Teachers Write: Soundtrack of a Place

Home has a soundtrack. Other places do, too. And today’s TeachersWrite prompt starts with the sounds of a shopping plaza in Texas.

I’m in San Antonio wrapping up a week of school visits right now – my first time in Texas, and I can’t stop noticing all the little things that are different here. The size of the crickets (enormous!) and the sounds of the birds. The trees around my hotel swarm with grackles at night. We have the occasional grackle up north where I live, but certainly not in these numbers, and certainly not at this volume.  These birds are loud! But one of the librarians who’d picked me up at my hotel the other day had barely noticed them.  Probably because they’re part of her everyday soundtrack.

And that got me thinking….  All places have a soundtrack, whether that place is a parking lot in Texas or a hospital in London, a grandmother’s kitchen in India, or a hockey rink in Alberta.

Write a paragraph or two describing the soundtrack of your place.  This can be the place you call home, a place from your memories, or a place in a piece of writing you’re working on. (Write in your character’s voice if you’d like!)  When you describe the soundtrack, listen for the different levels of sound, too – from the loud honks, to the medium-range notes and voices, to the quiet buzz that underscores everything.  What’s the soundtrack of your place?

Feel free to share in the comments if you’d like!

My Day with the Huebner Huskies!

When I’m visiting a city for school or library visits, I always love to see the area, so I was thrilled when San Antonio librarian friends Cari, Sue, and Natalie asked if I’d like to join them for dinner on the River Walk last night. We enjoyed some great Mexican food, the weather was perfect (it’s no longer outdoor dining weather at home!), and the view was spectacular.

After dinner, they took me to see the Alamo because you simply cannot leave San Antonio without having your picture taken at the Alamo.

Mission accomplished!  From left to right, that’s Natalie Watts, me, and Cari Young. It’s fascinating to me that this gorgeous historic site is right in the middle of downtown San Antonio, next to a mall, in fact.

The next morning, Natalie picked me up for my visit to her wonderful library and introduced me to the stellar Huebner Husky readers.

I gave presentations for the K, 1st, and 2nd students – then had lunch with these great ladies.

Kristin and Rachel are PTA library volunteers who help keep the place running. Today, in addition to taking care of breakfast (breakfast tacos!) and lunch for my author visit, they were getting ready for the school’s upcoming Scholastic Book Fair.

In this picture, they’re working on something I thought was too cool not to share.  They create a teacher wish-list board, with pictures of all the teachers and tiny folders where they can put slips of paper with the titles of books they’d like for their classrooms.  Parents who visit the book fair check out the board to find their child’s teacher and take a slip if they’d like to purchase a book for the class library.  Kristin and Rachel say by the end of the book fair, those slips of paper are almost always gone, and the kids have great new books to read in their classrooms. Neat, huh?

After lunch today, I spent some time in individual classrooms, visiting 5th graders who hadn’t seen a presentation but wanted to know about research and writing, and chatting with first graders who won a “private Q and A session” in the library drawing.

Then it was back to the library to finish signing books for the kids before dismissal time. We finished the last batch with about five minutes to spare!

I was heading out for a quiet dinner with my book tonight, but when I got to the restaurant, one of Huebner’s second grade teachers, Jillian Curtis, rushed up to say hi.

Jillian happened to be eating out there with her husband and invited me to join them – something I appreciated so much because I’ve been missing my family at night.  An evening of great conversation with new friends was the perfect way to end the day.

Thanks so much, Huebner Huskies!  It was truly a joy spending the day with such fantastic readers, writers, and thinkers.

Thank you, Wetmore Elementary!

My day started with a big Texas sunrise on the way to school, where I was greeted by this sign…

…this life-size image of the school principal.  (This was my first clue that the lead learners at this school have a great sense of humor!)

…and a whole bunch of smiling faces!

I really wish every school could have a librarian like the women I’ve met in San Antonio this week. Wetmore Elementary’s Cynthia Baker and Jean Ann Johnson were hopping from the minute Cynthia picked me up this morning, setting things up, handling the book signing, and making sure every group arrived at the library ready to talk books, reading, and writing.  Cynthia apparently book-talked my titles so well that they ran  out of a couple titles, but Cynthia and Jean Ann sprang into action, made a few phone calls, and hustled over to the Scholastic Warehouse and Barnes and Noble so that kids could have signed copies of the books they’d requested. Here we are at the end of a very busy day!

From left to right, that’s Jean Ann, me, and Cynthia.

I also had a little fun, informal time with kids at the library later on.  Charlie and Cole are both reading my mystery, CAPTURE THE FLAG, so they challenged me to a game.

While I love presenting to big groups of kids, I also really enjoy the quieter conversations that happen when they stop back later to have books signed, or even when they’re on their way back to class.  One boy who’d been fascinated by my story about Champ, the legendary Lake Champlain monster, stopped to ask if I’d heard about chupacabra.  I hadn’t…so I had him write it down in my notebook to research later on.  This is what I found. Fascinating stuff…and a story that just might make its way into one of my books down the road.  Yesterday, a girl at Harmony Hills suggested an idea for a future Marty McGuire book, and that’s in my notebook now, too.

Thanks so much for a great day, Wetmore Elementary readers! Everything your principal and librarian told me about how awesome you kids are is 100% true, and I so loved spending the day in your school library.

Meeting Readers at Harmony Hills Elementary

Day Two of my week of school visits in San Antonio brought me to Harmony Hills Elementary School, where amazing librarian Angie Oliverson had the library decked out in banners for all of my books. I especially loved this one with the mini-tornadoes!

The hallway near the library was full of fantastic student art. Second graders had illustrated their favorite scenes in SEA MONSTER’S FIRST DAY.

Watch out, Andy Rash…I think some of these kids may be after your illustrating job soon!

I gave presentations to three different groups of kids, ranging from Pre-K to fifth grade. You can tell by their faces just how enthusiastic these readers were!

I also popped in for a little extra time with one fifth grade classroom where the students have been reading EYE OF THE STORM.

While they ate lunch, I signed books, and we chatted about everything from tornadoes to favorite books to future plans (one girl told me she’s going to be a lawyer!)  I have no doubts she’ll make it – and truly, I see all of these kids doing great things. Thanks, Harmony Hills Elementary School, for a magical day!

Thank you, Tuscany Heights Elementary!

I’m visiting Texas for the first time this week and just finished up the first of five days of elementary school visits in San Antonio.  Tuscan Heights Elementary has a simply wonderful staff, student, and family community, and it was so much fun spending time with their 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders this morning.

Third grade reading superstars!

Fabulous Fourth Graders!

First-Rate Fifth Graders!

I talked with the kids about how reading made me a writer, shared some of my favorite research stories, from kissing frogs to exploring a tropical rain forest, and then the students had great questions.  My favorite inquiry of the day?  “When you kissed that frog (research for a frog-kissing scene in Marty McGuire) did you like it?”

As soon as I could stop laughing, I did answer. “Not so much.”  While frog-kissing is most definitely not on my list of things to try again,  I did appreciate the insight it gave me as to Marty’s predicament. 🙂

I got to meet so many great readers and writers, including Tessa, who recently wrote a proposal to get a Writing Club started at her school.

And of course, I got to spend time with Tuscany Heights Elementary’s dynamic lead-reader, school librarian Sue Keuntz.

Thanks to everyone at Tuscany Heights Elementary for such a warm, wonderful welcome.  Tomorrow, I’m off to Harmony Hills Elementary – looking forward to another great day with Texas readers!

Teachers Write: Nurturing Creativity

Can you believe it’s almost October?  These first weeks of school are so crazy for teachers that you probably need some ideas for how to regroup and reclaim that summer creativity. Guest author Donna Gephart joins us today with some tips!

Now that you’re back to school, it’s vital to feed and nurture your creative spirit.  These tips, ideas and resources will help you stay creative throughout the year. 
 
1.  TAKE TIME OFF to renew, refill and relax. 
 
            Read a great book . . . or a trashy one.  Kick back with a fun magazine.  A comic book.
 
            Yoga and meditation encourage the brain’s alpha waves.  These alpha waves are linked to relaxation and creativity. 
 
            Get out!  Walk in a park or by the beach.  Paddle a kayak, ride a bike, climb a mountain!
 
            Make something – jewelry, a bird feeder, a pie.  (If you make a peach cobbler, please send it to me!)
 
            Take time off from screens.  Give your brain a break from the constant stimulation.  I enjoy screen-free Sundays whenever possible – no TV, computer, smart phone, etc.  On screen-free Sundays, I connect more with people, nature and books.  (And the pooches!)
 
 
2.  GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO FAIL
 
            Anne Lamott, author of the well-loved book – Bird by Bird:  Some Instructions on Writing and Life — called this initial failure crummy first drafts. (She actually uses a different adjective, but we’ll go with crummy. It’s a classroom-friendly blog.)
 
            Let go of that damaging mindset of writing something perfect the first time.  I don’t know a single author who creates a “perfect” first draft.  And if I did, I’d have to kill him (just on principle). 
 
            Nothing is written as much as it’s rewritten.  Get comfortable with your first efforts being messy.
 
            My friend, Donald Vaughan – a successful free-lance writer – once said, “I’d rather have a bad page than a blank page.”  Amen!  It’s much easier to work with a lousy page than an empty one.
 
            Don’t compare yourself to others.  You don’t need to be Shakespeare or Steinbeck.  Somebody already was Shakespeare and Steinbeck.  You simply need to be the most authentic you that you can be.  No one can write like you.  No one has had the same experiences or ways of looking at those experiences. 
 
            And by the way, a  “crummy first draft” does NOT indicate failure.  It indicates practice and doing the work.  It’s merely part of the process.  (No need to be so focused on the end result.)
 
 
3.  READ ABOUT CREATIVITY
 
            Imagine:  How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer dissects creativity. 
 
            My favorite part of the book was where he explained that after the most frustrating blocks, when all seems hopeless, creative ideas spring. 
 
            Listen to an interview with Jonah Lehrer on Katie Davis Brain Burps About Books KidLit Podcast.
 
            The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron is a staple on creativity.  Her idea of morning pages – writing when you first wake – changed my writing output.  I used to walk the dogs, exercise, eat breakfast and check e-mail before I wrote.  I squandered my best writing time! 
 
            Now?  I wake and write.  The number of pages I produce has jumped dramatically.  The dogs still get walked, the e-mails still get answered, etc. – just later in the day . . . or the next day.  (In fact, I wrote this entire post in a creative burst first thing one morning.)
 
            Read my blog post about 6-1/2 tips to stay creative from guest blogger, Paul Grecian, who is a professional nature photographer.  Scroll through the comments for more great tips and ideas about staying creative.  (Sorry, the giveaway on the post has ended.)
 
 
4.  CONNECT WITH CREATIVE PEOPLE
 
            a.  Join or start a writer’s group.  (Check out S.C.B.W.I. critique groups in your area.)
 
            b.  Go to readings, concerts, dance performances, plays, ethnic celebrations, local festivals, museum exhibits, etc.
 
            c.  Gather a few creative friends – artists, writers, performers – and discuss ideas, while enjoying snacks and beverages.
 
            d.  Watch a TED talk to become inspired.  I love this one by Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity.  Of course, there’s the blog post about Kate Messner’s TED talk.  I love these lines from the post:  “Kids are naturally gifted world-builders. They have brave imaginations, wild fresh ideas, and are not afraid of messing up.”
 
 
 
PROMPTS:
Sometimes, structure and limitation don’t reign in creativity, but allow it to expand to fill the parameters.  With that in mind, have fun with this word-limiting creative writing prompt:
 
You’ve heard of six-word memoirs, right? 
 
            For this prompt, write a six-word description of yourself.
 
            e.g.  Will write for food.  Prefer royalties.
 
 Six more words for you:  Have fun.  Stay creative.  Write on!

 

 Donna Gephart’s humorous writing has appeared on greeting cards, in national magazines and on refrigerator magnets.  Her middle grade novels have won a number of awards, including the Sid Fleischman Humor Award.  Her newest novel, OLIVIA BEAN, TRIVIA QUEEN — about a Jeopardy!-obsessed twelve-year-old — received excellent reviews, including a starred Kirkus review.  For free resources for teachers and librarians (and a funny singing hamster video), visit Donna at http://www.donnagephart.com.

Think Before You Thank: Writers & Acknowledgments

I learned something recently that I thought I’d share…because it saved me from doing something nice that could have turned into something uncomfortable.

If you’ve ever finished a novel and gone on to read the acknowledgments pages in the back, you know that authors are frequently thankful to lots of people. We thank our editors and agents, our copy editors, publicists and cover designers.  We thank experts who helped with research and gatekeepers who may have granted access to research opportunities. We thank our partners and friends and writing buddies, and sometimes, we thank booksellers, teachers, and librarians who have been champions of our work.  And all of that is lovely, but…

An acknowledgment in the back of a book is different from a quiet thank you note that arrives in a mailbox. It’s a very public thank you, and in some situations, it might not be comfortable for the person being thanked.

A museum employee or zookeeper who granted unusual access to records or an exhibit, for example, may have bent some rules in doing so.  A public thank you could make for an awkward conversation with that person’s boss.

A teacher or librarian who enjoys an author’s work might be delighted to see his or her name in the back of a book.  But what if that reader wants to be on a state or national awards committee and the author’s book shows up in the pile of titles to be discussed?  Suddenly, having that public thank you in the book is awkward at best and at worst, could create pressure for the person to resign from a great opportunity.

I’ll be honest – I wouldn’t have thought of any of this until a friend brought it to my attention recently.  Because what could be wrong with saying thanks?  Nothing…as long as the person has a heads up.

Here’s what I’m going to do from now on…  There are certain people I know are happy to be thanked – my critique partners, my agent and editor, my family.  But for others– individuals who have helped along the way by assisting with research or spreading the word about my books – I’ve decided it’s probably best to fire off a quick note first. Something like this…

Dear awesome person,

I wanted to drop you a note to say thanks again for (awesome things that you did).  If it’s okay with you, I’d like to say a more public thank you by including your name in the acknowledgments for (title of book that is awesome because of you).  Please let me know if that’s all right, and even if it’s not, know that I’m so very grateful for your help.

Best,

~Kate

 

So I’m curious now.  How do other writers handle acknowledgments?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in comments!

Real Revision: Creating the tools we need

Necessity is the mother of invention, right? I’m not sure who said that (I think Plato gets credit for it sometimes) but I’ve found that the saying is true when it comes to revising a book.  So often, I’ll get to a stage in the revision process when I know I need to try a different strategy. But deep as my revision toolbox may be, I can’t always find the right thing. Sometimes, writers need to invent the tools they need to figure things out.

Which brings me to the Timeline-Treatment-Symptom-Belief-Emotion chart…

Last week, I was finishing up revisions on WAKE UP MISSING, my fall 2013 MG science thriller with Walker Bloomsbury, and I realized that I needed to do one more pass to check on the progression of some elements of the story.  The novel is about four kids with post-concussion syndome who leave home hoping for a medical miracle. But when they’re admitted to an elite neurology clinic at a former military base in the Everglades, things don’t seem quite right, and little by little, they learn that the clinic’s goals have evolved beyond curing head injuries.  The book takes place over eight days, and I created the chart above to track the changes that take place from chapter to chapter and day to day.  One thing that was important was making sure that the narrator’s concussion symptoms were consistent with her treatment.

On many levels, this book is about changes, so it was also important to make sure I understood how my main character’s beliefs changed and how her emotions evolved through the course of her experience.

Chapter by chapter, I read through my draft and filled in the chart. I noticed a lot of small things along the way, and I made a couple important discoveries, too . I kept a running list of changes to consider after I finished charting everything, and then I went back for one more revision pass.

This is messy stuff and probably doesn’t make much sense to you as a reader, but as a writer, I can step back and see the bigger picture here — just what’s happening, just where things are moving too quickly or not quickly enough, just where a shift in view doesn’t sit quite right, and that’s where the text needs work.

Because I am a revision geek at heart, this was a deeply satisfying process and — I’m just going to say it — really, really fun.  But even if you don’t love revising, getting out the big paper and colored pens can help you see your story in a new way.

Sadly, I’ll probably use this particular revision tool just once in my writerly life. After all, how many books can an author really write that might make use of a timeline-treatment-symptom-belief-emotion chart?  But the experience has reinforced one lesson for me — that every book demands new tools, and if they don’t already exist in your bag of tricks, you just may need to invent them.

Teachers Write: Sometimes, when I write…

Saturday, October 20th is NCTE’s National Day on Writing.  How will you celebrate?

It strikes me that this is not only a great excuse to hunker down somewhere with a big mug hot chocolate and notebook or laptop but also an opportunity to share.

If you’re a writer at heart, it’s tough to understand how anyone could live without putting pen to paper or clicking away some at a keyboard each day.  But plenty of people — lots of kids — can’t understand why we’d want to do that at all.  On October 20th, might we open a window into our writing lives so that people who don’t understand the value can have a glimpse of what this world is like?

Today: You can write whatever you want — a free verse poem, a memoir, a short story or monologue, a letter.  Start with this line:

“Sometimes, when I write..”

See where it goes.  Think about sharing this one with your students and inviting them to do the same.  The week of October 20th, we’ll be celebrating writing with a special project on my blog. This will get you (and hopefully your students!) thinking in the right direction to join the celebration.

For today, feel free to share a snippet in the comments if you’d like!

And by the way, you don’t have to be a teacher or librarian to join us in sharing today… We’d love to hear from authors and kids and nurses and accountants and everybody, too!

Thank You, Bear Pond Books!

When Jane Knight at Bear Pond Books in Montpelier, Vermont asked me if I’d like to be part of an author event especially for teachers and librarians last weekend, I jumped at the chance. Bear Pond is a terrific indie bookstore, teachers and librarians are some of my favorite people, and some of my other favorite people were part of the event, too.What’s not to love?

Author Linda Urban shared writing stories and some great thoughts on point of view in novels.  She told us how she came to write her wonderful middle grade novel HOUND DOG TRUE in third person. Author Jo Knowles talked about her latest and much-acclaimed SEE YOU AT HARRY’S as well as her other titles. Jo also showed everyone the storyboard strategy she uses to revise her novels, drawing a little thumbnail picture to represent each chapter.

And this…is my only photo from the event, even though I am usually a big picture-taker. You know how sometimes you get so wrapped up in the conversation happening that you forget you meant to snap a few visual memories of the day, too?

It was one of those days – and such a great one. It was absolutely energizing to be in the company of so many teachers and librarians who are concerned with Common Core Standards, for sure, but even more concerned with getting great books into their students’ hands and creating a community of readers. I’m so thankful I got to share my morning with them, with Jo and Linda, and with the great folks at Bear Pond. Read on!