, so take joy in your work. Be easier on yourself. Celebrate all your milestones. Thank yourself for accomplishing something that most people only talk about. Know that there are readers out there who need your stories. And if you need a pat on the back, know you are not alone. I have loved hearing from so many of you this year! It really helps my process to know that these posts are motivating.

So STRETCH and make those resolutions! Make a commitment to your writing. Share it with your family, so they can help you make this the best year yet.

I can’t help but believe this will be a magical year.

Now…..Throw confetti!!!!! 

xoxox sarah

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100 page party soup

Every time I get to page 100 of a draft, I make this soup. Since I’m getting close to that magical page, let’s start cooking!!! (Also: my recipe cards are filthy, and I love this recipe so much…I need to preserve it.)

Seasoning Mix:

1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ancho chili pepper
3/4 tsp garlic powder
black pepper to taste

2 T butter

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 stalks lemongrass, chopped

2 tsp fresh garlic, chopped

2 tsp fresh serrano chili peppers

4 T lemon juice

2 T lime juice

3 T fish sauce (I make mine by combining garlic, sugar, lime, 1 cup water and 3 T fish sauce from the store)

4 cups chicken stock

1/2  lb each of shrimp, scallops, salmon and squid

cilantro and your choice of sliced vegees (I like zucchini, red pepper, and some onion)

Directions:

Combine seasoning mix. Melt butter over high heat. When sizzling, add mushrooms, lemongrass, garlic, serranos and mix. Cook until it sticks, then add juices and fish sauce. Cook five minutes, then add stock. Bring to a boil and add fish and cilantro. Sometimes, I’ll dump some noodles into each bowl. Or some raw bean sprouts.

Enjoy!