Humor
Today’s guest is YA novelist A.S. King, who has a new novel out today called PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ–a Junior Library Guild selection for Fall 2010. Kirkus–traditionally the hardest to please of all the top-shelf reviewers–gave PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ a starred review, calling it “A harrowing but ultimately redemptive tale of adolescent angst gone awry.” King’s debut novel, THE DUST OF 100 DOGS was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an Indie Next Pick For Teens and a Cybils award finalist. Her work has been described as fiction for teens that “can trump similar novels for adults.”
Recently returned from Ireland, where she spent about a decade dividing herself between self-sufficiency, breeding rare poultry, teaching literacy, and writing novels, she now lives deep in the Pennsylvania woods with her husband and children. Her next YA novel, EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS, is due from Little, Brown in Fall 2011.
Sounds like a busy person, right? Maybe crazy-busy? That’s kind of the point of her post–a new addition to her Writer’s Middle Finger series. Don’t know what we’re talking about? Read on, and enjoy!
(Middle Finger Deathmatch:
Maintaining Control
vs.
Going Completely Insane)
I used to think: When I finally become a published writer, I will be mellow. I didn’t want to freak out or be stressed. I took my trusty writer’s middle finger and flipped off the idea of being pressured. “Up yours pressure! You can’t catch me! I am too mellow!” I did this because I lived the life of a very very very mellow person for a very very very long time. I wrote on my own terms. I grew that writer’s middle finger. And I vowed to never let publishing change me.
Read MoreThanks to Jeanne Kisacky for inspiring the following cartoon with her recent Writer Unboxed post:
Read MoreI recently had an idea for a fantastic essay about writing. It would prove controversial, but hold merit; it would change the world, or at least help my post hit a high retweet number. (Which to honest, because I’m terminally competitive, would scratch a persistent itch.)
Problem was, I couldn’t nail the voice.
I knew it was partly that the feelings were too fresh. I was angry and hurt. Worse, I was disappointed in myself for feeling angry and hurt. Still, what I wanted to say felt big enough to try to push through, and I wanted to silence an inner critic. You know? The one that says professional writers would suck it up and git ‘er done, so what was my problem?
Aiming for objectivity, I walked, meditated, wrote approximately twenty first drafts in both earnest and comedic tones. I wrote my post in parable, wrote it in limerick, looked for visual metaphors. About the only thing I didn’t try was smoke signals, but since our weather has been crappy and the woodpile soaked, that seemed impractical at best.
At last I struck gold. My post arrived as a gift — swift, authentic, sideways from what I’d intended, nevertheless, done. I sent it to some writing friends, just to confirm I’d finally hit my stride, and the response came back a uniform O.~
Read MoreThis comic was inspired by a conversation I had with children’s book author Arthur Slade on his Facebook wall.
My big news from this past week: I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be illustrating a picture book written by author/comedian/actor Michael Ian Black, to be published by Simon & Schuster in 2012. Until recent events, I had never anticipated that my first publication credit in children’s lit would be for illustration instead of writing.
Two lessons I’ve learned:
1) Be open to new career opportunities.
2) Don’t get in a creative rut. Push yourself to venture out of your comfort zone on a regular basis (or have a good friend to help do the pushing, like I did!).
Read MoreTo those who haven’t heard: to my utter astonishment, I won two awards at the 2010 SCBWI Illustrator Portfolio Showcase. I entered the Showcase at the last minute and only because an illustrator friend urged me; I usually focus on the tracks for writers. I’ve posted photos of my portfolio on Facebook, if you’re curious.
Lesson I learned from this past week: Don’t let yourself get into a career rut. Be open to new opportunities.
p.s. Why yes, the book in the cartoon -is- THE LAST WILL OF MOIRA LEAHY by Therese Walsh. :-)
Read MoreI’m at the SCBWI Summer Conference right now so don’t have time to create a new comic this time, but here’s one from the Inkygirl archives:
Read MoreKath here. Please welcome comedian and writer Karen Bergreen to Writer Unboxed. Karen’s debut novel Following Polly is a screamingly funny murder mystery. No lie, I nearly had to read this in the bathroom, it was pee-your-pants funny. Enjoy her guest post with us today and make sure you’re not drinking anything when you read it, or you’ll need a new monitor. Seriously.
Some people can point to a chair in their house or their local Starbucks and claim that’s where my Vampires Who Knit was written in its entirety.
I am not that person.
Some people when asked how they found time to discipline themselves to write a novel are quick to respond, “every morning I wake up at 5:15, and after a beautiful session of breastfeeding the twins, baking a bread, and putting the family finances in order I commit to five hours of solitary novel writing. I don’t get up. I even bought myself a pamper.”
I am not that person.
Some people say they knew they had to be a novelist before they learned to read.
I am not that person.
Don’t get me wrong. This was not a lark. Writing a novel is serious work, but the gravitas attached to the process can be overwhelming. Especially for a casual Type B+ person with two kids and a stand up comedy career.
Read MoreThe title of this post is not meant to invoke images of my broadening rear end, though until I took measures, that was becoming a regrettable side effect of the writing path. Rather, it’s meant to convey the idea that we can re-author our very selves through the process of crafting fiction.
I can best explain by providing a personal example: Until little over a year ago, if you were to meet me, you’d believe “Jan” should be spelled “Zzzzzz…” Hypnotic manufacturers viewed my presence as threat to their financial health. When I posted on message boards, they handed out complimentary pillows.
I exaggerate, but in truth, no one beyond my family would describe me as “fun,” least of all myself.
Then I hit a place where I needed a metaphoric kick in my writing pants. I signed up for an online course, and in the safe atmosphere created by the instructor, took a deep breath and let the silly out. The result? An audience kind enough to laugh and birth of a dark desire.
See, I’d been after a keyboard spatter, dammit. Perhaps even a coffeed monitor. I hadn’t been precisely aware of those goals until that moment, but that hadn’t stopped my subconscious from craving them.
Since then, while at times I’ve become a bit like the class clown of kindergarten, I’m thrilled by the changes that stuck.
Read More
