Richard Peck on the beating heart of what we do as children's writers

If you cannot find yourself on the page very early in life, you will go looking for yourself in all the wrong places.

When Richard Peck said that, I would have applauded had I not been typing as fast I could to get down his every meaty line.

In all his books, he said, he always has an older character."I always put old people in, just in case there are no old people in my readers's lives. Just in case they no longer have to write thank you notes to their grandparents. A book, like a school, should provide what is no longer available in life ."

Mr. Peck was speaking at the 2010 SCBWI Symposium in Bologna. He is now 76 and it is nine years since he won the Newbery Medal for A Year Down Yonder, a book that few publishers would embrace these days because not only is it of a very specific regional bent, its lead character is a big fat and old lady, plus there is not a single handsome bloodsucker in sight.

His theme had somewhat evolved from the announced  topic "The Right Books Right Now" to what drives or should drive us children's authors to write for "a generation who knows no earlier century, who knows no time but now, and who recognizes no government but the peer group."

Says Mr. Peck: "We write for a generation we never were because ours is a higher calling: a deeper craft", trying to woo "a readership whose facebooks glow hot into the night long after their parents are fast asleep".

He listed what was required of us in breathtaking language:

• "We have crossed  terrible minefields of our own making ... the opening mine of the opening line. Are we writing with invitational simplicity without a word to slow it down?" He cites as an example of an opening with "invitational simplicity" a line from EB White's Charlotte's Web: "Where is Papa going with that axe?" 
• "Like no other authors we can doom ourselves before we start, fall at the first fence ... when the thickets of our dark woods see the adverbs coiling to strike. Boys don’t use adverbs. Boys live in an unqualified word." He quotes Mark Twain: "If you see an adverb, shoot it." 
• "We have to write as the readers. We cannot write as ourselves ...We must write nearer to our readers and farther from ourselves than any other kind of writer.". 
• "Character development is the beating heart of what we do." 
• "Dialogue is best written standing up. It improves the pace ... I write with my feet. That way I can act out my scenes when I get to the kids. If you are unwilling to get up and act out any of your scenes, you will be reduced to writing for adults 
• "The hard truth that a story must entertain first before it can do anything else ... and what entertains you and me doesn’t necessarily entertain the young."  
• "A story for the young must move in a straight line with hope at the end."  
• "The hook upon all our stories hang is the universal truth that actions have consequences. If actions have no consequences, plots fall apart. If actions have no consequences, it isn't a book ... it's a remedial programme. But being responsible for the consequences of your actions is the least interesting truth to the young ... and so we have to be canny and devious."

Wow.

It was not so much a keynote as a call to arms

And our responsibility is great - because what we create on the page is like a magic mirror that helps our young reader see the human being they can become.

Researching Richard Peck on the internet, I was delighted to discover he had written an autobiography Anonymously Yours. In it, he posted the following, a kind of Reader's Creed:

I read because one life isn't enough, and in the page of a book I can be anybody; 

I read because the words that build the story become mine, to build my life;

I read not for happy endings but for new beginnings; I'm just beginning myself, and I wouldn't mind a map;

I read because I have friends who don't, and young though they are, they're beginning to run out of material;

I read because every journey begins at the library, and it's time for me to start packing;

I read because one of these days I'm going to get out of this town, and I'm going to go everywhere and meet everybody, and I want to be ready.

This is why we write for children.

Guest Blogger Maureen Lynas: If You’re Incompetent And You Know It Clap Your Hands.

Part Two of a series
Read Part One - Writerly Incompetence Can Be Cured

Noooo! by Fabbio

David Attenborough would probably describe the cry of the Lesser-spotted Red-faced Author as a wail, commonly preceded by a thump on the doormat or a ping in the inbox. It goes something like this –

NooooooooooOOOOOOOOooooooooo!

Two types of behaviour have been noted following this cry. It isn't known why some Authors exhibit the first and some the second. It could be nature. It could be nurture.

The first is a slump, possibly involving a wall to slide down and a floor to land on.

Thanks to Zygman for the image

The second is more violent involving throwing, thumping, stamping and usually punctuated with expletives.

At an early stage in their development, Lesser-spotted Red-faced Authors begin to flock together, forming

Collectives of Conscious Incompetence.

These authors know what it is that they don't know.

Or they think they do (they may only have scratched the surface of what they don't know. They may not have read How Not to write a Novel yet.)

At this point the cries of the Lesser-spotted Red-faced Author changes. The cries become longer, they contain words but often spoken so quickly as to be almost unintelligible.

I have to learn WHAT? HOWMUCH? REALLY?!?

But won't the editor check the spelling/grammar/punctuation? Isn't that their job? What do they do for their money?

Is the protagonist the goody or the baddy or is that the antagonist and what's an archetype?

What's a metaphor/simile/analogy and how do I know if I've mixed them?

What's wrong with stereotypes because isn't everyone a bit of a stereotype really, you know, like, whatever?

But why can't I use adverbs sneakily.

What do you mean, pace? What do you mean, structure? What do you mean, plot?

Sew speling is importent? Reely?

Eventually, as the Authors tire they often sob, 'Why won't someone just tell me how to do it and I'll do it!'

This is the moment in their development when Lesser-spotted Red-faced Author's can often be observed clustering together on courses. A flock of wannabes, a swarm of hopefuls - A pride before the fall.

Or they frequent the local bookshop or library (we don't have time for the destruction of habitat discussion here, unfortunately.) searching for the short cut to publication -

The How To Book!
The Writers Journey, Seven basic Plots, On Writing etc etc etc.

OR they scour the internet for

The How To Video!



See - Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell

Now, instead of writing, the hungry Lesser-spotted Red-faced Authors devour the hints, the tips, the gems that drop from the pens of that rare breed - the masters – the Greater-spotted Authors.

They learn how these superior beings plot, structure, create huggable protagonists and antagonists worth boooooing. They are in awe of their ability to create laughter and tears, to tell a gripping tale, to leave the ideas of their books in the minds of readers, long after the book has been closed.

'Ah!' they cry, 'Almond does it this way! Then I shall do it this way, for this is the way!'

Then.

'But no! Rowling does it this way,' they cry. 'I must follow the path of Rowling. For indeed this must be the way.'

'But lo! What is this I see? Donaldson does it this way and it is neither the Almond Way nor the Rowling Way. It is – ANOTHER WAY!'

And the cry now becomes, 'Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhh!'

But as the sound dies away a whisper can heard, a scary whisper, a challenge of a whisper. It goes like this- 'Maybe, just maybe, in order for each Lesser-spotted Red-faced Author to transform into a Greater-spotted Author they have to find – THEIR OWN WAY!

Some Lesser-spotted Red-faced Authors never recover from hearing this whisper. The challenge is too great. They've invested years in being a Lesser-spotted Red-faced Author, but they turn away from all of the paths and take up knitting fingerless gloves for nanowrimo victims. They vow never to pick up a keyboard again. The work goes in the drawer, the cupboard, the attic where it lurks.

The few who remain often experience shock, indecision, nightmares. They worry over their writing, they pull it to bits, pay for critiques, join crit groups, analyse, analyse, analyse. They despair of ever finding THEIR OWN WAY. They hate having to find THEIR OWN WAY. They peck and peck and peck at their work until they have lost sight of why they were writing in the first place.

And then, they get a bit of feedback. From a Plumed Publisher or a Masked Agent.

On the twelfth day of Christmas an agent said to me-

My, you have potential
BUT
Twelve tales of telling!
Eleven kids a-cursing!
Ten metaphors mixing
Nine drafts is nothing
Eight edits later
Seven plots a-pacing
Six super similies
Five stereotypes!
Tut tut.
Four pigs - too many
Three's just right
Two's not enough
and your hero should solve his own problems.

Encouraged by this show of interest our desperate Lesser-spotted Red-faced Authors check their abilities against How Not to Write Novel and discover that, joy of joys, they have actually learnt something about writing, because they can go, I don't do that, don't do that, don't do that, definitely don't do that, oops, maybe I do that, don’t do that. Yay!

This is a time of celebration for the persistent Lesser-spotted Red-faced Authors. The cry goes up, 'I'm not as incompetent as I thought I was!!!!! Hurrah!'

They have realised they have created Stephen King's writer's toolbox. And having a full toolbox is excellent. It should be celebrated, polished, exhibited.

But a chisel is just a chisel. A hammer is just a hammer. A Black and Decker Cordless Compact Chainsaw is just a Black and Decker Cordless Compact Chainsaw. As every worker probably gets sick of being reminded, it's what you do with your Black and Decker Cordless Compact Chainsaw that matters.

Coming soon – I’m so flippin' competent, I'm not even thinking about it!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Maureen

Maureen Lynas is an ex-teacher and literacy consultant who believes that with a bit more work and a load more willpower, resolve, fortitude, doggedness, tenacity, persistence, diligence, grit and determination, she will eventually win a publishing deal for Boggarty Bog’s Tasty Teeth. Or Kissy Wissy. Or Hatty’s Splendiferous Hats. Or one of the many other stories in her ‘finished’ folder. Maureen is currently feeding her writing obsession by associating with members of SCBWI British Isles and has taken on the role of North East Regional Advisor. You can see Maureen’s reading scheme at the Action Words website

Read part 3 - Happy New Competence 

Richard Peck: "All novels are based on an epiphany"

I'm still high from having written my post Richard Peck on the beating heart of what we do as children's writers. So I had to see if any of his speeches were on YouTube. I found this:



At the end of the interview (in case you don't get there because your attention span has been so shortened by hours in front of facebook) the interviewer asks him for one word that captures the role of children's authors, aspiring or published.

"Responsibility."

He didn't hesitate.

Musings on Muses

By Addy Farmer
Guest Blogger

Who does it for YOU?

Muse wise, I mean. Maybe you already have one lolling about somewhere? Maybe you scoff at the very idea of a Muse or perhaps you are already a daughter of Zeus and can do your own musing thank you very much.

The necessity for one of these divine creatures may well depend on the sort of writer you are. There are those who splurge out words until they faint through word excess and then there are those who creak out one sentence at a time. To paraphrase Pam Johnson, the former are 'churners' and the latter are, 'tooth pullers'.

I lean towards the tooth pulling variety.

Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead Gene Fowler

 Just relax, this won't hurt a bit

So, I try to imagine a being whose only desire is to inspire my writing.

Gone would be the walking, the vacuuming, toilet cleaning, useless note taking, hair tearing, blood letting – all those things which take up my thinking time when I should be churning out my story. I'm thinking, a Muse could be jolly efficient, like a literary short cut. Cut out the angst - just feed me the story, sister.

And I'm not the only one who thinks a Muse could be a good idea. Quite a few famous writers wanted them. Like Shakespeare:

O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention

Alright, calm down Shakespeare, It's not like the Muse didn't visit you once or twice, unless the rumours are true and it wasn't you … but no, moving swiftly on!

Jonathan Swift definitely had one:

Then, rising with Aurora's light, The Muse invoked, sit down to write; Blot out, correct, insert, refine, enlarge, diminish, interline

Brilliant. Jonathan clearly had a direct line although I couldn't be doing with Aurora's light because that particular Goddess is just a tad too early for my brain. Come to think of it, I wouldn't be keen on a Muse of fire which sounds a little bit … hot.

Damn you for waking me so early!

But look! Here is the Literary Muse. What poise, what elegance, what's she saying to that bloke? Whispering in his ear, no doubt feeding him juicy bits of inspiration all the time. That's got to be useful. I hope he can remember it all, that he doesn't get distracted by all that poise and elegance.

Psst, have you heard the one about …?

I'm not sure I want a daughter of Zeus lookalike though. I reckon radiant physical beauty in a Muse would cause me problems. However, in the interests of science I would be willing to give the following people a Muse try out:

The bloke from Being Human

Gregory Peck

Chris Pine

Even now I suspect that the loveliness of these lovelies would prove too much for my tiny head. I would come over all unnecessary and zero writing would be done. In time, I'd be forced to reconsider the shape of my Muse.

What to do? Well, maybe get away from the whole Muse in human form and turn to the animal world. I mean, I like the look of hairy guinea pigs with their eighties hair dos. Long feathered chickens have the same effect, certain breeds of sheep and to a lesser degree, Highland cattle. Amusing, for sure, and no doubt many hilarious stories would follow but this Muse lacks a certain gravitas or actually any gravitas at all.

What's not to love?

Okay, so maybe something totally non animal will do the job. Clouds, wandering lonely, ephemeral; chap in a bowler hat one moment, performing flea circus the next. Who cannot watch the sky without seeing story in its shapes? Not me!

Take a summer's day, a velvet green hill, lie back on the picnic blanket and let the fluffy Muse do her work. Lovely. Except for when it's not summer and there are ants and the fluffy Muse starts to rain … No, I need a Muse I can rely on.

Clearly, this picnic is seriously out of control.
Photo from Flickr by Joanne and Matt

Different tack then. Perhaps it's best to let the the Muse find you. I suggest the following:

• Play hard to get. 'Muse, me? Oh no, I didn't want one of those,' laugh airily and walk away. She'll come running.
• A blood sacrifice may entice. Use your own blood.
• Tempt her with chocolate, wine, chicken and chips – whatever you know she fancies. Obviously eat them yourself, it's all part of the plan.

And if none of this works? Just believe you have a muse who's waiting to reveal herself to you, in other words – have faith and look in the mirror. Blimey, she was there all along, arguing and sacrificing and eating the good stuff.

Looking good!

Turns out I will have to be content with amusing myself. Oh look, a cloud shaped like David Beckham! I can see him – can you?

Can you see?

Photo from Flickr by Keo 101

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Addy will be running story making sessions at the Lincoln Book Festival. Together with children's illustrator, Carol Daniel, she will attempt to inspire children with fun ideas for writing and drawing.