Explorations

Kill Your Darlings, but Keep Their Ghosts and Shadows

2012-02-10T13:30:00.000+01:00

Sometimes I feel like I’m wielding a machete or a flamethrower when I’m revising a book. Pages burn into ashes. Sentences blow away like the seeds of a dandelion clock.

There are times we must remove our Darlings.
(“Remove”: a sterile word for “cut” and “kill,” which implies blood is involved.)

We may remove
a word.
A sentence.
A scene.
A desire.
A motive.
A character.

Or another element of the story.

The revision may be substantial, and it is like we are pulling the warp threads out of a plot or sending the keystone from a character arc tumbling to the ground.

The art of writing involves knowing what needs to stay and what needs to be removed.

A positive spin: We are deleting cutting rescuing our Darlings from a place they don’t belong as we find the best way to tell our story.

What happens to the words we delete?
Scenes we eliminate?
Characters we yank from the pages?

Our Darlings may go on to another life as we tuck them away in our mental “use later” file or into a “cut from book” file in the computer. We can save an awesome turn of phrase to use at another time later. We can borrow and steal elements from a deleted scene for another story. Not a word we write is wasted.

When I remove words/ sentences/scenes/characters from a story, what else happens?

Example One: In my novel, River, I cut a significant secondary character. She wasn’t pulling her weight. (Truth be told, she didn’t want to be in the book.)

When I revised, elements of her character that were critical to moving the plot forward shifted to two other secondary characters.

Example Two: [These opening sentences are taken from one of my picture books that I wrote while at VCFA while in the picture book semester. This book was a finalist in the 2010 SCBWI Barbara Karlin Grant competition.]

1. “We climb our mountains from the inside, up and up we climb.” (First draft—when I was desperately trying to get words on the page so I could make my VCFA packet deadline.)
2. “Today we will conquer a new peak, the highest peak in the mountain range.” (2^nd draft.)
3. “Today we are explorers. We cross the bridge toward the mountains wild . . .” (Final draft, after numerous revisions.)

Only two significant words remain in the final draft: “we” and “mountains.” The concept of going “inside” shifts to a spread later in the manuscript. The word “explorers” in the final version captures the idea I wanted to express in the earlier versions.

Ghosts and Shadows
The essence of what is cut removed often floats around and squeezes into other sentences or parts of the book. At times, deleting and writing more words acts as a palimpsest: not all that was removed is fully erased. Vestiges remain.

Even when we kill our Darlings, they live on as ghosts and shadows. Aspects of what we removed remain in the pages. In essence, although what we cut is no longer there, ghosts of those words will haunt our pages and flit between sentences.

What is your experience with the traces and shadows, the ghosts of your Darlings?

Laura Watkinson, Translator, Winner of the 2012 Batchelder Award

2012-01-24T06:44:00.000+01:00

Laura Watkinson won the ALA 2012 Batchelder Award for her translation of Soldier Bear (“Soldaat Wojtek”). The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is for an "outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States."

Last year I interviewed Laura Watkinson for the Through the Tollbooth blog, and I'm reposting that interview here today.

I’m excited about today’s interview! Laura Watkinson joins me to answer my questions about translators and translating books.

Laura translates a wide range of books (picture books, graphic novels, young adult and adult novels) into English from Dutch, Italian, and German. She studied languages, literature, linguistics and literary translation at Oxford, Cambridge and University College London.

She has translated for many publishers including Scholastic Books (Arthur Levine imprint), Golden Books, Eerdmans, and Peirene Press (London). She participated on the panel, Mixing it Up: The Process of Bringing International Books to the US, with publisher Arthur Levine and editor Cheryl Klein, at the 2009 ALA conference in Chicago (for USBBY and the Young Adult Library Services Association, YALSA).

She translated Heartsinger by Karlijn Stoffels and recently completed a translation of Tomorrow Pamplona, an adult novel by Jan van Mersbergen, for Peirene Press and is currently working on a translation of Berlin by Cees Nooteboom for Maclehose Press.

After living in many European countries and teaching at universities in Italy and Germany, Laura moved to the Netherlands in 2003. She recently moved to a very tall, thin house on a canal in Amsterdam.

[Sarah] What was your path to translating children’s books?

[Laura] It’s been a long and meandering path, which probably started when I was very small and read a book about a grandma, but no one in the book called her Grandma. They all called her Oma instead. And I slowly realised that this book came from Somewhere Else.

As a child, I was always surrounded by books and I became more and more interested in languages as I went through school and had the chance to learn French and German.

I grew up and headed off to study languages and literature at St Anne’s College, Oxford University, and later spent time teaching English at the University of Erlangen in Germany and at the University of Milan in Italy, before returning to the UK to do a Master’s in English and Applied Linguistics at Cambridge, which included an element in translation.

I’d been doing small pieces of translation work on the side all the way through university and later while I was teaching English as a foreign language, but I really decided to concentrate on translation when I took the postgraduate certificate course in literary translation from Dutch into English at University College London in 2001. It was a fabulous introduction to the world of literary translation with a variety of guest speakers, including professional translators of literature, drama and poetry, and a Dutch writer in residence. It also was an important first step in building up a network of fellow translators, as it’s good to know other people in the same profession, particularly as a freelancer.

When I started out as a translator, I sent my CV to a few publishing houses and gradually built up a number of regular clients, primarily in the world of contemporary art. I knew that I wanted to work in children’s books, so I studied that market and kept an eye open for houses that published children’s books in translation and started to make contacts at Dutch and Flemish publishing houses.

I also submitted a sample translation of an excerpt from a book by Karlijn Stoffels to the NLPVF, now the Dutch Foundation for Literature. They assessed the translation and placed me on their list of approved translators of children’s books, which means that my translations qualify for subsidy. The Dutch Foundation for Literature is a great support for literary translators, providing training and networking opportunities for translators, along with the Expertisecentrum Literair Vertalen in Utrecht. They co-ordinate summer courses in translation and the annual Vertaaldagen (Translation Days) for literary translators from and into Dutch: two days of lectures and workshops in Utrecht, just before Christmas.
I translated a lot of excerpts and picture books and was delighted when Arthur A. Levine decided to publish my first major translation of a children’s book, which was in fact another book written by Karlijn Stoffels: Heartsinger (2009).

It was great to have Cheryl Klein, who edited the Harry Potter books, as the editor for the project.

Looking back at that description of my career path, it all seems rather carefully planned, but that’s not really how it’s felt. I’ve just always been interested in languages and books and studying, which has influenced my decisions and has led me into a career that I love. I now translate primarily from Dutch, often from Italian and only occasionally from German, which was in fact the main focus of my first university degree.

I should probably point out that there’s no typical career path for literary translators. Of course, I’m sure all literary translators share that love of language learning and stories, but I know translators from a very wide range of educational and professional backgrounds, with and without relevant qualifications.

[Sarah] In addition to the translator, who is involved with the translation process?

[Laura] Typically, a book will go through a fairly lengthy process before it’s selected for translation. Let’s say a children’s publisher from New York travels to the book fair in Bologna, looking to acquire the rights for some books from Europe that he or she feels have something to offer to young readers in the US. The first problem is that old language barrier. It’s one thing having a publisher from a Dutch house telling you how fantastic a particular book is, but another thing entirely being able to read it for yourself. So what often happens is that the Dutch publisher or the Dutch Foundation for Literature will commission a translation to take along to the book fair.

In this case of a picture book, that’s nice and easy – the translator produces a translation of the whole text and the American publisher has access to both the pictures and story and can assess the book there and then. The final version of the English text may well be very different from the translation available at the book fair though, once it’s gone back to the translator and through the editing process. For various reasons, it may even be translated all over again by a different translator.

However, if a foreign-language publisher is trying to sell something like a YA novel, it makes little financial sense for them to have the whole book translated and time is also an issue, so they’ll usually have just an excerpt translated to take along to the book fair. An excerpt is typically around twenty pages, generally from the beginning of the book, although I’ve noticed they seem to be getting shorter lately. The excerpt may be packaged with extra information about the author, such as a bibliography and perhaps an interview. These info packs go out to publishers all over the world, so a publisher in, say, Mexico may read an excerpt translated from Dutch into English before deciding to commission a translation of the text into Spanish.

At the book fair, the US publisher will talk to the Dutch publisher and perhaps to the representatives of the Dutch Foundation for Literature and the Flemish Literature Fund, who promote books written in the Dutch language and also subsidise translation and in some cases production costs. Everyone hopes that the publisher will return home with a number of possible projects.

If it’s a YA book and the publisher has only seen an excerpt, the next step might be for the publisher to commission a reader’s report from someone who knows the foreign language and who has some understanding of the market. A reader’s report is usually a maximum of three A4 pages and will include a brief summary of the plot, together with extra information about the book and the author (awards, reviews, reception in the home country) and the reader’s opinion about how well the book might work in translation and where it might fit into the market and the publisher’s list. Are there any other books out there like it? How might readers feel when they finish the book?

If the publisher still likes the sound of the book, he or she may ask a translator to work on a longer excerpt. This may be the same translator who worked on the initial excerpt, but not necessarily.

All of this material then disappears into the usual internal publishing process and sometimes, a few weeks or months later, the publisher comes back to the translator with a yes and the next stage of the process begins: translation.

For those months of translation, the translator will usually work alone, sending occasional queries to fellow translators (we have quite a good network) and maybe to the editor and sometimes to the author. When the draft is finished, it goes to the editor and you spend a few weeks working through the normal editing and proofing process. I imagine this is probably more straightforward than typical editing, as the book has already been edited and published in a different language.

You shouldn’t think though that the text is writ in stone just because it’s already been published in the original language. Sometimes, at this stage, an editor will make changes to the structure of a book, perhaps breaking the story up into new chapters and reordering events, maybe making an ending more upbeat or less ambiguous. It depends a lot on the editor’s knowledge of their market and the publisher’s catalogue and, of course, on discussion with the author.

Sometimes the process is a lot simpler. I recently translated Vincent and Camille, a Golden Book that was commissioned directly by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, for example, and then I went on to translate a graphic novel and accompanying teaching material for the museum: Vincent Van Gogh: An Artist’s Struggle, which was a collaboration between the museum and EurEducation. Here's the book trailer:
In these two cases, the museum got in touch with me directly and there was essentially one point of contact all the way through the process.

I mentioned before that translators usually work on their own, but I recently had the opportunity to collaborate on a fantastic project with two other translators, Rhian Heppleston and Michele Hutchison: The Wrong Place, a Belgian graphic novel by Brecht Evens. We were lucky that the publisher, Drawn and Quarterly, agreed to let the three of us work on it together. It was an interesting process, as the text was, of course, dialogue, so having three of us chipping in really helped to establish different voices. For once, the translation process was more about talking than writing. We sat there together, the three of us, and worked away to get the same emotion, colloquial swing and occasional cringe-worthy awkwardness into the dialogue of the characters. We polished and honed the text and read it out loud. It was a very rewarding experience and I hope that the dialogue rings true. When we reached the editing phase, we also did a little work with Tom Devlin of Drawn and Quarterly to tweak the dialogue by ironing out a few phrases that worked better in the UK than elsewhere in the English-speaking world. The author, Brecht Evens, read the translation too and came up with some suggestions, so the editing process was a real team effort.

[Sarah] Who usually selects the translator?

[Laura] It ultimately comes down to the publisher and they’ll usually go for someone they’ve worked with before or, if they like the translated excerpt, they may stick with the same translator. I know that some translators fall in love with a book and decide to translate an excerpt and send it off to publishers. Sometimes the author will even commission an excerpt directly from a translator so that they can contact foreign publishers themselves, effectively bypassing their publisher at home.

[Sarah] Do you ever talk directly with the author? What types of conversations do you have?

[Laura] Hmmm, an interesting question. I know a number of translators who prefer to translate classic books by dead authors, as they’re easier to negotiate with! There are tales about nightmare authors, most of which are probably exaggerated or apocryphal, such as the author who complained about the words in the translation being in a different order than in the original…

There’s also the very occasional author who doesn’t quite trust the translator’s native-speaker credentials. “Are you sure that young people call it a ‘bike’? I thought the English word for fiets was ‘bicycle’ – that’s what I learned at school and that’s what it says in my dictionary.” “Why have you used the present continuous here? Surely it must be the present simple.” Or perhaps you send a translated excerpt to an author for a quick last-minute check, because nobody knows the text like the author and it’s great to have the expert read through and pick up on any problems. However, the author somehow misunderstands his or her role in the process and, rather than sending a few comments and queries, mails a “corrected” version of the translation – all the examples of “because” have mysteriously become “for” and your carefully crafted dialogue is now full of inappropriate, archaic phrases. Um, there’s not much you can say in those cases. You just have to grin and say firmly that it’s native-speaker intuition and that you’ve been working on your English for a very long time.

Such cases are, thankfully, pretty rare. Many authors never become involved in the translation process, particularly if it’s just an excerpt. In my experience, the ones who do read the translation and come back with queries are, 99% of the time, a pleasure to work with and I often end up shaping the final version based on their feedback. You discuss the points, reach a conclusion and polish off the final version of the text together.

When I start on a new book translation project, there’s a lot of emailing back and forth and I make it clear to the publisher that if the author would like to go through the translation and come back with any questions and comments, that’d be great. I don’t approach the author directly though unless I have any niggling queries that I haven’t been able to solve throughout the translation process. That might happen if I’m not quite sure what the author meant or if I’m about to take liberties with the author’s words and want to check that it’s all right or perhaps if there are two options for handling something and I’d like another opinion from someone else who really cares about the book. Then we might meet up or email each other to sort out those last few bits and pieces.

There are also a couple of authors with whom I’ve had a closer working relationship. One year, before the book fair, I worked on a translation of a rhyming picture book by writer Edward van de Vendel, just for fun. The two of us played around with the text for a few days, bouncing suggestions about, and I think the end result was a true collaboration and was better than either of us could have come up with on our own. Edward’s a fine writer and rhymer, with a great sense of humour and top-notch English and he’s very into translation too, so it was a good experience.

[Sarah] Voice is unique to each author. How do you approach voice?

[Laura] I don’t really think too much about how to approach voice. If the book’s well written, the voice is strong enough to flow through into the translation naturally. Sometimes it’s tricky to work out how to reflect a particular dialect or what sort of words and phrasing might get an individual character’s voice just right, particularly if that voice is very distinctive, but it’s generally a very organic process.

[Sarah] Languages take different amounts of space which can affect length and page count. (The reason for this question is I noticed deletion of what I felt were important sentences in a German translation of one of my favorite children’s novels.) Do you ever need to cut words? If so, how do you decide what to leave out?

[Laura] The number of words doesn’t really matter in a typical book for middle grade or YA. The translation may come out shorter or longer than the original text, but it is what it is and the number of pages/words in the original won’t have any impact on the length of the translation. It just gets published as a normal book with no restrictions on the translator.

Those cuts you saw in the novel will probably have been down to an editorial decision. That could happen at any point in the process for a number of reasons: perhaps the translator spots an inconsistency and tidies it up or maybe the editor thinks the wording is too flowery or bloated for an English-speaking readership. It could even be that the author has had second thoughts and has trimmed down the text for the translated version or a reader has spotted an error and written in to let the publisher know.

As a translator, I generally translate pretty much what’s on the page, unless I spot a continuity error (someone’s still drinking from the glass of lemonade that they finished two pages ago) or something that really won’t work in English, such as a play on words that only works in the original language (then I have to get creative…) or a concept that doesn’t exist in the target market (a Dutch stroopwafel might just become a simple waffle – it satisfies the same need for sugar and is known in both markets). Dramatic cuts to the text are more likely to involve an intervention by the editor.

Two cases where space is an issue are picture books and comics, where the words have to fit into a text box or a speech bubble or a particular space on the page. You have to bear that in mind as a translator and try to keep the text at around the same length as the original, which isn’t too difficult, but you can’t tell for sure whether it’s going to fit until the words are actually on the page. Usually the designer can do a few tricks, but you need to pay close attention to the line breaks at the proofing stage, as sometimes the words are split strangely to make them fit. I recently came across a “fair/y tale” in a text, for example, so the “y” had to be moved up and squeezed in to make the poor “fairy” whole again!

[Sarah] Do you also change the names of characters for some books? How do you choose the right names for the characters?

[Laura] I haven’t yet changed the name of any characters in books or pieces that I’ve translated for adults. I think that adult readers don’t mind the occasional unpronounceable name in a book. In fact, it sometimes adds to the appeal, as it’s a reminder that the book is foreign and a little bit different, even though the emotions and story should be universal. The exception to this would be if a character has a nickname that means something. In that case, I’d have to make a choice between translating the name and using that name all the way through the text, which is generally the smoothest, least intrusive method, or explaining the nickname when it appears the first time and then using the original name throughout, which may be a little irritating for the reader. You have to decide on a case-by-case basis.

As you can imagine, the situation’s different for children’s books. Just this week I’ve been translating an excerpt of a book that has a girl called Geesje in it. Most younger English speakers who have no experience of Dutch would be pretty stumped by that name. Is it a girl or a boy? How on earth do you say it? So, in the English version she’s become Gina. I generally go for a name that has a similar feel to it as the original in terms of length and initial letter and I think it’s important to choose a name that could still work in the context of the original book. You could find a Gina in a school class in the Netherlands, in America, in Australia… The name Gina doesn’t make the character of Geesje any less Dutch – it just makes her a little more pronounceable! Hmmm, but maybe Gina’s not the best option. I wonder if there might be a more suitable name for her. Geesje, Gina, Geesje… Hmm… I think that little puzzle’s a good illustration of what a children’s translator gets up to all day at work.

Thank you, Laura, for a great interview!

Smallest Library I've Seen -- Frankfurt, Germany

2011-12-29T10:23:00.002+01:00

This has to be one of the world's smallest libraries.
It is definitely smaller than the phone booth library in England.

This tiny library is the close to where I live.

This bookshelf library can be accessed from either side by opening the glass doors. There are ten shelves, five on each side. The sign in German, when translated says, "open book closet." It is an official Frankfurt am Main City Public Library and is always open.

Of course, since this is Germany, books are borrowed on the honor system. Take a book and bring it back when you've finished reading.
I looked inside and scanned the titles. They are all in German and some of the books looked very old! I pulled one out to look at it's printing date: 1926!

Another angle of this library.

Libraries, whether large or small, whether the books are in English or another language, are one of my favorite places in the world.

Fairy Tale House in Michelstadt

2011-12-19T13:37:00.001+01:00

I rounded the corner in Michelstadt when visiting their Christmas Market and saw this amazing building.

Characters from various Grimms' tales are painted on the outer walls of this traditional fachwerk house.

Characters on this side of the house include Hansel and Gretel (top), Bremen Town Musicians (center), Little Red Riding Hood (right), and Cinderella with the prince (left)-the 2nd panel of the story.

Detail of Bremen Town Musicians and Little Red Riding Hood. (Her hood has faded from a brighter red, but see the wine and bread in her basket?)

Here I'm standing in front of another side of the building.

Bottom right is the first panel of Cinderella with birds. Above is the Frog Prince, and to the left is a dwarf, carrying a lantern. I'm not certain which tale he is from, as there are a couple possibilities.

Three panels that tell the story of Puss in Boots. Left, the cat is with a man with a horn; center, a girl and boy pass by; right is Puss in his boots.

Details of Puss in Boots

Details of The Frog Prince

And last--here is a view of the house, with part of the Christmas Market in the foreground.

May your holidays be filled stories.

Happy Holidays.

Art of Revision—The Rainbow Manuscript technique

2011-12-12T16:49:00.003+01:00

Art of Revision—The Rainbow Manuscript technique

I started using colorful fonts when revising after Martine Leavitt, my advisor at Vermont College of Fine Arts asked me to make all my changes in red.

Red!

My manuscript was bleeding after I was done:

Screenshots of my novel, River at 10% zoom. Shown
are the beginning (top), middle, and end (bottom.)

Yes, I made that many changes; the changes represent a deep revision.

As I worked I grew to love red font!

Because all red words are better words, better sentences, and even new scenes at times, I have grown to think of red as a positive writing color, instead of the color that marks all my mistakes.

Later revision of River

Using another font color lets me see what I’m doing, or what I recently changed. In some cases it is helpful when I read through my novel the next time, as I can see what I changed. Other times, the red font was just for the process, and I switch the font all back to black before I work on it again..

Also, if I work for several hours or a couple days and feel I didn’t make much headway, I can look at the colorful font, and realize, yes, I did make good progress.

I don’t use colored font with every draft. It’s not useful to me in early drafts.

Occasionally, if I need to both be aware of the last changes I made and need to track my current changes as I take an additional revision pass, I’ll add another color, like blue. If I move a substantial passage, I may mark those sentences with another font color for those passages.

By the end of the revision pass, at least temporarily, I have a rainbow manuscript.

Screenshot of my novel, Crossings-a late revision at 10% zoom

Choosing Books for Gifts

2011-12-06T10:01:00.001+01:00

I recently received an email from a relative asking for book suggestions for her teens and college age sons.

At first I had two thoughts:

What books do I think each would enjoy?

Word of mouth is powerful.

In this case, her daughter stayed with us this past summer—so I know what types of books she likes. For the others, it is harder to come up with titles. Different books speak to different readers, and it can be tricky when giving suggestions and buying books for others.

So how does one find the “right” book? (Or books, because one book is never enough.)

1. One of my favorite approaches is to peruse the shelves of a bookstore or library. (Of course, here in Germany, where typically only bestsellers are imported, a bookstore isn’t the same experience. But every time I go back to the states, I visit at least one bookstore and feast.)

2. Lists of books. Many organizations publish year-end lists online, such as the New York Times, Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly. But often we want to find a book that is more specific, a great book that isn’t a bestseller. One can search online and find all sorts of lists, for example, the recent lists about dog books posted by Leda Schubert and cat books posted by Kathi Appelt). For children’s books an extensive list of lists can be found at Chicken Spaghetti.

3. Bloggers' book reviews. There are many wonderful blogs. Kidlitosphere Central has a great listing for those who want to discover and explore blogs that review and talk about books.

4. And of course, word of mouth. If someone gives me a book recommendation, the chances that I’ll buy that book are quite high.

I’ve always given books as gifts. (Which is one reason for our overflowing shelves and our substantial library of children’s literature—a home library that has more English books than either the international school or national library in one country where we lived.)

Beloved books will be read over and over again and they will be treasured for years. Uma Krishnaswami wrote a blog post this week about her first book. I also still have my first ragtag books from childhood —Snow Treasure, an Enid Blyton, and Island of the Blue Dolphins.

It's delightful to choose the “right” book for a gift, especially when the child immediately falls into the pages, losing herself in another great story.

Tollbooth week and interview with Kimberley Griffiths Little

2011-11-23T10:27:00.001+01:00

I'm in the Tollbooth this week.

On Monday, I talked with Kimberley Griffiths Little about setting, characters, and her book trailers. Swing by and read the interview.
Get inspired by her 3x5 card plotting method.
Or by her 6 week book deadline--she had 6 weeks to write and revise and submit a novel to her editor.

Celebrating Picture Book Month

2011-11-23T07:48:00.001+01:00

I wanted to join in the fun and also celebrate picture books this month.
November is picture book month, and readers, librarians, and writers are celebrating all over the internet. Check out the great picture book month website and read the daily blogs posts written by "picture book champions."

One of the things I love about picture books is they are such a delight to share and read aloud. Picture books are for all ages, infants to adults. My parents read books to me when I was young, and I read to my kids. I even occasionally read picture books to my teenagers; some books beg to be shared. (We couldn't stop laughing when I read Ned Mouse Breaks Away, by Tim Wynne-Jones, to them.)

I've even read picture books a few times to my kids in college, over Skype--this was when I discovered a few incredible picture books during my MFA program that I wished we had read when they were young. (Bark, George! by Jules Feiffer and May I Bring a Friend? by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers.)

We wore out favorite picture books with our frequent readings. I taped pages back into (and sometimes bought a second copy) of many books, including Jamberry, by Bruce Degen; Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson; and Freight Train, by Donald Crews. I taped covers back on. I accidentally taped the cover back onto the spine of The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear, by Audrey and Don Wood, so the cover was upside down and at the back. It didn't matter--we read it again and again, until pages fell out second and third times.

Some picture books can be read in a few minutes, while story picture books, such as Big Bad Bruce, by Bill Peet (which I've read at least 50 times out loud, as it was one son's favorite for a year) take almost thirty minutes. Yes, I had to tape this book back together too.

Some of my most vivid, emotional reading experiences came while reading picture books. The Arrival, by Shaun Tan, perfectly captured my experience (bewilderment, fear, amazement, adjustment) of moving to a foreign land where I couldn't understand anything or read a word.

I found spending a semester studying picture books at Vermont College of Fine Arts helped me with my novel writing. I discovered new favorites as I read hundreds of picture books--books ranging from The Tragical Death of an Apple Pie--an ABC book from 1840 and Struwwelpeter--a groundbreaking Germany picture book (1845), to the classics, metafiction, and as many Caldecott Award and honor books that I could find.

Each year, I buy picture books for myself, my family, and friends. I love discovering newly written picture books. Recent ones I read and love include Big Bouffant, by Kate Hosford; Big Red Lollipop, By Rukhsana Khan; Out of the Way! Out of the Way! by Uma Krishnaswami; and Do! by Gita Wolf.
I'm looking forward to reading If All the Animals Came Inside, by Eric Pinder as soon as it is published next spring.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which means it's time to pull out my favorite seasonal picture book, Thanksgiving at the Tappletons', by Eileen Spinelli and illustrations by Maryann Cocca-Leffler, and read it again.

Here's a wonderful video from picturebookmonth.com with great quotes about the importance of having picture books in our lives:

Amsterdam -- Photo Tour, plus SCBWI Netherlands Conference

2011-11-09T16:19:00.001+01:00

Last Friday, I took the high speed train from Frankfurt to Amsterdam to attend an SCBWI conference where I taught a writing masterclass on Saturday morning. Mina Witteman, the regional advisor, organized a stellar conference. Check out the post conference write-up at the SCBWI Netherlands website.
I dashed out during a break and bought several packages of delicious stroopwafels from a grocery store to bring home. (They are what my kids wanted me to buy for them.)

It was my first time to visit Amstersdam and I took a ton of pictures. Here is a brief photo tour.

A canal, with a view of boats, bikes, and townhouses.

This photo is taken from a bridge.

Construction project on a canal.

A bike and a door.

This type of bike, with a carrier in front, is common.

Wall mural--mosaic tile combined with bas-relief painted figures.

Modern wall mural

Entrance to a mall.

Note the old archway entrance with statues on top.

Dam Square and a mime.

About six mimes were performing the day I walked through this square.

Lamp post--detail of metalwork.

The city lamps use gas to make the light, so they give a cool glow.

(The actual light bulb isn't in this photo, but I am most fascinated by the details here.)

A canal at night. I like this photo, because it shows the intersection of one canal into the canal that runs to the left and right of this photo.

All photos copyrighted by Sarah Blake Johnson

Link Medley: Hunger Mountain, Write at Your Own Risk, and Sita's Ramayana

2011-10-25T15:48:00.000+02:00

HungerMountain Literary Magazine released their latest issue, andit's available online. Be sure to read "ACut-Out Face," a great short story by Mima Tipper. Also checkout "Idiosyncratic Tone in the Novel" by WendyVoorsanger, a superb writing craft piece that discusses tone andshaping language.

Recent insightful posts inthe blog, Write at YourOwn Risk, include "Touching Silence" by UmaKrishnaswami, "Finding Stuff Out" by Leda Schubert,and "Writing Roots" by Laura Kvasnosky. Also don'tmiss, "Making a List" by Kathi Appelt where she talks about making herlist of 100 stories that "not only influenced my writing, but that livewithin the heart of every tale I've every told."

I'm still mulling overthese posts, thinking about my writing roots, how I do research, where I"touch" silence in my creative process, and which 100 books should goon my own list.

Also, Sita'sRamayana, by Samhita Arni and Moyna Chitrakar, appears on theNew York Times best sellers list for graphicbooks. In this version, the story is told from the viewpoint of Sita, thequeen. It is brilliant. (A review can be found in the New YorkJournal of Books. ) Sita's Ramayana is published in North Americaby Groundwood Books.

I looked through thiswonderful book at the Frankfurt Book Fair in the Tara Books booth--it'sa another example of the high quality books that Tara Books always publishes.They also recently published another great graphic novel, I See the Promised Land, about Martin Luther King--whichreceived Special Mention in this year's White Ravens Catalogue at the BolognaBook Fair.

Frankfurt Book Fair 2011

2011-10-15T10:08:00.001+02:00

I visited the Frankfurt Book Fair again this year. (I live in Frankfurt close to the fairgrounds.) It is a huge rights fair with over 7000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries. It is a business fair, a working fair, and is only open to the public on Saturday and Sunday.

The fair is a great way to easily see a publisher's list by looking at their booth. The fair always reminds me how critical a cover is--I can tell from the covers about the type of books a publisher publishes, especially when I see 50 to 200 book covers next to each other. Also this year there were more movie size posters of book covers on booth walls, as well as more booths with interactive screens and other electronic items.
I love seeing all the children's books from Latin America, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and from every country in Europe. By viewing these, I get the pulse of worldwide children's publishing and a feel for the trends in different parts of the world.

One of my favorite parts about the fair is seeing some of my friends' books displayed.

A few highlights from my fair visit:

Finding a friend's recently released book, My Name Is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson. Her book was announced this week as a finalist for the National Book Award!
(A great interview with Debby was just posted on Uma Krishnaswami's blog, Writing with a Broken Tusk.)

Tara Books booth. This is one of my very favorite booths to visit each year. They have published some of my favorite picture books.

Running into the President of Iceland at the Iceland's special country booth--Iceland is the country guest of honor this year. I was reminiscing about my years in Iceland, and I recognized him when he brushed past me. (We'd met at an event at his house when I lived in Iceland.)

Meeting someone from Bhutan! A publisher, Kuensel, from Bhutan, had a booth at the fair. It was Bhutan's first time to the Frankfurt fair. It was interesting to talk with this man about publishing in Bhutan and about his country. Many of the books were dual language English-Dzongkha. It's a beautiful script. (He didn't have any children's books with him, but they publish them.)

I took the time to attend one of the fair's numerous events: a discussion and reading about translating poetry for children. It was a delight to hear poems in the different languages as well as the lively discussion about the opportunities and challenges of translating.

At the end of the day I went to the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award announcement of their 2012 nominated candidates. It's the largest literature prize for children's literature. They discussed Shaun Tan's work--he won the prize this year--and showed a great powerpoint presentation that showed his work, including a drawing from his childhood. Next they talked about the prize (and how the person or institution is chosen) and handed out the announcement. There are 184 candidates from 66 countries this year.

Teaching Masterclass in Amsterdam

2011-09-23T10:53:00.004+02:00

I'm teaching a writing masterclass at the Netherlands SCBWI conference in Amsterdam on November 5th.

The conference will be held at ABC Treehouse, and the theme is Publishing in the Global Market. Other presenters include Doug Cushman (illustrator and writer), Ben Norland (art director at Walker Books), Martine Schaap (publisher), Omar Curiëre (app designer ), Erzsi Deàk (literary agent) and Siobhan Wall (artist and writer).
This is a very nice conference, and writers and illustrators from many countries in Europe are attending.

(The registration deadline is October 1st.)
If you live in Europe, consider attending this regional conference.

Also coming up, in October, is the Frankfurt Book Fair. Iceland is the guest of honor, and since I lived in Reykjavik for a couple years, I'm looking forward to their special exhibits and program. If anyone wants me to look for a specific book or take a photo of your book at its booth, comment here and I will see if I can find it.

Tami Lewis Brown and The Map of Me

2011-09-21T11:49:00.000+02:00

Who gives a twelve year old girl the keys to her dad's "Faithful Ford" and sends the girl and her little sister on a road trip?

Tami Lewis Brown does in her latest book, The Map of Me, a delightful and realistic middle grade novel.

When reading, I really believed that Margie took the Faithful Ford (and her sister) and drove through the rainy night in search of her Momma.

This story takes Margie, her sister Peep, and readers on a marvelous journey. More than a road trip, this book is also about maps, following one's heart, family, sibling rivalry, courage, and chickens.

Tami joins me today to answer a few questions about writing The Map of Me.

Sarah: One of my favorite lines in the book comes while Margie is figuring out how to use the gas and brake pedals: “that almost near mistake proved something. I knew how to react in an emergency.” Many obstacles arise during her road trip, and Margie attempts to solve all the problems so they can make it to her destination. What solution did Margie came up with that was the most fun to write?

Tami: The starting to drive bits were really HARD to write but I always knew Margie would “put on a good face” and act like her failures were intentional. At the beginning of the book she lies to herself as well as to others and I enjoyed capturing that.

I liked writing the gas station scene a lot, especially when Margie pays for the gas. She picks the cheapest gas then worries whether the car will like it, almost as if the car is a cat and she’s picking the cat food flavor. I wanted Daddy’s Faithful Ford to be almost a living creature to Margie and that scene gave me a good opportunity to explore that. Plus choosing gas, paying for it, and pumping it seems obvious to an adult but it’s is a mystery to kids.

Sarah: In a flashback scene late in the book, Margie lies in the grass next to her Momma in the middle of the night, and they watch the stars. Often, when two characters interact, writers rely on dialogue to move the story forward, but this is a scene that is filled with very little dialogue and a type of silence. What writing craft techniques did you choose to use when you wrote this emotional scene? Why?

Tami: That’s my favorite scene in the book. In some ways it drove the entire story. The central question was what could make a mother leave her children behind. Writing this scene I realized that Helen Tempest is having a nervous breakdown. She’s not acting rationally and she’s cut herself off from her family. She doesn’t respond to Margie so there’s no opportunity for true dialog. Margie has to make the journey on the road to absorb what was really happening in the backyard. That’s why this flashback appears so late in the book. Margie remembers it when she’s ready to understand it.

This scene is all about things that are unsaid or cannot be said in the Tempest household. It felt natural to bring the night noises forward in the absence of the sound of dialog and I was inspired by Vermont College advisor Richard Jackson’s article “The Word Overflown by Stars: Saying the Unsayable.” It’s a poetry essay but much of what Jackson says can be applied to prose.

The scene was motivated by two sensory images- the velvety sky and the whispery night sounds. When I was a child I often thought about people I loved being somewhere else but under the same stars. I knew Margie would think about that once her momma was gone. That led me to a series of star and constellation images which become most visible in this scene. I suppose these stars are an objective correlative, the map of the stars embodying Margie’s quest and inner yearning.

Sarah: The craft book that you mention is one of my favorites, one that I suggest to other writers all the time. The secondary characters in your book such as her little sister, her father, and Jimmy, are as real as Margie. What did you do while writing and revising to bring these characters to life?

Tami: Mostly I wrote, and wrote, and wrote, then I wrote some more. For this book I didn’t look for pictures to “represent” these characters and they’re definitely not based on real people. It was hard to get a firm grip on Daddy. He kept sounding mean—very mean in some drafts. My editor reminded me that in the end I couldn’t send Peep and Margie home alone with a cruel man. I didn’t have to write a “happy ending” but I needed to let my middle grade reader understand that Margie would prevail in the end. She’d be safe. So I had to tone Daddy’s personality down a lot. The last scene, where he arrives at the International Poultry Hall of Fame, was hard to get my head around. But again I just wrote and wrote until it felt right.

Sarah: Equations and the symbols < and = show up as an important element in the story, even though Margie believes she is not good at math. Could you talk about how this reflects her view of herself compared to other members of her family and also how it correlates to her emotional arc?

Tami: Margie feels less than Peep and in sixth grade they’d be studying some algebra basics with simple less than and greater than equations so I thought that symbol might be on Margie’s mind. It also looks like a closed chicken beak. There used to be a long sequence of made up equations and imaginary chickens clucking but it was a bit too surreal, maybe, so it got cut. I have always been horrible at math and the less than and greater than signs seemed so weird to me in elementary school. I guess I carried that into Margie’s perspective.

I admire so many middle grade authors and Sara Pennypacker, the author of the Clementine books, is one of my favorites. I especially like how Pennypacker describes ordinary things in a completely fresh but childlike way. I think in one book she describes an angry person’s lips as a ruler line. It’s a complex description but it springs from an authentic child perspective.

That description was in the back of my mind when I thought about Margie looking at Daddy’s face when he arrives at the Hall Of Fame. What would she see? Lips that formed two straight lines? What does that look like? An equal sign. This is the precise moment when Margie comes into her own, recognizing that everyone, including her blustery daddy, is vulnerable, and in this way they are equal. That image, both child-like and emotionally loaded, embodies what I was trying to say in the novel. We’re all in this together. Even if a young reader doesn’t get all the layers they know what an equals sign means and they understand Margie’s journey from less than to equal to.

Thanks so much, Tami, for joining me today.

To read another interview with Tami head on over to Writing With a Broken Tusk where Uma Krishnaswami talks with Tami about the process of writing.

Also, check out Kathi Appelt's video blog where she reads a snippet from the book.

Images and the Illusion of Reality in Fiction

2011-09-10T22:11:00.000+02:00

I posted in Through the Tollbooth blog this week.

I wrote about a topic I've been considering recently: how does fiction becomes real while we are writing or reading.
One important element of this is producing images in the readers' minds.

Crafting fictional worlds and the illusion of of reality is part of the art of writing.

On Monday (Virtual Reality or how Words Can Create images) I looked at how descriptive details, active verbs, and setting allow the image to be formed. When crafting the sentence (and the associated image) every word counts.

Images and emotion was Wednesday's topic. Here's a quote: "Emotional images are the wings of a virtual world." I consider how senses, dialogue, and the unseen can help produce powerful images.

Friday's post (Images at the Story Level) is where I look at the bigger picture. I discuss two major elements of creating images and the illusion: repetition or accumulation of images and continuous, consecutive images.

If you want to read the complete posts and see the examples I share click on the links above.

Plotting resources

2011-08-31T15:14:00.000+02:00

Janet Fox talks about plotting on her blog this week.

As I read her post (where she talks about using a plot chart, the 3 act structure, and turning points--which are placed in specific points in her books), I glanced at my bookshelf. Although I have a few books which discuss plot, I don't own many books that focus on plot. I have three: Story, a screenwriting book by Robert McKee, Aristotle's Poetics (of course), and The Hero with A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. In addition I have notes from some great lectures given by M. T. Anderson on structure (and plot) while I was attending Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Janet includes an excerpt from an article she wrote in her blog post, and it's worth heading over to her blog to read that.
The complete article is included in a book titled Advanced Plotting. Several authors contributed to this book, so I assume a wide range of approaches to plot are discussed in the book.
Until September 3rd this book is free!! (After the promo it is 99 cents.)

So if you want to read several writers' thoughts on plot head over to Janet's blog where there are links and the code you can enter for the free e-book.

Do you have any favorite writing craft books that focus on plot?

Fictional Reality without Manipulation

2011-08-24T18:56:00.000+02:00

Until I became a writer, I did not notice the puppet strings that make a story work. Now the strings are obvious to me when I read, as obvious as thick ropes.

Kathy Cowley, a documentary filmmaker, discusses filming decisions in a blog post, "In Which I Attempt Not to Manipulate You or Take Advantage of My Subjects" (Her current project is a year long documentary called Days of Film.)

Since I read her post, I've been contemplating manipulation in stories.

She writes, "emotion is powerful, and can also be manipulative." Later in her blog post, she adds, talking about some films: "I'm upset, because I feel like I've been manipulated as a viewer."

When a story works well, the reader enters the setting, walks in the shoes of the character, and experiences strong emotions. The writer crafts a story to make a fictional reality, so it is critical to understand writing craft as well as how to create characters who experience real emotions, but where and how does the writer cross the line into manipulating of the reader?

Kathy Cowley also wrote,

"What is the key to being an ethical documentarian? Thinking about it. Reevaluating. Asking myself tough questions. I think this is something every documentary filmmaker should consider, because film is too powerful a medium to be used carelessly."

The same is true for writers. Story (and books) are a powerful medium.

Because I respect both the reader and the story I am telling, I don't want to fall into the trap of manipulation. By understanding writing craft and knowing how I use the puppet strings, I can make sure I am not manipulating readers. Ideally, my stories use the film equivalent of a well done blue or green screen and my sleight of hand will be unnoticed.

In the end, it is most important for me to focus on telling a story well, but it is also important for me to pay attention to craft and understand how I create the illusions, the effects, the smokes and shadows, a fictional reality.

Culture and Stories: Thoughts on the TED talk by Elif Shafak: The politics of fiction

2011-08-15T14:00:00.001+02:00

I’m intrigued by culture and fiction and especially the place where they intersect. My fascination with cultures began when I was a child reader. I loved reading books that took me into other times and to other places, places I never dreamed I might have a chance to visit. I grew up and through a series of events and choices, I became a global nomad who moves every couple years to a different country. Crossing into other cultures is part of my reality, and it comes with a unique mix of challenges and joy and discovery. Now, as a writer, my questions about cultures (and how one moves between them) enter my work. So anytime a writer talks about story and culture, I'm interested.

Elif Shafak, an international author, gave a TED talk where she discusses identity and stories and boundaries and cultural ghettos. She crosses, or as she puts it, she commutes between cultures. (After listening to her talk, I want to read her novels.)

Her talk is also available on the TED site (with transcript and translations) here, plus the TED site also has a nice bio.

How do we write our stories?
How do we read?
Do we cross boundaries and explore the world, or do we stay in our safe, small community?

Each place has its own stories and fiction, yet the stories of each place exert influence on other places. We can learn all sorts of information and “facts” from nonfiction and history books and the news, but it is through fiction that we can, for a short period of time, truly enter and experience another person’s life and other cultures.

Story is a way to experience the world. As Shafak says, stories “connect all humanity.”

Here are some other links to people and blogs that talk about culture and fiction: Adichie Chimamanda, Papertigers.org and the author, Uma Krishnaswami.

Write At Your Own Risk--a new blog

2011-08-02T20:32:00.000+02:00

Faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults launched a wonderful group blog,
Write at Your Own Risk.

This is a blog I will be following.
Contributors include authors Louise Hawes, Uma Krishnaswami, Coe Booth, Susan Fletcher, Leda Schubert, Sarah Ellis, and Mark Karlins.

Check out my photo on their masthead.
(The center one with the words. They mention it in their first post here.

Tour Paris with a Story App! Conversation with Sarah Towle about her StoryApp Tour

2011-07-26T07:16:00.000+02:00

Sarah Towle, founder of Time Traveler Tours, is a writer and ex-pat who lives in Paris. Today is launch day for her StoryApp Tour, Beware Madame la Guillotine. (This link takes you to a preview. I've never used an app, but found it fun to preview with my computer.) Typically, I look to books for stories, but I also enjoy stories in many other places such as film, stage, and oral storytelling. Apps are fun and interactive, plus what a great idea for a tour. I wanted to learn more about Sarah's approach to telling stories, so asked her to join me here.

Your app, Beware Madame la Guillotine: A Revolutionary Tour of Paris, tells a story and is also a tour to some of the sights in Paris. Sarah, this is a wonderfully innovative approach to storytelling.

What is your app tour/story about?

Beware Madame la Guillotine is the story of the French Revolution, a seminal moment in history, told by a lesser-known historical character who lived at that time and whose actions helped shape that time. The narrator – and tour guide – is Charlotte Corday, a 24-year-old convent-school girl who was driven to murder. Her victim: the radical journalist, Jean-Paul Marat.

Charlotte blamed Marat for the Revolution’s turn to terror and execution of King Louis XVI. She traveled to Paris from Caen, Normandy, spent a few days at the Palais Royal learning everything she could of Marat’s habits, then bought a kitchen knife, tracked Marat to his home, gained entrance under false pretenses and stabbed him to death as he lay soaking in the bath. She was imprisoned at the Conciergerie before losing her head at the base of Mme la Guillotine.

As Charlotte spins her yarn, she reveals the story of the Revolution and takes you on a personal journey from the Palais Royal on the Right Bank to La Conciergerie on the Ile de la Cité into the sights and sounds of the Paris of her time. Along the way, map challenges, brainteasers and hunts for historical treasure bring this important part of Paris’s past to life.

Why did you select this story as the first to develop as an app tour?

Charlotte’s is one of several tales of creative non-fiction that I’ve written focusing on Paris history. As a reader, I’ve always found it more enjoyable to access history through the stories of those who lived it. As a traveler, I’ve always preferred to follow the ghosts whose footsteps preceded mine. So the original idea was to marry story with history to create itineraries that, taken together, would provide an engaging sweep of Paris’s past for school groups and families traveling together.

The sweep begins with Roman Paris and continues to the roaring 20s, the period entre les guerres.Of all these eras, the French Revolution posed the greatest challenge. I was daunted by it, the most important yet most difficult period of French history to synthesize for anyone, much less a young reader. So, I decided to start here. I figured if I could successfully capture the Revolution, I would certainly be able to manage the rest.

Besides, as soon as I discovered Charlotte, it was love at first sight. She’s a very compelling character!

What special things or effects are you able to do with an app that you couldn’t do with text alone?

As an app you can listen to Charlotte narrate her own story aloud as you walk along and/or look around at your surroundings. In the print iteration, the user had to assume the role of Charlotte and stop to read at each new location. The kids who piloted the print version felt this was too much like school. I found that it just plain took too long. It really bogged the story down. With audio narration, you are more effectively transported to Charlotte’s world.

Questions, map and trivia challenges can be responded to in the app with a simple tap on the screen. In the print version, you had to go searching for an answer key. And this really limited the types of questions that could be asked.

In the app the user can elect to dig deeper into this or that topic, or not; turn the text on to read while listening; or turn the audio off altogether and just read. As the author I’ve provided you with various elements that interact with both story and surroundings and that serve to enhance Charlotte’s narration. But how you choose to use these elements is up to you. The story experience, therefore, is not exactly linear. Although there is a beginning, middle and end to Charlotte’s tale, the journey you take as a user/reader isn’t necessarily straight. And your own interaction with the story can change depending on whether you are using the app to tour Paris or reading it on your trip to or from Paris. It can be consumed in myriad ways.

Many potential readers aren’t able to visit Paris and walk around with this app tour? Is it also set up as a virtual tour?

Not yet, but the idea of repackaging the story as a virtual tour is definitely something I’ve been turning over in my head, and more, for some time. The technology is certainly available to create a virtual tour for use in the home on your personal computer, on your tablet or – and I find this idea particularly exciting – on a classroom smartboard.

But first things first. As I am currently a company of one, I thought it best to start with one StoryApp Tour in one language on one device. Assuming Charlotte’s tour to the French Revolution for iPhone and iPod Touch proves sufficiently successful, I plan to put out a second bilingual (French-English) version of the app for both iOS and Android. I then have other stories, as I mentioned above, waiting to be produced as StoryApp Tours, while I also put in motion the virtual tour idea.

Unfortunately, unless I win the lottery, that’s still a few years away.

What other app tours do you have planned?

I have two others written and in various stages of illustration:

The story that precedes Charlotte’s takes you to the gardens of Versailles in the heyday of the Ancien Regime, the era of King Louis XIV, XV and XIV, with the Chief-Botanist-to-the-King, a descendant of France’s real-life Indiana Jones. His stories of danger, loyalty and betrayal over what today are for us simple everyday garden plants and flowers, will cause your heart to race and your stomach to churn.

And speaking of churning stomachs, the story that follows Charlotte’s is told through the eyes of a gravedigger who, facing starvation, worked to move the over-crowded skeletal remains of central Paris’ pestilent church graveyards to the underground former rock quarries on the then southern outskirts of the city. Once in power, Napoleon Bonaparte ordered our gravedigger and his compatriots back to work to gussy-up the remains of 6 million dead so, as in Rome, the seat of his empire could have a spectacular Catacombs.

And a fourth StoryApp is currently in the works. It takes you to Paris of the Romantic era, to Hausmannian Paris, the Paris most of us know today, through the lens of one of the world’s first photographers, Nadar. He lived a long life, surviving five governments and three revolutions and he knew and took pictures of all the famous creative people of his day. His stories are legion. (As are the stories other have to tell about him.)

For more information about Sarah Towle’s StoryApp Tour, visit her website, TimeTravelerTours.

Beware Mme la Guillotine: A Revolutionary Tour of Paris will be available from Tuesday 26 July at a 20% discount the first week. You don’t have to be in Paris to buy it, play with it and post a review to the App Store. Save it on your phone and give it a go when you’re next in Paris!

Thank you, Sarah for joining me today.

Also, she is running a kickstarter campaign to get these storyapp tours up and running. Her kickstarter site can be found at this link: Beware Madame La Guillotine, An Interactive Story App Tour.

Note: Other interviews and information are available from the following sites:

"Why I write Apps for Teens and Tweens" at Time Traveler Tours.

"From Print to Digital Media: Why I made the Shift" on Laurel Zuckerman's Paris Weblog.

"Special Report--Time Traveler Tours presents Beware Madame la Guillotine" at An Alien Parisienne where the blogger talks about taking the tour.

"Revolutionary Paris Tour with Mme Guillotine" at Bonjour Paris: the Definitive Guide to Paris

Revising -- through a different lens

2011-07-05T12:24:00.006+02:00

A photo-journey about revision:

Revising is like exploring castle ruins: walking through arch after arch, or wandering up towers or down dark tunnels where you can't see a thing, or choosing to take a right or left turn. Explore everywhere. It is okay to get lost. (Actually, it's expected.) That is part of the journey.

German castle ruins

Revising is sometimes like using a sundial on a cloudy day. No shadow to give any clue of the time, and no sun to give any sense of direction.

Wall sundial on the outside of a medieval church (1300s)

Keep eyes open when revising. Notice objects that are not on the trodden path and look for what is not expected. The clues in the manuscript can be the key to unlocking difficulties in a revision. After all, a stone shot by the enemy's catapult can make a very nice garden ornament.

Castle garden with a catapult stone in the foreground

Revising is not only re-envisioning, it is also mixing the very old and the very new.

600 year old houses and the modern day skyscrapers

Enjoy the revision journey. Although revising at times means wandering, getting lost, scrambling in the dark, dealing with the unexpected, and asking question after question while searching for solutions, there are glorious moments when one should pause and enjoy the view.

Castle towers

Summer Solstice Scrawl Crawl 2011

2011-06-20T18:40:00.004+02:00

June 21st.
Summer solstice, the longest day of the year.
Here in Frankfurt the sun rises at at 5:15 and sets at 21:39 (9:39 pm).
Dawn is at 4:30 and dusk at 10:24 pm.
(An aside--Gaisma is my favorite site for info like this. Iceland, where I lived for a couple years is light all night!! It was my favorite time of the year there.)

What is a Scrawl Crawl?
It's a day where writers and illustrators participate in an "event where individuals create something speedily drawn or written [scrawl] that is inspired by their creativity and observational powers as they go from place to place [crawl]."

SCBWI members in Europe will be exploring, creating and sharing with the theme Dawn to Dusk. (SCBWI members from other continents can register as roving-scrawl crawlers.)

We'll be posting on the ScrawlCrawl blogsite, sharing what we wrote or drew. Feel free to come visit us, or better yet, join us and be creative on Midsummer's day.

Writing Craft: Tension

2011-06-17T10:53:00.005+02:00

I'm blogging in Through the Tollbooth this week.

I'd love to have you come visit me.
On Monday I talked about tension and character. I look at some of the ways characters add tension to a novel. I get into topics such as desire, flawed characters, internal struggles, and choices.

On Wednesday I talked about tension and plot or macro tension. Premise, plot design, stakes, subplots, and conflict are a few of the techniques I explore as I look at ways we can create more tension with plot.

Friday's topic is tension on the page, or micro tension. These types of tensions include cliffhangers, white space, and subtext, and several other techniques.

Come swing by the tollbooth. I'd love to hear what type of tension in books is your favorite and what makes a book a page-turner for you.

Uma Krishnaswami - Author and Writing Teacher

2011-05-25T08:00:00.009+02:00

Today Uma Krishnaswami visits me on her blog tour.
Uma writes picture books (including Monsoon and the recently published Out of the Way! Out of the Way!), retellings of traditional stories (my personal favorite is The Broken Tusk: Stories of the Hindu God Ganesha), and middle grade novels. She also teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts and was my advisor when I took the picture book semester.

Her latest novel, The Grand Plan to Fix Everything, was released this week. It is a humorous middle grade novel, "featuring best friends, Bollywood dancing, postal mishaps, monkeys, and chocolate.) It received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly.

Today we talk about her writing, her teaching, and how each contributes to the other. Plus, she answers a couple questions about The Grand Plan to Fix Everything.

Sarah: How have your interactions with other writers at Vermont College (VCFA) influenced any of your books or your writing?

Uma: The conversations at the residency are so full and rich that they invariably get me thinking about my own work and how to stretch myself in working and reworking it. I think I read from The Grand Plan to Fix Everything three or four times over several residencies, and each time I’d watch the audience to see where they laughed and how they reacted. Kathi [Kathi Appelt] and Tobin [M. T. Anderson] both read the manuscript and offered really terrific comments as well.

Sarah: Do you approach writing differently because of teaching at VCFA?

Uma: No question. I push myself more. I take more risks. I have to because I see my students doing exactly that, and I’m encouraging them to do so. The other part of how it affects my work is purely a matter of scheduling. That’s the hard part for me and I’m still struggling with a reasonable balance. This is because I have to get all my own work done between student packets. That means not just the writing part (drafting, revising, planning, research) but also what I think of the author part of the work (contracts, promotion, blog posts, submissions, and e-mails, e-mails, e-mails). So I have to compartmentalize things more than I would otherwise but it’s a good amount of pressure. I think that when I do write, as a result, I’m more focused because I know I have a limited amount of time.

Sarah: In what way(s) has teaching helped your writing?

Uma: It keeps the conversations about writing in the forefront for me. Even when I’m teaching (and so not actually working on my own writing) the questions that come up in exchanges with students are related to craft. That makes for good, fallow time for my own work, but also allows me to be thinking about it subconsciously because everything I’m doing is indirectly related. The other thing that teaching does is keep me honest. If I start saying something about a student’s work I always reflexively stop to think, Is that really true? Is it practical? Would I do that? And it makes me, you know, a little more generous than I might be otherwise.

Sarah: When did you realize that you are a writer? Who first encouraged you or told you that you are a writer?

Uma: I’ve always been a writer, even as a child. I was praised for my writing through school but I never thought of myself as a writer, not until I felt the urge to add my voice to the conversation of books. That was when my son was born and I realized (this was in the late 1980’s) that the books I went looking for, books across the age range with a range of diverse characters and themes, seemed few and far between. It was circumstance rather than a person that led to the realization. That’s not to say I don’t have many, many people to thank for their help and support over the years—you’ll find them in the acknowledgments and dedications pages of my books. My students figure largely among them these days.

Sarah: Has your writing process changed over time?

Uma: Definitely. I used to love drafts, and now I can’t wait to get past them so I can get to the real work of revision.

Sarah: Uma, you taught writing extensively both online and in other places before joining the faculty at VCFA. At Vermont you meet and interact with your students twice a year. Although online teaching is effective, what additional benefits does the Vermont low residency method add for both you and the students?

Uma: I think it strengthens the writing community we have at VCFA. We have that very intense, compacted time together at the residencies. Then as we all go home and begin the work of semester projects the impact of the residencies seems to persist until the momentum of the work builds and carries through. It gives us a foundation to work from, I think, as well as the common language of lectures and workshops.

Sarah: It must be a thrill to see your students publishing books, especially books that you worked on with them. What are some of these books and who are the authors?

Uma: Yes indeed. Here's a sampler of published and forthcoming books from both my writers.com classes and from VCFA: Amadi’s Snowman by Katia Novet Saint-Lot, The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton, Fiona Finkelstein, Big-Time Ballerina by Shawn Stout, So Punk Rock and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother by Micol Ostow, The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams. There are others in the pipeline, I know.

Sarah: Could you tell us a little about your latest book, The Grand Plan to Fix Everything? When will it be released?

Uma: The Grand Plan to Fix Everything, the one I read from at residencies, will be out very soon, May 24. You can find more about it on my web site, and the trailer is here.
It was great fun to write and came from a sense I’d had for a long time that fiction grounded in culture and geography (the kind of thing we call “multicultural”) can be lively and funny as well.

Sarah: Chocolate plays a big role in The Grand Plan to Fix Everything. I've enjoyed eating chocolate in many countries (such as China, Finland, and Brazil) and am now curious about chocolate in India. Is there much of a chocolate market in India and if so how did it lead you to the character of the baker, Mr. Mani?

Uma: Cadbury ruled the Indian chocolate market for years until Amul, an Indian milk products company, began making chocolate. Maybe in the 70's, I can't exactly remember. Nestle also manufactures chocolate in India. Almonds, cashews, and raisins are common as ingredients, and milk chocolate is more common than dark. Some of the Amul gift products have wonderful wrappers. Several imported European brands are available as well, although at a price. More recently, gourmet and designer chocolate is starting to hit the market for those who can afford it. The down side to this is that it may be displacing some of the more traditional Indian sweets.

That trend is what made me think of the baker in The Grand Plan, entering a small niche market with his dreams of redeeming his family's honor. Mr. Mani's trying to combine his Indian heritage with his baker's vocation. Hence he employs rose petals, a traditional Indian flavoring, in his recipes. He also adds pinches of chocolate to fusion foods like his curry puffs. Cultural fusion is a big undercurrent in this book, and chocolate seemed to be the perfect ingredient to embody that. But here's an interesting thing--when I was in New York last I stopped at Dean and Deluca's to pick up a gift for someone, and got talking to the cashier about a box of rose petal truffles they had on display. Just the kind of thing that Mr. Mani would be proud to offer his customers, right? It turns out that rose petal chocolate is a hot new trend internationally. I felt very pleased and affirmed, having created that trend in my own small way in fiction, in complete ignorance that it might even exist as a trend in the real world.

Sarah: Thank you, Uma for joining me today!
Mr Mani's curry puff recipe can be found on Uma's website by clicking on the downloadable activity kit. She blogs at Writing with a Broken Tusk.

Please visit Uma on other stops on her Grand Plan Blog Tour.
Today is VCFA day, and she visits with Kathi Appelt (a video interview, plus a clip of Uma reading from the book), Bethany Hegedus, and Michelle Knudsen in Through the Tollbooth.
Also, don't miss the previous interviews with Cynthia Leitich Smith on Cynsations where they talk about "Reinventing Your Children's Writing Career, and Got Story? Countdown where Joy Chu visits with several of the creative minds involved in the creations of Uma's book, including the illustrator and art director and Uma and a surprise guest.

Also, as part of this blog tour, there is a grand giveaway. Here are the details:

A Grand Giveaway! Three lucky Grand Prize winners will each receive one copy of THE GRAND PLAN TO FIX EVERYTHING along with a starry assortment of bangles and trinkets that Dolly Singh, famous famous Bollywood movie star, would adore! An additional 3 runners-up will receive a copy of THE GRAND PLAN TO FIX EVERYTHING. To enter, send an e-mail to GrandPlanGiveaway@gmail.com. In the body of the e-mail, include your name, mailing address, and e-mail address (if you're under 13, submit a parent's name and e-mail address). One entry per person and prizes will only be shipped to US or Canadian addresses. Entries must be received by midnight (PDT) on 6/30/11. Winners will be selected in a random drawing on 7/1/11 and notified via email.

Link Medley- "Your Genius", wordless space, "The Grand Plan"

2011-05-19T21:30:00.000+02:00

The transcript of Tim Wynne-Jones' wonderful keynote speech, "An Address and a Map: Discovering Your Genius as a Writer" is available here.

The Summer 2011 issue of Hunger Mountain (the literary Journal of Vermont College of Fine Arts) is now available online and the Young Adult and Children's Literature section includes sneak peeks, short fiction, and great writing craft articles about gray space (elision) and ways to makes setting exciting. Check it out.

While visiting Hunger Mountain be sure to read Caitlin Leffel's article, "The Space Bar is Not a Design Tool" which is in the section The Writer's Life. Though Leffel's focus is on nonfiction, almost everything she writes can be applied to writing fiction. If you need more encouragement, here is a teaser quote:
"Wordless space in prose is never mute."

Janet Fox, a YA author and VCFA grad, recently blogged about security, love, and her wish that every child can experience a childhood with loving parents. She also writes about what she discovered in historical sources (early 1900s) when researching for her YA novel, Forgiven. For each comment to her post, she'll donate a dollar to The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Also tomorrow Uma Krishnaswami starts her blog tour for her book, The Grand Plan to Fix Everything. My interview with her will be posted here next week.

Porsche Tractor--yes, those two words go together

2011-05-03T19:10:00.001+02:00

Porsche tractor!

We visited the Porsche museum in Stuttgart and this is one of the Porsche vehicles that is on display. It's a very nice museum filled with Porsche cars, many one of a kind.

Hiking to Celtic ruins--Alt Konig in Taunus (near Frankfurt)

2011-04-11T11:25:00.003+02:00

These photos are from my hike on Saturday to Alt Konig, a mountain in the Taunus range, near Falkenstein. The fallen walls I saw ranged from about 8 to 12 feet high. Originally the walls were stacked without mortar and supported by wood and earth. The ringwalls circling the top of the mountain are from 400 BC and built by people from the La Téne Celtic culture.

(There are many Roman ruins a short distance from my home. We live close to the Limes, a 300 mile long Roman wall from the 1st and 2nd century, as well as many nearby Roman forts. There are even some Roman ruins in downtown Frankfurt. When we went on this hike, I had assumed we'd see Roman ruins, not ruins from several hundred years earlier.)

A section of one of the inner ringwalls, taken while standing on the wall. Remnants of a stone building can be seen in the middle left.

A section of one of the outer ringwalls. Cities and farms can be seen in the distance.

Another section of an inner ringwall, with a fallen structure. In the background in the trees is another ring wall. (Look carefully and you'll see it.)

This last photo is of forest not far below the Celtic fortifications. The hike from the trailhead to the top of the mountain was a little more than 2 miles (I think--that is my guess based on our hiking time back to the car) and a climb of about 1000 vertical feet. Much of the trail passed through this type of forest.

Celebrate International Children's Book Day today

2011-04-02T08:14:00.003+02:00

Today is International Children's Book Day.
Celebrated on Hans Christian Andersen's birthday, its purpose is to "inspire a love of reading."

IBBY (International Board on Books) chooses a different international sponsor (country) each year to design a poster and write an inspiring message. IBBY promotes the day worldwide.

Last year was Spain. This year it is Estonia. You can this read year's inspiring message "The Book Remembers" here.

With the Bologna fair this week, combined with my posting on the theme of international books in the Tollbooth, I've been thinking a lot about international books this week and how important books are to children and readers around the world.

Story is universal. Books cross cultural borders and allow readers to experience and explore the world.

Also related to international kids' books: I posted yesterday in the Tollbooth about International Children's Book Awards.

To celebrate International Children's Book Day, I'm going to browse my shelf of translated books from different countries I've lived in and enjoy reading a few of these books again.

Translating Books--Interview with a translator

2011-03-30T15:27:00.003+02:00

Ever wonder about books (English) whose foreign rights are bought and are then published in other countries?
What about books we read that were originally published elsewhere? (Examples: Moomin books, Babar the Elephant, Pippi Longstocking, The Little Prince, Emil and the Detectives)
What do all these books have in common?
They are all translated.

What goes on behind the scenes in the translation process?

I wanted to know, so interviewed Laura Watkinson, translator.
She discusses the translation process and gives incredible insights.

The interview is at Through the Tollbooth. Click HERE to read it.
(I like comments, so I don't feel lonely.)

To whet your appetite:
“You shouldn’t think though that the text is writ in stone just because it’s already been published in the original language. Sometimes, at this stage, an editor will make changes . . . ”

Foreign Rights (I'm in the Tollbooth today)

2011-03-28T14:04:00.000+02:00

I'm posting in the Tollbooth this week and invite you to visit me there. Today I talk about selling foreign rights and the Bologna Children's Book Fair. I share three common things that publishers, editors and agents do to help them sell foreign rights while at international book fairs.

Click on this link to read my post.
Hope to see you there.

(Through The Tollbooth is a group blog of alumni from Vermont College of Fine Arts.)

Auctions to benefit victims in Japan

2011-03-24T09:11:00.004+01:00

There are several auctions going on to benefit the victims in Japan

Children's Authors and Illustrators for Japan is conducting an auction during the next few weeks to raise funds for the earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan. (Money is donated directly to the charity organization--they suggest UNICEF.)
"Items include signed books, advance reader copies, artwork, critiquing services, book-related swag, author visits, or the chance to name a character in an upcoming book."
Go here to see this auction.

Writehope is another online site where writers and other publishing professionals are auctioning off books and critiques. This auction will donate money to the Japan Earthquake and Tsumani Children in Emergency Relief Fund.

Writers for the Red Cross is another place with an auction this month. More books. More critique services. Lots to choose from.

Authors for Japan (in the UK) raised over 10,000 pounds with their auction!!

Thank you to all who organized and donated to these fund raising efforts.

Check out Battle of the Kids' Books at School Library Journal

2011-03-16T22:19:00.002+01:00

I'm enjoying the 2011 Battle of the Kids' Books over at School Library Journal. It is a fun rumpus to watch from the sidelines.

Each day two books go head to head in a single elimination match, and a judge (each day a different well-known author) declares one book the winner. This book advances to the next round. The competition began with 16 books.

The judges' explanations are entertaining and insightful. For example, today the judge had to choose between a nonfiction book about Barbie and fiction book with Pablo Neruda as the main character. Yesterday, a fantasy book and a historical book set in the 60's were the opponents.

Battle of the Kids' Books is also a delightful way for me to discover more great books to read.

Rukhsana Khan talks about Big Red Lollipop, writing, and culture

2011-02-28T07:26:00.003+01:00

I occasionally buy a picture book, a reading treat for myself. One of the picture books I bought last year was the delightful Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan, so I was excited by the announcements this month that she won both the 2011 Charlotte Zolotow Award and the 2011 SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Best Picture Book text.

Rukhsana’s picture books, short stories, and young adult novels are filled with humor, honesty, and heart. Her stories share perspectives and insights into other cultures. Thank you, Rukhsana for answering some questions.

[Sarah] Big Red Lollipop is rooted in your own experience as a child. Could you give us some background on the story and describe your process of writing this book?

[Rukhsana] I think in everyone’s childhood there are seeds of stories. I didn’t recognize the seed for this story right away. It actually took me a long time.

The first time this episode appeared in any of my literature was as a paragraph in my young adult novel Dahling if You Luv Me Would You Please Please Smile.

Then shortly after that I was invited to a literary festival. At the time I only had two picture books published, and I needed to add more to my presentation so I took the anecdote in the novel I was working on and told it as a story, but I only had the first two thirds of it, up to the part where I ate the triangle piece too. And although it was a HUGE hit with the crowd, it wasn’t a complete story, just a beginning and middle. There was no end, no resolution. Then I had to think back to what really did happen, and I remembered a time years later, when I’d come running home with a birthday party invitation, and my younger sister had wanted to come along. My older sister Bushra, had intervened on my behalf and told my mom not to make me take our younger sister. At the time I hadn’t thought anything of it. But so many years later, I thought it was really poignant, so I added it to the story.

The Big Red Lollipop, now became a story where I was actually the anti-hero and my sister Bushra whom I call Rubina in the story, was the hero.

It became the most popular story in my primary repertoire! I’d always tell it at the end of a presentation when the kids had started getting restless. And it was a story that really translated well! When I was in Mexico it was called ‘La grande palette rocha’ and oh how the kids loved it!

I eventually started referring to this story as my ‘no-brainer-crowd-pleaser’ because I could pull it out when I was tired at the end of a presentation and it would appeal to audiences from three years of age to adult. In fact many times the adults were laughing even harder than the kids!

I knew I had something here!

I tried many times to get it published. I wrote it as an easy reader but an editor said it was too complex for the genre. I submitted it many many places but it was consistently rejected.

And because this story had originated as an oral tale, I’m not surprised.

I am both an author and a storyteller. Most of my written stories originate in the written form. When I began storytelling, I thought the skill would complement my writing skills. I actually found that it interfered somewhat, until I got a handle on both.

Because I wrote the story down as I would have told it, it looked odd on the page. It read well, but it had no literary merit.

It wasn’t until I submitted this story to my editor, Catherine Frank, at Viking and she suggested that I put it into the older sister’s viewpoint that I had success with it. Catherine said that the older sister was a more sympathetic character.

So this version of Big Red Lollipop was born.

I wrote this version in about fifteen minutes. She asked for the change in point of view, I complied, emailed it off, and thought nothing of it. Months went by and I assumed it would be another rejection, but it wasn’t. So this story took about ten years and fifteen minutes to write.

[Sarah] This story is full of emotions. The characters experience greed and anger, as well as of forgiveness and love. How does taking an incident from your own life help you create emotional resonance?

[Rukhsana] Honestly, I don’t think of issues of emotional resonance or even what emotions are in a story. I look at whether a story works. Does it ‘feel’ right? Does it make me laugh? Is it poignant?

Many times you pick up a picture book and it’s either poignant or funny.

Why not have both?

And this is where I think, my storytelling comes in handy.

I know of many folktales that contain both humour and poignancy. And within my presentations, even when I’m dealing with tragic circumstances like child refugees and issues of abandonment, I make sure there are humorous moments mixed in.

The main reason I do this is for emotional impact.

The humour accentuates the poignant and vice versa.

In film they used to have a term for it. Comic relief!

It’s like that moment in Die Hard when John McLean is shimmying through the air duct with a lighter in his hands and he pauses and says sarcastically, “Relax, come over to the coast. We’ll have a good time!”

It’s a classic moment of comic relief.

And when the action starts up again, you get all the more of a bigger of an impact because of it!

[Sarah] You give a lot of school presentations. What are the children’s favorite parts of the story when you present Big Red Lollipop? What topics of discussion come up during these school visits?

[Rukhsana] They used to say in vaudeville to do your second best performance first and leave the best for last. When I’m doing my primary presentations I often start with my picture book Ruler of the Courtyard because it’s filled with suspense! And I always end with Big Red Lollipop. I get the kids involved in telling the story. I tell them that when I say the words ‘big red lollipop’ they should take their fingers and make a circular motion (it’s hard to describe), and I get them involved in other ways.

I tell my version of the story, because I actually think it’s a bit funnier. Then afterwards we discuss how the stories are different, and that involves point of view. I ask them why certain scenes are missing in my version of the story, compared to the book and vice versa.

[Sarah] When I read the story, it brought back memories from when I lived in Brazil where a birthday invitation to a child meant an invitation to the entire family. There are times when misunderstanding occurs between people from different cultures, even when everyone is trying to understand each other and show respect. Do you have any personal or humorous experience about cultural misunderstandings that you wish to share?

[Rukhsana] When I first started in this business I felt too shy or insecure about asserting my Islamic principles in some ways. Oh, I’d go off and pray in a corner, but handshaking was a stickier dilemma.

It’s a big no-no in Islam for there to be any physical contact between men and women who are not married or closely related. That includes shaking hands.

And because hand-shaking comes at the beginning of an acquaintance, not doing it immediately sets a tone that is bound to put people off.

So I just swallowed my principles and went ahead and shook hands, while inside, I was cringing and asking God to forgive me.

If it had stayed at just the handshaking I probably would have continued on that path, but the art community is very kissy-touchy and I am naturally very friendly and outgoing, so pretty soon I had men not only shaking my hand but actually hugging and kissing me.

I consulted some published friends and asked their advice on the matter and they said the best thing I could do is just come right out and tell men that I’m sorry, but I’m not allowed to shake their hands.

So I started doing that.

But one time I was up in Northern Alberta in a Mennonite community an elderly gentleman approached me and held out his hand.

I said, “I’m sorry but I’m not allowed to shake men’s hands.”

So instead he patted me on the arm and said, “Oh, that’s okay dearie!”

And I looked upwards and thought, “Oh Allah. I tried.”

And more recently, after a librarian read my novel, Wanting Mor, he was so enthusiastic about it that he was hugging me at an award ceremony, and going on about how amazing it was. It would have been horrible to extricate myself. And he was gay, so I wasn’t sure his hugging me even counted. But inwardly I reminded myself that God is forgiving and asked forgiveness.

[Sarah] The Zolotow Award is for the “best picture book text” published in the United States. What do you do during writing and revision to achieve this level of writing?

[Rukhsana] If writers were painters, words would be like brush strokes.

You never want the person observing the finished masterpiece thinking about the brush strokes. You want them to see and feel the entire work.

I don’t apply the precise stippling of Monet, but rather I’d like to think my technique is more the broad strokes of Van Gogh. I’m aiming for a mood, a feeling. Like that painting of his with the crows over the corn field, you can almost feel the sun on your back. With the words I use I try to make the reader forget that they’re doing something as static as reading a book, and instead feel as if the story is happening for the first time, as they read it.

Each word in a picture book must be consistent and reflect the overall tone of the story, and each word of dialogue must be in line with what the characters would say and that means I have to step back and let them say them.

Don’t ever put words in your characters’ mouths.

When I’m writing a story I go into a kind of other state. Not a trance or anything half so esoteric, but rather a zone where I can see the characters interacting and I’m furiously jotting down the story.

Examining elements of characters, story, plot , prose and dialogue doesn’t occur to me until after I’m finished writing the story, and only if there are problems with it.

I mean, why would you bother if the story works?

Uta Hagen, Susanne Langer--and the craft of writing

2011-02-17T10:44:00.005+01:00

I read many influential books during my MFA program.

Most of the books I studied to learn about the craft of writing are well written novels and children's books. When I needed to understand how to effectively use a writing technique, I looked for a variety of examples where the technique is done well and not so well. I also studied craft books and literary theory; I have some favorite books in this category that I turn to again and again.

Thanks to Kathi Appelt, I read two books that helped me immensely as a writer. These are not the typical book that the writer studies, yet what is in them are relevant to the writer. I plan to reread both of these books.

Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen is a book for actors. As a writer I need to inhabit my characters, so this was a wonderful book for teaching me techniques to do that. Not all was applicable to writing in this book, but much was very useful for my writing.

Susanne Langer's Feeling and Form: A Theory of Art is a philosophy book. Sadly it is out of print. (1953.) Langer builds her philosophy on the concept that "Art is the creation of forms symbolic of human feeling" (40). She talks about symbols and that literature is a "illusion of experience" (245), an illusion of life, with emotional significance. What I internalized the most is the understanding that I am an artist who uses words and story as my medium.

Write at Your Own Risk

2011-02-03T10:03:00.000+01:00

Altered sign in front of College Hall at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Changing a couple letters and the angle of the camera totally alters the meaning of a sign which stands at the edge of a skating rink.

VCFA 2011 Residency and Graduation

2011-01-22T17:19:00.006+01:00

My last residency at Vermont College of Fine Arts was eventful and exciting.

Some highlights from residency:
-Being in the room with Rita Williams-Garcia when the Coretta Scott King award and the Newbery Honor for her novel, One Crazy Summer, were announced. She was super happy!

-The opening address by Katherine Paterson. Though she often visits campus during our residency, it was a delight to hear her speak.

-Visiting authors, Grace Lin and David Macaulay, gave insightful lectures and great readings. Plus, it was fun to visit with them during informal conversations.

-A great workshop with faculty members Franny Billingsley and Leda Schubert and ten other writers.

-Lectures from writers including Franny Billingsley (story--its energy and structure), Jane Kurtz (surprise and choosing to use or not use it in writing), M. T. Anderson (a course on literary theory), A. M. Jenkins (incredible lecture on creating emotion in both characters and plot), Tim Wynne-Jones (suspense in plotting our stories), Rita Williams-Garcia (writing sequels--I'm looking forward to her next book; she read us a few pages from it), Susan Fletcher (using repetition in novel writing), and Shelley Tanaka (international children's books).

-There were also many wonderful graduate lectures.
I gave my lecture on character roles and how they can be used in story. Many writers (both faculty and students) told me how helpful it was to them and that they will use the concepts I spoke about when they revise their novels.

-All the faculty, guest writers, and graduating students gave a reading. It is always fun to hear works in progress, and then read them a few years later. My reading went well. I read from three books: a picture book, a non-fiction book, and a chapter from the novel which I wrote during my time at VCFA. After my reading, a boy, who I would guess to be about 11 or 12 years old, came up to me and asked when my novel was being published, as he wants to read it. That was a wonderful compliment, and since my YA novel is an action packed thriller, he is definitely in the target audience.

-Graduation: We entered the chapel in College Hall to the sounds of a bagpipe (a VCFA tradition). I introduced the commencement speaker, Uma Krishnaswami, who gave a touching and motivational speech. As part of our graduation, each graduate was announced, and then six lines from his or her fiction (the creative thesis) was read. After this short reading, the graduate walked across the stage and was hooded (the MFA hood was placed over our heads), and then received the diploma. After this was repeated for each graduate, the university president said a few official words and conferred the Master of Fine Arts in Writing on the graduates.

The six lines from my novel, which my advisor, Martine Leavitt chose to be read at graduation, were great, and I was pleased with what she selected. It was a privilege to work with her during my last semester.

I would love to be able to bottle the energy and intensity of a residency. It has been described as a writing boot camp, and that is an accurate description. I can attest that attending Vermont College of Fine Arts was a wonderful, life-changing experience.

VCFA Residency

2011-01-11T03:43:00.002+01:00

Today I was a guest blogger on Through the Tollbooth. Head on over there to read it.

This was a busy first day of my final Vermont College residency. It was electrifying to be in the room with Rita Williams-Garcia when the Newbery honor award was announced. This evening's highlight was the terrific opening address given by Katherine Paterson.

It is wonderful to be on campus again with a community of writers committed to writing stories for children and young adults.

2011-01-09T14:53:00.003+01:00

I'm in Montpelier for my final Vermont College of Fine Arts residency.

I'm really excited for this residency and am thrilled to be in a workshop with faculty (and incredible writers) Franny Billingsley and Leda Schubert.

Through the Tollbooth will cover some of the highlights of this residency so check the Tollbooth everyday. I'll be one of several writers who will post, and I'll give a link to my post here.

My reading is Tuesday, January 18th, at 7 pm in the Noble Building on campus of Vermont College of Fine Arts. I plan to read a picture book, a portion of a nonfiction picture book, and a chapter from River, my young adult novel. If you are in the area, you are welcome to come visit campus and come to my reading.

Links for year-end "best" book lists

2010-12-08T21:38:00.000+01:00

Many review sites publish year-end lists which bring books I might not have noticed to my attention. Since I live overseas and can't browse in a bookstore, I rely on word of mouth and lists like these for the books that I buy. (Books make great gifts for birthdays and holidays.)
There are so many books on these lists I want to read!

New York Times 2010 Best Illustrated Children's Books list
This list includes Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan--a great story with wonderful illustrations.

Kirkus: their complete best list.
Here is Kirkus' Fantasy and Science Fiction list. Kathi Appelt's Keeper, a memorable read, is on this list.
And here is a useful link to about 15 other categories, including picture books, graphic novels, historical, animals etc.

School Library Journal's 2010 Best Fiction and Best Picture Books. Keeper is again on this list, as well as Rita William Garcia's One Crazy Summer, both books which I enjoyed.

Also, Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Books 2010.

Fuse #8 at School Library Journal shares her favorite 100 books of the year. I've read several books on her list, including the stunning Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams.

It is the time of year to snuggle up with a book, ideally in front of a roaring fireplace (which I don't have in my apartment, but I can imagine it), while the snow falls outside.

Frankfurt Holiday photos

2010-12-08T13:01:00.001+01:00

I took all of these photos during the past few days in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

This is part of a window display in the Galleria on the Zeil. All the stuffed animals are moving: the bears sledding, the ducks pulling the sled, and more bears and other animals circling on the ski lift in the back left.
(The Galleria is a great department store with a wonderful bakery, a large chocolate section, a bookstore, and more.)

Downtown Frankfurt. The Römer, Frankfurt's city hall for 600 years, is behind the towering Christmas tree. The tree stands in a large square where part of the Christmas market stands.

I took this next photo in Grüneberg Park.

This is a trail I often walk on here in Frankfurt.

A cafe, open summers, in Grüneberg Park. I like the two snowmen, one standing, one fallen.

I wish the cafe was open in the winter. It would be a great place to grab a cup of hot chocolate and watch the snow fall.

Revision Process Thoughts

2010-11-24T11:02:00.007+01:00

Recently, I have been thinking about how I approach revisions for novels and picture books. Each book is different, so each book will have different needs. Though I use some different techniques for picture books than other stories, in most ways my revision process is the same for each book.

While revising, I continually work through these three steps:

1) Sensing or detecting that either something is "off" or that something more is needed.

2) Determining what is needed in each sentence, scene, character arc, plot so #1 will be resolved.

3) Choosing the best techniques to achieve this change, while remembering the needs of the story and characters.

Revision Stages

I find that my revisions pass through several fluid stages. Always, while writing and revising I sense and feel the story. I listen to my instincts and listen to my characters.

>Early revisions (After I’ve written my exploratory draft)

This is where I ask: Who are my characters? What it this story really about? What do my characters really want?

>Mid-early revisions

This is where I experiment and figure out the best way to tell the story, including point of view, tense, and where the story truly begins. I also continue to go deeper into characters during these revisions.

>Mid-later revisions

This is where I craft the story. I examine character arcs; re-examine and adjust plot; add layers to the story; cut and add characters, scenes, chapters. I still make substantial changes at this time.

>Late revisions

This is where I fine tune everything from sentences to chapters to characters.

I might revisit an earlier revision stage after letting a manuscript sit (one of the best things for a book) or after discovering something critical that I need to alter. For example, a little over a year ago, when in some middle-early revisions with River, my YA adventure/suspense novel, I sensed/discovered what was off, chose to change the premise, which meant I deleted everything I had and rewrote a new draft, which brought me again to early revisions.

I have many approaches (essentially revision strategies and techniques) that I use as I revise which help me explore my stories. Also, I find ways to defamiliarize the story, so it feels fresh and new as I work on it.

My revision process requires a lot of rewriting and involves both analytical approaches, instinct, and struggling to find the emotional core of the story.

I wonder how much my revision process will change over time. I will likely find my process evolves as I gain experience and adjust my revision approach for each book.

VCFA Lecture

2010-10-25T09:45:00.002+02:00

I'll give my 45 minute long graduate lecture at the January residency of Vermont College of Fine Arts. The lectures, given by faculty and graduating students, are always super high quality. So much of what I've learned during my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program, I've learned by attending the lectures.

I turn in my lecture description next week. Here it is.

“WHO AM I?”

CHARACTER ROLES AND IDENTITY

“Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle!” exclaims Alice in Wonderland. How does the writer answer the vital question of “Who am I?” when developing characters? I’ll explore how writers can use both internal and external aspects of identity on the page and in the story. I’ll also discuss roles, not stereotypical or archetypical roles, but the everyday, down to earth, nitty-gritty multiplicity of roles and look at how we use roles to influence action and plot when we craft story.

Titles discussed will include Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard, Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia, The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling, and of course, Alice in Wonderland.

Frankfurt Book Fair 2010

2010-10-22T19:38:00.003+02:00

The Frankfurt Book Fair was again wonderful. It wasn't as overwhelming this year as it was last year. (Here is the link to my photos and blog from last year.)

Emily Smith Pearce came to Frankfurt and we spent the day at the fair. She graduated from Vermont College several years ago.
Here is a photo of Emily in the Boyd's Mill booth (it was in the German children's section) with her recently released early reader, Slowpoke, which is on the lower shelf near her hand. She writes about her impressions of the fair at her blog.

I took a lot of photos at the Bologna Book Fair earlier this year, but had been so amazed by the Korean books that I forgot to use my camera, so here is a shelf of Korean books. I would love to be able to buy several of these--preferably in English so I could read the stories. The photo does not do these covers or books justice.

At the Bologna Book Fair, I fell in love with A Big Dream, a book published by Kalandraka, who publishes books for the Spanish speaking world. I made arrangements beforehand with an editor to buy a copy in English so I now have my own copy. Yes, I wanted the book that bad! This is such a delightful book!

I look forward to the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2011!

Link to great essay by Gita Wolf

2010-10-01T22:24:00.006+02:00

"The Politics of Voice" by Gita Wolf, publisher of Tara Books, who just spoke at an international IBBY conference, is an important essay. She talks about the importance of giving child readers "variety of perspectives" and "acknowledging a multiplicity of experience" and giving a voice to those who are normally not heard. Her vision of publishing gives both India and the world stunning picture books, as well as celebrates the wide range of experiences and cultures in the world.

Tara Books looks to traditional artists to illustrate some of their wonderful books, such as Do! (the Bologna Ragazzi New Horizons winner), The Night Life of Trees, and I Like Cats! I'm excited to see Tara Book's booth next week at the Frankfurt Book Fair and hope to catch up with Gita. The books she publishes are both works of art and literature.

Banned Book Week

2010-09-24T14:14:00.003+02:00

September 25-Oct 2 is Banned Book Week, a week to celebrate our freedom to read and the first amendment.

This freedom is critical. CRITICAL!
Readers need to have freedom to choose to read or not read books.
If we start allowing book banning, it will spread and soon every book will be banned, because someone, somewhere, will find something they don't like about a book.

I agree that parents should be allowed to help their children choose their books, and even opt out of their child reading a specific book. There might be good reasons: if a child has a problem or is getting professional help with something a book might be a trigger that could cause additional problems. But that same book can be exactly what other readers need.

Every reader has a favorite book which has been banned. A few popular and commonly read books: Harry Potter, Bridge to Terabithia, Charlotte's Web, Huckleberry Finn, Fahrenheit 451.

Some links:

ALA on Banned Books Week. This also has a list of banned books.

A map of where banned books and challenges happened from 2007-2010. Kudos to the states who had no bans or challenges: New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Delaware, and Vermont!

Laurie Halse Anderson's book, Speak was recently challenged. (Rape is not pornography.) Her book is a life changing book for so many readers. This book is not a graphic book. Though it is an uncomfortable topic for many, it is a safe book and a place for readers to go for empathy or healing.

Kate Messner, author and teacher, shares her talk which she gives to parents each year about book selection.

Angela Cerrito began a Banned Book Club. It is for adults and she writes, "the main goal of The Banned Book Club is to connect books with teen readers with the consent of their parents!" This is a reading club that I can see spreading throughout communities in the US.

I'm planning on reading a banned book this week.

Castle Hunting and photos

2010-09-23T13:23:00.005+02:00

For months I have wanted to "find" this castle:

The castle ruin in Konigstein.

I have seen this castle in the distance, on a hill, when driving from my kids' orthodontist to their school. Last Saturday we went "castle hunting" and wandered until we found it. We did not know what it was called or even for sure what town it was until we got there. What a great ruin. I found the fine detailed herringbone pattern in one outer wall intriguing and wondered why the workers took the effort, as I've never seen that before.
It is fun to imagine the castle and its inhabitants hundreds of years ago.

-----

Not a castle, but there are castle-like passageways (both in construction and feel) underneath the waterfall in the center of this photo.

I saw the waterfall and red autumn colors reflecting in a small lake and I thought it would made a great photo.

I took this photo in Palmengarten, a private botanical garden, near where I live. Map here. Sometimes I take my Mac and sit at a table overlooking this view and write. It has many large tropicariums (large greenhouse type buildings with plants) in addition to the large grounds with numerous gardens.

My stories are influenced by places I've lived or visited. I "feel" the place, or a combination or places, (or my memory of the place) when I'm writing and it imbues a type of emotional sensibility into the setting.

Banned Book Week starts soon. I'll post about it with some links, as soon as I've turned my writing in to my VCFA advisor.

News and Link Medley

2010-09-04T12:34:00.006+02:00

Maha Addasi's newest picture book, Time to Pray, was released a couple days ago. It is a dual language book (English and Arabic) which shares a story of a grandmother teaching her granddaughter to pray when she comes to visit. Some might consider this a book about culture, others a book about the Muslim religion, and though it is both, it is also a book about the love and relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter. This is a book that readers of any faith will enjoy.
Maha recently graduated from Vermont College of Fine Arts and we were in workshops together. I'm looking forward to more of her stories.

Metafiction for Children by Phillip Nel, on In Media Res, posted a very short film (4 minutes) which shares some metafiction in children's literature. Metafiction is one of my favorite genres in children's books. One picture book example of metafiction is Harold and the Purple Crayon.

Fusion: The Synergy of Images and Words (and Part 2), posted by Steve McCurry on his blog, shares a wonderful collection of photographs of readers in all sorts of settings. Wow!

Daniel Powers is a guest on Uma Krishnaswami's blog this week, and he shares his insights into the picture book. Powers talks about the Physicality of the Picture book , the interplay of text and images and page turns and the gutter, the Physical Relationship Between Text and Image, and the Conceptual Relationship Between Text and Image. Great information!

Revising: Learning from Lewis Carroll

2010-08-21T13:06:00.008+02:00

I am fascinated by how different writers revise.

Lewis Carroll wrote two versions of a book. He wrote (by hand) and illustrated Alice's Adventures Under Ground in 1862. (The link takes you to the book at Gutenberg.org.)
This book was expanded, revised, and published as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (illustrations by John Tenniel) in 1866. (The second link takes you to an 1866 copy of Alice which can be downloaded in most formats or read online at Internet Archive.org.)

The first chapter of the Under Ground book is almost identical to the beginning of the Wonderland book. Carroll only changes a couple words, such as "nosegay" into "fan."

There is a noticeable word change in the middle:
The ostrich changes to a flamingo!

Illustration by Lewis Carroll
I wonder why Carroll made this choice when he revised.
What is the difference between playing croquet with an ostrich or a flamingo?
Did he make this change because of the size of the bird?
The color of the bird?
Maybe flamingos are more docile.

Large scale revision is shown in the final chapters of the book. Three pages in the Under Ground book expand into two chapters in the Wonderland book!

When I write an initial story, I write an "exploratory draft." This is where I discover plot and characters; it is later when I revise, that I flesh out the scenes and find the best way to tell the story. This type of loose exploratory draft is what I see in those 3 pages of Under Ground.
It was a delight to discover (without access to all of Carroll's notes) how Alice Adventure's Under Ground was revised into Alice Adventure's in Wonderland. It is worth the time to read the conclusion of both versions and think about Lewis Carroll's revision choices.

Vermont College of Fine Arts Residency and summer travels

2010-08-09T16:09:00.000+02:00

College Hall

A few brief highlights from my Vermont College of Fine Arts residency:
I was in a small group workshop which allowed time for other writing craft activities in addition to the normal VCFA workshop/laboratory.
I attended many incredible lectures, which covered a wide range of writing craft issues.
Visiting authors Gregory Maguire and Holly Black came to campus for Fantasy Day.

My next advisor is Martine Leavitt! She writes both fantasy (Keturah and Lord Death, a National Book award finalist) and contemporary young adult novels. She was one of my workshop leaders during my first residency at VCFA and I am excited to work with her again.

This coming semester is my final semester: during the next five months I'll complete my creative thesis and prepare a lecture which I'll give at January residency.

I am now back in Germany, after spending my summer traveling, visiting friends and family. Luckily, I was in Oregon when the wild blackberries were ripe and I enjoyed eating warmed by the sun, juicy, drop in your hand, ripe blackberries. It has been years since I've enjoyed fresh NW blackberries. I checked on my walk yesterday and the German blackberries are just starting to turn black, so I'll be hunting for a good blackberry patch here in Frankfurt.
Here are two photos from my travels: a waterfall in the forest in the Cascade Mountains and sea lions with the Newport bridge in the background at the Oregon Coast.

Book Launch--Kimberley Griffiths Little

2010-07-09T05:49:00.002+02:00

I'm in the Unites States right now and was able to attend Kimberley Griffiths Little's book launch for her recently released novel, The Healing Spell. This was the first book launch I've attended, so it was fun for me. Kimberley spoke about the book, explained the research she did, read a few pages, and answered questions. She also shared wonderful pictures that she took of the area where her book is set: Louisiana Cajun country.

Here is Kimberley signing a book, after her presentation.

We were able to chat for a few minutes both before and after. Though I've known Kimberley for a few years, this is only the second time we've been able to meet in person. One of the fun things about traveling is meeting my writing friends.

Here is the official book trailer for The Healing Spell.

News and Link Medley

2010-06-24T10:00:00.000+02:00

Check out this great, must-read article: The Elephant in the Room by Elizabeth Bluemle. She discusses the need for diversity in books. She gives tons of great links and includes wonderful illustrations, which I have already revisited.
Diversity in children's books is a critical topic of conversation. I believe as a greater variety of books become available (diverse books with illustrations and characters which include all cultures and ALL children) we will create more readers and will increase peace, tolerance and understanding.

Hunger Mountain, the literary journal of Vermont College of Fine Arts, has their newest edition available online. Here is the Young Adult and Children's Literature Issue. There is a wide range of articles as well as fiction and poetry to read.

My semester recently finished and I already miss working with my advisor, Kathi Appelt. This has been an incredible and unforgettable semester. I look forward to seeing her in July when I am at the residency on campus in Montpelier, Vermont.

The World Cup is going on. I see lot of flags flying, mostly on cars. Most cars fly German flags, but many fly two flags--one German and one from the driver's country. (It is more fun if rooting for two or three teams.) My kids have been watching some of the games at school, (during class?) and since their school has kids from all over the world (and from almost all of the countries in the Cup) there is lots of patriotism which exhibits itself with face painting and wearing shirts with their respective countries' flag colors in school. I found it interesting that the World Cup theme song is sung in two languages: Spanish and English.

Vermont College of Fine Arts will have some great visiting authors on campus this summer for residency. Readings by the faculty, visiting authors and graduating students are open to the public. The schedule will be announced before the start of residency in July, and should be available on their website. This is a great opportunity for anyone who is in the Vermont region.

Out of the Way! Out of the Way! by Uma Krishnaswami

2010-06-19T15:30:00.007+02:00

Uma Krishnaswami, my friend and one of the faculty (and my previous advisor) at Vermont College of Fine Arts, recently published a new picture book, Out of the Way! Out of the Way! (The illustrator is Uma Krishnaswamy, the artist--their names have one letter different in English; I want to see more books from her.)

I can't express how excited I am about this book. It is incredible.
Also cool-- it is available in many awesome languages.

From Uma's blog: "Chaos and cheerful disorder abound in OUT OF THE WAY! OUT OF THE WAY! as a boy, a tree, and a road all grow together."

A delightful, multi-continent blog tour for this book is the happening thing. I'm looking forward to the interviews, videos, and more. The schedule of the blog tour is at Tulika Books blog.
Uma will also post links on her blog, Writing with a Broken Tusk, each day.

Out of the Way! Out of the Way! is available from Tulika Books for $6.50.

I'm giving a Writing Workshop

2010-06-08T11:33:00.006+02:00

I'm giving a half day writing workshop this coming Saturday (June 12th) in Heidelberg for SCBWI Germany.

"Rhythms of the Picture Book" is an intensive, hands on opportunity for writers and illustrators to learn the fundamentals of crafting picture books in a small workshop environment. (Maximum twelve participants.)

I'll cover the essential elements of picture books, typical and atypical narrative structures, page turns, plus writing and revising techniques including dummies and storyboards. The title of the workshop refers to the variety of contrapuntal rhythms which are found in the unique form of the picture book. The half day workshop, which is limited to twelve people, will be jam-packed with information, discussions, and exercises.

I'm looking forward to Saturday. It will be fun to discuss picture books with other writers in Heidelberg, a beautiful city.

Please contact me if you want more information.

Pop Up and Movable Books

2010-06-01T20:56:00.001+02:00

The Smithsonian Library opens an exhibit at the National Museum of American History on June 14th. Fold, Pull, Pop and Turn will feature books--many of them picture books. This exhibit includes examples from some of the best paper engineers, including historical favorites such as Lothar Meggendorfer and many contemporary designers. The exhibit will be open until Fall 2011.

A brilliant blog shares the exhibit for those who can't visit in person. Be sure to click on the link and check it out. Their October blog has a nice slideshow of many of the books.

Another resource: University of North Texas has a wonderful online website: Pop up and Movable Books: a tour through their history. If you draw your mouse over the pictures, you will see the movement that occurs on the page if you were to pull the tab.

Books with movable parts have been around for centuries. They are designed for adults as well as children, for instruction as well as for enjoyment.
Movable book are also published in other parts of the world.

Tulika Books in India recently published Home, a stand up book with opening panels. Their website explains that this book adapts one traditional storytelling method. More about this book can be found here (an explanatory review) and here on Uma Krishnaswami's blog where she gives information about the Storyteller's box and embeds a fascinating video.

Another Indian publisher, Tara Books, makes a scroll-book, Tsunami. This book uses Patua art, and is printed by hand. The description says that this is the "first time a Patua scroll has been rendered into the form of a book." This video from Tara books demonstrates this book.

All the photos of movable books make me want to hold them and play with each page. I just pulled my copy of Nur Für Brave Kinder by Meggendorfur from my bookshelf and again enjoyed the tabs that transform each picture.

I hope I can find a way in the next year to get to Washington DC to see the Smithsonian's new exhibit.

Syntax (word order) or how to get surprises in a foreign country

2010-05-25T17:16:00.001+02:00

Occasionally when I’m speaking in a foreign language, I don’t say what I thought I said.

Yesterday some of my family visited the castle and old city in Bad Homburg.
Here are a couple photos I took:

We stopped for a snack at a small café just a few meters down the hill from the castle.
I thought I asked for chocolate ice cream. But because I reversed the position of two words I got ice cold chocolate milk, with vanilla ice cream scoops inside it, and whipped cream on top. I was surprised when they brought it out to my table. Eis Schokolade is excellent, so it was a good mistake to make.

Syntax, or where words are placed in a sentence, is critical. It not only changes meaning, but can create voice, atmosphere, and tone. It can also mean that you get an eis schokolade instead of ice cream in a cup.

News and Link Medley (and link to free e-book)

2010-05-17T21:21:00.016+02:00

If you go here, (Children's Book Council Website) you can download a wonderful essay, part of an e-book project, written by Katherine Paterson (National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.) It is free until May 24th.

Blogs:
Kathi Appelt has started blogging! Check it out. Her first post introduces us to her cats and her writing studio.

Recently published books to look for:

Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan
Sisters and sibling rivalry, birthday parties, cultural understanding. The real story behind the story (the actual story and the writing of it) can be found here.
Guess which character is Rukhsana.

I love picture books. I'm glad I bought this picture book!
(I usually buy novels--as my my teens enjoy reading them.)

Keeper by Kathi Appelt
What an awesome cover.

I look forward to reading this, as soon as I get my copy. She is my advisor this semester (of course I'm biased). I'll get her to sign my book when I see her this summer.

Thief Eyes by Janni Lee Simner

Fantasy, Iceland, sagas and Norse myths all combine in one book.
An incredible book. Janni creates real characters, and page turning plots. Plus, I could see the locations in my head when I was reading--she accurately describes real places in Iceland.

Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams

An attic, 3 girls, a journal--great middle grade novel, both contemporary and historical. I love the voice and the way the main character comes up with such fun and unique names for colors.

Shadow by Jenny Moss

Fantasy. This book was like chocolate; it was like curling up with my favorite comfort food. What a delight. I love this genre of fantasy.

Panthan's Crucible by Meredith Wood

Paranormal (admittedly not my favorite genre), but this is a story I enjoyed. A lot. Great characters and plot. Those who love fantasy and paranormal will love this book. A sequel is in the works. Hurray!!!

Faithful by Janet Fox

I've not read this book yet, but it is on my list for the next time I order books. This is historical fiction, set in Yellowstone Park.

Is it better when I include the covers?

Multilingual Publishing and translation

2010-05-17T08:25:00.000+02:00

Uma Krishnaswami on her blog shared the following link from Tulika Books about multilingual publishing. (I look forward to Uma's upcoming posts about translation.)

"Multilingual Publishing - Walking the Tightrope" is a great slide show which discusses language, culture, translation and the importance of multilingual publishing in children's books.
I was so impressed with this slide show, that I wanted to share it.

Multilingual Publishing - Walking the Tightrope

View more presentations from Tulika Books.

I love reading translated books (or the books in the original language) that are published all over the world. I love browsing through the Frankfurt and Bologna Book Fairs and dreaming about buying and reading so many incredible books that are not available in English or in the US. A picture book or novel lets me explore and access a culture in wonderful ways. The only way I can have that experience in an even closer manner, is to live within that culture.

I believe it is essential to expand our reading to include books from other cultures and books that are written in other languages and to also share these books with children. We need greater cultural understanding and respect and peace and one way readers can gain shared experiences is within story, and in the pages of books.

Castles--Exploring Mosel River Valley

2010-05-10T21:19:00.010+02:00

I wanted to share a few photos of a recent day trip I took with my family. Some day, I think, perhaps I'll write a story set in a castle.

Thurant Castle. (13th century) This one has a 3 bedroom vacation apartment available, next to the tower on the right. I'd love to stay in this castle for a few days.

Some small plants and flowers grew on the top of the tower. This photo also shows some nice details of the stonework.

These stones now decorating the garden are the same that were used in catapults.

Ehrenburg. (1120) This fortress is just a few miles away from the one above.

Look at the details around this door. The carving in the stone is spectacular. It made me wonder what the castle looked like 300 years ago, when it was still in pristine condition.

Detail of the stone work on the upper tower.

I've been in a few places where there were paintings on the walls and ceilings that were 500-800 years old, that also had tile floors that were at least that old. I imagine that the nicer rooms in these castles were also decorated in a similar manner.

We visited several other castles on the same day we visited these two. But one was undergoing renovations and photos were not allowed inside. One was ruins. And the other, though very old, wasn't nearly as impressive.

What I look for when I go through a castle is unexpected details.
That is also what makes writing and reading fun--the unexpected details of plot, characters and setting.

MFA Thesis

2010-04-28T19:28:00.001+02:00

I turned in my thesis this month. Hurray! It is nice to have this big project completed.

The title of my thesis is "Character Identity: Role Development in Crafting Narrative."
In my thesis I examine how roles help a writer create multi-dimensional characters and strengthen plot. I plan to use my thesis as the basis for my graduating student lecture which I'll give next January on campus.

We have two theses in my MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts: a critical thesis and a creative thesis.

Next semester is my creative thesis. My creative thesis will be the young adult thriller that I've been working on for a couple semesters. (I've also written picture books, short stories, and nonfiction in my MFA program as I've learned all I could about writing for children.) I am currently revising it using feedback from my advisor, Kathi Appelt.

I love the way Vermont College works and the intense mentoring I get from great teachers.

Warriors in the Crossfire

2010-04-14T07:18:00.014+02:00

It is a privilege to host Nancy Bo Flood on her blog tour. She is an award winning author of Navajo Year, Walk Through Many Seasons, and Sand to Stone, the Life Cycle of Sandstone. Nancy is a graduate of Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her newest book, Warriors in the Crossfire is a wonderful historical novel which allows the reader to enter a story about another culture and time.
(All photos courtesy of Nancy Bo Flood.)

Kathi Appelt said, "Nancy Bo Flood's novel casts a bright light on one of the forgotten shadows of World War II, the near total devastation of Saipan and the native people who lived there. Joseph's story forces us to pay attention, to see war itself as an event that affects more than the opposing forces and illuminates its darkest corners.
I'll be telling everyone I know about it . . .”

I asked Nancy several questions related to writing about a different culture. She also shares a couple photos of her favorite places on Saipan.

Q: Warriors in the Crossfire is a great example of how a writer can accurately portray a foreign culture. What resources did you use to insure accuracy as you show the culture on Saipan?

A: Research begins with books and libraries but it is more than reading. You need to experience the culture. Listen, observe, feel the pace and rhythm of the culture…taste their foods, and when appropriate, ask questions.

We lived on Saipan for many years. I swam with the turtles – and the sharks. I paddled out across the reef, got scared to death as sharks circled our kayak. I slipped out of my kayak in the deep sea beyond the reef and was terrified. That’s what Kento felt and it was no fun. Having the shadow of a shark slide over you is terrifying. It was also part of my research, though not one I had planned.

I sat with people on the beach, watched the waves as we talked, watched people catch octopus and bite off their sharp beaks and share the fresh delicacy. We sat, shared food and shared stories. They told me about surviving the war, about their brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers who did not survive. They told me about the terrible thirst, the confusion, the smells – the horrid stink of war.

I helped Filipe and Joe Ruak with the dance group, which often mean driving around in a bumpy old jeep or pick-up truck and picking up dancers from school sports. I watched as young boys put down their cell phones and i-pods and transformed from contemporary to traditional as they picked up their warrior sticks and began to chant, faster and faster, hitting their sticks, twirling and leaping, with the skill, strength and dexterity of a fine athlete. I hiked with kids up the rugged volcanic slopes, bloodied my knees, walked into sticky spider webs, and paused to watch a kingfisher snatch a gecko and swallow it whole. That was research too.

I spent hours in the archives of the Saipan library, read books written about their island, their people, their culture. I watched archived footage of the invasion, talked with veterans, both Japanese and American. I learned every time I helped at the Senior Citizen Center. I spent time sitting with women as they cooked, watched children, or studied for a chemistry test. We spent even more hours at the archives and museums on Guam and the Bishop Museum in Hawaii. The old manuscripts of the Germans and Spanish were very helpful.

Read it, live it, ask it. Then listen, listen, listen. Keep collecting images, sounds, smells, ideas, information.

Q: At the end of the book in the historical note you include both a quote from a memorial at the Suicide Cliffs: “May we live together in peace” and one of your poems, titled, “To See, Peace.” Your story deals with two cultures which are at odds with each other during a time of war and occupation: the island natives and the Japanese. Did writing about two foreign cultures create additional challenges with either your research or writing?

A: As a college student I had lived and studied in Japan, first becoming somewhat fluent in the language. I am an admirer of Japanese art, visual and literary. On Saipan I enjoyed a renewal of hearing the Japanese language for many of my students were Japanese as well as local Chamorro and Carolinian. I tried to show in Warriors that there are no good guys or bad guys, but people doing what they need to do, or are ordered to do, to survive. I tried to show the contrast in cultural values that became a threat to the boys’ friendship. In our multicultural world we live with a plethora of cultural values and it is our challenge to respect and to learn from differences, not hang on to what we know and understand.

Q: Saipan is a place that many readers will not have heard of before reading your book. The setting is vivid and specific with details including descriptions of many landscapes, in particular the lagoon, the caves and the cliffs. How long did you live in Saipan? Which settings in the book have you visited? Were any of the places in the book favorite places of yours to visit?

A: Our family first traveled to Saipan to work for one year but stayed for ten. I loved the ocean. We swam and kayaked and scuba-dove in the lagoon, we climbed the cliffs and looked for “war stuff.” Evidence of the War is everywhere -- rusting tanks, canteens, sake bottles. We explored dark and smelly caves. I guess we experienced everything we could, even the sharks.

My favorites?? A small island in the lagoon, Managaha Island - the kind of island kids imagine - tiny, surrounded by beach, full of coconut palms. And also full of old bunkers and a very large destroyed Japanese gun. This island is special to the Carolinian people as the traditional burial site of their first great chief. When canoes from those islands visit Saipan, they stop on Managaha first to pay respect.

Another favorite was Forbidden Island, a place…forbidden to the faint of heart….a hard to find place on the rugged coast where a small hidden cave gave us a secret view of the ocean.

Q: The story includes a scene where characters are forced to dance for the Japanese, which brings up the importance of showing respect for cultural traditions. What aspects of the culture in this story are still alive and can be seen today?

A: Most of the cultural traditions described still exist. The families living on Satawal (one of the outer islands of Yap) and Polowat (one of the outer islands of Chuuk) are the close relatives of those living on Saipan today. Frequent traditional canoe voyages bring clan members the 500+ miles from these islands to Saipan and back. Stick dance, language, clothes, clan traditions, foods -- all are still similar to what you read in the story. The Carolinian cultures, both Rafalawasch ( “inside the reef”, those from the main islands of Yap) and Rapaganoor (from the outer islands, literally “beyond the reef”) are still intact and thriving. While those living on Saipan appear more “Westernized”, they are still very proud of their culture.

Q: A fun question. Food shows up at various times in the story: coconuts, breadfruit, bananas, boiled rice inside banana leaves, crab, octopus and more. I miss food from each country I’ve lived in. What food do you miss from Saipan?

Mangoes! Sweet, ripe mangoes. We would bring an armful of mangoes to the beach, peel and eat. Nothing like sitting in the sand, listening to the surf, licking my lips and then diving head first into a wave.

Finger bananas or we called them juicy-lucy bananas. They are the size of fat fingers and taste s like a tangy mix of peach and tangerine.

Soft young coconut. What is that? We think of coconut as dry and flaky but the hard white meat is only one stage in the maturing of the meat inside a coconut. In a green coconut the layer of “meat” is soft white “jelly” that is sweet and slimey. This is a good food for young infants. In a mature old coconut this meat has dried up and look like an “egg.” This egg is the seed and food for a new coconut to grow. It is also a delicious treat, something like a salad.

Q: Why did you write this story?

A: Sarah, this question has continued to haunt me. A tough question, it has been an important one for me to think, think, think about.

First there is the joy of discovery. Yes, like a kid finding a special rock, I want to share my delight. Writing my earlier book, Sand to Stone, was an expression of this delight. Look world, rocks are amazing! I have learned so much from rocks.

Perhaps the deeper reason I write, especially why I wrote this book, is the sorrow and sadness I saw. From loss. From war. Often those who are in the middle of loss have also lost “their voice of protest.”

My own loss began when I was a child. My younger sister died when I was seven. I lost my family to grief for a long time, but then we returned. How does a person return from sorrow to healing and hope?

When I arrived on Saipan I saw this beautiful island and I also saw the tanks rusting in the lagoon. As part of my work there, I assisted in developing resources for families whose children had disabilities. One cause was from the continued contamination of chemicals left over from the war. Our war. We did not even clean up our mess.

War destroys. Many stories tell of the heroism and courage, and yes, the compassion and kindness, that soldiers and citizens show during times of war. But war destroys – it takes families, childhoods, communities and even futures. I did not describe the fire-bombing or the flame-throwing, the caves where school girls hid, were afraid to come out, and were burned. I did not describe the mothers who hung themselves in despair because all their children had died.

I also wanted to express how people continue to survive, continue to forgive and to heal, to rebuild. What I think I learned was that for the soul to survive loss, the traditions of family, community and all that is part of culture – food, art, weaving, dance, singing, and a connection with our past, our ancestors - is essential. In this story, Joseph survives war because of what his father has given him. One gift was the gift of dance, and through dance a connection to his history.

We learn through story. With accuracy and respect, sensitivity and compassion, I hope to share stories that open windows and hearts. I love that quote that is inscribed on a memorial at Saipan’s Suicide Cliff: “Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” Books can light that candle.

Other stops on Nancy's blog tour include interviews with the editor, publisher, cover designer, and a Saipan stick dancer, in addition to more interviews with Nancy Bo Flood.

I’ll add the direct links each day when they are posted.

March 25 Julie Larios in The Drift Record posts a wonderful interview and discussion about the poetry in the book.

April 11 Debbie Gonzales posts a review on Simple Saturday

April 12 Diane White who interviews Stephen Roxburgh, publisher and founder of Namelos.

April 13 Diane White also posts a wonderful interview with Joseph Ruak, about Saipan and the Talabwogh Men Stick dances.

April 14 This interview on Explorations

April 15 Jacket Knack and their interview with the cover designer, Helen Robinson.

A few photos and link to my guest blog post on Jacket Knack

2010-04-11T16:47:00.011+02:00

A sign of spring--a swan sitting on a nest. I took this photo when I was traveling last week.

I was a guest blogger a few days ago on Jacket Knack. My post includes some of my favorite covers that I saw at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. If you want to read my post click here.

The photos I posted on the guest blogs showed the fair and books and authors. I also took other photos. Here is one photo which shows the typical architecture in downtown Bologna.

Guest Blogging from Bologna Book Fair

2010-03-23T05:47:00.004+01:00

I'm guest blogging this week, from Bologna.
I'll be posting every day, Monday through Friday, in Through the Tollbooth, so come visit me there.

Here are the links to each post:

Bologna Book Fair--a rights fair for children's books. (Monday)

SCBWI Bologna Symposium, a conference for writers and illustrators held the day before the fair. (Tuesday)

Bologna Book Fair--International Book Awards and Dueling Illustrators. (Wednesday)

Bologna Book Fair--Halls, events and book sightings. (Thursday)

Bologna Book Fair--Illustrators, International Youth Library and book sightings. (Friday)

I had a wonderful time. Hope you enjoy my posts.

Books that accurately depict the culture

2010-03-17T14:36:00.014+01:00

I recently read two incredible books that stunned me with how well they capture the culture of the characters on the page.

The two books I read are Blessing's Bead by Debby Dahl Edwardson and Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan. (Khan blogs at Khanversations.)

Blessing's Bead is set in Alaska in the Inupiaq culture and Wanting Mor is set in Afghanistan. Both liberally sprinkle foreign words in the text, but the reader will never be confused. Both books let me experience culture and life I am unfamiliar with.

Writers often talk about setting. Culture includes setting and characters and action. It is vitally important to get the culture correct, as readers will believe that details inside fictional stories are fact.

In both of these books, each author is very familiar with the culture depicted and has lived either within the culture or has much of the same cultural background. Both authors asked those who live inside the culture they depict to read their stories so everything would be accurate. (Mentioned on their acknowledgment pages.)

I strongly recommend both of these books. They are extremely well crafted, and tell good stories about realistic characters.

I have lived in six very different cultures, ranging from Brazil to Finland to China. Because of my experiences I appreciate books that accurately deal with a variety of cultures, books that allow readers to travel somewhere they can't go in real life.

News and Link Medley

2010-03-10T13:01:00.007+01:00

First off, my interview with Gita Wolf, publisher of Tara Books, is up on Cynsations, Cynthia Leitich Smith's blog. Tara Books is an incredible publishing company in India. I love their books, which happily are available worldwide. I'll get to meet Gita Wolf at the Bologna Book Fair later this month!

Fuse #8, the way cool, awesome NYC librarian, ran another book poll. She blogs on School Library Journal. Librarians, readers, and writers sent her their top 10 and she compiled the choices. She is sharing them on her blog, plus she adds interesting background information and lots of cover photos. She is at #35 to #31 in her countdown. Scroll down to links to the other posts of top 100 books. I've already found a few books I somehow missed reading that I plan to add to my reading pile.
What will the top 10 be?

Her top 100 picture books poll from 2009 can be found here.

Blogs--
A delightful, award winning author's new blog: Khanversations by Rukhsana Khan, a daily blog. Drop by and say "hi."

New books to look for, mostly released this month:

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. (I got this one for my birthday this month. That made me happy.)

Feeding the Sheep, a great picture book by Leda Schubert. (Sheep, wool, great story and great illustrations.)

Saving Maddie by Varian Johnson (I heard Varian read from this at VCFA. He's a wonderful writer. He is on a blog tour this week. Here is a link to one of the stops at Gwenda Bond's blog and a link to another great blog tour interview at newport2newport on livejournal))

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (I'm hearing so many good things about this book.)

Benno and the Night of Broken Glass, a picture book by Meg Wiviott. (Benno is a cat. This book deals with the holocaust, through the cat's eyes.)

Frankenstein Castle-- Thoughts on Character and Setting

2010-02-26T22:01:00.010+01:00

When I wander, or flaneur-- the more accurate word I learned from Julie Larios (a poet and advisor at Vermont College), I sometimes think about setting and characters; how they are interrelated in story.
A character placed in another setting often means a very different story.
A good writing exercise (as well as an interesting way to get to know your character better) is to place the character in a different setting and write a scene.

Recently I visited Frankenstein Castle ruins which are near Darmstadt, Germany. The castle was built in the 1200's. Additions were added over the centuries; the towers are more recent than the walls and main structure. The castle is now in ruins, but the very small castle chapel (says 1556 in a stone on the outside) is still in good shape. The stunning floor tiles appeared to be from an earlier time period.

Many will connect this castle with Mary Shelley and her Gothic novel, Frankenstein. The castle is not actually connected with Shelley or the story. But the story was in the back of my mind when we wandered. It was a cold, foggy day--perfect atmosphere for visiting ruins.

Here are a few photos:

I wonder what the castle looked like 500 year ago.
It is fun to imagine.

The floor in the chapel

(If you happen to be in Germany for several weeks around Halloween, you could visit Burg Frankenstein for entertainment. (Sorry, the link is in German.) There is a restaurant on the premises, outside the castle walls.)

Place or setting can help build our stories. Setting can mold our characters. In some books setting is a character, such as in my WIP (work in progress). This novel, which is set in Brazil, could not take place in a different place.

Blank Page

2010-02-23T21:01:00.002+01:00

You know, some days it is hard to face a Blank Page.

Writing is lots of things.

Most of all I think Writing is Courage.

With some Play and Hard Work mixed in.

Five Practices which Feed my Creative Writing

2010-02-23T18:51:00.004+01:00

Write. Write and write and write. And write some more. Write on days when writing flows. Write on days when writing is hard and words are elusive.
Remember. Both types of days are good writing days.

Read. I read books both of the type I write and the type I don’t. I keep an annotated bibliography for my MFA program, where I note a few craft techniques that I admire in each book. I plan to continue this after I graduate because it helps me read more deeply.

Learn from other writers. Classes, critique groups, discussion boards, a mentor. Right now I'm in the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Help other writers. This is a win-win practice. When we help other writers that means there will be more good books in the world. Plus, I find that when I help other writers, such as when I critique their stories, I learn--and in the process I become a better writer.

Critical analysis. This is less scary than it sounds. It doesn’t need to be as formal as a paper or the essays I wrote for my MFA. It can be as simple as a question of how to best write some aspect of our story. Then we can look at how other writers tackle writing craft. I'm doing more critical analysis than normal as I write my thesis this semester.

As I look at this list I realize that all of these practices are part of what I do in my MFA program. The synergy of writing, reading, mentoring, being mentored and thinking critically help as I write my stories.

As I write this I realize there are other things I do. Walks. Hikes. Nature. Sunshine. I often go on a walk when I feel stuck. Seeing things, going new places, visiting museums, wandering around, meeting people, hanging out with friends and family and other writers. All feeds my writing.

Living life fully, in addition to the practices I mention above--is the best thing for my creative work.

Writing Influences

2010-02-11T12:23:00.005+01:00

Recently my thoughts have wandered to the many writers who have influenced my writing. Many writers, more than I can list, have helped my writing grow and expanded my horizons of how and what I write.

As I was thinking about who has influenced my writing, I wondered who influenced these writers. After all, those who influenced them, also exert an influence on me.

I asked three writers (who influence me and my writing) about who influences their writing. Here are their responses.
I loved hearing what they had to say and hope you do too.

Uma Krishnaswami writes picture books (such as Monsoon) and middle grade novels (Naming Maya). She has a wonderful blog.

"I read Rumer Godden's novel, The River, when I was about 13. Before that, it had never once occurred to me that it was possible to write a story in English and set it in India. I'd never read anything like it. Harriet in the novel was nothing like me, but in some odd way I could recognize the spaces she inhabited. Beyond a doubt, Rumer Godden was the writer who gave me permission to write.

"I grew up reading Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Dickens, Hardy, George Eliot, P.G. Wodehouse. What a motley combination! Reading and rereading every book we had in the house. I think I was learning about the shape of story. Later on I read Indian novelist and short story writer R.K. Narayan, whose marvelous fictional town of Malgudi had a specific kind of resonance that I'm still trying to work out, and Ruskin Bond whose loving depiction of India's hill country is nothing short of inspirational.

"Throw Salman Rushdie into that mix--not his adult novels, but Haroun and the Sea of Stories, which is about as perfect a fantastic fable as I can think of. I'm delighted to hear that there is now going to be a sequel. Rushdie's essays have greatly informed how I think about my refusal to choose, my sense that one shouldn't have to make cultural choices in writing, but instead let all one's influences combine, even when the combinations seem odd ones."

Margaret Bechard writes middle grade and young adult fiction. (Her books include Hanging onto Max.)

“I think I would say, first of all, and kind of obviously, I've been influenced by every book and every story I've read. Or had read to me. We had a set of "classic" children's books when I was little . . . and my mom read those out loud to me when I was like five or six. So Black Beauty. Alice in Wonderland. Heidi. And then I read a lot myself. Good stuff: the Narnia books, Winnie the Pooh, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Treasure Island, Alice in Wonderland . . . But a lot of not so great stuff, too: Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and Enid Blyton's Adventure books--I loved those books--and all the Black Stallion books. And then of course all the stuff you read as you get older and become an English major.

"Another influence for me has been my critique group. I joined when I was just starting out. I hadn't published anything. I'd barely ever finished anything. But meeting with this group of wonderful writers--Susan Fletcher, Ellen Howard, David Gifaldi, Carmer Bernier Grand, Eric Kimmel, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, to name just a few of them--having them comment on my writing and listening to their stories, made me a better writer. They kept me honest. They gave me something to aspire to. They kept me writing.

"And I have to say that I really think another big influence has been my kids. Partly because they gave me story ideas--as Katharine Patterson says, they gave me something to write about. But also because I think in some ways I wrote for them. I wanted to capture a bit of them on the page, maybe? Before they grew up and slipped away? But also, I had their voices in the back of my head. I was trying to write something they might want to read.”

Rose Green writes young adult fantasy novels.

“I'd say that Madeleine L'Engle is a huge influence because interesting stuff happens to relatable characters, and at the same time, there's meat that means something. And, she wrote back to me when I was in 9th grade and had to write to someone who did what I wanted to do when I grew up. Just a few lines on the back of a brochure, but it meant a lot. Also, JK Rowling, even though I was an adult when her first book came out. She is the genius of all plot! And in a general sense, I'm very much influenced by the many mysteries I read as a kid. (Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, Trixie Belden, and moving up to the adult Dorothy Sayers.) Not great literature (with the exception of Sayers, whose writing I love for many reasons), but they gave me a sense of structure. I find that my mind always wants to put a mystery in whatever I write, as well as dropping in magic somehow.”

Book Covers--which accurately depict the characters

2010-01-29T16:44:00.000+01:00

I don’t think there is much I can add to the active conversation about book covers not accurately depicting the character on the inside of the book.

Reading in Color, Black-Eyed Susan's, and A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy are a few of several bloggers who express their opinions. This article titled "Kids of Color and the New American Whitewashing" contains quotes from many well known authors. Justine Larbalestier recently dealt with this exact issue with her novel, Liar, and she also, in response to this latest cover controversy, posts on the topic.

Because I can't add additional insights and realize that my grumbling likely won't do much good, I decided to share a few covers, from my nearest bookshelf, which DO accurately depict the character. (There are a couple books from that shelf which I’m not including, because I suspect that the skin color was lightened.)

I realize there aren't enough books available with POC (people of color), but each and every one us can do our part by buying (and encouraging other readers to buy) a wide range of books, which include characters of different colors. I'd also, since I live overseas, want to expand this effort to books which show the wide range of cultures throughout the world, including books published by foreign publishers.

Several of the books in this picture are picture books, which leads me to ask the question: Do picture books ever have the same problem as novels? Is the color of skin ever lightened for the covers, or does the publisher decide to go a “safe” way and use animal characters?

One book stands out to me: Ballet of the Elephants. The cover shows ballet dancers with different skin colors, yet this book isn't about the dancers, it is about elephants and the choreographer George Ballanchine and the composer Igo Stravinsky. Kudos to the illustrator, Robert Andrew Parker and Roaring Book Press for a great cover.

Here is a list of the titles, authors and publishers of the books in this photo.

Every Time a Rainbow Dies by Rita Williams-Garcia. (HarperCollins)

Children of the River by Linda Crew. (Dell) (The earliest on this shelf--1989)

The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington. Illustrated by Shelley Jackson. (Farrar Straus and Giroux)

The White Nights of Ramadan by Maha Addasi. Illustrated by Ned Gannon (Boyds Mill)

Jingwei Filling up the Sea by Yangguang Wang. Illustrated by Jun Yu. (Dolphin press in Beijing)

Ballet of the Elephants by Leda Shubert. (Roaring Book Press)

Books by Uma Krishnaswami include: Chachaji’s Cup (illus Soumya Sitaraman); The Closet Ghosts (illustrated by Shiraaz Bhahba) both published by Children’s Book Press; Bringing Asha Home (illustrated by Jamel Akib) published by Lee and Low. Krishnaswami's cover of Monsoon (not in picture) also has a good representation of the character inside.

I asked my teen daughters about this subject, and they felt that almost all the kids they know wouldn’t let the race of a character determine if they would read the book. They also seemed surprised that this is a question. The sad fact is they said, “almost,” which means that there are a couple kids they know that would let skin color affect their choices. My kids attend an international school (their 5^th international school) and each is a type of mini-United Nations so I realize their experience might not be normal.

My article published, news, links, and my next VCFA advisor

2010-01-24T14:33:00.008+01:00

My article, "Turn the Page," which is about page turns in picture books, was published in the January/February 2010 SCBWI Bulletin.

Uma Krishnaswami’s picture book, Chachaji's Cup can now be enjoyed as a musical, presented by the Making Books Sing company! The show can be seen in New York City and Stanford, California. Here is a schedule and venues of the performances. I wish I could attend.

Congratulations to Carrie Jones, Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) alumna, whose new novel, Captivate, debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and to Kekla Magoon, another VCFA alumna, who won the ALA Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award for The Rock and the River.

Highlights from January 2010 Residency--Vermont College of Fine Arts

(a photo I took of College Hall after it snowed)

My next advisor, the faculty member I’ll work closely with during the next six months, is Kathi Appelt! She is the author of The Underneath and numerous other books. This is my critical thesis semester and I’m hard at work on my first draft. I’ll also work on novel revisions and a couple picture books.

I was in a great workshop with Cynthia Leitich Smith (Cynsations blog) and Sharon Darrow. VCFA workshops are like laboratories where we examine each student's submission and discuss craft techniques.

The faculty and graduating students always give excellent lectures. There are usually a few lectures each residency that really helpful to what I’m dealing with in my writing right at that time. The incredible lectures given by Martine Leavitt (theme) and Uma Krishnaswami (voice and point of view) are still swirling in my head.

This sign popped up one day on campus.

It says: "WRITE AT YOUR OWN RISK"

It reminds me that writing takes courage.

(Photo I took of the ice skating rink on the campus green. Someone changed the word "skate" to "write")

2010--Peace and Words

2010-01-01T07:36:00.007+01:00

In 2010 I wish
for a more peaceful world.

I think peace and words are linked.
Peace can be destroyed by words.
Peace can be created with words.

Words are powerful.
Words said, words written, stories told can change the way people view the world.

As I write I try to remember that words can create reality.

I hope everyone finds some peace this year, at least in their own lives and perhaps as they escape into a book.

Frankfurt Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market)

2009-12-16T11:59:00.007+01:00

I wanted to share a few photos from the Frankfurt Weihnachtsmarkt.

This Christmas market runs for about a month and is filled with stands that sell handicrafts and food and hot drinks. I tasted some of my daughter's hot kinderpunsch and it was flavored with Christmas spices and was very good. Frankfurt's market is large and crowded and has millions of visitors.

Here is the very tall Christmas tree in the Römerberg, the main square downtown.

And another view of this square.
Here is another section of the Christmas market, a few blocks away, right at dusk. It isn't crowded yet--an hour later it was hard to walk through the market.

A gingerbread stand. The heart shaped cookie says Frohe Weihnacht (Merry Christmas).

There are hundreds of Christmas markets throughout Germany and we hope to visit another market this coming weekend.
Have a wonderful holiday season.

Book Previews

2009-12-01T11:44:00.005+01:00

Sometimes I get to read a manuscript for another writer. It is always fun to read a work in progress, as well as an honor to be asked to give feedback. Writers often have a few other writers (sometimes called beta readers) read their book before they send it to an agent or editor.

In the next few months some of manuscripts I’ve read will become published books. The books will likely be a little different from what I read because a lot can change during the editorial process. Follow the links to learn more about these books and authors.

All of these books have memorable characters, great plots, and are fun to read!

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain. Young adult paranormal. Available December 22nd. If you want to read the first few chapters you can go here. This is not the normal genre I read, but I loved this book.

Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams. Middle grade fiction. Available April 15th. Her characters are still vivid in my mind and I read this book about 2 years ago.

Thief Eyes by Janni Lee Simner. Young Adult Fantasy. Available April 27th. This is set in modern day Iceland, yet uses some characters from the Icelandic sagas. Very authentic and a very cool book.

There is another book coming out super soon that I’m also looking forward to.

One fun part of Vermont College of Fine Arts' residencies is that faculty and graduating students give readings. Often the faculty read from works in process. There are a lot of books I’m excited to read, yet I need to wait a year or two. But Rita Williams-Garcia's book, One Crazy Summer is coming out January 26^th. Rita was a National Book Award finalist this year for her incredible young adult book, Jumped.

Not a preview, but there is another book I want to recommend. Marion Dane Bauer read The Longest Night to us last July. It was released in August. This wonderful picture book, which has stunning illustrations, is a perfect book to read this winter.

Non-Fiction Books and Children’s Literature

2009-11-20T22:35:00.005+01:00

It is a great year for non-fiction children’s books. Two of the finalists and the winner of the National Book Awards (Young People’s Literature category) are non-fiction books. This is the first time a non-fiction young adult book has won this award.

I just finished reading Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose, the award winning book. It is well written, interesting, and tells such an important and incredible story. I love the way Hoose includes so many of Claudette’s own words from interviews that he had with her. It is an incredible book.

This weekend NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) has their annual convention. On Saturday, November 21st, Shelley Tanaka receives the Orbis Pictus Award for Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator.

Both Claudette Colvin and Amelia Earhart are interesting to read, are meticulously researched, and both tell the story in a way that creates additional meaning. Both use sidebars and photos to add information to the text.

What makes a great non-fiction book?

I’ve been thinking about this because one of the books I’m working on this semester with Shelley Tanaka is a non-fiction picture book. This book is unique. I can’t find any books on the subject, but it is one that will fascinate kids and I think it will fascinate adults.

I’ve had to choose the best way to approach my topic, find the voice for my book, figure out the structure, and decide what will most interest the child reader. My book is for children in lower grades. Because of this my book will be shorter (32 pages) and my main text will be simpler with fewer words. That way a child can read just the main text and look at the pictures. An older child can also read the sidebars and floating blocks that contain more information.

One of the fun things that a writer can do when writing a non-fiction picture book is design the book so it will appeal to several ages of readers. This way the book can be read on many levels. Two examples of picture books that do well this are An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long, and The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sís.

Not all great non-fiction picture books for children use sidebars. A wonderful example of one without sidebars is Ballet of the Elephants by Leda Schubert.

So, back to my question. What makes a great non-fiction book for kids?
The Orbis Pictus Award says a book needs to have accuracy, organization, design, and style. You can find their definition of these criteria here. Great illustrations or photos, an engaging authorial voice, and a topic that is made interesting to children and teens are also important. I'm looking forward to my next residency at Vermont College of Fine Arts. A discussion about several young adult non-fiction books, which we will all pre-read, is on the schedule.

Voice Hunting

2009-10-30T11:31:00.002+01:00

I’ve been thinking about voice recently because I was searching for a voice for a non-fiction picture book I’m revising. This book needed more than a drastic revision. It needed a different voice. It needed a different approach to the subject. When I opened up a blank document I didn’t look at the previous two versions, which are as different from each other as bread is different from an apple. I played with words and sentences for days and days. Then it clicked. The writing flowed when I found the voice that felt “right” for this book.

There are many definitions of voice.

The most common one we think of is the author’s voice. For example, Jane Yolen’s voice is very different than E. B. White’s voice. Voice is hard to define, but it includes everything from word choice to syntax to the structure and approach to story.

A writer needs to be able to create an authentic voice for each character. An good example of this is demonstrated in Rita Williams-Garcia’s recent novel, Jumped (National Book Award finalist). This story is told in first person, with three points of view. The three characters take turns narrating. Each character has a unique voice.

A writer also needs to create a voice for each book--or type of book. Each voice gives a different perspective and a different feel. Basically, a writer needs to learn to control voice.

My “voice” is developing (maturing?) as I gain experience and as my writing skills improve. I found I developed a distinct picture book voice during my picture book semester at Vermont College of Fine Arts. I feel my best picture books were in this voice; I can of course alter this voice, or write a picture book in a different style. I find I naturally use different voices depending on what I’m writing and who the audience is.

Typically I don’t think about voice when writing. I just write. But this past week or so, I’ve consciously worked on voice. In essence, I'm learning to hone the tone and style of my words and sentences and stories. As I think about what I've written, it seems that in some cases voice has come naturally, while other times the voice evolved, or I had to purposely go out and find the right voice.

Frankfurt Book Fair 2009

2009-10-19T10:23:00.003+02:00

I attended the Frankfurt Book Fair on Friday and Saturday. I live in town, quite close, so wanted to see it.

What it is--this is a rights fair. There were about 7000 exhibitors this year. Publishers and editors and agents and scouts meet and make deals, or buy and sell rights to publish a book in another country. The site of the trade show consists of many huge buildings, most with two or three floors. It is so big that shuttle buses run continuously. It is over a mile from one side to the other.

Here is a view (taken from the floor above) of part of the German children's book section-- Hall 3.0. You can see H and J. The depth is hard to see. This isn't the biggest hall, but it is still huge. It wasn't crowded at this time on Friday, but on Saturday I couldn't even shove through the crowds. I left and went to another hall.

Almost all the booths had books lining the walls. Some booths were small, about 8 by 12 feet, with a table in it. Other were massive, with over 50 tables. This is a not a fair where ARCs (advanced readers copies) are handed out.

I spent most of my time in the US, British and Canadian hall, and the hall with German children’s books. I also looked at publishers from all over the world, stopping at many booths with children’s books.

Most US publishers had their children’s books in a good location, near the front, to catch people’s eyes. Plus there were many publishers who specialize in children’s books, like Peachtree, Candlewick and Usborne.

The French children’s publishers, l'ecole des loisirs and Pastel, had the best designed booth that I saw. It caught my attention from the back side. See the paned windows, with books in each pane.

The front also looks great.

I fell in love with some books from a variety of publishers. (I hope they sold some rights to US publishers.)

Here are a few my favorite foreign publishers that I'd never heard of before-

Kalandraka is based in Spain and publishes award winning picture books. A Big Dream caught my eye, as well as several other books. (The book is translated into English but I could only find a photo of it in one spot on the internet, and that site is in Spanish.) I wanted to buy some of these books for myself to take home and read. Some of these titles would sell very well in the United States.

Mladinska knjiga Zalozba in Slovenia has lovely picture books. I wandered back to their booth several times, just to enjoy the book covers. They have some great illustrators.

Amarin Printing from Thailand. This company has some very nice books. I think some would fit very well in the US market. I particularly liked the Preecha Taothong's illustrations in The Brave Blue Crab. I actually bought a couple books on Saturday with gorgeous illustrations. (Sometimes the publishers don’t want to carry the books home with them so will sell them or give them away.) The books I bought are in Thai, but a translation was taped in.

I’m excited to attend the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in March, and look forward to the Frankfurt Book Fair 2010.

More photos are on Angela Cerrito's blog and on my livejournal blog.

Happy 175th Anniversary Vermont College

2009-10-01T14:17:00.004+02:00

This Saturday, October 3rd, VCFA will celebrate the 175th anniversary of Vermont College.

VCFA is hosting a celebration this weekend in Montpelier.

This is a gorgeous time of year in Vermont.
I would love to see this view of College Hall with autumn colors flooding the landscape.
I'll try to use my imagination as I look at this photo.

Happy Anniversary Vermont College!

ALA Banned Books Week

2009-09-26T19:33:00.006+02:00

Today is the beginning of ALA's Banned Books Week, which runs from September 26th to October 3rd this year.

Their site has links with explanations of how books are challenged as well as lists of frequently challenged books, which includes books such as Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn (2007) and Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia (2002-2003). Here is an interesting chart (scroll down) which shows "Challenges by Reason."

University of Virginia Libraries has an online exhibit titled, Censored: Wielding the Red Pen. One page shows picture books that have been challenged. These included The Amazing Bone by William Steig and Where the Wild Things are by Maurice Sendak. Interestingly, the Bible was one of the first books to be censored and burned--in 1536.

Each individual will have different views of what is appropriate for them and their family. We can express our opinions, but shouldn't impose our views on others. Also, each parent can make choices for their own children.

From what I've seen, kids won't choose to read books if they aren't ready or able to handle the material. Books which cover tough topics and which show how characters deal with issues, allow children to view these problems in a safe environment. Books can be a good discussion lead in, so parents or other adults can discuss things openly and express their views/values, which can actually protect children more than ignoring tough topics.

This map shows book bans and challenges from 2007-2009.
From what I could see, when enlarging the map, the only states without challenges were Vermont, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Delaware, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

The last country I've lived in banned books. Many books and magazines were not allowed into the country, which is the right of that country and within their laws. Pages and lines had been blacked out in some textbooks at my kids' school, though not in books my kids used. There were many times I could not access information online because it was blocked.
Living in such an environment, after being used to greater freedoms, was troubling to me.

I am grateful for the freedom to read books which I want to read.

Translated from English

2009-09-21T19:37:00.011+02:00

Foreign book covers are always fun to look at--often I like them better than the American cover.

Here are some photos of a few of my writing friends' books that I took in a couple bookstores in Frankfurt.

The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas
This was just released here in Germany--The Magic Thief got a special stand on a table full of middle grade books. Hardcover books are always encased in plastic.

Invisible Lives by Anjali Banarjee.
Face out!

Two of the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr. There were stacks of these books.

Climate Change by Shelley Tanaka and Heck Superhero by Martine Leavitt. I had to hunt for these, but they were published here a year or two ago.

How to tell this story?

2009-09-03T08:47:00.007+02:00

I'm working on revisions of three very different stories (all in different genres) this week. One great thing about VCFA is it encourages me to explore and try all sorts of writing I might not have tried on my own.

Uma Krishnaswami taught me many things last semester and one thing (of several) that sticks with me is that asking questions is vital to my writing.

I ask myself " What is the best way to tell this story?" when I revise. This question leads me to other questions. Asking questions, even ones that might not be logical on the surface, help me explore the story and learn more about my characters. Questions help me see the story in a different way.

Writing is often a circular path. It involves experimenting, playing with possibilities. The longer I spend with a story, the better I know my characters. Then I can push deeper and learn more about my characters.

There are so many craft elements that effect the way the story will be told. At some point in the revising process I have to think about each choice I made and why I chose to craft that aspect of the story in the way I did.

I am fascinated by the process of writing and revising. I think of it as play. It is fun to play with words and characters and situations.

There are many ways to tell each story. Perhaps there isn't a "best" way to tell a particular story. Each possible approach will create a different effect and in some cases a very different story.

Shelley Tanaka wanted me to do a variety of things as I revised this month. She also wanted me to think about what is perhaps the most important question of all: "What do I love about this story?"

The new Jacket Knack Blog

2009-08-18T21:32:00.004+02:00

Check out Jacket Knack, a new blog that talks about covers on kids' books. Julie Larios and Carol Brendler post every Monday.

They are posting in depth and fascinating discussions, as well as many examples of book jackets. This week Brenda continues the discussion about the Liar cover controversy and interviews Nnedi Okorafor, an African-American author of young adult fantasy novels.

For those who aren't familiar with publishing, writers rarely have much input on the cover of their book. It is always an exciting day when my friends see their book cover for the first time.

Historical Treasures of Children’s Literature #2 -Struwwelpeter

2009-08-07T02:57:00.012+02:00

An early picture book I just discovered is Struwwelpeter.
I found the Struwwelpeter statue in downtown Frankfurt. The man holds his gun in the statue--at the end of one of the stories the rabbit holds (and shoots) the gun. The girl on the left is the one who burns up in her story. Look at the water flowing from the cats' eyes!

About a week ago I took a walk close to where I live in Frankfurt and found this bench.

The writing on the placard states that Heinrich Hoffmann is a picture book writer.

I’d never heard of him. So I came home and learned more. Hoffmann was a doctor and lived most of his life in Frankfurt. He wrote his first picture book as a Christmas present for his children in 1844, supposedly because he didn’t like any existing children’s books.
There is information about him at the Struwwelpeter museum (which I plan to visit soon) in Frankfurt. (Site is in German.)
There is also information in Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, a journal and of course on Wikipedia.

Hoffmann’s stories were very popular and translated in many languages. It seems that his books influenced later picture books, as in both the types of stories told and the illustrations.

Hoffmann’s most famous work is Struwwelpeter: Merry Stories and Funny Pictures, published in 1845. It was one of the best know picture books in the 1800’s. The first English translation was in 1848.

This book contains violent stories and images by today’s picture book standards: a girl burns up because she plays with matches, a tailor chops off a boy's thumbs because he sucks them, and a rabbits shoots a gun at a man.

Another photo of the Struwwelpeter statue in downtown Frankfurt.

Mark Twain also translated this book (Slovenly Peter, 1891) when he was lived in Berlin, but it wasn’t published until 1935.

To read the book go to this link at Project Gutenberg which is a great place to find older, out of copyright books. Their main page is here.
Struwwelpeter can also be found here.

My previous Historical Treasures of Children’s Literature #1 blog post is here. It discusses The Tragical Death of an Apple Pie, (about 1840), an ABC picture book which doesn’t use the letters I, T and U.

VCFA residency--lectures, workshops, readings and more

2009-07-27T12:49:00.003+02:00

VCFA residency was fast-paced, intense, incredible, as always. I love residency. It is so energizing to be with so many writers who are committed to children’s literature.

Julie Larios has wonderful information about many of the lectures on her blog--a great place to get a small taste of VCFA. Uma Krishnaswami gives a 60 second whirlwind synopsis of her lecture on her blog--go there and read it. I already used some of what she presented while revising a book this past week. Excellent info.

I learned so much from my workshop with Kathi Appelt and Uma Krishaswami. I submitted first drafts of three stories. One I submitted feeling it would be a good learning book. In my opinion the workshop is a place to learn how to improve my writing, as well as a place to get feedback on a story. But other writers felt this book has potential (and one writer had dreams about it); I still believe it is a learning book--it is a concept book--but will revise for fun and to figure out how to make the story work better. I like revising. Also, I now have some excellent ideas of how to revise another super fun book, which is one of those books where the characters got involved in the story creation. But the most important part of the workshop is learning how to look at everyone’s stories, both raw and more polished and learn how to find the heart of them, and what the possibilities are, so each story can be made the strongest possible and become a story that children will love.

One of my favorite parts of residency (well I love all of it: the workshop, the lectures, the discussions) is the readings. It is such fun to hear faculty read from works in progress, and often these are truly works in progress--as they revised them moments before, or even while reading. Then a few years later, we get to read the final text in the printed book.
The readings are open to the public, so if you are in Montpelier during a residency, come up to campus and enjoy.

My presentation went well and generated many questions. I discussed atypical arcs in picture books--these are more common than most readers or writers realize. I covered the eleven most common atypical arcs. Understanding the possible arcs (or structures) that can be used instead of (or in addition to) the standard Aristolean plot arc allows the writer more flexibility, and gives unity to our books. A point that I feel is very important is that we should layer arcs. The strongest picture books use more than one narrative arc. If anyone wants to read the essay I based my presentation on, send a message to my email which you can find under my profile, and I’ll forward you a copy.

For the next five months my advisor/mentor is VCFA faculty member Shelley Tanaka, who is also a Canadian editor at Groundwood books (which publishes Canadian, not American writers.) She won the Orbis Pictus award earlier this year for her book Amelia Earhart. I look forward to another incredible semester. I will learn so much from her about writing both fiction (novels) and non-fiction picture books.