squeetus

Doin' a happy dance

TA-da-da-DA! I have completed a new first draft! It's the mainstream novel for adults that I started last summer, and between working on the graphic novel and baby needs, I've somehow been able to seize enough time to complete it! It's not huge, but a hearty 55,000 words nonetheless.

These past few weeks, I've been like a bloodhound on the scent, crazed with how close I am and eager to finish it off. I've been obsessed with taking my daily word count, imagining again and again the final scenes that separated me from the finish of the book, nearly insane to get it done. And now it is!

I'm addicted to the rush I get on completing a first draft. No part of the writing process is more difficult or more rewarding to me. Now I have something. It's not just an idea, not just a hope of a book someday. It is a real live draft! I'll run through it again, and then I get to start sharing it with people. First, my husband, because he's always first. And then, because this one is a non-fantasy mainstream book, I'll have my writer friend Shauna take a look. She writes in this genre as well, so she's an ideal reader (unlike Dean, who will not get this one, bless his heart--he might say, "It's good, but it needs more giant robots"). Then I'll start rewriting on their notes and on my own insights after I get some distance from it. I need to be working on Jack and the new Bayern book this year, so rewrites will be interspersed and slow (particularly as my writing time is more limited than ever). But I have something tangible! It so rocks.

Have you hugged your teacher today?

As you may know, I feel strongly about giving ourselves permission to read for pleasure, at what ever age, and whatever books might be the ones that we love. When I was in high school and college, because the only books assigned in English classes were the classics, I came to believe that they were the only books in existence that were good for me, and for many years I ceased to read for pleasure. This was my fault, not my English teachers'. They never told me I shouldn't read anything else (though I did hear one teacher mock the popular novels). However, I've maintained that English teachers are in a very powerful position to encourage teens to be lifelong readers. By recommending and even assigning a variety of literature along with the classics, I believe their students are more likely to fall in love with reading.

An example. I spoke recently with a man who had a very difficult time in high school. His reading skills/interest was low. He struggled in his basic English class. Then the teacher assigned them the book The Princess Bride. He ate it up. He read the classics too, but it was that one book that really stood out. Because it was assigned by his teacher, it was as though he was given official permission to read for pleasure. And as an adult, he still does. His favorite reads now aren't funny or fantastic like The Princess Bride--he prefers poetry and literary short stories. But that act by that teacher allowed him to keep reading after high school until he found the kind of literature that he loved.

My point, dear reader--even one silly book, one fun book, one different book among the Hemingways and Steinbecks and Melvilles, made a huge difference for this reader. So many teachers are already doing this. Thank you. Some aren't, and it's to these teachers that I appeal.

Because this is an issue I feel so passionately about, I speak about it with strong words and have unfortunately led some people to believe two erroneous things about me: that I hate all classics and that I blame the English teachers. This is not true! Again, I do NOT think the classics are bad and should be banned. Far from. I only think that there should be some variety in the curriculm, even just one assigned book with some humor or adventure or with a protagonist that a teen can relate to, written in the vernacular. And I most certainly do NOT think that English teachers are bad or are to blame for the problems. My goodness no. I've been pretty heartbroken that my words made anyone think this way. English teachers have a tough, nigh impossible job of monumental importance and the last thing they need is to some writer making them feel underappreciated.

So let's do something positive, shall we? Let's spend some time this week thanking our English teachers or librarians or people who have sparked in us a love of reading. Write that former teacher a letter. Go thank that current teacher for all she/he does. Share a story here of a particularly powerful teacher. I'll start.

For 9th and 11th grade English, I had two of the greatest teachers of all time. We all knew that they truly cared about us and wanted to instill in us a love of words and the ability to think. My 9th grade teacher asked us to find vocabulary words from the books we read that we didn't understand. She posted them around the room and we learned those new words all year. I still remember them. Both teachers were so patient with me and allowed me to fulfill assignments in a creative (and perhaps ridiculous) way. I remember doing a presentation on Edgar Allen Poe as if it were a funeral, with lights out and candles lit. I remember doing a reading of a poem with drums and mock-interpretive dance. They not only put up with me but encouraged me to be creative. They not only helped me survive high school, but they gave me a class that I loved. I owe them much credit for anything that I've accomplished since. Thank you Ms. Fowler and Ms. Romney!

No guilt for pleasure reading!

From a Guardian article: "Stephen King has beaten JK Rowling to the title of the UK's favourite literary guilty pleasure.... 85% of those surveyed admitted to having an author they turn to for sheer gratification, but whom they might not admit to reading in pubic."

I find the very assumption of this survey alarming. Why are people ashamed to be reading Stephen King or J.K. Rowling or Terry Pratchett? Would the same people be ashamed to admit that they saw a horror film or took their family to see a Harry Potter flick or reveal that they regularly follow some TV show like 24 or Lost? I don't think so. So why is reading for pleasure shameful and watching TV or movies not?

More and more I'm noticing that people (mostly adults) don't allow themselves to read for pleasure, or if they do they're afraid to admit it. Why? Why oh why? It doesn't make sense. And then I remember--perhaps they learned in high school (as I did) that the only books good for you are the classics and anything of a genre or anything written in the last 20 years must be rubbish. Hm. And we wonder why adult literacy is in trouble. We need to stop blaming the TV and the internet for the world's loss of readers. It's our own fault. Personally, the books that bring me greatest pleasure are those that are well written, have real merit, and tell a ripping good tale to boot. Everyone's tastes will vary. The important thing is to allow ourselves to read what we love--otherwise (as is happening everywhere) we'll stop reading altogether.

I say, fling off the shackles of yesteryear, my brothers and sisters! Embrace whatever books sing to you! Fall into those stories and be not ashamed! I AM PROUD TO BE A READER!

New wardrobes

You can see the new cover for the princess academy US paperback on amazon. It's quite a bit different from the hardcover.

Also, I believe this is the official cover now for austenland. Previously, as some of you saw, the estate was up-side-down. Now the up-side-down estate will be on the back of the cover.

A common question I get: "How much say do you have in covers?" Some say, though I don't have any part in designing them. The process usually goes like this:

1. My editor and the designer brainstorm ideas for a cover. I'm not involved in this.
2. If they are thinking about a particular artist for the job, they'll usually email me a link to their website to see if I like their stuff.
3. My editor commissions the artist to do the cover. I have no contact with the artist.
4. My editor and the designer get the art, tinker with the design, show it to others, including sales reps and the publicity folk to get input. They often revise based on what feedback they get there. Then they show me what they've come up with.
5. If I hate it, I certainly say so. Although often it isn't what I'd imagined, I almost always like it. I also think that I'm not the best person to design my own covers so I trust in their expertise.

Shake that groove thing

One of the coolest things about having two kids? For family dance parties, we all have a partner. We've been having lots of family dance parties lately. For a while, Max wouldn't allow Dean and me to dance at all. (We tried not to take it personally. Surely it wasn't a critcism of our extremely fine groove moves.) Now he's lifted the ban, on occassion. I got an ipod speaker for Christmas, and we play music in the kitchen while I make dinner. It's probably my favorite time of day.

Maggie is doing so much better at night! I'm so proud of her. (knock on wood) She is going two hours between feedings at night and sometimes even longer. And she's so gorgeous. I'm not in the least biased, I'm sure, when I say she's the most gorgeous baby in the entire world. She's starting to grin at me, and then I just have to attack those cheeks and kiss 'em up.

Reading the comments on the last blog, I'll give my thoughts on negative reviews. I read all the reviews of my books that come my way, but I no longer seek them out. They are not helpful to a writer. The truth is, not everyone is going to like what you write. There is no possible way to write something that will appeal to everyone's tastes. We're all individuals. You have to write to yourself. That doesn't mean that writers shy from criticism. The rewrite process I go through with all my books would've made me weep and curl up into fetal position when I wasn't used to it. Many people read my manuscripts, including my editor, and with each draft give pages of notes about what is wrong with it and what doesn't work. I myself am a harsh editor of my own work. I spend months and years searching for ways I've failed with the story and for ways to improve it. I consider every criticism of the manuscript very seriously. It's an arduous, often painful, and completely essential process for writing the best book possible. The positive outcome of this torture is that by time each of my books is published, I feel very confident that it was the absolute best I could do.

Getting negative feedback after a book is published is not helpful to a writer. Sometimes, it can throw me off so much, shake my confidence, so that writing that day or week is very hard. That's not the reviewer's fault, it's mine, but it may be why some writers avoid all reviews. It may be important for that reviewer to express their opinion, but that opinion is for the reader's sake, not mine. The book is already published, there's nothing I can do to change it, and I wouldn't change it if I could. I wrote the book that I wanted to read. Besides, I couldn't possibly listen to everyone. For example, some readers have told me that the goose girl was paced too slowly and they couldn't get into it; others have said that they were captivated from the first page and loved the writing style. How can I please both kinds of readers? I can't. I can only write the book for my internal audience and, heeding the advice of my editor and early readers, rewrite it the best I can. When people tell me things they don't like about my books, all I can do is acknowledge that they have every right to have that reaction, and then move on.

January is the coolest month

Phase 1 of my fun news: When I tour this fall for book of a thousand days, I'll be co-touring with another author. We'll be doing joint events and signings. And the fabulous author?

Libba Bray!

That's right, the NYT best-selling author of A Great and Terrible Beauty will be co-touring with me, baby, toddler, and mom. Poor lady. I don't yet know where we'll be going, but it won't be many places because I'm just doing a mini-tour, given the whole Partridge Family flavor of my wanderings. More fun news shortly, maybe next week.

And I wanted to post on the Newbery day in January, but I couldn't get on the computer that day (some days, Maggie just prefers I hold her constantly and keep in motion). On January 22, the ALA announced the big book awards. It was such a fun day for me! river secrets didn't get anything, it was just the memory of last year that made me feel excited all day. I was sorry I hadn't read any of the Newbery winners, but I was so thrilled that American Born Chinese took the Printz medal. The Printz is like the Newbery but for the upper teen age. This is the first time a graphic novel got the big prize. I think it's a wonderful book and could easily be part of a high school curriculm and generate lots of great discussion and essays. The Printz lists are terrific resources for literature teachers.

And speaking of graphic novels, yesterday we got the inked pages of rapunzel's revenge--this means Nate's done the line drawing and all that remains is color. It's SO gorgeous. I was breathless reading it, completely captivated by the story as he illustrated it. Have I mentioned that I can't wait until we get to share it with the world? Can't wait! (Only one year to go...)

Newbery Medal winner:

“The Higher Power of Lucky,” by Susan Patron

Newbery Honors:

“Penny from Heaven,” by Jennifer L. Holm
“Hattie Big Sky,” by Kirby Larson
“Rules,” by Cynthia Lord

Caldecott Medal winner:

"Flotsam,” illustrated by David Wiesner

Caldecott Honor Books:

“Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet,” written and illustrated by David McLimans

“Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom,” illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Carole Boston Weatherford

Printz Award winner:

“American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang

Printz Honors:

“The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation; v. 1: The Pox Party” by M. T. Anderson

“An Abundance of Katherines” by John Green

“Surrender” by Sonya Hartnett

“The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak