Next they'll be marrying toasters!

IN THE NEAR FUTURE

Love At First Sight

Feeding The Ducks

 

Holding Your Hair Back

Make Me The Happiest Toaster Evahs!

Spooning

Home Sweet Home

Growing Old

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Two consenting adults....

Deep Play (Part 1)

This week I finished reading The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World by Jeremy Rifkin.

The book is shot through a with sense of urgency to break away from an obsolete industrial system that encourages unsustainable growth in all areas of economics and unhealthy competition on levels from grade school classrooms to national GDPs. It urges us away from a top-down ideology that grew out of centuries of struggle with our environment and with each other and toward a reawakening of human consciousness to the possibility of balanced and symbiotic, if not mutualistic, living with the myriad species on our Earth.

I wanted to touch briefly on this quote at the end of the book, wherein Rifkin reveals his vision not only for the practical, tangible sectors of human existence but also for a "concomitant leap to biosphere consciousness."

... We emotionally identify with our fellow creatures to the point of experiencing their being as if it were our own. In short, we empathize... It is our way of acknowledging the mystery of life that binds us together in fellowship on this Earth. To empathize is to affirm another's struggle to be and flourish.

Rifkin suggests that once we, as a conscious human race, have made this leap to thinking "as an extended global family," we will begin to rethink our understanding of "work" and "productivity." We will, in all aspects of our existence, begin to engage in what he and a decade ago Diane Ackerman describe as deep play.

I'll be talking more about this because the idea of rethinking "work" excites me. For now, I'll leave you with this juxtaposition.

From Dictionary.com

Deep play is "not frivolous entertainment but, rather, empathic engagement with one's fellow human beings. [It] is the way we experience the other, transcend ourselves, and connect to broader, ever more inclusive communities of life in our common search for universality." - Rifkin in TIR

Excerpt from #MGlitchat Agent Night

My dears,
Life's a bit CRaZy! right now. . .

Art by Andy Cordan

So rather than a more a conventional post, here's a streamlined excerpt from Twitter's #MGlitchat Agent Night. Find the full Feb 9, 2012 transcript for MGlitchat's "Tips From the Pros" series here.

The following tweets I pulled from the original transcript. Take a gander, fellow writers!

HOSTS:

Middle grade authors Elissa Cruz (@elissacruz) and Karennina Posa (@karenninaposa).

AGENTS:

1. Jennifer Laughran (@literaticat) is an agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc.
2. Joanna Volpe (@JoSVolpe) is an agent with Nancy Coffey Literary.
3. Tina Wexler (@Tina_Wexler) is an agent with ICM.

OPENING TIPS: 

JoSVolpe: About "scarring" kids with reality. They can handle it better than you think. Better than most adults I know, actually :-) #mglitchat -9:04 PM Feb 9th, 2012 

iteraticat: I totally agree with @JoSVolpe - and I'd add, the best MG books are not "dumbed down" or "babyish". Don't dumb it down! #MGLitChat -9:06 PM Feb 9th, 2012

Tina_Wexler: Research, research, research. Read, read, read. Revise, revise, revise. Oh, and you know, write. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Feb 9th, 2012

Tina_Wexler: When searching for agents, PLEASE note when an interview was given; dated info can be as ineffective as doing no research. #mglitchat -9:08 PM Feb 9th, 2012

literaticat: Also, if you want to know about phenomenal voice & characterization, please read all Casson Family books by Hilary McKay.

JoSVolpe: RT @kellybarnhill: When we write MG, were not just writing for the kid, but for the adult that kid will be.
literaticat: Audience for MG may be 3rd-5th graders even tho characters may be 7th graders. So, I'd just be mindful of that.

Q&A

Q: What are the smart, brave, genre-defining books out there that we should ALL BE READING? (@kellybarnhill)

A: literaticat: I think everyone should read WHEN YOU REACH ME if you haven't already. Go on. Now. I'll wait.
A: JoSVolpe: The Higher Power of Lucky, Coraline, & The View from Saturday are all genre-defining books in their own right imho
A: JoSVolpe: At least as far as recent titles. If we go back, Bridge to Terabithia (so painful!) or the first Alanna book. <3
A: JoSVolpe: I'm reading The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman right now and LOVING it

Q: Do "quiet" vampire-less, witchless books stand a chance in this commercially driven climate? (@MelissaRoske)

A: literaticat: I don't think "vampireless" and "witchless" = QUIET. The Penderwicks is not quiet. When You Reach Me isn't quiet.
A: JoSVolpe YES. Every editor I know that acquires MG is looking for well-written, meaningful stories.
A: literaticat YOU GUYS. Lots of questions about "is there a market for quiet middle grade." YES, IF IT IS BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN.

Q: A friend suggested I change my heroine from 13 to 10 because younger is selling. Are you seeing this trend also? (@Storiestobe)

A: JoSVolpe: I only suggest that an author change the age of the character if it better fits the tone and sensibility of the book.
A: JoSVolpe: UNLESS it's really a matter of hitting the genre, and a year would make a difference or something.

Q: When an agent says that your MS isn't strong enough for the markt - does that mean the premise, the writing or the plot? (@PippaBayliss)

A: JoSVolpe: It could mean any of those things--depends on the project.
A: literaticat: Couldn't possibly say without looking at the material. Could mean any of those things.
A: JoSVolpe: The "almost, but not quite" issue I say is usually that the concept is GREAT, but the voice is off

Q: Is MG affected by trends as much as YA seems to be? (@elissacruz)

A: literaticat: I don't think so.
A: JoSVolpe: I don't find that it does, actually. I think a lot of MG is pretty timeless.

Q: How edgy can you go and still qualify as MG? (@JoWhittemore)

A: literaticat: Depends - diff houses have different feelings about that - but, I'd say, er... no sex or major cursing for a start.
A: Tina_Wexler: I don't think in terms of content but in terms of how its handled, how its presented, if it fits with a mg voice.
A: JoSVolpe: Kids experience the real world just like we do-you can go as far as it takes to be real to the story and characters.
A: literaticat - yes, what @Tina_Wexler said!

Q: What is a good word count range for ages 10-14? (@Seagulley)

A: KateMessner: Here's @literaticat's recent (and great) post about word counts in kids' books: http://t.co/l5iaS8jvA: Tina_Wexler: I'm not the person to ask; the story will be as long or as short as it needs to be to be told and told well.

Q: Is tween still considered to be MG? Like a light romance for the middle school crowd? (@KarenB_Schwartz)

A: JoSVolpe: It actually depends on the publisher...sometimes the terms "tween" and "MG" are interchangeable. Not always tho.
A: Tina_Wexler: I want to like the term tween, but it always seems so...Limited Too to me.
A: Tina_Wexler: I think MG is only going to grow and grow.

Q: Much MG/YA fiction seems to have a "snarky" comic voice. What good examples are there of other kinds of comic voices? (@kingdomofpatria)

A: JoSVolpe: Adam Gidwitz, Brian Selznick, Andrew Clements, Jeff Kinney, Grace Lin, Richard Peck - none of them really snark.
A: JoSVolpe: Neil Gaiman, Beth Wolitzer, Jonathan Stroud, Kate Messner...the list goes on of non-snark
A: literaticat: I actually have a harder time thinking of MG books that ARE snarky than ones that aren't. That is more YA, no? ... (Or maybe people have a different opinion about what "snarky" is than I do.)
A: JoSVolpe: I've seen snark in both boy and girl books, and I'm okay with it! It just has to feel natural, not put on.

Q: How strongly are trendy mss sought? Frankly, I'd rather read just a good old-fashioned story. (@AniProf )

A: JoSVolpe: I look for the writing, the voice and a good story. Trends come and go. Good stories...they last

Q: Series seem to be big in MG. Any tips on how to create a successful series? (@elissacruz)

A: JoSVolpe: To create a successful series, have a plan for the FULL series ahead of time

Q: But what IS that quality which makes a great #mg book GREAT? (@kingdomofpatria)

A: literaticat: It's all about that elusive MG voice, to me. Very hard to nail. People who do? @KateMessner @LaurelSnyder for ex
A: Tina_Wexler: Writers who remember being that age, not just writers who have kids that age.
A: JoSVolpe: For me, great MG voice is such a know-it-when-I-read-it thing. So much easier to give examples than define.

Q: If MG boy book fell in middle of woods but no pub there to hear it, does it make a sound? IE: Present boy book market? (@mswinchell)

A: literaticat: There are NINE HUNDRED BACTRILLION middle grade boy books. Honestly. Look at the NYT Bestseller list.
A: literaticat: Depends. How good is it?

Q: Is fantasy still the going trend in MG? Or is contemporary more popular? (@MelissaRoske)

A: JoSVolpe: Both fantasy and contemporary still sells in MG, I don't see one trend stronger than the other, personally.
A: JoSVolpe: There's definitely a market for MG scifi

Q: How about tips for a successful agent/author relationship? (@restlessbjas)

A: literaticat: Successful author/agent relationship is based (imo) on good communication, transparency, trust.
A: JoSVolpe: Tips for a successful agent-author relationship: be honest & open, read a lot, don't be afraid to talk something out or set aside.

Q: Question: If characters are mid teens in Historical Fiction, but not involved in hot romance, is that more MG than YA? Chains? (@PBWorkshop)

A: Tina_Wexler: If their outlook is teen and the voice is teen, it's YA. Sex, drugs and rock n' roll aren't what make a ms YA.
A: literaticat: Honestly I think a lot of Historical straddles MG/YA - where it lands has to do with tone.
A: literaticat: Anne of Green Gables = the original bad girl of tween lit. #drunk #disorderly #dyedhair #bigsleeves #gangster

Q: QUESTION: How's the market for quieter MG, like LOVE, AUBREY? (@stefwass)

A: Tina_Wexler: Oh, I loved that book. Cried on the subway.

Q: Is there a single element to a MS that will trump any and all shortcomings in your eyes?

A: VOICE

Q: What is VOICE? (@_TimothyPower)

A: Tina_Wexler: I think this is when we all start crowing about VOICE
A: JoSVolpe: Voice is much more than vivid characterization--it's the essence of the entire narrative.
A: Tina_Wexler: I think of voice as the words you use and how you use them. As simple and as complicated as that.
A: JoSVolpe: I've been seeing MG voice that sounds like how adults WANT kids to sound, not how they really think, sound and feel
A: kingdomofpatria @JoSVolpe I think it's true: plot is primary, as Aristotle says in the Poetics, we are what we do, and voice comes out of that
A: Tina_Wexler @kingdomofpatria You're right. I should say it's the words your NARRATOR uses/doesn't use, the words that make up their heart

Q: Would you say that there is any room for boyfriend/girlfriend relationship in MG? Not saying sex and romance but "dating"? (@dsantat)

A: Tina_Wexler: I think so. That's when kids turn: your BFF who wasn't into boys is suddenly gah, and how obnoxious--until it hits you.
A: Tina_Wexler Also, they would have to have their parents drive them there (groan), but maybe there'd be some sweaty handholding.

Q: Querying?

A: JoSVolpe: In a query, I do NOT want to see someone just compare it to Harry Potter. If that's the only book they can think of, then chances are they don't really know the genre.
A: Tina_Wexler @JoSVolpe I want to bold and underline and CAPS your answer. NO HP COMPS!
A: JoSVolpe What I see lacking most in my MG submissions is the right voice. Lots of great ideas and even good writing, but the voice is off.

Q: Magic Realism in MG?

A: literaticat: I think @laurelsnyder's beautiful BIGGER THAN A BREAD BOX is an example of MG Magical Realism.

Q: On MG in the digital world?

A: JoSVolpe: This generation of kids is growing up with smart phones & tablets. I think they will definitely pick up on ereaders.
A: literaticat: I think lots and lots of kids do not have access to e-readers, and won't. P-books are affordable, they don't break...
A: literaticat: Sure, lots of kids will get e-readers. But access to paper books is still VITAL, or you are cutting poor kids out of the picture

That's all, y'all! Thanks for tuning in :) Remember to visit #MGlitchat's blog for news about upcoming chats.  

Tag! You're it!

Tags, bloghops, blogfests, interviews, contests! Who knew the blogosphere would be so full of fun and imaginative ways to get to know each other?

I've been tagged over at Jaye Robin Brown's "Hanging on to Wonder" blog, which means I must answer the following telltale (and impossible, Jaye! What were you thinking???) questions.

Photo by Jan Hoffman

1. What is the best meal you've ever eaten - what, when, and where?
Oh my gosh, I've eaten some pretty scrumptious meals in my time. But, so far, hands down: Last year, in LA in The Grove, Ulysses Voyage. You have to do it Connie Srinivasan style, though, which is to tell the server that you will not be ordering. "Bring out plates to share--small or large plates, whatever you love best on the menu, one at a time until we tell you to stop." Paired with several rich and wonderful Greek reds, this meal that started with mouthwatering Saganaki (flaming cheese) and grilled octopus and ended with a gorgeous array of Greek desserts was the best I've ever had.

2. What is your earliest memory?
Oh, tough one! It's vague, but I remember a room--it was a church--dark and twisting--a wall that I wasn't supposed to go beyond. But I did. A corridor full of light. Splashed by mirrors reflecting stained glass windows, perhaps? Red cushions. Another room, darker still and a way that was not out but deeper. . . .

Img by Fanpop.com

3. If given your choice of a secret rendezvous with any fictional hottie - who would you choose?
Spike. Absolutely : D

4. What is your favorite joke?
I recently I heard this terrible one on Twitter (via Shari B), and it's my favorite for the time being:

Girl 1: "Someone told me you look like an owl."Girl 2: "Who?"

5. Pick three words to describe yourself (one is just too hard!)

Are you kidding?? Three is too hard! But, I would have to say... Tenacious, Rebellious, Passionate.

And now to tag my own victims!
1. Amber Plante
2. Kara Lucas
3. Charlie Holmberg

Honestly, I think you're allowed to change the questions up, but I adore Jaye's terribly impossible questions and would love to know your answers to them. So.

Tag! You're it!