Joan Betty Stuchner

Jewish Seniors Alliance

2011-11-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be writing for the Jewish Seniors Alliance in Vancouver. You can find it online. My column is under Book Reviews. I'll review children's books (old and new) and give tips on reading to children. I might also include some of my unpublished stories. Even though the site is for Seniors, it will be suitable for anyone who is interested in children's stories. Enjoy!

PJ Library

2011-11-09T18:07:00.000-08:00

It stands for Pajama library. PJ Library gives books to families who want to read Jewish bedtime stories together. I just found out that they've chosen 'Can Hens Give Milk?' as one of the books they'll be giving away to families in North America. What I didn't know, until I checked their website, was that they'd already chosen my earlier book 'The Kugel Valley Klezmer Band,' quite a while ago! It was the U.S. edition and somehow I never got the information. In Canada the title of the softcover version of that book was changed to 'Shira's Hanukkah Gift.' Confusing to everyone, even me - ESPECIALLY me. But I feel honoured to have had two books chosen for this project.
Keep on writing!

Reading and Writing and Re-Writing

2011-09-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

And I suppose I could have said re-reading too. First of all One Dog and His Boy was a beautiful book. It was written for children but I couldn't put it down, and we all know I'm not a child anymore. Why couldn't I put it down? Because it's a good story well written. It has humour, emotions, adventure, loyalty, a good cast of characters and some great dogs. I hope that Eva Ibbotson knew what a beautiful book she had written. And reading it reminded me to aim higher myself - to make sure my stories are everything I want them to be so that readers will enjoy reading them.

The re-writing I'm doing right now is on my musical Hanukkah in Chelm. Yes, Kol Halev is re-mounting it in December, but we have a few new cast members and I've changed the script a little bit here and there, and added a new song. I wrote a couple of monologues for the auditions and one monologue was funny enough to convince me to put it into the script. Of course this script is not the only re-writing that I'm doing. There's a pile or two of stories waiting for some heavy re-writes and some subtle tweaks.

Re-read all your work, over and over again. But also re-read some of your favourite books. A good book is a friend you want to keep visiting. So what are you waiting for? Visit.

One Boy and His Dog

2011-08-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

I have just started reading Eva Ibbotson's final book. She had only just finished correcting the proofs when she died in her sleep aged 85. From what I've read so far, and also from the reviews this book has garnered, I'd say she died on top of her game. I'll tell you more when I've finished reading it.

Write!
Proofread!
Re-write!
Then repeat all of the above a few more times.

Bert, Ernie and Rubber Ducky.

2011-08-10T22:19:00.000-07:00

There's a petition going the rounds to have Bert and Ernie get married on Sesame Street. Some people might not approve, but it seems to me that anyone getting married should have a song, especially someone on Sesame Street. I decided to write a duet for Bert and Ernie, just in case.

Bert:'You and me and rubber ducky/Ernie we are oh so lucky/Always together in all kinds of weather/We were meant to be.'

Ernie: 'You and me and rubber ducky/Bert, you're right, we're oh so lucky/We're getting married 'cos we're feeling plucky/We were meant to be - You, Rubber Ducky and me.'

I know, it might sound like a threesome, but it's not. Rubber Ducky is only their toy, not a real living breathing puppet.

Kids Can Figure Things Out For Themselves! Really!

2011-07-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

Why do so many publishers underestimate the intelligence and intuition of children? When a book is set in another time and/or another place it's very jarring to suddenly read a modern phrase or sentence structure that propels you back into the here and/or now. In England it's common to say 'out of the window' and 'at the back of the house,' not 'out the window' or 'in back of the house.' A child will understand the difference or figure it out. 'Sidewalk' is North American and 'pavement' is English. The context will make the meaning clear. Please don't insult the child by assuming you need to translate! With more difficult words or concepts there's nothing wrong with a footnote. I'm reading a very good book for young readers which takes place in Victorian London. Unfortunately, now and then, a word appears out of time and place. The narrator uses the word 'bangs' to describe her hairdo but the word is 'fringe' in England. Even without an explanation the meaning of the word 'fringe' is easy to figure out. So editors, please don't talk down to the kids. They want a challenge.

Open Auditions for Kol Halev: Monday June 27 6:30pm to 9:30pm

2011-06-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

'Hanukkah in Chelm' is being mounted again this year. There'll be two performances - one on sunday Dec. 11th at the Arts Club and the second on Sunday Dec. 18 at Performance Works. Rehearsals begin in September. Audition location is Vancouver Tap Dance Society, 2775 East Hastings St. Vancouver. We want adults and children from age 10 and older. Be prepared to do a cold reading.
Dancers of all skill levels with experience in folk, jazz, musical theatre body percussion, tap. Bring your dance shoes.
Singers, adult and children, come prepared to sing a capella. Please prepare 16 bars of Broadway style musical theatre songs, one ballad and one uptempo.
Bring a resume and head shot if you have one.
If you have an unusual performance skill that you'd like to audition please call and enquire. We are looking for speciality acts.
I wrote the show and lyrics, Dave Ivaz and John Maas wrote the music. Teryl Rothery will direct, Shel Piercy and Sue Cohene will produce.
Call 604 263 6844 to confirm your attendance, or email at info@kolhalev.ca

Merchant of Venice

2011-06-13T08:38:00.001-07:00

The play is on Broadway and at Vancouver's Bard on the Beach, and you'd think that by now someone would have taken the leap to a new and yet obvious level of interpretation. But no. So without further ado, and with no explanation necessary, here is a partial list of the ideal cast which should really speak for itself:

James Earl Jones or Morgan Freeman - Shylock
Halle Berry - Jessica
Gwyneth Paltrow - Portia
Neil Patrick Harris - Bassanio
Brad Pitt - Antonio

Okay, maybe a little explanation. Shylock is the only major character who doesn't want to be someone or something else. Everyone else is trying to 'pass.' Bassanio and Antonio want each other, but have to pretend otherwise. Portia wants to be a man so she can be free to do what she wants (be a lawyer?), Jessica yearns to cast off the constraints of the Ghetto and step into the life Portia has (but would like to leave)and pass as a White Christian - not because of any spiritual 'epiphany' or even love. If there are any gutsy, imaginative directors out there please feel free to use this information and all I want is a footnote mention in the programme.

Roswell New Mexico Has My Latest Book

2011-05-31T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Roswell Public Library has 'Can Hens Give Milk?' When I found this out my immediate reaction was, 'Are aliens reading my book?' How wonderful. Well, I welcome all children, alien or otherwise, to read my books. I also urge you to visit your local library and enjoy the treasures therein. And that means you!

Kate Atkinson - and Me!

2011-05-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

Have you ever stepped into the pages of a book and didn't want to climb back out again? I've probably mentioned this before, but sometimes you just feel as if you are a character in the novel you are reading, and that happened with 'Case Histories' by Kate Atkinson. I just finished reading the book yesterday. I couldn't put it down! I read it all the way to Bowen Island and back, only looking up now and then to admire the beautiful view of mountains and mist in the trees, and the wake of the ferry as we headed back to Vancouver. Atkinson seems to know people very well, and how we think and feel, which is often different from how we say we think and feel. And she captures the simple straightforwardness of children as few other writers can. 'Case Histories' is not a kid's book, but many book-loving teenagers would enjoy it.
And now for ME!
The book launch for 'Can Hens Give Milk?' went very well. There were seven writers - not just the six as previously advertised - launching eight books. I want to thank everyone who showed up to listen to our short speeches, nibble the food and buy copies of the books. I bought three books! Vancouver Kidsbooks' Phyllis Simon is a wonderful host and supporter of children's literature - in fact of all literature. I often buy my grown up books there (including Kate Atkinson novels).
READ. WRITE. HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND.

Massachusetts Children's Book Award Nominee, And No One Told Me.

2011-05-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

Because I'm a bit self centred I often Google my name. That's how I discovered that 'Honey Cake' had been nominated for yet another award - which it didn't win, but that's not the point. The award originated with Salem State University and it's a readers' choice award. The winners were announced around April 27th, 2011, but I didn't even have a chance to say, 'Oh, I'm just happy to be nominated,' or 'It's wonderful to be included on such an illustrious list of authors.' Which it is, by the way.
I feel as if I'd arrived at a party after all the guests had left. Never mind. It is an honour to have been nominated for another award.
The winner is: '11 Birthdays' by Wendy Mass
Honor books are: 'No Talking!' by Andrew Clements
'Savvy' by Ingrid Law
'The Magic Half' by Annie Barrows
'The Other Side of the Island' by Allegra Goodman
Congratulations to one and all.

Joy of Re-Writing

2011-05-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, it can be joy - sometimes. I find it joyful if it comes from me rather than a publisher or editor. I suddenly thought of changes (for the better) that I could make to a story I first wrote many years ago, back in the 1980s. It's been through quite a few changes since then but this week I put it through a total transformation and then some re-writes. It actually gave me a little thrill to read it over. I'll leave it to ripen a bit more before I re-read and then send it somewhere.
I've also taken a deep breath, decided not to panic, and just work on different stories as the inspiration hits me. For, lo and behold, I read a few scenes from two of the stories I have not looked at for quite some time, and I thought, 'How brilliant? Who could possibly have written such gripping prose? ... Why, bless my soul, 'tis I!'

BOOK LAUNCH!!!!

2011-04-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

PLEASE COME TO VANCOUVER KIDSBOOKS, BROADWAY BRANCH, VANCOUVER ON MAY 18TH, 2011, AT 7:PM.

JOAN BETTY STUCHNER
JACQUELINE PEARCE
YOLANDA RIDGE
MAGGIE DE VRIES
CRISTY WATSON
LOIS PETERSON
ARE ALL RELEASING BOOKS. REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED.

Can Hens Give Milk Has Been Reviewed.

2011-03-31T14:08:00.000-07:00

Please check out the reviews in the latest Publishers Weekly and the University of Manitoba's CM Magazine, April 1, 2011, as well as Kirkus Review for the same date. Thank you lovely reviewers. I'd toast you all with a cup of coffee, but I'm not in Italy anymore (great coffee over there). I can, however, toast you with my favourite drink - hot, strong, tea with a dollop of honey.

Travel is Always an Inspiration

2011-03-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

My husband and I recently returned from a short - too short - trip to Italy. I took that sketchbook I told you about and used it as an illustrated notebook (Tom: 'Why do you always draw me with only three little hairs on top of my head?') I'm not so good with journals because I don't get into a lot of detail unless the mood hits me - and it sometimes does - but I like to jot down the daily events along with feelings I might have about something I see, or an observation or two about a piece of art or architecture. What I also do is jot down ideas for stories. It's quite surprising how a street, a view or a bit of local history can spark an idea. In Venice I learned some social history I hadn't known before that would add colour and authenticity to a work of fiction. And, of course, we had adventures - small ones, I admit - but an adventure is an adventure. It's all material for a story. The question is, which story?

The Right/Write Kind of Notebook - Help!

2011-03-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

A few years ago a friend of mine gave me a wonderful little gift. It was a small, hardcover notebook with a difference. The size of a diary it had pages that were blank on the top half - suitable for drawing, sketching, cartooning etc. - and lined on the bottom half - suitable for writing witty bon mots or diary entries. I held on to it for about a year, then took it on a trip. It turned out to be the perfect book in which to jot down my adventures, and attempt to illustrate them at the same time. As I've said before, I'm not an artist, but I enjoy scribbling, in a cartoon sort of way, with bubbles for comment and dialogue. At the end of the trip I even used this notebook for photos and theatre tickets and cards from restaurants etc.
BUT ... I can't find another like it! Moleskin puts out lots of lined or plain notebooks, but not both. I've tried stationers and bookstores and found a lot of spiral bound (which would be perfect) lined or plain notebooks. Again, none has both. I tend to need lines because I don't write in a straight line. If anyone sees what I'm looking for in Vancouver please let me know. Otherwise I'll have to go with the blank page notebook and make an effort to write in straight lines. Thanks one and all.

Graphic Novels Might be For You.

2011-02-28T13:42:00.000-08:00

I attended an annual event of the Vancouver Children's Lit. Roundtable, called Serendipity, and this year the theme was The Graphic Novel. It was an eye opener and an inspiration. And as the first speaker began to describe his childhood and the writing and illustrating collaboration he has with his sister, I got an idea! That's right, an idea for a short graphic novel. I admit, it could be a picture book, but it would be quite different in tone as a graphic novel, and that's how I see it. I'm not an artist, but I did some scribbles and captions in squares and it started to feel possible. The story was based on an incident from my childhood, but grew much bigger from that little seed. (The seed was actually an old photograph)
So here are two ideas for you. Read some graphic novels - or comics - and see if this is your kind of genre in which to write.
Pay attention when you are listening to any kind of lecture or talk, because a word, a sentence or just an idea might light a little flame in your mind that will grow into something bigger. Pluck what you need out of the presentation, or pay attention when it waves a flag at you!
Happy discovering!

A Lot is Two Words

2011-02-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

That's right, there's no such thing as 'alot.'** And while I've got your attention 'there's' is singular, as in 'There's a small hotel, by a wishing well.' As opposed to 'There're wishing wells, by some small hotels.' (plural). You'll rarely see 'there're' anymore, and I think that's a tragedy of small proportions (compared with all the serious problems of the world, I mean). I still say and write it, however.
Maybe I've said some of this before, but in the newspapers and on Facebook and on t.v. and in the classrooms of the nation, they don't seem to understand.

** I know some of you don't believe me, so look at it this way. You wouldn't say 'abunch' of flowers or 'apile' of laundry or 'aheap' of trouble. So you wouldn't say 'alot' of homework.

Keep trying. We all have trouble with the language. English is not easy, even for those of us who grew up with it.

Quick and Dirty Grammar Tips

2011-02-07T09:34:00.001-08:00

No, alas, this probably won't help with our eternal spelling problems or my fast fading memory for the names of simple household objects (yesterday, for example I couldn't remember 'fuse box.') I'm sure there are plenty of 64 year olds with minds like sharp tacks, but I'm not one of them. Anyway, this isn't about my sad brain cells but about grammar! I recently wanted to know two things. When to use WHO and WHOM and also ... why do I keep seeing 'that' where I used to see 'who?' I became so confused that I would interchange them just to be on the safe side. When I finally broke down and Googled these life and death questions I came upon the attached link. You might have to actually type it in, but if you type your question followed by 'quick and dirty grammar tips,' or something like that, you'll probably get the site, and your question will be answered with speedy simplicity. Go for it.

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/who-versus-whom.aspx

Can You Ever Have Too Many Re-Writes?

2011-01-27T09:54:00.000-08:00

Apparently not. The story that no one will publish - the brilliantly witty story - grew from a 2000 word 'book' to a 6000+ word 'book.' Not the first time I've done that. It's had more re-writes than 'War and Peace' probably had, and I still find typos. Learn this valuable lesson - and not just about typos - that two sets of eyes are better than one. Remember, I've been working on this story and sending it away and getting it back (the boomerang syndrome)for years. And I mean years. But still - my dear friend Cynthia (writer, artist) who probably wishes to remain surnameless in this article - found a few 'bits' that need tweaking. The problem is - as usual - that I know what I see in my mind's eye, and I know what I mean, but the reader won't unless I make a few things clearer. Cynthia certainly didn't know what I meant in a couple of spots. Only someone who hasn't a clue what's in my mind would be able to spot a blockage in the flow, preventing the story from rushing headlong through the artery (Sorry. Got carried away there. Only someone who has had a heart attack would use that kind of imagery. It even makes me cringe when I read it over.) And no one ever knows what's inside your head except for you, unless you tell them, and even then you have to be telling the truth. And even THEN ... there are some things that are unknowable. But we must do what we can to connect. And so we must edit, proofread, and get a hawk-eyed pal to read it over and comment. I can't emphasize this enough (obviously!) In fact, even last week the editor of my next book spotted a slight inconsistency. Don't worry though. By the time you buy your ten copies of it (I need those royalties) all will be as perfect as is possible.
Cheers.

Graphic Novel Anyone?

2011-01-27T06:55:00.000-08:00

It's taken a while but I've started to think seriously about the graphic novel. Writing one, I mean. Certainly not illustrating one. I am not an artist, which is the understatement of the year. I'm probably going to sign up to attend the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable Graphic Novel Event at the end of February, in order to learn more about this genre. I've attended a couple of talks, but this is an all day intensive so I'm hoping for inspiration. If any of you have the good fortune to possess both writing and illustrating talents you're a step ahead, but I think the key to a good graphic novel is combining the writing and the graphics like a recipe with measured ingredients. Now usually when I write the text of a picture book I have almost no power over the illustrations - though the publisher usually keeps me in the loop. That's as it should be. I often don't get to meet the artist, who might even live in another province. But I suspect that with a graphic novel the writer and artist have to work together as a tight-knit team.
So I keep thinking about the story of mine that publishers always love, but don't want to touch, because they can't figure out who to market it to (neither can I, only how about 'anyone of any age that actually finds it funny?') I know that it would work as a graphic novel. I feel it in my bones - unless that's just the osteo-arthritis acting up - but there's a problem. The language of that story is so important. Not to hold myself on the same level of greatness as Oscar Wilde, but it would be like creating a graphic novel from 'The Importance of Being Ernest.' I could, however, see two versions. The witty, wordy version and the graphic version. I'm talking about my story and Wilde's play, by the way.
What do you think? Maybe get together with an artist friend and see if you can come up with a graphic novel or short story (read Irene Watts' graphic version of her novel 'Goodbye Marianne.' Then read the novel. Check the differences). I think it would be very creative if your school combined an art class and an English/creative writing class and teamed up kids to create graphic novels.
I'll get back to you with more on the subject after February. Meanwhile, keep on writing.

Happy New Writing Year - 2011

2011-01-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

When I'm writing about such things as the weather I'm hampered by not being able to really understand how it works. As we are driving around town my husband tries to explain to me about cold fronts and westerly winds and different cloud types, but then I forget. Maybe I need to take a beginner course in meteorology. Having said that I can't help noticing that the weather people on t.v. - no matter how attractive and well dressed and articulate they are, and no matter how well they point to things on the blue screen as if they could actually see what we see - they still seem to get it wrong. For the past two weeks they've predicted snow in Vancouver - and then they take it back. Not that I'm about to complain about the lack of snow, because whilst there are floods and blizzards back East we in Vancouver have the oddest but prettiest weather. It's frosty, the temperature is 0 celsius as I write (11:37am on Sunday January 2nd) and the sun is so bright that I've had to wear sun glasses along with my wool hat, hand-knitted scarf (my hand, by the way) and mittens. Last night the sunset was like a blood orange bursting in the turquoise sky. If only I could come up with a story to put it in!
Wishing you all a creative and fulfilling year.

Don't Forget Your Notebook

2010-12-17T08:44:00.000-08:00

Before I go any further I must report that 300 people saw 'Hanukkah in Chelm,' not a mere 265! Pretty exciting.
And now, Young Writers, back to the notebook. Out of the blue I had a few ideas for my dog story - ideas that would change its direction a bit. So I grabbed one of my notebooks and began scribbling in it. Yes, it's true that much of what goes into my notebooks never amounts to much, but no writing is a waste of time, even writing you might not look at again. It's all practice. Now I make sure that I carry my notebook around with me almost every day because I'm regularly adding new ideas. It might seem primitive to you techno savvy kids but there is something to be said for the spiral bound notebook and pen.
Please don't forget to read over the winter break. I was looking at a book of snowflakes yesterday - as seen through a microscopic lens - and it reminded me again of when I used to sit on the window sill of my childhood home examining the frost on the window (inside and out). I couldn't see the snowflakes microscopically but the frost made those wonderful lacy patterns on the glass. Seeing the photos in that book gave me the same feeling I had then, as if my body had travelled back in time.
So read as much as you can and write a lot too. Write about your impressions over the holidays. The tastes and smells and colours and the feeling in the air. I've said this before, haven't I? Well I'm saying it again.
Have fun. Create. Joan

Hannukah Came to Chelm!

2010-11-29T12:13:00.000-08:00

My musical, 'Hanukkah in Chelm,' finally premiered at the Peretz Centre in Vancouver on Sunday. There were roughly 265 people in the audience - and they were not all my friends! They laughed, they applauded - and I'd have been surprised if they hadn't, because the cast was amazing. A truly talented group. The dancing was Broadway calibre - thanks to both the choreographers and the dancers - there was some pretty perfect comic timing, and I'm sure the audience won't forget the songs in a hurry. The kids, of course, stole the show. They were very good at rehearsals, but on The Big Day they shone, they sparkled, they lit up the stage. The directors (one of whom is my brilliant husband) did a perfect job and the stage manager was the best I've worked with, and I've worked with a lot of stage managers. And this one is only 19 - well, she'll be 20 in about three weeks, but still ...
I hope we can do it again next year - perhaps with some new songs added.
And now it's all over for this year I have no excuses to avoid all the unfinished manuscripts lying around my office - not to mention the boxes of stories in my garage!
What? You mean a garage is for cars? Don't be silly.

Butterflies (or some other unidentifiable fluttery object) in my tum. 'Hanukkah in Chelm' is almost here.

2010-11-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

The set looks amazing, thanks to my husband and his contacts. HANUKKAH IN CHELM is almost ready! I'm singing my song in my sleep - and so is Tom! And he doesn't even sing. One of the actors, Joyce, says she sings everyone else's songs, including mine, and I too find that I'm singing her song as I walk down the street. Once you start rehearsing songs it's difficult to leave them during your daily life. Only about three more rehearsals and it's a SHOW! There's also a gala event at the producer's house and I still don't know how we'll all cram into her basement rehearsal room to do an abbreviated version of the show. I've been trying to write another song for next year, but having no luck. If I relax it will come to me.
Relax ... relax ....

Show MUST go on!

2010-11-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

There's still no business like show business. However, there's also good news and bad news - isn't that usually the case? Bad news: Hanukkah in Chelm won't be staged at Waterfront Theatre this year after all. We hope to mount it there next year. Good news: Hanukkah in Chelm WILL be performed at The Peretz Centre on November 28th at 2pm. Tomorrow MY song gets tweaked and then choreographed. Oh yes, I don't just stand there and belt it out like Ethel Merman and hope the drinking glasses don't break. I do that, of course, but so much more. The kids are all great, we adults are catching up, and the set is almost ready. I needed a stick broom for one of the actors, and of course Halloween was the perfect time to find one. I also found some character shoes that actually fit without pinching my toes. I needed them for the part where I pretend to tap dance.
See you there? I hope so.
Writers - I hope you are hard at work scribbling dialogue exercises. Find a friend to read them out loud with.
Cheers.

'Hanukkah in Chelm' Update

2010-10-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

My goodness, I can hardly believe it. Rehearsals are coming together for my musical and it's such a thrill to see talented actors, dancers, musicians and singers working so hard on something that I wrote!!! Some of the performers have come up with amazingly inventive suggestions throughout, including a few new lines.
When you read a book the words make pictures in your mind so each page comes to life. In a stage production the same thing happens except, of course, it comes alive in the theatre. If you happen to be in Vancouver on November 21st please wend your way to Granville Island's Waterfront Theatre. The curtain goes up at 2pm. And if you can't make that show then how about on November 28th, same time but at the Peretz Centre on Ash St. across from the Oakridge parking lot. I'm the one onstage carrying a suitcase.
p.s.
My son is taking a creative writing course and his class has been asked to listen in to conversations on the bus, in the street, etc. and then to create a story based on the snippet of dialogue you heard. I thought that was so creative that I'm passing it on to you to try.

Funny? Me?

2010-09-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

My friend Shar Levine - world famous, award winning writer - said something very funny and flattering about me in the Vancouver Sun today. The newspaper gave me the wrong first name, but that wasn't Shar's fault. I'm not sure if you can click on this link, but if not, and if you are careful, you can type it all out!!!!!

http://www.vancouversun.com/group+connects+children+authors+with+their+audience/3566595/story.html

'Bok, Bok' - I'm Ready for my Closeup Mr. DeMille

2010-09-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

My publisher recently asked for a publicity photo of me. Now, I'm not one of those people who keep on using the same old photo. The last thing I want is for someone to say, "Oh, you look so much older than in the photo." Nor do I tell the photographer to rub petroleum jelly on the lens to make me look young and ethereal - although I think that sort of trickery only makes the sitter look as if s/he's underwater. Again, I don't want readers to look at me and say, "How come you don't have bad skin in the publicity photo?!" or "Why is there a photo of a drowning woman on the back cover of your book?"
So I asked my husband to take out his camera, whilst I chose a rather becoming navy blue, short sleeved, blouse/tee shirt, grabbed my newly acquired hen puppet (it relates to the book) and posed becomingly. But I'd forgotten something. My sense of balance (related, I'm sure, to my klutz gene, about which more soon). Having yet again bumped into one of the door frames of my house, there was a bruise on my upper right arm. (Can't recall if I've mentioned this already, but when young I used to ride a bike. After ending up in a ditch one too many times I chucked the bike).
So there are two things I can always be relied upon to do. One is rush around the house and not quite centre myself in the doorways (hence endless bruising) and the other thing is that whenever I cook something in my oven I will almost always hit my arm against the hot metal rack inside. Yes, dear friends, I do use oven mitts, which for normal people probably work like a charm. I need oven mitts that work like evening gloves and reach to my shoulder. Anyway, I didn't burn my forearm until a few weeks after the photo session. Every cloud has a silver lining.
Of course my husband was not happy. "People will think I gave you a whack on the arm," he said. "Not people who know you," I replied.
"And how many of your readers actually know me?" he asked. Ahh ... good point. So let me assure you all that my husband is a gentle soul.
The photos all look lovely except for the bruise. My publisher assures me they can air brush.
Next time I'm due to be photographed I'll try to spend a week or two prior to the session walking very slowly around my house, and/or wear long sleeves for the camera.
You'll be relieved to know that the hen looks her very best and needs no airbrushing.

Nudge, Nudge.

2010-08-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

Completing a project is always very satisfying, isn't it? Even though you sometimes have to nudge yourself along. I just completed what is probably the tenth edit of the long version of one of my stories. Oh yes, there's a short version and a long version. I've never done that before. Crazy as it may seem I'm actually sending both versions to a publisher. They might not like either version, of course, but that's just one of the prices a writer pays for all the hard slog. I've decided that all will not be lost. I'm going to leave my unpublished writings to a university library special collections department, so one day a dedicated (or desperate) PhD student can plow through every scrap of paper and perhaps write a thesis on me.
Obviously MY final edit is not THE final edit. But a final something is better than an unfinished something, and I should know, because there's way too much unfinished stuff around here.
Yes, it's all slow going, but never give up, my friends. Remember the musical I wrote? The one that's in rehearsal right now? A brilliant musician recently set to music the lyrics of one of my songs. He did an amazing job. I hope I can do it justice. Yes, I'm the one singing it! The pressure is on, but sometimes that's a good thing. It makes a person feel alive. Of course if it happens all the time - pressure I mean - then it can be stressful. But the odd bit of pressure is like a nudge to get on with it. If no one is around to say to you, 'Come on, you can do it,' then look in the mirror and say it to yourself.
Remember what I told you about talking to yourself? You're not crazy, you're a writer.

I'm Back in Vancouver.

2010-08-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

When last heard of I was full of trepidation - and a sinus infection. Yes, I chewed gum at take off and on landing, and swallowed two Tylenols a couple of hours before we hit the tarmac. Well, we didn't hit it, thank goodness. We landed smoothly. My ears are still not 100%, but you don't want to read about my health, nor do you want to read a travelogue. This is about turning life into art. Or art into art. I saw a lot of art in London, in the North of England, and in Malta. And I had adventures. Most adventures are daring escapades, or things that go wrong, and are not especially funny while they're happening, but are hilarious when you tell about them later, adding a bit more colour with each telling.
Every day I wrote in my little notebook - the one my friend Joyce gave me. The top half of every page is blank and the bottom half is lined, and even though I am about as far from being an artist as it is possibe to get, I 'sketched' and wrote little bits of information, captions and remarks (coming out of the mouths of my stick people). This helped me remember a lot of the events, impressions and adventures without my spending hours handwriting. Yes, yes, I know. I really should get a laptop or small electronic notebook or something. I'm very out of touch with technology, but I do realize that a)my handwriting is awful and b)because I tire quickly when writing by hand, I don't do my best work that way. ("Please sir, can I be excused from in class-essays? I tire so easily." "No, you can't. However, these are modern times and you may use a laptop.") No laptops in the 1950s, alas. Consider yourselves lucky to be going to school in 2010. If you are going to school, that is.
So for those of you who enjoy doing funny sketches and cartoons with captions, I hope you took my advice and carried a notebook along on your recent travels.
I promised you this would not be a travelogue, so I'll keep it brief.
Malta is a very colourful country, full of history, interesting streets and beautiful doors and door knockers. Also, lots of underground tunnels and hillside caves where you can escape from the 34 degrees Celsius heat.
London has layers of history but still seems new and vibrant.
The North of England has lovely gardens and rugged coastline.
And when I come back home I see Vancouver with fresh eyes.
I hope you have similar experiences. Store them up. One day they'll come in handy.

London Here I Come

2010-06-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to look on the bright side. Surely I shall wake up on Saturday morning fit and well and ready to take on the world - or at least parts of it. It's been over two weeks now and my sinus infection has not totally disappeared. My ears feel as if they have been stuffed with cotton wool, and when I lie down at night there are sounds inside my left ear that make me think there's a bug inside doing a soft shoe shuffle. I've been told that if I want to avoid a burst ear drum as my plane leaves the tarmac (I do, I do) I should chew like crazy (lucky for me I've become addicted to Glee gum), drink water or suck cough candies. Just to be on the safe side, I think I'll do all three at once.
So, if all goes well, or as near to well as possible, on Sunday I shall be schlepping my one suitcase to a hotel in Bloomsbury (that's right, home of Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Set, the literati etc.)ready for a week of CULTURE. I'm taking my pen and a little notebook on the plane (the old fashioned kind of notebook that you write in) and my musical script (to learn, even though I wrote it) and a novel (to amuse and entertain me when I get sick of looking at cloud formations). I've also got a rather interesting little travel reading lamp which I'm hoping doesn't get confiscated at the airport and blown up by the security guards. It does look a little James Bond-ish.
Are any of you going somewhere different? Don't forget to take a notebook. If you can sketch why not do that instead of only relying on a camera? I'm a terrible artist but I still give it a try, just to get up close and personal and notice details.
Things to think about. What's different or the same about the new place? Does it smell or sound a bit different from your home town? Do people speak a different language or have a different way of speaking English. Do they use their hands more when they speak? And don't forget to mention any little adventures you might have while in the new location.
Bon voyage and remember, 'It's ALL material.'

There's No Business Like Show Business, etc.

2010-06-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

We had the first read through for the musical that I wrote. What a lovely feeling. We all sat around and read the script, and of course it became clear to me that I needed to make yet more changes - but still, it sounded so good! I have a great cast and two amazing directors (my talented husband, bless him, and a professional actor, dancer, director who has a way of getting her actors to do all kinds of inventive things). You can't imagine how gratifying it is to have my words come to life and then have people make the characters their own! It's as if I've passed the ball to someone and they've run with it. For those of you who are dabbling with playwriting I have to say that even though you create characters, the actors and directors flesh them out in ways you might not have thought possible. I'm surprised at the way I'm willing to let that happen, but it might be because I didn't flesh out the characters as much as I might have when I wrote the show. In this particular show I wanted the actors to help more than usual with the creative process. If I write another play it might not work quite that way, but this is a little like workshopping, even though I've written the entire show already. Oh yes, and yesterday I even wrote another song. Well, not the music, but some rather witty lyrics which I hope will be set to music very soon. And in my key. Because the song is for me. There's a dance rehearsal this weekend and I plan to go, though I'll stay on the back row, because I don't want to distract the real dancers. I'm not very good at following other people's choreography. I'm sure it's because choreography is probably learned on the math side of the brain, and that's the side I don't have.
Anyway, if any of you are toying with the idea of writing for the stage, simply do what I did and take one of your unpublished stories and work it into a one act play. It's worth a try. Oh yes, and write a few songs to go with it. Or find a friend who can and will.
In other news, I've seen some more sketches for my upcoming picture book. They're terrific. I love what the artist is doing. That's a great feeling. Sometimes publishers match up writers and illustrators who seem to be on the same wavelength, and thank goodness it happened with this book. To celebrate I went to Vancouver Kidsbooks and bought an expensive, plush and cuddly puppet to use when I read the book to children. You'll have to wait until next year to see a photo of me with the book and the puppet, but I can assure you it will be well worth the wait.

Not Another Falcon! And Yet ...

2010-05-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

I think I have created a monster. No, not my son - my friend Pam. I love both monsters (son and friend) so it's not as bad as it sounds. I'm not Mary Shelley or Rabbi Loew of Prague, and if you don't know the references you'll just have to look them up! In case I haven't told you, I'm off to Malta, all being well, in July. If I've told you all this (and as usual I'm not going to scroll down and double check, because it's midnight and I'm tired)then you can press the little x in the corner. If not, prepare to be astonished and amazed.
I invited myself to my friend's home in Malta and said, very casually, 'Who knows, I might be inspired to write a story set there.' After all there's a ton of history just begging to be fictionalized. So Pam rolled up her sleeves and set to work as my unofficial research assistant. Now don't forget I'm not only in the middle of working on my Musical, I also have a back-burner on which there are the following short novels on simmer: The dog story, the smuggler story, the highwayman story, the Canadian history story, Harold the Hero, a murder mystery (written under a pen name so none of my friends will read it and recognize themselves)and the medieval French doctor story. Also a few picture book stories. I'm 63. You do the math. Time is not my friend.
I sent the dinosaur story away this week AGAIN. Nothing ventured nothing gained, as my mother would say. Harold the Hero has now grown to 6,000+ words. He'll be going somewhere soon, and I hope he doesn't come back until he's printed and bound and there's a cheque in the mail. One can dream.
I don't want to disappoint Pam. She's sent me enough book titles and information website links to choke a horse. I feel I cannot live up to her high expectations. But I must try. I owe her that much. And once I'm actually in Malta, slathered in sunblock, rushing from museum to church to synagogue to art gallery (with breaks for lunch and cups of strong tea) to mosque to historical site and back again, I'm sure I'll experience an epiphany. And with luck maybe Pam will have created a monster - ME!

With a Bit of Power Comes a Lot of Responsibility

2010-05-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we held auditions for my Musical-Fit-For-The-Whole-Family. My husband is experienced in this process because he's directed many times before. I'm not a director and I doubt I ever will be. The only audition experience I have is as an actor, so I'm aware of the stress and panic involved in trying to convince a director that you can do ANYTHING! So, the director (said husband) the producer, the dance director and I sat behind a table, just like Michael Douglas in Chorus Line, while performers read, sang and danced for us. I'm not accustomed to having so much power, Spiderman. What do I do?
I'm a bit of a disorganized person, so I was handing out script pages to people willy-nilly and getting them to read just anything. After a while my poor husband had to take over. Despite my chaotic handling of the situation one thing was clear - all the performers had talent! What do you do in a situation like that? There was no choice, I'm afraid. I'm creating more roles and writing more dialogue. This is, after all, community theatre, not Hollywood, Bollywood or Broadway. Not yet, anyway. Another happy outcome is that a professional composer is re-writing my songs - with my blessing.
Heady days, but my size five and half feet are planted firmly on the ground. Keep on writing out there. You never know!

The Roller Coaster of the Creative - and everyday - Life

2010-04-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

The creative life is a roller coaster. Well, I suppose all of life is a roller coaster, unless you're living in a cave high up a mountain. Then it would be just cold.
And talking of cold, I've had a nasty cough lately and am spending more time than usual at home, wrapped in a lovely wool shawl. I bought the shawl in December 1974 from a street vendor in Mexico City. That probably seems like many years ago to you young folk, but to me it seems like the day before yesterday. Whenever I wear this shawl I wonder if the woman who sold it to me eventually made enough money to stop selling things on the street. Was she able to send her children to school? Did they go on to university? I hope so. The shawl cost me $20 then. In fact I bought two shawls, one for me and one for a friend. Nowadays, in Vancouver, shawls like this would probably cost about $250 apiece. The shawl was made with great skill and the woman who made it deserved to be paid more money than she was asking, and more than I could afford.
So I wear this shawl as I sit at the computer in my office, or when I read my murder mystery in the window seat. I did mention, did I not, that I call my new house Drafty Corners Cottage? You see, I can clearly recall what I was doing in Mexico City in 1974, but I can't remember most of my past blogs. I'm not saying everyone has this problem when they get older, but obviously I do! So, because it's been windy lately, I wear the shawl mainly to stay warm.
Maybe I also wear this shawl to remind myself of the vagaries of the creative life. Whether you weave shawls for so many hours a day that your fingers are callused, and tourists examine your wares without a clue as to how much trouble went into the making of them, or whether you weave stories in a lovable but drafty house, so that publishers can examine your wares without a clue as to how much blood, sweat and tears went into the writing, there is still the compulsion to create - regardless of the financial rewards or lack of. Though, of course, financial rewards are more than welcome. They pay the mortgage and buy the groceries. Weavers have to weave and writers have to write, just as singers have to sing and doctors have to heal. Sometimes there is financial gain, often there is none.
So back to the roller coaster. Up it goes: My musical appears to be a 'go,' though I'm girding my loins for pages of re-writing, and a lot of hard work. There's no money in this, just the thrill of perhaps seeing something I wrote performed by talented people who love to perform. Auditions are in May.
Down it goes: My beloved story 'Harold the Hero' is still much loved by publishers - but not enough for them to publish it (or 'him'). I'm expanding the story, against the odds of 'him' ever being accepted, because I love Harold and the story in which I've placed him. He's wickedly funny and there's just not enough funny these days. Publishers don't always accept that children - some children - are like some adults. They have a sharp, sometimes gritty, sense of humour.
Up goes the roller coaster again: I've been mentoring a rather brilliant and creative grade ten student. Her project is to write and illustrate a picture book. At first she had a rather good idea for a story, but after a while it seemed as if it would be better as a chapter book or early reader. What to do? Cut it down, make lots of changes? I didn't want to discourage her, because I know only too well that life is full of discouragement. Then, all by herself, she came up with another idea. An idea so simple and yet so perfect. The kind of simple idea that we all too frequently dismiss, because we don't always recognize genius, even in ourselves. But it has all the makings of a wonderful book. And she's lucky to be a talented artist, so she can illustrate it. Whilst the first story was becoming very wordy and a bit forced, this one will - we hope - be a perfect blend of spare text and funny illustrations. I have no doubt she'll eventually get it to a stage where she can send it to a publisher. After she'd come up with the new idea, all it took to get things on track was a bit of brainstorming. (My husband thinks that she should be mentoring me!)
So I'll end with an upturn of the roller coaster, and after some hot tea I'll get back to 'Harold the Hero,' because his story must be told, and who knows, one day you might be reading it. May all our roller coasters swoop upwards.*
*And may the wind stop rattling the windows of Drafty Corners Cottage.
p.s If Cindy Heinrichs (gifted editor, writer, teacher and friend) is reading this, tooth comb to hand, I checked the dictionary, and it can be spelled 'callus' or 'callous.'

Chutzpah!

2010-03-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

I find that creativity begats creativity. For those of you too young to have read anything containing the word 'begat,' it means 'procreate' or 'bring into being.' (Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second College Edition). This past couple of weeks I attended five performances at the Chutzpah Festival of Performing Arts at the Vancouver JCC. Plays, music and dance performances. I was actually a volunteer usher for three of the shows. You might think about doing that as a way to experience the arts without breaking your own personal bank. As I watched a brilliant dance performance last night (Aszure Barton's dance company from New York) all kinds of story ideas popped into my head. That's what I mean about begatting. Inspiration just washed over me. Or, if you prefer a fire image to a water image, it's a bit like the Olympic torch that kindles one flame that kindles another and on and on. Or even like good deeds (mitzvot in Hebrew). Pass the baton of goodness (fire, creativity) please. So if you need a little inspiration treat yourself to a play or a music or dance recital - even a movie. You never know, it might stir up your own creative juices. Then - in turn - you'll inspire someone.
p.s. The 'Ch' in Chutzpah is pronounced like the 'ch' in Loch Ness.

Fred and Pete at the Beach

2010-02-24T21:01:00.000-08:00

I can't remember if I've said this before, and I'm too lazy to look, but you should all read the above mentioned picture book by Cynthia Nugent. And I'm not just saying that because she's my friend, or because she was just over at my house for tea, cookies, cheese, crackers and hamantaschen. No - I'm saying it because it's a lovely book, and perfect for the child in your life, especially if the child likes dogs, bright colours, happy endings and has a sense of humour. So if you happen to be anywhere near Hager Books or Vancouver Kidsbooks, buy a copy or order it if they're all sold out. Of course, you might not live in Vancouver, but I'm sure that wherever you do live there's a bookstore somewhere. If not, you really should consider moving to another town!
For those of you who want to write and illustrate a book - Cynthia did both with Fred and Pete at the Beach. So look, learn and enjoy. Cheers!

Too Much Writing, and Not Enough Editing, Can Numb the Bum

2010-02-22T12:57:00.001-08:00

I'm reading a murder mystery by a very good writer, but this particular book is driving me batty. 'Why batty?' you ask. I'll tell you. First of all the editor was asleep on the job. (Not like my second to last editor. She sends me emails when I make typos on this blog. "Thank you Cindy!") When a sentence tells me that a character sat down, or opened a door 'a crack,' I'm thrown completely out of mental alignment when a paragraph or two later the character sits down AGAIN (without having had a chance to stand up first), or opens the door 'a crack' AGAIN. But that's not all. There's a bit too much repetition in this book. It's like watching a reality show where people just live day to day doing ordinary things and not much happens for far too long. We have two murders to solve here! I should be on the edge of my seat but I'm simply thinking, 'get on with it, for heaven's sake!' Now I'm getting worried that there won't be a surprise or shock at the end. That it will fall flat. I read for about three hours solid last night (I told you I'm a slow reader, didn't I?) and actually began to notice, for the first time, that the window seat is harder than I thought, and my bottom was getting a bit numb.
Let's make a note, fellow writers. Never give our readers a numb bum. Or at the very least, they shouldn't notice the numbness.

I did it!

2010-02-10T23:26:00.000-08:00

Self discipline won the day. This evening I worked on the dog story - the one I started writing ten years ago. I've got a few disconnected chapters and they are finally connecting. Some were written in third person, some from the point of view of one character and some from the point of view of another character. I wanted to see which would sound best. My witty husband asked me, "Are any chapters from the dog's point of view?" No, though it is a thought. But I have finally decided from whose point of view it will all be written. The sailing should be smoother from now on.
I still haven't abandoned the notion of writing a story from three or four points of view. Just not this one.
What do you think of a book that's composed of three diaries? All three reflecting different ways of seeing the same situation. It could be interesting.
And so to bed.

The 'D' Word

2010-02-09T22:59:00.000-08:00

That awful word keeps popping into my head. 'Which word?' you ask. Discipline, of course. Without it nothing gets done. And when it comes to writing fiction, or even non-fiction, the poet was wrong - Man/Woman IS an island. I mean, no one else is going to do it for you.
Do you remember when someone taught you to ride a bike, and they held on to the back and then let go, but you didn't know they'd let go, until you started talking to them and they didn't answer? Because they were at the other end of the street. And you turned around to see what was going on, and there was the person who'd been keeping you safe - waving from MILES away? So now you were on your own, keeping yourself safe (or not). How terrifying is that? Well, in a way, Discipline, ie; self discipline, is like trying to stay upright on a bike while it's speeding down the hill, and no one's holding on to the seat. It's terrifying.
At school your teachers tell you that you have to finish your work at a certain time or on a specific date, or you don't get a mark - well, maybe an 'F.' Not the kind of mark you want. Your parents tell you that you have to do something and if you don't do this thing there'll be no ice cream, or trip to the zoo, but if you do this very important thing, great riches will be yours. Do your homework and you'll get a better mark than if you didn't. Practice accordian three hours a day and you can play sea shanties to entertain the neighbours for hours, or until they beg you to stop. Somehow, between teachers and parents, you are kept on track, working towards worthy goals. Someone is teaching you self Discipline in preparation for the day when it's just YOU. Then, one day you go off to college and there's no Mom or Dad to remind you to spend two hours on your essay, or to explain to the prof. that the goldfish ate your homework, or that Grandma lined the canary's cage with it, by mistake. The prof. doesn't care. S/he just wants to see results. No one is holding the seat as you peddle down the highway of life. No one is reminding you. No one is saving you. Well, so it is with writing. You are on your own - which is really the way it should be.
So, now back to ME. At this moment my head is full of all the possible twists and turns in the plots I'm working on. Or, actually not working on, because I'm in 'low self discipline' mode, as in, not actually writing anything down, or using my computer to its full potential (finishing a story, working on one of the short novels, etc.) This is the problem we all face. On the positive side my trouble isn't Writer's Block. As usual, it's just the opposite. My head is so full of stories, plots changes of direction that I can't quite focus on one. 'This too,' you are probably saying, 'will pass.' I know it will. I just needed to imagine I heard someone say it.** However, when the chips are down it's up to me. Right now I need to go to bed, but tomorrow night, after I get home from work, the gym and grocery shopping, I'm going sit right here at the computer and write what's in my head, for at least two hours. Because if it stays in my head, well what's the point?
Discipline, Joan. Discipline!
And that goes for the rest of you out there.
p.s. **Let's imagine we hear our parents or teachers of yesteryear, telling us to, 'switch off that t.v. and get working!'

Discovering The Railway Children

2010-01-15T15:44:00.000-08:00

When I was very young I loved the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. Naturally, when my son was young I wanted to share the experience with him. I began reading one of the books to him at bedtime, but to my amazement we both found the story a bit plodding. How come I hadn't found the prose plodding when I was nine? I thought, 'Okay, maybe it's because they were written in the 1950s, and I had a better attention span then.' But then later my son and I started reading the Just William series of books by Richmal Crompton, written in the 1920s, '30s and 40s. Not plodding at all! In fact my son and I found them hilarious and clever, despite some extremely difficult sentence structure. In fact the complexity of the prose is partly what makes the stories so funny, as if they'd been written by P.G. Wodehouse and Oscar Wilde.
Now that my son is 19, and won't let me read to him anymore - more's the pity - I've been reading The Railway Children, by Edith Nesbit, to myself. I'd never read it before because years ago I'd seen it on tv. I know it's a classic, and I should be ashamed of myself, but I'm already ashamed of myself for never being able to get past page three of War and Peace without falling into a deep and dreamless sleep. So there's no room for more literary shame. However, now that I'm so old that I can't remember much about the tv series of The Railway Children I've finally picked up the book. It was first published in 1906, and, surprise, surprise, it moves at a good clip. In fact the pacing is perfect. It's funny and poignant and almost modern in parts. Timeless, I believe one might say. I don't find myself muttering, 'Come on, get to the point.' I've been reading it on the bus, the train, and in the waiting room at the doctor's office. You know you're reading a good book when you're on the bus and almost miss your stop.
Now I'm not denying that Enid Blyton wrote good stories. Obviously her Famous Five books once inspired in me a love of reading. Also, Noddy in Toyland was the first book ever read to me, and I loved Noddy so much I collected the entire series. What I'm saying is that the best books stand the test of time, so it really doesn't matter when they were written.
To be honest, I'm glad I'm discovering - late in life - some of the books I didn't read years ago. It's like travelling in a new and interesting country.

Raining Cats and Dogs

2010-01-13T18:17:00.000-08:00

Well, of course, this is Vancouver, so naturally it's raining. But the cats and dogs are actually characters in a story I've had on the back burner for a few years. I might have mentioned it before, I'm too lazy to check my previous blogs. If this looks like a repeat, you can sign off. I won't be offended. The story mainly involves one dog and one cat (and a fish, if you must know). In fact, I've had their story on the back burner for so long, that the dog(s) and cat in question are, I regret to say, now deceased. There was no fish, at least not in recent history. I might have to get one for inspiration. About fifty years ago, or more, I had a goldfish named Billy. I kept him in a small bowl. The bowl was so full of 'toys' that poor Billy had no room to swim, poor chap. No wonder he always looked a bit glum. He was followed by Genevieve and Oscar. Also glum.
I'm sure you've all had a pet at one time, or your neighbours have. Did you notice their personalities? Odd habits maybe? Quirks even? My mother in law's two dogs gave me the inspiration for this particular story, but for my story I blended the two dogs into one dog. A couple of years, or months, will go by, and then, as happened this week, a burst of inspiration will send me to the computer and off I go again, back to the dog story that never ends.
So here's your writing exercise. Watch your dog, fish, cat or rabbit - or someone else's. Make notes. Put one of them front and centre in a story.
Quirky creatures to inspire you: My husband has relatives in Greece who kept chickens. The chickens actually flew up into a tree to sleep at night. My uncle had a dog that would begin to bark as soon as her master got off the bus - three blocks away. And there was a parrot in the Athens National Gardens that, many years ago, taught my son rude words!

It's 2010. Resolution: Read More/Write More

2010-01-01T16:33:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010 everyone! May it be a year of good writing and inspiring reading for all. For those who didn't buy a copy of 'Sadie the Ballerina' when they had the chance, you can still find it in the special Scholastic Canada collection 'Merry Christmas: A Canadian Keepsake Collection.' Five stories in one big book. Rush out and buy it if you haven't already.
Today is New Year's Day and last night, instead of being a party girl, I re-worked a short story I'd written many years ago. I also did some work on my ongoing smuggling story. Then my husband called upstairs to inform me that the hockey game on tv was over, and it was safe for me to enter the tv room. We watched a couple of black and white, Thin Man movies. Love them.
Today I visited a friend who is now 95 and lives in an old age home. She's one of the most interesting people I know, and always has something to tell me that could one day be useful in a story. In fact, another friend phoned me this morning to wish me happy new year, and she also told me something about her family history that I've put in a little drawer in my head. It's all material. I can never stress that enough. Every conversation you have with someone contains a story starter - or finisher.
It's going to be a busy year. I've finished the final draft (well, maybe there'll still be tweaks) of the picture book that's due to be published in the Fall of 2011. The publishers have not found an illustrator yet. I'm also hard at work on the story I'm adapting for a short children's play. The pressure is on, but maybe that's what I need to motivate me.
Right at this moment I'm being creative in another way. I'm baking a turkey breast for Shabbat dinner, but I've smothered it in some kind of Indian sauce (I do this to fool guests into thinking I'm terribly inventive in the kitchen. I might have mentioned this before, but my son once said, "Mom, when I say we should have something different, I don't mean just change the herbs on the chicken"). I really have to put that in a story one day.
I'm reading two books (not at the same time). Just finishing 'Bootleg' by Alex Shearer - a very funny kids' book, with rather an important message, I think. And I've just started a murder mystery about the intrepid librarian Helma Zukas, who solves crimes in between helping library users. This one is called 'Catalogue of Death,' by Jo Dereske.
Read, write and be merry. Yours in creative blogdom - Joan

Screaming Latkes!

2009-12-18T08:44:00.000-08:00

I've had a change of heart. No, not a transplant. I've decided that under the right circumstances, eating the protagonist might not be so bad after all, especially if it's the latke hero in Lemony Snicket's book The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming. Why is the latke screaming? Well, first of all he's been cooked in oil, but second, and more importantly, he's been terribly misunderstood. Hanukkah and Christmas are both wonderful festivals, but they are DIFFERENT festivals, completely unrelated. The latke tries to explain this to any number of inanimate objects (animated for the story, of course) who have trouble understanding the difference between the two holidays. But by the end of the book we have learned that there's room in this world for every celebration, that being different from the majority is not a bad thing. Some people take an ax to a tree (ouch!), others use their teeth on a latke ..... 'Aaaaaaah!'
Laugh and learn - read something fun this holiday season. And enjoy yourselves.

When the Main Character Becomes Dinner!!!

2009-12-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or is anyone else out there disturbed by stories like The Gingerbread Man and The Runaway Latke - seasonal tales in which the protagonist gets eaten?
Why not transform those stories into Pinocchio type tales, in which a little fairy comes along, whacks the cookie and the latke with her magic wand, and transforms them into children - even if those children smell suspiciously delicious!
Happy Holidays to Young Writers Everywhere.

Dialogue Again

2009-11-15T17:26:00.000-08:00

I'm adapting one of my picture books into a short musical play. So I've been thinking about dialogue again. It's something we have to think about when we write any fiction, but this new venture reminded me that conversation in a story or play can be used for all kinds of things. It reveals more about the character than s/he might want revealed. Or it gives information to the audience. One character's silent reaction to another character's monologue might reveal something about both of them. Listen to the way people talk to one another. Listen to the way you talk to people. Try to remember conversations you have at the dinner table. Pay attention. Do people really listen to one another, or do they talk over each other? On stage that would be stepping on someone else's lines.
Listen to people on the bus. On the subway. Listen to those loud cell phone conversations that people have. Do they want you to think they are very important people? Or have they forgotten they are on a crowded bus?
Most people have distinctive styles of speech, and many will use a word or expression over and over again.
Write a short scene and see how you can make the conversation tell the story. Read it out loud to check whether or not it sounds natural.
The last time I wrote about dialogue I mentioned that I was in a show, and that the dialogues and monologues kept changing during rehearsal. That's because some things just sounded better to each of us, and we were more likely to remember certain words and expressions (it was a group effort, so no playwright's feelings were likely to be hurt). Also, what sounds natural to one person could sound false to another. I'm sure that if this play of mine gets to the rehearsal stage the same thing will happen. An actor might say, "This just doesn't work for me. Can I change it a little?" For the good of the show I will have to say, "Yes."

Remembrance Day

2009-11-12T12:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I watched Ottawa's Remembrance Day ceremony on t.v. Young and old stood together to think of, and honour, all the soldiers, nurses and others who risked their lives in order to make the world a better place. Many in the crowd had seen war first hand, and you could tell, from the sorrow that lined their faces, that the memories were not joyful ones. Many of those who served were young and never had the chance to grow old.
There are some who served on the front lines who never talked about it. Some of those stories are lost, but it's up to us to make sure that as many stories as possible continue to live. If one of your relatives wore a uniform and served in one of the wars, ask that person to tell you his/her stories. Record them or write them down. Maybe you'll try to publish them and maybe you won't, but you should keep them safe for the next generation to learn from. Everyone's story is different and important. Let's not forget the courage of ordinary people.

Alice In Wonderland Stuchner

2009-10-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

I didn't exactly fall down the rabbit hole - I fell down the back deck steps - but I think I know how Alice felt. Except Alice did a free fall, whilst I bounced on my back down about three or four steps. Hearing cries of distress my husband and my new neighbour came running to assist me. The neighbour (a nurse, thank goodness) said my screams were very youthful! She thought I was a young girl being attacked. This happened a week ago, and my back gets more colourful every day.
So along with my usual writing advice, here's a safety tip: Don't walk down slick wooden steps in the dark of night, unless you are wearing very good shoes and there's a proper handrail for you to clutch in case of slippage. My hand rail is very wide and even the biggest, meatiest hand would be unable to grab it. So for a week I've been walking just fine, but sitting, standing, lifting. lying down (then getting up - ouch) and twisting around to see what's behind me, are all painful. I can only work at my computer in short bursts.
So, now that you are all feeling sorry for me, here are my writing tips and also some new experiences that could very well be part of a story. I mean, obviously the Alice in Wonderland incident could be part of a story. A murder mystery, perhaps.
A few weeks ago we moved into a smaller, older house (the one with the modern back deck stairs that attacked me). It was built in 1915 and has all kinds of lovely old details - including the strange problem of floors that dip a little here and there. There are built in bookcases on either side of the French doors, and there's a window seat. The window seat is especially 'Jane Austenish.' The kitchen is small, which is fine with me, but I'm an awfully short person, and the counters are a bit too high, so I have to stand on a step stool to do anything. The only other kitchen problem was the sensitive smoke alarm. My husband had to take it out because even when I didn't burn the food it shrieked as if I had. The only alternative would be to keep the fan on all the time, but that's so loud it sounds as if we are in the cockpit of a big airplane.
The main floor bathroom is right out of the history books! White painted wood floor and ceiling and a claw foot bathtub. We are getting a shower put in, but for now I have to take baths and then crouch in the yoga child pose to rinse my hair under the tap. That's actually a good thing right now, because my physiotherapist wants me to do child pose as part of my stretching routine.
But here's the magical part - for me, anyway. On the main floor there are three rooms, including the bathroom, that have the original key hole plates. Now, I don't know about you, but when I have to use the bathroom I rather prefer to lock myself in, especially when people are milling about. But there were no keys! What to do? My amazing husband figured out - with the help of a key expert - what kind of key probably fit the locks, and he found one somewhere and purchased it, at great expense. It's not an antique - that would be just too lucky - but it fits all the main floor doors. However, I keep it in the bathroom, hanging on a black shoelace, though I'm thinking of getting a suitable ribbon.
Now, don't you just love stories where an old key opens a door into the past? Or maybe a very strange, futuristic key opens a portal into the future? A good writing exercise.
And I just keep on finding old stories of mine that strike me as being worth a second look. I still haven't heard anything from the editor who has my dinosaur story, but I live in hopes.
Definitely worth saving was a story that features, amongst other things, an elephant. I fiddled around with that story, made some changes and decided to leave it for a day or two (I think I began writing it five years ago, so a few more days won't hurt). And then a child I know said something to me the other day that gave me an idea for a perfect afterward to my story. You see, inspiration is all around us. But that's not all. When it suits me I take notice of 'signs.' Only when it suits me, mind you.
Yesterday I had a few minutes to spare before seeing the doctor (who looked at my colourful back and sent me for an x ray). I popped into a cook ware shop and found an elephant cookie cutter. The last one in the store. I took it as a sign. Not as profound as a Burning Bush, but a sign is a sign. So, if my elephant story ever gets published I'll have a launch and serve elephant cookies. And that's a promise.
By the way, I hope you've all been reading the sequel to The Daring Adventures of Penhaligon Brush, by S. Jones Rogan. It's called The Curse of the Romany Wolves. The book was recently launched in Los Angeles where the author is a teacher librarian. And today, at Vancouver Kidsbooks on Broadway, a group of authors, including Cynthia Nugent, are launching their new children's books. It should be fun.
Happy reading. Happy writing.

Re-discovering Your Stories

2009-09-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

I think I forgot to mention my re-discovered 'novel.' This experience illustrates the importance of putting something away and then looking at it much later in order to see it with fresh eyes. About ten years ago I wrote a short novel for children that I thought was pretty good. I sent it to a publisher but they didn't receive it! I sent it again, but whether they received it or not I never knew, because each time I asked them, "did it arrive yet?" my request was met with silence. Naturally I began to have a bad feeling about this novel. Perhaps it wasn't worthy after all. Well, a decade flew by and ... I read it again a few weeks ago and, not only was I dazzled by my own wit and brilliance, I merely needed to make a couple of small changes to the text. Then, with soaring hopes, I sent away two chapters to a publisher. Even though I have heard nothing yet, and even though it might be rejected, or (much better) accepted but requiring some 'work,' or (better yet) accepted with the proviso, "Don't change a thing. It's perfect," I feel very good about the quality of writing.
My advice? Dig up your old stories and look at them as if someone else had written them. I know, I've said this before. I'm saying it again.

A New Book on the Horizon - AND a royalty cheque!!!

2009-09-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

The life of a writer is always exciting and full of suspense. Last week I received a Royalty Cheque in the mail. With eager little fingers I ripped open the envelope, unfolded the cheque within and looked in the right hand box. One hundred and twenty five smackeroos. I guess it hasn't been a big year for those two particular books. No, I will not be giving up my day job to spend the rest of my life writing or travelling around the world promoting my works, but I was able to buy a few more groceries.
Another piece of good news is that I am on the verge of signing a book contract. The story in question was actually published a few years ago in a wonderful children's magazine (I think that looks a bit ambiguous, doesn't it? Is it the children or the magazine who are wonderful? You decide.) A publisher wants to transform the story into a picture book, after I've lengthened the narrative and made a few changes. Sounds good to me. But don't think I've abandoned my smuggler story or my highwayman tale. They are still there lurking about on my desk and in my computer.
I am also still in the process of moving house. This is a mammoth task. I throw out 'stuff' but more 'stuff' falls out of drawers and cupboards. I've been watching a tv reality show about people who hoard and collect everything they can find. I do this in order to frighten myself into not becoming one of those people.
On the other hand, like everything else, it could very well be material for a story, couldn't it?

Blog Books?

2009-08-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

Have any of you seen 'Julie and Julia?' I thought it was a wonderful film for two reasons. I loved seeing 'Julia Child' falling in love with French food and cooking it. I was interested in the notion of creating a book based on a block. If Samuel Pepys was around today I imagine he'd blog. If you don't know who Pepys is, Google him, or go to a library and check out his diary!!!!
Do any of you have a blog/diary that could be turned into a book? A movie? If so, go for it.

The Highwayman Hasn't Been Riding Lately

2009-07-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

Writing my 18th century highwayman novel has been a bit of a strain lately - what with looking for affordable housing (no such thing, by the way) and thinking about the process of moving. It's not that I have writer's block, but it's a complicated project and it's been difficult to keep all the balls in the air at the same time (ie: plots and subplots interacting seamlessly), not to mention keeping my mind on my work. Also, the 30,000 plus words are going to have to be pruned a little. At least that's what my brilliant editor has tactfully hinted at. So I'm leaving that story alone for the present. I'll get back to it soon.
Meanwhile, I decided to re-think another story. Same century and same neighbourhood, but different topic. It was going to be the same length too, but ... well that's where the re-thinking comes in. Has this ever happened to you, dear writer? You write page after page of wonderful stuff, and create some great characters and lots of suspense, and yet ... How many 30,000 word books can a person finish whilst holding on to a full time job, a part time job, and dealing with a family that needs to be moved? And don't forget, I'm 62. Time is not on my side.
Yeah, sure, Charles Dickens could have done it, but don't forget Chuck had a Victorian wife who slaved away all day so he could confer with his muse. My husband is a great cook, and he's the only one in the house who understands the vacuum cleaner, but he too has a life outside of work and domestic drudgery. And if I told him I needed to spend a few days alone with my muse, he'd say 'Muse Shmooze.' Actually, he'd probably say, "Okay, go for it," but I'd never do that to him.
So, I don't want to drown in a sea of unfinished stories.
By the way, did you ever read 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories' by Salman Rushdie? Wonderful book.
So ... I ignored all the notes and the gripping chapters etc. and decided to keep only a fragment of the outline, and try to turn the story into a 6,000 word masterpiece. Hmm. Easier said than done, especially the masterpiece part. I'd written about 4,000 words before I realized I wasn't even halfway to where I needed to be. Trimming shears were sharpened. Snip, cut, slash. That was last night. Today on my lunch break I went to the cafeteria, sat alone with my manuscript and a coffee, and - more snips, cuts and slashes. It was as if the three musketeers were editing my story. However, it just might be possible to keep the story interesting without adding 6,000 more words. And it's an exercise in 'less is more,' which we are always working on, right?
It takes enormous discipline to cut out chunks of a story - chunks to which I was so attached. But I am filled with determination.
Et tu?

Cynthia Nugent also Won the Chocolate Lily!

2009-06-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a postscript to my previous email. Cynthia Nugent, my 'Honey Cake' illustrator, also won the Chocolate Lily for her perfect enhancement of the book's text. She couldn't be at the awards night because she had a deadline to meet - creating illustrations for her next book, 'Fred and Pete at the Beach.' Fred and Pete are a couple of amusing, delightful and no doubt mischief making canines. They will be in bookstores near you very soon, and I'm really looking forward to reading about their adventures. (I know they are delightful because I've seen two of Cynthia's illustrations already) Cynthia has a wacky sense of humour that appeals to all ages. And don't forget, I'm 62! If I can laugh, anyone can.

'HONEY CAKE' WON THE 2009 CHOCOLATE LILY.

2009-06-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

I went to The Chocolate Lily awards ceremony yesterday, hosted by Vancouver Kidsbooks, expecting to see one of my colleagues win the children's novel award. I'd mingle with writers and book lovers, nibble on grapes, and generally have a good time. So when I heard my name called out as the winner my jaw actually dropped! My eyes just about popped out of my head. I didn't believe it. Surely a mistake had been made.
Fellow writer, Caroline Adderson, laughed when she saw the look on my face, and I'm glad that no one photographed me at quite that moment.
On my bookcase - where else - in a very prominent position, is the lovely glass trophy. When we move - if we ever find a house - I hope to have a room of my own where I shall hang the framed certificate over my desk.
The Chocolate Lily Award is a readers' choice award, and that's the best kind. Being recognized by the people for whom we write is a wonderful feeling for all writers.
Second prize went to one of my favourite authors, Norma Charles, for 'Boxcar Kid.' The picture book prize went to Chris Tougas for 'Mechanimals,' and Kari-Lynn Winters came in second with 'Jeffrey and Sloth.' Read all of these books (and more) and enjoy them.
Happy writing and happy reading to all of you.

Watch This Space!

2009-05-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

The Chocolate Lily Awards takes place at Vancouver Kidsbooks the first week of June. 'Honey Cake' has been nominated, and that's a great honour for me. The event will be a chance to get together with lots of writers that I know - good friends from CWILL BC - and also writers that I don't know. And the venue is terrific, because I love bookstores, and Kidsbooks is one of the best in Vancouver. (If you need advice on bringing a book and a child together, that's the store for you.)
Of course, I know what you're thinking. You can't coast along on the nominations of one book. Joan, get writing, already! And that's what I think too. But there's been a lot of upheavel on the home front. We just sold the house and have to find a newer, slightly more humble, abode. Looking at houses, remembering where you looked, then packing, cleaning, sorting out and moving boxes, is all very stressful work. However, I am slowly getting some writing work done.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, don't forget that even thinking out a scene, or scribbling a paragraph or a few lines of dialogue, counts as working on a/the book.
By the way - I mentioned Vancouver Kidsbooks, but don't forget to patronize not only your local libraries but also your small, local bookstores. You'll find that the sales people have read, or at least know about, most of the books in their store. You can ask them for, and then get, advice on gifts, for example. "What should I buy my aunt who loves to garden on her balcony, but has a short attention span?" "What have you got for a ten year old boy who loves anything to do with vampires or dolphins?"
If you happen to be in Kerrisdale, Vancouver, try Hager Books. The clerks remember their customers and will actually tell you about a book you might like, based on what you've bought from them in the past. They are very well read.
By the way, believe it or not I'm actually reading 'The Secret Garden' for the first time. I didn't read it before because I'd seen three movie versions - maybe even more. It's a classic, so you should read it, but be warned. There are lovely images, and the writer captures the feeling of the Yorkshire countryside quite perfectly, but ... it was written at a time of racial insensitivity. In fact there are also class stereotypes to watch out for. Even in the 1950s, when I was a child, no one thought twice about these attitudes. This sort of thing always made me cringe. But I think I was unusual. I'm only a third of the way through the book, and I'm going to assume, at this point, that the racial attitudes are actually from the point of view of the characters and not the writer. Read it and see what you think.
Happy reading/writing.

Spring Book Hatching - 2009

2009-04-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

First of all - I'm afraid I'm not hatching a book this spring. However, some of my colleagues are hatching great books. If you want to meet some wonderful Vancouver BC authors and illustrators, your big chance will come this Saturday. Thirty two children's authors and illustrators, along with their new books, will be at the Vancouver Public Library, Alice Mackay Room (350 West Georgia St.) on May 2nd from 1pm - 3pm.
There'll be door prizes, books to buy and be autographed, live presentations and - you could win an author school visit for your school! Admission to the event is free. I'll be there to support my literary pals and to meet you. If the sun is out I'll wear a yellow tee shirt, dark blue capris and I'll be carrying a big white bag with coloured spots all over it. If it's not sunny, I'm not sure what I'll wear.
Just ask anyone, "Where's Joan Betty?" They'll point me out.
See you Saturday!

Dialogue? Keep it Real.

2009-04-18T15:36:00.001-07:00

Has your teacher asked you to write a dialogue for an English assignment? Are you writing a play? Right now I'm in rehearsal for a show. It's mostly singing and dancing, but I'm in the acting part that connects the numbers. Someone wrote a script, but at the first rehearsal some of it didn't sound as good as it looked on the page. So the writer made a few changes. We used them. Then I made a few changes. Then a couple of the directors made some changes. As we performed the piece we all added bits and pieces that felt right and then wrote them into the script. I was asked to write the final script and send it to the cast. I did. Then another member of the cast made some suggestions. I thought a few of them would work well and I made yet more changes. You might be muttering to yourself, 'Why is she telling us this?'
Here's why.
If you are writing dialogue you have to say it out loud to the room, to the computer, as you walk home from the bus stop, or read your script on the bus (pen in hand). It's organic. It grows and changes. Some things work well on the page, and sometimes even when you read them out loud. But they don't always work if you are acting them on a stage. So if you are writing a play, or a page of dialogue, read and act it until if feels 'real.'
My show is June 3rd, so I'll get back to you. Watch this space.

Expanded Horizons

2009-03-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

Remember the times when I said things like 'follow your dreams,' and a variety of other encouraging words? Well, I finally took my own advice. For years I've been saying, "I was born to do cartoon voices," and "one day I'll take a course." Well, yesterday I took the plunge. I spent ALL DAY, along with eight other students, at a workshop where we learned about the voice over business and how to read both animation and advertising scripts. It was wonderful. The best part was when all nine of us went into the recording studio and read an old animation script. It felt so good, and we sounded even better. I'm hooked. But the experience inspired me in another way too. I'd now like to write animation scripts!
In the meantime I plan to follow the instructor's advice and watch/listen to t.v. cartoons and t.v. commercials very closely, work on my own best voices and finally make a cd to shop around. If I can get work in the animation world there could be an extra advantage. My son doesn't listen to me when he's watching cartoons - but what if I got a job IN one of those cartoons? Better still, what if I also wrote the scripts? Are you ahead of me yet? I could nag him and he wouldn't even realize it!

Variety in Reading is the Spice of Writing

2009-03-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

I finished reading 'The Daring Adventures of Penhaligon Brush,' by S. Jones Rogan. It was one of those stories where you want to know what happens in the end, yet you don't want it to end. A rollicking adventure with lots of humour thrown in for good measure. Whenever I opened the book I entered another world - a world I liked a lot, and want to visit again. I eagerly await the sequel so I can pack my bags and return to Ramble-on-the-Water and Porthleven.
So now I'm reading 'The Higher Power of Lucky,' by Susan Patron. Suitable for readers aged 9-11 (and obviously, 62) I bought this book because a) I read a good review of it somewhere b) it won the Newbery medal and, perhaps most important of all, c) some school librarians in the U.S. have tried to ban it, because it mentions - on the first page - a dog's scrotum. Some people believe that mention of scrotums in a children's book could have a negative influence on the young. They might have bad dreams, or worse! What if the child asked a parent or teacher or a member of the library staff, "What does this word mean?"
Actually I think it's great when children ask that question while reading a book. It's the perfect opportunity to say, "Why don't we check the dictionary, and see what it says?" That is one of the great things about reading. You ask questions. Sometimes you even ask them of yourself.
So for all these reasons I'm reading 'The Higher Power of Lucky,' and even though it might not be the type of book I would write (I can't say that for sure, however) I'm enjoying reading it very much. For one thing it's well written. I get the distinct feeling that every word in the book is just the right one, and no other word would do quite as well.
The heroine, Lucky, is a delightful character. In fact all the characters - including the dog - that I've met so far are people -and dog - I want to know more about. Susan Patron reveals her characters through the things they say and do, and shows us the landscape and climate by describing how it makes her characters feel or behave. And what I like even more about both Rogan's book and Patron's book, is that they are different from each other. You'll learn a lot about writing, about telling a story, by reading books that are different from each other.
Now that's spicy.

How Much Do I Love Books?

2009-02-22T23:01:00.000-08:00

It happened on the number 33 bus, which was heading away from the university in the direction of my doctor's office. I was passing the time in the best way possible - reading a Wonderful Novel - when suddenly, out of the blue, I had an idea for something I wanted to do with my own novel. I put down the Wonderful Novel, took out the ever present notebook and pen, and began to furiously scribble, in my impossible to read handwriting ('Joan must work harder with her handwriting.' 'Joan's handwriting looks as if a spider fell in the inkwell and tottered drunkenly across the pages of her notebook.')
I looked up and saw that my stop was fast approaching, or to be more exact, the bus was fast approaching the stop. I grabbed my two bags, made my exit, then sat down on a bench outside one of Vancouver's more elegant grocery stores in order to finish writing down my great, literary thoughts - before I forgot them. You see, I'd decided to give one of my minor characters a bit more pep and have her do something interesting. It would elevate her to a new status in the story. Pleased with my brilliance, which seemed to have been inspired by a couple of words in the Wonderful Novel I'd been reading, I popped the notebook into my 'capacious handbag' (wonderful description, first used by Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Ernest by Mister Oscar Wilde) and quel horror - the Wonderful Novel was not there! Like an eccentric bluestocking I rifled through both of my bags and then spoke words which no child under five should hear - fortunately no such children were in the vicinity - after which I sighed a great deal and clutched at my chest. Then I pulled myself together, but only just, and popped into the extremely expensive grocery store to buy a couple of things I really couldn't afford. After that I walked dejectedly down to my doctor's office.
"How are you?" she asked, brightly.
"I lost a book!" I cried in despair. Her eyes widened and she took out her blood pressure torture equipment and checked for signs of life. "Your blood pressure is normal for someone who's just lost a book," she said, puzzled yet somewhat relieved. This remark was followed by a lecture about how people who have had heart attacks should avoid stress (I reminded her that I am the mother of a teenager, so how could I possibly avoid stress?)
"It's only a book," she reminded me.
I reacted the way my husband does when I refer to hockey as, "Only a game." With shock and disbelief.
She explained that over the years she herself had lost many things and had learned to 'let go.' Then she demonstrated a 'letting go' breathing method which I tried and failed to find useful. She wrote me a prescription and sent me on my way.
Pills are all well and good, but I needed a book!
Next day I pestered the transit Lost and Found office - they were very sweet - and a miracle had happened. Someone found the book and handed it in, and my husband picked it up, on his way home from work, from the Lost and Found office and brought it back to me.
He is my hero, even if he does love hockey.
Who says chivalry is dead? Not I!
And that's how much I love books.

There's Nothing Quite Like an Accolade

2009-02-21T08:53:00.000-08:00

I'm Serious. But before I tell you about a Wonderful Review that landed in my mailbox this week, let me explain. An accolade is positive reinforcement. I know, that's basic child psychology, but it doesn't stop working when you get older. Kids need to be told when their work is good, or when even some of it is good. ("Yes, Joan, you did write a one hundred word run-on sentence, but your story was original and funny. Let's just work on punctuation, shall we?") It certainly works for me. In fact my editor quite often talks to me like that. Of course, for a writer a nice fat royalty cheque would come a close second to an accolade. An accolade won't help pay the rent, but it might show up just in time to give you a shot of much needed writing confidence. Those of you who write (or act, or paint, or do a teenager's laundry) will appreciate how much love we need in order to continue the work we do.
Let me drift from the topic slightly, before I get back to my Wonderful Review. About twenty five years ago, maybe more, something happened that still makes me cringe when I think of it. I was auditioning for a professional theatre company in Vancouver. Along with a number of other hopeful actors I had to present two monologues - one modern, one Shakespearean. For the Shakespeare I chose Puck's speech from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' that begins, "My mistress with a monster is in love."
Please feel free to picture me cavorting about the stage like a spritely imp, or is it an impish sprite? Anyway, the casting dirctor wore a stone face throughout (a bit like an angry Aztec god) as I mugged and pranced and did my Puckish best. After it was all over he made a few notes and dismissed me with a 'thank you." That's when I did the unforgiveable. I asked, "How did I do?" Yes, even after all this time I shudder at the memory of my needyness. I can't remember what he said, because it wasn't really an answer. I slunk away feeling very un-Puckish. Puck, of course, would have turned him into a goat!
I later discovered that this casting director had reduced others to tears. One young woman, hoping to be cast in a musical, was actually in the middle of singing something when she was dismissed mid-note.
I never heard back.
So you can see how important an accolade is to me, and my latest bit of encouragement appeared in the Winter 2009 edition of Canadian Book News. A lovely reviewer, teacher-librarian, named Ellen Donogh, heaped glowing praises on 'Josephine's Dream,' both for my story and for Chantelle Walther's illustrations. In fact she said it was sure to be featured in celebrations of Black History Month. From her lips to librarians' ears!
A miracle is something that happens when you need it most. I got that line from the old movie 'Moses' starring the late Burt Lancaster, and I believe it. Would Hollywood lie?
I was in the middle of yet another re-write of my latest manuscript, and feeling unworthy to put pen to paper - or fingers to keys. In other words, my mind was full of doubts, instead of plot twists. Should I turn my attention to another story? There's no shortage of them on my back burner. I even began to consider packing it all in to deal with the pile of my teenager's socks that waited patiently, yet stiffly, by the washing machine (what does he do - take off his shoes to wade through wet concrete?) - until this lovely review appeared. A miracle just when I needed it (thanks Burt Lancaster). Now I believe I could conquer the world.
Accolades rule!

Literary Adventures in California. Four Days of Palm Trees and Sunshine.

2009-02-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

Last week I was in Los Angeles. The first day I was there for a conference. The other three days I managed to fit in eight readings, not only in three wonderful schools but also in a fabulous indy. book store. I'm only writing about it now because while I was away there was a death in the family. My mother in law, a dedicated reader and lover of books, died at the age of 86. She'd once worked as a school librarian and teacher, so she knew the value of books, and the importance of the school library - the heart of any school - as both a door into the future and a safe haven and refuge. You don't always need a psychiatrist. Sometimes you just need a library.
One of the school librarians that I met was S. Jones Rogan, who wrote 'The Daring Adventures of Penhaligon Brush.' By co-incidence, we share a publisher! Random House. I also visited Once Upon a Story Book store in Long Beach, where Cyndie Kalina welcomes book loving families with a space full of books and cuddly toys. There's nothing nicer than snuggling up with a teddy bear (or some other stuffed creature) and getting lost (or finding yourself) in a book.
At all the presentations, I gave my usual plug: "Please pass on family stories. Ask lots of questions and write down family histories. Everyone's family is interesting," I said, over and over again.
Some children told me about their grandparents and other relatives, or even their own experiences. "Write it all down," I said.
One little girl told me that she had a famous relative and that the family had stories about him. "What was his name?" I asked.
"Stonewall Jackson," she replied. The teachers, and I, all gaped in amazement.
If you've never heard of Stonewall Jackson, all I can say is - Google!
My last day in California was the one at Long Beach. Joanne Renaud, cover artist for the U.S. edition of 'Honey Cake,' drove me there and brought along a couple of her friends. We had a wonderful lunch, bought a lot of books from Once Upon a Story Book store, walked around Long Beach while I took photos of houses and palm trees, and then Joanne and I gave our presentations in the book store.
Many thanks to my friends Brenda and Abe for letting me stay at their house - and to Diogie and Red Dog for being so friendly. Thanks to Sally, Venus and Amy for being wonderful school librarians, and Cyndie for welcoming me into her book store. And to Joanne, Katherine and Berkeley (pronounced 'Barclay') for sharing a great day. Also many thanks to all the dedicated writers, teachers and book lovers at the Jewish Children's Literature Conference.
There were only sixteen passengers on the flight back to Vancouver, so the flight attendants told us to spread out. I'm not sure if that was so the plane wouldn't tip! I'm not sure I want to know.
So now I'm back in the land of evergreens and frost. A different kind of beauty.
But don't forget, everyone. It's all material.

Writing and Housework Both Need (Self) Discipline. 'Oh, No - Not That!'

2009-01-30T17:04:00.000-08:00

No doubt I've mentioned before that I'm not a tidy person. My apartment is a mess (my husband and son seem to take their cue from me), and my mind is also a bit of a shambles. Some people have tidiness in their genes. A place for everything and everything in its place. That was one of my late mother's favourite sayings. Of course, nine years ago, when I had to sort through her belongings and empty the house, before she moved to Donisthorpe Hall (it sounds like a girls' jolly boarding school, but it's actually just a very nice old people's home) I was reminded of my mother's other favourite saying: 'Never throw anything out. One day it might come in handy.'
But I digress.
Now and then I frown at my boxes of papers, photos and manuscripts, the piles of stuff, and - when the sun is shining too brightly - the coating of dust that shrouds every surface, and I despair. Sometimes, if I have lots of energy, I galvanize myself into a short-lived cleaning and throwing-out frenzy. If I'm not feeling too energetic, the sight of all this mess will paralyze me, and I throw myself onto the sofa and close my eyes. I imagine a team of pixies flying in through the window with dusters, brooms and garbage bags. They fling some fairy dust and floor wax around, and when my eyes finally open ... House Almost Beautiful! Perhaps one of them will have even finished writing my novel for me.
Ah yes, imagination is a wonderful thing. It won't scrub out the bathtub or vacuum under the bed, but it will help me write a story. Which brings me back to the shambles that is my mind. Some of you can identify with this problem. The notes are beside the computer. The half-completed re-write is in the document file. The plot ideas for my novel tumble around in my brain like clothes in the dryer. The characters jostle for attention. But other plots and characters also try to attact my attention. What a mess (a creative mess, but still a mess). If only I could re-boot myself.
It took me years to recognize that I have a disability. Just as I have difficulty sorting things out and throwing away what isn't needed in my apartment, I also have that problem with my writing. 'Put it aside,' I say to myself, or 'Throw it away' and 'Don't listen to that other plot that keeps nagging at you.'
Easier said than done. Sometimes the writing and housework problems overlap. Those bits of paper, those notebooks lying around, make most of the mess. Alright, so the dustballs don't help.
Those of you who can focus on the task in hand have my undying admiration. The rest of us get frustrated and overwhelmed. So let's use strategies. We untidies will never have tidy minds, so everything will always take an extra effort. The first thing we have to do is stand up and say, 'My name is -------(say your name) and I am an untidy person.' Acknowledging the problem is half the battle. Self awareness. Most problems can be solved in some way. If you are very young you could ask a parent or a teacher to help you get on track organizing your work, your thoughts, your locker.
A good strategy is to set a goal.
I'm flying off to Los Angeles tomorrow morning, and I'll be back on Wednesday, the day before my birthday. On the Jewish calendar it's also a couple of days before Tu Bishevat - the birthday of trees. A celebration of newness and growth. How appropriate! As soon as I get back I am going to start, one box and one pile of papers at a time. I'll begin with the living room - that's the room that most people see - and I'm going to do one hour of cleaning a day. I am also going to spend one hour every night finishing my work-in-progress. I will ignore all the other stories demanding my attention until the first project is finished. It will take nerves of steel and the strength of ten, but we untidies have to work just that bit harder. It is always worth the effort.
And let's face it, those pixies are never going to do it for us.

Chocolate Lily Nomination!

2009-01-27T08:40:00.000-08:00

My short novel 'Honey Cake' has been nominated for this year's Chocolate Lily award. It's up against some stiff competition, but I'm proud to be listed alongside such remarkable books and authors.
Check out the link below if you want to see the full list of books. Maybe you've read some of them.

http://www.chocolatelilyawards.com/

TEACHERS? DO YOU WANT ME TO VISIT YOUR SCHOOL?

2009-01-24T22:06:00.000-08:00

For those interested in hiring me for an author visit - check out the Cwill BC website (first link below) and the CCBC TD Book Week 2008 site (second link). That's where you'll find out more about me and what I do.

http://www.cwill.bc.ca/search/member_detail/44

http://www.bookweek.ca/JoanBettyStuchner.htm

Dark Humour Coming up. Don't Say I Didn't Warn You.

2009-01-21T16:24:00.000-08:00

Every week the Cwill BC Blog has a Tuesday Tell-All. Questions are asked such as, Who inspired you to write, and What advice would you give a beginning writer. This week's question is, How would you finish this sentence, if you were writing the opening scene of a novel?
"I had just slammed the door, when ..."
Well, I just couldn't resist. It was an inspired moment, and I want to share it with you. I confess that I have made a couple of punctuation changes and subsituted and added a word or two. Otherwise it is pristine.

I had just slammed the door, when I noticed Norris's head rolling towards the television set. Further proof that our floors are uneven.
Too late I recalled Norris's frequent admonishment. "If you keep slamming that door without paying attention, one day something terrible will happen." He was right - or is it 'he was correct?' I'm always confused about that, and it irks me. Grammar is so important, don't you think? As is paying attention when slamming doors.
I must admit Norris's expression right now is not as pensive as it was when his head was attached to his body - which, I suppose, must be on the other side of the door. It reminds me of those open casket funerals where everyone says, "Ooh, doesn't he look peaceful?" I always want to say, "Well of course he does. He's dead. How much more peaceful can you get?" But you can't really do that at funerals, can you? Make a scene, I mean. It's hardly tactful.
Well, I suppose I'd better get a mop and bucket. Make a nice, hot cup of tea. And then call the police. They'll be very cross with me.

If you are still with me, get someone to give you a rather benign sentence, and see to what heights you can take it.

Miss Rafferty and Other things ...

2009-01-14T23:59:00.001-08:00

I wrote something on the Cwill website today, but thought it belonged here too. When I was very young I had one - only one - teacher who encouraged my writing. Her name was Miss Rafferty, and I hope she had a great life. She might still be around. That would be nice.
Miss Rafferty praised my eleven year old efforts to write poetry, and read out to the class a fairy tale I'd written for an assignment. Anyway, on the strength of this I told my mother that I was going to be a poet when I grew up. She turned very pale and broke the news that poets don't make much of a living. She wanted me to become a nurse.
I would have made a terrible nurse.
Thousands of people are alive today because I didn't become a nurse.
What my mother didn't tell me was that you can actually be a poet, or writer of fairy tales, or painter, or sculptor, and have a day job to pay the rent. I figured that out for myself, so I have a day job and I write stories. If your mother wants you to be a brain surgeon or a lawyer or a fisherman, make sure you want to be those things. Of course, there are stories in all those jobs.
Though here's a tip. If you happen to be in the middle of operating on someone's brain, and you get a sudden inspiration, don't break off what you are doing to write it down. Wait until the patient is all sewn up again.

Dov Turns 18!

2009-01-14T23:48:00.001-08:00

This doesn't have anything directly to do with writing (everything is indirectly to do with writing). My son turned 18 today (don't let anyone tell you time doesn't fly - it does). Yesterday he pretended that he'd got an electric shock from the t.v. Yes, as usual I'd set myself up for it by telling him to be careful. I can't claim to be much of a traditional mother, but there are some things I do that are normal mother things, and one of them is saying, "Be careful, be careful be careful!" Anyway, I clutched my recently attacked heart and he realized that maybe he shouldn't have tried the amusing gag after all. As he hugged me - he's about a foot taller than I - we happened to be close to a mirror. I said, "I look like an old hag." And my son, who inherits a way with words from both his parents, said, "Oh Mom, you just look like a twelve year old who needs more sleep."
How sweet (I think).

A Book Award for 'Honey Cake.'

2009-01-08T22:05:00.000-08:00

Pass the champagne - well, no, maybe not champagne. It'll give me a headache. Better pass a cup of hot, strong sweet tea, because my book, "Honey Cake," (see reproductions of cover on the right hand side) is a Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Notable Books of Jewish Content catagory. It's a big thrill for me and I feel honoured and humbled.

So raise your cups of tea,
And drink a toast to me.

It's not like the Oscars. I don't get to wear a black, sequined gown and borrowed diamonds. Nor do I get to stand up in front of millions and make a speech - which is a shame, because I've been working on that speech since I was about seven. But if I did get to make a speech I'd thank my parents for sending me to ballet and tap class, for taking me to the library every week, for buying me books and for telling me stories. I'd also thank my publishers, Tradewind and Random House, and my editor Cindy and my illustrator Cynthia and my U.S. cover artist Joanne.
Okay everyone, enough celebrating. Let's all get back to those re-writes!

Maybe it Has Been Done Before (but not by you)

2009-01-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

I just received an email from a friend in England. She's an amazingly witty and articulate writer, but seems to have a difficult time just getting down to it. Anyway, she told me that she'd had a wonderful idea for a story while she was doing the washing up, but thought the idea might have been used before. Then she thought she heard my voice telling her to get on with it anyway!
Yes, just about every idea has been used before. But you, dear writers, have your own way of telling a story that hasn't been done before. Do you know how many Cinderella stories there are? Hundreds I believe. They come from France, Germany, China, England, America, The African Continent, and many other places too numerous to list.
So yes, there are tons of stories about mischievous children (and please - it's pronounced MISS CHEE VUS'), even more stories about naughty dogs (I'm writing one now, even though a friend of mine wrote the BEST series of books about a naughty dog named Stanley. The writer is Linda Bailey. Be warned though, her books are so funny you'll laugh until you hurt). There are tons of books about a kid on a quest in an alternate universe. But guess what? Each one is told in a different voice, and each quest follows a different path.
So if you think of a story that might have been written before, remember that it hasn't been written by you. My friend in England - the one doing dishes instead of writing - is correct. She did hear my voice telling her to "Get on with it!"
p.s. Actually, it reminded me that maybe I should be doing some dishes!

It's 2009. Time to Join a Writing 'Family.'

2009-01-02T22:46:00.000-08:00

I belong to Children's Writers and Illustrators of British Columbia (Cwill BC). In fact, I'm the treasurer. That's not the sort of job they should have given someone who does math by connecting dots, but I'm thrilled to say that so far we've remained 'in the black.' That means we don't have to file for bankruptcy, so I'm doing okay.
Cwill is a big family (well over a hundred members). We talk to each other at meetings and through e mails. We ask each other for advice that relates to writing, illustrating and publishing.
'How much did a pint of milk cost in 1884?'
'Were any of the roads in Paris paved by 1322?'
'Where can I find a medieval Spanish lullaby?'
'Does anyone know a good literary agent?'
Questions like that come up all the time.
It helps to have a writing family. There are at least two writers I know that I 'talk' to regularly by e mail. We give each other advice, tips, suggestions and encouragement. Now and then I cry on their shoulders ("Boo hoo. How can I make this plot believable? Why won't this character work?") Once in a while they cry on my shoulder. Every writer needs that kind of support.
Do you have friends who write? Maybe you could get together sometimes and discuss the problems you have as writers, or the things that work for you. Help each other out. Everyone knows something that other people don't know. Share. That's what families do.

Read!

2008-12-29T08:54:00.000-08:00

When your words just won't come, read someone else's. I must admit that I'd done so much writing and re-writing lately that I've been feeling a bit like an empty jug. I need time to fill up with creative juices.
I'd left my novel for a while, to do a bit of writing on another story. Then I had some inspiration for something I'd been playing around with for a few years. I'd wanted to write a short play for children based on one of my books. No matter how hard I tried, nothing seemed to work. Then yesterday the idea came to me, along with the notion, 'Keep it simple.' I'd been making it much too complicated. But between all that writing I was reading a murder mystery, just for fun. Now I've finished that and it's time to move on to something else.
Yesterday afternoon I read 'Screaming Mummies of the Pharaoh's Tomb II', by James Howe. It's a very funny children's book. Now I'm reading 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard,' by J.K. Rowling. I like the fairy and folk tale genres. I like to write in that style sometimes. You should try it, by the way. It's a good writing exercise.
If you don't mind a reading challenge there's a series of books that date back to the 1920s which I find very funny and clever. It's the 'Just William' series by Richmal Crompton. You might have to order them, or go to a library. The one I have in front of me is 'William the Pirate.' It was first published in 1932, but the humour still works beautifully today. It's just that the writing style is not as simple as the styles we are used to these days. Anyway, I think the whole series has been re-printed. Give it a try.
Finally - I'm not a fast reader. I'm a very slow reader. Maybe you are too. Who cares? Just read at your own speed and enjoy - while you fill up with creative juices.

The Gift of a Story

2008-12-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

This year I didn't send Hanukkah cards. Instead, I attached one of my many Hanukkah stories to my email greetings.
For those of you celebrating Christmas today, why not write a Christmas story for your family? What a wonderful gift. It's something they can keep forever that's part of you. When my son was little he would often dictate stories to me that I would write down in a special book. I still look at them and marvel at his creative mind. If you want to do it that way, ask your dad or mom to grab a pen and notebook and just make up a story off the top of your head. Sometimes your own imagination can surprise you.
If you are reading this now, on the West Coast, it's 10:20am. So find a quiet corner and get writing.
If you live a few time zones away, you can still make it. If that doesn't work, there's always Boxing Day or New Year's Eve. If it helps, just scribble down some ideas first.
Snow, sparkle, firelight, mountains, elves, smell of pine, icy pine cones, mysterious stranger. Well, you get the idea.
Have a great day!

Always Carry a Pen and a Notebook

2008-12-23T22:19:00.000-08:00

Here I am, prepared to scribble!

Book Launch at Vancouver Kidsbooks - 2008

2008-12-23T20:31:00.000-08:00

I'm the short author in the middle of this illustrious group. Lee Edward Fodi is on the left, James McCann is holding the cup, I'm clinging to my Brilliant 'Honey Cake' editor, Cindy Heinrichs, and Dan Bar-El is on the far right, looking like the cat that ate the marzipan mouse.
Children's Writers and Illustrators of British Columbia (Cwill) is a great organization for those of us who sometimes need to hang out with our own kind.

Sewing, Knitting, Writing. Same Rules Apply.

2008-12-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

Have you ever done any dressmaking? First you are down on your knees fitting pattern and fabric together - pins in your mouth, scissors at your side. Then you take your work to the sewing machine and put it all together with tiny, perfect stitches. But after all the blood, sweat, tears and creativity - it doesn't fit. You love it - but it's not quite right. The skirt part is okay, but the collar is all wrong, the belt's an inch too high, and it's a bit snug around the armpits. Nice bodice though. Too bad it has to be either taken apart and re-sewn or given to someone smaller and thinner.
I've never actually been able to sew, but I remember knitting a cardigan, following the pattern religiously, and the finished cardigan was absolutely lovely - but three sizes too small. I know it was three sizes too small because that's how many times I had to unravel the thing before it finally fit me. I had to change the needles and I had to change the size. The pattern hadn't worked for me.
Well, now I'm unravelling parts of my novel and putting it back together. I loved it the way it was, though now I see some of the errors of my ways. My publisher ripped into it the way a bunch of kids rip into a birthday pinata. My brilliant editor was gently critical, offering possible solutions, and doling out a little encouragement and praise when I actually came up with some solutions to my own problems.
Today I felt I needed some distance, so went back to another unfinished masterpiece-in-the making. I hadn't looked at it for months, and now I can see it with fresh eyes, as if someone else had been writing it. 'What clever person wrote this chapter, I wonder? Oh - t'was I!"
When a cardigan goes wrong, knit a scarf until you're ready to go back to it.
When the dress doesn't fit, sew something else for a while.
When the novel is in pieces and spread all over the floor, go back to one of the other stories you have on tap. And don't tell me you don't have any. Every writer has a pile of unfinished stories.
Happy Hanukkah!

Chillblains Anyone? Why not Write a Winter Tale?

2008-12-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

There is snow on the ground in Vancouver. Beneath some of the snow is a sheet of ice waiting to send me flying. Doctor's orders are to walk (but not to skate and fall). What a dilemma. On the positive side, snow can inspire a story. I've written plenty of snow stories in the past, but you might be thinking of one right now. You might be chewing on your pencil, or your computer keyboard, and thinking, "Hmm, a story with snow. How do I get the feeling I have about snow across to my readers? What kind of story shall I write?"
No publisher has ever shown much interest in my snow covered tales ... well, no, wait a minute, that's not entirely true. One of my best Hanukkah stories came back to me with such a heartwarming rejection letter, that I almost felt sorry for the publisher. 'We love your story .... it deserves to be published ... but ...' I wanted to put my arm around the editor's shoulders and say, 'There, there, don't feel bad. I know someone's going to publish it one day.' And who knows, maybe they will. Never let rejection stop you from writing stories.
When I was a child I loved snow. I mean I loved it up close and personal, as opposed to high up on the mountains, which is where I prefer it to be nowadays. I love the way it looks - in the distance, framed by the branches of frost-covered evergreens. A bit like a postcard.
Back in the old days (the nineteen fifties, if you must know) I would go outside in my wellington boots, inside of which I wore a pair of my own socks covered by a pair of my dad's socks. My wool mittens were woefully inadequate, though my pom-pon hat served its purpose. As I built my snowman with soot covered snow (I lived in an industrial city in the North of England. It was decades before I realized that snow was white) the snow would fall down my wellies and soak my socks. By the time my snow person was finished my feet were frozen.
"Don't put your feet too near the fire," my mother would instruct, "or you'll get chillblains." I always disobeyed. I always got chillblains. I'm not very good at science (although I think I might ask my good friend Shar Levine about the chillblain effect. She's the sciencelady.com)
Here's what happens. You take red, cold wet feet, put them close to the flames of the coal fire that's burning in the grate, wiggle your toes until hot and, 'voila!' they end up covered with red, itchy, lumpy things. The more you scratch them the worse they get, and Mother will always say, "What did I tell you? But will you listen to me? Oh, no. What do I know? I'm only your mother."
What else do I remember of childhood snow days?
Houses did not have central heating or double glazed windows. On very cold days, and nights, frost covered the window panes inside and out, and I could use my nail to trace patterns, or create little pictures, in the frost. Sometimes nature created those patterns without my help. They looked like giant, glittering snowflakes on the glass.
The robins in England (called robin redbreasts) are much smaller and redder than North American robins. My mother would throw out food for them and they would gather in the snow and bob for crumbs. Red and brown birds pecking about in the twinkling snow (and soot) - against a backdrop of trees on which the leaves had been replaced by icicles. The setting for a fairy tale waiting to be told.
Something else I've noticed. A blanket of snow seems to transform all sounds into a whisper.

So, kids, those are some of my wintertime memories and observations. What are yours? Stop chewing your pencils and write something!

Re-Write Nightmares and Chicken Soup

2008-12-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

Yes, re-writing can be a nightmare. Here I am, instructed by my doctors to take it easy and not stress (how do people obey instructions like that?) and I spent all yesterday trying to re-write my brilliant novel. I'm not telling you this to discourage you. Absolutely not. I want you to write, and re-write, and you have to trust me that one day it will be very satisfying and worth the effort. Now back to my problem.
I'm not one of those writers who says to herself, "I shall now write a story that will appeal to boys between the ages of six and eight," or, "I'm going to write a book for teenage girls," or "Just wait until the newborn babies hear this one!" No, I don't do any of that. What happens is that I get an idea and start writing for me. I finally get to a draft that I think is as good as it can be - knowing it will never be that good. I drink a celebration cup of tea and send the manuscript to the publisher.
The publisher sends me an email that says the POV (point of view) is wrong. The book must appeal to ten year old boys. Okay, he has part of a point. So I have to do two things. I must not give up my story and compromise so that it is not mine anymore, but I must remain true to myself whilst following the publisher's rules.
As I re-write I see that it just might work, but I still have to have a couple of other points of view in the story. It's a problem, but one I'm going to try to solve. I'll imagine I'm a scientist, and my formula is not working, so I have to take away some of that and add a little of this to take its place.
Actually, to give him credit, my publisher (I hope he's my publisher!) said it was like a recipe for chicken soup. A little celery, a few carrots etc.
Hmm. Maybe that's what I need. Chicken Soup for the writer. I'll keep you posted.

Hospital Tales

2008-12-16T09:26:00.000-08:00

I spent a couple of days in hospital this month. It wasn't much fun (the food was like airplane food used to be, in the days when they actually fed passengers). However, I met some very dedicated and smart nurses and doctors. Two nurses in particular stood out as possible characters for a story. Yes, even on my bed of pain, and despite having to take pills that made me feel woozy, my mind was at work. Parts of it, anyway.
There was one very intelligent, brisk, and efficient, but quite funny, young nurse. She was training another nurse who was obviously new in that ward. He was doing his best to follow all her instructions - and doing very well. He too had a sense of humour. Nurse Bossy-Boots and her trainee nurse made a good team. And they helped me to feel better.
When I got home, and my mind was a bit clearer - no more pills dulling my brain - I came up with a funny story of a little girl who has to decide what she wants to be when she grows up. Of course, she eventually decides to become a nurse. I wrote the story the day after I arrived home and did a couple of re-writes after that. Naturally, if I ever want to have it published I'll need a couple of extra re-writes at home, followed by more of the same if a publisher accepts it. But for now I'm simply sending it as a thank you gift to the nursing staff at the hospital. Don't worry, I already sent a thank you card to my surgeon. I didn't think of a story about him, but give me time. He might show up one day as a character in another book. As I said before 'It's all material.'

Of Course You're Not Crazy! You're Creative!

2008-12-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

When I was on my recent Ontario book tour I told a couple of school groups that it was okay to have crazy ideas, and to use your imagination. 'It probably just means you're a writer.' At least three students looked very relieved. One of them came up to me and said she wanted to be a writer, a movie director and an actor. 'I dream my movies, and I even see the credits at the end,' she said. I told her to keep on having those dreams. 'My guess is that one day they'll come true.'
Yes, I meet a lot of talented, creative children. It gives me hope for the future of books (and art, and music).
I'll tell you about another of my stories that came to me out of the blue - my picture book 'Josephine's Dream.' I was watching a book review show on t.v. when someone mentioned a book that I hadn't read, but I'd seen the cover. 'That cover was very colourful,' I thought. And then the word 'rainbow' popped into my mind, followed by the working title 'Josephine's Rainbow.' In other words 'colour' let to 'rainbow' let to 'Josephine's Rainbow.' Yes, I know, the book became 'Josephine's Dream,' but that was much later. And if you want to know what rainbows have to do with Josephine, well, you'll have to read the book.
I'd always admired the late, great, Josephine Baker, but until that moment it never occurred to me to write about her.
So - and I think I've said this before - pay attention to things that pop into your head. They might lead your imagination somewhere interesting.

You Live in an Interesting Place!

2008-12-12T19:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, kids, you do live in an interesting town, city or village. You just might not know it yet. Or maybe you come from an interesting country, with lots of history, but you don't live there anymore. Maybe your family members know a tale or two. Ask them. Listen closely. Take notes.
I only learned recently that some of the places I used to vacation as a child, have fascinating histories, with deep, dark secrets, going back hundreds of years. After researching them on the net, and asking people in the know to tell me more, I began writing a fictional story based on those fascinating anecdotes, legends and bits of history. I also went through my collection of childhood vacation photos to jog my memory. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll soon be able to revisit and explore these old vacation haunts. Next time I'll pay more attention. You'd be surprised at just how much inspiration you can get from simply being in a place - and paying attention.
Are you writing a scene that takes place in a park? You could invent your own park (great idea) or you could look as some photos of parks, gardens or playgrounds. Better still, take your notebook into a park, sit on a bench, walk around, swing on the swings.
What does the air smell like? How does the bench feel against your legs? How does the air feel on your face when you swing high? What colours are the flowers? Is someone walking a dog? Does the dog remind you of a dishcloth on legs? Or is it a greyhound, reminding you of a skinny fashion model?
Now, go home, look at what you've scribbled in your notebook, and decide which ideas you want to discard and which you want to use. And remember, you can still invent your own park, but just add bits and pieces from your experiences of the park you know. You can make your park a lot bigger, or much smaller. Don't forget, in fiction almost anything is possible. ('What if?)
Your park might even be on another, as yet unknown, planet. In that case, I guess everything is possible.

To Young Writers Everywhere! 'It's All Material.'

2008-12-11T11:27:00.001-08:00

That's right, everything around you is material for a story, a piece of a story, a snippit of dialogue, a description. When students ask me, 'Where do you get your ideas?' I tell them, 'The same place you get yours.' You just have to pay attention and recognize an idea when it hits you in the head.
I'll give you an example - without going into too much detail. I was surfing around the internet, looking for a hotel in one of my favourite, small English towns. Not that I could afford to stay there, you understand, but I have a great imagination. I could imagine staying there. I found a lovely hotel that listed some local tourist sights, one of which had a very interesting history, involving a colourful and highly disreputable character. 'I've been to that place!' I thought. In fact I had a photo of myself in the jail cell where that disreputable character had finally been locked up (over 300 years ago). In the photo I'm sitting on his prison bed - very uncomfortable.
'What if?' I said to myself (lots of stories begin with 'what if? and also 'why not?') 'What if I wrote a story in which this man was one of the background characters?' In other words, the book wouldn't be about him, but he'd show up now and then and somehow influence the plot?
In three weeks I'd written 18,000 words! I now have 23,000 words. I've never actually written so quickly, but don't worry, I know that not every one of those words is brilliant. That's what re-reading, editing and re-writing are all about - not to mention proof-reading. Writing isn't ALL fun and games. Anyway, I hope a publisher likes my story as much as I do, and if that happens I'll keep you all informed.
So here's your exercise. Take a character, any character, from history. Let's see now - there's Florence Nightingale, George Washington, Louis Riel, Amy Johnson (look them all up if you don't know them!) And how about Charlie Chaplin? Now, just imagine a situation where you'd least expect them to show up, and plonk them down, right in the middle of your story. A little girl is at the beach and sees Charlie Chaplin walking his dog. A shepherd boy is watching his flock when Amy Johnson flies her plane onto his field. A kid is lost and in danger, and Flo Nightingale comes by and helps him hide - and maybe gives him a bit of medical attention.
I know, those are all ideas I could use (perhaps I will), but you know what? There are plenty more where they came from. Enjoy writing!

Later That Day ...

2008-12-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

I forgot to list my books. You should read them all, especially if you are between the ages of newborn to 99 (or older). In fact you could read them to your unborn child. But speak up, I'm not sure about womb acoustics.

Picture Books: 'Shira's Hanukkah Gift' (also known as The Kugel Valley Klezmer Band) illustrated by Richard Row. Scholastic Canada
'Sadie the Ballerina' illustrated by Bruno St. Aubin. Scholastic Canada
'Josephine's Dream' illustrated by Chantelle Walther. Silverleaf Press

Chapter Book: 'Honey Cake' illustrated by Cynthia Nugent. (The cover of the U.S. edition is illustrated by Joanne Renaud.) Tradewind Books (Canada) and Random House (U.S.)

When I figure out how to add links and photos etc. you'll see them here. So watch this space. Well, not all the time. Go away and eat, or read a book - one of mine, perhaps - or take a walk. But don't forget to take that notebook and pen!

Born to blog

2008-12-10T14:07:00.000-08:00

My friend Cynthia tells me I'm born to blog. So here I am blogging. But I won't let this blogging thing distract me from writing my stories. I read something today in a newspaper about a writer who gets her best ideas while jogging. She carries a bag with her containing a pen and paper for whenever she's inspired. That's what I do, except that I don't jog. I walk a lot, and talk to myself, and write notes to myself.
For those of you who want to know where ideas come from, they're all over the place and they pop into your head, and you should pay attention to them - if you want to write stories. Maybe you should still do it even if you don't write stories. The thing to remember is that when you least expect it - in the shower, shopping for tomatoes, running for the bus, in math class or at your best friend's wedding - ideas will come.
So, don't leave home without a notebook and pen. Just don't take them into the shower.
Watch this space for more bon mots. Joan Betty Stuchner, Dec. 10/08