squeetus

Let's talk about rape culture

If you are an advanced writer, beginning writer, or just like hanging out with writers, don't forget Writing for Charity, our fab 1-day conference April 27 in Utah. All proceeds help us buy books for kids in need.

I want to talk about something disturbing, and I hope you'll bear with me. If you're under 14, please skip reading this post unless your parent/guardian okays it. If what you read troubles you, please find someone mature who you trust to talk to about it. I'm not an expert on what I'm talking about here. I am a woman and a parent and am speaking from my own observations.

On Saturday, I joined a conversation on twitter about rape culture and wanted to continue that conversation here. All of us know rape=bad. All of us know someone(s) who have been raped (even if we're not aware of it) and/or been raped ourselves. It's horrifyingly common. But until reading about the events in Steubenville, Saratoga, Penn State, Nova Scotia, and Torrington, I hadn't realized just how wide spread rape culture is in our communities. (and I realize, it's far, far worse in many other parts of the world)

Rape culture is an environment that is conducive to rape.

Most potential criminals will not commit a crime unless they believe they can get away with it. This is just natural. People have a strong sense of self preservation. We are children sometimes--we want what we want and we want it now. But as we get older we’ve been conditioned by society to withstand impulses that we know are going to get us into serious trouble. Some microcosms of society are more lenient to particular crimes than others.

Let’s look at the American South in much of the last century. Lynching was obviously against the law, and yet in that post-slavery and pre-civil rights era, terrible acts of racism were committed because the perpetrators believed (rightly in most cases) that they could get away with it. People of color were murdered in front of witnesses who never testified. Criminals bragged about their acts, but they were never arrested. Or if they were, the all male/all white jury didn’t convict.

Racism still exists, but how common are lynchings today? That culture has been squashed through education, changes in generations, and a more fearless justice system. Though there may be people just as hateful toward others as there were then, they no longer believe they can get away with lynchings (and rightly so), and so they no longer commit those crimes.

What we have broadly in America (and much much more severely in other parts of the world) is a rape culture. Rapists believe (often rightly) that in certain circumstances they can get away with sexually assaulting someone.

When a well-dressed, employed, non-prostitute, non-drug addict, non-immigrant woman gets violently raped by a stranger in a dark alley and immediately gets medical attention, there’s no question it’s rape. Everyone thinks it’s horrible. It’s not her fault. The law and society are on her side. It may be hard to catch the rapist, the trial could be a nightmare, the woman will fight just to survive in the aftermath, but no one questions the word “rape.”

But change the details of the victim and the rapist, and rape culture allows a horrible act some leniency. Here's some of the points from the twitter conversation:

Rape culture asserts that when a guy is cute and popular he couldn't possibly be a rapist because any girl he chooses is lucky to be chosen.

Rape culture asserts that accused rapists are innocent till proven guilty (as they should be) but sometimes denies rape accusers the same courtesy. A rape accuser is commonly called a "slut" and "whore." This happens even if the rape occurred in front of witnesses, while she was unconscious, when she repeatedly said no. Recently two rape accusers committed suicide after being bullied for speaking up.

Rape culture thrives in places where it's forbidden to talk about sex. This is a big, big topic and one I want to tackle in its own post. I hope you'll join me back for that discussion and that we can keep it respectful and open-minded.

Rape culture is encouraged by the idea that males are characters of choice and action and females are present to please the males. While boys and men are frequently the victims of rape, the vast majority of those targeted are women and girls, so I think it's important to look at how we allow girls and women to be portrayed in stories and media, and ways our culture is encouraging that attitude. The attitude that when a girl is passed out a party, a group of boys would see no problem taking advantage of her any way they want. Her purpose is to please them. She is not a human being to them. The idea that it's somehow the girl's fault, that if a girl is passed out it's only natural for boys to undress and assault her, is so grotesque and not to mention untrue and unfair to the majority of wonderful, sane, respectful men and boys in the world.

Rape culture says, "but how could it be rape if she was married to him?" Again, that idea that a woman has no free will of her own. She belongs to her husband or boyfriend or any man who wants to use her as he will. So strange that anyone can still think that way! And yet many do.

Rape culture praises a woman's appearance and sexual attractiveness above any other quality.

Rape culture thrives in communities where protecting the public image is more important than anyone's life.

Rape culture insists males can't be rape victims because of course males always want sex under any circumstance.

Rape culture is most effective when people believe there's no such thing as rape culture. When it's invisible, when we think "that's just how things are" instead of realizing that we've helped create these artifical rules.

Rape is not a woman's problem. It's everyone's problem. And as the news has shown us, the villains in rape aren't just the male rapists. The problem is created by everyone who stands by and doesn't speak, who lets things occur. Who doesn't try to stop a rape, as in the Penn State atrocities, and then go immediately to the police (real police, not just campus police). Who aren't willing to testify as a witness. Who forward photos and videos of a rape to other students instead of showing them to the police and NO ONE ELSE. Who make jokes about rape. Who whisper about a rape accuser, call her a slut, victimize her all over again on social media. Who help create the kind of culture where potential rapists feel safe doing whatever they want. Because they know they can get away with it.

It's up to all of us to make sure they don't. And the very first step we need to take is simply to talk about it. So let's talk.

A new Dawn

Some of you may remember my dear friend Dawn on Survivor a couple of seasons ago. While I was in England for seven weeks shooting Austenland, she was in the Philippines for seven weeks shooting Survivor. Though we didn't know it at the time. She was super secret.

Well, she's back in this season's Survivor: Caramoan! They're several episodes in, but if you want recaps, I love what Dalton Ross does at EW.

I love watching the show and rooting for a friend, but the most interesting part for me is reading what others (viewers, contestants voted off) say about Dawn. It's cool and it's heartbreaking. And a good reminder to me that what we see on TV isn't the whole story. Dawn is one of the best people I know. She is the first person in the neighborhood to notice a need and go rushing in to help. She genuinely loves and cares about people. She and her awesome husband adopted six awesome kids. She's very intelligent and funny and witty. But from watching a 45-minute show edited for some other purpose, you can't see her whole personality. You get an incomplete and sometimes false picture. This realization has made me less inclined to judge anyone I don't know by what a TV show or article or books shows me. I always wonder, but what's left out?

Of course this isn't only true of those visible in the media, is it? I mean, how well do I really know anyone? A few minutes here or there, edited out of their whole life. I have no right to judge anyone. I can't see their whole picture. I can't understand all that's going on inside their head.

Just my quick musing on a Monday morning amid a crazy book deadline. Time to go get inside my characters' heads...

This is just to say

I have taken
on a project
that has a
crazy deadline

and you were
probably expecting
timely
blog posts

Forgive me
I am a dervish
spinning and sweating
words elsewhere

Leaner, meaner trim size coming your way!

I'm mostly shy about self-promoting. In my real life, I never bring up my profession with people I meet. When asked about it, I usually answer briefly and then change the subject. I've mentioned here before, I spent years doing school and book store visits usually without ever mentioning my books. But there are two consistent exceptions:

RAPUNZEL'S REVENGE and CALAMITY JACK, y'all!

I don't know why it's so much easier for me to tout these books. Probably because they're not mine alone. I co-wrote them with my husband Dean and artist (no relation) Nathan Hale.

Possibly also because they're FREAKIN' AWESOME.

Here's the thing about these books. Librarians who know them and stock them tell me they can't keep them on the shelves. I hear this constantly from school, public, and classroom libraries across the country: the kids fight over these books. The kids read them again and again. My avid readers read these books. My non-readers read these books. My non-readers became readers because of these books.

They're absolutely life-making for me, these comments.

Then I also hear: I can't find these books. Bookstores don't carry these books.

When we first wrote Rapunzel's Revenge, I couldn't name a single other graphic novel for young readers. Children's book publishers were not yet publishing graphic novels. We thought we'd have to try to publish it with a comics publisher. That world was new. Bloomsbury took up the book, and when we decided on a trim size, we chose a comic book size, because that was what had been established.

Shortly thereafter traditional children's publishing got into graphic novels in a huge way, and they all went for a smaller trim size, one that could fit on bookstore shelves beside other novels.

So my publisher, Bloomsbury, has decided to revisit these books. Since their reception by readers has
been so great but bookstores can't fit them on regular shelves, they are re-releasing both books in a smaller trim size. The smaller size will start replacing all the other books in about two months.

What does this mean?

Hopefully that you will start seeing these books regularly available in your local bookstores!

But it also means that the larger size will disappear. So if you like that size (I do) then BUY NOW!

And may I recommend? Boldly again, since I only speak about these books boldly. Buy the hardcover. They get re-read. Lots and lots. And paperbacks fall apart. So invest in the hardcover. That thing, as Nate says, will stop bullets.

Happy reading, and yee-ha!

How to be a reader: separating author from narrator

When I was in sophomore English class, my teacher Ms. Barnes hit us with a revelation: The Author Is Not The Narrator.

I had never considered this possibility before.

In our essays, we got red marks against any phrase like, "The author believes," or "The author states that," correcting it to "The narrator states."

"In fiction, you cannot assume the opinions in a book are the author's, only the narrator's."

This is more obvious in a first-person narration. The narrator of Catcher in the Rye is Holden Caufield, not JD Salinger; the narrator of Jane Eyre is Jane, not Charlotte Bronte. But things get murkier with third person. Some third-person narrators are invisible, channeling only what the main character sees and knows. Some take a small step back, seeing and understanding a bit more than the main character can. Some go even further back, switching back and forth between two or more characters' POVs. Others are omniscient, understanding everything at once. Some, like To The Lighthouse, flow in and out of characters' consciousnesses. And still others are unnamed and yet have a presence and clearer personality.

The latter kind is the kind I write with for my adult novels: Austenland, Midnight in Austenland, and The Actor and the Housewife. I love the style and humor available to me with that narrator.

I assumed that everyone had a Ms. Barnes who cleared up the narrator/author thing in 10th grade, but I continually hear from adults who are confused.

"I can't tell if the opinions are Jane's or the author's," a reader of Austenland might complain.

The answer is: neither. The opinion is the narrator's. Unless it's stated in dialog, unless the narrator says it's the character's opinion, then the only thing you can be sure of is that it's the narrator talking. I am no more the narrator of my books than Julia Roberts is Erin Brocovich or Heath Ledger is the Joker. I am the artist channeling a character. All the characters, including the narrator.

It's not accurate to assume that the opinion of any of the character's is the author's opinion. Same of the narrator. The narrator is always character.

The narrator of Princess Academy likes to slow down and savor moments. She stays close to Miri and only reports what she knows, but uses words in a way Miri wouldn't. The narrator of The Actor and the Housewife has a lot of opinions. That narrator wants to laugh, sometimes with the characters and sometimes at them. The narrator of Book of a Thousand Days is Dashti, the main character, reporting in the very moment the action happens, though translated from her native tongue into English by an unknown narrator who had license with word choice and expression. The narrator of my book coming out next year is the main character, told in retrospect from a point after the action occurs. The narrator of the Books of Bayern is close to that of Princess Academy with a desire for richness, the dramatic, the imperative of each moment.

It is as fun for me to write different narrators as it is to write different characters. And my narrators are as much me as are all my characters. Ani and Selia, Ungolad and Geric, Miri and Dan, Tegus and Khasar, Rapunzel and Jack--they came from the same place as my narrators, and yet all speak with a different voice.

What books have you read that have an unnamed third person narrator with a prominent personality? I think of Just So Stories and The Tale of Despereaux. Others?

Ebooks and the great equalizer

I was recently gifted a Kobo and now have read three books on the ereader. I like that it's not backlit. After working on my laptop, I don't want to stare at another screen. I like that I can purchase ebooks through my local bookstore for it and check out books from the library and hold many books in one small place. I don't like that it has to be recharged, turned off on airplanes, doesn't feel like a book or smell, I can't easily tell how far into the book I am, the formatting isn't beautiful but functional, etc. I can see the benefits of ebooks in certain circumstances, but I am far from converting entirely to electronic.

I'm not disgruntled about ebooks. I wish I liked them more--I'd love space for a dresser in my bedroom, but all the walls are taken up by book cases. I receive royalties for ebooks just as I do for paper books. But I do believe it's important to consider the consequences if ebooks take up too much market share.

Often ebook retailers who also sell e-readers sell ebooks at a loss in order to promote their e-readers. If ebooks are sold for significantly less than their hardcover and even paperback counterparts, it's less likely people will invest in the latter. Paper books will come to seem ridiculously overpriced. Which they are not. Publishing is not a fat cat industry. No one is getting rich (except a very few megaseller authors, which represent such a tiny percentage of the industry they're hardly worth mentioning). Look at anyone down the line: editor, agent, publisher, publicist, distributor, bookseller, author, and you see that everyone is trying to make a living and no one is wealthy. No one gets into any part of publishing with the intent of striking it rich (unless they're woefully ignorant). They do it because they love books and care about literacy.

So, what happens if ebook prices dip down lower and stay lower? Customers like that because they can buy books for less. HOWEVER, the smaller the print run of a paper book, the more expensive it is to publish, the less profit a publisher makes. If most editions sold of a book are electronic, publishers won't be able to afford printing hard copies. Many books would only be available electronically, and those in paper would be more expensive.

So what? Maybe everything goes digital in the future. Save the trees, right? But what about those who can't afford an e-reader? What about libraries, schools, kids? Right now, public libraries are "the great equalizer" as someone said. Anyone can have access to most any book for free in a library. But if some books are only available as an ebook, only those with readers will have access. Libraries are already underfunded. What will happen if fewer hard copies are printed and the prices go up?

I don't know how this will all play out, but I am concerned. Some say, keep the market open and don't be afraid of change. But the change I foresee isn't just a different industry, it's one that is actually smaller, more prone to monopolies, and less accessible by the poor and by children. I want quality literature. I want freedom of speech. I want all children and adults to have access to thousands of different books, any one of which might change their lives.

Male character function: be a character; Girl character function: love interest

When I was about 18, I was in a community theater production of Robin Hood. As is so often the case with theater, there were more girls than guys who auditioned, but there were more guy than girl parts in the play. I was one of three girls cast as a silent, hooded "Merry Man." During rehearsals it quickly became ridiculous. Though we kept our hoods on all the time, three of us girls playing Merry Men were really bad at walking and moving like men. I remember talking with the lead male actors.

Me: Why do all of the Merry Men have to be men? I could still be a girl and be in the band.
Actor: But if there was a girl in the band, why wouldn't Robin fall in love with her and not Marian? We don't want to confuse the audience.

I was confused myself. Why would that even be an issue? The presence of a single woman in proximity to the lead other than the Love Interest would confuse the audience? In real life, do guys go around falling in love with every girl who happens to be nearby? Obviously, I thought, Marian happens to be Robin's type. He must like the polished, noble, girlie-girl, and a Merry Girl would be rough-and-tumble. What's confusing about that?

But it is. As I look at movies, especially action movies and animated movies, there are rarely any girls besides the Love Interest. Audiences are accustomed to this. The main character's Love Interest can have an elderly female friend, or even a comic-relief female friend her same age (so long as she's overweight, extremely quirky, lacking classical beauty features, etc.). But No Extra Girls Allowed. It's as if the only function of a female character is to be the Love Interest. So if there are, say, two female characters then the audience will be confused. But wait, there are two! Which is the Love Interest? We don't know who to expect will end up with the Lead and the unexpected is upsetting!

Just when I watch a film that's an exception--like Thor, which had several female characters (though male characters still represented the large majority)--I think, hey, we're over it! Then I see 4-5 action or animated movies in a row with an all male cast and one token female--the Love Interest.

I want to be conscious of this. I want all of us to be aware. Because I don't want to see the reverse happen either. In an effort to over-correct, are we doing that with the boys? In YA novels, do we have female characters with 1 male character (The Love Interest) or two if there's a triangle? I'm begging writers of movies and books, be respectful of the girls. Include them in the stories. Girls can be funny and interesting and daring and shy and adventurous and evil and anything a character should be.

Common mistakes parents make with their beginning readers

Final post from squeetus guest blogger and teacher, Kirsten Wilcox. This post Kirsten addresses common mistakes parents make while helping their kids learning to read.

 



Covering up the pictures:  Even if your child is on a beginning level and you feel they are just “memorizing the words” they are still reading.  DO NOT COVER UP THE PICTURES!  If they have “memorized” the words they are still benefitting from reading the book, especially if you have them point to the words as they are reading it.  Each time they look at the word and read it correctly it is working its way into their memory. 



Getting books that are above their child's reading level:  Don’t get anxious and buy harder books because you want them to grow.  This will slow their learning down rather than speed it up and will cause confidence issues.  



Continuing to read with a child when they are frustrated and angry:  When a child is angry they are unable to concentrate, focus or think.  This will only lead to more anger from both child and parent, and confirm their belief that they don’t like reading.  Try saying, “I can see that your angry right now, and need a little time to cool down.  Go get a drink and let me know when you’re feeling better about things”.  Sometimes they’ll insist they are ready even when you know they aren’t.  I usually say, “I love you too much too read with you when you’re upset.  We need to take a few minutes to calm down”.  They don’t need to go to time out, and it doesn’t need to be a consequence.  When working with my foster boy, he would sometimes throw a raging fit about it, but he quickly learned it just made things last longer.   I never talked to him about it when he was in the angry state.  I learned from their therapist that kids can’t process what you are saying when they are angry.  It is better to talk to them about things when they have calmed down and their mind can listen and think things through.  



Telling a child to sound it out whenever they come to a word they don't know: Sounding out a word is only one strategy and isn’t the answer to everything.  Many words can’t be sounded out.  I usually say, “Let’s say the sounds of the first couple of letters and see if the word ‘pops’ in our head”.  Or I just completely use the other strategies all together. 

Correcting a word immediately after the child makes a mistake:  Sometimes when reading the child will read the word wrong.  Let them continue reading to the end of the sentence to see if they can figure out that the word didn’t make sense.  If they go back and correct it on their own, praise them for it.  If they don’t go back, ask them if what they just read made sense.  



Getting frustrated when a child can't figure out a word or saying, "You just read that word!!!"  :D  This can be frustrating for us as adults, but even if a child just read a word, or it is a word you just talked about, they might need to see it and read it 500 more times before it becomes rote.  This is all part of the learning process and it’s ok.  How many things do we need to hear and do before we get something new down correctly? 



Not reading with their child on a daily basis (even when they've made it to chapter books):  I know it takes a lot of time, and is extremely difficult.  I’ve experienced this first hand, but reading with your child 20-30 minutes each day is so important especially if they’re struggling.  If it is too much time for them you can break it up into smaller pieces.  Let part of the time be talking about the pictures and the book.  Practice sight words with your child (there are many apps that help kids learn sight words you can use for part of the reading time). 

The most important thing is to have fun with it and keep it positive.  :D

 

THANK YOU, Kirsten! Your tips are timely for me. What are your thoughts? Any other traps you've caught yourself falling into? What's worked for you and your kids?

Helping your child with reading comprehension and fluency

Continuing on with our 3-part series, welcome back squeetus guest blogger, Kirsten Wilcox, 1st grade teacher, literacy specialist, and darn fine lady. Next I asked Kirsten what parents can do with emerging readers if they're struggling with comprehension.

 

There are different things you can do with them.  Make sure you are reading with them when they read.  Stop after every few sentences and talk about what was read.  Here are some comprehension strategies I like:

Predict:  Have your child tell you what they think will happen next.
Retell or Summarize:  Have them tell you what they just read--do this every few sentences or paragraphs.  Don’t wait till a whole chapter has been read.
Make Connections:  Have your child tell you what the book reminds them of.  (ie. The Little Red Hen: This book reminds me of when my brother wouldn’t help me clean up our room, or when mom made us homemade bread, etc.) They can also make connections to other books (This book reminds me of Chicken Little because they both had Hens in it). 
Make a picture in their head:  Have them describe or draw what they are seeing when they read a part in the story.  This is a skill some kids have to develop. 
Questioning:  Probably the one we’re the best at.  Asking basic questions, but just because your child can answer the basic questions doesn’t mean they have good comprehension.
Inferring:  Many times kids can ask the basic questions but have trouble with inferring, where I believe true comprehension comes into play.  For example: Once I was doing a reading group with some third graders.  We were reading Stuart Little.  There is a part in the book where the cat is talking to another cat about how frustrated he is having to share his home with a mouse he isn’t allowed to eat.  Meanwhile a bird is sitting on top of a lightpost listening to their conversation.  The other cat says he will go to the home and eat the mouse for him.  That night Stuart Little finds a note saying he is in danger and needs to leave.  When I asked the students, “Who do you think left the note?”  No one could figure it out.  We ended up reading it three times before someone finally said, “It was the bird!”  A good rule of thumb is, when reading with your child, whenever your mind does something or thinks something, check to see if your child’s mind did the same thing.  You would be surprised at how much they might be missing. 
When reading any book, let your child look at the pictures and stop to talk about it.  This processing time is just as important as the time spent reading the words.

If your child is struggling with fluency: 

First of all, fluency isn't just reading fast.  I tell my first graders, it's making your reading sound like talking.  It includes reading smoothly, reading with expression, and phrasing correctly.  Fluency and comprehension go hand in hand.  Many times if a child is having trouble with fluency they are also struggling with comprehension and vice versa. 

One thing that can help with fluency is pair reading.  When you pair read with your child, read the book together at the same time matching your speed to theirs.  As your child starts to read more smoothly stop reading with them, when they start to get choppy, join in again.  I always prepare my students before doing this.  I tell them we are going to read together, but if I stop reading they should continue to read without stopping. 

I also really like the You Read To Me, I Read To You books by Mary Ann Hoberman.  They are fun to read with your child to help build fluency and the kids really like them.  I wouldn’t start this until your child is at least on an F or G reading level. 

It also helps children to hear fluent reading.  Reading to your child can be effective.  If you feel you aren’t a good reader, you can have your child listen to books on cd or audio books on the kindle or ipad.  They should listen while following along with the book. 

Reading books more than once is huge when working with fluency.  If it is a chapter book I always pick a paragraph for them to read a few times working on fluency.  Many times I try to find a paragraph with quotes, because phrasing can be tricky and imperative to comprehension.  It can also help them work on their reading expression. 

Strategies for beginning readers

Today I have a guest blogger! I asked first grade teacher, literacy specialist, and all around fab lady Kirsten Wilcox to give some advice to parents with beginning or struggling readers.

Wow this is a loaded question.  :D  

First of all, if you have a child that is young or in the pre-reading stage, phonemic awareness is a great way to give them a boost for when they start reading. Phonemic Awareness is playing with words and sounds without print or letters.  It is all auditory. For example, reading them books, singing songs, playing with rhymes, clapping syllables, changing the first letter of a word, alliteration, breaking words apart, blending sounds together to make a word are all good exercises.  Nursery rhymes and singing songs with your child at a young age is a great way to build their foundation for reading.  Reading to your children daily is also extremely beneficial. 

When a child has learned the names and sounds of the alphabet and are able to start blending sounds together they are in the first stages of reading.  When reading with a child, it is critical that children are reading books on an independent (98% accuracy) or instructional (95% accuracy) level.  Anything beyond that is frustrating and will not be beneficial.  A good note of thumb is if it's frustrating or difficult for you to listen to, it's probably frustrating for the child trying to do the reading.  Confidence is key!  

Make sure you are consistently telling them what a good reader they are.  Try to keep things positive.  If they're getting upset go to an easier book for a while. 

When I first started reading with my 10 year old foster boy, he would get extremely angry and upset whenever he had to stop and fix a word, or got to a word he didn’t know.  I knew I needed to keep things positive even though it was difficult.  I would never continue until he calmed down.  When kids are angry and upset their “brains turn off” (just an expression I use).  I told him we needed to get our reading done before he could play, etc but I couldn’t read with him till he was calm.  I also got some m&m’s and every time he came to a word he didn’t know and was able to stay calm and figure it out with my help he would get an m&m.  Sometimes we have to get creative in helping our kids to feel ok about making mistakes.  They many times have ingrained in their mind that they are stupid or CAN’T do it.  If their mind believes they can’t do it, they really can’t.  Confidence is everything, so if they’re struggling, the first step is to build their confidence through praise and finding them books they can be successful with, even if it means going back a level or two for a while.  Sometimes one step back will gain two steps forward in the end. 

When a child gets stuck on a word help them use reading strategies to figure it out.  If you see them getting overly frustrated, it's ok to just tell them the word once in a while especially if it's a word you know they aren't going to be able to figure out. 

Some of my favorite strategies are: Look at The Picture,  Look for a word Inside the word (ie: hand),  look for parts you know (ie: playing), Skip the word and read to the end of the sentence (I always tell my students when using this strategy to remember to go back and see if they can get it),  Think about what makes sense, Think of the first word that “pops” in your head.  


As a child uses these strategies, I praise them for it by saying "That's what good readers do".  For instance, if a child reads a word wrong but then fixes it on their own I say, "Great job self correcting!  That's what good readers do!"  Or if I see a child look at the picture to try and figure out a word I say, "Great job looking at the picture.  That's what good readers do."  




Preparing a child before they read a book is also very effective.  When starting a new book with a child I always tell them the title. We look at the cover and I have them predict what they think the book is going to be about.  We then go on a “picture walk”.  Go through each page looking at the pictures.  Have the child talk about what they see and what they thing is going to happen.  As they are looking and talking about the pictures, scan the words and look for words you know they will have trouble with.  Use those words over and over again as you talk about the picture with your child.  Sometimes I even point out the word on the page.  I say, “look at this word.  It’s a hard one.  This says….).  Sometimes I say, “laugh is a hard word.  Do you think you can find it on this page?"  Then we talk about it.  I keep it light and joke with them.  I say, “what a crazy word!” and read it the way it would sound if I said the sound of each letter. They usually laugh and I say, “No one knows why that word is spelled that way, it’s a red word.  It doesn’t follow the rules”.  Basically you are preparing them to read the book, so when it comes time for them to read it they are more successful.

 

Thanks, Kirsten! We'll hear more from her later. What do you think? Anything she said surprise you? Any strategies that have worked for you?

An open letter to everyone I've ever ignored

reposted from Dec 2011:

Dear reader/writer/event organizer,

Thank you for the email/letter/blog comment. I really do care that you reached out to me. You asked so kindly if I would read your manuscript/answer questions for your school project/sign and return your books. Surely I'm no busier than you are. We're all busy. The very least you deserve is a response. But silence followed.

The truth is, it really would be in my best interest to blurb your book/be interviewed on your blog/attend your book event. Publicity is important for any author and you were so kind to think of me. You must think me rude for not responding to your email/Facebook message/tweet. You may have expected more from me. After all, I sound so accessible on my blog/Facebook/interviews. And we have a personal connection since we're from the same place/have a friend in common/both like cheese fries. Surely I'm the kind of person who doesn't get so full of herself she ignores the common reader?

I don't have great excuses, just the usual of kids/books/sloppy brain syndrome. In all sincerity, I feel guilty about my ineptitude at responding to your kindness. Every day. I can't respond to everyone, of course. That would be impossible unless I had a personal assistant/magic time expander/clone. But because you were so awesome with your request, I fully intended to respond to you, and then a baby woke up/I realized I hadn't eaten all day/I plumb forgot. I hope you don't take this personally. You are a noble woman/man/giant ant deserving of real attention. You know what would be awesome? You should go ahead and become a famous writer/entertainer/cheese fry chef and when I ask you for something, you should ignore me! Justice, baby.

Take care, enjoy this snow/rain/sunshine, and I hope one day you can forgive me. I really am sorry.

Cheers/xoxo/sincerely,
Shannon.

What will you think of the Austenland movie?

My prediction:

1. Some people who love the book will love the movie
2. Some who hate the book will love the movie
3. Some who love the book will hate the movie
4. Some who only liked the book will love the movie
5. Some who loved the book will only like the movie
6. Some will be indifferent to both
7. And some will decorate their bedroom with JJ Feild/Ricky Whittle/Bret McKenzie/James Callis posters

I fall in category 1, and I hope most people will!  But there's really no way to ever guess how anyone will respond. I can tell you that the crowd reaction to the Sundance screenings was marvelous. Laughter was constant. There were visible meltings at romantic moments and audible "ahh"s too. It's not exactly like the book. I think it helps to prepare yourself for that. Jane's story is a little different, some of the characters aren't quite the same, some scenes don't make it from book to movie but most of your favorites do. Women reported to me that they left the movie feeling swoony and happy. Men (and women too) reported to me that they couldn't remember the last time they'd laughed out loud so much. What will you think? You'll have a chance to find out this summer! As more info on the movie's release emerge, you can be sure I'll post them here.

Jerusha Hess said, "We wanted to make a movie for all you Jane Austen fans, and we wanted to make a movie for all you who think Jane Austen fans are funny."