One, Two, and Three!
1.
How wonderful to have to explain myself to a child! I borrowed a
10-year-old today, who approached me with her ideas of how I should go
about publishing a book, beginning with the suggestion that I should
come up with an idea, and ending with "publish it". I asked her about
what she was reading, made the ubiquitous Harry Potter question, and
then we discussed what I was working on.
Brilliant. After a year of plugging away at this story I've been working on since last fall, I have finally figured out what it's about. I have also, incidentally, figured out why it's important, why it is I am writing the things that I am. I never thought I had "a story", that one plot idea that writers work through again and again until they get it right, but in talking to her, I realized that two of my stories were essentially the same, working through the same ideas.
Mum's the word for now, but when there's actual manuscripts, I'll at least have something insightful to say to interviewers.
Meanwhile, we also discussed genealogy, and through a little web research, discovered the difference between cousins Nth removed versus Nth cousins. Did you know that your Grandmother's cousin's niece is your second cousin once removed? Neither did we, but then we looked it up.
I think her father was impressed. That's good, as he pays my salary.
2.
This book, while it certainly didn't avoid using the nomenclature of
modern analytical and narrative theory, stayed much more in a realm
that I, who has never been very good with literary analysis, was much
more comfortable with. Studying children's texts in terms of:
- Snugness
- Scariness
- Smallness
- Lightness and
- Aliveness
Coincidentally, Griswold's book has also led to some intense internal analysis, discovering which aspects of my life have stayed remarkably similar to my childhood opinions of the world, and which ones have, against all will and effort, still become remarkably adult-like. Intriguing, and perhaps someday I may be able to say more, but that is definitely a tale for another time.
3.
About the Deathly Hallows early release photocopies:
The thing about piracy, real piracy, of the kind one engages in on the open seas, is that it's about risk for profit gained. Internet piracy, though, is more about RobinHoodization. There's not to much profit for the risk takers. No credit, no cash. It's given away to the masses.
I'm disappointed in the spoiler. I think it would have said something wonderful about mankind had this ACTUALLY gone off hitch-free. I would have smiled at that, to think that the world was still an honest place.
Yet, I can respect the effort that went into the trick. Well-played, dear Robin Hood Friend. Much effort was put in to your caper, and I respect your antics even as I disapprove of them.
What I have no respect for? The New York Times Book Review of it. (warning: it's a little spoilery. Don't click it if you don't want to know. Those of you who don't want to know should know who you are by now.) Here's the thing about the New York Times doing the book review. In a couple of weeks, that review is going to be sitting behind a copyright wall, and viewers won't even be able to read the review without paying out due licensing fees to the Times. So excuse me if I say a big nasty word about the idea of reviewing "pirated" material for an organization that does everything within it's power to protect and prosecute copyright violations. The Times is not giving it's bounty away free. It is profit gained, no risk. And that's just unfair to everyone, the writer and the robin hood. You're the real racketeers.
Comments
It was so encouraging to read your praise of my new book Feeling Like a Kid: Childhood and Children's Literature . Every author dreams of having the ideal reader, and you seem to understand who I am writing for. These days, unfortunately, writing for the "general reader" seems to mean