Friday Feedback: Writing is a Mostly Solitary Thing (and a few p.s.'s)

Yesterday, at one of the beaches I swim at. . .

Writing, at its best, is a lonely life. Organizations for writers palliate the writer's loneliness, but I doubt if they improve his writing. He grows in public stature as he sheds his loneliness and often his work deteriorates. For he does his work alone and if he is a good enough writer he must face eternity, or the lack of it, each day. - Ernest Hemingway


I'm not sure I agree with all of this, but for sure, I agree with some.

Writing is a hard, mostly-solitary thing.

Our friends and family members can only "just please read this one little thing" so many times before they grow weary; they can only be enthusiastic and cheer us on in spurts, for finite periods of time. 

Most of us, even once published, are not rock stars.

Oprah isn't calling.

Not even NPR.

The first book event I went to as an almost-published YA author illuminated this clearly. It was one of David Levithan's terrific Teen Author Readings at the New York Public Library.

After the event, I stood at the base of those magestic steps and watched David (!!) chat with Libba (!! I mean, need I even use a last name?) and some other well-respected and prolific YA authors.

And, guess, what?

Except for the bloggers and few readers who had specifically come for the event, not a soul on those crowded steps stopped to ask for an autograph, acknowledged them, or even seemed to know who they were.

“Writing is a lonely job. Even if a writer socializes regularly, when he gets down to the real business of his life, it is he and his type writer or word processor. No one else is or can be involved in the matter.” - Isaac Asimov

SO, here we are again, together, alone, on yet another Friday.

It's just us today -- no exciting guest authors, no fanfare, no gimmicks.

Just you, and me, and our words. . .

As we reach the halfway mark in our Teachers Write! program, I've watched so many of you come out of your shells, brim with excitement, step into the mix believing that maybe -- just maybe -- you have something to say, in your unique voice, that actually adds to the world-of-writing conversation.

And, guess what? Maybe you actually do!

But how to maintain the momentum?

How to keep yourself going when there are no daily facebook posts, no tweets, no constant commenting in the blogs?

How to keep going when the writing grows quiet?

Notwithstanding what Hemingway said, one way is critique groups. And, another social media. But in the end, the encouragement is fleeting, and then you are left with nothing but your belief in yourself, and your desire to tell the story, and to put together the words.

This is how it is. We all struggle with it. But we know, in the end, you can't write for the fanfare or the applause. You can't even count on being read.

In the end, you write because you must, or because you want to and love how it makes you feel.

Often, sans feedback.

Almost always, sans Oprah.

And, sans cheering fans and applause.

But, luckily . . . not today.

Today I will cheer for you.

Find that shiny gem of your words.

And, happily egg you on.


So, here we go. Friday Feedback. You KNOW the RULES.

Today, I'll strip back to basics: the opening of one of my WIP's.  Does it hook you?  If yes, why? If no, why not?


I look forward to reading your words.

- gae

Week One

                                                                            
Dad and I are walking through Soho. The day is bright and brisk.
As we talk, our breath puffs out in front of us like steam from the street vents.

We pass the familiar streets of the village – Broome, Spring, Prince – and head north on West Broadway. The sky turns cold and dusky, and overcast.

Sarah is with me now, snow falling. The Empire State building looms ahead, pink and surreal, in all its February glory.

Sarah twirls toward me and smiles. Snowflakes catch in her black hair, white stars that melt away.

Dad laughs at something, and Sarah takes my hand. Everything is perfect.

Except, no. That’s not right.

We’re not in Soho, or uptown.

There is no Empire State Building.

And Sarah and Dad are gone.

No one is here.

Just me and this woman, in this room.

I scratch my at my ear. “Try not to do that,” she says.

---

p.s. speaking of NOT lonely, we are gearing up for our first Teachers Write Progress Pool Party Chat & Read Aloud. If you are a participating member of Teachers Write! and want to participate, and haven't checked in, please do so HERE and FOLLOW ME and Jen Vincent on Spreecast!

p.p.s. If you have been enjoying Friday Feedback, I would love a return favor. If your local library, doesn't carry The Pull of Gravity, please ask them to order it in. If you have read it and liked it -- and reviewed it on Goodreads, especially -- please post that review on Amazon. It helps us authors more there -- some magic Amazon sales algorithm. And especially heading into this stretch prior to paperback, I could really use to keep my book moving. Thank you. <3

p.p.p.s. Speaking of my paperback, if you want to see a sneak peek at the paperback cover, suddenly, it is up there! ;)

Friday Feedback: Alohas & Age-Authentic Voice

yep, i spent time making
myself a big, fat lei.

So, today, we're going to do something a little bit different on Friday Feedback.

Pay attention. Read the rules! ;)
Oh, and first, grab yourself a pineapple, a coconut, and a pretty little lei.

Here, I'll wait for you. . .

Okay, ready?


A few weeks ago on Wednesday's Teachers Write! Q & A, a camper asked:

"How do you know if your characters sound right for their ages? My characters are pretty geeky ...

but I’ve been told they don’t sound like teens because they don’t use lots of slang

and because one character talks formally all the time."*

Good question! How indeed?!?

Yeah, yeah, Margo has lived in
Hawaii and has a REAL lei.
Rub it in.

I decided to invite
(a/k/a unwittingly wrangle in)
today's lovely guest author,
Margo "Leipua'ala" Sorenson,
to tackle this topic,

because who better than Margo --

who writes everything from picture books
to MG to YA,

including her upcoming tween adventure/mystery 
Island Danger --

to talk about age-authentic voice and characterization?

The truth is this is an issue that we -- as adult authors of kid, tween and teen fiction -- all struggle with at times: how to conjure an authentic teen voice, when for some of us that age is at least a few *cough, cough,* long years behind us.

Margo offers some advice on how to do this:

"As many authors have said during this wonderful TeachersWrite virtual camp, one of the keys to writing authentic characters is eavesdropping. I know, your mother would be appalled!  Listen in (ever so politely, of course!) to conversations around you. Really hear the cadence, the thought-centers, the inflections, the vocabulary choices, and particularly watch the body language.  When I volunteer weekly at the local Boys and Girls Club for “homework help” (aka controlled chaos), I overhear every age from 2^nd graders through high schoolers, and, as you can well imagine, there is really a difference!  Third-grader Maile in my recent picture book, ALOHA FOR CAROL ANN, acts and speaks so differently from Kekoa, the __-year-old** Hawaiian tough in my forthcoming mystery, ISLAND DANGER.  When it’s time to write, I actually squeeze my eyes shut and put myself right where my character is and mimic the body language first. It’s similar to acting, where you inhabit someone else’s skin.  Somehow, at least for me, that is essential to the process of letting the voice of the character flow, and then the conversation begins…"

** nice try, Margo, but I deleted Kekoa's age as, in a minute, our readers are going to be guessing his age in excerpt #2 below. ;)

Of course, the other key is to find yourself some honest, objective readers if you can get 'em, especially of the 'tween and teen variety, not only because they're the target age, but because they can be brutally (cruel and) honest, and that's what you need sometimes.

So, let's have some fun (or, humiliation, as the case may be).          For this week's Friday Feedback we'll dispense with the usual rules (still a 3 -5 para limit, though, please!) and do some guessing about our characters' ages.

*Please remember that doing these exercises here, as we do, from small snippets out of context ,is OF COURSE different than attempting critiques within the context of a complete manuscript. But, we can still have some fun (I hope!), offer each other some food for thought, and be at least a little useful. :)*

So, feel free to give "age-related" feedback on either of Margo's excerpts or on mine below.

How old do the characters read?

What made you feel this way?

Then post your own excerpt in the comments for the same.

And, since Margo is here today, to all of you a big, warm mahalo, and a sunny aloha!

Margo, Excerpt #1: from WIP titled Alex in Translation

Next, we hit the butcher shop – that was a whole other story --“Is that really horse?” Carrie asked, pointing in the butcher’s case at a sign that had a silhouette of a horse next to the word “cavallo.” “Grosser than gross!”


Behind me, I heard a smothered laugh and turned around to see a really good-looking guy, holding a basket. Were there any ugly guys in Positano? I wondered.


He was wearing a blue polo shirt and nice slacks and deck shoes and his dark hair fell across his forehead, but not so far that I missed his hazel eyes. My breath left my body.


“The American signorina has a problem with our food?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.


“Uh, no, not really,” I said quickly. “She’s just not used to it.” I had a hard time putting a coherent sentence together as long as I was looking at him.

“And you?” he asked the obvious question. “You are used to it?” He sounded disbelieving.


“I used to live here,” I said.


“Really?” he answered. “An American? And now you are back.”


“Just for a visit,” I said. “I live in California -- in the U.S. now. I don’t live here anymore.” Did I sound too quick to affirm where I lived now – and that was so not Italy?


“I see,” he said, and his expression shut right down. I must have said something wrong.

Margo: excerpt #2 from Island Danger

 "You no tell da cops on my ohana," he threatened, gesturing back toward the homeless campsite.  "O' I bus' yo' face."

            "No," Todd said.  "No, I won't."  He tightened his mouth.  An idea glimmered in the back of his brain.  Well, why not.  A bargain was a bargain, and he had to keep trying to fake Kekoa out.  "You quit hassling me and my soccer team at the park, then," he demanded. Would it work?

            Kekoa spat onto the path. "Whatevahs," he snorted.  Todd let out his breath slowly as Kekoa continued striding down the path toward the park, shoving aside branches and bushes in his way.  He almost shivered in relief.         

Gae, Excerpt - from Upcoming YA from Algonquin

     “Anyway, enough about me and my stupid, morbid life.” I roll toward her and prop up on my elbow. “Tell me about you and Bradley.”
     She drops her foot, and points the other one. Her legs are perfect like everything else about her. “What’s to tell? He’s a guy,” she says, but her lips crack into a smile.

I feel a stitch in my heart, but ignore it, because I really want to know. “Come on, ‘Zette, details. I swear I won’t be jealous.”

She rolls her eyes. “Total lie. And there’s really nothing to tell. But, either way, I understand.”

“So, then tell me, please?”

              “What do you want to know?”

“Everything.” I sit up and look out over the ocean. The sky is the brightest blue with puffs of white patches drifting by. “Okay, for starters, does he kiss good?”

“Lie back down. You’re blocking my sun.”

               “Lisette…”
               “Really good,” she says. “Really, really good. You happy?”
               “Tongue?”

She laughs. “Yes. Of course. Tongue. Absolutely.”

Gae, Excerpt 2: from WIP titled Jack Keroac is Dead to Me

(this is a WIP I haven't worked on in quite a while, but am going to go back to. . .)

For a while, we stood there on the dock, side by side, watching and thinking like that, but then, suddenly, Max turned to me. “Do you ever wonder what it would feel like to just jump, Jailbait? Dive off the edge and let your body fall? Be done with things, all nice and easy?” He turned back toward the water, held his arms out like wings, leaned forward and inhaled. I grabbed on to the back of his jacket and he laughed. “I’m not going to do it, sweetheart, and if you hold on like that, I’d only take you with me.”

My heart was pounding, and I gave him a look, so he stepped back from the edge and wrapped both his arms around me, and rocked us together in the moonlight. After a few minutes he said, “I forgot, I have something for you, hang on.”

He rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a folded white square of tissue paper. “I got you this. It’s not much.” I looked at him, stunned, and unwrapped it. Inside was a small gold ring with a butterfly with blue gemstones the exact blue of a Morpho’s wings. I slipped it on my finger and it fit perfectly. I blinked back tears. I couldn’t believe he’d done that for me.

“It’s beautiful, Max, thank you.”

He nodded and reached inside his jacket for something else. I waited, wondering what other surprises he had in store. But this time he pulled out a silver flask.       

“Just a little tonight. Everyone is, okay?”    

And there it was again, that thing Max did that could make me so happy and so scared at the same time. I took a deep breath and thought of Aubrey and how annoying it was that she was so afraid of everything. Maybe I was being like that now. Maybe just one night, I could step out of bounds, trust Max, and let it to not be such a big deal.

“Okay,” I said. “Gimme.”

gae & Margo :)

* p.s. I thought the Teachers Write camper who started everything here had actually done a good job making her characters sound authentic and age-appropriate. So there's that, too, that sometimes our readers are wrong. Or, at least, our readers can disagree.

**p.p.s. Hey all, Gae popping on to add a quick note: Margo is having trouble from her end with the reply button, so her comments will be at the bottom with your user names intro'ing them. Look for them there. Also, we will reveal the ages of our characters in our excerpts at the end of the day. Aloha. And happy Friday!

You're Invited: For my TeachersWrite! Friday Feedback Campers

 That's right, you heard us! What's summer camp without a party?

If you are a Teachers Write participant and, especially if you've been hanging with me at

Friday Feedbacks, you're invited:

Teachers Write!

Progress Pool Party!  

Put on your best sunny beachwear &

join Gae and Jen poolside

via Spreecast

for our first-ever Teachers Write Progress Pool Party!

 Friday, July 20th, 2012

One-Hour Sessions from:

12:00 pm EST – 5:00 pm EST

Share 90-second readings from our Works In Progress

*20 people per session - on-camera reading*

Chat and get support about our writing

*Unlimited participation all afternoon in the chat area*

Stay tuned for more details and sign up information.

We'll see you there!

Gae and Jen

p.s. Don't fret if you're not ready. Still plenty of time. And plenty of details to follow. So, for now, save the date, and brush up on your reading skills. And don't forget to time the piece you choose. Time & on-camera space limited, so the 90-seconds are strict. Even Jen & I will adhere. ;) More soon!

- gae

Friday Feedback: Putting Our Writing Fears On (the) Line

This is me.
Sometimes I'm upside down.

First of all, TGIF, and welcome to my TeachersWrite! campers! (And hi to my regular readers, who I love and adore. :))

Star Wars and Steinbeck
guide two teens on a journey
to keep a promise
to their dying friend.

<--- This is me,

and


this is my book ----------------------------->



and,

THIS

*motions around the place like she's Vanna White*

is Friday Feedback.

Are you ready? Well, good. Buckle up for safety, and let's go!

As Kate Messner and Jen Vincent (Teach Mentor Texts) and I geared up for Kate's Uber-Awesome Virtual Writing Camp, I read a lot about fear. About how scared or intimidated many of you are to put your words -- your creative souls -- out there for all the world to see.

Well, duh, people?! ;)

I'm not going to repeat all the true and wonderful things Kate already said here, except to say I agree wholeheartedly. Each of us is pretty much scared every time we hand a draft off to a friend; every time we submit to our agents; everytime we go out on sub to a publisher. And, don't get me started on waiting for the Kirkus Reviews! Or when our book goes sailing off into the big, cold, cruel world. . .

All I can offer is what my mom used to say to me growing up: "Feel the fear and do it anyway!" (<--- I'm pretty sure that was the title of a book she read, but it helped).

Because if you don't, you're never going to get published, and you're never going to know what it feels like to have your words and your stories out there, to have readers connect and feel moved.

FYI, it feels good! It's worth all the fear and rejection.

And, I remind you of my mantra: "ART IS SUBJECTIVE." Not everyone loves my book (I know, I know, hard to believe. . . ). Not everyone loves my voice. Not everyone gets the story I was trying to tell:

Michelle, if you happen to be here, I love you for this review. No worries. :)

See? :) At least she got some sleep. ;)

But seriously, it's okay. Not everyone loves The Great Gatsby or Hatchet or Harry Potter, either. Yes, that's true. Not everyone loves Harry Potter. And, btw, I've told my writer friends this: if everyone did love my book and my writing, if everyone gushed and there was never a negative review, I would never believe the good ones.

So. Enough of that. Let's get to Friday Feedback!!! (please click that link and read that post if you don't already know what we do here, and what the rules are).

As some of you know, I recently sold my next YA manuscript to the wonderful Algonquin Books -- a ms currently called "Frankie Sky." Since I'm steeped in revisions for my editor, I thought I'd throw up a section I was working on yesterday. This is the very end of Chapter 7.

As per our rules, feel free to tell me if it hooks you (it's the end of the chapter, so the hope is you'd want to read the next), and what works and/or what doesn't, and why. If you want the same feedback (from me and any readers who may chime in), please post your brief excerpt in the comments as well.

And, fyi, in the weeks to come, there will be some special announcements for my #TeachersWrite crew about a few fun perks and bonuses for participating in Friday Feedback.

So, stay tuned here, or on my facebook author page.

Thanks for being brave.

- gae

My heart races as I walk toward Peter at the door. Did he rat on me? I rehearse the story about Michelle Greenhut in my head. This is all I need, to have to tell Mom what I’m doing here, and why. To explain what I thought Dad was doing.

Peter yells for me again. “Seriously, Schnell, I don’t have all day! You’re wanted inside, pronto!”

I pass Mrs. Merrill’s cabana, second-to-last, the end closest to the rear entrance of the Club. Cabana #2. There’s no sign of life in there. Either I missed her come out, or she’s dead or napping inside. With my mind on Simon, I’d lost all track of watching for her.

When I reach Peter, I don’t like the look on his face. Smug, like he’s happy to see me get hanged. Then again, he’s the one who let me in here. I could take him down, too, if I want to.

“What’s up?” I try not to sound guilty or scared.

 “Search me. I don’t ask questions. You’re wanted inside, is all. Mr. Habberstaad’s office. First door there in the corner.” He waves me through. I walk quickly, not looking back, trying to keep my mind from freaking. “That’s it,” he calls when I reach the dark wood door, gold name plate, black engraved letters. H. Habberstaad.

I turn back to Peter. “Just knock,” he says. “He asked for you. And good luck. Dude owns this place, you know.”

- gae

p.s. all: I will be in the city Friday evening/night at a screening for the Fat Kid Rules the World movie, book written by one of my YA idols, K.l. Going, then taking my usual Saturday a.m. long swim. So you may not get feedback until later Saturday and Sunday. I promise it will come!

___________________________________________________________________________

If you like this post, please check out my books HERE and/or at your favorite local bookstore. 

___________________________________________________________________________

Friday Feedb... Ah, Who Am I Kidding? :)

Me *cough* writing today...

Okay, so I am TOTALLY distracted by summer.

You may not think it's summer yet, but my regular (daily) open water season has started, my pool is open and (as of Saturday) will be swimmable, and the weather has been in the 80's.

See? Summer.

That's what I'm saying.

I don't care what the date says.

Or that I have a gazillion other, non-summery things to do.



I'm not a total slacker in the writing department, if I am a bit schizophrenic.

My writing spot today...

I was working on that new thing (that I was posting bits of here), but I am meeting my new editor in person next week (!!!) and panicked that I should probably be focused on all things Frankie Sky, so went back to my revisions on that.

I'll post a little "Frankie" for Friday Feedback this week and open the floor (or comments as the case may be) to you all just posting whatever you want - since I'm clearly scattered and brain-vacationing this week.

Before I do, here are two pieces of news:

Adorable Kate who is a force to be reckoned with
in MG writing

The first: For those of you who haven't seen me tweeting and/or facebooking this, starting NEXT WEEK, Friday Feedback will be an integral part of a very cool project for teachers -- a Virtual Summer Writing Camp -- being run by uber-awesome Picture Book, Chapter Book and Middle grade author Kate Messner (Over and Under the Snow, Sugar and Ice, etc...), http://www.katemessner.com/announcing-teachers-write-a-virtual-summer-writing-camp-for-teachers-librarians/.

I will be collaborating with Kate along with amazing teacher and blogger (Teach Mentor Texts) Jen Vincent, who you may remember from HERE.

So hopefully, on Fridays during the summer, you'll find LOTS of posting action here, and I'd love you to chime in, following the basic Friday Feedback Rules: Post no more than 3 - 5 paragraphs (3 if long, 5 if short) and we will tell you:

• Does the piece "hook" you and make you want to keep reading? • What works for you, and why?

• What doesn’t work for you (if something doesn't) and why?

The second bit of news: I've seen a sneak peek at the THE PULL OF GRAVITY paperback cover! It's different and it's pretty awesome. It's too soon to post it -- plus, they're still tweaking some stuff -- but I really like it and it's making me pretty excited! I'll bring you a glimpse when I can.

Anyway, scattered or not, it is FRIDAY FEEDBACK, so get your excerpts out, and go ahead and tell me what you think of this little bit from Frankie, Chapter 5:

My hand moves reflexively to my throat, to my half of our shared heart pendant, but, of course, it’s not there. At the start of high school we agreed they were babyish, and not to wear them anymore.  

Still, the empty spot makes me nostalgic for the way things used to be.

Like this one time at Lisette’s house. We’re like 13 and it’s a long weekend, and I’m sleeping over a second night in a row. So, it almost feels like I live there. I remember this – how I keep thinking, I can pretend I live here, and I’m a Sutter now, not a Schnell. I have two older brothers who love me, and not a baby brother who has drowned.

Anyway, for most  of the day we’ve been playing this really dumb game we love even if we’re probably too old to still be playing it. The game is that we’re grown-up and married, and we have jobs and make-believe husbands. When we’re done with work, we come home and cook and clean for them and pretend talk to them the phone. We even pretend to make out with them, and, once, Lisette even pretended to have sex. I didn’t pretend out in the open, but I did in my head, which was exciting, even if I wasn’t brave enough to act it out like ‘Zette was.

- gae

Sunday Shadowing on I-94: What We Know vs. What We Bring to the Table as Readers...

These awesome peeps are teachers Colby Sharp and Jen Vincent:

Colby Sharp & Jen Vincent pretending to fight over my book.

For the past three weeks they have been generously fighting over my book, The Pull of Gravity. You can meet Jen and Colby, and read an introduction to the series, Sunday Shadowing on I-94 by clicking on these words.

During week #1, they discussed Nick's relationship with the Scoot and the general themes of friendship in the story. During week #2, they talked about Nick and Jaycee's romance. And, last week, week (#3) I joined them through the magic of Google Docs to chime in as they talked about Nick's Dad.

This week, week #4, they finish up their month-long series with the second part of our Google Docs chat which focuses on Nick's mom. You can read here at Colby's terrific site, Sharpread, or here at Jen's terrific one, Teach Mentor Texts. WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILER ALERTS!!

So, if you read The Pull of Gravity, and struggled with your feelings about Nick's mom and/or dad, here's your chance to commiserate, get feedback, or throw your two cents in!

I want to say a heartfelt thank you to Jen and Colby for their TPoG love, and for spending four Sundays talking about it, and giving it such a warm, cozy space on their blogs. It's been amazing to eavesdrop, to chime in, but mostly to read things like this: 

"JEN: If I encounter someone who is in this situation in real life, I know I’ll think back to this book and try to be understanding."


Words like that are writer's gold. Truly.

- gae

Sunday Shadowing on I-94 - Part 3: No love lost for Nick's Dad?

Colby Sharp & Jen Vincent pretending to fight over my book.

So, here's Sunday #3 in Jen and Colby's series on The Pull of Gravity. You can meet Jen and Colby, and read an introduction to the series, by clicking right here.

During week #1, Jen and Colby discussed Nick's relationship with the Scoot and the general themes of friendship in the story.

During week #2, they talked about Nick and Jaycee's romance.

This week -- oh boy! -- they talk about Nick's Dad.

By far, the Dad is the most controversial character in the book. He's the most obviously flawed -- outwardly and inwardly.

To me, he is also sympathetic. But not all of my readers agree.

For instance, while finding the dad's actions wrong, Colby struggled to relate a little:

"COLBY: If I lost my job as a teacher, I could totally see myself ending up like Nick’s dad. It would be so hard to lose your identity like he did. I’m not sure if I would gain 100 pounds or lose 100 pounds, but it would not be pretty."

 while, we had to, um, delete Jen's cusses:

"JEN: WAIT! I have to clarify something before we go on... (spoiler deleted from here but not from the actual post) . . . Because after that I can only think of him as a really big (use your imagnation). I know people make mistakes but some things are just wrong. I don’t see that as being Nick’s fault..."

And, both are great with me! Really! I love it! That's part of what makes reading so personal. We bring to it our own values, our ideas of what's right and wrong.

We also read things into the text that often aren't there. We make assumptions. We read these assumptions into the story as rote.

And, I love this too: that, as a writer, we don't know what a reader will bring. We take a reader as they come to us, and we must give them room to breathe. But it's an interesting thing to see play out. It makes each reader-writer experience we encounter richer and more unique.

Continued thanks to Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts and Colby Sharp at Sharpread for the tremendous honor of this series.

- gae

Sunday Shadowing on I-94 - Part 2

Colby Sharp & Jen Vincent pretending to fight over my book.

So, last Sunday, I told you about these two awesome teachers, Jen and Colby, who are doing a February series on The Pull of Gravity.

You can meet Jen and Colby, and read an introduction to the series, here.

Last week Jen and Colby discussed Nick's relationship with the Scoot and the general themes of friendship. Links to that discussion on each of their sites, can be found in the introduction.

This week they talk about Nick and Jaycee.

And, while Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts somehow manages to make comparisons to how she felt when she read Romeo & Juliet (!):

"It was just as fun to read about their relationship developing as when I read Romeo and Juliet, maybe even moreso..."

Colby, of Sharpread, brings comparisons closer to home:

"I think at Nick and Jaycee’s relationship was my favorite part of the book. Nick reminded me a lot of myself in high school. Believe it or not, I was not exactly a ladies’ man in high school."

Oh, I've seen you jumping up and down about Babymouse, Colby, so that is totally impossible to believe. ;)

Anyway, it's been such an honor to have Jen and Colby discussing my book every Sunday (so, thanks guys!), and next Sunday is a real treat. Because yesterday, I joined in on the chat in Google Docs for over an hour -- on the extremely heated subject of Nick's dad.

And, let's just say that Jen had strong feelings on the subject, and happily, she didn't mince words. ;)

Colby, however, may have deleted a few of them.

Stay tuned next Sunday, as Colby and Jen read on I-94.

-gae

Sunday Shadowing on I-94

That is Jen Vincent.

And this ----------------------------------------------------> is Colby Sharp.

(yeah, I did that arrow thing because I can't get my blogger photo arranging to cooperate with me today. So be it.)

Jen and Colby are teachers. The are also super, awesome

NERDIES!  

Clap your hands if you believe in Nerdies.

Okay, fine, whatever.

Colby and Jen both have terrific blogs in their own rights (Sharpreads and Teach Mentor Texts, respectively) but they also do a feature together every month called Reading Along I-94. In Colby's own words,

     "Each month Jen and I read a book together. We take turns selecting the book. About once a week we chat together in a google doc about the book. Sometimes we are in the doc together, and sometimes we type in the doc alone and then let the other person know that they can respond when they have time. We post our discussions on our blogs. It is super fun and VERY nerdy:)"

This month, Colby picked The Pull of Gravity for their I-94 feature:

Colby and Jen, fighting over TPoG.

and I am a (crazy, stalker) fan of his, and incredibly honored, so I've decided to follow along.

Btw, if you want to know why I'm a crazy, stalker fan of Colby's, this is basically all you need to know:

And, while I don't crazy stalker girls, Jen is pretty darn amazing, too!

So, anyway, here's the link to Colby's introductory post on TPoG, or if you don't want to read it (sigh, I know, I know, it's Sunday and the Giants are playing today: Go, GIANTS!), this is the takeaway from what he had to say:


"I can’t help but wonder how my life in high school would have been different if I would have had great books like The Pull of Gravity to read instead of books that made me want to jump off a cliff."

Macmillan, if you're reading, I think that's a great blurb for the cover of the paperback!!!

So, without further ado (because that was quite enough ado already up there, don't you think?), here here are the links to Part 1 of Jen's and Colby's Reading Along I-94 posts (this week's posts are not done in Google Docs, because Jen wasn't available, but the following three Sunday's will likely be :)).

Jen's, in which she shares the awesome word, HAMARTIA (I still don't know if it's real): http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/02/read-along-on-i-94-pull-of-gravity-part.html

and

Colby's, in which he sees fit to post a sweaty and unmade-up photo of me from after yoga two weeks ago in my Nerdy Book Club t-shirt: http://sharpread.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/1118/.

I warn you there are SPOILER ALERTS in the posts. And, if you want to hear what I had to say, check the comments!

Until next Sunday shadowing along I-94. . . HUGE thanks to Colby and Jen.

*adjusts rear-view mirror, and takes off*

Don't text and drive.

- gae