The Big R: REVISION

Of course, you can't revise a story until you have written it. I won't bore you with how I struggle with plotting. Because this week, I'm knee deep into revision. Hooray!

Just this once, I won't sing the praises of my beloved SCRIVENER software which makes revision kind of fun. Heck, it makes writing fun some of the time.

(Nothing makes the Bad First Draft fun, but those SFDs have to be written before you can get to the best part - for me: Revising!)

(The GLORY BE notebooks and the revisions I printed. Many others never made it off my computer.)

I love to revise by SHRINKING my manuscript, a la Darcy Pattison. Click right there!

Do this shrinking thing, and you'll look at your story a whole new way. I promise.

Yes, I know I may sound like a broken record, but for my money, you can't do better than going right over to Barbara O'Connor's blog and type REVISION into the search box. Before you're done, you'll have a whole new outlook on the subject. 

Here's just one that I particularly love because it's exactly how I feel about revising.

http://greetings-from-nowhere.blogspot.com/2011/07/lesson-from-dead-matter.html 

And this, for your reading pleasure- and it was kind of fun to remember the great scenes from Casablanca!- click below to read the interesting and helpful (to me) reminders about plotting and revision.

http://critiquesisterscorner.blogspot.com/2012/12/three-great-scenes-and-no-weak-ones.html?m=1

I'd love to hear more. Any great tips to share?


Related posts: Shrinking a manuscript.
A word about Editing.

Historical Fiction Tour

Anybody planning a trip this summer?

The Atlantic Wire titled this piece "A Literary Tour of Historical Y.A."
(I especially love that they included GLORY BE. But also some of my very favorite books: Hattie Ever After and One Came Home, for example.)

Click right here to see the entire list.⬅

And what an interesting recurring column, Y.A. for Grownups.
It's as if they know exactly what I love to read...
Kind of makes me want to pack up my bags and go.

What I'm Reading Now, for grownups

Tonight I'm starting WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE? because it's a library book and I must read it soon. And it's just been shortlisted for Britain's Women's Prize. Don't really know what that is but if Tampa Bay Times Books Editor Colette Bancroft thinks it's worth mentioning in today's paper, it should be good.

Also because of Colette, I'm going to finish LIFE AFTER LIFE. The Kate Atkinson version. (Already read and pretty much loved Jill McCorkle's new novel of the same title.) But Atkinson is a favorite of mine, so I'll give her new book one more push. Though even Bancroft called it Groundhog Day-ish (as did a New York Times reviewer). It's on my Kindle. Maybe that's the problem.

I also have ORPHAN MASTER'S SON on my Kindle, unfinished. Winner of the just-announced Pulitzer. (Why can't I get past the beginning?)

Oh, boy. And I almost forgot. When I visited the newly spruced-up INKWOOD BOOKS last week, I had to buy Jane Gardam's new book, LAST FRIENDS. Loved the other two novels about these same multi-layered characters. 

Check out INKWOOD's April Picks, many of these new books are discounted in April at Tampa Bay's local independent bookstore. 
Here's the link:  http://www.inkwoodbooks.com/storepicks

Do I need more suggestions? Probably not. But I always love to hear what everybody's reading so feel free to share.

MY TO-BE-READ STACK IS ABOUT TO TOPPLE!

I should call it my To-Be-Finished stack...

Naming Names

 Here I am again, worrying over a character's name. 

I can't seem to get passed needing just the right name, so I was glad to find none other than the great Betsy Byars has the same problem. 



She says a lot about naming book characters, via her website, but I especially love this about McMummy:

One of the things that's important to me is getting the names right, and I couldn't think of a good name for Mozie's friend. Then one day I was out in the yard talking to my neighbor. Her name's Batson. and she started telling me a story and then she interrupted herself to say, "Now, I'm not taking about Little Batty - I'm talking about Big Batty." That's how Batty Batson got his name.

Also I didn't have a name for the beauty contestant. Then one day I stopped at a red light and looked at a sign on a gas station that said Valvoline. Yes!

That's how we feel when the perfect name jumps out and says USE ME!


Someone once posted somewhere that he uses names plucked from his spam email.
 From my spam email?
CLEMMIE MARLINE

I like it!

But I'm looking for a boy name. And it's got to be perfect. When I shared this on Facebook, I got some doozies.  So far, nothing's speaking to me. Yet.

I keep a notebook filled with great names. None seems right for this bad boy, but I'm saving the most recent addition, from a funny kid in Indiana who told me his friend's name is Lyric. Don't you love that! I already have a character in mind for that great name.

Anybody else out there struggling with a character's name?



Related Posts: The Name Game!
Character Naming

Poetry By Heart

My writer friend Caroline Starr Rose and I bonded over our books way before they were published. Perhaps it was their similar names, GLORY BE and MAY B., that brought us together. Maybe her having lived and taught in Louisiana. Whatever, I'm glad we found each other. 

Since she's a poet, she's really doing April up right!
Yes, it's Poetry Month. Caroline celebrates poetry all the time. But this month, she's invited her friends to share her terrific blog.

Today is my day.

Read what I have to say about memorizing poetry.  ☜  RIGHT THERE.

(I hear there are giveaways. And who knows? You might even find a funny verse to share at the dinner table.)

Ann Patchett, again

Yes, I'm a fan of everything I've ever read by Ann Patchett.
Recently, on a very long plane ride, I reread something I'd downloaded eons ago. And it was so worth a second read.

Do you know this little e-book?

THE GETAWAY CAR: A PRACTICAL MEMOIR ABOUT WRITING AND LIFE

For today at least, this is one of my favorite quotes from the piece:
"The more we are willing to separate from distraction and step into the open arms of boredom, the more writing will get on the page."

You must own a Kindle or perhaps have a Kindle app on your tablet to read it. 
But it's only $2.99 as a Kindle Single.

Or you can see what others have said, and read their favorite quotes.

HERE: http://www.alexgeorgebooks.com/words-of-wisdom-from-ann-patchett/

Or HERE: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/08/ann-patchetts-lessons-on-writing-from-byliner.html

Here's a longer piece from the publisher of The Runaway Car.
https://www.byliner.com/ann-patchett/stories/excerpt-the-getaway-car



Previous related Ann Patchett post:
What Now?

Welcome, JANET McLAUGHLIN and a giveaway!

(I am reposting this because I think there was a glitch for some PC users yesterday. And hey, it never hurts to share something twice, if it's about a good book.  :)  )

 Okay, everybody knows I love giving away books. And I love chatting with author friends. Today I get to do both!

Janet McLaughlin and I have been writing buddies for quite a while. We stumbled upon each other in an online group and when that group disappeared, our friendship didn't. She's policed my novels (She's fondly known as the Logic Police because she can catch that door open in one scene and locked soon after). Now I get to share her fabulous novel.

And just in time for summer reading, summer camp care packages, end-of-the-school-year read-alouds, her second book in the series has been published. Janet likes to call her books "Tween" novels. I recommend them for middle-grade, young Young Adult, Teen, even grownup readers.

One lucky reader will get a copy of her first book, GET PSYCHED.
(See below for details.)

Welcome to my blog, Janet.

Augusta: Tell us a little about how you got the idea for this series. 

JANET:  It’s actually a combination of two ideas. The setting, a Cheerleading Competition, takes place at a hotel/convention center near Disney World. I chose this particular place because I’d been there to watch my granddaughter, Lauren, compete. Everything about the place is over the top. I couldn’t not use it. I’ve followed Lauren’s cheerleading “career” since she was seven. She’s now nineteen and a member of the Indiana University All-Girl National Cheerleading Champions 2012. 

 (Okay, Wow. This is Lauren cheering in high school. Inspirational for sure!)

The idea for making my protagonist, Zoey, an intuitive or psychic came from my association through the years with women (and one young man) who had these very abilities. In interviewing them for my magazine, one theme kept recurring. They had this gift as teens and they hated it! Didn’t want anyone to know about it.

The thought of combining the two was irresistible.

Augusta: Do you have any tips for making one book flow seamlessly into the next? Do you keep charts or lists to be sure there's consistency?                                                                 

         JANET: Every writer has his or her own way of doing this. I open a separate word document and list the characters, locations, and time lines. I add them as I write. I can always refer back to them when needed. I also like to lead into the next book at the end of the current one. Zoey makes it easy. She simply has a vision or dream that hints at what’s to come.

Augusta: What's your writing routine? At home? Desk? Starbucks? Pen and paper or computer?                                                                                                                                                                          

       JANET: Home office and computer for sure. I would love to say that I write every morning for, oh, three or four hours, but that’s not possible. Life does get in the way. When I do sit down to write, I get lost in the story.

Augusta: Do your characters spring full-blown onto the page? Are they based on real people? How do you manage to have them speak and act so authentically?

       JANET: I wish they sprung full-blown! As you know, Augusta, I have a deep admiration of your incredible ability for writing memorable characters. In the beginning, I concentrated more on the plot/story. But as I mature in my writing process, so have my characters and characterization. In other words, as I grow, they grow.

       My characters are pure fiction. When I first started writing novels, I used the names of my grandkids for inspiration. The problem was, their personalities kept getting in the way. When I changed the names, that obstacle went away.

       As for their speaking and acting authentically—this is me shrugging my shoulders. Maybe I never really grew up?

Augusta: I guess that's true of a lot of writers!
Tell us a little about your road to publication.

      

       JANET: Getting published took some time.  Skipping over the years of queries, rejections, getting an NYC agent (that was a thrill) who, for many reasons, couldn’t place the book, putting it back in the proverbial drawer and starting another book—skipping all that, it took about four months to get published.

       Another granddaughter, Sami, decided to try cheerleading. In December, 2011, my husband and I went to Disney World (yes, Disney again!) to watch her compete. While there I met a woman who had a display booth and was handing out cheer magazines. She was looking for a book to launch her new business—book publishing. I sent her the book; she and her partner loved it; we signed a contract; and Voila! Overnight success.

Augusta: What's next for Zoey and the gang?

     JANET: The first book, Get Psyched, takes place at a cheerleading convention. The second book, Psyched Out, takes place on a Caribbean Island where Zoey and her best friend, Becca, encounter a ghost. The third book, which I am working on now is tentatively called “Fireworks,” and will (again tentatively) be available in Summer of 2013. There will be a new guy in Zoey’s life and he’s pretty cool. Becca, of course, gets in trouble. You gotta have a sidekick to create problems!

Follow Janet's blog at http://getpsychedbooks.wordpress.com/  

Here's a link to buy it on Amazon, Kindle and paperback. Be sure to read the reviews. Some great comments from kids.

And all you have to do is leave me a comment here or on Facebook and you'll be entered to win a SIGNED copy of GET PSYCHED. 

(Feel free to share this post. We love to spread the word!)

Welcome, JANET McLAUGHLIN and A Giveaway!

 

 Okay, everybody knows I love giving away books. And I love chatting with author friends. Today I get to do both!

Janet McLaughlin and I have been writing buddies for quite a while. We stumbled upon each other in an online group and when that group disappeared, our friendship didn't. She's policed my novels (She's fondly known as the Logic Police because she can catch that door open in one scene and locked soon after). Now I get to share her fabulous novel.

And just in time for summer reading, summer camp care packages, end-of-the-school-year read-alouds, her second book in the series has been published. Janet likes to call her books "Tween" novels. I recommend them for middle-grade, young Young Adult, Teen, even grownup readers.

One lucky reader will get a copy of her first book, GET PSYCHED.
(See below for details.)

Welcome to my blog, Janet.

Augusta: Tell us a little about how you got the idea for this series. 

JANET:  It’s actually a combination of two ideas. The setting, a Cheerleading Competition, takes place at a hotel/convention center near Disney World. I chose this particular place because I’d been there to watch my granddaughter, Lauren, compete. Everything about the place is over the top. I couldn’t not use it. I’ve followed Lauren’s cheerleading “career” since she was seven. She’s now nineteen and a member of the Indiana University All-Girl National Cheerleading Champions 2012. 

 (Okay, Wow. This is Lauren cheering in high school. Inspirational for sure!)

The idea for making my protagonist, Zoey, an intuitive or psychic came from my association through the years with women (and one young man) who had these very abilities. In interviewing them for my magazine, one theme kept recurring. They had this gift as teens and they hated it! Didn’t want anyone to know about it.

The thought of combining the two was irresistible.

Augusta: Do you have any tips for making one book flow seamlessly into the next? Do you keep charts or lists to be sure there's consistency?                                                                 

         JANET: Every writer has his or her own way of doing this. I open a separate word document and list the characters, locations, and time lines. I add them as I write. I can always refer back to them when needed. I also like to lead into the next book at the end of the current one. Zoey makes it easy. She simply has a vision or dream that hints at what’s to come.

Augusta: What's your writing routine? At home? Desk? Starbucks? Pen and paper or computer?                                                                                                                                                                          

       JANET: Home office and computer for sure. I would love to say that I write every morning for, oh, three or four hours, but that’s not possible. Life does get in the way. When I do sit down to write, I get lost in the story.

Augusta: Do your characters spring full-blown onto the page? Are they based on real people? How do you manage to have them speak and act so authentically?

       JANET: I wish they sprung full-blown! As you know, Augusta, I have a deep admiration of your incredible ability for writing memorable characters. In the beginning, I concentrated more on the plot/story. But as I mature in my writing process, so have my characters and characterization. In other words, as I grow, they grow.

       My characters are pure fiction. When I first started writing novels, I used the names of my grandkids for inspiration. The problem was, their personalities kept getting in the way. When I changed the names, that obstacle went away.

       As for their speaking and acting authentically—this is me shrugging my shoulders. Maybe I never really grew up?

Augusta: I guess that's true of a lot of writers!
Tell us a little about your road to publication.

      

       JANET: Getting published took some time.  Skipping over the years of queries, rejections, getting an NYC agent (that was a thrill) who, for many reasons, couldn’t place the book, putting it back in the proverbial drawer and starting another book—skipping all that, it took about four months to get published.

       Another granddaughter, Sami, decided to try cheerleading. In December, 2011, my husband and I went to Disney World (yes, Disney again!) to watch her compete. While there I met a woman who had a display booth and was handing out cheer magazines. She was looking for a book to launch her new business—book publishing. I sent her the book; she and her partner loved it; we signed a contract; and Voila! Overnight success.

Augusta: What's next for Zoey and the gang?

     JANET: The first book, Get Psyched, takes place at a cheerleading convention. The second book, Psyched Out, takes place on a Caribbean Island where Zoey and her best friend, Becca, encounter a ghost. The third book, which I am working on now is tentatively called “Fireworks,” and will (again tentatively) be available in Summer of 2013. There will be a new guy in Zoey’s life and he’s pretty cool. Becca, of course, gets in trouble. You gotta have a sidekick to create problems!

Follow Janet's blog at http://getpsychedbooks.wordpress.com/  

Here's a link to buy it on Amazon, Kindle and paperback. Be sure to read the reviews. Some great comments from kids.

And all you have to do is leave me a comment here or on Facebook and you'll be entered to win a SIGNED copy of GET PSYCHED.  Contest ends on Tuesday, April 16.

(Feel free to share this post. We love to spread the word!)

Indiana in Pictures

If anybody ever invites you to Indiana, say yes.
Especially if it's a group sponsoring a One-Book, all-county reads, Center for the Study of the Book program!


My first tour of Shelbyville, Indiana, was guided by these delightful ladies who run Three Sisters Books, attached to a coffee shop complete with a soda fountain and stools. (Sadly, not pictured.)

 (Two of the Three Sisters, in their Bookstore on Shelbyville's town Square/ Circle.)

                                                               (Here's the bookstore!)


Next day- School visits! All over Shelby County!

What's better than signing books in the library? Well, maybe signing books to classes who've read and loved your book. 

Thank you, teachers!

  

I was a little overwhelmed the first time I set up my PowerPoint presentation in the gym.

 Gulp.
Then I realized, Hey! It's Indiana! 
Tonight's the Final Four final game! 
I can do this...

Then the kids arrived.
And I knew I could do it!

 (Before I spoke, I noted the entire audience of over 200 kids attempting The Wave. Go, Glory!)



There was even a SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR at two of the schools, completely randomly scheduled.

Another day, another gym. I'm getting the hang of this!

(I loved my hosts for SHELBY COUNTY READS. This is committee chair, Sandra Learned, introducing me. What a great group!) 

On Monday night, I got to hand out prizes for the essay contest- gift certificates to Three Sisters Books.  

Glory Be's sharing a table with the other selected books on this year's topic of justice:

To Kill a Mockingbird, Wonder, a Berenstain Bears book about bullying.

If you'd like to see a zillion pictures from my three days in Indiana, click HERE for the Shelby County Reads Facebook page. Enter at your own risk. Scary picture of me showing off Wax Lips from the Junk Poker box. Eeek!

Thank you to all the schools who prepared their students so well for my visit the day after Spring Break! Thank you to the amazing Shelby County Reads team. And a special thanks to all those GLORY BE readers who filled the gyms and the libraries.

It's great to be an author! I love Indiana.

Writing Tip Tuesdays

Yes, I know, it's not Tuesday.

And I'm not offering fantastic tips every Tuesday either.

But somebody is. Click over to Barbara O'Connor's blog and search for these gems. Seriously.
They are simple, helpful, elegant, funny ways to think about writing craft, from both Barbara and her vast collection of writing resources.

Here's the latest:

http://www.greetings-from-nowhere.blogspot.com/2013/04/writing-tip-tuesday.html

About the voice of your novel. No, not the author's voice. Not a character's voice.

This is how Barbara ends her short lesson on "book voice"--

But those are really descriptions of mood - which I think is an element of book voice.
Other elements are the rhythm, the pace, the overall tone, the word choice - most of the same elements that make up writing voice.
Once I know the book voice, it's a heck of a lot easier to move forward with the stuff I'm not 100% sure of.
So - my tip?
Be sure of the voice of your book from the get-go. If you waffle along between edgy, humorous, dramatic, sad, upbeat, etc. - your struggle will be greater and your outcome not as rewarding.
  

I'm a big believer in learning from the best. 
Click for another, just for fun. The mighty Catalyst!

Seriously, check out all of her Tuesday Tips for the best lessons about 
How to Get Writing Right.

 (One of my personal favorites, of her many many middle-grade novels.
Guess I'm a sucker for Nostalgia...)

Poem of the Day

Maybe I just need an excuse, but my favorite thing about April is that I remember to read more poetry.

I bought Mary Oliver's new book: A THOUSAND MORNINGS, tucked it beside a comfy chair, and promised to open it often.

Here's a start. Page 19.

This reminds me of the conversation at my wonderful Writers Group meeting this week.



Three Things To Remember

As long as you're dancing, you can
    break the rules.
Sometimes breaking the rules is just
   extending the rules.


Sometimes there are no rules.

Going back to Baltimore

Packing my Junk Poker box, my Glory Be notes, my book for a very exciting three days in Shelby County, Indiana (more on that later) and sharing a recent really fun day with kids.

I love Baltimore. Another city I think of as Home.
Is there anything more fun that returning to a place you love, speaking to young, enthusiastic readers about the book you wrote? I doubt it!

The Bryn Mawr School's Newbery program has been going on since the mid 1970s.  
It has evolved since my day as a librarian there. Now, instead of creating books for the younger students, some 5th graders create Book Trailers.  Instead of dressing in costume, acting out a scene, and writing reports, they blog about their favorite books.

But the love of literature hasn't changed.
We did a fun project with boxes, inspired by my Junk Poker Box.

At the noontime event, I was invited to speak to the students and their special guests.

Here I am going on and on about how excited I was to be back home. It was all true. I was very excited.










In anticipation of my visit, I reread and skimmed recent winners and new books that the girls might be reading and discussing. When reading an award-winning book as if I were a student, dissecting the writing, I was surprised at how picky I could be!

Parents made these beautiful tabletop decorations. Each table was different. Book jacket art from all the books the girls had read. I'm in very good company, hanging with Ivan.

It was a great, fun day. 

And, false alarm-- We didn't even need the services of this guy, thank goodness!

(Though the snows came the next week when I was safely back in sunny Florida. Whew.) 


Read more thoughts, visits, friends from Baltimore from these PAST POSTS:

http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/2012/05/another-homecoming.html

http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/2009/12/going-home-again.html

http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/2009/05/childrens-book-week.html


 Writing this is reminding me of a quote hanging over my desk:

You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home so it's all right.
Maya Angelou

 What do you think about Going Home Again? Truth or myth?

Nancy Cavanaugh, repeat

Okay, folks. This is a duplicate posting from yesterday. It seems a few readers couldn't see the wonderful interview Nancy gave us. So if you read it yesterday, this is nothing new. Feel free to reread. If you couldn't see it before, I hope this works!

(And if anybody has any bright ideas about these blank blog pages, please send your techno-nerd suggestions... I'm copying directly from the word doc Nancy sent me this time, no changing fonts, spaces, etc, and maybe this will work. Fingers crossed!)

I'm excited to have my friend and fellow Tampa Bay writer, Nancy Cavanaugh, here today. Nancy's first middle-grade novel, THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO RATCHET, launches this week. I loved this book! And apparently, so did a lot of other reviewers.  

   ⇒A star from Kirkus is about as gold as you can get. 

     Pull up a chair. Or a tool bench. And let's ask Nancy about 11-year-old Ratchet and her home-school journal.

Augusta:

I love the journal format of your book.  I’m curious.  Did you write the entries in the order they appeared or did you skip around?  Did they change much as you edited it for publication?

NANCY:

For the most part, I wrote the book in order.  Going from beginning to end is just how my brain works.  There were a few times though, when I’d think of a scene I wanted to have happen later on, so I would jot notes down about that scene, and I’d also decide what type of assignment I would use for writing that scene.  Over the years while I was writing RATCHET, I revised A LOT, and once I started working with my editor at Sourcebooks, Aubrey Poole, I revised a lot more.  So yes, the book changed quite a bit throughout all those revisions.

Augusta:

When and where do you do your best writing?  Do you like music, crowds, food to surround you?  Or are you a solitary writer?

NANCY: My best writing time is probably late at night.  It’s when I know I won’t get interrupted because everyone else is asleep, and it’s nice and quiet.  As for the best place, I’m kind of a writing nomad.  In my house, I write in different places.  Recently, I found this handy dandy carry-all organizer that holds all my stuff.  It makes it so easy for me to take everything with me to any room in the house

Augusta: I love that bag!

I know you’re both a mom and librarian.  Were you inspired by other books you’ve read over the years?  Do you have any favorites?

NANCY: I feel like we’re all inspired by everything we read – the books we think are good and even the ones we think aren’t so good.  In writing RATCHET though, I was inspired by one book in particular – WHAT I BELIEVE by Norma Fox Mazer.  It’s a wonderful story told through free verse poetry, and for some reason that book inspired me to think about writing a book in a different format.

 Augusta:

What’s your fashion sense?  Do you also shop the second-hand clothing stores?

NANCY:

I can sum up my fashion sense in one word – comfort.  My criteria for what to wear is that it be first and foremost comfortable.  That’s why you’ll see me wearing gym shoes about 95% of the time.  As for shopping, I guess I can sum that up in one word too – Kohl’s.  I buy about 95% of my clothes and shoes from Kohl’s.  (They’re not even paying me to say all this; that’s how much I love Kohl’s.)

(Here's Nancy looking quite comfy at her tool bench!)

Augusta: Your writing about Ratchet’s dad’s shop and her helping out is such fun to read and so realistic.  Do you know your way around a toolbox?

NANCY:

I learned all my mechanic skills from my husband.  He was a former industrial arts teacher, and the two of us developed and taught elementary and middle school students a course on small engines.  In the class, we took apart a small engine and put it back together again.  Well, you know what they say, there’s no better way to learn something than to teach it, so that’s how I learned what I know.  My experience became the inspiration for Ratchet’s expertise.

Augusta:

Will we see this character again?  Do you have another book you’d like to tell us about?

NANCY: I don’t have plans for another book about Ratchet, at least not right now.  What you will see from me is more books written in alternative formats.  I love the creative part of figuring out how to tell an entire story in a unique way.

Thanks for chatting with us today, Nancy.

Check out Nancy's website,

http://www.nancyjcavanaugh.com http://www.nancyjcavanaugh.com 

Welcome, Nancy Cavanaugh!

 

     I'm excited to have my friend and fellow Tampa Bay writer, Nancy Cavanaugh, here today. Nancy's first middle-grade novel, THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO RATCHET, launches this week. I loved this book! And apparently, so did a lot of other reviewers.  

   ⇒A star from Kirkus is about as gold as you can get. 

     Pull up a chair. Or a tool bench. And let's ask Nancy about 11-year-old Ratchet and her home-school journal.

 Augusta:   I’m curious about the neat format of this book. Kids will love the poems, letters, research- all from Ratchet. Did you write the entries in the order they appeared or did you skip around?  Did they change much as you edited it for publication?

Nancy:

For the most part, I wrote the book in order.  Going from beginning to end is just how my brain works.  There were a few times though, when I’d think of a scene I wanted to have happen later on, so I would jot notes down about that scene, and I’d also decide what type of assignment I would use for writing that scene.  Over the years while I was writing RATCHET, I revised A LOT, and once I started working with my editor at Sourcebooks, Aubrey Poole, I revised a lot more.  So yes, the book changed quite a bit throughout all those revisions.

Augusta: When and where do you do your best writing?  Do you like music, crowds, food to surround you?  Or are you a solitary writer?

Nancy:  My best writing time is probably late at night.  It’s when I know I won’t get interrupted because everyone else is asleep, and it’s nice and quiet.  As for the best place, I’m kind of a writing nomad.  In my house, I write in different places.  Recently, I found this handy dandy carry-all organizer that holds all my stuff.  

 It makes it so easy for me to take everything with me to any room in the house.

Augusta:    Oh, I love that bag! Very cool, Nancy. 

You’re both a mom and librarian.  Were you inspired by other books you’ve read over the years?  Do you have any favorites?

Nancy:

I feel like we’re all inspired by everything we read – the books we think are good and even the ones we think aren’t so good.  In writing RATCHET though, I was inspired by one book in particular – WHAT I BELIEVE by Norma Fox Mazer.  It’s a wonderful story told through free verse poetry, and for some reason that book inspired me to think about writing a book in a different format.

Augusta: Ratchet, on a limited budget and totally not a girlie-girl, shops in some zany spots. Although this is not a "girl" book, they will just love this part of your story.  Tell us, what's your fashion sense?  Do you also shop the second-hand clothing stores?


Nancy: 

I can sum up my fashion sense in one word – comfort.  My criteria for what to wear is that it be first and foremost comfortable.  That’s why you’ll see me wearing gym shoes about 95% of the time.  As for shopping, I guess I can sum that up in one word too – Kohl’s.  I buy about 95% of my clothes and shoes from Kohl’s.  (They’re not even paying me to say all this; that’s how much I love Kohl’s.)

(Here's Nancy, looking pretty comfy, toiling away at her Work Bench!)

 

Augusta:  Your writing about Ratchet’s dad’s shop and her helping out is such fun to read and so realistic.  Do you know your way around a toolbox?

Nancy:

I learned all my mechanic skills from my husband.  He was a former industrial arts teacher, and the two of us developed and taught elementary and middle school students a course on small engines.  In the class, we took apart a small engine and put it back together again.  Well, you know what they say, there’s no better way to learn something than to teach it, so that’s how I learned what I know.  My experience became the inspiration for Ratchet’s expertise.

Augusta:   Will we see this character again?  Do you have another book you’d like to tell us about?

  Nancy:

I don’t have plans for another book about Ratchet, at least not right now.  What you will see from me is more books written in alternative formats.  I love the creative part of figuring out how to tell an entire story in a unique way.    

  

Thanks for sharing this funny, smart girl and her story with us today. Here's a link to Nancy's website:

http://www.nancyjcavanaugh.com  
While you're there, click on the link to her blog, too.

THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO RATCHET is available via INDIEBOUND here:

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781402281068

Click HERE for the book's link to Amazon.