tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40022411012803628702024-02-21T09:30:13.414-08:00The Year of Writing DangerouslyTake heart with the day and begin againMichael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.comBlogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-40351185553277151542013-02-06T02:30:00.000-08:002013-02-06T02:30:02.578-08:00Writerly Pearls of Wisdom: Part 2--and Adieu!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here it is, the culmination of three years of amazing insight, dedication, and utmost humility. (This last attribute is probably the most important for a writer because, if you choose this wonderful writer's life, you are going to have to withstand the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.)</div>
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As I did yesterday, I leave you with the words of some of my dearest writer pals. And remember, the readiness is all. (Feeling so Hamlety today.)</div>
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From <b><a href="http://www.jenniferrumberger.com/">Jennifer Rumberger</a></b>, one of my Marvelous Middle Grade Monday mates:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Never give up. No matter how hard the writing life gets,
just keep at it! Also surround yourself with writing friends. Their support is
invaluable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jennifer recommends: A book everyone should read in 2013 is <i>Destiny, Rewritten</i> by
Kathryn Fitzmaurice. Her best book yet!</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #454545;">And, from another excellent middle grade writer and blogger, <a href="http://barbaraannwatson.blogspot.com/"><b>Barbara Watson</b>: </a></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A quote that is
probably well known in the writer's world but I just read on a blog last week.
I didn't cross-reference the source to make sure it's worded properly and are,
in fact, his exact words, but it's been helping me each time I place fingertips
to keyboard since I read it: You can take for granted that people know more or
less what a street, a shop, a beach, a sky, an oak tree looks like. Tell them
what makes this one different. ~Neil Gaiman</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><a href="http://rlsaunders.wordpress.com/">R.L. Saunders</a> </b>is an pal represented by Linda Epstein at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency (same agency as me). Read her blog. She's funny as all get-out: <span style="color: #454545; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Writers
figure out what works for them: writing schedules, lighting, inspiring coffee
creamer flavors, outlining, 67 crit partners, not outlining, magic query
templates, lucky sweatpants--that sort of thing. Then they get really excited
about figuring out what works and they write blog posts about it because it
feels SO RIGHT. And it is right. For them. Your job is to work hard at
figuring out what works for you. There are lots of rules and tips for writers
at every stage of the process. Take them with a grain of salt (like the rule
about avoiding idioms) because they're really only suggestions you might try
on. Just remember that what looks hot on Michael G-G might make your ass
look big.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But seriously, avoid
idioms. And never, ever wear sweatpants that are fewer than seven years old
while you write or you'll never be published.</span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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One of our new Project Mayhem team, <a href="http://www.highspiritsbook.com/"><b>Dianne Salerni</b></a> is the author of <i>We Hear The Dead </i>and <i>The Caged Graves </i>(Clarion 2013): <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #454545;">Success
in writing requires patience<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>and</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>persistence. You have to accept that
it will take longer than you want. Your books might not get published in the
order you wrote them, and some might not get published at all. Without the
patience to wait for the right opportunity or the persistence to keep writing
book after book, you might lose out on what you seek most -- just before it
arrives."</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545;">I have long sung <b><a href="http://beth-kephart.blogspot.com/">Beth Kephart</a>'s </b>praises. To my mind, she is one of the most lyrical writers around. (Go here to see my review of her masterful novels, <a href="http://theyearofwritingdangerously.blogspot.com/2012/12/ya-for-day-brilliance-of-beth-kephart.html?showComment=1355751870143#c9190710045189972722"><i>You Are My Only</i> and <i>Small Damages</i></a>): </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Every now and then remember the fat black sleepy cats and worn rugs and
handwritten signs of the nearest used book store. Remember, in other
words, the books that aren’t on today’s lists, in today’s blogs, in today’s
fever. Much of what is good and golden and teach-worthy and inspired was
written years ago and should not be shunned for its age or yellow paper.
Paper, yes paper. Visit a used bookstore. Take something
classic home. Let the spine crack and the glue shimmer. Let words
be ageless for you."</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.5pt;"><b><a href="http://laurastanfill.wordpress.com/">Laura Stanfill</a> </b>is the genius behind <i><a href="http://forestavenuepress.com/accolades/">Brave on the Page, Oregon Writers on Craft and the Creative Life</a>. </i>Meeting Laura and being part of her project was one of the great gifts of last year:</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.5pt;"> "It's great fun to learn about
how different writers approach the page, but there's no one right way. Do what
works for you. Do it well. Do it consistently. Show up and work as often as you
can. And don't worry if someone else swears that your method is wrong. If it
works for you, then keep doing it. In putting together<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Brave on the Page</i>, a
collection of essays and interviews about the writer's life, I had forty-two
people--including Michael--address different aspects of the craft from their
own perspectives. Everyone had something different--and equally wonderful--to
share about how they approach their work. We must remember to use others'
journeys as inspiration, not as a way to find fault with ourselves. I
learned this lesson, finally, when I became a mom. There are so many parenting
books out there, and I spent the first few years worrying that I was doing
something--or lots of things--wrong based on how self-assured many of those
authors were with their one-size-fits-all advice. So focus on the page, on
your own work, and question your methods in order to nurture your own growth as
a writer--not because someone else tells you to." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #454545;"><b><a href="http://www.aprilhenrymysteries.com/">April Henry</a></b> has been a mentor of mine ever since our children attended the same elementary school. She is the New York Times best-selling author of over a dozen novels. Her latest is <i>The Night She Disappeared. </i>April was on deadline when I contacted her, but her blog has a ton of good advice. The one thing she stressed was: <b>T</b></span><span style="background: white;"><b>enacity is as important as talent. </b>I heartily agree!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:country-region w:st="on"><span style="background: white;"><b><a href="http://www.calexanderlondon.com/">C.Alexander</a></b></span></st1:country-region><span style="background: white;"><b><a href="http://www.calexanderlondon.com/"> <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city></a> </b>is the author of the <i>An Accidental Adventure Series</i>. He is the sort of wildly funny middle grade writer I aspire to be. Here's what he had to say: <span style="color: #454545;"><b>The worst writing you ever do is better than the
best writing you never do. </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The author of <i>May B., </i>and a Project Mayhem stalwart, <b><a href="http://www.carolinestarrrose.com/">Caroline Starr Rose</a>, </b>always has wise words to share: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"The piece of writerly advice I've clung to the last few years is
this: Learn to write<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>this</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>book. It's attributed to Elizabeth
Bear but came to me via J. Anderson Coats. It has been hugely freeing for me to
discover that while systems and goals and blah blah blah sometimes work,
sometimes they don't. Each book is its own animal. You really do start over
every time. And it's OKAY."</span><span style="font-family: Bookman Old Style; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I've known <span style="color: #1f497d;"><a href="http://www.rosanneparry.com/">Rosanne Parry</a>, </span>the author of <i>Heart of a Shepherd </i>and <i>Second Fiddle</i>, <span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span>for many years, and she is a dear friend, mentor and supporter. We share the same critique group as well as the same agent, <a href="http://www.jdlit.com/whoweare.html">Stephen Fraser</a><span style="color: #1f497d;">.<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our agent is my preferred vendor of literary pearls. Here are a few favorites. "You're making art, it's supposed to take time." and "I find the authors who enjoy longevity are the ones who do not stop writing."</span> (Rosanne's new novel, <i>Written in Stone, </i>will be published in June 2013.)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;">Another critique group member and friend is <a href="http://bel-biblio.blogspot.com/">Barbara Liles</a>. Barbara was the recipient of the 2011 Oregon Literary Fellowship, has written a great novel about the Norse in Greenland which any editor worth their salt should publish, and was recently a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraLilesAltForNorge">contestant on a Norwegian reality TV show</a>. Her pearl is the one on which I choose to end because, really, where has the time gone?: <b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Do not be surprised, that time, for a writer, is a strange and flexible dimension</span></span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #454545; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 8pt;"><b>."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Thank you all for being my companions on this wonderful writer's journey. I hope you will continue to visit me at <a href="http://middlegrademafioso.blogspot.com/">Middle Grade Mafioso</a> and <a href="http://project-middle-grade-mayhem.blogspot.com/">Project Mayhem</a>. Till then, may your writing be dangerous and your spirits stalwart. Adieu.</b></span></div>
Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-64216948593785992672013-02-05T02:30:00.000-08:002013-02-05T02:30:04.770-08:00Last Post: Part One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's hard putting a blog to bed. I realized that after I put out a call for submissions for Writerly Pearls of Wisdom and was flooded both with kind notes and good advice. In fact, I received so much good advice that I've decided to break it up into two posts, one today and one tomorrow. I believe that these two posts tell you just about everything you need to know about the writer's life; I will definitely return to them in the days ahead for inspiration, wisdom, and support.<br />
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I realized, too, how blessed I've been during these three years to get to know all of the writers mentioned here. (I knew several of the Portland writers, but blogging has opened a whole new world to me, not just of the mind but also geographically. There are quotes here from writers in Thailand and New Zealand!) Thank you all for helping me along the way.<br />
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Today's post will feature some specifics about writing--about the query process, about good blogs to visit and about craft. Tomorrow's will be more general inspiration. So, without further ado, here come some<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Writerly Pearls of Wisdom:</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545;">From my dear friend, <b><a href="https://twitter.com/MatthewMacNish">Matthew MacNish</a></b>, a partner in Project Mayhem Crime as well as the doyen of queriers with his amazing <a href="http://theqqqe.blogspot.com/">The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment</a>: <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Here's my three Cs rule: "A good query letter covers the three Cs, succinctly and with specificity: Character, Conflict, and Choice."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545;">From another Project Mayhemmer--and prolific author, <b><a href="http://www.chriseboch.com/">Chris Eboch</a></b>:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;"><i>Show Don’t Tell</i>. No
doubt you've heard this phrase before, but writers often have a hard time
understanding exactly what it means. Here’s the best explanation I’ve heard:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;">Showing uses specific sensory
details -- what your main character can see, hear, smell, taste or touch -- to
bring the scene to life. When showing emotion, this might be something like
stomach churning or head pounding. You can also show by giving us a character’s
actions (for example, crying, laughing, trembling, gasping, clenching her
fists, etc.).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;">Avoid<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>telling</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>-- summarizing or explaining -- what's
going on or how your main character feels. Anytime you define an emotion
(someone is angry, worried etc.), you're probably telling. If you can't clearly
observe it through the five senses, it's likely telling. For example, I can see
a frown, I can hear yelling, but I can't see or hear "anger" – only
its symptoms. People express anger in different ways (one person might yell and
frown, while another forces a smile and keep silent) so showing rather than
telling not only paints a clear picture, but also lets us know something about
the character.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;">I did a series on Voice on my
blog, with information about Show, Don’t Tell.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://chriseboch.blogspot.com/search/label/voice" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts"><span style="color: #2862c5; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://chriseboch.blogspot.com/search/label/voice</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;">Janice Hardy talks a lot on her
blog, The Other Side of the Story (<a href="http://blog.janicehardy.com/" target="_blank">http://blog.janicehardy.com/</a>), about showing rather than telling.
Click on the link to "Description" or do a search for Show Don't
Tell. She also does regular critiques of her followers’ work and often points
out show don’t tell issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><b><a href="http://www.literaryrambles.com/">Natalie Aguirre</a></b> is one of the extraordinary bloggers behind <a href="http://www.literaryrambles.com/">Literary Rambles</a>, which is a must-read for all writers searching for agents. Natalie has been a wonderful supporter of my blogging efforts, and is a super human being. Here's a list of her favorite blogs: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;"><i><b>For finding out about agents</b></i>:</span><br />
<span class="yshortcuts">Guide to Literary Agents</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span style="background: white;">(</span><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts"><span style="color: #2862c5;">http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents</span></span></a><span style="background: white;">)- In addition to our blog, Literary Rambles, this is
a great resource for finding agents and learning about the querying and
publishing process. Chuck Sambuchino often spotlights newer agents, has some
agent interviews, and also runs agent contests.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;"><i><b>On the craft of writing</b></i>:</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">The Other Side of the Story (</span><a href="http://blog.janicehardy.com/" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts"><span style="color: #2862c5;">http://blog.janicehardy.com</span></span></a><span style="background: white;">)- This is author Janice Hardy's blog and she offers
fantastic posts about the craft of writing. She always uses great examples too.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;"><i><b>On the business side of writing</b></i>:</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">Pub Rants (</span><a href="http://pubrants.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts"><span style="color: #2862c5;">http://pubrants.blogspot.com</span></span></a><span style="background: white;">)- Agent Kristin Nelson (one of my dream agents and
also Janice Hardy's agent) shares so much practical advice on the business side
of publishing and agents on her blog. I always learn from her posts.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;"><b><i>For good discussion and resources</i></b>:</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">Stina Lindenblatt (</span><a href="http://www.stinalindenblatt.com/" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts"><span style="color: #2862c5;">http://www.stinalindenblatt.com</span></span></a><span style="background: white;">)- Stina blogs Mondays and Wednesdays and often shares
insightful reviews of books and software products relating to the craft of
writing. She also picks great topics to discuss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="background: white;">YA author Elana Johnson (</span><a href="http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts"><span style="color: #2862c5;">http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com</span></span></a><span style="background: white;">)- Elana honestly shares a lot of her experiences from
going from an aspiring author to a published, mid-level author and just blogs
about interesting subjects in general.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.susanbrocker.com/images/MeandmyboyBarney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.susanbrocker.com/images/MeandmyboyBarney.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white;">I have reviewed two of New Zealand author <b><a href="http://www.susanbrocker.com/">Susan Brocker</a></b>'s books on Project Mayhem. I would love to see her exciting stories, often featuring children and their relationships with animals, breakout in the U.S. market!! She's a fantastic writer, as well as a kind correspondent. Here are two of her favorite tips for good writing: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Write about what you love and feel passionate
about and then this energy will flow through in your writing. And Write! Write!
Write! Writing is a craft and the more you write the better you get.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #454545;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/mswinchell">Mike Winchell</a></b> is a Project Mayhem pal, and someone on whom I have counted to give me loads of good advice. A summary of which he is now kind enough to share with us all:</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #454545;"><i><b>On Querying</b></i>:
Remember that your future agent will work FOR YOU, and that you want someone
who will fight their asteroids off for you, and make you as high a priority as
their Newberry winners. You need to have someone who doesn't talk down to you,
and you don't want someone who's "giving you a chance." You want
someone who thinks you're giving them a chance. Too many writers feel inferior
to their agents, and this is a recipe for a future divorce.</span><span style="color: #454545;"><br />
<br /><span style="background: white;">When you are sure your query is
there and your manuscript is too, query widely. Send out a few at first to some
agents. If you query draws quick requests, and your initial pages do as well,
go wide with another 20-25. If you get an offer, send an immediate "OFFER
OF REPRESENTATION" email. Then watch how quickly the emails come. But like
I said, this is only if your query/pages are there.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;"><i><b>On Attitude</b></i>: If your "stuff" is good,
be confident! Agents want writers who don't just think they belong, they want
writers who KNOW it. Confidence is key. Not cockiness, but confidence. Write
with it. Query with it. Live with it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;"><i><b>On Being on Submission with Editors</b></i>: It sucks!
The waiting is horrible and it is best to start writing something fresh ASAP.
But...man, it's nearly impossible not to be obsessive. We all get that
way. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d;">I 'met' <b><a href="http://www.danploy.com/">Dan Ogilvie</a></b> through Microfiction Monday. He's a Brit who lives in Thailand, and he always makes me laugh. In my e-mail to writers, I asked about advice or any "best of" they could think of. Dan came through with this:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d;">Best film seen
recently: Arbitrage with Richard Gere.</span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d;">Best book read while flying:
Tina Fey, Bossypants (‘…she looked like a Liza Minnelli doll that had been
damaged in a fire…’).</span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d;">Best ‘art of writing’ book: The
Art of Fiction by David Lodge.</span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d;">I am currently listening to: <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Bridge</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Sighs</st1:placename></st1:place> by Robin Trower.</span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d;">Favourite cartoon website:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://basicinstructions.net/" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts"><span style="color: purple; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://basicinstructions.net/</span></span></a></span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d;">Strangest event so far for 2013:
Sitting in a hotel bar in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Orlando</st1:city></st1:place>
during a Highland Games weekend. Lots of kilts and sporrans but not a Scottish
accent to be heard. Was Sam Adams Scottish?</span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d;">My wish for 2013: Mitt Romney
outs himself on Oprah and announces he has been in a tempestuous ten year
relationship with Lance Armstrong. ‘We are having a ball together’ he cries
before adding ‘we have made an application to adopt Benjamin Netanyahu’.[Told you he had a "wicked" sense of humor.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;">I'm not sure how I came across <b>Kristen Wixted, </b>but I am very glad I did. Her blog <a href="http://dontforgetthesamovar.blogspot.com/">Don't Forget the Samovar</a> showcases her great sense of humor. She is also newly agented, with her agent being Michele Rubin at Writers House. I see great things for Kristen on the horizon. Here are her tips as a writer Mom
with three kids:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;">Leave the laundry, leave the dishes, don't think about any of
it. When you've worked on your writing for at least 90 minutes, if you need a
break, then throw in a load of clothes or dishes. Not before. Consider the
housework the small exercise break you need to get the kinks out before getting
back to work. Then forget about it all again and sit down with your manuscript.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;">Also, I like to be religious
about having everything I need to get my writing done at my desk and no one
(i.e. afore mentioned 3 kids, and husband) is allowed to touch it. This
includes paper, pens that work, tissues, (more recently) my glasses and a
little notepad for scribbling down notes to myself about things I need to get
done when I'm done writing. Oh, and I also like to have both my cell phone and
my home phone nearby for screening calls (I only answer certain people's calls
when I'm working) and obviously, my laptop and power cord.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;"><b>I will take Kristen's advice and go and do my exercise (loading the dishwasher.) I love this type of exercise regimen!! And I'll be back tomorrow with a final FINAL POST. Thanks for reading!</b></span></div>
<br />Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-84926114633219319452013-01-28T02:30:00.000-08:002013-01-28T02:30:03.990-08:00A PENULTIMATE BLOG POST<br />
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<br />
Happy New Year and all that. As I wrote over on Middle Grade Mafioso, it's been a hard few weeks, what with brain surgery (my wife), vertigo (me), and overall winter blahs (the whole family). But my time away from blogging put things in perspective, and I realized that the time has come to put The Year of Writing Dangerously to bed.<br />
<br />
Yes, I know you're all crying and sad, but let me explain. This was supposed to be the chronicle of a writing year and it's been going on for nearly three. In the meantime I have another blog (<a href="http://middlegrademafioso.blogspot.com/">Middle Grade Mafioso</a>) which seems to be garnering a following, and a group blog--<a href="http://project-middle-grade-mayhem.blogspot.com/">Project Mayhem</a>--which is completely awesome, and for which I only have to write once a month. Which is about the extent, blogging-wise, which I seem able to bestir myself nowadays. (Since I spend all my time spouting off on Twitter and Facebook.)<br />
<br />
To blog well, you have to blog consistently and often. It got to the point with TYOWD, where I would feel guilty because I hadn't posted in weeks, and I felt like a neglectful parent. And I'm anti-guilt.<br />
<br />
So, I will count my blessings and bid this blog adieu. And the blessings have been many:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Since I started in February 2010, I've "met" a whole bunch of great people. I'm blessed to call a lot of them friends. </li>
<li>I've learned a lot about writing from reading and blogging about "craft" books.</li>
<li>Microfiction Monday honed my skills as a 140-character writer, which is why I rock at Twitter.</li>
<li>Because of this blog, and particularly my friendship with <a href="http://theqqqe.blogspot.com/">Matt MacNish</a>, I got the opportunity to be part of Project Mayhem, and to meet even more spectacular writers and good people.</li>
</ul>
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There have also been major changes in my writing life:</div>
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<ul>
<li>When I started blogging I didn't have a literary agent. <a href="http://theyearofwritingdangerously.blogspot.com/2012/01/huge-news.html">Now I do</a>.</li>
<li>I am even more wedded to creating new writing. (I have two manuscripts in various stages of revision, and ideas for a third.)</li>
<li>I am much more astute about the value of social media. As an "outgoing introvert" I enjoy connecting with others on this writing journey through blogs, Facebook, and Twitter.</li>
<li>And my blogging led to a connection with the great <a href="http://laurastanfill.wordpress.com/about/">Laura Stanfill</a>, a Portland writer and mentor extraordinaire, who published a book called <a href="http://laurastanfill.wordpress.com/brave-on-the-page/">BRAVE ON THE PAGE</a>, in which I have a small chapter, and for which I was part of a well-attended public reading.</li>
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I plan to do one final post on February 6th, which will be my three-year blogoversary to the day. I hope to have as many pals as possible share pearls of writerly wisdom which will live on in the blogdom for all eternity. Thanks for being part of this amazing journey. </div>
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Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-37456076524766975172012-12-17T03:00:00.000-08:002012-12-17T03:00:17.832-08:00YA For A Day: The Brilliance of Beth Kephart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(I have been extremely scarce from the blogging world lately, and if you want to know the reason why you can read about it over on <a href="http://middlegrademafioso.blogspot.com/">Middle Grade Mafioso</a>.)<br />
<br />
Back? Okay, let's move on to my review of a couple of novels by a writer whom I whole-heartedly admire. <a href="http://theyearofwritingdangerously.blogspot.com/2011/11/rediscovering-great-writer-beth-kephart.html">I have written before about Beth Kephart</a>, and about how her memoir about her son's early years, <i>A Slant of Sun,</i> touched me so deeply when I read it. I was thrilled to learn that Beth is now writing YA fiction and in the last few months I have been reveling in her beautiful stories.<br />
<br />
Brief descriptions of Beth's two most recent novels could be: "Sophie, a teen stolen in infancy, comes to learn the truth about the woman whom she thinks is her mother" (YOU ARE MY ONLY); and "Kenzie, a pregnant teen who is sent to Spain by her controlling mother, learns lessons about love and the meaning of home." (SMALL DAMAGES) But both descriptions sound so reductive. Each of these novels creates a unique world of its own, and they do so through a singular and powerful use of language and description.<br />
<br />
The best analogy I can come up with about Beth's writing is that it is like swirling dreamily in a pool of the most beautiful music. Her sentences, especially her verbs, give me little heart-tugs when I read them. Here's the beginning of SMALL DAMAGES:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The streets of Seville are the size of sidewalks, and there are alleys leaking off from the streets. In the back of the cab, where I sit by myself, I watch the past rushing by. I roll the smeary window down, stick out my arm. I run one finger against the crumble-down of walls. Touch them for you: <i>Hello, Seville.</i>"</blockquote>
"Leaking off" is such a perfect description. Later, the narrator talks of a nun "blackbirding by." There are fantastic sentences throughout the book; turning to a page at random I find "mountains in the distance seem hacked off by sun," while on another page "the bed aches up beneath her."<br />
<br />
But it is not all gorgeous language. Kephart's stories are full of secrets and hurts, of small and sometimes painful declarations of love, and of what it means to expose one's heart to the joys and sorrows of the world.<br />
<br />
They also feel like delicately constructed symphonies. In YOU ARE MY ONLY, there is the insistent refrain of blue: the song the mother sings before her daughter is kidnapped is "True, true, the sky is blue," and the novel opens with Sophie telling us it's "a blue-sky sun day." Later, we find the kidnapper's journal, in which the kidnapper writes a couple of times that "the sky was blue, and it was easy," a line which has particular resonance when at a climactic scene (no spoilers here!), Sophie tells us that "the sky is not blue; it is not easy." That tremendous blue chord lingers long after the book is over.<br />
<br />
I am in awe of Beth Kephart's mastery of the musicality of language, and haunted (in the best possible way!) by the beauty of these stories. As such, I will drop everything and read whatever story she sees fit to serve us next--and I highly recommend you do too.<br />
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<b>This will be my last blog post of 2012. I wish you all a peaceful holiday season, and best wishes for 2013. I will be back in the saddle come January. <i>Au revoir, auf wiedersehen, and For Auld Lang Syne.</i></b>Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-37379566325645235742012-11-12T08:21:00.000-08:002012-11-12T08:43:13.065-08:00I Love My Writing Community<br />
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One of the huge blessings of blogging is meeting so many interesting, entertaining, and just darn nice people. Pre-blogging, I lived in that kind of writerly bubble where one suspects there are other forms of writerly life out there, but they're about as easy to glimpse as Bigfoot. And then, two plus years later, you're part of a great crowd of folks who are willing to chat with you, exchange information, and just plain old support you. Thanks, pals.<br />
<br />
One of the greatest stories to come from this bloggy thing we do, is my striking up a correspondence with a writer called <a href="http://laurastanfill.wordpress.com/">Laura Stanfill</a>. Laura, a former journalist, heard of me through a mutual friend and contacted me to be part of her 7 Questions for Writers interview series. (I mentioned this in a <a href="http://theyearofwritingdangerously.blogspot.com/2012/10/look-look-im-in-book.html">previous post</a>.) She then produced a book, and being the amazing promoter that she is, last week she got a whole bunch of contributors together for a reading in a local community center. There were about 90 people in the audience!<br />
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Laura asked me to read something from my novel, so I treated them to the first chapter of my middle grade novel, SHAKESPEARE ON THE LAM, which is still (sigh!) out on submission. I kid you not, I felt like a rock star. Here's a video of me, getting all excited with the words on the page:<br />
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<br />
<br />
The best thing, though, was listening to and then meeting a bunch of amazingly talented writers who are also in Brave on the Page--people like <a href="http://www.lizprato.com/index.html">Liz Prato</a>; <a href="http://dunx.org/if/">Duncan Ellis</a>; <a href="http://nancytownsley.com/">Nancy Townsley</a> and her husband, <a href="http://greggtownsley.com/">Gregg</a>; <a href="http://www.bartking.net/">Bart King</a>; <a href="http://intentionalducati.org/home.html">Stevan Allred</a>; <a href="http://krissymick.blogspot.com/">Kristen Forbes</a>; and <a href="http://www.outrageousfortune.net/">Shasta Kearns Moore</a>. And many of them signed my book!! (Sorry if I'm beginning to sound like a squealing fan boy.)<br />
<br />
There is, I believe, nothing better than being in a room full of writers. We are appreciative of each other, because we know how hard it is to put ourselves out there and write. I want to give Laura Stanfill huge credit for being such a visionary, and for all the time and effort she has put into making this book a reality, and for making our writing community stronger. I have never been so proud of being a writer.<br />
<br />
<br />Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-65599394155595500702012-10-19T02:30:00.000-07:002012-10-19T06:57:06.385-07:00Self-Publishing to Traditional Publishing: I Spy a TrendFirst off, this is not an argument, rant, or railing against either form of publishing. It's just that I've spotted something popping up on Publisher's Marketplace during the past few weeks, and I'm just a sharing kinda guy.<br />
<br />
Caution: Your eyes may glaze over...<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="4" nowrap="" style="border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;"><div class="bl06" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.83em; font-weight: bold; padding-left: 4px;">
October 18, 2012</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" height="3" nowrap=""></td><td bgcolor="#eeeef9" height="3"><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="4" /></td><td colspan="3" height="3"></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" nowrap=""></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeef9" class="v10bl" style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.83em; line-height: 1.17em; padding: 0px 6px 6px;"> Fiction:<br />
Women's/<wbr></wbr>Romance </td><td></td><td class="v11u" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 16px;">Samantha Young's <b>bestselling self-published</b> ON DUBLIN STREET, said to have <b>sold over 150,000 ebooks in a month</b>, a sexy contemporary romance set in Scotland, about an American woman who left her tragic past behind to start over in Edinburgh, whose carefully guarded world is shaken to its core by her new roommate's sexy older brother, to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=2439" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">NAL</a>, already republished in ebook form, with a trade paperback on December 31, and a second book for publication in 2013.</td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6"><img alt="" height="16" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="19" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td><td bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="4" nowrap="" style="border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;"><div class="bl06" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.83em; font-weight: bold; padding-left: 4px;">
October 16, 2012</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" height="3" nowrap=""></td><td bgcolor="#eeeef9" height="3"><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="4" /></td><td colspan="3" height="3"></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" nowrap=""></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeef9" class="v10bl" style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.83em; line-height: 1.17em; padding: 0px 6px 6px;"> Fiction:<br />
Women's/<wbr></wbr>Romance </td><td></td><td class="v11u" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 16px;"><div>
<b>NYT bestselling author</b> Teresa Mummert's first three books in her <b>self-published</b> BEAUTIFUL series, starting with WHITE TRASH BEAUTIFUL, about a young woman living in a trailer park with her mother and abusive boyfriend, and the lead singer in a band who walks into her diner <nobr>--</nobr> he tries to show her that there is more to life, but being with him will come at a high price, to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=1814" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Lauren McKenna</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=15001" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Gallery</a>, in a significant deal, at auction, by <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=857" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Kimberly Whalen</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=431" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Trident Media Group</a>(world English).</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0.33em;">
Film: Joseph Veltre at Gersh</div>
</td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6"><img alt="" height="16" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="19" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td><td bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="4" nowrap="" style="border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;"><div class="bl06" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.83em; font-weight: bold; padding-left: 4px;">
October 12, 2012</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" height="3" nowrap=""></td><td bgcolor="#eeeef9" height="3"><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="4" /></td><td colspan="3" height="3"></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" nowrap=""></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeef9" class="v10bl" style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.83em; line-height: 1.17em; padding: 0px 6px 6px;"> International rights:<br />
UK Fiction </td><td></td><td class="v11u" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 16px;"><div>
James Oswald's <b>self-published thriller</b> NATURAL CAUSES, to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=4504" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Alex Clarke</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=4283" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Michael Joseph</a>, in a good deal, at auction, by <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=21634" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Juliet Mushens</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=305" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">PFD</a>(UK/Commonwealth, excl. Canada).</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0.33em;">
<a href="mailto:rmills@pfd.co.uk" style="background-image: none; color: #6666cc; outline: none;">rmills@pfd.co.uk</a></div>
</td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6"><img alt="" height="16" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="19" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td><td bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="4" nowrap="" style="border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;"><div class="bl06" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.83em; font-weight: bold; padding-left: 4px;">
October 12, 2012</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" height="3" nowrap=""></td><td bgcolor="#eeeef9" height="3"><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="4" /></td><td colspan="3" height="3"></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" nowrap=""></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeef9" class="v10bl" style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.83em; line-height: 1.17em; padding: 0px 6px 6px;"> Non-fiction:<br />
Cooking </td><td></td><td class="v11u" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 16px;">Creator of food blog Macheesmo.com Nick Evans's untitled cookbook, featuring hundreds of inventive and refreshing ways to use common leftovers in new dishes, with photos, and based on author's <b>self-published book</b>, CORNERSTONE COOKING, to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=7525" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Lara Asher</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=2409" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Lyons Press</a>, for publication in 2014, by <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=608" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">David Dunton</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=159" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Harvey Klinger</a> (World).</td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6"><img alt="" height="16" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="19" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td><td bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="4" nowrap="" style="border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;"><div class="bl06" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.83em; font-weight: bold; padding-left: 4px;">
October 11, 2012</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" height="3" nowrap=""></td><td bgcolor="#eeeef9" height="3"><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="4" /></td><td colspan="3" height="3"></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" nowrap=""></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeef9" class="v10bl" style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.83em; line-height: 1.17em; padding: 0px 6px 6px;"> International rights:<br />
UK Fiction </td><td></td><td class="v11u" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 16px;">Mark Sennen's self-published TOUCH, the first book in his Charlotte Savage series, a police procedural set in Plymouth and Dartmoor, a <b>Kindle bestseller said to have sold over 73,000 units</b>, to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=4675" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Claire Bord</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=8531" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Avon UK</a>, in a three-book deal, for republication in January 2013, followed by a paperback in April 2013, by <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=584" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Claire Roberts</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=431" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Trident Media Group</a> (world, excl. NA).</td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6"><img alt="" height="16" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="19" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td><td bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="4" nowrap="" style="border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;"><div class="bl06" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.83em; font-weight: bold; padding-left: 4px;">
October 10, 2012</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" height="3" nowrap=""></td><td bgcolor="#eeeef9" height="3"><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="4" /></td><td colspan="3" height="3"></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" nowrap=""></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeef9" class="v10bl" style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.83em; line-height: 1.17em; padding: 0px 6px 6px;"> International rights: Fiction </td><td></td><td class="v11u" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 16px;"><div>
James Oswald's <b>self-published</b> crime <b>bestseller</b> NATURAL CAUSES, to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=11615" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Andrea Best</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=10522" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Goldmann</a>, in a good deal, by PFD for German rights <nobr>--</nobr> with a four-publisher UK auction underway, by <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=305" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">PFD</a>.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0.33em;">
<a href="mailto:rmills@pfd.co.uk" style="background-image: none; color: #6666cc; outline: none;">rmills@pfd.co.uk</a></div>
</td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6"><img alt="" height="16" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="19" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td><td bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="4" nowrap="" style="border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;"><div class="bl06" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.83em; font-weight: bold; padding-left: 4px;">
October 5, 2012</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" height="3" nowrap=""></td><td bgcolor="#eeeef9" height="3"><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="4" /></td><td colspan="3" height="3"></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" nowrap=""></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeef9" class="v10bl" style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.83em; line-height: 1.17em; padding: 0px 6px 6px;"> International rights:<br />
UK Fiction </td><td></td><td class="v11u" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 16px;"><div>
Abbi Glines' <b>self-published</b> THE VINCENT BOYS and THE VINCENT BROTHERS, to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=5464" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Emily Thomas</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=22970" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Hot Key Books</a>, by <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=2898" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Caspian Dennis</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=2899" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Abner Stein</a>, on behalf of Lauren Abramo at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (UK/Commonwealth, excl. Canada).</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0.33em;">
<a href="mailto:labramo@dystel.com" style="background-image: none; color: #6666cc; outline: none;">labramo@dystel.com</a></div>
</td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6"><img alt="" height="16" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="19" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td><td bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="4" nowrap="" style="border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;"><div class="bl06" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.83em; font-weight: bold; padding-left: 4px;">
October 5, 2012</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" height="3" nowrap=""></td><td bgcolor="#eeeef9" height="3"><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="4" /></td><td colspan="3" height="3"></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" nowrap=""></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeef9" class="v10bl" style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.83em; line-height: 1.17em; padding: 0px 6px 6px;"> International rights:<br />
UK Fiction </td><td></td><td class="v11u" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 16px;">Nick Spalding's <b>self-published</b> romantic comedy novels, Love... From Both Sides and Love... And Sleepless Nights, to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=25561" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Charlotte Hardman</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=18784" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Coronet</a>, in a good deal, for republication first in ebook and then in paperback, by <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=12472" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Jon Elek</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=33" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">AP Watt</a> (UK/Commonwealth).</td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6"><img alt="" height="16" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="19" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td><td bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="4" nowrap="" style="border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;"><div class="bl06" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.83em; font-weight: bold; padding-left: 4px;">
October 4, 2012</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" height="3" nowrap=""></td><td bgcolor="#eeeef9" height="3"><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="4" /></td><td colspan="3" height="3"></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" nowrap=""></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeef9" class="v10bl" style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.83em; line-height: 1.17em; padding: 0px 6px 6px;"> Children's:<br />
Young Adult </td><td></td><td class="v11u" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 16px;">Abbi Glines' SEABREEZE "new adult" series, including the <b>successfully self-published</b> BECAUSE OF LOW and WHILE IT LASTS plus two more books, about the goings-on in Sea Breeze, Alabama and the to-die for romances of its beloved inhabitants, again to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=3845" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Bethany Buck</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=2546" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Simon Pulse</a>, in a major deal, by <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=745" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Jane Dystel</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=118" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Dystel & Goderich Literary Management</a> (world English).</td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6"><img alt="" height="16" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="19" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td><td bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="4" nowrap="" style="border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;"><div class="bl06" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.83em; font-weight: bold; padding-left: 4px;">
October 4, 2012</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" height="3" nowrap=""></td><td bgcolor="#eeeef9" height="3"><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="4" /></td><td colspan="3" height="3"></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" nowrap=""></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeef9" class="v10bl" style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.83em; line-height: 1.17em; padding: 0px 6px 6px;"> Children's:<br />
Young Adult </td><td></td><td class="v11u" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><div>
<span style="font-size: 0.9em;">Tammara Webber's </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><b>self-published NYT and USA Today bestseller</b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> EASY, about a 19-year-old grappling with both the aftermath of a sexual assault and the excitement of a new love interest, to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=16417" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Don Weisberg</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=9344" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Penguin Children's</a>, in a two-book deal, with the ebook publishing on October 9, 2012, and a paperback to be published by Berkley on November 6, 2012, by <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=745" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Jane Dystel</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=118" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Dystel & Goderich Literary Management</a> (NA).</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0.67em;">
</div>
</td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6"><img alt="" height="16" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="19" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td><td bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="4" nowrap="" style="border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;"><div class="bl06" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.83em; font-weight: bold; padding-left: 4px;">
October 3, 2012</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" height="3" nowrap=""></td><td bgcolor="#eeeef9" height="3"><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="4" /></td><td colspan="3" height="3"></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" nowrap=""></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeef9" class="v10bl" style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.83em; line-height: 1.17em; padding: 0px 6px 6px;"> Fiction:<br />
General/<wbr></wbr>Other </td><td></td><td class="v11u" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 16px;">Richard Bard's <b>self-published</b> BRAINRUSH and BRAINRUSH II: THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY, and the new BRAINRUSH III: FINAL JUDGMENT, an adventure series featuring a combat pilot, to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=23579" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Alan Turkus</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=21336" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Thomas & Mercer</a>, in a good deal, for all to be republished and published in 2013, by <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=1125" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Scott Miller</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=431" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Trident Media Group</a>.</td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6"><img alt="" height="16" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="19" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td><td bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="4" nowrap="" style="border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;"><div class="bl06" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.83em; font-weight: bold; padding-left: 4px;">
October 2, 2012</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" height="3" nowrap=""></td><td bgcolor="#eeeef9" height="3"><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="4" /></td><td colspan="3" height="3"></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" nowrap=""></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeef9" class="v10bl" style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.83em; line-height: 1.17em; padding: 0px 6px 6px;"> Fiction:<br />
Women's/<wbr></wbr>Romance </td><td></td><td class="v11u" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 16px;"><b>USA Today bestselling author</b> Molly McAdams' <b>debut, self-published novel</b>, TAKING CHANCES, in which a girl leaves home and her rigid, career Marine father to go to college and live life her own way, finding friendship, unexpected love from two men and finally the true meaning of family, to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=10274" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Tessa Woodward</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=2364" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Harper</a>, in a significant deal, in a three-book deal, by <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=853" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Kevan Lyon</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=9685" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Marsal Lyon Literary Agency</a> (world).</td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6"><img alt="" height="16" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="19" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td><td bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="4" nowrap="" style="border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;"><div class="bl06" style="color: #666666; font-size: 0.83em; font-weight: bold; padding-left: 4px;">
October 1, 2012</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6" nowrap=""><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" height="3" nowrap=""></td><td bgcolor="#eeeef9" height="3"><img alt="" height="3" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="4" /></td><td colspan="3" height="3"></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" nowrap=""></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeef9" class="v10bl" style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.83em; line-height: 1.17em; padding: 0px 6px 6px;"> Children's:<br />
Young Adult </td><td></td><td class="v11u" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 16px;"><div>
<b>USA Today bestselling author</b> Rebecca Donovan's <b>self-published</b> THE BREATHING series, about life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and one girl's fragile grasp of hope, to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=23793" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Tim Ditlow</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=23802" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Amazon Children's</a>, in a good deal, with REASON TO BREATHE for publication in January 2013; BARELY BREATHING for publication in March 2013; and OUT OF BREATH for publication in June 2013; in a three-book deal, by <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=22583" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Erica Spellman Silverman</a> at <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=431" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Trident Media Group</a>.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0.67em;">
UK and Commonwealth rights to <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=2506" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Razorbill</a>, in a good deal, by <a class="dealmaker" href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/dealmakers/detail.cgi?id=25046" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6666cc; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Alexander Slater</a> on behalf of Erica Spellman Silverman at Trident Media Group.</div>
</td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="6"><img alt="" height="16" src="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/s.gif" width="2" /><br />
<br />
That's just in October ALONE!!!<br />
<br />
What is happening here, folks? It seems pretty obvious. Agents aren't just reading queries in the slush. They're trawling the self-published bestseller lists and rushing to sign up those books who have built a following. In effect, self-publishing has become an alternative slush pile, except those who are cherry-picked from it have already gone and made a bunch of moolah.<br />
<br />
Why do these authors want to go the traditional publishing route after being successfully self-published? My theory is that being traditionally published gives them validation. (UPDATE: See the comments for some great thoughts about other positives.) Despite all their self-earned success, they still can't resist the fact that a "big" publisher wants them. And I don't blame them in the slightest.<br />
<br />
One never knows what the future will bring, but I have a strong hunch we'll see an ever-increasing number of these stories. Until, one day, this will be the way the system works. The times are certainly a-changing. After all, next year you won't be able to get your hands on a printed copy of Newsweek. Screen, baby, screen.<br />
<br />
<b>How do you think this is going to shake out? Have you read any self-published authors who "turned" traditional? What did you think?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-79190395935989653332012-10-12T02:30:00.000-07:002012-10-12T02:30:02.127-07:00Look! Look! I'm In A Book!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.jackieshannonhollis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/brave-on-the-page-final-cover-smaller.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.jackieshannonhollis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/brave-on-the-page-final-cover-smaller.png" width="206" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
A little over a year ago, a writer named Laura Stanfill interviewed me for her "Seven Questions Series" on her blog "<a href="http://laurastanfill.wordpress.com/">Laura Stanfill. Writing. Reading. Community</a>". It was a fun interview, and I enjoyed answering her questions on blogging and the difference between middle grade and YA fiction.<br />
<br />
Fast forward 12 months. Laura is a visionary and had the idea to collect all her interviews, as well as invite other writers to pen what she calls "flash essays," and gather them together in book form. She decided that the focus would be on Oregon writers--of which there are many: this state is fertile ground for scribes. She also decided to set up her own publishing company, <a href="http://forestavenuepress.wordpress.com/">Forest Avenue Press</a>, and print her books using some spiffy new technology, the Espresso Book Machine, located in the Purple Room at Powell's Books.<br />
<br />
So it was that on Tuesday a whole bunch of us gathered giddily at Powell's to watch "our" book appear, literally hot off the presses. The cover, designed by <a href="http://gigilittle.jimdo.com/">Gigi Little</a>, is beautiful--and there's some crazy good flash essaying going on between the covers. Laura has plans for readings and other promotions. A journalist in a former life, she is just amazing with her press releases, and has been a tremendous editor as well as an advocate for her writing "tribe." As she says in her Foreword:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Oregon is full of writers who support one another. The forty two authors in this collection all live in the state or have roots here. They are novelists and journalists. They are essayists and travel writers and poets. They are funny, smart, sad, and wise. Some have been traditionally published. Some have been published by small presses or literary journals. Others are unpublished. And yet we all commit the same brave act--confronting the blank page every day. No matter what the cost, no matter what the outcome, we set our other obligations aside to write. And that's something to celebrate." </blockquote>
<br />
Thank you, Laura, for welcoming me into your "tribe." I got a great thrill seeing my name "on the page."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCw8LJXl6nXPWdyMixHW2JUoOPb6gIFD_tdfPbvfgz4aq7L72Hul3ATCsnxYofKAVt-O0jCFTKlcwzV-kUrYD6l2BPKHDJ_W4Dhmv99cNEwOeTGih499UrSTMmmzfBI6bGCKvbcjBCbGJx/s1600/560514_10151284149854416_606347211_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCw8LJXl6nXPWdyMixHW2JUoOPb6gIFD_tdfPbvfgz4aq7L72Hul3ATCsnxYofKAVt-O0jCFTKlcwzV-kUrYD6l2BPKHDJ_W4Dhmv99cNEwOeTGih499UrSTMmmzfBI6bGCKvbcjBCbGJx/s320/560514_10151284149854416_606347211_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-53147981782065154702012-09-19T02:30:00.000-07:002012-09-19T02:30:00.899-07:00My Continued Love Affair With Cybil<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPi81mOPdSQUIvxBce9evhWfFXYePQQrUbQ1OtGzKFWqVn_NEFHYzgE8H5thjfv0Y68g0TojtHkXMCmxkTtuFft6_89wyP7jQ_YFwPLx_KTStNIYiXJlpAIFG6za5u9lgwBJC2JrwzCI8/s1600/6a00d83451b06869e2017617048dac970c-800wi.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPi81mOPdSQUIvxBce9evhWfFXYePQQrUbQ1OtGzKFWqVn_NEFHYzgE8H5thjfv0Y68g0TojtHkXMCmxkTtuFft6_89wyP7jQ_YFwPLx_KTStNIYiXJlpAIFG6za5u9lgwBJC2JrwzCI8/s1600/6a00d83451b06869e2017617048dac970c-800wi.gif" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Remember last year, when </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was a round one panelist for</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.cybils.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the Cybils</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Children and Young Adults Bloggers' Literary Awards)--and it was a complete hoot! I got to plow </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">through 150 or so middle grade books. (The librarians at my local library got to the point where, when they saw me walk in, they would chant a joyful chorus of relief because my requests were literally weighing down their hold shelves.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This year, I've gone one better. I'm a round two judge, which means that, starting in January 2013, I will read the nominated shortlist, winnowed down to about six or seven titles by the intrepid first round panel, some of whom I know (Hi, <a href="http://owlforya.blogspot.com/">Jill the Owl</a> and <a href="http://www.debamarshall.com/">Deb Marshall</a>) and some of whom I'm looking forward to meeting (<span style="background-color: white; color: #11222c; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://theboyreader.blogspot.com/">Kyle Kimmel</a>, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #11222c; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://showmelibrarian.blogspot.com/">Amy Koester</a>, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #11222c; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://literarylunchbox.blogspot.com/">Ali Breidenstein</a>, and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #11222c; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.bookvoyages.com/">Art Spencer</a>.) Everyone knows our major domo, Karen Yingling, whom I believe to be the most voracious--as well as the most judicious-- reader on the planet. If you haven't yet done so, check out her amazing blog, <a href="http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/">Ms. Yingling Reads</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #11222c; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNIe9emjnkz84NndMWiJkzuduM-5eh5MWARnYpjI_XTS9KD6gLMvZfK1QaDFBoZQTSY92uqGve3sPSs5HRbb7cYGDXpMHCWrGDsSECHmHx23CemJTzMg3an11TgKNP4POvGGrtJfo3jA/s1600/6a00d83451b06869e2017d3be6097f970c-800wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNIe9emjnkz84NndMWiJkzuduM-5eh5MWARnYpjI_XTS9KD6gLMvZfK1QaDFBoZQTSY92uqGve3sPSs5HRbb7cYGDXpMHCWrGDsSECHmHx23CemJTzMg3an11TgKNP4POvGGrtJfo3jA/s320/6a00d83451b06869e2017d3be6097f970c-800wi.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Ms. Yingling, doing a spot of time travel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the round two panel, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #11222c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.5minutesforbooks.com/">Jennifer Donovan</a> was a fellow panelist last year (Hi, Jen!). I'm looking forward to getting to know the other three: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #11222c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://cameronkellyrosenblum.wordpress.com/">Cameron Kelly Rosenblum</a>, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #11222c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://awrungsponge.blogspot.com/">Andi Sibley</a>, and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #11222c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.onegreatbook.blogspot.com/">Freya Hooper</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #11222c; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #11222c; line-height: 24px;">Hopefully, all of you Writing Dangerously readers have got an idea of a book you'd like to nominate. Here's how to do so, from the Cybils FAQ page: </span></span><br />
<strong style="color: #11222c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></strong><strong style="color: #11222c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;">Can anyone nominate?</strong><br />
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Yes, anyone may nominate one book per genre during the nomination period. We post an online form from Oct. 1-15 every year.</div>
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<strong>Which books are eligible?</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #11222c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">
Any books published between the end of one contest and start of another. For 2012, that means books released between Oct. 16, 2011 and Oct. 15, 2012. This year, we are also accepting nominations for book apps for iPad, Web or computers.</div>
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<strong>Does it help if a book has lots of nominations?</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #11222c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">
NO! In fact, the online form will kick the nomination back if a book's already been listed. It needs to get on our radar only once for consideration. After that, it's up to the judges.</div>
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<b>So ~~ Start your engines, folks. Cybils season is upon us!!</b></div>
Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-27563941567134802102012-09-14T02:30:00.000-07:002012-09-14T02:30:03.485-07:00Going Cold Turkey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I don't know if you heard the trumpets last week, but my youngest started kindergarten--which means that for the first time in 16 years I have the house to myself for over five hours straight. (No, I don't have a dozen kids... there's just a ten year age gap between my oldest and my youngest.)<br />
<br />
I have been looking forward to some concerted writing time for a while. I'm heading towards the end of the first draft of my latest manuscript, and I really need to put in the hours so I can write those glorious words THE END before year's end. (That's my goal and I'm sticking to it.) But I knew I would be hard pressed to do that if I didn't take steps to quieten the social media hubbub to which I've become a part.<br />
<br />
Two and a half years ago I didn't have a blog--let alone three. I wasn't on Facebook. I turned up my nose at Twitter. (And no, I'm not yet pining for Pinterest, or whatever is the latest social media du jour.) Don't get me wrong: I have enjoyed being a part of the interwebs and have met many dear people whom I now call friends (including all of you who are reading this.) But I was becoming addicted. I'd write a paragraph of my story, and then check my e-mail. Another sentence, and I'd shoot a glance at Twitter. As you can guess, being the debutante at the social media ball was beginning to eat away at my precious writing time.<br />
<br />
So, I've gone <a href="http://getcoldturkey.com/">COLD TURKEY</a>. Yes, I've found a handy little app ("It's like your parents on steroids," it claims) that will block all sites for however long I want on any particular day. Usually, I'm at my desk at 9:30, and the kids come back between 2:30 and 3:30. So I've set my Cold Turkey settings accordingly. Between those hours, I can't go on Yahoo! or update my Facebook status, or seeing what the tweeps are tweeting about. I can't even while away the time on my favorite blogs.<br />
<br />
I'm getting a whole lot of writing done, and feeling like I have my willpower back. <b>Have you tried Cold Turkey, or any other site like it? How did it go?</b>Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-19463135633310616902012-09-07T02:30:00.000-07:002012-09-07T02:30:03.026-07:00Two Thinkers on the Contemplative Life<br />
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<a href="http://www.theautojunkyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/no-to-cell-phones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.theautojunkyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/no-to-cell-phones.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
I don't think you can disagree with the fact that writers need solitude and quiet. To burrow deeply into our creative minds, we need to shut that figurative--and possibly literal--door, and have the time and leisure to think. I know this is true, because for the first time in 16 years all three of my children are leaving the house for extended periods of the day, an activity commonly known as "school." Frankly, it is amazing to see how much I can get done when I don't have to deal with catering to five-year-olds or blowing the referee's whistle during sibling spats.<br />
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This week I read two resonant articles by writers I greatly admire. The first is by Junot Diaz, who wrote the stunning T<i>he Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao</i>, which I briefly talked about <a href="http://middlegrademafioso.blogspot.com/2012/06/sometimes-middle-grade-mafiosi-read-non.html">HERE</a>. Here is what he said to the Guardian, via the always interesting <a href="http://www.shelf-awareness.com/#&panel1-2">Shelf Awareness</a>. The text in bold is my doing:<br />
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<h3 class="yiv2015602184item_title" style="background-color: white; color: #3799b6; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">
Time for Reading 'Should Not Be an Unattainable Thing'</h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="yiv2015602184story" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: start;"><tbody style="width: 448px;">
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<img alt="" height="225" src="http://media.shelf-awareness.com/theshelf/2012Content/diaz090412.jpg" style="border: 0px; float: right; margin: 3px 7px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" width="142" />"Books are surviving in this intense, fragmented, hyper-accelerated present, and my sense and <b>hope is that things will slow down again and people will want more time for a contemplative life</b>. There is no way people can keep up this pace. No one is happy. <b>Two or three hours to read should not be an unattainable thing</b>, although I hope we get to that stage without needing a corporate sponsored app to hold our hand. The utopian in me has my fingers crossed that we haven't quite figured out the digital future just yet. After all, the one thing we know about people: they always surprise."</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
--Author <a href="http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz5616045Biz14391256" rel="nofollow" style="color: black; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">Junot Diaz</a> in an interview with the <em>Guardian</em></div>
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<span style="color: #444e5c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.649999618530273px;">(Junot, I'm trying to prise out my eye-teeth for those two to three reading hours you mention. I'm lucky to get thirty minutes before nodding off to sleep at night. Still need to work on that!)</span><br />
<span style="color: #444e5c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.649999618530273px;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #444e5c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.649999618530273px;">Then, from <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/07/cellphones_not_as_big_a_threat.html">a longer piece</a> from an Oregon writer, Matt Love, who's a great essayist:</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444e5c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.649999618530273px;">Commentators frequently place the primary blame on cellphones, but really, fault lies with the addicts who habitually wield them. I say all this with a unique perspective because I live near the No. 1 tourist attraction in the state -- the Oregon Coast -- and routinely see tourists on the beach allowing cellphones to conquer their solitude. And I'm not talking about using them to take photographs or write poetry. I'm talking about willfully abandoning a temporary isolation to engage in what the Sex Pistols called "blah, blah, blah." </span></blockquote>
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(I tell you, the "Smart Phone" has taken over the known universe. I may be an alien life form: I don't have one. But I've certainly watched enough parents ignoring their children at playgrounds and swimming pools in favor of staring at mini-screens.)<br />
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<b>It's easy to sound holier than thou, but I really think a writer can benefit from taking a detour off the information super highway--even for just a couple of hours a day. What think you?</b>Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-5005011293856101592012-08-20T03:00:00.000-07:002012-08-20T03:00:12.440-07:00Give Your Characters A Mirror of Erised<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://elsieyogakula.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/mirror_of_erised.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://elsieyogakula.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/mirror_of_erised.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harry seeing his parents in the Mirror of Erised</td></tr>
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<br />
My youngest, who's nearly six, has a full-blown Harry Potter obsession. Most of it is channeled via Lego, but there is also dressing up like the boy wizard and now writing his own version of the first few books: it's preschool Harry Potter fanfic!<br />
<br />
(This is my third go-around through J.K. Rowling's series with each of my children. Each time I marvel at what a storyteller she is. What an imagination to come up with all those characters, quirky spells, Quidditch... the list goes on.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, youngest was drawing his pictures and I was taking dictation. The page we were working on was about the Mirror of Erised (Desire backwards) in which characters can see what they most desire. For Harry, it's his dead parents; for Ron, it's being Head Boy and Quidditch captain--the desire of a younger sibling to escape from the shadows of his older brothers. For Dumbledore--well, Dumbledore claims he sees a pair of socks. But you can never quite trust that Dumbledore, can you?<br />
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As my young artist explained all this, I had a flash of inspiration. Often, it takes me a whole first draft to figure out what a character truly desires. <i>What if, right at the beginning of the process, I wheeled in their very own Mirror of Erised, sat them before it, and asked them to tell me what they saw?</i><br />
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There's something about this technique--sort of like interviewing your characters--that appeals to me. I think I'll try it the next novel I write. I'll let you know how it goes!<br />
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<b>What techniques (or tricks!) do you use to excavate your character's desires? </b><br />
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(P.s. I'm reviewing New Zealand author Susan Brocker's historical MG novel, The Drover's Quest--which I loved--on <a href="http://project-middle-grade-mayhem.blogspot.com/">Project Mayhem</a> today. If you want to win a copy, head on over.)Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-23561809726457903292012-08-13T02:30:00.000-07:002012-08-13T02:30:03.094-07:00Writing by Rivers--and thoughts on Rudisha versus Bolt<span id="goog_808482744"></span><span id="goog_808482745"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUt_s2yV2iZRu2SUL9OL1eccafZl8tQoqxxp9PKS8KHsyUhbhVC4CyeEuxtJ7JjZCM61S6Z3ckjr9BojqutR4PPjKdP8079G8W3uhBZkUQpSxAsBRrhb5rtr2HulBQUMaMob7nVN7AFCcC/s400/P1010749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUt_s2yV2iZRu2SUL9OL1eccafZl8tQoqxxp9PKS8KHsyUhbhVC4CyeEuxtJ7JjZCM61S6Z3ckjr9BojqutR4PPjKdP8079G8W3uhBZkUQpSxAsBRrhb5rtr2HulBQUMaMob7nVN7AFCcC/s320/P1010749.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My youngest throwing stones into Railroad Creek</td></tr>
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<br />
I have had quite the splendid last month. First, I got to go to one of my favorite places for vacation--Holden Village--and was freed from all the hurlyburly of modern life. Heck, at Holden you can't even get a cellphone signal! Then, I catapulted back into the thick of things with my own personal Olympic marathon, staying up almost every night until midnight for the past two weeks. Talk about a schizophrenic experience.<br />
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In the Washington Cascades, dwarved by mountain peaks, I sat writing for three hours each morning. My usual writing spot was beside the fast-flowing Railroad Creek, its waters icy with snow melt. There is something about writing by rivers. Perhaps it's a variant of <i>feng shui</i>, but ideas cascaded about me. (I even got an idea for an adult mystery to go with the YA I'm currently working on.) When I write at home, writing always competes with running a household, making sure the kids are on track for their various activities, and planning meals. (And meals, and yet more meals!) One of the liberating things about Holden was having three meals a day cooked for me. It freed up my creative energies for actual creation.<br />
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Then, back we came to the Olympics. We missed the Queen parachuting into the stadium, as we were still out of media range. But we have sat through two weeks of sporting endeavors and personal narratives, watching as old stars continue their successes (Michael Phelps) and new stars come alive (Missy Franklin and Gabby Douglas.)<br />
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I marveled at the perseverance of these athletes. The Olympics occur only every four years. Many of them try and try--I'm thinking of Allyson Felix here, who won silver medals at two previous Olympics and finally won her gold in the 200m.<br />
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<a href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2012/8/8/1344460173873/Allyson-Felix-008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2012/8/8/1344460173873/Allyson-Felix-008.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
I also found myself facing a realization that glitzy self-promotion turns me off. Usain Bolt is undoubtedly talented, but his blowing of his own trumpet is tiresome. I found myself comparing him to David Rudisha, the soft-spoken Masai who destroyed the world record in winning the 800 meters.<br />
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<a href="http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2012/08/10/295273-david-rudisha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2012/08/10/295273-david-rudisha.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
It's not that I believe that Rudisha is without ego, but he did not overuse the Boltian phrase "living legend." Instead, as quoted in <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/david-rudisha-sets-world-record-to-win-olympic-800-meter-gold-medal-for-kenya/2012/08/09/f739c9d2-e285-11e1-89f7-76e23a982d06_story.html">The Washington Post</a>, he dedicated his victory to his father:<br />
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<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">(Rudisha) said he was inspired by the massive crowd in London, but dedicated the record to somebody watching on TV from another continent — his father, Daniel Rudisha, who anchored Kenya to a silver medal in the 4x400 relay at the 1968 Olympics at Mexico.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“I know he’s always proud of me, he’s the one who encourages me to come this far,” he said. “He’s a big inspiration in my career.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“I wanted to go a step ahead. To break the world record is a big achievement. He wanted to do it in the 400 but he couldn’t do it. So, for his son to do it ... "</span></div>
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Finally, if you want to read about how watching the Olympics devolved into a mouse chase, read this <a href="http://beth-kephart.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-olympic-midnight-mouse-and-romance.html">blog post</a> by one of my favorite writers, Beth Kephart. I truly believe that Beth cannot write a dull sentence. (And I'm glad to know that she too is an Olympic fan.)<br />
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Now, the workaday world beckons. I want to finish my first draft before the end of the year, so wish me luck as I train for my own "gold medal."Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-2087220748917707572012-07-16T02:30:00.000-07:002012-07-16T02:30:00.770-07:00This Is Not The Sort of Dangerous Writing I Meant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blackjack3d.net/lw-gallery/armchair%20cabriolet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.blackjack3d.net/lw-gallery/armchair%20cabriolet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Apparently, the writing life is hazardous to your health. According to an <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-checkup/post/sit-at-your-peril/2012/03/27/gIQAx5q8eS_blog.html?tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost">article</a> I read a while back in The Washington Post, sitting for 11 hours a day or more for people aged 45 or older (that would be ME!) led to an increased risk of death (from all causes) by about 40 percent over four years, compared to the risk of death in people who sat just four to eight hours a day, the study found. <br />
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I'm a champion sitter. I sit to write, blog, tweet, Facebook, write more, read, eat, watch tennis, watch the Olympics, and write still more. Speaking of the Olympics, I'm sure I'd make the U.S. Olympic team for synchronized sitting.<br />
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What to do? I guess I'll have to read on a treadmill, eat on my feet, and actually play tennis instead of practicing my armchair backhand. But all this alarum over sitting has gotten me into such a tizzy that I'm decamping on vacation for two weeks. I'll be headed to <a href="http://www.holdenvillage.org/">Holden Village</a>, high in the Washington State Cascades. There won't be blogs and tweets there--and I may very well get in a bit of hiking.<br />
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But keep my seat warm for my Olympic debut, won't you? See you next month!Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-22838710642804363362012-07-02T02:30:00.000-07:002012-07-02T02:30:01.226-07:00Lessons from Deborah BrodieLast week was a hard week for women wordsmiths. A day after the death of Nora Ephron, freelance editor Deborah Brodie died. Ephron was in the limelight; Brodie was behind the scenes. Both losses are deeply felt.<br />
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Deborah Brodie helped a bunch of writers get their manuscripts up to snuff. As a tribute to her, and as a reminder to myself, I'd like to share her "Tips for Writers" from her website. (I particularly like the idea of Backwards Housekeeping!)<br />
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<h2>
<strong>Writing on a Unicycle <span style="font-size: small;">by Deborah Brodie</span>: </strong></h2>
<h2>
Making Time for What You Love<br /> in a Life out of Balance</h2>
In all my years of working with writers—published and not-yet-published—in all the workshops I’ve led and courses I’ve taught, one question always comes up: <em>How do I make a place in my over-scheduled life for my writing?</em><br />
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Man or woman; married or not; with young children, grown children, or no children; working a full-time office job or freelancing from home or retired; with a dedicated work space or a makeshift spot on the kitchen counter—everyone struggles to achieve some semblance of balance.<br />
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Unless writing is your day job, these tips are for you. And if you have other ideas, and the time to write them down, please send them to me so I can share them with others. <br />
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</h4>
<h4>
Do Backward Housekeeping</h4>
Kathleen V. Kudlinski, author of many works on science and nature, taught me the concept of Backward Housekeeping. In the morning, she doesn’t make the beds or wash the breakfast dishes. She goes straight to her desk—to write. Then she squeezes in the most essential housework in the half hour before dinnertime. <br />
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She strongly recommends that writers should not have plants. No ironing, no silver polishing, that’s obvious. But why no plants? I asked her. They require too much upkeep, she replied, watering, repotting. Oh, I said, what about plastic plants? No, she answered, fake plants have to be dusted. You can imagine her stance on pets. . . .<br />
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Nonfiction writer Elaine Fantle Shimberg took this idea one step further: “If no one notices it, don’t do it. If you have to dust, water, polish or feed it, you don’t need it. Don’t clean your house, strip it.”<br />
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With children younger than school age, some writers share babysitting. Rebecca O’Connell says, “My friend Clare saved my writing life when I was a new mother. Clare’s baby was two months older than mine, and she called me and suggested we trade childcare two mornings a week. Tuesday mornings, she would watch my baby while I wrote, and Thursday mornings, I would watch her baby while she wrote. It worked! It freed up just enough time that we could both keep writing, even when we felt our time was not really our own.”<br />
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So, once you carve out a bit of time to write, here are five practical tips to help you use that time well. <br />
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</h4>
<h4>
Go to a Coffee Shop or Laundromat</h4>
If you can’t bring yourself to ignore the unmade bed, the unpaid bills, or the unwashed dishes, change your point of view, literally. Sometimes a change of scenery inspires new ideas. <br />
As a bonus, the rhythm of the washing machine spin-cycle just might creep into the read-aloud rhythm of poetry or dialogue in your work. <br />
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
Dress for Success</h4>
For writers who work at home with children underfoot, Ellen Braaf, nonfiction writer, journalist, and researcher, advises, “Pick a hat—any hat—a purple beret, beaded beanie, felt fedora, tweed deerstalker, straw sombrero with pompoms dangling from the brim. The wackier the better. Or get creative and craft your own.<br />
<br />
“Enlist your family’s help. Tell them it’s a wearable <em>Do Not Disturb</em> sign—a gentle reminder that says, <em>It’s my time to write</em>, and<em> I take my work—if not myself—seriously</em>. Talk about what your children can do to entertain themselves while you write. Maybe they’ll opt to have some creative time of their own.<br />
<br />
“Start slowly. Don your hat and work for fifteen minutes. If all goes well, gradually extend your writing time until you discover the limits of their tolerance. Plan fun family activities on a regular basis to reward cooperation. Hey, it’s worth a shot. And it beats locking yourself in the bathroom. If it fails, take heart. You’re all set for Halloween.<br />
<br />
“Remember, when your kids are grown and out from underfoot, you’ll miss the interruptions and peanut-butter fingerprints on your manuscripts. (Or not!)”<br />
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
Light a Candle in Your Work Space </h4>
Not a symbolic “light at the end of the tunnel” or the metaphoric “burning the candle at both ends,” but an actual candle. <br />
<br />
If you’re tempted to leave your writing to answer the phone, the door, or—greatest distraction of our civilization—read e-mail, you won’t be able to do so for long. You’ll always have to return to the candle to check on it and make sure you’re not burning down the house!<br />
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
Take a Mini-Sabbatical</h4>
You don’t have to be an academic to be the beneficiary of a sabbatical, nor do you have to be religious to find a comfortable way to incorporate the underlying principle of Sabbath observance. Just pick one day out of seven or even part of one day not to write. No typing, no e-mail, not even any work-related reading.<br />
<br />
I have a big, comfortable chair in my living room designated for leisurely reading—no work or phone calls related to work while I sit in that chair. Even half an hour there provides a break and results in renewed focus when I return to my desk.<br />
<br />
By moving away from the intensity of constant work, even in a small way, you allow your unconscious to do its job, unencumbered by your intensity.<br />
<br />
A few months ago, I had a challenging conversation with an author I had worked with for many years. We had already been on the phone for more than an hour, and I had asked him to revise and remove, change and fix, and … well, as tactfully as I could, I had encouraged him to do away with a major plot thread and—gasp!—even to commit character-icide. He saw the logic and actually embraced the concept. In theory, anyway.<br />
<br />
But it was easy to see that he was becoming overwhelmed by the amount of work involved in making all this happen. So I said, “I’m going to ask you to do one more thing, something hard, even harder than what we’ve already talked about.”<br />
<br />
Now this author and I have worked together for a long time, and there is a lot of trust between us. Even so, there are limits to trust. A deep intake of breath. Then he said, “Um. What is it?”<br />
<br />
Go to the movies, I said. Meaning, let it go, let the work wait, distract yourself today, let your unconscious take over. Come back to the work, fresh and refreshed, tomorrow—one of the principles of a traditional Sabbath or an academic sabbatical. But more than just passive rest, an effective break involves nourishing different parts of your brain and moving beyond your everyday activities. The means can be praying, having a meal with friends, looking at art, quilting, going to a concert.<br />
<br />
Kent Nagano, an orchestra conductor, agrees that expanding your activities and interests beyond your work is good for the work itself. He says, “It’s like food. You’d get pretty strange if you ate ice cream all the time.” But the occasional scoop…. <br />
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
Take a Deep, Cleansing Breath</h4>
For a micro-sabbatical, try deep, deep breathing. It’s an easy and always-available way to relieve stress. It helps you focus, and that can make you more productive. It's a mini-break, with some of the benefits of a power nap and without the sleep lines. <br />
<div class="center">
<br /></div>
<div class="center">
***</div>
<div class="center">
<br /></div>
Remember, we are all in this together. Take comfort in knowing that you’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed, in longing to win the lottery or the National Book Award. <br />
Wishing you a peaceful and productive balance of work, life, and play.<br />
<div class="ralign">
—Deborah </div>
<h3>
</h3>
<div class="motif2">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://deborahbrodie.com/images/swash.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Swash" border="0" height="123" src="http://deborahbrodie.com/images/swash.gif" width="203" /></a></div>Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-62489371173770973172012-06-25T02:35:00.000-07:002012-06-25T02:35:00.748-07:00Bullies... and WONDER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.anotherway.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/No_to_Bullying_Group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://www.anotherway.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/No_to_Bullying_Group.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I saw as much as I could stand of the appalling video on YouTube the other day. The one about bus monitor, 68-year-old Karen Klein, being taunted by 12 and 13 year-old boys as they return home from school in Rochester, New York. The boys demean her for her weight, her apparent economic status ("she got her purse at Dollar Tree"), and threaten to come to her house and do things like piss on her door.<br />
<br />
The incident was videotaped by one of the kids and then put on YouTube with the title "Making the Bus Monitor Cry." Of course it went viral. In the New York Times article I read, a Canadian (God Bless Canadians!) named Max Sidorov started a fundraising drive on <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/loveforkarenhklein?c=home">Indiegogo</a> to send Karen on a nice vacation. He set a goal of $5000. When I checked before writing this post, the fund had raised $641,286!!!!<br />
<br />
Before I get all high-and-mighty, I have to confess that I did my share of bullying in school. The psychology of bullying is fascinating. Remember that article in <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/08/do-popular-kids-bully-more/">Time Magazine last year</a>, the one with the headline: <em>Why Kids Bully: Because They're Popular</em>? That was me, trying to inch up the social hierarchy.<br />
<br />
The video and its aftermath were all very salutary because this weekend, I read the wonderful middle grade novel WONDER, by R.J. Palacio. (I review it on <a href="http://middlegrademafioso.blogspot.com/">Middle Grade Mafioso.)</a> This novel is all about accepting people, not judging them for what they look like, and is a moving testament for the importance of kindness. Here's what the author says on her website in answer to the question<span style="font-weight: bold;">: What do you hope readers come away with
after finishing WONDER?</span><br />
<br />
R.J.Palacio: (with my italics)<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I hope that readers will come
away with the idea that they are noticed: their actions are noted. Maybe not
immediately or directly or even in a way that seems obvious, <em>but if they’re
mean, someone suffers. If they’re kind, someone benefits. And the choice is
theirs: whether to be noticed for being kind or for being mean.</em> They get to
choose who they want to be in this world. And it’s not their friends and not
their parents who make those choices: it’s them.<br />
<br />
I also hope parents take
heed and do more interfering in their kids’ lives. I’ve talked to so many
parents, friends of mine, <em>who kind of stood back and shrugged off their kids’
behavior in middle school, as if being mean were an unavoidable evil that they
“hope” their kid would grow out of</em>. I had one dad tell me once about his son,
“Well, he doesn’t listen to me anymore so I stopped wasting my time trying to
tell him what to do.” To me, that’s exactly when your kid needs you the most:
when he acts like he’s not listening anymore. What I think is that deep down
inside, we’re so grateful that it’s not our kid who’s being picked on we look
the other way when it’s someone else’s kid. So long as it’s not your kid at the
bottom of that ladder, you know? <em>But parents have to resist that way of
thinking. They need to remind their kids to be kind and do right exactly because
it’s the hardest thing to do at that age.</em><br />
</blockquote>
<strong>As the outpouring of support for Karen H. Klein shows, there is a whole lot of kindness in this world!</strong><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-74509202365242595022012-06-15T02:30:00.000-07:002012-06-15T02:30:00.162-07:00Lev Raphael on S**t People Say to Writers<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://doctormacro.com/Images/Rathbone,%20Basil/Annex/Annex%20-%20Rathbone,%20Basil%20(Adventures%20of%20Sherlock%20Holmes,%20The)_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://doctormacro.com/Images/Rathbone,%20Basil/Annex/Annex%20-%20Rathbone,%20Basil%20(Adventures%20of%20Sherlock%20Holmes,%20The)_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What s**t is Watson saying to Sherlock now?<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I first saw this on<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lev-raphael/st-people-say-to-writers_b_1496109.html?ref=books&ir=Books"> The Huffington Post</a>. The asterixes are for things from Raphael's list that people have also said to me--and I've added a couple of my own in bold at the end. <strong>What s**t have people said to writer-you?</strong><br />
<br />
<h2>
S**t People Say to Writers </h2>
by Lev Raphael, author of Book Lust <br />
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<div class="blog_content blog_design_a" id="entry_body">
<div class="entry_body_text">
Have you been published? <strong>**</strong><br />
What do you write? Oh.<br />
Do you have, like, a real job?<br />
I don't read much.<br />
Do you know Stephen King? What's he like? <br />
You should write a book about my life, it's a bestseller for sure.<br />
I'm gonna write someday, when I have free time. <strong>**</strong><br />
My sister likes to read. Have you written anything she would know?<br />
You write novels? I only read stuff that's real.<br />
I read your book. It was... interesting.<br />
My mother loves your books.<br />
I've got a great story for you! <strong>**</strong><br />
I thought books were dead.<br />
You should write a screenplay! That's where all the money is. <strong>**</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>You should write short stories first. Have you ever thought of that?</strong><br />
<strong>Have you ever tried getting an agent?</strong><br />
<strong>Hey, I hear it's easy to get self-published.</strong><br />
<strong>Has anybody ever told you that you're any good?</strong></div>
</div>Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-26522674470843225432012-06-08T02:30:00.000-07:002012-06-08T02:30:01.472-07:00What Writers Can Learn From Pixar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ridingtheedge.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/pixar-characters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://ridingtheedge.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/pixar-characters.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="body">
<br />
<br />
I first saw this article on Galleycat. I liked it so well I had to share. (Originally from <a href="http://www.pixartouchbook.com/blog/2011/5/15/pixar-story-rules-one-version.html">The Pixar Touch</a> blog):<br />
<br />
"Pixar story artist Emma Coats has<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/lawnrocket" target="_blank"> tweeted</a> a series of “story basics” over the past month and a half — guidelines that she learned from her more senior colleagues on how to create appealing stories:<br />
<br />
<em>#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?</em><br />
<br />
<em>#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#8: Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#9: When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#17: No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on - it’ll come back around to be useful later.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.</em><br />
<br />
<em>#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?</em><br />
<br />
<em>#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?</em><br />
<br />
<em>#22: What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>I particularly like # 3, 6, 7, 13, and 17. How about you?</strong><br />
<br />
I'm interviewing New Zealand author, Susan Brocker, on the <a href="http://project-middle-grade-mayhem.blogspot.com/">Project Mayhem blog</a> today also. Hop on over and say "hi."</div>Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-13109163295422336782012-06-04T02:02:00.000-07:002012-06-04T02:02:00.328-07:00Party Over at Middle Grade Mafioso<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.markkenneth.com/images/Music/Gabbanelli%20diatonic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="http://www.markkenneth.com/images/Music/Gabbanelli%20diatonic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It's accordions all week over at <a href="http://middlegrademafioso.blogspot.com/">Middle Grade Mafioso</a>, as we celebrate our one year anniversary and 100th follower. Head on over to our younger sibling and you may win a book!Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-88884501028626415132012-05-21T02:30:00.000-07:002012-05-21T02:30:00.826-07:00I ♥ the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators)<a href="http://ingridsnotes.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/excited-about-scbwi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="http://ingridsnotes.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/excited-about-scbwi.jpg" width="320" /></a>I'm crossposting this from my Mafia blog. If you're not the clubbable sort, read no further. Otherwise, read on to learn a bit more about one of the writing organizations to which I belong. <br />
<br />
Last Thursday, I attended a session with the head honchos from the <a href="http://www.scbwi.org/">SCBWI</a>: Lin Oliver (Executive Director), Stephen Mooser (President), and Chelsea Mooser (Director of Outreach). <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.scbwi.org/Resources/Image/SCBWI%20Group%202012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www.scbwi.org/Resources/Image/SCBWI%20Group%202012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chelsea Mooser is back row second from left<br />
Front row, first from right is Stephen Mooser; second is Lin Oliver</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
They were in Portland because there's a changing of the leadership guard. Our long-time Regional Advisor is stepping down after many years of service.<br />
<br />
As always happens at a change of leadership, there is new blood and new ideas. There will be four people coordinating our chapter's activities. The folks from head office shared some new ideas, and were open to hearing from the membership.<br />
<br />
First, the SCBWI is always ready to change with the times. Lin Oliver spoke about a new focus being on how best to <em>promote</em> SCBWI members. Getting one's book read is perhaps an author's hardest task in this day and age (beyond the writing of the book, of course). The public has so many other diversions, breaking into the public consciousness is difficult. (Trust me, the readers of this blog and all others versed in childrens' books have heard of all manner of books, but when one mentions to a member of the "general public" what one considers to be a well-known title--DIVERGENT, let's say--you'll see a lot of headscratching. The books that everyone knows, the <em>Harry Potters</em> and <em>Hunger Games</em> and <em>Twilight</em> and, sorry to say, <em>50 Shades of Grey</em>, are few and far between.) <br />
<br />
The SCBWI plans on using its website to feature books and bloggers and to even have a bookstore, with links to IndieBound, Barnes and Noble, and that old Trex, Amazon. (But please go to IndieBound and keep the indie bookstores alive!)<br />
<br />
They plan to do more for their "PAL" members (which means published and listed), but are also talking about how to support well-written self-published works.<br />
<br />
I was impressed with Lin Oliver, who was the moutpiece for the leadership. She's smart and funny and thoughtful. One thing that shone through was how much the SCBWI leadership wants all of its members to succeed. If you are a children's writer and illustrator, belonging to the SCBWI is a must!<br />
<br />
<strong>Do you belong to any Writers' Organizations? If so, which ones?</strong><br />
<br />Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-30510531247622419442012-05-04T03:00:00.000-07:002012-05-04T03:00:10.498-07:00Troubles AboundDear Friends,<br />
<br />
I was going to post something edifying today. But it has been a trying few weeks for my friends. There have been deaths, cancer diagnoses, and marital problems. I have found myself listening, hugging, crying, and praying. <br />
<br />
This is life.<br />
<br />
While my own immediate family is unscathed (for now), there are too many people I know who are suffering. Please send a positive thought their way.<br />
<br />
Thank you--and may you and yours be well.Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-26973638374655872662012-04-20T02:30:00.000-07:002012-04-20T06:57:48.889-07:00Randy Ingermanson ("The Snowflake Guy") on THE HUNGER GAMESWell, that vacation was a bit longer than I intended. Anyway, here I am back in harness and ready to introduce you to <a href="http://www.ingermanson.com/index.php">Randy Ingermanson</a>, a.k.a. The Snowflake Guy. Randy is also the co-author, with Peter Economy, of Writing Fiction for Dummies. I always enjoy Randy's e-zines--his sense of humor is one of his great strengths.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://mounthermon.org/cms/422_Randy_Ingermanson_REVISED_145_pixels_wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://mounthermon.org/cms/422_Randy_Ingermanson_REVISED_145_pixels_wide.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here is a reprint of what Randy had to say about <em>The Hunger Games. </em>(I was amazed to discover that I've read every breakout bestseller he mentions, except for THE SHACK!! What about you?)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1326003698l/2767052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1326003698l/2767052.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">3)
Creating: The Magic of The Hunger Games</span><br />
<br />
<br />
I believe that every novelist should be reading the current bestsellers. <br />
<br />
You should definitely be reading the bestsellers in your own category.<br />
<br />
You should also be reading the massive breakout bestsellers that are selling
millions of copies per year, even if they aren't in your category.<br />
<br />
Every novelist should read THE DA VINCI CODE. Every novelist should read THE
SHACK. Every novelist should read the Harry Potter series and TWILIGHT and THE LOVELY
BONES and THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.<br />
<br />
These should be no-brainers. If you want to write for the modern reader, then
you need to have a feel for what the modern reader actually reads. Yes, even if
you think popular fiction is crap. Even if you write literary fiction. Even if
all your favorite authors died in the 19th century.<br />
<br />
Every novelist should read THE HUNGER GAMES. I've taught on the craft of THE
HUNGER GAMES at a couple of recent conferences and was shocked to see that many
of my students hadn't read it.<br />
<br />
Seeing the movie isn't enough. Any novel has interior monologue and interior
emotion that the movie won't capture. Any novel has a voice that generally will
get muzzled or lost in the movie. Any novel has scenes that will be dropped
when adapted to a screenplay.<br />
<br />
Once you've read any of these novels, you may find it useful to analyze them --
to figure out what makes them tick. <br />
<br />
THE HUNGER GAMES is a great book to analyze because it's extremely well written
(not all mega-bestsellers are). I can almost guarantee that if you analyze THE HUNGER
GAMES, you'll immediately see ways to improve your writing.<br />
<br />
I generally use my well-known Snowflake method to analyze a book. Many writers
(but not all) find the Snowflake helpful in designing their story before they write
the first draft.<br />
<br />
But anybody should find the Snowflake useful when analyzing a story that has
already been written. Why? Because most of the steps of the Snowflake
correspond to time-tested methods of analysis that writers have been using for
hundreds of years (in some cases for thousands of years).<br />
<br />
The ten steps of the Snowflake are summarized here:<br />
<a href="http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com/art/snowflake.php</span></a><br />
<br />
The first step in the Snowflake is to summarize the storyline in one sentence.
This is sometimes called your "elevator pitch." The one-sentence
summary of your novel will serve you well as a selling tool forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
Here is my one-sentence summary of THE HUNGER GAMES:<br />
<br />
"A 16-year-old girl volunteers to take her sister’s place in an arena
where twenty-four teens will battle each other to the death."<br />
<br />
That's 25 words, which I consider the upper limit for a one-sentence summary. I
prefer to see a one-sentence summary in the range of 10 to 15 words.<br />
<br />
The goal is to tell the main idea of the novel in as few words as possible.
Shorter is always better, if it captures the story.<br />
<br />
The shortest one-sentence summary I've ever seen is the summary for my friend
Tosca Lee's forthcoming novel ISCARIOT. Here it is: "Judas".<br />
<br />
That's one word and it tells you everything you need to know about Tosca's
book.<br />
<br />
The purpose of a one-sentence summary is to tell people whether they're interested
or not. That's all.<br />
<br />
Notice that I didn't say that the purpose of the one-sentence summary is to
sell your book. That would be crazy. Most people are not in the target audience
for your book. If they're not in your target audience, they probably won't like
it, and there's no reason you should want them to buy it.<br />
<br />
You want a one-sentence summary that immediately gives the hearer enough
information to know whether they're in your target audience or not.<br />
<br />
If you like suspense fiction, then the one-sentence summary I gave above for
THE HUNGER GAMES immediately tells you that you're going to love this story. If
you don't like suspense fiction and the thought of teens killing teens makes
you sick to your stomach, then you'll probably hate the story.<br />
<br />
A one-sentence summary should hit emotive hot buttons. Notice the hot buttons I
hit in the summary above:<br />
<br />
* "A 16-year-old girl" -- All adults can remember being 16. It's
generally a crazy mixture of really great things and incredibly horrible
things. This is automatically a hot button.<br />
<br />
* "volunteers to take her sister's place" -- Self-sacrifice is always
a hot button for readers. Most<br />
of us are only altruistic when it doesn't cost us much. But we would like to be
altruistic on a heroic scale.<br />
<br />
* "arena" -- This has been a hot button ever since the Romans put the
first two gladiators together.<br />
<br />
* "battle each other to the death" -- Single combat to the death is
wired into our emotive genes. The idea was already old when David faced Goliath
three thousand years ago. You may wish we were more civilized than that, but we
aren't.<br />
<br />
A great one-sentence summary is focused. Notice what I left out of my
one-sentence summary. Not a word about the romantic subplot. Not a word on
politics. Not a word on the dystopic future. All of those are great elements,
but they're not central.<br />
<br />
The central story is combat to the death in an arena. Less is more when you're
writing a one-sentence summary of your novel. You achieve perfection in a
one-sentence summary when there is nothing more to remove.<br />
<br />
One final point about your one-sentence summary. It should focus on what
happens early in your story.<br />
<br />
It will often focus on the so-called "inciting incident" -- the
incident early in the story that kicks<br />
your characters out of their ordinary world. That's what I've done here.<br />
<br />
It may sometimes focus on a disaster that happens as much as one quarter of the
way into the story. Rarely will you need to tell anything beyond that in a one-sentence
summary. You don't want to tell too much.<br />
<br />
Your purpose in writing a one-sentence summary is to create a "story
question" in the mind of the hearer. A "story question" is
always of the form "Will she or won't she _______?"<br />
<br />
In THE HUNGER GAMES, the story question is "Will she or won't she survive
the arena?"<br />
<br />
Your story question depends crucially on what category you're writing.<br />
<br />
In a mystery, the story question is generally, "Will he or won't he find
the murderer?"<br />
<br />
In a romance novel, the story question is almost always, "Will she or
won't she marry That Guy?"<br />
<br />
One thing your one-sentence summary should NEVER do is to give away the ending.
The one-sentence summary is a selling tool. It ignites curiosity. It never
satisfies that curiosity.<br />
<br />
The whole point of a one-sentence summary is to get one of the following two
responses:<br />
<br />
* "Sorry, not interested." (This will be the most common response.
Sorry, but most people just won't care one peanut for your novel.)<br />
<br />
* "Wow! That sounds cool! Tell me more!" (This is the response you
should expect from your target audience, and from nobody else.)<br />
<br />
There is a third response you may get from your one-sentence summary:<br />
<br />
* "Hmmmm, sounds pretty good." (If you are hearing this, then you
either don't have a story or you haven't yet figured out what it is.
"Pretty good" is a death sentence for your story. You want people to
love it or hate it. If your one-sentence summary is "pretty good" then
kill it or fix it, but don't keep it.)<br />
<br />
We've now got a one-sentence summary of THE HUNGER GAMES. Have you written a
one-sentence summary of your own novel? Does it do the job? Can you make it
better? Should you kill it and create a new one?<br />
<br />
Next month, we'll look at the large-scale structure of THE HUNGER GAMES -- the
so-called "three-act structure."<br />
<br />
Your homework: If you haven't read THE HUNGER GAMES, read it before next month
and then summarize it in a paragraph of no more than five sentences.<br />
<br />
This is harder than it sounds. A lot harder. Unless you're a professional
novelist, you'll find it almost impossible to write a one-paragraph summary
that does the story justice.<br />
<br />
My challenge to you: Try anyway. It'll be good for you. Hard work makes you
strong.</span><br />
<br />
This article is reprinted by permission of the author.<br />
<br />
Award-winning
novelist Randy Ingermanson, "the Snowflake Guy," publishes the free monthly
Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with more than 30,000 readers.<br />
If you
want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction, AND make your writing more
valuable to editors, AND have FUN doing it, visit <a href="http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/" target="_blank">http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com</a>.<br />
<br />
Download your
free Special Report on Tiger Marketing and get a free 5-Day Course in How To
Publish a Novel.Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-48271132502821351462012-03-23T02:43:00.000-07:002012-03-23T02:43:00.510-07:00Does Reading Make You Fat?<h3 style="color: #939550; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 3px;"><span style="color: #939550; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;">From (my beloved) Shelf Awareness: Cookies and Pretzels and Wine, Oh My!</span></h3><br />
<img alt="" height="131" src="http://media.shelf-awareness.com/theshelf/2012Content/readingwhileeating.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 3px 7px;" width="119" />Response to our <a href="http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz5616045Biz12855554" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">editorial about snacking</a> was overwhelming, with salty snacks taking a slight edge over sweet. While we were mildly shocked at the librarians who eat and read, we were pleased with the suggestions we hadn't already thought of. For your reading and snacking pleasure, here are just some of the many comments we received.<br />
<br />
Eliza Langhans sent a great line to begin with, from Amanda Filipacchi's novel <em>Nude Men</em>:<em> </em>"I am a man without many pleasures in life, a man whose few pleasures are small, but a man whose small pleasures are very important to him. One of them is eating. One reading. Another reading while eating."<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">ME</span>: <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I don't eat while reading, though I do drink--usually tea. It seems I may be missing out, but if I did start to snack on the page, my waistline would be even thicker than it is now! Do you snack while scanning stanzas or coursing through chapters? If so, what's your nibble of choice?</span></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>And now for a brief word from our sponsors: I'm off on vacation, as it's "Spring Break" in these parts. Look for a resumption of regular programing on Friday April 6th. Till then, happy snacking!</strong></span>Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-14102701001709006182012-03-16T02:45:00.001-07:002012-03-16T02:45:01.064-07:00What's Your Pet Grammar Peeve?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.grammarphobia.com/images/Woe__5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.grammarphobia.com/images/Woe__5.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I'm not a grammar dragon, but there is one mistake that makes me blow fire. (The following explanation comes from the Gotham Writer's Workshop Newsletter:<br />
<br />
<br />
<img alt="Gotham Books" src="http://www.writingclasses.com/includes/CreateHeaderImageNew.php?text=ITS+%28OR+IT%27S%3F%29%3A+PUBLIC+ENEMY+NUMBER+1&fontsize=18&width=550&height=40&font_color=000066&font=FUTURAL.TTF&fontI=FUTURALI.TTF&LineHeight=30&x=0&y=28" /><br />
<hr style="clear: both;" /><div id="toc_button_div" style="text-align: center;"></div><div id="toc_div" style="display: none;"><ul style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 5px;"><li style="margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://www.writingclasses.com/Products/PubsDetail_Excerpt.php/ExcerptID/239">WHO'S WHOSE?</a></li>
<li style="margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://www.writingclasses.com/Products/PubsDetail_Excerpt.php/ExcerptID/240">THEIR IS BUT TO DO OR DIE</a></li>
<li style="margin-left: 10px;"><b>ITS (OR IT'S?): PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER 1</b></li>
<li style="margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://www.writingclasses.com/Products/PubsDetail_Excerpt.php/ExcerptID/237">POSSESSION IS NOT DEMONIC: THE SIMPLE FACTS</a></li>
</ul></div><hr style="clear: both;" /><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><h3 style="display: inline;">by Patricia T. O'Conner</h3><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a difference an apostrophe makes. Every possessive has one, right? Well, not necessarily so. <em>It</em> (like<em> he</em> and <em>she</em>) is a pronoun—a stand-in for a noun—and pronouns don’t have apostrophes when they’re possessives: <em><strong>His</strong> coat is too loud because of <strong>its</strong> color, but <strong>hers</strong> is too mousy.</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, as for <em>it’s</em> (the one with the punctuation), the apostrophe stands for something that has been removed. <em>It’s </em>is short for <em>it is</em>, and the apostrophe replaces the missing <em>i </em>in <em>is</em>. <em>The parakeet is screeching because <strong>it’s</strong> time to feed him.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here’s how to keep <em>its</em> and <em>it’s</em> straight:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If the word you want could be replaced by <em>it is</em>, use <em>it’s</em>. If not, use <em>its</em>. (There’s more on <em>its</em> and <em>it’s</em> in the chapter on pronouns.)</span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></ul><blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>NOTE:</strong> Sometimes <em>it’s</em> is short for<em> it has</em>, as in: <em><strong>It’s</strong> been hours since he ate.</em></span></blockquote><div align="center" dir="ltr"><em><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-----------------------------------------------</span></em></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IT WIT</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An itsy-bitsy problem</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Used to give me fits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why use an apostrophe</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With <em>it’s</em> but not with <em>its</em>?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The answer to this little quiz:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The longer<em> it’s</em> stands for “it is,”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the <em>its </em>that’s less impressive</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is the one that’s a possessive.</span></div><div align="center"><em><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-----------------------------------------------</span></em></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From <strong><em>Woe Is I, Third Edition</em></strong> by Patricia T. O'Conner </span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="left">Me again: The other day I was approached to be part of a blog tour. On the very first page of the work I spotted an "it's" instead of an "its." I declined.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">What is your peeviest grammar peeve? Have at it, and a most splenetic Friday to you!</div>Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-70486849228037037982012-03-08T02:23:00.000-08:002012-03-08T02:23:00.474-08:00Seth Godin Speaks. What do you think?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://goodereaderimages.goodereader.netdna-cdn.com/blog/uploads/images/ereader8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://goodereaderimages.goodereader.netdna-cdn.com/blog/uploads/images/ereader8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I must admit that I'm not too familiar with Seth Godin. But according to his interviewer, Jeff Rivera at Digital Book World, he is arguably one of the most successful bloggers and thought-leaders of our time. (And I thought that honor went to Matt MacNish!)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/interview-seth-godin-on-libraries-literary-agents-and-the-future-of-book-publishing-as-we-know-it/">I'll link to the whole interview</a>, but here's bits and pieces of what he says:<br />
<br />
<strong>About publishing: </strong>I think we’re going to see consolidation, fire sales, layoffs and a lot of uncomfortableness … Not happy, but true.<br />
<br />
<strong>Rivera: When do you see the book publishing industry being completely </strong><strong>unrecognizable as we have come to know it? What will it look like instead?</strong><br />
Godin: Big advances for midlist authors are the first to go. Second: all the hard-working people in the book production chain, because the lack of scarcity makes it hard to pay them to do the work they do. <em>Mostly, though, I think it’s a fading of the power of a published book to influence the conversation.</em> (My emphasis) When anyone can publish an ebook, anyone will.<br />
<br />
<strong>Rivera: The role of literary agents has changed in the last few years and it’s </strong><strong>changing even more. What can literary agents do right now so that they remain </strong><strong>apart of the equation instead of lost in the digital eBook dust?</strong><br />
I’d start by redefining what you do. I don’t think the goal of the agent is to maximize the size of the advance (which is what it was, as evidenced by what agents talked about and how they got paid). I think the goal going forward is to represent every element of an author’s impact on the world, including their permission asset, the way they build a following, the approach to building a tribe.<br />
<br />
<em>He goes on to say this about writers:</em><br />
<br />
An author starting out today needs to <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/03/reject-the-tyranny-of-being-picked-pick-yourself.html" target="_blank">pick herself</a>, establish a niche, become truly the best at it and relentlessly and generously give it all away as a way of leading and making a ruckus.<br />
It takes a long time, but it’s still faster than waiting for Binky Urban and Knopf to find you.<br />
<br />
<strong>Rivera: Many authors hear your message about being willing to give away their </strong><strong>books for free, or to focus on spreading their message but their question is: “I’ve got rent to pay so how do I turn that into cash money?”</strong><br />
Who said you have a right to cash money from writing? I gave hundreds of speeches before I got paid to write one. I’ve written more than 4000 blog posts for free.<br />
Poets don’t get paid (often), but there’s no poetry shortage. <em>The future is going to be filled with amateurs, and the truly talented and persistent will make a great living. But the days of journeyman writers who make a good living by the word–over. </em>(My emphasis.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bmagic.org.uk/_includes/phpThumb/phpThumb.php?src=/imagelibrary/Fine+Art%2FPre-RAPH%2F1918+P43+.jpg&w=400&h=340&hash=1246025143&hash=555c6bfe76a4eaff1539bba6314e8a74" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://www.bmagic.org.uk/_includes/phpThumb/phpThumb.php?src=/imagelibrary/Fine+Art%2FPre-RAPH%2F1918+P43+.jpg&w=400&h=340&hash=1246025143&hash=555c6bfe76a4eaff1539bba6314e8a74" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Journeyman writer in the new publishing age<br />
(Actually "The Death of Chatterton" by Henry Wallis)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<strong>Rivera: If writers shouldn’t presume they will make money directly from book </strong><strong>sales, what other opportunities exist for them indirectly so they don’t have to </strong><strong>flip burgers?</strong><br />
Godin: Depends on what you write! The Grateful Dead certainly didn’t depend on CD sales.<br />
Are you a chef? A public speaker? If you’re a mystery writer, can you find 1000 true fans to pay a hundred dollars a year each to get an ongoing serial from you?<br />
It’s not the market’s job to tell authors how to monetize their work. The market doesn’t care. If there’s no scarcity of what they want, it’s hard to get them to pay for it.<br />
<br />
Sounds Darwinian, doesn't it? It all goes back to whether, and how, an artist or a creative type should be paid for their art. If you have time, try to read the comments on the article too. Lots of agents (<a href="http://www.strothmanagency.com/">Wendy Strothman</a>, <a href="http://www.intltrans.com/index.html">Peter Riva</a>, <a href="http://jeffherman.com/">Jeff Herman</a>, <a href="http://www.thebentagency.com/">Jenny Bent</a>, and Deborah Schneider among them) chiming in.<br />
<br />
<strong>What do you think of Godin's suggestion to give it away for free and therefore build a following? Creative or Crazy?</strong>Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4002241101280362870.post-2659803835867293172012-02-24T02:08:00.000-08:002012-02-24T02:08:00.051-08:00Are Writers Nicer Nowadays?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jonathanhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/friendship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.jonathanhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/friendship.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from Jonathan Hilton.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The other week, my Beloved Shelf Awareness had this piece by their regular columnist, Robert Gray, in which he wrote about how the internet was forging strong bonds between writers. Are those titanic feuds (Truman Copote vs. Gore Vidal, Mary McCarthy vs. Lilian Helman, John Updike vs. Salman Rushdie, and Norman Mailer vs. just about everybody) a thing of the past? What do you think about writers behaving buddy, instead of badly?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here's Gray's column. It's a good one. Enjoy!</span><br />
<br />
It isn't fair to begin a column about friendship and mutual support among writers with a mean-spirited, if mischievously delightful, line from Gore Vidal, but I do so only to establish counterpoint: "Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies." <br />
<br />
The view from my Facebook window tells me otherwise. Although the Internet can be a den of the über-snarky, it is also a haven where writers are building friendships (the real kind, not the FB kind) with their peers. <br />
<br />
<img alt="" height="211" src="http://media.shelf-awareness.com/theshelf/2012Content/keener020912.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 3px 7px;" width="281" />The recent publication of Jessica Keener's fine debut novel <em>Night Swim</em> prompted me to pay closer attention to the enthusiastic support she received online from authors whose work I admire, including Patry Francis (<em>The Liar's Diary</em>), Susan Henderson (<em>Up from the Blue</em>) and Leora Skolkin-Smith (<em>Hystera</em>), among many others. <br />
<br />
I like this trend. It feels like evolution. It's so... anti-Vidal. I wondered what they thought. I asked. <br />
<br />
"Over the past five or so years, with the surging growth of the Internet and bloggers, and the birth of an online private forum for writers called <a href="http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz5616045Biz12627395" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Backspace</a>, I began to connect with writers in a much more supportive way than I had ever experienced before," said Keener. "The online medium fostered a wonderful world of pen palship. What writer doesn’t enjoy crafting a letter or passing a note? <br />
<br />
"As I see it, the Internet nurtures reading and responding--a give and take in words. In the process, I discovered many writers I might never have met sitting in my office at home. I became a regular follower of Susan Henderson's <a href="http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz5616045Biz12627396" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Litpark</a>, thrilling over the variety of writers and artists she hosted. I found writers whose work I respected and who sweated as I did over the language of heartache. E-mail exchanges between writers I'd never met became increasingly confessional and intimate and ultimately led to in-person meetings. When I finally met Susan and Patry Francis (in New York, at a Backspace Writers Conference) as well as M.J. Rose--whose <a href="http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz5616045Biz12627397" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog about publishing and marketing</a> I'd been reading for months--I began to see that I was surrounding myself with a supportive community of writers, peers willing to care for each other professionally and personally."<br />
<br />
<img alt="" height="225" src="http://media.shelf-awareness.com/theshelf/2012Content/patry020912.JPG" style="float: right; margin: 3px 7px;" width="133" />Francis noted that when she started submitting her work to agents, "I was suffering from an extreme case of writerly isolation. I viewed loneliness and fierce rivalry as occupational hazards." Gradually she discovered online alternatives, "and eventually the tangled, marvelous, distracting, infinitely fascinating world that is social media. There, counter to stereotype, I found an incredibly large-hearted and generous community. No one embodies that spirit more than Jessica Keener. Her willingness to give of herself, to offer encouragement, nurture, constructive criticism when requested, and enthusiastic support to others is truly unique." <br />
<br />
Or perhaps not so unique anymore, if what I've seen online is any indication. <br />
<br />
Henderson said she met Keener when they were both on a fiction panel with an editor "I’d been rejected by for years. And that’s kind of at the heart of writers' journeys, this marriage of success and failure, throughout our career. Here I am invited to sit beside an icon on this panel and yet I’m remembering those letters he wrote me. So that’s one of the immediate places we bonded, and that idea was at the core of why I created my blog LitPark, because it’s hard to be alone with all the rejection and self-doubt and still believe you’re on a path to publication. The self-doubt can eat you alive. <br />
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"When a writer lands a book deal, there's almost always a long story behind it--a story of multiple revisions, hair pulling, rejections, thoughts of quitting, and in the end, pure stamina, sometimes decades of stamina. Often when you read a little blurb about an author's debut novel, you know that debut is actually her third or fourth--the others just never saw the light of day. And I think it's knowing this that's behind the joy and celebration we feel when our friends finally achieve what had seemed impossible."<br />
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Although they had communicated online, Keener said she only recently met Skolkin-Smith, who observed that, as "the field of publishing becomes more narrow (in terms of only a few brand names getting print reviews and the rest of us authors dangling on a thin hope that we will be read at all), I honestly don't know what I would do as an author lost in the shadows without the support and recognition of people I've met in literary cyberspace. On blogs and social networking sites, it feels like a new cyber landscape is defined by a passion for literature, and in no small way the new connections made possible now have transformed both reader and writer. I am grateful, alerted to the miracle of words in a new light, a new way."<br />
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Keener summed up the view from my Facebook window nicely: "The writing business is nerve-wracking and for a long time it was incomprehensible to me. This has changed. As my peers and I exchange experiences, my sense of control and grasp of the business side of things has shifted significantly for the better. As for the writing itself--that struggle and challenge will remain personal and mysterious and unique, but the sting of isolation is gone. Even now as I write, new friendships that exhilarate and inspire are forming."--<a href="mailto:rgray@shelf-awareness.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" ymailto="mailto:rgray@shelf-awareness.com">Robert Gray</a> (column archives available at <a href="http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz5616045Biz12627398" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fresh Eyes Now</a>)Michael G-Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.com7