Augusta Scattergood's Blog, page 31
August 6, 2014
The Way We Write
I so love this:
"We prewrite. We unwrite. It’s messy."
from Linda Urban's blog about writing THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING.
Here's the post: Click right on over- http://lindaurbanbooks.com/2014/08/01/892/
There's more, here: http://lindaurbanbooks.com/2014/08/04/beginnings-another-notebook-post/
And be sure to check back. Linda promises she's going to tell us more about her writing process. Every writer is different, but what fun to watch those wheels turn, right?
One of my favorite books ever is HOUND DOG TRUE by Linda Urban. Here's a short review, plus more: http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2011/1128/5-great-books-about-friendship-for-tween-readers/Hound-Dog-True-by-Linda-Urban
"We prewrite. We unwrite. It’s messy."
from Linda Urban's blog about writing THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING.
Here's the post: Click right on over- http://lindaurbanbooks.com/2014/08/01/892/
There's more, here: http://lindaurbanbooks.com/2014/08/04/beginnings-another-notebook-post/
And be sure to check back. Linda promises she's going to tell us more about her writing process. Every writer is different, but what fun to watch those wheels turn, right?
One of my favorite books ever is HOUND DOG TRUE by Linda Urban. Here's a short review, plus more: http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2011/1128/5-great-books-about-friendship-for-tween-readers/Hound-Dog-True-by-Linda-Urban
August 2, 2014
Dancing to the Oldies
Today I'm excitedly reading what's known as Second Pass Pages for my new book, THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY. This is a PDF of exactly what the pages will look like. I'm searching for typos. I'm finding none so far.
(Oh, how I love you, Scholastic production team!)
There's a dance theme to this book.
Growing up in Cleveland, Mississippi and taking tap and ballet classes forever, I adored my teacher, Ruth Hart.
A little while ago, my friend and fellow childhood dancer, Beth Boswell Jacks, wrote an essay that pretty much speaks to how a lot of us felt about our dance teachers. You can read it HERE.
I'm sharing this quote from the head of that essay.
I think it speaks to a lot of the arts- hey to a lot of life lessons, right?
“Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up
and dance. Great dancers are not great because
of their technique, they are great because of their
passion.” – Martha Graham
(Oh, how I love you, Scholastic production team!)
There's a dance theme to this book.
Growing up in Cleveland, Mississippi and taking tap and ballet classes forever, I adored my teacher, Ruth Hart.
A little while ago, my friend and fellow childhood dancer, Beth Boswell Jacks, wrote an essay that pretty much speaks to how a lot of us felt about our dance teachers. You can read it HERE.
I'm sharing this quote from the head of that essay.
I think it speaks to a lot of the arts- hey to a lot of life lessons, right?
“Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up
and dance. Great dancers are not great because
of their technique, they are great because of their
passion.” – Martha Graham
July 31, 2014
Secret Hum of a Daisy
Funny, tiny remarks that still make me smile:
Jo saying, "I come here all the time when it gets warm and film the wildlife, which includes people."
"That's how it had always been with Mama. Taping things up in a way that was easy to take down."
(She used double-sided tape. What a great image.)
First line: All I had to do was walk up to the coffin.
(I'm thinking a lot about First Lines these days. So important!
Re: Richard Peck's talk at Books of Wonder. And another Richard Peck beginning thought is HERE.)
Won't give away last line but it does refer back to the title. Which I always like. Titles are also tough. I kept forgetting this one while I was reading the book. Afterwards, not so much.
Here's a nice, short review of Tracy Holczer's debut middle-grade novel, via Publisher's Weekly: http://publishersweekly.com/978-0-399-16393-7
I read this one on the advice of an interesting list in the Christian Science Monitor of the best middle-grade books of the year, so far (though truthfully, some are Young Adult in my opinion) HERE.
July 29, 2014
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS
I'm way behind in my adult novels To Be Read list.To whoever recommended this one, thank you and I'm sorry I didn't get to it a year ago when you raved.
A perfect vacation read, THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS is written by M.L. Stedman, an Australian living in London.
Click to read that the novel's -> ->
Coming soon to the movies!
The book is about many things I love: lighthouses, families, World War I.
For a terrific interview about writing the book, click here:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2012/0918/M.L.-Stedman-talks-about-The-Light-Between-Oceans
As I turned the pages quickly (because it was that kind of story- hey Oprah likes it too!), I was reminded of writing advice I recently read on Janice Hardy's blog about creating conflict:
2. Offer an impossible choice
Choices move the plot, but impossible choices make the protagonist work for it. When there’s no clear answer, and both choices have terrible consequences, readers know something about the story is going to change and the stakes are going up–two solid ways to keep readers hooked.
To read the rest of her tips, CLICK HERE.
Without spoiling the novel for those of you who haven't read it, Stedman is quite good at that impossible choice thing.
Anything else I shouldn't miss reading this summer, which will be gone when I blink fast?
July 16, 2014
How Many Pages is Enough?
Intriguing post over at
100 Scope Notes
today.
Be sure to read the comments, too. There were 36 at my last count!
Truly, it's not only about PAGE COUNT as far as heft (or lack thereof) goes.
My first novel was 196 pages, not counting the Author Note, etc. But the new book might be a tad longer--not much!-- AND the font's smaller. So there's that.
But Travis Jonker has a point over there on his blog. I love shorter middle-grade novels. 192 works for me!
Click right here and check it out:
http://100scopenotes.com/2014/07/15/all-middle-grade-should-be-192-pages-no-exceptions/
Plus, it's a fun topic to think about. And he's a funny guy.
"What if a story is longer, you say? Either it gets edited down, or slap a #1 on the spine because that sucker’s becoming a series. Shorter? Beef that puppy up."
Be sure to read the comments, too. There were 36 at my last count!
Truly, it's not only about PAGE COUNT as far as heft (or lack thereof) goes.
My first novel was 196 pages, not counting the Author Note, etc. But the new book might be a tad longer--not much!-- AND the font's smaller. So there's that.
But Travis Jonker has a point over there on his blog. I love shorter middle-grade novels. 192 works for me!
Click right here and check it out:
http://100scopenotes.com/2014/07/15/all-middle-grade-should-be-192-pages-no-exceptions/
Plus, it's a fun topic to think about. And he's a funny guy.
"What if a story is longer, you say? Either it gets edited down, or slap a #1 on the spine because that sucker’s becoming a series. Shorter? Beef that puppy up."
July 14, 2014
Quote of the Day
I love this from my writing group buddy, Teddie Aggeles, on a chapter I sent to my Skyway Writers SCBWI critique group last week:
"I’m not sure we can completely know a Main Character the way we need to until the story unfolds.
...even when we think we know our characters, there’s always more to discover about them, just like in real life."
(I'm trying, really.)
"I’m not sure we can completely know a Main Character the way we need to until the story unfolds.
...even when we think we know our characters, there’s always more to discover about them, just like in real life."
(I'm trying, really.)
July 8, 2014
Diving In
Sharing a quote I copied from Bruce Black's WORDSWIMMER blog.
"You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water."
--Rabindranath Tagore
(Which seems entirely appropriate from where I sit today, not far from the water, not having a clue how to get on over and end this story.)
"You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water."
--Rabindranath Tagore
(Which seems entirely appropriate from where I sit today, not far from the water, not having a clue how to get on over and end this story.)
July 3, 2014
Glory's Birthday!
Yes, I know, it's a little strange to wish a book character a happy birthday. Sort of like having an imaginary friend, isn't it? But my first main character, Gloriana June Hemphill, has a birthday that coincides with a national holiday.
A great excuse for a blogpost, right?
I previously wrote more about Glory and her
July 4th birthday HERE.
I'm eternally grateful for all the teachers and librarians who've shared my book, Glory's birthday and Freedom Summer with young readers.
Horn Book recently included GLORY BE in a new list of books about Freedom Summer.
And I'm beyond excited to have been invited to talk about my book and what I know about that summer. I'll be in Oxford, Ohio, home of Miami University where so many of the 1964 Freedom Summer workers were trained. Details to follow. At least one of the events will be open to the public, so I hope to see a few Ohio friends there!
If you missed the remarkable movie, FREEDOM SUMMER via PBS, here's a link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/introduction/freedomsummer/
Have a terrific July 4th weekend, everybody!
(And listen to Elvis, Glory. He doesn't wish just anybody a happy birthday.)
July 1, 2014
Welcome, Nancy Castaldo
I love it when author friends stop by. Nancy and I met last fall when we go-assisted at a Highlights Historical Fiction Whole Novel retreat. (Here's our fun group.)
Now she has a book coming- in a few days!- about a subject near to my heart: DOGS!
But not just any dog.
These are special creatures, working dogs. Shelter dogs, Sniffers extraordinaire!
So sit with us and pour an iced tea. Feel free to jump in with questions for Nancy in the comments section.
You can also pop over to her website: http://nancycastaldo.com
Augusta: How did you find these amazing dog subjects? Did you actually get to meet them all?
Nancy: That was the best part of the research, Augusta. These dogs were amazing and I felt so lucky to spend time with them. It took a lot of research to connect with some, but I had serendipitous meetings with a few. Like, Rocky, for example. I met him while he was working in my local shopping mall. I felt like I was witnessing something incredible every time I went off with one of them. And to think most of them had been abandoned in shelters before their sniffer dog careers!
Augusta: I love the genre of non-fiction picture books. Any advice for an aspiring writer?
Nancy: Write about something you are passionate about and let that passion shine through in your writing. Enjoy your research and make it count. Research is the main ingredient in writing nonfiction. It can be easy to get lost in it.
Augusta: Ah, research. Yes, easy to get lost.
I know you take a lot of your own photographs. Can you tell us your own background, how you came into this type of writing and illustrating?
Nancy: In my senior year of college I interned at Audubon Magazine. It was the perfect internship for me. I was finishing a double major in biology and chemistry, was co-editor of our literary magazine and was a photography student. The internship combined everything I loved. I stayed for the full year and realized I wanted to ultimately combine writing and photography. This is the first book that I have been able to do that and it’s been a fantastic experience.
Augusta: The story of the medical sniffers and Zack’s dog Alan was one of my favorites. Is there anything you left out of these dogs’ stories that you wish you could have kept? Anything your readers might like to know?
Nancy: Sniffer dogs are all wonderful, hard working dogs. I only wish I could have included more of them in this book. My intent was to have the reader meet each type of sniffer dog and really get to know them. I hope I accomplished that.
Augusta: You did that so well. Tell us, what are you working on now?
Nancy: I’m working on another book for Houghton Mifflin about seeds that has taken me as far as Russia for research. It will be out next year!
Augusta: Seeds! Wow. Intriguing topic. So Nancy, we'd like to know- what do you read for fun?
Nancy: Just about everything! I love all genres of kid lit, but I do have a leaning towards historical fiction. I’m a reviewer for the Historical Novel Society and have the opportunity to dive into many great books. I also love to read nonfiction – both adult and kids.
Augusta: Why am I not surprised you like historical fiction?
Check out Nancy's excellent blog, HISTORICALLY SPEAKING, HERE.
Where’s your favorite place to write? Are you a coffeeshop kind of gal?
Nancy: I love working in my home office. I live in a rural area and can see everything from birds and deer out my window to rows of corn. And I have two great office buddies, my 90 pound golden doodle, Gatsby, and my cat, Zuzu, to keep me company. They also happen to be the best first listeners! :)
Augusta: You are blessed! Have you always loved dogs and had pets?
Nancy: Yes! I had everything when I was a kid – rabbits, guinea pigs, lizards, turtles, frogs, salamanders, birds, as well as a dogs and cats. In fact, I volunteered in our local animals shelter for years. I thought I’d end up being a vet, but found I enjoyed working with animals in the wild a lot more!
Thanks for hosting me on your blog today, Augusta. This has been fun!
Thank you for stopping by, Nancy.
Leave us a comment about your dog, Nancy's book, the amazing service dogs and all the special animals in your lives.And don't forget to check out SNIFFER DOGS, ready to order right now!
A link to the excellent KIRKUS review, with ordering info is RIGHT HERE.
Now she has a book coming- in a few days!- about a subject near to my heart: DOGS!
But not just any dog.
These are special creatures, working dogs. Shelter dogs, Sniffers extraordinaire!
So sit with us and pour an iced tea. Feel free to jump in with questions for Nancy in the comments section.
You can also pop over to her website: http://nancycastaldo.com
Augusta: How did you find these amazing dog subjects? Did you actually get to meet them all?
Nancy: That was the best part of the research, Augusta. These dogs were amazing and I felt so lucky to spend time with them. It took a lot of research to connect with some, but I had serendipitous meetings with a few. Like, Rocky, for example. I met him while he was working in my local shopping mall. I felt like I was witnessing something incredible every time I went off with one of them. And to think most of them had been abandoned in shelters before their sniffer dog careers!
Augusta: I love the genre of non-fiction picture books. Any advice for an aspiring writer?
Nancy: Write about something you are passionate about and let that passion shine through in your writing. Enjoy your research and make it count. Research is the main ingredient in writing nonfiction. It can be easy to get lost in it.
Augusta: Ah, research. Yes, easy to get lost.
I know you take a lot of your own photographs. Can you tell us your own background, how you came into this type of writing and illustrating?
Nancy: In my senior year of college I interned at Audubon Magazine. It was the perfect internship for me. I was finishing a double major in biology and chemistry, was co-editor of our literary magazine and was a photography student. The internship combined everything I loved. I stayed for the full year and realized I wanted to ultimately combine writing and photography. This is the first book that I have been able to do that and it’s been a fantastic experience.
Augusta: The story of the medical sniffers and Zack’s dog Alan was one of my favorites. Is there anything you left out of these dogs’ stories that you wish you could have kept? Anything your readers might like to know?
Nancy: Sniffer dogs are all wonderful, hard working dogs. I only wish I could have included more of them in this book. My intent was to have the reader meet each type of sniffer dog and really get to know them. I hope I accomplished that.
Augusta: You did that so well. Tell us, what are you working on now?
Nancy: I’m working on another book for Houghton Mifflin about seeds that has taken me as far as Russia for research. It will be out next year!
Augusta: Seeds! Wow. Intriguing topic. So Nancy, we'd like to know- what do you read for fun?
Nancy: Just about everything! I love all genres of kid lit, but I do have a leaning towards historical fiction. I’m a reviewer for the Historical Novel Society and have the opportunity to dive into many great books. I also love to read nonfiction – both adult and kids.
Augusta: Why am I not surprised you like historical fiction?
Check out Nancy's excellent blog, HISTORICALLY SPEAKING, HERE.
Where’s your favorite place to write? Are you a coffeeshop kind of gal?
Nancy: I love working in my home office. I live in a rural area and can see everything from birds and deer out my window to rows of corn. And I have two great office buddies, my 90 pound golden doodle, Gatsby, and my cat, Zuzu, to keep me company. They also happen to be the best first listeners! :)
Augusta: You are blessed! Have you always loved dogs and had pets?
Nancy: Yes! I had everything when I was a kid – rabbits, guinea pigs, lizards, turtles, frogs, salamanders, birds, as well as a dogs and cats. In fact, I volunteered in our local animals shelter for years. I thought I’d end up being a vet, but found I enjoyed working with animals in the wild a lot more!
Thanks for hosting me on your blog today, Augusta. This has been fun!
Thank you for stopping by, Nancy.
Leave us a comment about your dog, Nancy's book, the amazing service dogs and all the special animals in your lives.And don't forget to check out SNIFFER DOGS, ready to order right now!
A link to the excellent KIRKUS review, with ordering info is RIGHT HERE.
June 29, 2014
First Pass Pages
For those of you who might not know how the editing process goes (I sure didn't!), I'll tell you what I'm doing to my new novel right now. Novel-to-be. Coming, January, 2015.
We've been through copyediting. That was about a month or two ago. Time flies.
During that stage of the process, I changed sentences, checked time frames, made sure my characters' names, hair colors, etc, were consistent. Answered all the copyeditor's questions. There were a few. Okay more than a few. <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} </style><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Now I have in front of me an actual printed copy, sent by Scholastic, of what the book's pages will look like. FIRST PASS PAGES. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Chapter headings, italics, the "handwritten" notes set off in different fonts, etc. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">TA-DA!</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lprnXzLcnz4..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lprnXzLcnz4..." height="240" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">(No, that's not what the actual <i>cover art</i> will look like. Stay tuned for that as soon as I can share.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Now this is our chance to fix tiny things. Like whether a question mark might be better than that period I originally thought worked. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Or whether it's possible that a bucket of night crawlers would cost $.50 in 1974.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(Yes, because my brother and his fishing buddy Galen told me so. It's a big bucket.)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This time I didn't get as many <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stet" target="_blank"><i>Stet's</i> </a>as before. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That means <i>should we leave it as is, for voice? </i></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For example, "<a href="http://www.word-detective.com/2013/09..." target="_blank">I swan"</a>-- which we all recognize as a real word, right?</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Maybe because this novel isn't as southern as GLORY BE was. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Or maybe this editor grew up in the South and has a southern granny in her family. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Tomorrow, off it goes. Back to my editor. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">All 170-plus pages of THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY! </span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">PS If you're still reading...</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">After meticulously going over the entire manuscript for the zillionth time this weekend, I decided I could finally toss out some of the old printed chapters I'd saved during revision. And I discovered some interesting (to me! Possibly to no one else!) things. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">1. The first time I showed it to a professional in the book business was in 2004 at a Rutgers One-on-One conference when my mentor was Sally Keehn. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My agent, Linda Pratt, was also there. Fun to imagine what would have happened if our paths had crossed way back then. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">2. One of my longest critiquing friendships has been with my buddy Janet McLaughlin. She's now in my actual Florida writers group (Go, Skyway Writers!). But I bet she doesn't remember seeing THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY when we were in that now defunct online group, many moons ago. Many titles ago. Many character deletions and renamings ago.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The group didn't last long for us, but I continued to tap away at this book and Janet continued to comment.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I also smiled to see other familiar names critiquing my early versions. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When Sue Laneve organized a new Pinellas County Florida group, I found my people.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My very first SCBWI Critique group. </span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hello, Denis, Sylvia, Lenore et al.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thanks, Sue. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hZUE7X0anh0..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hZUE7X0anh0..." height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Old chapters, ready for recycling!)</div><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
We've been through copyediting. That was about a month or two ago. Time flies.
During that stage of the process, I changed sentences, checked time frames, made sure my characters' names, hair colors, etc, were consistent. Answered all the copyeditor's questions. There were a few. Okay more than a few. <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} </style><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Now I have in front of me an actual printed copy, sent by Scholastic, of what the book's pages will look like. FIRST PASS PAGES. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Chapter headings, italics, the "handwritten" notes set off in different fonts, etc. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">TA-DA!</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lprnXzLcnz4..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lprnXzLcnz4..." height="240" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">(No, that's not what the actual <i>cover art</i> will look like. Stay tuned for that as soon as I can share.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Now this is our chance to fix tiny things. Like whether a question mark might be better than that period I originally thought worked. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Or whether it's possible that a bucket of night crawlers would cost $.50 in 1974.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(Yes, because my brother and his fishing buddy Galen told me so. It's a big bucket.)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This time I didn't get as many <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stet" target="_blank"><i>Stet's</i> </a>as before. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That means <i>should we leave it as is, for voice? </i></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For example, "<a href="http://www.word-detective.com/2013/09..." target="_blank">I swan"</a>-- which we all recognize as a real word, right?</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Maybe because this novel isn't as southern as GLORY BE was. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Or maybe this editor grew up in the South and has a southern granny in her family. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Tomorrow, off it goes. Back to my editor. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">All 170-plus pages of THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY! </span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">PS If you're still reading...</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">After meticulously going over the entire manuscript for the zillionth time this weekend, I decided I could finally toss out some of the old printed chapters I'd saved during revision. And I discovered some interesting (to me! Possibly to no one else!) things. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">1. The first time I showed it to a professional in the book business was in 2004 at a Rutgers One-on-One conference when my mentor was Sally Keehn. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My agent, Linda Pratt, was also there. Fun to imagine what would have happened if our paths had crossed way back then. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">2. One of my longest critiquing friendships has been with my buddy Janet McLaughlin. She's now in my actual Florida writers group (Go, Skyway Writers!). But I bet she doesn't remember seeing THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY when we were in that now defunct online group, many moons ago. Many titles ago. Many character deletions and renamings ago.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The group didn't last long for us, but I continued to tap away at this book and Janet continued to comment.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I also smiled to see other familiar names critiquing my early versions. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When Sue Laneve organized a new Pinellas County Florida group, I found my people.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My very first SCBWI Critique group. </span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hello, Denis, Sylvia, Lenore et al.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thanks, Sue. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hZUE7X0anh0..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hZUE7X0anh0..." height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Old chapters, ready for recycling!)</div><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
