kids books

Energy

2012-01-14T05:50:00.000-08:00

Everyone has a tremendous amount of personal energy. Mine, like everyone else I'm sure, waxes and wanes. God only knows why or what causes these swings in energy. And what applies to everyday energy also applies to my writing energy. There are some who will say 'write every day - every day'. But if what comes out of my brain on some days is garbage, I think it's best that I put writing off until I feel the creative energy again. Usually it comes right along in a day or so. And my energy is especially peaked when I read someone else's book...someone I admire. It's amazing how energized I become after reading something like "The English Patient" or something from Alice Walker. The trick is to keep books you love nearby when you need some inspiration. It works for me. Good luck.

A Poem for the New Year

2011-12-24T05:06:00.000-08:00

Bird Houses

We planted seven trees yesterday,

out my kitchen window

I watch...anxious,

like a new mother watches her child,

rain falls on them

rooting each to its spot,

making ready for spring,

and birds,

needing nothing

but a branch

to call home.

Kathleen E. Fearing

12/11

Individuality

2011-11-11T05:03:00.000-08:00

I'm sure I've said this before, but it's worth repeating - it's worth reminding myself every now and then. You may look at others who write/have written and say to yourself 'I will never be as good as they are. I'll never be able to write like they do.' My response to that is bull! We as individuals are not alike - we don't think alike, we don't visualize the world in the same way...we're all different. Consequently, we will all write differently. And thank goodness. How boring books would be if they were all written the same way. I love going back and forth between writers who visualize things differently. And I look at my own writing and think 'I am not like them. I do not write the way they do. I am me! I am different! I write like no one else writes! I am special...unique!' And so are you. Write the way you want to write. Be yourself. Celebrate your individuality.

Editing

2011-10-29T06:26:00.000-07:00

Looking back at what I've written, it's funny how little things I never noticed come to the forefront. At one point I had my protagonist sitting in her bed, and in the next instant she was in a chair. Editing is a necessary thing. What I have trouble with...what I've always had trouble with, is focusing. So when I'm editing I'm forced to focus. It's a skill some people are born with. And I envy them their ability to naturally concentrate on what they're doing. Some might call what I have ADD. But I'm not sure just what it is that causes me to skip over details. I've finished my second edit of my manuscript "Voyage of Dreams". I'll go over it again before I send it off to the publisher. He may want more changes. That's okay with me. I'm just happy to have someone besides me say that I've written a good story. Most of this accomplishment is not talent or luck, most of it is determination. Keep at it. If you love to write, keep at it. Something good will happen.

Be Careful What You Wish For

2011-10-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

I've often heard this said by people whose most desired wish had come true. And then it turned out to be more than they had bargained for. I'm about to see just what getting my wish will mean to me. My manuscript "Voyage of Dreams" has been accepted by Celtic Cat Publishing in Knoxville for publication some time next year. Now I'm thinking 'Just what is this going to mean for me?' Am I going to have to do a lot of speaking to groups and maybe schools? The thought sometimes terrifies me. I'm not always that comfortable in front of a crowd of people who I don't know. But, I'm also thinking, 'Do you want to change your mind? Do you want to tell the publisher forget it?' The answer is No. But it still makes me nervous and thrilled at the same time. My husband tells me I'll be great - not to worry. Okay. But I think I'll do a lot of practicing between now and then. I love this problem.

Support your local Middle School

2011-09-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

Proceeds from my book "My Friend The Werewolf" go to the Art Department at the Norris Middle School in Norris, Tennessee. Help Support art in the schools. Go to https://www.createspace.com/3568830

From prose to verse

2011-09-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

Changing a story I've already written from prose to verse is a fantastic exercise in essential word usage. Time and time again, as I pause at each paragraph, I consider word usage: what words do I really need to convey what I want the reader to "see"? And this exercise is not done just once, but many times, until I've discovered the right meter, flow, sound - the right words that do justice to what I'm trying to say. I find that doing this has made me a better prose writer as well. I believe that really good prose should flow the same as well thought out poetry. And I find that I am asking myself, "What word can you substitute for that ordinary word you just used - one that will say what you want to say much more precisely?" It keeps the brain working. Just what I need at my age. Try it yourself. Change a story you've written in prose to verse. It doesn't have to rhyme. In fact, it's better if it doesn't. Read poet Mary Oliver for inspiration.

Reading for Inspiration

2011-08-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

I've been reading "Writing the Breakout Novel" by Donald Maass. It was recommended by a friend, although at the time she did not know she was recommending it, she just mentioned the book in passing. But I've found the book irresistible. Maass seems to hit the proverbial nail right on its proverbial head in each chapter. Maass says there should be conflict on every page of your novel. The characters and story must live for you intensely. People must be able to identify with a character in some way. Most important: raise the stakes throughout the story. The reader must understand, or find out, what drives the characters to do the things they do. What's at stake here, and who cares? His answer is that the writer must care deeply before the reader will care. Transferring that to the written page is the challenge. But if it works, Wow!

There may be writers who have already inspired you as a writer. A couple of my favorites are Gary Paulsen and Karen Hesse. Each time I read what these two authors have created I become inspired all over again. Find who inspires you and visit that inspiration often.

Book Excerpts

2011-08-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a small excerpt from my latest book "My Friend The Werewolf, What Would You Do?"

"Frazee Olin was different. He was, by far, the strangest kid I'd ever met. The thing was, my friend Jack Axel - I called him Ax - Ax and I didn't know how different Frazee was. And just when we discovered his awful secret, he disappeared right off the face of the earth. There were two questions Ax and I had to find the answers to, or bust a gut trying. The first was, what in the world happened to Frazee Olin? The second and most mysterious question was, what was that big hairy thing lying dead in front of the school bus?"

"My Friend The Werewolf..." is about friendship and how it might feel to be different from everyone you know.

See it at https://www.createspace.com/3568830

Sequels

2011-07-27T04:45:00.000-07:00

I've been considering (with some reluctance) writing a sequel to my book My Friend The Werewolf. The major reason for my reluctance is that many times sequels are not as good, not as fresh and exciting as the original. That may be because the sequel is forced out of an original idea, and now I must find something equally as exciting for the next step...and should there be a next step? But people have been asking me when the next is coming, so I have been considering. I have even gone as far as writing down some ideas and a story line. But, I must take a few steps back, take a hard look at what is there, and decide if it's worth the effort. Then, again, I love the characters in my original story - and there was this unanswered question at the end of the story. In fact, there were a couple of things left unanswered after the final paragraph. So, maybe in the back of my mind I had a sequel waiting to the explored.

Oh, don't you just love writing your questions down so that you can look at them, think about them in black and white? Sometimes questions answer themselves when you take the time to write them out.

Considering Words

2011-07-11T04:50:00.000-07:00

When trying to decide on which adjective or verb to use to describe what's going on in one of my children's stories, I try to pick unusual words, words that kids don't use every day. It not only broadens their vocabulary, but gets them thinking about different ways to say things. I believe using words that are not as well known, words that you can wrap your tongue around like a spoonful of peach sorbet, first of all has a long-lasting effect on the reader, but secondly, gives children an insight as to how delicate or bold language can be merely by changing one word. Reading beautiful poetry instills in me a sense of how versatile the English language is; and for children, maybe it can open their senses to the possibility of words.

E. B. White said "Children are game for anything. I throw them hard words, and they backhand them over the net. They love words that give them a hard time, provided they are in a context that absorbs their attention."

Things To Ponder

2011-06-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

Do not seek shelter in your comfortable shell. Push your self, your talents, your aura to try something new every day.

J-P Sartre, "I suppose it is out of laziness that the world is the same day after day. Today it seemed to want to change. And then anything, anything could happen."

Let's all try.

Mary Oliver's Inspiration

2011-05-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

Time and time again I come back to the probing poetry of Mary Oliver for inspiration in my writing. Her book Dream Work (1986) will not stay open to the page I want, so I prop it open with Virginia Woolf's thought-provoking A Room of One's Own. The poem I choose to read over and over is Dreams. Here are the first few lines.

"All night/ the dark buds of dreams/ open/ richly./ In the center/ of every petal/ is a letter,/ and you imagine/ if you could only remember/ and string them all together/ they would spell the answer."

I feel much the better for having read Oliver. I sigh then go to my own page.

Prose as Poetry

2011-04-17T05:04:00.000-07:00

Everyone writes differently - has their own style, their own "voice" if you will. There are some writers that "speak" to me and some that never reach me. I'm sure it's the same for you. Hemingway has his own audience, Shakespeare has his. They don't necessarily speak to me. I seem to be drawn to writers like Isak Dinesen of "Out of Africa" and Michael Ondaatje of "The English Patient". Their writing is movingly poetic and achingly beautiful. Dinesen writes in "Out of Africa", "The sky was rarely more than pale blue or violet, with a profusion of mighty, weightless, ever-changing clouds towering up and sailing on it, but it has a blue vigor in it, and at a short distance it painted the ranges of hills and the woods a fresh deep blue." Dinesen's descriptions of the African plains is legendary; and while reading her words I am there, on the plains, breathing in the dry, grass-scented air, and I become her.

Ondaatje writes in "The English Patient", "She stands up in the garden where she has been working and looks into the distance. She has sensed a shift in the weather. There is another gust of wind, a buckle of noise in the air, and the tall cypresses sway.....She turns into the room which is another garden - this one made up of trees and bowers painted over its walls and ceiling. The man lies on the bed, his body exposed to the breeze, and he turns his head slowly towards her as she enters."

When I write my stories for children, I try to emulate these writers. I feel children deserve to be exposed to all that is beautiful in the English language (for it is a beautiful thing). No matter what I'm writing about - comedy, heartbreak, mystery - I try to use words that bring the situation to life so that the reader can feel what's going on, not just read about it. I don't always succeed, but I'll keep trying. It's a noble goal, I think.

Looking Back at What I've Written

2011-04-09T07:47:00.000-07:00

Looking back at my first book, I sometimes cringe at what I wrote, thinking, Oh, I could have written that so much better than I did. But, there it is, out there for the whole world (wouldn't that be nice) to see. But, that's exactly what first books should do, I think. We want it to be perfect, but, in my case at least, it's not. Reading my first book in the local newspaper's serialization makes be go back over what I'm writing now, and helps me to check and re-check my verbs and descriptions; helps me to eliminate unwanted adverbs, unneeded phrases, and to use better, more descriptive adjectives. It's a process. Jane Yolen has written that her writing is constantly evolving and becoming better. Yolen says it never stops - this personal writing evolution. So I'm not deterred. I admit to my mistakes. There they are for everyone to see. But I'm getting better. And, hopefully, I will continue to improve at what I love doing most: writing for children. What a wonderful journey.

My Friend The Werewolf

2011-04-02T05:20:00.000-07:00

It's official! My Friend The Werewolf, What Would You Do? has had its coming-out party! A group of sixth graders at Norris Middle School in Norris, Tennessee illustrated my book about two friends who discover that their friend, Frazee, is a werewolf. It was a delightful collaboration between me and some very imaginative sixth grade art students. The wonderful thing about it is that the students came up with ideas for illustrations I would never have thought of by myself.

I sincerely hope that this book will encourage those kids to try things throughout their lives that, had they not done the book, they might not have been willing to try.

See coverage of the day at www.norrisnews.net/around-town.html

The book is available at https://www.createspace.com/3568830 and www.amazon.com

Memoirs - of sorts

2011-03-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

I've been putting together a fictional story (based on the few facts that I have) of my maternal grandmother's emigration from Ireland to America in 1904. The story is more emotional than factual, but it is dedicated to her courage and spirit. I find it fascinating that she - who knew nothing of cities or of much beyond the small plot of land where she grew up on the shores of the Atlantic - could walk away from everything she knew, and face a huge world of unknowns. Yet she did. And she was under twenty years of age. Here is an excerpt from that story, Voyage of Dreams.

"The setting sun glowed on the horizon. All about her, the flowers were in bloom and
gave a yellow glow to the hillsides covered with scrubby wildflower bushes. The magpies
argued amongst themselves as they flew in circles and made their nasty noise. Tess stopped
for a moment and let the sun warm her face. It was home. It was. A sweet warm wind blew
off the sea and filled the air with a restless song. She lifted her voice and sang, and it
filled her heart with joy and with life itself. There was goodness here, and she would
never leave it."

I hope to finish the story some time this summer. This one has to be good. Neither my grandmother nor my mother are alive; but somehow I know they would approve. And perhaps in some other dimension, they will be able to read my story.

Guest Blogger

2011-03-02T04:45:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Linda Rhinehart Neas has done some incredible things in her lifetime. I've asked her to tell you about her remarkable book.

The Story Behind - Gogo’s Dream: Swaziland Discovered

By Linda M. Rhinehart Neas

This article first appeared on Silver and Grace on July1, 2010.

Four years ago, two things happened. I became a grandmother for the first time and my life was touched by the writing of a young Australian doctor, who later introduced me to the Gogo’s (grandmothers) of Swaziland.

Dr. Maithri Goonetilleke is the co-founder of Possible Dreams International (PDI), a non-profit organization that brings aid to the Gogos, their families and communities. My connection to the Gogos grew through posts on his blog, his poetry and the photos sent from his visits to Swaziland. After all, as a grandmother myself, I could empathize with their fears and joys half way around the world.

Last year, when PDI was first established, I began brainstorming ways I could help support the efforts of Maithri and the team in Swaziland. My greatest talent is my writing, but how could I use it to benefit the Gogos?

Interestingly, a trip to the local historic society gave me the answer I was looking for at that time. There in the museum store was a book written by a local other. The author stated on the back cover that all proceeds from the sale of the book would go to the museum. Immediately, I knew what I would do.

Coincidentally, the Poem-a-Day Challenge had just begun. The facilitator suggested that we write our poems with a theme in mind. Swaziland came immediately to mind. Each day, I would look at the prompt for the view of the people and places in Swaziland.

Some of the poems illustrate the pain and suffering of the Gogos and their communities, some tell of the beauty of the land and the creatures there and some tell of life in Swaziland. I tried to paint a full and holistic picture of this land I have yet to visit.

When inspiration was slow in coming, I would look at the pictures of the Gogos with their grandchildren gathered around them. Almost immediately, the words would come pouring out. By the end of the challenge, I had a book of poems.

Through contacts, I learned about Blurb.com, through which I published my book. It was a great self-publishing experience. They give you the software to set up the book. They even offer a program for books that are fundraisers. Readers can get a sneak peak at: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1321608

It is my hope that this book will educate, enlighten and inspire others. All of the profits go directly to PDI. It is amazing how far a small amount of money can go in helping the Gogos and their communities. To learn more about PDI and the Gogos, go to http://www.possibledreamsinternational.org.

Postscript: I had the privilege to hear Bishop Desmond Tutu speak at the college I was teaching in last year (2010). I had hoped to hand off one of my books to him, but I could not get close enough to him. My beloved suggested that I mail the book to him, which I did, enclosing a brief note explaining why I wrote it. I never thought he would actually get it. After all, he is a Nobel Peace laureate and a very busy human rights activist. What a delight to receive an email from his office saying that not only had he read my book, it was now part of his personal library!

Poems

2011-02-23T09:22:00.001-08:00

Here's a poem from my new, soon-to-be-out book, "Women, Poems By Heart".

Angels

A murmur in my ear,/a dream in mid-night,/a shove from behind,/decision to take a path,/or not,/perseverance,/as life's storms/bend me to nearly breaking.../strength found time and again,/though I believe all is lost.../ Each time my mind/is battered with 'no',/they surround me,/saying/how fine/I can ever be.

Book Excerpts

2011-02-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

I am looking forward with great pleasure to having one of my books serialized in a local publication. Here is an excerpt from one not being serialized, Adisa's Basket. It is 1700 Nigeria. Adisa and one of her sisters have escaped from a band of slavers. After being rescued from the dense jungle by a man and his son from a neighboring village, Adisa and her sister Afia go back to their own village, now deserted and in ruins.

"Memories, My family's hut lay hunched over, like an old man who had stumbled, fallen to his knees. Inside, I knelt, closed my eyes against the tears. Sounds of Mother's humming, father's snoring, Adanna's laughter, all washed over me. They were there, around me, and Grandmother...poking my arm, teasing her Spider...laughing. Curious monkeys clutching thick-leafed tree limbs watched wide-eyed, quiet, waiting, as though we might tell them a story... How did this happen?

"The Basket, ...buried beneath dirt, dead leaves, Afia found pieces of Father's basket, trampled, brutally torn by slavers who did not care about stories and designs of my people; whose hands could never feel the songs humming in the weave; whose numb hearts knew nothing about love... Leaves and dirt fell away. It could be mended. Grandmother had taught me how, I had taught Afia."

Adisa's Basket.

Me and My Books

2011-02-06T11:48:00.000-08:00

So, here I am again. The rest of the world, it seems, is tangled up in the far-reaching hysteria of the Super Bowl, and I am here with my children's books, marveling at the beauty of the written word. I have just read again the preface to Patricia MacLachlan's "Journey". It is poetic. I believe that all intriguing literature has imbedded within it the essence of poetry. Some may believe that it is not necessary to know poetry to write good literature. I know in my soul you cannot have one without the other. Good literature is the kind you can see, and feel, and smell, and experience without leaving your chair. Poetry. It is what you keep in your heart and carry with you in your pocket, grasping it so no one can steal it from you. Poetry. It is what stays with you forever, new and fresh each time you read the words...the words you search for on your bookshelf and say, Ah, there it is.

MacLachlan writes: "Mama named me Journey. Journey, as if somehow she wished her restlessness on me. But it was Mama who would be gone the year that I was eleven - before spring crashed onto our hillside with explosions of mountain laurel, before summer came with the soft slap of the screen door, breathless nights, and mildew on the books. I should have known, but I didn't. My older sister Cat knew. Grandma knew, but Grandma kept it to herself. Grandfather knew and said so."

Be a poet.

Great Beginnings

2011-01-25T14:39:00.000-08:00

Those who give advice to writers often tell us that the opening sentences are so very important to draw the reader into the story. Here are a few I've selected from some of my favorite books.

Patricia MacLachlan's "Journey", the main character Journey tells us, "My grandfather is belly down in the meadow with his camera, taking a close-up of a cow pile. He has, in the weeks since Mama left, taken many photographs..."

Han Nolan's "Dancing on the Edge", the main character Miracle recalls, "Gigi said my guardian angel must have been watching over me real good when I was born. Maybe so, but I wish the angel had watched over me less and seen to Mama more.... It didn't seem natural, a live baby coming out of the body of a dead woman. Gigi said it was the greatest miracle ever to come down the pike."

Katherine Paterson's "Bridge To Terabithia", the narrator tells us after Jess hears his dad start up the truck, "He could get up now. Jess slid out of bed and into his overalls. He didn't worry about a shirt because once he began running he would be hot as popping grease even if the morning air was chill, or shoes because the bottoms of his feet were by now as tough as his worn-out sneakers."

Karen Hesse's "Out of the Dust", the main character Billy Jo tells us, "As summer wheat came ripe,/so did I,/born at home, on the kitchen floor./Ma crouched, barefoot, bare bottomed/over swept boards,/because that's where Daddy said it'd be best."

Bruce Hales "From Russia With Lunch", the hero Chet Gecko tells us, "I never could resist a mystery. Any mystery. Like, if Number 2 pencils are the most popular, why are they still Number 2?"

Shel Silverstein's "Where The Sidewalk Ends", the first poem reads, "Invitation, If you are a dreamer, come in,/If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,/A hope-er, a prayer, a magic bean buyer.../If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire/For we have some flax-golden tales to spin./Come in!/Come in!"

And Gary Paulsen's beautiful "Dog Song", the narrator begins, "Russel Susskit rolled out of the bunk and put his feet on the floor and listened in the darkness to the sounds of morning. They were the same sounds he had always heard, sounds he used to listen for. Now in the small government house - sixteen by twenty - they grated like the ends of a broken bone."

What seductive invitations to read on. They create a curiosity and a need to know more. I try, with all my guts, to do the same. Words are mesmerizing when positioned just so...just so delightfully intriguing.

Poetic Prose

2011-01-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

I admit, I'm head-over-heels in love with poetic prose. And no one has ever done it better than Dylan Thomas. In his "A Child's Christmas in Wales" he wrote,

"All the Christmases roll down toward the two-tongued sea, like a cold and headlong moon bundling down the sky that was our street; and they stop at the rim of the ice-edged, fish-freezing waves, and I plunge my hands in the snow and bring out whatever I can find. In goes my hand into that wool-white bell-tongued ball of holidays resting at the rim of the carol-singing sea, and out come Mrs. Prothero and the firemen."

Of course, now you must read the little book so you will know what Mrs. Prothero and the firemen were doing.

Listening to the World Around Us

2011-01-08T06:31:00.000-08:00

Mary Oliver is among my favorite poets. Here is a line from her poem "Marsh Hawks".

"In the morning they glide/just above the rough plush/of the marshlands,/as though on leashes,/long-tailed and with/yard-wide wings/tipped upward,like/dark Vs; then they suddenly fall/in response to their wish,/which is always the same -/to succeed again and again."

Her simple observations of life create for me an excitement about life which I cannot deny.

More Inspiration

2010-12-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

There are only a few children's book authors that I will seek out to read, to listen to, to go to for advice. One of these is Jane Yolen. After listening to an interview she gave for PBS, I am once again inspired to write better, to scrutinize more closely my choice of words, and to think of my readers as more intelligent than I. She never writes down to children. Yolen's books always challenge young readers to imagine more, to stretch their minds, to read outside the prescribed "box". She has an incredible website that has many pages and many gems of advice to writers, storytellers, teachers, and more. It's simply, www.janeyolen.com . I have it bookmarked. You can even send her a message.

I must admit that when I lived in Massachusetts and reviewed children's books for the local newspaper, I had the opportunity to meet several children's book authors. Jane was among my favorites. She is down-to-earth, and very approachable. Patty MacLachlan is another (and very funny as well). And Yolen is as devoted an author as they come. You can see this plainly if you go to her website.

Let's all be better than we think we can be. Don't settle for good. Go for the best you can be.

Working with Kids in Schools

2010-11-09T07:38:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited about a project that I'm currently working on with a local middle school. The details have not yet been worked out, but, hopefully very soon I will be talking with students and their art teacher about illustrating a book I'm writing. My graduate work was with fourth grade students creating their own radio programs and having them air on a local radio station. Well, radio is, perhaps, not something children listen to these days, but the concept is similar; that being to let children create something from their own imaginations that is then published. I've been saying for so long that children need to be encouraged to use their imaginations. I guess now I'm putting my money where my mouth is. If this project is successful, I may try the same with elementary school students. Wish me luck.

Imagination at work - constantly

2010-10-26T04:17:00.000-07:00

This is probably true for most of us writers. Whenever I find myself drifting off, leaving the conversation, watching the scenery out the car window, lying in bed in that fuzzy place between sleep and consciousness, I start to imagine other worlds. This morning before the sun appeared and my eyes were still closed, I listened to a lone cricket somewhere in the grass outside my bedroom window. Its crick was weak and irregular, and I imagined it was seeking a friend, a lover...or perhaps calling out to a lost friend. Perhaps, I thought, it has lost its way and was calling for help, for direction. Before long I had created a whole story. Such is the life of a writer - whether for children or adults. But, you know what? I absolutely love it.

Then I thought, do our children get the same chance these days to just sit and imagine? Is everything pre-programed for them? I hope not. We should let our children drift with the clouds on sweet summer days - encourage them to imagine what might - what could be.

We do.

Why we write what we write

2010-09-25T05:31:00.000-07:00

I've been re-reading Alice Walker's "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens", a sensitive examination of her writing life and what other writers have meant to her, how they inspired not only her life, but her writing. In the section titled "Saving the Life That Is Your Own" she writes about Toni Morrison (an author whose complex and intense writing I find difficult to read). Walker writes, "It has been said that someone asked Toni Morrison why she writes the kind of books she writes, and that she replied: Because they are the kind of books I want to read." Walker continues, "This remains my favorite reply to that kind of question."

I often look at what others have written and say to myself, "Now why can't I write like that?" And being perpetually deficient of self-esteem, it bothers me...for a minute or two. When reading, say, Alice Walker, and realizing that I cannot and will not ever write like her (or J.K. Rowling), I am content to know that I write the way I want to, mainly because what I write I truly love to read. It is me.

Recently, I gave a talk to a local group about my books, and included a reading from two of them. At the end of my reading I was in tears. My story, no matter how many times I read it, still evokes strong emotion in me, and hopefully in others. It is the kind of story I love to write because it is the kind of story I love to read.

Love what you write. Write what you love to read. It will be much better than trying to write like someone else.

Women Writers/Artists

2010-09-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

My writers' group always gives an assignment - a writing task - for our next meeting. This time it was to write something - a poem usually - about our town. But I started thinking about the women in my group. One member has recently appeared very tired to me. So I wrote a poem about women and what they do. It started out as a personal recollection, and ended up a tribute to women in general.

Women
by Kath Fearing

After I retired

I slept ten to twelve hours

Every night

For a month - at least

Never realizing the bone weariness

Ignoring the darkness around my eyes

From living

Chasing the necessary

Taking everyone’s care unto me

Pushing myself behind

Everyone else before

And my mother crept into my thoughts

Whispered, there is no place called Hell

It is here, on Earth

But she misspoke

I only had to stop chasing

Throw my head into the wind

Let it muss my hair

Caress my cheeks

And find myself among the brambles.

So, I shall present my poem at our next meeting and say to them, women, take some time for yourself. Be yourself. Love yourself.

Kath

Changes - the stuff of life

2010-09-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

Recently, I purchased a new computer - a Mac. Wow! I love it, but it's really different from my old pc. I know I'm going to love the changes; but, change can be intimidating. The Mac has a different look, a different way of filing folders, a different way of doing many things. The wonder is, I love the idea of doing things in a different way. It's that 'wow' factor that makes us look at old things in a new way - changes old habits for new ones. Change creates a spark in the brain that, in my case anyway, is totally welcomed and appreciated. I'm learning a new way to create. I'm experimenting. That spark in the brain is mixing up old writing juices that were sitting around doing nothing. My advice: make a change, even a little one. Try something new. Get the juices flowing. Wow!

Poetry and Children's Books

2010-08-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

The writing group I belong to boasts a number of poets. They are very good writers. And when I sit down to begin or edit or continue writing a children's story, what I've learned from these excellent writers bubbles to the surface of my fingers. They are lessons I take to heart, e.g., use words sparingly. Make the words you use say exactly what you want to say, what your characters feel, and what you wish your reader to feel.
A poem from my book "An Old Heart: Yesterday and Today":

Thaw

Ice conquers
fragile
paper-thin skins
raw winter leaves us shrunken
lifeless...
though once we bloomed
fearlessly
reaching toward sun's warmth
while sweet summer rain
pulsed through our fragrant yellow heads
now we lie
forgotten
buried
far beneath December's killing snow
yet
with each spring
when warm winds once again
thaw our yearning hearts
the earth never forgets we're here.

Inspiration

2010-08-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

Recently, an old classmate of mine went back to our elementary school for an Arts Festival. The participants set up their booths on the lawn of our old school. Frank, my classmate, couldn't resist going inside the school to take a look...to see how it might have changed. His sister took pictures for me, and to my great surprise, the school has not changed in the past - oh, well, too many years to think about. When looking at photos of the hallways and the gymnasium, old memories flooded back to me. I was there again, dancing to live bands in my socks (those wonderful sock hops - they wouldn't let you wear shoes in the gym, shoes would wreck the floor). I was dancing to the music of Danny and the Juniors, Frankie Avalon, Chuck Berry... What great inspiration to get my mind wrapped around the age of adolescence. It might be an easy way to take yourself back and transfer some of those adolescent insecurities into your writing, if that's your age group: either look at some old photos, or take a trip to a local elementary school and just sit and take it all in. Wow, time flies.

School Visits

2010-08-04T05:34:00.000-07:00

If you're at all interested in tips for making terrific school visits, I've found a website.
http://schoolvisitexperts.com/ . Here's their latest.

"To “make” more time for academics, many school districts across the country have chopped recess and axed assemblies. To make sure that you don’t fall victim to the “Dulling of American Students,” make your author visit program irresistible to administrators. When you describe your assemblies, show administrators how your presentation links directly to the curriculum and educational standards. If you’re willing (and able) to do large group assemblies, this also makes your program more attractive to schools who want to be totally democratic and reach all children."

Their site has loads of terrific tips for making your school visit memorable.

2010-07-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

The summer doldrums have hit...big! To counteract this, I took a day trip to Berea, Kentucky, where the wonderful liberal arts college is located. A friend and I walked around the town, visiting the outstanding craft shops staffed by students, and which offer their work for sale. To me, there is nothing quite so envigorating as a college campus. The young people that surround you are enthusiastic, full of life-affirming energy, and happy to be doing what they're doing. My friend asked one girl in a shop, "Are you a student here?" She replied with a big smile, "Yes, I am." That smile was infectious. I spent many years on college campuses teaching and learning (for one cannot do one without the other), and I cherish my time there. As a result of my trip, I was able to sop up some of the students' energy for myself and my writing. If the doldrums have hit you, spend some time around students. If their energy doesn't encourage you to keep going, why not? Give it a try.

2010-07-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried writing a play? I've written two plays, one for elementary school level and one for high school level. It's difficult...a totally different type of writing. You can't describe anything. Everything has to come out in dialogue and/or an actor's interpretation of the words. Everything! And if there's not enough action dialogue, it becomes boring. The actors have to get up and move around or throw things or something...something to keep the emotional level at a peak. It's so totally different than writing a story with descriptive passages. At first I tried using a narrator to describe a character's emotions. But that's a bad play. I had to work my dialogue so that the characters displayed and talked about what was going on inside them. It's a great work out for a writer's brain and talent. It's also very exciting to move your characters around and make them do what you want. All writers should (I believe) try writing a play. Stretch yourself into another dimension. It's a kick.

2010-06-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

I've found another great tip from a successful writer. Bruce Hale, writer of the Chet Gecko mystery series for kids, publishes a newsletter. In his latest newsletter Bruce answers a question from a reader about how to deal with different age levels when making school visits. He makes suggestions on how to make presentations for grades k-2, 3-5, and middle grades, 6-8. His suggestions are great and it's worth going to his web site - http://www.brucehale.com/ to see them, or to subscribe to his newsletter. Bruce is a very funny guy - one of those people who was born with a natural sense of humor. Wish I was.

2010-06-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have been looking into transforming some of my children's stories into ebook format in order to make them available for iPod sales. I suppose it's the next big thing in publishing - at least that's what I keep hearing. I know nothing about it, so I'm beginning from scratch here. I've contacted sources, downloaded information, etc., etc. When it comes to doing something entirely new, one can't get enough information. I'm from the old school, though. One of those old folks who just loves the feel of a book in my hands...turning the pages back and forth...the smell...the texture... But my love of physical books is not going to stop progress. So I've decided that, for better or worse, I'm going to see what it's all about. Amazon.com and other sources have more information. Wish me luck.

2010-06-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

My latest visit with my son has led me to two conclusions: one, children do grow up, and, two, his enthusiasm for life has renewed my own. And, now that I think of it, there is a third conclusion: my enthusiasm for writing is directly connected to my own enthusiasm for life. When everything around me seems vital and full of purpose, my writing flourishes. I see things more clearly. The voices of my characters speak louder to me...telling me to bring them to life, to tell their stories. For any writer, that's life, right there in a nut shell. Sometimes that nut is hard to crack, but what's inside is sweet, and worth fighting for. And so it should be for any artist - crack the nut, see what's inside, then let it free.

2010-05-18T04:24:00.000-07:00

What is it with the clouds and me? Whenever the weather gets stormy, cloudy, rainy, I pull back into my little space to wait it out. I am an outdoor person, so when I can't get out for my morning and afternoon walk, I get grumpy...ask anyone who knows me. I know all about SAD: seasonal affective disorder. We all have some sort of disorder, don't we? The worst part of it all is that I can't write much during those periods of darkness...those cumulus shrouds gather not only in the skies, but inside my head as well. Writing is a chore for me when it's dark. However, here I sit, writing. One thing I have done is take notes about the story I'm working on. Little ideas pop into my brain, so I write them down, confident that when the sun reappears, so will my writing skills. I admit it - I'm a sun worshiper. So, now you know. If it happens to you, too...turn on all the lights in the house and try again. Oh! Is that the sun I see?

2010-05-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

We all need help in this business of writing for children, that's for sure. One place I rely on for up-to-date information is the Children's Book Insider and their Newsletter. It's always full of inspiration, links to lots of information for writers, and news about what agents, editors, and publishing houses are seeking submissions. To see for yourself, go to http://cbiclubhouse.com

2010-04-28T05:17:00.000-07:00

Just a thought and a hint for today...Bruce Hale, author of the popular Chet Gecko mystery series for kids, has an informative newsletter that he sends out. His Chet Gecko series is very funny, Bruce has an amazingily sharp wit; but his newsletter is full of information that writers of all genre can use. Check it out at
http://www.brucehale.com/ Subscribe to his newsletter for a bucket full of great hints. Anything written for kids needs a little humor in it somewhere.

2010-04-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have started a new story...or let's just say I've taken a story that I started awhile ago and decided to try and finish it. There was a time when ideas for stories were flowing like rain. I started a few of them. Some went nowhere. The ideas just did not develop. Others had promise. This is one of those. It is about a young Hopi Indian girl, Kari, who searches for her true Hopi name, and thus, her true self. I wrote down an "idea outline", listing all the ideas about where I wanted the story to go and how I was going to get there. Now I just have to flesh out the details. Ay, there's the rub. But the more I write, the more clearly I see Kari and what she must endure to find her true self, alone in a vast desert. It's where we all are at times...out in the desert searching for ourselves. This is true, I believe, for most teens. Sometimes it just feels to them as though they're in the middle of a dry, empty desert looking for answers. Hopefully, I will be able to help Kari find what she seeks.

2010-04-19T05:16:00.000-07:00

Usually, just the thought of editing, revising, rewriting, or rethinking a manuscript would almost send me into the streets screaming. I think to myself, "Look, you've spent so many months/years on this thing, how can you possibly go over it again?" Well, it really pays to look at your manuscript just one, maybe two or even three more times. There are things we all miss just because we've been too close to our story for so long...things we just don't see. My friend Rita did me the great service of pointing out some things to me that I missed in one of my stories. We should all have friends like Rita. Historically, I have been impatient with myself and everything around me. At my age (64) it's time I began practicing patience. It really pays off - especially when it comes to writing. Slow down a bit and take one more look...just to be sure.

2010-04-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

I've come to the conclusion that I'm just not in to hyper media for kids: hyper books, hyper video games, hyper-hyper action movies. I'm much more in line with the Fred Rogers way of communicating with kids, e.g., thoughtful, introspective, one-on-one communication. I don't know how to write a book where each page is packed with tension and fast action. That seems to be the trend in today's super-charged media market for kids. Glad I'm not a kid these days. When I was first learning to love books, I loved them because they let me think about what was going on; let me guess what might happen in the next chapter; led me on with subtlety rather than break-neck action. I'm sure that many kids love the comic book, action-in-every-frame story. But I know that there are still a lot of kids out there who want to - need to be talked to quietly, slowly, so their head wraps itself around a story without their pulse going sky high; lets them try to guess what's going to happen instead of having it thrown in their laps. They say 'write what you love'; and so I do. Hope you create what you love, too.

2010-04-08T05:34:00.000-07:00

My good friend Linda Rinehart Neas is a gifted poet and an exceptional human being. Her first book of poems, Winter of the Soul, was self-published in April, 2008. She has just announced the publication of her second book, Gogos Dream: Swaziland Discovered. She describes her book as "...inspired by the work of my friend Dr. Maithri Goonetilleke and the volunteers who work with him caring for the peoples of Swaziland, most especially the AIDS orphans." All proceeds from Linda's book will be going directly to Possible Dreams International, a non-profit organization that Dr. Goonetilleke founded. Linda's book is available at
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/752419/1e730ecc8403c398f16b167eec9e84a8 I hope you will take a look.

2010-04-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure just what drives artists to do what they do. I, for one, was reluctant to ever call myself an artist. The word conjured up images of James Joyce...a place I knew I would never be. Yet, I do create art through my writing. And so does anyone who struggles to create something beautiful. An incredible book that inspired me to keep writing and to consider myself an artist, is Julia Cameron's The Vein of Gold - A Journey to Your Creative Heart. She also wrote a book that I am about to order called The Artist's Way. These books were recommended to me at a time when I wasn't sure if I should continue to write or call it a day. Cameron is a wonderful motivator. Her books are worth what you pay for them. And I believe with all my heart that there is an artist of some sort in all of us that only needs to be discovered. Go for it!

2010-03-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

One of the best ways to find out what's happening in the world of kids' books at any given moment in time is to attend a conference. This past weekend (March 27th and 28th) I attended the Tennessee Mountain Writers Conference in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. One of their speakers was Candie Moonshower, author of The Legend of Zoe. Candie held two sessions, one of which I attended called "Writing For Young People and Children". She was her usual entertaining self and kept her audience's attention with her wit and knowledge of the art of writing for children. Out of her ten points to remember, what struck me the most were the ones centered around the act of writing, keep writing, write some more, then re-write what you've written. Writing exercises that creative muscle, as Candie called it. But another of the ten points was to be sure to read what's out there for children now. What I do is refer to what I think are the masters of the craft - the books that keep me coming back again and again to read and then re-read, trying to absorb, perhaps, what it is that makes them great. Work the muscle. It helps keep the juices flowing.

2010-02-27T04:11:00.000-08:00

There are many different ways to present a story to children. I sometimes take the first person approach where the protagonist tells her own story to the reader. That works well sometimes. But many times I like the onmiscient narrator who tells the story to the reader. One style of writing is the diary. It's risky to me to try and write as a child writes...to think as a child thinks...to react the way a child would realistically react. So I leave that style to others, such as Candie Moonshower in her award-winning story, "The Legent of Zoey". Besides being a diary of two different girls, they live in two different times! That's a monumental undertaking. But Candie did a fantastic job. I tried it once...that's all I have to say. It just didn't work for me. But, when you think of it, if a writer can realistically write and think the way the reader does, the story becomes more compelling, more real. Great work, Candie.

2010-02-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

I often hear people say that sometimes there is a great difference between a book for children they've read and the subsequent movie. In some cases the reason for this is that the books are just too long; and including everything from the book in a movie would make it hours too long. Also, movies are a different medium. They're visual. Anything created in a movie has to be based around that fact. They must be visually stimulating, or they won't be successful. So, many times, things just get lost in the translation between the print version and the movie.

One such book that became a bit more fantastic on screen was Katherine Patterson's "Bridge to Terabithia". The movie's scenes of imaginary creatures in Jess and Leslie's magical woods were, I think, not expected. But the movie creators took what they thought was inside the heads of Jess and Leslie and made them larger - brought them out of the print medium of books into the visual medium of movieland.

Another book, Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are", was a vast departure from the book. The reason is simple. The book can be read in under five minutes (depending on how long one wants to sit and imagine what's going on). No one would pay $8.00 or more to see a five minute movie. But Sendak knew that and agreed to have his story-line expanded for the film.

The purists will scoff when books are changed when made into movies. I just look at it as a different medium and enjoy the show.

2010-02-11T03:35:00.000-08:00

Speaking of humor, Gary Paulsen's "Harris and Me" is full of it, from beginning to end. Even though the reason the main character comes to be with his cousin Harris is because of his parents' alcoholism (who have gone into rehab), Paulsen has the reader feeling sorry in the end that his main character has to leave and go back to his parents.

At one point in the book the two boys are left alone at the farm. "Sometimes even the grown-ups could make mistakes. ...on several occasions...they took leave of their senses and left us completely alone."

Harris gets it into his head that he wants to be like the cowboys in the movies and jump out of the second floor of the barn onto the back of their horse Bill. So he jumped. But..."He missed Bill's front end and came down squarely on the horse's enormous rump, which was, unfortunately, actually as wide as a kitchen table. Harris's legs shot out sideways and his groin crunched with a sound I could hear from where I hung."

"Harris and Me" is a book I enjoyed greatly as an adult. It's that way with some children's books. If well written, they transcend age.

2010-02-08T04:12:00.000-08:00

Humor is important in kids' books...very important. I've read some books that dealt with very serious subject matter (brain injury), yet, somewhere among all the seriousness there was some humor. Why? Humor is a very human reaction when dealing with difficult situations. And, kids love to laugh. It breaks up the tension.

One writer who writes one joke after another in his books, and quite successfully, is Bruce Hale in his Chet Gecko Mystery series. Here's an example from his book "From Russia With Lunch": "I never could resist a mystery. Any mystery. Like, if Number 2 pencils are the most popular, why are they still Number 2? If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled? And if bedbugs live in beds and tree frogs live in trees, shouldn't box turtles come in boxes?"

I'm still trying to add a little humor to my stories. And maybe my writing is too serious, but I do keep in mind that kids need a bit of humor in everything they read. So don't we all.

2010-02-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

There are some writers who just blow me away with their ability to put ideas and emotions on paper. One writer who does this better than most in his books for children is Gary Paulsen. I love most of the books he's written, e.g. "Harris and Me", "Hatchet"; but one book that I keep going back to time after time is "Dogsong". This is the story of a young Eskimo boy who probes the memory of an elder of his village to find out what it was like in the past. The boy, Russell, has a deep-rooted curiosity about and love for the old ways. He takes the dogs and dogsled of the village elder and makes his way across the frozen wasteland to find himself, his past, and his song. Paulsen's language is remarkable, and would be in any genre, not just children's literature.

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 11, "The Dream": "The man was no longer in the settlement on the edge of the sea, fat with walrus and seal oil, among fat puppies and round dogs and found faces. Now there was not a fog, but a slashing gray storm that took everything."

There are many more wonderful, verse-like chapters that are truly inspiring for any writer.

2010-02-02T04:16:00.000-08:00

I've said previously that poetry has helped me be a better writer. One of the poets I've tried to emulate is Mary Oliver. She has the ability to say in a few well-chosen words what most of us cannot in twice as many.

Here's an excerpt from her book "Dream Work" and her poem "The Journey".

"But little by little,/as you left their voices behind,/the stars began to burn/through the sheets of clouds,/and there was a new voice,/which you slowly/recognized as your own,/that kept you company/as you strode deeper and deeper/into the world,/determined to do/the only thing you could do -/determined to save/the only life you could save."

I recommend "Dream Work" highly, for inspiration and hope.

2010-01-31T03:18:00.000-08:00

There are several different ways to write for kids. I guess it all depends on what you feel most comfortable with...and that makes it work for you and the reader. I have been experimenting with free verse in my writing. For example: Karen Hesse has written her book, "Out of the Dust", in free verse. There are no paragraphs or chapters, but rather topical sections. Personally I think this type of writing flows, is easy to read, and is very economical with words, as is poetry.
Here's an excerpt from "Out of the Dust".
"First Rain,
Sunday night,
I stretch my legs in my iron bed
under the roof.
I place a wet cloth over my nose to keep
rom breathing dust
and wipe the grime tracing from around my mouth,..."

This is the story of a family in Dust Bowl Oklahoma in the 1930's. I feel strongly that for kids who don't find it easy to read conventional books, this type of writing encourages them to pick up a book and read. And in this case, they're learning some history about the 1930's dust bowl experience.

2010-01-29T05:25:00.000-08:00

I've heard a few people say they were slightly disappointed in Patricia MacLachlan's latest book, "Edward's Eyes". Patricia has a gift for getting into the mind of a child, feeling his or her emotions, and then expressing them in poetic words. I think all writers change their writing style over time. Patricia is no different.
Here's a quote from "Edward's Eyes": "I smiled. The door opened behind me, and everyone came out and down the yard to the water. And then, for Edward, because he had once said he wanted it, Jack sent off a rocket. It went high in the sky over the water, a big dandelion of light. Albert and I watched the sparks fall back to the water. Then it was quiet again."
Her characters are intelligent, sensitive, vulnerable young people. They "see" a lot in their worlds. This, I think, is important for young people to read and understand: that it is entirely human to be sensitive and vulnerable; to be hurt and survive. Great stuff.

Kids Books

2010-01-28T11:13:00.000-08:00

The face of book publishing is changing. One thing that doesn't change - a good story is a good story, no matter what format it takes.

I'm going to take a look at some books for kids and just tell you what I think. I received my doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts. I've taught and written about children's books for years. I'd like to share some of what I've learned with you.

I'll be posting my thoughts on kids books that I've read. Hope you'll tell me what you think as well.
Kath Fearing