Monique Polak

...Hello since it's Tuesday morning and I'm checking in with the blog; good-bye because I leave tomorrow morning super-early for the Gaspe! The taxi comes to pick me up at 4:45! YIKES!! My plan is to go to sleep really early tonight, since I'm speaking to three groups of students tomorrow. If I have the energy and I can get to a computer, I'll try to write at least one blog entry fromthere -- otherwise, you'll have to wait till Sunday to find out how things went. Have a good rest of the week. Hey, I read something about writing that I think you'll like. It's from B.C. poet Susan Musgrave: "a writer's job is to eavesdrop on the world." I SECOND THAT!! 

I'm supposed to be making supper (it's Melanie's last night in Montreal and it's warm enough for a barbecue!), so I don't have time to tell you all about the dinner party we had where Melanie (my editor on 121 Express) met Andrew Adams (who's actually a character in the book). In short, we had a great time and the party didn't end until nearly one in the morning, whichis late for me, but not for Melanie, who is a far younger woman and a bit of a night owl! 

Did I tell you Mike also invited two guests I'd never met before -- Jacqui Banaszynski and her husband Don. Jacqui was at The Gazette last week doing workshops with editors and reporters and Mike thought she and Don would get a kick out of meeting our other guests.

Jacqui is Knight Chair Professor at the Missourri School of Journalism. I didn't want to make her feel like I was picking her brain, but during a short tour of our house (it's not very big!!), we got to talking about her work... and well... I took some notes. For you, of course! Did I mention that Jacqui won a Pulitzer Prize? 

Here's Jacqui's advice to young journalists -- but it applies just as well to fiction writers, too: "You have to know what your story is about -- the essence -- the core." Simple straightforward advice, but RIGHT ON!!

Jacqui is also an amateur painter. She says learning to paint is teaching her important lessons about writing. "When you learn to paint, you have to tell a story without words. You have to know the heart of the story. When I paint, I try to be a storyteller. I learned how to tell a story with words. Now my painting teacher is pushing me to tell a story without words. Then the question is, 'Will I then be able to tell a better story with words?' I hope the answer is yes. Words are the most wonderful things in the world, but they're also tricky."

Hmm, thought-provoking, no? What do you think about the link Jacqui sees between painting and words? I'll go think about that now while I make potato salad!! 

So lucky me, I get to spend the weekend with Melanie Jeffs, who edited my latest book 121 Express. Melanie arrived from Victoria yesterday. This is her first visit to Montreal so she's eager to get a feeling for the city. Today, we went for lunch to Santropol, a restaurant on St. Urbain St., where on a wonderful warm day like today, you get to sit outside. And while we were there -- now I'm coming to the subject of today's blog entry -- I asked Melanie whether she had some tips to share with you, dear readers. 

When you're ready to start looking for a publisher, Melanie says it's wise to research what's out there: "Look for a company publishing close to something you want your book to be in the end." So far, all of the books published in Orca's Soundings and Currents series have been told from the first person point-of-view, so I asked Melanie why that is. Here's what she had to say: "First person is our favourite narrative perspective since it gives a sense of immediacy."

I also asked Melanie what's the best part about being an editor. That was an easy question for her! "It's giving feedback, pinpointing some issue, and then getting the manuscript back with changes that enrich the story in ways you never imagined."  

That's  exactly why I am such a fan of terrific editors like Melanie (and the other fiction editors I have had the privilege of working with -- Andrew Wooldridge at Orca, Hadley Dyer at James Lorimer, and Sarah Harvey at Orca). They steer us writers exactly where we need to go. 

Other news: tomorrow night, we're having a not-so-little dinner party. One of our guests is Andrew Adams -- he's the teacher in my book 121 Express... only he's not just a fictional character... he's a real teacher and I liked him too much to change his name! He's eager to meet Melanie and vice versa. Should have lots to tell you about by Monday!! Have a happy, safe weekend. Don't forget the sunscreen!!

Did I tell you that my neighbours on both sides are already busy in their gardens? So, first thing this morning, I gave into temptation and did a little tidying up in the garden, too. My reward? I saw a cardinal and heard his trill! 

Melanie Jeffs, the Orca editor who edited my latest book, 121 Express,  will be here when I get home from school tonight. I met her when I toured VancouverIsland for Canadian Children's Book Week during the fall of 2006, and I look forward to getting reacquainted -- and to picking her brain on behalf of my blog readers (and myself, too, of course)!

On another subject altogether, I've been reading a book called Double Lives: Writing and Motherhood, which I'm reviewing for the Montreal Gazette. Last night, I read the preface, which is written by Toronto author Marni Jackson. Marni said something that really resonated for me about what's required when you write a novel: a "sort of deep, sustained solitary work." I think that's because unlike a short story for example, a novel generally takes much longer to write, and I agree about the "deep, sustained solitary" nature of the task. It's kind of odd in my case since I tend to be pretty sociable, not naturally solitary, and yet, I so enjoy (well, especially on a day when the writing is going well), the quiet looking-inwardness of writing. What about you?

Today's been a this 'n that sort of day. Lots of little things to do -- and not a long enough block of time to really work on the final go-through of What World Is Left. Also, I've been busy with the "business" of writing. Today, I had my photograph taken for a Ville St. Laurent weekly newspaper -- my not-so-imaginary school in 121 Express is located there - - and so, theyare doing a story about the book. The photographer, Martin, came up with the idea of doing the shoot at the 121 bus stop on Cote Vertu, and he even waited till a bus came by to snap some of the pictures. I thought that was a great idea -- one I never would have come up with. I guess photographers like Martin have to be visual thinkers.

I had an e-mail yesterday from Don Aker. I had written to tell him that I'd read an excerpt from his book The Space Between to two of my classes at Marianopolis College and that they really enjoyed it. Don said something interesting about how he wrote the particular scene I'd read. I'm going to paste in some of his e-mail message here:  "As I think I told you, I revise and revise and revise as I write (remember that Dorothy Parker line about not being able to write five words without changing seven?). Sometimes, though (and far too seldom), I'll write a scene that, once finished, I know better not to frig with it. That was one of those scenes. (Oh, how I wish writing happened that way all the time....)" Aspiring writers out there, are you listening? Don is saying that most of the time, his writing requires lots of "frigging" around. So don't even think of handing in a first draft to me or anybody else! Revise, revise, revise! (Which just happens to be what I'm doing this week.) 

I've got a nice picture of the students I worked with at Hebrew Academy, only I haven't quite figured out how to include pictures in this blog. Once school is over in May, I'll put that at the top of my to-do list. Melanie Jeffs arrives tomorrow from Vancouver Island. Watch this space to see what kind of tips a YA editor has to offer us.  

I'm just home from my final writing workshop at Hebrew Academy. Today, we talked about dialogue and how it can help bring a story to life. We also discussed how dialogue that doesn't work can distract readers from the story you want to tell. Because it was our final workshop, I gave the students a little more time than usual to work on their stories -- and then to share them with the restof the group. Here are some of the neat things the students came up with: 

Noah is working on a story about a black teenager who is accused of stealing. After a cashier speaks rudely to him, the teen says: "I ain't rubbish!" That line really helps us get to know Noah's main character and to sense his frustration.

Eric is working on a story about boxing. When his narrator gets walloped by his opponent, the coach calls out: "You're better than this! What were you thinking?" Here too, we can HEAR the COACH'S VOICE -- which is what creating dialogue is all about: capturing voices.

I told the students how I like to hone my dialogue-writing skills by LISTENING IN ON OTHER PEOPLE'S CONVERSATIONS. Some people might think this is rude, but try it and you'll see it works -- just don't be too obvious about it!!

Talia is writing about two girls who meet up at school. Her narrator says this about her teacher Mrs. Olive: "She's not an old warty toad like the rest of the teachers." I thought that was a great descriptive line.

One of the most fun parts of working with the students at Hebrew Academy is seeing how easily writing comes to them. If I asked my students at Marianopolis to produce a piece of writing in 20 minutes -- or if someone asked me to do that -- we'd probably all freeze, at least at first. But these kids just go for it. I think it has something to do with being the age they are (they're in grades five and six). They haven't learned to worry about how good they are the way older people tend to do. So perhaps these youngsters have something to teach the rest of us: not to worry too much, and just to get down to our writing and do it. On that note, I'm going back to polish up the final draft of What World Is Left.  Hey, I haven't told you some cool news: I'm going to be away for a few days next week. I've been invited to participate in "Livres en fete!" -- a literary festival in the Gaspe. Fun, fun, fun!! 

It's a little hard to concentrate when it's warm and sunny and my clothesline is calling to me! "Monique! Monique! Hang out the sheets on me, please! Think how nice they'll smell when you crawl into bed tonight!"

I'm getting to my computer late today (blame the clothesline), but I need to get cracking on that final read through "What World Is Left." 

Tomorrow, I do a workshop on dialogue with the students at Hebrew Academy, so I'll do a blog on that to tell you how things go. Also, on Thursday, Melanie Jeffs, editor of my new book 121 Express, is coming from Vancouver Island to visit for a few days. I was hoping she'd be able to drop by my Writing for Children class, but unfortunately, the timing doesn't work out. But don't despair -- watch this space -- my plan is to pick Melanie's brain and report back with my findings. Let me know if you've got any questions you'd like me to ask on your behalf. Melanie edits Orca Currents (another one of my books, Finding Elmo, which was published last year, is also an Orca Current).

Talk to you tomorrow, then -- after the dialogue workshop! 

I'm sitting at my computer, but I'm still flying from my big day at LaurenHill Academy's Junior campus in Ville St. Laurent. LaurenHill is a special school  for me -- since that's where I got my idea for my newest book, 121 Express. The idea came about in November 2006, on the day I met Andrew Adams, an English teacher at the school. Andrew and I were paired up for a Blue MetropolisLiterary Foundation project called Quebec Roots, in which students write (and take photographs) about their community. I still remember the very moment when Andrew told me how his students, generally lovely kids, turn into monsters when, every day after school, they step onto a bus called the 121 Express. The rest is history!

So today, I got to read from the book, talk about writing, and do a writing exercise with about 350 grade eight students at the school. IT WAS SUPER FUN!!! The kids laughed at all the right spots, which made me so so so happy. It's one thing when you're at your computer, trying to imagine your characters and hoping to connect with your readers -- but quite another when readers laugh when you want them to. I have a feeling I'll be flying all weekend.

Andrew Adams couldn't make it today, but I met several of his colleagues, including Colleen Long, head of the English department, who organized today's visit. Thanks so much Andrew and Colleen for everything!

For the writing exercise, I asked students to imagine a character they might write a story about -- and then to try and hear that character's voice in their heads. The kids came up with some pretty neat stuff. Sharon said she wanted to write about a bully. (I told her I thought that was a great idea since most stories about bullying focus on the victim. Wouldn't you like to know what makes a bully turn into a bully?) Tia wants to write about someone who's been abused. Vanessa wants to write about a student who appears happy on the outside, but who's troubled inside. Bryan told us he'd like to write about a refugee. Angelo sounds like he's done so much thinking about his character, he might actually be ready to start his book; he's interested in writing about a boy who's picked on, and who channels his anger by boxing. 

I met lots more students and talked to several about their interest in reading and writing. Arthi has already written poems about summer for a school project. I suggested she might incorporate summer as a setting in her own book. Maisha told me she writes every single day in her diary, mostly before she goes to bed. And I decided that Evan, who was wearing a blue hoodie and told me he likes reading "a bit," would make a great character in a book -- there was something intriguing about the way he was hiding inside that hoodie!

Hopefully, one day, I'll get to read some of those books -- as well as the books written by other readers of this blog. I like the feeling of knowing there are an infinite number of stories out there.  Finds yours -- then tell it. Special hello to the students at LaurenHill if you're reading today's blog. You guys are awesome!!

 

Bonjour. I greeted you in French today because I'm just back from a visit to College Brebeuf, where I spoke to Lawrence Szigeti's English as Second Language students. Lawrence invited me in to discuss my short story "Row by Row," which is going to be published later this year in an  anthologyedited by Zsolt Alapi, who is co-chair of the English department at Marianopolis College, where I teach.

Of course, I also managed to talk to the students about writing in general -- and about YA literature. A couple of the students stayed to chat with me after class. Claudia, who's 18, told me she used to write a lot when she was younger, and that she even won prizes for her compositions. "I lost it," she said about her old love for writing. Claudia hopes to become a surgeon, and though she may have lost her interest in writing, she still enjoys reading, especially love stories. Her favourite author is Dominique Demers.

I also spoke with Alexandra, who's 17. She likes writing and painting, and this is what she says happens to her when she's involved in doing something creative: "I get into a trance. I'm into my story. I get happy changing the words. When I write or paint, I get into my thing and forget everything else!" Spoken like a real writer, Alexandra!

Well then, I have about an hour-and-a-half before I have to leave for Marianopolis. That means it's time for me to get into that "trance" Alexandra was talking about. I had news yesterday from Sarah Harvey, who's editing my historical novel What World Is Left. Looks like she's pretty happy with the manuscript. Now I've got to go through it one last time for some final "tweaking."

Hey, tomorrow I go to LaurenHill Academy Junior Campus to do workshops for students there. And I don't know if I've told you this yet, but my latest book, 121 Express, was inspired by stories I heard from LaurenHill students. In my book. students at the imaginary "Lorne Crest Academy" go wild on a school bus called the ... you got it ... 121 Express. I'll be out most of the day tomorrow, but I'll make sure to write a blog entry to tell you how things go.

The crocuses are out in our front garden. Talk to you soon!

So I was at Hebrew Academy again this morning, this time to do a workshop on setting. We spent the first half hour on theory. I explained how setting is a way of taking your reader with you -- transporting your reader to another time and place. I also talked about the importance of selecting sensory details in order to create an overall mood or impression -- and we looked at several YA authors' use of setting in their books. 

After that, the students went to work -- producing some surprisingly excellent stuff, considering they only had about 20 minutes (we used the last 10 minutes for reading out loud). Danielle is working on a story about a German Jewish family forced to share their home at the start of the Holocaust. Danielle's narrator explains that her "older brother slept on the floor next to the armoire" and that she and her parents are "all squished into one bed." In these phrases, Danielle manages to transport us -- showing she's understood the use of setting. 

While the others were writing, Charlie came over to show me his work. He warned me, "It's not done." Of course, I thought this was very deep! "Not done means Charlie's piece is a work in progress -- like all good writing. I told the students how my YA book On the Game went to seven (count 'em -- seven!) before it was ready!

And -- on a lighter note -- Shira (creator of Penelope Prune, whom you may remember from a previous blog entry), told me a joke on English teachers. Here goes:

John says, "I is...."

His teacher interrupts him, saying, "No, it's 'I am!'" 

"Okay," John says, "I am the ninth letter of the alphabet!" 

The moral of that is -- sometimes even English teachers make mistakes! Have a great day wherever you are!