Author: kmessner

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that my first book for teachers, REAL REVISION: AUTHORS’ STRATEGIES TO SHARE WITH STUDENT WRITERS, was released from Stenhouse last summer. I’ve celebrating with a series of author interviews on the topic of real revision…the nitty gritty, make-the-book-better strategies that some of my favorite authors use when they’re revising a project. Since most of the author interviews in the book are with middle grade writers, I wanted to feature some authors of my favorite YA novels in this series

Today…we’re chatting with Lauren Oliver, the author of terrific YA titles like DELIRIUM and IF I FALL as well as her new middle grade fantasy, LIESL AND PO.

Thanks for visiting, Lauren! How do you tackle the revision process? A little at a time as you write? Or all at once after you’ve finished a draft?

I’m definitely of the “write-through” philosophy. I write a full draft—a pretty messy first draft, often—and then I revise all at once from the beginning.

Do you have a favorite revision strategy that helps with any particular part of the process?

I definitely believe in taking a break between the first and second drafts; it helps you get clarity and perspective. And then I make a very manageable goal for myself: I tackle ten pages a day, for example, and I spend all my time making sure those ten pages work.

How do you revise to make sure your pacing works for the story you’re telling?  Were there any parts of your original manuscript for this book that ended up being cut?

I tend to write way too much material and then have to prune it back, and I often rely on my editor to help guide me in this capacity. It can be rough to do the slash-and-burn thing, which is why it’s important to have readers you trust and on whose opinion you can depend.

What strategies do you use when you’re revising to make characters feel real & believable?

I think that it’s important to know your characters the way you know your best friends. You have to understand them in a deeper context and framework than just the world of the story. It’s only with strangers that you think of people in terms of superficial identifiers (blond hair; tall; pretty). When you get to know people more deeply, you know their quirks and habits, and you see them as the sum of those details (loves bananas but hates apples; chews loudly; cries at Hallmark commercials). I try to ask myself questions about each of my characters—favorite foods, music, etc—and also to think deeply about their wants and needs.

What was the biggest revision job for this particular book?  (timeline changes, new chapters, rearranging scenes, etc?)

To be honest, Liesl & Po underwent very little revision. Probably the most significant piece was making sure that all of the different threads of the book were resolved, and then also going through the text with a fine-tooth comb to check for inconsistencies or repetition.

Did this book keep its original title, or did it change along the way? Where did the title come from?

It kept its original title—it seemed a natural fit to name the book after two of the major characters, whose friendship forms such a critical part of the story.

Anything else you’d like to say about revising this book?

I’ll say about revision in general: it’s fascinating because really every single book requires a different set of editorial revisions and skills. That’s kind of the amazing thing about being a writer—you are constantly challenged by new books and projects, and constantly forced to reevaluate your process. It’s a beautiful thing.

Thanks, Lauren!

If you’d like to read LIESL AND PO (and it’s wonderful, so you really should) you can click here to find it at your favorite independent bookseller.

And if you’d like to read more author revision stories, I hope you’ll check out REAL REVISION. There’s a preview up on the Stenhouse Publishers site, and you can order the book from your favorite indie bookseller, direct from Stenhouse, or elsewhere online.

While I got the official invitation in December and have known about this for several weeks, it’s still surreal, like maybe I’ve been imagining the whole thing.

But today, TED announced the speaker lineup for its 2012 Conference in Long Beach, and there it was…in black and white (and polka-dots!)

The full TED 2012 speaker lineup is here, and truly…every time I look at the list, I’m absolutely blown away.

Weeks ago,  I’d clicked on a Twitter link saying that TED put out a call for proposals for its 2012 session called The Classroom.  I thought, “Wow, that would be pretty amazing,” and filled out a simple online form. Then I went to bed and promptly forgot about it. When I got the email that said “Get ready to give the talk of your life,” I was sure it was a mistake.

Wait…they want me to speak at… not that TED. It can’t be that TED, right? This must be some…different TED.  Or maybe a smaller, not-quite-as-amazingly-cool sister conference. FRED, perhaps?

But then more emails came, and a request for a bio and speaker photo, and then,  a list of speaking tips called “The TED Commandments,” engraved on a slab of marble that arrived at my door via FedEx.  Seriously – you can’t make this stuff up.

It was that TED, all right.

Once I understood that the invitation was real, I went through a short terror-and-stomach-ache phase, thinking about giving a talk to these incredible 1500 people.  But then my husband looked at me and said, “You’re going to be fine. And this is the coolest thing ever, so you really need to just let go and enjoy it.”

That seemed like good advice, because truly… what an incredible gift. The opportunity to speak to people who care so passionately about making a difference in the world, making it better and more beautiful.

The opportunity to sit in the audience for the full conference, to hear speakers that include:

An urban naturalist who photographs birds’ nests.

The curator of the Met’s Costume Institute.

The most accomplished organist in the world.

A two-term U.S. Poet Laureate.

A peace activist who helped end Liberia’s civil war.

The co-founder of LinkedIn.

Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Philippe Petit, the man who walked between the towers.

A psychopath expert.

The writer of Toy Story movies and Wall-E.

…and on and on…

I decided I’m not willing to lose even a second of this experience because of nerves. So I’m writing and revising and practicing now, and getting ready for my six-minute talk on March 2nd. My TED Talk is about the power of what-if, world building in dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction, and how we might encourage young people to use those same world building strategies to problem solve for our real life future.

In the weeks after the conference, the talks will be shared online, just like all the other TED Talks, and I’ll be sure to share a link when it’s live.  In the mean time, I’m going to check that speaker lineup once more…just to make sure it’s still real.

OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW illustrator Chris Silas Neal just shared this YouTube video on his blog, and it was too amazing not to pass along. Remember this spread in our picture book?

Well, the BBC shared a video of a real-life red fox doing just the same thing. I watched this over and over again because even though I’d heard and read about how a fox hunts in the snow, I’d only imagined what it might look like. Check it out…

I’m starting a new book on Monday morning.

Not starting, really. Because there have already been many months of research and brainstorming, timeline-drafting, character-building, outlining, and scribbling of scenes.  The story is written in my head. But on Monday morning, after the kids are at school, I’ll open an empty page and type Chapter 1, followed by…something.

For me, this is the scariest moment of the whole writing process, and no matter how many books I write, the days leading up to that empty page are always full of choking what-ifs. Learning to answer those what-if questions for myself kindly and firmly, the way I’d talk with one of my kids, is what gets me sitting down to write.

Me: I think I’ll clean out the linen closet today.

Other Me: You need to start that new book. I know you don’t like starting, but you’ll be really happy once you’re a few pages in.

Me: I can’t start with the linen closet looking like THIS!

Other Me:  The linen closet has looked like that for five years, and it’s never bothered you before. Get to work.

Me: But I still don’t know how to start it. What if I get the beginning wrong?

Other Me: You will. You always get the beginning wrong, and it works out okay. You’ll fix it later, once you discover what this story is really about.

Me: But maybe it’s not about ANYTHING AT ALL!!!!

Other Me: Stop that. You sound like a harpy, and you know very well that’s not true.

Me: Fine. But seriously…what if this book is the one I can’t finish?

Other Me: You say that every time you start a new book. In five pages, you will be happily skipping along. So really…light a candle and just start.

Me: I need some chocolate.

Other Me: It’s in the cupboard. But you’ll feel better if you have tea instead.

Me: You are not being very supportive, you know.

Other Me: (looks pointedly at writing room door)

Monday is the day. And so when the tea is brewed, I’ll go down to my writing room. Maybe there will be ducks diving on the lake outside my window, amid the ice chunks that are forming, and that will help. I will do my best to quiet the shrieking what-ifs, and I will open a new, white page. And begin.

The second MARTY MCGUIRE book is less than three months away!  There’s nothing like a final cover to make it seem real.  My editor sent this today…

And hey… there’s still time to enter my Spread-the-Word-About-Marty-McGuire contest.  You could win a $100 gift card for your favorite book store, signed books, a virtual writing workshop for your school or library. Details are here – good luck!

Did you know that LitWorld’s annual World Read Aloud Day is coming up on March 7th?

“World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology.”            ~from the LitWorld website

Last year, a bunch of us who write books for kids got together and volunteered to read aloud via Skype to classrooms and libraries all over the world, for free. These weren’t big, fancy presentations — just a few minutes of reading aloud, followed by some questions — but they were great fun.

This year, a number of authors have again volunteered their time to read aloud to classrooms and libraries all over the world. If you’d like to have an author visit your classroom or library for World Read Aloud Day, here’s how to do it:

• Check out the list of volunteering authors below and visit their websites to see which ones might be a good fit for your students.
• Contact the author directly by clicking on the link to his or her website and finding a contact form or email.  Please be sure to provide the following information in your request:
  • Your name and what grade(s) you work with
  • Your city and time zone (this is important for scheduling!)
  • Possible times to Skype on March 7th.
  • Your Skype username and a phone number where you can be reached on that day
• Please understand that authors are people, too, and have schedules and families just like you, so not all authors will be available at all times. It may take a few tries before you find someone whose books and schedule fit with yours. If I learn that someone’s schedule for the day is full, I’ll make a note of it here.  (Authors, please let me know that if you can!)

World Read Aloud Day – Skyping Author Volunteers for March 7, 2012

Authors are listed in alphabetical order, along with publishers and the age groups for which they write.  (PB=picture books, MG=middle grades, YA=young adult, etc.)

Amy Ackley
Viking Juvenile/Penguin USA
YA
http://www.amyackley.com

For authors…

How to be added to this list: Are you a traditionally published author who would like to Skype into classrooms & libraries to read aloud to kids for free on March 7th? Just leave me a comment with your name, publisher(s),  the age groups for which you write, and a website where teachers & librarians can find contact information.  Please use this format to keep things simple:

For teachers & librarians:

Are you new to Skype?  Wondering how a Skype author visit works?  Click here to read a blog entry about my students’ virtual visit with the fantastic Laurie Halse Anderson. It includes an overview of how a Skype chat with an author might work, as well as tips for teachers, librarians, & book club organizers to help your virtual visit run smoothly.  Check out my SLJ feature, “An Author in Every Classroom: Kids Connecting with Authors via Skype. It’s the next best thing to being there.”

Thanks – and happy reading, everyone!

Did you know that LitWorld’s annual World Read Aloud Day is coming up on March 7th?

“World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology.”            ~from the LitWorld website

Last year, a bunch of us who write books for kids got together and volunteered to read aloud via Skype to classrooms and libraries all over the world, for free. These weren’t big, fancy presentations — just a few minutes of reading aloud, followed by some questions.  I made a list of read-aloud authors with links so teachers & librarians could contact them and plan Read Aloud Day Skype sessions for their students. Some authors also posted video read-alouds to share, and it was all great fun.

So…that brings us to this year. World Read Aloud Day is March 7, 2012.

Are you a traditionally published author who would like to Skype into classrooms & libraries to read aloud to kids for free on March 7th? Just leave me a comment with your name, publisher(s),  the age groups for which you write, and a website where teachers & librarians can find contact information.  Please use this format to keep things simple:

Once I hear from a bunch of people, I’ll create this year’s list and keep adding to it as we get closer to World Read Aloud Day.

(Note: This list will include traditionally published authors only. I have nothing against self-publishing, but I’m one human being with limited time, and that helps to limit the scope of this project so that I can still write books and feed my kids and things like that.  If someone else wants to make a list of self-published authors volunteering to do Skype read-alouds, I will happily link to it here.)

Teachers & librarians…please give us a few days and then check back; we’ll have a list of authors ready to go so that you can start planning for Read Aloud Day, 2012!

I’ve shared this poem before, but in light of all the “Best of 2011” lists appearing in newspapers, magazines, journals, radio shows, and blogs… I thought it might be time for an encore. This one’s for my author/illustrator friends, whether or not your book is on any of those lists.

So thank you, friends.  Your books matter so very, very much.

I’m breaking my holiday blog vacation to share some great news for OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW’s amazing illustrator. Christopher Silas Neal has been named a Fall 2011 Flying Start Illustrator by Publisher’s Weekly!

PW has published a great interview with Chris that starts at the very beginning of this project:

“For a graphic artist who has done posters, covers, and spot illustrations, illustrating a book should be a piece of cake, right? Not necessarily. “When I do a cover or a poster, it’s often a big figure or object that’s centered on the page,” Christopher Silas Neal says. “I hadn’t created many environments where characters were moving through space.” He was delighted when Chronicle gave him the job of illustrating Kate Messner’s Over and Under the Snow (Chronicle, Oct.). He loved Messner’s evocative descriptions of animal life beneath the snow, and he’d been wanting to try illustrating a picture book. But he wasn’t immediately clear about how best to represent the winter world Messner had written about.”   ~from the PW “Flying Start interview. Read the rest here.

Congratulations, Chris!!

If you’d like to read more about the illustration process for OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW, Chris visited my blog a while back to talk about it. And finally, many, many, MANY thanks to everyone who’s helped to spread the word about this quiet book.  It’s been featured recently on terrific blogs like & 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast and Chasing Ray, as well as in the New York Times and Chicago Tribune.  I know that I speak for Chris, too, when I tell you that we’re both thrilled & thankful.

If you’re a friend of this little guy…

…then you’ll be happy to know that Chronicle has signed up illustrator Andy Rash and me for two more books about Ernest the Sea Monster!  SEA MONSTER AND BOSSY FISH, about a small fish with a big head, is the first of the two, coming in 2013, to be followed by SEA MONSTER’S FIRST FIELD TRIP in 2014.  Underwater hijinks will ensue.