Rebecca Klempner's Blog, page 16

Switching from the Pressure Cooker to the Crock-Pot: A (much needed) break

Whew!

At this point last week, I had three looming deadlinesahead: a short story each for Binyan and for Binah BeTween, and my next batch of episodes for Glixman in a Fix, the serial currently running in Binah BeTween.I was feeling stressed out not just because these items needed to be in by this week, but by a whole string of deadlines, pretty much constant ones for months on end.

The Pressure Cooker

I had first drafts for both stories already written, and an outline to base the serial chapters...

Let’s take a moment to break for poetry

Sorry for the sparse posts in recent weeks. Things have been a little crazy ’round here. I took a trip up to the Bay area to see my sister, came home and got a burn on my dominant hand that was serious enough to send me to the ER in the back of an ambulance (I hope to share a personal essay with my readers about that experience soon). Thank G-d, I’m now on the mend and in the midst of several deadlines.

But just to let y’all know I haven’t forgotten you, I’m going to share a piece of poetry I...

Three in one shot!

Readers ofBinahthis week will see a lot of me.

This week’sBinah Magazinecontains three pieces by yours truly:

My regular episode ofGlixman in a FixinsideBinah BeTween
A stand alone for tweens and teens in the same supplement, entitled “A Sweet Find”
A personal essay in the main magazine, called “Hitting the Road.”

“A Sweet Find” was inspired by the antics of my grandmother, may she live to 120. She’s one of those people who saves things, and has been digging through her treasures a lot recently. A...

This week’s accomplishment: My First Publication in 2nd Person…sort of

Writing fiction in second person point of view is one of those fancy tricks that many people attempt, but few people pull off. I’ve always wanted to do it, but my first severaltries sounded stilted and like I was trying too hard.

But this week’s Binyan (inside Hamodia)contains the first story where I think I pulled it off. I think that part of what makes it work is that it combines the first and second person. Let me explain.

I wrote the story as an interview, where the reader only is privy to...

Analysis: My first writing workshop for adults

Along with writing and editing, I’ve coached writers one-on-one off-and-on for the last couple years.I’ve presentedwriting workshops and made authorvisits to groups even longer than that, but those groups always consisted of schoolchildren. Yesterday, for the first time, I combined the two and taught a writing workshop for fledgling writers aged 15 and up. Actual grown-ups attended!

The Crash Course

Since my greatest area of expertise is writing for tots, tweens, and teens, I decided to offer a...

Still need a daisy? 6 years of Raizy

My picture book, A Dozen Daisies for Raizy, has now been out for six years. With Shavuos just around the corner, I know that parents and teachers will be teaching about the holiday –some using my book, some not — and I thought I’d provide a few links to help them.

Creative Jewish Mom posted a beautiful Mt. Sinai project that looks a lot like the page where Raizy imagines her flowers on Har Sinai. I’ve done something similar before where we painted the mountain, then — after the paint dried — w...

Writing a serial: Nickel and dime-ing your way through fiction publishing

On the way to pick up one of my kids at school on Friday afternoon, one of the other moms pulled me aside.

“We’re really enjoying your new serial in Binah,” she said.

I got a little extra bounce in my step. “Thanks!”

“But getting just one chapter a week is driving us crazy! It’s so hard to wait for the next one!’ she added.

“Sorry!” I replied.

There really isn’t anything I can do to help her, but I feel her pain. Usually, I’m thereaderthrowing my arms up in frustration at the end of a serial episo...

You’ve got to be a reader to raise a reader: My take on recent research on teens and reading

Common Sense Media recently issued a reportabout kids and teens and their reading habits.The four principal findings (I’m going to quote CSN directly) were these:

Reading rates have dropped precipitously among adolescents.
Reading achievement among older teens has stagnated.
There’s a persistent gap in reading scores between white, black, and Latino kids.
There’s also a gender gap in reading across ages.

The NY Times and NPR are both aghast at the findings, but their responses focused more on the...

Reading a great book? Do you get that “Can’t put it down” feeling?

I’m not writing a long post tonight, because I’m reading an outstanding book I’ve wanted to read for a long time. I plan to curl up in bed with it shortly.It’s been a while since I’ve had that “can’t put it down” feeling, so I’m going to indulge it.

Anybody want to share what books have recently (or not-so-recently) given them the “can’t put it down” feeling?

An interview with author Batya Ruddell

Today, I have the pleasure of sharing with you another interview. In this post, you’ll meet the funny, talented Batya Ruddell. For those of you who read Binah Magazine or Hamodia, her name will certainly be familiar. Batya is one of the foremost writers in the Hareidi world today, and her work is beloved both by readers and other writers. Next week, she’ll be presenting at the Jerusalem Writers’ Conference, and this week, she’s answered a few questions for me via email.
RK:How long have you be...