Faith Elizabeth Hough

What's your life philosophy? (Or, at least, favorite flavor of ice cream?)

2012-01-27T08:13:00.000-05:00

Here's a fun writing exercise, which Istole from my sister's friend (who uses it in real life, on herfriends' prospective boyfriends, not her characters as far as Iknow):

Ask your main character: “What isyour life philosophy?” (And then ask, “Why?”)

This may be harder to answer than you'dthink. And it says a whole lot about your character. For example, thefirst time my sister's friend asked it of her friend's boyfriend (isthe degree of separation confusing you yet??), he answered, “Livehard, die young.” (This says, I am simultaneously shallow andcliché and I lack the confidence to think for myself...)

There were only two good responses tothat. The first was, “Get away from my friend, you loser.” Thesecond was what was actually said: “Um...okay. What's your favoriteflavor of ice cream?”

(Incidentally, another greatcharacter-revealing question.)

For the record, my own life philosophy(at the moment) is, “Live as if you were to die today. Learn as ifyou were to live forever.” (Because I might die today, after all,and I want to do all I can and show as much love as I can and prayand write and, well, live all I can in this life. But I also firmlybelieve that I will live forever—in heaven. So I'd be doing aninjustice and undervaluing myself as a creation of God if I didn'tlearn and better myself with every chance I have.)

And my favorite flavor of icecream...peppermint stick. I wish they sold it all year long. (Becauseit's amazing, obviously.)

Happy Feast Day!

2012-01-24T09:26:00.001-05:00

Happy feast of Saint Francis de Sales,one of the patron saints of writers!

I'll leave you with a few things thathe wrote to inspire or encourage you in your own writing:

“True progress quietly andpersistently moves along without notice.”

“When you encounter difficulties andcontradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them withgentleness and time.”

“Nothing is so strong as gentlenessand nothing so gentle as true strength.”

“Have patience with all things, butfirst of all with yourself.”

“Never be in a hurry; do everythingquietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace foranything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”

The blind leading the lame

2012-01-19T17:15:00.003-05:00

Lucy, ourfour-year-old, is endeavoring to teach her two-year-old sister Zoe to“talk right.” The results are pretty humorous:

Zoe: (looking atthe green monster “Mike Wazowski” in a Monsters Incorporatedpicture book) This Mike Asky-Asky.

Lucy: No, Zoe.That's Mike Tchaikovsky.

OR:

Zoe: Hi, Annie-Ann!

Lucy: No, say RaggyAnn. Like this: Rag.

Zoe: Rag.

Lucy: Gee.

Zoe: Gee.

Lucy: Ann.

Zoe: Ann.

Lucy: See, RaggyAnn!

Mama: Actually,Lucy, her name is Raggedy Ann.

Lucy: What? Is thather name in the book?

Mama: Yep.

Lucy: (annoyed)Well, we're calling her Raggy Ann, cuz that other name is too hard tosay.

I laughed(afterward, in private).

But then I had toconsider: how often do I do the same thing? I've probably given mychildren the wrong answer a few times (my explanation of the wind,for example, was severely lacking—thank goodness their Papa is morescientifically-minded than I...), and they haven't even started in onthe really tricky questions.

And as a writer, Iknow I've felt just like Lucy must have: I had all the answers—aboutsomebody else's writing. Maybe I couldn't do it myself—but I couldtell someone else where they had messed up. I know now, that in someof the early critiques I gave, I was over-eager to come up with asolution for every problem. I cringe to think how many times this mayhave confused or misled rather than helped.

Nowadays, I try tobe very careful and very thoughtful. I do point out problems, but I'mreluctant to suggest solutions unless I'm very sure ofthem—and if I feel they fit with the author's intention for theirstory.

And I'm verygrateful for my wonderful critique partners, who have always helpedme this way, and who helped me learn through their example how toassist them.

Of course,sometimes things seem like obvious problems that need to be fixed,and even they are actually perfect little moments of the voicethat brings the story to life. Which is why I'm off to play with MikeTchaikovsky and Raggy Ann now.

Primarily Secondary

2012-01-16T19:56:00.000-05:00

Every so often it's a good idea to takea step back and do some serious analysis. (Actually, it's a good ideato do this regularly...) This week's ~~victim~~ subject: secondarycharacters.

In fact, I started off by analyzing myvery favorite books in an attempt to figure out why I love them as Ido. Main characters, of course, were high on the list, as was plotand setting and prose quality. Yet I was surprised by the fifth top 5characteristic: secondary characters. Honestly, I couldn't rank thesethings in order. Because, yes, Anne of Green Gables wouldn'tbe Anne of Green Gables without, well, Anne or GreenGables—but what would it be without Gilbert Blythe? What wouldHarry Potter be without the Weasleys? What would Pride andPrejudice be without Mr. Collins?

They'd be soulless, robot-ishcreatures, in my opinion, something like the literary equivalent ofzombies. (Hmm, if only they knew all they had to do to achieve Prideand Prejudice and Zombies wastake out a few secondary characters? ;)

Rightnow I'm at the point in my new WIP where I'm creating a bunch ofsecondaries. It's a daunting task—1^st,because I know how important it is, and 2^nd,because the plot forces about eight people onto the stage/page at thesame time. I was grinding my teeth over it last night, but I'verealized it's a good thing. Whereas with slow intros, there's atemptation to under-develop secondaries, it's impossible when a lotappear at once. They have to be unique, or the reader will drop thebook and run while they can.

Onward,then, to my completely intuited (fancy for made-up) list ofsecondary-character-creating essentials:

1. Makethem unique. Furthermore, make them unique on the surface. Readersdon't have time to figure out that Jane prefers chocolate ice creamwhile Jill prefers cake, but they'll notice if Jane carries a jumprope around with her and Jill overindulges in her use of the word“like.” (Similarly, don't ever give them names that sound asalike as Jane and Jill if you can help it!)

2. Knowwhat they look like, then only tell the important details.Particularly, be careful not to spend too much time on eye colorunless it's important...because noticing eye color makes a statement.Most people won't make direct eye contact with everyone in a group.(Conversely, if you're writing YA and want to subtly convey that a MCis attracted to someone, go ahead and dwell on the eyes.)

3.Thinkcarefully about speech patterns. Also, speech tendencies. In reallife, some people will do most of the talking and some are content tofade into the background.

4. Askyourself: can I group any characters together to make them lessconfusing? (The reason there are so many twins in literature.)

5. Becareful of being too random. I know this seems to counteracteverything I just said, but do remember that if every character has adifferent eye color, ethnicity, etc. it will seem terribly contrived.

6. Finally,remember that every secondary character is the hero of his or her ownstory. Even though most of it won't come into your book, you shouldknow all those stories. Take the time to create these characters asyou would your main character, and it will always show.

I'llfinish up with a list of my favorite secondaries (in no particularorder—and these are just the recently analyzed ones), and you cantell me who yours are in the comments!

Zero,from Holes

Gilbert,Diana, Matthew, Mrs. Lynde, Phillipa, Davy, Walter, and Faith, from variousAnne books

Ilse,from Emily of New Moon

Every secondarycharacter Austen or Rowling or Dickens ever wrote

Merry and Pippin,from The Lord of the Rings

Puddleglum andReepicheep, from The Chronicles of Narnia

Pellinore, from TheOnce and Future King

Spiller, from TheBorrowers series

Toots, from TheFaerie Ring

Razo, from TheGoose Girl

Piper, from AlCapone Does My Shirts

Mr. and Mrs. Owens,from The Graveyard Book

On Double Pointed Things

2012-01-13T11:03:00.001-05:00

(In which, once again, I attempt torelate random things to writing...)

I just stared my first knitting projecton the fearsome double pointed needles. As you can see from thepicture, it involves using four needles at once. Sound scary?

It is.

Until you get started.

Once you try knitting in the round withdouble-pointed needles, you'll find that it's perfectly easy, makessense, and is in fact very useful. As I've been delving into, oh,intermediate knitting the past few months, I've realized that almosteverything about knitting works that way. Anyone else remember RillaBlythe's griping about the Kitchener stitch in Rilla of Ingleside?Well, I learned it last week. It's easy. Rilla was whining. (Did I just complainabout something written by L. M. Montgomery? I don't believe it. Butmy honesty has been proven.)

Likewise,the more I write, the more I realize it's all about the way youapproach it. Aspects of writing will look scary, until you lookclosely, analyze the details, and just try them. Queries used to makemy head spin. Now I enjoy writing them. When I finish my outlines, Ialways have the thought: This is too big for me. Can I doit? But once I'm a few chaptersin, I realize I have all the skills I need to keep going.

To me,pulling off a successful scene is like knitting with double-pointedneedles. There's too much going on at once! How will I remember gooddialogue when I have to worry about pacing? Will my descriptionssuffer because I'm focusing about character development? Well, the“secret” to knitting on double-points is this: you're really justknitting like normal, with two needles. (And two things to think ofat once isn't bad, right?) Those other two? They just hang there,waiting until they're needed. When you're writing a scene, it's essential to focus on the task at hand, be it dialogue, description, etc., and to keep the other aspects tucked away in the back of your mind, ready to jump out when they're needed. Just don't forget they're hanging back there, and you'll be fine.

Notthat you don't have to work at writing. Keeping the knitting similegoing, I knit dozens of simple projects—hats, scarves,washcloths—before I tried my hand at the trickier ones. You have toget the exercise and learning in.

Butafter that, you have to trust yourself.

And,after that, you have to fix things. The techniques that made me mostconfident in knitting were those of learning to repair mistakes. Andthe techniques that will make you a great writer will be the abilityto see flaws in your writing and fix them.

Noteto real knitters: Forgive me for making something very simple seemcomplicated. Am I really the only one who got jitters over thosedpns? And, if you're interested, the pattern I'm knitting is called“Tree of Life Wristlets,” and I'm using Road to China SilkenJewels Yarn (Mmmmm...so soft). I just finished the first one, andit's super cute. :)

10 Cultural Practices that should stay buried forever

2012-01-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

Since I alreadyspouted my opinion about things that shouldn't have died, I thoughtI'd make you all two cents richer today by sharing the things I'mglad are gone. (It was going to be another “Top 10,” until Irealized it's hard to prioritize bad things like that.... these arejust off the top of my head and meant to amuse. :)

1. Muumuus. Really?

2. Powdered hair. Ican't help thinking a lot more sneezing went on.

3. 13-inch waists.During the reign of Catherine de' Medici in the 16^thcentury, it was considered an abomination for any female courtier tohave a waist that she could not span with her two hands. Ribs wereremoved; lung diseases flourished; lots of women suffered and died.And, not that it's really relevant, they looked even funnier thanmuumuus.

4. Rabatos. All I cansay in their favor is that at least they weren't in stylesimultaneously with muumuus.

Elizabeth is probably suffering from both the above styles, which may be why she was so grumpy.

5. Ratcatchers.Actually ratcatchers themselves were probably decent, upstandingpeople, and I'm grateful that terminators still exist. I refer moreto the lack of hygiene (can you say Bubonic Plague?) that necessitated their flourishing career inthe Middle Ages. With all my griping about modern culture, I still name Lister and Pasteur as personal heroes and am thankful I was bornafter they were.

6. Blood-letting. Andleeches. (I don't care if modern science has proved leeches actuallyweren't as bad an idea as we once thought. They're still disgusting.)

7. Polygamy.

8. Giving babiescocaine to pacify them. Victorian housewives once kept a jar of thestuff in their kitchens.

9. Nero's Circus andGladiatior fights. As I'm sure you noticed, these were a majorinfluence on The Hunger Games. But Nero was even worse thanPresident Snow. In addition to the games themselves, he once had aline of Christians doused with oil and lit as human torchesilluminating the arena. The rabble of Rome was much pleased.

10. Almost every stylefrom the 1980's.

Chime in--what practices/fashions do you think should stay dead forever?

Top 10 Cultural Practices in Need of Resurrection

2012-01-06T12:34:00.001-05:00

As I was deploring our culture's lackof sufficient Christmas celebration the other day, I began toconsider some other extinct (or at least endangered) culturalpractices that ought to be renewed for the good and fun of all:

1. Saying “How do you do?” My girls dosay this, much to the amusement of adults, mostly because I readplenty of old books to them. And, well, it is pretty cute to seetheir chubby hands held out in introduction, to hear the slurredEnglish accents... Honestly, though, what an excellent greeting thiswas. It encourages you to stop and think about the person you'remeeting, to care about them as an individual. And it sounds muchbetter than “Hey, how are ya?”

2. The term “macaroni,” not referringto the little c-shaped pasta. Someone please comment and tell me I'mnot the only person who would enjoy it if this was used as a fashionadjective again, as in: “Colin Firth made an appearance at thepremiere, looking absolutely macaroni in a new Prada suit.”

3. More feast days. Don't get me wrong, Iappreciate veterans and past presidents and fallen heroes as much asthe next American—actually, probably a lot more than the averageAmerican—but the holidays in the U.S. just can't hold a candle tomedieval Europe. Processions! Fairs! Meat on Fridays! Pancakes! MardiGras should totally be a National Holiday, followed by a NationalForty Days of Fasting and the biggest party ever on Easter. With aprocession.

4. Courtship. With all our modern datingpractices, we've practically made impossible the kind of spontaneousproposals you find in Pride and Prejudice orAnne of the Island. Whatgirl doesn't want spontaneous moonlight proposals? Not to mentionpassionate hand-kissing when the chaperone's back is turned, burninggazes across a crowded dance floor and other scandalous, wonderfulthings like that. And just the word “beau.”

5. Speakingof crowded dance floors...Real dances.Starting with contra dancing (think Jane Austen again) and continuingon with a mastery of the waltz, minuet, and hey, a little tango andswing for good measure. My husband and I have turned a few eyes whenwe ballroom dance to modern pop songs at weddings, but it should bethe norm. (Also, a little more evidence of my nerdiness: I was one ofthe founding members of the completely awesome Contra Dance Societyat my college. We regularly had at least fifteen girls and three guysattend. Yup.)

6. Certainexclamations, such as “Drat!” “Blast!” and “Goodnessgracious!” In fact, we could even abbreviate them for texting ease:“u saw him? GG!”

7. Hats.I want to wear something on my head that I can call a “darlingconcoction” like Betsy Ray.

8. Illustratedmagazine covers, billboards and advertisements. So the NormanRockwells and Alphonse Muchas of today don't have to live on Ramen.

9. Breeches.I have a feeling I'm not going to get enthusiastic male support onthis one, but guys—just like you can acknowledge that we ladieslook better in cute skirts than in sweatpants, I'd like to putforward for the record that breeches are a lot more flattering to themale form than long pants. Also, trousers were brought into style bya group called the sans-culottes (thistranslates to without breeches)...youmay remember them as the anti-government, anti-God, nobility-killingterrorists behind the French Revolution. Does wearing pants make youa terrorist? No. But I still say breeches would be quite a statement.

10. Musicalperformance as a social activity. As in, “Goodness gracious! Lookat the new sheet music in the bookstore window! I'm going to buy acopy and learn it so we can all gather around the piano and sing onFriday night.”

Oh, well (andblast!). I suppose these days are past. Anyone wonder why I writehistorical fiction? ;)

What are yourfavorite extinct/endangered cultural practices?

It's still Christmas!

2012-01-03T11:25:00.000-05:00

Allow me a mild rant against modern culture. (You know by now that I need to get these out of my system at least biannually...) Why does the radio stop playing Christmas music on December 26th? Why are there dozens of trees at the curb and no more twinkling lights greeting me as I drive by at night?
I can't really understand why anyone would want to eschew the chance for more parties, celebrating, cookies, caroling and so forth, and in years past, Christmas Eve was just the beginning of the fun. Twelve days of Christmas, they had then. Almost two weeks of festivities, culminating in the glorious feast of Epiphany, or Kings' Day, as some in England called it. Two weeks of celebrating that we could be enjoying, too--hint, hint.
And, no, this is not just an excuse for posting Christmas pictures a week late. (Though I have used that excuse for the after-Christmas cookies...) Anyway, here's a little glimpse into how we are still celebrating the season of Christmas:

This ornament has a special place in our hearts and on our tree. Isn't he cute?

Santons on the mantle...

On the first and second and third....days of Christmas, my true love gave to me: this beautiful portrait of Lucy he is in the process of painting. Best present ever.

If you need a giggle...

2011-12-30T19:08:00.000-05:00

You've probably noticed that I'm a total Tolkien nerd (why, yes, I can write in Dwarvish runes and Elvish), so I hope you're impressed that I've waited so long to gush about the upcoming Hobbit movie. I didn't even post the trailer since half of the rest of the blogosphere did...but this "literaled" version was just too funny.
(Warning of slight crudeness...but still, so funny.)
I am so excited about many of the casting choices, and I can't wait to see some of my favorite literary scenes brought to life. ("Riddles in the dark"!!) Only, could anyone explain what on earth is up with Galadriel?
Ahhh...I feel Middle Earth stirring in my blood. There may be more Tolkien-ish posts coming throughout the next year. ;)

No More Drama! (Except a little bit)

2011-12-29T14:17:00.000-05:00

(Evidence of our girly life)

My poor husband...he's definitely the minority in our house, being the only one residing here who can lay claim to a Y chromosome. But he manages quite well. Recently he instituted a household mantra that seems to be helping: "No More Drama!"
75% of the time, chanting this will get the girls giggling, making them forget whatever petty molehill they had just turned into Mount Vesuvius. The other 25%...well, Mark and I can only smile at each other and think, "Yes...3 girls. At least they're not 3 teenage girls yet."
Anyway, this is really about writing, I promise. :) Because if there is one thing I have a hard time balancing in my own writing, it is drama and melodrama. "We all know" drama = good and melodrama = bad...but where do you draw the line? And what about the fact that certain characters are naturally melodramatic? (Anne Shirley) And some are so stoic (um...can't think of an example off the top of my head...) that even average drama seems like too much?
I guess the answer is that the line is a very fuzzy, twisty, spirally one. It's going to change for every book and character you write. Personally, I naturally lean toward melodrama in my writing. Remember Anne Shirley's writing club, and all those tragic deaths? The scary thing is, when I sit down to write, my brain still jumps to such situations before I stop and think. As I remember it, about half the critiques of my first manuscript were suggestions to tone down the drama, make things more believable, less purply-prosy, and so on. So on my second novel I did a 180. I banished the words "feel" and "love." And a lot of the earliest critiques amounted to, "I think this needs a little more emotion."
After trying to revise that second ms, I found my solution (at least for now). Because it's a lot harder to add emotion than to tone it down. I may be able to decide off the bat that the tragic death is not the best way to infuse the middle of my book with drama, but I also don't decide to make my characters heartless automatons. I let them love and emote and dream...and, yes, I have to cut 50% of that out during the revision process, but that's what revision's for.
Of course it's still a struggle--so I'd love to know any tips you have!
On another note, thank you all for your prayers for my family last week. My nephew made it home for Christmas and is more or less back to his happy, smiling self. We're so grateful for all the prayers and good wishes that pulled us through a difficult time. I hope your Christmases were lovely and that the rest of the Christmas season holds many joys and blessings!

Blessed Christmas!

2011-12-21T11:19:00.003-05:00

Everything seems to be conspiring to keep me away from the computer this week, so I will take this moment (when all the girls are either napping or playing quietly!) to wish you a truly blessed, happy and merry Christmas!
This year I've been given many reminders that Christmas is, among other things, about the tremendous power of God and the possibility--no, likelihood--of miracles. With that in mind, I'd be very grateful if you would hold my extended family in your prayers this year. In the past three days, as many family members have made trips to the hospital for various causes. Right now my three-month-old nephew is in the neonatal intensive care unit, over an hour away from his home, so my sister can't be with her other three children in these last few days before Christmas. Please, please pray that his doctors will be inspired to help him as he needs and that their family will be together again soon.
May you have many blessings and joys this Christmas season, and may your hearts be ever open to the tremendous love, power, and inspiration of the Child Jesus!

The Secret Adventures of Gertrude and Happy Doll

2011-12-13T08:04:00.001-05:00

On Friday night, we visited my parents and Lucy and Zoe brought their dollies. In typical toddler form (and, okay, typical parent-of-toddler form), we forgot to bring them home with us. Since we live about 30 minutes away and did not discover our mistake until, 2 miles from home, we heard the wails of a two-year-old in the back seat, Gertrude and Happy had to spend the night at Grampa and Munga's house.
In the morning, though, much comfort was to be had from the emails Lucy and Zoe received from their dolls. I have it on good authority that a certain Mr. Pink Hippopotamus took these photos of them throughout the night and next morning:

Watching The Little Drummer Boy

Eating Lollipops

Playing drums...along with the movie, I guess.

Building things

Eating rice for breakfast

Climbing trees

Looking for worms in the compost (a favorite activity of my girls, who think worms are "cute")


Saying a prayer

The dolls and their little mamas were reunited that afternoon with much wonder and rejoicing on all parts!

Inspiring Art

2011-12-09T14:55:00.001-05:00

L'Enfant du Regiment, by John Everett Millais

Yesterday after Mass for the feast of the Immaculate Conception, we celebrated by going out for a family lunch and a walk through the Yale British Art Gallery. Museums are so good for the soul--and so good for inspiring creativity.
This painting by Millais is one of my very favorite works of art; when I see it in person, I literally can't help crying. The girl, whose father was killed in battle, has been adopted by his regiment. She finds a resting place during another battle (in person, you can see soldiers fighting in the background in the far left) on the tomb of a knight.
For those of you who've read The Hunger Games, you know how Suzanne Collins takes three long (albeit excellently-written) books and a lot of violence to get across the message: "War Sucks"? This painting makes you feel that in an instant. It also leaves you hopeful and inspired by the nobility and goodness of which men are capable.
What are your favorite works of art? Have any inspired you in your writing?

Collateral benefits of reading to your child :)

2011-12-05T16:43:00.001-05:00

When children have been given a good dose of literature, the cute things they say are just different from other kids. I thought some of you literary-minded friends would enjoy some of these recent Lucy-isms:

When I turned on the twinkly Christmas lights for her: "Oh, Mother, you are too kind."

When her two-year-old sister found her lost pencil: "Oh, Zoe, you are so clever. I think we should give a party in your honor every-each day." (She uses "oh" as much as a middle-schooler uses "like.")

After some deep thought and playing with her fairy doll, "You know, Mama, I think fairies are real but we just haven't seen them yet. You don't know everything God made. I think one day he decided to make fairies for he had got tired of making people." (Yes, she really does use "for" as in "because" like that.)

I thought she had a fairly good point on that last one. Who are we to say what God has created? A thousand years ago, what a great many things people had never dreamed of that we take for granted today.

Will the real Mr. Hyde please step forward?

2011-12-03T09:59:00.001-05:00

On this date in 1894, Robert LouisStevenson died at his home in Samoa. It's a rare person who hasn't been touchedin some way or another by the work of this man...from hiscontribution to and development of children's literature with suchclassics as Treasure Island andKidnapped, to hiseerie, immortal short story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekylland Mr. Hyde, I think it's fairto say he's made an indelible mark on the world of books.

Recently,I came across another “strange case” related to his life. Itinvolves a letter he wrote in 1890, full of passion and his customaryeloquence, defending a man who, though of a different faith,Stevenson saw as a saint. The man was Father Damien de Veuster. Youmay be familiar with him: he devoted his life to caring for thelepers on the island of Molokai, giving up a normal life and even hishealth (he eventually died of leprosy) to love and serve others. But,because the world hates saints and loves a sensation, shortly afterFr. Damien's death, a man named Mr. Hyde answered the call of asensationalist news reporter to provide the juicy details of thepriest's life. Except he made them up. He was so dizzy with thespotlight, the thrill of being in the public eye, that he came upwith any number of elaborate, false stories about Father Damien.

Now onthe outskirts of this tale was Mr. Robert Louis Stevenson, who hadhimself visited Molokai, stayed with and befriended Mr. Hyde,and—though not a Catholic himself—had been deeply touched by thework done by Father Damien and the selfless religious sisters on theisland.

Hemust have seen it as fitting, when he read Mr. Hyde's letter, that hehad already decided “Hyde” just had the perfect ring to it for aterrifying, disgusting monster, transformed from what a human beingshould be into the worst, basest shadow of a man. Certainly thereal-life Hyde did nothing to change his mind.

Stevensonwrote a letter to the editor of the Sydney Presbyterian, which hadprinted Hyde's scandalous tale. The Sydney paper refused to print it,but soon newspapers throughout the world ran with it. Stevensondefended Father Damien, his faith, his goodness, and his work. Heexposed Hyde for the jealous monster that he was, someone so annoyedby his failure and Damien's success that it brought out the worst inhis own nature. He predicted that Father Damien would someday beconsidered for Sainthood in the Catholic Church, and he saw it asimportant—again, though he didn't even share the same faith!--thattruth be fearlessly sought and acknowledged.

Youcan read his letter here—it's rather long, quite scathing, but itwill remind you of the power a writer holds in his hands. Hyde choseto use that power for evil, Stevenson for good. On this anniversaryof his death, I hope you will join me in saying a prayer for him, inthanking God for his passion and honesty, and in begging for a smallmeasure of the courage he had in abundance.

Because everyone needs some cute baby moments in their life

2011-12-01T15:28:00.001-05:00

Genevieve turned five months old on Thanksgiving. She is already rolling all over the place and swatting at my keyboard when I try to hold her and write. (Remember when I wrote about how much I loved writing when babies are newborn? Gone are the days...)
But I forgive her. Okay, actually I love her to pieces. Because, well, how can you resist those big brown eyes?

You'll be pleased to know I am still getting plenty of writing done every day.

(Just don't tell my daughters that some people actually fold laundry. They're still under the illusion that their Mama is pretty great. ;)

Who is the Patron Saint of your story?

2011-11-28T11:33:00.001-05:00

“Personally, I like to start with thepatron saint of whatever it is...

The patron saint of this story is St.Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), because it all sort of started with arobbery and the first saintish thing he ever did was a robbery. Hestole some cloth from his father and gave it to the poor. There is apatron saint of actual robbers—Dismas (first century)—but I'm notan actual robber. I was only trying to be good.”

--from Millions,by Frank Cottrell Boyce (a.k.a. One of the best middle grade novelsever written)

Evenafter reading the brilliant story that the line above is taken from,I never really thought about my stories having patron saints. I'm notsure why. Like Damian from Millions,saints were part of my everyday life growing up, and still are. Istill annoy St. Anthony with the little “Look around” poem untilhe helps me find what I'm looking for. I pray for St. Lucy'sintercession when my eyes hurt and for St. Lawrence's when I getburned. (I don't prayto him when I'm cooking, because somehow that seems a littleinsensitive.)

by Bastien-Lepage

But my books havebeen on their own. (A pretty prideful thing on my part, now that Ithink of it.)

Until a few daysago. I've been working on my French Revolution story, about a younggirl from France, who is a skilled horsewoman, who dreams of thingsgreater than the life set ahead of her, and who—of course—ridesin to save the day at the end. (Here's a spoiler for you—the daywill always be saved at the ends of my books. I will never, everwrite an unhappy ending.) I want the book to explore the idea of whatnobility is, finding truly noble persons in unlikely places.

Now, my MC,Juliette, lives in the tail end of the eighteenth century. But forsome reason, ever since I started writing the story, a girl from afew hundred years before kept popping up all over the place in mylife: St. Joan of Arc. Nothing against St. Joan, but I never thoughtof her very often. All of a sudden, though, I see paintings of herall over, a friend asks me if I've read a book about her, she'smentioned in random conversations with me.

by Mucha

She had to kind ofhit me over the head until I realized, “Oh, wow. I think St. Joanof Arc wants to be the patron saint of my book.” She's French. Rodea horse. Kicked butt. And if anyone could tell you about nobilityhaving little to do with your bloodline, it was she.

So it's official. Iprinted out pictures of those random paintings of St. Joan and pinnedthem up on my inspiration board. And every morning I start my writingwith a quick prayer, that she'll keep on praying for the grace I needwhile I write. It's really nice to have a partner.

What about you?Have you ever entrusted your writing to a certain saint? If you'relooking for ideas, here's a list—you'll be surprised by what you find...and bythe sense of humor whoever came up with these things had.

Or if you'relooking for a patron of writing in general, here are a few to get youstarted:

St. John theEvangelist—for obvious reasons.

St. Lucy—I don'tthink St. Lucy ever wrote much, so I think the fact that she was madepatron of writers has something to do with her name meaning “light,”as in, “illumination,” the goal of all great writing. Or someonethought that writers would get a kick out of the way she's portrayedin art by carrying her poked-out eyeballs in a cup. I mean, ifStephen King prayed to someone, it would be her.

And then there's myfavorite not-officially-named-patron: Blessed John Paul II. Before(well, and after) he became a priest and the Pope, he was a writer,poet, and playwright (actor, too!). A saint who wrote fiction is hardto come by, so I say we snatch him up to intercede for us.

A Slightly-Dramatized Story of the Mayflower and Things for which I am Thankful

2011-11-23T07:54:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time, a boat-ful ofintrepid men and women fled the religious persecution of Europe tofind freedom in the New World. (I won't digress about the religiouspersecution and bigotry they brought with them...History books cleanthese things up so nicely.)

On one stormy day, John Howland, anupright young man much respected by his fellow travelers, fell intothe icy waters of the Atlantic. Only the quick thinking and braveactions of his shipmates saved him from perishing in the waves.

I like to imagine that Doctor SamuelFuller, perhaps with the aid of his clever 12-year-old nephew Sam,helped to restore John to health. Perhaps John and the young Samformed a fast friendship, perhaps John stood by Sam's side when hisparents died in the illness that ravaged the boat that winter. Maybethey knew even then that fate had brought them together.

Hundreds of years later, SamFuller's many-times-great granddaughter met a young man named Mark Hough inthe gardened walkway next to their church. Immediately she was drawnto the rich timbre of his voice, his friendly face, his honest, kindsmile....traits, just possibly, that he inherited from hismany-times-great grandfather, John Howland, who once narrowly escapeddeath after he fell off a boat.

The girl, whose name is Faith, is very,very grateful that he was saved.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day tomorrow!

Best. Research. Ever.

2011-11-21T08:53:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, we visited the Met. Do those words alone begin to convey the awesomeness of my weekend? True awesomeness. I can't count the number of times a beautiful piece of art had me breathless with awe.
One of the reasons we visited was so that I could do some research for my new book. To give you an idea...
The title of my story is (at the moment--you know how these things change) Cirque des Secrets: a Tale of Revolution. The main character, Juliette de la Marche, flees the gilded cage of an arranged marriage to join the performers of Astley's Amphitheatre in London; but when the Revolution threatens her family's lives, she must use her unique skills and risk her own life to save them.
As I'm sure you guessed, I did lots of hard work at the Met, looking at things like this and getting the feel for my character's life:

Juliette looks a lot like this...though she prefers riding her horse to drawing.

Before her family's Paris hotel (mansion) was burned by revolutionaries, Juliette shared a bed like this with her sister Angeline.

The man in this painting by Jacques-Louis David soon after lost his head to Madame Guillotine...a fate which endangers Juliette's family, too.

These soft blue walls are very soothing after a long day riding and trying to (not) socialize with a certain foppish and sycophantic baron.

And as if a day at the museum wasn't good enough, we spent Sunday visiting with my dear, dear friend Sister Emily, who is a novice with the Daughters of Saint Paul in Boston. We've been "bosom friends" since we were nine...even then we dreamed of being writers! Now she works in the children's editorial department of Pauline Press. I hadn't seen her in person in over four years, and the visit was very good for my spirit. I am so grateful for friendships formed around things that will never fade.

Poetry Friday: L. M. Montgomery

2011-11-18T19:40:00.001-05:00

I think Poetry Friday's going to be a regular thing around here. I never seem to have time to write my own posts by the end of the week!
So here, by my oh-so-dear Lucy Maud Montgomery, is: "By an Autumn Fire." (Because that is where I will be in a few minutes, getting some cozy last-minute work on my novel done while anticipating a weekend that should be wonderful, but won't leave much time for writing.)

Now at our casement the wind is shrilling,
Poignant and keen
And all the great boughs of the pines between
It is harping a lone and hungering strain
To the eldritch weeping of the rain;
And then to the wild, wet valley flying
It is seeking, sighing,
Something lost in the summer olden.
When night was silver and day was golden;
But out on the shore the waves are moaning
With ancient and never fulfilled desire,
And the spirits of all the empty spaces,
Of all the dark and haunted places,
With the rain and the wind on their death-white faces,
Come to the lure of our leaping fire.

But we bar them out with this rose-red splendor
From our blithe domain,
And drown the whimper of wind and rain
With undaunted laughter, echoing long,
Cheery old tale and gay old song;
Ours is the joyance of ripe fruition,
Attained ambition.
Ours is the treasure of tested loving,
Friendship that needs no further proving;

No more of springtime hopes, sweet and uncertain,
Here we have largess of summer in fee
Pile high the logs till the flame be leaping,
At bay the chill of the autumn keeping,
While pilgrim-wise, we may go a-reaping
In the fairest meadow of memory!

Fess up: what genres do you write and read?

2011-11-16T14:45:00.001-05:00

Little post today, as I'm catching up from a few crazy days.
Since I don't have much time to write, and since one of my favorite things about blogging is learning about other writers and readers, I'll let you do some of the work. :)
So...what genres do you all write--and why do you love that genre?
And are they the same genres you read the most?
As you know, I write historical fiction--which happens to be my favorite genre to read. Oddly enough, another favorite genre to read--though I've never written any--is dystopian.
Or maybe it's not so odd. My newest WIP centers around the world of the French Revolution. The more research I do, the more I realize President Snow of The Hunger Games had nothin' on Robespierre and Napoleon.
Hmm, maybe from now on I will tell people I write historical dystopian novels...

Poetry Friday for Veterans' Day

2011-11-11T08:08:00.001-05:00

Because some of our veterans were and are poets, I'd like to share this poem by my dear Joyce Kilmer--himself a soldier who died fighting in the First World War. The poor man is much maligned by all the school children who were forced to memorize Trees but didn't ponder its meaning...but he also wrote many poems, such as the one that follows, which contain profound insights into the heart of an artist.

Apology

(For Eleanor Rogers Cox)

For blows on the fort of evil
That never shows a breach,
For terrible life-long races
To a goal no foot can reach,
For reckless leaps into darkness
With hands outstretched to a star,
There is jubilation in Heaven
Where the great dead poets are.

There is joy over disappointment
And delight in hopes that were vain.
Each poet is glad there was no cure
To stop his lonely pain.
For nothing keeps a poet
In his high singing mood
Like unappeasable hunger
For unattainable food.

So fools are glad of the folly
That made them weep and sing,
And Keats is thankful for Fanny Brawne
And Drummond for his king.
They know that on flinty sorrow
And failure and desire
The steel of their souls was hammered
To bring forth the lyric fire.

Lord Byron and Shelley and Plunkett,
McDonough and Hunt and Pearse
See now why their hatred of tyrants
Was so insistently fierce.
Is Freedom only a Will-o'-the-wisp
To cheat a poet's eye?
Be it phantom or fact, it's a noble cause
In which to sing and to die!

So not for the Rainbow taken
And the magical White Bird snared
The poets sing grateful carols
In the place to which they have fared;
But for their lifetime's passion,
The quest that was fruitless and long,
They chorus their loud thanksgiving
To the thorn-crowned Master of Song.

Voice, art and spirit

2011-11-08T14:52:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, I had the wonderfulopportunity to hear editor Cheryl Klein speak on “Voice” at theNew Jersey SCBWI Craft Day. As I've just started a new work inprogress, the timing couldn't have been better; I've been playingaround with different persons, tenses, levels of humor, and so on—butseeing the element of voice clearly portrayed in Cheryl Klein'ssignature analytical style was just what I needed. If you haven'tread her book, Second Sight,I highly, highly recommend it.

Voiceis difficult to define, I think, because it is largely intangible. Wesee voice as the trademark of an individual writer—the personality,form, point, thematic elements, etc. that combine to the show thetruth of the work in a way peculiar to one human being. Looking at itthat way, every artist in the world must find their own voice—theirway to show their unique spirit in their art.

Inpainting, for example, given the same topic, the same medium withwhich to work, three different artists will create three differentpaintings. Consider these versions of the Madonna and Child with St.John:

Bouguereau

Jacopo del Salleio

Raphael

Composers,too, must find a way to show a truth while being true to themselves.Here are a couple variations on the theme of “night”:

I findthat looking, and listening, to other forms of art helps me definewhat I want my own art, in writing to be. Like the Bouguereaupainting, I want my writing to be clear and haunting—sophisticatedand innocent at once. Like Chopin's nocturne, I want to achieve abeautiful simplicity, growing tension, and phrases that linger. Likeall the pieces of art I shared, I want my art to be carefully craftedin order to share truth through beauty.

If youcould compare your writing style to one composer or artist, who wouldit be?

You should keep a journal...

2011-11-07T09:25:00.001-05:00

...because someday you will have something to laugh over.
I recently came across my sporadically-kept childhood journal, from when I was 10 years old. I moved around a lot as a kid and wrote so many letters to friends that I never had the strong desire to bare my soul to a diary. However, amidst the records of basketball game scores, there was one gem:
"Dear Diary,
Today I folded a load of laundry for Mom. Did I ever tell you I love folding laundry?"
Wha....?!

You're right--this picture is totally unrelated. But it makes me smile!

Seriously, though, I've recently started journaling again, and I've found it to be an excellent practice to keep my writing muscles limber. Sometimes all I write about is cute things my kids said that I want to remember, like, "Lucy: Well, I would tell you the truth, but if I told you the truth you would make me sit in the corner for a really really long time..." or reflections on daily life, like, "I hate folding laundry!" :)
But just getting pen to paper for a few minutes makes it easier to put fingers to keyboard later. On a rare occasion it will give me a really good idea that will make its way into a manuscript.
I confess I'm still having difficulty with the "every day" aspect that journaling implies. (Fellow etymologists will recognize the "jour" in journal from the French for "day".) Any advice?

The (not so) good old days of research

2011-11-02T09:33:00.000-04:00

I have fond memories of the days when“research” meant a trek to the library with an extra-durablebookbag over my shoulder... browsing through the reference section...getting distracted or inspired by related, but not quite pertinenttitles along the row... coming home to sit down to a cup of tea, anotebook and pen, and a stack of knowledge.

Nowadays, I usually just open mylaptop.

That's not to say I don't miss the oldway. So, yesterday, when I needed to find a book on everyday life ineighteenth century Europe, I decided to resurrect a past way of life.The sky was the brightest of blues against the remaining orange andred leaves on the sugar maples; my daughters were in cheerful,singing moods; I was full of energy. After packing a four-year-old,two-year-old and four-month-old into their carseats, my energy hadonly dimmed slightly, and we set off for the library. All three of uswho are currently verbal sang, “We're going to the library!” in amade-up tune and the random harmonies two-year-olds singing alwaysseems to create.

The one thing I dislike about our locallibrary is that it doesn't have a parking lot. And apparently most ofmy neighbors had been similarly inspired by the weather, becausethere wasn't a single spot to park near the center of town. Thisdidn't deter me—like I said, the day was beautiful, and I had comeprepared with my baby sling and super-duper double stroller. I gotthe toddlers packed into the stroller, baby into the sling, lockedthe car. Forgot my diaper bag. Unlocked the car, got the bag, setdown the street.

In the library, I was faced with adecision: try to keep two kids in control in the reference section,or try to wield a double stroller through the narrow aisles. I optedfor the second choice...shortly regretted that when I realized thatthe aisles are incrediblynarrow. So I sort of squeezed the stroller into one end of the 900's,sprinted around to the other side and met up with the end where mytwo-year-old's feet were kicking wildly.

In aNew England library, there is no shortage of books on Americain the eighteenth century. They don't seem to care about Europe somuch. Although I found plenty to interest and distract me about otherregions, other time periods, and random fascinating figures—some ofwhich were provided my the two-year-old who just didn't take the“Don't. Pull. Books. Off. The. Shelf.” warning to heart—Icouldn't find a single book pertaining to what I needed.

So westrolled to the children's section, piled out of the stroller, playedfor half an hour...tried to get everyone back into the stroller, onlyto meet arguments that they had “met a girl named Rose who needssomeone to play with! She's two years old, just like Zoe!” So wegave Rose a few more minutes while my energy decreased proportionateto my children's energy increase.

Finallywe were packed back up and on our way back to the car. Suddenly thatlovely bright blue sky seemed a trifle too bright, and the orangeleaves started to hurt my eyes. After the girls were buckled in, Ibegan to fold up the super-duper stroller to fit it in the trunk. AndI quickly realized that I don't know how to fold up the stroller—thiswas the first time I'd used it by myself, and somehow my husbandalways seemed to do the folding the other times. I squeezed the redbutton, the stroller collapsed—but the drink tray in front wasstill poking up when I tried to get it into the trunk. In a moment ofinspiration I remembered, “Oh, yeah, the tray has to come offfirst!” but all my efforts to pull it off were unsuccessful. Itugged, yanked, pushed—stomped down on the frame while pulling thetray upwards—nothing worked. I began to get funny looks from peoplein passing cars, while I grumbled to myself that at least someonewas entertained by this. The baby and the two-year-old were cryingimpatiently, and I felt that I wasn't far from such a reactionmyself. I got to my knees in front of the thing, ostensibly to lookat it more closely, but actually to beg God to help me figure out theblasted machine before all three girls were screaming.

Oh,look, a lever. Ten minutes later we were back home, girls werecalmed, and a big glass of water did a great deal to help my poundinghead.

Iopened my laptop. A quick Google search for “everyday lifeeighteenth century europe” met with over 59 million results. One ofthe first was a book, which I quickly requested through inter-libraryloan, so that next time I just have to get the stroller up to thefront desk.

ThisThanksgiving I will remember to say a little prayer of thanks thatthe good old ways are not the only ways.

Dreams and what makes them happen

2011-10-31T11:07:00.001-04:00

A few days ago, blogger Hannah C. Howard wrote a lovely, encouraging post about believing in your dreams. Because itreally resonated with me, I wanted to write a post of my own inresponse.

While ruminating on what my dreams are,I was reminded of my acting class in college, where my wonderfulprofessor had us, during one of the earliest classes, sit in a circleand go around saying, “Where we would be in ten years.” Heemphasized that we were not to say, “Where we'd like to be,”because that would be admitting impossibility or impracticality.

Here's what I said:

“In ten years, I will:

be married (sort of cheating because Iwas already engaged),

be living in an old house withbeautiful property,

have three or four children by then whoI will be homeschooling,

have written at least two books,

and have at least one book published.”

That was five and a half years ago. NowI am married, live in a beautiful old house, have three children whoI've begun to homeschool (well, you know, the baby is learning, um,how to roll over, so...), and have written four manuscripts. Lookingat it that way, that last point on the list doesn't seem too crazy.

Hannah remarked in her post on howdifficult it can be when unbelievers, the pessimists (or realists, asthey like to call themselves) of the world, put down your dreams.We've all been through those awkward moments, where you decide to behonest in response to the question, “So what have you been up to?”and are met with a blank, frigid stare.

On the other hand, hopefully we allknow someone who has always believed in us enough to encourage andhelp us along every step of the way. I know without a doubt that oneof the reasons so many of my dreams have come to fruition is that Ihave many, many people who believe in me:

My parents, who told me, “The word'can't' is not in your vocabulary.”

My siblings, siblings-in-law, parents-in-law, and good friends, who have helped babysit children,move furniture, cook meals; have listened to me rant; have prayed forme; have been fulfilling dreams of their own.

My critique group partners, who havebeen honest, insightful and constantly inspiring.

The many writers who I have met in person or through blogging, who remind me, in the words of one of them, that "no one is born published."

My daughters, whose beautiful smilescan get me through the darkest days.

And most of all, my husband Mark, whois loving and persistent and generous, who believes in me when Idon't, and who has been known to calm a crying baby whilecarving a violin scroll, so that I can finish asentence/page/chapter.

See?

Thankyou, all of you. I hope I can help to make your dreams a reality,too.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

2011-10-27T09:12:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I attended a brilliant lecture by Patricia Lee Gauch, entitled, "The Picture Book; an Act of Mischief." Patti explored the way that some of the best picture books are created by artists and writers willing to break rules, step outside the box, refuse to acknowledge that a box even exists. It was a wonderful lecture; if you ever have the chance to hear Patricia Lee Gauch speak, TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY. You will not regret it.
Picture books aren't exactly my forte in writing, but I do feel as if I now have the tools to write one if I ever wanted to. I also got to thinking how writing a great novel demands for rules to be broken. I admit that the "rules of writing" that "everyone" agrees about are there for a reason. I acknowledge that if you follow them all throughout the writing of your manuscript, you will have a decent book at the end of it. I wonder, though, if it is possible to ever write a great book without making a little mischief....
Take the title of this post, purloined from one of the greatest, and most rule-breaking, children's books of all time. That lovely sentence wouldn't exist if J. K. Rowling hadn't waved off the "don't use adverbs" rule. If she had followed the "Show don't tell" rule completely, she never would have achieved the level of wit and confidence her first chapter is brimming with. (Even Cheryl Klein extolls Rowling's use of the "Tell-then-show" technique.)
It's something to think about....
So, what writing rules do you break? And which do you follow religiously?

Surprise!

2011-10-21T10:43:00.000-04:00

I've mentioned a few times that I find taking a walk one of the best ways to conquer writers' block. Here's why:
A couple weeks ago, we decided to take a walk by the beach to watch the sun set--ideas seem to come very readily while strolling along with my family, talking about books or plans or nothing with my husband, enjoying the stunning gorgeousness of a golden sun over the water.
Mark has lived by this beach his entire life--some of our first dates were spent walking there--so we thought we knew it pretty well.
Then we heard some strange hooting, chattering sounds, unlike any shore bird we were familiar with. We looked up, and saw these guys:

Yes, parrots. Green parrots in our Connecticut pine trees by the northern shore of the Long Island Sound. If you look closely in the next picture, you can see a whole family of them huddled in their crazy-cool nest of sticks--quite the architectural wonder in itself.

I'm not sure when, or if, these brave pioneer parrots will ever make it into a story--but they did remind me that anything's possible, that perseverance is more powerful than common sense.
Plus, they just made me smile. I hope they do the same for you! :)

Sometimes you have to listen to that little voice

2011-10-18T10:56:00.002-04:00

You know the one. The one that, as you're writing something you're not totally satisfied with says, "Um...you know that's gonna come back to haunt you, right?"
My response is usually to say, "Shut up, Voice. It'll be good enough."
At which the Voice comes back with my husband's sometimes-annoying but always good advice: "Good enough isn't good enough."
Sigh.
I don't even want to count the number of times ignoring that voice has ended up in my being terribly blocked in my writing. I resist the need to go back and fix the problem, trying to plow ahead and make things work, by gum. (I don't usually say "by gum," but it's kind of fun, isn't it? Must make note to bring it back into vogue...) But it never does work. I always have to go back, find the problem, fix it.
I'm lucky when this is a little problem. This past week, I had a dreadful experience where the problem was skimping on research before I began plotting my story.
The Voice said, "You know...you should probably make sure you have all the important facts before you plot this too much."
And I said, "Oh, what can happen. It's going to take a week or so for that book I requested to be available at the library, so I'll just move forward."
Bad idea.
Turns out my idea will not work. At all. Maybe someday I'll evolve my lovely, meaningful plot into a dystopian or fantasy novel. Because history has slapped me in the face and mocked me for daring to think I knew how things were. And the worst part is not that I had the facts wrong, but that the true facts were so terrible that I cried for hours, was sick to my stomach and had a hard time smiling for a bit.
It's been a rough week and my face is still stinging.
(Note: do not read the complete history of Louis-Charles (a.k.a. Louis XVII of France) if you don't have a strong stomach and somewhere you can hide and cry for a while. If you do, however, you might find The Lost King of France, by Deborah Cadbury an interesting read. Despite the horrific details, I do wish more people knew the truth behind the terrors of the French Revolution.)
I'm hardly in the state to give much advice this week. Do you have any for me?

Writers' Eyes

2011-10-14T12:49:00.001-04:00

Another source of writers' block that hits me from time to time is what I like to call "You've been staring at the blasted computer for way too darn long," or "Writers' Eyes."

You know this is the problem when theletters start blending into one another and their negative imagesappear on your blank walls. Your thoughts start blending into eachother as well, and you can't remember what you just wrote, let alonewhat you're going to write next.

Solution: Take a break. (Bet you didn'tsee that coming...:) Any break will help, but I have three favorites:

Dance Party! Pull out the CD player, invite children into living room, and put on some show tunes. Laugh at their crazy dancing...until you realize that they are not so much dancing as laughing so hard at your dancing that no sound is even coming out.
Play the piano. Research has shown that engaging in activities which require you to cross your arms from one side of the body to the other helps re-connect your left and right brains. (It sounded a lot more technical in the study I read.) So playing piano, or dancing, now that I think of it, are ideal cures for brain freeze.
Take a walk.

After that, have a go at writing in a notebook or on a pad instead of on the computer. This wakes up the other side of your brain, too, and it's easy to copy onto the computer later.

What's your favorite cure for Writers' Eyes?

Battling the barricade of Fear

2011-10-12T08:41:00.000-04:00

In the comments on the last post, Michelle Teacress wrote: "Fear is my ever present writers block, my constant battle. Nasty thing, fear." And Debbie Maxwell Allen commented: “One of my biggest [contributors towriters' block] is fear of failure--and success. Weird, but there aremany times that's the culprit.”

I understand this completely. I have afeeling that fear plays a role in our writing—or rather, our NOTwriting, far too frequently. Here are a few ways it manifests itsugly little face in my life:

I become afraid that, despite how wellI wrote yesterday, today I won't find the words and will end upwasting my time staring at a blank screen—so I don't turn on thecomputer at all, rather than be defeated. I need to remember at thesetimes that one page is better than no page at all. Even if I have aweek of such slow writing, I will also have seven pages at the end ofthat week. And often, forcing myself to write through that fear willresult in renewing my energy and inspiration—sometimes I sit downand force myself to write one page...and end up with ten. The days Idon't force myself, however, I end up with nothing—except themiserable feeling of failure.

“If you dare nothing, then when theday is over, nothing is all you will have gained.”

-Neil Gaiman

Or, I begin to worry that my writing,even if flowing perfectly well, will be poor. What's the point ofwriting, if I can't write Harry Potter orPride and Prejudice?The very simple answer is that I will neverwrite anything like Pride and Prejudiceif I don't WRITE. Even Sense and Sensibility,as wonderful as it is, is not Pride and Prejudice.Jane Austen had to get there, too. J. K. Rowling took years to writethe first Harry Potter book, and threw away (at least figuratively) awhole lot of pages. I shouldn't be afraid of doing that either.

“The greaterdanger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high andfalling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving ourmark.”

-Michelangelo

Or, like Debbiementioned, there can be a fear of success. For me, it becomes a fearthat if I have success in some things, I'll always be held to thatstandard and be unable to meet it. Won't success in writing throw awrench in my life? If I do find an editor, will I be able to handlethe deadlines and pressure without losing the comfortable way writingfits into my life right now? Well, probably not completely. But thatisn't something to be afraid of.

Thetruth is, there is neveranything worth being afraid of. Life happens. Change happens. Writingshould happen, too.

“Be not afraid.”

-Isaiah 43:1 (amonghundreds of other verses, but that may be my favorite context)

The (not so) Great and (not so) Powerful Writers' Block

2011-10-10T07:09:00.002-04:00

Do you remember the scene from TheWizard of Oz where Dorothy, expecting miraculous help from theWonderful Whiz of a Wizard of Oz finds instead a little man with badhair hiding behind a curtain? She wanted someone else who could helpher—while all along she and her friends had the power they needed.

I think Writers' Block is a little bitlike that wizard. We tend to portray it as some powerful evil, makingit easy to blame every writing malady on this outside force. Inreality, Writers' Block is almost always something else, somethinglittle, in disguise. And in ourselves—or sometimes in ourfriends—we already have the power to overcome it.

This is how I feel when my writing gets stuck...

After thinking about this for a while,I realized that Writers' Block is a nice little term used to describea great number of problems... To throw in another simile, it's likethe common cold. Convenient to have one term for, but actually amillion different viruses, each with different symptoms and each withdifferent cures. I know I've had days when fear is my stumblingblock...on others it's confusion...on others it's laundry! During themonth of October, I'd like to discuss some of those symptoms andcures (hopefully of the writer's block variety and not the coldvariety—I just got over one of the latter and would rather notrepeat it...), and I'd love to know what you think about it as well.What are your sources of Writers' Block? And what are your bestremedies?

The Scarlet Pimpernel is my literary hero (and news about a giveaway!)

2011-09-28T10:45:00.000-04:00

One last bookreview of sorts before my Historical Fiction September draws to aclose. This time I'd like to gush about a book that has a very dearspot in my heart as one of the first historical novels that I fell inlove with: The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Oh, there wereothers before it...I had a healthy diet of Newbery titles in mychildhood, and I'd binged on Johnny Tremain, Caddie Woodlawn, Adamof the Road, A Door in the Wall, Strawberry Girl. But TheScarlet Pimpernel was one of the first that made me dream withlonging of experiencing that time for myself, despite the blood andviolence and injustice of the French Revolution. It made me reallythink about the injustice itself, apply it to what I knew of today'sworld, make my own conclusions about the world I lived in as it wasin the past and the present. I read it into the “wee hours,”dreamed about it all night, woke up and read it again. Then I pulledout the encyclopedia and read the entry on “French Revolution,”and several “also related” entries as well. I began writing myown novel about an aristocrat who escaped France—wrote exactly 42pages, which was the most I'd ever written in a story up to thatpoint, before my parents' computer crashed, leaving me with the first17 that I'd printed out. At which point I realized that the story wasreally pathetic when you compared it to The Scarlet Pimpernel,which I had just re-read once more.

But recently Istarted thinking about that story again, and it keeps coming back tome. I lost myself in research for a few hours the other day, and Ihave the first seeds of a good plot planted in my mind. I know itwill take a long time, through seasons of finishing other stories,before those new plants are ready to bear fruit. And I know thatwhatever it turns into will still pale in comparison to the GloriousPimpernel in my eyes.

But maybe, someday,a teenager will read it and decide to write a story of her own.

I just hope hercomputer doesn't crash. :)

In other news... Check out Paula McLaughlin's giveaway of The Faerie Ring, by Kiki Hamilton!! I have spent every free moment since yesterday morning reading my own copy, and it is incredible!

Living historically

2011-09-26T10:31:00.001-04:00

Lucy helping me research last year

One of my favoriteways to “get into” a historical story I'm writing is to live, inas much as is possible or practical, like my character would have. Ilike to wear a skirt or a dress “inspired” by the fabric or styleof something my characters might have worn. I like to eat what theywould have eaten—occasionally I try to prepare it as they mighthave. Eating food from your own garden always tastes best—wearing ascarf that you knit is always more satisfying than wearing astore-bought one. I like to sit in a cold house on an autumn day andcuddle up with my family around the fireplace. I prefer sweeping tovacuuming, partially because it connects me with women of every pastgeneration and thus seems less like drudgery keeping me from writing.

Sometimes I findmyself wishing that I could actually live in a past timeperiod...then I remember that without the technology that gave meglasses, I'd be debilitated. Without twenty-first century advances inmedicine, I would be crippled—or have died—from a simplecurvature of my spine. Without tylenol, the fever that my toddler hadyesterday would have been cause for serious alarm.

I'm always glad tobe reminded of these things, to remember to accept the time I am inwith all its goods and all its failings, because I am here for areason.

But there is stillsomething about going to a country fair and watching everyone betweenthe ages of ten and twenty-five walking around with their heads bentdown over their texting apparatus that makes me long to show them howmuch fun contra dancing is. Or playing in an old-time band. Orsinging around a fire. Or reading a book aloud. I realized, while Iwatched these teenagers so obsessed with their cell phones that theydidn't even look up at the excitement around them, that this is oneof the reasons writing is important to me. Because I hope, with allthe advances that modern technology has brought us, that we won'tforget how to be human and just have fun with each other. And maybe astory I write will inspire someone to want to live, just a littlebit, like one of my characters lived, and to remember.

History links

2011-09-23T17:40:00.002-04:00

Just a random history-related post today...here are a few of my favorite tools for ~~wasting time~~ researching historical fiction. I hope you find something you enjoy!

Nineteenteen blog--learn what life was like for teenagers in the nineteenth century

From Elizabeth's Needle--author Elizabeth C. Bunce's blog on historical costuming

The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts

The Costume Page

Colonial Williamsburg

The Food Timeline (did you know Marshmallow fluff was invented in 1917??)

Finding yourself in history--Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys

2011-09-21T17:13:00.001-04:00

Perhaps one reason why historicalfiction is so compelling to me is that I feel it gives me a glimpseof who I am and where I came from. Most recently this happened when Iread Between Shades of Gray,by Ruta Sepetys.

On my dad's side ofthe family, I'm a well-rounded mix of European and Slavicancestry...mostly German, Polish, and Ukrainian. My owngreat-something grandparents fled Europe in the first half of thetwentieth century, but many of their brothers and sisters and cousinswere unable to avoid the tumultuous, and often tragic, consequencesof both world wars and the Soviet occupation. I'd heard, growing up,of family members who were sent to concentration camps and never seenagain... Those who survived passed on stories of how much worse theSoviets were than even the Nazis. But to an American kid growing upin the late twentieth, early twenty-first century, all these accountsseemed distant and vague—just stories, not real people.

Ironically, it wasa fictional story that made those people a more real part of my life.Ruta Sepetys' beautiful, beautiful story of a Lithuanian girl's timein a Soviet camp gave me a connection to those relatives that I'dnever known. An appreciation for what they suffered. A gratitude forwhat I have today.

I hope that somedayI can do as much for other readers. It's nice to have an example tolive up to.

So many people haveread this book already that I'm not going to go into more detailabout the plot here (you can find a good description at Goodreads), but if you haven't read it, go find it. Rightnow.

I defy you to not let your life be changed.

Interview with Kiki Hamilton, author of THE FAERIE RING!

2011-09-19T10:14:00.000-04:00

Today, please welcome Kiki Hamilton, author of the historical fantasy novel, THE FAERIE RING, which will be coming to a store near you on September 27 (or sooner)!

Kiki kindly agreed to subject herself to my merciless interviewing... Just kidding--I'm pretty nice, and Kiki's answers are a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, then take the time to stop on over to Kiki's blog and say hello!

Me: Welcome, Kiki! In honor of your debut year, I thoughtwe'd go with an “eleven” theme...because, well, 2,011 questionswould be a little over the top. :)

Kiki: Oh God, saveme! :-}

(Don't worry...he has. I'm sure it was divine intervention that compelled me to stick to 11. :)

1. So first, tell us a little aboutyourself—eleven words' worth:

Kiki: Fun, crazy,insane, a bit sarcastic…ahem…,easy to be around.

(I can personally vouch for the fun one!)

2. Name eleven of your favorite things.

Kiki: Magic, my daughter, mysteries, London, goodbooks, milk chocolate, true friends, my guitar, my characters,margaritas and the bloghound.

(I didn't know you play guitar--me, too, though not well... And milk chocolate, in my opinion, is vastly superior to dark chocolate...just don't tell the chocolate experts I said so.)

3. Name up to eleven writers who haveinspired you:

Kiki: JK Rowling, Dan Brown, HarlenCoben, Michael Crichton, Megan Whalen Turner, Erin Morgenstern, DianaGabaldon, Robb D. White, Harold Robbins, Stephenie Meyer and RobertLudlum.

(I've had The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner on my to-read shelf since Christmas...I suppose I should put it on the top of the pile!)

4. What eleven words best describe yourstory?

Kiki: Faeries, Victorian London, Pickpockets,Orphans, Romance, Mystery, The Queen’s Ring, Love.

(Ahh...I'm sighing in bliss at eleven words that describe just the type of story I love to read. Anything with Faeries and Victorian London in the same sentence....and pickpockets are ALWAYS a plus. :)

5. The Faerie Ring is described ashistorical fantasy, which is one of my very favorite genres. Whatwere your favorite and least favorite parts of writing it?

Kiki: Iloved writing the first draft. The story just poured out of my headonto the page. Editorial revisions were hard work, initially.Towards the end I really enjoyed it, because I understood what myeditor was looking for, but at first it was not always fun. Totallyworth it and her suggestions were right on the money – but notalways fun.

6. I understand that you were able totravel to London to research The Faerie Ring; what was the mostinteresting thing you learned there that didn't make it into yourstory?

Kiki: Well, I LOVED LOVED LOVED WindsorCastle. I stood in the footsteps of kings, on the parapet overlookingEngland, and I totally GOT it. That castle has been inhabited byEnglish royalty for the last 1,000 years. Sort of mind-boggling, whenyou think about it. I could spend hours just in St. George’schapel, which is where Prince Leopold is buried in real life. Butwhile other prominent parts of London are featured in THE FAERIE RINGand future books, so far, Windsor Castle hasn’t made an appearance. Yet.

(Doesn't it make America seem so darn young? I can't wait to visit Europe someday, and Windsor Castle is definitely on my list of things to see.)

7. Moving from the “historical”part to the “fantasy” part...Did you ever find it difficult tobalance the real world and the fantastical world in your story?

Kiki: Ididn’t have trouble balancing it – it’s all very clear in myhead. The hardest part was limiting how much of the fantasy world wasrevealed in this first story. You know that picture of the icebergthat shows the little top that is above the water and then this HUGEpart that can’t be seen under the water? (see below.) That’s theway it is with the Faerie world in THE FAERIE RING. There is SO MUCHthat hasn’t been revealed yet.

8. And speaking of fantasy, you told meonce that reading Harry Potter was one of your inspirations to beginwriting a book... So of course I have to ask a couple Potter-relatedquestions! Who's your favorite Weasley?

Kiki: I haveto pick?! Well, of course, we all love Ron, but I also love Ginny –because isn’t she the brave, loyal, strong, female version ofHarry? She is his equal and worthy of his love. You know she willalways be true. And hello? Who doesn’t love Fred and George? Istill pretend it was Percy who died instead of Fred. Demented, Iknow.

(A dementia I will now be sharing with you. I like that idea... :)

9. Which secondary H.P. character doyou most identify with?

Kiki: I guess it would haveto be Ginny because I always played games with the boys growing up.Golf, pool, skiing, baseball, poker, whatever. I was there for theadventure and excitement – not so much for the learning…ahem….ifyou know what I mean. :-} And if you’re true to me – I’m therefor you until the bitter end.

(I love Ginny so much. We call my youngest daughter Genevieve "Ginny"...and I like the fact that she'll have a strong literary namesake, if you will, to look up to--I always loved Faith Meredith in L. M. Montgomery's Rainbow Valley for that reason, too...)

10. Which of your own secondarycharacters do you like best, if any, and why? (I know that's a littlelike asking a mother which of her children she loves the best...)

Kiki: Ilike Larkin best. She fascinates me. She’s an extremely complicatedcharacter – so many layers that haven’t been peeled back yet.

11. What's the best writing advice youhave ever received?

Kiki: I think never to give up.It is a really tough business to succeed in. But my personal adviceis to write for the love of the story you want to tell. That’swhere the real measure of success lies.

Thanks so much for sharing a little bitof yourself and your story with us, Kiki! I hope The Faerie Ring'srelease brings you a lot of fun and great success!

Kiki: Thankyou so much for having me over, Faith! And good luck with your owncompelling, beautiful story, THE WITHERING VINE. I know it won’t belong before I’m interviewing you on the release of your own book!

Ah, now I'm blushing. To divert attention permanently away from myself, check out some of these reviews THE FAERIE RING has already received...and then go order/buy it!

"Vastly suspenseful and filled with dark enthralling mystery and magical peril, The Faerie Ring will keep you up all night until the last page is turned. This is easily a five star novel." -Susan, A Soul Unsung

"This book is the best of so many worlds! We need more books like this in the young adult genre!" -The YA Sisterhood

"This book is going to be a hit with any age." -Jessi, The Elliott Review

"I can't began to tell you how much I love stories such as this one. Stories filled with a great plot, amazing characters and best all, great fantasy." Savannah, Books with Bite

"The novel had a little bit of everything sprinkled into it: historical fiction, romance, mystery, fantasy, realistic - I loved every page of it!" Ashley, Books Obsession

Kirkus Review: "The Faerie Ring is an entertaining magical-historical adventure!"

Or watch the trailer while you wait:

Fantastic History

2011-09-16T11:10:00.000-04:00

Continuing our historical fictiontheme, I'd like to discuss today one of my favorite sub-genres:historical fantasy. To a reader like me, who has held simultaneouslit-crushes on Percy Blakeney from The Scarlet Pimpernel and Faramirfrom The Lord of the Rings, historical fantasy may just be the bestof both worlds: the mystique and to-die-for costumes of ages gone by,and the allure of magic and myth and that other world that alwaysseems to be just around the corner.

I think it is a rare author that hasthe brain to pull this genre off well; I once wrote a historical-ishfantasy—actually I wrote it three times, and I still haven't got itright. It's sitting in a drawer waiting to be resurrected somedaywhen I am wiser and better at plotting. So I have a deep appreciationfor the wonderful writers who are able to put the time into theresearch historical fiction requires, while putting the heart andcreativity into the plotting that fantasy demands.

Recently, there's been a number ofbooks in this genre which I have enjoyed, among them:

Bewitching Season, by Marissa Doyle, amostly light-hearted story of twin sisters whose magical abilitieshelp Princess Victoria gain her throne;

The Prophecy of the Sisters, byMichelle Zink, which was set in New York State in the early 1800's, and will appeal to those of youwho like your fantasy on the creepier side;

my all-time favorite in the genre sofar, A Curse Dark as Gold, by Elizabeth C. Bunce, a re-telling of theRumpelstiltskin story set in the dawn of the industrialrevolution—brilliant, brilliant writing.

And if you like this genre as much as Ido, you are in luck—because on the 27^th of this month(mark your calendars!), The Faerie Ring, by my very talented writingfriend Kiki Hamilton is being released! I have yet to read it, soI'll leave you with the Goodreads description to whet your appetite:

Debut novelist KikiHamilton takes readers from the gritty slums and glittering ballroomsof Victorian London to the beguiling but menacing Otherworld of theFey in this spellbinding tale of romance, suspense, and danger.

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself andher family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing CrossStation in central London. Their only means of survival is by pickingpockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chainof events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ringbelongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and therealm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group offaeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’sblood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—byRieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in thedisappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki isnot all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts PrinceLeopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about themysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure thetreaty…

Kiki will be joining us for aninterview on Monday, so check back...

In the meantime, please share your favorite historical fantasy titles in the comments!

Double Standard?

2011-09-14T10:11:00.000-04:00

Question: Why is there a doublestandard for historical fiction and contemporary fiction?

That is to say, why is it lauded toinclude details, even obscure details, which date a story inhistorical fiction, while in contemporary fiction it is often frownedupon? For example, this year's Newbery honoree, Turtle in Paradise,is flavored with Turtle's dislike of child actress Shirley Temple andher love of the comic strip Little Orphan Annie—but if you were tocreate a contemporary character who can't stand Justin Bieber and isobsessed with, let's say, the TV show Psych, your critiquegroup/editor would probably tell you to tone down the specifics.Since the contemporary fiction of today will be the historicalfiction of tomorrow (in a way), perhaps more details should beencouraged?

I've always been a fan of the“timeless” contemporary story—but then I dislike historicalworks that seem too bland...as if they could be set in the present ifyou threw in a few cell phones. So I'm as guilty as anyone of settingthis double standard, but I am starting to rethink the whole issue.

What do you think?

Get ready to pull out your family tree...

2011-09-12T11:37:00.001-04:00

Another recent historical fiction bookwhich had me inwardly jumping up and down in joy that I haddiscovered it was The Year We Were Famous, by Carole Estby Dagg.

In order to save their family's farm inthe late 1800's, Clara Estby and her mother set out on a walk fromWashington State to New York City—if they can make it in sevenmonths, they'll earn $10,000 from a publisher with her eyes on thebook rights. Okay, intriguing already, right? What's even cooler isthat this story of wild adventures, stubborn perseverance andsteadfast love is actually based on the author's ancestors. Shefictionalized their story to make it into a fuller book, but thosetwo women actually did make that 4600 mile walk and live to tell thetale....or to let their descendent tell it, in this case. That hasgot to be every historical fiction writer's dream, right?

I'd decided months ago to set asidegenealogy so I could spend more time writing, but after thisexperience, I had to take another peek at the old binder.Um...nothing quite so story-worthy so far. At least not stories forchildren...

Anyway, do read this. I wouldn't be atall surprised if it ends up with a shiny sticker from the ALA comeJanuary.

Historical Fiction on the Big Screen

2011-09-09T09:19:00.001-04:00

More historical fiction-relatedbirthdays to celebrate! Today is Hugh Grant's 50^thbirthday, and tomorrow is Colin Firth's 50^th birthday. Ifseeing those two names in the same sentence don't make you think ofJane Austen, I'm shocked (and dismayed!), but if they do...thentoday's topic will come as no surprise to you.

If there is one thing almost assatisfying as reading a good historical fiction book, it is watchinga historical fiction, or “period,” movie. In truth, it may bemore satisfying in certain ways—I love seeing the world recreatedby costume and set designers; I love the accents (okay, so many of myfavorite movies are English...); I love the fact that I can knit andenjoy the story at the same time.

Here are some of my “very favoritest”period films...all historical, some more fictionalized than others:

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

The Robe

Sense & Sensibility (the one withEmma Thompson and Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman...speaking of gorgeousaccents...)

Pride & Prejudice (I like all ofthem in different ways, but there is a certain something about ColinFirth's rendition of Darcy...)

The Ransom of Red Chief (this one's arather obscure dramatization of O. Henry's story of the same name.Super cute and funny.)

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Bright Star (about John Keats' life)

Miss Potter (about Beatrix Potter'slife)

The Young Victoria

The King's Speech

The Patriot

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Importance of Being Earnest

What period movies do you love? I'malways looking for new favorites!

(By the way, thanks to Amy Sonnichsen for recommending "Lady Jane" in the comments for my last post--I'm having a movie night with my little sisters tonight and we're watching it....because, for your edification: period films are best enjoyed with at least three girls swooning over the dresses and bolstering themselves up through the sad parts with inordinate amounts of chocolate. Which we will have. :)

Oh, the drama...

2011-09-07T11:56:00.000-04:00

Continuing with our historical fiction theme, I thought I'd share some historical truth today--because, like any historical fiction writer, I can't keep away from the encyclopedias...and you never know when inspiration will strike.

Today is the 478th birthday of the ruler of England I like to refer to as "Bloody Bess." Queen Elizabeth I is remembered, along with other fine accomplishments, for executing more people than her father (Henry VIII) and her sister (Mary I) combined, during her fiercely anti-Catholic reign. In fact, among those executed was her sister...but I guess the fact that her father killed her mother while she was a toddler might account for her bloodlust.

And yet, we writers and readers owe her a debt of gratitude. Because without Elizabeth, we likely never would have come to know Shakespeare. Who knows how the world of drama would have developed without her sponsorship of the Bard? We would never have known King Lear, Macbeth, A Midsummer's Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet... or West Side Story, for that matter.

I love this Joyce Kilmer poem, which got me thinking about the idea in the first place:

QUEEN ELIZABETH SPEAKS

My hands were stained with blood, my heart was

proud and cold,

My soul is black with shame . . . but I gave Shakespeare gold.

So after aeons of flame, I may, by grace of God,

Rise up to kiss the dust that Shakespeare’s feet have trod.

And Shakespeare wasn't the only artist Elizabeth sponsored. One of my favorite liturgical music composers, Thomas Tallis, was also supported by the queen. Funny thing: Tallis was a staunch Roman Catholic. Isn't it amazing the way great art can bridge the gap between race, time--and even religion, in this case? Despite her strict laws, I suppose Queen Elizabeth couldn't bear the thought of being the monarch to deprive the world of music like this:

So, happy birthday, Queen Elizabeth. And thank you!

Scrumptious Research

2011-09-06T11:10:00.002-04:00

As we all know, the key to greathistorical fiction is bringing another time/place/culture to life.Often what springboards plot development is the social and politicalenvironment of the period—but politics will never bring a world tolife. For me, it's all about the tastes and sounds and textures of atime—which is why I always begin my official research with thosethree elements: food, music, and clothing.

I wrote an entire post on theimportance food can play in a novel, so I won't repeat myself here.But I'll show you that work in action as it comes to play in mycurrent WIP, AMBER & FLAME.

AMBER & FLAME is a story of AntonioStradivari's daughter, Francesca, and it is set in 1701 Cremona,Italy. Anyone who's ever been close with an Italian knows that foodis, always has been, and forever will be a center of their cultureand life. So to really know what Francesca's daily life would havebeen like, I wanted to begin by discovering what her daily mealswould have been—what smells filled her home throughout the day,what she very likely labored away at for several hours every week. Myhusband found me this amazing book, The Gastronomy of Italy, by AnnaDel Conte, a cookbook dividing traditional Italian recipes by region,and explaining the history and cultural influences behind them. Now Ican know, and taste, what Francesca might have prepared her familyfor dinner on a chilly winter's night:

Pumpkin gnocchi

Pasta Fagiole

Next, la musica... Music has alwaysplayed a central role in my life, so I suppose I can't help butdefine my characters' lives by it, too. Certainly FrancescaStradivari would have been extremely familiar with the music andmusicians of her time—so in order to know what tunes would beplaying through her head, my next stop on the research train was amusical one. Vivaldi, Pachelbel, Henry Purcell, a few Bachs....allcomposers whose music Francesca would have known, whose music I stilllove today. Listening to their pieces gives me a connection toFrancesca, helps me see her as someone who shares my interests, threecenturies apart.

This video is of Itzhak Perlman playingVivaldi's The Four Seasons: Winter—on a violin that Francesca'sfather made, incidentally. Makes you wonder if she heard it played onone of his instruments in her lifetime...

Finally, maybe it's just because I havea fascination with fashion, discovering exactly what clothes mycharacter would wear is very important to me—cut and cloth and costand everything in between. As of yet, I haven't been able topersonally immerse myself in this aspect of Francesca's life (alas!)but pictures will suffice for now.

How do you begin researching?

Prisoners in the Palace and a Poor Purple Polka-dot Pig

2011-09-04T14:45:00.000-04:00

Well, I've decided: the entire month ofSeptember is going to be Historical Fiction month at this blog. WhenI first decided to wax eloquent on this theme, I jotted down a fewideas I wanted to post about, and ended up filling severalpages—we're going to need a month to get through it. :)

So, on with the theme! One of the booksI read during the storm and the electricity-free days following wasPrisoners in the Palace, by Michaela MacColl. And it may be thereason why those days seemed so short; it's one of those books thatalters the passing of time, which flies by when you're reading anddrags while you're waiting to do so. As circumstances had it, I didnot have to wait very much, and was able to emerge myself in theworld of Princess Victoria, her spunky maid, Liza, and the intrigueand intricacies of their lives.

Often I am asked my opinion on the bestway to incorporate historical details into a book without “hittingpeople over the head” with them. I had a long answer of my own, butfrom now on I believe I will refer them to Prisoners in the Palace.The way Michaela MacColl painted the Victorian world was believableand natural—yet even though I have read MANY books set in thattime-period, I learned more from this one than all the others puttogether. It felt so true to the time-period that it might have beenwritten then, which I can rarely say—even the sensibilities of thecharacters were so carefully drawn that I never experienced theannoyance of finding a modern teenager, with modern political andsocial ideas, plunked into a fancy dress. Even though many of Liza'sideas are quite in sync with current beliefs, the fact that she hadto reach them, grow into them, is what makes them ring true.

Also, in brief...great characters;great plotting; great word choice; great sentence flow.

(So go read it already!)

Touching briefly on the effects of Hurricane Irene... I wanted to share with you the photo of this poor orphaned porker that was washed into our yard after the storm. Yes, the only connection he has with the main theme is that of alliteration--but you can't underestimate alliteration, right?

And some less amusing storm damage:

Of Hurricanes, Hunger Games, and History

2011-09-01T20:20:00.002-04:00

Early this week, as you likely know,Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene breezed through the Northeast; here inConnecticut the damage was mostly to trees, but they in turn managedto knock out the electricity in over 770,000 homes. I was lucky onseveral accounts: 1) the two, towering pine trees in my front yarddid NOT fall and crush my 250(ish)-year-old house; 2) During the storm I was able totake refuge in my parents' 50(ish)-year-old house which has citywater and a gas stove; 3) our own electricity wasrestored yesterday morning (most of my neighbors are still withoutpower); 4) my background in children's reading and writing amplyprepared me for this kind of situation.

My copies of The Hunger Games andLittle House on the Prairie may have to be re-shelved next to the BoyScout handbook, under Emergency Preparedness. And all my research formy own historical fiction works suddenly proved useful in real lifescenarios; for example, we kept milk cold by submerging bottlesfilled with it into the stream in front of our house (it stayed icecold). Though I didn't end up needing to do so, I had my recipes anddutch oven prepared for cooking over the fire, which I can easilystart by myself (I do use matches...but I know how to start a firewithout them).

So our little mini-disaster ended upbeing quite worry-free, although I did gripe to myself about havingto rely on electricity to pump our well water into the house; itspast housewives had the “luxury” of dropping a bucket into thewell and cranking up fresh, clean water whenever they wantedit...whereas my husband had to haul water in from the stream so wecould flush toilets...how we've progressed, huh?

To proclaim my gratitude for allhistorical fiction has taught me, I am hereby declaring a historicalfiction theme for the next few days/weeks/we'll see how long. Beingunable to vacuum and do laundry freed up several hours in my day forthe things I really like doing—and many, many pages of my favoritegenre were turned since Sunday. So of course I can't help talkingabout it. Stay tuned. :) (Also to come...pictures of my poor willow tree which lost its head.)

In the meantime, please say a prayer ortwo for the tens of thousands of people still without power from the storm. No, it's notquite as life-altering as the media would like you to believe, but itcan be really really annoying, and it's looking like several moredays will pass before everything's up and running again.

A Map of the Writing Journey

2011-08-22T15:40:00.000-04:00

I think when many of us start writing, we think the path to success looks something like this:

Stop #1: Write a book.
Stop #2:Find an awesome editor
Stop #3: Rise to #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List
Stop #4: Fame and Fortune!

But...a lot of the time, the journey looks more like this:

Stop #1: Write a book.
Stop #2: Get married. Learn about...love!
Stop #3: Revise.
Stop #4: Have a baby. Learn about...life! (and love!)
RETURN TO STOP #3.
Stop #5: Lose a friend to death. Learn about loss...and more about love.
RETURN TO STOP #3.
Stop #6: Find a great critique group.
RETURN TO STOP #3.
Stop #7: THEN find an awesome editor.
Stop #8: (Oh, yes. Revise again.)
Stop #9: Publish a book that will move hearts and change lives.

You can see that the second path is a lot more circuitous. But that really isn't a problem...unless you've got that darn map #1 in your head in the first place.

Good luck on your writing journey! (And a special thank you to everyone who is part of my Stop #6!) Remember:
"All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost." --J.R.R. Tolkien

Why Ma Ingalls and Mrs. Quimby are my heroes

2011-08-12T08:01:00.000-04:00

Much has been said on the topic of children's literature as viable literature in its own right—not just, as labeled, for children. I agree with most of it—in fact, much of it has been said, or quoted, by me personally. But it recently came to me that there is another reason for a particular group of adults—parents—to read kids' books. To read them to themselves, for themselves, and not just to their children. And it's simple: a children's book, better than any novel for adults—probably better than any non-fiction, psychology or self-help book, either—has the ability to help us form the type of parents we want to be.

Consider your other chances to observe parenting:

Everyday life gives us myriads of examples, but they are all incomplete. Family is a private thing in many ways, and what you see will almost always be a projection of what you are meant to see. You'll learn a lot about parenting from your close family and friends if you have the chance (and many aren't blessed with that chance), but don't hope to learn much from a ten-minute trip to the grocery store.

Then we have television. Don't worry—I haven't forgotten The Cosby Show....I still laugh remembering Theo's explanation to his dad about how all he needed was some support, that there were more important things than good grades and succeeding in life...and his father's answer: “That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.” Best TV dad ever—even accounting for the sweaters. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much competition. The few shows about intact families tend to make a mockery of the role of parents, painting them as stupid, uncultured, oblivious and selfish, but justified by the occasional blind love for their children.

Books should be a help. But the self-help or psychology-type books are just facts and figures—they don't, they can't, show you the truth as a living, vivid thing. And unfortunately, the majority of novels with adult protagonists have nothing, or little, to do with raising a family. There's a good reason for this: the little struggles of everyday life are rarely drama-worthy compared to, say, falling in love, falling out of love, running a country, facing down aliens, etc. That is to say, it is very difficult to convey the inherent drama of family into a novel.

Unless...the protagonist is a child. Because family is the drama of childhood. Little struggles, in the reality of a child, can be gargantuan. Getting that puppy you've always wanted...overcoming your jealousy of your smart, pretty sister...wondering if your parents love you as much as they love the new baby—when seen through the eyes of a child, these are some of the most poignant dramas you'll ever read. To a child, your home is the stage on which all the conflicts in your life will be acted. Even the exterior conflicts are formed and influenced by your family life. So family will always be part of your story—even if it is present as a lack to be filled.

And that's why now, as a mother, I can turn to Little House on the Prairie for help when I feel unsure of the type of parent I want to be. When I feel overwhelmed by parenting a four-year-old with a brilliant imagination and the personality to go along with it, I have Mr. and Mrs. Quimby as my mentors. I have Coraline to show me, in its unique creepy way, that parenting is about taking an active role in your child's life. The unnamed mother in Where the Wild Things Are reminds me that being loving and flexible are just as important as being forceful—and that in only two lines of text! I could title-drop for pages: Frank Cottrell Boyce's Cosmic—which should be much better known than it is. A Wrinkle in Time. Betsy-Tacy. The Moffats. Even the plethora of orphan books (yes, I confess to contributing to that already-full category) show me very clearly the needs in every child's heart, the needs I mean to make it a priority to meet.

And of course, for the inevitable blue day when I can't help but feel inadequate, there's always Matilda, to remind me of just how great my kids have it. :)

Best Books for the 18-24 month old

2011-08-10T12:47:00.000-04:00

I've been on a baby/mothering theme for my past few posts (I wonder why?), so I thought I'd continue today, before moving onto other topics more specifically related to writing.

And so, a LIST. (Do all writers love lists, or just obsessive ones like me?) (And what about parentheses? Can there be a parenthesis club? :) Someone recently asked me to recommend books for an almost 2-year-old, so I jotted down a quick list of our home's fail-proof books for the 18-24 month old. With the exception of Hop on Pop, which Zoe loves and the rest of us yawn through, these are the books that we all enjoy when we sit down to read together—many are still requested by our four-year-old...or her papa. :) I'm always looking to expand upon something good, so feel free to chime in in the comments with your favorites, too!

Hand Hand Fingers Thumb, by Al Perkins (Zoe's #1 favorite)

Many of Dr. Seuss's books: Dr. Seuss's ABC's; Hop on Pop (though that one gets really old to read aloud!); Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?; The Foot Book

Kevin Henkes' books for toddlers: Kitten's First Full Moon; Little White Rabbit; A Good Day

We're Going on a Bear Hunt, by Helen Oxenbury

Each Peach Pear Plum, by Alan and Janet Ahlberg

Eating the Alphabet, by Lois Ehlert

Mo Willem's “Cat the Cat” and “Pigeon” books—and Knuffle Bunny, of course!

I Love You as Much, by Laura Krauss Melmed (my personal favorite)

Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson

Time for Bed, by Mem Fox

Guess How Much I Love You, by Sam McBratney

Goodnight, Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin, Jr.

Pretty much anything by Eric Carle, especially The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Mixed-Up Chameleon

Drummer Hoff, by Barbara Emberly

Freight Train, by Donald Crews

Curious George, by H. A. Rey

Look, Peter Rabbit! (with Beatrix Potter illustrations)

A Sick Day for Amos McGee, by Erin Stead

Pat the Bunny, by Dorothy Kunhardt

Matthew Van Fleet's pop-up books: Heads, Tails, Alphabet, and Cats

Who's That Baby? by Sharon Creech (especially if your 2-year-old has or will soon have another sibling, baby cousin, etc.)

Chickens to the Rescue, by John Himmelmann

Drum City, by Thea Guidone

This is by no means a comprehensive list...but I hope you find one or two titles you'll get to know and love!

Growing Young

2011-08-01T07:56:00.002-04:00

Despite my occasional flippant comment, I consider myself a mature adult. I'm a wife, a mother, once a university student and now a home-educated one again as I constantly push the reaches of my knowledge and strive for learning. I can “deal” with problems, big or little, that life sends. Heck, I can even get up the nerve to make “paperwork phonecalls” (you know, the ones that used to require hard correspondence before the advent of the newfangled telephone), which was certainly a turning point in my development as an adult. ;)

So...why do I feel so out of place among the majority of people who consider themselves “mature adults”? I don't understand the glum faces and pessimistic view of the world—this, you should know, is “realism.” Apparently life is awful, the world is catapulting towards a messy end, and to think otherwise is either stupidity or naivete. I get strange looks from my “peers” from time to time...perhaps I smile too often. Perhaps it is the middle grade novel I am toting about. Or it could be the pigtails, I suppose—because it has also become a criminal offense for a woman over twenty, at least one who has children, to look under forty. Weird.

Because I am a stay-at-home mother, and spend most of my socializing with extended family, church friends, and artists or writers, I realize I'm missing out on a good deal of the “real world.” Last week I got a professional haircut (for the first time in six years!)...and I remembered why I don't like the real world very much. It...was...depressing. Women complained about their husbands in the confident tones that indicated they were sure they had a right to. When they discovered I had just had my third baby, their responses were not congratulatory, but conciliatory. They laughed uncomfortably, confusedly, as I proclaimed that I liked being a mother. They stared, boggled, as my husband grinned at me from the window as he pushed two little girls in the stroller and carried the other. When at last I found myself in the sanctuary of our little car, I finally felt as though I could breathe again—or smile without being stared at.

I've never had this experience in my writer/artist circles. Creative people expect joy—see it everywhere. They believe in wild, impossible-seeming things as a matter of course. They love children—perhaps because, even though they are mature adults, too, they haven't abandoned the children they used to be.

You can see I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I think the ability to be childlike, even in the midst of maturity, is the most important quality an artist can possess—in fact, I think it is the most important quality a person can possess, period. There's a reason we are told that “Unless you become as a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” Children trust. They believe. They smile. And all the pessimists, excuse me—realists—in the world would do well to remember that faith and a smile will do far more to fix life's problems than all their intellectual complaining will.

I found a quote from Madeleine L'Engle which explains exactly how I feel:

"I am still every age that I have been. Because I was once a child, I am always a child. Because I was once a searching adolescent, given to moods and ecstasies, these are still part of me, and always will be... This does not mean that I ought to be trapped or enclosed in any of these ages...the delayed adolescent, the childish adult, but that they are in me to be drawn on; to forget is a form of suicide... Far too many people misunderstand what *putting away childish things* means, and think that forgetting what it is like to think and feel and touch and smell and taste and see and hear like a three-year-old or a thirteen-year-old or a twenty-three-year-old means being grownup. When I'm with these people I, like the kids, feel that if this is what it means to be a grown-up, then I don't ever want to be one. Instead of which, if I can retain a child's awareness and joy, and *be* fifty-one, then I will really learn what it means to be grownup."

I have a feeling that most of you probably feel the same way. Thanks for being my refuge from the realists.

Great deal for writer-mamas!

2011-07-30T15:17:00.000-04:00

(Actually, for any mamas...)

When I make a mental list of the writing tools I couldn't live without, my baby carriers come in right after my laptop and nice pens. Having the baby in a sling or wrap allows me to write without worrying about baby (I know she's safe and not having her eyes poked by her big sisters...), keeps baby content (hey, she's not worring about having her eyes poked by her big sisters either!) and, most importantly for writing, keeps both my hands free to type far more efficiently.

Zoe's carrier of choice was a moby wrap (super-est invention ever), but Genevieve currently prefers being held in one of these, a traditional sling from the company Seven Slings:

(I wish I could say that was me in the picture, but I am not quite that cute. :) It's from their website...My sling is that pretty pattern, though!)

Currently, Seven Slings is having a promotion, in which you can get a sling for FREE--you only pay shipping and handling. Just enter the promo code: "breastfeeding" (it's in honor of World Breastfeeding Week) at check-out.

So, if you have a baby and you've never tried a sling, now would be a great time to take the plunge. (And of course if you already love slings, who can't use another for color-coordinating outfits, right?) Your writing will thank you!

Top 10 reasons having a baby is great for writing

2011-07-27T15:44:00.000-04:00

1. After enduring hours of labor (not to mention nine months of pregnancy), even writing seems easy.

2. Similar to the above reason, there is the added plus of not having to get up to go to the bathroom every ten minutes.

3. Usually, baby sleeps. When she doesn't, she's still light enough to hold while you type with one hand.

4. Baby cannot yet reach out to add to your story by randomly pressing keys...and the older siblings have finally outgrown this fascination.

5. Family and friends--wonderful people--come around to help out. Which means someone else is getting the older siblings their drinks and snacks, while you rest and write....and writing makes the neccesary resting feel productive.

6. Similar to #4, Baby cannot yet reach out and grab pages in a book. Which makes long stretches of nursing fly by as you read. I've read more this past month than the last three months together.

This is Genevieve thinking, "You love me, don'tcha?"

7. You are filled with the desire to buy all those adorable little baby clothes, but can't afford to--and so run to the keyboard and get to work so you will at least be able to afford the adorable little toddler clothes in a couple years.

8. Getting up at 5 a.m. to write was never so "easy," and getting up at 5 a.m. to nurse suddenly seems fun!

9. You're more likely to spend play time with older siblings reading books aloud than climbing around and building with blocks...Not that building towers is a bad thing, but it can't compare to reading several hours a day and building your skill. (By the way, our current family favorite is "Who's That Baby?" by Sharon Creech. The poem "Two Big Grandmas" has us laughing every time.)

10. Most importantly.... Having a baby reminds you that miracles are not only possible but happen every day. Watching her sleep and grow and grasp and smile restores your sense of wonder and faith and joy--and those aspects are the most important things a writer can possess.

I just finished a book...

2011-07-19T20:13:00.000-04:00

...which forever changed the way I'll think about writing--and life. Here is my quickly-written, exuberant Goodreads review:

Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L'Engle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Madeleine L'Engle was not only a brilliant story teller, she was a humble, beautiful and insightful woman who, in this book, wrote many of the wisest words I have ever read--about being a writer, and artist, a woman...a human being and child of God.

I couldn't stop quoting passages to my husband, family--okay, anyone who would listen--but this was a book that was best read slowly, page by page, with time for reflection. (So the constant pausing to quote ended up being a benefit for me!) It is certainly going to be one of the first books I think of if I am ever again asked the "desert island" question.

I highly, highly recommend this book to everyone--but especially to writers and artists...and any woman struggling with marrying the dual roles of writer and mother would do well to find some answers in these pages.

View all my reviews

How are wine, hobbits, and sticky notes related?

2011-07-18T10:13:00.000-04:00

Well, they all play a role in my interview with Laura Stanfill on her blog series, Seven Questions:
http://laurastanfill.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/author-interview-faith-elizabeth-hough/
I hope it's as much fun to read as it was to answer the questions! Laura has a knack for coming up with great things to ask about--thanks, Laura!
(Besides, wine and hobbits are naturally connected, right? The sticky notes might be a little bit of a stretch...:)

Important things to remember...

2011-07-13T19:13:00.001-04:00

20 years from now, no one is going to care if your floors weren't swept every day or you got behind on your laundry.

But 20 years from now, your children will have been molded by the time you spent with them and by the kind of person they witnessed you becoming. 20 years from now, millions of souls could have been touched by the words you wrote or art you created—or a simple smile.

No one is going to name a patron saint of getting 21 perfect meals on the table each week...so you can stop aiming for that position.
But there are children looking for a hero now. And the occasional bowl of cereal for dinner is just great with them.

Time is precious. Spend it wisely, then every so often you can afford to be frivolous.

And, lastly, for the record: everybody LOVES Mrs. Weasley's crazy house. Just sayin'...

Little Women (Baby news!)

2011-07-04T17:25:00.000-04:00

For once, I have a very good excuse for not blogging!
Genevieve Marie was born on June 24th, and I am now the proud mother of three girls. Oh, the dance parties and dress up days her sisters have planned...
Genevieve is healthy and beautiful and I am so distracted from everything else in life it is not even funny. :) But I've been back to little stretches of writing while she sleeps (when I can stop staring at her) and to long stretches of reading. So I will have lots to blog about soon....

Something There That Wasn't There Before (Disney Princesses on Plot): Reprise

2011-06-22T11:29:00.002-04:00

This was my first ever post, way back from when I had, like, one follower...and it was my husband. So I figure most of you haven't read it...but it still makes me smile. (And, yes, waiting for Baby to come is making creative blogging more and more difficult. 1 1/2 weeks left until due date!) Enjoy!

One of the first questions I'm asked when someone finds out I write is: "How do you ever find time to write when you're already a mother?"
The whole answer deserves a post (or maybe a book!) unto itself, so obviously most people get a really abridged version. But one important aspect to making it work is to think about writing even when you're not actually writing.

So...if I have a two-year-old daughter currently obsessed with Disney princesses, I'm hardly going to overlook the opportunity this presents: plot analysis. You can learn a lot in unexpected places.
For example... The Little Mermaid has taken the title of favorite princess movie in unofficial polls for ages. After watching it over a dozen times now, along with the rest of the princess classics at least one or two times each, I'm beginning to develop a theory: even little kids get it. Better plots make better movies, period.

Here's my princess-by-princess analysis:

SNOW WHITE: Whole annoying voice thing aside, this girl does nothing for herself besides look pretty and maintain a sweet disposition. It's kind of pathetic that the villain(ess) has a more complex and intriguing personality than Snow White herself does. The queen's personality flaws provide the entire conflict, and the introduction of a random, cookie-cutter prince resolves everything.

CINDERELLA: No annoying voice...just plain annoying. Perhaps it is my overly-active mother-sense, but it seems to me as though Cinderella whines an awful lot for someone who is taking no action towards making her life better. And she's kind of, well, stupid. WHY does she run downstairs in her pretty pink dress the mice made for her and dare to ask her stepfamily: "Oh, isn't it beautiful?!" What did she think they were going to say? Then she dances and sings around at the ball about how she's finally found her true love, only to leave him with no hope or means of ever seeing him again. Lucky for her, the prince, despite being boring in all other aspects, has the naive perseverance to try the shoe-fitting tactic...

SLEEPING BEAUTY: At least she met her prince once, even if she was a baby...but, face it, she spends the majority of her story (chronologically) sleeping. The story really belongs to her fairy godmothers, not her. They're the ones who make difficult choices, who make mistakes and learn from them, who actually grow as characters. Briar Rose, in the meantime, has a nice nap before waking up mid-smooch.

THE LITTLE MERMAID: Back onto this one... Finally, Ariel is a princess with a brain and free will and a plan for her life. She is a good person with a weakness that leads her to make a foolish decision, upon which the entire plot hinges. (Aristotle would be happy.) Everything that follows is likewise contingent upon either a decision she makes or someone taking advantage of her decisions.
Secondly, Ariel is a lovable character. She's not afraid to be a little silly, she's really passionate about life, and she gives her love whole-heartedly. As an added bonus, what a great guy is Eric? He's fun, cute, musically gifted, really nice to his servants, sweet with his dog--and to top it off, he risks his life to save Ariel without thinking twice about it.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: This one's pretty good (Belle was my favorite as a kid--probably because she loved books), but fails somewhat in believability. I don't mean the dancing spoons, either... Rather, both the Beast's change of heart and Belle's reciprocal love don't seem to have sufficient impetus. Somehow Disney makes it all happen throughout the course of one song, so even if it is supposed to take a while, we miss out on experiencing it. I have to admit, though, Gaston was a great addition to the original version.

ALADDIN: Although technically "Laddy" (as my two-year-old calls him), and not Jasmine, is the protagonist of this movie, it succeeds where earlier movies failed--or did not dare to tread. At long last, both guy and girl have real, developed personalities, problems, and conflicts. They really fall in love, and together they experience enough hardship that it's reasonable for the audience to believe their love will last past the end credits. There is one aggravating plot flaw, however: the Sultan just up and changes the marry-a-prince law at the very end... Why, exactly, was he so blind to this law in the first place if all it took to change was a word on his part?

And an extra for the 2011 edition...
TANGLED: Not only does this plot hold up well to the other princess plots, it's a great plot to study in general. I love the way that Rapunzel and Flynn have instant conflict, a conflict stronger for the fact that they genuinely need each other to meet their goals. The subtlety of Mother Gothel's manipulation is sophisticated, and while not as "scary" as some of the other Disney witches as far as kids are concerned, as an adult she comes across as so psychologically evil that it makes me cringe.
Rapunzel is cute and lovable and truly multi-faceted--and her background gives her so many great quirks that you can't wait to see what she'll do next. She is understandably uncertain at the beginning of her adventure, but her character growth into a strong young woman ready to take on the role of princess is well-paced and believable.
My one gripe: I think the writers should have done something at our first introduction to Flynn to show us that he's a really good guy worthy of Rapunzel's love. Charming, yes; interesting, definitely....but worthy? I'm not so sure. It takes a long time for this to develop, so the viewers have to suspend their disbelief of this one aspect for a good three-quarters of the film.

Interviews of the Imagination: Anne Shirley

2011-06-16T12:21:00.000-04:00

It being Spring, I've spent a bit of time learning from one of my best literary friends, Miss Anne Shirley, heroine of the novel Anne of Green Gables and several others. I asked her if she'd be willing to share her wisdom here in an interview comprised of quotations from the books, and she was happy to oblige. :)

Hello, Anne, and welcome! Tell us what you know about yourself.

Well, it really isn't worth telling... but if you let me tell you what I IMAGINE about myself you'd find it a lot more interesting.

Okay, well, to start with, what do wish were different about your life?
Red hair is my life long sorrow.

I can see how it would be a trial...but personally I've always thought red hair was pretty cute. Do you really think “life long sorrow” makes complete sense?
Don't you know that it is only the very foolish folk who talk sense all the time?

Hmmm, you have a point. Onto happier topics...do you have any ambitions you'd like to share?
Oh, it's delightful to have ambitions. I'm so glad I have such a lot. And there never seems to be any end to them-- that's the best of it. Just as soon as you attain to one ambition you see another one glittering higher up still. It does make life so interesting.

Any crazy dreams or aspirations?
It would be lovely to sleep in a wild cherry-tree all white with bloom in the moonshine.

What do you see as your most important aspiration?
I'd like to add some beauty to life...I don't exactly want to make people KNOW more... though I know that IS the noblest ambition... but I'd love to make them have a pleasanter time because of me... to have some little joy or happy thought that would never have existed if I hadn't been born.

What would be your advice to others pursuing their own ambitions?
When I left Queen's my future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road. I thought I could see along it for many a milestone. Now there is a bend in it. I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does...
..I've done my best, and I begin to understand what is meant by 'the joy of strife'. Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing...
...Don't let's ever be afraid of things. It's such dreadful slavery. Let's be daring and adventurous and expectant. Let's dance to meet life and all it can bring to us, even if it brings scads of trouble and typhoid and twins!

Most of our readers are writers; some of them may not know that you are an aspiring writer yourself. What's the biggest trouble you have in your writing?
Averil is such an unmanageable heroine. She will do and say things I never meant her to. Then that spoils everything that went before and I have to write it all over again.

I think we all struggle with that, Anne! I've found that as soon as one thing in writing—or life—is settled, I find a new one to take its place. What do you think?
They keep coming up new all the time - things to perplex you, you know. You settle one question and there's another right after. There are so many things to be thought over and decided when you're beginning to grow up. It keeps me busy all the time thinking them over and deciding what's right. It's a serious thing to grow up, isn't it?

I'll let you know if I ever do grow up! Well, I think we're just about done here. Any last thoughts you want to share?
Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there? But am I talking too much? People are always telling me I do. Would you rather I didn't talk? If you say so I'll stop. I can STOP when I make up my mind to it, although it's difficult."

I think we'd all like you to talk forever, Anne. But in the interest of space, perhaps we should end for now! Thank you for gracing us with your lovely, red-headed presence!

I hope you enjoyed this little glance into Anne's life. Look forward for more imaginary interviews sometime soon....any characters you want to meet here?

Three things I needed to hear today

2011-06-15T12:35:00.001-04:00

“It is the job that is never started that takes the longest to finish.”

-J. R. R. Tolkien

“Inspiration usually comes during work rather than before it."

-Madeleine L'Engle

“The secret to getting ahead is getting started.”

-Mark Twain

Is it ever okay to write something trendy?

2011-06-07T15:36:00.000-04:00

As someone who writes mostly literary and historical fiction, it's always encouraging to hear the words: “Don't worry about trends. Just write a great book, something meaningful to you.”

But as someone who often critiques manuscripts with hooks much more instantly marketable than my own, these over-arching statements leave me wondering.

What if you have an element to your book that is trendy? And you're writing it not to jump on a bandwagon, but because it is the story inside of you? What if you feel compelled to tell the story of, say, a wizard or a vampire, even though those trends are all but over?

Do the wise words apply here? Is it still okay to write these books—if they are really great and come from your heart—even though someone may simply hear the word “wizard” and think, “Oh, here's another writer trying to jump on a trend”?

What do you think? Do trends matter when you look at them this way? Are there some trends that will be timeless? How does this apply to more "literary" writers? (Will "kid-with-a-dog" ever become cliche, for example?) And what question does "42" answer, anyway? ;)

I hope you have more answers than I do...

Go take a hike!

2011-06-03T10:43:00.001-04:00

Today I took "Stop and smell the roses" literally. :)

No, seriously... you should go for a walk.

I confess I'm influenced by the amazing weather here in Connecticut today...we've had so much rain the past few weeks that a sunny, low-humidity, 75 degree day is not irrationally compared to Paradise. So I traipsed about the yard and garden with my girls for about an hour, enjoying the bit of heaven while I could. It's the best thing I've done for my writing all week. I came back in full of ideas I had to scribble down in my notebook, understanding things about my character that have confused me for ages, and simply more confident of my ability to do this “writing thing” anyway.

So I did a little Googling on the benefits of walking...are you ready? They include:

Physical benefits.... burning calories; toning muscle; intake of Vitamin D, which helps your body absorb calcium and boosts your immune system.

Psychological benefits... improved cognitive performance; better memory; reduced stress; increased feelings of well-being and self-esteem; better mood. (Taking a walk in nature increases all these benefits...preferably an area with lots of grass and trees.)

And as if that weren't enough...there's another benefit (not to be readily found through Google) peculiar to writers and artists: you have a chance to see the world more closely. When your business is recreating the world, you have to make sure you put in the research. I've just begun reading Fiction Writer's Workshop by Josip Novakovich (and highly recommend it). In his chapter on setting, he has the following to say: “Setting these days has fallen out of fashion at the expense of character and action. Perhaps this trend has to do with our not being a society of walkers. Big writers used to be big walkers. Almost every day, Honore de Balzac spent hours strolling the streets of Paris; Charles Dickens, the streets of London; Fyodor Dostoyevski, the streets of St. Petersburg. Their cities speak out from them.”

Here's a mini-setting to be found in my WIP...and sure enough, I first discovered such a place taking a walk when I was about 13 years old.

(This photo of an old Erie Canal lock is taken with permission from NYCanals.com)

I hope your weather is beautiful and you get a chance to go out and do some research, too! :)

Just for Fun (and craft-development, and edification...)

2011-05-31T10:24:00.002-04:00

On June 11, the world celebrates the 200th birthday of Harriet Beecher Stowe. (You can read my post from last year about my new-found admiration for this woman...she wrote while raising seven kids!) In honor of her birthday, the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center is "re-releasing" Uncle Tom's Cabin in the modern form closet to the way readers first experienced it in 1851; in the mid-19th century, serial stories in newspapers were the "in thing"--now that's being translated to blog form. Starting on June 5 (the day the first segment was released in 1851), and going on for 44 weeks, a segment of the story will be published on the National Era Blog, along with an introduction by a scholar or fan--but otherwise keeping true to the way it was first published in the National Era Newspaper.
I know you're all busy keeping up with current reading (right, my studious writers/readers?), but at just one segment a week, it's hard to turn down this chance to relive that kind of experience.
Now we'll know if it was true that waiting for the next chapter of a serial story was akin to waiting for the next Harry Potter book... I'll let you know in 45 weeks or so. :)
P.S. And if Blogger is still being weird and not letting you comment, my apologies. I don't know what's wrong with it...but don't worry. I know you still love me. ;) (Even if Blogger doesn't!)

Food for Thought, with a Cherry on Top :)

2011-05-26T16:32:00.002-04:00

I recently saw a description for an intriguing workshop offered by the Highlights Foundation, titled “Food and Fiction.”

My first thought was, “How cool is that?” My second was, “Blast it all, my secret is out.” Okay, so it's about the worst-kept secret in the world since I talk about it all the time (as those in my critique groups can attest to), but seriously...nothings adds spice to your scenes like throwing in a little food. Think of the Redwall feasts... Harry Potter's pumpkin pasties and treacle tarts... Anne Shirley's run-in with raspberry cordial... I remember craving cinnamon toast and lemonade for weeks after reading Elise Broach's Shakespeare's Secret.

Food is a big part of who we are, our cultural identities and our individual personalities. You could probably guess a lot about my nationalities and/or family background just by hearing some of my favorite foods: pierogi, sauerkraut, corned beef, fresh maple syrup. You'd get a (rather embarrassing) insight into my personality if you knew that when I was two/three years old and Dad would put hot sauce on my siblings' and my tongues if we bit one another when we fought, I cockily asked for more...and then received that punishment so many times that I developed a real fondness for spicy foods.
I sometimes eat fruit loops one color at a time. I like to bite hard candy, but I suck skittles to make them last longer. (Okay, so maybe the picture you're getting is just that I'm weird...)

On top of this character-revealing aspect, one of the great benefits of food is that it simply gives your characters something to do—and their personalities will be further illuminated by how they do that. How many times have you written a scene and scrambled around in your mind for something, anything, for the characters to do with their hands while they chatted about the evil lord about to take over the world (or something like that...)? The scene takes on a new aspect altogether if your hero pulls out a Snickers and casually chews it, or your heroine chokes on her raspberry cordial, or the evil lord shows up to steal their last loaf of bread, or, or, or.... The possibilities are endless.

Then there are those ever-important sensory details. Nothing is going to pull a reader into your scene like the smell of frying bacon or the taste and texture of a just-picked blackberry. I know just reading about the smell of ginger and cloves will always make me feel like it's Christmas. A sentence where watermelon juice is dripping down someone's chin will put me right back at the beach in the middle of summer.

And, finally, when you have that release party someday, you want to have some great snacks to serve up, right? Book-themed snacks are always the best. :)

(Incidentally, when THE WITHERING VINE is released someday, I am definitely having a private party with fine Pinot Noir. But for the big bash, they'll be lots of Welch's, some homemade bread, French cheese, and as many kinds of grapes as I can find.... I hope you can be there! :)

Sources of inspiration

2011-05-23T16:11:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who had your fingers crossed for me last Wednesday as I read a chapter of THE WITHERING VINE for the Tassy Walden Awards ceremony. Surprisingly, I found that I wasn't nervous in the least, and (as far as I can tell) I didn't pronounce anything drastically wrong or anything like that. :) I think I actually like reading in public, at least to a public so supportive as everyone at Wednesday's gathering! I love having the chance to meet with other writers...between the Tassies and last weekend's NESCBWI conference, I've been on a bit of a writing high.

Which is lucky, because at 34 weeks pregnant, I can use every encouragement I can get to get me energized. I know I have six weeks left, but I'm ready for Baby to come already!

I want one of these....

Another encouragement was attending the Connecticut Renaissance Fair a couple weekends ago; there's nothing like browsing the wares of medieval clothing and hat and instrument vendors—and seeing swordplay and jousting reenactments—to refresh the Medieval world in my mind as I complete a few more “tweaks.” I hope the pictures inspire you, too!

"Robin Hood" was kind enough to stop robbing the rich long enough to pose with "Princess Lucy" :)

And I definitely need one of these...

There's nothing like the clang of steel against steel!

Ah, l'amour (a NESCBWI conference gem)

2011-05-16T14:54:00.000-04:00

I'm fresh from the 25th New England SCBWI conference...three words: a-maz-ing. ;)

I haven't had so much writing energy in weeks, maybe months. We were treated to keynotes by Steve Mooser and Lin Oliver, the founders of SCBWI, as well as the very funny Tomie DePaola and the prolific Jane Yolen. I attended incredible workshops by Janet Fox, Donna Gephart, Sarah Aronson and Susan Raab, which pulled my plotting and marketing thoughts into a hitherto-unknown sense of order. Special Interest Groups allowed writers (and illustrators) to connect to others with the same interest for a group discussion--and I was thrilled to learn (judging from the size of my very large group) that historical fiction is alive and thriving.

But my gem for the day comes from an incredibly helpful and encouraging critique from my "one-on-one" with agent Lauren MacLeod. She critiqued the first ten pages and synopsis of my historical fiction ms, THE WITHERING VINE; her key bit of advice was, in my own very loose paraphrasing, "Don't be afraid to be really romantic. Teenage girls want scenes where their hearts pound and they're holding their breath; make sure you have at least one scene, somewhere in the middle, that does this."

So, as you can see, I've redecorated my writing space with things to help me remember... I guess my life is a lot sappier than than my novels. :)

A little brush with greatness

2011-05-11T09:57:00.000-04:00

I've been a rambling writer this past weekend...okay, only a little bit, but I love to share my rambles with you. :)

On Saturday, Mark, the girls and I took a jaunt over to the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Have you ever heard of the woman known as “Miss Florence”? She lived in the late 1800's-1937, and even though she wasn't technically an artist herself, she was an important figure in the birth of American Impressionism and the flourishing of American art...for one basic reason: generosity.

She was the last of a once-wealthy family, living in a great big house right next to the beautiful Connecticut River...and one day she decided (I'm sure it was a little more complex than that) to open her home to artists so they could have a place to stay and gather and be inspired and be fed. (Don't underestimate the feeding part—even artists need good food, right?)

And besides the whole flourishing of art thing, this also made for the coolest house ever (which is why we love to visit, mostly). Paintings line the walls. Literally. I mean, like, on the walls—not just hung, but also painted on the paneling. One of the bedrooms where artists stayed was recreated, complete with easels and palettes and liverwurst can for holding tubes of paint. A table sits on the wide front porch, and it's easy to picture the lively outdoor dinners Miss Florence held there with her guests. In fact, that is probably what makes the house so unique and wonderful—that feeling that still lives there of camaraderie and inspiration and encouragement. Just being there reminds you that there are like-minded people in the world and that you should be doing your part, like them, to create something beautiful.

Here we are in an amazing stick sculpture recently constructed on the grounds. You can also get your first peek at the newest member of our family, currently bulging out my belly. :)

It also makes me want to do my part, like Miss Florence, to be an encouragement to those who need it. So, please, keep up your hard work—sometimes the work is as rewarding as the result, but here's hoping that your results are well rewarded!

In which I share great news and resemble a rooster

2011-05-05T11:17:00.001-04:00

I feel like I'm "crowing", but I want to share some wonderful news with all of you, who have been such a huge encouragement to me in all my writing progress.
Earlier this week, the winners of Connecticut's Tassy Walden Awards for New Voices in Children's Literature were announced, and my historical fiction ms, THE WITHERING VINE, was given an honorable mention in the YA category!

I can't even say how thrilled I am about this...for months I've been collecting lovely rejection letters for this ms, in which agents essentially told me, "We'd love to see anything else you write, but...historical fiction? Medieval France? A vineyard? You do know that teens like vampires, right? You should try the adult market." I stubbornly kept sending it out as YA, convinced that the story is a coming of age story at its heart, but as I got more and more of the same response, my confidence was dwindling.
So receiving this honor in the "Tassies" was a huge, huge deal to me. For the majority of you who aren't from Connecticut, let me explain how this contest works (and how cool it is ;). It is designed to mirror the "real" submission process as much as possible; any unpublished CT writers may send in 25 pages and a synopsis of their book (or entire picture book, or illustrator's portfolio). First the mss are sorted into categories to send to different judges--and any mss which do not follow the proper guidelines (page numbers, margins, etc.) are thrown out. The remaining mss are sent to the first panel of judges--real (but anonymous) literary agents, who choose a few that they consider representation-worthy as finalists. These few are sent to the next panel--real (but anonymous) editors at major publishing houses. If there is a ms which they consider truly excellent, they may choose it as a winner (sometimes no winner is chosen, at the editor's discretion). And if there are two mss which are really really close, the editor may choose one as an honorable mention, to be distinguished from the remaining finalists.
I've been a finalist twice and won once (for different mss), but this is my first honorable mention, and I feel very grateful that THE WITHERING VINE was so honored. I have a lot of love for this story, and it was just the encouragement I needed to hear that at least one agent and editor loved it, too!
Now (obviously), winning or being honored in this competition doesn't guarantee publication, but I will mention that many of the past winners have gone on to very successful, award-winning writing or illustrating careers--Leslie Connor, Frank Dormer, and Stacy DeKeyser, to name a few, were first "discovered" by the Tassy Walden judges.
The BEST part about the results of this year's awards is that the real spotlight goes to my dear writing friend and critique partner, Betsy Devany, whose ms SAVANNAH'S MOUNTAIN was the winner of the MG category! Be sure to stop by her blog and offer her your congratulations!
But the WORST part is that the winners and honorable mentions have to read a chapter aloud at the award ceremony. Reading in public...yeah...not the thrill of my life, shall we say. But I guess I need to start practicing--keep your fingers crossed for me!

Death, Resurrection, Fairy Stories and Harry Potter (Yes, all of them together!)

2011-04-22T18:00:00.000-04:00

It is either the fault of all the Harry Potter movies I've been watching or of the liturgy I've been experiencing as part of Holy Week, but I can't seem to stop thinking about Death these past few days: Its inescapable role in life. Its essential role in literature. Its mystery, its hollowness, its joy. Because one thing both the Passion story and Harry Potter remind us of is that Death will never be separated from the Resurrection.

A little-known "Pieta" by Michelangelo

I should be careful about distinguishing the Passion story from literature, because in reality it is only different from other literature in that it is a primary literature—the quintessence of great literature, and great art. It's pretty simple to think of a story where you find the essentially* good hero beset upon by the evil villains whose way of life he disrupted, who sacrifices himself for others, who loses everything—and who, through this very act of sacrifice, triumphs over the evil, shatters it, and, well, pretty much makes it look stupid for trying. Okay, I made it super-easy for you by already mentioning Harry Potter. But fantasy is full of such stories. There's the obvious example of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. There's the sublime example of The Lord of the Rings. Watership Down. You can even find the thread in something as recent and popular as Ella Enchanted.

Two days ago I watched a fascinating interview with J. K. Rowling—a “special feature” of our sparkly new “Half-Blood Prince” blue-ray. When asked about the ending of the series, her response surprised me a bit. Forgive my paraphrasing here, but what she said amounted to, “Death would have been a much cleaner, neater ending to the story. But I needed my hero, Harry, to live, to go on and make the world a better place.”

I do understand what she meant. Certainly from the Aristotelian, pre-Resurrection point of view, the tragedy is the highest form of drama.** There is a certain poetic appropriateness to the tragic ending that is hard to create with a happy one. Our minds will easily recognize the truth in tragedy, and our emotions will be moved to pathos.

That said, I think Rowling did in fact choose the best ending for her story. Because it had never started out to be a tragedy—it was a fairy story. Here's what Tolkien would have to say to her (okay, he did say it already in his brilliant essay “On Fairy Stories”):

“...Far more important is the Consolation of the Happy Ending. Almost I would venture to assert that all complete fairy-stories must have it. At least I would say that Tragedy is the true form of Drama, its highest function; but the opposite is true of Fairy-story. Since we do not appear to possess a word that expresses this opposite—I will call it Eucatastrophe... The consolation of fairy-stories, the joy of the happy ending: or more correctly of the good catastrophe, the sudden joyous “turn” (for there is no true end to any fairy-tale): this joy, which is one of the things which fairy-stories can produce supremely well, is not essentially “escapist,” nor “fugitive.” In its fairy-tale—or otherworld—setting, it is a sudden and miraculous grace: never to be counted on to recur. It does not deny the existence of dyscatastrophe, of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance; it denies (in the face of much evidence, if you will) universal final defeat and in so far is evangelium, giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.”***

Why the difference? I believe the answer is that two thousand years ago, Death was hallowed by a Resurrection. For centuries, humankind had experienced the deep hollowness of Death; suddenly we were given a chance to see beyond life on earth to a joy deeper than any joy or any sorrow this world had ever known. As an event, the Resurrection was world-changing. As a story, it changed all the literature that would come after. A story that good is a lot to live up to—and tragedy won't do the trick anymore.

Of course Tolkien, whose relationship with God so influenced his writing, has something more to say about the matter:

“The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories...among the marvels is the greatest and most complete eucatastrophe. But this story has entered History and the primary world; the desire and aspiration of sub-creation has been raised to the fulfillment of Creation. The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe of Man's history. The Resurrection is the eucatastrophe of the story of the Incarnation. This story begins and ends in joy... But this story is supreme; and it is true. Art has been verified. God is the Lord, of angels, and of men—and of elves. Legend and history have met and fused... But in God's kingdom the presence of the greatest does not depress the small. Story, fantasy, still go on, and should go on. The Evangelium has not abrogated legends; it has hallowed them...”****

What could I add after that? Only my wishes for all of you to have a very blessed Holy Week and Easter! I hope that this season fills your lives and your writings with an abundance of grace. (And, hey, read some Harry Potter next week if you have Easter vacation!)

*I do mean “essentially,” and not “basically,” as the word has come to be used.

**See “Poetics.” (One of the best books on writing you'll find to this day, incidentally.)

***The quote continues beautifully—you can find it in the penultimate section of the essay, if you want to read on.

****I had to cut whole, wonderful chunks here—but you can read it in its entirety in the Epilogue of “On Fairy Stories.”

Library Memories (or: An Old Fashioned Girl)

2011-04-14T19:04:00.002-04:00

When I was eleven years old, I was just like every other girl: I lived for that weekly trip to the mall. I hated the parking lots...but it was worth it for the crunch of that double-decker food court taco...and then walking through my favorite set of doors in the massive building, and enjoying that wonderful mall peace and quiet for the entire rest of the afternoon.

Okay, I suppose I was one of about 10 girls in the entire city who went to the mall for no other purpose than to visit the library.

This was Erie, PA in the 90's—and at least at the time the huge Millcreek Mall was home to a teency, tiny little library in one out-of-the-way corner. I wonder sometimes if it's still there...or how it's changed...

When the eleven-year-old me walked in, I was greeted by that unmistakable smell of old, loved books. Most books in their juvenile section were covered in the old-fashioned canvasy library binding...I learned to love books in those strange dark/bold greens and blues and maroons. I trusted books with dog-eared, yellow pages. I knew a lot of people had enjoyed them before me, and that I returned them to be enjoyed my others.

I had a rather rosy view of that library's and my favorite books' popularity... this was back when a book's card was stamped with the due date; I was shocked when I took out Louisa May Alcott's Jack and Jill for the fourth time in two years and realized, from the dates, that no one had checked it out in between the times I did. This was a clue that change was coming...this and the two—two!--brand new computers that squeezed their way into the library's center offering free internet use and the promise of a soon-to-come searchable card-catalog...as if the old ones weren't searchable enough.

I haven't revisited that library since we moved away in the late 90's... but sometimes I wish I could travel back in time and see it... I wish I could show my daughters how a real card catalog worked... Just as that library was an oasis in the wonderfully crazy world of commerce, I wish I could find an oasis from technology sometimes.

I do appreciate and bear a fond affection for my library now, but... There are dozens of computers on every floor—and more children to be found using them than searching for a new story to read. There is a television in the lobby with news constantly running. The DVD section is bigger than the poetry section.

Ah....I guess I'm just getting old.

Do you have any favorite library memories to share? (Ones with card catalogs preferable. ;)

Opportunity is knocking...let me introduce you.

2011-03-29T18:59:00.001-04:00

If I were to take a poll on what aspect of blogging most writers find most valuable, I have a hunch that the answer would lean overwhelmingly toward one answer: making connections. I've written about this in the past, and I was touched to see in comments how many writers, like me, valued the internet for the chance to become less isolated in an isolated vocation—to meet other writers, to share stories and ideas, to learn from each other, to find friends, to be a neighbor to someone even across the globe.

I'd like to introduce you today to Paula McLaughlin, a blogging friend of mine who also happens to be more of a literal neighbor to me: she lives only a few towns away in our lovely Connecticut, and our initial connection at a local SCBWI meeting has been strengthened by participating in an online critique group together, by having the chance to read multiple manuscripts by each other, and of course by keeping up by reading each other's blogs.

Paula has a brilliant idea to create even more chances to connect with fellow writers; she's launching a new blog feature, called “Writer Spotlight.” And guess who her first spotlight is going to be on? You guessed it... I'm already squinting with those bright lights in my eyes. :)

Now, listen carefully—this is where opportunity's knock comes in for you.

Paula wants to interview YOU—“you” meaning any serious, un-contracted YA or MG writer with a completed manuscript ready to submit (and I know there's a lot of you who read this blog). She wants you to have a chance to share a little bit of yourself and your writing with the world. If you'd like to have the spotlight shine on you for a bright moment of glory and infinite possibility, stop on over to Paula's blog to find out more.

In the meantime, meet Paula! She agreed to jumpstart this project by letting me interview her—in fact she agreed without even knowing the type of questions I was going to ask, which says something for her spunk... I can't wait for you to get to know each other—I know you have so much in common! :)

Q: Tell us a little about yourself; besides "writer", what are 5 words to describe you?

A: Mom, Wife, Only-child, Tree-lover, Coffe-a-holic (Starbucks Mocha to be specific)

Q: Tell us a little about one of your books; title, word count, and the color of your main character's eyes. :)

A: I am currently seeking representation for my 70,000 word YA paranormal thriller, UNTIL DEATH.

As for the eyes: Emma (my female main character) is drawn to the intensity of Jake's (the male main character) glass-green eyes and the way light crackles out from behind them.

Q: Could you share with us one of your favorite lines or paragraphs from your manuscript—or perhaps the first few lines or paragraphs?

A: I'm not sure I could pick one favorite line, but here is how UNTIL DEATH opens:

Jake -

Death is my shadow, my shade, my ever present twilight. It’s a starless sky crushed into a cloud of black shards that breathe and swarm and barb at my skin. Death weaves between my pores and clings like smoke. For me—there is no escape.

I roll my shoulders in an attempt to shake free from my shroud. The woman at the gas pump beside me says hello and looks up at the moonless sky. “Another storm's coming.” She rubs her hands together to keep warm.

“Yeah,” I mutter, careful to keep my head down. The lady has no clue how true her words are. I return the nozzle to the pump and head inside to pay.

C'mon, I think. Not her, she has a kid in the back. I know my plea is freaking pointless but I can't help but hope--maybe this time will be different.

Q: If your book had a soundtrack, what would be the first song?

A: This is a great question because I do have a different playlist depending on what I'm working on. I find it helps to get me into the right frame of mind. For UNTIL DEATH the first song in the sound track would be Breathe in Breathe Out, by Mat Kearney. I think I've listened to this song a gazillion times. I love the rawness in Mat's voice. Plus the lyrics are so fitting. Here are a few of my favorite lines:

If everyone.. goes away
I will stay
We push and pull,
and I fall down sometimes
I'm not letting go,
you hold the other line

Hold on hold tight
Make it through another night
Everyday there comes the sun with the dawn"

Q: When you were your main character's age, what did you plan on being "when you grew up"?

A: I wanted to be in the fashion world, maybe a designer, which if you saw what I wear now is laughable—or even what I wore then! Over-sized sweater, jeans, and comfy socks are my attire of choice these days. But interestingly one of the secondary characters in Until Death designs some pretty in your face clothes that I would never wear (then or now), but Emma, the main character, does because she's that good of a friend. :)

Q: If you had to spend the rest of your life on a desert island, what literary character would you take with you?

A: That's a tough one. My first thought would be Ron Weasley because I think he's funny and humor goes a long way. But Robinson Crusoe would be cool too, I'd love to live in a tree house.

Q: Who is your favorite literary-character crush? (Except you can't have Gilbert Blythe, because I have already claimed him. :)

A: Hmm, I'd say either Archer Cross from the Hex Hall novels because he knows how to kick-butt and I love his sarcasm. But I also LOVE-LOVE Peeta from the Hunger Games. Can I choose both?

(Note from Faith: I suppose having crushes on two fictional characters doesn't count as polygamy... Besides, I think Peeta got used to someone having ambivalent feelings about him--poor guy. :)

Thank you so much, Paula, for this interview, and for interviewing me and your spectacular plan to help us all connect!
Everyone, go over to her blog now, before the spots all fill up. :)

Ah, voice! (also, randomly, my 100th post!)

2011-03-24T16:57:00.001-04:00

Voice... I suppose it always has been, and always is, and forever will be the one element of great writing that is most desired as well as most appreciated. It's a little like Aunt Jamesina (or at any rate, L. M. Montgomery through her) says of gumption in Anne of the Island: “Anyone who has gumption knows what it is, and anyone who hasn't can never know what it is. So there is no need of defining it.”

But as hard as it is to define, I believe it is something that can be learned...we weren't born knowing how to write, and even though it came “naturally” to some of us, I think in this case we give our genes a little too much credit. How many writers with natural voice didn't read hundreds, if not thousands of books as a kid? Or—and I think this may be even more important—how many weren't read to, often? In my experience, it's a rare few.

But even if voice is a struggle for you, it's not too late to develop the ear you need for it. I think the best way to do this is to read aloud and to hear stories read aloud well. It's nice and easy for those of us with children—I've been enchanted by Laura Ingalls Wilder's unforgettable voice for the past couple months as I've read Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie to my daughter—but even for those of you without such willing victims, it's worth putting the time and effort into. Volunteer at your library and read to your neighbors; read to your boyfriend/girlfriend, husband or wife; just read aloud to yourself if you have to, and stare blankly at your apartment/dorm neighbors when they ask you who you were talking to. ;)

Here, in no particular order, are some books that you'll be grateful for having experienced with your ears as well as with your eyes:

Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie

Christina Katerina and the Box, by Patricia Lee Gauch

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J. K. Rowling (well, the whole series, but especially the first)

The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

The Betsy-Tacy series, by Maud Hart Lovelace

Millions, by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Grimms' Fairy Tales (“Sleeping Beauty” is one of my particular favorites, writing-wise)

Drum City, by Thea Guidone

A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck (actually, his short sentences make him rather difficult to read aloud, but the voice is so crystal clear and unique that it's worth it)

Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo

I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith (This is an adult book, but appropriate for teens. Or make your husband sit through it. ;)

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin

The Night Fairy, by Laura Amy Schlitz

I hope you find something here to inspire you on your quest for priceless voice! :) Good luck, and happy reading, writing, and listening!

(Note: Many of the above titles are available as audiobooks, which is a great way to experience stories, when done well. I particularly recommend Peter Pan and Harry Potter, read by Jim Dale, and The Graveyard Book, read by the author.)

New-random-bery facts ;)

2011-03-13T16:04:00.000-04:00

So my recent Newbery “Moon” theory has led me into a bunch of really fun time wasting—er, research. First of all, the moon theory itself is debunked: only 4 winners and honors contain that word. (Besides the three mentioned in my last post, there's 1971's Sing Down the Moon, by Scott O'Dell.) Besides, well, “The,” of course, the most commonly found title word is “Story,” but I don't think that really counts, either. So the real winner is “Mountain/Mount” with a whopping 9 titles: 2009's Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Grace Lin was just doubly lucky); 1987's Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens; 1960's My Side of the Mountain; 1953's The Bears on Hemlock Mountain; 1949's Daughter of the Mountains; 1944's Mountain Born; 1940's Runner of the Mountain Tops; 1932's Waterless Mountain; 1931's Mountains are Free –and then you have the close Secret of the Andes (which stole the 1953 medal away from Charlotte's Web...I'm telling you—it was the title. :) and several “Hills” thrown in, too. Apparently a rough landscape a winning title makes.

Some others crop up from time to time: witch, king, inn, star, summer, winter, courage, golden, tree, river, lake, island, sword...

Okay, I suppose I've wasted enough time here. I have no idea what it will be about, but I think my next title is: The King of Moon Mountain. :)

A Tale of Many Moons

2011-03-10T13:27:00.000-05:00

I have this theory about Newbery winners/honorees.... Okay, I have a couple theories and they're both pretty ridiculous. The first one is that if you have “Elizabeth” in your name, you're more likely to win. (I can't remember the stats now, but there are more winners with that name than any other.)

The second is that you're more likely to win if you have “Moon” in your title.

The latter theory was developed on-the-run over the past few weeks. I've been having a month of particularly excellent reading, centered around three books: Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech; Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin; and Moon over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool. Oddly enough, I chose these books only because I wanted to immerse myself in the best of middle grade fiction, and only later realized that they all had “moon” in their title...but it makes you think, huh? :)

Joking aside, this really has been a season of incredible reading. I'll presume that most of you have read the first two titles (you'd better), but how many of you have had the chance to read Moon over Manifest, this year's Newbery medalist? I finished it this morning, and I'm still caught up in the glow of discovering an amazing book for the first time.

You have to read it.

Because I'm a “list person”, allow me to word my praise in the way it's running through my mind:

1. Characters. So well developed, so real. And I mean every character—even the “minor ones”...but by the end of the story, you feel that there are no minor ones, that every single person who crosses a page is intrinsic to the heart of the story.

2. Plot. Clare Vanderpool did this amazing thing where she completely dissolved the line between character book and plot book and managed to have both, in a completely satisfying way. To those of you who mentioned a few weeks ago that you're still looking for good books for young boys, give this to them. Yes, even though the first main character you see is a girl. I promise you they will love the thrills and the action, the suspense...and the cons. What boy doesn't love a good con?

3. The Power of Story. This theme keeps popping up in my life (in all three Moon books, for example), and it is one that is very meaningful to me. Here, it is masterfully presented.

4. Connectedness. I've realized, over the past few years, that this is the one element that will make me fall head over heels for a story, more than any other one thing. I think that this is what fiction is all about...showing the way people are all connected, the way events are all connected, the way past and present and future are connected.

So those are just the big things. Somehow, the nice little details like how great the prose is managed to slip into my subconscious—every word is perfectly chosen, which is probably why I hardly noticed them as I sped along in the story. The setting is 4-dimensional—and you math people will have to concede on this one, because it really does cross the line of time. All the little and big themes are interwoven flawlessly. Every action is believable; every emotion is believable.

Sigh... I love when the big committees get it SO right.

Presidents' Day Wisdom...

2011-02-21T18:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Presidents' Day!

I'm going to temporarily go along with the mainstream trend of conveniently forgetting that Presidents' Day is supposed to celebrate Washington and Lincoln, and share with you some writing advice from a different great man: our second president, John Adams.

“...I am resolved not to neglect my time as I did last year. I am resolved to rise with the sun, and to study the Scriptures on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings, and to study some Latin author the other three mornings. Noons and nights I intend to read English authors. This is my fixed determination... May I blush whenever I suffer one hour to pass unimproved. I will rouse up my mind and fix my attention; I will stand collected within myself, and think upon what I read and what I see; I will strive, with all my soul, to be something more than persons who have had less advantages than myself.” (From his journal, July 21, 1756)

(I must insert: the above passage is worth reading for the masterful use of semicolons alone...)

“But I must stay more at home, and commit more to writing. A pen is certainly an excellent instrument to fix a man's attention and to inflame his ambition. I am, therefore, beginning a new literary year in the twenty-sixth of my life.” (From his journal, Friday November 14, 1760)

I found these quotes in Carolyn Yoder's John Adams, the Writer; A Treasury of Letters, Diaries, and Public Documents. And I must say that the word “treasury” is accurate, for the treasures I have found there are boundless. (Hmm...I seem to have picked up a more advanced vocabulary than I generally use. Blame John Adams!)

The Great and Powerful Plot and its role in "Character Books"

2011-02-18T15:17:00.000-05:00

I must start by confessing that I'm a plot addict. I'm not one of those lucky people who can write without an outline. My first manuscripts had very clear good guys trying to get something good and very clear bad guys trying to thwart them. For a long time, that was the way plot operated in my mind. You know...Frodo wants to destroy the One Ring—Sauron wants to use the Ring to dominate the world; Luke wants to become a Jedi Knight—the Emperor wants to use Luke's power to...um...dominate the world. Even more ambiguous plotlines, like...Harry wants a family and friends and love—Voldemort wants to rid the world of things family and friends and love (and dominate the world)...were ok, because there was still a flesh-and-blood bad guy that Harry had to fight in order to get what he wanted.
But recently an idea took seed in my mind that I couldn't get rid of. (Pesky idea weeds...) It was for...gulp...a “character book”. I've always loved character books, but for the life of me, no matter how many I read and how much I read about them, I could never fully grasp how they worked. Or rather, why they worked. Where were the Saurons and Darth Vaders? Who was the bad guy?
Finally after weeks of scratching out outlines and charts and lists—and reading lots of wonderful character books and eating several bars of chocolate—I had an epiphany.
(Note: please don't laugh at me if everyone in the world knows this already. Maybe it was something I just had to discover for myself...)
There is a bad guy in every character book. It might not be flesh-and-blood, but it is real and scary and nearly tangible. It is the character's Greatest Fear.
Here's what one of my figuring-this-out charts looked like as an example:

Who/What is the bad guy in Because of Winn-Dixie?
     Well...who does Opal think is the bad guy? Who is she afraid of?
          She's afraid of losing her dog.
          She needs his help to make friends...is she afraid of losing them, too?
          She struggles every day with her mother's abandonment.
          She shares the pain of her friends who have touched death and loneliness and loss.
               So...the bad guy, the thing Opal needs to fight is...Loss. With a capital L.
                    Opal “wins” when she overcomes her fear of Loss.

I asked the same questions for as many middle grade character books as I could think of, and while the answers were varied, in every case the main character's greatest fear served as the plot equivalent of the evil villain. Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables has to fight Rejection. Damien in Millions has to fight Death. Claudia in From the Mixed-Up Files (etc....) has to fight Being Average and Overlooked. Millicent in Millicent Min, Girl Genius has to fight Being Better than Average and Overlooked.
Just like in a bona fide “plot book” these villains have their sidekicks. There are other fears to be overcome, until each story becomes a melting pot of obstacles to overcome—and maybe that's why the real bad guy can be so hard to identify. I guess if a writer didn't make the fight subtle, it would just be a poorly-crafted issue book.
So finally (finally!) I could fill out my outline and get ready to write a story. In the meantime, I'm fighting my own bad guy: Fear of Getting Up at Ungodly Hours so I can actually get pages written...

Is it true that there aren't enough "boy books" out there?

2011-02-10T14:28:00.000-05:00

Or is it simply that at some point, it becomes "uncool" for a boy to be seen reading a book?

I won't go into another long discourse, but I think it's the latter. I've been surrounded my entire life by guys who love reading...and they never lacked for a book to pick up. But their friends liked to read, too; many of them were from families where everyone read, many were homeschooled--and I can tell you from personal experience that while homeschooling does not lack peer pressure, the things pressured are a lot different: "You mean, you haven't read the Silmarillion yet? What are you reading, man?"

But that kind of social influence doesn't exist in most places. So...how can we change culture and perception?

I'm really curious to hear what you all think about this. It's been tossed about my brain so much I'm getting dizzy...yet I can't get away from the questions.

Networking vs Connecting

2011-02-04T13:50:00.001-05:00

(Alternately: “The Most Important Thing I've Learned from Writing Historical Fiction” or “The result of watching 'Mr. Roger's Neighborhood' for the first time in almost 20 years and then thinking too hard...”)

Once upon a time—oh, say, any time before the 1990's really—there was a world whose inhabitants were forced to rely upon each other. They had to go to stores and interact with cashiers if they wanted to buy something. They had to ask a librarian to request a book for them, instead of filling out a form from the convenience of their home. Most of their days, probably, were spent with or among other people.

"The Good Samaritan" by Rembrandt

A little further back, people had to rely on each other for things as basic as entertainment. There were no such thing as video games. Going to see a movie was something that brought you closer to your neighbors—and a few years before that, going to the theater was something which enabled you to watch your neighbors in the very act of creating art as they interacted with their audience.

The further back in time you look, the starker the contrast to today. By the time we get to the 1700's (at least in America)—and then back on through time—you relied on your neighbors for pretty much everything you needed. Women quilted and sewed and knitted together for efficiency, using yarn and cloth they had made, from cotton they and their neighbors had grown or wool from sheep they raised. Men built houses and barns together—using wood cut from local forests by local lumbermen.

People needed each other.

People still need each other.

But instead of relying on actual communication and interaction, we have the very dangerous world of “networking.” Now, obviously, I don't think the internet and the paths to connecting it opens are bad—this blog being the proof of that. Though I'm not “on” Facebook, I don't have a problem with it in itself.

But... I do think it is very sad when the medium of the internet is used as a disguised replacement for what we as humans really need. It's easy to check up on your hundreds of Facebook and blog friends without giving them a second thought later in the day. It's easy to meet thousands of people and lump them together mentally into a group of practically nameless, blurry faces or symbols. Do your internet friends really need you? Do you need them? Hundreds of years ago, humans were forced to be much more tolerant of each other and giving of themselves—because life, welfare, entertainment...everything depended on it. Now, how easy it is to write off our next-door neighbor—we'll never need to ask to borrow an egg or butter, after all, because it's become easier to zip out to the store and go through the self-checkout lane without having to look at or speak to a single soul. It's something to think about...

Enough negativity, though. :) I want to thank all of you who read this blog, who comment here, and whose blogs I enjoy, for making the networking world of the internet one in which actual connection is involved. Thank you for writing about things you care about, for caring about the things I write about, for caring about me. It makes me so happy to see a comment in which someone asks for prayers or support—I will always give them. And the prayers and support I receive from you have boosted me through some of my difficult days—my most sincere thanks for that.

I like the idea of the blog world having the potential to become a renewal of the sort of medieval village where people turned to each other. Maybe it's that writers and readers and artists tend to steep themselves in the past a bit, anyway, but that is what I can find here, with a little bit of searching.

(On that note, if anyone has any handmade yarn lying about, I'm in the market. :)

Ok, I'm done here. I was going to include the text of Luke's Good Samaritan parable, but it's longer than I thought.... Anyway, if you happen to read it soon (it begins around Luke 10:25), it is interesting to think of the words “Who is my neighbor?” in this context...

The Theater, your children, Susan Cooper, and other objects of my mental wanderings ;)

2011-01-30T16:56:00.000-05:00

Have any of you ever read Susan Cooper's Dreams and Wishes? It is a wonderful collection of her articles and speeches, on everything from writing to what makes books great—and lots of things in between. I recently finished one of the in-between articles, titled "Take Them to the Theater". A-mazing. I feel compelled to write about it and expand upon it, but really you ought to find it for yourself....

Ms Cooper discusses the importance, and many benefits, of taking your children to see plays, ballets, even opera—in other words, to get them away from the passive act of being entertained by television and into a magical world which lives and breathes and happens before their eyes.

I think Susan and I would have got on swimmingly, to borrow an English term she might like. She would be one of the rare souls who doesn't think I'm crazy for taking my toddlers to see Shakespeare. And she would know, beforehand, that anyone who saw these toddlers AFTER they'd sat through A Midsummer Night's Dream would suddenly be forced to admit that the idea wasn't crazy at all. Granted, I am blessed to live in a part of the country where the arts are made very accessible and relatively inexpensive. In the summer, multiple highly-acclaimed troupes perform Shakespeare and other great works throughout the state in beautifully constructed outdoor theaters—for free or for a donation. So I don't have to work as hard as other parents to take my kids to a play—and that's why in her first three years of life, my oldest daughter has been to 6 plays—mostly Shakespeare, but some Wilder and other greats as well. Guess what her favorite was? Shakespeare, of course. At two, she sat mesmerized through A Midsummer Night's Dream. Her “older” cousins (6 and 5 at the time) sat whispering commentary into her ear so she could follow who was in love with whom, who was under Puck's enchantment, etc. At three, she cried when Twelfth Night ended and we had to go home, because she wanted to go play dress-up with Viola (she thought the whole dressing up as a boy thing was great fun).

Do you think your child can't handle it? Please reconsider; this is a girl who can't sit still for half a PBS kids' show. As Susan Cooper pointed out, theater will actually help children learn how to behave; for one thing, everyone is behaving around them—for another, good theater deserves as well as demands respect. And viewing it is not a passive act, even if you are sitting still. You are watching life happen, before your eyes. It's not an image on a screen—it's real.

And there are very few substitutes for that kind of wonder. Don't deny it to your children—or yourselves!

A recent scene from my life...

2011-01-23T17:55:00.001-05:00

The interior of a car. Afternoon. LUCY, a three-and-a-half year old girl, sits in her carseat with her new fairy doll on her lap—inside a clean pickle jar. FAITH and MARK, her parents and a pair of children's writers, listen from the front seats. Because, yes, it is their daughter...but everything's copy in a writer's life. :)

LUCY: (to jar) Now you'll never get out of there!
(in a falsetto, making the jar wiggle) Oh, yes, I will!
(normal voice) No, you won't—you're trapped!
(falsetto) Yes, I will! I will! I will!

FAITH: Did you capture your Rosetta doll, Lucy?

LUCY: No. She asked me to put her in the jar. I'm a good human. I'm just keeping her safe. She likes it in there.

FAITH: Ah-hah.

MARK: (in a quiet aside) If she ever becomes a writer of slightly dark and twisted fantasy, remind me not to be surprised.

FAITH: Yep.

A Little Advice on Investing...of a different sort

2011-01-17T11:21:00.001-05:00

Every day, thousands of people take a gamble on the Stock Market. Presumably they do their research as best as they are able, or put their trust in those who have. Every day, thousands of people make millions of dollars. And thousands of people lose millions, too. You can act on your knowledge, you can play it safe and gain or lose little or take risks and gain or lose plenty—but there's no guarantee. I'm sure it must be exciting, that kind of venturing into the unknown.

But I prefer a different kind of investing, and I encourage you other artists to take the plunge along with me. Namely, it is investing in yourselves. No great gain is possible without taking risks—and deciding to invest time to write, paint, etc. is quite a risk. You'll lose sleep. You'll lose that favorite TV show. Deciding to invest emotion in a creation is a risk. You'll lose more sleep. You'll get frustrated when it's not going well and euphoric when it is, often to be thrown down to depression again when somebody doesn't like it. A lot of people won't believe in you and a lot of the time you won't believe in yourself.

However...despite all these risks and potential drawbacks—shouldn't we be more confident in our own gifts than in guesses about stocks? We know ourselves. We know our strengths and our weaknesses—or at least we are learning them. You may have to invest a lot of time and emotion (and possibly money) into the venture, but it will become more than a venture: an adventure. And you will gain knowledge and experience and virtue. You will learn and grow and develop and so will your art. This won't happen if you sit back and ignore that little voice, that calling, or if you drown it out with television shows and constant clanging of pots and pans. (Nothing against pots and pans of course, but they need to learn their place sometimes...)

Like the best investments, this is one that may take years to reach complete fulfillment. But when it does, you won't be the only successful party. The world will benefit from your perseverance—I will benefit from it and my children will benefit from it. So please keep up the good work. Listen to the voice of your calling and ignore the hundreds of voices that tell you to give up. Trust. And do not be afraid.

Virtue or Vice?

2011-01-14T12:57:00.000-05:00

When I think of books I read as a child that made my brain turn philosophical somersaults, the first that comes to mind is Madeleine L'Engle's marvelous A Wrinkle in Time. The tesseract theory was super cool; the universal battle between good and evil, dark and light, was masterfully and imaginatively portrayed....but the thing that really made me think and think for weeks, months, years after I finished the book was Meg's own personal battle, discovering that there was a thin line between vices she hated about herself and virtues which could save her world.

A refresher, for those of you who haven't read it in a while: Meg hates her stubbornness. It annoys her family, it annoys her. She wishes she could get rid of it entirely—but suddenly caught up in a world where evil conquers weak minds, she realizes that it is that same trait, only twisted slightly into the virtue of persistence, which saves her and her family.

This is a type of character exploration that I rarely read, yet surely we all experience it in our own lives. When I was younger, I hated my quick temper. It got me in trouble...a lot. But as I've matured I've learned that the other side to a quick temper is a passionate nature. And while I still work at, shall we say, tempering my temper, I've come to have an acceptance of my personality and a thankfulness for it.

I recently read another book which opened doors in my brain I never knew were there; not fiction, but a non-fiction work I began for my own edification: Father Romano Guardini's Learning the Virtues that Lead You to God. While I haven't forgotten to think how the lessons apply to my own life, I was stunned to realize how helpful a book like that could be in developing characters for stories. It forces you to think of people (even fictional people, in my case) as complex beings with a variety of psychological needs and facets, with subtleties and intricacies. Madeleine L'Engle had already awakened me to a virtue being the other face of a vice...but Father Guardini made me explore this idea further: at the same time, a vice is the other side of a virtue—the extreme of a virtue, even. For example, loyalty is a virtue. Natural loyalty (that is, you were born that way and didn't really have to work at developing it) can be a blessing. Your friends and family will know they can depend upon you. You may make a natural, upright leader.

However...if this virtue becomes extreme, you will demand ultra-loyalty from everyone. You will see betrayal everywhere and turn bitter and possessive.

Natural orderliness is good—but can turn into obsessiveness and lack of tolerance.

Natural bravery is good—but can lead to foolhardiness and devaluing of life.

Natural ambition and drive to succeed is good—but I think anyone who's read Harry Potter or the history of the Second World War could tell you where twisted ambition can end up.

It makes you think—perhaps instead of figuring out what a villain's vices are, we should be thinking about what his or her natural virtues are.

No one, villain or hero, is a complete human without being rounded out with good and bad aspects of personality. It's really hard as an author to just “make these things up”--but when you think about the way everything is connected, it becomes much easier to paint a true picture.

Anyway....enough rambling. My sincere thanks to Ms L'Engle and to Father Guardini for challenging my way of thinking and making me appreciate and understand life—and fiction—even more.

Weather or Not

2011-01-12T16:56:00.003-05:00

This is a picture my dad just emailed me...I hope he doesn't mind my borrowing it!

At the moment I write this (which is probably several hours before it will be posted), I'm sitting bundled up next to my window, watching the snow pile up in the woods. I suspect soon enough some sensational newscasters will be calling this Connecticut's blizzard of the decade; between last weekend's and today's storms, the mounds are so high around the house that when I step in them I'm buried well over my hips. But I'm not foolish enough to be out in it. I have a crocheted blanket in bright rainbow colors wrapped around my shoulders (more for the brightness than the warmth as our heat is functioning just perfectly); I have a pile of inspiring writing books to my left and a baby napping peacefully to my right; because the roads are so treacherous, Mark brought some light carving work home and is filling the house with the gentle scraping sounds of a chisel on a maple violin back.

Can you tell I love snowy days?

I like the way everyone uses the word “muted” to describe the world under a coating of snow; it really does feel as if the noise and clamor and craziness of life has been silenced and slowed. The day seems to have stretched itself out and I'm finding time for writing, for playing and reading with the girls, for cuddling with my family under blankets, and for simply enjoying every moment.

I hope your days were equally lovely—snow or no!

In the hope of being not just happy, but useful, I'll leave you with some of the inspiration I've found in the aforementioned stack of (wonderful, highly-recommended) writing books:

“It's horribly elusive, this same kind of sensation one has from certain books, poems, and works of art. Only the symptoms are easy to describe. The hair prickles on the back of the neck, and there is a hollowness in the throat and at the pit of the stomach—a great excitement that is a mixture of astonishment and delight. It's a little like catching sight unexpectedly of someone with whom you are very much in love. And the delight when it swamps you is full of echoes, carrying you away, as de la Mare said, 'as if into another world.'”
--Susan Cooper, on experiencing truly great art, from her talk “Nahum Tarune's Book,” in the collection Dreams and Wishes: Essays on Writing for Children

“The poet Carolyn Kizer said to me recently, 'Poets are interested mostly in death and commas,' and I agreed. Now I add: Prose writers are interested mostly in life and commas.”
Ursula K. LeGuin, in Steering the Craft

“You and I have seen miracles—let us never cease to celebrate them.”
--Joyce Kilmer in a letter to his wife Aline, on the importance of letting faith shine through in all their writing, From Joyce's Kilmer's Poems, Essays and Letters: Volume Two

A Rose by any other name...

2011-01-09T13:29:00.000-05:00

"I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I've never been able to believe it. I don't believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage."
-Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables

Anne Shirley, as is usually the case, was quite right. Called skunk cabbage...or gutter weed, perhaps...I hardly think the noble rose would have risen (forgive the grammar pun) to its status as the preferred flower of lovers, mothers, and friends throughout the world.

I daresay that this applies to characters as well. Could we have loved Miss Anne-with-an-E Shirley quite so well if her name was Helga Humperdink? Of course we all put due attention into naming our primary characters. Probably most of you have a Baby Names Book—or at least a webpage saved to your favorites—just for the purpose of finding the perfect thing to call your protagonist.

But do you put that much effort into your secondary, or even tertiary, characters?

I know I haven't. I recently had a critique partner laughingly point out that quite by accident we had given two sets of out secondaries the same French names (without having read the others' stories yet). I had to admit that, on my part, almost no thought had gone into the names; I'd chosen the first French names with unique endings (so that all my characters wouldn't sound too similar) that my imagination had struck upon. Now there were a few other names of which I was exceedingly proud: the bright-natured boy named Blaise, for example, or the prayerful nun named Madeleine—a little more obscure, perhaps, but carefully chosen as it is derived from Mary Magdalene, the woman of the new testament remembered for choosing a life of contemplation. Compared to that, my Jacques and Henri made me feel rather sheepish.

Mr. Bumble

The “greats” would never have allowed such thoughtlessness to creep into their stories. Was ever there a Dickens' name which didn't instantly give you a clue as to the person you were about to encounter? Think of Oliver Twist's Mr. Bumble or Mrs. Sowerberry...or A Tale of Two Cities' Madame Defarge... Or take J. M. Barrie's names for the lost boys in Peter Pan: Slightly. Much. Even Wendy was a name Barry created—but what else could that spirited heroine have been called? And in a discussion on perfect names, we couldn't neglect J. K. Rowling, whose cast of characters was so large that Jim Dale, when he recorded the audiobooks, twice won himself a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the most character voices for a single book: 136 for Order of the Phoenix and 142 for Deathly Hallows! Can you imagine writing half that many into a story? Yet no one will ever confuse Mundungus Fletcher for Xenophilius Lovegood, or forget which small role either of them played. These are tertiary characters! They never change, they hardly surprise us. But Rowling didn't allow herself—couldn't allow herself—to use the first names she happened upon. We would have got her hundreds of characters muddled up and lost interest in the story.

I've been to several author events where the question is asked, “How do you name your characters?” The authors, depending on their moods and temperaments, have varied in their answers. Suzanne Collins gave an enthusiastic explanation, Rick Riordan shrugged his shoulders—but Gail Carson Levine gave the best answer: she laughed and said, “That's like asking someone how they name their children.”

Because of course it's different for everyone. A Mr. Bumble would seem rather out of place in Because of Winn-Dixie, and likewise the wonderfully named India Opal Bologna would stick out like a sore thumb at Hogwarts. You have to choose names that mean something to you—even if no one else ever catches on. But they'll seem right—if they really are chosen, not stumbled upon.

I'd love to hear your take on this... What are your favorite character names? Which of your own character names are you most proud of?

The Genealogy of Story

2010-12-29T19:43:00.001-05:00

Perhaps some of you have caught the genealogy bug at one time in your life or another...which is likely as it's a fascinating and slightly addicting process. I've sort of sat by in the sidelines and watched other family members uncover fascinating bits of our heritage. I love seeing how certain family names crop up hundreds of years apart...learning that my great-great-great-and-some-more-greats grandfather had an occupation which I randomly assigned to a hero in one of my stories... I felt inspired and somehow fated to be a writer when I learned that both my husband and I had great-grandmothers who wrote for children. (Mark's grandmother, Hazel Louise Raybold Langdale, wrote enough that you can still occasionally find her books in used book stores, but I can't find anything by mine—anyone ever read anything by Elizabeth Agatha End?)

But I've uncovered another type of genealogy which is easier to follow and just as easy to become addicted to: the genealogy of stories. For example....

Perhaps you're inspired by the writing of Neil Gaiman...

Who was inspired by the writing of T. H. White...

Who was inspired by the writing of John Masefield...

And I'm sure go further if you're good at research.

Since my husband and I are great Gaiman and White fans, when we learned White loved Masefield's children's stories “this side of idolatry,” as he put it, we figured we'd better read them. I've been devouring his “The Box of Delights” and I'm stunned by the surety of story, the humor, certain sentences, wonderful use of phrasing and punctuation...in short, some of what I love most about White's and Gaiman's work. It's as if I could take “The Graveyard Book” and say, “Oh, he has his grandfather's ears!”

Here's another example:

You could be inspired by J. K. Rowling...

Who was inspired by C. S. Lewis...

Who was inspired by George MacDonald...

Who was inspired by E.T.A. Hoffman...

(And thus we see it was actually peer pressure that decided her on the initials...:) And we can see the resemblance again: Fluffy the dog seems to have inherited the heads of the Mouse King in the Nutcracker. ;)

Now obviously, everyone has more than one “writing parent.” MacDonald had a large family, with such talented children as J. R. R. Tolkien and Madeleine L'Engle among his numbers. Rowling also claims T. H. White as an inspiration. And she says that Jane Austen is one of her favorite adult authors. When you start thinking of it as a family tree, it's great fun to think of what amazing authors can be seen as your siblings or cousins or aunts and uncles...

...and just imagine the super family reunions.

So, who's on your family tree? If you're “related” to L. M. Montgomery, J. R. R. Tolkien, Maud Hart Lovelace, or pretty much any of the authors I named above, we could be long-lost cousins! :)

Paradox

2010-12-22T19:28:00.000-05:00

Someone shared a quote with me that of course I can't find to quote exactly or attribute properly...but it was something like: Only a poet can truly appreciate Christmas.
The reason? Christmas is a time of paradox. G. K. Chesterton called it "topsy-turvydom," which is really the perfect word to describe the indescribable mystery of God becoming man, of the Almighty becoming a baby, of a King taking shelter in a stable. Your brain will go in twists and turns trying to comprehend it; and yet perhaps the best ways we have to understand have been passed along not in doctoral theses, but in carols; even the Gospel's story is so beautiful, poetic, and lyrical that you can just close your eyes and listen to the rhythm of it in any language and still be touched. (Why do you think A Charlie Brown Christmas is such a classic?)
And of course we writers have all noticed another paradox, completely un-theological, connected to the Christmas season: "they" always say not to submit to editors between Thanksgiving and Christmas because the editors are too busy to read submissions...but what author on earth has the free time to be submitting then anyway?
:) I'll be back to blogging and reading and commenting again seriously in the New Year, but until then I have mysteries of Christmas to share with my children, writing to squeeze in when they're asleep and I'm not making them presents, and lots of rationalizing as to why I'm still not making all the Christmas cookies I planned on this year....
In the meantime, I pray that you all have a most blessed and merry Christmas! God bless you!

Highlights Foundation Conference and Scholarships

2010-12-03T15:52:00.001-05:00

This afternoon, I receieved the following lovely email from the wonderful people of the Highlights Foundation:

You may know someone who is hesitating to pursue his or her Chautauqua dream due to finances. The Highlights Foundation offers scholarships and now is the time to find out more.

A lot of children's writers dream of the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop at Chautauqua. "Next year," they promise themselves. "Next year I'm going to Chautauqua!" Then reality sets in. The drive and talent to support the dream are there, but the finances . . . maybe not.
Please encourage your writing friends to stop dreaming and start planning! Pass along our scholarship newsletter. Scholarships will be considered in two groups. Early applications will be accepted through December 15, 2010. (Final scholarship deadline is February 11, 2011.)

Last year, my husband Mark attended the conference (and they generously allowed me to join him to sit in on a few talks). I'm not sure how to stress emphatically enough how amazing an experience it was. If you have any interest at all in attending, if you need encouragement and wonderfully constructive criticism of your work, if you want to network with like-minded writers and illustrators in person...you really need to check out their website. Read about the conference; read some of the past talks (under "Writing Tips"); look around. And get your mind off Christmas preparations just long enough to apply for the scholarship. They are very very generous, first of all; secondly, once you get there you'll realize that it is worth every penny, regardless.

On a personal note, I apologize for my lack of blogging lately... My writing mind seems to shut down a few days after Thanksgiving and not awaken until New Years! I am managing to write, but the blog frowns at me whenever I look at it, which leads to grumpy posts. I promise I'll try to write more, but only happy things are allowed. :)

Being thankful for the bad things

2010-11-23T14:42:00.000-05:00

When I was thirteen, I underwent major surgery for acute scoliosis (curvature of the spine). The doctors and nurses spent hours prepping me for the pain, discomfort, expected recovery time... One nurse mentioned, “When you get out of surgery, you're gonna feel like you just got run over by a Mack truck.”

So I was ready for the pain.

But when I woke up after surgery, I didn't feel anything. I couldn't move and for a while I couldn't even open my mouth to speak. I lay there, silently crying, completely sure that the one-in-a-thousand chance tragedy had happened; that the doctor's knife had slipped and I was going to be paralyzed for the rest of my life.

Of course a few minutes later the anesthesia wore off and the Mack truck hit. I had expected to endure and "deal with" the pain; I had never expected to be glad about it.

Sometimes it takes an experience like this to realize the little things we should be thankful for. It's easy to spout gratitude for successes and joys...but often it is the failures, the annoyances, the pains that are the signs of our greatest blessings.

This Thanksgiving, I'm trying to be thankful for...

...the mess my toddlers make every day, because it means they have toys and books to play with and food to eat (and, uh, smear on the highchair).

...the rejections that are forcing me to better my writing.

...every bit of pain, because it means I'm growing and feeling and alive.

...difficulties, for reminding me I can't survive on my own...

And mostly I am thankful for the assurance that I am not alone.

I'll close with one of my favorite poems, by Joyce Kilmer, because he could say things much more eloquently than I am able:

Thanksgiving
(For John Bumker)

The roar of the world is in my ears.
Thank God for the roar of the world!
Thank God for the mighty tide of fears
Against me always hurled!
Thank God for the bitter and ceaseless strife,
And the sting of His chastening rod!
Thank God for the stress and the pain of life,
And Oh, thank God for God!