Augusta Scattergood's Blog, page 21
June 16, 2015
The Value of a Dollar
Or to be more precise, the value of $5.00.
That was the question I got today while chatting with the entire class of Ms. Enmann's fourth graders who'd just finished THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY.
Literally finished the last sentence this morning. How cool is that.
And were their questions excellent!
When I explained how carefully copyeditors eye manuscripts, I used a financial transaction for my example.
Theo goes into the laundromat.
He stuffs two quarters into the machine.
The copyeditor thinks that's too much.
After all, it was the dark ages of 1974.
I polled my friends.
Most agreed that it should be a quarter.
But just in case, off I went to the county library, checking the Cost of Living index. And promptly changed the sentence to a quarter (p. 23).
While sharing this story today, a student raised his hand. I'd told them about a poetry prize from Captain Jerry's Kids Page in the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper when I was much younger than they are.
My prize was $5.00.
He asked what does that mean in today's dollars?
(Okay, I told you these kids were bright, right? And resourceful.)
I promised I'd look it up.
Though I don't really remember what exact year it was, I picked a decade.
$43.97 is quite a lot of money for a second-grader to win for a really terrible poem.
I challenged them to write a much better poem tonight.
It was fun chatting, kids at Kings Road School!
And a special thank you to my friend Sheila who invited me to my local, easy-to-find, nearby school -where she taught for a few happy years.
(And kudos to sharp copyeditors.)
That was the question I got today while chatting with the entire class of Ms. Enmann's fourth graders who'd just finished THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY.
Literally finished the last sentence this morning. How cool is that.
And were their questions excellent!
When I explained how carefully copyeditors eye manuscripts, I used a financial transaction for my example.
Theo goes into the laundromat.
He stuffs two quarters into the machine.
The copyeditor thinks that's too much.
After all, it was the dark ages of 1974.
I polled my friends.
Most agreed that it should be a quarter.
But just in case, off I went to the county library, checking the Cost of Living index. And promptly changed the sentence to a quarter (p. 23).
While sharing this story today, a student raised his hand. I'd told them about a poetry prize from Captain Jerry's Kids Page in the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper when I was much younger than they are.
My prize was $5.00.
He asked what does that mean in today's dollars?
(Okay, I told you these kids were bright, right? And resourceful.)
I promised I'd look it up.
Though I don't really remember what exact year it was, I picked a decade.
$43.97 is quite a lot of money for a second-grader to win for a really terrible poem.
I challenged them to write a much better poem tonight.
It was fun chatting, kids at Kings Road School!
And a special thank you to my friend Sheila who invited me to my local, easy-to-find, nearby school -where she taught for a few happy years.
(And kudos to sharp copyeditors.)
June 13, 2015
The Way to Stay in Destiny
When your book first appears, you have no idea whether the audience it's intended for really gets it. Or not.
Oh, reviewers may rave and reviewers may Boo.
Bloggers may invite you. Teachers may Tweet.
But it's the kids we're trying to reach, isn't it.
Then, if you're lucky, you'll hear from your actual readers.
Which in the case of my books mostly means Grades 3-7.
(And their teachers, librarians, parents, too.)
From groups like the after-school Book Group in Jackson Township's Christa McAuliffe Middle School, just up the road in New Jersey, I learn as much from great questioners as they do from reading and interviewing the author.
When I Skype with a class, I try to scribble notes.
(Since it's the end of the year, I didn't have time to verify the names and the quotes, so don't hold me to this. It's hard to Skype and scribble at the same time.)
If I decipher my notes correctly, here are a few observations.
After Allison called DESTINY awesome and Glory Be amazing (Be still my heart, on both counts), she asked specific writing questions. She wants to be a writer. She IS a writer, according to her teacher.
I told Vinnie he reminded me of the picture in my head of Theo!
Others said they liked how I incorporated baseball and piano. They wanted to know why I chose Hank Aaron. Had I ever actually heard Thelonious Monk perform, in person.
Tyler asked about the parrots! Which are real and a real nuisance where I live in Florida. Though fascinating and unusual- which he told me added to my setting.
Zander read the book in one day. (He reminded me a bit of my own visual image of a character I'm now writing. Glasses, dark hair. Adding his name to my collection, too.)
Others asked about Anabel and why she was the way she was.
They wanted to know about backstory.
And whether I'd ever moved to a brand new place, like Theo.
If not, how did I know exactly how it felt.
Now, those are careful readers and writers.
Hats off to their amazing and awesome teachers, Nancy Dell'Osso and Linda Fera.
For a post about my actual, in-person visit to this school two years ago, with pictures, CLICK HERE.
Oh, reviewers may rave and reviewers may Boo.
Bloggers may invite you. Teachers may Tweet.
But it's the kids we're trying to reach, isn't it.
Then, if you're lucky, you'll hear from your actual readers.
Which in the case of my books mostly means Grades 3-7.
(And their teachers, librarians, parents, too.)
From groups like the after-school Book Group in Jackson Township's Christa McAuliffe Middle School, just up the road in New Jersey, I learn as much from great questioners as they do from reading and interviewing the author.
When I Skype with a class, I try to scribble notes.
(Since it's the end of the year, I didn't have time to verify the names and the quotes, so don't hold me to this. It's hard to Skype and scribble at the same time.)
If I decipher my notes correctly, here are a few observations.
After Allison called DESTINY awesome and Glory Be amazing (Be still my heart, on both counts), she asked specific writing questions. She wants to be a writer. She IS a writer, according to her teacher.
I told Vinnie he reminded me of the picture in my head of Theo!
Others said they liked how I incorporated baseball and piano. They wanted to know why I chose Hank Aaron. Had I ever actually heard Thelonious Monk perform, in person.
Tyler asked about the parrots! Which are real and a real nuisance where I live in Florida. Though fascinating and unusual- which he told me added to my setting.
Zander read the book in one day. (He reminded me a bit of my own visual image of a character I'm now writing. Glasses, dark hair. Adding his name to my collection, too.)
Others asked about Anabel and why she was the way she was.
They wanted to know about backstory.
And whether I'd ever moved to a brand new place, like Theo.
If not, how did I know exactly how it felt.
Now, those are careful readers and writers.
Hats off to their amazing and awesome teachers, Nancy Dell'Osso and Linda Fera.
For a post about my actual, in-person visit to this school two years ago, with pictures, CLICK HERE.
June 8, 2015
Getting Near to Baby
One of my favorite books ever.I re-read parts of it periodically, just to remind me what terrific writing really is.
I'd forgotten it was her debut novel though I remembered it won a Newbery Honor.
If somehow you've missed this middle-grade novel, and you admire truly beautiful prose, go read it right now.
This is what Booklist said when the book first appeared:
''Couloumbis' first novel wears its heart on one sleeve and its humor on the other. Together, they make a splendid fit." - Booklist, boxed review
(Perhaps having roofers walking above me has made me think of this book again this morning. If so, thank you new-roof guys. As frightened as you make me when I look way up at you, I adore the scenes Couloumbis set on the rooftop.)
June 3, 2015
Girl v. Boy
I've been pondering this topic for a while.
http://www.kidzworld.com/article/25162-quiz-the-coach-girls-vs-boys
In books, that is.
Might as well put the true confessions part up front. Much of my school library career was spent in all-girls' schools. Not all, but the more recent years. So I probably had it in my head that some books were more likely read by young women than by the other gender.
But that's so not really true in the real world. Or it shouldn't be.
I was about to blog about the recent Shannon Hale school visit story. And make a few astute comments about why boys read books about girls and that goes both ways.
Then I discovered, quite serendipitously --Okay, it was a tweet about our names being alphabetically quite close-- the blog of writer Kurtis Scaletta.
And he said all you need to know about the subject.
Hop on over to his blog and read it.
While you're hopping, check out this list of books with female leads that will certainly appeal to boys.
And if you're still not convinced, this will do it.
A flowchart.
(Also from my next-door name fellow author, Kurtis.)
Don't miss it.
http://www.kidzworld.com/article/25162-quiz-the-coach-girls-vs-boysIn books, that is.
Might as well put the true confessions part up front. Much of my school library career was spent in all-girls' schools. Not all, but the more recent years. So I probably had it in my head that some books were more likely read by young women than by the other gender.
But that's so not really true in the real world. Or it shouldn't be.
I was about to blog about the recent Shannon Hale school visit story. And make a few astute comments about why boys read books about girls and that goes both ways.
Then I discovered, quite serendipitously --Okay, it was a tweet about our names being alphabetically quite close-- the blog of writer Kurtis Scaletta.
And he said all you need to know about the subject.
Hop on over to his blog and read it.
While you're hopping, check out this list of books with female leads that will certainly appeal to boys.
And if you're still not convinced, this will do it.
A flowchart.
(Also from my next-door name fellow author, Kurtis.)
Don't miss it.
May 26, 2015
Ending the School Year with Skype
This has been a very interesting couple of weeks.
Have you ever tried to talk to somebody when your roof was being repaired?
Have you ever SKYPED with a whole bunch of kids while your house was shaking?
I moved to my basement.
I moved to a corner of my room.
There was nowhere to hide.
That was pretty much how it went with my end-of-the-year Skype sessions.
There were times when I questioned my sanity in agreeing to do so many.
Especially since I had this teensy little writing deadline looming.
But each session made me smile.
The girls who talked to me during their recess and lunch.
The third graders who'd read the book as a class project.
And so many of the questions were truly thoughtful.
For example:
(These are from 4th and 5th graders)
Who helped you when you started out?
What character changed the most after working with an editor.
What advice did your editor give you?
What's your favorite genre?
(I'm not entirely sure I knew the word GENRE in 4th grade...)
Also, I got to talk to two groups of kids who'd read THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY.
Until recently, I didn't know much about how young readers were responding to my new book.
I was especially wowed by a group of 2nd grade advanced readers in Florida who really had some fabulous questions.
(And I added a new name to my Potential Character Name Book= Treasure!)
These bright, smart readers were from The Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham, MA.
They wrote a thank-you note that very day! Just like our mamas told us we should do.
And this group in Deerfield, IL.
(They told me all about the Bluestem List!)
Their teacher tweeted our picture. It always cracks me up to see that large <ME> on the screen. Paused mid-sentence!
Thanks so much @ARScattergood for talking to us all about Glory Be!— Jill Bonnette (@jill_bonnette) May 21, 2015
As the year winds down, I have to say AGAIN how amazing teachers and librarians are. How hard they work.
How they love books.
How they go that extra mile to connect with books and their authors.
Have a great summer, all you remarkable teachers and librarians.
Put your feet up, stare at the ocean or the lake or the mountains.
And enjoy those summer books.
Just for fun, here's a previous post about Skyping in your flipflops...
:)
Have you ever tried to talk to somebody when your roof was being repaired?
Have you ever SKYPED with a whole bunch of kids while your house was shaking?
I moved to my basement.
I moved to a corner of my room.
There was nowhere to hide.
That was pretty much how it went with my end-of-the-year Skype sessions.
There were times when I questioned my sanity in agreeing to do so many.
Especially since I had this teensy little writing deadline looming.
But each session made me smile.
The girls who talked to me during their recess and lunch.
The third graders who'd read the book as a class project.
And so many of the questions were truly thoughtful.
For example:
(These are from 4th and 5th graders)
Who helped you when you started out?
What character changed the most after working with an editor.
What advice did your editor give you?
What's your favorite genre?
(I'm not entirely sure I knew the word GENRE in 4th grade...)
Also, I got to talk to two groups of kids who'd read THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY.
Until recently, I didn't know much about how young readers were responding to my new book.
I was especially wowed by a group of 2nd grade advanced readers in Florida who really had some fabulous questions.
(And I added a new name to my Potential Character Name Book= Treasure!)
These bright, smart readers were from The Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham, MA.
They wrote a thank-you note that very day! Just like our mamas told us we should do.
And this group in Deerfield, IL.
(They told me all about the Bluestem List!)
Their teacher tweeted our picture. It always cracks me up to see that large <ME> on the screen. Paused mid-sentence!
Thanks so much @ARScattergood for talking to us all about Glory Be!— Jill Bonnette (@jill_bonnette) May 21, 2015
As the year winds down, I have to say AGAIN how amazing teachers and librarians are. How hard they work.
How they love books.
How they go that extra mile to connect with books and their authors.
Have a great summer, all you remarkable teachers and librarians.
Put your feet up, stare at the ocean or the lake or the mountains.
And enjoy those summer books.
Just for fun, here's a previous post about Skyping in your flipflops...
:)
May 22, 2015
A Template!
To write your novel with!
Of course, there's really no such thing.
But recently I found this "advice" buried deep in my files.
Here's the link:
http://www.authormagazine.org/articles/thayer_james_2009_12_16.htm
And remember my Nerdy Book Club post about TEN THINGS I'VE LEARNED FROM KIDS ABOUT WRITING A BOOK?
Remember that dog?
Here's a funny thing from that article by James Thayer about your Main Character:
1) They are kind when it counts. Not always, and maybe not mostly, but when it is important, the hero will do something kind. If nothing else he will adopt a dog, a common fictional device to salvage otherwise irredeemable heroes, which is called the Adopt A Dog Technique.
I'm totally good with that.
Of course, there's really no such thing.
But recently I found this "advice" buried deep in my files.
Here's the link:
http://www.authormagazine.org/articles/thayer_james_2009_12_16.htm
And remember my Nerdy Book Club post about TEN THINGS I'VE LEARNED FROM KIDS ABOUT WRITING A BOOK?
Remember that dog?
Here's a funny thing from that article by James Thayer about your Main Character:
1) They are kind when it counts. Not always, and maybe not mostly, but when it is important, the hero will do something kind. If nothing else he will adopt a dog, a common fictional device to salvage otherwise irredeemable heroes, which is called the Adopt A Dog Technique.
I'm totally good with that.
May 18, 2015
The Way to Stay in Destiny
I truly appreciate this review, which I missed when it first appeared.
Especially the last line.
After his grandparents give up their farm due to his grandmother's poor health, 12-year-old Theo M. Thomas becomes the responsibility of his uncle. Although Uncle Raymond tries to do the right thing, he resents having to give up his independent life in Alaska. He takes Theo to Destiny, FL, where there's a job, but things are far from permanent. Even as Theo starts making friends and embracing the musical talent he has inherited from his deceased parents, his uncle is making plans for moving on. For reasons revealed in the story, Uncle Raymond cannot abide music and forbids Theo to play the piano. Although an uneasy truce is eventually worked out and Theo's uncle starts to soften his stance on music, readers will realize that past experiences affect the future. Setting the story in 1974 allows Theo's uncle to struggle with PTSD from his time in Vietnam, which explains some of his behavior. While Theo and his baseball-loving friend, Anabel, might seem to have separate journeys, they are linked by their need to find their own destiny rather than doing what others want. As they both come to realize, sometimes our destiny simply finds us, even in a remote town in the South called Destiny.
- See more at: http://www.reading.org/literacy-daily...
May 14, 2015
Who's Reading Your Book?
This month has been Skype month.
No, not an officially designated celebration, it just happened that way in my world.
I love talking to kids about writing, reading, history, genres, characters, the truth or not the truth. So many great questions. Skyping has given me the chance to spread book love to places I've never been.
(In my flipflops.)
But I got a question yesterday that truly stumped me.
Sixth Grade Boy in Wisconsin, to me:
"Who would you recommend your book to?"
Now see, the librarian in me should be all over that.
But I stammered and hemmed and hawed.
Finally I mentioned a few authors I love, as in "If you liked THIS book, you'll like THAT book."
I think I mentioned kids who like books that take place in the past.
But that's so not true.
(True confession: My first draft of THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY wasn't even set in the past!)
Maybe I mumbled something about Books With Heart.
Because really and truly, one of my favorite tweets in the whole world had recently taken my breath away:
And just like that, my book had become
#heartprintbook
Be still my heart.
But the librarian in me still wasn't happy with my answer to that boy in Wisconsin.
And the writer in me didn't want to leave it at that.
There's been a lot of discussion recently about Boy Books v. Girl Books.
And judging a book by its cover.
What does the cover say to a reader about to choose a book?
Is that old adage about boys not reading books about girls while girls will always be okay with reading boy main characters hold?
I doubt it. I've had tons of boys who love GLORY BE.
At a recent Book Fair, a student told me he'd read DESTINY five times already. He wasn't a baseball fan and he can't play the piano.
Had some wise librarian or teacher had handed him that book because she knew his reading taste?
Do we need to stop pigeonholing books and kids' book choices?
Will all young readers eventually find those HeartPrint books for their own hearts?
Are kids' books just for kids anymore?
Based on this guy who has discovered and loved a few middle-grade novels, I'd say no.
I'm still thinking of a good answer to the question that sparked this blogpost. Who WOULD I recommend my own books to?
Writers- Have you been asked that question?
Do you have a perfect answer?
I used to think I was pretty good at Readers Advisory.
But when it's your own book, something feels different.
You might also like these posts about Skype:
Fun Skype in Georgia
Skype 101: the View from Here
And these about some of my own Heartprint books:
Kwame Alexander's Crossover
An Abundance of BOOKS
Hound Dog True
No, not an officially designated celebration, it just happened that way in my world.
I love talking to kids about writing, reading, history, genres, characters, the truth or not the truth. So many great questions. Skyping has given me the chance to spread book love to places I've never been.
(In my flipflops.)
But I got a question yesterday that truly stumped me.
Sixth Grade Boy in Wisconsin, to me:
"Who would you recommend your book to?"
Now see, the librarian in me should be all over that.
But I stammered and hemmed and hawed.
Finally I mentioned a few authors I love, as in "If you liked THIS book, you'll like THAT book."
I think I mentioned kids who like books that take place in the past.
But that's so not true.
(True confession: My first draft of THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY wasn't even set in the past!)
Maybe I mumbled something about Books With Heart.
Because really and truly, one of my favorite tweets in the whole world had recently taken my breath away:
And just like that, my book had become
#heartprintbook
Be still my heart.
But the librarian in me still wasn't happy with my answer to that boy in Wisconsin.
And the writer in me didn't want to leave it at that.
There's been a lot of discussion recently about Boy Books v. Girl Books.
And judging a book by its cover.
What does the cover say to a reader about to choose a book?
Is that old adage about boys not reading books about girls while girls will always be okay with reading boy main characters hold?
I doubt it. I've had tons of boys who love GLORY BE.
At a recent Book Fair, a student told me he'd read DESTINY five times already. He wasn't a baseball fan and he can't play the piano.
Had some wise librarian or teacher had handed him that book because she knew his reading taste?
Do we need to stop pigeonholing books and kids' book choices?
Will all young readers eventually find those HeartPrint books for their own hearts?
Are kids' books just for kids anymore?
Based on this guy who has discovered and loved a few middle-grade novels, I'd say no.
I'm still thinking of a good answer to the question that sparked this blogpost. Who WOULD I recommend my own books to?
Writers- Have you been asked that question?
Do you have a perfect answer?
I used to think I was pretty good at Readers Advisory.
But when it's your own book, something feels different.
You might also like these posts about Skype:
Fun Skype in Georgia
Skype 101: the View from Here
And these about some of my own Heartprint books:
Kwame Alexander's Crossover
An Abundance of BOOKS
Hound Dog True
May 13, 2015
Thanks, Two Writing Teachers!
I love connections.
I met Stacey Shubitz at my fabulous Highlights UNWorkshop last summer.
When Stacey invited me to be the very first Guest Author on their new series, I was honored. And thrilled.
CLICK right here to go there.
And maybe win a book or two!
(While looking for a picture of Stacey and me, writing our hearts out in Honesdale, instead I found these poetry rocks that inspire Highlights workshop writers and make them smile. But do click on over to Stacey's post this morning to find out more about her, see pictures, and comment to win my books. Did I say I love making writing connections?)
(And PS, I first put revising pen to paper on my new book THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY, at one of the very early Whole Novel workshops, with Carolyn Coman. Many moons ago...)
I met Stacey Shubitz at my fabulous Highlights UNWorkshop last summer.
When Stacey invited me to be the very first Guest Author on their new series, I was honored. And thrilled.
CLICK right here to go there.
And maybe win a book or two!
(While looking for a picture of Stacey and me, writing our hearts out in Honesdale, instead I found these poetry rocks that inspire Highlights workshop writers and make them smile. But do click on over to Stacey's post this morning to find out more about her, see pictures, and comment to win my books. Did I say I love making writing connections?)
(And PS, I first put revising pen to paper on my new book THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY, at one of the very early Whole Novel workshops, with Carolyn Coman. Many moons ago...)
May 10, 2015
Hats Off to Moms Who Read
Like mine did. Also, my grandmothers.
My next-door-neighbor grandmother, Carrie Byrd to those who knew and appreciated her, was part of our town's early efforts to build a public library. For much of her adult life, she drove her Hudson Nash the two blocks down the street to the library and went through a "murder mystery" (her words) every day or so.
My other grandmother, Emmie, went back to college in her later years and became a teacher. She's the one who gifted me with the Classics. I credit her for summers spent reading anything other than Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames, which I got on my own and devoured.
Come to think of it, every adult in our family read all the time. My mother went for the Best Sellers, the books everybody was talking about. Her copy of Peyton Place was hidden in a drawer that was plenty low enough for me to find. And read. In 7th grade.
So let's hear a cheer for moms, stepmoms, grandmoms, aunts and others who love to read to their little (and big!) ones.
And for all the other great things they've given us.
(Sticker via CafePress)
My next-door-neighbor grandmother, Carrie Byrd to those who knew and appreciated her, was part of our town's early efforts to build a public library. For much of her adult life, she drove her Hudson Nash the two blocks down the street to the library and went through a "murder mystery" (her words) every day or so.
My other grandmother, Emmie, went back to college in her later years and became a teacher. She's the one who gifted me with the Classics. I credit her for summers spent reading anything other than Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames, which I got on my own and devoured.
Come to think of it, every adult in our family read all the time. My mother went for the Best Sellers, the books everybody was talking about. Her copy of Peyton Place was hidden in a drawer that was plenty low enough for me to find. And read. In 7th grade.
So let's hear a cheer for moms, stepmoms, grandmoms, aunts and others who love to read to their little (and big!) ones.
And for all the other great things they've given us.
(Sticker via CafePress)
