Annie Cardi's Blog, page 109

Links Galore

A few more links for today:

Attention Boston picture book fans: Mo Willems is coming to Brookline Booksmith on April 1. Don't let the pigeon keep you away!
Tips and sample syllabi for teaching a class on novel-writing.
A limited but free version of JSTOR? Post-academic researchers cheer!
At Secrets & Sharing Soda, a great list of books about girls growing up.
If you don't want music or the background noise of a coffee shop or complete silence, how about some ambient noise?
Lots of good choices for the 2012 Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts. Love the focus on books that deal specifically with language and playing with words!

Making Your Details Work

Love this post over at Kidlit.com about characterizing details. Mary encourages writers to focus on details that actually say something about their characters' personalities, not just stuff that kind of describes them. (Fun quiz included!) She writes:

"When you're dealing with character, and especially at the beginning of your book–whether novel or picture book!–make sure you are choosing details and actions that do double duty and flesh out character on a more emotional level for your reader."

Obviously this is essential for main characters, but I think it's also something to remember for minor characters as well. It's easy to describe your main character's best friend as being tall and funny, but if you talk about how she breaks into showtunes in the cafeteria or how he can make even the stern Latin teacher crack a smile, it can go a long way into developing the world of your novel. Also, it gives readers a better reason as to how your main character interacts with the world around them. You don't need to go into a ton of detail, but showing instances like these are a great way to build your minor characters and, by extension, your main character.

At-Risk Teens Give Books a Good Home

If you're in the Boston area and want to donate some of your books (or CDs or DVDs or games), check out More than Words. It's a nonprofit that empowers at-risk youth by running a business. From the MTW website:

"By working as a team to manage their own retail and online used book business, café, and community space, youth develop the employment skills, leadership, and self-confidence they need to successfully transition to adulthood. In addition to store-based job training, youth are engaged in personal transition planning and case management to support their progress towards employment and education. The MTW model is premised on the belief that when at-risk youth are challenged with authentic and increasing responsibilities in a business setting, and have high expectations and a culture of support, they can and will address their personal barriers, create concrete action plans for their lives, and become thriving members of society."

I like the idea of helping teens develop a better sense of self and practical skills through something like a used bookstore. Plus, it's a fantastic way to pass along books you're not going to read again. The MTW team even picks up books at your home/building on particular days in the Boston area. (My husband and I just donated and it was so convenient.) I think a lot of times, people have books they would give away but aren't sure where to send them. Libraries may not need another copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, but a program like this might.

I'm sure there are a lot of other programs like this around the country, so if you know of one, please share in the comments.

Productivity Plus Caffiene

When I was in college, there were a few choices for study locations. There were libraries with total silence and beautiful shelves of books and large wooden tables. There were libraries with total silence and 70s-style carrels. (Ugh.) There were nooks within student centers, tables in cafes, libraries that no one really knew about because they were hidden in the Physics Building. You could claim studying but actually socialize and no one would notice. You could steal a grad student's desk and hope they didn't kick you out before you got through your reading. You could fall asleep on a dorm-style couch and totally miss your final.

My favorite place to work was the first floor of one particular library, right near the entrance. It had a good, classic library feel–dark wood, tall ceilings, excellent lighting. There was a small square of chairs that were cozy enough to make you comfortable but not too cozy to make you fall asleep. There was always a fair amount of traffic, and it was right next to the library cafe–perfect for coffee/tea addicts like me. I would take my discman (yes, I'm that old) and put on a good study mix and rock out with an art history flashcards or astronomy notes. I liked being surrounded by activity but a little bit separate from it. Even now, I don't like being in total quiet to work. I prefer to go to a coffee shop or library to get work done.

Apparently a new study agrees with me that a little background noise/activity is the right setting for getting work done:

"The study adds to research suggesting that small doses of distraction — including hard-to-read fonts — prompt the mind to work at a more abstract level, which is also a more creative level….The effect of noise is inverted-U-shaped, this study suggested: There's a sweet spot between silence and din."

My work habits are totally in line with this study. If I'm at a coffee shop, I'm energized by the activity but am able to zone out much of the actual noise. Plus, I like the social pressure of working around other people. Even if no one notices that I'm actually on Facebook, I feel more pressure to have my Word document open in front of me. I need to look like a real writer! At home, no one notices if I don't look like a real writer. (Plus, at home it's easy to segue from my desk into a nap.)

Do you tend to work best with a little distraction, or do you prefer total isolation to get your creativity going?

(image: jimmyjames33)

A Bird in the Book is Worth Two in the Hand

The brilliant albatross bookmark that always keeps your place–even while you read.:

You can pre-order them, too. (via Swissmiss)

I'm Big on Maps This Week

Swelling with New England pride at this section of The Booklovers Map of America Showing Certain Landmarks of Literary Geography by pictorial cartographer Paul M. Paine:

Heck yeah birthplace of American literature! (via Maria Popova at Brain Pickings)

Spring in Your Step

I'm a little obsessed with A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead and Erin Stead. Both the art and the story are charming and cozy and whimsical. So of course I squeaked when I saw the Horn Book interviewed illustrator Erin Stead about art, color, and her book And Then It's Spring. A couple of favorite responses:

"3. My favorite spring song is "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most." What's yours?

EES: I haven't been able to think of anything that tops Mel Brooks's "Springtime for Hitler.""

Erin, you are correct. On a more serious note, about knowing our history:

"I don't necessarily mean the books that have become part of the canon (although that is an excellent place to start). A lot of good books can get lost in today's online-blogging-twitter-algorithm shopping, but it's nothing a good library, new or used bookstore, or a little Leonard S. Marcus can't fix. Sometimes I worry that we've given up a little of the weird or the dark in picture books, while not realizing that some of the books we still love are entirely weird. I love Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, but as an elevator pitch, that book is strange."

Make sure to check out the whole interview.

The World According to Books

What a cool catalog cover for Pan Macillan:

I think this would be an awesome print for a library–heck, even your home library. (image: Owen Gatley)

Links Galore

A few more links to round out the day:

Children's books responses to children's books. My favorite is His Dark Materials as a response to The Chronicles of Narnia. I'll take 'em both!
New York friends, please go to the NYC Teen Author Festival and let me live vicariously through you.
Chicago and MLA disagree on the right way to cite a tweet. (I say @ChicagoManual wins since MLA doesn't seem to even have an official Twitter feed.)
The importance of preschool.
So glad A Wrinkle in Time actually got published, considering the reaction of publishing industry insiders at the time.

Neither Unnatural Nor Disastrous Giveaway

The First Novels Club is giving away a copy of Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin. From the FNC review:

"My favorite, favorite part of FRESHMAN YEAR was Kelsey's group of friends. First off, the ups and downs of their relationship far overshadowed any boy drama in the book (for this alone, I want to hug Meredith Zeitlin). They're unique without being stereotypically quirky, and I loved the realistic, ever-changing dynamic of the girls as they grew up and apart and together again. Plus, how they argued and got mad at each other was hilariously spot-on with how girls fight in high school."

Really like the sound of this. I think it's easy to create one best friend for your main character, or perhaps a small group with very distinct personalities (the SATC effect), but real life friendships are way more fluid, especially at the beginning of high school.

Also, I dig contemporary YA with a sense of humor. Not everyone has to brood! Click through to enter the giveaway.