Life, The Universe, and Everything

I promise to get back to my MFA experience, but I just have to blog on this. Since it's what we all go through.

So: I'm trying to write packet 2, under a tighter deadline (September 15). This means, the revisions of the 2 picture books, plus a new short story, plus reading, plus a revision of 20 pages of my middle grade...you get the picture...

Then there's the air conditioner leak in the ceiling; the electrical problem; the plumbing problem; the raccoon that wants to destroy my garden (and ripped through every fertilizer bag in my shed when the door was left open over night)...

Then there's the new computer I needed to buy but the old one wouldn't sync so I have to take both in to the repair shop so I can have a new one with my old stuff on it...

Then there's the new school year, where I have to home school my son in science, since they won't offer what he needs this year...

And I'm waiting for my edit letter, and my publication date is now 2010 (this is fine with me, because I have so much else to do that I'd feel really overwhelmed if it came right now) and I have a second novel to write! Plus one I'd like to write...

And we really need another car, since my son is now driving...

And, well, if I went on I'd just have to rant. I told my son not too long ago that my "to do" list was now so long, it was the one thing he was sure to inherit.

Okay, enough.

Packet One!

I was so delighted with Sarah's comments on my first packet! For one thing, she is amazing. She misses nothing, and works very hard to be honest while being nice (not an easy task, believe me).

But more importantly she confirmed something I've felt in my heart for a while: I need to trust myself more. When I feel really like I love something I write, even if my critic voice is nattering at me, I need to trust the gut. Sarah really liked the two stories I feel most closely attached to - the ones that other people either don't get or don't think are publishable - because, ultimately, if they work for me, they will work for others, too. I feel so liberated by her comments.

Something else I learned: free writing is a wonderful way to start writing. Literally, "free". Free the brain, the heart, the emotions. Then what is true and right seems to emerge.

What we all have to do in life - trust ourselves! Trust our instincts! Believe!

Gosh, I sound like a cheerleader!

Creative Non-fiction

It's been almost a week, because I've been very busy finishing my first packet. I turn it in over the weekend, to arrive in Sarah's inbox on Monday morning. And every time I look at what I've done I revise! Nothing, at least in this writer's world, is ever perfect.

But I want to continue with what I learned at VCFA. The next lecture I heard was given by Shelley Tanaka. When she showed her first slide I wanted to yell. My son had devoured her book on the Titanic when he was in 3rd grade. He was totally fascinated by the ship - and her book brought it alive for him. Wow! She is truly one of my heroes, because she was a life-saver for my non-reading son.

She talked about what works and what doesn't in creative non-fiction. What doesn't is drama. Creating scenes that never existed is risky, especially if the creation is solely to raise the dramatic stakes. Because there's plenty of drama in real life, if you look for it.

And look she does. She pursues facts like a Sherlock Holmes. Sourcing is critical, as is knowing what to choose to keep in and what to leave out. What she does is create a story arc that is fixed by facts.

By the time she finished her lecture, I was ready to run to my computer and write a piece of creative non-fiction! And, if you care about such things (and you should) there is always always a market for good creative non-fiction.

Laughter!

One of the lectures I attended at VCFA was presented by graduating student Lisa Doan, who addressed writing humor.

I find writing humor difficult. I think it takes a special personality to create believable humor. I also think it can't be forced. Lisa pointed out that it really comes from character - and this was a true "aha!" moment for me.

She talked about the character who has a "skewed world view" - that is, a character who spends time thwarting society's expectations. The further "out" the character becomes, the more we find that character's behavior funny (think "There's Something About Mary"). Lisa said:
"To invent a skewed world view, define society's view, define the exact opposite, then back it down into something workable."

Wow. I was really taken with her ideas (and there were many more like this one). Suddenly I totally got why I find The Wednesday Wars or Holes so funny. I expected one thing, and the opposite happened. Actually, and more importantly, the characters expected one thing, and the opposite happened.

So the next time you are working on humor, think "skew".

The "Packet"

I thought I might put in a little about the packet - the monthly homework assignment that comes from our advisors at VCFA and pushes us on.

Before we left Vermont, we each met with our semester advisors and set up the contents of the first packet. Mine's due August 18, and needs to contain: 2-3 picture book manuscripts; a 10-book annotated bibliography; 2 critical essays on subjects that pertain to my own areas of weakness or curiosity; a letter to our advisor detailed what we've been working on and how it's going.

This work is in addition to anything else I might be working on - for example, I'm working on the first draft of a new middle grade novel, and any day now I'm expected my edits on Faithful.

There are lots of folks at VCFA with full-time jobs. They walk on water, as far as I'm concerned.

The thing I love about the packet/homework is that I do like deadlines. And the knowledge that someone who cares will be reading and commenting on my work. And that all of this effort will play into everything I do work on in the future. I find picture books hard to write, so being forced to write them will tighten my other writing.

I'm so happy to be part of this program.

The Emotional Response

The third lecture of that first day at VCFA, which tied everything together for me, was by Louise Hawes. She described what she calls the novel's "desire line" - the engine that drives the story, the longing for something. The desire line exactly balances the story arc in reverse, because every reader wants the protagonist's desire to be satisfied at the end of the story.

Asking "what" your character wants is the first important question any writer should ask. Asking "why" they want it is the way to get to their deepest desire.

Now, Louise gave us all something far more memorable with her lecture: she asked us to dig deep (there's that "dark room" again, that "clothesline") and speak to that person we were at that age when we were most vulnerable. Pull that child out and find his or her desire.

First, you could have heard a pin drop in the room, a full room - I'm guessing a hundred people. Then sniffs. Then some of us (yes, I'll confess, I'm one) were openly weeping.

So, once again, that's why I write and that's why I'm attending VCFA, and that's why I want to be the best writer I can: because I want to express those universal longings and dreams, those desires, that bind us together as human, as vulnerable, as unique and yet all the same - I want to express humanity.

Even if we are just a speck in the universe.

Yikes! Heavy thoughts.

More Craft Issues

I should note that when I summarize the VCFA lectures here, I'm only giving you a taste. I was so blown away by the level of detail and amount of information delivered by the faculty and students in their 45 minutes. I can't do it justice. Come see for yourself!

I'm skipping over Lisa Doan's lecture on humor to continue with the thread that seemed to run through the day - deep digging for ideas and emotions to make your writing better.

Alan Cumyn also addressed this, in his lecture on perseverance. Gosh, that's one of my favorite words. As you've probably seen, I wouldn't be writing today if I didn't possess this trait. In this context, Alan talked about how our hopes and dreams become a part of our writing, even though they can make us vulnerable to being hurt. You know, when you have the feeling that "this is my best writing ever!" until a critique partner says "this is dreck!" .

Well, enter the "dark room" of your soul, and you'll know when your writing is good. Don't stay on the surface; let it bubble up, and when your writing truly becomes organic, it will be your best work. Believe it! Persevere!

Okay, on a personal note, my new-look website is up (not complete yet but up) and I love it. Have a look at www.janetsfox.com and let me know what you think!

Home and at 'em

Okay, so I'm back and nobody here understands me. I'm not complaining, just remarking. Some of us in my VC class are talking about having been pulled into a cult-like thing there...and I'm totally with that. It's all-encompassing, this experience.

But now for some craft issues! I thought I might share a little taste of the lectures. Give you a sense of the people and ideas.

I'll just march into lecture 1, given by Sharon Darrow. It was really cool how the entire day (that was Thursday the 10th) had a thread, and that thread was: look inside, deep inside, look at what made you, how you grew up, your family, your experiences, and be really true to those experiences. Sharon called it a "clothesline". When she was little she remembered hanging out the wash, running through the clean linens, following the flapping shirts, racing out to take up the laundry before the thunderstorm. And the image is apt, because don't we all try to hide our "dirty linen"? Don't we all keep secrets, buried so deep we keep them from ourselves as well as the rest of the world?

Well, dig 'em up. That was Sharon's message - because as children's writers, we are really writing for the child we once were. I know I am. And there are some dark little things in there I need to face, and when I do, I think I'll be a better writer for it.

Taking a Deep Breath

Now the work begins. The residency is over, and I'm taking a short breather before starting on my first packet.

Short is the operative word, here - my first packet is due on August 18th. And since I'm writing picture books, time will feel very compressed.

What I'd like to do in this blog now is not just fill you in on the residency experience, but also share some of the things I learned - there were many, many craft issues addressed at a very sophisticated level, and my goal is that you should hear something about them here, too.

But first, just a recap of the emotional aspects of this program. Vermont College has recently become independent from its parent Union Institute and University, and VC is seeking accreditation in its own right. This has given us all a sense of pride and ownership in a college program that is dedicated solely to the arts at the highest level of achievement. If you've thought about moving up in your craft/skill, and feel ready, I cannot recommend this program enough. It's fabulous.

And we all really bond here - there's a familiarity that grows very quickly not only among the students, but also between faculty and students. Each meal time, faculty sat down with students; they attended our parties and readings and student lectures; they laughed and cried and argued with us - we were all very much a team.

And how often in life can you sit in a room filled with amazing award-winning authors and feel a part of their world?

By last night, when we all said goodbye until January, there was a spontaneous party (of course), and there were many tears and hugs and warm partings, and a feeling of kinship that was unlike anything I've ever felt (even stronger than anything I felt in college or when I went to sea lo those many years ago). We are now part of this wonderful community of writers, who bleed and sweat writing, who love the written word with a passion usually reserved for spouses and children and grandchildren and pets.

Next time, some craft issues.

How Time Flies

So, ordinarily the passage of 3 days between posts would be like nothing at all. But in this case, those three days were filled with more experiences than I've often had over weeks.

I'll try and fill you in over the next week or so, but here's the skinny for now: my first advisor is Sarah Ellis, a respected Canadian writer with a number of prize-winning books. More importantly for me, she is a gentle soul who is highly intelligent, widely read, and likes the kinds of books that I like. We've agreed that I'm going to stretch this first semester, and work way outside my comfort zone.

For me, that means picture books. I've never been able to master the form. I guess I just talk too much. Give too much information. I love information, love details, love expression, so the picture book (where less is more) is really tough. I think I've found my voice in MG and YA fiction. But writing is writing and I want very much to learn how to manipulate a complex idea in a small space, how to control my pacing, and how to create a story arc within the confines of 300 words.

Losing signal so I'll be back later.