Does anyone know this book? The author is Eleanor Cameron. Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet holds a special place in my childhood memory (what little of it I can remember.) I believe it was the first sci-fi/fantasy book I ever read. This was years before the Hobbit or Narnia -- I discovered those in junior high. Mushroom Planet must have been third or fourth grade. That was eons ago…1968, ’69. These years are all a blur to me now – memories so jumbled I don’t know where they begin or where they end.
I grew up an Air Force Brat. I was born in Maine and have lived in Japan, Michigan, South Carolina, Ohio, Delaware, Alabama, Washington, DC and a bunch of other places I don’t remember. I do remember the pain of becoming friends with kids, and then, after two years or so, moving away to another state. I remember the tearful farewells as dad’s station wagon pulled away from the house. Timmy or Susie or Johny or Steve standing at the end of the driveway, waving goodbye, their eyes damp, faces flushed…
Hold on a sec…
Ok, I’m back. *sniff* sorry.
Mushroom Planet is about a couple of kids who, with the help of a mysterious benefactor, build a rocket ship to explore a tiny planet. I rediscovered it a few years ago on Amazon and was pleased to read the reviews of adults who have the same fond memories.
I think I ordered it from school. The teacher would pass out the little brochures with the books we could order. An envelope from mom with one or two dollars was all it took, and a few weeks later we would get the books. I remember the teacher handing out the books, the smell of inky paper; the glossy covers, thumbing through the pages, eager to be taken away to new worlds.
Ah.
So what’s your special book? The one that first took your imagination on a flight of fancy?
I have a confession to make. I look at YA books in Borders and try to imagine how thick my book will be when it's published. (Notice I say when, not if. I have to stay positive.) There's a site here that lists word counts for YA and MG novels. There's also a tool on Amazon that gives you the word count under the text stats feature on some books.
What is it with us writers? Yeah, you. You know who you are. We're obsessed by word count and number of pages in our ms. I remember when I first started the Glimmerlings I thought it would be a big deal if I got to 30,000 words. That grew to 40. Then 50. Now it's 54.
I've even written down titles while perusing bookstore shelves just so I can look them up on the aforementioned site.
Are you obsessed by word and page count? If so, let me know. Maybe we can form a support group.
I have quite a few books on the technique of fiction writing, but I've never read them. I've browsed through a few of the ones sitting on my shelf, collecting dust: John Gardner's the Art of Fiction, Annie Dillard's The Writing Life, Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones, Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, Story Structure Handbook, etc. I heard Stephen King has a good one but I have yet to buy it.
For the most part, I just can't seem to get into them. It seems that one should spend their time trying to write and figure it out, rather than reading about writing. John Gardner's Art of Fiction I find incredibly academic and obtuse. It takes all the drama and discovery out of the creative process.
But I just picked one up that I am not only actually reading, but enjoying, too. Self Editing for Fiction Writers
It's written by two fiction editors and there is a lot of helpful information on point of view, narrative distance and dialogue. I am actually proud to see that I am doing things right when it comes to these points. (For the most part; there's still room for improvement.) Curious to see what others think of technique books.
I don't know about you (whoever you are, if anyone) but when I hear the words self-published, I think of a book that no reputable publisher would take on for one reason: bad writing. Now I know that this is probably not the case, and that some well-known authors self-published their books only to be picked up by the Major New York Publishers after said book's success.
Who knows, I may self-publish my own work if I can't find an agent to get my book out there (but that won't happen, my books will be runaway best sellers).
So, this morning as I was listening to National Public Radio (I'm a liberal commie type) I heard a story about one writer's self-publishing success story. Here's the link for your listening pleasure:
Self-Published Success
This is the view I have every weekday morning. It's the "Bean" in Millenium Park here in Chicago. It's clean, quiet and inspiring. Except for a homeless guy the other morning who was screaming at people in an unknown language.
I usually get there around 7:30 am and work for two hours and get to my office down the street about 9:30. Every now and then I wander back over for lunch, but by then it's swarming with people.
A few weeks ago, as I was making my way across the park, I passed by a colorfully dressed group of characters. The smell of patchouli and clove cigarettes wafted from their general area. I pictured strange little towns in Europe, living on the road. Hmm, is this Cirque de Soleil? They're in town for their latest performance, after all. I discovered they are called Strange Fruit, a troupe from Australia. They sway on these 4-meter high poles (how high is four meters?) and act out little dramas. Very interesting indeed.
