Book Thoughts: Thinking Like a Kid by Jerry Griswold

Theme is difficult thing to teach. It seems to fall into the definition of I can’t tell you what it is, but I know it when I see it.

Jerry Griswold, an emeritus professor of literature at San Diego State University, names five common themes from classic and popular works of Children’s Literature in his book, Feeling Like a Kid (Johns Hopkins University Press).

What he’s describing as themes seemed to me to be common characteristics seen in stories for children, but he explores the deeper meaning of each characteristic and explores why these situations work and are used repeatedly in a satisfying manner. And why they could be themes.  Throughout his explorations I could feel his utter respect for children and for their specific needs – and for the books that provide a richness to that part of life.

From his charming and thoughtful book:

• SNUGNESS: Pleasure is taken from a tight enclosed place, a secret hideaway. Snugness is a bastion of security and a safe anchorage where the soul’d calmness can be restored and well-being enclosed.
• SCARINESS: Fear is more acute in kids’ lives. Whether threatening or pleasurable, scariness confirms the experience of living. It wakes us up.
• SMALLNESS: A child’s fascination with small worlds may be related to his or her own size, but it could also be a reflection of their diminished power. It all comes down to scale and comparison.
• LIGHTNESS: Interest in flying and floating abound. Could be an interest in leaving pressures and worries behind. Or, it could represent a child’s innocence of the world and its rules and weights.
• ALIVENESS: Talking animals and toys – the aliveness of things makes for a personable world. In this sense, a child is never alone.

I hope you find these ideas as interesting as I do to think about!

Sarah Wones Tomp

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Cake Friday: Lemonade Layer Cake

It’s been a long time since I posted a recipe for Cake Friday, but when I saw the recipe for this Lemonade Layer Cake on myrecipes.com I knew I had to share. If you’ve been a reader of our blog for any amount of time, you may have heard me mention my allergy to chocolate. It’s yummy treats like this that help me not miss chocolate so much.

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
• Cooking spray
• Frosting:
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition.
3. Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
4. To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients (2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.
5. Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Happy Baking,

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

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Book Thoughts: The Mythic Guide to Characters by Dr. Antonio Del Drago

Title: The Mythic Guide to Characters

Author: Dr. Antonio Del Drago

Publisher: Mythic Scribes 2013

Review Source: Review copy provided by author

Book Description: 

How do you create characters who are so compelling that they hook readers from the start?

As a professor, writer, and philosopher, Dr. Antonio del Drago has immersed himself in the literary and mythological traditions of the world. His search for answers led him to uncover the common elements behind all great myths and stories.

Applying this knowledge to the writing of characters, he has developed a layered approach to character creation.

In this guide, you will discover:

• The secret to writing multidimensional characters
• How to develop your character’s unconscious motivations
• Four ways in which characters interact with their worlds
• Five formative relationships that shape your character
• Nine mythic archetypes and how to use them
• The difference between proactive and reactive protagonists
• Ways to define a character through dialogue and physicality

The guide also includes a detailed worksheet that walks you through the stages of character development.

This is more than a book on how to write characters. This guide offers a practical, step-by-step approach to character creation that is sure to take your writing to the next level.

Book Thoughts:

When I was approached by Dr. Del Drago to review this book, I was unsure of what I would find. But I decided to give it a chance and I am glad that I did. The Mythic Guide to Characters is a well thought out and interesting book. Using simple every day language, Del Drago introduces theory and process, as well as the various types of characters useful examples and explanations.

 

Here are some of the things I found helpful:

• Real world examples are taken from work that most people are familiar with, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Harry Potter Series,  Jurassic Park and The Godfather.
• The theories explained in this book can be used by beginners as well as experienced authors.
• While written with a fantasy writer in mind, The Mythic Guide to Characters can be used to help other authors develop well-rounded and interesting characters.
• The handy character sheet at the end of the book helps you apply all of the principles learned throughout the book.

Please note this is not a step by step guide but is more of a theory book that can be especially helpful for newer authors.

Happy Writing,

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

 

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Food and Wine with the “Gabors”

In what has become a Mother’s Day tradition(see previous posts here and here), I joined the women in my family for lunch at a winery the Saturday before Mother’s Day. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with family news and encourage one another with good food and some liquid refreshment.

My mother and her sister’s never fail to entertain and once again they earned their nickname “The Gabors.” Now I don’t know about you, but when I think of the Gabor sister’s I think of jewels, rich living and feather boas. It is for that reason that I made each one a wine glass with it’s own pink feather boa (see picture above). They were a huge hit.

One of the things that Gabor’s are good at is encouragement. This year we celebrated with my cousin and Junior Gabor, Vicki. After two years, she has just met her weight loss goal of 97lbs. I think that deserves a huge standing ovation and I am very proud of her accomplishment. Way to go Vicki.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and got to celebrate it in a special way.

Cheers Daaahling,

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

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Friends in Thinking (and Longing)

When Lin Oliver, President of SCBWI, spoke to the San Diego chapter last year, she said, “There is no friend like a friend in thinking.”

I wouldn’t still be writing without those friends of mine. The ones who read my work at its roughest and ugliest. The ones who let me read theirs. The friends who are willing to peek into the deep dark corners of my brain and heart and soul to help me see what’s there. The friends who I can trust to tell me the truth about my writing. And, going the other way too–the ones that trust me with their hopes and dreams, one scene at a time.

The great thing about writer friends is their collective brilliance. They think about things that matter; to me, and to the world. They are creative and surprising. Oh so entertaining! They make me laugh. And cry, but for the right reasons. They are aware. They feel things and admit those feelings.

It wasn’t so long ago that I was in a dark dreary place with my writing. I was feeling the utter fatigue – and despair – of writing into a kind of void. As my Super Blog Buddy astutely pointed out, “You and writing just aren’t getting along right now.”

I hated that I needed outside validation to mark my writing as worthy. But, at the same time, I’d set off on this path with certain goals in mind. Namely, getting published. And if that wasn’t going to happen, then I needed to reevaluate my life. Because writing had completely consumed my life. That’s what I did. That’s what I thought about. Talked about. Obsessed about. Between my kids getting older and handling their own social lives – no more play dates and outings with play groups – and using every spare minute for writing, other friendships have faded a bit.

All my very best friends are writers. So, as I contemplated this revamping of my life, I had to imagine it without these friends. Without, perhaps, any friends. I started plotting my disappearance. The way I’d gradually back off from my critique group. The way I’d stop posting with my weekly check-in group. The way I’d live in a dark, damp cave.

And then, I received a bit of support. Finally, someone – who didn’t know me, who didn’t have any particular obligation to – liked something I wrote. All of a sudden, I didn’t have to pack my cave bag. I don’t know if I would have been able to see my cave plan through. For now, it’s put on hold.

The other night I had dinner with a new writer friend. A friend of a writer friend who was visiting San Diego. Of course we had plenty to talk about. But one thing we talked about  - of course – was rejection. And disappointment. Sorrow. The need to acknowledge it and own it. That’s much harder than feeling it.

And then, because life is like this, my dear friend Tam wrote this post about longing. A must read for writers. Must read. Must.

That’s the hardest thing about having these writer friends that I adore. The ones I think with. I feel their rejections and disappointments almost as deeply as my own. I love their stories. I believe they have something important to say. I know their work is good and strong and true. I feel their deep primal longing, right beside mine.

Yours in thinking,

Sarah

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Spirals, Layers, and Yiggers

I write in spirals.

I always start a new something thinking I can write in a straight line. That I can begin at the beginning and travel onward. But, inevitably, as I write, I realize all the places where I’ve gone wrong. And then I have to toss those bits and circle back to try again. And then I get a little deeper in the story… until I’m wrong again. Circle round again. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

I’m working on a new novel. Of course it’s a mess. Unsure what it wants to be.

I’ve forgotten how very immense that first circle is. How I want to include everything. I can’t even get my arms or head around the space of it.

But, as I recently tossed a big old chunk of words and scenes, chucking out hours worth of writing, I felt a bit giddy. I realized I’d tossed an outer layer of that first circle. The next layer is a tiny bit more solid, a little bit more manageable. I’m moving in slowly, getting the teeniest closer to the center.

I was going to compare it to an onion, with a nod to Shrek. As Shrek explained to Donkey, ogres are like onions. They both have layers. Stories are like ogres and onions – they have layers too. And sometimes they make you cry.

But I can’t stand onions (aka yiggers.)

Circle round, y’all.

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

 

 

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More Kissing! More Kissing!

I belong to a brilliant critique group. We have deep meaningful conversations and thoroughly examine each other’s work. We are always striving to make each story stronger. We’ve discussed theories of story structure, point of view, psychic distance, and other narrative choices. Very intellectual!

We’ve also developed a sort of mantra: More kissing! More kissing!

It started like it sounds. I was writing a YA novel and they were impatient to see my characters’ interest and desire payoff.

But, somewhere along the way, it has started to make sense for other stories too. I’d even say all stories. The thing is, all stories need love. Whether it’s a passion for something (as I talked about here), or for someone, love interests readers. It makes us care and sympathize.

And the kissing – well, that’s the physical expression of love. It doesn’t really have to be kissing – but physical, actual, active demonstrations of love help us believe the emotion.

It’s Katniss jumping in and taking Prim’s place in The Hunger Games. Or the moment when Winn-Dixie leans into Opal the same way she was leaning into her daddy after the fateful thunderstorm at the end of Because of Winn-Dixie. Leaning = Kissing

This love – and showing it – can make all the difference in a story that’s simply a clever idea. For instance, in the picture book, The Black Rabbit, written and illustrated by Philippa Leathers (Candlewick Press), Rabbit is scared of the Black Rabbit he sees traveling close by. We realize it’s actually Rabbit’s shadow – which is clever and funny. A bit of a gimmick. But it’s more than that in the end. Once Rabbit has come to appreciate Black Rabbit, “Hand in hand, they bounced off across the field.” 

I think that line – that line of physical action (paired with the sweet illustration of them actually holding hands) – makes this story memorable and satisfying. It’s not simply clever, it’s full of heart – full of love. It’s the kissing moment.

More Kissing! More Kissing!

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

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Writing by Not (Writing)

Sometimes my writing break-throughs are when I’m not actually writing.

So much of writing is thinking. But consciously thinking – forcing the thoughts to be brilliant and original and all-around perfect and fabulous – rarely works for me. Thinking while doing something else is much more likely to be productive.

Some of my favorite writing by not writing techniques:

• Making something. Cutting, pasting, painting, weaving.
• Weeding.
• Listening to music, really loud.
• Obsessively fixating on some kind of minute and tedious chore.
• Driving.
• And always – to the point that it might actually be writing – walking the dog.

Or sometimes it’s writing in a different form.

I was greeted with a poem this morning, written by a friend. It’s the first poem I’ve read by her. If she hasn’t been writing poetry, she should be. Made me want to write a poem too.

My critique group is looking for more ways to spark creativity and writing – any suggestions for us?

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

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Thoughts and Prayers

It’s a funny thing about blog posts, some days I plan ahead and have them ready to go, other times I just write about whatever comes to mind that morning. The post I had planned for today involved Mr. Peabody and Sherman from an old cartoon from my childhood and their Wayback Machine, but I felt compelled to put that post on hold.

This week our country has seen two major tragedies unfold, the bombing at the Boston Marathon and now the explosion of a fertilizer factory in Texas. Both stories are filled with images and tales of loved ones lost or injured. Each story tears a little piece of my heart.

It is easy at a time like this to feel helpless. Living thousands of miles from those who are hurting, you wonder what you can do to help. I saw this quote from Peter H. Reynolds on Facebook following Monday’s tragedy and it got me thinking. I may not be able to help those in Boston or Texas, but I can help someone here near me. Maybe we could direct our concern for those hurting to bring a little light to the people closer to us.

Today I plan to make a little more light by helping someone in need. It doesn’t take much energy and I think we need all the light we can get.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who were injured or lost loved ones. I truly hope that you find comfort, peace and strength. I think it’s time for the rest of us to go out and make some light.

Peace,

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

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Craving Pancakes

One of my favorite mid-grade novels is Neil Armstrong is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino. I am pleased to announce that author Nan Marino’s newest book Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace is being released today:

Here is a synopsis:

Eleven-year-old musical prodigy, Elvis Ruby, was supposed to win the most coveted reality show on television, Tween Star. None of the other contestants even came close to his talents. But in the middle of the biggest night, with millions of people watching, Elvis panicked. He forgot the words to the song. He forgot the tune. He forgot how to play every single instrument he’d ever known and froze on national TV. So Elvis must run from the paparazzi camped outside his door and spend the summer working with his aunt and cousin at Piney Pete’s Pancake Palace in the remote wilds of New Jersey. It’s the perfect place to be anonymous, that is until Elvis meets Cecilia, a girl who can’t seem to help blurting out whatever’s on her mind.

I can’t wait to read it.

In honor of the release, I’ve decided to search out some fun pancake recipes. I found a great post for 13 Fun Pancake Ideas on Simply Sweet Home. Here are some of the fun recipes in the post:

Charlie Brown Pancakes

Lucky Charms Pancakes

Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes

Yum!

Happy Reading and Eating!

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

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