squeetus

Owie

Maggie broke her leg! Totally random, just tripped and broke her leg. It's a minor break, thankfully, but there is something so sad about an 18-month old hobbled by a cast. Naturally we're experimenting with good pirate names for her (given her current peg-leg status) but haven't arrived at any winners. If you have pirate name suggestions, please share!

A wee bit closer

Whew! I am finally starting to feel better about forest born (aka Bayern #4). It has been such a sticky plot to unravel, an incredibly challenging book to write. I had no idea back in the blissful outlining stage that it would become the scourge of my career. I always start out naive. "What a fun book this will be!" I say. "What a delight to write. How lovely to get cozy with these characters. Tra-la-la!" Then comes the work. And the work. And some more work. And agony of confusion.

The root of the problem was that, I think, the story wasn't entertaining me. Enchanting me. I had to go back to why I wanted to tell this story in the first place. I know that a story doesn't have a hold of me when I'm not thinking about it all the time. If the only time I'm working on a book is while I'm actually sitting at the computer typing, then something's wrong. Writing is always more enjoyable and the story is always better if it captures me all the time, and my mind naturally wants to turn it over in the off hours too. I'm finally back to that point with this book. When I close my eyes to go to sleep, I want to think about it. In the shower, driving, eating, any quiet moments between toddler questions and baby needs, I want to think about it. That's very, very good.

I know writers who jump from book to book, have many partial manuscripts, first drafts they've never finished. I don't allow myself to do that. I don't start to write a book until I've been interested in the story and taking notes on it for at least a year, so by the time I start in on a first draft, I've been fully committed to it for some time. I'm always tempted to abandon the book at some point during the process (and with books like this one, many many times) but I'm firm. "No no no," I tell myself. "Be a good girl. Don't you leave those characters hanging. Don't you be afraid to work and bleed a little. Get back to it!" And if I listen and try to be a good girl, I get a cookie or some milk chocolate chips melted in a mug. And eventually, I get a book of my very own.

Awash in authors

Writing for Charity was awesome! I was a little concerned that our turnout would be too small to make it worth the authors' time, but we had some great last minute publicity and our turn out was terrific for a first year. I was also nervous because I was organizing this shindig and am so not an organizer. It could have been a disaster. Somehow, it all came together. Huge thanks to Laura Middleton and our wonderful volunteers for running the show!

We earned over $4500 for the Wheelchair Project, enough to buy 54 wheelchairs. That feels really good. Fifty-four people whose lives are changed because of all the participants who came! Thank you! I was MC'ing, and unfortunately I mentioned how much we made up front and got emotional, and it took me awhile to get a hold of myself. Erk.

I was also a little emotional to be sharing the stage with so many awesome writers who all donated their time.


(back row) Scott Francine, Wendy Toliver, Mike Knudson, Tracy Hickman

(middle) A.E. Cannon, Kristyn Crow, Sydney Salter, Rebecca Hickox, Anne Bowen, Laura Hickman, Mette Ivie Harrison, Ann Dee Ellis, Ann Dee Ellis's belly

(front) Kimberley Heuston, Shannon Hale, Chris Schoebinger, Brandon Mull
Photo credit Enna Isilee

I really hope we do it again next year. I think I'd better not be in charge again, but the plan is another local author will pick the charity and organize the event. I'd love to participate.

Some more photos from last week. Several cool authors came to Utah for a literature conference, and I got to be Jennifer Holm's date and crash the party! A major perk for being an author.

X.J. Kennedy, Jennifer Holm, me, Candace Fleming, Kenneth Oppel, Eric Rohmann, and Vivian Vande Velde.

Here we are, the lovely ladies of literature. We were showing some leg, I believe. Very telling perhaps that Rachel (was it? I hope I'm remembering right) who took the photo cut off our legs. I have a feeling the choice was made in wisdom and out of pure benevolence.

Horrible? I hope not!

For Joss Whedon fans (meaning, all of you, I presume), the fantastic Dr. Horrible is up and free! Watch three episodes of this super villain musical and experience the future of media. This was a lark project and experiment Joss Whedon did during the writer's strike. With no budget and friends and family helping, they made a mini-movie for web release, free for the watching for a few days only. Rated PG, I'd guess. I can only think of one word that's questionable in the first two episodes. And you have to admire anyone who would make a creative project with the word "horrible" in the title--you just make things too easy for critics and reviewers. [EDIT: The free period is over, and now having seen episode 3 I'd say PG-13. Some felt disappointed in the final episode, but I have to admit, I loved it. Dean and I vote Bad Horse as one of the greatest characters of the past decade.]

And on another note, leaving the adjective horrible far, far, far behind (I hope), Bloomsbury is repackaging the Bayern books in the US. That means, the original Alison Jay covers will remain on the hardcovers, but the paperbacks get completely new looks.

Before I reveal, let me answer the probing question:

"WHY? Why, why, WHY?!"

Well, it's a good thing, really. I know we're all very attached to the original covers. Alison Jay's paintings are just beautiful. But repackaging paperbacks gives them new life. They figure everyone who would pick up the book based on its cover already has, so time to reach a new audience. Bookstores might order in the new books if they'd stopped stocking the old ones. It can revitalize a series. And know that Bloomsbury has taken this very seriously. We've gone through multiple iterations of the river secrets cover alone, and my editor has rejected over 100 cover models to be Ani on goose girl. The goose girl cover is not final yet, but I have a marvelous story to tell you about its genesis. I can't tell you yet...but soon. I'm so excited! As the enna burning and river secrets covers are already out there, I can show you those. Now, kvetch away.

 

Picture perfect

There are still spots available for Writing for Charity. If you haven't pre-registered at this point, it's probably a good idea to pay at the door.

For my third post in a row on the delights of picture books, here's a list to shop by. Some books adults like, some books kids like (and adults wished they didn't), and some are winners all around. Here are Max's (age 4) and Maggie's (age 18 months) favorite reads that their parents also enjoy.

MAX

Chicks and Salsa, by Aaron Reynolds and Paulette Bogan - Max loves these animals culinary adventures, and I love to read about food. Yummm...

Everywhere Babies, Susan Meyers and Marla Frazee - A babyhood favorite that Max still enjoys. This one has been around for a decade and won't be out of date anytime soon.

Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School, by Nathan Hale - Nate's colorful, bold paintings work so well with the simple text. There's so much exploring to do in each illustration, and the story is familiar and fun. A winner!

Baby Shoes, by Dashka Slater and Hiroe Nakata - Fun, rhyming text with great repeating lines both my kids love, and a story idea mom can so relate to.

Goodnight, Me, by Andrew Daddo and Emma Quay - If you like the idea of Goodnight, Moon but can't bear to read it one more time, this is a fantastic alternative. Sweet pencil sketches of a baby chimp saying goodnight to all his/her body parts. Lovely.

Bark, George, by Jules Feiffer - Some adults find this bizarre, but kids love it, and honestly, so do parents like us. Jules rocks.

The Spider and the Fly, by Mary Howitt and Tony DiTerlizzi - Max tends to be a little macabre, and this is so up his alley. From the old poem, Tony's Newbery Honor-winning illustrations make this good creepy fun.

A Kitten Tale, by Eric Rohmann - Let's pretend we don't know that Eric is one of the hottest men of children's literature and look at this book on its own merits--yep, it still rocks. The illustrations are luscious. Max loves examining what the kittens do on each page and repeating the line, "I can't wait!"

Anything by Mo Willems.

A Very, Hairy, Scary Story, by Rick Walton,  David Clark - I mentioned Max's enjoyment of the slightly scary. He totally digs this book.

But Not the Hippopotamus, by Sandra Boynton

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak - of course.

MAGGIE

Red Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton (one of the best kids books EVER written)
Hey, Wake Up! by Sandra Boynton
Good Dog, Carl and Carl's Afternoon in the Park, by Alexandra Day
Hug, by Jez Alborough
Busy Piggies, by Jon Schindel and Steven Holt
Anything by Matthew van Fleet
Good Night, Gorilla, by Peggy Rathmann

Also, Freud. Seriously, she's always pulled the Freud books off our shelves, sitting down and flipping through them while reading aloud in her own sweet language. I wouldn't really recommend Freud for all 18-month-olds, of course. At least not until they come out with an illustrated edition.

What are your childhood favorites? Household favorites that both kids and parents enjoy?

Mama, tell a story

There are still spaces available for our Writing for Charity event.

So much of my life is reading to little ones, so forgive me if I keep ruminating about it. It's been fascinating to have two kids in two different stages of storytelling at the same time. Maggie (18 months) likes simple pictures, bright colors, photographs of animals and things familiar. She's learning about all the things that make up her world, and the known is still exciting to her, so this make sense. She likes to identify animals, see babies do things like eat and walk and sleep, and see everyday objects like spoons and balloons and chairs and hats. She needs no narrative structure.

Max on the other had at age 4 is all about stories. He wants stories about everything--what we're doing now, what we might be doing later. He is on the cusp of toddlerhood and kidhood, still interested in Maggie's baby books but also reaching forward to the more complex ideas and things outside his ken. He likes a story about what if a monster ate our entire house just as much as what if we called Grandma and she wasn't there and we had to leave a message. Both stories are thrilling to him and help him process the unexpected. I find it interesting that he needs stories so much. We read lots of books, but he also likes to hear made up stories and make up his own, especially if he's upset about something. If things don't go his way and he just can't get over it, the best cure is to tell a story where things do go his way, where he is the hero and he makes things right. A good story is better tonic than a lollipop or even a hug. Stories help him structure and understand the world, and feel in control. Just as much as Maggie is learning about the world by seeing and naming objects, Max is learning by hearing and creating stories.

I think Maggie is learning objects and people, the players, if you will, of the stories of her life. Max is on the threshold of a lifetime of good stories, something I don't think he or anyone will outgrow. Life is cataloged by story. Narrative is essential. Everything and everyone are characters. And every event has a beginning, middle, and end.

This all reminds me of this wonderful quote about the purpose of fantasy and fairy tales:

"We all like astonishing tales because they touch the nerve of the ancient instinct of astonishment. This is proved by the fact that when we are very young children we do not need fairy tales: we only need tales. Mere life is interesting enough. A child of seven is excited by being told that Tommy opened a door and saw a dragon. But a child of three is excited by being told that Tommy opened a door. Boys like romantic tales; but babies like realistic tales – because they find them romantic. In fact, a baby is about the only person, I should think, to whom a modern realistic novel could be read without boring him.

"This proves that even nursery tales only echo an almost pre-natal leap of interest and amazement. These tales say that apples were golden only to refresh the forgotten moment when we found that they were green. They make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they run with water."
"The Ethics of Elfland," Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton

[I mourned my camera at ALA last week, but always lovely Linda Sue Park has some photos of our Readers Theater on her blog.]

Twenty creepy minutes a day

There are still spaces available for our Writing for Charity event.

I'm not sure what we're doing to our four-year-old's sense of humor and sense of reality. Maybe he'll grow up mistrusting all adults and questioning every word out of our mouths. Or maybe he'll grow up with a healthy skepticism and keen sense of humor. When we read books to him he knows well, we change the words. I'm sure many parents do this, especially when the book text is a little dry or silly. For example, there's a book that uses the word Love a lot, and we'll randomly change it to lettuce or lollipops or lamppost. But sometimes things get a little more morbid. Here's some overheard book reading with Max (age 4), a book that's supposed to be about having a new baby sister and becoming a big brother.

"Babies like to drink blood."
"No, not blood!"
"Oh, right, babies like to drink milk. Babies like to be cold and damp."
"No!"
"Oh, I mean, babies like to be warm and cozy."

"I'm a big kid. I can eat pizza and apples and flesh."
"Not flesh!"
"I mean, ice cream.

"Mommy and Daddy showed me pictures of when I was a snake."
"Not a snake!"
"Right, of when I was a baby."

"And now I have tentacles."
"Not tentacles!"
"I mean, and now I'm a big brother."

Writing for charity, redux

I'm getting lots of questions about the Writing for charity event, so I'll answer them here.

"Are there still spaces available?"

Yes! [EDIT: At this point, July 15, there are still many spots available. As it's too late to mail in registration, you can pay at the door. Please bring a check or $45 in cash]

"I don't have a first page of a book to workshop. Can I still come?"

Yes! During the workshop portion, it will still be instructive to listen to other people's pages being workshopped, and I promise no one will point at you and laugh. Except maybe Brandon Mull.

"I sent in my check and haven't received anything in return!"

And...you won't. Sorry. We are an orphan Annie operation (as my dad would say) and aren't set up to be all cool like that. But if you sent it in, we have it and there should be no problem.

"Can kids participate?"

Sure! We're going to have one break out group just for teen writers. Younger than that might be bored. My four-year-old, for example, will be staying home.

"Can I bring more than one page of my book?"

We'll only have time to look at the first page of a novel, or 300 words of a picture book text. Please bring 15 copies of that page on the day of the event. We're splitting the workshops into three categories: realistic fiction novel, fantasy novel, and picture book. But really, the rules of storytelling aren't limited to genre, so don't worry if what you have doesn't fit exactly.

"Could the list of participating authors be any cooler?"

Probably not, but we've got a few to add--best-selling fantasy authors Laura and Tracy Hickman will be there, as well as agent Amy Jameson and editor Chris Schoebinger.

Here's the skinny once again:

This summer have unfettered access to professional children’s authors, all in the name of charity! Saturday, July 19 several local authors will host a Writing for Charity event in Salt Lake City, with all profits going to The Wheelchair Project. Come hear writers talk about their process, how to write for a young audience, storytelling tips, and the ins and outs of the publishing business. In addition, have your picture book text or first page of your novel (the most important page!) workshopped by professionals.

When: Saturday, July 19, 9 am to 1 pm
Where: Salt Lake Main Library, 200 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, Utah
Cost: $45 (should be tax deductible!)
Event breakdown: 9:00 am -- Registration
    9:15 - 10:15 am -- Panel discussion in the auditorium
    10:30 - 11:15 -- Break out discussions in topic groups
    11:30 - 1:00 -- Small group workshops

Authors and publishing professionals include Brandon Mull, Shannon Hale, Mette Ivie Harrison, Ann Cannon, Kristyn Crow, Becky Hickox, Kimberley Heuston, Anne Bowen, Aprilynne Pike, Laura and Tracy Hickman, Ann Dee Ellis, Mike Knudson, Sydney Husseman, Chris Schoebinger (editor), Amy Jameson (agent), and Wendy Toliver.

Space is limited, first come first serve. To reserve your spot, mail in the $45 registration fee.
    Mailing address: 1176 E 2620 N, Provo, UT 84604-4132
    Make checks to: “LDS Philanthropies” (the organization that runs The Wheelchair Project) and write “Wheelchair” in the memo line.
    Also include: Your name, age, phone number, and area of interest--picture book writing, fantasy novel, or realistic fiction novel.

On the day of the event, bring 15 copies of the first page of your novel or picture book text (maximum word count: 300 words) for some hands on workshopping. If you don’t have a first page to workshop, don’t let that stop you!

100% of the proceeds go to The Wheelchair Project, a wonderful charity that donates new wheelchairs to people in third world countries, many of whom have never had one. A wheelchair can completely change the life of a disabled person, offering mobility, increased independence, and a chance to go to school or find employment. Because this charity is administered by volunteers with LDS Philanthropy, there is no overhead and every penny donated goes directly to purchasing wheelchairs. This is not a religious charity--the wheelchairs go to the needy regardless of their faith. Thank you for supporting this extraordinary cause!