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Do DUI prevention laws actually deter driving under the influence? Authors Lorne Tepperman and Nicole Meredith argue that punishments like fines, imprisonment, and license suspension are not as effective as we like to think. They have found that people are more likely to be changed by constructive influences (e.g., alcohol counseling) and social taboos than they are by threats of punishment.

The post The reality of DUI prevention laws [infographic] appeared first on OUPblog.

FSG and National Geographic editors to speak

Arkansas SCBWI Spring Conference, April 11-12

If you’re anywhere close, you won’t want to miss the Arkansas SCBWI Spring Conference.

Editors include Lisa Graff of FSG and Jennifer Emmett of National Geographic.

Here’s a current schedule of my speaking. It may change at any time, because I’m in discussion with a couple people about other events.

• February 4 Ft. Smith Public Library, Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Children’s program.
• February 5 Mountain Home Public Library, Mountain Home, Arkansas. Children’s Program with book signing and Adult Writer’s Workshop.
• Feb 9-10 Attend the NYC SCBWI conference.
• March 10 Holcomb Elementary, Fayetteville, AR
• March 17 Maumelle Elementary, Maumelle, AR
• March 20 The Cathedral School, Little Rock, AR
• April 4-6 Novel Retreat in 3 Acts, Nebraska. Contact [email protected] to ask if any spaces remain in the retreat.
• April 11-12 Arkansas SCBWI Spring Conference, Conway, AR
• June 6 Arkansas Writer’s Conference, Little Rock, AR. Contact [email protected]
• July 23-24 Western Arkansas Education Service Cooperative. Professional development.
• September 19-21 Arkansas SCBWI Fall Retreat, Mt. Magazine State Park, AR
• October 24-26 Act 3 of Novel Retreat in 3 Acts, Nebraska. Contact [email protected] to ask if any spaces remain in the retreat.
• November 7-9 Western Washington SCBWI Retreat. Voice and Scenes. Contact [email protected]

I’m always happy to consider speaking at a retreats, conferences, professional development classes, school visits, etc. If you want to host a Novel Revision Retreat in your area, email for more information: darcy at darcypattison.com

Good morning!

A school day has pre-empted a local book group from discussing HEAD CASE, so here I am.  I can post!  I have time!

Let's start with a little BSP!!

I am so thrilled that HEAD CASE was listed as a 2008 QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT READERS.  I am so proud!  This list means a lot to me, because as many of you know, I was a reluctant reader. 


See the list here;


http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/quickpicks/08qp.cfm 

Anyway, check it out!  So pleased to also see jbknowles on this list...YAY Lessons!!!!


Now that we have that out of the way,,,,,

If you are looking for a retreat where you can talk

CRAFT
PROCESS
MEET OTHER WRITERS.........

If you are free May 16-18.

We are accepting applications for the FIFTH ANNUAL NOVEL WRITING RETREAT AT VERMONT COLLEGE!!!!!

Louise Hawes
Marsha Qualey
and
Julie Romeis (Chronicle Books)

will be there.

Our theme is EMOTION!!!  

Want an internal arc????

Email me for a brochure........

Ginny is just going into 7th grade, and she has a plan. From getting a new dad to looking good in her school photo, her list runs the gambit.

Through a series of lists, letters, IMs, report cards, post-its, detention slips, brother-drawn comics, and overdue slips, readers get a real sense of what's going on in Ginny's life.

While the format is super-cute, Jennifer Holm (yes of Babymouse and others) tackles some meaty issues. Ginny's dad was killed by a drunk-driver, and now her older somewhat delinquent brother seems to be on the same path as the teen who killed their father. Ginny is also dealing with more typical middle school issues. Mary Catherine Kelly still has Ginny's sweater, and she stillhasn't spoken to Ginny since she got the prime part at their ballet school. Ginny is also on a quest to make her nose seems smaller, and is wondering what to do about the fact that Brian Bukvic keeps bugging her.

Ginny's got a great relationship with her mom and her Fairy Grandfather, which is evident through artifacts like long-distance phone bills (Grandpa is in Florida), and the notes that her mother leaves for her. Even though readers get a sense of family distance from the sheer volume of notes to each other, the author has managed to develop the character of the family itself so that the reader really can feel the love they all have for each other.

I am going to be recommending this to reluctant readers, and also to the students looking for a super fast, yet thoughtful read.

I’m working on a revision right now and after several false starts, I created a voice that I really like. It’s heavily dependent on a narrator and is pretty informal. It’s worked well for most of Act I.

But as I enter Act II, I’m finding it hard to judge whether I strayed from the voice or not. Part of the problem is that I’m trying to use what I can from the previous draft and not TOTALLY rewrite. Not sure that strategy is best. I may be losing the voice.

I’ll have to stop this morning and read aloud the first couple chapters and then the last one I did and either rewrite totally, or tweak. Here’s hoping that tweaking works!

I did some Grammatik analysis and the last chapter seems to be slightly more complicated, with reading level going from 3.6 to 5.3. Overall the story (so far) hits a 4.1 reading level. It’s not helpful in revising, but it does confirm the red flag that I need to pay attention here.

How do you make sure that the voice stays consistent over the course of a novel? Any strategies, ideas, tools besides reading aloud?

Wow! What a trip to Seattle!

I got to meet Mitsy, the Dragon who guards the entrance to the Mirrorstone Books office. And of course, I also met with Nina Hess, the Senior Editor Extraordinaire.

Then, I almost got swept off my feet with the windstorm that hit the city, sending fall leaves blowing. I had a great evening that included supper with author Susi Fowler from Juneau at the McCormick & Schmick seafood restaurant, along with a visit to the Seattle Art Museum.

Friday morning, before our hosts picked us up, I had breakfast with the fabulous Denise Fleming–what a woman! Her energy and passion for her art challenged me all weekend, as she taught the picturebook retreat that was parallel to my retreat. BTW, it hailed that morning.

Finally, I got to meet Jolie Steckly and Sara Easterly, Co-Regional Advisors for the Western Washington SCBWI, who set up this Novel Revision Retreat, and illustrator Jaime Temairik.

We drove up in the mountains to the Mt. River Lodge in Easton, WA, where it snowed on us! It was the earliest snowfall they’ve known, beating the record of October 31.

I finally met Meg Lippert, the efficeint retreat director, who had put all this together. And then, there were the writers. Twenty-four fantastic writers had worked hard to complete the homework assigned, including reading three other works-in-progress novels from their group members. We laughed, ate chocolate, talked, watched the Pirates of the Carribean movie, ate chocolate, and talked children’s literature and novel revision all weekend. Great people, great fun.

Rain, wind, hail, snow. Art, words, encouragement, inspiration. Thanks Washington for a great retreat!

Fall Schedule

• October 19-21 Novel Revision Retreat, Washington SCBWI, outside Seattle, WA at a retreat center.
• October 22 Arkansas Governor’s Arts Awards Luncheon. Rogers, AR. I will be the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Arts Award for Individual Artist for my work in children’s literature.
• November 2-3 Self-Editing Workshop, Hawaii SCBWI, Honolulu, HI
• November 15 IRA SW Regional Conference, Little Rock, AR.

Obviously, I’ll be traveling! I’ll post if I can from WA, but will take a break from blogging on November 1-11. Look for more postings on November 12. The best way to not miss anything is to sign up for my RSS feed. That way, your RSS reader will let you know when I’m back.

If you’re interested in hosting a Novel Revision Retreat in your area, please email me at darcy at darcypattison dot com. More information is available here.

Sign up for the RSS feed or the
occasional newsletter.

The Arkansas SCBWI will hold its fall retreat, Voice: The Writer as Ventriloquist on September28-30, 2007 at Mt. Magazine State Park. Speakers are author Kathi Appelt and Candlewick editor Hilary Breed Van Dusen. We’ve just had a cancellation, so there’s an open spot. If you’re anywhere close to Arkansas and want to join us, you can find full information here.

I hope YOU can make it!

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I was in hot Phoenix this weekend for a Novel Revision Retreat. If you’ve never attended one, I’ll try to give you an idea of what it’s like.

First, it’s limited to only 20 people at a time, purposely kept small so there’s lots of interaction. Before the retreat, they are divided into groups of four and exchange mss to read. That means each person had three others who had read their entire novel and could comment on it in its entirety–a rare thing. I do short lectures, followed by a hand-on activity for them to evaluate their mss in terms of about ten different topics. This is followed by group discussions of each novel.

See pictures from the retreat on Flickr in a set called Phoenix Retreat.
This time a couple writers had never read through the entire mss themselves, much less had anyone else do that. Often critique groups critique just a chapter at a time. Of course, there’s value in that, but it doesn’t give you the big picture critique that’s needed after a complete draft is done. So, it was the first time for them to even look at the big picture.

Some writers discover there’s no climax to their story, there’s inconsistencies in their chapters, their narrative arc needed strengthening here and there, their imagery was inconsistent, language needed to be more evocative, etc..

One person said that they didn’t know a day could pass so quickly. The retreat’s pace is consistently intense, but not frantic. We concentrate and work hard for short periods, followed by the lighter groups discussions; but even the discussions hold attentions well, because the focus is on getting help with your mss, or helping three others with theirs.

By the end of our two days together, the writers went home home with a plan of action for their mss. Participants go home “soberly encouraged,” that is, encouraged that they have so clearly seen the next step to take, but sober about the amount of work that lies ahead. Encouraged that they have taken a mss that’s been part of their life for several years and managed to re-envision the overall structure of the story: “I’m thrilled to have new insights.” Revitalized. Motivated. Ready to hit the ground running.

Thanks, Phoenix! It was a fun, tiring, exhausting, re-energizing weekend, for me, too! Loved Camelback Mountain, the quail family, the cottontails, the hummingbirds, the swimming pool, the lizards, the Tekakwitha Room (named for a Native American woman who is a Catholic saint–we were there on her feast day of July 14), the great air-conditioning–and most of all, twenty great writers. Be sure to send me your good news!

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You know there is nothing I like more than an intense writing retreat, so I am THRILLED to be able to make this announcement:

This October, Carolyn Coman and Tim Wynne-Jones will be offering a whole novel workshop at the Highlights Foundation.

It is a fantastic opportunity to jump into the writing/revision process with two masters of the craft.

Lucky me--I will be the TA for the week!

If you are interested, please check out the website now. They will only take eight writers, and applications and writing samples are due soon.

Please ask me any questions about this opportunity to develop as a writer!   And according to good sources, Honesdale is gorgeous.  The food is great, and the experience inspiring and motivating.

Email me with questions.....

The link:

Last night I went to my crit group. During the check in I told them about my great weekend away with my bookclub. "You went away for two weekends in a row?" asked my friend Katie. "No, there was a weekend in between," I explained. But I didn't need to defend myself and I don't feel guilty at all. I always look forward to friends, networking, and learning at the NESCBWI conference. This past weekend was all about relaxing. I ate great food, napped when I wanted to, read without feeling guilty, painted, listened to the thunderstorms rumble off the New Hampshire mountains and enjoyed the ideas, musings, and feelings of good friends. Here's hoping that June will be a productive month and that summer weather comes soon.

Top: Ellen, Tracy, Katherine, Rachel  Bottom: Kim, Me, Penny


Here is my Chocura Mountain painting. (acryllic) It was so amazing to watch it evolve, layer by layer. I'd paint. I'd rest. I'd paint. I'd stop and talk. I'd paint. Fun, fun, fun. I don't usually work with color on canvas and found myself loving the size and the process, and the big arm motions involved.

Since everyone is at BEA, noone will even read this but I get a mini retreat this weekend with my bookclub. This means we will:
1. Discuss our husbands and children
2. Drink red wine and margaritas
3. Discuss number one again but not so nicely
4. Eat
5. Go for walks, do yoga on the deck, other active pursuits
6. Eat
7. Drink more red wine and margaritas
8. Hopefull draw and paint as I am bringing my art bin and two blank canvases. (I know, a little ambitious but I can dream.)
9. Eat
10 Discuss the book, Geraldine Brooks, A Year of Wonder. (amazing book)

by Darcy Pattison

Novel Secrets Series

Author Nancy Sharp has designed a series of three retreats, which is unique in the writing world. It takes writers from an initial idea to a finished manuscript and an evaluation by an agent or editor--in JUST ONE YEAR. Awesome!

Cynsations website is running a series of interviews with the speakers. One of the retreats will be my Novel Revision retreat.

Interview with N.L. Sharp
Interview with Elaine Marie Alphin
Interview with Darcy Pattison
Interview with Rebecca Sherman, agent at Writer's House.