Annie Cardi's Blog, page 89

Going Graphic

Love this idea of the graphic cannon. No, not the cannon of graphic novels–these are works in the literary cannon that have been made into graphic art. Aside from being totally awesome, it sounds like The Graphic Canon: The World’s Great Literature as Comics and Visuals would be a great way for teachers to get reluctant readers interested in the classics.

Candlewick also has graphic versions of classics like Moby Dick and The Merchant of Venice, which are fantastic. Works like these might not replace the standard text version, but I think they’re an awesome accompaniment.

(image: Beowulf illustrated by Gareth Hinds, via The Atlantic)

Critique Groups and the Importance of Constructive Feedback

At Swagger Writers, Kathy has a great post about being part of a critique group. She mentions that she know someone who is afraid to join a critique group because of the potential for negative feedback. Kathy points out that feedback of all kinds–even negative–is crucial to the writing process:

“The key word there is constructive. There’s no point in offering a critique that isn’t helpful. I also believe a critique should begin with something positive. Telling a writer what’s working is at least as important as telling her what is not.”

I’ve been fortunate enough to be a member of two very constructive critique groups, and I think that the feedback is invaluable. I’m a big fan of Kathy’s point about beginning with the positive–it can overwhelm a writer to get bombarded with negatives–but also really appreciate knowing what doesn’t work in a given story. Whether it’s positive or negative, feedback should inform you about how to make your story better. If one part is working really well, that’s fantastic, and maybe you can bring the same kind of focus and features to the parts that aren’t as strong.

Also, I think knowing how to workshop is enormously helpful. Assuming your goal is to get published someday, you’ll probably have to deal with feedback from an agent and/or editor. If you’ve never heard anything bad about your work before, it might be disheartening to get an editorial letter full of suggestions for changes. If you’ve had experience with a critique group, you know that constructive criticism is an essential part of the revision process.

As Kathy says, this all depends on the particular group. But having that kind of sounding board and support system is awesome.

Make sure to check out the full post for the rest of Kathy’s thoughts on critique groups. Also, in case you’re curious about my YA/MG critique group, check out their sites: Tara Sullivan, Lisa Palin, Katie Slivensky, Julia Maranan, and Lauren M. Barrett. Rock on, writers!

(image: Wikipedia)

Terrific Trailers: The Raven Books and The Perks of Being a Wallflower

So psyched for Maggie Stiefvater’s forthcoming book, The Raven Boys. Check out the trailer here:

And speaking of trailers, you need to check out the trailer for the upcoming movie version of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Confession: it’s not my favorite YA book ever, but this trailer makes me want to go back and reread it. Fingers crossed!

Forest of Books

If you’re like me, you probably have more than a few stacks of books around your home. For a prettier way to wrangle them, check out these lovely bookends by Garth Borovicka:

Books and tiny trees? I’m sold. Check out his Etsy shop here.

(image: Garth Borovicka)(via babble)

Friday Fifteen

Hey Friday! Here’s the best in this week’s fifteen-word reviews:

1. Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season One, Volume 1 by Various Authors

Let’s talk about how much I love Buffy. Ideal middle school TV watching.

2. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger

Excellent stories, although in general I prefer Salinger’s longer works.

3. Piping Down the Valleys Wild ed. Nancy Larrick

Read in fifth grade, my first real encounter with poetry. Lovely collection for kids.

4. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Always kind of hoped the tree would whack the boy with one of its branches.

5. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

A courtroom drama centered on race. Expected more To Kill a Mockingbird than I got.

Links Galore

A few links to take you into the weekend:

Middle school is the worst. Definitely a time when you need good MG/YA books.
Every library should have a library cat.
Literary field trip, anyone?
Why objectivity and transparency matter in book blogging and reviewing.

Handwritten Manuscripts Get Analyzed

Although it’s very cool to see the handwriting of famous authors, I’m a little afraid of how mine would be analyzed. Mine probably most resembles Chuck Palahniuk’s, about which the handwriting analyst said:

“The crowded nature of Palahniuk’s lines suggest someone with “confused thinking” and a “poor organization of time and space,” who might even be “overly familiar”…inharmonious printing indicates a person who is fragmented in his thinking and has difficulty relating to others. He can be sharp and unfeeling in social interactions.”

Kind of makes me want to brush up on my penmanship.

My favorite handwriting of the group is probably David Foster Wallace’s:

I need to use more stickers in my writing.

(image: Flavorwire)

Advancing on Retreats

Whenever I hear that someone went on a writer’s retreat or stayed at a writing colony, part of me wants to ask “But how did you manage it? Don’t you have to hoard money and vacation days?” Obviously, some retreats are expensive and require a fair amount of time off, but that doesn’t mean all retreats have to be that way. The Writers Alley has some great suggestions about how to create your own awesome, inexpensive retreat.

I like the idea of going somewhere to write. It forces you to focus on your work and means you can’t make excuses like, “I should probably get this load of laundry in,” or “But it’s the perfect time for a nap!”

A couple of things to remember about super cheap “retreats” at, say, a coffee shop or the library:

If you’re somewhere that is first and foremost a food service location, make sure to buy something. And if you’re there for a while, buy something else. Don’t be that person who gets a small coffee and takes over a table for five hours.
Be aware of where the outlets are. Claim them and don’t let them go.
Bring someone with you. That way, if you need to leave your stuff and use the restroom, you don’t have to rely on strangers/hope your stuff doesn’t get stolen/take everything with you.

If going to a coffee shop or the library is part of your usual writing routine, try to mix up the setting. Head somewhere totally new (even if it’s another coffee shop or library). The change of setting might help you focus more or expand your creative outlook.

Also, I really want to check out The Porches (which is pretty close to Charlottesville, VA, one of my favorite places in the world) for a not-super-expensive actual writing retreat. And how cool would it be to write in a treehouse?

This summer, Walt and I have planned a vacation/writing retreat in the mountains of Pennsylvania. I’ll let you know how it goes. (Hopefully productively, with a good dash of relaxation in there, too.)

Have you ever created your own writing retreat?

(H/T Debbie Ohi)(image: adrian, acediscovery)

Shannon Hale on Readers Meeting Writers

Shannon Hale talks about meeting hearing from her fans:

She’s so positive and enthusiastic about her readers, which I just love. I got to see Shannon Hale a couple of years ago at a reading, and she was just as warm and engaging in person.

Like Having a Cool Lit Class Discussion via Youtube

Sometimes you see people online and think “Man, I wish we were friends in real life.” You think about all the awesome things you’d do and all the cool conversations you’d have. That’s kind of how I feel about the YA Subscription crew. Their discussions about YA literature are my new favorite thing. It’s like hanging out with very cool, very thoughful people who also love YA*. What more could you want?

Currently working through their videos on The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. If you haven’t read the book yet, you really need to.

*Granted, I have a couple of groups like that in real life, so I shouldn’t complain. But the more, the merrier!