A beautiful video by Glen Milner about the making of a book with traditional printing methods.
It might sound silly, but I’m reminded of segments on Sesame Street that showed how things like crayons or peanut butter were made. This is more sophisticated, but it’s still so cool to see the creation process of something you enjoy.
(via bookshelves of doom)
The New York Times seems determined to goad children’s/YA writers. Last week it was whether or not adults should read YA. This week it’s about young writers whose parents pay to get their books published. It brings up questions of self-publication and, when these publications cost several thousand dollars, what it means for these kids who want to be writers.
YA author Maureen Johnson has a very thoughtful response to this article, and I very much agree with her comments. She talks about how fantastic it is that kids are writing, but has issues with the idea of publication at that age. In very short:
“I have no problem with the writing part. I am for the writing part. I also like the idea that the kids are reading their stories out and sharing them. I like all of that! What I object to is this commodification of the process that gets you the label published. And this is a label we are all trying to sort out now, because published is a word that sort of gives you the laurel wreath, isn’t it? It used to mean that someone read your work, judged it worthy, worked on it, and printed it at great expense. It meant that there was the high possibility of rejection, and perseverance.”
I was the kind of kid who wrote a lot, too. Between middle and high school, I finished four “novels,” and worked on two others, and wrote a bunch of short stories. They were awful. I’m sure they were perfectly fine for a middle/high schooler, but they were nowhere near publishable. Of course, whenever I was busy at work I imagined getting my stories published and being super famous. I would be a teenage author like S.E. Hinton! It was just a matter of time! Now I am so glad that no one saw these early so-called novels. If I haven’t tossed them yet, they certainly won’t see the light of day any time soon. I can’t even imagine that early work following me around now. And I still gained so much from the act of writing, even if nothing actually came of these stories.
If parents want to encourage their kids as young writers, that’s great. Get them a ton of notebooks and pens; get them word-processing software; subscribe them to journals like Cicada and take them to the library so they can devour books. Ask them about their work or get them to apply to a young writers workshop. At this age, it’s enough just to be writing. There’s joy in the writing. Why do kids need to be published right now to feel any satisfaction from writing?
Rounding out the week with a few more links:
You know Laurie Halse Anderson, author of highly-acclaimed YA novel, Speak, as well as other equally moving and successful books? Apparently her historical novel, Fever 1793, didn’t have an easy road to publication even with all of her authorial success. On her Tumblr, Anderson says:
“The research and writing took seven years. Thirteen publishers rejected it…I lost track of the number of revisions. 14? 112? Whatever, it took a long time and needed a lot of work. This book was my apprentice piece.”
I think Anderson is an amazing writer, so it’s shocking to see that she would have had to work so hard and face so much rejection with Fever 1793. Fortunately, she kept at it:
“It has sold more than one million copies in the United States, won all kinds of shiny awards, is a standard part of elementary and middle school curriculum, and has been translated into Catalan, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, and Spanish.”
Lesson learned? Persistence pays off, and even amazing, super successful writers face challenges. Keep going, writers!
Love this post by Justine Larbalestier about when you know you’ve made it as a writer. Lots of hilarious items included like:
“. . . I get my very first fan letter. Someone read and enjoyed my book enough to write to me! Best. Day. Ever.
. . . the fan letters I get make me cry because they are so moving.
. . . the fan letters I get make me cry because they are so illiterate.”
Make sure to read through the whole list, because it’s awesome and a good reminder that being a writer isn’t about being on tour or having an agent or getting a Nobel Prize. It’s about writing.
(Couldn’t resist including Mary Tyler Moore in this one.)
A few more links to get you through Wednesday:
More links to take you into the weekend:
At the Guardian, Maureen Johnson talks about YA and why it’s appealing to people who aren’t teens. My favorite quote: “I think that the reason it’s taken off so much is that it’s good. I think it’s actually that simple….It has its detractors and its detractors generally don’t know much about it.”
Totally agree. Much like any other genre, there are bad books in there are well, but overall YA is a fantastic category and adult readers should feel no awkwardness checking out that section of the bookstore.
More links to get you through Thursday:
When I was little I loved Madeline. She was French; she had an adorable hat; she wasn’t afraid of tigers; she got her appendix out. What more could a girl want?
So of course I was psyched to see this interview with the author John Bemelmans Marciano of Madeline’s latest adventure, Madeline at The White House. He’s also the grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans, author and creator of the Madeline books. What a fantastic lineage! Marciano talks about taking up the Madeline series:
“Q: Taking on the Madeline series is a big job, were you nervous continuing the series and how did you go about it?
A: Most definitely. At first, I tried to search for a style that was consciously different from my grandfather, artwise, but as I’ve gone on I’ve returned more to the look of the originals, and realized that in ways that are important, my own style comes out. What’s most important is that the spirit and honesty of the originals are kept going.”
I love that mention of the “spirit and honesty of the originals” continuing for a new generation. I’m sure that’s very hard for an artist to maintain while also making sure to utilize their own creativity. But it’s also a reason why these characters are so beloved and lasting.
Also really cute–this video of Marciano reading his book at the White House Easter Egg Roll last year:
This makes me want to break out my old Madeline books!