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On the morning of Barbed Wire Sunday, the people of East Berlin woke up to the sound of sirens. Investigating, they found that the government had found a way to stop them from leaving: the Berlin Wall. It was a great fence separating East Berlin from West Berlin. The two parts of Germany had been on tight terms for a while, and rumors of a third world war were plentiful.
The one hundred yards of smooth dirt leading up to the wall was called the "Death Strip." And the fence slowly evolved over the years into a 11.8 foot cement wall. Guardtowers were set on top, where soldiers would point their guns at anyone trying to escape East Berlin.
For twelve year-old Gerta, the rise of the Berlin Wall takes something more than freedom from her. A couple of days before Barbed Wire Sunday, her father and brother had traveled into West Berlin. The fence had split her family into two parts just like Germany.
Gerta knows she must take her remaining family members in the East to meet her family members in the West. But escaping isn't easy, and getting caught means death.
The German police threaten Gerta's family often, but the violence is minimal up until the end. I recommend it for 11+.
By: Bruce Luck,
on 2/7/2015
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Utah Children's Writers
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Oh, to be in New York City right now. The annual SCBWI winter conference is in full swing and I would love to be there, too. Utah’s own James Dashner is giving the keynote on Sunday.
It is the kick off to the 2015 writing conference season. The SCBWI is the biggie, attracting a large national level
LTUE - Feb 12-14
Life, the Universe, and Everything. That about covers it. The conference moniker is borrowed from a Douglas Adams book with the same title. Running now for thirty years, LTUE bills itself as a “three-day academic symposium on all aspects of science fiction and fantasy.” Of course, it deals with “everything” so there’s bound to be something for most any writer. It meets at the Provo Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. For complete information, go to LTUE.net.
Writing for Charity - March 21
This one day event features presenters, many of whom are Utah authors, panel discussions and a chance to have your work discussed with an agent, either Ammi-Joan Paquette or Minju Chang. They have four options for registration, each with varying levels of exposure to the two agents in attendance. Oh, and your registration fees are charitable. Writers for Charity chooses different organizations to donate to with a goal of getting books into the hands of children. They’ll also meet in Provo and more information is available at WritingforCharity.blogspot.com.
LDStorymakers - May 15 & 16
Agents galore and more Utah writers presenting on various aspects of the craft. Martine Leavitt delivers the keynote. Prices vary depending on the degree of involvement you choose. This conference also happens in Provo and their site, LDStorymakers.com provides details.
WIFYR - June 15-19
My personal favorite is Carol Lynch William’s Writing and Illustrating For Young Readers. Like the others, this conference offers agents and Utah authors, and pricing varies. This is a week-long conference and differs from the others in that writers in the morning workshops are more active participants. Listening to a lecturer tends to be a more passive role. The workshops are interactive and intense. Their purpose is to critique and improve your manuscript. The afternoons have presenters and Jennifer Nielsen is the keynote speaker. This conference meets in Sandy and the WIFYR.com website offers details.
It’s winter in NYC, balmy in SLC. I would love to do SCBWI’s conference one of these days. But why spend the money on airfare and lodging when we’ve got some excellent opportunities for writers right here in Utah.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
"How about a story? Spin us a yarn,” says Grams. And so Sharon Creech does in Walk Two Moons. And it’s a thumpingly good one, as the main character Sal would say.
Writers should read, we’ve been told that. They should be literary carnivores. According to author Roz Morris, “reading—the good and the bad—inspires you. It develops your palate for all the tricks that writers have invented over the years. …there’s no substitute for discovering for yourself how a writer pulls off a trick. Then that becomes part of your experience.”
Elmore Leonard says writers should decide which books they like and study that author’s style. Then, you should take that author’s book or story and “break it down to see how he put it together.” The thought was echoed by Jennifer Nielsen at a recent 2014 Professional Writer’s Series event at the Pleasant Grove Library.
Fine, I’ll do that. Since I want to write like Carol Lynch Williams, Matthew J. Kirby, and Sharon Creech, placing Walk Two Moons under the microscope is a good place to start.
What works so well in this story? Quite simply, everything.
Creech has plot, two of them in fact. Sal is traveling with her grandparents to Lewiston, Idaho to learn why her mother abandoned the family and went there. Along the way, she shares a story of her friend, Phoebe, whose mother also has disappeared. Sal admits that uncovering Phoebe’s story was a lot like discovering her own. The road trip to find her mother becomes a journey of acceptance and understanding for Sal.
Plot involves characters. Creech delivers not just Phoebe and Sal, but a multitude of others, each richly drawn, each deserving of a book of their own. Sal’s mother had her reasons for leaving. Phoebe’s mother is multi-layered with a lot of stuff going on. Other memorable people include Sal’s father, Mrs. Cadaver, Mrs. Partridge, Ben, and Grams and Gramps. Creech seamlessly weaves all of them into the story without any sense of it being clunky. It’s most definitely a character-driven plot. But there is so much else going on in this book.
The title is from the Indian saying about not judging another man until you walk two moons in their moccasins and the metaphor is used effectively. Creech layers numerous subplots. Inspirational, secret messages, including the one about the moccasins are left on Phoebe’s doorstep and come into play throughout the story. Phoebe’s wild imagination conjures up lunatics and ax murderers. There is a kiss just waiting to happen. Creech twists and turns the story arc over upon itself revealing the multiple layers. She wraps up every loose thread and ties it with a bow. And she keeps you guessing, keeps you hoping, even though she drops hints along the way. It is masterfully told.
To better understand the craft, I revisited this story over the summer. I read it as a writer but still managed to get choked up about it, even after sharing it multiple times with students when I was teaching.
Huzzah! Huzzah! The story works on so many levels.
What works have inspired you?
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
By:
Bianca Schulze,
on 8/6/2012
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The Children's Book Review
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By Sourcebooks for The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 6, 2012
Do you fear approaching your Reluctant Reader? Have they been spotted this summer participating in questionable behavior with their books like building forts and extreme paper dolls? Identified by their atypical behaviors, the Reluctant Readers Road to Recovery Guide is here to help you create successful encounters with hesitant young readers everywhere. Panic no more and take control of rainy day havoc, poolside chaos and playground mayhem with a great book for your unique reader.
Reluctant Readers Road to Recovery Guide
The Make-Believer has more imagination frequent flier miles than a Pan Am stewardess! The best cure for this case of Reluctant Reading is Elliot and the Last Underworld War by Jennifer Nielsen (Author of The False Prince). The Make-Believer will be thrilled to join the sarcastically hilarious Elliot in the Underworld. As the King of the Brownies, Elliot has battled Goblins, tricked Pixies, and trapped a Demon. But now, the Demon has escaped and he’s ready for revenge. So, the Pixies, Shapeshifters, Elves, Goblins, and Brownies must join forces to battle the Demon head on before he has the chance to destroy Earth.
The Daredevil thinks trick-or-treating should apply to everyday life, especially the tricks! Cure their hunger for trouble with Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire by Francesca Simon. Not even your daredevil will believe what Henry is up to next in these four new wonderful and wacky tales. The international bestselling Horrid Henry series provides readers with a prankster whose relentless antics create a laugh-out-loud read. WARNING: Do not allow daredevils to consume milk while reading or milk may spray from the nose!
The BFF has matching bracelets with all her friends and wins Miss Congeniality every year. This is a case of Reluctant Reading that can only be cured with Hailey Twitch and the Wedding Glitch by Lauren Barnholdt. Hailey Twitch and her spirited sprite Maybelle, retu
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 6, 2012
Enter to win a Reluctant Readers Recovery Pack which features 4 fun books from Sourcebooks’ Reluctant Readers Road to Recovery Guide.
Panic no more and take control of rainy day havoc, poolside chaos and playground mayhem with a great book for your unique reader.
Giveaway begins August 6, 2012, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends September 3, 2012, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
Reading levels: Ages 7-13
Book Overviews
The Make-Believer has more imagination frequent flier miles than a Pan Am stewardess! The best cure for this case of Reluctant Reading is Elliot and the Last Underworld War by Jennifer Nielsen (Author of The False Prince). The Make-Believer will be thrilled to join the sarcastically hilarious Elliot in the Underworld. As the King of the Brownies, Elliot has battled Goblins, tricked Pixies, and trapped a Demon. But now, the Demon has escaped and he’s ready for revenge. So, the Pixies, Shapeshifters, Elves, Goblins, and Brownies must join forces to battle the Demon head on before he has the chance to destroy Earth.
The Daredevil thinks trick-or-treating should apply to everyday life, especially the tricks! Cure their hunger for trouble with Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire by Francesca Simon. Not even your daredevil will believe what Henry is up to next in these four new wonderful and wacky tales. The international bestselling Horrid Henry series provides readers with a prankster whose relentless antics create a laugh-out-loud read. WARNING: Do not allow daredevils to consume milk while reading or milk may spray from the nose!
The BFF has matching bracelets with all her friends and wins Miss Congeniality every year. This is a case of Reluctant Reading that can only be cured with Hailey Twitch an
Posted on 11/4/2011
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by Jennifer A. Nielsen
A great road trip game is called “No, It Wasn’t.” It’s played with partners. One begins telling a story—any story. The other interrupts as often as desired with, “No, it wasn’t”—or any grammatically-correct contradiction.
It may sound like this:
1: One morning, Jane went for a walk.
2: No, she didn’t.
1: That’s right. It wasn’t a walk. She was running. For exercise.
2: No, it wasn’t.
1: Actually, it was because someone was chasing her. A bad guy.
2: No, it wasn’t.
1: No, it was the police. Jane is the bad guy.
And so on. The challenge to the storyteller is to instantly change direction, as often as they’re prompted. As the story continues, the predictable story lines usually fall away, and the requirement to make changes opens the doors to great creativity. A new story begins to emerge, one that goes in radical new directions. In the example with Jane above, it would’ve originally been a story about her going to visit her friends. In only three twists, Jane is on the run from the police.
This can be a useful brainstorming game for writers too. Maybe you won’t end up writing the story in the direction the game led you, but it does force you to explore more options than Jane simply being out for a walk.
If you’re already working on a premise, write a quick logline for it. In your first sentence, try a “no, it wasn’t,” and see where it leads you.
Or start fresh. Choose a main character, any main character, then give them something to do. And so your game begins.
Need a prompt?
Here it is: When (Main Character) came home that day an old friend was waiting.
No, it wasn’t.
Jennifer A. Nielsen’s debut novel Elliot and the Goblin War was released in October 2010. And it comes with a warning–as of today, only 7 children who have ever read this book have lived to tell about it. If you’re very brave, perhaps you’re willing to take your chance with it.
The next book in the series, Elliot and the Pixie Plot will be released in May 2011. It’s pretty much like the first book, except it has a different plot. Different artwork too. Because that’d be pretty lame if they just used the same art all over again.
10 Comments on PiBoIdMo Day #5: Go on a Road Trip with Jennifer Nielsen, last added: 11/5/2010
What a great idea, thanks
Great brainstorming idea, I learned some brainstorming activies in the fiction writing courses I’ve taken, but none as fun as this. Your books sounds fabulous.
This is great! Taking a road trip tonight actually. Wonder how my 5 year old will do trying to play this game! (This is totally the opposite of what I learned in my improv training — to “Yes and” someone’s ideas. . . hope I can be contradictory!)
This is an excellent idea. I had never considered it–though as much as my daughter and I argue you would think it would have come to mind. thanks for the great idea.
Cheryl
I love it when something so simple is just such a good idea. I never played “No, It Wasn’t” before but I will very soon. Thanks for a great creative prompt!
I am in love with this game! I used to play story-telling games with my Grandma, so I know how fun they are for children. Now that I am an adult, I can see all the benefits of this game – amusement, expansion of creativity. The benefits are probably endless and snowballish.
No they aren’t! Snowballish isn’t a word!
Jennifer, this is such an interesting way to brainstorm.
No, it isn’t.
No, it’s actually the perfect antidote to this stuck place I’m in.
You’re no place.
That’s right! So I’m off with a notebook on this beautiful Texas morning to chronicle the contraries. Thanks so much.
I agree.
This is outstanding! It’s easy to feel painted into a corner with some stories…searching for a new direction…it’s good to be reminded that new direction can take place anywhere within the story. Thank you for this wonderful post!
What an excellent idea, I thought story boarding helped change your story, now I have two ways to change it up a little. Thanks!
What a great way to get out of a rut and think outside the box – thanks!