Leap into Madness!

Leap day!

Feeling poetic? Needing a challenge? Simply mad?

It looks like there are a few spots left in the “Friendly NCAA-style tournament for children’s poets.”

And I think I’ve signed up for the competition… Madness, obviously.

Join me! I’ll make you look brilliant!

What’s that? People like Jane Yolen and Julie Larios are playing? Well…. as the host, Ed DeCaria says, “You must accept that you probably won’t win, purely from a statistical perspective.”

But just think of all the lovely poetry floating around to welcome in spring.

Leap!

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

Read Full Post »

Pride in Bruises

My daughter is a competitive spring-board diver.

She works hard, practicing a minimum of 15 hours a week, most weeks a lot more. She spends time in their dry gym – which looks like a playground full of trampolines, mats, dry diving boards, and even a fire pole. I think that place produces a lot of laughter and camaraderie among the team mates, but it also produces sweat, pain and tears.

And then there is the pool time. They dive outside, all winter. Yes, it’s southern California, but it’s still cold. Really really cold. Especially when you are wet and wearing next to nothing. They hurl themselves off the board with great control. All year long, fear is up on the board with these divers. The point is to push yourself, always to push.

I don’t completely get it. But I love that she does.

My daughter is working on getting her back 2 1/2. She wants it. Bad.

Because of this determination she has the most tremendous bruises all over her upper arms, shoulders and back right now. She looks like someone beat her for hours. Or pelted her with baseballs. Something painful and relentless.

She is so darn proud of those bruises.

Instead of seeing them as her failures, she sees them as her badge of honor. A sign she’s doing the work. Making the dives that will take her closer to triumph – that perfect rip when she glides in the pool, making it look easy.

Writers get bruises too.

The awkward silence after someone hears what you wrote. The brutal critique group meeting telling you how you have it all wrong. Feedback from an agent or editor. The form rejection. The close, but no. Silence.

We need to wear these bruises proudly. They show we’re doing the work. Now, below, I’m repeating from a post I wrote what seems like ages ago. Back when the back 2 1/2 wasn’t even discussed or considered.

WAYS THAT WRITING IS LIKE DIVING

• You must put in the time/dives/pages to show improvement
• You must take risks
• You must have confidence
• You must be a little bit crazy
• It can be scary, thrilling, frustrating, exhilarating, maddening and the best–or the worst–thing ever
• You often need someone else to tell you what isn’t working
• Precision matters
• Sometimes you cry

I’m adding bruises to the list.

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

Read Full Post »

Meet Roo Fanshaw Star of The Humming Room by Ellen Potter

Author Ellen Potter has written a new book THE HUMMING ROOM inspired by the novel THE SECRET GARDEN.

Here is the description of the book:

Hiding is Roo Fanshaw’s special skill. Living in a frighteningly unstable family, she often needs to disappear at a moment’s notice. When her parents are murdered, it’s her special hiding place under the trailer that saves her life.

As it turns out, Roo, much to her surprise, has a wealthy if eccentric uncle, who has agreed to take her into his home on Cough Rock Island. Once a tuberculosis sanitarium for children of the rich, the strange house is teeming with ghost stories and secrets. Roo doesn’t believe in ghosts or fairy stories, but what are those eerie noises she keeps hearing? And who is that strange wild boy who lives on the river? People are lying to her, and Roo becomes determined to find the truth.

Despite the best efforts of her uncle’s assistants, Roo discovers the house’s hidden room–a garden with a tragic secret.

Today we have the honor of interviewing the star of this book, Roo Fanshaw. We have been warned that Roo can be a little secretive, so we’ll see what she’ll share with us today:

If you’d like to learn more about Roo and her adventures on Cough Rock Island be sure to check out THE HUMMING ROOM on February 28, 2012.

Happy Reading,

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

Read Full Post »

Every Author’s Dream- Congratulations James Burks

Friend of the blog, James Burks, shared some fantastic news last week. About a year ago he was contacted by a studio in the UK called Studio Distract. They were interested in developing his book Gabby and Gator as a television show. Here is demo for the show:

I am so thrilled for James. While I can’t speak for everyone, I think most authors would agree, that having a television show based on your characters would be a dream come true.

Congratulations  James, we wish you all the best,

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

Read Full Post »

Character Development With Dungeons & Dragons

I don’t actually know much about Dungeons & Dragons. For instance do you have to use “&” instead of “and” when referring to it? I know if I was more than a casual acquaintance I’d call it D&D instead of the whole formal name. A boyfriend in high school was super-embarrassed when I found out he played it… (I don’t even know if play is the right verb!) So of course I was intrigued at that time. But whatever he chose to tell me about it didn’t stick. My apologies to true devotees if I get something wrong here… But I think I’ve stumbled on to a cool tool for getting to know your characters and making sure they are well-rounded and complex.

It’s the Alignment System. From this Online Alignment Test page:

Alignment is central to a D&D character’s personality. D&D uses two measures to determine a specific character’s ethical and moral attitudes and behavior.

The moral axis has three positions: good, neutral and evil. Good characters generally care about the welfare of others. Neutral people generally care about their own welfare. Evil people generally seek to harm the others’ welfare.

The ethical axis has three positions as well: lawful, neutral, and chaotic. Lawful people generally follow the social rules as they understand them. Neutral people follow those rules find convenient or obviously necessary. And chaotic people seek to upset the social order and either institute change, or simply create anarchy.

Here’s a more in-depth analysis of the nine different positions. On this same site you can take a longer test or simply receive an incredibly thorough explanation of your character type – even with a list of commandments and sins specific to your character’s moral guide. It’s all kinds of awesome and thought-provoking!

Answer the questions for the test – as your character – and receive your classification, complete with a description of certain tendencies and personality traits. Assuming your character may change over the course of you novel, I’d suggest answering as he/she would at the beginning of the story. Or do both and see if growth and change happens. The questions assume your world is that of a fantasy – mine is contemporary, but I found I could still answer the questions. It’s interesting to think about a character’s role in society as well as his/her inner moral compass.

I’m definitely intrigued enough to play around with this a bit.

Here’s a Star Wars inspired alignment chart for example.

My character came up as a chaotic neutral – just like Han Solo!

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

Read Full Post »

Baggage and Joy

I had the pleasure, delight, absolute joy of hearing author-illustrator, Richard Jesse Watson speak on Saturday during a special event hosted by the San Diego Chapter of SCBWI.

Oh me, oh my.

Let me first say, if you are planning any kind of writer’s conference, retreat, event, and want to invite someone special, I highly recommend him. He is a passionate, funny, thoughtful and inspiring speaker.

Everyone was a-buzz and glowing after listening to him speak. I usually doodle during lectures and presentations. This helps me to listen and focus. Well, during Richard’s presentation, I made a few of my usual sketchadoodley doodles, but mostly I wrote doodle words. I kept hearing the most delightful phrases that I had to jot down. Ironic, as his illustrations are utterly amazing.

I am in awe of the lengths he goes in order to get his art right. When he illustrated Tom Thumb, he designed costumes for his son to wear so he could see how the fabric would fold as he moved. He makes models of things – for instance the sleigh in his version of The Night Before Christmas – to be sure he gets light and shadows exactly right. Gorgeous results! I’d love to see his studio.

I’d like to pass on a bit of his advice… These are not direct quotes, BTW, but the essence of what I grasped. I think his talk was the kind of talk where each person found something they needed, even if no one else heard it the same way.

Some of what I heard:

• Figure out your (emotional) baggage, your strengths, and your weaknesses – writing related and not – and use those things to write the stories only you can write.
• Tap into your passion and neuroses.
• Take life’s irritations and flip them – see them as gifts instead.

A creativity prompt he led was fascinating. He had us each either draw a quick picture of one of our characters or to write a brief introduction of him/her. Then we passed it to two different people who added and changed, aka “messed with” what we’d started with. Interesting results all around me! It’s a lovely way to jump-start thinking outside your own thinks. I will remember this one for classrooms and groups.

He made feel so privileged to be on this journey, to be working and celebrating the art of writing books for children.

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

Read Full Post »

Fun Friday! No Cook Valentine’s Day Treat

I found this recipe on the Divine Party Concepts site while searching for a Valentine treat for the family. This pretty little dessert uses Twikies and 2 other ingredients. What could be easier than that?

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp seedless red rasberry jam
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 2 Twinkies snack cakes

Preparation

1. Stir jam and 1 Tbsp water in a bowl until smooth. Add raspberries; toss gently to coat.2. Cut Twinkies in half diagonally, starting about 1 in. down from top left to 1 in. from bottom of opposite side. For each heart, put 2 halves together on 1 serving plate.  Spoon raspberry mixture over and around hearts. Garnish with mint, if desired.

Enjoy!

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

Read Full Post »

Picture Book Writing Tips

Many people assume that a picture book is the easy to write. They are fooled by the reduced number of words and simple story lines. The truth is, that picture books, if done correctly, are probably the most difficult type of writing. For those interested in writing picture books, I have found a great resource on marisamontes.com.

This informative page covers interesting notes on picture books such as:

The best rule on writing in any genre is that there are no rigid rules.  All rules on writing can be, and have been, broken.

Even though the rules can be broken, you still need to have a good grasp on the basic conventions, elements, and structure that make a good book.  This is true whether you’re writing a short story, a long or short novel, or picture book.

The page also covers the types of stories to write, and what editors are looking for in a picture book.

The structure portion of the page covers:

1.  Story

2.  Character

3.  Conflict

4.  Character Wants

5.  Eve Bunting’s Formula for writing

This page also covers:

Things to consider before you begin a picture book:

What is my book about?

What is the situation at the beginning of your story?

What is your character’s problem?  

What will be resolved by the end of the story?

Preachy test: Are you trying to teach a lesson?  

Is the central theme of your story kidlike?

Does it have a kidlike resolution?

Does an adult solve the character’s problem?

I would recommend this page to anyone interested in writing picture books or working on improving their existing stories.

While searching her site, I discovered that Ms. Montes passed away in August. I discovered this poem in her “Getting Published” portion of her website. I think it’s a beautiful legacy to someone who cared deeply for writing.

Write like nobody’s reading;
Read like time is forever;
Dance like nobody’s watching;
Love like you can’t be hurt;
Sing like nobody’s listening;
Live like it’s Heaven on Earth.

Happy Writing,

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

 

Read Full Post »

What Are You Reading?

I have been reading a whole host of fun books lately. These are books filled with fun characters or quirky plot twists. I thought I’d share a few of them with you:

I was introduced to this series by Alyson at KidLitFrenzy.com. The Dodsworth Adventures series is written and illustrated by Tim Egan.

Here is a description of the first book:

Dodsworth wanted adventure. He wanted to see the world. He especially wanted to visit New York City. What he didn’t want was to be joined by a duck. A crazy duck. A duck that misbehaves. Young readers will laugh out loud at the duck’s silly antics as Dodsworth has the unexpected adventure of his life in the Big Apple . . . and beyond.

Book Thoughts:

This is a clever, fun, series. I found myself laughing out loud at the duck’s antics. I wish these books were around when my boys were younger, it could have made reading even more fun. The illustrations and style of the book are reminiscent of some of the older James Marshall books.

The Trouble With Chickens by Doreen Cronin is a fun take on the old detective stories from the 1940′s.

Here is a description from the publisher:

J.J. Tully is a former search-and rescue dog who is trying to enjoy his retirement after years of performing daring missions saving lives. So he’s not terribly impressed when two chicks named Dirt and Sugar (who look like popcorn on legs) and their chicken mom show up demanding his help to track down their missing siblings. Driven by the promise of a cheeseburger, J.J. begins to track down clues. Is Vince the Funnel hiding something? Are there dark forces at work—or is J.J. not smelling the evidence that’s right in front of him?

Book Thoughts:

Short chapters and a fast paced story make this a fun read. Similar to many animated stories today, adult readers will pick up on some humor that children will miss.

The Wide Awake Princess by E.D. Baker is an unusual twist on the Sleeping Beauty story.

Here is a description from the publisher:

In this new stand-alone fairy tale, Princess Annie is the younger sister to Gwen, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty. When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie-blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic-can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen’s true love to kiss her awake.

But who is her true love? The irritating Digby? The happy-go-lucky Prince Andreas, who is holding a contest to find his bride? The conniving Clarence, whose sinister motives couldn’t possibly spell true love? Joined by one of her father’s guards, Liam, who happened to be out of the castle when the sleeping spell struck, Annie travels through a fairy tale land populated with characters both familiar and new as she tries to fix her sister and her family . . . and perhaps even find a true love of her own.

Book Thoughts:

This story is a charming, light, fun, twist on a fairy tale. Be on the lookout for some characters from other fairy tales as well.

Those are some of the fun quirky books I’ve been reading lately. Do you have any to share? I’d love to read a few more.

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

Read Full Post »

Discovery

Email Subject: OMG, Tanner found Jesus.

Hmmm… I thought. I’d never known the friend sending the message to be particularly religious. But not sarcastic or flip either. OMG?

Turns out his son, Tanner, was riding home from school and spotted a painting in the canyon.

He immediately recognized the painting as the work of Erik Wahl, a family friend and motivational speaker. Despite some initial skepticism on the part of his parents, Tanner was certain it was one of Erik’s Art Drops. From time to time Erik leaves works of art in public places to be found and claimed. Erik doesn’t sell his work. He donates his paintings to charity to the foundations and corporations he works with. And, allows observant fans to find them.

Being a big fan of Erik’s work, Tanner his dad made the trek – in the dark by this time – with a ladder and tools, to go into the canyon to retrieve the painting. Which was, indeed, one of Erik’s paintings – exactly what Tanner knew all along.

Erik believes that art can change the world. He’s leaving beauty in the most surprising places. I urge you to follow this link and watch the video at the bottom of the page. Amazing, I promise.

Where will you leave a bit of beauty?

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

Read Full Post »