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Manuscript update: Current word count is 10,791. Wrote 1,247 words since Thursday. It’s going … slowly, but going. Coming up to an exciting part in the story, so that’s fun.
Today is the start of Children’s Book Week. Yay! It’s so awesome that there’s a special week celebrating children’s books. Books are amazing for so many reasons. They tell stories of our history, our present, our possibilities. They take us to new places, real and imagined.
But for children, books are so important, because they help them understand themselves and their world and help them to grow.
Formed in 1919, Children’s Book Week is celebrated by schools, libraries, bookstores and clubs around the nation — not to mention blogs. It’s run by the Children’s Book Council. And there are a number of events going on to celebrate children’s books this week.
I’m celebrating Children’s Book Week with a contest for a copy of the new middle-grade children’s book The Best Last Days of Summer by Valerie Hobbs. I interviewed the editor of the book, Frances Foster, on Friday. And in two weeks, you can interview Valerie by submitting your questions here.
Valerie is the award-winning author of a number of novels, including children’s books Sonny’s War, Defiance and Sheep, as well as the young adult book Letting Go of Bobby James, or How I Found My Self of Steam.
To enter to win a copy of The Best Last Days of Summer, leave a comment on this post with a question for Valerie before midnight, Friday, May 14. Valerie will answer all your questions here on DayByDayWriter on Friday, May 21, and whoever submits her favorite question, will win the book. So make them good!
Write On!
10 Comments on Children’s Book Week and ask Valerie Hobbs contest, last added: 5/13/2010
Today, I’m welcoming Frances Foster to DayByDayWriter. Frances is publisher of Frances Foster Books, with Farrar Strauss Giroux Books for Young Readers and editor of The Best Last Days of Summer, by Valerie Hobbs. This is the 10th book of Valerie’s that Frances has edited.
A little about The Best Last Days of Summer, and then we’ll get to the questions. The middle grade novel is about 12-year-old Lucy Crandall, who’s spending her usual summer week with her grandmother in a cabin on a lake. While Lucy worries about being popular in her next school year and her neighborhood kid with Downs syndrome, she discovers that she has bigger things to worry about. Her grandmother isn’t well, and this will be their last summer at the lake.
Now onto the interview with Frances Foster.
What attracted you to The Last Best Days of Summer?
First it was Lucy, then her wonderful grandmother.
The voice of Lucy in the book is so strong right from the first sentence. How much of that voice was in the book before you acquired it?
Lucy’s voice was strong from the beginning and kept getting stronger and truer as the story developed. More and more of her kept being revealed as she got to know herself better, and when Eddie’s role grew larger, Lucy became an even more complex and interesting character.
Valerie has great descriptions and uses beautiful language. How much of that was brought out through your partnership with Valerie?
Storytelling comes so naturally to Valerie that, much as I’d like to, I can’t claim any credit for her graceful descriptions or beautiful language — unless it’s that editing helps eliminate distracting and/or extraneous detail, allowing Valerie’s storytelling gifts to shine clearly and unimpeded. But Valerie Hobbs almost never overwrites, so gives me no opportunity to cut and slash.
What do you look for in a manuscript you’re going to buy?
Voice, story, and writing (content, substance, and meaning), and whatever I buy has to resonnate with me in some way. I have to believe in it.
Generally, how much editing do you do on your books?
Only what I think is absolutely needed, meaning it can be minimal on some books and extensive on others. In general, I think of myself as a light editor, but I question anything that doesn’t sound right to me. I ask lots of questions.
What is the worst thing you see writers doing that you’d love them to do differently?
I can’t answer this que
Today is the start of Children’s Book Week. Yay! It’s so awesome that there’s a special week celebrating children’s books. Books are amazing for so many reasons. They tell stories of our history, our present, our possibilities. They take us to new places, real and imagined.
I’m celebrating Children’s Book Week with a contest for a copy of the new middle-grade children’s book The Best Last Days of Summer by Valerie Hobbs. I interviewed the editor of the book, Frances Foster, on Friday. And in two weeks, you can interview Valerie by submitting your questions here.
As a published author myself, I would like to know what you think about the Kindle and it’s affect on young readers.
Okay, so here’s my questions:
How do you develop your characters? How do you create a character that seems real? How do you connect with them and know how they would think and act and effectively convey that on the page?
Also, just for fun–how do you decide what your character will look like, what their name will be, what they’re house looks like, etc.?
My question for Valerie: What do you do to overcome a missing muse and get your writing going again when you become stuck?
Great questions! Thanks
Do you find that the best and very private qualities of yourself go into your characters? I’m thinking of those qualities of fine feeling level which don’t necessarily find their way easily into public interactions. Thanks.
Valerie, When have you rewritten enough and how many times would you say you rewrite your book before you send it out to publishers/agents?
Hi, Val -
What do you see as the piece of the puzzle that keeps The Last Best Days of Summer from getting “lovely but too quiet” comments? If this had been your first book, would it have made a difference?
Are all of your stories come from real life events and people? Or, have some come from your imagination alone?
Jean
Hi Val,
Can you share a magical moment of the writing of ‘The Best Last Days of Summer’… perhaps when a character did something completely unexpected/unplanned, and it was just wonderful for the story?
Thanks for all that you shared. This is twice in two days that I’ve looked at middle school and YA readers. What subjects are most appealing to middle graders right now?
Lynn
http://www.writeradvice.com
Author of You Want Me to Do WHAT? Journaling for Caregivers