RANT 'O THE WEEK: I suppose it's obligatory to rant about the economy and the current hysteria. I don't really have too much of an opinion about it all, other than to note that we have all worked really hard, over 20 years, to dig this hole. And now we're squabbling over who gets to use the shovel. This is not an improvement. Things will get better. I'm betting on it. So far that bet has cost me about $60,000 but I'm still optimistic. Of course, this only reminds me of the old joke:
"Cheer up," he said. "Things can be worse."
So I cheered up. And, sure enough, things got worse.
I can tell you what this all means for writers, because I saw it in 1987. It means that a lot of markets will fold, magazines, book publishers, small presses. Competition will be fiercer for the few remaining slots for our work. What this might mean for the Print on Demand publishers, I do not know. They face the same problems with overextended business plans as any business, but might benefit from the reduction in competition from traditional publishers. But we writers, too, have financial problems and whereas yesterday a layout of a thousand or two to print our own book was a feasible discretionary spending option, today or tomorrow we might prefer to buy more peanut butter and jelly with our money.
Read the last newsletter for full details, but we—the collective "we" meaning writers across the land—raised a ton of money to secure Lori Hall Steels's home and pay some of her medical bills. We may have a dysfunctional government, a nearly worthless health system, and greedy home mortgage lenders, but people are still rock-solid in their innate generosity.
If you should want to know more about Lori and her plight, and be moved to contribute on your own, you may do so at this link:
SAVE LORI'S HOUSE http://www.savelorishouse.com
And thanks for your kindness.
SCHOOL
NEWS: We have a new course! Poetry: Writing for Literary Publication is taught by Ren Katherine Powell:
If you write poems to express your feelings or share your personal experiences, you may have already discovered that the poems that deeply affect your friends and family members won't necessarily move readers who don’t know you. This course is for the poet who aims for publication in literary journals, anthologies or chapbooks—it will help you move from the emotive language of light verse and the private language of poetic diaries toward literary prosody and publication.
This course will help you move from the emotive language of light verse or the private language of poetry notebooks toward literary prosody. You will learn when to tell the whole story and when to tell enough of the story to invite readers inside to look around for themselves.
This course approaches poetry as an art form that is similar to painting: a work met and entered into by the viewer/reader regardless of the personality behind its creation. When a reader buys a literary journal and opens the pages, she doesn’t know you or how much broccoli means to you—and she doesn’t want to. She wants to read a wonderful poem.
No matter how mundane you think your life has been it is rich with the stuff of poems. No matter how terrible your childhood was, you can write poems that will touch people with the truths within your story: you can make the reader feel through you, not for you.
I'll have another new course to announce next week. We're on a roll around here!
FEATURED
COURSES:
Poetry: Writing for Literary Publication
(NEW!) |
This course will help you move from the emotive language of light verse or the private language of poetry notebooks toward literary prosody. You will learn when to tell the whole story and when to tell enough of the story to invite readers inside to look around for themselves. |
Jump Start Your Novel
(NEW!) |
Focus on how to plan your novel before you start writing it to make it as effective and intriguing as possible. By the end of the seminar you will have a variety of tools to help you in the writing process from character and setting sketches to scene outlines to a complete plot roadmap. |
Eulogies
(NEW!)
(A 1-week seminar) |
Writing one good eulogy can get you through a time of bereavement looking to the rest of your family like a knight in shining armor. Writing eulogies as a business can be a profitable sideline. This seminar is intended for both the person needing to speak at Uncle Fred's funeral day after tomorrow and for the person writing eulogies on a regular basis for other families. |
Creating
History |
A
place for historical and fantasy novelists to acquire
or polish the skills needed for the writing that
comes before and between the writing. Upon completion
of this course, the student will be able to identify
and categorize primary, secondary and third party
resources, demonstrate how those differences effect
their stories, and explain why each type of resource
is necessary for the creation of fictional/fantasy
worlds. |
Nonfiction Freelance Writing Business |
The
course is intended to teach you how to MARKET yourself
and how to run the BUSINESS of nonfiction writing on
a freelance basis. |
Interview: Wella, blessa my soul...All Shook Up is the newest
book by Shelley Pearsall.
Interview by Sandra Miller-Louden
Shelley Pearsall (www.shelleypearsall.com) is a native
Ohioan whose first novel, Trouble Don’t Last, was chosen in 2002
as an Editor’s Choice from Booklist. Also included among its many honors was winning the 2003 Scott O’Dell
Award for Historical Fiction and in that same year being chosen as a Jefferson
Cup Honor Book. Two subsequent
books, Crooked River and All of the Above went on to garner numerous
awards.
In
an engaging change of pace, Shelley’s newest book All Shook Up is the
story of Josh Denny, a "divorced kid" who has been shipped off to live with his
dad, Jerry, in Chicago, while his mom cares for Josh’s grandmother. When Josh arrives, he’s in for a
surprise—Jerry is now making his living as a full-time Elvis
impersonator...jet-black hair, long sideburns, rhinestone-studded costumes and
all.
Let’s
pick up the thread here:
The Idea
Q: As I read your book, I thought, "Well, why not? Somebody’s dad has to be Elvis"
and I knew this was a clever, upbeat premise for a book, especially one geared
toward children. How did you come
up with the idea and expand upon it once the concept took hold?
A: The idea actually began with a rejection (sometimes
rejection leads to inspiration!). About four years ago, my publishers
rejected a proposal I sent to them for a travel/adventure series for young
readers—except for one part where I mentioned the characters visiting
Graceland. The editorial staff liked the idea of an Elvis novel and
suggested I pursue that angle for a book instead. I had no idea where to
begin with an "Elvis" or "Graceland" novel. By sheer coincidence, an
article appeared in our newspaper a few days later about a local high school
hosting an Elvis impersonator. As I read the piece, I started to wonder
what motivates people to be "Elvis impersonators" and what it would be like to
have one as a dad. Especially if you were a teenager. In 2008. That’s where the idea began. The idea may sound like a very light-hearted one, but there are some deeper
themes in the story: the relationships between fathers and sons, the need to
figure out "who we are" during our teenage years as well as our middle-aged
years. Along with this is the need
to find our place in the world—or, more to the point, in the Elvis world!
The Research
Q: Having taken your excellent writing workshop, I know solid research is a
key to your writing. With this novel, your research also took the form of
watching countless Elvis impersonation concerts. Taking in all these "Elvis Fests" had to take a lot of time
and leg work. Fill us in on this
process. Were you surprised at the volume of the many Elvis’ out there?
A:
Unfortunately, I didn’t grow up in the Elvis era and I wasn’t very familiar
with his life or his music when I started this project. However, most of
my novels begin from scratch, just as this one did. So, I read books
about Elvis, watched documentaries on impersonators and read handbooks for
impersonators (or tribute artists, as they like to be called). I visited
Elvis-A-Rama in Las Vegas and met more than two dozen impersonators at various
tribute events over a one-year period. I learned how they color their
hair, how they do the signature Elvis "moves," where they buy their costumes
and how they prepare for their shows. I probably had more fun researching this
book than an author should have.
The Writing Process
Q: Once your initial research was complete, how did you weave
everything you’d learned into your
novel? Did your work go in any
unexpected directions after seeing so many Elvis impersonators? Did you listen to Elvis songs (or watch
Elvis movies) before—or during—the writing process to get you in
the mood you needed to create?
A:
One of the biggest challenges for me in writing a book is moving from the
research phase to the writing. I could research 12 hours a day, 7 days a
week—and never get to the point of putting a single word on paper. So, at a certain point, I draw the line and put the research materials away. When I say "away," I mean that literally.They go into the basement. I do that to avoid the temptation of
putting every fact I’ve collected into the book. I only use the
material that has "stuck" in my mind—and I want to make sure that when I
weave the researched material into the story, it sounds natural and not like I’m
looking at my notes. So, my notes, my research—everything goes
into the basement. I only use it to "fact check" my memory after the
first draft is done. I'd say about 50% or more of what I research never makes
it into a book.
This
story had a more structured outline than some I’ve written because I wanted to
use Elvis lyrics as the framework of the story—so the events had to fit
into that framework. Although some of my other books have gone in
unexpected directions during the writing process, this one really stayed
according to plan. However, there were some stories I found during my
research that would make great second books—visiting Elvis-A-Rama on one
of its last days as a Las Vegas museum was a story in itself. Getting a
scarf in front of 500 people at a tribute concert was another.
Q: You quote many
Elvis lyrics, while citing the song and year the lyrics come from. Which are your personal favorite Elvis
songs and/or movies?
A:
I watched every piece of Elvis concert footage available, listened to more than
100 songs, and sat through one excruciating Elvis movie. I usually
write to "theme music" so, for this book, I played Elvis music in my office all
day, every day. I will confess to dancing and trying out some of Elvis’s
signature moves (arm pump, leg jiggle, etc.) with my office door closed.
My
favorite song is a relatively obscure one—Walk A Mile in My Shoes.
In fact, the lyrics for that song play an important role in the novel. Some of my other favorites are In the Ghetto, Polk Salad Annie and Heartbreak
Hotel. For the most part, I like Elvis’s "earlier stuff" best. While I’m
not a fan of his movies, I loved the concert footage. The ‘68 Comeback
Special show is amazing for its showmanship, singing—and I will admit,
for Elvis’s great black leather costume.
Q: One of
my favorite things is how deftly you mix humor with insight as when Josh
begrudgingly understands that his dad must "follow that dream wherever that
dream may lead," even if the dream is unconventional and embarrassing (at least
to Josh). Did you conceive the
plot like this from the get go or was there more of one aspect at the beginning
stages?
A: I envisioned this book as mostly a slapstick,
humorous novel initially—and the growing insight came later during the
writing process when I realized it wasn’t just a funny novel about a dad being
Elvis and his teenage kid. There was more to both their stories. Writing insightful, emotional scenes are much tougher for me than action
scenes; they require a much lighter touch and they tend to go through the most
rewrites in the revision process to get the "tone" right. The scene in "All
Shook Up" where Josh must make a difficult confession to his dad was rewritten
at least a dozen times; in fact, I was even tinkering with it in the final
galley draft.
Q: You also seem to get into the mind of a "divorced kid" as
when Josh pictures the exchange he’ll have with his mom when she finds out dad
has lost his job. He pictures his
mom’s expression, her "slow, deep breath" and exactly what she’ll say. I was impressed with this scene—and
others like it—as they were
so precise. What techniques do you
use to get inside the head of your characters?
A: In general, getting into the heads of characters
seems to come naturally to me. It’s
both a gift and curse I’ve always had. Even as a young writer, I always
wrote in first person. For writers who want more practice with this, I’d
suggest enrolling in a method acting course. I took one in college and
found it connected wonderfully to what I do as a writer. "Method acting"
is an acting technique based on the idea that in order to be authentic in
portraying a character and saying your lines, you need to make connections
between yourself and the character. You must figure out how your experiences/emotions connect with the
character’s words. I use this skill everyday in my writing; for instance,
if I’m writing about a 13-year-old boy’s embarrassment about his dad, I try to
think about times I was embarrassed at age 13. If I’m writing about the
fear of being a runaway on the Underground Railroad, I reach back in my memory
for times I’ve been deathly afraid. The experiences don’t have to be the
same at all; what you’re trying to connect with is the emotional core.
Historical is in the mind of the reader
Q: Two of your novels (Crooked River, Trouble Don’t
Last) were set in the 1800s, which would definitely be classified as
historical. For those of us who
grew up with Elvis, we’re reluctant to categorize him (and us!) with that
designation. However, to
your typical reading audience born in the mid-1990s, the term historical may be accurate. What has
been the reaction of your readers to Elvis in general and your novel in
particular?
A: I still don't consider Elvis historical either!
Reader reaction has been very positive; kids have connected with the
embarrassing parent idea, the challenges of being a child of divorce and some
of the other themes of the story. I’ve been surprised by how many kids,
even today, are Elvis fans. It seems to be a regional thing, too; Elvis
is more popular in some areas than others. Younger kids seem to be more
familiar with his music than older ones.
And finally
Q: Are you at work on something new? We'd love to hear
whatever details you'd care to share with us.
A: My next project is taking me back to my historical
research roots. It’s a story about a little known aspect of World War II—Japanese
balloon bombs and a group of African-American paratroopers who were sent on a
secret mission involving them. For the book, I’ve had the honor of
interviewing the first African-American paratrooper in the United States who is
now 87 years old—a man who was never allowed to serve his country
overseas, but served it in a way that is still having an impact today. It’s
been a very moving and eye-opening project to work on and I’m looking forward
to seeing it in print.
Thank you, Shelley Pearsall, for taking
the time to share your creative vision with our readers. Once again, to read
more about Shelley, her work and upcoming
appearances, visit: www.shelleypearsall.com
Sandra Miller-Louden (www.greetingcardwriting.com) has worked for Writer’s College since 1998 when it
first came online and teaches a number of courses, workshops and seminars. She missed seeing Elvis in person when
he came to Cleveland Ohio in 1974 because she thought the $25 ticket price was
too high.
COOL WEB SITE:
Introducing the book (help desk)
in Norwegian w. English subtitles.
And don't forget to stop by and say hi on my new blog at: http://blog.stephenmorrill.com/
Where, incidentally, the most recent blog is more about Lori Hall Steele.
Tell me about any good writing-related web sites. |
