A good quote to start the week:
“Great art is clear thinking about mixed feelings.”–W.H. Auden
Tag: meaningful
Stories of Story of a Girl
One of my very favorite contemporary YA novels is Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr–which was published almost five years ago! (Five years exactly on Tuesday.) To celebrate, Zarr is sharing some of the novel’s journey to publication on her blog this week. After the first post alone, I’m stunned that Zarr didn’t just shoot to success. Her writing is so good! How could anyone have rejected anything she wrote?! But that’s the fun and inspiring part of the “inside scoop” from writer’s–as always, it’s a tough job and you never know when your work will find that right agent/editor. Loving the back story so far!
Plus, Tuesday she’s hosting a giveaway on Twitter:
“Tweet something about Story of a Girl–a favorite line or moment, a memory of reading it, a response to the story, a comment about a character, etc., and use the hashtag #storyofagirl (easy to remember). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will randomly pick from these tweets and give away five signed copies of Story of a Girl.
Obviously, if you have a memory or favorite line or comment about the book, there’s a good chance you don’t need a copy. Play anyway, and if you win you could give your copy to a friend, or donate it to a school or public library. If you haven’t read the book, you too can play along. You can tweet something about one of my other books that makes you want to read Story, or straight up beg for a copy. Just be sure to use #storyofagirl in your tweet. Tomorrow. Tuesday.“
So get your tweets ready and help celebrate five years of this awesome novel. Congrats, Sara!
Wishing and Hoping
When I was in grad school, one of my professors encouraged our class to submit our work to journals, agents, editors, etc. “You live differently when you have work out there,” she said. I’ve found this to be surprisingly true. Over at Kiss and Tell, Sheri Adkins has a post about a very similar feeling: the waiting while your work is out there. Such as waiting for that special call from an agent or editor:
“Still, every time the phone rang I had the pleasure of wishing for it to be “the call”. For the few seconds it would take to get to the phone I would often send up a little prayer or get a little thrill that this could be it—my big break!“
I totally felt this! There have been times when I’d see an unfamiliar number on my cell phone and think “Maybe this is it!” And of course it would be my dentist confirming my appointment for the next day, or the CVS automatic refill reminder. But there’s something exciting about that, too: any moment could be the moment your life changes. As Sheri says:
“Still, the wish for that possibility keeps us going, don’t you think? It’s the courage to go after our dreams and most cherished wish that defines who we are.”
When you submit your work to an agent/editor/journal, it means the potential for rejection, which is hard. But it also means that you are a writer. You are living the writer’s life. And you never know when your work is going to land on the right agent’s desk. There are a lot of people who say they’d like to be writers, but they keep their work to themselves. That’s fine, but they’re missing out on the possibility that someone will love their work.
So submit your work. Send out those queries. You’re living a different life when you do.
(via NESCBWI Kidlit Reblogger)
Just When You Thought Bridge to Terabithia Couldn’t Make You Cry More
Since we have a new National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, that means Katherine Paterson has stepped down. But her article on her experience as ambassador is just lovely. Just to get you started:
““Bridge to Terabithia saved my life.” The speaker was Trent Ready, a 6’7″ veteran of the war in Afghanistan. The 400 or so middle schoolers in the audience were staring up at the stage transfixed as he told them that reading a children’s book in the desert, during a time when he thought any day might be his last, had made it possible for him to keep going–to find beauty in the midst of the ugliness of war. “I just want you guys to realize how important reading is. How a book can save your life.”
Standing on the stage next to Trent as he made this plea for the vital importance of reading, I was as moved as the audience by his words. I’d been travelling as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature urging young and old to “Read for your life” and here was Trent delivering my message more eloquently than I possibly could have to this auditorium full of children. It was a culminating experience of two memorable years as Ambassador.“
My heart! The tears! The rest of the article is fantastic as well. Congratulations Katherine, and onto another great year of children’s literature ambassadorship!
Keep Fighting, Keep Writing
You may have already seen this quote by Ira Glass, but I love the typography-inspired video as well.
A good thought to take into the weekend. Keep working, writers!
Get Your Manuscripts Ready
Attention hopeful children’s/YA writers in New England! PEN New England is now accepting submissions for this year’s Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award. I was one of the winners last year and it was a life-changing experience. Although the award doesn’t come with any money, the committee does give the winning manuscripts to editors at publishing houses. (Usually, you’d at least need an agent for that kind of access.) It can mean making wonderful connections in the publishing world, getting thoughtful feedback on your book, and maybe even an offer for publication.
I cannot say enough good things about the PEN New England Children’s Book Committee. They really want to help unpublished writers get ahead and deeply care about literature for children and teens.
You can find the guidelines here. They don’t require letters of recommendation or a statement of purpose, just your work, so there’s no excuse not to get your submission in.
The deadline is Wednesday, February 1, 2012. So start putting together your submission now! Seriously, guys, why are you still reading this? Go!
A New Ambassador
Congratulations to author Walter Dean Myers, who has recently been named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature! Myers is probably best known for his novel Monster, which won the Printz and was a finalist for the National Book Award, among others. But his bibliography is very extensive; check out his website for the full list.
From a recent New York Times article about Myers:
“He will receive a medal at the Library of Congress next Tuesday. One of the first things he expects to say is that reading is not a Victorian pastime.
“People still try to sell books that way — as ‘books can take you to foreign lands,’ ” he said. “We’ve given children this idea that reading and books are a nice option, if you want that kind of thing. I hope we can get over that idea.”“
I love Myers’s assertion that reading isn’t optional. Reading is a necessary part of life and can deeply affect the everyday experience. I’m excited to see what Myers has in store as the National Ambassador.
Dear Ms. Cleary
From an interview with children’s book legend Beverly Cleary:
Your website says that you are still writing–is there anything ahead that we should be looking for? A third volume of your memoirs, perhaps?
No, I don’t plan to publish any more. After all, I’m 95. I hope children will be happy with the books I’ve written, and go on to be readers all of their lives.
I think that’s such a lovely sentiment, and I’m sure many fans of Cleary’s work have gone on to be lifelong readers. That’s one of the reasons I love children’s literature and YA. These books touch you at such a special time in your life and can propel you on the path to reading for decades to come.
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Reader
One reason I love children’s/YA lit is because those are books that stay in your heart forever. Even if you read a book that strikes you as an adult, it’s a very different feeling than falling in love with a book as a child. I remember feeling as if I truly owned books when I was young. I assumed that any book I read was new because I had only just stumbled across it. (To my surprise, A Wrinkle in Time didn’t get published in 1995.)
Of course I loved The Story Siren’s list of Top Ten Childhood Faves. I don’t have ten and my choices aren’t necessarily the best of children’s literature, but they’re books I devoured. In no particular order:
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
Two cousins, an evil governess, a boy who lives in the woods, and wolves stalking in the snow? Sign me up. I don’t remember why I picked this out of the library–I didn’t know anything about it beforehand–but I must have checked it out a dozen times after. Sometimes when I’m on a train in winter, I still think of Sylvia going to live with her cousin.
The Farthest-Away Mountain by Lynne Reid Banks
Banks is probably better known for The Indian in the Cupboard, but I fell in love with the classic fairy tale style. Dakin has three goals: to travel to the Farthest Away Mountain, to meet a gargoyle, and to marry a prince. Her solid determination struck me and I happily journeyed with her.
Witch’s Sister by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Technically, I was obsessed with the whole series, but I figured I’d just list the first book. Naylor has written dozens of amazing books, but the creepiness of the witch series got me. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to reading actual horror novels. Protagonist Lynn is convinced that her elderly neighbor, Mrs. Tuggle, is a witch. And Mrs. Tuggle keeps getting closer to members of Lynn’s family, usually to terrifying results.
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
When I found out they were making a movie version, I was incensed. How could they make a movie without consulting me first? The movie was great, too, but I was so protective of the book. Obviously a classic, and I did dramatic reenactments in my room of Sara Crewe’s trials.
The Ocean World of Jacques Cousteau by Jacques Cousteau
Technically, I don’t remember reading these (my first memories of them are from when I was about 3), but I loved looking at all the pictures. Porpoises, octopi, sea urchins: how is the ocean so cool? We had four or five of the twenty-one volumes, and I can’t even remember which ones exactly, but I remember opening all of them and sitting in the middle of the collection and enjoying all the ocean wonder. Even though I love fiction, I think it’s great to give kids nonfiction titles as well. They’re so naturally curious about the world, and books are a fantastic way to explore.
What are some of your childhood favorites?
More Than the Parts
It sounds like it should be a simple question: what makes a good Newbery novel? Patricia Lee Gauch tackles this question over at the Horn Book. She comes up with a few key criteria:
- a remarkable character
- the right stage (the character’s world)
- a story arc (the journey the character is on)
- a question (the character’s need)
Gauch goes into great detail examining all the facets here, using wonderful examples from Newbery winners to illustrate her points. Even just the examples make me giddy with excitement or ache remembering painful moments. All of these books are alive with character, plot, setting, motivation, etc.–the key word being alive. The Newbery books stay in your heart the way most other books don’t. As Gauch says, “I am convinced that the embassy selected these books because they are powerful stories of humanity behaving humanly on powerful stages. It is our culture at its best that we want to share.”
The list above looks so simple, but Gauch’s article indicates that what makes these books stellar is that they’re more than a sum of their parts. Because they work so well on all those levels, they can create an intense emotional experience for the reader–whether that’s joyful or sorrowful or a combination of both. I think all authors strive to hit all items on Gauch’s list, and the ones that really do are the ones we remember for a long time.