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In
Esther’s last post, she pointed out a series of “re-” words related to
Kate Messner’s
Real Revision. I’ll add another: Repetition. Along with rhythm and rhyme, it’s one of the three important patterns in poetry that I discuss in
Write a Poem Step by Step. (By the way, we’re giving away an autographed copy! See below to enter for your chance to win!)
Here’s an excerpt from the book:
What do you do when you want to remember something? Do you say it to yourself again and again until you learn it? That’s using repetition. Repetition is an effective technique in poetry. It helps create a pattern in a poem. It can help us remember. It can add emphasis to a certain word or phrase. It can connect the parts of a poem to each other.
(Rahel Spilka wrote the following poem in one of my workshops many years ago. It's still one of my favorites.) Repetition ties Rahel’s poem together.
Blowing in the Wind
The tree’s branches are
blowing in the wind.
Like a cradle rocking
blowing in the wind.
It sounds like a baby crying
blowing in the wind.
The branches are swiveling
blowing in the wind.
Seems like a Mom saying,
“Shhhh!”
blowing in the wind.
Rahel Spilka, Grade 2
If your poem includes a word, a phrase, a line, or even a stanza that you want to use more than once, go ahead. Just make sure that what you repeat is important to the poem, or it can feel or sound overdone.
Have fun! Have fun! Have fun!
JoAnn Early Macken
By:
Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 6/5/2015
Blog:
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Howdy Campers!
I'm wildly inspired by the postings of my fellows at Poetry Friday today--see the link below.
Bobbi begins our What-Inspires-You series with Inspirations and Geniuses; Jo Ann is up next with the help of her camera: Zooming in on Inspiration; Esther offers An Inspiring Weekly Digest You Need to Know About; Carla opens our eyes to Inspiration From the Library of Congress; and Mary Ann touches us with tales about family members in Inspiration is a Blast From the Past.
So what are the top three things that inspire my daily poems?
1) Um...deadlines.
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” ~ Douglas Adams
I was inspired to write this post today when I was putting an appointment in my calendar...and saw that I was supposed to have posted this morning. Oops!
"My sole inspiration is a telephone call from a director." ~ Cole Porter, composer and songwriter
Deadlines and assignments mean that I cannot take all day cleaning my proverbial closet. I write and rewrite...and bam!--even if it's not the world's most perfect piece, I post it or send it off--done!
2) Life. Especially the sad parts. "I've had an unhappy life, thank God." ~ Russell Baker, author, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist
The difficult and/or unhappy times of my life are rich grounds for writing. I can create this richness, though, even when my life is humming along, if I listen to what's happening in my chest cavity. If I walk into the world looking for my poem, all senses open.
The last time my mom and I took a nature walk. She's the shorter one.
3) Someone who believes in me. Two or three someones is even better. "Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher
My husband came with me on a quick trip to meet with my agent and two of my editors this week. I wanted him to meet these significant people in my work life. New York can be exhilarating...and it can scare the pants off me, too. It always takes me a day to remember how to use the subways and navigate the city. His presence on the subway and in those meetings meant the world to me.
My sailing-around-the-world friend,
Bruce, is a daily supporter of my work, even when he says the poem doesn't work (which of course I know he's just not reading correctly--he's clearly tired from working on the boat all day).
Every writer in my critique groups past and present and everyone in the
Kidlitosphere community: we cheer each other on; that cheering echoes and echoes and echoes inside all of us.
my team
And so? Here's today's (raw) poem written 1) for a
deadline, 2) based on
life, and with the
support of--well, all of you.
LOOKING FOR INSPIRATIONby April Halprin Wayland
bald little godsits on the pond’s rim, his feet all in
his head turning side to sidetoward fluttering leavestoward ebbing tide
below impatient cloudsthat mumble, This is going too slow
so they snap out a spiky lighting streak and Man—does little god go!
He jumps right up and does he run!He’s going, going, getting thingsDONE!poem and drawings (c) April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved.Get inspired by the bounty at
Buffy's Blog today--thanks for hosting, Buffy!
posted by April Halprin Wayland, Monkey, and our always inspired dog, Eli
By:
keilinh,
on 6/4/2015
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Coming this month, Poems in the Attic is a collection of poetry that creates a tender intergenerational story that speaks to every child’s need to hold onto special memories of home, no matter where that place might be. We interviewed master poet Nikki Grimes on her process for writing poetry and if she has any tips to share.
In Poems in the Attic, the reader is introduced to free verse and tanka styles of poetry. Why were you drawn to the tanka form?
Poetry, for me, has always been about telling a story or painting a picture using as few words as possible. Haiku and tabla are forms that epitomize that. I’d previously played with an introduction to haiku in A Pocketful of Poems, and I have long since been intrigued with the idea of incorporating tanka in a story. Poems in the Attic provided such an opportunity, so I jumped on it.
Many readers are intimidated by poetry or think it is not for them. For people who find poetry difficult, where would you recommend they start?
Start with word play. I sometimes like to take a word and study it through the lens of my senses. Take the word “lemon”, for instance. What is its shape, its scent, its color? Does it make a sound? Does it have a taste? How would you describe that sound, that taste? Where is a lemon to be found? What does it do or what can you do with it? In answering such questions, in a line or two in response to each question, one ends up either with a poem or the makings of a poem.
Is there something people can do to be “good” at writing poetry? Where do you find inspiration when you get stuck?
There are a few answers to that question.
- Read poetry voraciously. If you aspire to write good poetry, you must first know what that looks like.
- Practice, practice, practice. Writing is a muscle that must be exercises, no matter the genre.
- Play. Build your vocabulary. Experiment with a variety of forms. For too many trying poetry, rhyme is their default. But rhyme is bot synonymous with poetry. It is merely one element of it. Explore metaphor, simile, alliteration, assonance, and all the other elements of poetry. Think interns of telling a story and painting a picture with words. These practices will lead you somewhere wonderful.
What’s one of your favorite lines from a poem?
I love lines from my poem “Chinese Painting” in Tai Chi Morning: Snapshots of China. In seeking to describe the magic of a master painter, I wrote
“a few strokes
And a bird is born
A few more,
And it sings.”
Do you prefer poetry on the page or poetry read aloud? Who is your favorite poet to hear or read?
I especially love poetry on the page, in part because not all poets read their work well. I do love to hear Naomi Shihabe Nye, though, and I especially loved to hear the exquisite Lucille Clifton.
Learn more about Poems in the Attic on our website or Nikki Grime’s website.
By:
Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 4/25/2014
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Our
Carmela is out to make trouble. I swear...she's a full-blown cyclone blowing through Poetry Month!
(Actually, she's not. I'm just playin' with you. I've been on the look-out for metaphors all month
on my website, and that was a metaphor, blowing by...
the poem on my site today compares writing to a challenging walk...)
Carmela has
posted (and reads aloud) two versions of one of my poems, and she suggested I talk about the process of writing and revising it.
So...here's the story behind HOW TO READ A POEM ALOUD:
I was asked to help organize a poetry coffee house night for teens, and I wanted to teach them how to read aloud. Could I smush all the information into a poem, I wondered? My teacher
Myra Cohn Livingston always read poems aloud twice; I knew I wanted to include that in my instructions.
I've found nine versions of this poem; there may be more. But don't panic--I won't make you read every draft! Here's the very first version:
2/8/07
READ ALOUD HOWS
Take a sip of water.
Read the title to your daughter.
Pause.
Read the poet’s name.
Read the poem.
Read it once again
Take your time.
Say each word slowly
Let each word shine.
Take a breath and sigh.
Then think of how the poet put her hand to pen
and why.
=========================
and here are the next several versions mashed together so you can see the ideas I tried and discarded...
HOW TO READ A POEM ALOUD
[Sit down in a meadow with a friend.
Tell the poet’s name and the title—
Now begin.]
[Stand up in your kitchen with your friend.
Tell the poet’s name and the title—
Now begin.]
[Walk home from the bus stop with your friend.
Tell the poet’s name and the title—
Now begin.]
[Take a sip of tea.
Tell the poet’s name to your friend.]
[Take a sip of tea.
Read the poet’s name
and say its title deliciously
to me.]
[To begin,
say the title
and the poet’s name
with a small smile.]
[To begin,
announce the title of the poem
and the poet’s name.
Make sure to pronounce it clearly]
[To begin,
read the title of the poem
and the poet’s name.
Be clear.]
Now—[your job is to] completely disappear
Say [taste] its title
deliciously.
Tell the poet’s name to me.
[Tell the poet’s name to me.
Taste her title deliciously.]
Pause.
[Be sure you’re heard
so I can savour every word.]
Now:
savour [polish]
every
word.
Let
each
shine.
Then—read it one more time.
Next, take a breath
and sigh.
Then think about the poet
at her desk
late at night
picking up her pen to write—
and why.
* * * * *
And here some of my moods as I write
and rewrite and write and rewrite (can you relate?):
...confused...
...determined...
...patient...
At some point on this journey, I read Marilyn Singer's prose,"
How to Read a Poem Aloud"...and though it's a terrific list, it made my head spin, so I decided to stick with just the few points I'd been working with.
* * * * *
And finally, here are the two versions Carmela posted (they've been floating around the internet, passing each other in the night, for years)...which do you like best?
Version #1
HOW TO READ A POEM ALOUD
First, read the title of the poem
and the poet’s name.
Be clear.
Now completely
disappear.
Let each line
shine.
Then read it
one more time.
When the poem
ends, sigh.
Think about the poet at her desk,
late at night, picking up her pen to write--
and why.
* * * * *
HOW TO READ A POEM ALOUD
To begin,
tell the poet’s name
and the title
to your friend.
Savor every word—
let
each
line
shine.
Then—
read it one more time.
Now, take a breath—
and sigh.
Then think about the poet,
at her desk,
late at night,
picking up her pen to write—
and why.
© April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved.
Do I like one version better than the other? Depends on what day you catch me. That's the trick in creating something, isn't it: sometimes I know, I just know when it's finished: there's that satisfying click of the lasts puzzle piece...
 |
| from morguefile.com |
But just as often, I just...get...(yawn) t i r e d...so...I stop.
And that, dear campers, is the story behind HOW TO READ A POEM ALOUD!
Now, go outside and play.
posted with a glue gun by April Halprin Wayland.
(p.s: I've just been interviewed by author
and Seminar on Jewish Story organizer Barbara Krasner here.)
First of all, I'd like to add my "WELCOME, Laura!" I’m so happy you’re here. Happy, too, about all the poetry you and April and JoAnn have been posting. That has me itching get back to writing more of my own (I was going to say you all were infectious, but that didn’t sound quite right).
Since we’re headed into conference season, I thought I'd post a relevant poem I wrote a few years back. Just before a fall conference, my SCBWI regional advisor called and asked if I’d get up on opening night and give sort of a “what not to do” talk regarding conference etiquette. (We’ve all heard horror stories of writers following visiting editors into bathrooms to talk about their manuscripts, right?) Then she added, “Make it funny. And how about writing it in rhyme?” Ack!
So, using a method very similar to Laura’s when she writes nonfiction poetry, I sat down and jotted a list of do’s and don’ts, then began tweaking and taking everything way over the top. Here’s the final product:
How to Impress an Editor
It’s my first time at a conference.
This? My brand new picture book.
Let me hold your glass of wine so you can take a better look.
See? It’s bound and fully laminated.
Here’s the copyright.
Just look at how the silver glitter sparkles in the light!
My nephew did the illustrations for me.
Aren’t they great?
I’m developing a series. This is number one. Of eight.
Yes, you are a little peaked.
Let’s go over there and sit.
What? You have to do the schmoozy thing and “work the room” a bit?
I’ll come with – and show you photos of Chief Kitchy-coo, my dog.
He’s the hero of my story (written all in dialogue).
See, he flies around Chicago with his mother, solving crimes.
It’s a shoe-in for that Printz Award.
And check this out … it rhymes.
There’s a song at the beginning.
There’s a moral at the end,
and a note reminding children that the story’s just pretend.
I’ve already got endorsements from the ASPCA,
and I’ve sent one to the Oprah show. I wonder … do they pay?
Oh, you have to hit the ladies’ room?
No problem. I’ll come, too.
While you’re taking care of business, I can read aloud to you.
Hon, is everything OK in there?
You need a helping hand?
What? You have a splitting headache?
Sure, of course I understand.
You can take my little story to your room and read it there.
No, it’s quite all right. Yes, I insist. I want you to, I swear.
Let me walk you to your suite.
Oh, it’s no trouble, none at all.
Well, for goodness sake, we lucked out. Look!
My room’s just down the hall!
Here’s an Advil for that headache.
Here’s my card. Know what? Take two.
Now, remind me of your name, hon, and … you edit books for who?
Take a hot bath.
Take it easy.
Don’t you let the bedbugs bite.
Ow, ow, ow! My foot was in there.
We’ll talk soon, then.
Nighty-night!
After I read the poem to the group, one editor took me aside and said that, sadly, the fictional writer of my poem wasn’t far off the mark. Yikes. Jane Yolen, who was one of our speakers, told me to send it to The Writer (which was still in business at the time). I did, and they published it in their April 2008 issue.
If you write rhyming picture books and haven’t yet signed up for Angie Karcher’s brand spankin’ new RhyPiBoMo, head on over and register: http://angiekarcher.wordpress.com
You can sign up until April 16th – and remember to enter the RhyPiBoMo Golden Quill Poetry Contest. Even if you don’t officially join in, you can follow along daily. Angie has lots of rhyming picture book authors lined up to post each day with tidbits of wisdom to help you improve your own rhyming picture books. See all the details on Angie’s site.
Jill Esbaum
P.S. If you haven’t yet entered for a chance to win Laura’s
Water Can Be…, hurry! You only have a little more time!
By:
Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 8/23/2013
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Howdy, Campers! Betsy H. is hosting Poetry Friday today at I Think in Poems. Thank you, Betsy!
At the end of this post are:
1) the details of today's Book Giveaway of an autographed book by verse novelist Sonya Sones;
2) one of Sonya's deliciously enigmatic poems.
However, if you came here to meet Sonya and learn all about her newest YA novel, I'm sorry to say you'll be disappointed. Sonya just called--she had a dental appointment and couldn't be here today.
Exclusive photo of Sonya Sones and her dentist.
I lied. Sonya doesn't need to see the dentist--her teeth are gleaming! Say hello to my long-time friend, critique buddy, fab author and poet, Sonya Sones:
photo by Ava Tramer
Her novels-in-verse include:
Stop Pretending,
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, (great title!
), What My Mother Doesn’t Know (one of the top
100 most challenged books of the decade) and its companion,
What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know.
Sonya has graciously agreed to reveal the
very first
poem in her
book that
isn't even out yet and
YOU, Campers, will be among the very first readers of this poem! Her newest book,
To Be Perfectly Honest (A Novel Based on an Untrue Story) (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers)
, comes out on August 27 and is
full of lies.
Sonya is an original in the best sense of the word. She and I met in poet
Myra Cohn Livingston's Master Class. When Myra died, her students hosted classes at our homes, teaching each other the fine points of poetry.
When it was Sonya's turn to host, she surprised us by hiring a drummer who gave each of us a drum and taught us different rhythms for an hour! An unforgettable way to instruct and inspire.
She continues to inspire me, always thinking of new ways of telling a story. I'll never forget the day Sonya said she'd decided to write a novel in verse with an
unreliable narrator. I was lucky to witness the unfolding of what became
To Be Perfectly Honest (A Novel Based on an Untrue Story).
Here's a bit of what
School Library Journal says about this book:
"Sones captures the ache of first love. Readers may find themselves laughing, crying, and wanting to believe the unreliable, well-developed narrator. Excerpts may make for a stepping stone to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Like Shakespeare’s play, this title lends itself to discussion about healthy relationships, setting limits, defining oneself, and evaluating what is real. Fast paced and great for reluctant readers.”
Sonya! Welcome to TeachingAuthors' humble abode! How did you officially become a TeachingAuthor?
I officially became a teaching author the day I volunteered to teach a poetry writing workshop to my son’s fourth grade class. I gave each student a donut and told them they couldn’t eat it until they gave me a simile to describe it. The rest is history.
Besides bringing donuts, what's one piece of advice you have for teachers?
Make poetry fun! Don’t only expose your students to classic poetry. I teach workshops to middle-schoolers and high-schoolers, and I find that they respond with more enthusiasm to current poetry. There’s a very funny poem by Billy Collins called “
Introduction to Poetry,” about tying a poem to a chair and trying to beat a confession out of it, that might be a good place to start. There’s another one called “
Pearl” by
Dorianne Laux, which is a fabulous portrait of Janice Joplin. Try reading that poem to them and challenging them to write a poem about their own favorite musician. And there’s a great very short love poem by
Eve Merriam called “
New Love.”
Don’t force students to memorize and analyze. If you choose the right poems, your students will feel the words washing over them like a cool ocean breeze on a broiling hot day. Your goal should be to teach them how to love poetry, not how to “understand” it.
Whoops. Was that more than one piece of advice?
Sonya crossing her eyes with the Book Café Club
at La Salle Academy in Providence, RI
Who's counting? Please tell us the Cinderella story of how you sold your first book.
I didn’t sell my first book. Or my second book. Or my third. That was when I decided to enroll in a poetry class at UCLA extension taught by the brilliant
Myra Cohn Livingston. She set me on the path to writing
Stop Pretending. I finished it just before the annual
SCBWI conference in Century City and brought my manuscript with me. There, I attended a presentation by a very young agent (he was only 24 years old!) named
Steven Malk who gave a speech about why you should have an agent if you wrote or illustrated for kids. Then halfway through the speech, he switched over to talking about why that agent should be him. He was so persuasive that after his talk 75 authors ran up to him to ask for his business card. But I hung back, not wanting to crowd him.
Later that day, however, I found myself in the lobby, and there he was, standing all by himself. Even so, a friend had to convince me to go up and talk to him. But I finally did and I said, “I wrote a book about what happened when my big sister was sent to a mental hospital, it’s written in verse, it’s sort of edgy, and I was wondering if I could send it to you.” He said, “Okay.” And that was it. A twenty second conversation. I mailed it to him on Wednesday. He called me on Friday to tell me how much he liked it. And by the following Wednesday he had a bidding war going. That week remains one of the most astonishing and exhilarating times of my entire life.
I love that story. And now I've learned that To Be Perfectly Honest (A Novel Based on an Untrue Story) is also available as an audiobook in CDs and MP3, narrated by Kate Rudd, who also narrated John Greene's The Fault in Our Stars.
I want your life!
What's on the horizon for you?
A lot of traveling! Simon and Schuster is sending me on a book tour:
Chicago, D.C., Miami, San Francisco, Menlo Park, Pasadena, Ontario, Raleigh and Phoenix. Then, in October, I’ll be going to Hong Kong where I’ve been invited by Hong Kong Baptist University to participate in an
International Writer’s Workshop for a month. I’ve never been to that part of the world, and I’m very much looking forward to this grand adventure. And wherever I go, I will be scanning the horizon for stories…
Oh my gosh! I'm exhausted just reading your itinerary! I know you'll meet interesting folks on the way!
Sonya, meeting a fan.
photo by Ava Tramer
And finally, since it's Poetry Friday in the Kidlitosphere, please share a poem!
This is the first poem from
To Be Perfectly Honest (A Novel Based on an Untrue Story):
They Tell Me There Was an Accident
by Sonya Sones
Though I can’t
remember it happening.
Here’s what I do remember:
I remember climbing into a limo
with my little brother Will to visit our mom
on the set of her latest film.
It smelled
like someone had been
smoking pot in there.
Or maybe drinking champagne.
Or throwing up.
Or all three.
Sort of like
our living room
after one of Mom’s all-night parties.
I remember
rolling down the window
for some breathable air
while Will bounced around,
like he always does
when we’re in a limo,
telling me
one goofy knock-knock joke
after another.
I remember turning onto Sunset Boulevard,
and seeing a massive billboard
of a guy wearing nothing but jeans—
his fly unzipped
just low enough
to make me look twice.
Will saw it too.
He grinned at me and lisped through the gap
where his baby teeth used to be, “Thex thells!”
Sex sells?
How does a seven-year-old even know that?
I was just about to ask him—
but I never got the chance.
poem © 2013 Sonya Sones. All rights reserved
Newsflash: Sonya's own three-book box set of trade paperbacks,
The Sonya Sones Collection, will be released the same day
To Be Perfectly Honest (A Novel Based on an Untrue Story) comes out. Sonya's comment: "Wow...a new boxed set...now Calvin Klein and I
both have collections."
Visit her at SonyaSones.com, follow her on Twitter, and for goodness sake friend her on FaceBook!
Thank you for offering our readers a chance to win a copy of your new book (details below) and thanks for stopping by, Sonya!
And now, for the Book Giveaway details:
We use Rafflecopter. If you've never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, you may want to read their info on how to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway and/or the difference between signing in with Facebook vs. with an email address.
To enter for a chance to win an autographed copy of To Be Perfectly Honest (A Novel Based on an Untrue Story) log into Rafflecopter below (via either Facebook or an email address). You'll see that we've provided three different options for entering the giveaway--you can pick one or up to all three.
The more options you choose, the greater your chances of winning. While
we haven't made it a requirement, we hope that everyone will pick the
first option--subscribing to the TeachingAuthors blog.
If you're already a TeachingAuthors subscriber, you still need to click on that button and tell us how you follow our blog, which will give you THREE entries in the giveaway! (If you received this post via email, you can click on the Rafflecopter link at the end of this message to enter.)
As it says in the "Terms and Conditions," this giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.
You must be 18 or older to enter. And please note: email addresses will
only be used to contact winners. The giveaway will run from now through August 29, 2013.
If you have any questions about the giveaway, feel free to email us at teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
merrily posted by April Halprin Wayland and her dog, Eli...who wish you a Happy New Year and shyly remind you about April's award-winning book, New Year at the Pier--a Rosh Hashanah Story
.
Howdy, Campers!
It's Wednesday, and you know what that means! It's time for another TeachingAuthors
!
Do you ever feel as if your idea well has run dry? Here's an exercise that's sure to tap into ideas you didn't know were waiting to pour out.
I've taken the adult poetry class, The Courage to Write, taught by Anthony A. Lee, several times. He's a terrific poet and a kind and generous teacher.
Tony's classes are held in a building which also houses an art gallery. During one class, we wrote poems based on the following exercise...and then
came back at night to read our poems at the opening of the art exhibit.
Scary and invigorating!
Note: although the exercise below is written to inspire a poem, you can use this exercise to begin a poem or a story.
POETS IN THE GALLERY!
based on a workshop by
Anthony A. Lee
- Go to a gallery or any place where art is displayed.
- Which photo, painting or sculpture calls to you? Walk around until you find it.
- Sit down in front of it. Breathe deeply. Close your eyes. Listen to the sounds of the gallery.
- Open your eyes. Look at the art for a full minute.
- Now, begin writing. Describe an image in the artwork. Just report it; write exactly what you see.
- Once you have that image on your paper, begin a poem with the word "I." The only rule is to write in the first person.
- Write as fast as you can. Write without a plan. Whatever happens, happens.
- Describing something, as a journalist does, is the Reporting Voice. That voice comes from the lips, the mouth, the throat.
- Writing about feelings comes from a lower, truer, sometimes scarier place. This is the Deep Voice. This voice attracts readers. It connects them to your story. Be brave. Find the feelings. Go there.
- When you’re done, write it again, taking out as many words as you can.
- Write it a third time. Do you really all those “the”s, “and”s, or “a”s? Try taking them out.
- Now, take out all the adverbs.
- Next, take out most of the adjectives.
- Poetry is word music. Read your work aloud. Do you like the sound of your poem?
- Don't hide your light under a bushel—your poem is a gift to be shared. Bring someone you love to that piece of art. Share your poem with them. Bring an extra copy and leave it by the artwork.
Tony says: asking your students (or yourself) to describe an image in the artwork is better than telling them simply to write something about the piece of art, which will make some students freeze.
Try it! Have fun!
And, apropos of nothing, here's a sign I saw in Seattle recently which made me laugh:
This post was written by April Halprin Wayland. Thank you for reading it!
(Our cruel and heartless blog mistress makes us put our names here so we can't hide from our subscribers.)
By:
Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 4/30/2013
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Howdy Campers!
Remember to enter to win in our 4 x 4 Blogiversary Celebration!
Today I have the absolute honor and (as Esther would say) knee-buckling responsibility to write the last line of 2013's
Progressive Poem. Yay! And yikes!
The brainchild of
Irene Latham,
this Progressive Poem has been moving from blog to blog, growing poet
by poet, for 29 days until it's come here for one final line. For the
poem and a list of contributing poets, see below.
.
At the end of a
month posting
rough drafts of poems about dogs, I think you could say
that this, too, is a rough draft. As Laura Puride Salas says, it's
poetry improv. Yes, and a poetry game. It's been fascinating to
read the process of those who've proceeded me.
When I got the line by
Denise Mortensen,
it's such a great line, I thought I should just write THE END. Then I
could talk about how a poet needs to know when to quit and when a good
line's a good ending. That would be funny. If only I had the courage!
But I don't. So off we go!
Here
is the list of the poets who each contributed a line (in this space, some appear to be a line and then some, but they are all really one line each), and below their
names is the (yikes!) finished poem. Take a bow, poets!
.
DAY/LINE + POET
P.T.
BARNUM'S GREAT TRAVELING MUSEUM, MENAGERIE, CARAVAN, AND HIPPODROME*
by Thirty Poets on a mission in the Kidlitosphere...see list above
When you listen to your footsteps
the words become music and
the rhythm that you’re rapping gets your fingers tapping, too.
Your pen starts dancing across the page
a private pirouette, a solitary samba until
smiling, you’re beguiling as your love comes shining through.
Pause a moment in your dreaming, hear the whispers
of the words, one dancer to another, saying
Listen, that’s our cue! Mind your meter. Find your rhyme.
Ignore the trepidation while you jitterbug and jive.
Arm in arm, toe to toe, words begin to wiggle and flow
as your heart starts singing let your mind keep swinging
from life’s trapeze, like a clown on the breeze.
Swinging upside down, throw and catch new sounds–
Take a risk, try a trick; break a sweat: safety net?
Don’t check! You’re soaring and exploring,
dangle high, blood rush; spiral down, crowd hush–
limb-by-line-by-limb envision, pyramidic penned precision.
And if you should topple, if you should flop
if your meter takes a beating; your rhyme runs out of steam—
know this tumbling and fumbling is all part of the act,
so get up with a flourish. Your pencil’s still intact.
Snap those synapses! Feel the pulsing through your pen
Commit, measure by measure, to the coda’s cadence.
You've got them now--in the palm of your hand!
Finger by finger you’re reeling them in—
Big Top throng refrains from cheering, strains to hear the poem nearing…
Inky paws, uncaged, claw straw and sawdust
Until… CRACK! You’re in the center ring, mind unleashed, your words take wing--
they circle, soar, then light in the lap of an
open-mouthed child; the crowd goes wild.
* * * * * * *
* Barnum's circus was originally called "P.T. Barnum's Great Traveling
Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Hippodrome,"
which is pretty much what
our poem is. ("Greatest Show on Earth" was
added later...that's us, too!)
It never hurts to join forces...
...ask all the thirsty pooches at the dog park!
Let's play some more!
Hey--where'd everybody go???
G'bye to Poetry Month 2013! See you next year!
Posted by April Halprin Wayland
By:
Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 1/16/2013
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Howdy Campers! Welcome to...
My mother says that everyone remembers the trees of their childhood.
I recently attended the annual
FOCAL (Friends of Children and Literature) Luncheon hosted by the Los Angeles Public Library Children's Literature Department. Each year, FOCAL gives an award to an outstanding children's book with California content. This year's award deservedly went to my friend
Joanne Rocklin for her wonderful book,
One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street (Abrams).
Joanne's acceptance speech was thoroughly
Joanne: full of enthusiasm, aware of her audience, bursting with love.
Each detail of this inspired centerpiece references her book.
Joanne's memories of her beloved orange trees inspired my poem that day (I write
a poem a day); I thought perhaps a memory of a tree in your life might inspire you, too.
I wrote about our Meyer Lemon tree and how incredibly generous it is. See for yourself:
I want to share my lemon tree poem with you...but here's my dilemma: dozens of my poems have been published in poetry anthologies...but recent contracts specify that poems can never have been published--even on a blog. ACK!
WINNING
by April Halprin Wayland
I sit under this tree
to sit under this tree.
Not to win anything.
Just me and tree.
If the wind happens to drop
a sweet plum in my lap, though,
I would never say no
to a plum.
poem © 2013 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved
Now it's your turn.
1) Close your eyes. Think of a tree from your childhood...or any tree of significance to you.
2) List details of that tree that cover all five senses, or write snippets of your memories of the tree.
3) Or you may want to simply plunge in, and see what memories sprout from your pen or keyboard.
4) Consider putting your poem (or was it a story that emerged?) into a
form...or not.
5) Consider sending your poem to someone who would remember that tree.
6) Leave a comment about this exercise. :-)
poem and lemon tree photo © 2013 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved
By:
Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 12/14/2012
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Howdy, Campers ~ Happy Poetry Friday!
...and if it's at Jama's it's sure to be tasty!
For my last post of 2012, I'm going to break from our series on publishing opportunities (see
Esther's last
two posts and
Carmela's post, with more to come!)...
I've been thinking about my family and our, well,
interesting year (especially the part about
my husband dying of a heart attack and being brought back and now being completely and miraculously fine); about hard times and hope, about sunrises, candles, glowing kitchen windows at night, and about the dark of winter and the glint of winter sunlight.
WINTER SOLSTICE: GIRL TALKING TO THE SUN
by April Halprin Wayland
On a hard day's chill,
when my heart stands still,
Sun, oh, Sun, where do you disappear?
Then Sun answers me,
answers quietly,
Look around, little girl, I am here, I am here.
© 2012 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved
I am Jewish; I just recently learned that the fifth night of
Hanukkah (which can be
spelled many ways) is the first night in which there are more flames than darkness, more candles lit than unlit, and represents the triumph of light over darkness.
I love that.
Okay...ready for today's writing workout, Campers?
WRITING WORKOUT: A Light in the Darkness
1) Take a cozy moment to scribble ten ideas triggered by the phrase, "a light in the darkness" or by the 1:06 minute video above. Jot down memories, images, or the name of someone in particular who helped light your way in a dark time.
2) Consider imitating the rhyme scheme of the poem above:
A/A/B
C/C/B
3) Or write a 100-word story.
3) Or write forget #2 and #3 and write the poem or story you were meant to write today.
4) Write like a little kid who is so jumpy-excited to get a piece of paper and a pencil she can barely sit still. Give that little kid a chance; let's see what gift she creates for you this holiday season!
And speaking of gifts, don't forget to enter to win a gift for yourself or for some lucky teacher in your life: an autographed copy of JoAnn Early Macken's, Write a Poem Step by Step. I have her book and it's terrific! See JoAnn's guest post for details.
Not actually in Southern California where I live,
but in Phoenix, several years ago.
Still, a pretty note of light and hope
with which to end the year...
Happy Holidays One and All!
By:
Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 9/28/2012
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Howdy, Campers! Happy Poetry Friday! Info about how to enter today's Book Giveaway is far, far below.
Poetry Friday is hosted today by the
Paper Tigers--thank you!
Years ago, I attended an informal farewell lunch after speaking at a writers' conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was tired and wasn't feeling well and very nearly skipped that lunch. Luckily, I didn't. That's where I met the dynamic and sparkling
Carolee Dean.
I have since had the great pleasure of being on a panel Carolee put together for this year's International Reading Association Convention in Chicago. (That's where I learned how generous, well-organized and cool-under-pressure she is.)
Carolee keeps a gazillion plates spinning in the air at once. She not only works in public schools as a speech-language pathologist, she also teaches writing, helps sponsor middle school and high school poetry slam teams, and is the author of three young adult novels all including original poetry. They are:
COMFORT (Houghton Mifflin),
TAKE ME THERE (Simon Pulse), and the JUST ABOUT TO BE PUBLISHED paranormal verse novel
FORGET ME NOT (Simon Pulse, Oct. 2, 2012)--which you, yes
you can WIN in our Book Giveaway--woo-woo (details below)!
So let's meet Carolee in person. Hey, Carolee--how did you officially become a TeachingAuthor?
I've spent over a decade working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist with students of all ages and a variety of challenges. The most difficult thing for most of them is writing, and understandably, many of them hate doing it. I'm always trying out activities to inspire my reluctant writers. Sometimes the activities work. Sometimes they don't. When they do work I like to share them with other educators because I know how difficult it can be to continuously come up with inspiring lessons.
Among some of my better ideas is a twelve step story analysis method I call
The Secret Language of Stories. I've given presentations on it at several state, national, and international conferences including the International Reading Association 2012 in Chicago where I co-presented on an all day panel with you and
TeachingAuthor
Esther Hershenhorn. I have a description of the twelve steps
on a tab at
my blog.
What's a common problem your students have and how do you address it?
It's easy to get stuck staring at a big white page or a blank computer screen. I can't tell you how many times I hear the words, "I don't know what to write." I reply, "writing isn't about knowing. There is no magic right or wrong answer as there is in other subjects.
Writing is about choosing, about considering the infinite possibilities and picking one." To this the student inevitably replies, "I still don't know what to write." Then I usually give the stumped pupil a whole list of suggestions which he or she usually doesn't like because that blank computer screen is still just so darn intimidating.
One strategy that has worked extremely well for me is to create a PowerPoint with directions on each slide for what part of the story to write on that particular slide. I also include suggestions about what kind of accompanying images to select. I usually let kids choose the images first since the pictures often inspire their writing. This has worked extremely well with even the most struggling writers. Kids love power point and they love Google Images.
I have some high school students who read and write at first and second grade levels and they have come up with some of the most amazing stories.
(Directions for Carolee's PowerPoint story along with a downloadable PowerPoint can be found under the Teacher Resources section of
her blog).
Would you share a favorite writing exercise with our readers?
I like to get kids talking about stories before they write them. There is a strong connection between oral language and written language and it often helps to verbalize ideas before putting them down on paper.
One of my favorite activities is to cut out unusual pictures from magazines. Advertisements often contain images that may be interpreted in a variety of ways. I play music and then ask students to walk around the room. When the music stops I tell them to sit down in front of a picture and describe to the class what they think is going on.
We do this several times and I've found that the random nature of the activity takes off the pressure to think of something good. After they've all come up with two or three ideas, we sit down to write. I often use the structure of poetry for this stage of writing because the focus is on ideas rather than grammar.
I LOVE that idea, Carolee. I can see using it in my classes for adults writers, too. Okay, so tell us...what's on the horizon for you?
I'm in the process of writing up
The Secret Language of Stories as a teacher sourcebook and I just wrote
an article for Cynsations exploring the history of verse novels going all the way back to Homer and the Iliad and the Odyssey.
In the immediate future, FORGET ME NOT, my paranormal verse novel, is coming out October 2! It's about a girl who has been cyber bullied and hides out from her tormentors in a deserted part of the school only to find herself stuck in a hallway full of ghosts.
(
Read the great Kirkus review of FORGET ME NOT here and another terrific review of her book here.)
Sounds wonderfully SPOOKY, Carolee--and just in time for Halloween!
And finally, since it's Poetry Friday in the Kidlitosphere, would you share a poem from your new book with our readers?
Absolutely. Here is an excerpt from FORGET ME NOT:
WRITE IT OUT
That's what Ms. Lane,
my writing teacher,
would say.
Spill it out onto
the page.
Sometimes it's
the only way
for thoughts heavy
as bricks
to become feathers
and fly away.
I could go
to her class.
Get my head
together.
I'd sit next to
Elijah.
I wonder if
he's heard.
Even if he has,
I know
he
wouldn't say
a word.
poem © 2012 Carolee Dean. All rights reserved
Wonderful! Thank you SO much for stopping by to talk with us, Carolee!
Here's the exquisite book trailer for FORGET ME NOT:
Campers! Join Carolee's
Ghost Tour which starts Oct. 3, and check out the
original jewelry made especially for Carolee's book launch!
Carolee has generously offered to autograph a copy of her about-to-be-published book for our
BOOK GIVEAWAY. Yay! To enter, just follow these rules:
You must follow our
TeachingAuthors blog to enter for a chance to win an autographed copy of Forget Me Not by Carolee Dean. If you're not already a follower, you can sign up now in the sidebar to subscribe to our posts via email, Google Friend Connect, or Facebook Network blogs.
There are two ways to enter:
1) by a comment posted below
OR
2) by sending an email to teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com with "Book Giveaway" in the subject line.
Just for the fun of it, tell us a true ghost story of your own in 50 words or less. This is optional!
Whichever way you enter, you MUST give us your name AND tell us how you follow us. If you enter via a comment, you MUST include a valid email address (formatted this way: youremail [at] gmail [dot] com) in your comment. Contest open only to residents of the United States. Incomplete entries will be discarded.
Entry deadline is 11 p.m. Thursday, October 4, 2012 (Central Standard Time). The winner will be chosen in a random drawing and announced on October 5th.
Good luck, Campers!
Howdy, Campers!
Happy Poetry Friday! Today's poem is about making a decision and so is your poetry writing prompt, below.
So we've been discussing going for an MFA. Mary Ann posted that it was the best two years of her life. Carmela posted that one of the biggest pros was that it definitely made her a better writer and forced her to make writing a priority.
So...should I go for an MFA or shouldn't I?
It's complicated.
When I was seriously looking into applying to one of the low-residency MFA programs, our only child was a sophomore in college.
I was worried, mostly because I'm a sloooow reader and didn't know if I could keep up with the evil and overwhelming reading assignments I'd heard about. And worried because I finally had the quiet time I'd craved for years. Was I crazy? Was I rushing to fill up the space before I'd even wallowed in it for a bit?
Was I was just raising my hand, signing up, because I had no other plan? Did I need to sit in the hallway surrounded by closed doors a little longer and wait to see which one opened on its own?
I decided to go for it. (Well, 89% of me did.) Now it was just a matter of deciding where I would apply. I asked lots of MFA grads. I got lots of advice.
Meanwhile, it was a gentle, blossoming time in our lives. My son, who had been nearly absent from the family, hanging out with a girlfriend since he was 14, was suddenly single and actually calling and texting us.
We were making up for lost time. It was delicious. It was thirst-quenching. My mother roots were taking in all the rain they could soak up for as long as it lasted.
Even when my husband could not come with me because of work demands, I would use our frequent flyer miles to fly up to Berkeley now and then, if only to sit in on one of my son's cognitive science classes, share a pizza with him and his friends at the Cheeseboard Collective, and fly home.
I knew that if I added an MFA program, this extra layer, to my life, it would be, well, an extra layer. How would I balance my aging mother who lives alone, my aging uncle in a senior residence who needs my attention more and more, my writing career, my political activism, and, oh yes, family and marriage?
My stomach hurt thinking about it.
Here's what turned me around. My friend Julie. She knows me. This is what she said:
Oh, April. Don't do it now. Not now when you finally have such a warm connection with your boy. You'll have time later, Dear. Do it when he's in medical school, when he's in residency, when he's married. Do it then. Enjoy him now.
Hmmm. MFA. Family. MFA. Family.
For some, it's not this simple. It's not either-or. But for me, it suddenly it was that simple.
Two years later, I have my golden boy, my best friend husband, my teaching gig, several new manuscripts and no regrets.
Okay, look—it's not all tied up in a bow. I've had lots of rejections. I have self-doubt. but I have the morning glories in my garden and space to breathe.
Writing Workout: Decisions, Decisions.
There are thirty inspiring ideas about how to make a decision on
this blog post. Choose one as a jumping off point for your poem.
(Of course, you'll have to decide which of the thirty to use, won't you?)
I chose this one:
Imagine having made the decision. If you get a feeling of relief, that’s the way to go, even if it’s coupled with sadness. -Emma GildingMAKING A DECISION
MAKING THE BED
by April Halprin WaylandPull off the sheets
slip pillows out
pile in machine
then shut the door
hear it click shut
pour in the soap
hit button hard
watch the sheets whirl
sheets swirl in soap
just like my thoughts
round they go round
now they are warm
now they are dry
now they are clean
spread them out wide
pull them on tight
now I lie down
how do I feel?
Fresh. Clean. Relieved.
poem © 2012 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved
Forget Esoteric: How to Get Your Poetry Out of the Closet and Into a Book
By Maggie Ball Poetry is an esoteric art isn't it? There's no point in getting caught up in base things like publishing or pandering to an audience - it's only the work that matters, right? Wrong. Writing superbly crafted works of art full of rhythm and insight is a magnificent thing to do for oneself, but if these works aren't shared with others, they will disappear into the vacuum of certain death without trace. Of course there is always the chance that, like Emily Dickenson, your masterpieces will be discovered post-mortem. The chance is higher however, that this work won't have reached its potential, since it won't have gone through the stringency of refining, grouping, and structuring that publication involves, not to mention the opportunity of working with a professional editor. The poet has a responsibility not only to his or her art, but to the world, to publish, and to have publication as an end goal for the work.
That's easy to say, but how do you get your poetry published as a collection? Speaking from personal experience, getting a chapbook or full length poetry book published isn't easy, but it isn't actually that hard either. Small collections like chapbooks are cheap, and relatively easy to sell, and there are many quite a few publishers that specialise in poetry. There are a few tricks though.
Group your work into a common theme. One of the key ways to get a collection published is to work within an overall unifying theme. This doesn't necessarily mean you have to write to a theme at first. But you might find yourself attracted to a specific area which will ultimately form your framework. For me, I found myself increasingly drawn to Cosmology, and a number of my poems were pivoting around that. I did some work with a writing coach who convinced me to produce a full collection, and together we set a goal of two poems a week. I began to read journals like New Scientist and whenever something caught my eye, I would use that as the basis for a poem. That's the way Quark Soup took shape and it was surprisingly quick.
Find a publisher who is looking for work on a theme and write to it. If you don't seem to be naturally gravitating towards a theme, look for one. What hobbies do you have? When I saw a publisher calling for sports poetry, I wrote a few poems about swimming, and then sent them a query with those poems, asking if they would be interested in a book of interviews with professional sportspeople, with an original poem for each included sport. It's a concept that with a low time investment initially that could work for any publisher, on any topic. Just find a call for submissions on a specific concept and build a query or series of poems around that. Another publisher friendly theme is to write about where you live, and submit the work to a local publisher. There are tons of poems about Paris and New York, but what about Morebath or Poughkeepsie? You're sure to find something historically interesting, and the local council and library might buy up your first print.
Periods in history are also good. Karen Knight's Under the One Granite Roof is a terrific collection of poems built on Whitman's Civil War Years. Pick a period in your own history and write a series of poems around that topic. The possibilities are limitless, and it's much easier to let your creative flow rip when you've got a theme to work to. Finding a publisher is also easier, as the market for your work will be ready made.<
I’m thankful for having the opportunity to love this loyal, old Basset Hound, Hush Puppy, who we had to put to sleep on Tuesday. He lived almost 14 years, and he was a lover of pizza, going bye-bye, and belly scratches. We will miss you, our old friend. Rest in peace.
I wanted to tell you about the Teaching Authors blog’s 10 days of Thanks-giving. They are having a blog round-up of sorts, where anyone–child or adult–can post a thank you OR send your thank yous to them, and then they will post links to different blogs and maybe more on November 30. For all the details and exactly what is going on, check out: http://www.teachingauthors.com/2011/11/ten-days-of-thanks-giving-time-to-share.html.
In the meantime, I want to share my THANKU. It’s a haiku that also says THANKS! Your students/children could easily write these at any time during the holiday season. Again, thanks to the Teaching Authors blog at the link above for the amazing idea.
Here’s my THANKU:
Thank you to my mom
And to my father who watch
My darling daughter
Without their help, I would never get as much writing done as I do! 
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Thank you for reading my blog!
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I love what Zig Ziglar said about quotes:
"Great quotes make the light bulb go off in my mind. If you're like me, you'll jump at the chance to bypass all the churning and scoop the cream right off the top - that is what quotes are...the cream of our learning!"
By:
Joe Sottile,
on 8/10/2011
Blog:
Joe Silly Sottile's Blog
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50 Reasons to Write Poetry
Opinion / Column
1. To bear witness to life, the good, the bad, and the ugly
2. To discover what I feel
3. To express my feelings
4. To corral my experiences
5. To discover what I think, know and care about
6. To get life’s pain out
7. To use what hurts positively
8. To enjoy the power of words
9. To share serious thoughts
10. To define who I am
11. To be seen and heard
12. To open minds and change the world
13. To make sense of the world
14. To understand the human condition better
15. To stay engaged with my own divinity
16. To be authentic, genuine and real like Holden Caulfield
17. To avoid Depression
18. To build bridges with words
19. To keep my brain alert and alive
20. To keep Alzheimer’s at bay
21. To have something positive to daydream about—writing…
22. To recite my own poetry in traffic
23. To be part of various poetry groups and writing organizations
24. To be a leader instead of a follower
25. To conduct poetry workshops
26. To be anything I want
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Sarah Nagel, an editor for Blue Mountain Arts, is visiting with us today to give us some information about writing greeting cards and books for this company. I'm sure many of you will find this interview interesting; and hopefully, you'll find some writing tips, so you can see your work in print. So, let's go!
WOW: Welcome to The Muffin, Sarah. According to your website, Blue Mountain Arts creates cards, books, and gifts. Tell us a little about the products you offer and your company.
Sarah: Susan Polis Schutz and Stephen Schutz founded the company in 1971. Idealistic and very much in love, the couple left the busy East Coast in search of a new life in Colorado. In the basement of their apartment, they silk-screened posters of Susan's poems paired with Stephen's paintings and then traveled the country selling the posters from their pickup-truck camper. Everywhere they went, people were drawn to the candor and emotion of Susan's words and to the beauty of Stephen's illustrations. What began as a way for Susan and Stephen to spend their time together doing something they loved quickly became a publishing phenomenon.
Today Blue Mountain Arts continues to be at the creative forefront of personal expression and is a thriving international publisher. Blue Mountain Arts plays an essential role by helping people to connect with each other and strengthen the bonds of family, friendship, and love. Our products are designed to touch the hearts of those who give and receive them.
WOW: That is an awesome story. I love to hear about people who follow their dreams and find success. So, what kind of submissions are you currently looking for
I am having such fun having so many different people drop in this month to blog about poetry. If you've just arrived here for the first time, I am having a month long bloganza of visiting bloggers telling me (and you) what they like about children's poetry. This is my way of celebrating the release of my new verse novel, Toppling. So, to today's post. Today I am delighted to welcome Laura Evans,
I've always loved reading poetry--well-worn copies of Maya Angelou and Sylvia Plath's collected works sit on my bedside table. I even dabbled a bit in poetry over the years, filling journals with teen angst and later, musings on daily life. There's something about the form that is so inspiring. Being able to tell a whole story or capture a moment in time with only a few words is not an easy thing! Writing poetry can teach us about brevity, which is helpful for any fiction or non-fiction writer, and it certainly helps fuel creativity. I admire those who can do it professionally.
If you're interested in learning about poetry or would like to improve your craft, consider participating in Melanie Faith's poetry class:
Spring Forward! Poetic Line, Breath & Vision. Melanie offers wonderful critiques for each of her student's poems, and many of her previous students enroll in her class again because they've found it so useful.
Her class starts tomorrow, March 5, 2010, and runs for 5 weeks. If you'd like to participate, this is the last day for enrollments! Visit WOW's
Classroom Page for complete details.
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By:
Shutta Crum,
on 1/26/2010
Blog:
Shutta's Place
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Sometimes we need a little imbalance in our lives to make us think about how to get centered again. Writing a picture book in verse is like that, too.
When writing in poetical stanzas (With all those good things that any picture book needs-characterization, setting and a plot, for goodness sake!) the writer has an additional concern. That is, a sense of balance. Oftentimes we can sense imbalance but we are not quite sure why something doesn’t work. For example, the magical number in most western literature is three. Tasks, bad luck, good luck, etc. come in threes. (Unless you come from a Native American background, then four is usually the special number.) If this is violated, somewhere down deep we readers feel a bit uneasy. Things are not quite what they should be.
Most picture books are thirty-two pages in length. (Some are forty, or twenty-four; all are a number of pages that can be divided by 8.) Working with thirty-two pages, a writer of picture books has to be able to envision action for approximately thirteen double spreads (26 pages), and two single pages (first right-hand page and final left-hand page). The remaining four pages are front and back matter. One of the jobs for the verse writer of picture books is realizing how the stanzas, with or without a chorus, play across these pages in a balanced way so the reader feels, yes! This is right.
Early in my writing career I wrote a book from which my editor wanted me to remove one stanza so we could get it into a twenty-four page format. But which one should I remove?
This manuscript also contained a repeated chorus at precise points in the story. In my mind it was designed like one might a beaded necklace. There was an opening, three strands (stanzas) of a certain rhyme pattern and rhythm, a chorus strand with a different rhyme and rhythm, three more of the basic strand, another chorus, three more of the basic, and then a closing. So the original pattern went: Opening, 3 stanzas, chorus, 3 stanzas, chorus, 3 stanzas, closing.
How could I remove just one and keep the whole thing working in a balanced way? Well . . . obviously, I had to remove the center stanza so the central strand of the basic pattern contained only two stanzas. Now my pattern was Open, 3, C., 2, C., 3, Close.
Now, you might think at this point that I am being just too fussy. But am I? Certainly a reader sometimes is not aware of all the work a writer does behind the scenes to make a story flow as though it were effortless. However, if we jarred the reader rudely at a point in the flow-he/she would certainly feel it, even though the reader might not be exactly sure why it didn’t work for him/her.
For example lets look closely at this title from a friend of mine’s manuscript (Hope Vestergaard) that will be out with Greenwillow in the next year or two: Digger, Dozer, Dumper. Obviously, this is a book of large machines for little readers. And the title is perfect. Why is that?
First, we have the very descriptive words that tell exactly what each machine does. Second, we have the wonderful alliteration so beloved in children’s books that helps the title just roll off our tongues. But there is more . . . a third thing. This is something an author would think about and deliberately design, something that just feels right.
Notice the vowels? Each one progresses down in tone and where they said in the mouth. The “i” is higher, said using the tongue up near the roof of the mouth. The “o” is said in the round chamber of the middle of one’s mouth, while the “u” is said more in the lower back of the mouth near the throat. It feels good in our mouths to say it. It’s memorable, it’s musical. It’s perfect!
Now you know a little about why I fume when someone comments, “Oh it must be so easy to write those books. They’re so short.” When t
Somewhere in my recent reading I read a piece of writing advice that spoke a little at the time, but resonated further later on. The writer, speaking about poetry, advised writers to be succinct – to say what they want to say and then stop. Too often, he said, a poet will presume the reader is a little stupid, and not only say what they want to say, but then say it again differently, or even
As you'll know, if you've been following my blog, I love to write poetry for children. From a quick rhyme to a verse novel, I love the way that poetry allows a depth of expression it's harder to capture in prose. And kids like reading and listening to poetry, too.I find that when I'm busy in my non-writing life, I can often catch ten minutes to write a first draft of a poem, wheras I may not have
Day 29 of my month of celebrations for the release of Pearl Verses the World. Today I am delighted to welcome my friend and fellow poet, children’s author and blogger Claire Saxby to my blog. As part of my month long celebration of all things poetry, Claire has agreed to guest blog with a wonderful poetry exercise – and a beautiful poem.birthing a poemPoems can be like snapshots capturing a
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Dear April - such exuberance! Thank you. And thanks to Sonya. Very excited about her new book. xo
What a FABULOUS post, April! And thank you, Sonya, for this terrific interview and poem. I can hardly wait to read your new book!
Dear Irene and Carmela ~ Thank you! If it's a fabulous post it's because Sonya is great material!
Love the little details about donut similes and drummers teaching rhythms!
Wonderful and informative interview! Loved getting to know more about Sonya!
Oh I read Sonya's Stop Pretending before I went to Highlights Foundation. Loved it. Will need to get her new book. Oh, that you were in that Master Class....I would have loved it.Thanks for a great interview.
Wonderful interview, April and Sonya! Makes me want to be in that living room listening to drums, and to read Sonya's new book.
Awesome interview!! I did an intensive with Sonya last year at the SCBWI LA conference and it was amazing! She's one of a kind - that's for sure!
Love verse novels, and excited to hear about this new one and the older ones. Great interview & so wonderful you both worked with Myra Cohn Livingston. I love her book!
Such a fun post, what great stories you have. Thanks for that and for the giveaway too. I'd like to win the book for myself, I'm intrigued to read a full-length piece from Sonya. Thanks again.
Gang ~ I'm so glad you enjoyed reading about Sonya and those drummers and more!
Hi there April, what a fabulous interview. I love novels in verse, but haven't read any of Sonya's works yet. Will try to find her books here in Singapore. :) I hope she enjoys Hong Kong! :)
I have been working on a verse novel and find this post so encouraging. Can I meet you, Sonya? While I am entering the giveaway and crossing my fingers, I will also put your books on my wish list.
This fantastic interview reminds me of when I heard Sonya speak -- her radiant creativity and generosity shine through. So much to ponder from this one post. I love her books, though they often squeeze my heart a bit harder than the humor would lead me to anticipate! Thanks, April!
Love this interview and love that there is a Sonya Sones book give-away! Thank you!
Really enjoyed reading about Sonya and her upcoming book. Love, love, love the donut activity, too! Thanks!
Thank you for this terrific post with Sonya Sones-- love everything I've ever read of hers, and this poem is certainly no exception! Also really liked her advice to teachers.
Dear April and all the lovely folks who posted comments here,
I didn't see these until just now.
WOW! What lovely and kind remarks...
If April ever asks if she can interview you: say YES!
April, you are an interviewing wizardess. I love all the little touches you added - the links to the poems I mentioned, the funny dentist lie, and the donut pictures.
Thanks sooo much for having me!
xx,
Sonya
P.S.
I'm going on a book tour for TO BE PERFECLTY HONEST. Please stop by and say hello.
Here's where I'll be:
http://www.sonyasones.com/wp/events/