Book Review

I mentioned in my last blog that I was going to do a book review.  And so I am.  The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, a debut novel by Jacqueline Kelly, is one of the best books I've ever read, for adults or children. I definitely encourage all of you who are writing for kids 10 and over to read this book, and see how Ms. Kelly brings to life her young heroine, Calpurnia.

Calpurnia Tate is eleven years old, going on twelve, in 1899 Fentress, Texas.  She is the middle child of seven, three older brothers and three younger ones.  She is expected to grow up learning...and liking...the humdrum skills of cooking, baking, sewing and handiwork.  All of which she not only hates, but is definitely not good at.  She loves the outdoors, animals and the nearby river which holds all kinds of secrets and fascinations. Calpurnia, surprising herself, creates a bond with her grandfather, a crusty amateur naturalist who prefers the solitude of his library, and his "lab", ( just a shack outside of the house), to the noisy and often boisterousness of his six grandsons. Grandfather gives Calpurnia, unbeknownst to her parents, his copy of Darwin's Origin of the Species, and Callie immerses herself in the discovery of the scientific method and the theory of evolution.

As Callie works with her grandfather in collecting the different species of nature, they discover a new species of vetch, which they immediately send to Washington, D.C., in an effort to have it officially recognized.  While this provides one dramatic issue, the real issue is that of Callie's gradual self-realization that life as her mother wishes for it to be is definitely not to Calpurnia's liking.

It isn't long before Callie's mother realizes that Callie's progress in the skills of being a "lady"...cookery, sewing and handiwork...is severely lacking, so she curtails her free time and insists that she spend more time in the kitchen and in developing all the trappings of young womanhood which will lead eventually to her debut in society.

Interwoven with the scientific theme of the story are all the ups and downs of living in a large family, and of being the only girl among six boys.  We read about the romantic inclinations of Callie's oldest brother towards two different young ladies, the heartbreaking story of Travis, Callie's just-younger brother who has made pets of the Thanksgiving turkeys and tries to convince the family not to kill and eat them, and of J.B, the baby of the family who clings to Callie.

Calpurnia Virginia Tate is a wonderful young girl who is happy, curious, intelligent and thoughtful.  She will appeal greatly to those girls today who see themselves as "different", and don't want to be stuck in the "average" mold by either parents or society.  Callie takes a different journey to self-discovery, trying to overcome her confusion and despair over what she sees as an impossible dream...the belief and hope that she can to go university and become a scientist, instead of having to give in to society's expectations of the "homebody" who struggles with corsets and spends her days cooking and sewing.

The conclusion brings both humor, pathos, and excitement to the arrival of the new year 1900, and leaves Calpurnia's future somewhat up in the air.  What is not up in the air is the fact that this book is written with both sensitivity and humor, and tells a true story of what life was like for young girls at the turn of the century.

I really encourage all of you to get this book and read it.  Written in first person, it is a very appealing story of a young girl's struggle to develop her own identity, in the face of what both parents and society expect of her.

Read it!  Let me know what you think.

Blogging and Platforms

Today I've been thinking a lot about the art of blogging.  At least, I think it's an art.  Do you 'follow' many blogs?  I have some of my favorites listed on this blog, but then I go to a lot of others just to see what is going on with them.  Most of the ones that interest me the most are professional blogs...professional in terms of the writing community: other writers both published and not, editors and agents.

But have you ever thought about the differences in the blogs that you read?  Differences in appearance, in what they blog about, in the kind of professionalism ( or not) they display.  No two ever seem to be similar.  One I go to has lots of personal photos, contests...most that are made up by the blogger...personal thoughts, etc.  Another one is almost nothing but interviews and book reports, all about the writing world.  A third is just...umm, well, silly. Nothing professional at all, yet she is a professional.

What does all that mean?  Or does it mean anything?  I keep hearing about how we are supposed to build a "platform" in blogging, if we are or are trying to be professional writers.  I don't know about you, but the only "platforms" I know about ( that aren't the kind you walk on) are political, so I'm not real sure what a "platform" is supposed to be in writing.

So I blog about the things that are important to me, as a writer.  Oh, and I guess I can't forget the 'teacher' part, because being a teacher is something that never leaves me.  I blog about things all writers need to learn, and hope...very sincerely hope...that the writer who reads about them will "learn something new."  Or, if it's not new, perhaps it is just explained in a way that will be easier to comprehend.

I blog about plots, dialogue, characters, setting, research...the things we all need to know and perfect. ( Not that I have perfected ANY of those things !).  A friend told me that I was "predictable"...hmmm...okay, maybe I am predictable, but maybe that's also my "platform?"  Is that good or bad?  I have no idea.  I don't think there is a right or wrong way to blog if you are a professional.  I think you have to write...blog...about what's important to you, and what you'd like for others to take away from your blog.

At least, that's how I feel about my blog.  What about you?  Do you have a "platform?"
Think about it.  Let me know.

Writing Software...and Frustration!

I recently downloaded some software that is supposed to help you write.  It has sections for scenes, chapters, characters, settings and so on.  It was easy to install and looked easy to use.  HA!

Actually, it's probably just me.  I'm the world's most technologically challenged person.  It took me three days just to figure out how to operate my computer camera.  This software was just as bad, except I don't have three days to figure it out.

I'm working on an historical novel about pre-Civil War days...the Underground Railroad.  I thought I had my story line all figured out, so I set about writing the first few chapters.  Sounded good to me.  Sounded good to my critique group, except for a few things they pointed out.  So it's good, right?  Another HA!

My ICL instructor pointed out several things that were so obvious it was pitiful...things I should obviously have seen for myself.  So now I have to go back, regroup, and basically start all over again.  I wanted the software program to help me do this:  something where I could paste what I had already written in somewhere...preferably in a screen I could see while I was writing something else.  Then I could change, add, delete or whatever, but not have to write every single word over again.  Well, this softward doesn't do that...or, if it does, I can't figure it out.

So now I'm back to square one, and Word.  Talk about frustration!  Oh, I know I can do two screens at once in Word, but so far it still isn't working right.  I need to have what I've already written on one side, the new stuff I'm writing on the other side.  Word can do that...so I'm told...but I still have to figure it out.  Husband is no help, he's more challenged than I am.  I may have to get my grandson to come over and show me how to do this.  You would never in a million years know that I've been using a computer for at least 15 years, would you?

I've decided to start doing some book reviews.  I'm reading the neatest book...The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly.  It's a middle grade novel and I'm anxious to finish it so I can review it.  "Calpurnia"...isn't that the neatest name?  Did you know that Julius Caesar's wife was named "Calpurnia?"

Stay tuned for the review.  So far it's a great book.

If you've ever used a writer's program software, and been successful with it, let me know!

This and That

Happy Easter every one!  Hope you are all having a good day, enjoying friends and family, and the ever-present ham dinner.  Did you ever wonder why 'ham' is almost pre-determined to be THE meat for Easter dinner?  It seems so prosaic to have the same thing every single year.  But guess what, in my family "prosaic" is the name of the game.  One year I had roast lamb for Easter, and I've never heard the end of it.  Oh yes, we're having ham this year, only not today.  With the family's medical professions all over the place, Sundays don't seem to be a day we can all get together, so this Friday evening is our...ham...Easter dinner.  sigh...

I just began reading Donald Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel.  Yes, I know, I'm probably years behind everyone else else, but nobody ever said I was the first one out of the gate.  Anyway, it seems to be a great book.  Of course, my ICL instructor may not think so when she gets my latest assignment.  I had hardly finished reading the second chapter when I got this "wonderful"  what if  idea.  You know how we're always supposed to ask what if such and such a thing happened?  Well, this particular what if  will throw the entire first part of my novel out...given that my instructor likes it.  Oh...what if she doesn't but I do?  Umm...I just thought of it, so I'm not really that invested in it...it would mean a HUGE rewrite...but...in the long run, it might make the novel better.  But I guess I'll just wait until I get the assignment back and see what she says.

Last night we watched The Blind Side.  What a great movie!  No sex, no violence, no profanity, no horror, no vampires, no werewolves, no outlandish fantasy.  Oh my gosh!  How did Hollywood goof up and actually make a movie that didn't have at least one, and preferably all, of those elements in it?  It will probably be at least another 10 years or so before they make that mistake again!  What made is so great, though, was that someone thought enough of this boy to write his story and then try to get a movie made of it.  That's what made it totally AWESOME.

Originality: Trends and Plots...continuted

For awhile there, I was afraid I was going to lost this blog.  I had been hijacked! !  Yep, my pretty crystal clock, a Blogger gadget, was the culprit, so after many hours of frustration, I finally got it and the other gadgets deleted.  Wish it were not so, I really liked that clock !

Anyway, today we're going to talk about plots and originality.  We all know that people have been making up stories ever since they learned how to communicate, and even more so once they developed written communication.  So...has every plot that is conceivable been written?  Well...yeah, probably.  I once had a Creative Writing professor tell us that there were only 7 plots in existence.  That may be true, but did you know that there are a lot of people who have 7 different plots that they believe to be the only ones in existence?  So, let's take a look at some of them:

William Foster Harris, in his Basic Patterns of Plot, written in 1959 lists these:

• [wo]man vs. nature
• [wo]man vs. man
• [wo]man vs. the environment
• [wo]man vs. machines/technology
• [wo]man vs. the supernatural
• [wo]man vs. self
• [wo]man vs. God/religion

Then there are another 7 which were proposed by Christopher Booker in The Seven Basic Plots, published in 2005:

• Overcoming the monster
• Rags to riches
• The quest
• Voyage and return
• Comedy
• Tragedy
• Rebirth 

Hmmm.  These last 7 don't sound very appealing to me. 

Let's go about this from a different point of view.  Remember what we are taught in writing classes, whether it's ICL, online classes, college classes, or whatever...we are taught that every plot has to have a beginning, a middle, and an end.  What does that mean for our characters, especially our main character? 

1) Our MC has to want something very, very badly. 
2) If she (or he)  doesn't get what she wants, there are going to be consequences of some kind for her. 
3) So she goes about trying all sorts of different things to attempt to get what she wants or reach her goal, and
4) in doing so, all sorts of things happen to hinder or prevent her from attaining what she wants. 
5) Finally, though, there is some kind of resolution, wherein she either gets what she has been striving for, or...she doesn't and some of those consequences come true.

Now, don't these things happen in every single story you write, or you read?  It doesn't matter if the basic plot is a murder mystery, a contemporary novel, a novel about vampires, a fantasy about an orphan boy and a school of magic, an historical novel about the Civil War, or anything in between. The above 5 elements are what make up the beginning, the middle, and the end of your story.

And that, in turn, is your plot, right ?

So where does originality come in? In your characters: their behaviors, emotions, actions and reactions, dialogue, background, motivation, and so on; in your settings: modern day, historical era, fantasy world, etc; in your location: city streets, country/Western town, jungle, alien planet, suburbia, etc.

The basic plot of every story ever written or ever to be written is always going to be basically the same...or perhaps one of seven...but YOU are what makes it original...your voice, your characters, your scenes, your dialogue, your narrative description, your motivations, your "supporting cast," and everything else about the story that makes it YOURS.  That is your originality.

Writing is a journey.  It starts, it continues, it ends.  It is up to you to make it a journey all will want to take.

Think about it.  Let me know.

Originality: Trends and Plots

Let's talk some about originality in our writing.  One of the writers on the SCBWI boards said recently that she didn't think there was any originality left in writing any more.  That everything that could be done had been done, and all that was left was to follow the newest trend.

Think about that for a minute.  Right now the "trend" seems to be about vampires...The Vampire Diaries, The Vampire Academy, and of course, the Twilight series, which seemed to start it all.  But before that, it was fantasy...look at what Harry Potter and the Eragon books by Christopher Paolini did for the world of writing.

Do you want to follow a trend, or start one?  The problem with following trends is that by the time you've written the book, had it accepted and published, whatever trend your book is like may no longer be popular, and indeed, may have been totally forgotten.  Restarting that particular trend is problematical, at best.

So how about starting a new trend?  How do you do that?  How do you know what kids are going to want to read in two or three years, depending upon how long it takes to get your book written and published?  The answer to that is, most definitely, we don't know what kids will want to read.  We're not even sure what they want to read now, are we?  So predicting future interests is merely a waste of time.

Fantasy will always be valued by kids.  Many kids today, especially teens, use fantasy as a way to escape what's happening to them in the real world:  bullying, drugs, self-abuse...the list goes on.  But there are so many different kinds of fantasy: the world of magic, per Harry Potter; dragons like Eragon; the child heroes like Percy Jackson; and the list goes on.

How do you decide on what kind of "trend" you want to start, and then how do you impart originality to that trend?  Paranormal books will probably always be popular, so if you're "in" to that sort of thing, this might be a good trend to look into.  All you need is a different idea. After all, if vampires can go to high school, couldn't ghosts do the same thing?  Or, how about taking an historical era and writing a paranormal story about that?  The Civil War should be a good stomping ground to write about ghosts...or how about the Victorian era?  I've lived in an old Victorian house that held a ghost...I was too young at the time to write about it, but it would make a good backdrop for a story now.

All you really need is a good plot...but that's a topic for tomorrow.  So for now, I guess the idea is...don't follow a trend, start one!

Think about it.  Let me know.

A New Look

I said I was going for a new look, so here it is.  Still not perfect, but I guess it will do for now.  Or...will it?

Is that what you say when you've revised and revised and revised until your face is the color of this page?  And then do you say...It's still not perfect but I guess it will do for now?  That usually means...it will do for sending out to see if I get a bite from an editor, and then revise what she wants me to.  Is that the best way to go?

I'm also a professional artist, and I can't count the number of times I've told my private students...Leave It!  Quit fussing with it, it is fine the way it is, any more futzing around and you are going to muddy the picture.  Do those words apply for writers?  We edit, revise, rewrite and edit some more.  Rewrite some more.  When do we get to say...my manuscript is as perfect and polished as it can be, any more messing around and I'm going to muddy the works.

My last ICL instructor told me when I finished the course that with a very few exceptions, my manuscript was ready to send out.  I "polished" those exceptions the way he suggested.  Then I 'polished' a few more places.  Then I rewrote a little bit of dialogue here and there.  Then I added a scene I'd been thinking about.  Then I changed the ending...not much, just a little.  It reads better now.  I think.

So if all this futzing around has been so good, and the polish is bright enough to blind, WHY haven't I sent the manuscript out?

When is "good enought" really, truly, good enough?  I guess that's a question I, for one, am not going to have an answer to until I actually start sending it out.  Then I figure there are about three options:  behind door # 1 is acceptance with a minimum of revisions;  behind door #2 is acceptance...maybe...with a LOT of revisions; and then there is door # 3...rejection.

But you know what?  I won't ever know which door I have opened until I start sending the manuscript out.

How about you?  Have you opened one of those doors yet?  Let me know.