Friday, November 30, 2012
Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving
Posted by
Jill
First, a huge THANK YOU to those readers who linked back to our Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving posts and/or wrote thankus of their own:
Linda at Teacherdance.
Betsy at Teaching Young Writers.
Linda at Write Time.
Ramona at Pleasures from the Page.
Margaret at Reflections of the Teche. And a second post.
Leanne at Leanne Pankuch - Children's Writer.
Stacey at Two Writing Teachers.
And Jan, thanks for sharing your thanku in our comments section, too.
Woot! So fun and inspiring to read all of your lovely and touching thankus. We appreciate your participation.
Gosh, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm having a hard time believing that tomorrow is December 1st. What happened to November?! Well, one good thing about flipping the calendar page is that tomorrow is "Take your child to a bookstore day." So please visit a local bookstore, if possible, and spread the love.
This is my last post for awhile, so have a happy holiday season and a beautiful and blessed 2013.
Happy writing!
Jill Esbaum
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
A long-over-due ThankU...
Posted by
Esther Hershenhorn
What
fun to see my October 12, 2011 Thanku post blossom and bloom in such original and meaningful ways.
What
an honor (and surprise!) to be a Thanku recipient
too.
And thank you, our TeachingAuthor readers, for both nurturing the concept and transplanting the poetic form via your students, colleagues and website visitors.
As
for who receives my Writer Thanku this
year, I really and truly grew a very,
very VERY long list of all those
who helped me become a Writer, especially a children’s
book writer.
Alas,
the bounty of companions who kept me traveling my Plotline
boggled my brain.
Mentors,
such as Barbara Lucas.
Teachers,
such as Bernice Rabe and Charlotte Graeber.
An
entire international society of children’s book creators!
Editors
(Assistant, associate, senior and executive.)
Publishers,
such as Holiday House and Sleeping Bear Press.
Children’s
Librarians, such as Wilmette, Illinois’ Lynn Persson.
Booksellers
(of the independent kind), namely Pat Wroclawski and Jan Dundon.
Reviewers,
including Ilene Cooper and Mary Harris Russell.
Academicians,
such as Drs. Roxanne Owen and Marie
Donovan.
The
Kiddos for whom I write, of course (last, but not least).
It
turns out, the World in which I do my heart’s work each day gave me Everyone –
thus Everything - I needed and wanted.
So,
here’s my sincere Thanku, a
cornucopia of thanks, to those who continue to keep me keepin’ on.
The
Children’s Book World!
Seeders,
feeders sunning all
Seekers of story.
Good
News! There’s still time for you to share your writing-related Thanku with us in one of three ways on or before November 30:
(1) post a comment to one of our posts
(2) send an email to us at teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com, OR
(3) write a thank-you blog post of your own and then share the link with us via 1) or 2).
Feel free to copy and paste the image below into your blog post. We'd love if you'd also link back to this post and invite others to participate.
We’ve got a horn of plenty waiting!
Esther Hershenhorn
Monday, November 26, 2012
My Teacher, My Mentor, My Friend
Posted by
Jeanne Marie Grunwell Ford
Like Mary Ann, I am alas incapable of incorporating Esther's cool thanku format as I acknowledge the teachers who have inspired me on my journey as a writer. For one thing, there are too many to thank. For another, there's just too much to say (and I've never been very good at following the rules, I must admit).
There's my sixth grade teacher, Mr. Micklos, who helped me to believe that I could write -- and who also taught me the scientific method that provided the backbone for my first novel. There are my wonderful high school English teachers, Mrs. Weingarten and Mr. Bennett, as well as the one (he who shall not be named) who taught me everything NOT to be as a writer or a teacher. There's my first editor, Olga Litowinsky, who was generous and demanding and funny and smart. Then there are my Vermont College advisors.
Randy Powell had two small children, a full-time job, and a writing career, yet he took the time to write me amazing 10-page editorial letters each month. From Randy, I learned that hard work pretty much trumps all.
I worked with the inimitable Jane Resh Thomas the semester that I was writing my critical thesis, and my biggest takeaway lesson that semester was honesty. I remember Jane recounting with regret that she had become a nurse based upon the fantasy world that the Cherry Ames books had cultivated. Jane said indignantly, "Books lie." As a parent, I often remember her words about the harm we do when we keep the truth from children who need to hear it. And coming from a soap opera background where it's second nature to go for the easy shock (back-from-the-dead, serial killers, demonic possession!), I learned from Jane that I must always put the emotional truths of my characters first.
Susan Fletcher was my mentor in my last semester, when I had cancer surgery and radiation. In her compassionate way, she inspired me to work as hard as I ever had. Read anything she has written, and you will see how her kindness spills onto every page.
Children's book writers are, by nature, a nurturing lot. Soap opera writers, not so much. With hefty-ish salaries and limited jobs to go around, backstabbing tends to be the way of the world. So while this blog is ostensibly about writing for children, I feel compelled to use this space to give profuse thanks to one Frances Myers Newman. I was a lowly intern and then writers' assistant when she was a seasoned scriptwriter at DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Fran fought for me to get my first job. When I was fired, she prevailed upon friends to help me to get another job. She and her husband, Roger, gave me continuous feedback and encouragement, support and friendship. When my husband and I were on the cusp of either parting ways or entering a serious relationship, I asked her advice and took it without second thought. And here I am -- eight years married and two kids later. I tell Fran that I would have no job, no husband, no kids without her. She thinks I exaggerate. I do not. Fran taught me a favorite expression of her mother's that I will forever carry in my heart. "God is the good in each of us." And God has been very good in giving me the gift of Fran and her family in my life.
April, we are all so thankful for Gary's recovery. (And yes, we are fond of induced comas on soap operas, but I've never known anyone in real life who'd been in one.) God is good, indeed!
-- Jeanne Marie
A reminder from Carmela:
You're invited to share your own writing-related thank-yous with us. You can do so on or before Nov. 30 in one of three ways:
1) a comment to one of our posts,
2) an email to us at teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com, OR
3) by writing a thank-you blog post of your own and then sharing the link with us via 1) or 2). Feel free to copy and paste the image below into your blog post. We'd love if you'd also link back to this post and invite others to participate. (As the lovely Linda Baie has done on her TeacherDance blog.)
Your thank-you needn't be written as a Thanku, or even as a poem, but if you're posting it as a comment or email message, please limit it to 25 words or less. We'd especially love for teachers to send us thank-yous written by their students. We may share some of them on the last day, November 30, along with our round-up of links to Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving blog posts.
There's my sixth grade teacher, Mr. Micklos, who helped me to believe that I could write -- and who also taught me the scientific method that provided the backbone for my first novel. There are my wonderful high school English teachers, Mrs. Weingarten and Mr. Bennett, as well as the one (he who shall not be named) who taught me everything NOT to be as a writer or a teacher. There's my first editor, Olga Litowinsky, who was generous and demanding and funny and smart. Then there are my Vermont College advisors.
Randy Powell had two small children, a full-time job, and a writing career, yet he took the time to write me amazing 10-page editorial letters each month. From Randy, I learned that hard work pretty much trumps all.
I worked with the inimitable Jane Resh Thomas the semester that I was writing my critical thesis, and my biggest takeaway lesson that semester was honesty. I remember Jane recounting with regret that she had become a nurse based upon the fantasy world that the Cherry Ames books had cultivated. Jane said indignantly, "Books lie." As a parent, I often remember her words about the harm we do when we keep the truth from children who need to hear it. And coming from a soap opera background where it's second nature to go for the easy shock (back-from-the-dead, serial killers, demonic possession!), I learned from Jane that I must always put the emotional truths of my characters first.
Susan Fletcher was my mentor in my last semester, when I had cancer surgery and radiation. In her compassionate way, she inspired me to work as hard as I ever had. Read anything she has written, and you will see how her kindness spills onto every page.
Children's book writers are, by nature, a nurturing lot. Soap opera writers, not so much. With hefty-ish salaries and limited jobs to go around, backstabbing tends to be the way of the world. So while this blog is ostensibly about writing for children, I feel compelled to use this space to give profuse thanks to one Frances Myers Newman. I was a lowly intern and then writers' assistant when she was a seasoned scriptwriter at DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Fran fought for me to get my first job. When I was fired, she prevailed upon friends to help me to get another job. She and her husband, Roger, gave me continuous feedback and encouragement, support and friendship. When my husband and I were on the cusp of either parting ways or entering a serious relationship, I asked her advice and took it without second thought. And here I am -- eight years married and two kids later. I tell Fran that I would have no job, no husband, no kids without her. She thinks I exaggerate. I do not. Fran taught me a favorite expression of her mother's that I will forever carry in my heart. "God is the good in each of us." And God has been very good in giving me the gift of Fran and her family in my life.
April, we are all so thankful for Gary's recovery. (And yes, we are fond of induced comas on soap operas, but I've never known anyone in real life who'd been in one.) God is good, indeed!
-- Jeanne Marie
A reminder from Carmela:
You're invited to share your own writing-related thank-yous with us. You can do so on or before Nov. 30 in one of three ways:
1) a comment to one of our posts,
2) an email to us at teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com, OR
3) by writing a thank-you blog post of your own and then sharing the link with us via 1) or 2). Feel free to copy and paste the image below into your blog post. We'd love if you'd also link back to this post and invite others to participate. (As the lovely Linda Baie has done on her TeacherDance blog.)
Your thank-you needn't be written as a Thanku, or even as a poem, but if you're posting it as a comment or email message, please limit it to 25 words or less. We'd especially love for teachers to send us thank-yous written by their students. We may share some of them on the last day, November 30, along with our round-up of links to Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving blog posts.
Friday, November 23, 2012
My husband's alive! What are YOU thankful for? Write a Thanku for Poetry Friday!
Posted by
April Halprin Wayland
.
Howdy Campers ~ Happy Poetry Friday! I hope your Thanksgiving was all that you hoped for. Mine certainly was...
But first, Franki and Mary Lee of A Year of Reading are our Poetry Friday hosts today--thank you, ladies!
And speaking of thank you: for two weeks, we TeachingAuthors are extending the celebration of Thanksgiving by giving thanks to those who've made a difference in our writing lives. We'd love you to join us: in a Thanku or in prose, 25 words or less, due November 30th. See Carmela's most recent post for the specifics.
I've taken a break from blogging these last few weeks; this is the most incredibly appropriate topic with which to dive back in.
In a nutshell, on the afternoon of Monday, October 29th, my best friend/husband collapsed and stopped breathing. After 11 days in the ICU, he is fabulously, miraculously, terrifically, fine and dandy.(October 29th is also the date that Hurricane Sandy struck. We didn't notice.)
My husband, apparently, has all sorts of angels keeping him on the grassy side of our galaxy.
.
Angels, angels, angels. I picture them pushing him back, denying him entrance on that October afternoon.
A THANKU TO ALL THE
DOCTORS, SURGEONS, RESEARCHERS, NURSES, INVENTORS—
ALL THE OUT-OF-THE-BOX THINKERS THROUGH THE AGES—
FOR DEVELOPING THERAPEUTIC HYPOTHERMIA
Together, you rolled
the snowball down the hill that
saved my friend. Thank you.
.
Howdy Campers ~ Happy Poetry Friday! I hope your Thanksgiving was all that you hoped for. Mine certainly was...
But first, Franki and Mary Lee of A Year of Reading are our Poetry Friday hosts today--thank you, ladies!
And speaking of thank you: for two weeks, we TeachingAuthors are extending the celebration of Thanksgiving by giving thanks to those who've made a difference in our writing lives. We'd love you to join us: in a Thanku or in prose, 25 words or less, due November 30th. See Carmela's most recent post for the specifics.
I've taken a break from blogging these last few weeks; this is the most incredibly appropriate topic with which to dive back in.
In a nutshell, on the afternoon of Monday, October 29th, my best friend/husband collapsed and stopped breathing. After 11 days in the ICU, he is fabulously, miraculously, terrifically, fine and dandy.(October 29th is also the date that Hurricane Sandy struck. We didn't notice.)
My husband, apparently, has all sorts of angels keeping him on the grassy side of our galaxy.
.
Angels, angels, angels. I picture them pushing him back, denying him entrance on that October afternoon.
Today I thank all those angels...and the humans who saved his life. I've been thinking a lot about the movie Sliding Doors, starring Gwyneth Paltrow. The movie itself wasn't my favorite, but the premise was wonderful. Essentially the movie splits into two stories--in one, she barely makes it onto a London train. In the other, she misses it.
There are so many to thank for putting my family on this train. My 23-year-old son (aka my rock.) Relatives. Friends. Strangers. His friend and partner who started chest compressions. The police officer. The paramedics who did that paddle thing on him. Twice. Everyone at Little Company of Mary hospital--wow. Those awesome ICU nurses never sit down.
(Everyone, except, perhaps, the cheerful man who greeted me in the ER with a form to fill out, before I knew if my husband was dead or alive. I've had the experience of going to a hospital and being informed my father had died. I was 22 then. This time I knew what to ask. I looked him in the eye and said evenly, "You are handing me a registration form. That means he's alive, right?" "Oh, no," he said brightly, "we register everyone.")
I want to write a Thanku to the people who invented and perfected therapeutic hypothermia, a protocol in which the patient's body is cooled and placed in a sort of medically induced coma for a few days, to let the body rest and to prevent further damage to the brain and heart.
.
.
I just looked up this treatment in Wikipedia and see that I owe thanks to a whole slew of folks who developed this over the ages, beginning with Hippocrates.
Here, then, is my Thanku to all of them:
DOCTORS, SURGEONS, RESEARCHERS, NURSES, INVENTORS—
ALL THE OUT-OF-THE-BOX THINKERS THROUGH THE AGES—
FOR DEVELOPING THERAPEUTIC HYPOTHERMIA
Together, you rolled
the snowball down the hill that
saved my friend. Thank you.
.
I especially want to thank Dr. Robert Chang, who was in charge of my husband's care. He is accessible, caring, direct, genuine and brilliant.
.
.

WRITING WORKOUT--
Who would you like to thank?
Now it's your turn. We're focusing on those who helped us in our writing life, but you can see that I've interpreted this broadly.
1) Who has helped you on the writer's road?
2) Write a Thanku or a 25-word-or-less thank you in any form, poetry or prose.
3) Share it with us. You can do so in one of three ways:
a) a comment on one of our posts,
b) an email to us at teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com,
c) by writing a thank-you blog post of your own and then sharing the link with us via 1) or 2). Feel free to copy and paste the image below into your blog post. We'd love if you'd also link back to this post and invite others to participate.
4) And don't forget to send it to the person you're thanking!
1) Who has helped you on the writer's road?
2) Write a Thanku or a 25-word-or-less thank you in any form, poetry or prose.
3) Share it with us. You can do so in one of three ways:
a) a comment on one of our posts,
b) an email to us at teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com,
c) by writing a thank-you blog post of your own and then sharing the link with us via 1) or 2). Feel free to copy and paste the image below into your blog post. We'd love if you'd also link back to this post and invite others to participate.
4) And don't forget to send it to the person you're thanking!
And thank YOU, Frankie and Mary Lee of A Year of Reading, for hosting Poetry Friday today!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
A Thanku and a Tetractys for Day 6 of our Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving
Posted by
Carmela Martino
Here in the United States, many people are preparing to celebrate tomorrow's Thanksgiving holiday. As we busily cook, clean, grocery shop, and/or travel, it's easy to forget the purpose of this holiday--to take time out to say "thank you." So last year, when Esther shared a new poetry form called a "Thanku" (a thank you note written as a haiku), it inspired us here at the TeachingAuthors to dedicate a series of posts to expressing gratitude. This year, we've designated Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving, Nov. 16-30. In our posts for these two weeks, we're focusing on expressing writing-related thanks, for either a writing teacher/mentor, or for an author whose work we admire, as suggested by Sherman Alexie in his Top 10 Pieces of Writing Advice:
1) a comment to one of our posts,
2) an email to us at teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com, OR
3) by writing a thank-you blog post of your own and then sharing the link with us via 1) or 2). Feel free to copy and paste the image below into your blog post. We'd love if you'd also link back to this post and invite others to participate. (As the lovely Linda Baie has done on her TeacherDance blog.)
Your thank-you needn't be written as a Thanku, or even as a poem, but if you're posting it as a comment or email message, please limit it to 25 words or less. We'd especially love for teachers to send us thank-yous written by their students. We may share some of them on the last day, November 30, along with our round-up of links to Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving blog posts.
And now, for my thank-you: Today, I'd like to thank and pay tribute to my marvelous mentor and fellow TeachingAuthor: Esther Hershenhorn.
Esther was the Regional Advisor for SCBWI-Illinois back when I first began trying to write for children. If not for Esther, I doubt I would have persisted in my quest to become a published children's author. She encouraged me to connect with fellow writers (some of whom became my critique group) and to step outside my comfort zone by volunteering to help with SCBWI events (which allowed me to meet editors and agents). Esther always shared her time generously when I asked her advice, whether by phone, email, or in person. And when I finally got my first novel published, she was one of my biggest cheerleaders and supporters.
For this post, I'd planned to write a Thanku in Esther's honor, but Susan Halko, a former student of Esther's beat me to it by emailing us the following Thanku:
Instead of competing with Susan's lovely Thanku, I've written a five-line tetractys (see definition below) in Esther's honor:
Esther
Coach,
Mentor,
Cheerleader,
Selfless teacher,
But most important of all, a "true friend."
[A tetractys is a five-line poem in which the syllables per line form the series 1, 2, 3, 4, 10. Euclid, a mathematician of ancient times, thought the series had mystical significance because 1+2+3+4 = 10. ]
In case you're wondering, "true friend" is in quotes because it alludes to the ending of Charlotte's Web:
Happy writing, all, and Happy Thanks-Giving!
Carmela
When you read a piece of writing that you admire, send a note of thanks to the author. Be effusive with your praise. Writing is a lonely business. Do your best to make it a little less lonely.Before I post my gratitude for today, I want to remind everyone that you're invited to share your own writing-related thank-yous with us. You can do so on or before Nov. 30 in one of three ways:
1) a comment to one of our posts,
2) an email to us at teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com, OR
3) by writing a thank-you blog post of your own and then sharing the link with us via 1) or 2). Feel free to copy and paste the image below into your blog post. We'd love if you'd also link back to this post and invite others to participate. (As the lovely Linda Baie has done on her TeacherDance blog.)
Your thank-you needn't be written as a Thanku, or even as a poem, but if you're posting it as a comment or email message, please limit it to 25 words or less. We'd especially love for teachers to send us thank-yous written by their students. We may share some of them on the last day, November 30, along with our round-up of links to Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving blog posts.
And now, for my thank-you: Today, I'd like to thank and pay tribute to my marvelous mentor and fellow TeachingAuthor: Esther Hershenhorn.
Esther was the Regional Advisor for SCBWI-Illinois back when I first began trying to write for children. If not for Esther, I doubt I would have persisted in my quest to become a published children's author. She encouraged me to connect with fellow writers (some of whom became my critique group) and to step outside my comfort zone by volunteering to help with SCBWI events (which allowed me to meet editors and agents). Esther always shared her time generously when I asked her advice, whether by phone, email, or in person. And when I finally got my first novel published, she was one of my biggest cheerleaders and supporters.
For this post, I'd planned to write a Thanku in Esther's honor, but Susan Halko, a former student of Esther's beat me to it by emailing us the following Thanku:
Great job, Susan!Esther Hershenhorn!
Thanks for your words of wisdom
and inspiration.
Instead of competing with Susan's lovely Thanku, I've written a five-line tetractys (see definition below) in Esther's honor:
Esther
Coach,
Mentor,
Cheerleader,
Selfless teacher,
But most important of all, a "true friend."
[A tetractys is a five-line poem in which the syllables per line form the series 1, 2, 3, 4, 10. Euclid, a mathematician of ancient times, thought the series had mystical significance because 1+2+3+4 = 10. ]
In case you're wondering, "true friend" is in quotes because it alludes to the ending of Charlotte's Web:
"It's not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both."And so is Esther.
Happy writing, all, and Happy Thanks-Giving!
Carmela
Monday, November 19, 2012
The Story for the Trees
Posted by
mary ann rodman
I'm sorry, dear readers, but I simply can't master the haiku, or as the rest of my TA's are sharing with you in the next several posts, the "thanku." Ironic, actually, because the subject of my thanks post taught me how to assemble the "bones" of a story. Up to that point, I belonged to the Theodore Dreiser School of Writing . . . more is better. I like to create whole worlds when I write. Sometimes my worlds contain way too much extraneous detail that doesn't "move the story along."
"Does it move the story along" is the mantra given to me by my Vermont College mentor, Marion Dane Bauer. I was writing Yankee Girl in the Vermont MFA program and I was determined to recreate the world of 1964 Mississippi as accurately as possible. Marion showed me I was burying my story in words, details and characters that just weren't necessary.
I was not a particularly willing student. I like lots of detail in my stories. Marion, on the other hand,is the Hemingway of children's literature. She writes simply and to the point, not a word wasted (which is also a good description of Marion-the-person.) Finally, Marion suggested I read her book, On My Honor, a Newbery Honor winner. (I learned that information from the book cover, not from Marion.)
If you ever need a blueprint for how to "move a story along," read On My Honor. In under a hundred pages Marion introduces her two main characters, sets up a moral dilemma and ratchets up the tension to a spare but shocking climax, and a satisfactory, but complex conclusion. Each action, each word flows into the next, not a word wasted.
So to prove that I've learned my lesson, I am keeping this post short. Thank you (if not a "thanku") to Marion Dane Bauer, for showing me the way out of my "word wilderness."
Who to you want to "thanku"? Let us know. See Jill's last post for details.
Oh, and one more person I am thankful for is...you! It's been a tough writing year for me, but knowing that every other Monday someone out there is logging on to TeachingAuthors to see what I
have to say. You have kept me writing. Thank you!
Posted by Mary Ann Rodman
"Does it move the story along" is the mantra given to me by my Vermont College mentor, Marion Dane Bauer. I was writing Yankee Girl in the Vermont MFA program and I was determined to recreate the world of 1964 Mississippi as accurately as possible. Marion showed me I was burying my story in words, details and characters that just weren't necessary.
I was not a particularly willing student. I like lots of detail in my stories. Marion, on the other hand,is the Hemingway of children's literature. She writes simply and to the point, not a word wasted (which is also a good description of Marion-the-person.) Finally, Marion suggested I read her book, On My Honor, a Newbery Honor winner. (I learned that information from the book cover, not from Marion.)
If you ever need a blueprint for how to "move a story along," read On My Honor. In under a hundred pages Marion introduces her two main characters, sets up a moral dilemma and ratchets up the tension to a spare but shocking climax, and a satisfactory, but complex conclusion. Each action, each word flows into the next, not a word wasted.
So to prove that I've learned my lesson, I am keeping this post short. Thank you (if not a "thanku") to Marion Dane Bauer, for showing me the way out of my "word wilderness."
Who to you want to "thanku"? Let us know. See Jill's last post for details.
Oh, and one more person I am thankful for is...you! It's been a tough writing year for me, but knowing that every other Monday someone out there is logging on to TeachingAuthors to see what I
have to say. You have kept me writing. Thank you!
Posted by Mary Ann Rodman
Friday, November 16, 2012
Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving!
Posted by
Jill
Hello, readers! With Thanksgiving almost upon us, it's time to kick off our annual Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving celebration.
Please join us in penning a writing-related thank you. You may write your thank you in prose or a poetry form, but we especially hope you'll try a thanku – a thank you in haiku form. (See Esther's post last year explaining the Thanku form.) You might express your gratitude to a writing teacher who helped you along the way. You might thank a writer whose work you admire. Classroom teachers, Carmela issued you a special challenge to give your students the same assignment. Read about that in her original post.
We invite all our readers and fellow bloggers to share their thank yous with us. You can do so in one of three ways:
1) a comment to one of our posts,
2) an email to us at teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com, or
3) by writing a thank-you blog post of your own and then sharing the link with us via 1) or 2). Feel free to copy and paste the above image into your blog post. We'd love if you'd also link back to this post and invite others to participate.
Please keep your creations to 25 words or less. You have until November 30. On that day we'll post a round-up of links to all the participating bloggers' posts.
Meanwhile, here's a little background on my thanku. When I was green as grass, two particular writing mentors provided steadfast friendship and cheerleading. Their encouragement made tolerable my many, many rejections. I'm sad to say that both of these nurturing souls have passed on, but, David R. Collins and Mel Boring, this one's for you:
Your steadfast support
sparked hope in this newbie heart
and made me believe.
For those of you who entered our book giveaway hoping to win an autographed copy of my new book, Angry Birds Playground: Animals, my husband just chose a name out of a hat (okay, a measuring cup). And the winner is....
Kristen Larson
Kristen, I'll be contacting you soon. :) THANK YOU to those who entered.
Jill Esbaum
Please join us in penning a writing-related thank you. You may write your thank you in prose or a poetry form, but we especially hope you'll try a thanku – a thank you in haiku form. (See Esther's post last year explaining the Thanku form.) You might express your gratitude to a writing teacher who helped you along the way. You might thank a writer whose work you admire. Classroom teachers, Carmela issued you a special challenge to give your students the same assignment. Read about that in her original post.
We invite all our readers and fellow bloggers to share their thank yous with us. You can do so in one of three ways:
1) a comment to one of our posts,
2) an email to us at teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com, or
3) by writing a thank-you blog post of your own and then sharing the link with us via 1) or 2). Feel free to copy and paste the above image into your blog post. We'd love if you'd also link back to this post and invite others to participate.
Please keep your creations to 25 words or less. You have until November 30. On that day we'll post a round-up of links to all the participating bloggers' posts.
Meanwhile, here's a little background on my thanku. When I was green as grass, two particular writing mentors provided steadfast friendship and cheerleading. Their encouragement made tolerable my many, many rejections. I'm sad to say that both of these nurturing souls have passed on, but, David R. Collins and Mel Boring, this one's for you:
Your steadfast support
sparked hope in this newbie heart
and made me believe.
For those of you who entered our book giveaway hoping to win an autographed copy of my new book, Angry Birds Playground: Animals, my husband just chose a name out of a hat (okay, a measuring cup). And the winner is....
Kristen Larson
Kristen, I'll be contacting you soon. :) THANK YOU to those who entered.
Jill Esbaum
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Angry Birds, Part 2
Posted by
Jill
Part of the back matter in Angry Birds Playground: Animals was to be a double-page spread filled with activities meant to assist parents in helping their children take learning beyond the pages of the book. I'd need 20 or so activities. I tried to think of this task as little as possible while I wrote the rest of the book's text. Eventually, though, the writing of those pages could no longer be ignored. But, hey. There were dozens of animals in the book. Surely I could think of 20 activities that kinda-sorta had something to do with featured animals, or find some on the internet I could adapt to my purposes.
The first one I thought up was for kids to balance a ball atop their feet, similar to the way penguin parents keep an egg up off the ice. Was that even physically possible for little kids? It's been awhile (a long while) since my own kids were in the target age group (4-6 year olds). I needed help. I needed beta testers.
I immediately though of Jacob and Joshua, sons of my Iowa author friend, Becky (I'd be happy to send you details about Becky's fabulous books if you want to e-mail me privately, but I'm not including her last name here in order to protect the boys' privacy on the sometimes creepy internet).
The boys were up for it, so I flooded Becky's e-mail inbox with activities as I wrote them. Jacob and Joshua gamely tried SO many. The ball balancing didn't make the cut, but here they are (along with their sister, Anna), testing the milk carton boats they made....
For months, their mom kept a secret. A couple of weekends ago, I saw the family at a book festival and was finally able to hand Jacob and Joshua copies of "our book" and watch their reactions when they saw their names on the dedication page. Jacob turned to hide a smile. Joshua clasped the book to his chest and jumped in stompy circles.
Could anything be better than that? Well, maybe. Toss in a little serendipity....
The pandas on the cover are adorable. But since there were no pandas inside (long story), I was feeling a little "meh" about it. Until Becky saw the book and instantly went melty over the cover. See, her entire family traveled to China in 2010 to adopt Joshua. In her own words: "Before we met Joshua, we were able to send him one package [orig e-mail included photos]. Do you see the stuffed panda? It was one of our first gifts to Joshua. He slept with it, and carried it all the way home to Iowa. His brother Jacob loved the panda so much, he picked one of his own to be his special souvenir. When our family first saw the two pandas on the cover of Angry Birds Playground, we all had the same thought. 'Look, it's Jacob and Joshua!' My mother even commented on the pandas when she first saw the book. Pandas remind us of Joshua's birth country, and both Jacob and Joshua love them."
Suddenly, two little pandas were exactly right.
Remember to enter our giveaway to win an autographed copy of Angry Birds Playground: Animals. For contest details, see Monday's post. The deadline is 11pm (CST) tomorrow (Thursday), and the winner will be announced Friday.
Jill Esbaum
The first one I thought up was for kids to balance a ball atop their feet, similar to the way penguin parents keep an egg up off the ice. Was that even physically possible for little kids? It's been awhile (a long while) since my own kids were in the target age group (4-6 year olds). I needed help. I needed beta testers.
I immediately though of Jacob and Joshua, sons of my Iowa author friend, Becky (I'd be happy to send you details about Becky's fabulous books if you want to e-mail me privately, but I'm not including her last name here in order to protect the boys' privacy on the sometimes creepy internet).
The boys were up for it, so I flooded Becky's e-mail inbox with activities as I wrote them. Jacob and Joshua gamely tried SO many. The ball balancing didn't make the cut, but here they are (along with their sister, Anna), testing the milk carton boats they made....
For months, their mom kept a secret. A couple of weekends ago, I saw the family at a book festival and was finally able to hand Jacob and Joshua copies of "our book" and watch their reactions when they saw their names on the dedication page. Jacob turned to hide a smile. Joshua clasped the book to his chest and jumped in stompy circles.
Could anything be better than that? Well, maybe. Toss in a little serendipity....
The pandas on the cover are adorable. But since there were no pandas inside (long story), I was feeling a little "meh" about it. Until Becky saw the book and instantly went melty over the cover. See, her entire family traveled to China in 2010 to adopt Joshua. In her own words: "Before we met Joshua, we were able to send him one package [orig e-mail included photos]. Do you see the stuffed panda? It was one of our first gifts to Joshua. He slept with it, and carried it all the way home to Iowa. His brother Jacob loved the panda so much, he picked one of his own to be his special souvenir. When our family first saw the two pandas on the cover of Angry Birds Playground, we all had the same thought. 'Look, it's Jacob and Joshua!' My mother even commented on the pandas when she first saw the book. Pandas remind us of Joshua's birth country, and both Jacob and Joshua love them."
Suddenly, two little pandas were exactly right.
Remember to enter our giveaway to win an autographed copy of Angry Birds Playground: Animals. For contest details, see Monday's post. The deadline is 11pm (CST) tomorrow (Thursday), and the winner will be announced Friday.
Jill Esbaum
Monday, November 12, 2012
Close Encounters of the Angry Bird Kind
Posted by
Jill
A few years ago, I fell into one of those "right time, right place" opportunities – a picture book manuscript my agent submitted to National Geographic Kids miraculously brought an offer to author a series of softcover nonfiction books for 4-6 year olds. I had great fun writing five Picture the Seasons books before the series was discontinued.
Luckily, my editor thought of me again this past April, asking if I'd be interested in a project that required a steep learning curve and called for somebody who a) was comfortable writing both fiction and nonfiction, b) could devote a month or two to this project (during which there'd likely be no time for a personal life), and c) could write quickly.
I replied, "Sure, I can do that!"
(Note: "Sure, I can do that!" is my standard answer to most any editorial request. Whether or not I'm actually confident that I'm able to do what they're asking is irrelevant. A willing attitude and an internet connection make it possible to teach yourself just about anything, right?)
A week later I learned project details. The book would be a *takes a deep breath* 128-page hardcover fiction/nonfiction mashup featuring the Angry Birds on an around-the-world adventure, during which they'd meet and learn about dozens of real animals as they searched five distinct habitats for their eggs, which their pig enemies had stolen, with back matter the likes of which I'd never tackled before. I'd be choosing the habitat locations and about 40 animals, writing nonfiction info about each, funny dialogue for the Angry Birds - each with their own personalities, chapter intros, and the general storyline launching the birds on their adventure, recapping their trip at the end, then wrapping up their story.
I was in over my head, and I knew it. Sheesh, just reading the above paragraph again now makes my heart rate rise. This was a massive project, and I had no idea where on earth (literally) to begin.
But then I remembered the anecdote Anne Lamott tells of her childhood, the one in which her father gave writing advice to her brother, who was struggling to write a school report: "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird." Couldn't be much more appropriate in this case!
By one week into the six it took to research and write the book, I was having the time of my life. This book stretched me as a writer, taught me how much work (from so many people!) goes into a project like this, and pushed me into places I hadn't imagined I could go. And what writer wouldn't love knowing the project she's working on in May and June is scheduled for release six months later?! (I waited five years for my last picture book, Tom's Tweet. Totally worth it, but still.)
Which brings me to today. I'm happy to announce that my newest publication, Angry Birds Playground: Animals (National Geographic) has hit bookstore shelves. I hope you'll take a look. It's targeted to kids 4-6 years old, but fun for older readers, too. The book follows the Angry Birds through the Amazon rainforest, the Mojave desert, across the Pacific Ocean, to the grasslands of Tasmania and Tanzania (thanks to a confused sea turtle, the Birds have to visit both), and both the Arctic and Antarctic (thanks to a confused Angry Bird, who is certain that penguins live in the Arctic). They meet caimans and sloths, lizards and bats, otters and whales, black swans and Tasmanian devils, lions and elephants, seals and penguins. Pandas? Um, no. I'll tell you about that Wednesday.
To win an autographed copy, all you have to do is enter our drawing.
Entry Rules
You may enter the contest one of two ways: 1) by posting a comment below OR 2) by sending an email to teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com with "Book Giveaway" in the subject line.
Whichever way you enter, you MUST give us your first and last name AND tell us how you follow us. If you enter via a comment, you MUST include a valid email address (formatted this way: youremail [at] gmail [dot] com) in your comment.
Contest open only to residents of the United States. Incomplete entries will be discarded. Entry deadline is 11 pm (CST) Thursday, November 15, 2012 (yes, this is a short one!). Winners will be announced Friday, November 16, 2012. Good luck!
Jill Esbaum
Luckily, my editor thought of me again this past April, asking if I'd be interested in a project that required a steep learning curve and called for somebody who a) was comfortable writing both fiction and nonfiction, b) could devote a month or two to this project (during which there'd likely be no time for a personal life), and c) could write quickly.
I replied, "Sure, I can do that!"
(Note: "Sure, I can do that!" is my standard answer to most any editorial request. Whether or not I'm actually confident that I'm able to do what they're asking is irrelevant. A willing attitude and an internet connection make it possible to teach yourself just about anything, right?)
A week later I learned project details. The book would be a *takes a deep breath* 128-page hardcover fiction/nonfiction mashup featuring the Angry Birds on an around-the-world adventure, during which they'd meet and learn about dozens of real animals as they searched five distinct habitats for their eggs, which their pig enemies had stolen, with back matter the likes of which I'd never tackled before. I'd be choosing the habitat locations and about 40 animals, writing nonfiction info about each, funny dialogue for the Angry Birds - each with their own personalities, chapter intros, and the general storyline launching the birds on their adventure, recapping their trip at the end, then wrapping up their story.
I was in over my head, and I knew it. Sheesh, just reading the above paragraph again now makes my heart rate rise. This was a massive project, and I had no idea where on earth (literally) to begin.
But then I remembered the anecdote Anne Lamott tells of her childhood, the one in which her father gave writing advice to her brother, who was struggling to write a school report: "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird." Couldn't be much more appropriate in this case!
By one week into the six it took to research and write the book, I was having the time of my life. This book stretched me as a writer, taught me how much work (from so many people!) goes into a project like this, and pushed me into places I hadn't imagined I could go. And what writer wouldn't love knowing the project she's working on in May and June is scheduled for release six months later?! (I waited five years for my last picture book, Tom's Tweet. Totally worth it, but still.)
Which brings me to today. I'm happy to announce that my newest publication, Angry Birds Playground: Animals (National Geographic) has hit bookstore shelves. I hope you'll take a look. It's targeted to kids 4-6 years old, but fun for older readers, too. The book follows the Angry Birds through the Amazon rainforest, the Mojave desert, across the Pacific Ocean, to the grasslands of Tasmania and Tanzania (thanks to a confused sea turtle, the Birds have to visit both), and both the Arctic and Antarctic (thanks to a confused Angry Bird, who is certain that penguins live in the Arctic). They meet caimans and sloths, lizards and bats, otters and whales, black swans and Tasmanian devils, lions and elephants, seals and penguins. Pandas? Um, no. I'll tell you about that Wednesday.
To win an autographed copy, all you have to do is enter our drawing.
Entry Rules
You may enter the contest one of two ways: 1) by posting a comment below OR 2) by sending an email to teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com with "Book Giveaway" in the subject line.
Whichever way you enter, you MUST give us your first and last name AND tell us how you follow us. If you enter via a comment, you MUST include a valid email address (formatted this way: youremail [at] gmail [dot] com) in your comment.
Contest open only to residents of the United States. Incomplete entries will be discarded. Entry deadline is 11 pm (CST) Thursday, November 15, 2012 (yes, this is a short one!). Winners will be announced Friday, November 16, 2012. Good luck!
Jill Esbaum
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)