I'm hosting the Kidlit Interview Wednesday round-up here on our TeachingAuthors blog this week. Actually, I'm writing this post on Tuesday afternoon, but I'll schedule it to go live just after midnight (with my fingers crossed) so that early risers and bloggers around the world can share their links whenever it's convenient. If you have an interview you'd like to share, just post a comment below containing the url. The interview should meet the criteria listed at the end of this post. I'll check back during the day to add your links to this post. If you have a blog related to reading, writing, or publishing books for children and you'd like to host Interview Wednesday, visit the official Kidlit Interview Wednesday sign-up page.
You'll find the interview roundup below. First, I want to say a bit more about the ALA awards, the topic of our current series of posts. Yesterday was the first time I've watched the announcements live (thanks to the ALA webcast). I joined the program in progress, just as they announced that the winner of the Coretta Scott King Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement was Ashley Bryan. A shiver of delight went through me--I'd heard Ashley Bryan read years ago at one of our Vermont College residencies. His reading was electrifying! His love of story and poetry and literature shone through in his voice, gestures, and facial expression. I'll never forget that day. So yesterday when they announced the winner of the Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, I was thrilled to hear not only his name, but also the cheers and applause of all the attendees expressing their approval. Congratulations to author-illustrator Ashley Bryan on his well-deserved award!
Yesterday, Mary Ann shared the titles of the winners of the Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, and Printz winners. You can read the entire list of ALA award winners in their official press release. You can also watch the webcast of the ALA award announcements.
If you're looking for more great titles to read after you finish the ALA award winners, head over to the official SCBWI blog for links to other award lists. Or consider signing up for the Newbery reading challenge being hosted by a K-5 teacher-librarian at the Watch. Connect. Read. blog or the Caldecott reading challenge organized by a K-8 library media specialist at LibLaura5.
Be sure to read April's great interview with author-illustrator Barney Saltzberg here on our TeachingAuthors blog. Barney has some terrific advice about writing rhyming stories, and he shares a fun writing exercise. He also talks about the inspiration for his inspiring picture book Beautiful Oops. And don't forget--you have just until 11 pm CST today, Jan. 25, to enter for a chance to win your own autographed copy of Barney's book. See April's interview for all the giveaway details.
My good friend Karen Schreck and her "book twin," Katherine Grace Bond, interview their Sourcebooks editor, Leah Hultenschmidt at the Crowe's Nest blog.
Iron Guy Carl at the Boys Rule! Boys Read! blog has posted a fun interview with Lenore Look, author of the Alvin Ho books.
And, speaking of award winners, my co-blogger JoAnn shared two more interviews: Virginia Euwer Wolff's interview with Thanhha Lai regarding her National Book Award and Newbery Honor Winner Inside Out & Back Again, and Chris Raschka's interview with NPR about his Caldecott Honor Book, A Ball for Daisy.
Margo at The Fourth Musketeer shared an interview with Kristin Levine author, author of The Lions of Little Rock, a historical novel set in 1958.
Today, Heidi at Geo Librarian posted an interview with Kate Coombs, author of Hans My Hedgehog: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm.
Greg Pincus also posted an interview today on The Happy Accident blog. He asks children's author Eve Yohalem about social networking, self-publishing vs traditional publishing, and building a platform.
And how could I forget: On Monday, The Pen and Ink blog posted an interview with picture book author Bill Kirk.
Do you know of an interview that meets the following criteria? If so, please post the url in the comments below. I'll check back later to add the new links you provide.
I shall keep my own observations to myself, except for the fact that I have never been right about the big awards. The closest I have gotten to predicting correctly is for the honors books (this year I had Inside Out and Back Again on my list). Mysterious are the ways of The Committees.
Other observations--this is the first time in a long time that there was not one single dystopian novel on the list! Can life be getting better?? There were a lot of historical novels (yippee, since I write historical novels). Only one truly contemporary book (Why We Broke Up). All the award winning illustrators were also the authors of their books. What does this mean? I have not the slightest idea.
All I know is that I have a lot of good reading ahead of me (I did read all the Newbery honors and winner in advance, but none of the Printz books).
P.S. You can still enter our drawing for an autographed copy of Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. Read April's interview. Then post a brief comment sharing an "oops" in your life and how you (or someone else) turned it into something beautiful. Be sure to include an email address (format: teachingauthors at gmail dot com) or a link to an e-mail address. Or you can e-mail your comment to teachingauthors at gmail dot com with "Contest" in the subject line. Entry Deadline is Wednesday, January 25th, 11 p.m. (CST). You must have a U.S. mailing address to win. The winner will be announced on January 27th. Good Luck!
Cybils awards are given each year by bloggers for books and book apps in eleven children's and young adult categories: Book Apps, Easy Readers & Early Chapter Books, Fantasy & Science Fiction (Middle Grade), Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult), Fiction Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade Fiction, Nonfiction for Middle Grade & Young Adult, Nonfiction Picture Books, Poetry, and Young Adult Fiction.
The CCBC-Net listserv holds monthly discussions about literature for children and young adults. Every December, members discuss their favorite books of the year.
The Mock Newbery 2012 group on Goodreads has 537 members; the group chose Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt as its winner. Honors included Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu, Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai, and A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.
USA Today called Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai and Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt favorites in several polls.
Heavy Medal, a Mock Newbery Blog from School Library Journal, posted results and a description of the deliberations from the Rockridge branch of the Oakland Public Library for the annual Mock Newbery. Their winner? Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming. Honor books were A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and I Broke My Trunk! by Mo Willems.
Other results were reported from Queens Library, including the winner, Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt and one Honor, Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. The Maryland Library Association's winner was also Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt.
After discussing thirty titles, the ACPL Mock Newbery from the Children's Services department of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, selected one winner, Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai, and one honor book, Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt.
As I pore over each article, I'm adding new titles to my must-read list and deliberating about my own favorites. Happy reading!
I confess: my heart quickens this time every January when I think about the children’s book creators whose lives are about to be fortuitously changed, thanks to the awarding of a literary medal.
The night before the American Library Association announces the recipients of its awards for distinguished children's books, I fall asleep contented, knowing someone somewhere is about to be surprised!
Two of last year’s winners, first-time author and Newbery medalist Clare Vanderpool (Moon Over Manifest, Delacorte Press) and first-time illustrator and Caldecott medalist Erin Stead (A Sick Day for Amos McGee, Roaring Brook Press) gave all book creators hope.
To me, giving hope to the reader is what our Children’s Book World is all about.
Jeanne Marie said it best in her Monday post when she reminded us we are writing for children.
To my way of thinking, a children’s book must always leave the reader hopeful. Not with the proverbial happily ever after ending; simply with the possibility that we could live happily ever after.
I have but one Very High Bar when it comes to choosing award-winners: Is this a book I’d want to passionately read aloud to my fifth graders, were I teaching? Is this a character who could and would change the way my students view themselves, each other, the world?
For those reasons, I so wanted Jack Gantos’ Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000) to win the Newbery. There’s an ADD Joey in every classroom, waiting to be understood.
Jennifer Richard Jacobson’s as small as an elephant (Candlewick Press, 2011) is tough and tender too and my hopeful Newbery pick.
“Ever since Jack can remember, his mom has been unpredictable, sometimes loving and fun, other times caught in a whirlwind of energy and "spinning" wildly until it's over. But Jack never thought his mom would take off during the night and leave him at a campground in Acadia National Park, with no way to reach her and barely enough money for food. Any other kid would report his mom gone, but Jack knows by now that he needs to figure things out for himself — starting with how to get from the backwoods of Maine to his home in Boston before DSS catches on. With nothing but a small toy elephant to keep him company, Jack begins the long journey south, a journey that will test his wits and his loyalties — and his trust that he may be part of a larger herd after all.
"I believe in Jack and his ability to understand his mother in shades of gray. I believe in his ability to be fiercely independent: to try and try and try . . . and at the same time to recognize that he needs others. That others are right there, waiting to catch him."
I want young readers everywhere to know Jack, to take heart and hope from his quietly-powerful story.
Ironically, I’m cheering on between shades of gray (Philomel, 2011), Ruta Sepetys’ first novel, for Prinz attention.
The novel is based on Sepetys’ family. It tells the story of 15-year-old Lina who in 1941 is pulled from her Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp.
I am obviously, unabashedly all about Hope.
Yesterday, the Association of Jewish Libraries announced the 2012 Sydney Taylor Book Award winners.
Hurrah! and Mazel tov! to Michael Rosen and Robert Sabuda for their Younger Readers winner Chanukah Lights (Candlewick), Susan Goldman Rubin for her Older Readers winner Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein (Charlesbridge) and Robert Sharenow for his Teen Readers winner The Berlin Boxing Club (Harper Teen/HarperCollins).
My fellow TeachingAuthor April Halprin Wayland and her picture book New Year at the Pier (Dial, 2009) won this honor in 2010.
As luck would have it, one very cold January afternoon in 2003, I was one of those “someone’s, somewhere,” when AJL’s Dr. Libby White phoned to tell me my picture book Chicken Soup By Heart (Simon and Shuster, 2002), gorgeously illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger, would be wearing a Sydney Taylor gold medallion.
I hadn’t even known the book was being considered!
I sat on my living room couch for 30 minutes, waiting for Dr. White to phone me back, to tell me she’d made a terrible mistake.
When she didn’t call, I finally pinched myself, teared a bit, then out-and-out wept.
2011 saw more than 10,000 children’s books traditionally published.
and the handful of deserving creators about to be surprised.
I offer my Hurrahs! early, often, sincerely.
You can win too this January!
To enter our drawing for an autographed copy of Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg, post a brief comment sharing an "oops" in your life and how you (or someone else) turned it into something beautiful. Be sure to include an email address (formatted like: teachingauthors at gmail dot com) or a link to an email address. OR...you can email your comment to teachingauthors at gmail dot com with "Contest" in the subject line. Entry Deadline is Wednesday, January 25th, 11 pm (CST). You must have a U.S. mailing address to win. The winner will be announced on January 27th. Good Luck!
Awards season is officially upon us. I know this because I sort-of watched three hours of Golden Globes last night, even though I had seen very few of the nominated shows or movies. Pretty dresses. (But what was Meryl Streep wearing?) Some great speeches -- I'm thinking in particular of The Help's Octavia Spencer, quoting Dr. King: "All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance."
Likewise, it is now Awards Season (with capital letters) in the kids' book world. Each year, it seems that the ALA is inventing a new award to bestow. (Is it just me?) I remember being at Vermont College when the Newberys were announced and the flurry of excitement of being in the presence of big-time award-winning authors. The excitement, the adrenaline. Heady times.
To be honest, I am THE WORST TA to be kicking off this new topic. As I have proudly admitted on numerous occasions, I have populist taste. Many of the "brilliant, dazzling" books that wow awards committees are not the books that excite me. Of course I have adored (ADORED) many of the Newbery winners through the years. I was looking at the book discussion lists for this year's awards -- for some reason I have not read many this year, though several are on my dying-to-read list. Usually the ones I most admire are the ones that make the list but never win. Quiet books (not too quiet), relatable books, books that I would have read ten times when I was ten years old.
My daughter is old enough now to vote for our state books awards (the Black-Eyed Susans), and I admit that those are the awards that guide MY reading choices. We are not writing for Newbery committee librarians, after all. We are writing for children -- which should always be a labor of infinite dignity and importance.
Howdy Campers--and happy Poetry Friday! Today's Guest Teaching Author shares a poem about bullies with us at the end of this post.
YAY! We Teaching Authors are thrilled to have our dear friend and Guest Teaching Author Barney Saltzberg drop by for tea. To celebrate Barney’s appearance on our blog, we're giving away an autographed copy of his mind-blowing book, Beautiful Oops.
To enter the drawing, see the instructions at the end of this post.
Doesn't Barney look like someone you'd want to have a hot dog with? I met Barney,who was born in Los Angeles and has published nearly forty picture books, a gazillion years ago through our teacher Barbara Bottner (Her own Teaching Author interview is here). Barney's two kids live in Boston and New York, so he and his wife fill their home with art, toys, blazing colors and dogs.
Barney, who is smart and funny and...well, funny and smart, is also a musician. His songs have been on the PBS show Arthur, and he has recorded four children's music CDs. He teaches writing and illustrating picture books in UCLA Extension's Writers Program, and travels a ton, speaking about writing and illustrating and wowing the crowds with his toe-tapping and tender songs.
And here's where you have to sit up straight and be impressed: he was recently in China, as part of the US State Department's cultural exchange program, performing at schools, libraries and universities.
His latest book, BEAUTIFUL OOPS, from Workman Publishing, is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Pop-ups, lift-the-flaps, tears, holes, and smudges show readers--young and old--how every mistake is an opportunity to make something beautiful. It demonstrates "the magical transformation from blunder to wonder."
Howdy, Barney--welcome! How did you become a Teaching Author?
I was encouraged to teach by two friends who are both, teaching authors. They assured me that it would be a rewarding experience. I was a bit reluctant, but I am so happy I jumped in. I am now in my eighth year at UCLA, where I teach Writing and Illustrating Picture books.
So many of us were raised reading Dr. Seuss. His rhymes are brilliant. I have so many students who assume that rhyming is easy. I have to say that I fell into that category as well. I've been a song writer since I was eight years old. I know how to rhyme. Writing poetry, on the other hand, is a different animal. I can fudge meter and rhythm when I sing. Out of close to forty children's books published, I've only made four books with poems. Many first time students are very frustrated that I encourage them to write their stories first, without thinking of the rhymes. My suggestion has always been to write the story so you have a road map, and if at some point you want to make a poem, you at least know where you're going. Most new writers begin to rhyme and get backed into a corner without any regard as to where they want the story to go. One of my jobs as a teacher is to help steer students away from rhyming 'for a while'. I'm more concerned with students finding their own voice in their writing.
I borrowed a suggestion from Anne Lamott's wonderful book Bird by Bird. She reminds her readers that school lunch is something we all remember. Given that I want to help my students find their voice for writing a picture book, one of the very first assignments I give is to write anything you want about your elementary school lunch. Did you bring it in a bag or a lunchbox? If so, did you draw on your bag? Did someone else? What kind of lunchbox? What was in it? Who made your lunch? Did you even get to have lunch? Did you eat in the cafeteria? Maybe you went home for lunch? Maybe your parent packed a type of food that embarrassed you? Maybe you participated in a food trading frenzy! Any memories of your school lunch are encouraged. We just want to have you go back to that time in your life. I'm always amazed at how many people have so much to say about their lunch! It's a wonderful exercise to dig into a rich batch of memories.
Find and say at least one thing positive in every assignment before you give any feedback.
Tell us how you sold your first book.
I'd drawn a batch of cartoons with captions and went to New York. I had no idea how the business worked, but if I saw a sign on a building with a publishing company, I would knock on doors. Ultimately I came to McGraw Hill, who was publishing educational books. I asked a security guard, "Where do I go to get a book published?" He said, "You don't". I said, "If you did, where would you go?" He told me what floor the editorial department was on. I rode the elevator to the 36th floor (I believe) and showed the receptionist my artwork. She told me to sit down and she left through a door behind her desk. Ten minutes later she asked me to call back the following morning, and that they liked my book idea. The next morning I called in and found they wanted to publish a book of my cartoons. A year later, my first book came out called, Utter Nonsense!
I am wild about your new book, Beautiful Oops--it's fabulous. How did you get the idea for it?
In my school visits I talk about a dog of ours who was accidentally locked in my studio. She attempted to climb out the window and stepped all over an illustration I had finished. I thought the artwork was ruined. After careful reflection, I found I could turn each paw print into a cloud. I also show a picture of a sketch book where I spilled coffee and turned the stain, into a monster. Teachers asked me for years to write a book showing how I fixed my mistakes. One day while sitting in my studio, I tore a piece of paper about half way across the page. I realized it looked like an alligator mouth. I knew then I had a book and a year later, Workman published Beautiful Oops!
I have an app called Nibbly's Nose, based on a lift the flap book. It also just became available as an iBook.
Wow, Barney—we can't wait! And finally, since today is Poetry Friday, do you have a poem you'd like to share with our readers?
Sure! I was asked to write a poem about bullying. I didn't want to write something neat and tidy. This is a sticky issue. Ultimately my poem was rejected because there was concern that kids would see the name Roy the bully boy and that would encourage them to make a sing-songy rhyme and tease someone. My thinking is, here's a chance to broach an uncomfortable subject and begin a dialogue. See what you think.
In my class named Roy?
Thanks so much for stopping by, Barney!
To enter our drawing for an autographed copy of Beautiful Oops, post a brief comment sharing an "oops" in your life and how you (or someone else) turned it into something beautiful. Be sure to include an email address (formatted like: teachingauthors at gmail dot com) or a link to an email address. OR...you can email your comment to teachingauthors at gmail dot com with "Contest" in the subject line. Entry Deadline is Wednesday, January 25th, 11 pm (CST). You must have a U.S. mailing address to win. The winner will be announced on January 27th. Good Luck!
And thanks to Tara at A Teaching Life for hosting Poetry Friday!
To kick off 2012, we've been blogging about "beginnings" here on the TeachingAuthors blog. I'd originally planned to post some thoughts on how to create a story beginning that hooks readers, since that's a topic I'll be presenting at an SCBWI-Illinois network meeting on January 28. But this week, I've been focused on preparing to teach a private class for a group of five very talented seventh-grade girls. We haven't met since November, when the girls shared the beginnings of their current work-in-progress. They were all off to a terrific start and I was looking forward to hearing the rest of their stories. When I checked in with their parents, though, I was surprised to learn that not one of the girls had actually finished her draft. They'd all gotten stuck somewhere in the middle, with one girl going back to rewrite her beginning in the hope it would lead down a new (and perhaps easier?) path.
"When you're just starting to write, you may be miles away from perfection, and you may be well aware of it. It's maddening. It's disappointing."
So how do we shrink the gap between our vision and our results? According to Glass, the answer is to "fight your way through" the disappointment and feelings of inadequacy to create a large volume of work. Or, as I tell my students, "Write. Write. Write." The more we write, the better our writing becomes, and the closer we get to matching our output to our vision.
If you're looking for ways to motivate yourself to write more regularly to produce that "large volume of work" Glass talks about, I've included two challenges in the Blogosphere Buzz below that you may find helpful. And if you need help to "fight your way through" feelings of inadequacy, try the following Writing Workout.
Give yourself permission to write the story out of sequence. Mary Ann described this approach in her last post. If you know how the story will end, for example, go ahead and write the ending even if you haven't finished the middle. That's exactly what I did when I was working on Rosa, Sola. After I had a draft of my final chapter, I was able to go back and figure out what needed to happen to get my characters to that scene.
Engage in a repetitive physical activity. This is another way to stimulate the creative side of your brain. Go for a long walk, jog, or bike ride. Again, keep the story in the back of your mind, but don't think about it too much. Instead, focus on the sound of your steps on the pavement, or your breathing, or the feel of the wind on your face. And be sure to have some pen and paper handy if you do get an idea.
Need ways to motivate yourself to write consistently enough to create that "large volume of work" Glass discussed? First, check out the site 750words. The site challenges members to write 750 words per day, or about 3 pages. You can type those words directly into the website and it will track your word count and statistics over time. You can also participate in the site's monthly challenges--participants who write 750 words per day for the whole month earn a place on the "Wall of Amazingness." Those who fail, end up on the "Wall of Shame." And many participants also set their own personal rewards and consequences.
Speaking of comments, another HUGE thank you to all of you who participated in our December charity drive for First Book by commenting here on our blog. As Jeanne Marie reported last week, we received around 160 comments and we donated $175 to First Book. With Disney's matching donations, that means we helped provide 245 books to children in need! If you'd like to participate in another FREE way to help book charities, visit the Playing By the Book blog. Zoe, the "British mum" who blogs there, has compiled a list of 125 charities around the world whose focus is literacy, reading and /or books. Post a comment on her blog about how she should best organize her list, and she'll make a donation to one of these worthwhile organizations.
As a great supporter of independent booksellers like my local wonderful Anderson's Bookshop, I encourage you to also participate in the 50/50 Challenge: Support Indie Booksellers, especially if you're a teacher or librarian. Join librarian Travis Jonker in committing to using at least half of your yearly budget to purchase books at your local independent bookstore.
And, finally, the finalists have been announced for the 2011 Cybils, the Children's and Young Adults Bloggers Literary Awards. You can find the lists here.
Now I have to get back to writing so I can work on shrinking my own gap.
Beginnings are easy... and hard.
Chapter One goes so smoothly. I should know. I have at least a a hundred "Chapter One"s crammed lurking in my document file. Yes, sir, I can rip off a chapter one without breaking a sweat.
Uh-oh. There is no Chapter Two. There is no Chapter Two because I can't think of what happens right Chapter One.
Despite this discouraging notion, I kept on writing and saving first chapters. Not being able to finish something didn't prevent me from writing. Writing is a compulsion. I can't not write.
Eventually I figured out what I was doing wrong.
I was writing without really knowing my characters or story. Writing a Chapter Two was like trying to introduce people you've just met. I didn't know anything about them, so there was that awkward pause after names have been exchanged where you are expected to add a little tag, such as "Bob is a big curling fan" or "Jane is just back from kayaking the Amazon." The blank space beneath the words "Chapter Two" is the writing equivalent of that awkward pause.
"But," you might say, "aren't you supposed to write down an idea as soon as you get it, so you won't forget it?"
You would be absolutely correct. You write down the idea. Then you put in your files and leave it there for awhile. Get to know your characters. I mean really get to know them. When you meet someone new, don't you ask a few questions before you decide whether you want to spend time with them or not?
Once I decide I have something worth working on, I make it a point to not write chapter two. I review what I know about my characters and story. Usually, a scene, an image, a conversation, something materializes. I don't worry about where in the story trajectory this scene comes. I just write it down.
This is how I learned to avoid the "Chapter Two Plot Fizzle." I write out of sequence. . .at the least in the beginning of a project. I write whatever is on the front burners of my brain. If there isn't anything immediately, I will revise the last page (and only the last page) I wrote. This puts me back in the groove and a new scene or something will emerge. At some point, I begin to see where all these pieces of writing fit together, and where there are holes. Now my writing has a starting point and a destination.
I know that writing out of sequence doesn't work for everyone, but it works for me. I wrote Yankee Girl in sequence and wound up with a 400 page first draft. Most of what I cut was stuff I wrote fumbling around for the next plot point.
Over the holidays I had a creative flash. Out of nowhere, a teenage boy appeared in the backseat of a car. His parents' car. The parents are in the front seat. I knew where he was going, why he was there and what he was thinking. I wrote all that down.
I won't see my teenage boy again for a year or so. Right now, I don't even know his name. (I do, however, know his girlfriend's name.) I don't know how or even if he will work out his problem. I'm not worried about that. I am finishing up my current Novel Out of Sequence.
The Boy in the Back Seat will wait for me.
What better way to begin this New Year than by writing a post that celebrates Beginnings, those Very First Steps that - hopefully - lead to others.
take a gander at four members of a spanking-new Writers Group that launched last night at fellow writer Michelle O’Looney’s Old Town Suite Lounge.
Could it be that only three months ago they’d met for the first time, members of my Fall Newberry Library Picture Book Workshop?
They 'fessed up that first September night: each was more nervous than the next, doubtful, reluctant, questioning her choice. Each, though, had committed to learning this new format, to acquiring the tools to tell her story to young readers; by November, they’d bonded to form a writing community.
I traditionally vet the first session of any and all Writers Groups that grow from my classes. I brought along chocolate (dark, milk and white) as well as my copy of Becky Levine’s most helpful The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide (Writer’s Digest, ’10).
Here’s a peek at the cover of first-time author Wendy Kupfer’s picture book Let’s Hear It For Almigal, illustrated by Tammie Lyons (Handfinger Press). I smile at the year that’s come and gone as I worked with Wendy to help her write and ready this story of a spirited Life-loving little girl who just happens to wear a cochlear implant. The book creation business and its seemingly-unending series of First Steps could understandably overwhelm even the most jaded; yet not once did Wendy falter. Now she begins the next necessary First Step: launching her book this May to coincide with Better Hearing and Speech Month.
Yes, indeedy: beginning that story you’ve always wanted to write is quite The First Step, one deserving of praise, of back pats and champagne.
But once you complete it, once you write and revise (of course) the story you're telling, all sorts of challenging yet doable satisfying First Steps follow.
a young adult novelist who earned her MFA now seeks a second Writer Residency.
As for me, next week I begin - teaching my University of Chicago Writer’s Studio Novel Workshop.
I’m almost done reading my way through Anderson’s Bookshop’s Mock Newbery List and the recent blog posts of the Apocalypsies, 2012’s debut middle grade and young adult novelists.
I'm ready to email students the link to PW’s Fall 2011 Flying Starts.
Once for this Brand New Year.
And once for the chance to bravely begin.
No matter the endeavor, more delicious First Steps follow.
Hurrah, too, for our TeachingAuthors readers who helped us reach our First Books 2011 holiday goal.
Talk about First Steps! Thank you from the bottoms of our six hearts.