Word Weaves

Pure: An Excerpt from Julianna Baggott’s New YA Novel

Susan Banghart — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:41:00 +0000

I just received this link for a sneak peak at Julianna Baggott’s new dystopian YA, Pure. So instead of a video, this week, I’m posting the link. Enjoy!

http://pure-book.com/

Blog Break

Susan Banghart — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:16:35 +0000

I’m taking a blog vacation for the next few weeks. My computer died today. Not that I was attached to it but in my opinion, there’s never a good time to buy a new computer. And it crashed the day I was to start work on a new website! (Lots of gnashing of teeth going on here.) I’ll try to post videos from some of my favorite children’s authors and illustrators while I’m away. Look for the first one later this week.

Writer, Writer, Fingernail Biter, How Does Your Story Flow?

Susan Banghart — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:42:48 +0000

The discipline I learned as an artist serves me well as a writer. I go to my workspace every morning, turn on my computer and write. Take a lunch break, return to my space and write. Afternoons are usually devoted to novel. I don’t stop until the words run out in my head. Sometimes, the story trickles out and I must poke and prod the characters. Sometimes, my head is so empty, it’s like dredging a dry lake. But still I type.

Then there are times, rare times, when the story rushes to the page. How does that happen? Is there a secret room in our heads that can only be opened by a gatekeeper with an ancient key? Or is the story buried under layers of junk and one day, someone comes along to tidy up. I imagine them sweeping and dusting, tossing heaps of mind trash into a bag; then their eyes widen as they uncover a mysterious tome waiting to be opened.

However it happens, I was blessed with such a time last week. I meant to spend the week on chapter eight but Wednesday, chapter nine would not be silent. I happily typed, because no doubt, when the muse speaks, I jump through hoops to keep the conversation going. By Friday, chapter eight was wrapped up and chapter nine almost completed. I knew I’d been handed a treasure and I was a grateful writer.

One Hundred Reasons to Mourn the Loss of Ink on Paper

Susan Banghart — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:38:55 +0000

Reason#19: The temptation to edit electronic material might drive writers crazy. It’s so much easier to alter an e-book. How will writers control the urge to revise? Many authors admit they’re never satisfied with the finished product. Some can’t bear to look at their books once they’ve been published, fearing disappointment. Oh, that book felt nearly perfect for a brief spell after they signed off on the prepublished copy. But you can bet by that night, despite their best efforts, their mind was already churning out improvements. In the good old print days, they had no choice but to gnaw on their frustration. Not anymore. Enter the magical virtual world, wave a mouse and tada! . . . a new edition pops up. I can imagine writers, obsessing over a book, trapped in a never-ending story, too distracted to move on to the next project. Ew, I have to stop. It’s giving me shivers.

Dick and Jane in the Twenty First Century

Susan Banghart — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:05:59 +0000

Lutz is an independent community grounded in the spirit of its resilient pioneers. On July 4th, they rise early to parade homemade floats and launch day long festivities in the park surrounding the old train depot. There are baked goods, hotdogs and firetrucks, and weaving through it all, children juiced with holiday joy. Around midday, someone taps on a microphone and announces the newly elected Lutz Guv’na, a purely unofficial position that goes to the person who gathers the most donations. The Guv’na usually makes outrageous promises like: An orange tree in every yard and the donations are distributed to local causes.

It sounds very American, doesn’t it? Or at least the America I bought into growing up. I learned to read on wholesome Dick and Jane primers. Then there was early television: Leave it to Beaver, Lassie and The Mickey Mouse Club, and movies: Mary Poppins, Shirley Temple, and The Wizard of Oz.

But we are definitely not in Kansas anymore. As the sun set on Lutz’ July 4th celebration, my husband and I hunkered down with our dogs, enduring the truckload of illegal fireworks our neighbors ignited and America turns a blind eye to. We raised the volume on the TV, with little hope of drowning out the explosions. In my childhood Florida, sparklers were about the only legal firework and the law was strictly enforced. Then again, in my childhood, Americans would have been horrified at reality TV and children’s books that deal with rape and drugs.

It’s hard to believe how far our sensibilities have stretched in my lifetime. America, the Land of the Free, feels like the Land of Anything Goes. And yet . . . when I scan the crowd at the Lutz event, I see many young families, enjoying the same innocent activities I did as a child. Dick and Jane books are still being sold and Disney continues to crank out mostly wholesome entertainment. It makes me wonder: What will writers will be writing in the future when the pendulum swings away from this time of excess?

One Hundred Reasons to Mourn the Loss of Ink on Paper

Susan Banghart — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:08:32 +0000

Reason # 18: Electronics are bad for the environment. I guess you could argue that paper is a precious, natural resource but books are more often recycled than tossed out. E-waste is not only hazardous but the EPA estimated 50 million tons of it is produced each year and in some countries, could increase by 500 percent in the next decade. How many people have already put the newest version of e-reader or e-tablet on this year’s Christmas list?

* EPA info taken from Wikipedia.

Writer Down a Rabbit Hole

Susan Banghart — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:31:02 +0000

Most of the members in my picture book group just returned from the summer SCBWI conference in Orlando. Last year I attended the event, my first ever writer’s conference. It was a joy to meet others who were passionate about children’s writing and a thrill to learn from the esteemed faculty. This year, I was truly sorry to miss the event.

I wondered, if I had gone, what genre would I have focused on? I’ve just caught the picture book bug and what fun it would be to do a workshop with my new critique partners. But the YA track would call like a siren to my novel-writing self and the artist in me would whine to do the illustrator’s intensive.

I imagined doing the YA track and meeting my PB buddies for lunch after the morning workshops. I’d listen to them chat enthusiastically about the PB presentation. Then one of them would turn to me and ask, “how was your workshop?”

“It was great!” I’d say, eager to share new knowledge. “ We explored third person limited point of view told in a present tense voice and . . .”

They’d listen politely and glance surreptitiously at each other as I raved about the alien land of novels. It’s tricky stretching between two genres. Maybe, I’m naive to attempt picture books when novel writing is still largely a mystery and I’m just beginning to grasp story. Like Alice, I feel I’ve fallen into Wonderland . . . a magical and daunting place.

*Picture book author, Rob Sanders recapped the Orlando PB workshop on his blog.

One Hundred Reasons to Mourn the Loss of Ink on Paper

Susan Banghart — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:24:58 +0000

Reason # 17: What Will Survivors Read After 2012? This week’s entry is courtesy of my husband, Scott. Prompted by the notion that the Mayan calender’s 2012 ending signals the Apocalypse, he wonders what survivors will do when there’s no electricity to power the Internet. Imagine all those virtual readers without Amazon and Google. They’ll need new skills to endure a world without infrastructure: food gathering, cooking over fire, building an outhouse . . . the list is never ending. How-to manuals will be supremely important. The old folks with actual book collections will become Ancient Wise Ones!

Fantastical Creatures Feature #2

Susan Banghart — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:47:28 +0000

My husband and I found this turtle lumbering across the road. Do his mounds of wrinkly skin and clawed-flipper feet remind you of anyone? Is it possible he inspired a famous Star Wars character like . . .

. . . Jabba the Hut? Jabba’s snout and googly eyes are clearly toadish but I’m guessing his tail and droopy skin owe homage to a turtle.

Maybe it’s not fair to label this turtle a villain. I can see him as a somewhat baffled, official. Perhaps a mayor or chief of police. He doesn’t look like he’s having a very good day, does he? It seems the citizens of Tortoiseville are giving him indigestion.

*Jabba’s pic credited to TheFullWiki

One Hundred Reasons to Mourn the Loss of Ink on Paper

Susan Banghart — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:34:47 +0000

Reason #16: Where’s the thrill in turning an electronic page? Seriously. I’ll set the scene: It’s one A.M. and your snug in bed, your knees tucked to your chest and the covers pulled tight. Lamplight spills on the page of the dark mystery you tried and failed to put down at a decent hour. Reassured by the presence of your significant other snoring beside you, you dare to turn another page. Does the villain pounce and your heroine escape?The thrill is in the page turn.