Christmas themed blog! WOO!

So it's a little bit early, but since this *may* be the last blog for a awhile, I thought that me and Donald would go all out, that we would have an extravaganza to celebrate Christmas and all the good tidings with it! Great idea right?

Well, maybe not all 'happy' tidings are abound...

Susan Morrison, the author of Home Front Girl, recently did an interview on the Cynsations blog abut her story in which a young girl Joan Wehlen Morrison (her mother) talks about her everyday life in the span of years between the Depression and the years leading up to World War II. Since my class Writing for Children is covering nonfiction, I thought I'd explore her experiences in covering Joan's life, especially since she would explore the fundamentals on what makes an interesting story, something I've been exploring every blog post. Susan was inspired by her mother's unique personality that's portrayed even through deep and complicated entries: her mother is "a vey smart girl, who reads a lot, is witty, self-ironic, and philosophical." This perspective explores the "political situation as war is brewing in Europe" being "totally riveting"since it's coming from this teenage girl that isn't writing from a European perspective but a U.S. home front one. 

Of course, the book covers a multitude of themes that the teenage mind would muse upon: "the war and politics; romance (plenty of necking!); nature; speculations about the meaning of life and God; literary musings; and just beautifully written passages." Joan's life is much different than the one today's children experience, with no television or internet, but even so, there are many similarities on an emotional level [not to mention, Joan did go to movies].  Susan even incorporates some of the drawings that her mother sketched on her diary entries. 

Susan also believes that diary keeping can be very fruitful in training children to become stronger writers: "often you can have your most profound insights on days devoid of action where you are just thinking and daydreaming." I agree that this is true: it's very important to ponder things in silent moments. But the hook in Susan's story is an 'ordinary' teenage girl coming of age, trying to gain her own footing in a world that is about to collapse. But I would imagine there is a ton of character development in the story, since diaries are often intimate and show a variety of musings. I think character development is a missing ingredient in many movies and television shows--many shows focus on being 'edgy' or 'action-packed' or even 'witty' but miss what having a soul can mean to a show. But I think making a character "larger than life", making them quirky and imperfect and complex is the key to making a story reach the reader. 

Now, who wants to set up the tree?

Light and darkness...

So I'm hanging out with Donald. He's a lot quieter this week, I wonder why...

So anyways, I was checking out the Cynsations blog and stumbled across a guest entry Sarah Beth Durst about her new story Conjured. She describes the novel as her "darkest" with an atmosphere of "disorientation and ominous chaos." Though the story deals with complex topics such as magic wielding serial killers and blocked out memories, the story carefully interjects humor into the story. But the story also creates a clash theme wise as it adds 'light' to the darkness of the story. In one page, there's a discussion about the deliciousness of bacon, but even in such a light-hearted moment there's horror as the main character recollects more traumatic events. Sarah, the author, feels strongly about "contrast...darkness is meaningless without light." She elaborates: "but from a sheer writerly standpoint, lightness-- be it kindness, happiness, humor, even anger disguised as humor-- can be a powerful tool...it can add meaning to the dark...it can increase the reader's emotional investment...it can be used to deflect, defuse and disarm, to charm and seduce, or to belittle and crush...it can be used to hide and reveal."

Of course, it is a difficult balance: "too much light in a thriller, for example, and you run the risk of sapping away the suspense...too little light, and you run the risk of being unrealistic and melodramatic." I certainly agree: I think in many ways the trend in television in particular is filled with dark and gritty shows (many Netflix hits such as Arrow, Continuum, House of Cards, etc) all focus on darkness to hook the viewer. Then there's like Supernatural that incorporate a bizarre humor throughout the show event though much of the episodes center on a lot of violence and relationship ending disputes. Personally, my favorite shows are the ones that incorporate a lot of humor, that don't take themselves too seriously, but do have their share of serious moments. One of my favorite shows, Chuck, is more of a comedy than a drama at many points: the protagonist is quirky, witty, self-deprecating, but there's always a 'hook' in the story, always plenty of action and high stakes whether it's own his life or the people around him in danger. One of the most popular and beloved animes, One Piece, features a protagonist named Monkey D. Luffy that barely is serious at all: he is always poking humor at his surroundings, is dimwitted and clumsy, but it's these quirks that makes the anime so unique and makes him one of the most beloved anime characters ever. And it also makes it more special when Luffy is completely serious: when he stops smiling and grows angry, it reels in the audience because they usually admire Luffy's calmness and light-hearted nature. The humor in these characters makes them more unique and 'larger than life' in a sense as they find strength even in the worst moments.

Like the article writer mentions, sometimes humor can almost be haunting and jarring: it can deepen the moment because of the clash between light and darkness. What makes Sarah's comments so interesting and profound is that incorporates 'light' as an entity: kindness, humor, etc. which makes it hard to discuss all of it's facets: but it is true that adding 'light' in the darkest moment in a novel can add uniqueness to a character even if it's about to lead to the catharsis of the story (the most stressful moments that everything had led up to).

Thanksgiving Themed Edition

After taking a break so I could regain my composure after dealing with Donald Duck's antics, I'm back here to now take a look at some interesting points by my beloved Cynsation's blog. Now since I won't be posting on Thanksgiving, I figured I should at least add a shallow Thanksgiving theme to this post and add a few unflattering pictures of Donald. Yay!

I don't know where this picture came from or who uploaded it originally...I don't want to know.

Upon reading some of the interview with Ron Bates on October 23rd (on Cynsations), I wondered about some of his points: he asserted that first person allowed his main character the most freedom to showcase his personality, and thus, much easier to insert humor into it rather than in third person, where it relied on an unknown voice. This struck me, because in many works I've used third person from an unnamed point of view. It was very interesting, especially since I had just read over many parts of one of my favorite stories, Daisy Miller by Henry James. In this book, though it primarily focuses on Winterbourne's thoughts and attitudes towards the world around him, the account of the story is told by a gossiper who is sharing with the audience this 'scandal' that unfolds. I think this kind of storytelling is effective because it adds an extra layer: the reader doesn't know how much is truth, yes, much is assumed to be truth, but it also adds more 'wood to the bonfire' so to speak because it enforces the haunting nature of gossiping and making judgments from it. 

Of course, this is a different scenario than Ron Bates, but it does make me wonder how much of the narrator's identity should be made known in third person, or how much it can be 'played with' as in the novella Daisy Miller. Ron writes: "I let my main character, Howard Boward, tell his story...it changed everything...Howard was someone I knew--I could see his face, I could hear his voice." Upon reading this quote, it made me almost experience the excitement Ron must have felt when he was able to channel the voice of Howard by using first person. Now, after reading this quote, I did disagree with it somewhat: I thought that voice could still be utilized in third person, but it did get me wondering how much authors can 'twist' the conventions of each perspective, and if third perspective could be freshened in different ways. While I'm not sure if third person 'characters' are necessary, or first person is necessary even for comedic pieces, it did make me wonder about the liberation there can be in shifting perspectives. 

Now, to enjoy some Thanksgiving feast...

Spooky Tales and Tips

Ladies and gentlemen me and Donald Duck are back to bring you a unique viewpoint and outlook on the writing for children genre. We've gotten a break, so we're refreshed and ready to go!

Uh....his sleepy look is spooky..

So I was scrolling down the Cynsations blog when I read an interesting phrase: "unlikeability is a tool in the writer's toolbox." To me, this was kind of an odd phrase because I've never really thought of that as necessary to write a compelling book, much less a children's book. Sarah Aronson, the guest writer of this article, writes: "I prefer 'different' over 'beautiful.' I want to read stories that offer me something less safe and perhaps, a little more edgy with lots of moral ambiguity. As a reader, I enjoy entering the world of someone who in real life I would despise, despicable characters, characters that are not all that nice, complete with endings that make me more unnerved then content." This is very interesting outlook that I haven't really considered. 

Personally, I agree and disagree. In many cases, the villain (in antagonist form) truly becomes the focus of a story. Look at many of today's movies and shows, they focus on the villain at the beginning of the show and explore their motivations, sometimes more-so than the hero (case in point, General Zod in the blockbuster hit Man of Steel in many points drives the story). Of course, the trend in superhero blockbuster movies is to make the villain almost cartoonishly evil, but this is part of the charm of comic books, and often the cruel nature of the villain provokes an almost animal like aggression from the hero. And though there are many heroes and arch-types, that's not to say there aren't famous "evil" protagonists. Case in point, Saul gets a ton of attention in Scripture and drives the story as he wages war against Israel's enemies. Saul continually disobeys and seeks plunder for himself, but then there's a part of him that wants to be good. I would still say he's unlikable though. Perhaps this does fit the bill because there's some moral ambiguity: Saul shows potential, and vows to do good, but ultimately fails and fails. But to me, I think that a story works best when there's an underdog. Saul's complete descent to madness, when he's a lunatic and not redeemable (truly detestable), is best depicted when he faces the underdog in David. They are very much alike, but David truly does chase after God's own heart (not just professing it). In another hit show, Smallville, there's a very intricate twist of this: there's the underdog Clark Kent (before he was Superman, he's an angsty and love driven teenager), who befriends Lex Luthor (we all know he's going to be the villain but here he is insanely likable). Over the course of the show, Lex Luthor becomes more and more unlikable, but that's part of the story: viewers want to see what will drive Lex Luthor into madness, into becoming a super villain. So I surely agree that dislikable characters can drive the story and carry some positive traits, but I think often times they can only be the protagonist for so long until the underdog hero takes over the reigns. It's an interesting thought to consider that some readers would truly want "to spend some time in a body that they would never want to be in real life." 

I really enjoyed some of the tidbits of Chapter Eight of "Writing Great Books for Young Adults" where it lists tips in bullet form (here's some of my favorites, most helpful): "people to not use proper grammar...conversation involves give-and-take between people...people exaggerate and often lie...silence is part of conversation...there's many speech hesitators such as 'uh', 'well', 'you know.' That's certainly true: dialogue should be believable and unrobotic. Quirks in speech and mannerisms helps make a story unique: whether it's a character using excessive hand motions, a character avoiding eye contact, someone pulling out their phone at a particular moment in the conversation, etc. All of this is important and makes a character unique. And I surely agree conversation is a 'give and take', it's like two characters throwing ideas around back and forth. The quirks in speech and mannerisms can be used to show the wit of a character, nervousness, confidence, and the subtle details can be the most important in shaping a character. Often times interruptions and short fragments will be used in conversation: this can set up almost a rhythm or a musical effect. Pacing is very important, to have a balance between humor and seriousness, etc. 

I'm laughing and seriously about to place my palm on my face. 

Things are starting to get almost...almost....spooky

It's almost Halloween and things are getting terrifying.....including Don's usual Halloween costume choice...

Oh, you fancy huh? So here's the weekly roundup: the first article I read, I feel is timely, though it isn't perhaps as crystal clear as far as concepts go. It certainly pertains to writing young adult fiction, though, and what the substance of a show is about. On the Cynsations blog, Cynthia Smith talks about the Glee tribute to "Finn Hudson", one of the main characters of the show. Personally, I've never watched more than the first episode of the show, but I know that the tribute has been described as touching and beautiful around social media sites. Now, Glee often tackles contemporary or universal issues, so naturally people wondered if it would delve into the addiction that Cory Monteith struggled with. Yes, this makes logical sense, but the thing is Cory's character (Finn) on the show never showed the same struggle with drugs and alcohol. As Cynthia writes, "theme only resonates when fiction rings true...consistency is the key to resonance." So instead of incorporating drugs or any cause of death into the show, the writers left it open and unanswered, instead focusing on the impact of Finn's character. Finn's character was compared to Superman on the show, making his quarterback character almost part of this 'superhero' archetype. But even if Finn's character had glaring weaknesses, the show didn't mention drugs as one of them. Yes, it would've made sense on one level to try to tie in real life and the story, but it wouldn't have fit into the cannon.

 Instead of focusing on the 'cause of death' of the character, the tribute episode focused on the impact Finn's character made: a popular quarterback who intermingled with music and singing along with diverse groups around him. As Cynthia notices, would a cause of death randomly added ruin the tributes effect? I think it's an extremely tough question, but I think that would've shifted the focus away from his legacy that he added. So, in some ways this may seem like it doesn't apply to young adult writing, but I think it does. It tells us that consistency is key, and characters that are both realistic yet inspirational are ones that readers really do treasure. Weaknesses are fine to impart into writing and should be there, but it's wise and productive to gradually build those weaknesses (and the root of them) in writing rather than just add it on a whim or without some kind of backstory.

Chapter Five in Writing for Great Books for Young Adults delves into the building blocks of creating the foundation of the plot. I thought it was very interesting that it advises "don't have too much plot: character do not have to have a crisis or deal with threats every few pages...too many characters, story lines, subplots, and too much action will quickly lose younger readers...breaks in the action are important for the characters to reflect on what has happened, consider the current situation, and plan their next move...this will help sustain the suspense and ramp up the anticipation of watching the character move into the next action scene...the author should focus on the protagonist and his reactions to advance the story." This to me is very interesting because it reminds me of an important issue that every show must cover: pacing. I notice the pacing of a TV show or movie so easily now: generally, there will be minutes and minutes of an action scene or chase scene and then there's a break (like a breath) for humor and comic relief. This allows the reader to rest, or at least be caught off-guard when something else loud happens!

At first when I read that paragraph, I disagreed with the book, since some anime's (that I would say apply to young adults) pack in a ton of action and characters and subplots all at the same time. But indeed, they have tons of reflection by the main characters once these subplots or new characters are introduced. Many times, the inner thoughts of a character in these anime shows will be expressed or they will reason with themselves verbally, or perhaps name out what their going to do to something else (even if that person is their enemy). Indeed, anticipation and suspense are needed and are important, pacing is pivotal whether it's writing young adult television, books (maybe chapter breaks), movies, etc. As I learned in my scriptwriting classes, television is like this very much so--there should be a lingering question or plot-twist right before every commercial break to build anticipation (for the big 'fight scene' or cliffhanger or something). Or like many shows, the character will reason with themselves and have an epiphany of something they didn't know, something shocking, which is perfect for a chapter or commercial break. Indeed, the pacing of any story is important, for it to have a balance of action along with moments of rest or stillness as a character learns or or muses meditates on what is ahead or what has just happened.

Creatively annoying Donald

Welcome one, welcome all. It's a new week which means new and exciting articles! Yes!!! Donald Duck can't wait!!! I told him he'd get to discuss this weeks blogs/chapters with me so I pulled him away from his weekend at the spa.

On the very interesting Cynsations blog, there's an interview with a (announcer tone): New Voice in the writing world: Annamarie O'Brien who speaks about her hit new story "Lara's Gift." She speaks about how researching this story took her years upon years. It's set in Russia and thus, required a lot of creativity especially to research how life was like in the Imperial era in Russia. Though she lived there and had memories of the area, some of the details she wanted were more obscure to find. Two years passed before she was able to choose what kind of business one of her character's owned (she chose a bell foundry industry). She says this was important because by integrating bells into the story she could increase tension, show emotion, and 'poke' at the senses by having this bell sound clang throughout the story. She also described that the beginning of her story was very difficult, so she eventually decided to integrate a prologue into the story. Such a decision was something she tossed around for awhile, but she didn't know whether or not prologues were necessary or acceptable in contemporary stories. In a sense, the answer to this lies in her first point of advice: trust yourself. She also lays out two more tips: give yourself goals/deadlines, and never give up hope.

The interview to me shows that solving specific details of a story can take time, and that's okay, because those details uncovered can really strengthen a story or enable the writer to integrate a lot more than they would've been able to without it. It also shows that research is okay and sometimes necessary when dealing with historical things: it can be fascinating, and those obscure details you find interesting can likely [or at least can be tweaked to] be what the reader will find interesting. And it also shows that sometimes unconventional means, such as using a prologue or epilogue can be effective and utilized, though some may frown upon it, each story is different. I mean case in point, look at the epilogue in the Gospel of John. None of the other Gospel's have such an epilogue (or some of the closing paragraphs). There shouldn't be a "yes" or "no" answer to such conventions, just the notion to trust ourselves.

For an appropriate seasonal choice, there's also an interview with Charlotte Gunnufson on her new story "Halloween Hustle." The first thing she discusses is the long process of being published: she started sending out her story in spring of 2008 and didn't get publication until 2013. She says things like her critique group and magazine pieces and just clinging to hope helped her continue on even though it took such a long time to get published. Her inspiration still comes from what re-invigorated her writing career: the acclaimed movie Pursuit of Happiness, which inspired her to pursue happiness rather than achieve it. In other words, we are full of joy when we are almost to our goal, not when we actually grasp it: "we are happier when we are almost there." This shows that patience is often necessary when dealing with writing, but the process can be exciting and lead to fruitful endeavors. See Donald you should be patient...

For more tips, there's the book "Writing Great Books for Young Adults" by Regina Brooks. The First Chapter lays out some simple but often overlooked tokens of advice: the first of which is that the 'heartbeat' of the story depends on the ability of the writer to convince the reader that the protagonist is one of them. This is really all about authenticity: a writer has to be able to channel kids voices and emotions and thoughts, it has to be grounded and realistic: even the most larger-than-life personality should be relatable and have the same struggles/hardships/doubts/joys that teens/kids have. The second tip is to not be condescending to your readers. This really goes hand in hand with the first tip: kids can understand complexities, it shouldn't look down on kids, it should build them up. The next tip is to read young adult fiction because it'll teach you further about the diction of children, what is popular, and the complex plots writers are using. The next tip is to silence commercial thoughts because that will limit your self and you will focus on what is 'mainstream' or trends or what you think people will like rather than the originality of the story. This ties into tip number five: to forge a new path--to blend genres, use off the wall but relatable characters or something of the sort. This will set your book as the proverbial city on a hill, a light that shines a different hue from all the rest of the lamps.

Okay Donald, you can go to your spa.

it's time for...the weekly club meeting!

This week me and the Don Duck are taking a look again at some of the "hot topics" of children's writing. We will be checking out some interesting blog articles. Now I don't know if Don is happy to be here since it seems he'd rather be doing his favorite hobby (swimming in money while dressed like Scrooge). But I'll win him over..I think.

Checking out the "Blue Rose Girls" I stumbled over an article only a few weeks old that covered an interview with Diana Wynne Jones where she gave out a variety of writing tips. She also spoke about her own writing strategies, such as the fact she usually doesn't plan out the middle of the story before writing. Though she plans it far in advance, she only etches out the beginning and end and a general idea of the middle for continuing. I think this is interesting because it still incorporates careful planning and a vision in mind but also allows for growth and free thinking since ideas can freely build on the other, while still keeping that total "vision" of the story in mind. Planning out every detail can limit growth or that feeling of instantaneous creativity while writing a story.

She also spoke about the importance of knowing every detail of every character in the story, for that will help any writer not get 'stuck' with trying to figure out what happens next: for it will create natural connections and the objectives will intertwine almost automatically. Diana also clarifies that you don't have to tell the reader a majority of these details, but some things, such as the appearance or quirks of a character will shine through naturally through your writing if you are keeping the specific details in mind. I agree that careful planning will help and knowing all the details about the character and their 'quests' will naturally aid any author in coming up with plot ideas.

Diana also dispensed some quick 'tid-bits' such as how she usually just "pours out" what comes to mind and gets the story down, then in later drafts becomes critical and 'weeds out' what doesn't belong. This is helpful to at least discard some notions that the first draft must be free of errors completely.

She also recommends modeling villains after someone we know. I think this is very interesting and unique advice, since our anger/outrage at this real life villain will shine through our story and make it thus a very natural/heartfelt villain. I think this is a very interesting idea especially if a writer swings a wide lasso and incorporates villains throughout history or even contemporary celebrities or public figures that they consider villains (perhaps unusual villain choices), but of course personal life villains could also make for a heartfelt or at least comedic (perhaps picking on tired McDonald's people that get the order wrong, or something trivial) mood. Speaking of villains....

Over on the Cynsations blog, there's a brand new entry interviewing Amy Christine Parker about her new hit work: "Gated." She talks about the difficulties that arise when developing a character with a totally different personality than the writer has. This is especially tough because you have to hone in on how that character would react to different situations compared to how you (the writer) would react to those trials or problems. Not to mention there's the fact that her main character has been an outcast from society, effectively exiled, thus she doesn't know all the modern slang that most of our society would recognize. But she found her main character Layla's voice by talking about her origins, her back story, how she got to the current time where the story begins.

She also describes a growing process (which can last months or even years) of how a character grows and develops organically in the writer's mind. It only makes sense, since many writers meditate on their main character for hours and hours trying to 'nail down' their quirks, expressions, fears, strengths, objectives. Like the blog on Blue Rose Girls I talked about earlier, Parker recommends creating a character profile to know even the small details of a character: their musical tastes, clothing preferences, food favorites, etc. Recording these details can help refresh and ultimately hand ideas to the writer when they need them.

Indeed, knowing the backstory of characters is important and certainly a productive exercise that can be integral to forming more of the 'ground' for the foundation of the story to rest upon. It can ensure that each character is unique and vibrant and distinctively different from one another. These tips of course can apply to children's writing but also the art of writing in general, adding some wise advice for writers to wield.

Ok, you're free to go Donald.

Oops, wrong Donald. Here we go. Looks like you're trying out a new hobby allright.