This week we answer the question, How do you react to reviews of your writing?
Linda Joy Singleton
I have a Google alert for my book titles, so I usually know when I’ve had a review. I want to know what’s going on with my books.
Whenever I get a review, I hold my breath and read through with hope. Usually reviews make me smile. But when I get a negative review, I tell myself this is just one person and that everyone has different taste in books. Still…there have been a few times when reviews stung. When words hurt bad enough to make me cry, I give myself permission to wallow in misery for a day or two. Then I shake it off and get back to work on the next book.
Fortunately most reviews — more often from bloggers these days – — say wonderful things that make me feel great. The reviews I value most by reviewers who enjoyed reading my books as much as I enjoyed creating them. For instance, a review from SLJ for DEAD GIRL WALKING (2008) was a favorite because the reviewer contacted me after writing the review to say how much she enjoyed my book. That meant a lot to me, and I was very glad for the opportunity to thank her via email.
Jo Whittemore
I absolutely read all my reviews, and I weigh them both (though I probably shouldn’t) the same. The good ones I squeal over and post on Twitter, Facebook, my blog and my website. The bad ones are a little more complicated.
First, I must read the review no less than ten times to make sure I’ve remembered the crushing words by heart so I can use them against myself later when I’m having a pity party over some other book-related issue.
(Example: “I can’t believe my library won’t carry ‘Kittens in the Meat Grinder’! But then again, The New York Times did call it ‘A tragic tale.’”)
Second, I subject the words of the review to my own interpretation, followed by looking up any of the negative words in the dictionary, just to make sure there isn’t some other interpretation of “makes me want to end literacy”.
Third, I send the review to my critique partner, my mentor, my friends in the writing community and ask them what THEY all think. When they’re able to see the positive bits that I didn’t, I relax a little and pull the good snippets out for a blurb.
Note: I’ve never gotten these particular negative reviews. I’ve also never written a book called “Kittens in the Meat Grinder”. Hamsters work MUCH better.
Join us tomorrow when we continue this discussion…
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As writers everywhere work on their first drafts for NaNoWriMo, The Spectacle looks ahead — to revisions. In this roundtable, we asked Spectacle bloggers to talk about their most challenging editorial revisions.
Kari Anne Holt, author of MIKE STELLAR: NERVES OF STEEL:
For my first book, I don’t think any specific change was difficult — it was more the idea of revision that was difficult for me. The biggest challenge in the editing process, for me, was learning to trust my editor. There were certain scenes and ideas that I felt pretty invested in, and in one editorial letter — one sentence — those ideas were questioned. My editor wrote a GREAT letter, though, and throughout the entire revision process had excellent ideas and feedback. He did a wonderful job of suggesting changes, listening to me try to work out why those changes would be better, and then encouraging me as I finally saw the sense in what he was suggesting.
For me, it was an important step to realize that my editor has been in the business a long time and really knows the audience we’re trying to reach with the book. It wasn’t hard for me to accept his revision ideas, but I also wanted to make sure I knew where he was coming from and that I wasn’t just being an overly excited, “I’ll do anything you want!” new author. I didn’t want to create tension where there didn’t need to be tension, but on the other hand, I didn’t want to be a pushover.
The revision process taught me a lot about writing and trust and the publishing industry. It was invaluable, really (even if frustrating sometimes), and I think the book we ended up with is incredible. Now, if only I could make self-editing a more rewarding process… 
P.J. Hoover, author of THE EMERALD TABLET and its sequels:
Edits for THE EMERALD TABLET were mind boggling for me. When I first got feedback, the manuscript was twice as long and really needed cutting. My editor told me that the first 150 pages had to be narrowed to 30. I got it to 36. That was Round One. Then we went through edits again. She showed me where to move stuff around to keep the story flowing, and as I followed her suggestions, I also saw much more I could cut on my own.
I love working with editors. They are some of the most gifted people in the business, and I look forward to continuing to get such amazing feedback in the future! And, of course, learning to improve on my own self-editing in the process
Linda Joy Singleton, author of THE DEAD GIRL series, THE SEER series, and more:
When I was writing a middle-grade cheerleading series, I got excited about a subplot with a kooky elderly aunt who is on a scavenger hunt for missing jewelry. The editor said to cut the entire subplot, including the aunt. It meant rewriting two-thirds of the book. Definitely hard…and sad to lose such a fun subplot. It probably took me a week, since these were short books. Recently a less drastic edit request took me two weeks since I did a lot of minor editing while I rewrote the more major ones.
I
We continue our discussion about favorite villains from speculative fiction.
P. J. Hoover
My favorite literary villains are the ones who change to the good side at the end. The ones who find the redemption they are looking for and decide to help the main characters reach their goals. I recognize that many times this happens when there is another antagonist also (double antagonist, anyone?), and the good and the bad unite against a new common enemy. I’m drawing a blank on examples, but if the commenters have any examples of this, I’d love to hear them. The only examples I can think of come from sci-fi movies: Darth Vadar being the most well known in Return of the Jedi and also the Captain in Titan AE.
Jo Whittemore
My favorite literary villains are the ones with no sense of self-preservation.
They have no fear and no care if they live or perish, so long as they achieve their desired result. This can be applied to robots, zombies, and any mindless drone. In particular, the giants-turned-ogres from Patrick Carman’s Land of Elyon series frighten me. They’re ruthless, they smell like rotting brains and they just want to eradicate all other species, consequences be damned. These are the toughest to battle because they literally will fight to the death, and if they’re bigger and badder…you’ve got your work cut out for you.
Parker Peevyhouse
I like the “ticking clock as antagonist,” as in Jeanne DuPrau’s The City of Ember. It’s so ominous when the lights start going out in that story. But as far as traditional villains go, I love Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar from Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. They’re really funny, and that makes them even more unsettling. Here’s a sampling of their dialogue which I will use to convince you to agree with me:
“Talking of the marquis, I wonder where he is. He’s a bit late, isn’t he, Mr. Vandemar?”
“Very late indeed, Mr. Croup. As late as he possibly could be.”
Mr. Croup coughed sententiously and delivered his punchline. “Then from now on, we’ll have to call him the late marquis de Carabas. I’m afraid he’s ever-so-slightly–”
“Dead as a doornail,” finished Mr. Vandemar.
Posted in Jo Whittemore, P. J. Hoover, Parker Peevyhouse Tagged: roundtable
For this Roundtable Discussion we ask, Which villains of speculative fiction are your favorites and why?
Below are some of our answers. We’d love to hear yours, too.
Joni Sensel
I’m not sure I have a good answer for this. I’m not someone who “loves to hate” a bad guy, and I really dislike books with one-dimensional villains who seem to be bad for the sake of power or riches alone. I like complex and sympathetic antagonists, like Dustfinger in Inkheart, who of course turns out not to be so bad. One of my own books has a villain I was surprised to realize I mostly agree with, even if the characters don’t. And I tend to like books with death, time, or other natural forces as an antagonist.
Linda Joy Singleton
Like Joni my first thought was Dustfinger in Inkheart because he’s a charming, loveable villain. I’ve been trying to think of other memorable villains.
* There’s Voldemort, of course, who is evil incarnate, although his childhood adds an interesting look at his choices for evil, theorizing that evil is a choice not a genetic personality flaw.
* In Phillip Pullman’s GOLDEN COMPASS, the villains are multi-dimensional with good and bad traits: the heroine’s own parents. I never really decided which one I disliked or liked.
* A unique villain appears in Sarah Beth Durst’s INTO THE WILD — a small piece of green leaves called The Wild, which escapes into Massachusetts and and devours buildings and land, turning everything (and everyone!) into fairytales. This gives a whole new meaning to the slogan “Go Green.”
* Looking at my own books, I think one of my favorite villains is Galena the wicked mermaid in SEA SWITCH (midgrade by Llewellyn). Galena magically turns Cassie into a mermaid to escape underwater crimes and to gain her heart’s desire — human feet so she can go shoe shopping. Can’t resist an evil fashionita (g).
K. A. Holt
Let’s see…
As far as villains go, Mrs. Coulter from Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass creeped me out nearly as much as Cathy in East of Eden. Her insidious plotting, the Hansel and Gretel-style wooing of Lyra, and that superfreak monkey daemon all combined into a pretty frightening character. At least for me. I haven’t read all of the books in the His Dark Materials series yet, and I know that Mrs. Coulter could be considered a conflicted villain (or maybe a flawed hero? I haven’t read that far to know), but in The Golden Compass she really and truly gave me the willies.
Now, if we’re talking *favorite* villains, that’s much more difficult. The idea of a pulsing, quivering brain on a dais (IT in A Wrinkle in Time), is pretty darn gross and cool. And I have to say, I loved the attacking umbrellas in China Meiville’s Un Lun Dun (even though they were more props than villains unto themselves).
Monkeys, brains, umbrellas. I guess I’m a fan of non-traditional bad guys!
We’ll have more answers tomorrow…
Posted in Joni Sensel, K. A. Holt, Linda Joy Singleton Tagged: roundtable
Five of us readergirlz--Little Willow, Lorie Ann Grover, Melissa Walker, Holly Cupala, and myself--chatted for awhile about this month's featured book at readergirlz, Sweethearts by Sara Zarr.
Little Willow: What words come to mind when you think of Jenna, the main character in Sweethearts?
Miss Erin: Lost, buried, caught, hidden, confused, bruised, neglected.
Melissa Walker: Hiding, scared.
Little Willow: I second "hiding" and "confused." Also: Fragile, lonely, searching, nostalgic, torn.
Holly Cupala: Questioning identity, hidden truths, self-punishment, longing for acceptance.
Lorie Ann Grover: Self-doubt, lost, confused, pained, hungry for peace and acceptance from others and herself.
Little Willow: When she slipped back into her binging habits, I wanted so badly to help her.
Lorie Ann: I know, LW! It pained me when she stole and binged. Pained me!
Holly: My heart went out to her. We've all been in places where we've felt misunderstood and helpless and have tried to soothe ourselves in unhealthy ways, whether physical or emotional. Sometimes we have to reach bottom before we can start the journey back up.
Little Willow: By the time she got to high school, Jennifer shed the weight and (some of) the shyness of her elementary school self. She also changed her name to Jenna. What did you think of her transformation?
Miss Erin: Reinventing yourself can be a good thing, but in Jennifer's case I think it was more harmful than helpful. She wasn't doing it for the right reasons, per se--she was doing it to try to run away from her past. Your past isn't something you can run away from and still be perfectly content/at peace/happy. Jenna certainly wasn't.
Melissa: I thought it was another way for her to hide from a past she was unsure about, a time that brought her pain to remember.
Lorie Ann: I have a different perspective. I admired that she redefined herself. I found her journey in Sweethearts to be about meshing the new image authentically with who she really was. And what a surprise: her authentic self was even greater than she hoped. She was liked, loved, and courageous.
Holly: She worked so hard to hide from the people who were hurting her that she also hid from herself. Most heartbreakingly, she hid her own strength. She couldn't even see it because it was wrapped up in all that pain. I admired her most when she was able to have compassion and admiration for her earlier self.
What would you do if you were locked up with your friend in a tower for seven years? Five people - one bookseller, one librarian, one huge Shannon Hale fan, and two published authors - gathered to chat about Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale, the readergirlz book selection for May 2008. Luckily, we all brought our keys and our escape plans.
Miss Erin: Before we start, everyone should know that I am one of THE biggest Shannon Hale fans you can possibly find. I would say biggest, but I think the girls at the Little Red Reading Hood forum would protest. Over there, we all pretty much tie for that position. I just thought that everyone should know that Shannon is my hero, and the most wonderful person I've ever met. Now that we've got that clear, let the conversation commence!
Lorie Ann Grover: I'm so glad Shannon was free to participate, Miss Erin. I did hear you hit the floor when you received the news.
Little Willow: Whenever I shelve Shannon Hale's books, I think of Erin because I know how much she enjoys them. Were any of you familiar with the folktale upon which Book of a Thousand Days was based?
Lorie Ann: No, I didn't know of the fairy tale.
Dia Calhoun: I'm not sure. I remember something about a girl being locked up in a tower, but maybe I'm thinking of Rapunzel!
Erin: No. I read it after I read the book, and was astounded by how many of the novel's themes and elements Shannon pulled from the original tale.
Jackie: No, and that's actually the cool thing about Hale's books. They are just dripping with fairy tale goodness, but she always picks obscure enough tales that you really don't know what you are in for. Both comforting and familiar in style, but fresh in content. This is why Erin obsesses.
Erin: Yes. Shannon Hale books are the ultimate comfort reads. Every time I reread one I love it even more (if that is possible!) than I did before.
LW: Do you consider yourself to be a fan of fairy tales and folktales?
Jac: OMG, like, do fairies have wings, and trolls carry clubs? I totally love 'em.
LW: Oh my goodness, Jac just said OMG. I love fairy tales and tales with fairies - the two aren't mutually exclusive - but apparently, Jac's more into trolls than moi.
Lorie Ann: I'm not a huge fan. But I am interested in the classic types you find in fairy tales and how those are repeated through so many different cultures.
Dia: Absolutely! I love the tone of fairy tales and have actually written a picture book in a "fairy tale" voice. I love the simple, clear, strong language. I'd love to try to write a whole book in this voice, but alas, I tend to get too complex.
Erin: A HUGE fan! Fairy tale retellings are my favorite genre of books!
LW: What is your favorite folktale, or who is your folkteller?
Dia: The Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and Andrew Lang.
Jac: I don't know why, but for some reason the only thing that comes to mind when you ask that question are tall tales, which I do love. My favorite is Clever Beatrice, a picture book. My mom got it autographed for me, and I love it.
Erin: I don't think I have a favorite. I love pretty much every fairy tale in existence. Fairy tales were the first form of fantasy literature I ever read. I read books and books of them when I was younger.
Jac: Oh! Also I love all the Paul O. Zelinsky illustrated fairy tales. Those are just gorgeous.
LW: I love retold fairy tales, especially when they are done well.
Erin: What is your favorite retelling? Shannon's books aside, I love Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier, and, recently, A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce. To name only a few.
Jac: Oh! Ella Enchanted! Yay!
LW: I like Ella Enchanted - better book than movie, by the way - but Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix is great.
Lorie Ann: I also love Donna Jo Napoli's work. Zel still haunts me! I, of course, treasure Dia Calhoun's Phoenix Dance, and Robin McKinley is just brilliant!
LW: Christopher Golden does a phenomenal job retelling well-known stories. For example, his novel Straight on 'til Morning sets the tale of Peter Pan in 1981 and makes it a coming-of-age story AND a horror novel. Brilliant. He also has a trilogy called The Veil in which a modern man must go on a quest with legends from all kinds of myths, such as Jack Frost and Kitsune, with the Sandman as their adversary.
Dia: I love Juliette Marillier's retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. And anything by Donna Jo Napoli.
LW: Which Shannon Hale book is your favorite?
Dia: Oh, what a hard choice. I'd have to say Goose Girl. I think I like it best because it was one of my favorite fairy tales when I was a girl. I particularly remember an illustration of the Goose Girl that I used to gaze at for hours.
LW: To date, I've read four of Hale's novels - The Goose Girl, Princess Academy, Austenland, and Book of a Thousand Days - and enjoyed them all.
Erin: I seriously don't have one. It depends on which I've read most recently.
Jac: This very moment I'm going to say Book of a Thousand Days, but if I ever get around to reading the Goose Girl books - ducks from invisible flying objects coming from Erin's direction - my answer might just change. I do have a special little place in me heart for Austenland, I might add. It's funny, though. Even though Austenland is the one without fairy tale/fantasy elements, it's still sort of a fantasy - just one that we create every time we open a book and start reading about the perfect love.
Erin: JACKIE! READ THEM! AAAHHH! Oh, and "the Goose Girl books" actually have the series name Books of Bayern. Just thought you should know.
Jac: I know, but I was too lazy to go look the series title up before I spoke. Remember who attended TWO Shannon Hale/Libba Bray appearances with you, WITHOUT directions, and getting LOST like five times, JUST to feed your obsession. I'm not full of ignorance. Maybe like, a quarter full...
Erin: Yes, Jackie, you rock. That night rocked. Even the getting lost kind of rocked, once we got un-lost again.
Lorie Ann: While you two carry on, I'll say the images in Enna Burning stay in my mind the most.
LW: I know Erin's answer to this: Do you tend to read and enjoy stories told in diary format? I do. She doesn't.
Jac: I do. There's just something so approachable and, if done correctly, visceral about them. Of course if they were real diaries they'd be painful to read (go ahead, try NOT to cringe at your 12-year-old self's diary), so I much prefer the fictional ones.
Erin: I'm not usually a fan of diary-formatted books. Book of a Thousand Days, however, got the feel of a real journal just right.
Dia: It depends on the book. When it's well done, as in this case, I thoroughly enjoy it.
Lorie Ann: It's not my first choice, but Shannon did so well with the format. In other books, I feel distanced from the dialogue and action - although I do love the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series!
LW: This book has a cat. Sorry, this isn't a question. This is a statement. Pardon me as I quote Holly Golightly and scream, "CAT!"
Dia: I'm screaming, too. I loved My Lord the Cat. I can imagine what a comfort he must have been to Dashti.
LW: My cats were always a comfort. I miss them terribly.
Miss Erin: If I ever get a cat I will name him My Lord the Cat. Yes, I am that big of a Shan-fan. One of my two favorite scenes in the book (I'm not going to tell either because of spoilers) involves the cat.
Jac: Cat? Oh. right. He was persnickety.
LW: Make that purr-snickety. I can't deal with it when pets don't live in books. I was quite pleased that this cat survived the tale!
Lorie Ann: The cat was wonderful! One of my favorite characters! Did everyone enjoy the drawings? Did they help set the place for you?
Dia: I loved the drawings.
LW: Kudos to illustrator James Noel Smith. Whenever books feature characters who are artists, I yearn to see their paintings or hear their performances. It was so great to see Dashti's artwork within the context of the story.
Lorie Ann: The drawings did enrich the story. They helped me to see, through beautiful lines, this unfamiliar place. Thanks, James! And thanks Shannon for bringing us even closer to Dashti by giving her an artistic hand.
LW: What did you all think of Saren?
Dia: I'm so glad that Saren evolved into a strong young woman. I was so worried for her for much of the book.
Lorie Ann: I, too, was worried about Saren. I also was irritated and frustrated with her. Weren't you all? And then I rejoiced! She grew as much as Dashti, didn't she? In a believable way.
LW: Without spoiling any big plot points, were there any parts of this story that made you cry?
Dia: Dashti's selflessness made me cry. I don't think I'd be able to do that for anyone, myself.
Lorie Ann: No, I didn't cry, but I was very engaged by the story. I love Dashti's voice and the new world she brought to me in such simple lines as this: "It's a shame I don't have fresh yak dung or anything strong-smelling to scare the misery out of her."
Erin: I got choked up a few times.
Lorie Ann: Didn't everyone love the songs Dashti can sing. Don't you wish you had such powers?
Erin: YES. The power to heal using songs would be amazing.
LW: I love music, and I love singing. I don't long for supernatural singing powers outright, but I'd love to one day hear that the songs I write and sing bring happiness to others!
Miss Erin: Let's talk getting locked away in a tower for seven years with someone. Would you be brave or loyal enough to do that? What would you try to do to keep yourself from going crazy?
Jac: Gosh. It is highly unlikely that I would be loyal enough to that princess to do it. I think maybe if the tower had computer access and a library. Then maybe. But not that tower, or that princess, or those RATS!
LW: I couldn't be locked up anywhere for any duration of time. I am constantly in motion - my legs are dancing, walking, my lips are moving, I'm talking, singing. If and when I'm sitting, my fingers and eyes are moving because I'm reading, writing, typing.
Lorie Ann: For my children, I would. And you can always write. John Bunyan was locked in a tower prison and wrote Pilgrim's Progress. Perfect!
Dia: Does the tower have a big window that looks out onto a splendid ever-changing view? Then maybe, if I had books and paper and a treadmill! But I still think I would want a change after about a month. Is there chalk? Can I draw on the stone walls? Three things I take into the tower with me: Cat. Books. Paper/pen.
LW: I like the sound of that. Let's end the roundtable on that note.
Discuss Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale at the readergirlz forum.
Learn more about the book and its author in the May 2008 issue of readergirlz.
The readergirlz book selection for April 2008 is Shark Girl, a verse novel by Kelly Bingham about a young woman whose life changes after she loses an arm. Little Willow, Miss Erin, and Lorie Ann Grover gathered around a virtual roundtable to discuss the book.
Little Willow: I'm fond of saying that Shark Girl is 95% verse novel but 100% heart.
Miss Erin: When I finished reading it, I felt that the story wouldn't have been as good if it'd been told using prose. For certain "tough subjects," verse novels seem to make the story feel starker, more real, more close somehow. Does anyone else feel the same way?
Lorie Ann Grover: Verse is the perfect format to carry intense emotion about hard subjects. Shark Girl definitely deals with these. Verse allows readers to jump in and out of the poems. We have a chance to consider and recover and move forward. It's not as daunting as, say, an entire prose chapter on amputation.
LW: Lorie Ann, you've written multiple verse novels. For you, what's the most difficult part of the writing process? The easiest?
Lorie Ann: I'm actually writing in both prose and verse now, and I don't find either is easier or harder to write. What I do find is each has its own
benefits. Prose carries far more details; verse provides the punch because of its visual impact and structure. I love them both! The work in verse is to pare down to the essentials. The work in prose is to tell enough to create a real sense of place. I guess those are my goals.
LW: I write poetry from time to time, but more often, they are lyrics. I write songs, and they tend to appear complete with lyrics, melodies, and harmonies, all at once.
Erin: I write poems - free verse, mostly. I'd love to write a novel in verse one day.
LW: Write it, Erin!
Lorie Ann: Jumping in here. I don't write much stand alone poetry anymore. I just have so many novels I'm rewriting! Although standalone poems will eek out of me into board books. I love the format so much.
Erin: I adore verse novels. My favorites are Make Lemonade by Virginia Wolff and Loose Threads and On Pointe by Lorie Ann Grover. My favorite poet is Emily Dickinson. I have a book of her complete poetry collection.
LW: Emily is my favorite poet as well.
Erin: What's your favorite poem by Emily?
LW: I have always favored one of her most famous pieces, #288 - I'm Nobody! Who are you? I discovered #953 - A Door just opened on a street just a few years ago and like that quite a lot as well.
Erin: It changes all the time for me, but at the moment I really love poem #704.
LW: My favorite poem/passage from Shark Girl is this:
Their heads lean toward each other.
Their whispers reach my ears.
The two girls over there
fingering their notebooks,
staring.
If they would lift their tinted eyelashes
they would notice I'm staring back.
But they don't.
So I turn in my chair,
placing my shoulder out of their sight.
Erin: Here's one of my favorite passages:
You know the part in Cinderella
when everyone goes to the ball
and she sits at home, crying?
It wasn't because her gown was ripped.
It was because she knew
she was an idiot
for thinking
she could grab a prince.
Lorie Ann: I love Ghost, printed in light gray before the book begins. Here's the last portion:
Sometimes
a prickle crawls across my cheek,
and that right hand tries to
rise from the grave,
moved to scratch.
The fingers, palm.
wrist, and arm
that I remember,
don't know enough
to know
peace.
Erin: Oh yes, that one gives me chills!
LW: After Jane loses her arm, she has to learn how to write and draw with her other hand.
Erin: I was rooting so hard for her! I knew that she could get back to it. Her determination and bravery was inspiring.
Lorie Ann: It was a huge undertaking but so important for her soul and felt purpose. I loved the support she received from family and friends to just try.
LW: Does this book make you reluctant to swim in the ocean?
Erin: Not really. I guess I don't want fear of something that may never happen to keep me from enjoying something as amazing and wonderful as the ocean. What is meant to be will be.
Lorie Ann: Yes! But JAWS did that back in the seventies, I guess. Growing up in Miami, sharks were always on our mind. Sections of beaches get closed because of shark sightings in shallow water. (Lorie Ann shivers) It's a reality. I always think about it when I go in. And then the gators are in the fresh water. We used to swim in a sulphur pond with the gators. We got out whenever they came to our side of the pond. Water equals predators (sharks, gators, water mocassins, man o'war jellyfish, eels. Maybe that's why I love the Pacific Northwest beaches. You hardly ever go in.
LW: Don't tell Maureen Johnson about the jellyfish! My favorite sea creatures are otters. When I was a kid, I had a friend who loved sharks almost as much as she loved cats. What are your general feelings about sharks?
Erin: As long as I'm seeing them behind glass, I'm okay with them!
Lorie Ann: Scary, scary beasties that freak me out! Was I happy when my daughter fed the sharks by walking on a plank with no rails above the middle of their huge tank? She dropped chunks of fish to them? (She was job shadowing Marine Biologists.) Yikes! Although, most of my nightmares have orcas in them...
LW: Sadly, there are people who judge others based on their appearance. Have you ever felt as if you were judged on your looks, or on your abilities or disabilities?
Erin: Well, as an actor, I am constantly being judged by my abilities. It's tough, when I don't get a role, not to take it personally sometimes.
Lorie Ann: I'm usually quickly judged on my height. I'm perceived as haughty rather than shy.
LW: Any closing thoughts?
Lorie Ann: Thanks, Kelly, for writing a book to encourage readers to redefine themselves after life changing events. Thanks for inspiring us!
"Big picture, Jane," he says.
"You could have died.
Instead, you are here. You have time to find out why.
You have your whole life to discover
and rebuild."
Drop by the readergirlz forum to talk about this book with the author throughout the month of April. There will be a live chat with Kelly Bingham on Thursday, April 24th at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST at the forum.
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“Uh oh.”
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“Yorozu’s got that look again.”
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“Oh yeah… huh. Well anyway, it’s Friday.”
“And you know what that means.”
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zzzzzzz….
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A friend on Facebook reminded me of the “Black Widow” SNL trailer…
While we’re discussing the Hero’s Journey, realize that it doesn’t apply here… There is no way for the hero to return to Krypton. The hero COMES from a world of supernatural wonder into the everyday.
Instead, we get the American Monomyth:
“A community in a harmonious paradise is threatened by evil; normal institutions fail to contend with this threat; a selfless superhero emerges to renounce temptations and carry out the redemptive task; aided by fate, his decisive victory restores the community to its paradisiacal condition; the superhero then recedes into obscurity.”
Except that the hero never leaves town, because the community is constantly threatened.
Jimmy Olsen is the mentor figure. I’m hoping he doesn’t become the Magical Negro.
Kara, on the other hand, IS Jimmy Olsen. She’s the gofer at work, the New Adult. Which is intriguing, in that the Superman/Jimmy paradigm is flipped… Here he knows everything, and Kara has to bumble her way around things. (Yes, I’m hoping for some Red K stories. Or some fun BEMs!)
I’m also hoping that “Katty Perry” becomes more dimensional. I like how Kat Grant has been transformed from a debutante to a driven CEO, but I’m also hoping there’s some exploration of her backstory.
(HA! What if Kara = “Murphy Brown’s secretaries”? Who had the job before her? Any disgruntled employees?)
Yes, this show will skew younger… it’s 8 Eastern, 7 Central, the first hour of prime time. On Monday, which traditionally is for CBS what Thursday was to NBC. But now, instead of sitcoms, we get Supergirl, Scorpion, and NCIS:LA.
The big unknown: the Big S. Superman exists, but can’t appear in these episodes, because, anytime Superman shows up in a story, the story becomes a Superman story. But what about Lex? The DEO? Star Labs? Other heroes which appear because of Superman? That’s why Jimmy Olsen is here… he’s the narrative sock puppet for Superman, as we saw when he handed her the cape.
The BIG QUESTION: what parts of the DCU can the writers of Supergirl use, and which belong to the Arrowverse? Does CBS just get the Superman Family? Or does that also include aliens and outer space?
OOOOOooooohhhh… “Legion of Superheroes”! Replace Superboy with Supergirl. Watch those background characters, viewers! They might be aliens! (Were I a story editor, I’d set that up for perhaps the second season cliffhanger. Use that as a backdoor pilot for Legion.)
It looked to me like they almost tried to make the show as dull as possible. Supergirl insecure? Who wants that? I’ll give it 2 more episodes. I did notice that she mentioned Wicked tickets. CBS must own stock in the musical.
>>>Supergirl insecure? Who wants that?
They tried an insecure hero — Green Lantern — and no one liked it.
A friend of mine has two younger children, one boy and one girl, ages 7 and 10, who have just within the last year been exposed to superheroes of any kind. They both loved the pilot and can’t wait for more, and my friend feels the subject matter in the FLash and Arrow can be too complicated/mature for them. I think as hardcore fans, we can sometimes get caught up in the egocentric idea of everything being targeted towards us, when honestly that just doesn’t have to be the case. I’m not currently reading Batgirl, for instance, but I think it’s an important book that needs to exist for the audience it is being written for.
I thought this pilot was even more fun than the pilot for The Flash, and more earnest without having quite the level of campiness of say a Lois and Clark, or the emo-ness of Smallville, which is perfect for the audience I think it is going for. I’m excited to see that the overnight ratings for this show have been so good as it may prove that the audience they are courting for these superhero shows need not all be the same, and there is quite a bit of opportunity to open the fan base for these things way wider.
Heidi M. said: “I liked how they covered all their bases, from rejecting a sexy costume to explaining why “girl” isn’t a pejorative to head of criticism. ”
The young women I know (women in their 20s) refer to themselves as “girls,” and don’t mind anyone else calling them girls. They don’t find it belittling. It’s a generational change, I guess.
I probably won’t watch this show until the first season is released on DVD, but I’m glad it breaks with the dark and gloomy style of DC’s movies. I’m glad female superhero fans have someone to root for. However, the “Supergirl” trailers DO look a lot like SNL’s “Black Widow” parody trailer.
Power Girl. You know she’ll show up for ratings week. I hope they don’t wimp out by making her PC. Look at cosplayer BelleChere for an idea what the tv Power Girl should look like.
>>>>anytime Superman shows up in a story, the story becomes a Superman story.
This doesn’t necessarily have to be true, there are plenty of ways to include him and still celebrate Supergirl as the show runner (and if somebody wants to pay me I’d share those ideas). However I think including him would be a mistake since the impetus of action seems to be in Kara finding out how to ‘hero’ her way. (This is of course a bit of a sticky widget, since she is a derivative character) Unfortunately that is the primary reason I dislike the inclusion of Jimmy Olsen (I am not talking about changing the traditional aesthetic representation, only the character as plot device). Mechad Brooks turns out a fine performance, and his characterization would be more pleasing if he was an entirely new character, rather than the device to pull in hack-kneed ‘Super-mythos’ references.
Overall I to found the show watchable, and hope that the stories will become more engaging, but defining itself independently of the ‘Big Red S’ and overcoming the history of “prime-time” programming may take more than ‘a single bound’.