KS Mitchell Author

Thankfulness – Madeleine L’Engle

It’s become popular in the last few years to do thirty days of thankfulness in November as we look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving. I’d like to expand on that idea this month and write about the books and authors I’m thankful for.

I can’t write about the authors I’m thankful for without beginning with Madeleine L’Engle. Madeleine (I feel we’d call each other by our first names if I’d had the chance to know her) has had a deep impact on my desire to write and the types of stories I choose.

Most people are familiar with A Wrinkle in Time, her Newbery award winning book. L’Engle persevered through 26 rejections before finding a publisher for her book. Anyone who writes knows the sting of rejection and how hard it is to continue when those ‘noes’ begin to pile up. Yet Madeleine didn’t give up on her science fiction story when others told her it was too adult, too strange and too overtly Christian. Lucky for us.

Of course, A Wrinkle in Time is just one of five books in the series, and if you haven’t read the others, you should do so right after you finish reading this blog. All of the books are equally wonderful in their eccentric plots and settings, from traveling inside the body to traveling to other worlds, to traveling into the past to a Biblical story. Madeleine centered her stories around the big questions. Why are we here? Why does evil exist? How do we live in the midst of evil? Is God real? Does He love us? These are the same questions many kids are asking themselves as they grow into adults, and questions adults continue to ask.

L’Engle’s other books range from autobiographical to the Austin Family Chronicles to her thoughts on spirituality. All of them encourage me in some way or another to push the boundaries of my known world. Her deep interest in science and the way the universe works spurs on my own interest in these topics. Her unwavering faith and eloquent interpretation of what it means to be a Christian help me understand my own faith.

Without a doubt I’m thankful for the written legacy Madeleine left for me and for many others for generations to come.

Here’s a few of my favorite Madeleine L’Engle books.

Many Waters

Glimpses of Grace

A Ring of Endless Light

A Circle of Quiet

Night Time with Stars in Sky Image courtesy of moggara12, Autumn Maple Leaves Image courtesy of Aduldej, and Planet and Star Background Image courtesy of Photokanok, all at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

3 Pumpkins

Pumpkins on a vine

1-2-3 down the line. One pumpkin bulges

round and smooth. It grows much faster than

the other two. The second pumpkin stands,

striped and tall. The third pumpkin leans.

It’s my favorite of all.

Happy Halloween!

Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Fantastic Friday – Butterfly in the Sky!

Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high. Take a look, it’s in a book, it’s reading rainbow!

Last night LeVar Burton spoke at the Fayetteville Public Library here in Northwest Arkansas. Yes, LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow fame, Geordi La Forge of Star Trek, the Next Generation, and of course, Kunta Kinte of Roots.

Reading Rainbow began in 1983, just as I was learning to read. Beginning with those familiar synthesized chords, Reading Rainbow’s upbeat song became a regular part of my day. I believed, as I watched the butterfly transform an ordinary world into the extraordinary, that I really could go anywhere and do anything. Burton’s field trips in the series often took him to what seemed impossibly faraway and exotic places. It spurred me to imagine what it would be like to visit other places and meet new people.

1987 brought the launch of Star Trek, the Next Generation, and I fell headlong into a deep love of space, science and pushing the limits of exploration, not to mention that handsome Commander Riker. Burton, already so familiar to me from Reading Rainbow, now impacted my childhood again as Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge. I remember thinking how strange it was to watch him with his visor on in Star Trek, and then view an episode of Reading Rainbow and be able to see his eyes. Burton revealed last night that wearing that visor was extremely difficult, as it cut his sight by nearly 85%. Ironic when you consider that the visor gave Geordi La Forge sight in Star Trek.

Hearing LeVar Burton speak last night and read his new book, The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm, and having the chance to meet him face to face was an amazing experience. It’s not often someone you’ve never met has the chance to impact your life on so many levels, but Reading Rainbow instilled in me a love of reading and the desire to travel and explore, and Star Trek added a deep belief in science, learning and pressing past previous boundaries “to boldly go” where I’ve never been before.

I’m glad LeVar Burton continues to campaign for literacy and reading for children and that a new generation of children, the next generation, will be inspired to sing and believe, “I can go anywhere. I can be anything. Take a look, it’s in a book!”

Thank you, LeVar, for everything!

Planet and Star Background Image courtesy of Photokanok at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Rainbow Music Background Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How to write diverse characters.

Last month I blogged on why I choose to include diverse characters in my stories. Today I’d like to touch on how to do that.

How can you create characters who aren’t your own race, gender, culture or sexuality without falling into stereotypes?

I posed a similar question to one of my first professors at my master’s program. Jacqueline Woodson is known for her amazing characters and has reached across many boundaries to create them. I asked Jackie how I could produce characters like her (many of whom are African American). I’ve never forgotten Jackie’s answer. She returned my question with one of her own.

“How many black friends do you have?”

We laughed. “Not many,” I replied. Then I realized I did have other friends, Arab, Latino, Peruvian and from many other places and cultures.

The answer seemed so simple, yet at the same time, it’s complicated, isn’t it? If you want to write characters who are different from you, start with your own life. Who are you spending time with? Are your friends people just like you, raised in the same place, from the same ethnic group, with the same values? Or do you have friends who spoke a different language growing up, or grew up in a large city as opposed to a small town. Maybe your friends hold different political views. Those are the types of relationships that will help you begin to understand how to write from other people’s viewpoints.

This weekend I attended a literary festival where Jacqueline Woodson spoke about the themes that drive her work. The overarching themes in her books from the picture book Each Kindness to the young adult story If You Come Softly, focus on peace which comes through empathy for others, their lives and their experiences.

Empathy is a powerful word. When we create characters unlike ourselves, we’re imagining what it would be like to live someone else’s life. That’s something many of us probably don’t practice enough, but if you’re a writer wanting to challenge yourself by writing diversely, practicing empathy is key.

Of course, there are other actions you can and should take to create real, fully formed characters. Research has never been easier. You don’t have to imagine what the scenery looks like in Tibet. Google Earth will show you. Familiarity with the culture or people you’re representing is important, too. Can you find ways to spend time immersed in that culture? Can you use the connections you have with friends to help broaden your circle so the characters you create don’t become unhelpful stereotypes?

Finally, if you’re a writer representing characters from cultures or races not your own, ask friends of that race or culture to vet the book for you. No matter how hard you try, you’ll still stumble into some stereotypes, misuse the language, or misrepresent the culture. Utilizing your friends from these communities will challenge those misperceptions and strengthen your work and your characters.

Creating diverse characters can be scary at first, but it’s worth the effort to challenge yourself to work outside your own experiences. The kids we write for deserve to see a spectrum of characters as diverse as the world we live in.

“Boy Reading” and “Diversity” courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

“Read, Write, Live” by Natalie Mourton

Diversity in Children’s Writing

With Hispanic Heritage Month kicking off this week, and the continuation of the #weneeddiversebooks campaign, I wanted to write about my own reasons for including diverse characters in my stories.

Fact: I was born white and middle class in middle America. Nothing will change that. It’s my history, an essential part of who I am as a writer and a person. But I won’t let that fact completely define me, either. I choose how I live, who I love, and what I write. And more and more, I find the pull of diversity permeating what I do.

As a child, I was obsessed with penpals. I remember filling out forms with my hobbies and sending them to a company called Penpals International or some equally ubiquitous name and requesting penfriends from far away, exotic sounding lands. I’d eagerly await my penpal matches that arrived on colorful slips of paper. I’d try to pronounce the names and examine the countries – Zimbabwe, Ireland, China, Italy, and imagine what my new friends looked like and what life was like in their countries.

Sometimes an exchange lasted only a few letters. I exchanged letters with two girls, Chiara and Desiree, for years. Chiara was Italian and Desiree from Zimbabwe. To this day, I still wonder what these two girls are doing in life. Do they remember the letters we used to send in those wonderful white, blue and red airmail envelopes with an impressive amount of stamps showing off their own little tidbits of culture?

A deep love of languages and the amazing differences people can have from country to country took me to the Middle East for three years. It was here that I began writing, and my first character was not white, but Arab. And not a girl but a boy. An Arab boy. What made me think I could write about that?

In fact, the history, graciousness and humility of the people had worked their way into me, so that the first story to come to me was an Arab boy’s struggle to become a man in a land as ancient as any I’d ever known. It was completely foreign to my white, middle class upbringing, and yet, the struggle for my main character to transition from childhood to adulthood is familiar to anyone who’s experienced those tumultuous years.

I’ve returned to middle America, but increasingly my area of the country is giving way to a more diverse population which promises to bring a richer experience to all of our lives. And for young readers, I want to provide adventures that feature characters as diverse as the ones I’ve met on my travels, as varied as the children I teach here; characters who are a true reflection of where our nation is today, but even more, a picture of where we’re going.

So each day, when I sit down to write, I get to choose.

I’m choosing diversity. I hope you will, too.

Want more information on the #weneeddiversebooks campaign? Check out the official website http://weneeddiversebooks.org/

Photo credits: “World Communication” by digitalart at freedigitalphotos.net, “Yemeni Boy” by Kimberly Mitchell, “Read, Write, Live” by Natalie Mourton.

August

As a child August was an emotional tempest for me. It meant the end of summer, the only freedom a child knows. The end of days spent reading, swimming and laughing with sisters and friends. Meals were eaten later than usual, breakfasts on the deck as mornings warmed up and morning glories burst forth. Lunches rolled into long afternoons of reading and napping, frequently in a hammock or chaise lounge, followed by dips in the pool, diving contests and water sports. Dinner was always late, but who needed dinner when the sun lingered in the sky, as reluctant as we to end another summer day?

And then came August. It has always seemed strange to me that the New Year is in January. Everyone knows August is truly when the year begins. After all, August brings entry into a new grade, or even a new school, new friends or reacquainting with old ones, and all sorts of new subjects to be mastered and situations to be navigated.

August also meant excitement. New clothes, new books, a new school schedule to discuss breathlessly over the phone with friends. Advice from older siblings about which teachers were the best and which ones you had to watch out for. And finally, THE DAY, the first day of school with its highs and lows, every interaction a portent of the year to come, to be hashed and rehashed that evening with friends and sisters.

This summer August has once again caught me by surprise. All too suddenly, summer is drawing to its end. The sun is rising a little later and setting earlier. As a teacher, school year schedules are vying for my calendar’s attention, and I’m experiencing again that first day of school anticipation.

So as the year truly begins, I’m faced with the kind of self-reflection touted in January but altogether irrelevant in the midst of winter. Will I be able to juggle an increasingly demanding schedule? Can I continue to take steps to become a better writer in pursuit of publication? Am I putting myself on a path to achieve my goals, writing, teaching or otherwise?

The next few weeks will be busy ones as I plan lessons, organize a school year schedule to include time for teaching, writing and the people I want to spend time with as well. But they will also be challenging as I work through the questions August always brings and the expectation of new beginnings and old friends those first days of school promise.

To Boldly Go…Again

I recently read a blog entry called, “Reboots, Kids and their Interests,” by Matthew McNish over on Project Mayhem. In it the author examines how the new Star Trek films have made his children fans of the series, and it got me thinking about the things we love in childhood and how, as writers, we pass those loves on to our readers.

Star Trek, Star Wars and anything that featured the stars was high on my list of things to watch or read as a child, born of a natural fascination with “the great beyond” and fueled by the space shuttle era and a fifth grade teacher who shared that passion.

I also loved journeys, and the more exotic the better, where the main character faced continual obstacles and conquered the challenges with daring and ingenuity. So what if this happens to be the plot line for most stories and films? It captivated me then and still does.

Now when these two things come together – the stars and an exciting, challenging journey, well it’s no wonder I was a Trekkie, I mean a Jedi, well, you get the picture. The new Star Trek films (2009 and 2013) by J.J. Abrams kindled that same excitement I felt as a kid. When I saw the first film in 2009, I couldn’t believe how closely the new characters mimicked the old, and yet in their own distinct ways. Abrams took a beloved franchise and rebirthed it into something the next generation (yup, pun intended) could enjoy. He captured a new generation of Trekkies.

As writers, isn’t that what we’re trying to do? To captivate our readers with the things that captivate us? To pass on a love of faraway places or stars or whatever, to children who can take those things and remake them in their own vision, so that new and old combine into something that will inspire the generation after them?

Maybe I’m reaching for the stars here, but I can’t help it. I believe the reasons we write and the subjects we gravitate towards are seeded in our childhood. When we’re adults, we look back on those childhood devotions and either love them or scorn them. And you’re a writer, you write about them either way. In doing so, you’re boldly going where no one has gone before (had to go there), but recording that journey for later generations to be captivated and inspired to go even more boldly forward.

Fantastic Friday: Summer!

It’s Fantastic Friday, and what a Friday it is. The first day of summer!

At 12:04am Central Time (5:04 UCT or Coordinated Universal Time), the summer solstice began. Today the sun marks its most northerly point in the sky and brings us in the northern hemisphere the longest day of the year.

Of course, long days are associated with summer, and for me summer is a time to kick back a little and dream. I don’t think I’m alone in that.

The ancient Egyptians built the pyramids and the Sphinx in such a way that if you stand at the Sphinx on the solstice, the sun sets exactly between the two pyramids. Similarly, at Stonehenge the solstice sunrise aligns perfectly with the giant stones. Why the fascination with the longest day of the year? What did the ancients think when they watched the sun rise over silent monoliths, or set perfectly between two manmade temples pointing into the sky?

I think they were celebrating the light and warmth the solstice brings, but also taking the opportunity to dream a little, too. Long summer days give us more time to work and play. I feel more energetic in the summer; waking up to early dawns and going to bed later to enjoy the full benefit of luminescent summer evenings.

Though somewhat sleep deprived, summer light also sets my thoughts into motion. The year is halfway over. What have I accomplished that I wanted to? What am I dreaming of that I haven’t yet attempted? In the light of summer, all things look possible and taking stock isn’t a depressing exercise of what I haven’t accomplished, but more of a hopeful outlook of what can still be done.

So celebrating the longest day of the year has a dream-like quality to it, something our ancestors realized. Tomorrow the days get shorter. The shadows lengthen. The year descends. But today holds enough light to bring hope to our dreams for the days ahead.

Middle Grade is Marvelous!

After defining what middle grade is and isn’t, the next question is, why write middle grade fiction? If you’re writing for the children’s market today, the allure of writing for young adults can be strong. Heavy hitters like Twilight and The Hunger Games have shown how young adult fiction can hit the best seller lists and be read by adults and young adults alike. Compared to that, middle grade fiction might seem overshadowed.

But think back to the books that impacted you the most as a kid. Although I remember some wonderful picture books, and I’m sure I read plenty as a young adult, the stories that captured me the most were the ones I read from ages 9-13.

Mary Kole says in Writing Irresistible Kidlit, “when you’re this age, you’re finding a place in the world without straying too far from the comforts of childhood…During this time, you start to make tough choices and wrong choices, and pay the consequences of your actions and decisions.”

This age is such a critical one, perhaps even more than the teenage years for our current generation, who are confronting these choices at a younger age. Middle grade writing gives uncertain kids a safe place to venture out and explore, characters to recognize themselves in, and stories that help walk out some of the choices they’re facing. And these stories don’t have to take place in a contemporary context.

Middle graders, or tweens, still easily make the jump from reality to fantasy. A story like Savvy, about a girl who comes into her magical power on her 13^th birthday, or Harry Potter, who discovers he’s a wizard when he’s eleven, speak just as strongly to tweens as any modern day story. Kids reading Caroline Starr Rose’s May B. see the young protagonist facing similar emotions they’re experiencing, even as May overcomes the struggles of homesteading on the Kansas prairie.

If you want to write and read great stories and impact the lives of young readers, middle grade is where it’s at.

What was your favorite book from your middle grade years?

Middle Grade vs. Young Adult: What’s the difference?

This month I’m looking more closely at middle grade writing. I think one of the biggest questions about middle grade is this: What is the difference between middle grade and young adult fiction?

The most obvious answer is age. In middle grade, the main character can be anywhere from ten to fourteen, but writers need to keep in mind that young readers like to read about characters slightly older than themselves, so age your character one to two years ahead of the age of your target audience.

Ten would probably be a little young and closer to chapter books. Fourteen is edging into young adult. I find eleven to twelve is the age that works well for most middle grade stories. Harry Potter was eleven when he received his letter from Hogwarts. Percy Jackson is twelve when he finds out he is a demi-god. Harriet is eleven when she decides to become a great writer and spy.

Age is only the first distinction in middle grade. Plot and theme are two other distinguishing factors between middle grade and young adult. In young adult, the plot tends to focus more on the internalization of the teenage character and her transition into adulthood. The issues the character faces can be complex and the character can deal with some edgy situations, including drugs, alcohol and sex. Romance is usually an integral part of a young adult novel.

Middle grade, though not less complex, is less upfront about that kind of content. Characters are more concerned with discovering who they are and how they fit into the world, along with a more action packed plot that results in less internalization and more dialogue and external conflict. Middle grade protagonists are also starting to confront romantic feelings, but these relationships are usually more of a puppy love discovery than the intense, driven relationships of young adult.

Have you noticed other differences between these two genres? Which do you prefer?

The best way to get a feel for the difference between middle grade and young adult fiction is to read them. Here are some books I enjoy from both groups.

Middle Grade:

Artemis Fowl Series by Eoin Colfer

Possum Summer by Jen K. Blom

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling (even though Harry ages through the series, the books remain middle grade in theme and plot)

Young Adult:

Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins

Graceling by Kristin Cashore