A Facebook Friend (thanks Chris!) pointed me to this interview with Kristen Stewart for Irish television. She mentions playing the lead in the SPEAK movie around the 4:30 mark.
Here is a Public Service Announcement Kristen made about college campus security and high rate of sexual assault at colleges.
And because I promised someone, here is a shot from the filming of SPEAK. That's me in my world-famous role as "Lunch Lady." Kristen Stewart, as Melinda, is standing with her back to the camera, about to go through the line to get her lunch. This is where my highly acclaimed, tension-filled moment "serves mashed potatoes" occurs. Really, when you think about it, it was the climax to the whole film.
Good Samhain to all! Now our world slips into the dark half of the year. We light candles and tell tales around the fire.
While I was out of town last week, I received word of three attempts to remove two of my books from high school classrooms, TWISTED and SPEAK.
The challenge I have the least information on is apparently taking place at Downingtown West High School in Downingtown, PA. TWISTED is on the 9th grade summer reading list there. Some parents object to the book because of the description of sexual behavior in it. UPDATE: I just received a note saying the parents in Downingtown and the teacher were able to work through the issues. Yay for the good and reasonable people of Downingtown!
The second TWISTED challenge is taking place this week at Montgomery High School in Mt. Sterling, KY. A parent there feels the book is inappropriate.
Here is a quote from the draft of the letter I am sending to the Mt. Sterling superintendent:
"I suspect the roots of the parental concern about TWISTED are the scenes in which teenagers make stupid, dangerous, and occasionally horrifying decisions.
Because readers who can experience those decisions – by reading about them – and appreciate the consequences of those actions - by seeing those consequences affect the lives of a book’s characters - are less likely to do the stupid, dangerous and occasionally horrifying things themselves.
Jesus knew this. He did not simply reiterate the Ten Commandments, or tell us to love one another and walk back into the desert. He told stories that made His listeners think. They make us think two thousand years later.
Storytelling is the traditional vehicle mankind uses to pass wisdom from one generation to the next. TWISTED contains a lot of bad decisions, hard consequences, and wisdom.
In an addendum to this letter, you will find a listing of the state and national awards TWISTED has received. They were all very flattering, but none of them mean nearly as much to me as the email I get from readers. Here are a few quotes from them.
“I just wanted to say thank you for writing this book. I have been considering killing myself for many years and now i am entering my junior year of high school and about 10 minutes ago finished this book. It has given me a new perspective on life and that death isn’t the easy way out. I can relate to Tyler in many ways… I greatly appreciate this book because now I know that there is hope in my life and that death is not the answer. And one more thing this is the only book I have been able to pick up and not put down from start to finish. I finished it in one day.”
“… I read "Twisted" today. I started around 4, and I couldn't stop, I finished at 9:40. This book, was so eerily similar to my life, not completely, because I haven't done any "Foul Deeds" (haha), and I don't have the same "Bethany" situation, but my father is so much like Tyler's, it sounded like he was based off him. He yells about grades constantly, to the point of making my house unhappy. I've considered suicide before and told no one, just buried it. I know this sounds strange, but I connected to this book in a very strange way. I can't explain it, I just did. I've never sat down and read a book cover to cover, but for some reason, I couldn't stop… But, I mean, this sounds silly, but I just want to thank you for writing that book. I feel different now, I know it may not make perfect sense, but this book changed part of me. So, thank you.”
"...Twisted really got to me. I've had 3 suicide attempts and the way you wrote the way he was feeling, and the hopelessness and complete unhappiness he had to deal with really hit home with me. You really nailed it... After finishing twisted I realized how much of a miracle life is, and how problems are only temporary. I could honestly bore you with a 3 page email explaining to you all I've learned and connected with from your writing. Basically I really appreciate and look up to you and your work."
Those emails, sir, are the reason I write hard, true, literary books for teenagers."
If you are looking to get a head start on observing Banned Books Week, feel free to write to the schools involoved with these challenges. PLEASE, I BEG YOU: be civilized and polite!! Our country is suffering an influenza of rudeness. Calling names and heaping scorn does not further discussions or change attitudes. It just builds the barricades higher.
If you have personal experience with TWISTED, as a reader, a parent, an educator, or a librarian, please share those experiences (in a positive, constructive way) with these people
MONTGOMERY HIGH SCHOOL, MT. STERLING, KY
Tammy Haydon
Review Committee chair
tammy.haydon@montgomery.kyschools.us
Dr. Daniel Freeman
Superintendent of Montgomery County Schools
daniel.freeman@montgomery.kyschool.us
Please also remember to send prayers and support to the teachers forced to deal with these challenges. Being a teacher is one of the most important, and one of the hardest jobs in the world. Having your professional integrity called out by an attempt to ban books in your classroom is a devastating attack. My heart goes out to all of the students, teachers, staff, and community members who are standing up to the attempts of a vocal minority to impose their will and their taste in literature upon an entire school.
In the Good News column, SPEAK has survived a book banning attempt in Temecula, CA. The complaining parent in Temecula said SPEAK was "smutty" and "pornographic." The LA Times newspaper did a great job covering the controversy; it published an article about the background of the challenge, and another one after the school board voted to keep the book in curriculum.
The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and the National Coalition against Censorship have joined forces to create the Kids' Right to Read Project (KRRP). It is a brilliant, powerful, and much-appreciated collaboration. KRRP wrote to the Temecula Valley Unified School District to protest the attempt to ban SPEAK.
I love the KRRP letter.
I used to get really angry at these things because I felt they were a personal attack on me. Then I grew up.
Now I get angry because book banning is bad for my country. It is an attack on the Constitution and about the core ideals of America. It is the tool of people who want to control and manipulate our children.
Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas wrote in 1953 that the “Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.”
What do you think? What are you doing to prevent book banning?
Thank you, everyone for the kind and wonderful comments about the magic window and the cottage. BH spent all day yesterday sanding the window and we promise we'll be updating regularly on the progress. The anticipated completion date is late summer/early fall.
WINTERGIRLS is #3 on Indiebound's Kid's Indie Next List for Spring. This is a list of exciting new titles compiled by the independent booksellers. Be sure to check out the whole thing.
Let's go to the mailbag!
You wrote: How do you know if people accept or condemn like your book? .... What I mean is, how do you know if, because your book might have a few aspects that will undoubtably raise some conservative eyebrows, that it won't just be deemed inappropriate and nobody will want to read it?
Speak is one of my favorite books, and one of the things I love about is that you don't try to shove the subject of rape under the ring, or use lavender words to merely allude to it. You tackled it straight-on, which a lot of writers won't do because--heaven forbid--it's a difficult topic.
This excellent question goes to the heart of YA literature. When we write for teens, we are writing for millions of readers with vast differences in maturity level, experiences, and background. They come from diverse families. Some kids will be ready for books that are gritty and realistic, others won't be. This is why parents, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and reviewers are all part of the YA literature universe.
Someone will always pop up to object to or complain about your book, no matter what you write. That's a given. There is no way you can please everyone. Neither can you write a book that will appeal to everyone's tastes. First and foremost, you need to write the book that is in your heart.
When I am towards the end of my revision process, I give serious thought to my intended reader. If I had written any of my books for an adult audience, I am sure I would have made some different choices. I wanted SPEAK to be appropriate for younger as well as older teens because so many young teens are sexually assaulted; they are easy targets because they are young and naive. I deliberately toned down Melinda's memory of the rape scene, made it less graphic, for that reason. The less-graphic description works organically within the story because when she was raped, she'd had a couple beers, so the memory is a little blurred around the edges. In part because I made the decision not to give a sexually graphic description of the rape, most people feel comfortable handing the book to 8th graders, and some to 7th graders.
And then there are the folks who feel it is a book that should only be given to a senior in high school, at the end of senior year, because that's when they are old enough to discuss these issues and read stories that reflect the realities of sexual assault.
We cannot control how people react to our books. Our job is to write; write honestly, write with passion and compassion, write the true. Does that help?
WINTERGIRLS goes on sale in 15 days!!
Once the excitement about that died down, it was time for the First Grand Experiment With an Online School Visit. Through the miracle that is Skype, I sat at my desk and talked to a class of 7th graders who live hundreds of miles away. Because both of our computers have cameras, we could see as well as hear each other.
This is what the visit looked like at my end. Their teacher, Kate Messner, is a friend and a fellow author. This was all her idea in the first place, so thank you, Kate! She and I tested the connection over the weekend, and then first thing in the morning yesterday, before the actual event.
You can read a detailed explanation of how the visit went (complete with more photos) on Kate's blog.
How did it go from my POV? Excellent. It took about an hour of my time. I didn't have to travel and sleep in a hotel. I really enjoyed being able to see the faces of each reader. I was able to hear their questions and enjoy interacting with them. I also got to be a little bit of a ham, knowing that my face was about 10 feet tall on the projection screen.
There were a few glitches. We lost the connection several times and had to reboot (or reconnect or reskype - we need a new verb for this) which was a wee bit frustrating, but not that bad. The quality of the video was not what you'd imagine, going by the visual quality portrayed in the ads on TV. Both of those problems could be a result of my location way out in the boondocks. We frequently have pixelation issues and limited bandwidth. We've had the technicians from Time Warner out here countless times and they have a different explanation every time.
I have another test Skype visit next month, with a group of teachers from the American School in Warsaw, Poland. (Yes, it's the one I visited a couple of years ago.)
I am thinking of offering Skype visits to book clubs after this Spring's tour and to classrooms starting in the fall. If you are a bookstore or book club interested in something this spring or summer, email me at laurie AT writerlady DOT com. If you are interested in a classroom visit, watch this space in September. I'll make an announcement when I have it all figured out.
You can find a higher quality version of the video on the "Speak Up About Speak" page that Penguin has created.
If you want to be a part of this effort, Uncle Penguin would love you to contribute your comments about how the book has affected you on that blog.
On a completely unrelated note, this story of compassion and sportsmanship shown by two basketball teams in the Midwest is guaranteed to make you happy.
I'm off to get ready for my trip to New York and, one hopes, write many more pages.
Scribblescribblescribble...
WINTERGIRLS is....
...about being haunted by an angry ghost
...about being lost
...about feeling frozen and not having an ice pick
...about being trapped between alive and dead
...about pain that leads to self-destruction
...about the possibility of happiness
All of those concepts are filtered through the story of Lia, an 18-year-old suffering from anorexia, and her family and friends. But if you know where to look, you'll see shadows of Persephone and Sleeping Beauty, too. It's the darkest book I've ever written.
I was shocked to see there are already 53 reviews for WINTERGIRLS on Goodreads. Do any of you use Goodreads? I haven't so far because I am the fussiest reader I know.
John Green (yes, him, PAPER TOWNS, LOOKING FOR ALASKA, etc.) has an interesting post on evaluating teens reactions to books based on its Goodread's rating. What do you think of his argument?
The other book release that is beginning to rumble in the blogosphere and elsewhere is the 10th anniversary edition of SPEAK. Yes, it has been 10 years. No, I don't believe it, either. But I counted on all of my fingers and it is true.
Penguin Books has put up a blog, Speak Up About Speak,"dedicated to readers, writers and authors who want to discuss the impact Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson has had on young adult literature." Feel free to post your opinions, memories, or anything else over there.
10 years? Yeah, that's what they tell me.
Does it make you feel old? No, it makes me think I stepped into a worm hole and got sucked through a decade of time without realizing it.
One last question and then I have to get to work. A new blog reader from India yesterday wrote in and asked how she could order one of my books. Does anyone have a suggestion? Are there any independent bookstores out there who ship overseas?
Scribblescribblescribble...
Christmas is finally over up here on the Tundra. We've had Daughter #1 (aka Bookavore) and her boyfriend up here for the final celebration. Author Alert - Bookavore is moving to the Big Apple and will be managing WORD, a super-cool bookstore in Brooklyn, starting next month.
I have finally signed up for Twitter. I think it will be most fun while I'm on tour. My Twitter name is halseanderson. Feel free to follow!
My Friday Five is an assortment of book news I've been accumulating for a while.
1. Along with all the other amazing news this week, Isabel in CHAINS garnered a Cuffie Award. Be sure to read through the whole list!
2. The Israeli rights to TWISTED have been sold. Check out this student project about the book.
3. Penguin has posted my poem "Listen" on their website. The poem shares reader reactions to SPEAK. I wrote it for this year's 10th anniversary of the book. (Follow the link, scroll down, and open the pdf.)
4. Illustrator Matt Faulkner has posted a DAMES video on YouTube.
5. We have a WINTERGIRLS Facebook page now. Another nice review has come in for WINTERGIRLS, but I can't post it for a few weeks. Stay tuned!I'm headed into the Writing Cave this weekend, hoping to blast through a plot knot and weave in a subplot. What are you doing?
I received a nice link from a teacher in IL who featured some classroom ideas for SPEAK on her blog.
Publicist Deborah Sloan has a few review copies of CHAINS available (scroll down to the Sept. 4th entry).
If you can't score an early copy, you can read what professornana thinks of CHAINS, or what Alissa the Teen Services librarian has to say about it.
Oh, and Reading Rants weighs in with a CHAINS opinion, too.
I have two announcements.
1. To everyone who has submitted a book trailer as of today. Please email your mailing address to Officemouse AT writerlady DOT com as soon as possible. Your trailer is still entered in the contest, but since I am changing the rules in the middle of it, I figure I owe you something. I want to send you one of my books. In your email, let me know if you want SPEAK, CATALYST, PROM, TWISTED, or FEVER 1793. If you are in the mood to be patient, you can request my new historical novel, CHAINS, which comes out on October 21, or my next YA, WINTERGIRLS, which will be published in May, 2009.
2. To the rest of the world: the new deadline for the book trailer contest is midnight (Eastern Standard Time in the US), October 31st, 2008.
1. Create a book trailer for SPEAK or TWISTED. You may not use clips or images from the SPEAK movie (it is copyrighted, that's why). Your trailer must qualify for a PG rating. Try to keep it under two minutes long: four minutes is the absolute maximum length allowed.
2. Post the trailer on YouTube. Include the phrase "TWISTED trailer contest" or "SPEAK trailer contest" in the title. Submissions must be posted by midnight (Eastern Standard Time in the US), October 31st, 2008.
3. Once the trailer is posted, notify us by emailing the Office Mouse: officemouse AT writerlady DOT com . When you notify us, please provide a link to your trailer and a valid email address so we can contact you if you win. Please include the name of your school librarian or English teacher and her (or his) email address. If you are home-schooled, include the name of your public librarian.
4. Watch and wait. Winner will be chosen by Laurie Halse Anderson (aka me).
5. NOTE! Contest is only open to people who will be 21 years old or younger on October 31, 2008.
6. Contest is open to anyone on the Planet Earth. Teens working aboard the space station are welcome too. Entries from other planets and galaxies will be considered, as long as they can be watched on Earth-created technologies.
7. If your trailer is chosen as the winning entry and you are not 18 yet, your parents will have to sign a release form granting me all rights to use your trailer. If you are over 18, you get to sign for yourself. You will be credited as the producer of the trailer, but the only payment you will receive is the prize described below. If you win, be sure to include this on your college or film school application.
8. If you win, your school or public library, or your English teacher, will receive 5 signed copies of my books.
9. There will be two grand prizes awarded; one for the best SPEAK trailer, one for the best TWISTED trailer.
10. The creator of the winning trailer will be awarded an 8GB iPod Touch. Winner agrees to be responsible for setting up and paying for Internet connection and any warranty protection plan for the device.
11. If the winners do not live in a region where the iPod Touch is supported, a substitute prize of equal value will be awarded.
12. Winners will be announced on this blog at some point in November and will be notified by email.
I think that's everything. Please feel free to post this announcement to listservs and on your blog. If you have any more questions about the contest, please post them in the Comments section.
I have had many more requests from teachers and librarians to extend the deadline into the fall than I have had entries.
Do you think I should extend the deadline? Is the middle of October long enough, or should it go longer?
Here goes:
1. Create a book trailer for SPEAK or TWISTED. You may not use clips or images from the SPEAK movie (it is copyrighted, that's why). Your trailer must qualify for a PG rating. Try to keep it under two minutes long: four minutes is the absolute maximum length allowed.
2. Post the trailer on YouTube. Include the phrase "TWISTED trailer contest" or "SPEAK trailer contest" in the title. Submissions must be posted by 12:00pm, EST, August 31, 2008.
3. Once the trailer is posted, notify us by emailing the Office Mouse: officemouse AT writerlady DOT com . When you notify us, please provide a link to your trailer and a valid email address so we can contact you if you win. If you are in a Summer Reading group, include the name of your librarian and her (or his) email address.
4. Watch and wait. Winner will be chosen by Laurie Halse Anderson (aka me).
5. NOTE! Contest is only open to people who will be 21 years old or younger on August 31, 2008.
6. Contest is open to anyone on the Planet Earth. Teens working aboard the space station are welcome too. Entries from other planets and galaxies will be considered, as long as they can be watched on Earth-created technologies.
7. If your trailer is chosen as the winning entry and you are not 18 yet, your parents will have to sign a release form granting me all rights to use your trailer. If you are over 18, you get to sign for yourself. You will be credited as the producer of the trailer, but the only payment you will receive is the prize described below. If you win, be sure to include this on your college or film school application.
8. If you are in a library summer reading group, your library will receive 5 signed copies of my books. The librarian in charge of the group gets to decide which books to receive.
9. There will be two prizes awarded; one for the best SPEAK trailer, one for the best TWISTED trailer.
10. The creator of the winning trailer will be awarded an 8GB iPod Touch. Winner agrees to be responsible for setting up and paying for Internet connection and any warranty protection plan for the device.
11. If the winners do not live in a region where the iPod Touch is supported, a substitute prize of equal value will be awarded.
12. Winners will be announced on this blog, Sunday, September 7th, and will be notified by email.
I think that's everything. Please feel free to post this announcement to library and academic listservs. If you have any more questions about the contest, please post them in the Comments section.
Keep all expectations low and try not to snort coffee out your nose onto your keyboard.
Keep spreading the word about the Summer Twisted/Speak Book Trailer Contest!
After questions from readers who live outside the United States, I have added Rules 5A and 9A below.
1. Create a book trailer for SPEAK or TWISTED. You may not use clips from the SPEAK movie (it is copyrighted, that's why). Your trailer must qualify for a PG rating. Try to keep it under two minutes long.
2. Post the trailer on YouTube. Include the phrase "TWISTED trailer contest" or "SPEAK trailer contest" in the title. Submissions must be posted by 12:00pm, EST, August 31, 2008.
3. Once the trailer is posted, notify us by emailing the Office Mouse: officemouse AT writerlady DOT com . When you notify us, please provide a link to your trailer and a valid email address so we can contact you if you win. If you are in a Summer Reading group, include the name of your librarian and her (or his) email address.
4. Watch and wait. Winner will be chosen by Laurie Halse Anderson (aka me).
5. NOTE! Contest is only open to people who will be 21 years old or younger on August 31, 2008.
5A. Edited to add: Contest is open to anyone on the Planet Earth. Teens working aboard the space station are welcome too. Entries from other planets and galaxies will be considered, as long as they can be watched on Earth-created technologies.
6. If your trailer is chosen as the winning entry and you are not 18 yet, your parents will have to sign a release form granting me all rights to use your trailer. If you are over 18, you get to sign for yourself. You will be credited as the producer of the trailer, but the only payment you will receive is the prize described below. If you win, be sure to include this on your college or film school application.
7. If you are in a library summer reading group, your library will receive 5 signed copies of my books. The librarian in charge of the group gets to decide which books to receive.
8. There will be two prizes awarded; one for the best SPEAK trailer, one for the best TWISTED trailer.
9. The creator of the winning trailer will be awarded an 8GB iPod Touch. Winner agrees to be responsible for setting up and paying for Internet connection and any warranty protection plan for the device.
9a. Edited to add: If the winners live outside the United States and do not live in a region where the iPod Touch is supported, a substitute prize of equal value will be awarded.
10. Winners will be announced on this blog, Sunday, September 7th, and will be notified by email.
I think that's everything. Please feel free to post this announcement to library and academic listservs. If you have any questions about the contest, please post them in the Comments section.
The Office Mouse has been scurrying around getting me caught up on technology and preparing for the books coming out in the next year. One of the things we'd like to do is have more contests. That's where you come in.
Details! Details!
1. Create a book trailer for SPEAK or TWISTED. You may not use clips from the SPEAK movie (it is copyrighted, that's why). Your trailer must qualify for a PG rating. Try to keep it under two minutes long.
2. Post the trailer on YouTube. Include the phrase "TWISTED trailer contest" or "SPEAK trailer contest" in the title. Submissions must be posted by 12:00pm, EST, August 31, 2008.
3. Once the trailer is posted, notify us by emailing the Office Mouse: officemouse AT writerlady DOT com . When you notify us, please provide a link to your trailer and a valid email address so we can contact you if you win. If you are in a Summer Reading group, include the name of your librarian and her (or his) email address.
4. Watch and wait. Winner will be chosen by Laurie Halse Anderson (aka me).
5. NOTE! Contest is only open to people who will be 21 years old or younger on August 31, 2008.
6. If your trailer is chosen as the winning entry and you are not 18 yet, your parents will have to sign a release form granting me the rights to use your trailer. If you are over 18, you get to sign for yourself. You will be credited as the producer of the trailer, but the only payment you will receive is the prize described below. If you win, be sure to include this on your college or film school application.
7. If you are in a library summer reading group, your library will receive 5 signed copies of my books. The librarian in charge of the group gets to decide which books to receive.
8. There will be two prizes awarded; one for the best SPEAK trailer, one for the best TWISTED trailer.
9. The creator of the winning trailer will be awarded an 8GB iPod touch. Winner agrees to be responsible for setting up and paying for Internet connection and any warranty protection plan.
10. Winners will be announced on this blog, Sunday, September 7th, and will be notified by email.
I think that's everything. Please feel free to post this announcement to library and academic listservs. If you have any questions about the contest, please post them in the Comments section.
Note: there is a chance to win free books ahead, including a collectible first edition. Keep reading!
Gasp. We only have 61 days until the half-marathon in Lake Placid.
::reaches for running shoes::
::slaps self and points to massive manuscript and mountain of notes::
Truth be told I ran yesterday, so today is a cross-training day (w00t). So far this year, I've done pretty good sticking to my goal of running 20 miles a week. As of yesterday, when I staggered up the driveway, I have run 303 miles since January 1st. The snow is finally gone up here on the tundra, so I've abandoned the treadmill in favor of hilly country roads well-stocked with rotting roadkill.
New readers of the blog might be wondering why on earth I'm doing all this running. My husband and I have vowed to raise $5,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training fund. The money goes for research into the causes of and treatments for blood cancers, which kills an American every ten minutes. My cousin is fighting this disease right now so it is a cause that means a great deal to our family.
Note: You're almost to the part where you get to win the free stuff! Keep reading!
Because I know a million, bazillion people, I was able to meet my fundraising goal last month. My studly, adorable, patient, quick-witted husband (yeah, that's him in the photo) is not far behind, but he could use a little help. He is 60% of the way to his goal. All he needs is another $1,000. But he needs it soon. (Photo by Sonya Sones, BTW.)Here's where the bribery begins... I mean, here's the free stuff!!!!
If you donate $50 toward Scot's goal, I will send you a free audiobook of TWISTED (seen here hanging out with the revisions of my WIP).
If you donate $100, I'll send the audiobook and a special surprise.
If you donate $500, I will send you a very rare, first edition, first printing copy of SPEAK. No one had high hopes for the book when it was published, so the first print run was limited. Here is your chance to snag a collectible.
Or you can donate what you can afford and receive our everlasting gratitude and a really good feeling in your heart. Come on. You're about to get a check from the government. Here's a way to put it to good use.
Please help us. It's for a good cause.
Many folks are asking about one of my responses to Katrina's questions earlier in the week about majoring in Creative Writing in college.
I wrote: Don't major in Creative Writing, but take some of the classes if the professor has a good reputation with the other students.
This made some people - those majoring in Creative Writing - nervous. So I expanded on my opinion:
My concern is that too many colleges give students the impression that a degree in Creative Writing will nearly guarantee them a lifetime of publishing contracts and a life of ease.
It does not work that way.
If you are fortunate enough to have great professors, your chances of developing your writing skills to the point where you could be published are increased, there's no doubt about that. But there are a lot of terrible creative writing professors out there. Lately, I've talked to several 20-somethings who are bitter and disillusioned because the degree has not translated into anything but rejection letters.
So if it makes you happy, go for it. But do so with your eyes open.
I'd like to add something else to all the high school students out there who want to become authors. I think the single most important thing you can do for your writing career is to spend time living in a different country. Take a gap year and volunteer your services abroad. Or just travel and talk to people. And then come home. You need to get away from the world in which you were raised in order to gain some perspective on your experiences there. Your writing will be stronger and more interesting once you gain that perspective. IMHO.
Were any of you Creative Writing majors? What's your opinion about this?
On MySpace, a reader asks: "Are you sure you didn't write symbolism and themes into your books? Because My english teacher seemed pretty hung up on the fact that I could read Speak three times in two weeks without finding some deep, hidden meaning. In fact, I had to write Not one, but two essays about it.
Well, I know I really Love your books.
I don't search for deeper meanings, becase frankly, I like the Message at the very top.
Can I print Out your myspace and Give it to my English I teacher?"
By teaching you about the uses of symbolism in literature, your teacher is giving you a couple of extra tools that can make reading more fun. I think the symbolism that is important is the symbolism a reader finds in the story. It doesn't matter what the author tried to stick in there. I'm sorry that the essay writing was painful, but I'm glad you liked the book.
K saw the SPEAK movie on Lifetime this weekend and wrote: "All I really have to say is... you're my freakin hero! Well, not really... but that's my way of saying I enjoy the small taste of your work that I have sampled. I've honestly never heard of you or your books before, but Speak came on the TV just now and is probably about halfway through and I love it.
It's everything I think but can never say... Because... people just don't get it. It's good to know I'm not the only one with a bitter, sarcastic, cynical look at society's stupid unwritten rules of communication.
So I haven't read your book, so I don't know if these quotes are in there, but they are in the movie and are awesome.
"All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings... is a lie. No one really cares what you have to say."
"Why couldn't he just say what he meant? Would they pin a scarlet letter to his chest? 'S' for Straightforward?"
"Once you get through this "life sucks" phase, I'm sure lots of people will wanna be your friend. But for right now, I don't think we should have lunch together."
That's enough, I guess. You wrote the book, you know what you said, you get the point.
You don't have to answer me back. You're busy. That's cool. But I pretty much had to tell you I love Speak."
I've had some great letters about TWISTED recently - I think I'll share them tomorrow.
In closing, many congratulations and all the respect in the world to the Lady Vols of Tennessee and Coach Pat Summitt (whom I adore) for winning the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship last night.
Katarina, an 8th grader from NJ, mailed the following questions. I'm on deadline again, so the answers will be pithy.
When did you realize that you wanted to become a writer specifically for young adults?
I haven't decided that yet. I just try to write good stories.
How do you deal with frustration/writer's block?
I run.
Are there any specific classes that I should take in high school/college?
Keyboarding. I suggest you don't major in creative writing, either, but take some of the classes if the professor has a good reputation with the other students.
Is this a job that includes more failure or success?
Ha! Buckets of failure, tasty tablespoons of success.
How long does it usually take to get “started,” i.e. find a reputable publisher and editor
Ten years.
How long, on average, does it take for you to write a book including the editing/publishing process?
Two to three years from the beginning of a project until it lands in a bookstore.
What precautions can I take so I don't fall for publishing scams?
Never pay cash to anyone who claims to be an agent. Learn the difference between vanity presses and trade presses. Your librarian will help you find books that explain the difference.
Should I have a good knowledge of other styles/genres of writing?
Write what is in your heart.
How can I learn to deal with bad reviews and critics?
Smashing your hand in a car door once a week helps. If you don't have a car, use a hammer. Bad reviews hurt.
When I am just starting out, is the compensation good enough, or is it hard to make a living?
Learn how to waitress so you'll always be able to eat. Be nice to your parents in case you need to live in their basement until your big break comes.
And a very nice note from Danica, who writes:
Ms. Halse-Anderson,
I've got to let you know how much I truly loved "Speak." I first read
the novel as part of an Adolescent Literature class, and I enjoyed it
so much that I thought I needed to find a way to work with the novel
on a deeper level. I've decided to use it as part of my senior thesis
on reader-response and adolescent literature.
You've managed to take a subject like rape and address it in a way
that's approachable for adolescent readers-- the treatment of the
subject is not too intense or explicit, but still clearly demonstrates
the emotional pain of rape. It seems that rape is too often treated
lightly (somehow-- something I will never quite understand), and your
book is a wonderful approach to the benefits of speaking out about
sexual trauma.
Thank you, I look forward to reading more from you!
Thank you very much, Danica. That is exactly the inspiration I needed to go back to my revision!
And now, some parents are going after SPEAK. The teacher involved has asked me not to name the school because she wants the process and policies of the district to unfold away from the glare of any spotlights. I respect that. I am allowed to say that it's a middle school in suburban Detroit. For the record, this has also happened in New Hampshire, Florida, Ohio, Washington, New York, Maine, and California. (As a result of the challenges, the book was embraced, not banned. Which does make an author feel good and a teacher feel even better.)
I sent her a note with teen sexual assault statistics and shared the feedback I've had from readers and their parents, who are grateful for a story that allows them to broach a difficult subject.
This teacher could use some professional support. If you teach SPEAK, can you please leave a note in the comments section for her? Tell her why you use the book. Tell her about your classroom experiences and your professional opinion about the place of the book in the curriculum. Or just give her a pat on the back. If you are a teen, tell her what the book meant to you.
Thank you very much and spread the word.
Now for something positive! Join the brilliant people at The Brown Bookshelf for 28 Days Later - an awesome, wonderful, joyful concept: a black history month celebration of children's literature. They are highlighting an African-American author or illustrator every day this month. Today's honoree is Rita Williams-Garcia, whom I met at NCTE back in November. If you're looking for some great authors, start with this list.
This is my editor Sharyn November with the lovely and talented Rita Williams-Garcia.Our Team In Training effort is going strong. Between the two of us, BH and I have already raised $1755 of our goal of $5000. Yeah, that means we're still standing here, in the snow, shivering, with our hands out. Please donate to the goose or donate to the gander. We're raising $5000 and running a half marathon for the National Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Come on. Give a little!
(I ran 5 miles on Saturday and 4 miles yesterday. BH ran 5 miles both days. We didn't have any trouble sleeping this weekend.)
Thank you to the Giants and Patriots for a great game last night!!! All hail the Giants defense - even though I wanted the other guy to win, you gotta respect the job they did.
And now the countdown to March Madness...
Along with the countdown to my deadline. scribblescribblescribble
I am feeling just xruddy enough that I have even less focus than usual. So this will be a random and disjointed entry.
Angela wrote to me on my Facebook: What do you think of the new AmazonKindle and the virtual road down which books have now turned? Do you think this is really the end of the printed word, like so many techies do? ... cannot imagine not having an actual "book" in my hand to read.... Troubling, I feel. Your insights would be much appreciated."
I think that Amazon should give me a Kindle so I can really explore this. They gave one to Neil Gaiman, but then they took it back. That was rather ungrateful of them.
Will Kindle-like devices take the place of paper-based books? Yep, I believe they will. But do not rend your garments or gnash your teeth. The concept of Story isn't going anywhere. It is encoded into our DNA. It's just that when technology changes, the vehicle for Story changes and that makes some folks uncomfortable for a while. And then we adjust. I suspect that the need to preserve forests combined with a generation of computer-friendly kids will make paper-based books into historical artifacts. If it helps bring the planet back into balance, I'm all for it.
A note from a Hungarian reader living in Malaysia came in the other day. Yeah, that's what I said. A Hungarian reader in Malaysia. How cool is that? She read SPEAK and was finishing up PROM for her English 10 class. She wrote " I loved Prom, too, though for entirely different reasons. To me, it shed some light onto the lives of "ordinary, everyday" teen-life in Philadelphia. You wouldn't believe the 'bubble' I'm coming from! :)"
Congratulations to the Fayetteville-Manlius girls cross country team for winning Nationals for the second year in a row!!!
Middle school teachers - you want to read this review of Teri Lesesne's new book, " Naked Reading: Uncovering What Tweens Need to Become Lifelong Readers".
( I'll put my photos from the SPEAK play and other things behind this cut so I don't booger up your Friends page. )
Levy. On Fellows Avenue in Syracuse.
This was not as traumatic as revisiting my high school was. For one thing, I went to Levy with a bunch of kids I grew up with, and we hadn't moved or gone through all the other trauma that made 8th-9th grade so ouchy for me. For another, I was an incredibly clueless kid in seventh grade. I'm sure there was all kinds of middle school drama going on around me, but it did not register. I remember feeling tall and awkward, I remember my art class, the gospel choir, and, vaguely, Social Studies. I remember being in a couple of fights and burning my arm on the radiator in the cafeteria. And I remember the long walk there in the winter darkness. Nothing horrible, nothing earth-shattering.
But yesterday was fun. I got to speak to a group of teachers (including one that I went to school with) and a larger group of students.
They were neither clueless nor awkward, though a couple of them were tall. Two of the girls were daughters of women I had grown up with, which was very cool. Syracuse really is a small town. I like that.I've spent today deep, deep into pages. More tomorrow. We might sneak out for some of the local holiday festivities on Saturday. If you don't want to drive north to Mexico, drive to Syracuse instead to watch my almost-mater, Nottingham High School perform SPEAK on stage this weekend.
QUESTION: What is your strongest memory from seventh grade?
Anyone who reads my books knows that I struggled in high school, for a lot of different reasons. The bad news is that I was a depressed kid for a long time. The good news is that I did not die or do anything permanently stupid. I grew up, dealt with stuff, and became an extremely happy writer with an acute sensitivity for teens who are struggling with all manner of pain, stress, pressure, and sadness.
But last night I had to go back to my high school. The place I had worked so hard to get out of.
It still smells the same.
Three steps into the lobby and I started breaking out in hives. I wanted to bolt, but my Beloved Husband made me promise not to, plus I was curious about how the actors, crew, and playwright had interpreted SPEAK. I dug my fingernails into my palm and sat down in the auditorium where I had spent so many miserable hours. I focused on not hyperventilating.
And the kids saved me. Totally saved me, grabbed my heart, cradled it and made me proud to be connected to them. Thank you, thank you, thank you: Fiona Cunningham for taking the biggest risk of all and becoming Melinda for a while, Tyler Baird, who is Andy Evans only on stage, Chloe Tiso (Heather), Stephanie Jacobs (Rachel), Kate Bonsted (Ivy), and Ross Berman (David), along with all of the other actors and hardworking crew who rocked that stage. Thank you Regan Horacek for the fabulous poster, Steve Braddock for another tremendous job bringing one of my books to life on stage, drama teacher and director Scott Austin for making magic happen, and John Czajkowski for a brilliant set and lighting scheme.
(You can watch interviews with some of the cast from this Channel 10 Page.)
As if that wasn't enough, Vera House was set up in the lobby to educate people about their powerful Clothesline Project for survivors of sexual assault and abuse. Perfect.
One of the privileges of being the author upon whose book a play is based is that you get to go backstage after the show...
...and talk to the cast and crew. ( More backstage paparazzi action! )
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halseanderson- Laurie Halse Anderson
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