A Question of Books

This week's question deals with reading. What is the best book you've read lately, and why? If you'd like to post a full review, that's fine, but not necessary. I'll be nice and say you can even mention two, if the spirit moves you. . . .

If you haven't read anything great lately, watch the blog and get yourself some titles to try!

Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia by Barbara O’Connor

Frances Foster Books imprint of Farrar Straus Giroux, 2003. 102 pages

Reviewed by Tim Bogar

Synopsis

Bird (Burdette) Weaver is a sixth-grade outcast in a little town in Georgia. A new kid, Harlem, arrives and is instantly disliked. So Bird has the brilliant plan to make him her friend. As she says, "Nobody else wants to be his friend, see, so that means he's available for me," I said. "I think it was a stroke of luck, don't you? Him coming to Freedom and not having any friends and all?"

The problem is, Harlem doesn’t want her for a friend. When she discovers he’s an excellent speller, she aims to make him her partner in a spelling bee. (Oh no, you say, not another spelling bee story. Relax, this one works nicely.)

Bird is lucky at this point in her life to have a kindly neighbor who has moved back to take care of her ailing father. Without Miss Delphine Reese, Bird would have given up trying. O’Connor is big on mentors.

What I liked most

I loved this little book. It’s more affecting in 102 pages than many much longer books, at least for me. I uncharacteristically read it three times, more or less (some skimming the second and third times, going to my favorite parts).

1.) It’s a great lesson in voice. Bird’s voice is distinctive and engaging. She’s one of my favorite first-person narrators ever. O’Connor nails it again.

2.) The engaging, charming protagonist. I was really rooting for her to succeed, because I liked her. A big reason I liked her was because she liked and admired Miss Delphine Reese. There’s a lesson there for writers wanting to create likeable characters. Show them admiring and respecting someone else.

3.) Another good lesson in stakes. What she wants is not very much: a friend, and a day – or even a few minutes – of fame and glory, “to make those pea-flicking kids stop and take a look at Burdette Weaver and really see me instead of looking right through me like I’m Casper the Ghost.” But the stakes are important to her! And because I cared about her, they were important to me.

4.) Good character development. Not a false note in the batch.

Some of my favorite lines:
... “I took one look at him and I said to myself, ‘Bird, here's your chance. Make friends with that kid,’ I said, ‘before somebody poisons his mind with lies about you.’” You gotta root for someone like that.
P. 8: “When I walked into the cafeteria, Janice Carpenter said real loud, “Red and yellow don’t go together, Bird.’

“I looked down at my red sweater and my yellow shirt and I knew she was right. They looked ugly together. Shoot, I thought. They had looked good this morning when I put them on, but now they didn’t.”
I love those last two lines. Shoot! There's a lot of repressed pain in there, though I dunno if kids would pick up on it.

I liked the charming cover. It already puts you in the mood to like the protagonist. That’s another lesson for authors, if they have any say about the cover. Compare with O’Connor’s Me and Rupert Goody or Beethoven in Paradise. Not attractive covers at all.

For you plotties, the plot is simple and its resolution simple – but that’s all right. This is not a book you read for plot, it’s a book you read for character and voice.

Where I write

QOTW: What's your ideal work environment?
My favorite place to write this year was in my daughter's fifth grade classroom. She has a very understanding teacher who lets me sit in the back of the room and sketch the kids or work on my projects.
The energy keeps me awake.

The kids and teacher keep me accountable (they know I'm working on the next book).

The math keeps me alert and educated.

And every once in a while I'm called on to give a writer's perspective to an English lesson.

It's perfect.

Mrs. White and Miss Hunt lead
a discussion on Hatchet & metaphors

Alas, my daughter's moving on to 6th grade in a new school next fall (just like Ellie McDoodle!), and my teacher friend is retiring. I'll lose my favorite workspace. :( Maybe I'll start biking to the library or a coffeeshop or something.
I'd work at home in my studio but there are sooo many distractions.

Actually, I didn't work at the school as much as I should have this year.

But I did get very good at Snood. :/

What is my ideal writing place?

Let me pull this into a few convenient pieces.

My IDEAL Place: A house or cabin in a rural area, overlooking a pond or Lake Michigan. (None of that in-between stuff for me.) It would include a screened porch or gazebo with a power outlet. Hey, me no crazy man; Michigan has bugs (but only for six months of the year). And it would have to be vewy vewy quiet. I don’t know if the place exists, but it would have to be free of the dulcet tones of traffic, motorcycles, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, Jet Skis, ATV’s, barking dogs, etc.

My Former FAVORITE Place: My patio (maybe five months of the year). It’s pretty and fairly private. I’ve been planting various vines and grasses to make it more secluded. Unfortunately, sound is not so easily obstructed. I live in a pleasant neighborhood where lawns and yards are kept up both by homeowners and lawn-care services. I believe that most people do not even know it is physically possible to remove grass from sidewalks or leaves from lawns without the use of infernal combustion engines.

Yes, I am cursed with sensitivity to noise. I cannot screen it like most people can. So, more and more, I’m abandoning the patio in favor of …

My Current FAVORITE Place: The Library of Michigan! It’s between my place of employment and home. It’s a beautiful, vewy vewy quiet building. There’s a window in the law library that looks into the upper branches of a tree that I watched come into leaf. I’m really hoping some bird will make a nest there. In six hours over four days last week, I didn’t see a single other person in the law library. And I eventually realized I could plug my laptop into the outlet by “my” table. Power to the people! And then there’s …

My USUAL Writing Place: In my house, looking out at my patio, seated at my desk-with-hutch. It was custom-built for me by my then-brother-in-law, a fine furniture maker. I’ll post a picture later or sooner.

The Pout Pout Fish (Official) Debut

This was the scene at Schuler's Bookstore (the local independent we love!) during Debbie's book launch on Saturday. These pictures come from Ann and Tim, who were the on-hand paparazzi.

Debbie did a storytime where she not only read The Pout Pout Fish, but also a couple other books by Michigan authors. There were some great handouts for all ages, including some very cool fish masks.

For more information about Debbie's book, or to bring her to you school for a great program, check out her website.

They lined up for autographs. . . .

And really, what's better than putting a book you wrote in the hands of a kid who seems thrilled to get it? Is there anything better than that? No, I don't think so.

Congratulations, Debbie!

***

(Don't forget to check out the question of the week, below) Anyone reading who would like to participate, go ahead and leave your answer in the comments. :o)

QOTW: Who the Heck Am I?

(QOTW = Question of the Week)
"I'm a (w)itch, I'm a lover, I'm a child, I'm a mother, I'm a sinner, I'm a saint, I do not feel ashamed..." from a song by Meredith Brooks, and it sums me up as well as anything, I guess. I'm also a writer and illustrator and an observer of life. (photo by Eric Luper at the SCBWI National Conference in NYC, Feb 08)
I grew up with an oversize sense of shame and am trying to shed it. It's not easy.
I worked in advertising -- creative problem-solving under tight deadlines with a shoestring budget. I loved it, but I love writing and illustrating kids' books much more.
My first book, Ellie McDoodle, came out last year. The sequel comes out next month (bring me to your school to talk about it!).
This author stuff thrills me and I don't take any of it for granted; I've endured a very healthy share of rejection, and insecurity still haunts me.
This blog brings together some of my dearest friends, my critique group. I don't always agree with their assessment of my work (especially when they like it -- ha!) but I know they're brilliant and they have something to say that's worth hearing. And that's why I'm glad they're blogging; it'll be like being on permanent vacation with them. :)

“I’ll have fries with that!”

I have an entire house to myself. Unfortunately, I can’t work in the quiet of my own home. My best writing takes place in the corner table of my local McDonald’s eatery, or up the road at a bagel/coffee shop. It seems I need the noise in order to concentrate. I have a bag fully packed with my project and tools that lives in my car just waiting for a chance to be put into play. And a place where everyone knows how I like my coffee. Once there, the bustle of the place just fades and I’m… inside my characters.

My Happy Place, By Lori

My ideal work environment doesn’t exist in real life yet. I’d love an office. A whole separate room in which I wouldn’t have to put things away at the end of the day. Something with soft colors and a comfortable chair. A nice piece of artwork. My shelf full of books I admire. Ah, yes. That is the fantasy.

The reality is I wrote my current novel on a folding TV table in my living room. Before that it was the kitchen table. When I am writing a rough draft I can't have interruptions because it’s so easy for me to quit at this stage. I must work in the dark, in my living room, at 5 am with my dreams fresh in mind and a cup of chai steaming beside me. The smell has a Pavlovian effect on my creativity. Chai time means writing time.

After the first draft I can relax a little and work during the day (if I’m not teaching). I move my little table close to one of the sliding glass windows and, if I’m a good girl, ignore the phone. The chai still applies here.

And then there are times when I need to work and there are simply too many distractions at home. Then I go to the library at my local university and spend the entire day sequestered on the fourth floor where I can have the focus I need to really bring my story to life in the later stage.

I suppose my perfect work environment has nothing to do with a pretty office, much as I’d love one. It is a state of mind when it comes right down to it (and however one must achieve it). A wonderful place where reality and imagination overlap and mix until one isn’t sure how to separate them again. It is here that my best work is done.

Who the Heck am I?

As far as I know, I’ve got the only Y chromosome out of 16 chromies in this group. Don’t think anyone cuts me any slack on that account.

I am, in one sense, self-published: I am a storyteller who writes his own stories and tells them all over the place – mostly at school assemblies. Many thousands of children have heard my stories. None have read them.

My current project was originally intended as a YA novel for boys. I think of it as speculative fiction. But because it has a medieval setting, it might be pigeonholed as fantasy – even though there’s no magic, no elves or dragons, not much blood. So maybe it’s really for adults. A later draft will determine that. What it is about is brothers, family, loyalty, honor, duty, responsibility. And very, very strong men.

I work for a union newspaper, published by the UAW. I have been a peace activist (seems pointless now, doesn’t it?). I currently put more effort into environmental causes.

I’m single, with one grown daughter.

Sorry, dear, but I can’t hear you right now

My ideal writing environment is a quiet, clutter-free place. However, the last time I had either quiet or tidiness in my home was probably the day before my elder son was born, nearly a decade ago. With two lively children on premises, life in general these days is loud and messy; and to be honest, I rather like it that way (except when it’s driving me crazy). Still, to get any writing done, I find it’s best to locate myself in areas of my home or schedule that at least aspire to library-like standards. If I tidy up my desk before sitting down at my computer, or vacuum the carpet before curling up on the couch with a notebook and a pen, I’m much more likely to tap into a good writing vein.

I’ve also found judicious use of ear plugs to be a writing lifesaver.

Who the Heck... & Ideal Work...

First of all, I'm late. I didn't manage to answer last week's question before this week's was posted. Maybe this entry could be a twofer.

Who the heck am I?

I'm a person who loves to write. Hmmm. Is that enough?

Okay. Here's a bit more. Currently, I'm writing novels for teens. I have one upper midgrade novel (being submitted), one young adult novel (being revised) and another young adult novel (being pondered). Previously, I wrote nonfiction math and science for kids.

I'm a wife, a mom of two teenage sons, and the daughter of a frail, forgetful 91-year old mother. I've worked as a research scientist, a college instructor, and co-managed a large, unwieldy volunteer organization.

What is your ideal work environment?

Last weekend, I went on a writing retreat, so my concept of "ideal work environment" changed drastically. The picture on the left shows the view from the deck of our retreat cottage. There's more about my writing retreat on my blog.

Usually I write at the big computer desk in our bedroom. Sometimes I bring a laptop to my sons' TaeKwonDo class. I am not distracted by ki-haps (concentration yells), breaking boards or the sounds of fists and feet slamming into targets (or other students). I cannot write at my younger son's music lessons because listening to other moms' chitchat drives me nuts. Another favorite place to write is at Write Night, but I'm sure another member will write about that.

I love to type and hate to write longhand. If given the opportunity, I will type grocery lists.

Question of The Week

This week’s question deals with process, as many of them will for a while. What is your ideal work environment? Does it change depending on the stage or genre of your writing? Has it changed from project to project? At home or away from home? Two pots of coffee or strictly grape Kool-aid? With bunny slippers in front of the fire or barefoot on a beach in Cozumel? That kind of thing.

If you didn't post a bio yet, that's okay, go ahead and post twice or incorporate the two questions or skip this one or whatever you want to do. We aim to be flexible. . . .

Ready? Go!

Who the heck is Kay?

I have many parts: a translator of science, a teacher, a writer, a weaver, a dreamer.
I live in the worlds I read: midgrade and YA, science fiction and fantasy, mystery.
I am the characters I read: Pyanfar, Sassinak, Kel, Diane, Taran (and so many others).
I live the characters I write: Becca Forester, Heral, Arkel Tevar Tris, Tora Jesek, Westelach sutai Horth.

So who am I? It depends on when you ask.

Answering My Own Question

Who the heck am I?

I’m a thirty-six year old mother of two, wife to John and substitute teacher to about 500. I’m a reader and writer of middle grade fiction. I’m a butcher, baker and candlestick maker—well, maybe only a baker, but I would like to know how to make candles. I have no interest in butchering, except perhaps where mice are concerned, blind or otherwise.

I love lilacs, and late-bloomers, Balderdash and bedtime stories, Motown and Mozart, ballet and Bob Fosse, steak and salad, lyrical prose and iambic pentameter, Andrew Wyeth and Ansel Adams, Harry and Sally, Atonement and E.T., Frog and Toad, Jack and Annie, Wilbur and Charlotte, Ramona and Beezus, Mary and Laura, Meg, Beth, Jo and Amy. The list goes on. . . .

And even when I’m very old, I still won't know the answer. I will always be a person looking for herself in books, film, theater and pictures.

Who the heck am I?

I’m a writer, so I can always be finding out.

Heck, who AM I?

To Lori's beginning-blog question, "Who the Heck are You?"-I say, there are no short answers. Those who know me well--i.e. this critique group--can attest to my lack of short answers.
Who the heck I am as a writer depends on the moment, and can perhaps be explained thusly:

I sit at my keyboard, a cat in my lap, with a tea -or- wine next to the screen, depending on the time of day, writing pb, middle grade, YA or adult, depending on my mood, and my little girl is behind me-literally, right behind me, in my already crowded computer chair, saying "Mama, moooove over!"
My son is usually nearby, laughing at a book or nattering to me about his latest video game conquest-this too depends on which day it is, as he's only allowed to play them on weekends. I'll listen to him, and depending on how long he goes on, my eyes might glaze over.
I'll have either whites or a dark laundry load in the noisy washer, adding to the din in my cold writing space in the basement...and at any time, I can be feeling exhilarated by my perfect word-choice in a piece I'm working on, or (and this occurs more often) I am wondering what in the heck I do this to myself for! Why don't I just sit and watch television or something, and not place this kind of pressure and expectation on my already full days? Depending on my energy level, I can be prolific or downright disconnected.
My writing scene can always be described this way: the people, the cold, the laundry and mess. The noise. It explains my nervous eye twitch and why I'm always talking to myself. But writing is what I depend on to get me through all the rest.

So who the heck am I? The short answer is: It depends.

Factor by which the length of this post exceeds that suggested by our Blog Captain: 10.14

Lori nudged us into our inaugural blog activity by posing this week’s question of “Who the heck are you?”. It’s a useful question for testing one’s existential limberness and self-knowledge, but I would submit that it’s also a question with potential use for sorting writers into their genres. Raise your hand if your first response to the question was not “Gosh, what a thought-provoking question!”; nor “How far back do I stretch this bio plot arc – to kindergarten?”; nor “Strictly facts? Or is embellishment OK?”; nor even, “The worst autobiography that I write is better than the best one I don’t!”; but rather, “I wonder if she means her question with the emphasis on WHO, on HECK, on ARE, or on YOU?”

Those of you with your hands raised, I salute you. (I’d hug you, but that’s so not me.) I can definitely relate. We are fellow travelers on the road of words. We see through the question for what it truly is: a monosyllabic word series with no intrinsic meter. Without meter, there can be no sustainable rhyme scheme. And without rhyme, what is there?

I’m a card-carrying writer of rhyme. Which is not to say I’m credentialed or anything. The card is actually a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card from an old Monopoly game. I keep the card handy in case the “It’s a crime to write in rhyme” police ever knock down my door. (Though with the way I mutter through my drafts late at night, trolling aloud through the rhyming dictionary, reading and re-reading and re-re-re-re-re-reading every stanza, every word, every syllable, occasionally laughing, sometimes even shedding a frustrated tear or raising my fists to the sky, it’s more likely that the door-knocking crowd hauling me away will have a different institutional destination in mind. To the extent that it’s quiet and library-like there, I’ll have no complaints.)

I do write other things. Grocery lists and To Do list epics come to mind, but I also have a middle-grade novel manuscript and a young adult novel manuscript in various stages of abandoned progress. I’ve managed some short, unpublished essays that assay very little. And I am now – as of this writing – a blogger. (That makes fourteen billion and one of us, which would explain the delay in receiving my membership packet and complimentary tin of mints.) But, though I frequently vow otherwise, I always return to writing in rhyme. It’s a pursuit that is as enjoyable as it is excruciating. (Think grade-school music recital. Same basic feeling.)

Other than the rhyme-writing, I’m a hodge-podge of interests and activities. Mother. Wife. Cat-owner. Reader of mysteries. Doer of crosswords. Walker of walks. Taker of baths. Amateur photographer of trees. I lack a musical ear, but this doesn’t stop me from my unfulfilled wish to buy an electric guitar and channel SRV. A librarian by training, I currently earn my non-Monopoly dollars doing bookkeeping and financial management for a small nonprofit.

And then I spend my riches on rhyming dictionaries. I figure, what the heck.

Question of The Week

One of the features of our blog will be called, "The Question of The Week." This will occur weekly (duh), and many times have something to do with the creative process.

For the inaugural installment, the question is just this: Who the heck are you? Pretty straightforward, easy to answer, and not likely to produce duplicate responses. Briefly describe your day job, hobbies, perhaps a word or two about the audience(s) you write for, and one thing about yourself that not many people know.

The game is afoot! (should I credit Sir Arthur Conan Doyle here?)

Welcome

Welcome to Write Brainers. We are writers for children, and part of a long-standing critique group. In order to share our wealth, so to speak, and learn from you, too, consider this your personal invitation to our discussion!

Among us are: a librarian, a biology professor, a high school English teacher, a journalist, a scientist, an archaeologist, visual artists, poets, a father, mothers and wives. Four are published authors (See books in the sidebar). Four are in the process of trying to obtain agent representation, and sell novels. We are all trying to become better artists, always.

If you visit our blog you will read book reviews and author interviews. There will be art and poetry posts, links to helpful web pages we’ve visited, commentary on our individual (and diverse!) writing processes, and other things that come up. Occasionally, we may be informative, funny, serious, angst-ridden, inspired, a little controversial (hey, there’s eight of us!) or all of the above.

Thanks for stopping by!