IWSG: Ray Bradbury on Rejecting Acceptance

First, I just wanted to thank my readers for the thoughtful comments they left for me over the weekend when I shared about some stuff that was making me feel uncertain about where I was as a writer. You guys are really AWESOME! 

Today is Insecure Writer Support Group day. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh for hosting.

A year ago from today, Ray Bradbury passed away. He is still missed. His writing has always pushed me to think about topics that many people prefer to overlook- xenophobia and the suppression of free speech, for example. Here's one quote of Mr. Bradbury that I reach for on days when I remind myself why it's important for me to stand by my values:

“You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance.”

Many of us are taught that rejection is a part of life (especially if you're a writer!) and that we should accept rejection with grace. The idea of knowing when and how to reject acceptance is less common. But this is a very important awareness to have, especially when winning the approval of someone or something comes with a price tag or an unspoken agreement that you must leave part of who you are at the door when you walk into the Mansion of Conditional Acceptance. 

Please take my word for it when I say that at the Mansion of Conditional Acceptance, the wine sucks. And it's okay to spit out bad wine, and walk out. 

(That's just one example of how Mr. Bradbury's words have encouraged me to think.) 

Have you ever rejected acceptance? 

Kidlit Authors Support Oklahoma Disaster Relief

My friend Kim lives in Oklahoma. Her hometown is Moore, where an EF5 tornado recently struck. Things have been very tough and stressful for Kim and her loved ones these past few weeks.  Recently, I found some really wonderful kidlit authors who banded together to host Red Cross fundraisers in support of the Oklahoma disaster relief efforts.  

Here are two fundraisers I've come across:

Hosted by The Lucky 13s, Friday the Thirteeners, and The Enchanted Inkpot, Kidlit Authors for Oklahoma offers donors a chance to win giveaway prizes for each $10 donation that is made. 

Kate Messner, an author who hosted an auction after Hurricane Sandy hit, is currently putting together a giveaway called Kidlit Cares for Oklahoma Book Giveaway where a minimum donation of $10 is required. 

While it'd be nice to support other kidlit authors' efforts to fundraise, of course, we can also donate to the Red Cross without participating in these fundraisers at all. 

If you hear about other fundraising efforts to support the Oklahoma disaster relief, feel free to mention it in the comments section.

If you live in Oklahoma, or you have friends or family living in Oklahoma, and you just want to express your thoughts about what's going on, feel free to leave a comment here. 

Author Interview with Director/Producer/Screenwriter Chris Columbus

Chris Columbus has done a bunch of really awesome stuff, including writing the screenplay for The Goonies (I devoted an entire post to The Goonies last month), and directing the movies, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Having written HOUSE OF SECRETS (Balzer + Bray) with co-author Ned Vizzini, he is now officially a children's book author as well.  

I got to interview Chris Columbus face to face when I attended his author talk last month at the San Jose Public Library. The event was hosted by Hicklebees, a fabulous kidlit bookstore. 

HOUSE OF SECRETS, a MG fantasy novel, is about three siblings who discover that their new house in San Francisco can drift straight into the stories written by the home’s former owner, an author of books with occult themes. While combating live skeletons, creepy pirates, and the evil Wind Witch, the kids are also on a quest to find the The Book of Doom and Desire, a wish-granting object. HOUSE OF SECRETS captivated me with its twisty magic, non-stop action, and occasional warm and fuzzy moments between siblings who need to fend for themselves without the protection of their parents.  

From my interview with Chris Columbus: 

How did you write your story?

It’s a matter of figuring out the characters, the storyline, and doing a summary for the book. This started out as a screenplay in 1999. I did 90 pages. It felt too big for a movie- it would be too expensive- so I put it in a drawer, and I went off to direct the first two Harry Potter movies. When I came back to America four years later, every couple of years, I’d take the manuscript out of a drawer and try to figure out what to do with it because I loved the story. Two years ago, I decided it’d make a great novel. So I hired a co-writer so I could still make films while I was writing. It took us two years to finish writing this. It all worked out, and we’re happy with the book and proud of it. We hope this book will help get kids into reading.

What is your philosophy on writing about magic?                                            

The rules of magic are the rules you set up. I don’t look at books about the occult or anything.

How do you develop your characters?

I’ve had 23 years of experience raising children so I base a lot of these characters on my own kids. You want the characters to feel real, to be three-dimensional. Character growth and development is essential.

Is there anything else you’d like to add? 

We’re hoping the book is successful enough so that kids would read it and tell their friends about it. My goal is to have kids walking around on the beach reading this book during the summer.   

From Chris Columbus' author talk:

On how he gets his dialogue-  He listens to his four children talk during dinner time.

On having J.K. Rowling critique his writing- After reading one of his drafts, J.K. Rowling gave him the advice to slow down with the writing and reveal more character, and that’s what he worked on during his revision.

On films he is most proud of working on- He's happy he got to direct the Harry Potter movies and Rent, and produce The Help.

On getting to direct the HARRY POTTER movies- He sat down with J.K. Rowling for two hours at a café where he told her his vision for the movie. After she heard what he had to say, she said that was her vision too.

On dealing with writer’s block- He runs every day.

On his favorite books from childhood- He loved comic books. He read a collection of Ray Bradbury short stories, and it changed his life. He also liked THE AVENGER series by Kenneth Robeson, stuff by Charles Dickens, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, and THE CATCHER IN THE RYE.

On attending New York University’s film school at Tisch School of the Arts- His parents were both factory workers and he knew when he went to film school, he didn’t have any choice but to make it and carve out a career for himself in film making.

On why he hasn’t written a sequel for The Goonies- Chris said, "If they’re 35 years old, and they’re still riding around in bicycles looking for treasures, that’s pathetic. If [people] want more Goonies, then they should read HOUSE OF SECRETS.”

...As for me, I'd still consider aging Goonies as the cool kids, even when they’re playing Mah Jong in pajamas with their dentures put on wrong.

Characters with Unlikeable Characteristics

While main protagonists in well-received novels have their share of fans, they also have their share of anti-fans, as I call them. On online venues, these anti-fans often justify their dislike for a character with reasons such as these: 

1. The character is whiny or breaks down too much.

2. The character is cold and unfeeling.

3. The character doesn't make the right decisions.

4. The character is passive about decision making.

5. The character doesn't seem to know what s/he wants.

6. The character is selfish.

7. The character isn't bright.

8. The character is too judgmental.

9. The character is boring.

10. The story is too character-driven.

Notice how these common character complaints are subtle foils of each other? 

Just because a character has an unlikeable characteristic, it shouldn't immediately make them an unlikeable character. I can root for a reasonably flawed character. Also taken into consideration is that I'm reading about the character within the context of the plot and setting they were developed for, and that s/he and I aren't trapped on an elevator together.

I'd often dismiss a review when a reader says they stopped reading the book after the first chapter(s) because they didn't like the character for a reason listed above, or something along those lines. Many main protagonists in books develop through the course of a story. Therefore, who a character is in the beginning of the story isn't necessarily who they are at the end of the story. (Although in some kinds of stories, certain characters don't undergo much change- for example, a sleuth in a mystery series is likely to maintain a consistent character- but for the purpose of this post, I'm going to focus on character arcs.)

I read THE SECRET GARDEN by Frances Hodgson Burnett years ago. At the beginning of the story, I saw that Mary was cranky and Colin was self-pitying. I kept reading and was rewarded with seeing the two children transform. By the end of the story, Mary and Colin were not the same people they were at the beginning of the story.

Sometimes characters need flaws, especially at the beginning of the story, in order for them to demonstrate growth as the story progresses.

In my current WIP, the MC has what could be perceived as character flaws. For instance, she has a bit of a chip on her shoulder. I imagine people who read the initial chapters of the book might dislike her for that very quality. But if this novel gets published (and it's a big IF), I hope people will read on and give my character a chance, and see how she evolves.

How often do you stop reading a book when you come across a main character with flaws?

Have you ever really liked a book even if you didn't enjoy the main character?

Author Interview with Claire Legrand

For this month’s author interview, I bring to you Claire Legrand, author of the MG novel THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS (Simon & Schuster). The book, a dark and delicious fantasy, is about a girl named Victoria who unravels the secrets of the neighborhood school where an evil headmistress holds children, including Victoria’s best friend Lawrence, against their will.  Reacting to the monstrously abusive approaches to “mold” the children at this institution, Victoria seeks out to take down the evil headmistress.

Claire was born in Texas, near Dallas. She has lived there until recently, when she moved to New York City, and then to New Jersey. This former librarian now writes full-time. How cool is that!

Any fun childhood memories you’d like to share?

One of my favorite childhood memories is actually hinted at in the dedication of THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS: “For my sixth-grade lunch table, who loved my scary stories.” When I was in sixth grade, I actually did tell scary stories to my lunch table, which consisted of several girls who are still dear friends of mine. For the most part, said scary stories revolved around Chucky, the possessed doll from the Child’s Play movies. To this day, I have still not watched any of those movies, but in sixth grade, I saw the cover of the first Child’s Play movie in Blockbuster (yes, Blockbuster! Ahhh the good ol’ days), and I was immediately haunted by the movie’s premise. I had nightmares about Chucky sneaking into my room at night! So obviously the best way to deal with these fears was to tell stories about me and my friends conquering Chucky in various horrific adventures. It certainly made lunchtime entertaining (and a bit gruesome)!

Have you ever come across a mean and nasty principal or teacher like Mrs. Cavendish?

Fortunately, I have never had to deal with a teacher or principal as horrid – or even a tenth as horrid! – as Mrs. Cavendish. I’ve been lucky enough to have a bunch of great, caring teachers over the years. I have, however, had teachers who intimidated me to the point of dreading to go to class; usually these teachers taught subjects that were especially challenging for me, like physics, math, and economics. Whenever this would happen, I would basically just grin and bear it and work twice as hard to get that A. I was like Victoria in that way: I was obsessed with my grades, almost to a fault. Your grades do not determine your self-worth, Past Claire! Don’t make yourself sick over them! It took me a long time to learn that.

I love how your story hints at the value of individuality without being preachy. What inspired you to write about this topic?

Well, first of all, I think there’s a lot of pressure on kids these days – on everyone, really, although kids, I think, are more susceptible to such pressures – to act, look, and feel a certain way. They’re constantly inundated via TV, the Internet, and advertisements with all these instructions about how to live their lives, what others look like compared to what they look like, the right emotions to have, the right emotions to stifle, the things they should want to buy and the things they shouldn’t, etc. Even when I was in middle school, before the Internet was so prominent in everyone’s lives, I felt this constant pressure to look prettier, dress better, and act cooler than I really was – I even forced myself to listen to the local Top 40 station so I would be listening to the “right kind” of music! (Even at that age, I preferred listening to movie scores and oldies.) So I hope that kids reading CAVENDISH see that there’s danger inherent in trying to be something you’re not, that the individual quirks society at large may tell you to stifle can actually end up saving you, and that people who pressure you to change who you are at your core are wrong, wrong, WRONG.

I thought the strong-willed and stubborn Victoria was a good match for the cold-blooded Mrs. Cavendish. What character development techniques did you consider when you reflected on how you were going to pit the heroine and the villain against each other?

When I started writing CAVENDISH, I knew only this about Victoria and Mrs. Cavendish: That Victoria was a snotty, judgmental perfectionist, and that Mrs. Cavendish was trying to make Belleville into a picture-perfect, flawless town—at the behest of many of Belleville’s own citizens. These two simple facts led to the obvious question: Was Victoria really so very different from Mrs. Cavendish? Victoria wanted to “fix” Lawrence, correct his faults and make him a “better” person; likewise, Mrs. Cavendish wanted to torture Belleville’s children into more “perfect” versions of themselves. The parallels between them were already there, from the beginning. I knew that Victoria would have to go through incredible psychological hardships during the course of the book in order to realize 1) that she and Mrs. Cavendish were in fact quite alike, 2) that she didn’t want to be like Mrs. Cavendish, and 3) what she could do to stop that from happening. I basically built the book around the parallels between Victoria and Mrs. Cavendish, and the eventual divergence that Victoria, as the heroine, would initiate.

There were lots of roaches in your story; they were even painted onto the pages of the book. Why did you pick roaches?

Basically because I. HATE. ROACHES. They are disgusting, and they truly, truly freak me out. Like, if I see a roach, I will panic and break out into cold sweats. I might even start crying. I don’t know what it is, but there is something about them that frightens me on a primal level. I really might be slightly phobic. When I realized Mrs. Cavendish needed some scary, magical “tendrils” with which to sift through Belleville—her eyes and ears, her doers of dark deeds—I thought roaches were a perfect fit for the job primarily because they freak me out so much. I knew that I could infuse my own terror of them into the story, and make it that much more frightening for the readers. I think we writers enjoy writing about things that truly scare us; it allows us a safe venue in which to explore said scary things without actually having to face them!

You mention on your blog that you like film scores. (I love film scores too!) What are your favorite scores to listen to while you write?

Oh, gosh. I have so many! I will try to keep this brief. While writing CAVENDISH, I listened to a lot of Danny Elfman—Edward Scissorhands, The Corpse Bride—as well as The Brothers Grimm by Dario Marianelli, Finding Neverland by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek, and Signs by James Newton Howard. While writing my next book, THE YEAR OF SHADOWS, I listened to scores with a more contemporary—but still whimsical—feel: Where the Wild Things Are by Carter Burwell and Karen O., Phoebe in Wonderland by Christophe Beck, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by Jon Brion. For my more epic YA work, I like Inception, The Da Vinci Code, and Angels & Demons by Hans Zimmer, the Battlestar Galactica scores by Richard Gibbs and Bear McCreary, and the Underworld scores by Paul Haslinger and Marco Beltrami.

I could go on and on! I’m always up for talking film scores, so any film score fans reading this, hit me up on Twitter @clairelegrand to chat!

Which authors/books did you like to read while growing up?

I loved Roald Dahl, Madeleine L’Engle, C. S. Lewis, 
R. L. Stine, Ray Bradbury, J. K. Rowling, Bruce Coville. I also loved THE PAINTED DEVIL and A DARKER MAGIC by Michael Bedard. Those last two are more obscure, but they are fantastically creepy. And one of my absolute favorite books in fifth grade (I read and re-read it obsessively) was THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH by Norton Juster. My fifth grade class actually CREATED the world of THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH in our classroom, with props and decorations and everything, and led our parents through it in costume, telling them the story of the book.

In high school, I didn’t read for pleasure very much. I worked really hard on my grades and was deeply involved in band—I was drum major, section leader, All-State musician, the whole shebang—but I did discover THE LAST UNICORN, by Peter S. Beagle, which is now one of my all-time favorite books.

In college, I discovered Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, and Robin McKinley. I think if you put the writing of all the authors mentioned here in a blender, that’s what I’m shooting for with my own writing.

Do you have any upcoming projects you’d like to mention?

Oh yes! My next book, THE YEAR OF SHADOWS, comes out August 27 of this year! Like CAVENDISH, it’s a standalone middle grade novel, this time set at a haunted music hall. It’s the story of Olivia Stellatella, whose family is very poor and lives in the back rooms of her father’s music hall (he’s an orchestra conductor). When Olivia discovers that the hall is haunted, she befriends the ghosts and tries to help them solve the mysteries of their deaths so they can move on. In exchange, they try to help bring in a bigger audience for the financially strapped orchestra; the “ghosts of Emerson Hall” craze sweeps the city. But there are other ghosts in the hall, too—bad ones—and they’ll do anything to keep Olivia’s ghosts from moving on. THE YEAR OF SHADOWS has its creepy moments, for sure—it’s a ghost story, after all!—but it has a much more contemporary feel than CAVENDISH. I’m so excited to share it with the world; it’s a very personal story for me, and it was so fun to write because I got to draw upon my past as a musician!

My third book is WINTERSPELL, a young adult re-telling of The Nutcracker due out in Fall 2014. This is a dark fantasy, a sexy, twisted version of The Nutcracker that centers around 17-year-old Clara Stole and her quest to find her abducted father, taking the reader from 1899 New York City to Cane, a land ruled by vicious faeries. I’ve been obsessed with The Nutcracker since I was a little girl, and I had so much fun writing this darker, more elaborate version of the story. (Also, after writing two middle grade books, it was fun to stretch my young adult muscles a bit, and write the romance between Clara and the cursed prince Nicholas, Cane’s deposed ruler.)

I’ve also recently opened a site for dark middle grade short stories with fellow middle grade authors Stefan Bachmann (THE PECULIAR), Katherine Catmull (SUMMER AND BIRD), and Emma Trevayne (the upcoming CODA). It's called The Cabinet of Curiosities, and once a week, one of us—we call ourselves the Curators of the Cabinet—posts a dark, creepy, or otherwise strange middle grade short story, with themes for each month (the theme for January was cake; the theme for February is love). It’s a super fun project, and I encourage any fans of middle grade, the dark and creepy, and/or short stories to come check us out!

I have a couple of other projects in the works right now as well, one young adult and one middle grade, but unfortunately I can’t talk about them yet! I love writing MG and YA, and will probably always write mostly that—but I do have some ideas for adult projects in the future, too. 

Thank you for contacting me for this interview. 

You're welcome!

Some Books I Read in 2012

I used to list my recent kidlit reads in a monthly post. My reading time took a dip last year while I managed my pregnancy and the arrival of my newborn. So I didn't have too many books to list for my regular monthly "books I read" post.  I ended up compiling the names of some of the books I'd read on a draft with the intention of publishing the list in early 2013.  So here it is:

1. SIDEKICKS by Dan Santat (Arthur A. Levine- Middle Grade Graphic novel) House pets compete to be the new sidekick of their superhero master.

2. PILOT PUPS written by Michelle Meadows, Illust. by  Dan Andreasen (Simon & Schuster- Picture Book)  Toy puppies fly through the house in this rhyming book. Check out my author interview.

3. NOWHERE GIRL by A.J. Paquette (Walker & Company- Middle Grade) A girl born and raised by an American mother in a Thai prison must venture out into the world after her mother's death. Check out my author interview.

4. A TALE DARK AND GRIMM by Adam Gidwitz (Puffin-Middle Grade) Two children leave their home and navigate through many dangers of the outside world. Check out my author interview.

5. MONEY BOY by Paul Yee (Groundwood- Young Adult)  A gay student who is kicked out of his home struggles with an opportunity to make money out on the streets. Check out my author interview.

6. DEAR BULLY edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones (Harper Teen-Young Adult) Authors share their personal experiences with bullying.

7. THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick (Scholastic-Middle Grade Graphic Novel) An orphan boy tries to finish the work his father had been doing before his death.

8. TRY NOT TO BREATHE by Jennifer R. Hubbard (Viking- Young Adult) A boy tries to recover from his suicide attempt. Check out my author interview. 

9.  THE RED THREAD: AN ADOPTION FAIRY TALE by Grace Lin (Albert Whitman- Picture Book)  A Chinese-born girl hears the story behind her adoption. Check out my author interview.

10. LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green (Speak-Young Adult) A boy attends a boarding school where he meets an intriguing girl named Alaska.

11. SCONES AND SENSIBILITY by Lindsay Eland (Egmont USA-Middle Grade) A girl tries to play matchmaker with the people in her life. Check out my author interview.

12.  THE THREE NINJA PIGS by Corey Rosen Schwartz, Illust. by Dan Santat (Putnam Juvenile- Picture Book) Three ninja pigs stand up to the bullying wolf.

13. THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS by Claire Legrand, Illust. by Sarah Watts (Simon & Schuster - Middle Grade) A girl unravels the secrets behind a mysterious school that holds children against their will.

14. TIME BETWEEN US by Tamara Ireland Stone (Hyperion-Young Adult) A girl meets a boy who is visiting from the future.

What were your favorite reads from last year? 

Kidlit Art Talk and Exhibit at the Art Museum of Los Gatos

Last night, I attended a children's book illustration panel discussion at the Art Museum of Los Gatos in the South Bay. Titled Children's Illustration A-Z, the event featured Susan Jaekel, a kidlit illustrator, Gennifer Choldenko, a Newbery-winning author, Summer Laurie, a former editor at Chronicle Books for Children, and Heidi Long, a librarian at the Los Gatos Library.

The hour flew by fast as the panelists answered questions presented by both Heidi, who was the moderator, and audience members.  One of the questions: What's the best piece of advice you can give others? 

Summer talked about the importance of having rhino-skin- and certainly, writers and artists need a thick skin to survive the publishing industry.  Gennifer mentioned the late Norma Fox Mazer for her philosophy of feeling one's way through a project instead of thinking the way. Susan remembered an instructor she had in college  who encouraged her to just follow her passion.

Something Gennifer said really resonated with me: "I'm never lonely when I write. I have my characters with me." Sometimes when I'm writing late into the night, and it seems like I'm all alone at my computer, my characters actually keep me entertained. And I think Gennifer's statement speaks to a larger idea---we're never alone as long as we have stories inside of ourselves to share.

Although the panel discussion was a one-night affair, a children's book illustration exhibition, Draw Me A Story- A Century of Children's Book Illustration and Storytelling in Pictures: From Idea to Art, will be sticking around at the Art Museum of Los Gatos from now through February 24. So if you live in the area, you should check this out.

The exhibition is pretty cool. And there's something unique that distinguishes how each of the featured artists show their interpretation of the universe. (I avoid using the word unique because it's so overused- like epic, for example- so I only use this word when I really mean it, and I do mean it here.) Susan Jaekel's animals with personality, Bob Barner's edgy dinosaurs, Yuyi Morales' dreamy, rich brushwork, and Emma T. Capps and Thi Bui's enlightening graphic novel excerpts are just a few of the many things I saw.

As a child, I loved drawing- I used to win all these random poster contests and hang my prize ribbons and certificates up on my wall. Back then, I'd even  fancied being both a children's book author and illustrator someday. But as I got older, I got sidetracked with other stuff and put my art on the back burner. When I heard about this art talk and exhibit, I attended with the intention to learn a thing or two more about picture book writing. But once I arrived at the museum and saw all the  awesome children's book illustrations on the walls, I thought to myself...maybe, just maybe, I can rekindle this old flame someday.

How do your characters keep you company when you write? 

How many of you are both artists and writers? How do you balance the two things? 

Artists of the images shown here, from top to bottom: Bob Barner, Susan Jaekel, Emma Capps, and Thi Bui