Enough already

Yoohoo boxer shorts?

Okay, okay, enough already...

I'm off eBay.....

....for a while.

I don't think so...

Yoohoo pencils are great.

But Yoohoo earrings?

Um, I don't think so.....

Only on eBay

Check this out - 108 little Yoohoo pencils!

My next novel, The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis (Fall 2009), centers around little boats made out of Yoohoo cartons.

So, of course, I had to have these!

Nice little give-aways, don't you think?

An award!

I was honored with another blog award by Deb Renner Smith, a fabulous teacher who is passionate about writing and teaching writing to children. (Thanks, Deb!)

The award is the Atre y Pico Award.

I'm going to follow Deb's lead and pass along this award to a few blogs that I think are terrific contributions to children's literacy:

Of course, who is more deserving than Franki and Mary Lee over at A Year of Reading? Love those guys!

Becky's Book Reviews is amazing. That gal can do some reading! Talk about devoted!

And Hip Writer Mama is, well, a hip writer mama.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

This has nothing whatsoever to do with writing for children, but, dang, these look good.

(Jama, you should make these and let us know how they are....)

Writing Tip Tuesday

Speaking of action.....

.....here's some food for thought with regard to your story:

Is the character a critical element in the ACTION of the story?

Is she instrumental in driving the story forward?

Does she MAKE the story happen?

OR........

Is the story simply happening to her or around her?

Here's the million dollar question:

If you took your main character out of the story, would the story/action/event still happen?

IMHO, it's not enough to have a character simply experiencing the story, relating the story, observing the story, etc. It's not even enough for the character to just participate in the story.

The character needs to MAKE THE DANG STORY HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE.

And that means....the character needs to DO something - not just see something, feel something, tell us something, experience something, etc.

Word clouds

I had never heard of Wordle.

But thanks to Professor Nana, now I have.

Here is a "word cloud" of Chapter 1 of The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis:




Chapter 2:




And Chapter 3:




Uh oh - I just noticed how big the word "said" is.

I think that might be bad.

I'm so brilliant

I was given this award by the world's-best-map-creator-drawer-painter and children's book illustrator, Jennifer Thermes.

Thanks, Jennifer!

So now I get to choose some of my favorite blogs and spread the love.

Here are the rules:

1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

I'm choosing The Empress of the Universe (ha! I knew you'd have to click that link to find out who the heck that is), Sarah Lewis Holmes, Grace Lin, Gusty Scattergood and Lisa Yee.

Now, because I'm such a Royal Rulebreaker aka Rebel (okay, okay, maybe because I'm lazy), I'm not following the rules. I only nominated five and I didn't post at their blogs. They have to read mine to find out. Ha! That'll teach 'em....

Back in the saddle

I've been thinking lately about critique - that oh-so-delicate part of writing.

You may receive it from a friend, a fellow writer, or an editor.

Naturally, we all like to hear what others love about our work.

But the point of critique is to hear what others don't love about our work.

What's missing?

What's confusing?

What's too slow? Too boring? Too long?

Etc.

I have experienced - and witnessed - a critique knocking you out of the saddle and causing you to get off track - to lose your way - to lose your vision - or, worst of all, to lose your voice.

Over the years, I've learned how to get back in the saddle:

I follow my instincts.

Always.

It's important to listen to feedback from trusted and respected readers.

But it's also important to know how to use that feedback without sacrificing your creation.

So in addition to listening to trusted and respected readers....

....listen to yourself.

FSG July/August Newsletter

Farrar, Straus & Giroux - July/August Newsletter

Dorothy

My friend, writer Leslie Guccione, is an eBay junkie like me.

She gave me these fantastic vintage handkerchieves in honor of Dorothy from Greetings From Nowhere.

Just call me Granny

The cashier at the grocery store gave me the senior citizens discount today.

But she just called it "the discount."


I saved 63 cents.

Writing Tip Tuesday

Part 2 of discussing There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar:

In addition to creating a lovable bad boy, Sachar uses a unique technique in this book.

He adds a wonderful layer to the main character of Bradley Chalkers by having him live in a fantasy world with his collection of toy animals.

First of all, this fantasy relationship between Bradley and his animals is so dang sweet you just HAVE to root for Bradley, no matter how often he lies or otherwise engages in naughty behavior.

How can you NOT love this kid?

But what I love most about the way Sachar uses this device is the way he does it - by literally switching from realistic fiction mode into fantasy mode - just as smooth as smooth can be.

He was talking to his collection of little animals. He had about twenty of them. There was a brass lion that he had found one day in a garbage can on the way to school. There was an ivory donkey that his parents had brought back from a trip to Mexico. There were two owls that were once used as salt and pepper shakers, a glass unicorn with its horn broken, a family of cocker spaniels, attached around an ashtray, a raccoon, a fox, an elephant, a kangaroo, and some that were so chipped and broken you couldn't tell what they were. And they were all friends.

And they all liked Bradley. [Note: Can Sachar write a powerful sentence, or what??!!]

"Where's Ronnie?" Bradley asked. "And Bartholomew?"

"I don't know," said the fox.

"They're always going off together," said the kangaroo.

Bradley leaned across the bed and reached under his pillow. He pulled out Ronnie the Rabbit and Bartholomew the Bear.... "What were you two doing back there?" he demanded.

Ronnie giggled. She was a little red rabbit with tiny blue eyes glued on her face...

"Nothing, Bradley," she said. "I was just taking a walk."

I love this! It takes the reader right into Bradley's fantasy world and it's just so much fun.

Oh, and remember that language test he cut up into a gazillion little pieces earlier in the story?

Bradley reached into his pocket and took out a handful of cut-up bits of paper, his language test.

"Look, everybody," he said. "I brought you some food!"

He dropped the bits of paper onto the bed, then scooped all his animals into it.

"Not so fast," he said. "There's plenty for everybody."

"Thank you, Bradley," said Ronnie. "It's delicious."

"Don't play with your food," the mother cocker spaniel told her three children.

"Pass the salt," said the pepper owl.

"Pass the pepper," said the salt owl.

"Let's hear it for Bradley!" called the lion.

They all cheered, "Yay, Bradley!"

Ronnie finished eating, then hopped off by herself, singing, "doo de-doo de-doo."

Then she said, "I think I'll go swimming in the pond."

The pond was a purple stain on Bradley's bedspread where he had once spilled grape juice.

And so it goes - Sachar using this fantasy world to help the reader love Bradley.

And it totally works.

And then.... when Bradley's sister barges into his room while he's chatting with his animals:

"Get out of here!" he snapped at her. "Or I'll punch your face in!"

I love that kid.

What's my tip here, you might be wondering?

My tip is:

Don't be afraid to try something new. Wanna intersperse some fantasy with some reality? Wanna take us inside your main character's world, even if it means leaving your realistic setting?

Break a rule or two.

Go ahead.

Try it.

I dare you.


Quoted from There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar; Alfred Knopf; 1987

Off to Maine

I'm heading up to Maine to visit my son for the weekend.

Yay!

(I have to stay at this crummy place, but I guess I'll just suck it up and make the best of it.)

Waaaaah!

Pardon me while I have a good cry.

One of my novels has gone out of print.

This is a first for me.

I'm partial to all of my books, of course.....but I have a special place in my heart for this one.

R. I. P.
Moonpie and Ivy