KidLit Quote of the Week #1

I've decided to do a weekly post in which I share one of the countless quotes I've collected about writing and books. I'll focus on quotes by children's authors, quotes by others about writing/creativity that I think can apply to writing for kids, and passages from children's books.

Why start this now? How about "Because it's Tuesday." It'll be fun!

This inaugural KLQOTW is by an author I admire for his versatility and inspirational personal story. I saw him speak at either an IRA or NCTE conference in the 1990s (ah, the books* he signed for me say the year was 1997), and his advice on finding success as a children's writer is timeless:

"Stay out of the refrigerator, read good books, steal good ideas, develop good writing habits, and marry wealthy."

—Jack Gantos

Good one, huh. And in a Universe-is-funny COMPLETE coincidence, I saw after I wrote this post that Mr. Gantos's latest book, Dead End in Norvelt, releases in hardcover today.** I will be buying that soon!


*Jack's New Power and Desire Lines
**A little synchronicity report for Artist's Way lovers.

Book a Virtual Visit with Skype Authors and Help Fund Education Charities!

Just in time to celebrate "back to school," I am thrilled to help spread the word about Skype Authors!

This newly launched author group offers virtual visits to schools, book clubs, and, really, any organization looking for an easy and inexpensive way to host an author talk. (And, yes, I'm one of the authors — and I am so pleased to be in such excellent company.)

Suzanne Williams formed the network to benefit schools right here in the U.S. — while adding the goal of raising money to help support education efforts worldwide. To that end, each of us at Skype Authors has pledged to donate 25 percent of our virtual-visit fees booked through our site to a select charity each school year.

For the 2011–2012 season, we've chosen to contribute to Camfed, an organization that supports girls' education initiatives in Africa. Watch this brief introductory video about Camfed's mission to see why, as narrator Morgan Freeman says, "When you educate a young rural girl, you give her a voice."



Would your school or organization like to book a Skype Authors virtual talk for HALF OFF the regular fee? You can if you win our Half and Half Contest running through October 1! All you have to do is surf over to our site and comment on this September 6 blog entry. Two lucky commenters chosen at random will receive a half-off Skype visit — and the entire half-priced fee you pay will be donated to Camfed!

I'm excited to be part of this new venture, and I hope to see you on the online video phone soon.

Every Day. Every Day. Every Day.

Can you tell that I'm starting to reconnect with this blog? I can  feel that connection reforming, and that makes me smile. I wasn't sure it would come back, to be honest — but I thought it could, hoped it would. My affinity for blogging seems to be creeping back in naturally, which I view as a positive.

I do know why this is happening, and the reason is pretty straightforward: because I've been writing. You know, I almost added just there "writing with a capital W," but that's not what this is. It's writing in lowercase. writingwritingwriting.

Writing with the Cap on is something I've done, and like mad, for the past several+ years now. But that writing has been my WorkWriting. Which, on so many fronts, is the same dang thing as writingwritingwriting while also managing to be completely different. The need to writewritewrite on my own — for my own satisfaction, life processing, and growth — is part of my makeup. WorkWriting is part of my (enjoyable) writer-editor Job. If I had to, I could pick another job type and be just fine.  But I couldn't do any other job or actually be myself without writingwritingwriting — not for the long haul, anyway.

So, now, after, oh, let's say a three-and-a-half-year pregnant pause, I feel like a part of me has come back to life. I did P-L-A-N in early 2009 to force such a return to Me and my writing-for-life ways, but apparently that sort of scheme does not work, no matter how serious you are about it (and I was deadly so). Good to know.

Proof that my real writer's self is re-emerging? Right now I'm in the middle — yes, the honest-to-goodness smack-dab MIDDLE — of writing a YA historical novel that's been wanting me to write it for a very long time. It's loosely based on an 1890s family that first captured my interest in the 1990s. After writing an article about them, I filed away the research thinking I'd someday take a deeper look with a proper book-length work. Adult nonfiction, I assumed. (I wasn't yet writing for children, nor had I even considered that I might.)

In the later 90s there was a day (literally) where the possibility of my writing a chapter book on the family was real. I had a contract to write several titles of my choosing, and I considered lobbying for this subject matter. Ultimately, though, I decided to save it for later to write something-I-didn't-know-what that would feel special enough to do the idea justice. For a time in the early aughts I thought maybe a screenplay was the way to go (ha! that went nowhere). Then, in 2009, I had my a-ha moment (please don't tell Oprah I said that w/o asking), during which I realized that this baby had to be a YA novel, both for its own sake and mine.

Since figuring out what the project should be, I've started the writing a few times: Tentatively in 2009 (my nonwriting life derailed it with one swift kick); enthusiastically but misguidedly in 2010 (wrong POV, too many characters competing for main, my heart and mind still focused elsewhere); and then again this spring-into-summer of 2011, when I restarted from near scratch and promptly — and gratefully — managed to hit my stride.

Now that Fall 2011 is knocking, I have zero qualms about saying . . .

This thing is happening. 

I think it couldn't happen before because (a) I wasn't ready to risk it, and (b) it actually WAS happening all along. Oh, I know. Sorry. Bear with me, if you can.

What I mean about that "b" is that this book is part of me. Its inspiration has been keeping me company for nearly 20 years. It was with me before I knew for sure what I was going to be in this life. Perhaps some part of me wanted to keep it safe until I found that out — so that I'd know for sure what it should be. Whatever else was going on, I never didn't want to write the book. So the way I see it,  Somehow, something was always brewing to further the project.

This book is like every other book I've written, except that I've been writing this one every day. Every day. Every day. And no matter what happens with it when I'm done — will it sink? or possibly stink? — I know that the constant companionship it has given me makes the whole experience valuable enough that I'll feel happy with the result, whatever it is or isn't, and wherever it takes me or doesn't.

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Dearest readers: Whether you read that whole post or simply skipped ahead to see if I did indeed embed the video of every writer-of-a-certain-age's favorite writing-struggles song reference, I salute you.

Please now enjoy — with my compliments — Elvis Costello and the Attractions singing "Everyday I Write the Book" from Punch the Clock.

Stay Tuned

That's right, this is just a teaser.

Two minutes ago I started a separate post to share what's been going on in my little corner of the writing world. I really thought I'd keep that one pithy enough to publish posthaste, but that is not how things went down. A different idea for how to approach it sprang to mind, and I wanna do that!

So, instead of a "Hey, guess what I've been up to?" type blog, I will come back sometime next week with a post that will be all "This is what I think what I've been up to means to me."

Change Happens, Yes It Does

I've decided I'd better BLOG something before a squatter takes over this empty space. In other words: (Have Been) Gone But (Have) Not Forgotten.

Still a writer. Still writing. Still interested in the topics of writing, children's literature, publishing, freelancing, and so on and so forth. Still interested in blogging about all of it.

But, see, I've been going through a growth spurt (creative! professional! personal!) for a while now, and that spurt has made me step back and often feel unable to quite "get to" topics that fit within my blog's themes without also talking about the attendant growing pains I've been feeling. I think that's because so much of my energy has been focused on processing the growth and accepting that change happens — like, at all. Apparently I can do that processing and work (for food) at the same time, but I really can't do it all while blogging (for my entertainment) with any regularity or sense of purpose.

The good news is that I've re-emerged (same me, really, just different) and planted my feet back on the ground. I suppose I could have said "planted my hands back on the keyboard," but they never actually left it. I can feel them there again, though, and that's the kind of change I can get behind and keep pushing up my own little hill.

See you back here, and soon!

You're Invited to SCBWI WWA's Spring Inside Story!

It's time for SCBWI Western Washington's always-lively Spring Inside Story salon!

Tomorrow night at 6:30, 15 Seattle-area children's authors and illustrators will present and sign their latest books at University Bookstore in Bellevue. I'll be there to introduce The Sun, a book from my 10-title Space Neighbors series.

SCBWI sends invitations to about 300 librarians, booksellers, teachers, and media types — but, naturally, everyone is welcome. If you love and/or create kids' books, you'll enjoy the evening. Attendees get to hear "the story behind the story" associated with each featured book, shop for their favorites, meet local authors/illustrators, and support independent bookstores. Oh, and by the way, the party includes both SNACKS and PRIZES. What's not to love?

Hope to see you there — it's gonna be fun!

Nonfiction Monday Roundup — April 4, 2011

It's Nonfiction Monday in the KidLitosphere (don't act like you didn't know!), and I'm hosting this week's roundup of themed blog posts right here on my blog.

So, if you have reviewed or otherwise written about a nonfiction book for children, blogged about your own nonfiction writing for kids, or blogged about anything else related to kids' nonfiction, please comment today! Be sure to include a link to your post, and I will add your information to the roundup below.

I'll periodically update the list throughout the day, starting early-ish this morning (Pacific Time) — soon after I've plopped myself in front of my computer for the workday. Looking forward to seeing some great blogs!

Nonfiction Monday Blog Roundup

1. Check out Jeff Barger's review of Hail! Ancient Greeks by Jen Green.
2. Shelf-employed has reviewed the audiobook Meat-Eating Plants and Other Extreme Plant Life.
3. Madigan Reads reviews Jo S. Kittinger's picture book Rosa's Bus.
4. A Nation's Hope: The Story of Joe Louis by Matt de la Pena (illustrated by Kadir Nelson) is reviewed at Abby the Librarian.
5. Scrub-a-Dub Tub reviews Steve Spangler's Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes: Unforgettable Experiments That Make Science Fun.
6. Visit Wild About Nature for a review — and giveaway! — of At the Sea Floor Cafe: Odd Ocean Critter Poems by Leslie Bulion.
7. Books, Dogs, and Frogs discusses fun food books today.
8. Read Lawral the Librarian's review of Scribbling Women at Lucy Was Robbed.
9. Lori Calabrese reviews Where Do Recyclable Materials Go? by Sabbithry Persad.
10. Jeanne Harvey's Astro the Stellar Sea Lion is reviewed at Jean Little Library.
11. Pink Me reviews Can I See Your I.D.? True Stories of False Identities by Chris Barton.
12. Anastasia Suen introduces the chapter book You Can't Wear These Genes and the picture book Play Ball, Jackie!
13. Wrapped in Foil reviews Kathryn O. Galbraith's Planting the Wild Garden.
14. Lori Mortensen's Come See the Earth Turn: The Story of Leon Foucault is highlighted at True Tales & A Cherry on Top.
15. Books 4 Learning reviews Ocean Seasons by Ron Hirschi.
16. Author Shirley Duke discusses her new book You Can't Wear These Genes at Nonfiction Book Blast. 
17. Head over to Apples with Many Seeds for a look at Genghis Khan: 13th Century Mongolian Tyrant by Enid A. Goldberg.
18. Janet Squires reviews Peggy Caravantes's Best of Times: The Story of Charles Dickens. 
19. Read about the book Written in Bone at Amy O'Quinn's blog. 
20. BookMoot reviews Ultimate Guide to Basketball: Facts, Stats, Stars, and Stuff by James Buckley, Jr. 
21. Featured over at Writing and Ruminations is Kelly Fineman's review of the Poetry Basics four-book series by Valerie Bodden. 

Introducing Space Neighbors — My New Picture Book Series!

It is Nonfiction Monday in the KidLitosphere, and I am thrilled to announce that my latest picture book series has officially launched! It's called Space Neighbors, and its 10 nonfiction titles about the solar system were a joy to work on.

The 10 books are Earth, The Sun, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Pluto and Other Dwarf Planets, Saturn, Uranus, and Venus.

This project marked my first time writing for Child's World. The work involved some fast-and-furious research — and even faster/furiouser writing. I signed my contract in July 2010 and by September 2010, all 10 manuscripts had been written, revised, approved, and shipped off to design.

I'm not sure I can even tell you what else went on in my life during the initial writing phase of the project, but let me think on that for a minute. Hmm . . . well . . . oh wait, yes, I do know exactly what else I did: Not a thing. Or, if you like, no other things. Which is, as you know, aka NOTHING.

I was a writing fool. And anyone who talked to me then probably remembers me as a plain-old fool-fool, too. My brain was so focused on the writing that forming intelligible sentences with my mouth was frequently challenging.

In all seriousness, keeping up with the surprising-to-me influx of late-breaking solar system news was a full-time job in itself. I do a ton of nonfiction work, but typically I write about historical figures (dead), landmark events (over) and already-well-understood concepts (long fully processed). The pressure to get it right reminded me of my stint as a reporter back in the early 1990s. With this work, as happened then, my burning desire to provide the most current and the most accurate information possible really made me sweat. And lose sleep. Despite my overall satisfaction with the project — now that the work is but a memory — I can't say that I would ever again consent to working on so many titles in such a short window of time. But I can say that I am quite pleased with how my Space Neighbors babies turned out.

This series is presented in a photo-illustrated format, and each book is just stunning. I've added all 10 covers here, and you can explore the books' innards at the publisher's site. The series page lists the full set — just click on the "Read excerpt" text from any given title's page to scroll through several spreads. It looks to me like a few excerpts actually feature the entire book, so that's a great way to really see what you're getting before you buy.

Space Neighbors titles are currently available individually and in set form from the publisher (*cough, cough* better prices *cough, cough*) and online through Amazon.

Hoping the books make it into eager young readers' hands — and many thousands of libraries — soon!

Good Grammar, Bad Grammar — Both Work for Me

It occurs to me today that I owe my career to the simple process of creating a well-constructed sentence. It has taken me from reporter to proofreader to copyeditor to editor to writer to author. How lucky am I?

The nitty-gritty details of truly working with words aren't of particular interest to most outside the field. But give me a blank page to fill or someone else's manuscript to hone, and I am happy to do what I do best: shape and polish, write and revise — in other words, use the guiding principles of English grammar to craft language that effectively communicates the intended message to its audience.

Yes, there's quite a bit more going on than "just" grammar in any piece of writing or editing. But if you take grammar out of either one, well . . . you can't do that.

I am grateful for my work. And that is reason enough for me to celebrate National Grammar Day.

If all goes well, Good Grammar, Bad Grammar, and I will continue finding satisfying ways to collaborate until one of us expires.

I sincerely hope, of course, that I am the first of our happy trio to go.

SCBWI WWA's Regional Conference Is Coming Up!

Word on the Interwebs is that very few registration spots remain for SCBWI Western Washington's 20th annual spring conference.

The volunteers running this chapter work so hard to offer exceptional events, and the spring conference has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. I'm not always able to attend, but it is always worth it when I do. I love having the opportunity to take the kidlit industry's pulse, see my writer friends (and make new ones), network with other industry colleagues, and learn a thing or two about writing . . . or marketing . . . or whatever manuscript I'm working on at the time.

This year's conference takes place April 16–17 at the Marriott Redmond Town Center. The guest faculty includes these notables (and so many more):

• SCBWI International's Executive Director Lin Oliver
• authors Holly Black, Emily Jenkins E. Lockhart and Deborah Wiles 
• author-illustrator Dan Santat 
• editorial and art director guests from such houses as Greenwillow Books, Candlewick Press, and Simon & Schuster
• agents from several firms with names-you-know

The registration cap is 400, and as of this morning they had just 12 spots left. So . . .

Sign up, already. And maybe I'll see you there!