Mannequins

Out here in Los Angeles it is hot (100 degrees) and smokey (from fires). The La Canada - Flintridge fire is kicking up all kinds of atomic-bomb looking mushroom clouds that are settling over the mountains like end-of-the-world size ice cream scoops. The fire is about 15 miles away from us, but I know that fellow Californian and writer Tina Ferraro (The ABC's of Kissing Boys, Delacorte) was evacuated. Thoughts are with you, Tina!

Stupidly, I went outside and ran three miles this morning. I'll probably cough up some weird-looking stuff later. It's been over 100 degrees for four straight days, so I've held off on exercising. Then two days ago the fires really kicked up and smoke engulfed the sky and today it has all come together in a white-hot Armageddon image. But this morning, I needed to run. So I did. I coughed a little, but the sweat was worth it.

Later in the morning, to stay indoors and out of the heat and smoke, we went shopping. So we were standing in Gap Kids and Wife was looking at clothes, and suddenly Blondie started whimpering and backing into a rack of dresses. Finally, she wrapped herself in a long black dress and hid. She peeked out and her bottom lip started trembling and then she went into full-on flip-out mode. Tears and pointing and more tears. What was she pointing at?

A mannequin.

She finally said, "I want to carry you," which translates to, "I want you to carry me," in Blondie language.

So Blondie is now scared of mannequins. And every store we went to, Eddie Bauer, American Eagle, Macy's (this store has like 700 mannequins per 1000 square feet), Gap, the usual mall collection of retailers, Blondie stood outside the front doors and screamed to be picked up, like she was entering some kind of mannequin-filled haunted house. Then, as we walked around the stores, she clung to my neck with her head on my shoulder. Daughter's head on your shoulder, not so bad, but after five stores it starts to get old and your arms begin to shake.

No words or explanations helped the situation. Not even the time I said, "Sweetie, they're mannequins and they're not real. They're plastic, like all your toys at home."

Blondie just whimpered some more and said, "Mannequins are toys?"

"Yes!" I said. "Mannequins are toys!"

That only lasted for one store, then Blondie was back to her old new-self, whimpering with her head on my shoulder.

Kids.

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Moral #1: Kids change. From day to day. From hour to hour.

Moral #2: Mannequins are toys.

Moral #3: When you're two and a half, even the mall can be a scary place.

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Running: feeling good, averaging 12-15 miles per week.

Writing: revising second half of middle grade novel, first 15 pages sent to editor from SCBWI summer conference.

School: prep week!

There Is No Title to This Post

For the last couple weeks I've been revising my middle grade novel CROSSING CHALK. Tomorrow is my first unofficial day back to school and Blondie (she's two) is coming with me. She'll play on the floor and in the desks while I unpack boxes and setup my new classroom. Who knows how much work I'll get done, probably not much. There's a playground near my room, but it could be 100 degrees in Calabasas (sight of school). This is the third classroom I've had in four years. The school has been under construction for a while, new high school, new theater, new library, new college counseling center, new cafe. It's exciting, but moving classrooms is never fun. The only good thing? New carpet smell.

I'm getting as much revising done as possible before school begins (September 8th). I've restructured the first several chapters and dialed in the point of view (third person). I've also incorporated many recurring elements. I work quickly as is, but I'm not forcing the process. I used to loathe revising, but in the last six months or so I've been enjoying it. There's something about making each draft better that's just as fulfilling as laying down a first draft.

Yesterday I picked up a few books from the local library. Lucky Breaks, by Susan Patron & Counter Clockwise, by Jason Cockcroft, both written in third person. After staring at the cover of Counter Clockwise, I can only wonder what the author's friends call him, that is, what's his nickname? I'd bet against "Jay."

Cartoons & Revisions

Castle! Ocean! Red rock!

Castle! Ocean! Red rock!

Dora is playing on the tele right now and I'm about to pull out my eyebrow hairs one by one with a pair of tweezers. That's how bad listening to it hurts. Blondie is sick, fever and horrible cough, so it's only fair that she gets a little down time. That's what I would be doing if I felt like that. Her wrinkled face tells me that walking hurts. I feel sorry for her but kids are resilient so she'll bounce back within the next 48.

Last night I slept on the couch in Blondie's room. Once an hour she woke up in a coughing fit. Every time I had to peel back my fleece blanket, pull myself up from the cushions, and rub her back while assuring her that, though it felt like it, her head wasn't actually going to explode.

Yesterday at the doctor's office the nurse did a swab test and the results showed no flu and no strep, so Blondie will have to deal with a cough that sounds like a rottweiler's bark for a few more days. Consequently, Wife or I will be assigned to The Couch with the Fleece Blanket and Design Made for Sitting, Not Sleeping.

Ahhh, much better.

Dora has exited through the jungle and now Olivia is on. Olivia is based on the Caldecott Honor book by Ian Falconer, who somehow was able to write a book about my daughter, right down to bargaining how many stories to read before bedtime. Wife and I aren't much on the tele, but when you're sick and can't bring yourself to turn the page of a book, the tube entertains, at least for a while.

Writing:

We just returned from a three day beach trip to San Diego (Mission Beach). It was nice to get away from my middle grade manuscript. I've been revising with focus on:

1. POV (limited plus)

2. Elements (making elements recur to make a complete world)

3. Character development (how many scenes, static or diverse, how do they change)

I'm tackling these aspects one at a time. It's a slow process, but that's why it's called a process. There's one editor from the conference I'd like to send the manuscript to, but it's not ready. When it is ready, then I'll decide. The editor's open to 15 pages max. but you only get one shot.

Also, I'm still throwing up notes from the SCBWI summer conference. I'll be posting those later today or tomorrow.

Yesterday I received a brief complimentary email from Arthur A. Levine. For one day he was in the Scene Building Workshop at the SCBWI conference. Though I didn't meet him, he somehow read my recent conference posts and liked them.

Note to writers: It pays to blog (v.) or to have a blog (n.).

SCBWI Summer Conference Wrap-Up

Days three and four were good and bad. Good, because the quality of speeches, information, and anecdotes stayed as good or became better. Bad, because sitting for the better part of four consecutive days causes your blood to stall out in your veins, leaving your mind soaking up input like a dried out sponge. With all the incomings turning your brain cells to jello, progressing a conversation with someone can take maximum effort. At times I yawned when I meant to nod and stared off in the distance when I meant to smile and say, "I totally agree."

Nonetheless, the SCBWI Summer Conference is an event every writer for children and young adults must attend. Here's why:

Lin Oliver & Steve Musser (the kind of people you want at Thanksgiving dinner)

Master Classes (mine was Scene Building with Linda Sue Park, who gave me a bag full of golden nuggets to take home. I now have a month of revising ahead of me, at least. Hi, Linda!)

The Golden Kite Awards

The Blue Moon Ball (I went with two other critique group members as blue cheese heads. WE also passed out glow necklaces. Elizabeth and Dee, great times!)

Meeting electronic (now real-life) friends Ben Esch and Chris Rylander. (good to be around, in the words of Ben Esch, "like-minded folks.")

Meeting Linda Sue Park & Tina Ferraro (wonderful people and writers, and the name Ferraro is just awesome)

Meeting Diana Barker Price (fellow reader and writer, Hi, Diana!)

Keynote Speeches by:

Sherman Alexie

Richard Peck

David Wiesner (illustrator)

Karen Cushman

Ellen Hopkins

Dan Yaccarino

Holly Black

Elizabeth Law (editor at Egmont USA; one of my favorite speeches, love her!)

Dinah Stevenson (editor at Clarion)

Ingrid Law

Kathleen Duey

This lineup was incredible and inspiring, covering topics from craft to fantasy writing to picture books to taking advantage of networking opportunities in a professional way. (Some people need to hear the networking spiel again... and again. During one workshop a guy stood up and directed a question at the agent on the panel, "When can we have lunch?" the guy said. Really? Seriously? You think this is a good way to go about this? I shook my head along with everyone else.)

There were other speakers but these were the ones who stayed with me after they left the podium. They offered advice, but not too much. They talked about their journeys to publication, but in a way that encourages. They told funny stories, they told serious stories. They made you laugh and made you grin with admiration. They referenced people in the room and people watching from the clouds. They spilled their hearts to their other family. A family that gets them in a way others don't.

The SCBWI.

Post Conference Plan: I'm regurgitating my notes and rewriting them, so three months from now I don't forget the pieces of gold I took home. Good idea, right? I can't take credit. I'm only doing it because Kathleen Duey, the final keynote speaker, said so. And since we're part of the same family, I trust her.

SCBWI Summer Conference - Day Two

Today I felt more comfortable, more knowledgeable to the surroundings of the Century City Hyatt, the flow, coffee station locations, you know, the important stuff. Linda Sue Park continues to inspire me in the Scene Building Workshop. Day two's topic was POV. It's like she surveyed me before coming to the conference and is approaching topics that I need help with. Some of this you will already know perhaps with the exception of third person LIMITED PLUS, a term Linda uses for the POV she used in her Newbery winning middle grade novel A SINGLE SHARD.

POV:

When thinking about POV, think about this: Who holds the camera in your story?

First Person - one character holds the camera (use the pronoun "I"); the most difficult POV to write, in Linda Sue Park's opinion. She has published two books using first person.

Third Person: (he, she, it)

omniscient - an unlimited amount of cameras

limited - one character holds the camera

limited plus - one character holds the camera, PLUS you get to use a MAGIC CAMERA.

Example of LIMITED PLUS POV: The potter stared at the boy for a long moment. At last Min seemed to make up his mind about something, and when he spoke again, his voice had lost the sharpest edge of its anger.

MAGIC CAMERA: The potter stared at the boy for a long moment. (a camera looking at the boy and the potter)

TREE-EAR (main character) POV: At last Min seemed to make up his mind about something, and when he spoke again, his voice had lost the sharpest edge of its anger.

Thinking in CAMERA terms can be useful for those who struggle with POV.

Also: Every author's POV will slip, no book is perfect. We've looked at plenty of examples in novel excerpts. It's all in how much you slip, a little or a lot, that affects your story good or bad.

SCBWI Summer Conference - Day One

Sherman Alexie is ridiculously funny and talented. This guy has inspiration oozing from his ears and coming out his mouth in the form of entertaining words. Not a bad outcome for a poor, sick kid who grew up on the rez. His speech was worth the price of admission and ended, deservingly, in a standing ovation.

His theme: TRAPPED. Kids, rich and poor, are trapped in their world and choices are being made for them. His coinciding theme: TOUCH. No matter how many books you sell, hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousands, your story will touch at least one person and it will speak to them in ways you can only imagine. And if your story touches one person, then what more could you ask for. Nothing.

I'm enrolled in the Scene Building Master Class headed by Linda Sue Park. There are about 25 of us in the class, including Newbery winner Susan Patron and Arthur A. Levine, head of his namesake imprint of Scholastic. Highlights thus far:

Scene Encapsulation - think in scenes, not full story, not chapters, but scenes. You should be able to summarize your scene in one sentence, not more. No ands or semi-colons allowed. This really helps focus your scene's purpose.

Two types of scenes - Progress & Impediment

Less frequently is a change in setting or environment. More frequently is a change in character.

Choice C is many times better than A or B.

Other highlights:

A lady sitting next to me in the afternoon workshop read People magazine the whole time. Way to go, Lady. Way to waste $500 in this economy. You could've donated your money to charity or someone who really needs it.

I introduced myself to Dan Lazar of Writers House. He looked at me like I had four eyes and two noses.

More awkward encounters to come....

Crossing Problems at the SCBWI Summer Conference

I will be attending the Annual SCBWI Summer Conference here in Los Angeles from August 7-10. I'll also be blogging during the conference so you can get all the updates you need here or here. This will be my first conference and, lucky me, I don't even have to fly anywhere. However, I do have to battle LA morning rush hour, which I predict will fall somewhere between brushing your teeth with steel wool and walking naked through a thorny rose garden.

For one hour each morning, I'll be in a Scene-Building Masters Class headed by Newbery winner Linda Sue Park. She has emailed four novel excerpts to the 26 workshoppers to bring along as teaching tools, and in addition we have to show up with at least the first 50 pages of our manuscripts. (One of the requirements for the class was a completed middle grade or young adult novel.) I'm bringing along CROSSING CHALK, my first and only completed middle grade novel, in hopes of looking at it with a fresh eye and improving it to the point where an agent or editor loves it to death.

(Someone just phoned from downstairs. It's FedEx. That means my new Macbook and free iPod touch [it pays to teach.... sometimes] just arrived. A new writing machine! Guess what I'll be doing the rest of the day? Not writing, but figuring out how to transfer everything from old Mac to new one, including a gazillion pictures, mostly of Blondie.)

Over the past year, I've received a good percentage of requests for CROSSING CHALK, about 20 total (including requests for first three chapters, partials, fulls) but no one has - to take the words out of so many agents' mouths - fallen in love with it. I know the manuscript is not perfect and has its flaws, but I've gotten so much feedback at this point from peers and crit groupers (fantastic feedback) that I don't know where to turn. I know the answers lie within myself, but I've worked and worked and just can't get it right. The good thing is, I've never felt like giving up, and I won't rest until it's sitting on bookshelves. I think one main problem is voice. A solution might be to rekey the entire novel and write it with the more mature, savvy brain I now have after learning so much during the first time around.

After the conference is over, I'm giving CROSSING CHALK one more go, then I'm putting it away for a while, like Stephen King says to. I haven't read the manuscript in over 3 months so I'm hoping that has helped me see more clearly.

Stay tuned for SCBWI Summer Conference Updates. I'll be posting a summation of the workshops I attend, including the Scene Building Class, but more importantly I'll be posting about the people I meet. I'm not going to this conference to be withdrawn, dark, and writerly, those days are long gone. I'm also not shooting to be overly annoying. Who wants to be that person? Somewhere there is a happy medium. And I know from reading hundreds of agent and editor blogs that these days the publishing pros want someone like this:

1. a person who can write well and tell intriguing stories (writing that blows you away)
2. someone who is open-minded and flexible
3. someone they can work with and not lose their hair while doing so
4. someone who's interesting and has personality

After all, what school wants to book a boring, intellectual-type author to come inspire students to write? Not mine.

Off to open box from FedEx sent from Apple via China (rubbing hands together and plotting technological learning curve).

Ade (another example of my German-speaking progress).