tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71185911940931132492024-03-04T21:55:30.527-08:00jennie englundRepresented by the tireless and brilliant Holly Root of Waxman West.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.comBlogger322125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-35182155955178001362012-04-09T18:08:00.002-07:002012-04-09T18:16:37.112-07:00Up On Amazon!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOPZMAtuEOXBE4OG0QphLznQhjKstKMNn-XJqbM1gnLgJDPcJNlizNGGWxPMy-mR-shmgnjrqyAegjLtl2FoMdGTF1ZnPqWaKaEaJCZawIfhf6RiTLhCiFu2sOUhJMxISyQOVyMxPTPpI/s1600/BluePowerForward1200x1600.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOPZMAtuEOXBE4OG0QphLznQhjKstKMNn-XJqbM1gnLgJDPcJNlizNGGWxPMy-mR-shmgnjrqyAegjLtl2FoMdGTF1ZnPqWaKaEaJCZawIfhf6RiTLhCiFu2sOUhJMxISyQOVyMxPTPpI/s320/BluePowerForward1200x1600.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729574542855239106" /></a>It's up on Amazon (under pen name JP Meads), the book I've been working on a llllllooooooooonnnnnnnnnggggggggggggg time, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007SNNYAA"><em>Power Forward</em>: </a>a fast-paced story about the pressures of being a basketball blue chip in a small California town. <br /><br />Here's the description: <br /><br />“It wasn’t about the money. It was never about the money…”<br /><br />Basketball Blue Chip Josh Lockett is a big deal in a small town. <br /><br />He's headed to the University of North Carolina on a full-ride—if he can handle the ball, and the pressure. <br /><br />Because being the hero of Oakvale, California, isn’t easy. <br /><br />If J-Lock wants everyone off his back, he has to raise his scoring average, keep his 4.74 GPA, make the All-American Team… and stay abstinent.<br /><br />Survival is anybody’s game. <br /><br /><br /><em>An important story that ends with three small words, Power Forward will captivate teens, parents, coaches, and communities who live for sports—and those who don’t—by taking a hard look at the other side of high school athletics, and calculating its cost.</em><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007SNNYAA">Here's where you can check out the cool cover and the first few pages.</a><br /><br />Please! Email, text, tweet, Facebook: Share with all your friends! And tell me what you think of the story.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-34000985749036217332012-01-10T06:42:00.000-08:002012-01-10T06:46:53.567-08:00This Revision and Me...We spent Christmas together.<br /><br />We go on long walks.<br /><br />We do yoga.<br /><br />We research.<br /><br />We add.<br /><br />We delete. <br /><br />We go to coffee.<br /><br />We watch movies, every once in a while.<br /><br />We have dinner with each other and the rest of the family every night.<br /><br />We share the same house, the same bed.<br /><br />Soon, we will be parting ways, this revision and me. <br /><br />I wonder, will I miss her?Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-60484108589794198752011-12-28T20:26:00.000-08:002011-12-28T20:32:12.621-08:00See ThroughMe (to my kids): Guess what? I'm going to do a puppet show for you guys!<br /><br />Daney (12): Mom. Is it the kind of puppet show where you're having a problem revising your book, so you act it out, then ask our advice about it?<br /><br />Me: Um.<br /><br />Daney: MOM!<br /><br />Me: Come on, help me out here. This book is hard for me.<br /><br />Daney: Yes, Mom, we know this book is hard for you. You know how we know? Because it's hard for us, too.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-90428985390570084222011-12-13T15:25:00.000-08:002011-12-13T15:35:17.379-08:00Fish(nets) Out Of WaterA couple of years ago, my friend Leslie invited me to her birthday party. It was at the local kids' museum, with lemon cake frosted with chocolate. And the theme was "Circus."<br /><br />The day before the party, I asked Leslie's husband, Alan, if this, like all their former fantastic parties, was dress-up. Alan said it was.<br /><br />So, I decorated myself. I went as a tightrope walker, with a red sequined headpiece, a feather boa, fishnet stockings and tall boots, thick fake-lashes. I thought I looked quite smashing.<br /><br />It was only upon entering the party--late, from having had lash-glue trouble--that I noticed that everyone was in normal clothes. Everyone except Alan and me. He was the ring master. I was mortified.<br /><br />To add salt to the wound, there were real tightrope walkers at this party. They were doing all kinds of tricky aerial stuff. And they were dressed normal, too.<br /><br />When Alan and Leslie had a Mad Men Holiday Bash the other night, I didn't call first for the dress code. I just put on something that could go either way.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-61352893615487219452011-12-08T09:34:00.000-08:002011-12-08T09:55:47.213-08:00Year of "Cerebral" WorkHoly hiatus, bloggers! It's been <em>ages</em> since I've posted.<br /><br />And the reason for that is that lately, I've been working on an enormous revision. This is a post-apocalyptic, dystopian political story. And it's not YA -- it's adult! <br /><br />Genius Agent Holly has given me lots to think about. Big things. Scope. Stakes. Character. <br /><br />These things are so hard, I had to think about them for a few weeks before even pulling the draft back up. And after I thought and thought and talked to a lot of people about really weird stuff, I am now writing. <em>Writing</em>!<br /><br />My goal is to finish mid-February.<br /><br />Because I want to stay in this all-out flow. And at the end of February, I'm teaching Oregon's first-ever Firefighting Composition Class!<br /><br />In 2011, I did a ton of writing. I revised a YA literary story, scribbled essays for the NEH Institute in Oahu, designed the firefighting class, penned the dystopian novel, was accepted for publication by the <em>American Journal of Nursing</em>, and took two notebooks of notes on Southeast Asia in Honolulu. <br /><br />I've read, too. I figure that over the last year, I've graded 600,000 words of student work. That's 2,400 pages!<br /><br />Also, I've got a new curriculum for my winter research writing class: "Beyond Super-Sized; What Food Does For--And To--Us."<br /><br />Still to come, in 2012, is an article in a State University of New York anthology on Southeast Asia.<br /><br />Whew! It was a big year for my brain.<br /><br />But when I put a sponge in the microwave, or miss the exit to get home, when I check myself in the school parking lot for pants or a skirt, or <em>something</em>, on my bottom half, I know that not much has changed.<br /><br />Yep. I'm still me.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-5379743225558966132011-11-22T09:31:00.000-08:002011-11-22T10:02:45.708-08:00Food on OahuWhile I was in Oahu this summer, I swam and snorkeled and studied and hiked. I walked, wrote, did yoga. I read, visited art museums, watched foreign films.<br /><br />But, I did not eat.<br /><br />The trouble was that food was hard to get. I know; it sounds crazy, I mean, Waikiki has tons of restaurants. But Waikiki was also an hour away--by foot--and who wants to show up to PF Chang's all sweaty, then walk back with a stomach full of Kung Pao chicken?<br /><br />We all had little fridges in our rooms. And down in the basement, with the mosquitoes, there was a microwave. But <em>getting</em> food was tricky. Mostly, we would walk along the foot of the Manoa mountains, past avocado and orange trees, by a little stream, and after 20 minutes, we'd end up at Safeway. <br /><br />But then, there was the carrying back of the groceries. They had to fit in a backpack, and hopefully not spoil in the humidity on the way back to our rooms.<br /><br />There was an empty chair one day in class, because the otherwise resourceful professor of a respected university was trying to find food.<br /><br />One night, I craved all these things, all together: corn bread, papaya, butternut squash. When it was all piled up on my plate, I thought how funny that everything was orange -- and high in potassium. Potassium is key, because you're sweating all the time on Oahu, even when the afternoon monsoons are pouring down. <br /><br />Another night, my friend shared her green meal with me: spinach pasta with pesto, and green beans on the side. I found that friend a mango.<br /><br />I stole a ladle of soup off a stove, but it was for someone else, and that is another story.<br /><br />Everything we craved on the island grew right there. We wanted starchy root (taro), and whether or not we liked them, we ate a banana a day. Papaya and avocado were also biological staples. Water, water, water, water. We drank gallons and gallons and gallons. The coffee was not yummy. And in 35 nights, I had beef only two times.<br /><br />Twice, I was poisoned from Vietnamese food, but I recovered from each in a day. <br /><br />And once, we got these little fried cinnamon dough things from a famous place called Leonard's, and those dough things were divine.<br /><br />The best meal I had was with Dave, on the west side: incredible plate lunch from a little hole-in-the-wall. And there was a good breakfast on the beach at Duke's, during a big canoe tournament. My favorite snack was a Bird Bar--full of seeds and nuts and honey--from Down-to-Earth, a vegan market.<br /><br />In all, though, I didn't eat much. <br /><br />When I got off the plane, I was tired and sunburned, and my hair had grown long and blonde and stringy. But the first thing my daughter noticed was that I was holding my pants up.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-9595746356572065102011-11-18T12:46:00.000-08:002011-11-18T14:39:31.495-08:00The Future of The Future of Us<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtFPLs9is3w-hW1kht9lGXsEdG55Ce3BR-x8YWwcVThQ2mPVlat4_wji6LUwxuLFHCnlJ4d36thHB4_JIv3s8Yi12PDcB5dV2HwWVha2vU7lMuwfqT627so3NIGcrN8AtSJjf_p6lQl7B/s1600/asher.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtFPLs9is3w-hW1kht9lGXsEdG55Ce3BR-x8YWwcVThQ2mPVlat4_wji6LUwxuLFHCnlJ4d36thHB4_JIv3s8Yi12PDcB5dV2HwWVha2vU7lMuwfqT627so3NIGcrN8AtSJjf_p6lQl7B/s320/asher.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676448003859404626" /></a>"It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet.<br /><br />"Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. <br /><br />"Josh is her best friend.they power up and log on -- and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future."<br /><br />I loved it, <em>The Future of Us</em>, by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.<br /><br />I love that the plot is driven by high school junior Emma's obsession to have a good marriage fifteen years ahead. Emma's motivation is clear: her own parents are divorced and remarried, with lots of complications.<br /><br />The effects of divorce is just one of the social issues <em>Future</em> explores. There's also homosexuality; stereotypes; teen sex, drinking, drugs. <br /><br />Who will Emma end up marrying? Will she be happy? What will Emma and Josh <em>do</em> about the future they can <em>see</em>? The six-day mystery unfolds in 65 short chapters, through alternating narrators Emma and Josh. Each chapter is so compelling and fluid that moving through the book is smooth and fast. I never found a good time or place to put it down -- wanted to keep going, had to remind myself to slow down and enjoy each word. <br /><br />I can see Mackler's call for respecting individuality and complex family dynamics (<em>The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things</em>). And there are threads of Asher's theme of how one small "ripple" affects a lot of other people (<em>13 Reasons Why</em>).<br /><br />While I might have traded out a couple characters for a little more 1996 -- what everyone was wearing/eating/drinking/watching/doing -- I cherished the details, like the songs that "played" in the story, and the "Wayne's World" part, and the problem with Pluto.<br /><em><br />The Future of Us</em> is tight and real, funny and sad. These talented writers marry wit and philosophy, delivering a thought-provoking tale of two teens trying to thrive in a quickly-changing world:<br /><br />"No matter how small the ripple, the most vulnerable part of the future is going to be our children."<br /><br />Like!Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-75317995449134165202011-11-15T06:45:00.001-08:002011-11-15T07:04:17.758-08:00My Biggest, Best CriticMy work always lands in her lap last, when other eyes have already seen it, when I think I've made all the changes, when I think the story is good to go.<br /><br />But it's never done after it gets to her. <br /><br />She tells me, "The character's hair would not be wet. It's been 4 hours." "He wouldn't know her name yet." "He'd never know how much the other guy's boots cost."<br /><br />She tells me the conflict might not resolve that fast, that the MC wouldn't say "Epic", that the love scene needs some work. She crosses out <em>telling</em>, pushes me to <em>show</em>.<br /><br />She explains that the intro needs tightening, less repetition. The middle moves fast, except Chapter Ten. The end works: the whole thing makes sense now. I'm thrilled when I find a "Good!" or a star.<br /><br />She reads the whole thing in a day, maybe two, working hours at a time, marking up almost every page with her purple pen. <br /><br />"It's so good, Mom," she writes on the last page, my 12 year-old daughter, Daney.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-57626208546583981792011-11-10T10:35:00.000-08:002011-11-10T10:51:37.717-08:00Our Paths Do CrossYou wouldn't think it, but our professional paths do cross, Dave's and mine.<br /><br />Often, volunteer fire fighters from Dave's department are in my writing classes. They tell of rescues, of danger, of life with the guys at Station One. Sometimes, I "poach" a potential prospect. I see organization, committment, clear thinking, and I ask the student if they've ever considered fire fighting. <br /><br />Then, there's my own writing. A few years ago, after a fire ravaged through Lake Tahoe, I wrote, of all things, a travel article about it. Dave and I had left the kids behind, had driven to Angora Lake, where we stood at the lookout over acres and acres of ash, a flag unfurling above it all.<br /><br />And recently, there has come the perfect pairing of these two seemingly contrasting worlds. After a handful of months, I've created Oregon's first Fire Officer Composition class. Choosing the literature was fun--and tricky. I found a slew of excellent memoirs, novels, short stories, and essays, before I ended up picking really action-y stuff, stuff on smoke jumpers, on 9-11. <br /><br />Over two full days, these officers will read and write their own stories: their most significant call, how to ventilate or how to place a ladder. <br /><br />This is not report writing, the local chiefs have told me. They want narrative, narrative, narrative.<br /><br />Undoubtedly, after reading and reading and writing and writing, these public servants will be much different thinkers. I believe that I will be, too.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-28523081016154620762011-11-03T16:58:00.001-07:002011-11-03T18:19:10.882-07:00The Bitter Fruit of "Osage County"Drugs. Denial. Deception. Suicide. Abuse. Incest and infidelity. <br /><br />The Weston family has it all, in Tracy Letts' Pulitzer-Prize winning tragic-comedy, "August: Osage County."<br /><br />Every so often, we come across art, after which are not the same, nor would we be the same without having had the experience.<br /><br />Oregon Shakespeare Festival Director Chris Moore's rendition of this play is exactly that art. From the opening music to the skeletal set and carefully-cast characters, every element of "August" is rich, significant. <br /><br />Why am I liking this? we wonder in the dark. What about this is so compelling? And what does this say about us as viewers?<br /><br />Tension. It's piled up high, like mashed potatoes and gravy. Each character has conflict with every other. There's sharp wit and sharp tongues, and we want to see the actors unravel, to see their resolve. We want to know that we could survive all this, too, should it happen to us. We learn that our lives are not as bad. <br /><br /><em>We are all human</em> is the message the play delivers. To what degree is unimportant. "There is a little bit of the Westons in each of our families," Moore writes in the playbill.<br /><br />Pain. Love. Lies. Commitment: "August" explores what makes us family.<br /><br />Crickets, cello, Violet's creep down the stairs: the exceptional irony in this play is Moore's tying together all the little details to show one family's falling apart.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-90039386682572244422011-10-25T10:08:00.000-07:002011-10-28T08:23:00.272-07:00Real Magic: Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0aCB9N_P41yoAdJznxwUeTXXzfEw0NkAz-n_1w4flIumAvh7WObzfHzZQzag2DbzuFovcec114ZMW917FjatFjz_OOG2A-8KsU8A5k7Pq2R5ZrELhz_MphEErtAAg_T1Djch5A3BWxmS/s1600/Night-Circus-Erin-Morgenstern-Random-House-Audio-books-150x150.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0aCB9N_P41yoAdJznxwUeTXXzfEw0NkAz-n_1w4flIumAvh7WObzfHzZQzag2DbzuFovcec114ZMW917FjatFjz_OOG2A-8KsU8A5k7Pq2R5ZrELhz_MphEErtAAg_T1Djch5A3BWxmS/s320/Night-Circus-Erin-Morgenstern-Random-House-Audio-books-150x150.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668563574330221970" /></a>It is absolutely enchanting, Erin Morgenstern's <em>The Night Circus</em>. <br /><br />The setting alone--Victorian Paris; London; Munich; New York; and Concord, Massachusetts--pops with color and costumes and caramel apples.<br /><br />The characters are rich, mysterious, and the plot--a game gone bad between two old old magicians--is different, interesting.<br /><br />It's a wonder of a read, one that will take you somewhere you've never been, one you'll be thinking about days after you've read (and re-read) the last line.<br /><br />There, the magic does not end. The alchemy behind the book--Morgenstern's process--that is <em>really</em> something.<br /><br />The story started as a completely different concept in 2005, morphing into its ultimate manifestation years and revisions later.<br /><br />30 agents rejected the sweeping, lyrical manuscript that eventually landed Morgenstern six-figures and a movie deal.<br /><br />The MC, Morgenstern claims, was invented last. How, I wonder? How was that possible? This Celia, she is integral, holds the circus in her very palm--the cover itself. <br /><br />(While we're on design, you must check out the illustrations that separate the five parts. Hint: it's what you see on one of the Circus rides.) <br /><br />Better than <em>The Magicians</em>? The next <em>Harry Potter</em>? <em>Twilight</em> rival?<br /><br />Morgenstern laughs away comparisons. <br /><br />And she should. <br /><br /><em>The Night Circus</em> is its own story, a real-life unfolding of paper, of turning of gears.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-61895650932672630802011-10-23T18:42:00.000-07:002011-10-23T19:10:32.358-07:00It Was AddictionWhen I started teaching at the local community college, I was completely caught off guard by the deluge of essays about alcohol and meth addiction/rehab/relapse. For years, most of the narrative papers from my school have been about this struggle, the loss that comes with it, the day-to-day recovery. <br /><br />I'll tell you what, it's heartbreaking, reading these stories of parents offering their 13 year-olds methamphetamine, of kids being taken away/given back/taken away again. Homes are lost. Jobs are lost. Marriages dissolve. <br /><br />But in many of these papers, there has been hope. These students have been to the bottom, and have found it isn't pretty, and they've learned that they can make things better for themselves. They can choose to stop using, they can join support groups. They can decide to live again.<br /><br />Now, though, there's another problem. A different problem. A new one. <br /><br />For the first time since I've been teaching, the big theme is unemployment.<br /><br />Sadly, it does make sense.<br /><br />Oregon's unemployment rate exceeds that of the national average, and in our county here, it's <em>two whole percentage points</em> higher.<br /><br />My students write of being laid off, of looking (and looking and looking) for work, of being turned away for body piercings or heavy-lifting requirements.<br /><br />They are losing their homes, their families, their self-worth.<br /><br />In these stories, I'm not seeing the hope, the will, that comes with the addiction essays.<br /><br />I'm seeing desperation. Devastation. Despair.<br /><br />I would like to see this turn around. Of course, I would like to see the job market explode. But, realistically, I want to see my students be stronger, be more active, to take control.<br /><br />I want them to clean themselves up and look admin. right in the eye. I want them to shake hands with a firm grip, leave behind sparkly applications.<br /><br />I want them to learn a little from each rejection, to get more determined, more wise, more driven from it. <br /><br />I want them to keep trying.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-23656918303041617842011-10-17T06:39:00.000-07:002011-10-29T07:42:50.246-07:00BlancaBlanca sits on the bleachers<br />of her <em>cholo</em>'s basketball game,<br />men's D-league.<br />Thursday night.<br />She sits<br />between two brown-eyed babies,<br />Blanca,<br />a baby herself.<br /><br />Blanca,<br />toenails red, <br />black stilettos.<br />No ring on her finger.<br /><br />She's the same as she was<br />in eighth grade English:<br />liquid eyeliner on her lids<br />full lips<br />long legs.<br /><br />Blanca, <br />then,<br />talking and laughing during <em>Anne Frank</em>.<br />Getting referrals to the dean.<br />Getting detention.<br /><br />Blanca, <br />then,<br />in short, swishy skirts.<br />Popping gum in the hallway:<br />"An' I tell him, if he gonna treat me that way, uh uh."<br /><br />She's the same as she was,<br />only different, now, too.<br />The fire in her eyes, <br />gone,<br />even when her <em>cholo</em> dunks.<br /><br />Blanca,<br />now, <br />in a too-tight pea coat,<br />tied hard around her.<br />Now,<br />with sippy cups, <br />with binkies and bills, <br />and after the two, with birth control.<br /><em>Dios</em> knows the <em>cholo</em> isn't worried about that.<br /><br />Blanca,<br />checking outside the gym.<br />Where did they go, those babies?<br />Where did they disappear?<br />Blanca,<br />finding them again. <br /><br />She sits in the bleachers, <br />center-left,<br />by the open door.<br />While her <em>cholo</em> drives the ball down, <br />right into the White Team, <br />fouls. <br /><br />She sits.<br />Her babies,<br />talking,laughing, outside.<br />She sits,<br />checking her phone,<br />waiting.<br />She doesn't know for what.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-50635820236071122202011-10-09T20:42:00.000-07:002011-10-09T21:02:34.387-07:00Why I Love Grading PapersOkay, there are lots of reasons to not love grading papers (it's tedious, time-consuming, frustrating, etc.).<br /><br />And a lot of the time, I'd rather be doing other stuff (going on a walk, doing yoga, playing "10 Days in Europe" with my kids).<br /><br />But there are some things about grading I really do love (beyond the obvious: the excuse to drink fancy coffee, and seeing my students improve).<br /><br />I like that when I have papers to grade over a weekend, I pack in a bunch of other things around it(this weekend: hiking Mount Ashland, and taking my boys fishing, and having the kids' friends over, and going to breakfast with my good man).<br /><br />I structure my time, when, usually, I'd be all over the place. Going nowhere. Getting nothing done. <br /><br />Also, I get to practice what I'm teaching. I get to use the techniques I'm talking about in my own writing. I have to ask myself, Is all of this relevant? Is the story as tight and clean as humanly possible? Are my sentence beginnings different?<br /><br />And, while I am firing up my neurons, so are my kids. They're doing their homework and playing guitar and building amazing things with Legos. Even The Husband will at least scan <em>Sports Illustrated</em>. <br /><br />And, the biggest plus: I don't have to cook! I can sit on the sofa or at the table or in bed, and read incredible essays about other people's fascinating lives. <br /><br />50 papers about "The Most Significant Time of Your Life"? <br /><br />I'd take that any day over having to fry up a bunch of chicken.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-46575432588657323962011-09-26T16:09:00.000-07:002011-09-26T16:39:43.390-07:00Ways to Make Your Story SingSo, as I've been revising this secret little story, I've been paying BIG attention to voice. As in, staying in it, making it good/real/rich, making it o-o-z-e personality. Tone. Mood.<br /><br />I was watching a thriller the other day, and just before something bad happened, the music got all tinkly. And when the tension rose, the music got louder, fast.<br /><br />How can we use music in our writing? How can we strengthen voice?<br /><br />Well, I'm finding that little tricks can make an enormous difference.<br /><br />Like. Punctuation! (Including parentheses. And ellipses...)<br /><br />And sentence fluency.<br /><br />And paragraph structure.<br /><br />And it's so all about word choice. <br /><br />All of these things--and showing, not telling, and using specific nouns and strong verbs--add to a story's personality/tone/mood.<br /><br />Dashes. Drawls. Slang?<br /><br />POOF! How about some onomatopoeia? <br /><br />Or <em>italics</em>? Fragments? Pacing! <br /><br />It's all up to you: the feel you want to create, the music you want to play. <br /><br /><br />(And by all means, help a sister out. If you have any good tips, <em>please</em>. Leave them right here.)Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-85916037682792837512011-09-16T09:00:00.000-07:002011-09-16T09:48:57.419-07:00Brushing off the DustA month or so ago, I pulled up the very first story I ever wrote, a simple little YA story that no one but my writing partner, Christy, has ever read.<br /><br />At first, I thought it was incredibly primitive, as in "primate," as in, a monkey must have written the thing.<br /><br />There was not much action, hardly any plot, underdeveloped characters with way too old vocabularies, too much "telling," a whiny MC. <br /><br />I mean, compared to the political-dystopian-colonialist MS I just finished, this really was monkey business.<br /><br />But also, the little story had some fun stuff: a vessel for telling the story that teens would really like, an uncommon but exciting setting, an MC with potential, an ending that I <em>love</em>. <br /><br />Then, I started tinkering with it a bit--polishing up voice, working the setting, adding some dimension to the MC with dialogue. I made sure I answered the questions I asked at the beginning. <br /><br />I started tinkering a lot--changing the direction of some plot points, making the MC more likeable/relateable, adding detail to the MC's motivation, the reasons for her action/reaction.<br /><br />Now what I have is kind of a mess. But it's a better mess than it was when the monkey wrote it. <br /><br />I'm going to tinker some more and see what comes of it, and be wide open to that whatever. <br /><br />How about you? What are you working (or re-working) on?Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-51540739204005940182011-09-01T11:16:00.000-07:002011-09-01T11:41:25.474-07:00Can It Be About Secondary Characters?Several months ago, I was talking with one of my writing partners about how we both loved our secondary characters, far more than we liked our MCs.
<br />
<br />What's with that?
<br />
<br />Is it okay?
<br />
<br />Well, I finally got around to watching "The Black Swan" last week while Man Down with a kidney infection, and I realized why I had put it off for so long: I am not a fan of Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman). Yes, I do respect her long hours at training for the part--the ballet she took, the weight she lost, the craft she honed. But, simply, I am not in love with her, and have never been, not even in "Where The Heart Is."
<br />
<br />Instead of going into all the blab about why I'm not a Portman superfan, I'll tell you that I <em>am</em> head over heels for "Swan" secondary characters Mila Kunis (who had me at "Book of Eli") and the talented and gorgeous Frenchman Vincent Cassel, who can give one look that can win an Oscar. So for me, these two carried me through the movie. Them, and plot, and setting.
<br />
<br />The other night, my little family went to see Bill Rauch's rendition of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance" at the outdoor Shakespeare theater. It was magic: the sword fighting and swashbuckling and disco dance breakouts. The female lead sang way too high, though, and none of us could understand what she was saying (though she did have her some swanky kimono PJs), and the lead male was meh.
<br />
<br />But the Pirate King! Aye, my friends! This lad was really something!
<br />
<br />And Ruth, the nursemaid, was equally fantastic. And the rollicking Modern Major General? Unforgettable!
<br />
<br />It probably shouldn't be so that a reader or movie watcher or play goer not like the MC. But it does seem to happen, and if it does, it's better to have some really amazing sidekicks to go with it.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-80940890484593002812011-08-18T08:01:00.000-07:002011-08-18T08:21:57.990-07:00If You Missed It...Here they are--the inspiring, wise words of <a href="http://writeoncon.com/2011/08/myths-and-misconceptions/">"Myths and Misconceptions" on WriteOnCon.com</a>:
<br />
<br />"Writing is really hard. It's a career...You can't ever stop reading, and learning." Holly Root, Agent
<br />
<br />"Live! And have experiences." Martha Mihalick, Editor
<br />
<br />"Being happy and supportive for other people will put you in a better mind frame for your own career." Molly O'Neill, Editor
<br />
<br /><em>So good</em>!Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-70711351563196287732011-08-10T07:14:00.000-07:002011-08-10T08:23:54.643-07:00About OahuFour blocks up from the Hilton Village is an Oahu few tourists choose to see.
<br />
<br />It's just past the canal that runs through Waikiki, a vessel for rainwater run-off and hotel sewage, that crew teams paddle their boats over. Just past this canal, barely out of range of the luau ukulele, are high rise apartment buildings strewn with strings of drying laundry, with strings of children running up and down the stairways. With skateboarders in the parking lots.
<br />
<br />Between these skyscrapers are tiny, flat-roofed huts, upon which mango trees release their fruits that roll onto the dirt. The siding of the huts is plywood and aluminum, and lizards slip in and out of the chain-linked fences.
<br />
<br />Piles of trash wait on street corners: stained, saggy mattresses; broken bookshelves. Diapers spilling from opened bags.
<br />
<br />In the afternoons, tents sprawl around swings and slides: a city park for the homeless, whose scruffy shoes park outside the door flaps.
<br />
<br />There are feral cats and enormous cockroaches and birds who sing above it all.
<br />
<br />There are few big gas companies and no "mainland" banks.
<br />
<br />Each street you cross has a disabled pedestrian with a tiny arm, a shortened leg, a hunched back. The result of lack of prenatal care? Of alcoholism? Of nuclear fallout?
<br />
<br />For these <em>kama aina</em> ("Children of the Land"), Life Cereal is $9. A loaf of French bread is $7.29. It is cheaper to eat a McDonald's Big Mac than an apple. And a two-bedroom apartment costs
<br />$1,200/month.
<br />
<br />There are lots and lots of service jobs--hotels, restaurants, shops--but really, no other industry.
<br />
<br />And the public schools are irreparable.
<br />
<br />You'd think this poverty and collapsed infrastructure would get these natives down.
<br />
<br />Not so much.
<br />
<br />On Saturdays, they open their trunks and drag their Weber Grills over the sand, and they raise canvas roofs and play the guitar from their tattered Coleman camp chairs. They gather as brothers and sisters and cousins and grandmas, and they grin and flip their ono chicken, and shoot around the soccer ball at Ala Moana Beach.
<br />
<br />The sun sets and the coffee-colored babies sleep on turtle-printed towels, and everyone listens to Auntie talk-story about the time before the Hilton Village and the skyscrapers, the time before the '60s. Before Life was so expensive. The brothers and sisters and cousins, they listen. And they eat the bread Auntie has made from the bananas in her yard.
<br />
<br />Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-75714025700312905242011-08-03T07:24:00.000-07:002011-08-03T08:11:03.081-07:00What's Fascinating About SEA?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv58WeRVHtGy8V8D5GJQhD9qoy8VsIOGLy5iQez5wu9vlN_ywPyKRRdK3UkHjQNOdDs6QV0JqDrMbnC9EuLSw2Wv3lh_RPVK7mIW0xE6S2MWhT5Ux5kls3I5EaTuGwRwh4xAJ0_GUWnc-R/s1600/map_southeast_asia.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv58WeRVHtGy8V8D5GJQhD9qoy8VsIOGLy5iQez5wu9vlN_ywPyKRRdK3UkHjQNOdDs6QV0JqDrMbnC9EuLSw2Wv3lh_RPVK7mIW0xE6S2MWhT5Ux5kls3I5EaTuGwRwh4xAJ0_GUWnc-R/s320/map_southeast_asia.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636647435621559474" /></a>"How could you spend <em>five weeks</em> studying South East Asia," I've been asked since I've been home.<br /><br />It's a good question, really. <br /><br />Those ten (or eleven, depending on how you count them; different post) seemingly insignificant countries on the way other side of the earth wouldn't appear to affect us much here in the US.<br /><br />In order for me to make sense of it all myself, I deconstructed everything I learned at the National Endowment of the Humanities' Institute (on Oahu). <em>Oh</em>, we had experts--speakers flown in from Indonesia, from Wake Forest and other east coast universities, from California, from the midwest. We were learning about things as <em>they were happening</em>. It was crazy. <br /><br />Then, I reorganized all that information according to discipline, and analyzed it for a so...what? Where does it all lead?<br /><br />Here's what you might find interesting:<br /><br />The islands and mainlands are diverse in many more ways than they are unified: by geography, outside influence (including that of South and East Asia, Europe, and the US), religion, political authority, culture, and the 1,000 languages among them.<br /><br />Japan bombed Pearl Harbor for access to SEA's rubber, oil, tin, iron; and to prevent US access to it.<br /><br />The concepts of time (minutes, hours, days) and printing emerged with Buddhism in the region.<br /><br />Indonesia is the world's fourth largest country. (And is the largest per-capita Facebook-using nation!)<br /><br />While globally, the birthrate is declining, in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, it is spiking. <br /><br />This region shares the same issues as the US: our relationships with China, terrorism, trade, the environment). Our citizens also strive for human, labor, and women's rights.<br /><br />It comes down to the dollar; 6 of the 10 or 11 nations rank in the top half of world economies, some of which have catapulted themselves from the bottom within the last several years.<br /><br />Is it clear--the economic power here?<br /><br />That's one of the places all this goes. <br /><br />I found the bottom line with SEA film scholar Wimal Dissanayake, a bright, lovely man, who said pointedly: "While SEA is a rapidly expanding region, it is severely understudied."<br /><br />This area is sure to keep rising, in wealth, in population growth, with technology.<br /><br />And???<br /><br />Do you know how the US will be affected by that?<br /><br />By trade, sure. <br /><br />But also in our higher education systems. We'll be competing for the earth's top potential innovators. Within the next 20 to 40 years, our classrooms are likely to be filled with the greatest thinkers on the planet. <br /><br />And, since 4 out of 5 foreign scholars end up staying in the US when they complete their programs, we'll be competing for jobs, too.<br /><br />What do you think? Is that good or bad?<br /><br />Will more and more university slots go to Jakartans, Manileños, taking up seats from Americans who "deserve" them?<br /><br />Or will the ambition of these academics add to our melting pot, spawn our creativity, help us stay a super power?Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-26046425316107851922011-07-27T21:19:00.000-07:002011-07-27T21:25:22.694-07:00"It Was A Long Dream"Happy Book Birthday, <em>Prophecy of Days II: The Serpent's Coil</em> -- and double Happy Birthday to author Christy Raedeke!<br /><br />Our lovely friend Julie gave a very fine (and impromptu) intro: "It takes a village to raise a writer," she said. <br /><br />And here are the writing group babies, to prove it!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBYsRlXrURXpRgJrvE48gdz-q9bKFVU7qjaW36LS0PX2dA0wSaHmthzyDXM8ES4bKO3054MUwm1mOGN1rPcd5V78FIeiiUTJbj2aQhygQEtpkep7NChX0J0GMFEiPL5p-Ls5ff-n8MH0b/s1600/christy+book+signing+013.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBYsRlXrURXpRgJrvE48gdz-q9bKFVU7qjaW36LS0PX2dA0wSaHmthzyDXM8ES4bKO3054MUwm1mOGN1rPcd5V78FIeiiUTJbj2aQhygQEtpkep7NChX0J0GMFEiPL5p-Ls5ff-n8MH0b/s320/christy+book+signing+013.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634253759677867250" /></a><br />All best for your readers' delight and PoD II's success, Christy!Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-2940238744254937442011-07-25T08:52:00.000-07:002011-07-25T09:22:31.061-07:00Right Back In It!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-J2ijoR4h7ZmHvRybYLGvGsu2ypzFZf5iQgvmthqYJIw3Tvi2ymv5xyPdpYUiDcyFtkqhOCtIGEDj67iICivUqElQxSMrcAtrycH5W253EMG2N0cs0QjZuHHN4nWiC_ro_NIXbuDgYohW/s1600/oahu+192.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-J2ijoR4h7ZmHvRybYLGvGsu2ypzFZf5iQgvmthqYJIw3Tvi2ymv5xyPdpYUiDcyFtkqhOCtIGEDj67iICivUqElQxSMrcAtrycH5W253EMG2N0cs0QjZuHHN4nWiC_ro_NIXbuDgYohW/s200/oahu+192.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633325654461049874" /></a><br />Oahu is behind me now--5 1/2 weeks of a life that seemed like someone else's. It's funny to not have class this morning, to not walk through the morning rains of the Manoa Valley under the plumeria. <br /><br />Coffee is right here, right when I want it. And my babies are, too. One of the first things I did was to team up with my boys to scrub the pizza, smoothie, and cake batter from the kitchen walls and microwave.<br /><br />The Institute was terrific. Challenging on all levels. I thought harder and deeper than I had in a long time. I walked everywhere, did lots of yoga, swam at night with the lights of Waikiki at my feet, the stars overhead.<br /><br />We had experts. Teachers and speakers from Indonesia, the Netherlands, the East Coast. We learned about Buddhism, Islam, the different practices of Christianity.<br /><br />We got to know each other, ranged in gender, age, discipline, interest. <br /><br />We got to know the island: where the best beaches were, where to find the least expensive bread. We lived the politics, the problems, the beauty.<br /><br />What did I learn? Everyone is asking me. <br /><br />And, in part because it's everyone's federal tax money that pays for the program, you bet I'll share.<br /><br />The third fascinating fact is this: that Southeast Asia (10 countries) are the most rapidly expanding region in the world, (in terms of economy, education, politics, religion, authority, industry), yet are severely understudied. This will affect us here in the US with trade, technology, economy, jobs, higher education, and our relationship with China. <br /><br />#2: Sink all your money into Indonesia. Now. Go! Run! Buy stock, company shares, funds, currency. Seriously. This is the world's 4th biggest country, and it's only getting bigger. While it struggles with gender equity (due to its 88% Islamic population), it is on the verge of becoming a superpower. Watch for it.<br /><br />And #1: While Southeast Asia and academia are important, they aren't everything. What I found out I love--and want to be--is a well-rounded person. Down-to-earth. Happy. Practical. That what I value being most on this planet is not a scholar, but a wife, a mom. A sister. A daughter. A niece and cousin and aunt. A friend. <br /><br />So, after you hit up your atlas to see where in the world East Timor is, after you choose between snatching up shares in tire companies or noodle makers, go play Uno. Laugh yourself silly. Fish. Paint. Bring brownies to a neighbor. Cuddle a kiddo. Cry. <br /><br />Blue collar-white collar. Let's keep it real.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-77711164493327255822011-06-22T22:52:00.000-07:002011-06-22T22:55:03.167-07:00Taking A BreakAloha from Oahu!<br /><br />While I'm studying here on a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, I'll be taking a little blog break. (I'm trying to learn, and write, and organize a presentation, oh, and figure out which bus gets to the beach).<br /><br />Mahalo.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-3045663046107590862011-06-15T07:28:00.000-07:002011-06-15T07:51:10.704-07:00Not Buying ItWhen we got to the part of <em>To Kill A Mockingbird</em> where Tom Robinson is found guilty of raping Mayella Ewell, my kids were livid.<br /><br />"What?!?"<br /><br />"That's not right!"<br /><br />"It's not fair."<br /><br />"This book is so dumb."<br /><br />"Why did she write it like that?"<br /><br />It had taken a long time to hook my kids into this read--the catalyst for that would be Boo Radley--and when they were finally willing to settle into setting, to know the characters, Harper Lee blew it for them at the climax.<br /><br />"Well, wait," I told Dominic (13), Daney (12), and Rees (10). "What do you think this book--the Book of the <em>Century</em>--is about?"<br /><br />They told me it was whether Tom was let go or given the death penalty. <br /><br />"Is that everything?" I asked. "What does that have to do with killing a mockingbird?"<br /><br />This was a different read for our family. It was not fantastical <em>Harry Potter</em> or spirit-of-survival <em>Little House on the Prairie</em>. As the kids get older, we read deeper. The last book we read together was <em>The Boy in Striped Pajamas</em>. <br /><br />But this--this timeless, timely tale--this was the most slow, the most rich, the most complex (I'm gearing them up for <em>Grapes of Wrath</em>).<br /><br />"Could it be," I asked, "That this book has less to do with what happened to Tom Robinson than what Scout and Jem think about it? That they felt like you do: that it wasn't fair. And why wasn't it? What does that say about how things were? And are things ever that way now?"<br /><br />If Tom Robinson were let off, how could we review the essence of human nature? How would we know how difficult, if not impossible, it is to set aside <em>reason</em> from prejudice, even if a man's life is at stake?<br /><br />What kind of folks will Scout and Jem grow to be? How were they different from most of their community? Why did their dad, Atticus, choose to foster that? Why does it matter?<br /><br />Again, I believe that the difference between commercial and literary fiction comes down to conclusion. <em>Mockingbird</em> didn't end as we'd thought it would. It didn't end happy. We were dissatisfied, unravelled, even. <br /><br />Days after we finished, the kids are still talking about the book. Yes, they were glad they got to "see" Boo. Because of that one scene, they raised the book to a B-, A-, A. But they're still walking around, grumbling that Tom Robinson got the chair. And <em>that</em> is why Harper Lee is a genius.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118591194093113249.post-63682021700774889832011-06-05T11:11:00.001-07:002011-06-05T12:18:07.179-07:00Who Is Valedictorian?Your odds are better at being one of Ashland High School's valedictorians if you're female, from a two-parent family, and have worked hard enough for 12 years to want to take a year off.<br /><br />AHS, which consistently ranks in the top 3% of <em>US News & World Report's</em> "Best High Schools," has a legendary Speech & Debate Team, an honorable Math Team, a Quidditch Club, a Gay-Straight Alliance, Knit Wits, Model United Nations, Multicultural Club, Pagan Club, and Crew. Every year, the Drama Department partners up with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to produce, direct, costume, and choreograph a professional-level musical. (This year's performance of "Chicago" rivaled the production I'd seen on Broadway of Sacramento.)<br /><br />According to the <em>Medford Mail Tribune</em>, of AHS' 14 Class of 2011 valedictorians, 12 are female. Eight of 12 are listed with parents of the same last name. Many scholars are in Honor Society, have math honors, played soccer, are musicians. <br /><br />And several are planning on taking advantage of the new trend; they'll take a "Gap Year" of travel or volunteer service, or dabble in the arts before heading back to the books at Stanford, NYU, Pomona, or George Washington to study neuroscience, physics, engineering, or journalism. <br /><br />I know some of their parents: professors, doctors, authors, entrepreneurs. <br /><br />This morning at breakfast, Dave and I sat by an AHS grad from a few years ago. She went to Harvard for a year, and returned to work at an Ashland coffee shop. <br /><br />A simple, quiet girl from my own high school in California went to Berkeley and is now the headmaster of a private school in Marin County. <br /><br />You never can tell, I guess, who will succeed, and at what. Part of the fun mystery of life is the element of surprise. <br /><br />Maybe it will be an AHS 2011 valedictorian who cures AIDS, or maybe it will be the kid who sat in science in the middle row, who graduated 60th in a class of 200, who went to community college first.Jennie Englundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943722538573178226noreply@blogger.com4