Children’s Author Chris Barton Takes on a New Identity


Bestselling children’s author, Chris Barton, is known for his award-winning picture books The Day Glo Brothers and Shark Vs. Train. But these days, he’s donning a new disguise – or genre, if you will.

His young-adult book Can I See Your I.D.? True Stories of False Identities recently hit bookstore shelves with rave reviews. Publisher’s Weekly says “Barton’s prose captures the daring, ingenuity, and quick thinking required of each imposter.“

So I had a chance to ask Chris, “If you could assume the identity of any literary figures who would make it to your top 5?”

I was positive that his #1 would be the Shark from Shark Vs. Train. However, being the creative and completely noble guy that he is, his answer took a surprising twist.

Here’s what Chris had to say:

“Over the years, I did a long series of blog posts (http://chrisbarton.info/blog/labels/us_history_reading) about children’s books covering various periods of U.S. history, and I can think of *lots* of real-life figures from those books that I would like to be:

• Cesar Chavez: Because of the courage he managed to summon and the way he transformed the lives of so many people taken for granted.

• Madam C.J. Walker: So few people can say they’ve done something no one else before them has done. When you’re the first African-American woman millionaire, it’s a different story.

• Charles Ives: He heard unusual sounds in his head and brought them into this world in dynamic fashion, all while keeping his day job.

• Lt. Gail S. Halvorsen: Adored, even revered, by the former children of East Berlin to this day, more than six decades after the Berlin airlift.

• Joe Switzer: His brother Bob left behind an extensive first-person account of how the two of them worked together to, among other things, invent Day-Glo. I’d love to know Joe’s perspective firsthand.“

Wow! What a guy! WHAT A GUY! Now I get why the Shark didn’t make the list.

Get to know Chris and his fabulous new book at his other blog tour stops:

On Peter Salomon’s blog – http://tinyurl.com/3e8tet9
On Penny Blubaugh’s blog Wednesday, May 4 – http://penblue.wordpress.com/
On Ruth McNally Barshaw’s blog, Saturday May 7 – http://elliemcdoodle.blogspot.com/

On Jenny Ziegler’s blog in June – http://jenniferziegler.livejournal.com/

You can also follow Chris and his amazing kid lit adventures at:

And don’t forget to check out Can I See Your I.D?

Posted & filed under Great Reads, Marketing Minutes, News to Use, Stops and Sightings.

Picture Book Peek Week #11 Begins April 25th!!

Spring Has Sprung – Peek Week #11 – April 25th!

It’s a Petunia Popping Picture Book Peek Week –
Free critique of a selected picture book manuscript

It begins April 25th!
Here’s how it works:

Sign up for a critique by entering your picture book WORKING TITLE in the comment section of this blog post anytime (midnight to midnight Mountain Time) on April 25th. Titles submitted before or after April 25th will not be considered.

I’ll throw all titles into a hat and pick 1 for critique.
Keep in mind:

* Manuscripts must be 1000 words or less.

* I accept only fiction.

* Level of detail in the critique will vary based on my impression of the caliber of the writing.

* Please understand that I’m not an editor and will not be providing line-editing of your work. My critique will be comprised of suggestions for improving your manuscript. So please send me your most polished piece.

* The critique winner must e-mail me his/her manuscript as a Word attachment within 48 hours of the announcement . Manuscripts will be kept completely confidential. When I receive the manuscript, I’ll let the author know when they can expect my critique.

* As with any art form, likes and dislikes are entirely subjective. Please understand that my critiques are only one reader’s/writer’s opinion. It’s always wise to seek feedback from a few different readers. If my ideas resonate with you, they’re yours to use. If you disagree, I encourage you to compare my comments with those of other readers. But in the end, it’s your book. Stay true to your vision.

“Jean’s critique played a direct role in getting me an agent. What more can I say? She’s an invaluable resource for kidlit writers.”
Tara Lazar, author of THE MONSTORE coming soon from Aladdin/Simon & Schuster 2013

I look forward to reading your work.

Jean

Posted & filed under News to Use, Pay it Forward Fridays, Picture Book Peeks.

Writing the *Breakdown* Novel

I’m getting ready to read Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need in yet another attempt to understand novel structure. Then I’ll add it to my library of books that has had me trudging along The Hero’s Journey, climbing Freytag’s Triangle, breaking out in hives with my breakout novel, squeezing seven acts into a three-act structure and posturing with Plato’s Poetics. And, just yesterday, I read the article “Story Trumps Structure” by Steven James in the February 2011 Writer’s Digest (yes, I’m a little behind) which made me question everything that’s gone before.

If nothing else, all this reading (and a few bloody critiques) has clarified (like raw sewage) what not to do in my novels. So, if you want your novel to break down and burn like a Ford Pinto, I’ll share my “not to dos” with you.

Jean Reidy’s Writing the *Breakdown* Novel:

1. Think of every possible funny, sad or serious event from your life or imagination that might remotely relate to your premise. Then crowbar them ALL into your story, such that your trajectory is masked by a plethora of overwritten scenes serving no semblance of a plot.

2. Next, study trajectory and raising the stakes. Then create a new torpedo of a story that layers crisis after crisis and races to the finish with no emotional or logical resonance.

3. Then, read about turning a story on its head. Do so with your next novel so much so that you create a completely loathsome main character and a story so flush with subplots that the theme evolves into something about ice skating and Moonies.

4. Finally, try a retelling of a classic story, following a mapped out structure. But make sure that in your effort to inform the old story, you crowbar in events from imagination and life, create overwrought crises that your loathsome characters can not recover from and rocket right to a predictable finish all while losing (and perhaps insulting) the original framework of a beloved classic tale.

So there you have it.
I’m hoping Save the Cat! can save me.

Posted & filed under The Writing Process.

Writing Book Review: Between the Lines by Jessica Page Morrell

Between the Lines: Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing by Jessica Page Morrell

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Writers Digest Books (April 25, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 158297392X
  • Buy it here!

I didn’t remember the subtitle of Jessica Page Morrell’s book until I looked at the cover again to write this review. I was ready to say that Morrell explores the subtle necessities of fiction writing. “Subtle” because they often take a back seat to grammar and usage. “Necessities” because without them, writing falls flat.

Now don’t confuse “subtle” with invisible or unimportant. Instead, these are the elements that leave you scratching your head at the end of a truly great read and saying, “Now that was satisfying, because, because …”

Think of these elements as the little trade secrets that separate “okay” writing from “wow” writing. And those secrets are all laid out neatly in this book.

Who’s this for: Writers ready to take their novels to the next literary level.

Organization: As this is not a “write a novel” guide, the book doesn’t walk through a menu or chronological how-to. Instead, it serves as a reference for the tools available to enrich your prose. While I can see referring to chapters on “backstory” or “prologues” or “imagery” individually, I can also see the benefit of rereading the book start to finish from time to time as a reminder of tools available.

Use of examples: Some writers on writing seem to go out of their way to cite literature that is not only inaccessible but also, little known. Readers, then, have to work too hard to place the concept in the familiar. Morrell uses popular fiction and even movies from time to time in crystal clear examples. It’s like comparing someone to your best friend – you get it easily.

Favorite chapter: “Chapter 5 – Epiphanies & Revelations.” The chapter includes a brief discussion of the difference between the two, the components of a strong epiphany and exercises for using revelations to enhance pacing and suspense.

Biggest myth debunked: Backstory is a novel’s nemesis. In fact, backstory used and placed wisely, can layer and enrich a shallow story. Morrell illustrates multiple techniques for doing so.

Resonated most: The discussion of prologues in frame stories. I used this technique in a historical novel I’ve written. The manuscript is now resting for a while. But when I return to it, I hope to keep the frame story in place because my prologue provides an eerie set-up to the extended flashback of the main story.

Best lesson: Create settings that multitask. As a children’s author I don’t always pay close enough attention to setting. I create one – often fresh and fun. I introduce it. And then I forget about it. Morrell encourages writers to delve into their settings to make them work harder for the story – even, perhaps, to suggest themes.

Best exercise: In the section on imagery and metaphor, Morrell suggests constantly brainstorming this question as you write – “What does this remind me of?” Avoid the first thing that comes to mind as it will likely be a cliche. A lengthy list will eventually reveal fresh imagery. As Morrell says “Comparisons, especially similes, should jolt the reader just a little. He should feel pleasure and recognition upon reading.”

Oldie but Goodie: Reminder that a “ticking clock” is a great device for raising the stakes.

Something I hadn’t thought of: Use of multiple tools for foreshadowing and its importance.

Should have been the last chapter: “Chapter 14 – Subtlety” – Morrell’s discussion of subtext and “Tips for Writing with Subtlety” beautifully gel the ideas that make this book different than any other craft book for me. Taking writing to the next level is often more about paring down than bulking up. It’s about taking more time, more thought and more care without necessarily putting more words on the page – just the perfect words.

Posted & filed under Great Reads, The Writing Process.

Random Read Alouds – “Books and Blankets”

This Wednesday March 9th is World Read Aloud Day. You can read more about that here.

In the morning I’ll be doing Skype Read Alouds with the following schools:

Early Childhood School, Frisco, TX
 Pembroke Hill & Village Schools, Pembroke, NH

Bellerose Avenue Elementary, Northport, NY

But for the afternoon, I’m thinking about a random read aloud idea called “Books and Blankets.”

Actually, I’ve been considering this for a few weeks now, in and out of the sphere of World Read Aloud Day.

My idea is a simple one.

  1. Go to a local library and check out a full bag of great read aloud picture books OR fill a bag from your home library.
  2. Pack up a blanket or two or three and head to an inner-city park or rec center, a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter – anyplace where you can find kids who might not have someone reading to them on a regular basis. (I know access might be an issue here. I also know my favorite soup kitchen is limited in space, but I’m not letting go of the idea.)
  3. Set yourself up on a blanket. Spread a few more blankets out for your listeners. And read. Read. Read. Read. Read out loud, that is, and see who joins you.

Would anyone care to try “Books and Blankets” with me? Crazy you say? Probably. But here’s my alternate challenge.

Find someone, anyone, and treat them to a random read aloud on 3/9. Perhaps it’s an unsuspecting grandchild or student or friend. It can be anyone, anywhere. Then stop back by and tell us about it. How did you feel about it? How did your listeners react?

And, of course, if anyone wants to chime in on my “Books and Blankets” idea, please do. I’d love to hear from you.

Posted & filed under News to Use, On a Personal Note, School Visits.

The Necessary Work of Downtime

How many of you meditate? Take a daily walk? Go for a run without your iPod?

If no downtime is built into your day, you may consider it too much of a luxury in an already over-scheduled life. But, in fact, practices like meditation or quiet walks are a necessary part of your writing work day.

My downtime (running, walking, meditating) has helped me:

  1. Solve character problems
  2. Flesh out scenes
  3. Reveal new themes
  4. Talk out dialog
  5. Play around with rhythm
  6. Break through a block
  7. Ease back into an old project
  8. Brainstorm a new project
  9. Discover an epiphany

This is no small stuff. It’s huge, important stuff. And I’d call that work, right?

How do you practice downtime? What has it done for your writing?

Posted & filed under The Writing Process, Tools for the Taking.

Strong Feelings from Light Hearted Article

When I wrote my article Preschool Wardrobe Wars which appeared Monday in the New York Times Motherlode blog, I knew the topic was universal. After all, that’s why I wrote TOO PURPLEY! But I didn’t expect so much emotion to surround what I considered a humorous and mostly harmless issue. Based on the growing list of comments, I was wrong. Check them out and post your own – if you dare.

Or better yet, tell me your favorite “kids clothes” story.

Posted & filed under News to Use, On a Personal Note.

Write When You Least Expect It

I do very few things well under pressure. So when I sit down to work on a book, especially a novel, I usually make sure I’ve set aside a large block of time, giving myself a chance to get back into the story, set up achievable goals for words on the page and then actually write those words.

But lately, those blocks of time have become smaller and smaller. I won’t bore you with the details of my busy life – we’re all wishing for 40-hour days these days, right? – but I do know that my time will free up a bit later this year. And I’ve been tempted to say “Well that’s when I’ll work on this novel.”

But I grew impatient. I was anxious to get back into this exciting project.

So for the past two days, I’ve been squeezing in some unexpected writing time. I’ll admit, I was set up pretty well for this experiment with ten pages of my own handwritten revision notes and a marked up manuscript.

One might expect that with a wee bit of time, I’d opt for wee revisions. But honestly, by the time I open up my 150-page manuscript and jump around finding just the right spots for those adjustments, and skip from revision note to revision note, I could have written an entire scene.

So that’s just what I did.

And there was something terribly freeing about opening up a brand new document labeled with a scene title and jumping right in.

I had no sense of foreboding about the task at hand because my expectations were low – I’ll just jot down some thoughts related to this scene. After all, I only have a few minutes. But then my fingers were flying across the keyboard as dialog and setting and metaphors (some were quite dastardly, I’ll admit) flowed with ease. And the delight of getting some work done when I expected to get none, actually inspired me to go beyond the stale scribbles of pressured revisions and take risks with the story. I wrote an entire scene. And just like with my golf game – when my expectations are low I play my best – the writing was surprisingly good.

So try it sometime. Write when you least expect it. The quantity and quality of what hits the page might pleasantly surprise you.

Have you had random writing moments? Tell me about them.

Posted & filed under The Writing Process.