Dawn Metcalf's Blog, page 30
April 23, 2012
Thanks to NESCBWI for Keeping It Real!
It's almost impossible to capture the feeling of NESCBWI. Try to imagine a giant roomful of the best writer friends you've ever had who you happen not to have met yet. Now add speakers whose books you admire and whose words you adore, who want nothing more than to give back to their community, who know what it's like to struggle and persevere. These are the expert's experts who will stand at the podium, share their passion and their laughter and then invite you to come find them in the hall to ask anything you want. They're here for you. We're all here for you.
Yes, you.
Okay, I don't want to make it sound like an entire experience of writerly kumbaya but yeah, it kinda is. (Although after a bunch of years, it feels more like Cheers, where everybody knows your name...I aspire to being Carla.)
If you don't know what this is...um...*sigh* Netflix.
I managed to miss the anniversary celebration last year due to not signing up before the entire thing sold out so I knew better this year. I convinced my friend Heather to come check it out and had the most fun reliving my first NESCBWI experience by seeing it through her eyes: people were really nice and everyone was genuinely in the spirit of Paying It Forward, from the speakers to the hotel staff to the volunteers--even the door prizes were giveaways with the instruction to keep one book and give the other one away to a total stranger at your table.
The stars of our inspiration: Frog & Toad
Generosity was the keyword for me this weekend. Sara Zarr's keynote speech was incredibly engaging, nostalgic and real, and her "Charm School" session is something that should be made into a pocket-sized book and carried around, dog-eared and highlighted, by every writer everywhere. Jo Knowles always inspires me, prompting good writing and laughs, and it never ceases to amaze me how such a smiley person's stories never fail to make me hurt (a good hurt, because I care so much about her characters)! Kate Messner shared her incredible TED Talk that asked the most important question "What If...?" to the world and provided avenues of consideration that I couldn't *wait* to run home and share with my daughter. ("How would you like to join other kids in saving the world?" Check out here and here!) Her intense session on revision was the most complete and inspirational that I'd ever seen.
Our hope for the future looks like this. Thanks to kqued.org for the pic!
Linda Urban and Cynthia Lord shared their real, heartfelt experiences about writing that second book after their first exceeded all expectations. Mitali Perkins is always my favorite speaker, appropriately taking on the power of dialogue, transforming how I think about the spoken word when it's embodied as the written word. Lisa Papademetriou never fails to blow my mind; she nailed what it's like being stuck and getting unstuck and does so with straight-talk and wry humor. Sarah Darer Littman was honest and emotive. Cindy Faughnan was funny and generous. And everyone and their crit partner referenced Twyla Tharp's book, THE CREATIVE HABIT.
And then there was the incomparable Jane Yolen sharing another gift (a midlist authors grant!), a last good-bye, and then it was over.
They gave these gifts held out in both hands and nothing in the world is better than seeing eyes light up because the receivers know they've been given something genuinely precious.
Thank you, NESCBWI, for another phenomenal conference this year!
Official adorable banner was made by my incredibly talented friend (whom I met at NESCBWI 6 years ago), Jennifer Carson
Yes, you.
Okay, I don't want to make it sound like an entire experience of writerly kumbaya but yeah, it kinda is. (Although after a bunch of years, it feels more like Cheers, where everybody knows your name...I aspire to being Carla.)
If you don't know what this is...um...*sigh* Netflix.
I managed to miss the anniversary celebration last year due to not signing up before the entire thing sold out so I knew better this year. I convinced my friend Heather to come check it out and had the most fun reliving my first NESCBWI experience by seeing it through her eyes: people were really nice and everyone was genuinely in the spirit of Paying It Forward, from the speakers to the hotel staff to the volunteers--even the door prizes were giveaways with the instruction to keep one book and give the other one away to a total stranger at your table.
The stars of our inspiration: Frog & Toad
Generosity was the keyword for me this weekend. Sara Zarr's keynote speech was incredibly engaging, nostalgic and real, and her "Charm School" session is something that should be made into a pocket-sized book and carried around, dog-eared and highlighted, by every writer everywhere. Jo Knowles always inspires me, prompting good writing and laughs, and it never ceases to amaze me how such a smiley person's stories never fail to make me hurt (a good hurt, because I care so much about her characters)! Kate Messner shared her incredible TED Talk that asked the most important question "What If...?" to the world and provided avenues of consideration that I couldn't *wait* to run home and share with my daughter. ("How would you like to join other kids in saving the world?" Check out here and here!) Her intense session on revision was the most complete and inspirational that I'd ever seen.
Our hope for the future looks like this. Thanks to kqued.org for the pic!
Linda Urban and Cynthia Lord shared their real, heartfelt experiences about writing that second book after their first exceeded all expectations. Mitali Perkins is always my favorite speaker, appropriately taking on the power of dialogue, transforming how I think about the spoken word when it's embodied as the written word. Lisa Papademetriou never fails to blow my mind; she nailed what it's like being stuck and getting unstuck and does so with straight-talk and wry humor. Sarah Darer Littman was honest and emotive. Cindy Faughnan was funny and generous. And everyone and their crit partner referenced Twyla Tharp's book, THE CREATIVE HABIT.
And then there was the incomparable Jane Yolen sharing another gift (a midlist authors grant!), a last good-bye, and then it was over.
They gave these gifts held out in both hands and nothing in the world is better than seeing eyes light up because the receivers know they've been given something genuinely precious.
Thank you, NESCBWI, for another phenomenal conference this year!
Official adorable banner was made by my incredibly talented friend (whom I met at NESCBWI 6 years ago), Jennifer Carson
April 18, 2012
This One's for the Girls: Booklist & Contest
I read this post by Mur Lafferty, a letter to her daughter about the fact that being "a girl" is considered one of the worst insults in the English language and as a mother of a pretty remarkable little girl, yeah, I get it.
It's hard enough to raise functional, happy, healthy members of society without the added benefit of having the world judge them inferior for any reason--from their skin color to their use of limbs to their interior plumbing--but as a mother, I totally agree with Mur that the best way to beat 'em is to show 'em how wrong they really are by being the amazing person they are, no matter what. As a mother who happens also to be a writer, I think about the books I can offer her. From Protector of the Small to Judy Moody to Frankie Landau Banks to (my own little gal's current biography project) real gals in the real world like Golda Meir. I want my little girl to know that she can be ANYTHING and totally rock it, too.
So let's open this up to smart people: what books would YOU recommend to the girls in your life? Plunk them in the comments and share the love because you never know what book can change someone's life! And, just for the heck of it, I'll pick a contributor to the comments and announce a winner on Wednesday, April 25th and send them a prize To Be Determined Later, but I promise it'll be good!
1) Comment with your favorite books for fallopian-tubed folks below.
2) Next week, you could earn a prize!
3) Open internationally, tell everyone because the more the merrier!
P.S. Thank you from the moms of the world.
It's hard enough to raise functional, happy, healthy members of society without the added benefit of having the world judge them inferior for any reason--from their skin color to their use of limbs to their interior plumbing--but as a mother, I totally agree with Mur that the best way to beat 'em is to show 'em how wrong they really are by being the amazing person they are, no matter what. As a mother who happens also to be a writer, I think about the books I can offer her. From Protector of the Small to Judy Moody to Frankie Landau Banks to (my own little gal's current biography project) real gals in the real world like Golda Meir. I want my little girl to know that she can be ANYTHING and totally rock it, too.
So let's open this up to smart people: what books would YOU recommend to the girls in your life? Plunk them in the comments and share the love because you never know what book can change someone's life! And, just for the heck of it, I'll pick a contributor to the comments and announce a winner on Wednesday, April 25th and send them a prize To Be Determined Later, but I promise it'll be good!
1) Comment with your favorite books for fallopian-tubed folks below.
2) Next week, you could earn a prize!
3) Open internationally, tell everyone because the more the merrier!
P.S. Thank you from the moms of the world.
April 16, 2012
The Three Stages
I am going through the three stages of a relationship with my manuscript.
You know how it is. At first, everything is beautiful: your baby idea, this germ of a book, is without a doubt your BEST IDEA EVER!!! Every world is a pearl of perfection, there are turns of phrases that could make you weep, and it's coming so *easily*--were you ever stuck before? Ha! That was when you were a naïve young thing and knew no better. You are simply in love with the characters and the story and the world. You are one with the Muse. You are a writing machine. You, my friend, are a Super Genius! You coo to yourself using the monitor as a mirror. Narcissus never saw such a lovely thing as this. O, to be a writer in love!
This is the Honeymoon Period and it never lasts.
Much like the first time your Significant Other stops blaming the smell on the dog, there is a day when we realize that the object of our love isn't 100% perfect. There are things that aren't exactly as rosy as we thought and those small quirks and idiosyncrasies that we first thought of as precious and cute and getting distracting... In fact, to be perfectly honest, they're downright annoying. Rest assured, we still love the story and the characters but this idea that looked good through the frosted lens of our future vision has zoomed in close to reveal pockmarks, some ear hair, and a bad case of acne. There's this one scene that just isn't working and there's always at least one character who isn't doing what they're supposed to and wants to steal the show. We're now starting to sweat at the keyboard, grumbling and hitting the 'delete' key with more force. Grumbling turns to cursing. We have to buy some new red pens and a pack of colored index cards. We surprise ourselves by admitting to a close friend that we're starting to "hate" the manuscript. How did this happen?! There's a few calls in veiled panic to critique partners or our agent, just to check your sanity. Perhaps you were fooling yourself? Maybe this was actually a bad idea all along? Maybe you're about as talented as the ficus plant in the corner gathering dust on its leaves--c'mon, the thing hasn't produced a good piece of writing in years! This is starting to look bad.
This is the Power Struggle, the Disillusionment Phase, and it always lasts far longer than it should.
But remember: this is NORMAL. It's a stage that everyone goes through and if you're lucky enough to weather through the Catch-22 cycle of being an artist (the Cliff's Notes version here), you can make it out of the darkness into the light. Every good relationship worth its salt is proven here! You wrestle with your personal demons and the media to which you've chained yourself, slaughtered defenseless darlings in fits of pique and, in some cases, started over from scratch; but with the help of long nights and friends (and editors!) who pat your shoulder and try not to roll their eyes, what emerges is a more humbling, real story--the heart of the one you *meant* to tell but had to slog through all the stuff you thought was the story first and now can see it for what it really is: something real and human, with all its flaws and beauty, and scattered bits of brilliance that speak to you and people like you. It's not an airbrushed glossy photo: it's better because it's honest.
This is the Ultimate Joy: Acceptance. May you enjoy this stage as long as you can! Because once the first draft is finally complete, it's a quick hop and a jump back to Stage One--Rapture! I'm done! This is brilliant!--and you're at it again.
Welcome to being a writer! Have some chocolate.
You know how it is. At first, everything is beautiful: your baby idea, this germ of a book, is without a doubt your BEST IDEA EVER!!! Every world is a pearl of perfection, there are turns of phrases that could make you weep, and it's coming so *easily*--were you ever stuck before? Ha! That was when you were a naïve young thing and knew no better. You are simply in love with the characters and the story and the world. You are one with the Muse. You are a writing machine. You, my friend, are a Super Genius! You coo to yourself using the monitor as a mirror. Narcissus never saw such a lovely thing as this. O, to be a writer in love!
This is the Honeymoon Period and it never lasts.
Much like the first time your Significant Other stops blaming the smell on the dog, there is a day when we realize that the object of our love isn't 100% perfect. There are things that aren't exactly as rosy as we thought and those small quirks and idiosyncrasies that we first thought of as precious and cute and getting distracting... In fact, to be perfectly honest, they're downright annoying. Rest assured, we still love the story and the characters but this idea that looked good through the frosted lens of our future vision has zoomed in close to reveal pockmarks, some ear hair, and a bad case of acne. There's this one scene that just isn't working and there's always at least one character who isn't doing what they're supposed to and wants to steal the show. We're now starting to sweat at the keyboard, grumbling and hitting the 'delete' key with more force. Grumbling turns to cursing. We have to buy some new red pens and a pack of colored index cards. We surprise ourselves by admitting to a close friend that we're starting to "hate" the manuscript. How did this happen?! There's a few calls in veiled panic to critique partners or our agent, just to check your sanity. Perhaps you were fooling yourself? Maybe this was actually a bad idea all along? Maybe you're about as talented as the ficus plant in the corner gathering dust on its leaves--c'mon, the thing hasn't produced a good piece of writing in years! This is starting to look bad.
This is the Power Struggle, the Disillusionment Phase, and it always lasts far longer than it should.
But remember: this is NORMAL. It's a stage that everyone goes through and if you're lucky enough to weather through the Catch-22 cycle of being an artist (the Cliff's Notes version here), you can make it out of the darkness into the light. Every good relationship worth its salt is proven here! You wrestle with your personal demons and the media to which you've chained yourself, slaughtered defenseless darlings in fits of pique and, in some cases, started over from scratch; but with the help of long nights and friends (and editors!) who pat your shoulder and try not to roll their eyes, what emerges is a more humbling, real story--the heart of the one you *meant* to tell but had to slog through all the stuff you thought was the story first and now can see it for what it really is: something real and human, with all its flaws and beauty, and scattered bits of brilliance that speak to you and people like you. It's not an airbrushed glossy photo: it's better because it's honest.
This is the Ultimate Joy: Acceptance. May you enjoy this stage as long as you can! Because once the first draft is finally complete, it's a quick hop and a jump back to Stage One--Rapture! I'm done! This is brilliant!--and you're at it again.
Welcome to being a writer! Have some chocolate.
April 4, 2012
Highlights This Week
April Fool's Day - Sunday we had already scheduled our monthly Games Day, a ritual insanity whereby we invite hordes of people ad passels of kids to our house to play various board and card games together amidst reigning chaos plus soda and chips. Having this on April Fools day simply *begged* to be tampered, but while we came up with several ideas that were gross, surprising, thematic or generally hilarious, none of them really fit as "April Fools jokes" so we left off, figuring that since we're foolish most of the year, we'd take this one day off. I think waiting for the non-existent foot to drop is what threw people off the most!
Autism Awareness Day - Monday people wore their blue shirts and puzzle pieces out into the world to acknowledge autism, its people and their families affect by it. Honestly, I never thought about the world of "specialness" growing up, ("otherness" was mainly a term reserved for race or religious creed), and I thought Special Education was simply not a part of my world. (Of course there were plenty of kids who had disabilities or challenges at my school, but I didn't know them or meet them or interact with them in any way--I was so naive, I didn't even realize that I was naive!) The best thing we can give our young readers is those voices they may not have heard and to grant visibility to those who may be outside their blinders, open their eyes a little. Cynthia Lord's RULES is the best example of this, in my mind, because it talks about the neuro-typical sister dealing with her neuro-atypical brother. This is not the more palatable subjects of "Aspergers" or "a touch of autism," this is a family dealing with the socially-inappropriate and embarrassing screaming/self-hitting/selective memory kind of autism including the hours of therapy, training and focus that leaves the main character, Catherine, feeling outside and left out, wanting more than anything to have a friend. This, in my mind, is real.
See those stickers? Those awards are well-earned!
Passover/Pesach - Yet another Jewish holiday is on its way and my family is getting ready for the feast and the stories, the toys and the traditions and basically revving up to have a good time! Like many who don't live around their home towns, we time-share between families for the big holidays and I'm looking forward to spending time with my natal crew and their offspring (most likely springing off the adults, the couch, and one another in tumbles of glee). Sometimes folks around here marvel with sadness that my kids have never known the thrill of an egg hunt or had a picture with the fluffy Easter Bunny at the mall*. I try to assure them that my children have plenty of fun being pelted by toys at the dinner table representing the Plagues of Egypt, play with puppets and stuffed animals as we recite the four questions and the story of the Exodus, and delight in tearing up the house looking for the afikomen to bribe back to the grandparents for more sweets and toys (because we can't finish the dinner without it!)
I'm also looking forward to taking a break from writing and giving myself the gift of balance: enjoying family and nostalgia in the wake of hours at the computer. So I'm hoping to be offline and on task, chopping various vegetables and snick-snacking on charoset in the kitchen with my family for the next week or so. If I'm good, then I brought along my long-awaited copy of SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder to work on craft. (I'm really looking forward to this recommended read on screenwriting!)
This has been recommended to me over and over again. Like Scrivener and Tumblr. And look: kitties!
Wait...you don't know what charoset is? Oh! Well, well, well let's not leave without imparting some wisdom and calories! Traditional Ashkenazi charoset is made by shredding apples and adding cinnamon, walnuts, honey and sweet red wine together. Sure, it looks like the ancient mortar they made into bricks, but it tastes AMAZING! Now one thing I'll miss this year are the different charoset from around the world that often adorn my brother- & sister-in-law's table. I'm plunking two of their recipes here:
North African style Charoset:
20 dates
20 dried apricots
2 Jaffa oranges
1 c slivered almonds
2 T lemon juice
2 T sugar
2 t cinnamon
1/2 c sweet red wine
Zest the orange and set aside. Remove the white pith, cut the oranges into pieces. Chop dates, apricots, orange pieces & almonds in the food processor. Mix in orange zest and the rest of the ingredients. Chill. Yields 2-3 cups.
Venetian Charoseth (from The Jewish Holiday Kitchen by Joan Nathan)
1 1/2 c chestnut paste
10 oz dates, chopped
12 oz figs, chopped
2 T poppy seeds
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c chopped almonds
1/2 c chopped pine nuts
grated rind of one orange
1/2 c white raisins
1/4 c chopped dried apricots
1/2 c brandy
honey to bind
Combine all ingredients, gradually adding enough brandy and honey to make the mixture bind. YUM!
Enjoy! Freedom is best celebrated with family & friends!
* P.S. I secretly suspect my kids would view a giant Easter Bunny as something out of Donny Darko that would scar them for life. Ask me sometime about my daughter's first reaction to Santa visiting her preschool unannounced.
Autism Awareness Day - Monday people wore their blue shirts and puzzle pieces out into the world to acknowledge autism, its people and their families affect by it. Honestly, I never thought about the world of "specialness" growing up, ("otherness" was mainly a term reserved for race or religious creed), and I thought Special Education was simply not a part of my world. (Of course there were plenty of kids who had disabilities or challenges at my school, but I didn't know them or meet them or interact with them in any way--I was so naive, I didn't even realize that I was naive!) The best thing we can give our young readers is those voices they may not have heard and to grant visibility to those who may be outside their blinders, open their eyes a little. Cynthia Lord's RULES is the best example of this, in my mind, because it talks about the neuro-typical sister dealing with her neuro-atypical brother. This is not the more palatable subjects of "Aspergers" or "a touch of autism," this is a family dealing with the socially-inappropriate and embarrassing screaming/self-hitting/selective memory kind of autism including the hours of therapy, training and focus that leaves the main character, Catherine, feeling outside and left out, wanting more than anything to have a friend. This, in my mind, is real.
See those stickers? Those awards are well-earned!
Passover/Pesach - Yet another Jewish holiday is on its way and my family is getting ready for the feast and the stories, the toys and the traditions and basically revving up to have a good time! Like many who don't live around their home towns, we time-share between families for the big holidays and I'm looking forward to spending time with my natal crew and their offspring (most likely springing off the adults, the couch, and one another in tumbles of glee). Sometimes folks around here marvel with sadness that my kids have never known the thrill of an egg hunt or had a picture with the fluffy Easter Bunny at the mall*. I try to assure them that my children have plenty of fun being pelted by toys at the dinner table representing the Plagues of Egypt, play with puppets and stuffed animals as we recite the four questions and the story of the Exodus, and delight in tearing up the house looking for the afikomen to bribe back to the grandparents for more sweets and toys (because we can't finish the dinner without it!)
I'm also looking forward to taking a break from writing and giving myself the gift of balance: enjoying family and nostalgia in the wake of hours at the computer. So I'm hoping to be offline and on task, chopping various vegetables and snick-snacking on charoset in the kitchen with my family for the next week or so. If I'm good, then I brought along my long-awaited copy of SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder to work on craft. (I'm really looking forward to this recommended read on screenwriting!)
This has been recommended to me over and over again. Like Scrivener and Tumblr. And look: kitties!
Wait...you don't know what charoset is? Oh! Well, well, well let's not leave without imparting some wisdom and calories! Traditional Ashkenazi charoset is made by shredding apples and adding cinnamon, walnuts, honey and sweet red wine together. Sure, it looks like the ancient mortar they made into bricks, but it tastes AMAZING! Now one thing I'll miss this year are the different charoset from around the world that often adorn my brother- & sister-in-law's table. I'm plunking two of their recipes here:
North African style Charoset:
20 dates
20 dried apricots
2 Jaffa oranges
1 c slivered almonds
2 T lemon juice
2 T sugar
2 t cinnamon
1/2 c sweet red wine
Zest the orange and set aside. Remove the white pith, cut the oranges into pieces. Chop dates, apricots, orange pieces & almonds in the food processor. Mix in orange zest and the rest of the ingredients. Chill. Yields 2-3 cups.
Venetian Charoseth (from The Jewish Holiday Kitchen by Joan Nathan)
1 1/2 c chestnut paste
10 oz dates, chopped
12 oz figs, chopped
2 T poppy seeds
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c chopped almonds
1/2 c chopped pine nuts
grated rind of one orange
1/2 c white raisins
1/4 c chopped dried apricots
1/2 c brandy
honey to bind
Combine all ingredients, gradually adding enough brandy and honey to make the mixture bind. YUM!
Enjoy! Freedom is best celebrated with family & friends!
* P.S. I secretly suspect my kids would view a giant Easter Bunny as something out of Donny Darko that would scar them for life. Ask me sometime about my daughter's first reaction to Santa visiting her preschool unannounced.
March 29, 2012
The End of an Era
I know everyone's on right now about Katniss and the HUNGER GAMES movie (which I have not yet seen so have been ducking out of much of the online chatter in order to avoid spoilers; the eye-rolling reports around Rue's being African American--and this surprises people?--being one of those things that I'd very much like to avoid), but I am enraptured in another kind of heroine whose story is not so much beginning as ending.
Sort of, anyway.
To say that I've been a fan of the Parasol Protectorate would be an understatement. Gail Carriger managed to create a unique world that combined all the best smatterings of steampunk, history, fashion, humor, romance, paranormal fiction and wrap it all up in a neat epic journey of one preternatural amidst the English ton. I've delighted in the odd heresy of Alexia Tarrabotti's mere existence in the wake of her imagined London alongside such werewolves as BUR head, Lord Conall Maccon and his Beta, Professor Lyall, vampires like Countess Nadasny and the incomparable Lord Akeldama, and odd sorts of friends such as cross-dressing French inventor Genvieve Lafoux and silly-hatted Ivy Hisselpenny (not to mention the odd sorts of enemies like The Society of the Brass Octopus or the Knights Templar)!
Now the first series ends with this book, which I have been waiting for with delight and dread, because no one really wants to say goodbye to their friends, even when we know we can always come back again. Yet I know there is another series "abroad" due out soon so I'll comfort myself with this final(-sh) chapter, a plate of ginger biscuits, and a sweet cup of tea.
By the way, if you don't know what I'm on about, go pick up the first book, SOULLESS, and start reading!
Sort of, anyway.
To say that I've been a fan of the Parasol Protectorate would be an understatement. Gail Carriger managed to create a unique world that combined all the best smatterings of steampunk, history, fashion, humor, romance, paranormal fiction and wrap it all up in a neat epic journey of one preternatural amidst the English ton. I've delighted in the odd heresy of Alexia Tarrabotti's mere existence in the wake of her imagined London alongside such werewolves as BUR head, Lord Conall Maccon and his Beta, Professor Lyall, vampires like Countess Nadasny and the incomparable Lord Akeldama, and odd sorts of friends such as cross-dressing French inventor Genvieve Lafoux and silly-hatted Ivy Hisselpenny (not to mention the odd sorts of enemies like The Society of the Brass Octopus or the Knights Templar)!
Now the first series ends with this book, which I have been waiting for with delight and dread, because no one really wants to say goodbye to their friends, even when we know we can always come back again. Yet I know there is another series "abroad" due out soon so I'll comfort myself with this final(-sh) chapter, a plate of ginger biscuits, and a sweet cup of tea.
By the way, if you don't know what I'm on about, go pick up the first book, SOULLESS, and start reading!
March 21, 2012
A Strategic Withdrawal to VT
This weekend I attended the Vermont College Novel Writing Retreat, something I'd heard about from hostess, Sarah Aronsen, and literary pal, Angie Frazier. I'd been looking for some educational support to raise the bar for my next projects and to give myself a little creative R&R. I'll admit, the biggest draw was listening to the brilliant words of folks in the field; not just anyone, but Coe Booth, Alvina Ling and Holly Black.
Star-studded (albeit blurry) lineup: Coe Booth, Holly Black & Alvina Ling.
These three really know their craft and spoke on the importance of secondary characters that bring a story to life, how sound-boarding and saying things aloud can clarify a story that's stuck, and that the structure of a story is just as important as the content when crafting a tale that will stand out on the shelves. I started thinking of my stories in a new way, often realizing how I'd skimped or fallen into the lazy pit of "good enough." (I came to the realization that I'd have to write a really uncomfortable conversation I never considered as being essential but now was pointedly obvious. While everyone else thanked Coe for her generous lecture, I bapped her on the arm and groaned, "You made me think!"*)
Everyone agreed that the most important element is "voice," seconded only perhaps by good critique partners and not forgetting that we love to write. I was doubly-lucky to get a critique group that were not only talented, but had smart and savvy comments. My rule of when three people say something, it's usually right was underlined seven times in red pen. Thanks to Laya, Barb, Sherry & Ted, I'm back home abuzz with how to make things better. (Which always makes me think of this Girl Genius comic.)
Everyone's accounted for except for Sherry who is taking the picture since her camera takes clear pictures as opposed to mine.
Bottom line: if you can invest the time and money into bettering your craft, I'd think this is a helluva good way to do it! (And the nearby farmer's market with fresh goat cheese, fig-anise bread and boiled maple sap poured onto troughs of snow--creating taffy on a stick!--didn't hurt, either!)
Now...to business...!
* By the way, you know how I always champion pushing your own envelope and making yourself a little uncomfortable means that you're doing great things for your book? Well, I meant pushing specific personal envelopes. This latest revelation has me shaking in boots! I suspect the floor will be shiny clean and the dishes all done before I tackle this one. *eek!*
P.S. And this was the vid I had to share with everyone, including YOU:
Star-studded (albeit blurry) lineup: Coe Booth, Holly Black & Alvina Ling.
These three really know their craft and spoke on the importance of secondary characters that bring a story to life, how sound-boarding and saying things aloud can clarify a story that's stuck, and that the structure of a story is just as important as the content when crafting a tale that will stand out on the shelves. I started thinking of my stories in a new way, often realizing how I'd skimped or fallen into the lazy pit of "good enough." (I came to the realization that I'd have to write a really uncomfortable conversation I never considered as being essential but now was pointedly obvious. While everyone else thanked Coe for her generous lecture, I bapped her on the arm and groaned, "You made me think!"*)
Everyone agreed that the most important element is "voice," seconded only perhaps by good critique partners and not forgetting that we love to write. I was doubly-lucky to get a critique group that were not only talented, but had smart and savvy comments. My rule of when three people say something, it's usually right was underlined seven times in red pen. Thanks to Laya, Barb, Sherry & Ted, I'm back home abuzz with how to make things better. (Which always makes me think of this Girl Genius comic.)
Everyone's accounted for except for Sherry who is taking the picture since her camera takes clear pictures as opposed to mine.
Bottom line: if you can invest the time and money into bettering your craft, I'd think this is a helluva good way to do it! (And the nearby farmer's market with fresh goat cheese, fig-anise bread and boiled maple sap poured onto troughs of snow--creating taffy on a stick!--didn't hurt, either!)
Now...to business...!
* By the way, you know how I always champion pushing your own envelope and making yourself a little uncomfortable means that you're doing great things for your book? Well, I meant pushing specific personal envelopes. This latest revelation has me shaking in boots! I suspect the floor will be shiny clean and the dishes all done before I tackle this one. *eek!*
P.S. And this was the vid I had to share with everyone, including YOU:
March 8, 2012
Heroine Addict: Vashti
Yesterday was Purim, the Jewish "dress up" holiday and another one of those "thank goodness we weren't wiped off the face of the earth!" celebrations. Coincidentally, it was also World Read Aloud Day which was perfect for the reading of the Megillah, the story of Queen Esther. (For a quick-ref of the story, click here.) And while I get something new out of every year's reading, I listened this year as a YA author and thought, "Why mention Vashti?"
Vashti was the first noble wife of the King of Persia, King Ahasuerus, known as "Xerxes" in Greek. The king is portrayed as a sot and a fool with a petty, violent streak, smug about his power and his beautiful wife, and during one of his many drunken parties, he commanded Vashti to appear so he could show her off to his friends. She was hosting a dinner of her own for the noble ladies and refused. Humiliated, the king acted hastily and declared she be banished, divorcing her instantly. This is the last we hear of Vashti and the tale goes on to focus on the king's new queen, the beautiful Esther who is a Jew and does not reveal this until she steps up to the king in order to save her people from the decree of his vizier, Haman.
Image gakked from Jewishhistory.org blog but unfortunately, I can't trace down the original artwork.
Vashti is included in the story of Esther, important enough to be remembered in history and recounted each year. I remember as a girl dressing up in princess costume but everyone wanted to be Esther, no one wanted to be Vashti, who was often portrayed more like the evil stepmother in Disney fairy tales. Now my brain wondered why.
Stepping back, I'd imagine being summoned away from her duties where she was being a dignified queen and proper hostess to other noble friends to be paraded in front of a bunch of debauched men would have been not only improper, but also humiliating and potentially dangerous: I'm certain having a husband known as a drunk and an idiot was no picnic and carried personal dangers for his wife and any of the concubines or women in the palace or any of the 127 provinces he ruled over at the time. Perhaps fearing for her safety, her honor, her person or her pride, Vashti did not obey his command and is punished with divorce and banishment. End of story. It seems a harsh lesson and what does it tell us (or our little girls in crowns and party dresses sitting nearby)?
Most likely, Vashti is an example to show what happens when women anger the king or go against his decrees, to underline the risks involved when Esther swallows her fear and takes her cousin, Mordechai's, advice to speak to the king about saving the Jews. The king had already given Haman permission to do whatever he wanted to the people who would not bow down to him, so this impresses that the danger isn't simply one person or one people, it is personal on both accounts: Esther risks everything by voicing a counter to the king and revealing herself; she can be banished or killed either as a defiant queen or one of the Jews. But I know Esther's story, I know her role and her motivations and I know what happens in the Purim story that brings the downfall of Haman and honors the loyal Mordechai, where Queen Esther and the foolish king somehow still live happily ever after (I guess). My mind is captured by Vashti.
In this current trend of emphasizing "strong female protagonists" and what that looks like or what does that mean, the idea of standing up for yourself, your safety, and your beliefs is core. Vashti did those things all on her own. Esther had to be prodded, but still did them, which shows another kind of courage. Vashti is strong-willed, enough to defy the king reasonably and rationally, attempting to save face. Esther is meek and in a tenuous position, her strength coming from overcoming her fears. Esther is rewarded. Vashti is exiled. Both are described as "beautiful" but neither is described as "strong" and only one described as "brave" and I think that's unfair. Vashti and Esther, Lessons One and Two, Prideful and Meek, whisper the potential of our Wonder Women, our Xenas, our Katniss Everdeens: the ones who stand up and face the unknown, for the good of others and to safeguard herself.
In my author's soul, I write a better life for Vashti, no longer saddled to a drunken fool, she is welcomed back into her noble family or finds herself able to pull ties amongst her understanding friends who help guide her to a place of safety and even luxury for someone who can value that a woman of valor's price is far beyond rubies. (A phrase often changed to "a woman of virtue" which has other intonations than "valor"!)
Who is the strong female protagonist of this story? Me, I'm starting to wonder.
(One article of the role of the women in this story can be found here.)
Vashti was the first noble wife of the King of Persia, King Ahasuerus, known as "Xerxes" in Greek. The king is portrayed as a sot and a fool with a petty, violent streak, smug about his power and his beautiful wife, and during one of his many drunken parties, he commanded Vashti to appear so he could show her off to his friends. She was hosting a dinner of her own for the noble ladies and refused. Humiliated, the king acted hastily and declared she be banished, divorcing her instantly. This is the last we hear of Vashti and the tale goes on to focus on the king's new queen, the beautiful Esther who is a Jew and does not reveal this until she steps up to the king in order to save her people from the decree of his vizier, Haman.
Image gakked from Jewishhistory.org blog but unfortunately, I can't trace down the original artwork.
Vashti is included in the story of Esther, important enough to be remembered in history and recounted each year. I remember as a girl dressing up in princess costume but everyone wanted to be Esther, no one wanted to be Vashti, who was often portrayed more like the evil stepmother in Disney fairy tales. Now my brain wondered why.
Stepping back, I'd imagine being summoned away from her duties where she was being a dignified queen and proper hostess to other noble friends to be paraded in front of a bunch of debauched men would have been not only improper, but also humiliating and potentially dangerous: I'm certain having a husband known as a drunk and an idiot was no picnic and carried personal dangers for his wife and any of the concubines or women in the palace or any of the 127 provinces he ruled over at the time. Perhaps fearing for her safety, her honor, her person or her pride, Vashti did not obey his command and is punished with divorce and banishment. End of story. It seems a harsh lesson and what does it tell us (or our little girls in crowns and party dresses sitting nearby)?
Most likely, Vashti is an example to show what happens when women anger the king or go against his decrees, to underline the risks involved when Esther swallows her fear and takes her cousin, Mordechai's, advice to speak to the king about saving the Jews. The king had already given Haman permission to do whatever he wanted to the people who would not bow down to him, so this impresses that the danger isn't simply one person or one people, it is personal on both accounts: Esther risks everything by voicing a counter to the king and revealing herself; she can be banished or killed either as a defiant queen or one of the Jews. But I know Esther's story, I know her role and her motivations and I know what happens in the Purim story that brings the downfall of Haman and honors the loyal Mordechai, where Queen Esther and the foolish king somehow still live happily ever after (I guess). My mind is captured by Vashti.
In this current trend of emphasizing "strong female protagonists" and what that looks like or what does that mean, the idea of standing up for yourself, your safety, and your beliefs is core. Vashti did those things all on her own. Esther had to be prodded, but still did them, which shows another kind of courage. Vashti is strong-willed, enough to defy the king reasonably and rationally, attempting to save face. Esther is meek and in a tenuous position, her strength coming from overcoming her fears. Esther is rewarded. Vashti is exiled. Both are described as "beautiful" but neither is described as "strong" and only one described as "brave" and I think that's unfair. Vashti and Esther, Lessons One and Two, Prideful and Meek, whisper the potential of our Wonder Women, our Xenas, our Katniss Everdeens: the ones who stand up and face the unknown, for the good of others and to safeguard herself.
In my author's soul, I write a better life for Vashti, no longer saddled to a drunken fool, she is welcomed back into her noble family or finds herself able to pull ties amongst her understanding friends who help guide her to a place of safety and even luxury for someone who can value that a woman of valor's price is far beyond rubies. (A phrase often changed to "a woman of virtue" which has other intonations than "valor"!)
Who is the strong female protagonist of this story? Me, I'm starting to wonder.
(One article of the role of the women in this story can be found here.)
March 2, 2012
When the Universe Speaks
So the day after I post about sisters, I get this in the mail:
I *adored* MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD and to have received a signed copy of this completely made my week! I can't wait to read it! It's about two sisters, three men, and one big decision.
Sometimes the universe speaks. My advice? Listen!
I *adored* MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD and to have received a signed copy of this completely made my week! I can't wait to read it! It's about two sisters, three men, and one big decision.
Sometimes the universe speaks. My advice? Listen!
February 29, 2012
Siblings, Full-Circle
I'm back from my foray abroad, which mostly consisted of sitting on a bloody big boat and playing card games while eating loads of carbs, but no need to go into that. I successfully maneuvered sharing a tiny stateroom with two other people without anyone losing life, limb or marbles, attended fancy dinners and cocktail parties, enjoyed a wonderful museum as well as some authentic mole sauce while in Mexico and managed to get a tan line. All in all, a great trip!
But here is one of the things that made it especially great:
Smile! We're on iCamera!
Untouched, uncut and travel-worn (so please forgive me for that), this is my sister and me at the airport before returning to our lives of husbands, children & other responsibilities du jour (yes, yes, like writing -- I know, I'm getting to that...). We don't see each other very often and almost never spend time together outside the pack of our family get-togethers, so this little break of ours was a first: my mother, my sister, and I. Girl-Time.
We are both incredibly close with our parents and our family in general and specific. I know of some lucky women who are close with their sisters, being best friends growing up, but in our case we...weren't. This is not to say we didn't love each other, both of us having a deep family loyalty and protective-Mama-Bear-instinct even as little girls, but the truth of the matter is that we didn't like each other all that much, mostly based on the fact that we didn't understand one another all that much. While I lounged around in faded blue jeans and comic book shirts hanging with my guy friends in the basement watching geeky movies, my sister was often dressed to the nines hanging out at the mall or going into the city for a night of fun. Growing up, we didn't get along and unless we were at the kitchen table, our paths rarely crossed. We were years apart and then miles apart, going to different colleges and then graduate schools and eventually ending up across the country.
And yet...
As we grew up, we grew closer (although not in distance, we're still in different time zones). We could share things like our past and memories but also the growing adult lives of having husbands and children, being far from good friends or struggling with the education system, the challenges of being a Good Mother and a Good Wife and a Good Feminist and a Good Person often bumping up against one another in unexpected ways. And nowadays, I've come to realize that no one understands me more than my sister...even if I still don't comprehend how she can look like she stepped off of a magazine when her room was always a mess or how her brain manages to turn a single overpriced commodity into her own side-business, although we both have the uncanny knack to laugh in the face of things going haywire with our distinctive brand of humor. She is one of the most innovative, creative, funny & savvy gals I've ever met and sometimes I just content myself to sit back and watch the magic happen.
It never occurred to me that she felt likewise.
During the trip, my sister mentioned that while we're very different people, we're also more alike than any two people have a right to be. I imagined a Venn Diagram and could see how much of our selves overlapped and that those things that stayed on the outside, while distinctive to our personalities, were few and far-between. It was a startling revelation that seemed obvious once it was out in the open some thirty years after we'd first been introduced by Mom and Dad. And then I thought about how this related to writing.
When people write characters, they don't exist in a vacuum. Even if the MC's family doesn't make a grand appearance on the page, their presence and influence are almost always felt by the reader, and if they *are* introduced, there's an important lesson to keep in mind: no matter how diametrically-opposed their personalities might be or how unalike their philosophies or outlooks, they should 1) affect one another in clear, definable ways & 2) be far more alike than they are different at their core because they share a common origin. I know we have evil stepmothers and ugly stepsisters and a plethora of orphans and single-children on our pages, but even so: the Main Characters are motivated, self-actualized and ultimately defined in relation to (or against) their families, alive or not, present or absent; most often we focus on the (often missing) Mom and Dad, but we should keep this in mind for both influential siblings as well as close, personal friends.
I've thought about "sibling" books like THE DEMON'S LEXICON, SISTERS RED, IMAGINARY GIRLS, the orphans in A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS or the Loontwills in the PARASOL PROTECTORATE series, but then also about strong secondary characters' families like those who collect "black Santas" in PAPER TOWNS, the varied girls of the GEMMA DOYLE and GALLAGHER GIRL series, or the famous Weasleys in HARRY POTTER. We connect with these characters *because of* their relationships to their parents and siblings and cannot fathom who they would otherwise be without them. It far more integral to their character than what they wear or the color of their hair.
As I develop my own work, I think about what characters were like growing up together in the same house or in the same environment, experiencing life comprised of the same circumstances seen through different eyeballs, sharing memories and arguments and treasured childhoods in ways no one else can comprehend--it's something that builds the foundation of every character, whether orphaned or single-child or one of many: it's a core defining characteristic. So when I look at this picture of my sister and I, two grown-up siblings, a real couple of characters, I can see how our roads wound so far apart only to come back closer than ever in the end, full-circle. It makes for a pretty good story!
P.S. I also have a brother. He's a post onto himself!
But here is one of the things that made it especially great:
Smile! We're on iCamera!
Untouched, uncut and travel-worn (so please forgive me for that), this is my sister and me at the airport before returning to our lives of husbands, children & other responsibilities du jour (yes, yes, like writing -- I know, I'm getting to that...). We don't see each other very often and almost never spend time together outside the pack of our family get-togethers, so this little break of ours was a first: my mother, my sister, and I. Girl-Time.
We are both incredibly close with our parents and our family in general and specific. I know of some lucky women who are close with their sisters, being best friends growing up, but in our case we...weren't. This is not to say we didn't love each other, both of us having a deep family loyalty and protective-Mama-Bear-instinct even as little girls, but the truth of the matter is that we didn't like each other all that much, mostly based on the fact that we didn't understand one another all that much. While I lounged around in faded blue jeans and comic book shirts hanging with my guy friends in the basement watching geeky movies, my sister was often dressed to the nines hanging out at the mall or going into the city for a night of fun. Growing up, we didn't get along and unless we were at the kitchen table, our paths rarely crossed. We were years apart and then miles apart, going to different colleges and then graduate schools and eventually ending up across the country.
And yet...
As we grew up, we grew closer (although not in distance, we're still in different time zones). We could share things like our past and memories but also the growing adult lives of having husbands and children, being far from good friends or struggling with the education system, the challenges of being a Good Mother and a Good Wife and a Good Feminist and a Good Person often bumping up against one another in unexpected ways. And nowadays, I've come to realize that no one understands me more than my sister...even if I still don't comprehend how she can look like she stepped off of a magazine when her room was always a mess or how her brain manages to turn a single overpriced commodity into her own side-business, although we both have the uncanny knack to laugh in the face of things going haywire with our distinctive brand of humor. She is one of the most innovative, creative, funny & savvy gals I've ever met and sometimes I just content myself to sit back and watch the magic happen.
It never occurred to me that she felt likewise.
During the trip, my sister mentioned that while we're very different people, we're also more alike than any two people have a right to be. I imagined a Venn Diagram and could see how much of our selves overlapped and that those things that stayed on the outside, while distinctive to our personalities, were few and far-between. It was a startling revelation that seemed obvious once it was out in the open some thirty years after we'd first been introduced by Mom and Dad. And then I thought about how this related to writing.
When people write characters, they don't exist in a vacuum. Even if the MC's family doesn't make a grand appearance on the page, their presence and influence are almost always felt by the reader, and if they *are* introduced, there's an important lesson to keep in mind: no matter how diametrically-opposed their personalities might be or how unalike their philosophies or outlooks, they should 1) affect one another in clear, definable ways & 2) be far more alike than they are different at their core because they share a common origin. I know we have evil stepmothers and ugly stepsisters and a plethora of orphans and single-children on our pages, but even so: the Main Characters are motivated, self-actualized and ultimately defined in relation to (or against) their families, alive or not, present or absent; most often we focus on the (often missing) Mom and Dad, but we should keep this in mind for both influential siblings as well as close, personal friends.
I've thought about "sibling" books like THE DEMON'S LEXICON, SISTERS RED, IMAGINARY GIRLS, the orphans in A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS or the Loontwills in the PARASOL PROTECTORATE series, but then also about strong secondary characters' families like those who collect "black Santas" in PAPER TOWNS, the varied girls of the GEMMA DOYLE and GALLAGHER GIRL series, or the famous Weasleys in HARRY POTTER. We connect with these characters *because of* their relationships to their parents and siblings and cannot fathom who they would otherwise be without them. It far more integral to their character than what they wear or the color of their hair.
As I develop my own work, I think about what characters were like growing up together in the same house or in the same environment, experiencing life comprised of the same circumstances seen through different eyeballs, sharing memories and arguments and treasured childhoods in ways no one else can comprehend--it's something that builds the foundation of every character, whether orphaned or single-child or one of many: it's a core defining characteristic. So when I look at this picture of my sister and I, two grown-up siblings, a real couple of characters, I can see how our roads wound so far apart only to come back closer than ever in the end, full-circle. It makes for a pretty good story!
P.S. I also have a brother. He's a post onto himself!
February 22, 2012
Leavin' On A Jet Plane
So amidst all the quietude of another round of edits, prepping for a Novel Retreat, the kids' on break while Daddy's away and the usual murmur (read: chaos) of everyday existence, I've been pretty hush-hush, knowing that I should be typing on edits and Book Two rather than chatting here on the blog. BUT all that is shuffled to the wayside because I'm off to MEXICO where I shall be dropping off copies of this:
while, naturally, soaking up some sun, playing the surf, and generally having a good time of it!
Wish me luck!*
* As I type this, my plane's been delayed a second time. Coincidence? Hmm. Back to edits.
while, naturally, soaking up some sun, playing the surf, and generally having a good time of it!
Wish me luck!*
* As I type this, my plane's been delayed a second time. Coincidence? Hmm. Back to edits.
