tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58485038356383292812024-03-12T16:36:07.447-07:00Teens Writing for TeensRacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02152915853141020493noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-27763754424219805232012-09-14T15:45:00.000-07:002012-09-14T18:52:18.971-07:00The Short Story: Writing Flash FictionA reader has different expectations from a flash fiction piece and a short story, even though both fall under the broader category of short fiction. Short stories may focus on character development, but flash fiction must be driven to the end by plot. A real, tangible ending must be achieved. In my experience reading and critiquing short fiction, I hold higher standards for flash fiction than I do for short stories: the flash fiction writer must employ economic word use by telling the story in the least amount of space possible to achieve his or her desired effect on the reader. However, I will be more lenient when it comes to character development. Sometimes the use of tropes is unavoidable--the reader being situated in the story and in the motivations of the characters as soon as possible can account for an easier reading experience. <br />
Because flash fiction is characterized in its brevity, you can't waste any words setting up the story! Start in the middle of the action--don't worry, your reader will follow if you do it right. Don't insert irrelevant details about the setting as your plot unfolds.<br />
Make sure, though, to not introduce too many characters. Description and complex characterization, in many flash fiction pieces, isn't even there. If the story is between two characters, there might not even be names involved. Don't forget to make good use of your title to situate your reader.<br />
Flash fiction is usually less than 1000 words, but I have seen wonderful pieces at less than 250 words. The better you get, the less space you'll need to develop a stellar story. If getting under 1000 words is hard at first, overwrite. Use as much space as you can to fully develop a story arc, and then go back to trim your wordage.<br />
End with a bang.<br />
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Lindalindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-66297504905693129082012-09-12T23:41:00.001-07:002012-09-12T23:42:13.176-07:00The Kindness Project: 5 Ways To Be Kind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3WvDDVP0rg4/UAdC3G1cgPI/AAAAAAAAAII/LLnFcNPC7u0/s1600/tkp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3WvDDVP0rg4/UAdC3G1cgPI/AAAAAAAAAII/LLnFcNPC7u0/s320/tkp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20px;">Too often kindness is relegated to a random act performed only when we’re feeling good. But an even greater kindness (to ourselves and others) occurs when we reach out even when we aren't feeling entirely whole. It’s not easy, and no one is perfect. But we’ve decided it’s not impossible to brighten the world one smile, one kind word, one blog post at a time. To that end, a few of us writers have established The Kindness Project, starting with a series of inspirational posts. We post the second Wednesday of every month. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20px;">Want to join us? Grab our button and spread a little kindness. </span>
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Five ways to be kind, for high-schoolers:<br />
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1. If there is a new girl in your before-lunch class, introduce yourself and ask her if she wants to sit with you and your friends during lunch. Because she probably doesn't. And she probably doesn't feel bold enough to ask. She will probably breathe an audible sigh of relief as she accepts the invitation (I've been there, done that). If she's in your after-lunch class, ask her if she wants to have lunch together anyway. Just, you know, tomorrow.<br />
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2. When making eye contact with strangers, smile. Possibly the first step to developing a friendly attitude is to stop looking at strangers and then sliding your focus to somewhere beyond their shoulders, as if they weren't even there. One of the biggest turn-offs I had when visiting colleges, in fact, was when the students seemed stuck in high school: they'd look through me as they passed by, not at me. (Foreshadowing of my social life at those colleges, no?) Grinning might be hard at first. You could try starting with tugging the corners of your mouth upward.<br />
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3. Meditate often. Provide an outlet for your negative emotions, and fill yourself with radiance and positivity. It shows through. I highly recommend self-help books, yoga, and long walks for clarity of being.<br />
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4. Don't categorize or label people; keep an open mind. People are people are people, who love and fear and lose just like you do. Does it matter if she's in a different clique, or if he's not wearing the right clothes? We can all help each other. We can all learn from each other.<br />
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5. Own less, do more, be more. All seven billion of us came here with nothing, and we can take nothing when we leave. Focus less on what you want to receive, and more on what you have to give away. Stand by who you are. You should strive toward goals, but don't let them dictate your morals. Don't let them warp your view of others. Love takes precedence over objects. I wish it didn't take me 17 years to realize that.<br />
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Linda<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;"><script type="text/javascript" src="</span><a href="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=cvaldezmiller&postid=12Sep2012a" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" target="_blank">http://www.blenza.com/<wbr></wbr>linkies/autolink.php?owner=<wbr></wbr>cvaldezmiller&postid=<wbr></wbr>12Sep2012a</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">"></script></span>lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-27923114023473197652012-09-10T12:00:00.000-07:002012-09-10T12:00:00.137-07:00Writing The Short Story A few months ago, my friend Henry (who dabbled in short fiction) and I (a fan of writing longer work) had a debate about the merits of short stories vs. novels. "I feel like if a short story doesn't have a satisfying ending, I at least won't have to read two hundred pages and then get disappointed," said Henry. I argued that most novels, within the first few pages, set up the reader's expectations accurately, and that I put down novels I dislike within the first five pages, anyway. The problem with a short story, in fact, was that in many cases, I couldn't invest myself enough in the characters.<br />
Then he brought up a point: "Y'know...what bothers me about novels is that the protagonist needs to change in order for it to be complete. [With the exception of Holden in The Catcher In The Rye.] It's different with short stories--as a character, you can stay the same and it'd still be a good story. Maybe our preferences have to deal more with how we view life, though. I don't like having to change."<br />
It was an entirely accurate observation, albeit too deep for our surroundings at the time (newspaper class, and all around us anarchy reigned). But my point is, neither form of prose is better than the other; you just expend different types of effort. When novelling, word count was the last thing on my mind--in fact, the more words I had, the better, because my plots are simplistic. When I work on short stories, though, I always find myself trying to simplify the plot even more for the sake of economic word usage. There's also the issue I had during novelling, of whether the reader would care about my characters...except multiplied about fifty times in importance.<br />
Anyway, here's how to become adept at writing short stories (though honestly, this technique applies to everything else, too).<br />
First off, write a short story. Do not use any outside resources: do not read any writing books, do not peruse writing websites online, do not read short stories. Everything should come purely from you. Write a story you've been meaning to write, but never got around to because of silly reasons. Save it in a new flash drive folder entitled SHORT STORIES. Name it Before.<br />
Now! You are free to use outside resources. In fact, exhaust them. Check out old issues of The New Yorker from the library and while you're at it, fill up your basket with collections like "The Best American Short Stories" and magazines like "Writer's Digest." Refrain, if possible, from perusing the Internet for research. The Internet is filled with dubious sources, and you'll find that most stellar writing exists in print form, anyway. Here's an exception, though: <a href="http://www.thesunmagazine.org/" target="_blank">The Sun Magazine</a>, which is free to access online. Read, read, read. Absorb.<br />
Photocopy/scan truly remarkable pieces and amass them in a folder, whether it be physical or electronic. Find more stories from the writers you like and read those, too. This research should take 25-50 hours total. If you don't feel ready to move on after 50 hours, you're probably wrong. You'll be ready.<br />
Start a 30-day project: formulate 30 premises of short stories you've wanted to write. Type it up in a Word doc and save it in your SHORT STORIES folder. Print multiple copies of this list out. If you can't think of 30, that's okay for now. Go back to the list in another week. If you really can't think of 30, <a href="http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">here is a great Tumblr of writing prompts</a>. Premises can be anything from one sentence to a detailed outline of each story (I find outlines constraining, though).<br />
At this point, you should write a story a day from your 30 premises and save them by day number in the SHORT STORIES folder. Each day, write in the voice of a different writer you like. This is very important even if you've found your voice; I take risks with short stories that I normally wouldn't in novelling. What about time? you ask. Write when you're waiting in line. Write on bus rides. Write on scraps of paper or (thank you, technology) in whatever Notes app your phone came with. If you don't think you can handle a few thousand words per day, then don't! Limit your stories to flash fiction length if need be. The only rule is to get it done. Finish it by the end of the day. Do not use any other day in the 30 day project to go back and revise. Even if you have free time. <br />
Once you've finished story #30, write from the same premise as you wrote Before, without looking at the actual piece. Name it After. Compare Before and After.<br />
You can now revise your 30 stories (!).<br />
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Lindalindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-55678573363177398072012-09-06T23:16:00.002-07:002012-09-06T23:16:18.895-07:00New Posts Coming On Short StoriesI don't have the attention span to read novels anymore. Sometimes it feels like by the time I get to the middle of the book, I would have already forgotten the beginning. Reading short stories is instant gratification and has taught me much about writing economically. It wasn't until I actually started writing my own short fiction when I realized that, a. this is tougher than a novel. and b. short fiction and novels ask for a writer's different strengths. But the difference isn't as pronounced as, say, the difference between jetskiing and painting; it's like painting and digital art.<br />
If you've been writing novels so far, I highly recommend following my blog posts over the next week or so about how to write a short story. The form is less forgiving in terms of shaky plotting, but if you've been struggling with writers' block, now's an opportunity for you to experiment with new ideas.<br /><br />Lindalindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-2915572560416300702012-08-29T17:32:00.000-07:002012-08-29T17:32:14.854-07:00Road Trip Wednesday - best book of August. <a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQL5BMpPWDeA6eKusszLL-nHjRCIfXz2ZgHzvyg1hNrgb2EaD05wA" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://yahighway.com/" target="_blank">YA Highway</a> asked, for their weekly RTW question, "<b>What was the best book you read in August?</b>"<br />
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The answer here is a little complicated. For one, I assume this question is asking about YA fiction, but the best book I read is neither YA nor fiction. It is a little book a professor recommended to me last semester. It is called "The Future of Life," by biologist Edward O. Wilson.<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSOyEpB2J7M_6nyYzQs8vkOR19hMpQZ925oDeBVVJ8HFKU1CDK1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="rg_hi uh_hi" data-height="272" data-width="185" height="272" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSOyEpB2J7M_6nyYzQs8vkOR19hMpQZ925oDeBVVJ8HFKU1CDK1" style="height: 272px; width: 185px;" width="185" /></a>Based on the title alone, we could think the book was a YA dystopian. Maybe a YA zombie book! Maybe adult versions of those! But this book is none of those. It is appropriate for both YA and adult audiences, but it isn't fiction.<br />
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Don't let that fool you though, because this book can possibly move you more than fiction can.<br />
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The prolog, a letter to everyone's favorite nature observer of Walden Pond, Thoreau, actually made me cry. The first chapter is full of stories of the most amazing creatures you can imagine, all of them real and existing on this very earth. The characters are the living organisms all around. In an era of drastic environmental upheaval, the book is hopeful in a heartbreaking way as we join in a field trip around the world and learn of amazing bacteria and poisonous bugs. More importantly, it does address the question, what is the future of life? E.O. Wilson might have the answer here, and it is a wonderful read.<br />
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In regards to fiction, I promise I will post about that soon. But I had to share this amazing book with you all, and YA Highway helped me out.<br />
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Race<br />
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Racehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02152915853141020493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-28221547582141190242012-08-20T19:48:00.003-07:002012-08-20T19:48:44.648-07:00TWFT Summer Writing Playlist: Race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v_yjMlFdpUE/TyX9udj5nvI/AAAAAAAAAHc/VY-2mooukQg/s320/David-Guetta-feat-Sia-Titanium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v_yjMlFdpUE/TyX9udj5nvI/AAAAAAAAAHc/VY-2mooukQg/s320/David-Guetta-feat-Sia-Titanium.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"><i>If you guys didn't like <a href="http://teenswritingforteens.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-08-15T15:54:00-07:00&max-results=1" target="_blank">my music tastes (and boo to you!)</a>, you might like Race's writing playlist. There's lots of classic rock, pop, and fast songs here. :)</i></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Don't Stop Believing; Journey</span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Blackened; Metallica</span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Titanium; David Guetta</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Satellite remixed; OceanLab</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wide Awake; Katy Perry</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Only Time; Enya</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Darkness, Darkness; Solas</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Amaranth; Nightwish</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bye Bye Beautiful; Nightwish</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Sahara; Nighwish</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So She Dances; Josh Groban</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Addiction; Medina</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"><i>Which songs did Race leave out? Which songs do you think she'll enjoy?</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px;">- Linda</span></span><br />
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lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-87457727226114697952012-08-15T15:54:00.001-07:002012-08-15T15:54:07.579-07:00Guest Post: The Best Advice To Being A Good Writer<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://i.imgur.com/cf6Ct.jpg?1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i.imgur.com/cf6Ct.jpg?1" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Harry influenced a lot of us to write!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If I could give any advice for writing, it would be this:<u></u><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Read, and then write.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i>That’s not advice, </i>you think. <i>That’s barely a sentence</i>. But honestly, these are the two biggest things you can do to improve your wording and your stories in general.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First, read, and read voraciously. Start by reading the kinds of books that you want to write, but don’t stop there. If you love science fiction, making up your own worlds, and defying the laws of this planet, then yes, read Jules Verne, Ray Bradbury, Michael Crichton, and Orson Scott Card. But even if you <i>don’t </i>love science fiction, read those authors anyway. And read Dostoevsky and Dickens, Shakespeare and Eliot, and Joyce and Austen and C.S. Lewis. Read YA novels, and Romantic poetry, and non-fiction books about string theory or the Romanovs. Read as much as possible. I rediscovered my library a few years ago, and it’s a beautiful thing, for “<span lang="EN">Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future” (Ray Bradbury).<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When you read as a writer, not only do you enjoy the stories, but you ask yourself <i>why</i> you enjoy them. Which parts of dialogue do you like? How did the author use different literary elements in his plot? And what made you get so attached to the anti-hero and his internal struggle?<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most of all, don’t waste time on poorly-written books (unless you want an example of what <i>not</i> to do). Read the classics. <i>But classics are long and boring! </i>You say. <i>They’re hard to get through!</i> And that can be true. But sometimes, the most rewarding things in life are hard to reach, and you might have to do a little digging to get there. I can promise you it’s worth the effort. There’s a reason we still read classics today. They touch on some sort of eternal truth in a way that spoke to their own society and still speaks to us.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So read for your own pleasure and to inform your writing. But as you’re reading (and expanding your vocabulary!), remember this: do not be discouraged. Learn from what you read, but try not to compare your work to it. No, you aren’t as good as these wonderful, famous authors. Will you ever reach their level? Maybe not. And that’s <i>okay</i>! You’re learning! I get so discouraged sometimes when I see how beautiful some literature is, but I keep going. And that brings me to our last point:<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Write. Write something every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s a journal, a short story, a poem, or a few hundred words of a novel. Writing is both inspiration and craft. Craft is the way you put words together, the technical side of things. Inspiration is the content, that extra breath inside of your work that brings it to life and says something important and true. Although reading will help with that, inspiration is not something that you can really learn. But you <i>can </i>learn craft. In that aspect, writing is like playing piano or a sport – it requires practice. So, practice! <u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Save everything you write, no matter how bad you think it is. Finally, find someone you trust to read your work – someone who will be both kind and honest. Just as musicians need teachers and athletes need coaches, writers need mentors. This is often forgotten because the actual act of writing is solitary. The process, however, is not.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, read well, write often, and don’t give up! Good luck and God bless.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">~Kristen<br /><br />You can find Kristen online at <a href="http://theparadigmshifts.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Paradigm Shifts</a>, her blog.</span></span></div>
lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-79639470183130644812012-08-12T18:39:00.000-07:002012-08-12T18:39:51.363-07:00TWFT Summer Writing Playlist: Linda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2012/01/Lana-Del-Rey-Born-To-Die1-608x608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2012/01/Lana-Del-Rey-Born-To-Die1-608x608.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Usually I write on the go, typing notes into my phone and sending them to my email address to review when I'm at a computer. However, long summer days have afforded me large chunks of time to sit down at my computer and write directly on the screen. Sometimes I play music. And here is a representative list of the music I write to.<br />
<ul>
<li>Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey</li>
<li>Yellow by Coldplay</li>
<li>Live Forever by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors</li>
<li>Cracks ft. Belle Humble by Flux Pavilion</li>
<li>Stronger by Kanye West</li>
<li>Headlines by Drake</li>
<li>Angels by The XX </li>
<li>Practice by Drake</li>
<li>The Scientist by Coldplay</li>
<li>Run by Snow Patrol</li>
<li>Intro by The XX</li>
<li>Sitting, Waiting, Wishing by Jack Johnson</li>
<li>Born to Die by Lana Del Rey</li>
<li>Blue Jeans by Lana Del Rey</li>
<li>Work Hard, Play Hard by Wiz Khalifa</li>
<li>Free-Fallin' (Tom Waits cover) by John Mayer</li>
<li>The Age of Worry by John Mayer</li>
</ul>
What are some of your best writing songs?<br />
<br />
Lindalindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-14966472369241346472012-08-08T15:24:00.001-07:002012-08-08T15:24:55.727-07:00The Kindness Project: Vincibility<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3WvDDVP0rg4/UAdC3G1cgPI/AAAAAAAAAII/LLnFcNPC7u0/s1600/tkp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" kda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3WvDDVP0rg4/UAdC3G1cgPI/AAAAAAAAAII/LLnFcNPC7u0/s400/tkp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i>Too often kindness is relegated to a random act performed only when we’re feeling good. But an even greater kindness (to ourselves and others) occurs when we reach out even when we aren't feeling entirely whole. It’s not easy, and no one is perfect. But we’ve decided it’s not impossible to brighten the world one smile, one kind word, one blog post at a time. To that end, a few of us writers have established The Kindness Project, starting with a series of inspirational posts.</i><br /><br />This morning I sat at the library reading The Wall Street Journal when an old man sat down diagonally across from me. This, in awkward social person context, is the least-threatening place to sit (across-from would be too invasive, and next-to too friendly). For that, I felt a rush of gratitude. He wore a frayed old Patriots baseball cap and big square-framed black glasses from the 1970s, and recent-looking brown Timberland slip-on shoes that a daughter probably had bought for him. This man of about 80 or 90 digested every page of the local paper patiently--as elderly citizens are apt to do--while I skimmed mine with the frenzy and noise expected of a young bulldog.<br />
And as we sat diagonally from one another, a sort of sadness struck me: here he was, caring so much about the world he no longer had the physical strength to actively participate in, and here I was, carrying on like one day this life would never happen to me or any of my loved ones. <br />
If this scene were a movie, then we both would have looked at each other at the same time, and he would say something profound, and I would nod, and I would reply with something as equally profound and all the time, violin music would swell in the background. But I didn't. I left before he did, and brushed by his CVS plastic bag stuffed with something. Because real life isn't a movie; real life is fraught with disappointments and familiar patterns of wanting to do something but never plucking up the courage. Movies construe the need for kindness to strangers and email chain stories out in the world float on with the command to love thy neighbor, but so few of us even have the time to show our parents how much we appreciate them.<br />
Sometimes, it's hard. When I broached the topic of going to Europe for a post-graduation trip, my mom sighed. "We're going to China."<br />
China in the summer is the incubator of mosquito larvae, a testosterone-addled society (thanks to certain <em>practices</em>, there's now a shortage of females in China) whose hormones would skyrocket with the temperature, a caricature of (preferably) lily-white bodies piled on top of lily-white bodies wielding parasols and struggling to survive breathe live in limited square feet...China in the summer is a nightmare, even in developed cities. If you've been to China for a month without contracting salmonella, your immune system is set for life against any type of food poisoning.<br />
"I would rather go to college in the summer than go to China," I spat. "How is that a reward for twelve years of work?"<br />
But now I'm reminded of our own vincibility. And I'm not sure...I'm waffling on whether I'd rather start school early than spend some time with my parents. They're almost fifty. My grandparents are in their seventies. As much as I would like them to, they're not going to live forever. <br />
I have already spent too many months locked in my room, pursuing success and colleges and my future.<br />
Things happen all too fast, and moments slip by before we realize they're there. We should never miss the opportunity to tell people what they mean to us while they can still hear it. <br />
I'm not sure when the last time I called my grandpa was, but I know I'm going to pick up that phone and talk to him tonight--our voices spanning continents spanning oceans spanning years of heartbreak and dead ends.
<script src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=cvaldezmiller&postid=07Aug2012" type="text/javascript"></script>lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-45317677321694342962012-08-05T20:57:00.000-07:002012-08-05T21:03:35.248-07:00In My Mailbox (Week 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--gDxNGxSx6Q/UAOgF_9vwXI/AAAAAAAAAH8/9weQ0GVC24U/s1600/lunapic_134241174180007_12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--gDxNGxSx6Q/UAOgF_9vwXI/AAAAAAAAAH8/9weQ0GVC24U/s1600/lunapic_134241174180007_12.jpg" /></a></div>
This week has been super-productive in terms of getting stuff done! Since the Common Application opened up on August 1, I've barely had time to breathe, let alone read YA fiction. (It's mainly been a week of writing, critiquing short stories/flash fiction, reading college-applications blogs, and extracurricular homework.) With that aside, though, I did pick up some new books to read.<br />
<br />
<b>Bought:</b><br />
<br />
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<a href="http://thegreatofficeescape.com/four_hour_workweek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://thegreatofficeescape.com/four_hour_workweek.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/368593.The_4_Hour_Workweek_Expanded_And_Updated" target="_blank">THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK</a> has been heralded by many as the game-changing career book of its time. I thought, why not? If this book really promises maximum efficiency, that would change everything--in between managing TWFT, being an editor at a non-profit literary journal, being founder/editor-in-chief of another non-profit literary journal, finishing art/writing/music portfolios, and just being a teenager, God knows I need all the extra time I can get. Also, school's right around the corner...I just got mail yesterday telling me to pick up my school schedule soon (yikes!). Will review soon.<br />
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<a href="http://www.edithpearlman.com/images/200-binocular-vision.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.edithpearlman.com/images/200-binocular-vision.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9142881-binocular-vision" target="_blank">BINOCULAR VISION</a> is a collection of short stories I actually was assigned to read for work. (Ahh, when the line between work and personal life disappears!) And let me tell you, Edith Pearlman, so far, has proved to be a writer of stunning, surprising short stories. I can't even pick a favorite, because I love all of them and a good majority I count as my "favorite." This was the same book, by the way, that catapulted Edith Pearlman from being a quietly-respected writer to an "instant" hit.lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-46137129443516278692012-07-31T17:05:00.002-07:002012-07-31T17:05:59.209-07:00Giveaway Winner!To celebrate the launch of the new website, TWFT hosted a giveaway with help from the fabulous YA author Chanelle Gray. Today is the end of July (can you believe it?) already and we are super excited to announce the winner!<br />
<br />
Before we do so, let's remember the winnings: an e-arc of Chanelle's book <i>My Heart Be Damned</i> and a $25 Amazon gift card.<br />
<br />
Now that we are good and excited, the celebration can begin:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-80hz6qwC9VE/UBhyu3HCjWI/AAAAAAAAAig/kQNKKvginsg/s1600/ferrwerks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-80hz6qwC9VE/UBhyu3HCjWI/AAAAAAAAAig/kQNKKvginsg/s400/ferrwerks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The winner is...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>LILY!</i></b></div>
<br />
If Lily would please contact us at teenswritingforteens@gmail.com, we'll get a move on sending her the winnings!<br />
<br />
For the rest of the entrants, don't worry! TWFT is planning on having a ton of giveaways in the future. Check back often!<br />
<br />Racehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02152915853141020493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-77019631716642865702012-07-30T13:11:00.002-07:002012-07-30T13:11:32.294-07:00Book Review: THE AGE OF MIRACLES by Karen Thompson Walker<br />
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<a href="http://img2-1.timeinc.net/ew/i/2012/06/19/age-of-miracles_320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://img2-1.timeinc.net/ew/i/2012/06/19/age-of-miracles_320.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Karen Thompson Walker describes puberty
as nothing less than “the age of miracles”, when girls go to bed
with checkerboard chests and wake up with game-show-model curves;
when boys find that their voices can smolder and that the hint of sex
is everywhere. This is the age when anything can happen.<br />And
eleven-year-old Julia comes of age in a time anything truly can
happen.<br />For reasons unknown, the days on Earth stretch longer over
time. With prolonged spans of sunlight come questions: What kind of
clock should people follow with an ever-changing schedule? How do
they cope with shifting gravity? And how do they escape from the
planet's eventual destruction when they can look to the ends of the
Earth and find no place to hide?<br />THE AGE OF MIRACLES isn't
wonderful just for its speculative sci-fi story, but because of its
rare humanistic bent. Thompson Walker poses the question, <i>If
disaster threatened to strike your sleepy San Diego suburb, what
would you do? </i>And the answer is,
surprisingly, you would just keep on living. Children still wait at
the bus stop daily for school. Julia's grandpa spends his days
obsessively categorizing his possessions. People still fall in love,
get married, have babies. All in a time of uncertainty like no other.
<br />A former Simon & Schuster editor, Thompson Walker has an eye
for good prose. Note that THE AGE OF MIRACLES isn't an
edge-of-your-seat book meant to be devoured in one go; it is a book
meant to be savored in little bits and pieces before bed. Sometimes
THE AGE OF MIRACLES lingers too long, so read it for the premise, not
the plot. Read it for the characters and the sweet melancholy hope of
pre-pubescence. <br /><span style="color: #181818;">“</span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How
much sweeter life would be if it all happened in reverse, if, after
decades of disappointments, you finally arrived at an age when you
had conceded nothing, when everything was possible,” Thompson
Walker writes. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Indeed,
THE AGE OF MIRACLES's greatest merit lies in its familiar snapshot of
innocent youth—in soccer games and classroom crushes, in struggling
to understand a messy world without pattern or logic.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Linda</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(cross-posted from <a href="http://theadroitjournal.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">The Adroit Journal's Tumblr</a>)</span></span></span></div>lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-70107851233216606952012-07-27T18:06:00.000-07:002012-07-30T02:44:21.416-07:00This Week in Publishing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/07/23/ya-vote.jpg?t=1343077759&s=2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/07/23/ya-vote.jpg?t=1343077759&s=2" /></a></div>
<b>This Week in Writing</b>:<br />
<ul>
<li>Someone at PBS has made a remix of Bob Ross's best quotes (he was on that one painting show in the 90s, which all of us were too young to remember watching) about creating art; in other words, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLO7tCdBVrA&feature=player_embedded" target="_blank">Bob Ross helps you through writer's block.</a></li>
</ul>
<b>This Week in Publishing:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Soho Press is launching its Soho Teen imprint; <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/soho-press-to-launch-ya-imprint_b55056" target="_blank">GalleyCat provides a sampler of upcoming works, including those of Jacquelyn Mitchard.</a></li>
<li>Somehow, a super-racist book slipped through the cracks of the publishing-world gatekeepers and got published. <a href="http://monkeyknifefight.tumblr.com/post/28139497884/a-list-of-practical-ways-to-protest-save-the-pearls" target="_blank">The people of Tumblr are in an uproar and are campaigning to drive the book off the market.</a> <a href="http://www.thefrisky.com/2012-07-27/today-in-racism-ya-series-save-the-pearls-employs-offensive-blackface-and-bizarre-racist-stereotypes-plot/" target="_blank">The Frisky published an article similarly condemning the white-supremacist book/author.</a><b><br /></b></li>
</ul>
<b>This Week in Reading: </b><br />
<ul>
<li>GalleyCa<b>t</b> compiled <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/free-samples-of-the-2012-man-booker-prize-longlist_b54937" target="_blank">free samples of the 2012 Man Booker Prize Longlist.</a><b></b></li>
<li>NPR <a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/07/24/157072526/best-ever-teen-novels-vote-for-your-favorites" target="_blank">needs your help to compile its list of 100 best-ever YA novels</a> from 235 semifinalists. (Many of their choices are on the TWFT site's recommended reading list!)<b></b></li>
<li>A public library in Kansas has made a helpful flowchart entitled<a href="http://www.lawrence.lib.ks.us/2012/07/if-you-liked-the-hunger-games-3/" target="_blank"> "If You Liked The Hunger Games..."</a>, which is meant to make summer book-picking easier.<b></b></li>
<li>Public service announcement: <a href="http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/teacozy/2012/07/23/as-a-quick-reminder/" target="_blank">anyone can nominate a book for a YALSA award. If you really liked a book you read this year, now's your chance to speak up.</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
Linda</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">image from NPR.com</span></div>lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-30917679827096472882012-07-25T16:35:00.000-07:002012-07-25T16:35:03.130-07:00Road Trip Wednesday: Reincarnation as a Fictional Character<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pqOvMjNUi1w/SKoFvFlfCBI/AAAAAAAAAls/qUCP1de-woE/s320/papertowns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pqOvMjNUi1w/SKoFvFlfCBI/AAAAAAAAAls/qUCP1de-woE/s320/papertowns.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://yahighway.com/" target="_blank">YA Highway</a> asked, for their weekly RTW question, "<b>If you could be reincarnated as any fictional character, which would it be?</b>"<br /><br /><br />Well, firstly, I like my life. So instead of being reincarnated, I want to be reinvented. Just wake up one day, and I'm someone else, from my personality to my looks to my inhibitions.<br />It's a no-brainer that I want to be Margo Roth Spiegelman from Paper Towns. <br />I'd love to be Margo Roth Spiegelman because she's socially-successful in the weird mating dance we call high school, because she's funny and creative, because she's a writer, and because she has more chutzpah in one electric-blue-painted fingernail than I have in my entire body. <br />Maybe we could restructure the storyline so that the characters all live in a subdivision of San Diego, though, and not Orlando. I find it hard to believe that such lively, wonderful people like Q and Radar could live in Florida. Florida is a great place to live...if you're a mosquito.<br /><br />Linda<br /><br />P.S. Are we limited to only books? Can I be Lara Croft?lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-11811963747542709522012-07-18T16:39:00.001-07:002012-07-18T16:39:26.493-07:00Choosing Kindness<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3WvDDVP0rg4/UAdC3G1cgPI/AAAAAAAAAII/LLnFcNPC7u0/s1600/tkp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3WvDDVP0rg4/UAdC3G1cgPI/AAAAAAAAAII/LLnFcNPC7u0/s320/tkp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">Too often kindness is relegated to a random act performed only when we’re feeling good. But an even greater kindness (to ourselves and others) occurs when we reach out even when we aren't feeling entirely whole. It’s not easy, and no one is perfect. But we’ve decided it’s not impossible to brighten the world one smile, one kind word, one blog post at a time. To that end, a few of us writers have established The Kindness Project, starting with a series of inspirational posts. We post the second Wednesday of every month. </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">Want to join us? Grab our button and spread a little kindness.</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">~ </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;">It's horrible what high school can do
to you, especially if you find it hard to connect with people.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I'm lucky
enough to say that I've never been forced to extremes. But I know how
it feels to look around the classroom and feel something like a
feral dog, judging from the few friendly faces. And it's times
like these when I miss Noah.<br />
He was the kindest person I know. I
don't know how to exactly quantify it, but imagine the
eccentric boy at school who gave people apology rocks whenever they
were feeling down. Imagine the boy who would rush out of fourth
period first with his tackle box and lunch pail in both hands—not
because he was in a hurry to get to lunch, but because he felt it was
his civic duty to hold the hallway door open for everyone. <br />
The
first month during freshman year that he did this, I thought he had a
friend who was slow in getting out of the classroom. But one day,
even as I came out late and there was no one left in the hallway, Noah was still standing there, holding the door open.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Linda, are you coming?” he asked.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Yeah—thanks, Noah!” I said, and
we straggled to lunch, him with a strangely-wonderful smile. <br />
He
never wanted to close the door in anyone's face—and he didn't.<br />
I'd
see him biking around my neighborhood, up to 30 miles a night. The
times he was more relaxed, I'd flag him down and we'd have good
conversations on swingsets, me in denim cut-offs and flip-flops, him
with his black Schwinn bike suit on. I don't even know what we talked
about, just that we'd talk until the egg-yolk sun dipped below the
Florida horizon, when it was time for me to go home and for him to
clock a few more miles.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
That boy was special and rare. Because,
while high school is cruel, he never let it change him. Because,
despite a string of bad luck in his own life, he always took time out
of his day to make us feel a whole lot better.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So, eight months and three days after
he killed himself, I'm still at a loss for what to say. <br />
I know it
would have taken more than small acts of kindness to help him, but I
just wish we at least let him know that he was appreciated, that
he was loved. In that hustle-and-bustle of such a demanding academic
environment, he was a little piece of humanity.<br />
I'm working on
being a better person, I am. I've learned to push for what's right,
to improve what e.e. cummings rightly called <i>manunkind.</i> Noah
is my inspiration for participating in The Kindness Project, because
throughout this life, I just want to help more people than I hurt.<br />
<br />
Linda<br /><br />Members of the Kindness Project:<br style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br style="color: #666666; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /></span><br />
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<table class="blenza-table"><tbody>
<tr><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://www.alinabklein.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alina Klein</span></a></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">13.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://katharineowens.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Katharine Owens</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://www.andreahannah.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Andrea Hannah</span></a></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">14.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://lenlambert.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Len Lambert</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://barbaraannwatson.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Barbara Watson</span></a></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">15.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://lizakane.me/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Liza Kane</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://www.carolinavaldezmiller.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Carolina Valdez Miller</span></a></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">16.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://sharppendullsword.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lola Sharp</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://christaramblesandwrites.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Christa Desir</span></a></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">17.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://isabellamorgan.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Michele Shaw</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://clairehennessy.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Claire Hennessy</span></a></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">18.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://thestrangestsituation.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sarah Fine</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">7.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://theqqqe.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Matthew Mac<span style="font-size: 1px;"> </span>Nish</span></a></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">19.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://sarablarson.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sara Larson</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">8.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Elana Johnson</span></a></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">20.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://saramcclung.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sara McClung</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">9.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://writerelizabethpoole.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Elizabeth Poole</span></a></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">21.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://sophiathewriter.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sophia Chang</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">10.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://ersworkinprogress.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Erica Chapman</span></a></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">22.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://teenswritingforteens.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Teens Writing for Teens</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">11.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="color: #d86122; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://jessicacorra.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Jessica Corra</a></span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">23.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><a href="http://thewordsonpaper.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tracey Neithercott</span></a>
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<tr><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">12.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><span class="blenza-link"><a href="http://leightmoore.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Leigh Moore</span></a></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="5%"><span class="blenza-link"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">24.</span></span></td><td align="left" class="blenza-td" valign="top" width="28%"><a href="http://isabellamorgan.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #d86122; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lindsay Scott</span></a>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-18906879532652836662012-07-16T12:36:00.005-07:002012-07-16T12:36:49.491-07:00Character Profiles: The ex-bff<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span> <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Guest post by Kathryn.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bio:<span> I enjoy to read, write, and volunteer with special needs kids. I've
been published in Stone Soup, and am super excited to be published on
TWFT!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In a lot of books I’ve read, I notice that a lot of the time, there’s a
best friend that:<span><br />
<br />
</span></span></div>
<ul style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Isn’t let on to the MC’s magical powers, gets mad, and
refuses to be the best friend anymore.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Get’s jealous of the MC (or the MC gets jealous of them)
and the two characters fight, and aren’t best friends anymore.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Starts to hang out with popular people, the MC gets mad,
and the two fight, and they aren’t best friends.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I haven’t mentioned all of the possible situations, but
they all end in basically one way: The two characters aren’t best friends
anymore. <span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Now, this does happen in real life. And it is a great
added dimension to a story, because most readers usually want the characters to
make up, which keeps them reading to find out if they do.<span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">But it isn’t the fact that characters in books are
constantly fighting and finding new friends, it’s what happens <i>after</i> the fight
that bothers me.<span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">First of all, let me say I have nothing against the
ex-BFF character. They add a whole new problem to the story, because the ex-BFF
probably has lots of good rumors and trouble they can cause for the MC. <span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">But, sometimes the way the ex-BFF goes about doing this
is just a bit....unrealistic. <span></span>For instance, in one story I read, the ex-BFF put an
article in the school newspaper (which an adult proofread), that revealed all
of these embarrassing things about the MC. <span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">When I’d first read the chapter, I was all, “Oh, I feel
so bad for her” (by her I mean the MC) but then, I started to think about the
actual <i>details</i>.<span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">One thing I realized, was that the actual event of
putting a humiliating article in a school newspaper would be impossible. As I’d
mentioned before, a teacher read the final draft of the newspaper before it was
released to the kids. So, unless the teacher had something against the MC
(which she didn’t) it would be entirely impossible to let the article be read
by kids without the teacher reading it. But, later in the book, the teacher
says she’d never read the article. <span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">And, for another thing, there are kind kids out there who
would probably go ambush the ex-BFF, and <i>that</i> would be the end of her
hurtful reign. <span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Another thing in the whole making a realistic ex-BFF, is
the <i>popular</i> people thing.<span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I will admit, I have encountered some snobs that were
popular. But, not all popular people are mean. The dictionary definition of the
word popular is: Widely liked or appreciated. This basically means that a
synonym for popular is: nice.<span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So, why does every book have to bash popular kids? I
think, personally, that it’s a fun subject to write about. And, yes, it <i>is</i>!
The hard part is doing it realistically. <span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">OK. Let’s use a plotline I wrote. <span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Lola and Jewel were best friends. Then, suddenly Jewel
starts hanging out with the popular kids, and Lola’s left in the dust. As Jewel
starts to pull away from Lola, and do things with her new friends, Lola can’t
help remembering how mean Jewel’s new friends were to them in the past.</i><span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>What will Lola do? Will Jewel become popular, or will
she and Lola be BFFs again?</i><span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The plot line itself isn’t that bad. It’s just the way
it’s written. About how the “popular kids” are mean (which, I know a lot are)
and how it sort of poses a question at the end, when the answer is kind of
predictable: they make up.<span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It isn’t that a good ex-BFF is bad, it’s that they can be
very tacky. The harsh truth is that friends make new friends, though
the new friends may not be popular, and sometimes friends don’t make up. And I
hope someday, I’ll find a book with that perfect contrast<span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>Racehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02152915853141020493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-42762812705901162362012-07-15T22:01:00.003-07:002012-07-16T12:38:40.465-07:00In My Mailbox (Week 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--gDxNGxSx6Q/UAOgF_9vwXI/AAAAAAAAAH8/9weQ0GVC24U/s1600/lunapic_134241174180007_12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--gDxNGxSx6Q/UAOgF_9vwXI/AAAAAAAAAH8/9weQ0GVC24U/s1600/lunapic_134241174180007_12.jpg" /></a></div>
Hey guys! TWFT is going to participate in <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/in-my-mailbox" target="_blank">In My Mailbox</a> every Sunday. It was created by The Story Siren as a great way to share weekly hauls of books. Anyway, while TWFT isn't being avalanched (Is that a word? Should be) by books from publicists and authors, we've got a few good reads worth looking at.<br />
<br />
<b>Received:</b><br />
First up is <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12401556-the-age-of-miracles" target="_blank">THE AGE OF MIRACLES</a> by Karen Thompson Walker, which is about a girl struggling to come of age in a future when the days start getting longer, in "an era of profound uncertainty" (because obviously, no one knows what the heck's going on with the Earth and the Sun).<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53_q0sjxHwM/UAOW0XukWjI/AAAAAAAAAHI/FggK2UkTIFc/s1600/lunapic_134241174180007_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53_q0sjxHwM/UAOW0XukWjI/AAAAAAAAAHI/FggK2UkTIFc/s400/lunapic_134241174180007_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I had actually emailed the author's publicist Thursday. It was on my doorstep Friday morning, along with the WSJ's Friday Journal. Random House, I love you forever.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<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://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/i-love-you.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/i-love-you.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Appropriate Rachel McAdams GIF.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">And, upon opening the package, I discovered with glee that the dust jacket was perforated! And there was an image on the actual cover that completely relates to the book! You know that old adage, "You can't judge a book by its cover"? I am possibly the queen of book-cover-judgers. And I am judging this book</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><i>so hard</i><span style="background-color: white;">. <3</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ARSZsl1xrKg/UAObIufmShI/AAAAAAAAAHo/nbM3YDcwSsE/s1600/lunapic_134241174180007_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ARSZsl1xrKg/UAObIufmShI/AAAAAAAAAHo/nbM3YDcwSsE/s320/lunapic_134241174180007_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Review to come soon!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<b style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b style="background-color: white;">Re-read:</b></b></div>
<b style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1259354905"><br /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19057.I_Am_the_Messenger" target="_blank">I AM THE MESSENGER</a></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> by Markus Zusak is an evergreen favorite. Whenever I get hung up on bad writing or uninspired dialogue, this book is my go-to. It's got quick pacing, lovable characters, and beautiful sentences. The subject matter's not for your average twelve-year old (I say "average" because at age twelve I'd already read Palahniuk's Lullaby), but all the same, it's a brilliant book with a powerful message. Those Printz judges make finding good books easy!</span></div>
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<a href="http://mbslibrary.typepad.com/.a/6a011570579907970b01538f04c215970b-800wi" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://mbslibrary.typepad.com/.a/6a011570579907970b01538f04c215970b-800wi" width="211" /></a></div>
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Lindalindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-671827162122038872012-07-13T00:46:00.002-07:002012-07-13T00:46:27.603-07:00This Week in Publishing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://geek-news.mtv.com//wp-content/uploads/geek/2012/06/brave-merida-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="http://geek-news.mtv.com//wp-content/uploads/geek/2012/06/brave-merida-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>TWFT is adopting a Friday fixture of many writing blogs: This Week In Publishing. We'll scrounge in the corners of the Internet to bring you the news about writing and publishing that's worth clicking on, in case you missed it.</i><div>
<i><br /></i><b>This Week in Writing:</b><br /><ul>
<li>A Pixar storyboard artist (who helped create <i>Brave</i>!) gives writers <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304708604577502860636910568.html?mod=WSJ_Books_LS_Books_5" target="_blank">helpful advice in plotting</a>.</li>
<li>Publishing-industry civilian and former literary agent Nathan Bransford tells us <a href="http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2012/07/are-we-stripping-modern-books-bare.html" target="_blank">what he thinks of the bare, minimalist modern novel. </a> Show this to your English teacher who's still stuck on <i>Anna Karenina</i>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.fsgworkinprogress.com/2012/06/how-to-have-a-career-advice-to-young-writers" target="_blank">"Be relentless," Sarah Manguso advises young writers </a>at the Farrar, Straus, and Giroux blog. While we're technically cheating because that article wasn't posted this week, we technically don't care because there are some brilliant pieces of advice in there.</li>
<li>Literary agent Mary Kole tells us that sometimes, the difficulty of obstacles we set for our characters is too low. And other times, it is too damn high (props if you instantly thought of <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-rent-is-too-damn-high-jimmy-mcmillan" target="_blank">this meme</a>) (not verbatim! I'm paraphrasing!). <a href="http://kidlit.com/2012/07/11/make-problems-actionable/" target="_blank">Here's how we can make our characters' lives just the right amount of miserable that'll spur them on to succeed.</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<b>This Week in Publishing:</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Galley Cat reports that, sadly, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of (<i>Love in the Time of Cholera</i> and <i>100 Years of Solitude</i>) <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/gabriel-garcia-marquez-will-publish-no-more-fiction_b54152" target="_blank">won't be able to publish any more books due to his dementia.</a> </li>
<li>Author Elizabeth Fama tells the internet, <a href="http://www.elizabethfama.com/2012/07/kill-my-arc.html" target="_blank">"Kill my ARCs."</a> (For those TWFTs who don't know, ARCs = Advance Reader Copies, bound proofs of a book sent out by publishers to reviewers for publicity purposes.)</li>
<li>While many other journalists are whimpering into their Top Ramen noodle bowls, <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/malcolm-gladwells-new-book-explores-david-goliath_b54139" target="_blank">Malcolm Gladwell has sold his third book, DAVID AND GOLIATH, to Little, Brown. </a>Slated for release in 2013, DAVID AND GOLIATH explores who--the underdog or the sure-fire winner--has the advantage in a competition. </li>
</ul>
<br /><b>This Week in Things We're Really Excited About:</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Christopher Nolan was inspired by Charles Dickens's <i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> as he filmed <i>The Dark Knight Rises</i>. <a href="http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=92305" target="_blank">His brother and screenwriter-partner, Jonathan Nolan, dishes in an interview.</a> We'd totally see the movie just for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but now it's uh...educational?</li>
<li><a href="http://nextgenwriters.com/registration/" target="_blank">You can sign up for an absolutely-free online writers' conference.</a> NextGen will run from 8/2 to 8/3 and will feature a whole host of working writers. You must be age 19 or younger to attend. This e-conference would be a great place to brush up your basic knowledge of writing and publishing.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.yahighway.com/2012/07/ya-highways-3rd-annual-anniversary.html" target="_blank">YA Highway is giving away a lot, a lot, a lot of books. </a>Among the selection are ARCs of books written by former TWFTs Kat Zhang and Vahini Naidoo (I've read their work and they're both fantastic). Part of my broke student self thinks that giving away so many books is crazy and another part suspects these bloggers get paid in books or something. (Stacks on stacks on stacks!)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.starbucks.com/refreshers/en-us?utm_source=summer2-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=learnmore&utm_campaign=refreshers-us" target="_blank">Starbucks is giving away free Refreshers drinks today from 12PM to 3PM.</a> It's consistently been 102 degrees where I live and I live in a college town...welp. I better line up before 12!</li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white;">What did I miss? I may have missed a lot because it is about 12 AM and I've been trolling the internet for a while now and I love you readers mucho so please show some love in the comments.</span><br />Linda<br /></div>
</div>lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-59275214231956499262012-07-11T15:08:00.002-07:002012-07-11T15:30:47.854-07:00Hard Characters<span style="font-size: x-small;">Guest post by Kathryn.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bio: I enjoy to read, write, and volunteer with special needs kids. I've
been published in Stone Soup, and am super excited to be published on
TWFT!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> ~</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-od0mWH3lhAc/T_3-T4T1J7I/AAAAAAAAAiU/ukmFlKNGxSI/s1600/characters+real.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-od0mWH3lhAc/T_3-T4T1J7I/AAAAAAAAAiU/ukmFlKNGxSI/s320/characters+real.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I was reading the entry about “Cliches in YA writing,” and absolutely loved it. And, it got me thinking about some types of characters that I REALLY wish were easy to write up, because they’re, well, </span><i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">funny</span></i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">1.) The Zany, crazy, spaz-girl.</span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">You know, the one of TV shows, (For example, Addison from Suite Life on Deck) that is always radiating with energy, as if they’re on major sugar-high. The girl that talks super fast, with no pauses, and hands are forever flapping with excitement. If you’re like me, you love those people. And, if you’re also like me, you want to have them in your writing, but find them too complex to create.
</span><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">2.) The health-nut gym teacher, that confiscates junk food, and makes kids do insane tabata workouts at detention. </span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I have a wellness teacher like this, and I keep track of all of the things she says. For instance, she made two boys do a whole workout in the hallway, because they slammed into my sister, racing to class. But, as much as I’ve tried, I can’t seem to create a character like her, without having the issue of severe-tackiness. </span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">3.) The popular girl, who has no visible nice thing about her.</span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">You know how in Disney Channel movies, the popular girl always has a tiny moment where the MC overhears her talking to herself, or crying, or showing some other weakness (cough cough Radio Rebel cough cough)? And you’re always wanting to scream“NO! It isn’t like that in </span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">real</span></i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> life! The popular girl doesn’t give us a big revealing moment, she just stays a nasty brat!” </span><br /> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But, unfortunately, </span><i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">books are cheesy</span></i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, if Little-Miss-Future-Prom-Queen shows no weakness. So in the end, the story has to have some Disney Channel in it. UGH!
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> 4.) The teacher who acts like a total hippie.</span><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I personally would LOVE to have a hippie-teacher in one of my stories. You know, the one who (if a girl) wears long skirts in bright floral patterns, and brings a guitar into homeroom so that the class can experience the joy of singing folk songs. But somehow, my dream-character is staying in my dreams.</span><br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> If anyone has any suggestions (or more awesome character profiles) please tell me so!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">-Katy</span></span></span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>Racehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02152915853141020493noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-66113772847027966312012-07-09T07:11:00.002-07:002012-07-15T16:03:40.383-07:00TWFT Launch - with awesome interview from Chanelle Gray!<div style="color: black;">
Teens Writing For Teens and the new site have been up for a bit now, but we've decided it is time to give the site an official launch. Because we're teens (or teens at heart!) we like to do things big, so we've created some launch festivities that will hopefully knock your writerly socks off.</div>
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<br /></div>
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For one, we have a super awesome interview with YA and Twifty author Chanelle Gray! Her book, <i>My Heart Be Damned</i>, drops on September 15th. I read this book and can assure you all it is fantastic.</div>
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One top of the interview, Chanelle has offered to give away an E-ARC of <i>My Heart Be Damned</i>!</div>
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To make it super special, TWFT is throwing in a $25 Amazon gift card.</div>
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<br /></div>
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To enter for a chance to win the E-ARC and the gift card, you must follow our blog (followers widget is at the bottom!) and comment on this post. Extra entry for tweeting about the contest and showing proof in the comment section. Maximum of those two entries (1 comment and 1 tweet entry) per follower!</div>
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Comments can simply be "I want to be entered in the contest," but we prefer awesome praise for Chanelle (just saying). </div>
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Now, without further ado: Chan's Interview!</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wsfl751l6DE/T_rpK1_AJMI/AAAAAAAAAiI/JUrXD8ABhOo/s1600/chanelle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wsfl751l6DE/T_rpK1_AJMI/AAAAAAAAAiI/JUrXD8ABhOo/s1600/chanelle.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="color: black; text-align: center;">
~</div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"><b>Tell us about young Chanelle! How old were you when you
first started writing? Were you an avid reader? What sort of things did you
read/write?</b> </span><span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"> Oh
this is a hard one. I think I was around ten or so when I started to
write. It was whenever I began actively reading, and not just reading
what school told me to. I remember, the first book I ever made my mum go
and buy me was Harry Potter. We started reading it at school and I was
hooked. From then on, I visited book stores and bought books for myself
with my pocket money. I don't remember the exact moment I thought 'I can
do this!' but it happened! I started off writing (bad) fanfic, and it
bloomed from there!</span><br />
-</div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
</div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"><b>How do you know if a great idea you have should become a
short story or a novel?</b> </span><span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"> I
don't do short stories! My answer above is testament to that. I've
never had to distinguish between a novel and a short story. They're all
novels!</span><br />
-</div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
</div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"><b> How do you get past bumps in the writing road… when you want
to do anything but write?</b> </span><span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"> If
I know the story has merit and I'm just at a sticky scene, I will write
my way through it. I'll force the words. I can always go back and
rewrite, but if I don't make myself get past that bump, I never will.
I'll give up and start something else. Having to write a sequel has
taught me a big lesson in pushing through and writing what you can.
There is no moving onto another manuscript. It has to be done.</span><br />
-</div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
</div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"><b>What was your inspiration for MHBD?</b> </span><span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span">Anyone
whose read an early proof of MHBD will be reminded of Buffy. I grew up
watching Buffy. I lived and breathed and ate Buffy (well, not really,
but you get my point!). I've longed for a book like it for years and
years. Even another TV show or film. There's nothing at all similar. So I
thought I'd do it myself! MHBD isn't a Buffy re-write, but it's
definitely inspired by Buffy's kick-ass characteristic and her trying to
live in two worlds. I find it fascinating.</span><br />
-</div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
</div>
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<span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"><b>We love representation stories here at TWFT. How did you
find your awesome agent? Any tips on perfecting a query letter?</b> </span></div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"> </span><span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span">I found Victoria the long way - the slush pile. There was no question
about signing with her. Talking on the phone to Victoria was so surreal
and so amazing. I've never regretted my decision since. My one tip for a
query letter though is to make it interesting. Imagine being an agent.
Imagine having to read hundreds of queries a day. You need to make yours
stand out. My simple technique is to write your query with three parts.
Part 1: Brief introduction to the world, your character, and the story.
Part 2: Briefly describe the build up of your story. The issues your
character is facing. Part 3: End with a bang. Your stakes should go
here. </span><br />
-</div>
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</div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1341842874916202" style="color: black;">
<b><span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1341842874916199">And of course…. What is your favorite Jellybean flavor? </span></b><span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv378770591MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1341842874916202" style="color: black;">
<span class="yiv378770591Apple-style-span">No! This is too difficult! Erm...watermelon?!</span></div>
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~</div>
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<br /></div>
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Chanelle is a superstar, no doubt about it. Now enter the contest!<br /><br /></div>
<a id="rc-a881210" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a881210/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Racehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02152915853141020493noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-24181337552883383992012-07-08T20:58:00.004-07:002012-07-08T20:59:21.982-07:00Vonnegut: "The arts are not a way of making a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable."<br />
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<a href="http://kellymooneyminutes.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/kurt_vonnegut2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://kellymooneyminutes.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/kurt_vonnegut2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Kurt
Vonnegut's last interview is brilliant. He gives us some amazing
advice on art, writing, and life. This is only a portion (the
complete version, published in June 2007, is long), but it's well
worth two or three minutes of your time. And anyway, shouldn't you be
writing?<br />P.S. The quote from this title (which I wholeheartedly
agree with), is actually from A MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Tell
me the reasons you’ve been attracted to a life of creation, whether
as a writer or an artist.</span></span></span></strong></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I’ve
been drawing all my life, just as a hobby, without really having
shows or anything. It’s just an agreeable thing to do, and I
recommend it to everybody. I always say to people, practice an art,
no matter how well or badly [you do it], because then you have the
experience of becoming, and it makes your soul grow. That includes
singing, dancing, writing, drawing, playing a musical instrument. One
thing I hate about school committees today is that they cut arts
programs out of the curriculum because they say the arts aren’t a
way to make a living. Well, there are lots of things worth doing that
are no way to make a living. [Laughs.] They are agreeable ways to
make a more agreeable life.</span></span></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In
the process of your becoming, you’ve given the world much warmth
and humor. That matters, doesn’t it?</span></span></span></strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
asked my son Mark what he thought life was all about, and he said,
“We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it
is.” I think that says it best. You can do that as a comedian, a
writer, a painter, a musician. He’s a pediatrician. There are all
kinds of ways we can help each other get through today. There are
some things that help. Musicians really do it for me. I wish I were
one, because they help a lot. They help us get through a couple
hours.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<strong>“</strong><strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A
lack of seriousness,” you wrote, “has led to all sorts of
wonderful insights.”</span></span></span></strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes.
The world is too serious. To get mad at a work of art — because
maybe somebody, somewhere is blowing his stack over what I’ve done
— is like getting mad at a hot fudge sundae.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nearly
forty years after Slaughterhouse-Five, people still love reading your
books. Why do you think your books have such enduring appeal?</span></span></span></strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />I’ve
said it before: I write in the voice of a child. That makes me
readable in high school. [Laughs.] Not too many big sentences. But I
hope that my ideas attract a lively dialogue, even if my sentences
are simple. Simple sentences have always served me well. And I don’t
use semicolons. It’s hard to read anyway, especially for high
school kids. Also, I avoid irony. I don’t like people saying one
thing and meaning the other.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When
Timequake was published ten years ago, you said you were basically
retired as a writer. You’ve published two essay collections since
then, God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian and the best-selling A Man Without
a Country. I wonder if the visual arts have become a substitute for
writing in your life.</span></span></span></strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Well,
it’s something to do in my old age. [Laughs.] As you may know, I’m
suing a cigarette company because their product hasn’t killed me
yet.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Is
it a different creative process for you, sitting down to write or
picking up a paintbrush?</span></span></span></strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />No.
I used to teach a writer’s workshop at the University of Iowa back
in the ’60s, and I would say at the start of every semester, “The
role model for this course is Vincent van Gogh — who sold two
paintings to his brother.” [Laughs.] I just sit and wait to see
what’s inside me, and that’s the case for writing or for drawing,
and then out it comes. There are times when nothing comes. James
Brooks, the fine abstract-expressionist, I asked him what painting
was like for him, and he said, “I put the first stroke on the
canvas and then the canvas has to do half the work.” That’s how
serious painters are. They’re waiting for the canvas to do half the
work. [Laughs.] Come on. Wake up.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We
live in a very visual world today. Do words have any power left?</span></span></span></strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />I
was at a symposium some years back with my friends Joseph Heller and
William Styron, both dead now, and we were talking about the death of
the novel and the death of poetry, and Styron pointed out that the
novel has always been an elitist art form. It’s an art form for
very few people, because only a few can read very well. I’ve said
that to open a novel is to arrive in a music hall and be handed a
viola. You have to perform. [Laughs.] To stare at horizontal lines of
phonetic symbols and Arabic numbers and to be able to put a show on
in your head, it requires the reader to perform. If you can do it,
you can go whaling in the South Pacific with Herman Melville, or you
can watch Madame Bovary make a mess of her life in Paris. With
pictures and movies, all you have to do is sit there and look at them
and it happens to you.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Many
years ago, you said that a writer’s job is to use the time of a
stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was
wasted. There are a lot of ways for a stranger to pass time these
days.</span></span></span></strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">That’s
right. There are all these other things to do with time. It used to
be people would wonder what the hell they were going to do for the
winter. [Laughs.] Then a big book would come out — a big, wonderful
book — and everybody would be reading it to pass the time. It was a
very primitive experiment, before television, where people would have
to look at ink on paper, for God’s sake. I myself grew up when
radio was very important. I’d come home from school and turn on the
radio. There were funny comedians and wonderful music, and there were
plays. I used to pass time with radio. Now, you don’t have to be
literate to have a nice time.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You’ve
stated that television is one of the most viable art forms in the
world today.</span></span></span></strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Well,
it is. It works like a dream. It’s a way to hold attention, and
it’s awfully good at that. For a lot of people, TV is life itself.
Churches used to provide people with better company than they had at
home, but now, no matter what your neighborhood life or family life
is like, you turn on the television and you get relatives, family. I
don’t know if you’ve heard about this, but scientists have
created baby geese that believe that an airplane is their mother.
Human beings will believe in all kinds of things that aren’t true,
and that’s okay. And TV is a part of that.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Is
there another book in you, by chance?</span></span></span></strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No.
Look, I’m 84 years old. Writers of fiction have usually done their
best work by the time they’re 45. Chess masters are through when
they’re 35, and so are baseball players. There are plenty of other
people writing. Let them do it.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So
what’s the old man’s game, then?</span></span></span></strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My
country is in ruins. So I’m a fish in a poisoned fishbowl. I’m
mostly just heartsick about this. There should have been hope. This
should have been a great country. But we are despised all over the
world now. I was hoping to build a country and add to its literature.
That’s why I served in World War II, and that’s why I wrote
books.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When
someone reads one of your books, what would you like them to take
from the experience?</span></span></span></strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Well,
I’d like the guy — or the girl, of course — to put the book
down and think, “This is the greatest man who ever lived.”
[Laughs.]</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><i>Leave
your thoughts in the comments!<br />Linda</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-28259827043772228742012-07-04T07:43:00.003-07:002012-07-05T06:02:22.114-07:00What should we write about?<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: small;">Guest
post by Paulina Czarnecki. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: small;">Bio:
<i>Hi! My name is Paulina Czarnecki. I’m fourteen and—obviously—I love to
write. I’m very excited to be guest-posting on TWFT. I also have my own blog at
<a href="http://www.paulinaczarnecki.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">www.paulinaczarnecki.<wbr></wbr>wordpress.com</a>.</i></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">When
I got the email saying I could write a post, my first question was,<i> “What
should I write about?” </i>If you’re going to write, you’re going to ask that
question. Because, let’s face it—most story plots don’t just <i>come </i>to
you. Most plots, you have to <i>catch.</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">A
lot of my early manuscripts were left unfinished because I lost interest or had
a new idea. I jumped from story to story. Now, I realize that’s because I never
had a solid story idea. All I had was the premise. A premise is that ‘Hey! What
if…’ moment writers have when they first have an idea for a book. Usually, that
premise isn’t enough to carry a writer through the whole story. Premise does
not equal plot.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Everyone
has different styles of writing, though. So if you like to sit down and write
whatever comes out of your fingers, and it works for you, perfect. Even so, you
have to think about what you’re writing.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Take
advantage of a quiet moment to develop your ideas. There will be holes in the
plot. So you should ask yourself: <i>Why </i>does the heroine do this? <i>How </i>does
the hero save her? <i>What </i>happens afterwards?</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Don’t
just wait for the answers to come to you. Actively ask questions and search for
the answers. The internet is useful for this—you can Google just about
anything, click on the hundredth result, and be inspired. You can also ask
others what they would do in the situation your hero is facing. You can play
out several different versions of a scene in your head and choose the one that
works best.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So,
my advice to you is: Chase after those stories! Be active rather than passive.
Find answers to your questions.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I
hope this helps you find your next plot.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">~Paulina</span></div>Racehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02152915853141020493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-14887299110209731532012-06-24T12:25:00.002-07:002012-06-24T12:30:32.101-07:00The NaNo Diaries: 004 (Or, Things I've Learned from Camp NaNo)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I've been reading self-help books for the longest time and one of their basic tenets that they drill into everyone's heads is to stop being so self-defeating; focus on what you do want and stop giving attention to the things that you don't want. Well seeing as I'm at a weak point (on my period and feel a need to eat everything in sight and watch old bad movies featuring characters with big hair), I will confess what I've been denying for the past week.<br />
I'm in a slump.<br />
But I swear I'll get back to productivity soon (soon!). I've been collecting notes on how to get out of a creative slump, but I'll update y'all when I really do get that big fat eureka! moment.<br />
<b><br />1. Do other creative things. </b>Just this Monday I bought my first set of acrylic tubes and a few canvases. I've been sketching what I want to paint and it's coming along better than story-brainstorming. There are times for pictures, and there are times for words. I'm happy doing either, and this is definitely better than sitting at my computer every day and squeezing words out of my veins.
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>2. Expose yourself to new influences, writing or otherwise. </b>I continually live in fear of losing my writing voice, but recently I've realized that's as silly as Lady Gaga's claims that she practices abstinence because she's afraid her creativity would be stolen out of her vagina (this is completely true). Voice isn't supposed to remain constant; voice needs to change. People have ups and downs in their lives, and voice needs to reflect that (<i>if you didn't have ups and downs, you'd be dead,</i> one Internet-based demotivational poster so kindly reminds me). Experiment with new visual, aural, or kinesthetic influences. If you've always liked Coldplay, why not try Wiz Khalifa? Because when you try and force yourself to write a certain way without success, it's probably a sign that your natural voice isn't like that anymore. </div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BzwrLqeRQkc/T8EvKk0MO4I/AAAAAAAAC1g/athvv8vxtDg/s320/Colorful-Examples-Watercolor-Paintings-Art-Marion-Bolognesi-New-york-06.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marion Bolognesi's art is visually stimulating!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">3. If it's characters you dread creating, work with what you have. </b><span style="background-color: white;">I'm still the new girl at school (in a town where everyone's moms have gone to high school together), so I feel like I only see one side of everyone. These people fascinate me, and I find myself writing stories that try and give me an answer for what they're like outside of school. The best thing is, I already have an image in my mind of what they look like, what they say, and what their quirks are<b>. </b>I have ready-made characters! And about that disclaimer that appears in all books (Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is <i>purely coincidental</i>)--that disclaimer is probably the biggest lie. Ever.<br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>4. Don't be afraid to stop working on ideas that no longer interest you. </b>I'm the INTP (Myers Briggs test) and we're the absentminded professor types who, once we understand how to solve a problem (and the theory behind an application), don't really go through with it. With that said, though, I think of myself as someone who chooses only the projects that have major promise. If you have a great new idea as you're working on another piece, pause to work on the new idea. If creativity is just about connecting the lines where others don't see it, then doing this will only nurture your creativity and make your writing better.<br />
<br />
Linda</div>
</div>lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-92118886180092898642012-06-20T18:29:00.002-07:002012-06-20T18:30:52.602-07:00The NaNo Diaries: 003Letter to my 12 year-old self:<br />
<br />
Dear Race (circa 2003),<br />
<br />
Hola! Guess who? You! Yes that's right. It is you, talking to you.<br />
<br />
Proof: I know that you live in the tiniest town in the world, and you know it too. The most fun you ever have is when you get to wander around the book section at K-Mart and smell all the pretty novels.<br />
<br />
But then, I guess that's a lie. You have a lot of fun in your head. You've probably already destroyed the lawn with a path from the door to behind the garage, through the garden and back again. You love to pace endlessly on that loop and get lost in your head. Pretty sure Mom thinks you're crazy. But how could Mom know how easy it is to lose hours a day living out the lives of so many fictional people in your mind?<br />
<br />
This is the year you'll start writing those stories down in earnest. Sure, you've been writing for the past five years. But now, instead of following prompts and writing short fiction, you're going to write one of your novel-ish length stories for your mom (Psst... give it to her for Christmas. She'll love it.). I admit nothing ever comes of that book about the poor girl, an awful lot like you, who is forced to go live with her father in that huge mansion with his cute dog and the strange girl who buries things under that huge pine tree. But you'll get a great reader, your homeschooling evaluator, who will write a few major words on the cover page: <i>you should pursue publication</i>.<br />
<br />
I can't say you'll be successful in that. It's been 9 years and I (we) haven't been pubbed yet. That means we sadly aren't on any bestseller lists. But you do get representation! The awesome Natalie Fischer (eventually Natalie Lakosil) is going to love your book and you'll jump a major hurdle. Plus you have a fabulous idea rolling around your head in my time. You need to do some research on it. Remember to never forget the research.<br />
<br />
The years between your "now" and my "now" are going to be tough for you. You are going to get sick, and then better, and then sick again, back and forth. But you'll power through. And you'll use that experience, as you'll use every experience you ever have, to make your writing better. Never give up, never dwell on anything for too long. Just use it to make your novels sing. It will pay off.<br />
<br />
Peace out,<br />
<br />
Future Race, age 21. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Racehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02152915853141020493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848503835638329281.post-77197142799659326272012-06-19T23:53:00.001-07:002012-06-20T18:41:38.307-07:00The NaNo Diaries: 002Letter To My Twelve-Year Old Self<br />
<strike>(did this instead of story 002 today. i never got around to writing story 002...awk)</strike><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.blckdmnds.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/365q8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://www.blckdmnds.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/365q8.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Julian Bialowas.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Dear Linda, Age 12:<br />
<br />
Before you ask the big question, I'll answer it: we're n o t famous. We haven't been published. And it's a good thing, too, because sometimes it's painful to read what you wrote with a straight face. (<span style="background-color: white;">Oh, and about how you keep using the word erudite: I don't think it means what you think it means.)</span><span style="background-color: white;"> Y</span><span style="background-color: white;">ou wrote all that stuff about sixteen-year-olds driving and doing drugs and I'm reading what you wrote and <br />I'm laughing out loud. Because I just got my permit this January. I don't drink. I don't party. I'm probably not gonna drive until I'm 21. </span><span style="background-color: white;">It's weird: I became the </span><span style="background-color: white;">exact </span><span style="background-color: white;">antithesis </span><span style="background-color: white;">of the girl we wanted to be. </span><span style="background-color: white;">But I won't have it </span><span style="background-color: white;">any </span><span style="background-color: white;">other </span><span style="background-color: white;">way.</span><br />
Our mom finally got us push-up bras, we got our period, we're not lesbian, and we're reasonably attractive. Boys actually like us now. So it doesn't really suck to be us anymore.<br />
You're homesick but let me tell you that in the South, you will meet some of the best friends that you will ever have. You will learn Southern charm. Etiquette. How to stand up for something you believe in. <br />
(How to be a human being.)<br />
Jenna S. hates you, I know. But she's not going to do so well in high school--so let her enjoy her moment. And when I think about it, seventh grade is miserable but you're still <span style="background-color: white;">pretty </span><span style="background-color: white;">freakin' </span><span style="background-color: white;">lucky.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">There are worse things, much worse, that you'll have to go through. Two of your friends will pass away in the same year. But I want you to keep on writing, keep on creating. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">It never really heals. You just get to the point that it gets bearable and you don't feel like you're going to choke on your own heartbeat in your throat.</span><span style="background-color: white;">You might not think you're ready for this, but the truth is that </span><span style="background-color: white;">no </span><span style="background-color: white;">one </span><span style="background-color: white;">ever is. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Spend more time with our parents. Don't quit piano to spite them. Put in that extra 10 percent of effort even when you think it won't make a difference, </span><span style="background-color: white;">because it does. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Look for the beauty in others and take time to appreciate the humanity still left in man<i>un</i>kind (as e.e. cummings once put it). <br />Tell the people you love just <i>how</i> much they mean to you while they can still hear you. And don't <br />live for anyone else. Because we think we have so much time left<br /><br />.<br /><br />.<br /><br />.<br /><br />and we don't.</span><br />
One last thing.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">We're going to be okay. <br />I know it.<br /><br />Love,<br />Linda, age 17</span>lindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11803891715903660977noreply@blogger.com0