S.A.M. Posey's Blog
January 27, 2013
Book Blooper # 3
What would a note from the 1800s been written on? Well, the 1800s seems like forever ago to me. In The Last Station Master, when I referred to the material an old note or an old document was written on, I just assumed the answer was parchment.
Parchment is a stiff, flat, thin material made from animal skin. It is most commonly associated with writings from ancient or medieval times. But after a little research I found that by the first half of the 1800s, most Americans would have been writing on rags and linen recycled into paper. It would be around the eighteen–fifties when paper started being manufactured from wood. Much like the paper we know today.
For old notes and journals, how I love the word parchment. Sadly, this was another point to which I had to concede to editing. Old notes and journals that I had gleefully described as being written on parchment, was sadly edited to being scribed onto paper. Somehow, paper isn't nearly as intriguing as parchment. Don't you agree?
For sure, I took some creative liberties with this story, but there is clearly a limit on how far one can go down that path without losing the story’s integrity. Or so I am told.
Parchment is a stiff, flat, thin material made from animal skin. It is most commonly associated with writings from ancient or medieval times. But after a little research I found that by the first half of the 1800s, most Americans would have been writing on rags and linen recycled into paper. It would be around the eighteen–fifties when paper started being manufactured from wood. Much like the paper we know today.
For old notes and journals, how I love the word parchment. Sadly, this was another point to which I had to concede to editing. Old notes and journals that I had gleefully described as being written on parchment, was sadly edited to being scribed onto paper. Somehow, paper isn't nearly as intriguing as parchment. Don't you agree?
For sure, I took some creative liberties with this story, but there is clearly a limit on how far one can go down that path without losing the story’s integrity. Or so I am told.
January 20, 2013
Book blooper # 2, or not.
A minor point of contention during the editing process of The Last Station Master was when to use contractions and when not to use them. Can one use contractions to the point of distraction? Yes, apparently.
This was an editorial comment that threw me because in every place I’ve ever lived, using contractions in speech is a normal way of speaking. Editing The Last Station Master was the first time I thought about how and when to use them.
In my experience, the only people who do not use contractions are people for whom English is a second language. I have such a character in the book and he never uses contractions. The copyeditor wanted to see the grown-ups in the book speak without contractions as well. The problem for me on this point was that I don’t know a lot of grown-ups who speak without contractions.
After much deliberation and discussion with other writers, I decided to meet the editor 10% of the way. I went through the manuscript and replaced contractions in the narrative whenever I wanted to slow down a scene or emphasize a point. I replaced a very small number of contractions in dialogue for the sake of compromise.
Was that a good call? I don’t know. It’s up to you, the reader, to decide if this was a blooper that got through, or not.
This was an editorial comment that threw me because in every place I’ve ever lived, using contractions in speech is a normal way of speaking. Editing The Last Station Master was the first time I thought about how and when to use them.
In my experience, the only people who do not use contractions are people for whom English is a second language. I have such a character in the book and he never uses contractions. The copyeditor wanted to see the grown-ups in the book speak without contractions as well. The problem for me on this point was that I don’t know a lot of grown-ups who speak without contractions.
After much deliberation and discussion with other writers, I decided to meet the editor 10% of the way. I went through the manuscript and replaced contractions in the narrative whenever I wanted to slow down a scene or emphasize a point. I replaced a very small number of contractions in dialogue for the sake of compromise.
Was that a good call? I don’t know. It’s up to you, the reader, to decide if this was a blooper that got through, or not.
January 9, 2013
Book Bloopers
A TV blooper is an embarrassing error in a scene that’s ultimately cut from the final showing. Leading up to the release of The Last Station Master, I thought I would share some book bloopers that went right up to copyediting before being changed.
Abdi is a character from The Last Station Master, but originally his name was Hajji. I named him for an old TV show I used to watch as a kid called Johnny Quest. Hajji was the brown-skin character, wiser and kinder than the full-throttle main character. Years later, I met a co-worker named Hajji. He was the first Iranian-born person I’ve ever met. Just like Hajji in Johnny Quest, he was a kind spirit but with a boyish sense of humor. So when my Iranian-American character needed a name, I immediately decided on Hajji.
Even though Hajji can be a name, in Muslim culture it is also a title of honor given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. My copyeditor questioned the wisdom of naming a character for what is generally considered a title. In addition to that, the name Hajji has come to be used as a derogatory term by some military forces in our post Nine-Eleven era. All of a sudden the name was becoming complicated. I certainly didn’t want to be seen as being demeaning, and I didn’t want to confuse readers who thought of Hajji as a title.
Less than a week before the galley went to print, I had to come up with a new name that I loved as much as Hajji. I did a little research on Arabic male names and settled on Abdul because, I suppose, it’s familiar to Americans e.g., Paula Abdul and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Except Abdul has kind of a heavy feel to me. I wanted a name that suggested a playful wisdom. A little more research provided the answer.
Abdi is a shortened, affectionate term for Abdul. Abdi even sounds a bit like Hajji. So, dear readers, that is how Hajji became Abdi and politically correct.
Abdi is a character from The Last Station Master, but originally his name was Hajji. I named him for an old TV show I used to watch as a kid called Johnny Quest. Hajji was the brown-skin character, wiser and kinder than the full-throttle main character. Years later, I met a co-worker named Hajji. He was the first Iranian-born person I’ve ever met. Just like Hajji in Johnny Quest, he was a kind spirit but with a boyish sense of humor. So when my Iranian-American character needed a name, I immediately decided on Hajji.
Even though Hajji can be a name, in Muslim culture it is also a title of honor given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. My copyeditor questioned the wisdom of naming a character for what is generally considered a title. In addition to that, the name Hajji has come to be used as a derogatory term by some military forces in our post Nine-Eleven era. All of a sudden the name was becoming complicated. I certainly didn’t want to be seen as being demeaning, and I didn’t want to confuse readers who thought of Hajji as a title.
Less than a week before the galley went to print, I had to come up with a new name that I loved as much as Hajji. I did a little research on Arabic male names and settled on Abdul because, I suppose, it’s familiar to Americans e.g., Paula Abdul and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Except Abdul has kind of a heavy feel to me. I wanted a name that suggested a playful wisdom. A little more research provided the answer.
Abdi is a shortened, affectionate term for Abdul. Abdi even sounds a bit like Hajji. So, dear readers, that is how Hajji became Abdi and politically correct.
December 30, 2012
On Banned Books
"The man that I named The Giver passed along to the boy knowledge, history, memories, color, pain, laughter, love, and truth. Every time you place a book in the hands of a child, you do the same thing. It is very risky. But each time a child opens a book, he pushes open the gate that separates him from Elsewhere. It gives him choices. It gives him freedom."
-Lois Lowry, from her 1994 Newbery Award Acceptance Speech
cms-usd373-ks.schoolloop.com
-Lois Lowry, from her 1994 Newbery Award Acceptance Speech
cms-usd373-ks.schoolloop.com
November 24, 2012
WIN AN ARC
Do you like free stuff? Then head on over to Candace's blog and book reviews to enter for a chance to win a signed ARC of The Last Station Master. See you there!
http://www.candacesbookblog.com/2012/...
http://www.candacesbookblog.com/2012/...
October 17, 2012
A Word About Newbery
Okay, so the selection process has started for the 2013 Newbery winner. I know most people, especially kids, groan in mental anguish at the thought of reading a medal-winning book. No, the medal winners aren’t always the most popular books; indeed, popularity has no bearing on the contest AT ALL.
Each year a selection of children librarians sort through dozens of books written for kids up to the age of 14. They then pick the best contribution to the world of children literature. The key words here are ‘best contribution’. I’ll have to live with three of my personal favorites never making the cut: Fablehaven, The Lighting Thief, and Harry Potter. Although, Harry Potter would not be eligible as the award must go to an American writer.
The Newbery was the first award in the world to recognize excellence in children literature. Since its conception in 1921, the award has been presented to 91 recipients. Impressive, right? Below is a list of previous winners. Looking over the titles, I spot many that I have read and still love. How about you? How many have you read? And be honest, the Newbery people mostly get it right, right? So let’s show some love to these dedicated people who bring us the best each year.
My picks for this year? The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis and Son by Lois Lowry.
2012: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (Farrar Straus Giroux)
2011: Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books)
2010: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books)
2009: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illus. by Dave McKean (HarperCollins)
2008: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick)
2007: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, illus. by Matt Phelan (Simon & Schuster/Richard Jackson)
2006: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins)
2005: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster)
2004: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press)
2003: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi (Hyperion Books for Children)
2002: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park(Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin)
2001: A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (Dial)
2000: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Delacorte)
1999: Holes by Louis Sachar (Frances Foster)
1998: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (Scholastic)
1997: The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (Jean Karl/Atheneum)
1996: The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman (Clarion)
1995: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (HarperCollins)
1994: The Giver by Lois Lowry(Houghton)
1993: Missing May by Cynthia Rylant (Jackson/Orchard)
1992: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Atheneum)
1991: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (Little, Brown)
1990: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Houghton)
1989: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman (Harper)
1988: Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
1987: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman (Greenwillow)
1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (Harper)
1985: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (Greenwillow)
1984: Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (Morrow)
1983: Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt (Atheneum)
1982: A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard (Harcourt)
1981: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson (Crowell)
1980: A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos (Scribner)
1979: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (Dutton)
1978: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Crowell)
1977: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (Dial)
1976: The Grey King by Susan Cooper (McElderry/Atheneum)
1975: M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton (Macmillan)
1974: The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox (Bradbury)
1973: Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George (Harper)
1972: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (Atheneum)
1971: Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (Viking)
1970: Sounder by William H. Armstrong (Harper)
1969: The High King by Lloyd Alexander (Holt)
1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (Atheneum)
1967: Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (Follett)
1966: I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino (Farrar)
1965: Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska (Atheneum)
1964: It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville (Harper)
1963: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Farrar)
1962: The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (Houghton)
1961: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (Houghton)
1960: Onion John by Joseph Krumgold (Crowell)
1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (Houghton)
1958: Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith (Crowell)
1957: Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen (Harcourt)
1956: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (Houghton)
1955: The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong (Harper)
1954: ...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold (Crowell)
1953: Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark (Viking)
1952: Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes (Harcourt)
1951: Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates (Dutton)
1950: The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (Doubleday)
1949: King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry (Rand McNally)
1948: The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois (Viking)
1947: Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (Viking)
1946: Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski (Lippincott)
1945: Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson (Viking)
1944: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (Houghton)
1943: Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray (Viking)
1942: The Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds (Dodd)
1941: Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry (Macmillan)
1940: Daniel Boone by James Daugherty (Viking)
1939: Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright (Rinehart)
1938: The White Stag by Kate Seredy (Viking)
1937: Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer (Viking)
1936: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (Macmillan)
1935: Dobry by Monica Shannon (Viking)
1934: Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs (Little, Brown)
1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis (Winston)
1932: Waterless Mountain by Laura Adams Armer (Longmans)
1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth (Macmillan)
1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field (Macmillan)
1929: The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly (Macmillan)
1928: Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji (Dutton)
1927: Smoky, the Cowhorse by Will James (Scribner)
1926: Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman (Dutton)
1925: Tales from Silver Lands by Charles Finger (Doubleday)
1924: The Dark Frigate by Charles Hawes (Little, Brown)
1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting (Stokes)
1922: The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon (Liveright)
Each year a selection of children librarians sort through dozens of books written for kids up to the age of 14. They then pick the best contribution to the world of children literature. The key words here are ‘best contribution’. I’ll have to live with three of my personal favorites never making the cut: Fablehaven, The Lighting Thief, and Harry Potter. Although, Harry Potter would not be eligible as the award must go to an American writer.
The Newbery was the first award in the world to recognize excellence in children literature. Since its conception in 1921, the award has been presented to 91 recipients. Impressive, right? Below is a list of previous winners. Looking over the titles, I spot many that I have read and still love. How about you? How many have you read? And be honest, the Newbery people mostly get it right, right? So let’s show some love to these dedicated people who bring us the best each year.
My picks for this year? The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis and Son by Lois Lowry.
2012: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (Farrar Straus Giroux)
2011: Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books)
2010: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books)
2009: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illus. by Dave McKean (HarperCollins)
2008: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick)
2007: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, illus. by Matt Phelan (Simon & Schuster/Richard Jackson)
2006: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins)
2005: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster)
2004: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press)
2003: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi (Hyperion Books for Children)
2002: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park(Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin)
2001: A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (Dial)
2000: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Delacorte)
1999: Holes by Louis Sachar (Frances Foster)
1998: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (Scholastic)
1997: The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (Jean Karl/Atheneum)
1996: The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman (Clarion)
1995: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (HarperCollins)
1994: The Giver by Lois Lowry(Houghton)
1993: Missing May by Cynthia Rylant (Jackson/Orchard)
1992: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Atheneum)
1991: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (Little, Brown)
1990: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Houghton)
1989: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman (Harper)
1988: Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
1987: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman (Greenwillow)
1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (Harper)
1985: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (Greenwillow)
1984: Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (Morrow)
1983: Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt (Atheneum)
1982: A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard (Harcourt)
1981: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson (Crowell)
1980: A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos (Scribner)
1979: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (Dutton)
1978: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Crowell)
1977: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (Dial)
1976: The Grey King by Susan Cooper (McElderry/Atheneum)
1975: M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton (Macmillan)
1974: The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox (Bradbury)
1973: Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George (Harper)
1972: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (Atheneum)
1971: Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (Viking)
1970: Sounder by William H. Armstrong (Harper)
1969: The High King by Lloyd Alexander (Holt)
1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (Atheneum)
1967: Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (Follett)
1966: I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino (Farrar)
1965: Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska (Atheneum)
1964: It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville (Harper)
1963: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Farrar)
1962: The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (Houghton)
1961: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (Houghton)
1960: Onion John by Joseph Krumgold (Crowell)
1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (Houghton)
1958: Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith (Crowell)
1957: Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen (Harcourt)
1956: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (Houghton)
1955: The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong (Harper)
1954: ...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold (Crowell)
1953: Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark (Viking)
1952: Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes (Harcourt)
1951: Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates (Dutton)
1950: The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (Doubleday)
1949: King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry (Rand McNally)
1948: The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois (Viking)
1947: Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (Viking)
1946: Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski (Lippincott)
1945: Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson (Viking)
1944: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (Houghton)
1943: Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray (Viking)
1942: The Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds (Dodd)
1941: Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry (Macmillan)
1940: Daniel Boone by James Daugherty (Viking)
1939: Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright (Rinehart)
1938: The White Stag by Kate Seredy (Viking)
1937: Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer (Viking)
1936: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (Macmillan)
1935: Dobry by Monica Shannon (Viking)
1934: Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs (Little, Brown)
1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis (Winston)
1932: Waterless Mountain by Laura Adams Armer (Longmans)
1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth (Macmillan)
1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field (Macmillan)
1929: The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly (Macmillan)
1928: Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji (Dutton)
1927: Smoky, the Cowhorse by Will James (Scribner)
1926: Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman (Dutton)
1925: Tales from Silver Lands by Charles Finger (Doubleday)
1924: The Dark Frigate by Charles Hawes (Little, Brown)
1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting (Stokes)
1922: The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon (Liveright)
