In less than 20 hours, I'll be with my two sisters—one my sister by blood and the other my sister by choice, but both my best friends in the world. Gwen and Tammy have never met, so I'm way excited for them to get to know each other rather than just know each other through me. This is also Tammy's first time to Chicago, which means I get to play tour guide in one of my favorite cities in the world.
Packing/laundering/cleaning is a pain, and I'm terrified to leave behind the excessive amount of work I have. But even that can't keep me from wanting to jump out of my skin in anticipation. God really knew what he was doing when her created sister—there's nothing better in the world.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Nation Book Festival Day 2: Finding Friends within the Pages
This was the first time in its ten-year history that the National Book Festival extended into a second day, and the bibliophile in me couldn't have been happier. It didn't matter that I was being eaten alive my mosquitoes and sunburned and sweating worse than...well, I won't even go there. All I knew is that I was going to meet one of my childhood heroes, the woman who made Arthurian legend come alive: Susan Cooper.
Sure, I got my copy of War Dances signed by Sherman Alexie (he signed my copy of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian a few years ago), and I got to see the Magic School Bus in real life, but it was listening to the men and woman who changed my life—the authors who introduced me to some of my greatest friends—that really made my day.
After Brian Selznick's talk gushing about Hugo Cabret being adapted to film, it was fascinating to listen to Susan Cooper talk about her opposite experience with The Dark Is Rising/The Seeker. But mostly I loved sitting just feet away from one of my writing heroes. Cooper rarely makes public appearances anymore, so I never expected to hear her speak. Her books have an amazing sense of place, and she easily builds relationships with her readers though she writes mostly fantasy. I could gush about her all day, but I'll spare you.
I only caught the end of Patricia McKissack's talk, but she was so sweet and delightful. And the way she spoke about her family—especially her husband—made me want to adopt them all.
I'm not sure why I was surprised by how much I loved Gary Schmidt, but I think he was my favorite speaker. The way he talked about the importance of books to the development of children literally had me in tears, and his dedication to the writing craft is awe-inspiring. He talk about how we "throw kids away" by not trusting them with the beautiful things in life, and while relationships and love are the most amazing things in the world, "they are not promised." Yet if we provide children with the power of words, they can make sense of the horrors that so often surround us. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about all the amazing things he said.
I love that I live in a country where we celebrate books and literacy. Though we still struggle to help kids understand the importance of reading, and far too often our education system fails to provide young adults with the tools they need for success, events like these give me hope. They fill my well and strengthen my desire to make a difference. I hope you can join me on The National Mall next year to celebrate the wonders of reading.
P.S. Happy Banned Book Week! Exercise your First Amendment rights and read.
Sure, I got my copy of War Dances signed by Sherman Alexie (he signed my copy of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian a few years ago), and I got to see the Magic School Bus in real life, but it was listening to the men and woman who changed my life—the authors who introduced me to some of my greatest friends—that really made my day.
After Brian Selznick's talk gushing about Hugo Cabret being adapted to film, it was fascinating to listen to Susan Cooper talk about her opposite experience with The Dark Is Rising/The Seeker. But mostly I loved sitting just feet away from one of my writing heroes. Cooper rarely makes public appearances anymore, so I never expected to hear her speak. Her books have an amazing sense of place, and she easily builds relationships with her readers though she writes mostly fantasy. I could gush about her all day, but I'll spare you.
"It's a special connection between the writer and the kids who live within the pages like she has. We've become friends because of the books we've shared."
I only caught the end of Patricia McKissack's talk, but she was so sweet and delightful. And the way she spoke about her family—especially her husband—made me want to adopt them all.
"You don't have to write memos when you're married to your co-author. You can wake up in the middle of the night and say, 'I've got it!' and he can say, 'Well, get it in the morning.'"
I'm not sure why I was surprised by how much I loved Gary Schmidt, but I think he was my favorite speaker. The way he talked about the importance of books to the development of children literally had me in tears, and his dedication to the writing craft is awe-inspiring. He talk about how we "throw kids away" by not trusting them with the beautiful things in life, and while relationships and love are the most amazing things in the world, "they are not promised." Yet if we provide children with the power of words, they can make sense of the horrors that so often surround us. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about all the amazing things he said.
"Writing is always about discipline. Gift is great to talk about, but at the end of the day, it's all about getting your butt in the chair and writing... I think a lot of people here know what it's like to have a book that's a friend, and that's why I write."
I love that I live in a country where we celebrate books and literacy. Though we still struggle to help kids understand the importance of reading, and far too often our education system fails to provide young adults with the tools they need for success, events like these give me hope. They fill my well and strengthen my desire to make a difference. I hope you can join me on The National Mall next year to celebrate the wonders of reading.
P.S. Happy Banned Book Week! Exercise your First Amendment rights and read.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
National Book Festival Day 1: Creating Images with Words
More than 200,000 bibliophiles converged on The National Mall this past weekend, and you can bet I was among them. My first stop was Brian Selznick's book signing, where kids ignored the mosquitoes and rain-soaked ground to delve into the pages of Wonderstruck while waiting to get their copies signed. I got there half an hour early and was still about the 200th person in line. Good thing book lovers love to talk books, so I found some great company in the two teens standing in front of me. We talked Sign Language (their father is deaf) and how the small details in Selznick's art makes it so unique. I am now the proud owner of a signed copy of The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
I then found a spot in the teen tent where I spent the rest of the afternoon, basking in the energy of teens who love to read. I only caught the Q&A section of Cassandra Clare's speech, but she had me in stitches the entire time. Apparently she built her writing chops writing Lord of the Rings fan fiction told in the style of Bridget Jones. Priceless.
Brian Selznick took the stage next. While he talked a lot about seeing his book come to life thanks to the amazing Martin Scorsese, he mostly talked about how images can give depth to a story. I loved listening to him speak about perspective and connection—how everyone sees the world through different eyes.
The ever-enthusiastic Rita Williams-Garcia closed out the day by treating us to an interpretive dance of her presentation, which consisted mainly of her jumping up and down in excitement and doing a hysterical impression of how her curvaceous mother used to "carry the jazz band with her" wherever she walked. She gave the most incredible talk about the importance of finding and building your own character.
I honestly didn't want the day to end. Good thing I still had the next day to listen to the inspiring words of some of my favorite authors.
P.S. Happy Banned Book Week! Exercise your First Amendment rights and read.
I then found a spot in the teen tent where I spent the rest of the afternoon, basking in the energy of teens who love to read. I only caught the Q&A section of Cassandra Clare's speech, but she had me in stitches the entire time. Apparently she built her writing chops writing Lord of the Rings fan fiction told in the style of Bridget Jones. Priceless.
"Usually characters are a composite of people I know, people in movies and characters in books I've read, and by the end, they're so mashed up the people they're originally based on don't recognize them."
Brian Selznick took the stage next. While he talked a lot about seeing his book come to life thanks to the amazing Martin Scorsese, he mostly talked about how images can give depth to a story. I loved listening to him speak about perspective and connection—how everyone sees the world through different eyes.
"People really like to help you if you ask, especially if they're an expert in something really specific that no one else asks them about."
The ever-enthusiastic Rita Williams-Garcia closed out the day by treating us to an interpretive dance of her presentation, which consisted mainly of her jumping up and down in excitement and doing a hysterical impression of how her curvaceous mother used to "carry the jazz band with her" wherever she walked. She gave the most incredible talk about the importance of finding and building your own character.
"My friends and people I've met inspire my characters, but it was my family that built my character... It all boils down to building character, to showing character."
I honestly didn't want the day to end. Good thing I still had the next day to listen to the inspiring words of some of my favorite authors.
P.S. Happy Banned Book Week! Exercise your First Amendment rights and read.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Fall for the Book YA Author Panel
This weekend I went to a panel discussion featuring Pam Bachorz, Sarah Collins Honenberger, Val Patterson, Jon Skovron and Amy Brecount White, all local YA authors. One More Page Books, local indi bookstore and wine shop, hosted the event, and I think I'm in love with their venue. (The Washington Post recently featured One More Page for their stellar book groups.)
Now on to some tidbits of wisdom from some amazing writers.
On why not getting your book published isn't the end of the world:
On why YA is the place to be:
On how to write what you don't know:
On finding motivation even when you don't feel like writing:
On outlining vs. the "seat of your pants" approach:
I've never attended the Fall for the Book Festival before, but you can bet I'll plan to attend more events next year. So thanks to George Mason University for hosting this event and helping build a community of book lovers!
P.S. Look for next week's posts featuring National Book Festival speakers Tomie dePaola, Brian Selznick, Rita Williams-Garcia, Susan Cooper and Gary Schmidt. I'm hoping to catch Sherman Alexie and Toni Morrison as well, but I have some scheduling conflicts. Good thing the Library of Congress archives everything, so you can watch the webcasts or listen to the podcasts within a few weeks of the festival.
Now on to some tidbits of wisdom from some amazing writers.
On why not getting your book published isn't the end of the world:
"Nothing's wasted—even a failed book is a success... Be kind to yourself."
—Val Patterson
On why YA is the place to be:
"YA breaks all the rules... It took off when nobody was paying attention."
—Jon Skovron
On how to write what you don't know:
"I'm not a teenage boy, I've never been a teenage boy...but I could observe the essence of boy and then channel it."
—Pam Bachorz
On finding motivation even when you don't feel like writing:
"The reason writers write is because they have a story to tell... Write through the garbage."
—Sarah Collins Honenberger
(Sorry, I couldn't get a picture of Sarah because there was a head in my way. But it was a really cool 15-year-old boy who asked good questions and chatted with me about writing and books after the panel, so I didn't mind so much.)
On outlining vs. the "seat of your pants" approach:
"If you try to keep it all in your head, you'll explode... Sometimes if you can see what's wrong, you're that much closer to seeing what's right."
—Amy Brecount White
I've never attended the Fall for the Book Festival before, but you can bet I'll plan to attend more events next year. So thanks to George Mason University for hosting this event and helping build a community of book lovers!
P.S. Look for next week's posts featuring National Book Festival speakers Tomie dePaola, Brian Selznick, Rita Williams-Garcia, Susan Cooper and Gary Schmidt. I'm hoping to catch Sherman Alexie and Toni Morrison as well, but I have some scheduling conflicts. Good thing the Library of Congress archives everything, so you can watch the webcasts or listen to the podcasts within a few weeks of the festival.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Grammatical Quandaries
Split Infinitives: My friend assures me that "only prescriptivist grammarians will harp about split infinitives, and that's because they're basing their rules on Latin where it is not possible to split infinitives" and that it's okay to split infinitives because "we speak a Germanic language, not a Romantic one." Oxford Dictionaries would both agree and disagree: "Avoid split infinitives in formal writing, unless the alternative wording seems very clumsy or would alter the meaning of your sentence." The Chicago Manual of Style and AP Style Manual also recommend not splitting the infinitive unless it is for deliberate emphasis or to avoid awkward construction. Yes, this is what I spend my time debating with my friends.
Capitalization: Doing editing for business professionals is a constant battle in controlling capitalization. They want to personify everything from the name of their company to the business tools they use: "Our Company is here to serve You!" and "Good Synergy is all it take to accomplish your Goals!" While caps indicate a proper noun or the beginning of a sentence, quotation or thought, using them to give nouns emphasis is very Revolutionary (as in 1776, not an idea that has the potential to change the world). If texting has its way, we won't be using capitalization for anything in the next five years. Incidentally, Germanic languages are the pretty much the only languages to capitalize days of the week and months of the year and well as street names, demonyms and the nominative singular pronoun.
End Prepositions: Your sixth-grade teacher might have insisted they were evil, but avoiding them can make you sound pretentious. Yet if you find yourself using them more than once every thousand words, you're probably not using very effective writing. The problem with end prepositions is that they have no object, which means the modifying phrase is ambiguous, which leads to unclear writing, which results in miscommunication, which can cause hurt feelings and wars and big fat "F"s on final papers.
Transitional Conjunctions: If you have never begun a sentence with a conjunction, I praise you for being a good student and listening to your teacher. However, this is another one of those formal-writing no-nos that has become commonly accepted over the past few years. While used for emphasis and to show greater contrast in ideas, it is over used, and I am more guilty of this than most.
Capitalization: Doing editing for business professionals is a constant battle in controlling capitalization. They want to personify everything from the name of their company to the business tools they use: "Our Company is here to serve You!" and "Good Synergy is all it take to accomplish your Goals!" While caps indicate a proper noun or the beginning of a sentence, quotation or thought, using them to give nouns emphasis is very Revolutionary (as in 1776, not an idea that has the potential to change the world). If texting has its way, we won't be using capitalization for anything in the next five years. Incidentally, Germanic languages are the pretty much the only languages to capitalize days of the week and months of the year and well as street names, demonyms and the nominative singular pronoun.
End Prepositions: Your sixth-grade teacher might have insisted they were evil, but avoiding them can make you sound pretentious. Yet if you find yourself using them more than once every thousand words, you're probably not using very effective writing. The problem with end prepositions is that they have no object, which means the modifying phrase is ambiguous, which leads to unclear writing, which results in miscommunication, which can cause hurt feelings and wars and big fat "F"s on final papers.
Transitional Conjunctions: If you have never begun a sentence with a conjunction, I praise you for being a good student and listening to your teacher. However, this is another one of those formal-writing no-nos that has become commonly accepted over the past few years. While used for emphasis and to show greater contrast in ideas, it is over used, and I am more guilty of this than most.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)