My Subconscious Hates Me

Most of the weird dreams I've had since I started teaching, I expected. The one where I can't find my classroom. The one where the power has gone out in my neighborhood, so my alarm clock doesn't wake me up, and when I finally wake up on my own every clock is telling a different time. The one where I walk into school with no plan for any of the five classes I'm supposed to teach that day. The one where I'm at the front of the classroom and prepared, but having trouble concentrating because I'm slowly going blind.

These dreams don't even bother me so much. I've been performing since I was nine: I still get the actor's nightmare, but it's lost its power.

But a dream where I live in the same apartment building as the cast of Friends, and discover that they're all working on teen novels? This one had me waking up in a cold sweat. It was my very first writer's nightmare.

Now, I just wish I could remember what the books were about. I remember Lisa Kudrow's had a bright yellow cover, and I remember Courtney Cox Arquette thought her WIP wasn't going well.

What do you think? If the cast members of Friends were going to write kids' books, what would they be about?

--Kathryne

Help, please!

I'm trying to think of a title for my new book, and I'm having a lot of trouble, so I'm turning to all of you. I know we've discussed this before, but I'm stuck now, and I'm feeling like every idea I come up with is really, really bad.

So, what makes a good title? What are your favorite titles? Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Lisa GW

QoW: Keeping me Sane

Question of the Week: Why I love my agent.

I get a little neurotic around this whole writing and publishing thing. Actually, it would be more accurate to say I turn into a raving nutcase around each and every tiny, little detail. So while I love my agent because she is fun and nice and knows this business, my true love of her stems from her ability to manage me when I get crazy worked up about something. Let me give you just one (of many) example(s).

One day we sent something to my editor. She and my agent spoke a week or so later and my editor said she liked the pages and was going to make some suggestions for revisions. I was beside myself. I could tell this was code for “Daphne sucks and I never want to see any of her writing again.” For a few hours I tried to pretend I wasn't worried but finally I succumbed to my despair and emailed my agent. At this point she knew me well enough to know that normal reassurance was not going to cut it. So she wrote out a dialogue, an actual dialogue for me, of their complete conversation. Then she wrote out a sample dialogue of how the conversation would’ve gone had my editor actually thought the pages sucked. I laughed and for at least 48 hours I was relatively calm. And for me that is a pretty long time!


#daphne

QoW: Why I love my agent

Question of the Week: Why I love my agent/editor/etc.


THE TOP TEN REASONS WHY I LOVE MY AGENT.

10. She's smart. Really smart, especially when it comes to the world of children's book publishing.

9. She's reliable. Whenever I call or email her, she gets back to me as soon as she can. And sometimes it's really, really fast.

8. She inspires me to always do the best that I can.

7. She supports me. She's behind my work, and she has faith in me.

6. She encourages me. Even when I'm down and frustrated, she reassures me that things will work out.

5. She's great to talk to. We can talk for a long time without running out of things to say.

4. She's an amazing editor. She finds flaws and inconsistencies in my writing that I'd never be able to find.

3. She reminds me that we're working towards more than one book. We're working towards a career.

2. She criticizes my writing with the utmost class, care, concern, compassion and heart.

And the number one reason is . . . . . . .

1. She makes this whole crazy business that I love so much and also sometimes hate so much a little easier to handle.

*Lisa GW*

QoW: Triangle Power!

Question of the Week: What are you reading right now?

This week I read The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson. I originally bought it to read while on my cruise a couple of weeks ago (the book does have a waterproof cover after all!), but I had too much fun on that ship to get any quality reading done. So I ended up having to read it on solid ground.

The book is about three friends who have known each other forever. When Nina goes away to Stanford for a 10-week summer pre-college program, it's the first time the girls have spent so much time apart. Nina is happy at Stanford. She feels at home there and she meets a cute, smart guy who has been raised by not-so-ex-hippies. They start dating and plan to continue their relationship long distance until they both (hopefully) get accepted into Stanford the following year.

Upon her return home, Nina learns that her two best friends, Mel and Avery, have begun dating... each other! This obviously shakes up their friendship, with Nina now feeling like the odd girl out. The book spans the majority of their senior year as all three girls adjust to the changes in their friendship, manage the ups and downs of their relationships, juggle after-school jobs, and stress out over applying to college.

This book is really great. I got into it right away, and I surprised myself at how absorbed I was in these characters' lives. I love the way Maureen tells the story, in alternating third-person points of view. The reader really gets to understand each girl, even when they don't understand each other! I also loved the pacing of this novel. It flew by, spanning about nine months in 370 pages. This book takes the reader on an emotional journey as the girls try to understand themselves and those closest to them.

I first found out about this book way back in April when it was the subject of a bit of controversy. Evidently a school in Oklahoma had removed the book from the shelves of the library due to "subject matter." You know the story: One parent reads the book (or, more likely, just the flap copy), the parent freaks out like the sky is falling and complains to the school board. And what does the school board do? Read the book? Nah. They just pull it off the shelves, all based on ONE parent's often uninformed objection. It makes me sooo mad. Here's an article posted on AS IF, a group I belong to that is dedicated to supporting intellectual freedom.

At the time, Maureen had a lot to say about her book being banned also. Here's a link to her blog entry.

Well, personally, I hope the controversy backfired and attracted even more teens to this book. I think it is very well done! Check it out!

I'm not sure what book I'll be reading next. Right now I'm too surrounded by boxes and suitcases to even think about reading. I leave for Switzerland on Monday!!!

So, until my next post, let me just say, "Auf wiedersehen!"
:-)

~Coe~

QoW: Sons of Liberty, Rock On

Question of the Week: What are you reading right now?

Well, I just finished Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree, and it was every bit as wonderful as Lisa always says.

But there's another book that I'm really excited about, and I'm telling everyone to read it. It was published in 1947, and I'm feeling a little behind the times that I'm just now discovering it. But really, why didn't anyone tell me what a great book Johnny Tremain is?

I thought it was going to be all dry and "good for you". Sort of a patriotic, step-by-step tour of the Revolutionary War through the eyes of a conveniently fourteen-year-old boy. But the story opens with Boston "stretching and waking" so vividly I thought I was there, and the fourteen-year-old boy jumps off the page, as does every character he meets.

By the time the Revolution showed up, I was so completely invested in the story that the Boston Tea Party was much more about what happened with Johnny and his friends than what happened to the Colonies.

I blame part of my first impression on the covers of every copy of Johnny Tremain I've ever seen. I mean, look at that DVD up there. Clearly, the person who made that movie has never read the book, since Johnny has a badly burned hand and can't hold a gun. Plus, there's only one battle in the book, and Johnny's not even there. And "He answered freedom's call"? Dude. I guess that's one way of looking at it. But the actual story is so much more complex.

I read Johnny Tremain because I had to: I needed a book that would tie in with my students' Revolutionary War social studies unit, and I didn't like any of the other options. I started it on the subway on the way to school and almost missed my transfer because I was so engrossed. It made me think about the birth of our country in a way I never had before--which is to say, at all. I got to live in eighteenth-century Boston for a while.

Johnny Tremain is not just a book--it's an experience.

--Kathryne

what next, yall?

Question of the Week: What are you reading right now?

Because of my 45-minute subway commute to work, I get oodles of time to read. Last week, I read NEW MOON by Stephenie Meyer, which I have to say, I enjoyed much more than Eclipse, mostly because I don't want to read 500 pages or whatever of a girl moping around trying to kill herself over a guy. NEW MOON actually made me laugh at loud! I thought parts of it were really funny, namely Jacob's. I am totally Team Jacob, by the way.

I am in the middle of the second KIKI STRIKE book, but it's not quite grabbing me the way the first one did. Maybe it's partly because I hate the way they style Oona's hair? I thought she was supposed to be stylish? If she's stylish, she wouldn't be running around town with her hair in a bun with (intentional) strands coming out (a la prom 1995), and she also wouldn't be wearing a choker on a black leather band. Who is she supposed to be, Dawson Leary? Come on.

I am about to start WHERE WE STAND: CLASS MATTERS by bell hooks.

I have also been reading a lot of Us Weekly, Time Out NY, you know, the serious news outlets. I try to keep on top of things. I am a very SERIOUS reader.

xoxo Jenny

What Were YOU Doing Yesterday @ 9:00PM?

So, the Gossip Girl series debuted last night on The CW Network. Here's the numbers, per Variety:

At 9, "Gossip Girl" (1.7/4 in 18-49, 3.7 million viewers overall) fell off quite a bit in broader categories but held up well in femmes 12-34 (3.8/11), winning its hour and retaining 83% of its ANTM lead-in.

I watched...and the show definitely tickled the same Guilty Pleasure area of my brain that keeps me tuned into The Hills on Monday nights. Overall, I thought the adaptation was handled really well, save for a few quibbles.

As many of you know, I used to edit books at Alloy...including the Gossip Girl spin-off, IT GIRL. So, the first thing in my mind was....Where the heck are Jenny Humphrey's boobs? Also, Dan is, like, way too hot. I know Jenny Han concurs, because we kept texting each other during the commercial breaks.

In the world of YA lit, Gossip Girl is a book that divides. People either love it or hate it. Myself...I'm a bit in both categories. I mean, it's hard not to respect anything that does such huge numbers...per PW, there are over 4.5 million copies in print. Like I said, it is definitely a guilty, highly-commercial pleasure. And content issues aside, the writerly side of me thinks the voice, world, and details are spot on (even if I don't know maaaany of the designer names dropped).

So, did you watch the show? Why or why not? Thoughts?

-=siobhan=-

QoW: Love it love it

Question of the Week: What are you reading right now?

At the moment I'm on a books-for-big-people kick, so I'm reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which -- just so you know -- is pure radness in a book. I'd bought the book over two years ago, when it first came out in paperback (I couldn't buy the hardcover because I knew I'd never be able to lug that sucker on the subway with me, and the subway is where I do most of my reading), but I'm sad to admit that I was sort of afraid to open it. It's soooo big! But I finally started reading it, and boy am I glad I did. Jonathan Strange has all the things I love in a book:

*Tongue-in-cheek snarky British humor
*Lots of characters you'd never want to meet in person, but who are so so awesome on the page
*Footnotes! ¹

I'm only about halfway through so far, but at this point in time the book appears to be about two magicians (Jonathan Strange and, yes, Mr. Norrell) who are practicing their craft during the time of the Napoleonic Wars. These aren't your regular hocus-pocus types, though. They are gentlemen magicians. And, in fact, the only two magicians in England (and England is stoked to have 'em, too -- it was widely believed that magic had been dead for centuries). They are also deeply patriotic and, at the moment, attempting to use their skills to beat those wiley French in battle.

There's a lot of other stuff going on too, but that's the basic gist. To sum up, it's fabuloso. I'm not even done and I'm already putting it on my favorites list.


1. I love footnotes!!

~lisa graff~

Baby Got Back (Jacket!)

So my editor, David Levithan, just emailed me my final cover for A Little Friendly Advice. It's quite lovely, I think.

Though I must admit that since I've already seen it, touched it and kissed it on my galleys a few months ago, I didn't feel much of a wow feeling.

That is, until I checked out the BACK of my jacket...which had, until now, been left intentionally blank.

Umm...wow. Wow wow wow wow. I can't even begin to describe the feeling of reading such nice words written about your book by authors you absolutely adore and respect and admire. It's like, the weirdest, happiest goofiest high, ever. Like dancing to Baby Got Back when you are slightly tipsy at a wedding, with everyone around you smiling and laughing and booty-bumping you. You get what I'm saying, right?

*blushes*

Anyway, yeah. ALFA's got back and I am so down with that.

-=siobhan=-

Anniversary Contest is Closed!

I'm pleased to announce we have a winner for The Longstockings Anniversary Win-A-Signed-Book-From-Moi Contest! The winner is Daisey, who was the only person to answer all ten research-intensive questions correctly.

Congrats, Daisey! Here's me signing your book with x's and o's. And thanks to Brenda's gentle nudge, here are the answers:

1. Which one of us won the LA Times Book Prize? COE BOOTH

2. Which one of us recently got a new job as a middle school English teacher? KATHRYNE ALFRED

3. Which two Longstockings work as library assistants at schools in Manhattan? JENNY HAN and LISA GREENWALD

4. Which two Longstockings are/have been editors? LISA GRAFF and SIOBHAN VIVIAN

5. Which Longstocking is a mother? DAPHNE GRAB

6. What is the name of the children's book award invented and awarded by The Longstockings? THE FLAPPIES

7. How many Longstockings have books coming out in 2008, and who are they? FIVE!! DAPHNE GRAB, LISA GRAFF, SIOBHAN VIVIAN, CAROLINE HICKEY AND COE BOOTH.

8. Where did the Longstockings meet? THE NEW SCHOOL

9. Which Longstocking will be writing in Switzerland this year? COE BOOTH (sniffle, sniffle)

10. Which Longstocking has the pinkest website? CAROLINE HICKEY


*caroline hickey

DC Lobbies for Own Kidlit Drinks Night

(Get it? DC lobbies? Punny, right?)

I just had a wonderful lunch with LETTERS FROM RAPUNZEL author, Sara Lewis Holmes, and we decided New York will no longer be cornering the market on kidlit monthly get togethers. So if you are a writer, teacher, librarian, editor, bookseller, etc., of children's books in the DC/MD/VA area, leave a comment with your email or send me a message at caroline AT carolinehickey.com and Sara and I will add you to our invitee list. MotherReader, we expect to hear from you!

The first event will be in a few weeks, so let us know!

*caroline hickey

QoW: On the Edge of My Seat

Question of the Week: What are you reading right now?

I am reading Dana Reinhardt’s HARMLESS and it is a super read. I enjoyed her first book but I have to say I think I like this one even better. And the reason for that is plot.

I know a lot of readers who value quality of writing and character the most in a book. I love it when those things are top notch but I have to admit that at heart I am a plot girl. A good plot can suck me in even if the writing is bad or the characters feel two dimensional. Does this make me a shallow reader? Possibly. I just know I’m a sucker for a good story.

And a good story is what Reinhardt delivers- with strong, three dimensional characters and excellent writing to boot. HARMLESS is about three girls who tell a lie that spirals out of control. Each has her reasons for letting it happen and the tension is palpable as you read- I can’t wait to get to the end and find out what happens!

#daphne

QoW: Hungry

Question of the Week: What are you reading right now?

At the moment, I'm in a devouring reading state. It reminds me of when I used to come home from school and be so starving that I didn't know what to eat. So I'd eat a little bit of everything or sometimes a lot of everything. That's how I'm feeling right now reading-wise.

Last month, I saw a production of Ragtime in Chicago and so I immediately felt the need to read the book. However, I didn't own the book and still had about four books on my reading pile, so I didn't read it right away. I'll be reading it soon though.

I most recently finished The Off Season and loved it. Spending time with D.J. Schwenk is so much fun.

Before that, I read Eleven by Lauren Myracle because I love good, solid, tween writing. And Lauren Myracle does it very, very well.

And before that, I read Guyaholic by Carolyn Mackler. I love her. I am a loyal fan.

Now I'm faced with a dilemma of what to read next. I've been so excited for Gabrielle Zevin's newest, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac that I kind of want to put it away and save it so it's something to look forward to and so it doesn't end too soon. I also have Ragtime which I just purchased today. And I also purchased a book called Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam. I'm fascinated by the ways in which our country has changed over the recent years, especially in the decline of the "community," and I have read great things about this book.

Yay for reading!
Lisa GW

Happy Anniversary Contest!

I'm pleased to announce it's the one-year anniversary of this blog!

To celebrate, I've created a contest for our readers. That's right, a contest! If you email us at thelongstockings AT yahoo.com with the correct answers to all 10 of these questions about the Longstockings, I'll send you a signed copy of my book. The contest ends on Wednesday, so get crackin'!

1. Which one of us won the LA Times Book Prize?
2. Which one of us recently got a new job as a middle school English teacher?
3. Which two Longstockings work as library assistants at schools in Manhattan?
4. Which two Longstockings are/have been editors?
5. Which Longstocking is a mother?
6. What is the name of the children's book award invented and awarded by The Longstockings?
7. How many Longstockings have books coming out in 2008, and who are they?
8. Where did the Longstockings meet?
9. Which Longstocking will be writing in Switzerland this year?
10. Which Longstocking has the pinkest website?

GOOD LUCK! (And please don't post answers in the comments. Send them to the email above.)

*caroline hickey

QoW: Let's talk about marketing, baby

Question of the Week: Let's talk about marketing. What have been the most (or least) effective marketing tools for you, and which have been the most (or least) effective that you've seen?

I have lots to say on this subject-- um, naturally, I guess, since I was the one who came up with this week's question. : ) So let's get to it! Most effective marketing tools, okay. I think that the key to a good giveaway is for it to be something keep-worthy. I know we all get a lot of swag at conferences and conventions, but for me personally, if it ain't cute, I ain't keepin it. For ex, a flimsy flier or bookmark that doesn't seem keep-worthy is probably getting left behind at the hotel. I tried to keep this in mind when I made my own giveaway-- a bookmark, ta-da! I can't find my camera, otherwise I would post a picture of it. It is girly, curly pink font and a little skull with diamond eyes. They're not real diamonds, but they were hand-pasted on with a toothpick by yours truly. It also has black and white polka dotted ribbon on the side. The paper is a heavier stock, and I had them printed by Kate's Paperie. For me, the time (and boy did it take a lot of time) and the money investment was worth having something cute and keep-worthy. Maybe kids still threw them away at the hotel (or cafeteria, or whatever) but what are you gonna do, right? You just have to do what you can and be happy with it. I feel like the fancier it is, the less likely someone is to trash it.

But the best kind of marketing I've seen is the kind that's just fun and inventive and interactive-- and what else could I be referring to but Not Your Mother's Bookclub's goth prom? Hello, that's awesome. And it's something kids actually want to come out to, which IMO is the best part. I love this combo of dancing and writers and teenagers in black gowns. I just liked anything themed, actually. (For my book release party for Shug, the theme was junior high dance: spiked punch, Lik-em-aid, pop rocks, cupcakes, The Cure.) On Stephenie Meyer's website, she has all these pictures of vampire proms with people dressed up like her characters. It really doesn't get better than that.

I think the wild card in all this is the Internet. It's still really too soon to know how much of it makes an impact. Like, mySpace. I have one, and I have a lot of "friends" but I don't know if I see anything happening there. There are a million bulletins every day, and I wonder if info gets lost out there amidst it all. Same goes for blog tours-- it's hard to quantify if blog tours actually translate into sales. I think a couple of my fellow Longstockings have done blog tours, and I'd be interested in hearing their (and your) take on that as well.

Bottom line, it's really easy to get wrapped up in all the marketing stuff-- you want to feel like you're doing everything you can to make your book a success, of course you do. That's how I feel, anyway. But after all that's over, there comes a time when you have to let go and let that book be out in the world and just float.

xoxo Jenny

Children's Authors Officially Cool

You know how Google changes its logo to reflect important dates, like Halloween, Earth Day, and the Olympics? Well today it's celebrating Roald Dahl's birthday. Being a kids author now ranks as Google-logo-worthy! I'm just bummed the logo doesn't have an image representing THE WITCHES, my favorite of all Dahl's books.

*caroline hickey

QoW: Getting Kids to Read ANYTHING

I don't really have anything to say on getting kids to read my book, since I'm still trying to get someone to publish it. But I have a much more existential question: How do I get kids to read, period?

I had an interesting experience in class this week. My kids were finishing up their summer reading projects, and the final worksheet asked "What was the best book you read this summer?" A kid in my advanced class called me over to his desk and asked, very quietly, "Does it have to be a school book, or can it be another book?"

Well, I got ALL excited at that. I went to the front of the room and announced to everyone that they didn't have to say a school book, that they could write about whatever book they really liked this summer. And a chorus of twelve-year-old voices assured me that it wouldn't be an issue, because none of them would read any books if the school didn't make them.

Then two boys on one side of the class went back to arguing about which Harry Potter was the best. And after class I went off and read their summer reading journals, and it was clear from the passion and skill in their writing that everyone in this class is a great reader. They argued with the books. They were articulate about what they liked and where they felt the books let them down. Some of them even wrote non-school books on the worksheet.

Clearly, these kids love books. But they're embarrassed to admit it.

How do I get them past this? If the kids in my advanced class are ashamed to like books, how do I get the kids who really struggle with reading to think it's worth learning how to do well?

How do I make reading cool? Or, at least, less not-cool?

I'll keep you posted as I work this one out. In the meantime, I'd love to know about anything that worked for you.

This Week in Writerly Fashion

i'm seriously coveting this cutey pie library-print dress from j.crew.

now if only i had a fashionable event coming up...

oh wait! hooray for the fuse #8 back to school kid-lit drinks tomorrow night!

-=siobhan=-

QoW: What Sells?

Question of the Week: Let's talk about marketing. What have been the most (or least) effective marketing tools for you, and which have been the most (or least) effective that you've seen?

I lose a lot of sleep worrying about marketing and what I can do for my book. I know Harper will give it a good send off into the world, but even there I’m not sure what I should be hoping for. What are the things that get the word out there for a book, that get a lot of people all excited to read it?

I’ve been thinking back to when half my life wasn’t spent in the world of kid lit books and trying to remember how I decided to buy books then. To be honest I think the way I usually discovered new authors was browsing in bookstores going by covers that caught my eye, flap copy that sounded intriguing and a good first page. There were times I went by reviews but it wasn’t like I subscribed to Publisher’s Marketplace- I just got recs from the NY Times, both from their reviews and from ads publishers placed for their books.

As I think about it, I realize that so much of that, the placement of a book in a store so that its cover will catch my eye, the choices as to what books will be reviewed and advertised in journals and newspapers, all come from behind the scenes choices. Industry buzz has such an impact on how a book will do. So how does an author generate buzz for herself? I think Siobhan’s button idea is an awesome way to do it! And I’d love to hear what other authors have come up with and what ideas have worked for all you guys as members of the kid lit world.

#daphne

QoW: Think Big (and small)

This week's QoW is all about marketing. What works, what doesn't, what YOU can do. I'm focusing on the last part.

Though I'm pleased to report that Scholastic has a ton of super fun marketing and publicity plans for the March release of my book, A Little Friendly Advice, I wanted to think of something small, cheap and effective that I could do myself.

Aside from the obligatory website and bookmarks that every author should have, I thought about creating special little give-aways that could be fun and appealing to readers. I myself love to collect little 1-inch band buttons. I've got several jars full. They are inexpensive to make and super adorable. I wear several at a time, on purses, jean jackets, shirts. And it just so happens that in A Little Friendly Advice, the boy character named Charlie also has a button fetish. As in, he makes them and gives them out to people. I suddenly had a very do-able idea that was also specifically relevant to my book.

So, with the help of my oh-so-talented boyfriend, I made a special set just for ALFA.

The hello button and the chick button come right out of the text. The camera is a huge part of my story and the title is...well, the title! What you can't see is that my title, website and publishing info is also printed around the side of each button. Pretty awesome right? I was so pleased.

And, the best part is that I shared my little art project with the folks at Scholastic. They liked them so much, they've decided to give them away at conventions...including NCTE in November! They'll be distributed in sets of four, inside little plastic zip-lock bags. They'll also have little copies of my cover and publishing info inside the bags, printed ala business cards. Awesome!

So, the moral of my own marketing story is that you can think small and still get big results.

-=siobhan=-

One more thing I'd like to share today

"The profession of book writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business."

----John Steinbeck

"Of course I'm Meg." --M.L.

Here are some Madeleine L'Engle quotes. Reading them helps me make better sense of the world. Maybe you'll feel the same.

xoxo Lisa GW

• Our truest responsibility to the irrationality of the world is to paint or sing or write, for only in such response do we find the truth.

• You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.

• Inspiration usually comes during work, rather than before it.

• We can't take any credit for our talents. It's how we use them that counts.

• Artistic temperament sometimes seems a battleground, a dark angel of destruction and a bright angel of creativity wrestling.

• A book comes and says, "Write me." My job is to try to serve it to the best of my ability, which is never good enough, but all I can do is listen to it, do what it tells me and collaborate.

• That's the way things come clear. All of a sudden. And then you realize how obvious they've been all along.

• We tend to think things are new because we've just discovered them.

• We tend to defend vigorously things that in our deepest hearts we are not quite certain about. If we are certain of something we know, it doesn't need defending.

• I share Einstein's affirmation that anyone who is not lost on the rapturous awe at the power and glory of the mind behind the universe "is as good as a burnt out candle."

• Infinity is present in each part. A loving smile contains all art. The motes of starlight spark and dart. A grain of sand holds power and might.

• Truth is eternal. Knowledge is changeable. It is disastrous to confuse them.

QoD: No one said this was going to be easy

We got a couple of great question from "anonymous" in the comments section this week:

I'm sure you have been asked this question but what is the hardest thing about being a writer? And what is the hardest thing about attending an MFA program?

I'm sure the other Longstockings (and writers who read us) will have more to add, but I think there's a pretty simple answer to both of these questions:






You have to eat.





As I'm sure everyone you know has told you, writers very rarely make enough to live on. There are a variety of approaches to this problem: from the day job you hold down strictly to pay the bills, to building a career that somehow ties into your book-loving and creativity, to hooking up with a sympathetic and well-earning life partner or living with supportive and nonjudgmental parents.

Of those options, only the third really leaves you as much time as you'd like for writing and/or schoolwork, and it can come with a whole host of emotional baggage and guilt at getting to do what you love all day without contributing any money to the household. If you're in school, that's added to by the knowledge that you're going into debt to get a degree that, unlike your partner's MBA, is not a good financial investment.

Plus, it can get kind of lonely.

I personally spent a long time on the day job circuit, which let me focus on my writing (yay!) but, I found, put waaay too much pressure on my writing to succeed: "This book has to sell for a bajillion dollars, because I just can't face another month of boring chores in this boring cubicle." I sent out a draft of my WIP well before it was ready, and when I received the inevitable rejections I felt like I was being sentenced to life in solitary confinement.

Now I'm trying Door #2, a job where I spend all day with kids and books. (Double yay!) Holding down a job you care about definitely takes time away from writing, but in my experience, it also makes writing a lot more fun: I'm doing it because I want to write this book, not because I need this book to get published and rescue me from my otherwise humdrum life.

But the fact is, different writers have different needs (except that "eating" thing, which is pretty universal). That's another challenge of writing: figuring out what works for you, while usually receiving a deluge of advice from people whose solutions only work for them.

Do you think some people would actually benefit by NOT going to an MFA program?

Hmm, that's a tricky one. I loved my MFA program, so my first impulse is to say "No! Of course not! Get thee to school!" But as I was saying, part of being a writer is figuring out what YOU need, not going out and getting what someone else needed.

If you have a strong belief in your own vision, that you think will never be affected by the opinions of others; if criticism tends to stop you in your tracks, and make you abandon your WIP; if the only workshops you've found are full of people who think there's only one right way to write a book; if you are incredibly self-motivated and don't need deadlines or encouragement; if you're willing to learn by making all the mistakes on your own, rather than by learning from the mistakes your friends make; if you just love writing and don't really care about getting published, or love the fun parts of writing and don't feel like going through the hell that is producing a publishable manuscript--all of which are perfectly valid approaches to your art--then yeah, you probably don't need an MFA.

Ask around, see what other people got out of their MFA programs (scroll down for the Longstockings answers). If that's something you need in your life, start getting those applications together. If not, then carry on, Soldier.

Good luck!

-Kathryne

Sad news

I've just learned that Madeleine L'Engle passed away last night. She will certainly be missed.

Update: Here is a link to her obituary, as published in the New York Times. I will leave you with this insipiring quote:

“Why does anybody tell a story?” she once asked, even though she knew the answer.

“It does indeed have something to do with faith,” she said, “faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically.”

A little help, please!

So my job is really awesome-- I get to help pick out some new books for our library with some grant money we've received. Unfortunately, I'm totally out of the loop and have no clue as to what the big books are for fall. A little help? I'm looking for YA and middle grade, with a focus on that mysterious tweeny age. Here's what I've come up with so far:

HERO by Perry Moore
BOOK of a THOUSAND DAYS by Shannon Hale
CANDYFLOSS by Jacqueline Wilson

Will yall be sweet and chime in with some suggestions? Our collection is really quite stocked, so I'm just looking for new stuff. I really appreciate it guys!

Jenny

Recently Read: RULES

If you haven't read RULES by Cynthia Lord and you're a fan of middle grade fiction, do yourself a favor and get your hands on this book. It's the best thing I've read in a long, long time. Twelve-year-old Catherine is often saddled with babysitting her younger brother David, who is autistic. She feels semi-ignored by her parents, and she's trying desperately to make friends with the new girl next door, all while preventing her spirited sibling from running around with his pants off and popping in on people while they're in the bathroom.

What I loved about this book is that it isn't the typical "learning to deal with a physical/mental challenge" type story. It's about Catherine, and about her very real relationship with a brother who is and isn't like other brothers. The best parts of the book, though, the parts that made me teary, are about the friendship she develops with a guy at her brother's therapy office who can only talk by pointing at pictures in his communication book.

Give this book to someone you know! It is wonderful times ten.

*caroline hickey

P.S. I realize RULES won the 2006 Newbery Honor and I'm late to the game here, but it's so darn good I had to tell someone!

QoW: Fluffykins, Fluffykins, where can you be?

Question of the Week: What is your favorite writing exercise?

I always enjoy writing in different styles or genres. I'm fascinated by writers like Avi, who can change their style on a whim -- one book may be a historical sea-faring adventure, the next one's about woodland mice. Crazy! And also awesome. So my favorite writing exercises have to do with experimenting in different styles. An exercise of that sort might go a little something like this:

Start with a very basic premise or set-up, such as "a girl loses her dog." Now write a (mini) story about this premise in a variety of different styles or genres (easy reader, romance, murder mystery, etc. etc.). I'll get the ball rolling with a few first lines.

easy reader:
"Oh, dear!" said Suzy. "Fluffy is missing!"

romance:
Just as Suzy had given up all hope of ever finding her purebred French poodle, Sir Fluff, a dashing young stranger turned the corner, a red patent leather leash in his hand.

murder mystery:
If Suzy had seen the man lurking behind the bushes with the gun, she wouldn't have been quite so concerned about finding Mr. Fluffykins.

Granted, those are some truly terrible first lines, but writing exercises are all about the freedom to write terribly. (Right???)

Okay, now I want some help. I'd like to see Suzy and her poodle in the form of a historical novel, an avant-garde play, an edgy YA, and, um, anything else you can think up. Who's game?

~lisa graff~

Een Weinig Vriendschappelijke Raad

apparently, that is how A LITTLE FRIENDLY ADVICE translates into Dutch. at least, according to the not-exactly-reliable babblefish.

but whatever. for me, there's one word that rises above any language barriers. and that word is raad. so totally raad.

on that note, i am very pleased to announce that i will be published in the Netherlands by Gottmer. yay Gottmer! i love you more than tulips.

-=siobhan=-

i know it's a little last minute, but...

If you're in the NYC area and you want to hear some great teen authors read from their latest books, stop by the Tompkins Square Branch of the New York Public Library tonight.

Yes, tonight!!!

Here are the details of the Teen Author Reading:


Who:
Lauren Barnholdt, Two Way Street

Gordon Korman, Schooled

Barry Lyga, Boy Toy

Carolyn Mackler, Guyaholic

Robin Wasserman, Hacking Harvard

Jessica Wollman, Switched


Where:
Tompkins Square Branch Library
331 E. 10th Street (off of Ave B)


When:
6:00-7:30PM

The weather is sooo beautiful today, so there's no excuse not to stop by. Hope to see you there!

:-)
~Coe~

QoD: The YA List

Question of the Day: I am an English teacher desperate to get up to speed on my YA lit. You are always suggesting different books, and with what little time I have, I do my best to keep up. My question is what "MUST READ" books would you include in a primer dedicated to YA or on a syllabus for a YA course? Thanks Longstockings!

Thanks for the great question! Here are lists from most of us in the order we emailed them to each other. I think most of us agree with the lists other people made and together I think these are a good starter list for “must-read” YA lit.

Coe:
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Miracle's Boys by Jacqueline Woodson
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson

Siobhan:
gingerbread by rachel cohn
american born chinese by gene yang

Daphne
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
What my Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
A Step From Heaven by An Na
Cut by Patricia McCormick

Lisa GW:
E. Lockhart's The Boyfriend List and The Boy Book
ELSEWHERE by Gabrielle Zevin
AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES John Green

Jenny:
A True and Faithful Narrative by KatherineSturtevant
Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

Lisa Graff:
SOLD by Patricia McCormick
TRUE BELIEVER by Virginia Euwer Wolf

Caroline:
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini
Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by LouiseRennison

Anyone have any to add?

#daphne

A Damn good day

Write about your most memorable Labor Day. Who did you see? What did you do? What did you eat? What was the weather like? Was it the perfect end of summer for you?

It might not be my most memorable, but it was pretty damn great-- today, Sept 3rd, 2007! Today is my birthday, and I spent it at the beach with good friends. We ate white bean guacamole and turkey sandwiches and roasted shrimp orzo and red velvet cake. My friend B made a strawberry grape cocktail, and Lisa brought the tanning oil. My friend Chris did the driving. The weather was amazing, the best. Not even hot! Just an end of summer breeze, and boy did it feel nice. I even made finishing touches on my tan. We jumped some waves and I got totally worked by one of them-- I did a sand dive and pretty much exfoliated my whole body in one fell swoop. One fell, painful swoop. My body is now very smooth and a little bit raw. I just got a spa treatment for free! On the way home, I fell asleep on the train. It was the perfect end of summer and start of a new year for me.

xoxo Jenny

Writing exercise of the day

Write about your most memorable Labor Day. Who did you see? What did you do? What did you eat? What was the weather like? Was it the perfect end of summer for you?

This is a picture from my most memorable Labor Day. It was two years ago. It was the day after my wedding, and we had a brunch for out of town guests at The Ritz Carlton in Battery Park. The food was among the best I've ever had in my life: lox and cream cheese, bagels, delicious fruit salad, risotto, crepes, blintzes, and so much more. The brunch was held on the fourteenth floor of the hotel, and on the adjoining balcony. The views were truly unbelievably amazing (see picture above.) The weather was perfect, sunny and warm, but no humidity. It was the perfect end to a wonderful wedding weekend, even though I really didn't want it to end. And it was the perfect end to summer even though I never want summer to end.

*Lisa GW*