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I make my living writing books, book reviews, and educational products for children. This blog features my personal take on the writing life and the niche-y world of children's publishing.
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My Q & A guest today is Chicago-based author Carol Saller, whose affecting middle-grade novel
Eddie's War (
namelos, August 2011) debuted last summer. The book's many impressive reviews praise not just the story, but also its unique and effective format: a collection of spare yet evocative vignettes that trace a young Midwestern boy's experiences before and during World War II.
Carol tells me she did not set out to write "poetry," but the novel's structure essentially established itself during the writing. (I don't know about you, but I am a
sucker for writer-as-conduit experiences!) Having recently read this gem, I can tell you that — for me — describing the work as a historical novel feels equally as natural as characterizing it as poetry. Once you get caught up in the story, and that happens very quickly, the format disappears. You can call that good storytelling, precise technique, or the catch-all
craft if you like — but I call it the very definition of
poetry.
I am delighted to share this interview today as part of
KidLitosphere Central's Poetry Friday
roundup. (Thanks to
Teaching Authors for hosting!) I hope you will enjoy peeking at Carol's writing process as much as I have — and that you'll be inspired to add
Eddie's War to your reading list.
Welcome to my blog, Carol, and congratulations on the new book! How does it feel to have such esteemed sources as (not to name-drop or anything, but) Kirkus, The Horn Book, and Nikki Grimes praising this beautiful “baby”?
Checking in to say, as the title implies I might, "I'm writing."
I always am, of course; always with the writing. But I've recently (why, just this week, if you must know) re-prioritized my various writing projects, and I'm working on a scheme that I dearly and deeply hope will allow me to put my YA novel WIP first, for the first time ever, in the very near future.
I mean, come on: It has to happen sometime.
Checking in to say, as the title implies I might, "I'm writing."
I always am, of course; always with the writing. But I've recently (why, just this week, if you must know) re-prioritized my various writing projects, and I'm working on a scheme that I dearly and deeply hope will allow me to put my YA novel WIP first, for the first time ever, in the very near future.
I mean, come on: It has to happen sometime.
I thought about quoting the full tale (it's in the public domain, after all) because the entire thing is such a gorgeous example of the art of atmospheric writing — but time- and space-saving heads prevailed. So now I give you the final paragraph in Washington Irving's supernatural masterpiece The Legend of Sleepy Hollow:
"The old country wives, however, who are the best judges of thesematters, maintain to this day that Ichabod was spirited away bysupernatural means; and it is a favorite story often told about theneighborhood round the winter evening fire. The bridge became more thanever an object of superstitious awe; and that may be the reason why theroad has been altered of late years, so as to approach the church bythe border of the millpond. The schoolhouse being deserted soon fell todecay, and was reported to be haunted by the ghost of the unfortunatepedagogue — and the plowboy, loitering homeward of a still summer evening,has often fancied his voice at a distance, chanting a melancholy psalmtune among the tranquil solitudes of Sleepy Hollow."
I thought about quoting the full tale (it's in the public domain, after all) because the entire thing is such a gorgeous example of the art of atmospheric writing — but time- and space-saving heads prevailed. So now I give you the final paragraph in Washington Irving's supernatural masterpiece The Legend of Sleepy Hollow:
"The old country wives, however, who are the best judges of these matters, maintain to this day that Ichabod was spirited away by supernatural means; and it is a favorite story often told about the neighborhood round the winter evening fire. The bridge became more than ever an object of superstitious awe; and that may be the reason why the road has been altered of late years, so as to approach the church by the border of the millpond. The schoolhouse being deserted soon fell to decay, and was reported to be haunted by the ghost of the unfortunate pedagogue — and the plowboy, loitering homeward of a still summer evening, has often fancied his voice at a distance, chanting a melancholy psalm tune among the tranquil solitudes of Sleepy Hollow."
Look sharp, notepads, Post-its, napkins, keyboards, and recording devices. November is right around the corner. Picture Book Idea Month 2011 starts this Tuesday!
0 Comments on
Go Purple! Or, "Go, Purple!" — Honoring Spirit Day as of 1/1/1900
"Who's big fat bright idea was it to do a weekly quote feature on this blog?"
—Lisa L. OwensThat's funny, right?
I'm around. Handling some pressing workaday deadlines and spending spare moments prepping for a writers retreat I'm attending in a few short weeks.
Also: The holidays seem to be here already. I know because I just ordered some Christmas lights and have urgently realized I need to book my holiday travel plans A-sap.
And: Work on the big
site-blog merger continues!
As I continue working on my YA historical novel, this quote speaks to me:
"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." I've been in full-on flow several times with this book, writing down a path I didn't mean to take — a luxury I don't normally indulge in during write-for-hire work. (NO time in that process for anything but 1-2-3 get it done.) And often I worry as I go that I will have to completely scrap whatever detour passage I've written.
This is not in the outline, I tell myself.
It doesn't fit in and I shouldn't be writing this knowing I'll delete it later. Or worse,
I realize, Aackk, this is better than what I'd planned and now I'll have to reshape everything else (deleting other baby passages) to accommodate it. 
It's so tempting to think of text swaths you change or cut as mistakes. But one of the most important thing I've tried to internalize in surrendering to the "vomit draft" process this year is that whatever you're writing — good crap, bad crap, ugly crap, crap-crap —
the THING is *that*
you are writing. The rest will take care of itself if you let it (aka doing more writing + careful revising).
It can be hard to look at a first draft and especially to show parts of it even to the most supportive of readers without wanting to shake everyone (read in this case: wanting to shake myself) until you know they know this is your early writing, that you intend to get it all "right" during revisions. But once you do it, the looking at it turns into one of the most satisfying steps — with the fixing-it part probably more more fun than anything else.
So, while I see and agree with Adams's POV, I do take issue with calling anything (or any part of anything) you create a mistake.
There are no creative mistakes, people!Is it a mistake to add too many stems to the vase? No. You can't tell exactly how many flowers fit just so until you throw some into the arrangement and step back for a look-see. You can't determine the perfect way to display the ready-made art you bought until you slap a few configurations onto the wall and take a few distanced ganders. You can't make a satisfying pot of soup without tasting and reseasoning . . .
And you can't
really craft your story until you write what wants to come out and let all the pieces show you — by being on point, off track, or seamlessly fitted — what to pitch and what to keep.
Now, off I go to write some stuff I might just end up trashing later. (And, reminder note to self: You will trash it, and you will like it.)
Last week I cruised over to my author site to do a little maintenance work. The only problem was that mere maintenance wasn't going to cut it. Fact is, my site has been in "overhaul" mode for well over a year (okay, two years this month!), and I just couldn't get excited about completing the work I'd started.
That was not the first time this had happened.
But. It was to be the last.
I finally fully realized that I wasn't motivated to implement the changes I'd put in motion because deep down I knew they wouldn't solve the main problem — that maintaining both a stand-alone author site and a separate blog doesn't work for me anymore.
So in the weeks to come I'll merge the separate entities to create one Blogger-hosted site found at my typical (redirected) author site's URL.
It can be done, it shall be done, and it will be grand.
Time again for a KidLit Quote of the Week!
Last week's entry was on the practical side (the funny one, too), while this week's is all about inspiration — and motivation.
"Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."
I consider raising the bar for yourself one of the most important guiding principles a person can embrace, and because I am a writer with ever-expanding writerly aspirations, I feel Alcott's articulation of it directly applies to my work. And, yes, to my sense of self, too.
It can be hard to walk that talk some days (and, no need to pretend — it's difficult some
several years at a time), but I know that when I do "look up," the beauty is right there for the seeing and helps light the path I need to travel.
I still serve as education chair on the
Editorial Freelancers Association's
Board of Governors, and I am happy to share that the
Fall 2011 Education Program is all set — with registrations streaming in at a nice clip!
None of this season's classes are directly related to children's writing, but I know many children's authors also freelance in other areas, and I thought readers might like to at least check out the offerings. They include
Let me know if I can answer any questions about the lineup!
I've decided to do a weekly post in which I share one of the countless quotes I've collected about writing and books. I'll focus on quotes by children's authors, quotes by others about writing/creativity that I think can apply to writing for kids, and, let's also say, passages from children's books.
Why start this now? How about "Because it's Tuesday." It'll be fun!
This inaugural KLQOTW is by an author I admire for his versatility and inspirational personal story. I saw him speak at either an IRA or NCTE conference in the 1990s (ah, the books* he signed for me say that was 1997), and his advice on finding success as a children's writer is timeless:
"Stay out of the refrigerator, read good books, steal good ideas,
develop good writing habits, and marry wealthy."
*Jack's New Power and Desire Lines
Just in time to celebrate "back to school," I am thrilled to help spread the word about Skype Authors!
This newly launched author group offers virtual visits to schools, book clubs, and, really, any organization looking for an easy and inexpensive way to host an author talk. (And, yes, I'm one of the authors — and I am so pleased to be in such excellent company.)
Suzanne Williams formed the network to benefit schools right here in the U.S. — while adding the goal of raising money to help support education efforts worldwide. To that end, each of us at Skype Authors has pledged to donate 25 percent of our virtual-visit fees booked through our site to a select charity each school year.
For the 2011–2012 season, we've chosen to contribute to Camfed, an organization that supports girls' education initiatives in Africa. Watch this brief introductory video about Camfed's mission to see why, as narrator Morgan Freeman says, "When you educate a young rural girl, you give her a voice."
Would your school or organization like to book a Skype Authors virtual talk for HALF OFF the regular fee? You can if you win our Half and Half Contest running through October 1! All you have to do is surf over to our site and comment on this September 6 blog entry. Two lucky commenters chosen at random will receive a half-off Skype visit — and the entire half-priced fee you pay will be donated to Camfed!
I'm excited to be part of this new venture, and I hope to see you on the online video phone soon.
Can you tell that I'm starting to reconnect with this blog? I can
feel that connection reforming, and that makes me happy. I wasn't sure it would come back, to be honest — but I thought it could, hoped it would. It seems to be creeping back in naturally, which I view as a positive.
For what it's worth, I do know why this is happening, and the reason is pretty straightforward: because I've been writing. I almost added just there "writing with a capital
W," but that's not what it is. It's writing in lowercase.
writingwritingwriting.
Writing with the Cap on is something I've also been doing, and like mad, for the past several years now. But that writing has been my
Writing for Work. Which is the same dang thing but not the same thing at all. The need to
writewritewrite on my own — for my own satisfaction, life processing, and growth — is part of my makeup.
Writing for Work is my (enjoyable) job. If I had to, I could pick another job, and I know there are quite a few out there I'd like and survive in. But I couldn't do another job or actually
be myself without
writingwritingwriting — not for the long haul, anyway.
So, now, after, oh, a three-and-a-half-year pregnant pause, I feel like a part of me has come back to life. I remember planning in early 2009 to force such a return to
Me and my writing-for-life ways, but apparently that sort of plan does not work, no matter how serious you are about it (and I was deadly so). Good to know.
Proof that my real writer's self is re-emerging? Right now I'm in the middle — yes, the honest-to-goodness smack-dab MIDDLE — of writing a YA historical novel that's been wanting me to write it for a very long time. It's loosely based on an 1890s family that first captured my interest in the 1990s. After writing an article about them, I filed away the research thinking I'd
someday take a deeper look with a proper book-length work. Nonfiction, I assumed. For adults. (I wasn't yet writing for children and had yet to even consider that I might.)
In the later 90s there was a day (literally) where the possibility of my writing a chapter book about the family was very real. I had a contract to write several kids' titles on topics of my choosing, so of course I considered the family as subject matter. Ultimately, though, I decided to save it for later, to write
something-I-didn't-know-what that would feel more special. For a time in the early aughts I thought maybe a screenplay was the way to go (and yet that went exactly nowhere). Then, in 2009, I had my
a-ha moment (please don't tell Oprah I said that), during which I realized that
this baby had to be a YA novel, both for its own sake and mine.
Since figuring out
what the project should be, I've started the writing a few times: Tentatively in 2009 (I didn't get very far before my nonwriting life derailed it); bravely but misguidedly in 2010 (wrong POV, too many characters competing for main, my heart and mind still focused elsewhere); and then again this spring-into-summer of 2011, when I gamely restarted from near scratch and managed to promptly — and gratefully — hit my stride. Now that fall is knocking, I have zero
That's right, this is just a teaser.
Two minutes ago I started a separate post to share what's been going on in my little corner of the writing world. I really thought I'd keep that one pithy enough to publish posthaste, but that is not how things went down. A different idea for how to approach it sprang to mind, and I wanna to do that!
So, instead of a "Hey, guess what I've been up to?" type blog, I will come back next week, Wednesday-ish, with a post that will be all
"This is what what I've been up to means to me."
I've decided I'd better BLOG something before a squatter takes over this empty space. In other words: (Have Been) Gone But (Have) Not Forgotten.
Still a writer. Still writing. Still interested in the topics of writing, children's literature, publishing, freelancing, and so on and so forth. Still interested in blogging about all of it.
But, see, I've been going through a growth spurt (creative! professional! personal!) for a while now, and that spurt has made me step back and often feel unable to quite "get to" topics that fit within my blog's themes without also talking about the attendant growing pains I've been feeling. I think that's because so much of my energy has been focused on processing the growth and accepting that change happens — like, at all. Apparently I can do that processing and work (for food) at the same time, but I really can't do it all while blogging (for my entertainment) with any regularity or sense of purpose.
The good news is that I've re-emerged (same me, really, just different) and planted my feet back on the ground. I suppose I could have said "planted my hands back on the keyboard," but they never actually left it. I can feel them there again, though, and that's the kind of change I can get behind and keep pushing up my own little hill.
See you back here, and soon!
I've decided I'd better BLOG something before a squatter takes over this empty space. In other words: (Have Been) Gone But (Have) Not Forgotten.
Still a writer. Still writing. Still interested in the topics of writing, children's literature, publishing, freelancing, and so on and so forth. Still interested in blogging about all of it.
But, see, I've been going through a growth spurt (creative! professional! personal!) for a while now, and that spurt has made me step back and often feel unable to quite "get to" topics that fit within my blog's themes without also talking about the attendant growing pains I've been feeling. I think that's because so much of my energy has been focused on processing the growth and accepting that change happens — like, at all. Apparently I can do that processing and work (for food) at the same time, but I really can't do it all while blogging (for my entertainment) with any regularity or sense of purpose.
The good news is that I've re-emerged (same me, really, just different) and planted my feet back on the ground. I suppose I could have said "planted my hands back on the keyboard," but they never actually left it. I can feel them there again, though, and that's the kind of change I can get behind and keep pushing up my own little hill.
See you back here, and soon!
It's time for
SCBWI Western Washington's always-lively Spring Inside Story salon!
Tomorrow night at 6:30, 15 Seattle-area children's authors and illustrators will present and sign their latest books at University Bookstore in Bellevue. I'll be there to introduce
The Sun, a book from my 10-title Space Neighbors series.
SCBWI sends invitations to about 300 librarians, booksellers, teachers, and media types — but, naturally,
everyone is welcome. If you love and/or create kids' books, you'll enjoy the evening. Attendees get to hear "the story behind the story" associated with each featured book, shop for their favorites, meet local authors/illustrators, and support independent bookstores. Oh, and by the way, the party includes both SNACKS and PRIZES. What's not to love?
Hope to see you there — it's gonna be fun!
It's time for
SCBWI Western Washington's always-lively Spring Inside Story salon!
Tomorrow night at 6:30, 15 Seattle-area children's authors and illustrators will present and sign their latest books at University Bookstore in Bellevue. I'll be there to introduce
The Sun, a book from my 10-title Space Neighbors series.
SCBWI sends invitations to about 300 librarians, booksellers, teachers, and media types — but, naturally,
everyone is welcome. If you love and/or create kids' books, you'll enjoy the evening. Attendees get to hear "the story behind the story" associated with each featured book, shop for their favorites, meet local authors/illustrators, and support independent bookstores. Oh, and by the way, the party includes both SNACKS and PRIZES. What's not to love?
Hope to see you there — it's gonna be fun!
It's
Nonfiction Monday in the
KidLitosphere (don't act like you didn't know!), and I'm hosting this week's roundup of themed blog posts right here on
my blog.
So, if you have reviewed or otherwise written about a nonfiction book for children, blogged about your own nonfiction writing for kids, or blogged about
anything else related to kids' nonfiction, please comment today! Be sure to include a link to your post, and I will add your information to the roundup below.
I'll periodically update the list throughout the day, starting early-ish this morning (Pacific Time) — soon after I've plopped myself in front of my computer for the workday. Looking forward to seeing some great blogs!
Nonfiction Monday Blog Roundup- Your Post Here?
- Your Post Here?
- Your Post Here?
- Your Post Here?
- Your Post Here?
It's
Nonfiction Monday in the
KidLitosphere (don't act like you didn't know!), and I'm hosting this week's roundup of themed blog posts right here on
my blog.
So, if you have reviewed or otherwise written about a nonfiction book for children, blogged about your own nonfiction writing for kids, or blogged about
anything else related to kids' nonfiction, please comment today! Be sure to include a link to your post, and I will add your information to the roundup below.
I'll periodically update the list throughout the day, starting early-ish this morning (Pacific Time) — soon after I've plopped myself in front of my computer for the workday. Looking forward to seeing some great blogs!
Nonfiction Monday Blog Roundup
- Check out Jeff Barger's review of Hail! Ancient Greeks by Jen Green.
- Shelf-employed has reviewed the audiobook Meat-Eating Plants and Other Extreme Plant Life.
- Madigan Reads reviews Jo S. Kittinger's picture book Rosa's Bus.
- A Nation's Hope: The Story of Joe Louis by Matt de la Pena (illustrated by Kadir Nelson) is reviewed at Abby the Librarian.
- Scrub-a-Dub Tub reviews Steve Spangler's Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes: Unforgettable Experiments That Make Science Fun.
- Visit Wild About Nature for a review — and giveaway! — of At the Sea Floor Cafe: Odd Ocean Critter Poems by Leslie Bulion.
- Books, Dogs, and Frogs discusses fun food books today.
- Read Lawral the Librarian's review of Scribbling Women at Lucy Was Robbed.
- Lori Calabrese reviews Where Do Recyclable Materials Go? by Sabbithry Persad.
- Jeanne Harvey's Astro the Stellar Sea Lion is reviewed at Jean Little Library.
- Pink Me reviews Can I See Your I.D.? True Stories of False Identities by Chris Barton.
- Anastasia Suen introduces the chapter book You Can't Wear These Genes and the picture book Play Ball, Jackie!
- Wrapped in Foil reviews Kathryn O. Galbraith's Planting the Wild Garden.
- Lori Mortensen's Come See the Earth Turn: The Story of Leon Foucault is highlighted at
0 Comments on Nonfiction Monday Roundup — April 4, 2011 as of 1/1/1900
It is
Nonfiction Monday in the KidLitosphere, and I am thrilled to announce that my latest picture book series has officially launched! It's called
Space Neighbors, and its 10 nonfiction titles about the solar system were a joy to work on.
The 10 books are
Earth,
The Sun,
Jupiter,
Mars,
Mercury,
Neptune,
Pluto and Other Dwarf Planets,
Saturn,
Uranus, and
Venus.
This project marked my first time writing for
Child's World. The work involved some fast-and-furious research — and even faster/furiouser writing. I signed my contract in July 2010 and by September 2010, all 10 manuscripts had been written, revised, approved, and shipped off to design.
I'm not sure I can even tell you what else went on in my life during the initial writing phase of the project, but let me think on that for a minute. Hmm . . . well . . . oh wait, yes, I do know
exactly what else I did: Not a thing. Or, if you like,
no other things. Which is, as you know, aka NOTHING.
I was a writing fool. And anyone who talked to me then probably remembers me as a plain-old fool-fool, too. My brain was so focused on the writing that forming intelligible sentences with my mouth was frequently challenging.
In all seriousness, keeping up with the surprising-to-me influx of late-breaking solar system news was a full-time job in itself. I do a ton of nonfiction work, but typically I write about historical figures (dead), landmark events (over) and already-well-understood concepts (long fully processed). The pressure to get it right reminded me of my stint as a reporter back in the early 1990s. With this work, as happened then, my burning desire to provide the most current and
the most accurate information possible really made me sweat. And lose sleep. Despite my overall satisfaction with the project — now that the work is but a memory — I can't say that I would ever again consent to working on so many titles in such a short window of time. But I can say that I am quite pleased with how my
Space Neighbors babies turned out.
4 Comments on Introducing Space Neighbors — My New Picture Book Series!, last added: 3/25/2011
0 Comments on Poetry Friday: Q & A with Author Carol Saller as of 1/1/1900
Hi Lisa,
Even though you didn't list your blog address on Market My Words, I found you! But I couldn't find a button to sign on as a follower. I see you're signed up for PiBoIdMo- me too! Come check out my blog when you have a chance.
http://writefromthesoulvisualeyes.blogspot.com
Hi Gail! Thanks for finding me. My name on the comment at Market My Words should be clickable right to the blog (unless I mistakenly commented in an unusual way — who knows)! In any case, you can easily follow this blog by clicking Blogger's default "Follow" option in the upper left-hand corner of the page, — or in the right-hand sidebar under my "FOLLOW" heading, you can click on the Feedburner icon for options or sign in right below that using your favorite account (Google, Twitter, Yahoo, etc.).
Looking forward to PiBoIdMo, and I'll come check you out! Good luck!