I'm not sure when I'll be back. I'll still stop in to visit your blogs when I get a chance - maybe still participate in a few things. Most of you already know how to reach me, if there's any great news in the bloggy-sphere or if you just want to touch base.
Without going into too much detail, I've hit the wall. Something had to give, and this has turned out to be it. I don't know yet if I'm joining the ranks of those who've given up blogging altogether, or if I'm just taking a break. But there are a number of things I have to accomplish before I can devote time here.
Blogging has been a great place for me, to learn and connect, and grow as a writer. Now it's time to use all of those things.
Take care. Be good, unless it doesn't suit you... I'll be writing.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Throw Down! I Double Dare You
Forever and two years ago, I reviewed The Daring Book for Girls. And I looooved it, for those of you who don’t want to go traipsing through the old post.
Now they’re out with a brand new book, The Double Daring Book for Girls. Also a hoot, but if you want another book review, you’re not getting it here. If you’d like to learn more about the books, check out the daring book for girls website.
Instead, I’d like to challenge you to do one of the activities. Of course, the minute I got my hot little hands on my copy from the publisher, my daughter had her brothers create a diversion and she promptly stole said copy. (She’s getting to be quite the little book thief and I couldn’t be prouder).
She went right to work, and made the snow globe below from instructions on page 149:
For Gracie’s snow globe, she cleaned out a jelly jar, removing all of the label from outside. Then she drew a snowman, and snow scene on a piece of paper and taped it so it could be viewed from the front of her globe through the glass. She filled the jar with water and added sequins for her ‘snow’. Of course, she read the directions but then created her own take on the project.
So what do you think? Can you do better than an eleven year old?
If you’d like to follow the actual instructions: Find any fun doodad to glue to the inside of the jar lid – a plastic statue or toy works well. Instead of sequins, you can use glitter for your snow, and you may or may not like to create your own backdrop to apply to the back of the jar, that can be seen through your snow scene.
Make sure to glue the lid on tightly and leave to dry before shaking.
If any of you already own the book, I’d love to hear about the projects you’ve created. And if you’d like to do your own snow globe, or make one with your kids, post your creation on your blog so I can come take a look.
Now to find another challenge to kick off my kids’ summer. On page 201, there are instructions on “How to paint a room” hmmmm.... I wonder if they’d fall for that!
Now they’re out with a brand new book, The Double Daring Book for Girls. Also a hoot, but if you want another book review, you’re not getting it here. If you’d like to learn more about the books, check out the daring book for girls website.
Instead, I’d like to challenge you to do one of the activities. Of course, the minute I got my hot little hands on my copy from the publisher, my daughter had her brothers create a diversion and she promptly stole said copy. (She’s getting to be quite the little book thief and I couldn’t be prouder).
She went right to work, and made the snow globe below from instructions on page 149:
For Gracie’s snow globe, she cleaned out a jelly jar, removing all of the label from outside. Then she drew a snowman, and snow scene on a piece of paper and taped it so it could be viewed from the front of her globe through the glass. She filled the jar with water and added sequins for her ‘snow’. Of course, she read the directions but then created her own take on the project.
So what do you think? Can you do better than an eleven year old?
If you’d like to follow the actual instructions: Find any fun doodad to glue to the inside of the jar lid – a plastic statue or toy works well. Instead of sequins, you can use glitter for your snow, and you may or may not like to create your own backdrop to apply to the back of the jar, that can be seen through your snow scene.
Make sure to glue the lid on tightly and leave to dry before shaking.
If any of you already own the book, I’d love to hear about the projects you’ve created. And if you’d like to do your own snow globe, or make one with your kids, post your creation on your blog so I can come take a look.
Now to find another challenge to kick off my kids’ summer. On page 201, there are instructions on “How to paint a room” hmmmm.... I wonder if they’d fall for that!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Introducing Magickeepers - an interview with Erica Kirov
Besides having one of the coolest covers I’ve ever seen, Magickeepers: The Eternal Hourglass can also boast a fantastic story. Nick’s a kid we all might know – one who slacks a little here and there and is looking forward to a summer filled with nothing but junk food, sleeping in, and skateboarding.
Instead, he’s whisked away to live with relatives he didn’t know he had who perform the most successful magic act in Vegas – and Nick will be on stage with them, except the magic will be more than an act. The story itself is fun and fast paced, with enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing. The characters are people you’d love to get to know in real life, including some names in history you may have heard tales of already – like Houdini and Rasputin.
I want to thank Erica Kirov, for taking the time to allow us to interview her, and for volunteering to stop in at the comments to talk with all of our readers. Feel free to ask any questions you’d like about the book, or about writing and publishing in general.
To find out more about the books, stop by the Magickeepers Website or visit Erica’s Magickeeper’s blog, which are also moderated and kid-friendly.
My eleven year old daughter, Gracie, wanted to ask some of the questions, so I’ll turn it over to her to start us out:
Grace: Were you always interested in magicians or was it something new to you for the story?
Erica: I actually LOVE magic acts, and I am always trying to figure out the tricks. (Not very successfully, I might add. I can never figure them out!) So then I had an idea for a book--and like nearly every book idea it started with two words: What if? What if magic was real?
Grace: How did you get the inspiration to write the book?
Erica: Once I had my "what if" question, I let that sort of rest inside me for a bit. Then little by little a world where magicians had to hide their true identities emerged. And then I came up with the idea of a diaspora (a big SAT word meaning when a people scatter) out of ancient Egypt of magicians to places all over the world. And my clan--the Russians--came to me. My father's family is Russian, so that part was kind of easy to come up with.
Grace: If you were Nick Rostov, would you have done anything different? Are you like the main character and what ways are you alike or different?
Erica: That is a really good question. I don't know that I would have been as brave as Nick or have come up with the ending (don't want to spoil it for anyone). I actually am very different from Nick in that I LOVED school and like to read and study--and he obviously doesn't. But he is VERY patient with the Grand Duchess, and I am like that with older people. I love that they have these wonderful stories they can pass along to the next generation. And I also remember not liking the food my grandmother cooked--so I would be like him there. Russian food is definitely an acquired taste. And I guess finally that he gets frustrated easily . . . that is me through and through.
Grace: When you turned the book in to your publisher, did they ask you to change things - and what kind of things do you have to change?
Erica: You will be very surprised, perhaps, to hear the book originally was ONLY about a girl. But before I officially started it, my editor asked if I would make it about a boy. We compromised . . . and so we have Nick and Isabella. They each have gifts unique to them--Nick cannot control animals ever. Once I turned the entire book in, I was asked to add more history (my editor LOVES that part of the story). And the ending changed a lot--my editor wanted more danger!
And now, for some questions of my own:
Merry: This is your first middle grade novel - did you decide you'd like to write to that age bracket and then the idea for the story came to you - or did the idea for the story come first and it was a perfect fit for middle grade?
Erica: I actually wanted to write a middle grade book. I have four children . . . one is a grown-up already (well, she's 19, and I consider her a grown-up). One is 14, one is 11, and my little guy is a VERY mischievous 4 year old. And pretty much, though I have been a novelist for years, it was always very separate from them. A book would come out, and they would sort of shrug or say "Congratulations." But since the books were adult novels, they didn't get to read them and didn't feel part of my writing world. This has been something we got to do together--especially the 14- and 11-year-old. So I did want to write one and I had a couple of ideas, but none felt right. And then out of the blue, I got my "what if magic was real" idea . . . and it grew from there.
Merry: Russian history and heritage is a large part of the story of Magickeepers - did your own Russian heritage play a role in your life and did some of your own traditions make it into the novel?
Erica: My mother's side of the family is Slavic, and actually, they have more traditions. My father's side is very small--but it is a very small family since so many of them were murdered during the Russian Revolution. Very few survived. So that history was always a part of my life, knowing that they experienced this very dark tragedy and it colored the survivors’ lives.
Merry: This is the first series you've created - did you approach the plotting or writing of this novel differently than you have approached your previously published stand alone novels? In what ways does writing a series differ from writing a single title?
Erica: For me, it was like night and day and a LOT harder. I had to have a very clear idea of the battle between the Shadowkeepers and Magickeepers over many years of the story. I had to see well ahead at least two books . . . I had to hold some secrets back. And now that I am in the middle of the second one, I can say that I have to make sure there's enough background for people who didn't read the first--without boring those who DID read the first. A very tricky thing. What I have done differently, too, is create a story bible, so I can keep things straight over a period of years (this first book was a three-year-process, just about). And now I am in the middle of creating a historical timeline because matching historical dates to make sure characters could really have met each other in time has been super difficult.
Okay, guys, it’s your turn. What questions or comments would you like to add?
Friday, May 22, 2009
Author Interview on May 28th- The Amazing Erica Kirov
I am beyond excited to announce that on Thursday, May 28th, I’ll be interviewing the very awesome Erica Kirov on my blog, and you’re all invited!!!
Erica is multi-published, under several pen names (my regular blog readers already know most of them, I’m sure), and on the 28th we’ll be discussing her latest release – the first in her middle grade series:
Magickeepers: The Eternal Hourglass
Erica will be hanging around in the comments section, and the entire discussion will be moderated and kid-friendly. It’s a great opportunity to learn about a fabulous new novel and talk with the author.
If you’re a reader or writer, a fan of middle grade or a parent who might like to introduce their kids to the author – I’d love to see you there.
About the Book:
From the back cover: The one and only Harry Houdini was killed for it, the most powerful magicians have battled for centuries to retrieve it, and even the Ancient Pharaohs feared its power.... What would you do for an hourglass that stopped time?
If you’re not intrigued yet... wait until you meet Nick Rostov.
About comment moderation :
There will be a slight delay between when you leave your comment and when I get it posted. I’ll stop in frequently to make sure there’s not too much lag time...
My blogs are pretty pg to begin with, but I want to welcome any and all young readers to comment, and I want to make sure that they don’t accidentally post too much information in an online forum. So, for you parents out there, your child is safe to participate and I won’t let any full names, towns, schools, etc go up in comments... They can ask any questions they’d like about the book or writing, though.
Of course, I’d also love to welcome all writers, and adult readers who enjoy a good middle grade novel.
To learn more about the books and author, the website is : Magickeepers
The book is available in all of your favorite bookstores, or to order your very own copy from the publisher:
drop by Sourcebooks
Hope to see you all there!
Saturday, May 09, 2009
What Are You Worth?
So, I just found an article that asks what a mother’s work is really worth. These people are pretty funny. According to them, what I do is worth six figures a year. That’s not the funny part. Any mom out there can tell you that what they do is worth more money than there is to pay. The funny part is that the only time society in general sees fit to find worth in motherhood is on a hallmark greeting card holiday.
Any other day of the year, when mingling at a social gathering with new people, the question invariably comes up – What do you do? I don’t often tell them I’m a writer. I usually tell them I’m a mother. It’s my litmus test. If their smile freezes over and they find a quick reason to talk to someone ‘more interesting’ I know they’re not worth my time. Twice it’s happened that someone else in the room outed me as a writer and they came back, thinking I’d have something more interesting to say. I do – just not to them...
The thing is, I don’t need someone I just met to validate my worth. I don’t need an article with a built in calculator to give me a monetary figure that’s supposed to boost my esteem. But then, I don’t define success and money interchangeably. My bank account doesn’t tell you any of the important things. It can’t give a history of the time I’ve spent teaching my own kids, or other peoples’ kids. It can’t tell you how many times I’ve been late, but still let someone into my lane in traffic, or how many times I’ve put in my own time without pay, to help someone else out or further a cause. I don’t even keep track of those things, and they’re certainly not measured in dollars.
My kids are the best indication of my worth:
They are better, faster, stronger, funnier, more compassionate, and infinitely more important than any work I have or will create. My characters are important to me, and I hope that they will find the world and the reader and speak to them – but my writing, no matter how far I take it, will never be my greatest accomplishment... The best things I’ve ever been a part of, I owe more thanks to than I can take credit for.
And my Mother’s Day gifts:
The flowers are from my daughter. She hand-painted the pot and arranged the flowers herself. The frames are from my boys – oldest painted the blue and green one and littlest guy painted the red one. I’m hunting for pictures so I can put them out for tomorrow.
How are you spending your mother’s day? Did you give your mom a call yet? Did your kids delight you with something special? (And for the dads, did you do something for the Mrs?) And moms out there – how do you define your worth?
Any other day of the year, when mingling at a social gathering with new people, the question invariably comes up – What do you do? I don’t often tell them I’m a writer. I usually tell them I’m a mother. It’s my litmus test. If their smile freezes over and they find a quick reason to talk to someone ‘more interesting’ I know they’re not worth my time. Twice it’s happened that someone else in the room outed me as a writer and they came back, thinking I’d have something more interesting to say. I do – just not to them...
The thing is, I don’t need someone I just met to validate my worth. I don’t need an article with a built in calculator to give me a monetary figure that’s supposed to boost my esteem. But then, I don’t define success and money interchangeably. My bank account doesn’t tell you any of the important things. It can’t give a history of the time I’ve spent teaching my own kids, or other peoples’ kids. It can’t tell you how many times I’ve been late, but still let someone into my lane in traffic, or how many times I’ve put in my own time without pay, to help someone else out or further a cause. I don’t even keep track of those things, and they’re certainly not measured in dollars.
My kids are the best indication of my worth:
They are better, faster, stronger, funnier, more compassionate, and infinitely more important than any work I have or will create. My characters are important to me, and I hope that they will find the world and the reader and speak to them – but my writing, no matter how far I take it, will never be my greatest accomplishment... The best things I’ve ever been a part of, I owe more thanks to than I can take credit for.
And my Mother’s Day gifts:
The flowers are from my daughter. She hand-painted the pot and arranged the flowers herself. The frames are from my boys – oldest painted the blue and green one and littlest guy painted the red one. I’m hunting for pictures so I can put them out for tomorrow.
How are you spending your mother’s day? Did you give your mom a call yet? Did your kids delight you with something special? (And for the dads, did you do something for the Mrs?) And moms out there – how do you define your worth?
Friday, May 01, 2009
Playing Ball
I’m almost reticent to admit this in public, but I’m not one of those parents that agree with the whole ideal that children’s sports should be non-competitive. Everybody wins, everyone gets a trophy, and everyone feels good. Nope, I think you learn by working with your team really hard, and trying your best... and then when you win it means something and you also learn that there are worse things than losing. I know, I suck.
And it’s not that I want to see kids feeling bad. I have kids. It rips my heart out when they get thrown out at a base or can’t hit the ball, especially when they get upset enough to cry over it. Here’s the thing, those little lessons and disappointments in childhood help strengthen us for the bigger ones down the road. We learn to cope by experience – we learn more than that, but I’m simplifying for the moment.
Littlest guy plays baseball. This is his third year playing and he was really looking forward to it. He loved tee-ball and the league he was in last year, and when it came time to get him new cleats and a big guy mitt... well, man, he was pumped. My older son plays football, and all fall the football dads were asking littlest guy if he’d be playing football next year. He always said, “Nope. I play baseball!” That’s his game, the one he likes and the one he picked.
Well, this year it’s kid pitch. Slightly different from last year, where the coach lobbed meatballs over the plate, and if you couldn’t hit one of those, they let you hit off a tee. This year, there’s another seven year old on the pitching mound, and he may just be seven but he’s throwing as hard as he can... and seven year olds don’t always have good aim.
Littlest guy got beaned his first time up. I know, I gasped, too. He wasn’t really hurt just startled... but startled turned into scared. For the next two practices and one game, he was so afraid of getting hit again that he struck out every he was up – and every time he struck out he was so upset that he cried. His dad took him out to the backyard and taught him how to jump out of the way using wiffle balls, so he wasn’t afraid of the drill... but still, for those first two weeks, he didn’t like baseball so much anymore. And it wasn’t that he didn’t like the sport. It was that he didn’t like striking out. It was the failure, not the game.
We talked about it before his next practice, and I told him I didn’t care if he got a hit or not as long as he did his best. But I also told him not to think about the parts he doesn’t like, think instead about the parts he does... He likes fielding – he loves playing any of the base positions and he likes catching and knowing which base to throw the ball to.
So what happened? As he explained to anyone in ear-shot, “I caught not one but four balls! In the air! Without them even touching the ground!”
I love the way he explains it.... in the same tone he might use to say he saved twelve people from a runaway train. But suddenly he was having fun... and of course, in his next game, he got a hit.
You should have seen him. He got to first base, realized he was safe, and jumped up and down on the base, clapping his hands like mad. Then, after about three minutes of cheering for himself, he found me in the stands, yelled “Mom!!!!” and gave me two thumbs up.
That one hit was enough to get him over the fear... it’s fun again.
So this brings me to writing, because I think underneath, we’re not so different from our seven year old selves. Writing means striking out a hell of a lot. But I think for me, I’ve been concentrating on the fielding – okay, enough baseball metaphors. I’ve been working on the end of things I can control – the writing. Playing with my voice and the way I use it. Working on a new wip and working with a few beta readers... well, a lot of things, but it’s the stuff I enjoy as much as it is the stuff I’m improving. For me, the hard part is the query letters and rejections. It hasn’t made me cry yet, but it has made me take a long break from submissions. Because I’m still writing, it doesn’t feel so much like caving... but let’s get real here, if I’m not submitting, all that writing doesn’t amount to a hell of a lot, does it?
How about you guys? How do you get over the parts that are hard and keep pushing?
And it’s not that I want to see kids feeling bad. I have kids. It rips my heart out when they get thrown out at a base or can’t hit the ball, especially when they get upset enough to cry over it. Here’s the thing, those little lessons and disappointments in childhood help strengthen us for the bigger ones down the road. We learn to cope by experience – we learn more than that, but I’m simplifying for the moment.
Littlest guy plays baseball. This is his third year playing and he was really looking forward to it. He loved tee-ball and the league he was in last year, and when it came time to get him new cleats and a big guy mitt... well, man, he was pumped. My older son plays football, and all fall the football dads were asking littlest guy if he’d be playing football next year. He always said, “Nope. I play baseball!” That’s his game, the one he likes and the one he picked.
Well, this year it’s kid pitch. Slightly different from last year, where the coach lobbed meatballs over the plate, and if you couldn’t hit one of those, they let you hit off a tee. This year, there’s another seven year old on the pitching mound, and he may just be seven but he’s throwing as hard as he can... and seven year olds don’t always have good aim.
Littlest guy got beaned his first time up. I know, I gasped, too. He wasn’t really hurt just startled... but startled turned into scared. For the next two practices and one game, he was so afraid of getting hit again that he struck out every he was up – and every time he struck out he was so upset that he cried. His dad took him out to the backyard and taught him how to jump out of the way using wiffle balls, so he wasn’t afraid of the drill... but still, for those first two weeks, he didn’t like baseball so much anymore. And it wasn’t that he didn’t like the sport. It was that he didn’t like striking out. It was the failure, not the game.
We talked about it before his next practice, and I told him I didn’t care if he got a hit or not as long as he did his best. But I also told him not to think about the parts he doesn’t like, think instead about the parts he does... He likes fielding – he loves playing any of the base positions and he likes catching and knowing which base to throw the ball to.
So what happened? As he explained to anyone in ear-shot, “I caught not one but four balls! In the air! Without them even touching the ground!”
I love the way he explains it.... in the same tone he might use to say he saved twelve people from a runaway train. But suddenly he was having fun... and of course, in his next game, he got a hit.
You should have seen him. He got to first base, realized he was safe, and jumped up and down on the base, clapping his hands like mad. Then, after about three minutes of cheering for himself, he found me in the stands, yelled “Mom!!!!” and gave me two thumbs up.
That one hit was enough to get him over the fear... it’s fun again.
So this brings me to writing, because I think underneath, we’re not so different from our seven year old selves. Writing means striking out a hell of a lot. But I think for me, I’ve been concentrating on the fielding – okay, enough baseball metaphors. I’ve been working on the end of things I can control – the writing. Playing with my voice and the way I use it. Working on a new wip and working with a few beta readers... well, a lot of things, but it’s the stuff I enjoy as much as it is the stuff I’m improving. For me, the hard part is the query letters and rejections. It hasn’t made me cry yet, but it has made me take a long break from submissions. Because I’m still writing, it doesn’t feel so much like caving... but let’s get real here, if I’m not submitting, all that writing doesn’t amount to a hell of a lot, does it?
How about you guys? How do you get over the parts that are hard and keep pushing?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Lots of News and Many Happy Dances
First of all, drop by Ello’s to win an autographed copy of Cindy Pon’s new Silver Phoenix! I’ve been on pins and needles to read this one ever since Cindy first landed her deal – it looks absolutely amazing!
Second, Erica Orloff’s first novel in the new Magickeepers series is due to hit shelves this Friday! (Pssst, it’s under the name Erica Kirov, but it’s the same amazing writing, this time aimed at middle grade)... I’m dying, dying I say, to get my hot little hands on this book. Erica’s very accessible to both readers and writers on their way up – so if you’re interested in doing a book review or author interview, stop over at her blog or drop her a line via email.
Side note to Jaye Wells, Erica and Cindy – your books are all on my must have list, but they have to wait until I get a few more paychecks in... Sorry about that. If the kids didn’t mind, I’d certainly read by candlelight – but they enjoy the electric.
Last, but definitely not least –
Stephen Parrish just announced his book deal!!!!
I so wish I knew how to do big, bold sparkly letters that jumped off the computer screen, slapped the reader in the face, and spit raspberries at them. Not for any particular reason, it just sounds like fun.
Go over to Stephen’s and congratulate him. It’s an order. While you’re there, you can read about horseback riding and balls – it’s Stephen, you should expect such things.
Second, Erica Orloff’s first novel in the new Magickeepers series is due to hit shelves this Friday! (Pssst, it’s under the name Erica Kirov, but it’s the same amazing writing, this time aimed at middle grade)... I’m dying, dying I say, to get my hot little hands on this book. Erica’s very accessible to both readers and writers on their way up – so if you’re interested in doing a book review or author interview, stop over at her blog or drop her a line via email.
Side note to Jaye Wells, Erica and Cindy – your books are all on my must have list, but they have to wait until I get a few more paychecks in... Sorry about that. If the kids didn’t mind, I’d certainly read by candlelight – but they enjoy the electric.
Last, but definitely not least –
Stephen Parrish just announced his book deal!!!!
I so wish I knew how to do big, bold sparkly letters that jumped off the computer screen, slapped the reader in the face, and spit raspberries at them. Not for any particular reason, it just sounds like fun.
Go over to Stephen’s and congratulate him. It’s an order. While you’re there, you can read about horseback riding and balls – it’s Stephen, you should expect such things.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Motherhood Meme - Five things...
Mary Witzl, our own Resident Alien, tagged me with a meme to list five things I love about being a mom... Wow, won’t that test my editing skills – ONLY FIVE?!!!
It might be easier, and more fun to list things that suck about being a mom. You’re allowed to be funnier that way. Like, who among you mothers out there can’t lament the sad state of spit-up stained sweat shirts replacing all your single girl clothes... or previously perky breasts becoming food dispensers rather than date bait? Hmmm, perhaps I’m cynical today... okay, onto the things I love:
I love snuggles for no apparent reason... or even a plotting-to-get-my-way reason. I’m fully aware that my time of being snuggle-worthy is limited. At some point in the not too distant future, snuggling their mother will just be weird. And I’ll miss it. A lot. This morning my littlest guy, who is only in first grade, got out of our van and lifted his little cheek for the mandatory kiss before running off toward his class line. I did my little hop-step toward the other side of the car and turned around like I always do to watch him bounce toward school – and what to my wondering eyes did appear? The little guy was wiping my kiss off his cheek and rolling his eyes with one of his friends. Ack. Knife. In the heart. It’s okay - it is. I remember wanting to distance myself from my mom. I remember not wanting to look like a baby in front of my friends... but I’m pretty sure I was a bit older than six.
I love that each of my kids is their own person – and I love each one of them for who they are. It’s funny, but when you think about having kids in an abstract way, (you know, before the spit up and actual work-a-day world of raising them) you don’t fully realize that you have no control over who they’ll be. None of my kids are exactly like me or anyone else really. Sure, I can see bits and pieces, things I know they got from here or there, but they are their own. Their wit and charm and cunning and chutzpah – that’s all theirs. I’d love to take credit, but I can’t – so I’m content to bask in the glow of their awesomeness.
I love who I am through their eyes. This is something no one prepares you for in parenthood. I am the mommy. Before becoming a mother, I didn’t know how much the title ‘Mom’ would define me. Pluses and drawbacks to be sure. I kind of miss thinking of myself as sexy or salty or a bevy of other things I once was – and still am when I’m not overwhelmed with Mom Mode. But those things don’t compare to the me I am in my kids’ eyes. My kids look at me in a way that makes me want to be that person – the bravest, safest, smartest, surest, best at all things imaginable, person. I’m not quite as cool as they think I am. Like the snuggling, my reign of coolness for them has an expiration date, too, I imagine. But, they make me want to be that. They make me strive to be better than I ever thought I could or even wanted to be just for me.
I love that they’ve completed my circle. They’ve taught me the other side of unconditional love – I learned what it is to be loved without condition or question from my own parents. But to be honest, I didn’t fully understand the giving of unconditional love before my own kids. To be clear, there are a few people who I do love without condition (it’s a rarity, it is) but there are a few who, no matter what they do or where they go or what kind of disagreement we have, I’ll have their back if it means standing in front of a train. No question. My side has been picked since day one. But with my kids, it’s different still. Because they belong to me in a way that no one else can – in the way that I belonged to mine... they complete that circle for me and I hope to be a good marker for them of what it is to love someone, without question or condition.
I love that they tickle me daily with their little peculiarities, views of the world, and funny comments (whether they’re trying to be funny or not). I love that they are my biggest cheering section for things small and large and that they are each others’ biggest cheering section. They are friends, good friends – and they understand something that’s hard to explain, that bond between siblings. They have that in spades... so I know, no matter what happens through the course of their lives, they’ll have each other.
Okay, I’m passing this on to five people. Don’t feel obligated to continue it, but if you have some time, I’d love to see five things from Ello, Erica, Stacey, Jerseygirl, and Julie.
It might be easier, and more fun to list things that suck about being a mom. You’re allowed to be funnier that way. Like, who among you mothers out there can’t lament the sad state of spit-up stained sweat shirts replacing all your single girl clothes... or previously perky breasts becoming food dispensers rather than date bait? Hmmm, perhaps I’m cynical today... okay, onto the things I love:
I love snuggles for no apparent reason... or even a plotting-to-get-my-way reason. I’m fully aware that my time of being snuggle-worthy is limited. At some point in the not too distant future, snuggling their mother will just be weird. And I’ll miss it. A lot. This morning my littlest guy, who is only in first grade, got out of our van and lifted his little cheek for the mandatory kiss before running off toward his class line. I did my little hop-step toward the other side of the car and turned around like I always do to watch him bounce toward school – and what to my wondering eyes did appear? The little guy was wiping my kiss off his cheek and rolling his eyes with one of his friends. Ack. Knife. In the heart. It’s okay - it is. I remember wanting to distance myself from my mom. I remember not wanting to look like a baby in front of my friends... but I’m pretty sure I was a bit older than six.
I love that each of my kids is their own person – and I love each one of them for who they are. It’s funny, but when you think about having kids in an abstract way, (you know, before the spit up and actual work-a-day world of raising them) you don’t fully realize that you have no control over who they’ll be. None of my kids are exactly like me or anyone else really. Sure, I can see bits and pieces, things I know they got from here or there, but they are their own. Their wit and charm and cunning and chutzpah – that’s all theirs. I’d love to take credit, but I can’t – so I’m content to bask in the glow of their awesomeness.
I love who I am through their eyes. This is something no one prepares you for in parenthood. I am the mommy. Before becoming a mother, I didn’t know how much the title ‘Mom’ would define me. Pluses and drawbacks to be sure. I kind of miss thinking of myself as sexy or salty or a bevy of other things I once was – and still am when I’m not overwhelmed with Mom Mode. But those things don’t compare to the me I am in my kids’ eyes. My kids look at me in a way that makes me want to be that person – the bravest, safest, smartest, surest, best at all things imaginable, person. I’m not quite as cool as they think I am. Like the snuggling, my reign of coolness for them has an expiration date, too, I imagine. But, they make me want to be that. They make me strive to be better than I ever thought I could or even wanted to be just for me.
I love that they’ve completed my circle. They’ve taught me the other side of unconditional love – I learned what it is to be loved without condition or question from my own parents. But to be honest, I didn’t fully understand the giving of unconditional love before my own kids. To be clear, there are a few people who I do love without condition (it’s a rarity, it is) but there are a few who, no matter what they do or where they go or what kind of disagreement we have, I’ll have their back if it means standing in front of a train. No question. My side has been picked since day one. But with my kids, it’s different still. Because they belong to me in a way that no one else can – in the way that I belonged to mine... they complete that circle for me and I hope to be a good marker for them of what it is to love someone, without question or condition.
I love that they tickle me daily with their little peculiarities, views of the world, and funny comments (whether they’re trying to be funny or not). I love that they are my biggest cheering section for things small and large and that they are each others’ biggest cheering section. They are friends, good friends – and they understand something that’s hard to explain, that bond between siblings. They have that in spades... so I know, no matter what happens through the course of their lives, they’ll have each other.
Okay, I’m passing this on to five people. Don’t feel obligated to continue it, but if you have some time, I’d love to see five things from Ello, Erica, Stacey, Jerseygirl, and Julie.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Small Update in Blogging
I blogged a while ago about my new job at The Big Ooga. I wanted to update you guys a bit as I go. My blogging time here has been sporadic since, well, since I started blogging... but NOW you can definitely find me every Friday!!! (Yes, I can hear the squeals of joy!)
Seriously, I'll be blogging at The Big Ooga Blog every Friday and I hope you guys can stop in here and there to say hello and check out the posts. Our regular schedule is Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Stop in if you can. I'd love to see you there.
This week's a good one - we're talking about the 60's anti-establishment movement and how revolutionary vision influences small businesses and marketing.
Seriously, I'll be blogging at The Big Ooga Blog every Friday and I hope you guys can stop in here and there to say hello and check out the posts. Our regular schedule is Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Stop in if you can. I'd love to see you there.
This week's a good one - we're talking about the 60's anti-establishment movement and how revolutionary vision influences small businesses and marketing.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Is There a Support Group for People Who Have a Book Buying Problem?
If you haven’t heard of the Fill in The Gaps project yet, here’s the basic gist:
Our beloved Moonie first posted the idea, which she stole from someone else at her place... If you want to read her list and rules, it’s on her project fill in the gaps post.
Basically, each participant comes up with a list of 100 books that they haven’t yet read. Your criteria might be using classics you’ve always wanted to get to... or your own ‘to be read’ pile along with some recommendations by others. We’re giving ourselves a five year deadline (a little more, really) – New Year’s 2015. That’s only 20 books a year. This way, we actually read all those books we’ve been meaning to read, simply by fitting them in between our regular reading - filling in the gaps.
The awesome Emily Cross took up the cause and put together a blog for those of us participating - Filling in the Gaps – The 100 Project. If you’re interested in making your own list, Emily’s information is up at the blog, you can email her to get an invite to join us (insert evil, mwa-ha-ha).
My list can be found here... and all of the participants’ lists can be found by clicking on their names in the right hand sidebar.
When Moonie first posted about this, I thought, “Easy cheesy – I’ve got a ton of books lying around that I’ve always meant to get to...” Okay, seriously, out of the 100, I own well more than half of them. They’re in stacks, and double stacked on bookshelves, and in boxes and closets... and... I could go on.
I started by checking out my friends’ lists at Goodreads and marking ‘to read’ all the ones that I noticed on their lists that I’ve heard about or wanted to read and never got to... then I expanded my list to include classics I knew I wanted to read that hadn’t made it onto their lists yet and books just out or soon to be released by writers I know. Then I went, from the stacks in my living room, tv room, and bedroom... and even my daughter’s bedroom (because yes, I will steal books from my children... can you say addict?) Finally, I ended my journey, at two in the morning, in my crawlspace. I have three large boxes of books down there... or that’s what I thought.
See, I only have so much book space and my insane need to own all interesting looking books I wander across surpassed my allotted space for them years ago. It’s one reason I’ve been trying desperately to stay out of book stores. I can’t buy just what I came in for. It’s not possible. It’s like sending an alcoholic into an open bar and telling him to drink water, it doesn’t work.
So I started putting books that, either I-don’t-want-to-part-with-because-I-liked-them-so-much-but-there’s-no-shelf-space-for-them, and ones I haven’t read yet but will eventually into boxes in the crawlspace. I meander through these boxes and pull out a gem a few times a year. Then those books wind up in my stacks until my husband forces me to re-box or donate some of them. All the while I’m magically accumulating more books – hey, some of them were used.
So, what did I find down in the crawlspace? A fourth box. I didn’t pack that box. I didn’t even know about that box. What was in that box? Every single flippin book was brand new and the spine hadn’t even been cracked (not brand new, I bought them brand new, judging by the fact that my just released copy of Sushi for Beginners was in there – which I still haven’t read- that box was packed and hidden at least five years ago) I know what happened. Husband type person went all willy nilly and packed up every book in his way one day figuring I had so many of them I’d never even notice. And look how much money I waste on things I don’t need... Okay, technically he was right. I’m sure I looked around for some of those books, but I didn’t know he’d hidden a whole flippin box of them... so yeah, technically he was right.... prick.
At the finish of my list, I actually had about thirty extras I couldn’t include... which just gives me something to fill in the gaps in between the gap books. How about you guys? Care to find an outlet for your book buying addiction?
Monday, March 30, 2009
Research, References, and the Power of the Internet
There are a few great things about being able to connect online, not the least of which is the vast amount of information in one easy click. Lately, I’ve been dividing my writing time between working on the WIP and researching for future submissions. That can take you to a lot of different places online, but for me, most sources are only the beginning. It’s like back when you had to write research papers and at the end you’d list your bibliography. Well, taking any one webpage at gospel would be like listening to the person who wrote the term paper over researching their sources... the sources are more accurate and the paper writer, if they’re doing their job, used that information as a springboard toward their own summations.
I check the stats on my blog every few days, maybe once a week. I like to see who’s checking my posts and where they’re coming from every once in a while. There are spurts here and there of various searches, but the ones that pop up at a pretty regular clip are my book club blogs on The Mists of Avalon. Other book reviews get regular hits, too, but the book club blogs on Mists get long and lengthy visits – always from University or College computers. I have a sneaking suspicion that there are some college students out there using my blog as a reference. Those discussions were pretty detailed. There were a number of them and the comment section in each was full of thoughtful insight by all of the participants. It’s possible that they’re reading them to get ideas for different aspects of the book to write about – I hope they’re not plagiarizing whole hog... in fact, I thought about pulling the posts just in case. I’m guessing they’re smart enough to know that their instructors have access to the same internet and might’ve stumbled across the same blog at some point.
But, thinking about it this way, how do those college students know that I even have any concept of what I’m talking about?
Over the course of dealing with people online, you get to know some whose opinions and thoughts you trust. They usually have some credentials to lead you to that opinion, or you’ve followed them for long enough that their perspective holds weight. I follow a number of blogs where I don’t even know the real name of the author. But I trust them because their knowledge has panned out and resonated – it can also be checked.
Some of the resources I like to use when digging into agent research or even formatting / grammar issues are the writer boards. There are a few good ones; I’m not going to point them out here because most of you already know about them. They can be a font of great information, if you’re careful.
I’ve had people correct the formatting on my ms before. Either format would have been correct, depending on who you were querying (I’d seen some editors who preferred one while some preferred the other – that’s a case where you double check who you’re querying first, and if there’s no indication, go with the ancient standard... mine was the ancient standard). I indicated as much in my response and they proved their assertion by pointing me to a popular and well-respected writing board... okay, the board might be well respected but the quote was by some writer who participates on the board who didn’t have any identifying characteristics and not very many posts to follow... there was no reason for me to take his/her word on it – I didn’t even know who the writer was... Just because the board is reputable doesn’t mean all of the active members know what they’re talking about.
A nifty little benefit to those in query hell is the ability to check the agents’ response time at various places. But then, too, that can be a distraction more than anything. If a lot of other writers post about a quick response time from an agent, but you’re not getting a response, that can make you do something stupid – like submit two days later instead of waiting.
While I check these things regularly when I’m researching, I’ve learned to take them with a grain of salt. Some of the posters are more expert than others – some are just kind of catty.
How about you guys? What’s your litmus test for researching online? What’s the best advantage for you? What’s the biggest peeve?
I check the stats on my blog every few days, maybe once a week. I like to see who’s checking my posts and where they’re coming from every once in a while. There are spurts here and there of various searches, but the ones that pop up at a pretty regular clip are my book club blogs on The Mists of Avalon. Other book reviews get regular hits, too, but the book club blogs on Mists get long and lengthy visits – always from University or College computers. I have a sneaking suspicion that there are some college students out there using my blog as a reference. Those discussions were pretty detailed. There were a number of them and the comment section in each was full of thoughtful insight by all of the participants. It’s possible that they’re reading them to get ideas for different aspects of the book to write about – I hope they’re not plagiarizing whole hog... in fact, I thought about pulling the posts just in case. I’m guessing they’re smart enough to know that their instructors have access to the same internet and might’ve stumbled across the same blog at some point.
But, thinking about it this way, how do those college students know that I even have any concept of what I’m talking about?
Over the course of dealing with people online, you get to know some whose opinions and thoughts you trust. They usually have some credentials to lead you to that opinion, or you’ve followed them for long enough that their perspective holds weight. I follow a number of blogs where I don’t even know the real name of the author. But I trust them because their knowledge has panned out and resonated – it can also be checked.
Some of the resources I like to use when digging into agent research or even formatting / grammar issues are the writer boards. There are a few good ones; I’m not going to point them out here because most of you already know about them. They can be a font of great information, if you’re careful.
I’ve had people correct the formatting on my ms before. Either format would have been correct, depending on who you were querying (I’d seen some editors who preferred one while some preferred the other – that’s a case where you double check who you’re querying first, and if there’s no indication, go with the ancient standard... mine was the ancient standard). I indicated as much in my response and they proved their assertion by pointing me to a popular and well-respected writing board... okay, the board might be well respected but the quote was by some writer who participates on the board who didn’t have any identifying characteristics and not very many posts to follow... there was no reason for me to take his/her word on it – I didn’t even know who the writer was... Just because the board is reputable doesn’t mean all of the active members know what they’re talking about.
A nifty little benefit to those in query hell is the ability to check the agents’ response time at various places. But then, too, that can be a distraction more than anything. If a lot of other writers post about a quick response time from an agent, but you’re not getting a response, that can make you do something stupid – like submit two days later instead of waiting.
While I check these things regularly when I’m researching, I’ve learned to take them with a grain of salt. Some of the posters are more expert than others – some are just kind of catty.
How about you guys? What’s your litmus test for researching online? What’s the best advantage for you? What’s the biggest peeve?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Gotta Have A POV....
I like character driven fiction. I think almost every reader will say much the same – and most writers will say they write character driven fiction. This isn’t the same thing as saying there’s no story. There’s always a story, but a really good novel, the one you can’t put down and sticks with you for decades, those have fully realized characters.
Erica Orloff recently blogged about getting rid of a character. In her case, the character was fully fleshed out, too fleshed out for the story at hand. Sometimes that happens. We know all of our characters, inside and out. But the reader doesn’t need to know all of these things. And sometimes they just detract from the story, because their own story starts to take away from the movement.
One of the things that struck me in writing my middle grade was that having a firm grasp on the different characters wasn’t enough. I also had to have a firm grasp on who they were to my POV character. They say there are three sides to every story – yours, mine, and the truth. Well, the writer knows the truth. We know each character’s motivation, background, exactly what, where, and when... But our characters, if we’re honest with them, can’t possibly be privy to all of that.
My POV character is eleven. I found the biggest challenge in honestly portraying his mother. His mother is around my age, and I get her on a deeper level than he possibly could, because I’m not restricted by her title – MOM. But I had to keep that title in mind while I was writing the novel. The reader had to get her through my mc’s filter. She’s a newly single woman in her mid thirties. In another novel, she might easily be the heroine or love interest. But not in this one. I’m in my thirties now and I still can’t think of my parents as sexual beings... obviously they are or I wouldn’t be keying this in right now... but it would be off the mark to have that aspect of the character portrayed in this telling.
How does the point of view in your novel color your characters? Have you ever read a book where characters stepped outside of the pov filter? Did it work for you or did it ring wrong?
Erica Orloff recently blogged about getting rid of a character. In her case, the character was fully fleshed out, too fleshed out for the story at hand. Sometimes that happens. We know all of our characters, inside and out. But the reader doesn’t need to know all of these things. And sometimes they just detract from the story, because their own story starts to take away from the movement.
One of the things that struck me in writing my middle grade was that having a firm grasp on the different characters wasn’t enough. I also had to have a firm grasp on who they were to my POV character. They say there are three sides to every story – yours, mine, and the truth. Well, the writer knows the truth. We know each character’s motivation, background, exactly what, where, and when... But our characters, if we’re honest with them, can’t possibly be privy to all of that.
My POV character is eleven. I found the biggest challenge in honestly portraying his mother. His mother is around my age, and I get her on a deeper level than he possibly could, because I’m not restricted by her title – MOM. But I had to keep that title in mind while I was writing the novel. The reader had to get her through my mc’s filter. She’s a newly single woman in her mid thirties. In another novel, she might easily be the heroine or love interest. But not in this one. I’m in my thirties now and I still can’t think of my parents as sexual beings... obviously they are or I wouldn’t be keying this in right now... but it would be off the mark to have that aspect of the character portrayed in this telling.
How does the point of view in your novel color your characters? Have you ever read a book where characters stepped outside of the pov filter? Did it work for you or did it ring wrong?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Battling Meh
We talk a lot about making our writing sparkle, different, unique. We talk a lot about finding that pure voice, the one that’s ours. And there are many variables that can make writing, ‘meh’. Meh – it’s serviceable. It’s technically proficient. But it doesn’t resonate.
A lot of us writerly types, myself included, advocate working with critique groups. I’ve run the gamut from sending out to crit partners and beta readers privately to posting excerpts and query letters publicly – both here and at other boards and blogs. I’ve heard people argue about doing this, some of which is laughable and some of which has a point. I can’t just take every rewrite suggestion, input it into my work, and voila – fixed. I think some people do just that. You have to think it through though and try to figure out 1) if the suggestion is subjective and doesn’t fit with your vision 2) if it is the work that’s off, how do you fix it? A lot of critters will tell you exactly how to fix it, but keep in mind, what works for them might not work for you. The point to me is not to work by committee but to get a completely outside opinion of something that I can’t possibly see clearly. Let me tell you, there are a number of things I’d never have noticed if I hadn’t spent so much time critting and being critted. Critting others, by the way, has taught me more than actually offering up my own stuff.
But Meh, as I stated earlier, is more than technical proficiency. Critting helps with that, but it can’t give you the X factor. Sometimes it’s purely subjective.
I just read a book that made me cry three different times during the course of the reading. That’s not usual for me. That’s not even usual for me in real life. X factor. There are parts of that novel that just roped me so far in I could feel it. X factor. BUT, big but here, one of the main story lines bugs the living hell out of me.... meh. Someone please tell me why, when it’s a novel about two women or four women or whatever, it’s always the character who gets married and has a family and is giving to everyone else and not at all self or career oriented... she’s always the one who dies of a terminal disease... WHY? What, single professionals never get cancer?
It’s a legitimate storyline, but it bugs ME. That’s subjective. Okay, it’s also overdone, but you can have overdone if the writing is good and the writing was good in this one... but I still felt, ‘meh’.
So how about you guys? Is there a specific storyline that will always make you feel ‘meh’ regardless how well it’s written? Have you nailed down why some things fall short for you, is it a subjective thing or is it always in the writing itself? Is meh always fixable? For me, the story in question would have been much better if it was another character that gets struck down. I’m sorry; I’ve seen it too many times. Or how about if they actually survive it... doesn’t that happen occasionally too? All ME issues, not necessarily something wrong with the actual story.
When’s the last time you read something that was off for you? Did it not have the X factor? Or did the X factor just fall short of propelling you past your own subjectivity?
A lot of us writerly types, myself included, advocate working with critique groups. I’ve run the gamut from sending out to crit partners and beta readers privately to posting excerpts and query letters publicly – both here and at other boards and blogs. I’ve heard people argue about doing this, some of which is laughable and some of which has a point. I can’t just take every rewrite suggestion, input it into my work, and voila – fixed. I think some people do just that. You have to think it through though and try to figure out 1) if the suggestion is subjective and doesn’t fit with your vision 2) if it is the work that’s off, how do you fix it? A lot of critters will tell you exactly how to fix it, but keep in mind, what works for them might not work for you. The point to me is not to work by committee but to get a completely outside opinion of something that I can’t possibly see clearly. Let me tell you, there are a number of things I’d never have noticed if I hadn’t spent so much time critting and being critted. Critting others, by the way, has taught me more than actually offering up my own stuff.
But Meh, as I stated earlier, is more than technical proficiency. Critting helps with that, but it can’t give you the X factor. Sometimes it’s purely subjective.
I just read a book that made me cry three different times during the course of the reading. That’s not usual for me. That’s not even usual for me in real life. X factor. There are parts of that novel that just roped me so far in I could feel it. X factor. BUT, big but here, one of the main story lines bugs the living hell out of me.... meh. Someone please tell me why, when it’s a novel about two women or four women or whatever, it’s always the character who gets married and has a family and is giving to everyone else and not at all self or career oriented... she’s always the one who dies of a terminal disease... WHY? What, single professionals never get cancer?
It’s a legitimate storyline, but it bugs ME. That’s subjective. Okay, it’s also overdone, but you can have overdone if the writing is good and the writing was good in this one... but I still felt, ‘meh’.
So how about you guys? Is there a specific storyline that will always make you feel ‘meh’ regardless how well it’s written? Have you nailed down why some things fall short for you, is it a subjective thing or is it always in the writing itself? Is meh always fixable? For me, the story in question would have been much better if it was another character that gets struck down. I’m sorry; I’ve seen it too many times. Or how about if they actually survive it... doesn’t that happen occasionally too? All ME issues, not necessarily something wrong with the actual story.
When’s the last time you read something that was off for you? Did it not have the X factor? Or did the X factor just fall short of propelling you past your own subjectivity?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Happy Dances Abound!!! – Introducing The Big Ooga!
So, back on my New Year’s post I mentioned that one of my resolutions, the main one, was to get back out into the workforce. I wanted not just any job, but one that I loved and a boss that would understand my commitment to my children as well... that’s kind of a tall order in any economy, and I expected many months of pounding the pavement.
Instead, it took about two months and what I found was a fit so perfect, I couldn’t have made it up any better:
The Big Ooga
I’ve come up with paragraph after paragraph, gushing about how much I love the idea of this business and the people I’ll be working with – but this excerpt from our About Page says it better than I can:
”We have created a forum where networks can network and people can create genuine alliances. We are founded on how fairly we treat each other, a collective professionalism and a generous spirit. We support the importance of local business communities and promote and partner with quality organizations. We are also dedicated to the joy of the journey, the thrill of entrepreneurship and most importantly, the success of our members.”
The great thing here is that we’re localized to Chicago, so we’re helping to build both virtual and face-to-face business relationships. But we’re also building a community that anyone can take part in. Our databases of entrepreneurs and small businesses are searchable to everyone, and each business included holds to the highest standards of professionalism.
For those of you in different parts of the country, we'll be expanding. Keep an eye on us to see when Big Ooga launches in a city near you!
My new boss, Ms. Lennie Rose:
Lennie Rose’s Blog Where you’ll find her insights on marketing, running a small business, and her dynamic personality fun and informative!!!
I know a lot of my blogging buddies are freelancers – and I hope you’ll come and look around! I’d love to see you all join in the conversation at Lennie’s Blog. It may be a good way to connect with other entrepreneurs, or just spur new ideas for your own business growth. And for my fiction writing buddies, there will be a plethora of new ideas on marketing and promotion – or you might need to find a great web designer or illustrator to get your Author’s Site up and running.
As you can tell, I’m pretty excited. Right now I’m working from home a bit, getting settled in and learning about the site and blog and our community. I’ll be working with the site itself, and I’m looking into various things. For my own blog here, I burned the feed through feedburner, and registered with technorati. I didn’t register with various bookmarking sites, but I’ll be looking into that for the blog at The Big Ooga. As always, you guys are my best resource. So if you’ve got any favorite services that have worked for your sites or blogs, let me know. Which social bookmarking sites are your favorites? Do you use an alternate service besides technorati? And if you get a second, stop over at The Big Ooga Blog and say, “Hi”...
Instead, it took about two months and what I found was a fit so perfect, I couldn’t have made it up any better:
The Big Ooga
I’ve come up with paragraph after paragraph, gushing about how much I love the idea of this business and the people I’ll be working with – but this excerpt from our About Page says it better than I can:
”We have created a forum where networks can network and people can create genuine alliances. We are founded on how fairly we treat each other, a collective professionalism and a generous spirit. We support the importance of local business communities and promote and partner with quality organizations. We are also dedicated to the joy of the journey, the thrill of entrepreneurship and most importantly, the success of our members.”
The great thing here is that we’re localized to Chicago, so we’re helping to build both virtual and face-to-face business relationships. But we’re also building a community that anyone can take part in. Our databases of entrepreneurs and small businesses are searchable to everyone, and each business included holds to the highest standards of professionalism.
For those of you in different parts of the country, we'll be expanding. Keep an eye on us to see when Big Ooga launches in a city near you!
My new boss, Ms. Lennie Rose:
Lennie Rose’s Blog Where you’ll find her insights on marketing, running a small business, and her dynamic personality fun and informative!!!
I know a lot of my blogging buddies are freelancers – and I hope you’ll come and look around! I’d love to see you all join in the conversation at Lennie’s Blog. It may be a good way to connect with other entrepreneurs, or just spur new ideas for your own business growth. And for my fiction writing buddies, there will be a plethora of new ideas on marketing and promotion – or you might need to find a great web designer or illustrator to get your Author’s Site up and running.
As you can tell, I’m pretty excited. Right now I’m working from home a bit, getting settled in and learning about the site and blog and our community. I’ll be working with the site itself, and I’m looking into various things. For my own blog here, I burned the feed through feedburner, and registered with technorati. I didn’t register with various bookmarking sites, but I’ll be looking into that for the blog at The Big Ooga. As always, you guys are my best resource. So if you’ve got any favorite services that have worked for your sites or blogs, let me know. Which social bookmarking sites are your favorites? Do you use an alternate service besides technorati? And if you get a second, stop over at The Big Ooga Blog and say, “Hi”...
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Things My Kids Say When They Think I Can't Hear Them...
I admit it – I eavesdrop. There. I said it. Sometimes I don’t mean to do it, I just have really good hearing and can’t help it... but sometimes people who aren’t really talking to me are just flippin’ interesting. There’s the tone thing – people talk to different people in their lives with varying tones in their voice. For instance, when I was in my early teens I could always tell when my older brother was talking to a girl on the phone. It drove him crazy, well, I drove him crazy... because I always knew just when to embarrass or pester him, but never did it when he was on the phone with a guy friend... why? Because his tone changed the minute it was a girl and I knew he was trying to impress someone (enter evil, grinning demon sister).
Now, I eavesdrop on my kids all the time. Not to invade their privacy, though I guess that’s a hard case to make since I just said I’m listening when they don’t know it, which is pretty much the definition of privacy invading. But to clarify, I don’t dig through my daughter’s diary, or listen in on her phone calls. I do, however, hear them talking from rooms away, and I can see around corners... that’s only because there’s a big mirror in the dining room and they totally don’t realize that I can see and hear them, because they don’t see me – I’ve given them enough hints on this already. When I correct them for saying something wrong or doing something stupid from two rooms away, they should realize that I can see and hear them. In their defense though, they’re 11, 8, and 6, so lucky me, they just think Mommy’s Magic... the eleven year old is convinced I have the place bugged.
But the conversations they have when I’m not in the room crack me up so much, sometimes, I just hope they never totally figure it out. I’d miss this part of their relationship. The non-mom included part.
(Oldest Daughter walks into the kitchen. She’s wearing an oversized tee shirt, raggedy sweat pants and her hair is in the same ponytail she slept in... She’s still sick with a nasty case of strep throat that’s felled my whole family this week... which, by the way, littlest guy was the first one to get and therefore the first one to feel better. Littlest Guy is sitting at the table)
Littlest Guy: Wow! You look disgusting.
Daughter: Thaaanks! Girls just love to hear things like that.
(She sits at table across from littlest terror and he eyes her up and down... just staring)
Daughter: What?
(He smiles, his big, missing front tooth smile)
Littlest Guy: You’re a fan of Hello Kitty.... Hello Kitty is for babies and you’re a fan...
Daughter: I am not, what are you talking about?
Littlest Guy: See! Hello Kitty! (He points to the tiny pink band-aide on his sister’s finger)
Daughter: Ouch! Hey! (pulling back wounded finger) I’m not a fan, I was bleeding. It was a medical emergency.... What did you want me to do, all we had was hello kitty, should I bleed all over the place?
Littlest Guy: You could’ve used tape.
Daughter: Grrrr.... I’m sick... and cranky... and you’re the one who made me sick in the first place!
(I couldn’t see his face, but I’m convinced he grinned even wider – the classic is, the first two days littlest guy was sick, she doted on him and snuggled him and brought him juice)
Daughter: I’m telling mom you’re bothering me.
Littlest Guy: (Jumping up and standing in front of her) No you’re not...
Daughter: Don’t start that.... sigh... I’m not looking at you... I’m not looking at you... your cuteness is eeeeevil.... I’m not looking at you....
Littlest Guy: (whispers) But, see, I’m doing the puppy dog eyes... see? (with the little high pitched lilt he uses special, for conning, cajoling, and generally getting his way)
As no one ever told mom, I’m guessing points go to Littlest Guy on that one. Anyone want to lay odds on how long it’ll take before the eleven year old loses her temper and cracks him? So far, she lets him get away with pretty much anything, because, as she says often “His cuteness is EEEEEVIL” He is much cuter than I was and my brother never killed me.
How ‘bout you guys? Are you eavesdroppers? Ever notice the different tones people use for the people in their lives. Ever like to be that fly on the wall?
Now, I eavesdrop on my kids all the time. Not to invade their privacy, though I guess that’s a hard case to make since I just said I’m listening when they don’t know it, which is pretty much the definition of privacy invading. But to clarify, I don’t dig through my daughter’s diary, or listen in on her phone calls. I do, however, hear them talking from rooms away, and I can see around corners... that’s only because there’s a big mirror in the dining room and they totally don’t realize that I can see and hear them, because they don’t see me – I’ve given them enough hints on this already. When I correct them for saying something wrong or doing something stupid from two rooms away, they should realize that I can see and hear them. In their defense though, they’re 11, 8, and 6, so lucky me, they just think Mommy’s Magic... the eleven year old is convinced I have the place bugged.
But the conversations they have when I’m not in the room crack me up so much, sometimes, I just hope they never totally figure it out. I’d miss this part of their relationship. The non-mom included part.
(Oldest Daughter walks into the kitchen. She’s wearing an oversized tee shirt, raggedy sweat pants and her hair is in the same ponytail she slept in... She’s still sick with a nasty case of strep throat that’s felled my whole family this week... which, by the way, littlest guy was the first one to get and therefore the first one to feel better. Littlest Guy is sitting at the table)
Littlest Guy: Wow! You look disgusting.
Daughter: Thaaanks! Girls just love to hear things like that.
(She sits at table across from littlest terror and he eyes her up and down... just staring)
Daughter: What?
(He smiles, his big, missing front tooth smile)
Littlest Guy: You’re a fan of Hello Kitty.... Hello Kitty is for babies and you’re a fan...
Daughter: I am not, what are you talking about?
Littlest Guy: See! Hello Kitty! (He points to the tiny pink band-aide on his sister’s finger)
Daughter: Ouch! Hey! (pulling back wounded finger) I’m not a fan, I was bleeding. It was a medical emergency.... What did you want me to do, all we had was hello kitty, should I bleed all over the place?
Littlest Guy: You could’ve used tape.
Daughter: Grrrr.... I’m sick... and cranky... and you’re the one who made me sick in the first place!
(I couldn’t see his face, but I’m convinced he grinned even wider – the classic is, the first two days littlest guy was sick, she doted on him and snuggled him and brought him juice)
Daughter: I’m telling mom you’re bothering me.
Littlest Guy: (Jumping up and standing in front of her) No you’re not...
Daughter: Don’t start that.... sigh... I’m not looking at you... I’m not looking at you... your cuteness is eeeeevil.... I’m not looking at you....
Littlest Guy: (whispers) But, see, I’m doing the puppy dog eyes... see? (with the little high pitched lilt he uses special, for conning, cajoling, and generally getting his way)
As no one ever told mom, I’m guessing points go to Littlest Guy on that one. Anyone want to lay odds on how long it’ll take before the eleven year old loses her temper and cracks him? So far, she lets him get away with pretty much anything, because, as she says often “His cuteness is EEEEEVIL” He is much cuter than I was and my brother never killed me.
How ‘bout you guys? Are you eavesdroppers? Ever notice the different tones people use for the people in their lives. Ever like to be that fly on the wall?
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Industry Lingo Explained
In my last post, we discussed support among writers – a great thing, all around. In fact, it’s my favorite thing about being a writer. Sure there are all kinds of writers, but I’ve seen an awful lot of people in the publishing industry reach out to help others up the rungs, with everything from recommendations, to advice, to real support. One of the reasons that we’re so supportive is likely because the rest of the world, the nooooormal people (yes, you have to say it with a whiney ‘o’ sound, otherwise it’s not snarky enough), yeah, well, they don’t get it.
So here is my small attempt to educate the non-writers out there... and amuse the rest of us.
Industry lingo explained:
WIP: Work In Progress, otherwise known as, “I’m writing, I swear! No, I’m absolutely not puttering around the internet wasting time...”
Revisions: A manic period of writerly improvement where one wavers back and forth between adoration at the brilliance of their novel and wondering how the hell they managed to spew such drivel... usually broken up by periods of raucous laughter and anguished weeping over bullshit changes that likely don’t matter while missing larger mistakes that likely will.
Critique: The act of opening up said novel to an onslaught of criticism on every possible aspect of the writing, story, and even formatting... The better writers seek out the most brutal of critics... they also drink heavily.
Under the Bed Book: A first, second, or even third attempt at writing a novel which is part of the learning process most writers must go through... It would likely be a better idea to burn these tomes because they doth suck... yes, even yours... I know it’s harsh but it wouldn’t be under the bed if it was any good... (Mine sucks too, I’m an equal opportunity trash talker)
Query Letter: One page pitch to ye who holds your fate in their hands that must convey the tone, plot, and that which makes your novel sparkly... wait, not sparkly, that’s been done...what’s the word? Glitter? No, that’s been done badly... fabulousity? Meh... all in 250 words or less.
Rejection: Similar to the type of rejection one gets after using cheesy pick up lines at a bar, except it takes about a year of your life to write a novel, sometimes years... cheesy pick up lines can usually be thought up in the time it takes to use the bathroom, which is where I’m convinced they’re invented... Oh, and most agents won’t track down query writers to toss a drink in their face, though that might make for more fun.
Agent: The greatest of all writer’s advocates... except when they reject you... scratch that, it’s okay when they reject you, unless they showed massive interest and then sent back your first page with a big, red, “No Thanks”, but otherwise we loves them... unless they never reply....
Landing an Agent: Reason for happy dances and celebration and even major “Squeeeeee’s” (unless Stephen is around, for he loathes the squeee). Despite non-writer assumptions, this is preceded by many revisions, much research, and at least fifty bouts of pounding one’s head off keyboard, desk or hand...
Proper Response to hearing an aspiring author landed an agent: Squee or some variation of congratulations.
Improper response to hearing an aspiring author landed an agent: “So, when will you be published?” (Which is only allowable if, when you get a promotion, I’m allowed to ask when you’ll make it to an important position, like CEO... yeah, I thought so)
***Additional Definitions:
Synopsis: Turning a 400 page book into a 1 page summary. Shoot me now. Courtesy of Michelle Hickman
I thought about going farther, like “Landing a Contract”, but I think everyone gets that. How about you guys? Are there aspects to writing that you wish non-writers understood? Got any snarky definitions for me?
So here is my small attempt to educate the non-writers out there... and amuse the rest of us.
Industry lingo explained:
WIP: Work In Progress, otherwise known as, “I’m writing, I swear! No, I’m absolutely not puttering around the internet wasting time...”
Revisions: A manic period of writerly improvement where one wavers back and forth between adoration at the brilliance of their novel and wondering how the hell they managed to spew such drivel... usually broken up by periods of raucous laughter and anguished weeping over bullshit changes that likely don’t matter while missing larger mistakes that likely will.
Critique: The act of opening up said novel to an onslaught of criticism on every possible aspect of the writing, story, and even formatting... The better writers seek out the most brutal of critics... they also drink heavily.
Under the Bed Book: A first, second, or even third attempt at writing a novel which is part of the learning process most writers must go through... It would likely be a better idea to burn these tomes because they doth suck... yes, even yours... I know it’s harsh but it wouldn’t be under the bed if it was any good... (Mine sucks too, I’m an equal opportunity trash talker)
Query Letter: One page pitch to ye who holds your fate in their hands that must convey the tone, plot, and that which makes your novel sparkly... wait, not sparkly, that’s been done...what’s the word? Glitter? No, that’s been done badly... fabulousity? Meh... all in 250 words or less.
Rejection: Similar to the type of rejection one gets after using cheesy pick up lines at a bar, except it takes about a year of your life to write a novel, sometimes years... cheesy pick up lines can usually be thought up in the time it takes to use the bathroom, which is where I’m convinced they’re invented... Oh, and most agents won’t track down query writers to toss a drink in their face, though that might make for more fun.
Agent: The greatest of all writer’s advocates... except when they reject you... scratch that, it’s okay when they reject you, unless they showed massive interest and then sent back your first page with a big, red, “No Thanks”, but otherwise we loves them... unless they never reply....
Landing an Agent: Reason for happy dances and celebration and even major “Squeeeeee’s” (unless Stephen is around, for he loathes the squeee). Despite non-writer assumptions, this is preceded by many revisions, much research, and at least fifty bouts of pounding one’s head off keyboard, desk or hand...
Proper Response to hearing an aspiring author landed an agent: Squee or some variation of congratulations.
Improper response to hearing an aspiring author landed an agent: “So, when will you be published?” (Which is only allowable if, when you get a promotion, I’m allowed to ask when you’ll make it to an important position, like CEO... yeah, I thought so)
***Additional Definitions:
Synopsis: Turning a 400 page book into a 1 page summary. Shoot me now. Courtesy of Michelle Hickman
I thought about going farther, like “Landing a Contract”, but I think everyone gets that. How about you guys? Are there aspects to writing that you wish non-writers understood? Got any snarky definitions for me?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Importance of Support
Writers talk all the time about the importance of having a network of other writers to share the journey. Unlike other professions, this one has some oddities that people on the outside don’t readily understand. It helps to have a support system to share resources with, learn from, and encourage us... and vice versa.
Honestly, trying to explain what you’re doing to non-writers is a challenge. You have some major milestone, like getting a full request, or *choir of angels sing* landing that perfect agent who believes in your work. Telling your writer friends means there’s someone to share the excitement and joy. Telling your non-writer friends means a blank stare or worse, a placating smile. Saying things like, “I finished my novel!” is greeted with something like, “Oh, that’s nice. When will it be published?” Which kind of makes you forget you accomplished anything. And frankly, this is a rough business. We owe it to ourselves to be able to bask in the accomplishments along the way, even if they’re not the ones that end in a paycheck.
I think this is why so many writers hide what they do. They don’t tell people in their everyday about their writing, because they’re so often subjected to incredulity. It’s hard to keep going when everyone around you thinks you’re delusional. So, we wait until there’s some major milestone. If we make the mistake of telling people our work is out on submission or *yay* full requests, we then have to tell them, “No, umn, didn’t find a publisher yet” weak smile, every time we run into them... If we tell them we found an agent, they don’t get the significance.... thinking of an agent like a real estate agent you’d hire out of a phone book and not realizing how hard it is to actually get to that point.
Publishing has its own rules. Even writers have a hard time learning them all and it takes a long time of study, trial and error before finally getting over some of the mistakes that scream, “Amateur!!!” Lately there’s been a lot of talk of all the queries bombarding agents and editors. The general consensus is that there are a lot of people recently unemployed and they’re trying their hand at writing. I think there was an immediate urge to say, WTF, do you really think it’s that easy? At least for me... but then I thought, well, damn, go for it. They’ll either learn about their craft and the business, or they’ll get frustrated and stop trying... but the fact that they just now got time to try it in earnest doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not real writers. You have to pay bills. I wonder how many have been writing in their spare time, hiding it from friends and colleagues for the same reason we all hate discussing it with non-writers.
So I say, welcome to the fold. Maybe someone out there is destined to be the next great voice of our time... but they never would have spoken if not for a stroke of bad luck and a worse economy.
How about you guys? What do you think of the influx of new writers? Any stories about your own writing and how your non-writing friends react to it?
Honestly, trying to explain what you’re doing to non-writers is a challenge. You have some major milestone, like getting a full request, or *choir of angels sing* landing that perfect agent who believes in your work. Telling your writer friends means there’s someone to share the excitement and joy. Telling your non-writer friends means a blank stare or worse, a placating smile. Saying things like, “I finished my novel!” is greeted with something like, “Oh, that’s nice. When will it be published?” Which kind of makes you forget you accomplished anything. And frankly, this is a rough business. We owe it to ourselves to be able to bask in the accomplishments along the way, even if they’re not the ones that end in a paycheck.
I think this is why so many writers hide what they do. They don’t tell people in their everyday about their writing, because they’re so often subjected to incredulity. It’s hard to keep going when everyone around you thinks you’re delusional. So, we wait until there’s some major milestone. If we make the mistake of telling people our work is out on submission or *yay* full requests, we then have to tell them, “No, umn, didn’t find a publisher yet” weak smile, every time we run into them... If we tell them we found an agent, they don’t get the significance.... thinking of an agent like a real estate agent you’d hire out of a phone book and not realizing how hard it is to actually get to that point.
Publishing has its own rules. Even writers have a hard time learning them all and it takes a long time of study, trial and error before finally getting over some of the mistakes that scream, “Amateur!!!” Lately there’s been a lot of talk of all the queries bombarding agents and editors. The general consensus is that there are a lot of people recently unemployed and they’re trying their hand at writing. I think there was an immediate urge to say, WTF, do you really think it’s that easy? At least for me... but then I thought, well, damn, go for it. They’ll either learn about their craft and the business, or they’ll get frustrated and stop trying... but the fact that they just now got time to try it in earnest doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not real writers. You have to pay bills. I wonder how many have been writing in their spare time, hiding it from friends and colleagues for the same reason we all hate discussing it with non-writers.
So I say, welcome to the fold. Maybe someone out there is destined to be the next great voice of our time... but they never would have spoken if not for a stroke of bad luck and a worse economy.
How about you guys? What do you think of the influx of new writers? Any stories about your own writing and how your non-writing friends react to it?
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Where Have I Been?
The Blog-O-Sphere seems to be growing increasingly quiet. My favorite editors and agents have all been less active than usual because there is a great disturbance in the publishing force – namely an onslaught of new queriers during a time when houses are taking even fewer titles. The general consensus is that many of the newly unemployed are taking the opportunity to write the books they’ve always wanted to write... good luck to them. They picked a rough time to be an author, but then, any time is a rough time for this profession.
Some of my favorite blogging writers have ceased blogging – the latest announcement was posted by Stephen Parrish, who I love and will miss. But I get it. Sometimes you need a step back; sometimes your energy needs to be spent elsewhere. Hopefully, he’ll come blazing back with announcements of a book deal. In the last year, I’ve lost many of my close knit blogging circle – Josie is on hiatus and may or may not step back into blogging. Precie’s lovely presence is gone, and many others have cut down or are absolutely silent.
Hats off to you guys. I hope you’re using the time to make amazing strides in your professional and personal life... or just to enjoy yourself a little more. Thanks for the time you spent around these parts. I’ve learned a lot from you, and enjoyed it immensely.
I, myself, have been less active in blogging and commenting. I’ve been diverted by a few things, besides writing, lately. First, I am on the great employment search... which is almost as hard as finding an agent. I could do a full post about that, and maybe I will soon.
I’m also working on some artwork... my friend, Dina asked me to do the cover for her soon to be released poetry book!!! We’ve gone over various ideas and photos and I’m currently working out a detailed portrait. It’s fun, I have to say, to have my hands full of charcoal again. Different from writing, it’s just a completely separate sensation from any other creative work. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I picked up the pencil.
On the writing front, I’m getting very little done right this second. I know, double damn. Though, I’ve been thinking through the motion of the story while I’m drawing, which usually for me translates to a very productive period once I sit back down at the keyboard to get to work.
I did, however, stumble on a blog I didn’t know about. Miss Snark’s First Victim is a blog run by the lucky writer who was the first author ripped apart by Miss Snark. She set it up a year ago, and hosts writing critiques and blind agent contests... meaning an agent is judging the entries and critiquing them, but you don’t know who the agent is until after the contest... I think the last winner’s prize was a request for a full from that agent – which is pretty flippin’ cool.
Anyway, she’s hosting another game right now, though the entries are closed. (This one is just an open critique - no prizes other than feedback and no agents playing) She asked for chapter endings – any chapter in a current or past wip, the last 250 words... the objective is to see if it makes you want to start the next chapter or not... should be fun... if you’d like to read and critique along, she’ll be posting the entries with her critique tomorrow... mine’s #27.
How about you guys... what’s been keeping you busy lately? Are you missing any friends from the blog-o-sphere?
Some of my favorite blogging writers have ceased blogging – the latest announcement was posted by Stephen Parrish, who I love and will miss. But I get it. Sometimes you need a step back; sometimes your energy needs to be spent elsewhere. Hopefully, he’ll come blazing back with announcements of a book deal. In the last year, I’ve lost many of my close knit blogging circle – Josie is on hiatus and may or may not step back into blogging. Precie’s lovely presence is gone, and many others have cut down or are absolutely silent.
Hats off to you guys. I hope you’re using the time to make amazing strides in your professional and personal life... or just to enjoy yourself a little more. Thanks for the time you spent around these parts. I’ve learned a lot from you, and enjoyed it immensely.
I, myself, have been less active in blogging and commenting. I’ve been diverted by a few things, besides writing, lately. First, I am on the great employment search... which is almost as hard as finding an agent. I could do a full post about that, and maybe I will soon.
I’m also working on some artwork... my friend, Dina asked me to do the cover for her soon to be released poetry book!!! We’ve gone over various ideas and photos and I’m currently working out a detailed portrait. It’s fun, I have to say, to have my hands full of charcoal again. Different from writing, it’s just a completely separate sensation from any other creative work. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I picked up the pencil.
On the writing front, I’m getting very little done right this second. I know, double damn. Though, I’ve been thinking through the motion of the story while I’m drawing, which usually for me translates to a very productive period once I sit back down at the keyboard to get to work.
I did, however, stumble on a blog I didn’t know about. Miss Snark’s First Victim is a blog run by the lucky writer who was the first author ripped apart by Miss Snark. She set it up a year ago, and hosts writing critiques and blind agent contests... meaning an agent is judging the entries and critiquing them, but you don’t know who the agent is until after the contest... I think the last winner’s prize was a request for a full from that agent – which is pretty flippin’ cool.
Anyway, she’s hosting another game right now, though the entries are closed. (This one is just an open critique - no prizes other than feedback and no agents playing) She asked for chapter endings – any chapter in a current or past wip, the last 250 words... the objective is to see if it makes you want to start the next chapter or not... should be fun... if you’d like to read and critique along, she’ll be posting the entries with her critique tomorrow... mine’s #27.
How about you guys... what’s been keeping you busy lately? Are you missing any friends from the blog-o-sphere?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
History Repeats.... picking the bestsellers of tomorrow
History Repeats
Much has been made lately of the economy and the future of book publishing. You can’t possibly be a writer, or even an aspiring writer, and miss it. But then, you can’t be alive and miss what’s going on currently in the economy.
What I notice in writing circles is that you have two brands of people and thoughts. Optimist and pessimist. I’ve heard a lot of rhetoric about the sky falling and just as much, “hey, people have always needed stories!” I tend to fall into the camp that thinks people will always need stories – but I’m aware that the times are changing which means that there is a need for new and different skills in getting where you’re going.
Taking the current economy out of the equation for a minute: writers have a habit of wanting to stay on top of the trends. There is a lot of wisdom in staying up to date on current selling authors in your genre, and in the literary world in general. First, we tend to like to read anyway. But in researching our markets, a smart author is aware that their art is also their product, and it helps to stay abreast of the current trends in reader needs and wants.
On the other hand, though, the trend this second will change. Looking at the current best seller’s list will not tell you what readers will want in two years (which is about how long it’ll take a novel to get to the shelves AFTER it’s picked up... and you should be including writing and editing and querying time, which might make it more like four years). Even if you pass all of those hurdles, how many books riding that trend will be published between the time it starts and the time yours hits shelves, and how ‘over it’ will your prospective audience be by that time?
So, general wisdom today is to be aware of what’s selling, but write what you feel is strong rather than relying solely on a gimmick to carry your tome. Especially since world events can change rather quickly, which might make readers’ sensibilities and wants change as well.
So I started thinking about how to see into that crystal ball and judge what the better sellers might be in the coming years. You can’t really do this, I know. There’s only so much you can know about how a work is going to be received before it happens. I’ve heard a lot of authors say that they think fantasy will top all of the best sellers’ lists, because in troubled times people want an escape. I should note that most of those guesses were ventured by fantasy writers.
On a whim, I decided to look back at our historical landscape and see what times most closely resembled this one. Everyone automatically thinks of the Great Depression... most people who lived through the Great Depression would likely want to slap us silly in our pampered crepe hanging. They were forced out of homes, without food, often shoeless and with little clothing... now some of us are worried about serious financial issues, but few of us are in the state of standing around shipping yards with hundreds of other men in the hopes of getting one of three jobs offered for the day.
By the way, the economy hits recession status about every 7 to 20 years. I chose not to look at anything before the 1930’s because the book buying market was so vastly different in the late 1800’s. Considering that most middle to low income families only owned a bible, if that, the book buyers were largely relegated to the wealthy class for most of our publishing history prior to the last hundred years or so... So what I did was look through the best sellers from the 1930’s and then in a more recent recession, 1980-1982 (which was pretty similar to our current economic climate with heavy job cuts, though much higher interest rates and inflation).
Best Sellers of the 1930’s
Cimarron by Edna Ferber (1930)
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (1931 – 1932)
Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen (1933 – 1934)
Green Light by Lloyd C. Douglas (1935)
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1936 – 1937)
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1938)
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)
Of these 7 books:
4 are historical
5 can be considered sweeping epics, usually family epics.
The theme of the importance of the earth or property repeats in 5 of them
The Yearling is the only one that can be classified as YA or coming of age – and there was no YA category of that time, so perhaps the example there is that there is always room for a new genre or perspective.
Repetitive themes in every single book – survival against great odds.
What I got from each of these, and most of them were historical, but not all. Grapes of Wrath was published in 1939 and set during the dustbowl of the thirties. But what kept coming up is that each of them mirrored the climate of the day. The main characters’ grit and determination was something spectacular through harsh times.
With the exception of The Yearling, each novel dealt directly with fortune. Losing fortunes, but learning that there are more important things than money. Making fortunes during terrible times. The characters you root for come out on top financially, or the characters with money are pitiful and eventually fail. But fortunes, and vast fortunes, are a recurrent theme in most of the literature of the time; probably because it was so on everyone’s mind.
Best Sellers 1980 – 1982
The Covenant by James Michener (1980)
The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (1980)
Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon (1980)
Noble House by James Clavell (1981)
The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving (1981)
Cujo by Stephen King (1981)
ET – The Extra Terrestrial Storybook (1982)
Space by James Michener (1982)
The Parsifal Mosaic by Robert Ludlum (1982)
Of these 9 best sellers:
5 can be classified as epic sagas
2 are historicals (Covenenant spans 500 years)
1 is horror
1 is a book based on the blockbuster movie (ET)
6 deal with political or international intrigue
When reading through the full lists for each year, I noticed a lot of spy novels and novels that deal either directly or indirectly with the Soviet Union... if you remember the climate in the 1980’s you’ll note that the authors were able to utilize a common concern in the American mindset for their fiction.
What’s different from this list than the original one in the 1930’s is that many of them are completely commercial and faster paced. Plot that moves was more noted than literary meandering. The lists of the 1930’s were full of Pulitzer Prize winners... not so much the best selling fiction of the 1980’s. There was more genre in this list than in the previous one, as well.
Still, family saga, epics, and historical epics are plentiful on this list. Spy and intrigue, action filled fiction, takes the place of some of the old historicals... though the theme of surviving against all odds replays... yet again.
What’s my verdict?
I don’t think human themes change. The running themes in well-placed novels will be ones that resonate with the current climate. Socio-economic equality, I think will be a critical, if not commercial success as far as themes go in the near future. Dealing with fortunes, whether showing characters of great wealth lose out to better caliber of characters without, or a character finding his/her fortune against great odds is likely to repeat.
I’m not picking a genre, people. What’s common in all of these novels is that they are well –written and they mirror the current mindset. I think mirroring your setting with what’s going on in the reader’s world is a great thing all around, but perhaps more so in times of great stress. I think readers love a good read that will make them forget their lives for a day or two... but they remember the ones that feel like they’re part of them, the works that make them feel like they can succeed or prosper.... the characters that feel like they’ve been fighting in the same foxhole together.... those are the ones they’ll remember.
That’s my two cents... What’s your prediction?
Much has been made lately of the economy and the future of book publishing. You can’t possibly be a writer, or even an aspiring writer, and miss it. But then, you can’t be alive and miss what’s going on currently in the economy.
What I notice in writing circles is that you have two brands of people and thoughts. Optimist and pessimist. I’ve heard a lot of rhetoric about the sky falling and just as much, “hey, people have always needed stories!” I tend to fall into the camp that thinks people will always need stories – but I’m aware that the times are changing which means that there is a need for new and different skills in getting where you’re going.
Taking the current economy out of the equation for a minute: writers have a habit of wanting to stay on top of the trends. There is a lot of wisdom in staying up to date on current selling authors in your genre, and in the literary world in general. First, we tend to like to read anyway. But in researching our markets, a smart author is aware that their art is also their product, and it helps to stay abreast of the current trends in reader needs and wants.
On the other hand, though, the trend this second will change. Looking at the current best seller’s list will not tell you what readers will want in two years (which is about how long it’ll take a novel to get to the shelves AFTER it’s picked up... and you should be including writing and editing and querying time, which might make it more like four years). Even if you pass all of those hurdles, how many books riding that trend will be published between the time it starts and the time yours hits shelves, and how ‘over it’ will your prospective audience be by that time?
So, general wisdom today is to be aware of what’s selling, but write what you feel is strong rather than relying solely on a gimmick to carry your tome. Especially since world events can change rather quickly, which might make readers’ sensibilities and wants change as well.
So I started thinking about how to see into that crystal ball and judge what the better sellers might be in the coming years. You can’t really do this, I know. There’s only so much you can know about how a work is going to be received before it happens. I’ve heard a lot of authors say that they think fantasy will top all of the best sellers’ lists, because in troubled times people want an escape. I should note that most of those guesses were ventured by fantasy writers.
On a whim, I decided to look back at our historical landscape and see what times most closely resembled this one. Everyone automatically thinks of the Great Depression... most people who lived through the Great Depression would likely want to slap us silly in our pampered crepe hanging. They were forced out of homes, without food, often shoeless and with little clothing... now some of us are worried about serious financial issues, but few of us are in the state of standing around shipping yards with hundreds of other men in the hopes of getting one of three jobs offered for the day.
By the way, the economy hits recession status about every 7 to 20 years. I chose not to look at anything before the 1930’s because the book buying market was so vastly different in the late 1800’s. Considering that most middle to low income families only owned a bible, if that, the book buyers were largely relegated to the wealthy class for most of our publishing history prior to the last hundred years or so... So what I did was look through the best sellers from the 1930’s and then in a more recent recession, 1980-1982 (which was pretty similar to our current economic climate with heavy job cuts, though much higher interest rates and inflation).
Best Sellers of the 1930’s
Cimarron by Edna Ferber (1930)
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (1931 – 1932)
Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen (1933 – 1934)
Green Light by Lloyd C. Douglas (1935)
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1936 – 1937)
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1938)
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)
Of these 7 books:
4 are historical
5 can be considered sweeping epics, usually family epics.
The theme of the importance of the earth or property repeats in 5 of them
The Yearling is the only one that can be classified as YA or coming of age – and there was no YA category of that time, so perhaps the example there is that there is always room for a new genre or perspective.
Repetitive themes in every single book – survival against great odds.
What I got from each of these, and most of them were historical, but not all. Grapes of Wrath was published in 1939 and set during the dustbowl of the thirties. But what kept coming up is that each of them mirrored the climate of the day. The main characters’ grit and determination was something spectacular through harsh times.
With the exception of The Yearling, each novel dealt directly with fortune. Losing fortunes, but learning that there are more important things than money. Making fortunes during terrible times. The characters you root for come out on top financially, or the characters with money are pitiful and eventually fail. But fortunes, and vast fortunes, are a recurrent theme in most of the literature of the time; probably because it was so on everyone’s mind.
Best Sellers 1980 – 1982
The Covenant by James Michener (1980)
The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (1980)
Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon (1980)
Noble House by James Clavell (1981)
The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving (1981)
Cujo by Stephen King (1981)
ET – The Extra Terrestrial Storybook (1982)
Space by James Michener (1982)
The Parsifal Mosaic by Robert Ludlum (1982)
Of these 9 best sellers:
5 can be classified as epic sagas
2 are historicals (Covenenant spans 500 years)
1 is horror
1 is a book based on the blockbuster movie (ET)
6 deal with political or international intrigue
When reading through the full lists for each year, I noticed a lot of spy novels and novels that deal either directly or indirectly with the Soviet Union... if you remember the climate in the 1980’s you’ll note that the authors were able to utilize a common concern in the American mindset for their fiction.
What’s different from this list than the original one in the 1930’s is that many of them are completely commercial and faster paced. Plot that moves was more noted than literary meandering. The lists of the 1930’s were full of Pulitzer Prize winners... not so much the best selling fiction of the 1980’s. There was more genre in this list than in the previous one, as well.
Still, family saga, epics, and historical epics are plentiful on this list. Spy and intrigue, action filled fiction, takes the place of some of the old historicals... though the theme of surviving against all odds replays... yet again.
What’s my verdict?
I don’t think human themes change. The running themes in well-placed novels will be ones that resonate with the current climate. Socio-economic equality, I think will be a critical, if not commercial success as far as themes go in the near future. Dealing with fortunes, whether showing characters of great wealth lose out to better caliber of characters without, or a character finding his/her fortune against great odds is likely to repeat.
I’m not picking a genre, people. What’s common in all of these novels is that they are well –written and they mirror the current mindset. I think mirroring your setting with what’s going on in the reader’s world is a great thing all around, but perhaps more so in times of great stress. I think readers love a good read that will make them forget their lives for a day or two... but they remember the ones that feel like they’re part of them, the works that make them feel like they can succeed or prosper.... the characters that feel like they’ve been fighting in the same foxhole together.... those are the ones they’ll remember.
That’s my two cents... What’s your prediction?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Finding Beauty
I’ve never been to South Carolina, or even seen an ocean yet – but I can smell the sea salt air and feel the sun dancing across my bare shoulders. I hear waves lapping against the shore as the sand wedges into the grooves between my toes. In my mind’s eye, I have a vivid feel for this place that I’ve never seen.... weather worn wooden furniture on oversized porches.... comfortable old pillows and blooming flowers... the soft lilt in the words of the people who populate this world. I’ve seen it because I’ve been there in books.
I’ve been a lot of places in books. Ireland and Italy, most of Europe, a good deal of Asia, and about every State in America I can think of... some of them sing more than others. Some of their authors, though, they paint the world so vividly that you, never having been there, still have a feel for the place. A feeling, sights, smells, contentment, excitement – something pops into your mind the second the place is mentioned.
A great writer can make me long for the sight of their favorite forest, make me want to soak in the smells of a meadow the feel of the leaves on the overhanging trees... basking in the sound of the rushing water from a nearby creek. In reality, I hate the outdoors. I hate bugs, I’m not a nature person, I know this. But in the right hands, the author’s love of these things comes through so thoroughly that I forget it’s not my beauty, not my ideal... not my home.
This isn’t every author. Some writers are more sparse than others – nothing wrong with that, it’s a stylistic choice more than anything. With some, it comes through in their voice alone. Not in the description so much as the way they phrase their words... you can hear the accent. Not dialect, phrasing... I LOVE THAT....
For me, it’s got to be in there. I can cut out the extraneous, but man, I want you to taste it and smell it, and get where they come from – my characters. And my beauty can come from the oddest places, a rainbow in the sewer grate. I think for me the descriptive parts come in the least expected ways, because they’re new to you and something to revel in for me.... some of it gets cut because it’s more writerly masturbation than story progression, but still, a bit of a feel for the place is important to me.
How about you? How much does it matter in your reading? Does the setting have to evoke a feel for the story for you? Is it foreshadowing or just description? How about in your writing?
I’ve been a lot of places in books. Ireland and Italy, most of Europe, a good deal of Asia, and about every State in America I can think of... some of them sing more than others. Some of their authors, though, they paint the world so vividly that you, never having been there, still have a feel for the place. A feeling, sights, smells, contentment, excitement – something pops into your mind the second the place is mentioned.
A great writer can make me long for the sight of their favorite forest, make me want to soak in the smells of a meadow the feel of the leaves on the overhanging trees... basking in the sound of the rushing water from a nearby creek. In reality, I hate the outdoors. I hate bugs, I’m not a nature person, I know this. But in the right hands, the author’s love of these things comes through so thoroughly that I forget it’s not my beauty, not my ideal... not my home.
This isn’t every author. Some writers are more sparse than others – nothing wrong with that, it’s a stylistic choice more than anything. With some, it comes through in their voice alone. Not in the description so much as the way they phrase their words... you can hear the accent. Not dialect, phrasing... I LOVE THAT....
For me, it’s got to be in there. I can cut out the extraneous, but man, I want you to taste it and smell it, and get where they come from – my characters. And my beauty can come from the oddest places, a rainbow in the sewer grate. I think for me the descriptive parts come in the least expected ways, because they’re new to you and something to revel in for me.... some of it gets cut because it’s more writerly masturbation than story progression, but still, a bit of a feel for the place is important to me.
How about you? How much does it matter in your reading? Does the setting have to evoke a feel for the story for you? Is it foreshadowing or just description? How about in your writing?
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