How many of you grew up knowing the expression "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me?" Have any of you ever repeated that to your own children? Do you really believe that words can never hurt someone?
Another young teen committed suicide over the weekend. Why? Because he had been bullied. Oh, not with being hit or jabbed or shoved into lockers or ignored or having his books and papers stolen or ruined. No, these bullies used words to hurt him. He was overweight, too heavy to run or play sports. He was a diabetic, so he had to give himself insulin shots during the school day. He wore braces and spoke sometimes with a lisp.
He was bullied with words. 'Hey Fatso,' 'lispy wispy,' 'shot jock,' and...I'll leave it to your imagination. I wonder if his parents ever told him that old saying...Sticks and stones can break my bones, but WORDS can never hurt me.
Excuse me? Words can never hurt? Words can sear like a bad burn; words can cut to the quick like a knife thrust; words can penetrate the heart like a bullet...and...words can kill. Words stay with you forever. Sometimes they can be buried in the subconscious, but they're there, nevertheless. And the more hurtful those words were, the shorter the time for them to stay buried. They begin to grow and to fester...along with the hurt...until the wound becomes so infected it has to be cured. And sometimes, the more vulnerable the person is, sometimes the only cure is death.
The teen who died over the weekend is not the first nor will he be the last to die because of words...words deliberately thrown at him or her to create a lasting hurt.
Recently, I read an interview with an author of a middle grade book...her first. ( No, who she is and the name of the book is not important.) She said that the main reason this particular book was published was because her editor admired the sarcastic, snarky wit, and it appealed to him. But then she added that she had not realized the book was sarcastic, that was not the voice she had intended.
Hmm...how do you write a story with a sarcastic, snarky voice and not know it? Sarcasm is not something that everyone can do in their writing. It's not something that everyone is even comfortable with in talking in conversations. But she was unaware that the words she was using created a sarcastic voice to the story.
Think about that...she was unaware. Can that apply to the rest of us in our writing? Do we get so involved with our story, our plot, our characters, that we are unaware of the voice we are creating? Are there words, phrases perhaps, that we use so often we neglect to think about their meaning, or how others reading those words could interpret them? Do we put words into the mouths of our characters whose meaning could be interpreted in ways other than what our characters do?
I'm not saying characters should never be snarky or sarcastic. I'm not saying that the voice we create should never be either of those. I AM saying that we should be aware of the words we put into our characters' mouths, of the voice our overall story has, and be aware of the fact that words and intonations can always be interpreted in different ways. Be AWARE that the voice we intended to create with the words we used is actually the one we created.
Words can kill. Perhaps that old saying should be reworded to: Sticks and stones can break my bones, but WORDS can kill me.
I don't know about you, but from now on, I'm going to be very careful about the words I use...in talking, and most of all, in writing.
Until next time,
that's a wrap.
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Monday, October 25, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
The Bully and the Writer
For some time now, I've been thinking about bullying, and wondering if we, as writers, can do something about it. The statistics on bullying in schools are appalling...more than that, they are frightening because we all know that in some cases, they lead to suicide, attempted suicide, rape, and even attempted murder. Statistics show that teen suicide is the 3rd leading cause of teen deaths in the US, and the majority of those are due to bullying.
Everyone knows the story of the father of a girl with Cerebral Palsy, who was being bullied on the school bus every single day, and the bus driver did nothing about it. Finally, the father boarded the bus and screamed at the kids, verbally abused the bus driver, and in return, was arrested. HE was arrested, but the kids doing the bullying, and the driver who said nothing and did nothing, had no repercussions. What kind of justice is that?
Then there is the case of Phoebe Prince, the Massachusetes teen who hanged herself in February of this year, because of being bullied and sexually assaulted. In this case, there are at least 6 teens who have been arrested and charged with bullying, criminal harassment and statutory rape. Parents all over the state are now calling for the firing of the school administrators who knew this was going on, and did nothing to stop it. As far as I'm concerned, they are as guilty as the other teens.
The stories and the cases go on and on, each one seemingly worse that the others. I know what it is like. I was teased unmercifully in elementary school because I wore glasses, and none of the other kids did. I was teased because I was from a military family, and had lived in many states and foreign countries, and spoke three languages. In junior hight ( middle school today) and high school, the teasing became bullying, mostly by girls but sometimes by boys. I was singing professionally, and sometimes was gone from school on tour, yet I managed to keep a strong A average. When I would return to school, the girls would go from making nasty remarks about my singing and my clothes, to pushing me in the hall ways, to totally ignoring me. If I said anything to a teacher or my parents, it wa always tossed off as the girls being jealous of me. HAH!
Boys pretended to like me so I would help them with their studies, especially foreign languages, but would then tell their friends I was not someone to date. Once I was invited to a school dance, got all ready, but the boy never came to pick me up. The next day, the girl he actually took and her friends made sure everyone knew I was dumb enough to think I'd really been invited to a dance. Girls would encourage me to join their clubs or "sorority", then when it came time to pledge, would tell me they didn't want "someone like me" around them. It wasn't the kind of bullying we see today, but it was hurtful and made a lasting impression on me.
So, what, if anything, can we do as writers? Does it help to write fictional stories about the bullies and their victims, and then have the bully given his "comeupance" in the end? Should we write non-fictional articles about the true stories of bullying, and the lasting negative effects on both the bully and his or her victim?
I don't know. If I had the answer to that question, I could probably make millions of dollars in selling the solution to schools and parents alike. But something needs to be done, and it needs to be done soon.
I've done some research online, and found that there are a myriad of books already out on bullying...things like what parents should look for in their child's behavior to determine if they are bullying or being bullied; what to do if your child is being bullied, and so on. But no one seems to write about what to do regarding the school teachers and administrators who often know about the bullying but do nothing about it. For example, four teens have committed suicide within the last two years at Mentor High School in Mentor,Ohio, all complained to teachers and coaches, who did nothing, and the principal merely chalked the bullying up to "boys being boys." What kind of stupidity, of sheer crass indifference is that? Obviously no one at that school has read any of these books, nor, apparently, do they care to.
So what do we do as writers? We are supposed to have a "great influence" upon society..."we" meaning writers in general. Are we failing to reach the kids who do the bullying? Or are we reaching them in our books and articles, but simply not saying what needs to be said...the kinds of things that will change their attitudes? Or...worse case scenario...does it matter? Are the kids who bully someone to the extent that he or she takes their life, already beyond the help of anything they could read in a book? Is this bullying merely a forerunner of worse things to come?
Many times prosecuters will say that criminal behavior begins in the home, and when kids are young. The behaviors and attitudes that they learn there stay with them for life, and if there is any kind of cruelty or bullying in the home, it will manifest itself in the child in later life. From having taught Sociology of Criminal Behavior, I know this to be true. But it is difficult to believe that nothing we can do, say, or write is ever of any help or benefit to a bullying teen.
I don't have the answers. Do you? I hope to hear from some of you.
Until next time,
that's a wrap.
Everyone knows the story of the father of a girl with Cerebral Palsy, who was being bullied on the school bus every single day, and the bus driver did nothing about it. Finally, the father boarded the bus and screamed at the kids, verbally abused the bus driver, and in return, was arrested. HE was arrested, but the kids doing the bullying, and the driver who said nothing and did nothing, had no repercussions. What kind of justice is that?
Then there is the case of Phoebe Prince, the Massachusetes teen who hanged herself in February of this year, because of being bullied and sexually assaulted. In this case, there are at least 6 teens who have been arrested and charged with bullying, criminal harassment and statutory rape. Parents all over the state are now calling for the firing of the school administrators who knew this was going on, and did nothing to stop it. As far as I'm concerned, they are as guilty as the other teens.
The stories and the cases go on and on, each one seemingly worse that the others. I know what it is like. I was teased unmercifully in elementary school because I wore glasses, and none of the other kids did. I was teased because I was from a military family, and had lived in many states and foreign countries, and spoke three languages. In junior hight ( middle school today) and high school, the teasing became bullying, mostly by girls but sometimes by boys. I was singing professionally, and sometimes was gone from school on tour, yet I managed to keep a strong A average. When I would return to school, the girls would go from making nasty remarks about my singing and my clothes, to pushing me in the hall ways, to totally ignoring me. If I said anything to a teacher or my parents, it wa always tossed off as the girls being jealous of me. HAH!
Boys pretended to like me so I would help them with their studies, especially foreign languages, but would then tell their friends I was not someone to date. Once I was invited to a school dance, got all ready, but the boy never came to pick me up. The next day, the girl he actually took and her friends made sure everyone knew I was dumb enough to think I'd really been invited to a dance. Girls would encourage me to join their clubs or "sorority", then when it came time to pledge, would tell me they didn't want "someone like me" around them. It wasn't the kind of bullying we see today, but it was hurtful and made a lasting impression on me.
So, what, if anything, can we do as writers? Does it help to write fictional stories about the bullies and their victims, and then have the bully given his "comeupance" in the end? Should we write non-fictional articles about the true stories of bullying, and the lasting negative effects on both the bully and his or her victim?
I don't know. If I had the answer to that question, I could probably make millions of dollars in selling the solution to schools and parents alike. But something needs to be done, and it needs to be done soon.
I've done some research online, and found that there are a myriad of books already out on bullying...things like what parents should look for in their child's behavior to determine if they are bullying or being bullied; what to do if your child is being bullied, and so on. But no one seems to write about what to do regarding the school teachers and administrators who often know about the bullying but do nothing about it. For example, four teens have committed suicide within the last two years at Mentor High School in Mentor,Ohio, all complained to teachers and coaches, who did nothing, and the principal merely chalked the bullying up to "boys being boys." What kind of stupidity, of sheer crass indifference is that? Obviously no one at that school has read any of these books, nor, apparently, do they care to.
So what do we do as writers? We are supposed to have a "great influence" upon society..."we" meaning writers in general. Are we failing to reach the kids who do the bullying? Or are we reaching them in our books and articles, but simply not saying what needs to be said...the kinds of things that will change their attitudes? Or...worse case scenario...does it matter? Are the kids who bully someone to the extent that he or she takes their life, already beyond the help of anything they could read in a book? Is this bullying merely a forerunner of worse things to come?
Many times prosecuters will say that criminal behavior begins in the home, and when kids are young. The behaviors and attitudes that they learn there stay with them for life, and if there is any kind of cruelty or bullying in the home, it will manifest itself in the child in later life. From having taught Sociology of Criminal Behavior, I know this to be true. But it is difficult to believe that nothing we can do, say, or write is ever of any help or benefit to a bullying teen.
I don't have the answers. Do you? I hope to hear from some of you.
Until next time,
that's a wrap.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Censorship and The Writer
This week ( September 25 - October 1, 2010) is Banned Book Week. Banning books is censorship. Author Ellen Hopkins was "uninvited" to a teen book festival in a small town in Texas this past summer, because her trilogy of books on drugs was "unacceptable reading" for teens. Author Sarah Ockler's book, Twenty Boy Summer, has been challenged, not necessarily for content, but because the title sounds "promiscuous," and may be pulled from a high school library. In Stockton, Missouri, Sherman Alexie's book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was removed from the high schools because of jokes about masturbation and some swear words. Are you kidding me? High school boys never swear? They don't know what masturbation is? From what planet are the adults who removed this book? On the other hand, perhaps this book was removed because of its clear and unbiased look at racism, a facet of the American culture that this society would much prefer to ignore.
What is the removal of these books teaching our kids? Isn't it teaching them that it is perfectly okay to judge something on the basis of appearance rather than on the facts? ( Twenty Boy Summer.) Isn't it teaching them to learn about drugs and sex and violence either from strangers who may entice them into this culture, or by actually entering it on their own? (Crack.) Isn't it teaching them to be embarrassed about a natural part of growing up, and to ignore things you don't understand and hope they will go away? (Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.)
Is that what you want for your kids or for yourself? Some narrow minded, usually fanatically inclined, person to tell you and them that they have the right, and your best interests at heart when they say that you must think, talk, act, and believe as they do? Someone who insists that he or she has the absolute right to make all of your decisions for you in every facet of your life, no matter how personal it might be? Oh, and if you resist this person, he will simply work harder to ignite the righteous indigation of people who DO believe as he does, so this small, bigoted group of people can rant and rave, scream, threaten, and carry on until their wishes are carried out, no matter how you feel.
Don't for one minute think that censorship is confined to books alone. It is not. Censorship is espoused by religious and political fanatics, by people who want to dictate what movies can be made, what art can be exhibited, what stories can be told, what people can be allowed to live in peace, what values, morals and ethics can be taught to our children, and in fact...what FREEDOMS can be allowed in our society.
Censorship can ( and has ) lead to the outrageously heinous acts of the attempted extermination of an entire society...the American Indians in our Western culture, the Jews in Poland and Eastern Europe in the 1940's...or the enslavement of a culture, such as the blacks kidnapped and brought to the US in the 18th and 19th centures.
Censorship spawns the idea that there is only one right way to do things, and that right way is only what one person or one group of people say it is. By giving birth to THAT idea, we...or mainly our kids...learn that it's okay to bully someone smaller or weaker or different than you...which in turn leads to the above ideas that it's okay to exterminate or enslave an entire culture.
So what do you do about censorship? You talk to each other and most of all, you talk to your kids. When it comes to books, for younger children you can buy or check out at the library only what you want them to read. But when they are old enough to want to have a say in what they read, then you talk to them. You tell them what is appropriate for their age and reading/comprehension level, and you guide them in that direction. When they are old enough to pick out their own reading material, and want to read something you may not approve of, you have a conversation about it...what the book is about, why you're not too pleased with it, bring in the values and morals that you've taught your kids...BUT DON'T REFUSE TO LET THEM READ IT, REGARDLESS OF WHAT IT IS. Parental censorship is no better than public censorship. Let them read the book, but with the understanding that you WILL have a conversation about it afterwards. Have them tell you what they liked and didn't like, what they understood, what they may have been confused about, and what the book meant to them in terms of what is happening in their own lives, both at home, in school and with their friends.
Nothing can take the place of conversation, open, objective, unemotional ( as much as possible), and completely devoid of a moralistic attitude on your part. Remember that children learn from books, even as teens, and the ideas and attitudes they learn do not have to be "wrong" or derogatory or even scary. Take the negative out of the situation by having a discussion of the book, the characters, the plot, and how the characters acted and reacted within the plot. Make it a part of real life, if possible, by comparing that book to something that may have happened in your own lives, in those of friends or family, or even something that happened in the media. Kids learn from all of these incidents, so make them as positive a learning experience as possible. Don't let fear and uncertainly become the end result of reading a book.
But the same axiom applies to all the other phases of life that the hatemongers of the world subscribe to...art, music, TV, movies, cultural/religious/ethnic diversity, values, ideas/thoughts/attitudes...in other words, FREEDOM. Remember that it's not the books or the movies and so on that we need to fear, it is the lunatics, the people who truly believe that they have to right to monitor and/or control everyone else's life, in terms of their right to the freedoms guaranteed us by the US Constitution. The people who think they have the right to censor and even destroy any one of those freedoms...this element of society is what we have to fear...not the words on a written page.
Until later,
that's a wrap.
What is the removal of these books teaching our kids? Isn't it teaching them that it is perfectly okay to judge something on the basis of appearance rather than on the facts? ( Twenty Boy Summer.) Isn't it teaching them to learn about drugs and sex and violence either from strangers who may entice them into this culture, or by actually entering it on their own? (Crack.) Isn't it teaching them to be embarrassed about a natural part of growing up, and to ignore things you don't understand and hope they will go away? (Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.)
Is that what you want for your kids or for yourself? Some narrow minded, usually fanatically inclined, person to tell you and them that they have the right, and your best interests at heart when they say that you must think, talk, act, and believe as they do? Someone who insists that he or she has the absolute right to make all of your decisions for you in every facet of your life, no matter how personal it might be? Oh, and if you resist this person, he will simply work harder to ignite the righteous indigation of people who DO believe as he does, so this small, bigoted group of people can rant and rave, scream, threaten, and carry on until their wishes are carried out, no matter how you feel.
Don't for one minute think that censorship is confined to books alone. It is not. Censorship is espoused by religious and political fanatics, by people who want to dictate what movies can be made, what art can be exhibited, what stories can be told, what people can be allowed to live in peace, what values, morals and ethics can be taught to our children, and in fact...what FREEDOMS can be allowed in our society.
Censorship can ( and has ) lead to the outrageously heinous acts of the attempted extermination of an entire society...the American Indians in our Western culture, the Jews in Poland and Eastern Europe in the 1940's...or the enslavement of a culture, such as the blacks kidnapped and brought to the US in the 18th and 19th centures.
Censorship spawns the idea that there is only one right way to do things, and that right way is only what one person or one group of people say it is. By giving birth to THAT idea, we...or mainly our kids...learn that it's okay to bully someone smaller or weaker or different than you...which in turn leads to the above ideas that it's okay to exterminate or enslave an entire culture.
So what do you do about censorship? You talk to each other and most of all, you talk to your kids. When it comes to books, for younger children you can buy or check out at the library only what you want them to read. But when they are old enough to want to have a say in what they read, then you talk to them. You tell them what is appropriate for their age and reading/comprehension level, and you guide them in that direction. When they are old enough to pick out their own reading material, and want to read something you may not approve of, you have a conversation about it...what the book is about, why you're not too pleased with it, bring in the values and morals that you've taught your kids...BUT DON'T REFUSE TO LET THEM READ IT, REGARDLESS OF WHAT IT IS. Parental censorship is no better than public censorship. Let them read the book, but with the understanding that you WILL have a conversation about it afterwards. Have them tell you what they liked and didn't like, what they understood, what they may have been confused about, and what the book meant to them in terms of what is happening in their own lives, both at home, in school and with their friends.
Nothing can take the place of conversation, open, objective, unemotional ( as much as possible), and completely devoid of a moralistic attitude on your part. Remember that children learn from books, even as teens, and the ideas and attitudes they learn do not have to be "wrong" or derogatory or even scary. Take the negative out of the situation by having a discussion of the book, the characters, the plot, and how the characters acted and reacted within the plot. Make it a part of real life, if possible, by comparing that book to something that may have happened in your own lives, in those of friends or family, or even something that happened in the media. Kids learn from all of these incidents, so make them as positive a learning experience as possible. Don't let fear and uncertainly become the end result of reading a book.
But the same axiom applies to all the other phases of life that the hatemongers of the world subscribe to...art, music, TV, movies, cultural/religious/ethnic diversity, values, ideas/thoughts/attitudes...in other words, FREEDOM. Remember that it's not the books or the movies and so on that we need to fear, it is the lunatics, the people who truly believe that they have to right to monitor and/or control everyone else's life, in terms of their right to the freedoms guaranteed us by the US Constitution. The people who think they have the right to censor and even destroy any one of those freedoms...this element of society is what we have to fear...not the words on a written page.
Until later,
that's a wrap.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
The First Amendment and Banned Book Week
I am ready to spit nails. September 25 to October 1st is Banned Book Week in the US, and we need to do all we can to support this event, and keep censorship out of the United States of America.
Why am I ready to spit nails? Because I just read a piece of garbage by a man named Wesley Scroggins. This man, who merely displays his total ignorance, is trying to get books like Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, banned from his school district. Not only that, but he has blasted Slaughterhouse Five, a classic by Kurt Vonnegut, as well as several other books. The reason? Well, he considers rape "pornographic" ( are you kidding me??), and SF apparently had the "f" word on every page, several times. Guess I read the wrong Slaughterhouse Five.
This man is a fundamentalist Christian in Republic, Missouri, whose own children don't go to public school, from what I've read. They are home-schooled. Okay, Mr. Scroggins, if you don't want your kids to read these books, that's your perogative, but don't go putting your misguided values and moralistic views on other parents and children.
I wonder if he has even read Speak ? It is a very sensitively written book about a high school girl who is raped at a party. She calls 911, but by the time they police get there, she is afraid to say anything, so all her friends think she just wanted to sabotage the party. Now they won't have anything to do with her, and she is still afraid to tell anyone about what happened. Until, that is, the boy tries again, and then all hell breaks loose.
This is a book about date rape...something that adult women, as well as teen girls, experience all the time. For Scroggins to vilify the book is for him to denigrate all the women, regardless of age, who have had this happen to them. Every woman, from 14 to 40 and beyond, who is dating, should read this book, and understand that keeping silent from something this terrible happening to them is the wrong thing to do. SPEAK up and tell parents, teachers, authorities, AND the world what has been done to you and by whom. Perhaps if more girls and women spoke up, the male sex would (eventually) learn that we are NOT the weaker sex, and we WILL NOT be treated so inhumanely and with such disrespect.
Scroggins is a man who apparently wants to be an ostrich...you know, the "head in the sand" mindset? He seems to have a problem with any kind of teaching that doesn't adhere strictly to his own very fundamentalist views...he objects to certain parts of history and science courses which teach views other than those of the most fundamental Christian opinions, AND he even objects to certain parts of the Constitution. This is a man who actually has some sway in school board matters in Republic, Missouri? I pity the kids who come out of that school district!
Speaking of the Constitution: The First Amendment says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise of; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Book banning is a direct violation of the First Amendment, besides a slap in the face to all of us. Would you believe that some of the most famous books in history, as well as some of the most powerful new ones, have been banned from local schools and libraries, or have had some very serious debates going on about the need for banning them? Try these on for size:
Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Uncle Bobby's Wedding, Catcher In The Rye, Twilight, My Sister's Keeper, Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Speak, Slaughterhouse Five, Twenty Boy Summer, and many, many more.
From Uncle Tom's Cabin and on, the religious fanatacism and gross ignorance of only a small group of people have ignited the flames of censorship. Tomorrow I am going to post a few of my thoughts on censorship in general.
In the meantime, support your local schools and libraries in any events they may have going on, concerning Banned Books Week. Keep our freedom and that of our children to read the books we so choose FREE.
Until later,
that's a wrap.
Why am I ready to spit nails? Because I just read a piece of garbage by a man named Wesley Scroggins. This man, who merely displays his total ignorance, is trying to get books like Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, banned from his school district. Not only that, but he has blasted Slaughterhouse Five, a classic by Kurt Vonnegut, as well as several other books. The reason? Well, he considers rape "pornographic" ( are you kidding me??), and SF apparently had the "f" word on every page, several times. Guess I read the wrong Slaughterhouse Five.
This man is a fundamentalist Christian in Republic, Missouri, whose own children don't go to public school, from what I've read. They are home-schooled. Okay, Mr. Scroggins, if you don't want your kids to read these books, that's your perogative, but don't go putting your misguided values and moralistic views on other parents and children.
I wonder if he has even read Speak ? It is a very sensitively written book about a high school girl who is raped at a party. She calls 911, but by the time they police get there, she is afraid to say anything, so all her friends think she just wanted to sabotage the party. Now they won't have anything to do with her, and she is still afraid to tell anyone about what happened. Until, that is, the boy tries again, and then all hell breaks loose.
This is a book about date rape...something that adult women, as well as teen girls, experience all the time. For Scroggins to vilify the book is for him to denigrate all the women, regardless of age, who have had this happen to them. Every woman, from 14 to 40 and beyond, who is dating, should read this book, and understand that keeping silent from something this terrible happening to them is the wrong thing to do. SPEAK up and tell parents, teachers, authorities, AND the world what has been done to you and by whom. Perhaps if more girls and women spoke up, the male sex would (eventually) learn that we are NOT the weaker sex, and we WILL NOT be treated so inhumanely and with such disrespect.
Scroggins is a man who apparently wants to be an ostrich...you know, the "head in the sand" mindset? He seems to have a problem with any kind of teaching that doesn't adhere strictly to his own very fundamentalist views...he objects to certain parts of history and science courses which teach views other than those of the most fundamental Christian opinions, AND he even objects to certain parts of the Constitution. This is a man who actually has some sway in school board matters in Republic, Missouri? I pity the kids who come out of that school district!
Speaking of the Constitution: The First Amendment says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise of; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Book banning is a direct violation of the First Amendment, besides a slap in the face to all of us. Would you believe that some of the most famous books in history, as well as some of the most powerful new ones, have been banned from local schools and libraries, or have had some very serious debates going on about the need for banning them? Try these on for size:
Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Uncle Bobby's Wedding, Catcher In The Rye, Twilight, My Sister's Keeper, Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Speak, Slaughterhouse Five, Twenty Boy Summer, and many, many more.
From Uncle Tom's Cabin and on, the religious fanatacism and gross ignorance of only a small group of people have ignited the flames of censorship. Tomorrow I am going to post a few of my thoughts on censorship in general.
In the meantime, support your local schools and libraries in any events they may have going on, concerning Banned Books Week. Keep our freedom and that of our children to read the books we so choose FREE.
Until later,
that's a wrap.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
More About Agents
I guess I have agents on the brain. I'm trying to work up the courage to start querying them about my first novel, and after attending a conference this past weekend, and listening to Nathan Bransford talk, I know that I've got to quit procrastinating, and JUST. DO. IT.
In his keynote address, Nathan talked a bit about agents. His emphasis was on finding the agent who is right for you. That means doing your homework, which is research, research, and more research. For writers who enjoy research, that's not a big deal, but it is for those who don't.
So, how do you do this research? The best way is to find their blogs...Google is great for this...and start reading. Agents are going to tell you lots of things...most have an enormous amount of information on their blogs, so it is up to you to dig it out.
You need to find the agents who best represent the genre and age group that you are the most familiar with and the most comfortable writing about. After you do that, begin researching the kinds of books they have repped. Usually these are shown on their blogs or websites. Then go to Amazon, or even your local library, browse the books and read the reviews. If the books sound like something you would write about, or what you've written is similar in some way, then this agent might be a good choice for you to query.
It is best to try to find an agent who is affiliated with the Association of Authors' Representatives ( AAR) in order to make sure your agent is legitimate. ( Sorry, but there are scam artists out there in the literary world.) However...that is not to say that any agent NOT affiliated with AAR is not a good agent ! AAR has requirements for affiliation ( I don't know these), and many very fine agents, especially those who are new, will not have met those requirements yet. So don't turn down an agent just because he or she is not yet a member of AAR.
Make sure the agent has a good track record, and if they are new or a young agent, that they are at a reputable firm. Ask them about what fees they charge, because agents are NOT supposed to charge any fees, for reading your work, postage, or anything else.
It isn't necessary but it is desirable to have a blog or a website, as agents sometimes...as busy as they are...do check them out to look for new clients. Social networking is good, too, especially if you can get in with other writers who may already have agents, and will give you a referral.
When that all-important phone call comes in, don't be so delirious with happiness that you accept immediately!! First, ask questions. Your agent won't be upset, he or she will be glad that, again, you've done your homework. Ask about the genres the agent accepts and make sure your work fits in to what he/she wants and expects. Ask about fees and expenses on your end, if any. Remember that there should be none. Ask how often the agent is in touch with you, and is it by phone or email. Ask about editing, does she do any, and what does she expect from you in terms of the editing. Ask about the marketing/selling of your book...what publishers will she be sending the manuscript to, are they traditional print publishers, and will e-books be considered. Ask what she has in mind for your career...how far does she see you going, what other genres of books will she rep, in case you want to explore something different than what she has accepted.
All of these questions are pertinent to your relationship with your agent, who just might be the most important person in your life...well, excluding spouses, children, parents and siblings, that is.
I hope this has been helpful for those of you in search of, or getting ready to be in search of, that elusive creature called the Literary Agent!
Until next time,
That's a wrap.
In his keynote address, Nathan talked a bit about agents. His emphasis was on finding the agent who is right for you. That means doing your homework, which is research, research, and more research. For writers who enjoy research, that's not a big deal, but it is for those who don't.
So, how do you do this research? The best way is to find their blogs...Google is great for this...and start reading. Agents are going to tell you lots of things...most have an enormous amount of information on their blogs, so it is up to you to dig it out.
You need to find the agents who best represent the genre and age group that you are the most familiar with and the most comfortable writing about. After you do that, begin researching the kinds of books they have repped. Usually these are shown on their blogs or websites. Then go to Amazon, or even your local library, browse the books and read the reviews. If the books sound like something you would write about, or what you've written is similar in some way, then this agent might be a good choice for you to query.
It is best to try to find an agent who is affiliated with the Association of Authors' Representatives ( AAR) in order to make sure your agent is legitimate. ( Sorry, but there are scam artists out there in the literary world.) However...that is not to say that any agent NOT affiliated with AAR is not a good agent ! AAR has requirements for affiliation ( I don't know these), and many very fine agents, especially those who are new, will not have met those requirements yet. So don't turn down an agent just because he or she is not yet a member of AAR.
Make sure the agent has a good track record, and if they are new or a young agent, that they are at a reputable firm. Ask them about what fees they charge, because agents are NOT supposed to charge any fees, for reading your work, postage, or anything else.
It isn't necessary but it is desirable to have a blog or a website, as agents sometimes...as busy as they are...do check them out to look for new clients. Social networking is good, too, especially if you can get in with other writers who may already have agents, and will give you a referral.
When that all-important phone call comes in, don't be so delirious with happiness that you accept immediately!! First, ask questions. Your agent won't be upset, he or she will be glad that, again, you've done your homework. Ask about the genres the agent accepts and make sure your work fits in to what he/she wants and expects. Ask about fees and expenses on your end, if any. Remember that there should be none. Ask how often the agent is in touch with you, and is it by phone or email. Ask about editing, does she do any, and what does she expect from you in terms of the editing. Ask about the marketing/selling of your book...what publishers will she be sending the manuscript to, are they traditional print publishers, and will e-books be considered. Ask what she has in mind for your career...how far does she see you going, what other genres of books will she rep, in case you want to explore something different than what she has accepted.
All of these questions are pertinent to your relationship with your agent, who just might be the most important person in your life...well, excluding spouses, children, parents and siblings, that is.
I hope this has been helpful for those of you in search of, or getting ready to be in search of, that elusive creature called the Literary Agent!
Until next time,
That's a wrap.
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Right Way to Query
I'm back after an extended absence that I really didn't intend to take. I've been so busy with editing and finishing up an assignment that I just couldn't seem to find the time to post. Once again, I promise not to let such a long time go by!
This past weekend I went to a writers' conference. I had hoped to come away with a lot of notes that I could pass along to you, but the workshops were so bad, that wasn't the case. EXCEPT! For one. I had Nathan Bransford for a workshop on queries, and it was not only very informative, it was also fun. And considering how difficult it is to write a good query, FUN was all important! So I'm going to tell you about the things he told us.
First, a query doesn't need to be more than three paragraphs: 1) personalization; 2) what the story is about; and 3) closing, with a brief bio and publishing credits if any.
It's very important to personalize your query. That means you need to do your research in order to learn something about this agent: what genres do they accept, what are they looking for in that ( those) genre, and also, some little tidbit about the agent personally. For example, if they have said in a blog that they love Chocolate Pecan Pie or they hate the Lakers, you might mention that.
The second paragraph is about the story, and it should be about three or four sentences. This should include a) the setting; b) the protagonist's name; c) the antagonist ( which can be a person, emotion, or obstacle); d) complicating incident; e) the protagonist's quest; and f) the protagonist's ultimate goal. These elements don't necessarily have to be in any particular order, but they should all be in that second paragraph.
Since Nathan posted this query on his blogspot, and then gave it to us in a handout, I'm going to post it here so you can see what he means by the five elements above. The example is from ROCK PAPER TIGER.
The Beijing '08 Olympics are over, the war in Iraq is lost, and former National Guard medic Ellie McEnroe (protagonist) is stuck in China, trying to lose herself in the alien worlds of performance artists and online gamers (setting). When a chance encounter with a Chinese Muslim dissident ( complicating incident) drops her down a rabbit hole of conspiracies, Ellie must decide who to trust ( quest) among the artists, dealers, collectors and operatives claiming to be on her side (antagonists)--in particular, a mysterious organization operating within a popular online game.
The third paragraph is the closing, which includes the important details of the novel: Title, word count, genre, and brief author bio and credits.
Finally, the thank you and your name. The query should run between 250 and 350 words. Match the tone of your query to the tone of your book, if possible...if your book is humorous, so should your query be; if the book is serious, your query should be serious, also. At all times, be professional, but personalize!
I hope this has helped those of you who, like me, would rather write 10 novels than one query! Nathan's talk demystified the process, and made writing a query seem much simpler than it had been in the past.
For those of you who would like to read his blog, which is fantastic, here is the link again: http://blog.nathanbransford.com/
Until next time,
that's a wrap.
This past weekend I went to a writers' conference. I had hoped to come away with a lot of notes that I could pass along to you, but the workshops were so bad, that wasn't the case. EXCEPT! For one. I had Nathan Bransford for a workshop on queries, and it was not only very informative, it was also fun. And considering how difficult it is to write a good query, FUN was all important! So I'm going to tell you about the things he told us.
First, a query doesn't need to be more than three paragraphs: 1) personalization; 2) what the story is about; and 3) closing, with a brief bio and publishing credits if any.
It's very important to personalize your query. That means you need to do your research in order to learn something about this agent: what genres do they accept, what are they looking for in that ( those) genre, and also, some little tidbit about the agent personally. For example, if they have said in a blog that they love Chocolate Pecan Pie or they hate the Lakers, you might mention that.
The second paragraph is about the story, and it should be about three or four sentences. This should include a) the setting; b) the protagonist's name; c) the antagonist ( which can be a person, emotion, or obstacle); d) complicating incident; e) the protagonist's quest; and f) the protagonist's ultimate goal. These elements don't necessarily have to be in any particular order, but they should all be in that second paragraph.
Since Nathan posted this query on his blogspot, and then gave it to us in a handout, I'm going to post it here so you can see what he means by the five elements above. The example is from ROCK PAPER TIGER.
The Beijing '08 Olympics are over, the war in Iraq is lost, and former National Guard medic Ellie McEnroe (protagonist) is stuck in China, trying to lose herself in the alien worlds of performance artists and online gamers (setting). When a chance encounter with a Chinese Muslim dissident ( complicating incident) drops her down a rabbit hole of conspiracies, Ellie must decide who to trust ( quest) among the artists, dealers, collectors and operatives claiming to be on her side (antagonists)--in particular, a mysterious organization operating within a popular online game.
The third paragraph is the closing, which includes the important details of the novel: Title, word count, genre, and brief author bio and credits.
Finally, the thank you and your name. The query should run between 250 and 350 words. Match the tone of your query to the tone of your book, if possible...if your book is humorous, so should your query be; if the book is serious, your query should be serious, also. At all times, be professional, but personalize!
I hope this has helped those of you who, like me, would rather write 10 novels than one query! Nathan's talk demystified the process, and made writing a query seem much simpler than it had been in the past.
For those of you who would like to read his blog, which is fantastic, here is the link again: http://blog.nathanbransford.com/
Until next time,
that's a wrap.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Kindle, E-Books, and Traditional Publishing
My husband bought me a Kindle for my birthday ( which hasn't happened quite yet), and neither has the Kindle :) By that, I mean it hasn't arrived. He bought one, then discovered the next day that they were bringing out a brand new model, same price, on August 27th. So he cancelled the first one and ordered the new one...which still hasn't arrived.
This whole rigamarole got me to thinking: what is the Kindle and others like it going to do to traditional print books? Is it going to have any effect on them? My answer is Yes. But I think the UNanswerable question is, what kind of effect and how much of one. ( Okay, okay, I know that's two questions! )
In searching through the Kindle bookstore on Amazon, I found many of the classics that could be electronically transmitted to your Kindle. Classics like Tom Sawyer, Little Women, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and many many others. Classics which have become e-books; classics that you no longer have to hold in your hand, smell the print, touch the covers. I don't know, but for me, there are some books that should never see the light of day as e-books, and classics number highly among those. And...many of those classics are free.
Now which would you rather do...go to an antique books store, and rummage around all those wonderful old books until you find just the right one...maybe even with a LEATHER cover...OR...pick up an electronic gadget and read it there? What about the smell of old books? Isn't there something to be said for the smell of old books when you go into that antique store? You know, to me, those smells conjure up all kinds of images of days past...young women in hoop skirts with long curls swirling over their shoulders while they sit in their parlors reading by gas lamps; a young man in a 3 piece suit bending over a young woman's slim hand, while holding a beautifully wrapped book behind his back to surprise her with...so much more dignity and graciousness in those days than in our world today. And it all begins with books. Printed books. Sigh. But that was yesteryear.
Enough reminiscing. Back to the present and future. So...will e-books hurt the traditional publishing? Some editors and publishers say yes, eventually, some say no, not at all. I had a conversation with a friend recently who is also a writer. She seems to think that having a manuscript turned into an e-book, rather than going the traditional publishing way, is similar to, but better than, self-publishing. Our discussion centered around someone we both know who is having her first manuscript published as an e-book. Yet this person, whom we both think very highly of, is just not ready to have a book published. In any form. It hasn't been critiqued, there are a few SPAG errors still in it, but the main problem is the plot and characterizations. But the editor seems to think it's fine, so it will be published in e-book form.
I think this will diminish her as a writer if she decides to go the traditional route with another book. She will add the e-book to her writing credits, and if the editor or assistant editor or first reader decides to check it out...hmm...that will not be a good thing. So another question becomes: will publishing as an e-book harm credibility if the author decides to go the traditional way? Especially if the author is newly published?
Another way to look at e-books is all of the multiple-published authors ( in the adult field) whose books are now being published as e-books: authors like James Patterson, Lisa Jackson, John Grisham. These are among my favorites, and all have multiple books published by traditional publishers. I'm sure you'll find your favorite authors published electronically, also.
But the difference is: these authors have been published in print for years and years. Their books are still being put on book shelves as print books, so now being published as e-books is just another venue for them. I doubt that any will forego print for electronic.
Then there are first-time authors like my friend and me. I don't think I would consider publishing first as an e-book...in fact, I'm sure I wouldn't. But IF I did, would that lessen my credibility for print publishing? I don't know. Some people who supposedly know say that self-publishing lessens credibility, but we all know famous authors who self-published their first book, and look where they are today.
I guess this is one of those things where the best answer is: wait and see. E-books are here to stay, there's no doubt about that. I think one thing we need to seriously consider, as children's and YA writers, is another question: how many kids, even teens or at least, young teens, are going to have Kindles or its equivilent? If you had an 8 year old, or 10, 12 or even 15 year old, would you trust them with an expensive electronic devise such as a Kindle? Many parents would not, and probably rightly so. Kids of any age just don't take care of their expensive "toys" the way we'd like them to, so why pay $200 - $500 for a Kindle which might not last them more than a month or two? And if they don't have Kindles...they don't have e-books, do they? !
So if you're like me, and you are writing for kids of any age, I would suggest taking the traditional route to publishing...no matter how long it takes or how frustrating it becomes.
Of course, there's always that chance that by the time we get published in print, Kindles will be down to $20 and all e-books are $4.99 ! Oh well...nobody said being a writer was a bed of roses.
Until next time, that's a wrap.
This whole rigamarole got me to thinking: what is the Kindle and others like it going to do to traditional print books? Is it going to have any effect on them? My answer is Yes. But I think the UNanswerable question is, what kind of effect and how much of one. ( Okay, okay, I know that's two questions! )
In searching through the Kindle bookstore on Amazon, I found many of the classics that could be electronically transmitted to your Kindle. Classics like Tom Sawyer, Little Women, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and many many others. Classics which have become e-books; classics that you no longer have to hold in your hand, smell the print, touch the covers. I don't know, but for me, there are some books that should never see the light of day as e-books, and classics number highly among those. And...many of those classics are free.
Now which would you rather do...go to an antique books store, and rummage around all those wonderful old books until you find just the right one...maybe even with a LEATHER cover...OR...pick up an electronic gadget and read it there? What about the smell of old books? Isn't there something to be said for the smell of old books when you go into that antique store? You know, to me, those smells conjure up all kinds of images of days past...young women in hoop skirts with long curls swirling over their shoulders while they sit in their parlors reading by gas lamps; a young man in a 3 piece suit bending over a young woman's slim hand, while holding a beautifully wrapped book behind his back to surprise her with...so much more dignity and graciousness in those days than in our world today. And it all begins with books. Printed books. Sigh. But that was yesteryear.
Enough reminiscing. Back to the present and future. So...will e-books hurt the traditional publishing? Some editors and publishers say yes, eventually, some say no, not at all. I had a conversation with a friend recently who is also a writer. She seems to think that having a manuscript turned into an e-book, rather than going the traditional publishing way, is similar to, but better than, self-publishing. Our discussion centered around someone we both know who is having her first manuscript published as an e-book. Yet this person, whom we both think very highly of, is just not ready to have a book published. In any form. It hasn't been critiqued, there are a few SPAG errors still in it, but the main problem is the plot and characterizations. But the editor seems to think it's fine, so it will be published in e-book form.
I think this will diminish her as a writer if she decides to go the traditional route with another book. She will add the e-book to her writing credits, and if the editor or assistant editor or first reader decides to check it out...hmm...that will not be a good thing. So another question becomes: will publishing as an e-book harm credibility if the author decides to go the traditional way? Especially if the author is newly published?
Another way to look at e-books is all of the multiple-published authors ( in the adult field) whose books are now being published as e-books: authors like James Patterson, Lisa Jackson, John Grisham. These are among my favorites, and all have multiple books published by traditional publishers. I'm sure you'll find your favorite authors published electronically, also.
But the difference is: these authors have been published in print for years and years. Their books are still being put on book shelves as print books, so now being published as e-books is just another venue for them. I doubt that any will forego print for electronic.
Then there are first-time authors like my friend and me. I don't think I would consider publishing first as an e-book...in fact, I'm sure I wouldn't. But IF I did, would that lessen my credibility for print publishing? I don't know. Some people who supposedly know say that self-publishing lessens credibility, but we all know famous authors who self-published their first book, and look where they are today.
I guess this is one of those things where the best answer is: wait and see. E-books are here to stay, there's no doubt about that. I think one thing we need to seriously consider, as children's and YA writers, is another question: how many kids, even teens or at least, young teens, are going to have Kindles or its equivilent? If you had an 8 year old, or 10, 12 or even 15 year old, would you trust them with an expensive electronic devise such as a Kindle? Many parents would not, and probably rightly so. Kids of any age just don't take care of their expensive "toys" the way we'd like them to, so why pay $200 - $500 for a Kindle which might not last them more than a month or two? And if they don't have Kindles...they don't have e-books, do they? !
So if you're like me, and you are writing for kids of any age, I would suggest taking the traditional route to publishing...no matter how long it takes or how frustrating it becomes.
Of course, there's always that chance that by the time we get published in print, Kindles will be down to $20 and all e-books are $4.99 ! Oh well...nobody said being a writer was a bed of roses.
Until next time, that's a wrap.
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