Just updated my calendar, so all these events that I’m taking part in are included there if you’re interested and want a reminder.

First off, tonight I’ll be talking to Rick Walton’s BYU class on children’s publishing again. The class is about breaking into the business, and having one book out for roughly nine months I’m sure qualifies me. I really enjoyed the last time I visited the class, and expect to do so again tonight.

Next up, I’ll be taking part in a pair of events next week. The first will be a visit to East Sandy Elementary school on Thursday, March 4th. I’ll do an assembly for 3rd-6th grades at 1:30 p.m. Should be fun, as always.

The next day, Friday, March 5th, I’ll be presenting at UELMA’s Spring Conference (the Utah Educational Library Media Association), which is being held at Mountain View High School (665 West Center Street, Orem, UT). I’m slated to present at noon (as is James Dashner, who somehow always seems to follow me around. I will need to think of a particularly biting joke about him to use in my presentation to teach him a lesson). The presentation is called Goosebumps, Great Expectations? Tomato, Tomaeto, Potato, Potaeto…: Why the only poor story is a story not read. I’ve put together what should be a really fun workshop on archetypes in narrative, why they exist, and how they undergird the importance of libraries as a place where children can develop narrative literacy without the impositions on reading that come from other areas of their lives. We’ll talk about archetypal theory and see it in action in a wide variety of texts, learn who fills the Darth Vader role in Pride and Prejudice, and stuff like that. Any school librarians considering me for a visit to their school are encouraged to attend the breakout session. It will give you a good idea of what I have to offer as a teacher and presenter.

Finally, a pair of events on May 15th. In the morning I’ll be conducting a two-hour workshop on characterization and triple-duty writing (come to the workshop to see what that is) for the League of Utah Writers’ Spring Workshop. I’ll be holding the workshop from 9 – 11:00 in the morning. The event is free for League members, though I promise the experience will be worthwhile even if you have to pay. (Joining the League for $24 a year is cheaper, and well worth it for any local writer.) I’ll give more information about venue and other contributors when I learn more.

After the workshop, I’m driving to Provo to take part in the Provo Library’s Annual Provo Children’s Book Festival. I believe that I will be reading from Green Dragon Codex in the afternoon, but I’m not sure when. Of course, I’ll let you know as soon as I do. This is a great—and FREE—event, so anyone interested in children’s literature really should be there. The list of participants is just fantastic. When you start with names like Brandon Mull and Shannon Hale and don’t go down much at all from there, you know it’s going to be a quality experience. Also, those who know me are aware that I don’t do many readings, especially of my work for children. (Though I’m not too shabby at it, if you’re worried about that.) If you want to hear me read from GDC, this may be your only chance in the near future.

Finally, I try to announce other writing events in my local area when I hear about them (and when I remember to pass along the message). I’m not participating in this one this year, but the 2010 Teen Writers Conference is being held on Saturday, June 5th, at Weber State University. This is a really cool conference focused on encouraging teenage writers between the ages of 13 to 19. Josi Kilpack is kind of the driving force behind this conference, and she and other organizers have lined up a fantastic list of presenters and instructors, many of whom are good friends I respect a lot. If you’re a teen who writes or is interested in writing, or if you know such a person, please let them know about this event. It’s really a great opportunity for professional level instruction very early in a person’s development as a writer.

Kids are cool.  Some adults are as well (the child-like ones), but, frankly, it’s kind of hit and miss once people have had time to ferment. 

So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that my recent visits to Farnsworth and Jordan Ridge Elementaries were greatly enjoyable.  I was more experienced at the assembly I give, which made me both more comfortable and more effective at the presentation.  I think everyone involved got something from the experience.

On Thursday I went to Farnsworth and did the assembly for several grades, 3rd-6th, I think.  That ended up being a few hundred students.  We experienced some technical problems that almost had me doing the assembly without any visuals, but a number of technical wizards got together and willed my laptop to work with the school’s projector.  Things went smoothly from then on and we told a story about two heroes mining for cheese on the moon when a villain, bitter at their success, ate all the cheese and was thereafter blown up, spraying previously injested cheese all over the kids.  In spite of the mess, teachers and administrators all seemed happy I’d come, and I spent longer than I anticipated signing books for students, teachers, and even one parent.  Special thanks to everyone at the school, especially Principal Kissell for the invitation. 

The next morning I drove to Jordan Ridge Elementary for their first ever author day.  This was a surprisingly big event that the school pulled off flawlessly.  There were a number of authors there in addition to myself: Ann Cannon, Kristen Crow, M’Lin Rowley, Virginia Smith, and my friend Jessica Day George, who is completely deserving of the reputation of red-headed women (in all good and scary ways).  We each addressed two grade levels, one at a time in two sessions.  I got third and fourth graders, which I think is very suitable given my maturity level.  It was quite a shindig with breakfast and a catered lunch and everything.  I’m sure that those of us fortunate enough to be invited to participate had far more fun than the students, but hopefully they enjoyed it too.  This event was so complex that there are more people to thank than I even know their names, but I can’t leave out Pam Onederra, organizer and the school’s literacy specialists.  She went above and beyond with this, believe me. 

And, of course, I must thank my wonderful guide Meridenne (let me know if I spelled this wrong!) yet pronounced Meredith, a very sharp girl who wants to be an editor when she grows up.  A decade from now some writers are going to be awfully lucky to work with you, and when you’re famous in writing circles I’ll tell all my friends, “Hey, she showed me around her school once.  Yeah, I know you’re jealous.”  And they will be.  Very.

Susanne asked:

What is the difference between Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction?

Consider speculative fiction something of a super-genre, or a category that includes several mainstream genres: fantasy, science fiction, and horror.  Each of these genres then split off into multiple sub-genres (think high fantasy or military sci-fi).  It is called speculative fiction because these stories all have a major speculative element, or something that is not factual in reality.  Fantasy is usually defined by something magical or mystical; science fiction involves something that may theoretically be possible given extrapolation of our current understanding of natural law; horror generally involves some incarnate of evil, whether literal or metaphorical, often a being or entity of some sort (which is what differentiates horror from thriller).   

So, you can think of speculative fiction as the big tent under which fantasy, science fiction, and horror all reside.  I use the term speculative fiction more than most because much of what I write doesn’t fit cleanly into any of the three main genres under the tent.  This is sometimes called a ”slipstream” story, or a story that slips from one genre to another and back.  I find it easier to call my writing speculative because it doesn’t mislead people into expecting something more well defined, which much of my writing isn’t.  If people read some of my stories expecting high or epic fantasy because it’s called fantasy, they’ll be confused and maybe disappointed.      

Next post: an update on my visits to Farnsworth and Jordan Ridge Elementaries.

Vivia wrote the following:

I plan to attend the workshop each month. Do you attend regularly? I am willing to learn, and would welcome any advice you can give me.

If you mean the Oquirrh chapter meeting of the League of Utah Writers, I attend as often as I can. It was the first writers organization of any kind I ever became involved with, and through the people I met there a lot of important things have happened in my career. Also, I’ve made a lot of friends in the group, as well as throughout the other chapters of the League. So I go as often as I can.

Back to Vivia:

What does LTUE stand for?

Life, the Universe, and Everything: The Marion K. “Doc” Smith Symposium on Science Fiction & Fantasy. No, I’m not making that up. 2010 is the 28th annual holding of the conference. Er, um, symposium. I believe one’s nose must be slightly elevated in a snooty way to pronounce that word properly, by the way. That’s why I call it a conference. I can do snooty, but not very well.

Vivia (a name I am going to “borrow” for a character at some point) concludes with:

Hope to someday read one of your books. I will get one as soon as possible.

As things hoped for go, this is about the grandest of them all. World peace is almost as good.

Now to practice my assembly presentation a few times before visiting Farnsworth Elementary later today. Not that I’m complaining, not at all, but I’m still a little perplexed at how intelligent, responsible adults can knowingly and willingly expose large numbers of children to me. I’m pretty sure my odd breed of madness is catching. Oh well. Who doesn’t appreciate 300 tetched elementary students?

See, told you.  Pretty cool, huh?

This fantastic red dragon is the work of a talented boy named Tysen (for those who can’t make out his name at the bottom right of the page).  He is a fourth grade student at Bell View Elementary, which I visited last month.  When I told the students that they could give their teachers pictures of dragons to be sent to me I thought I might get a few, but I never expected this!

It’s too bad that somewhere on the journey from Tysen’s talented fingers to my scanner the dragon’s right wing was torn off and lost with the top of the page (I would loved to have seen this wyrm’s full wingspan).  Despite that and a few small tears, the pictures is still hugely impressive.  Truly a terrifying dragon.  Look at the mane of spines and the scaly ridges at the joints.  I’ve never seen a red dragon, but I assume when I do it will look pretty much like this.  I only hope the fire isn’t aimed at me.

Tysen, if you read this, be sure to keep drawing.  You’ve got a real talent.  And you know, I can always use more pictures of dragons, especially if they’re green….

And that goes for any kid out there.  If you have a drawing of a dragon or a story about them—or any magical creature, or anything else, really—and would like me to share your talent with the world here on my blog, then tell your teacher or school librarian or principal or parents.  Tell them to invite me to your school so that we can share stories and silly pictures (only schools I visit know how silly), and so I can see the wonderful things you’ve created, and, if you want, show them so the rest of the world can see them too—right here.

I was near a Barnes and Noble that I don’t normally pass by (may have news about a signing in the next day or two) and took the opportunity to drop in and sign their copies of GDC.  Or I should say I signed three of their four copies.  The fourth copy, you see, was bound both upside down and backward in the cover.  I believe the official term for such a copy is “defective”.

I would use a different term, something in the realm of “completely awesome”.  I don’t know why, but seeing that odd, contorted version of my book gave me a million different happy feelings.  I immediately told the CRM—Community Relations Manager—that I would very much like to trade one of my boring, correctly bound versions of the book for their “defective” copy.  They kindly agreed.  So I’ll head back there tonight to switch books. 

I can’t wait!  Merry Christmas Mr. Me!

*****

Today I received a very cool package in the mail: a fantastic drawing of a dragon by a talented student at Bell View Elementary, where I gave me first assembly.  And I do mean fantastic.  You guys are going to love it.  As soon as I can figure out how to scan it and upload the image, I’ll share it.  With the image I’ll give the student’s name and grade, and I’m sure any and all compliments would be appreciated—and certainly deserved.  Just wait until you see this dragon….

*****

Finally, a good cause for a good friend: Stacy Whitman, my original editor at Mirrorstone, is starting up her own small press right here in Utah.  That alone is enough for me to support her and make this post worth your interest, but it isn’t all there is: the press is dedicated to cultural and ethnic diversity, particularly in children’s and YA fantasy.  In my own writing I tend to use a variety of cultures and ethnicities instinctively (likely because of my many positive and inspiring experience with minority students), but that isn’t exactly common across the genre.  There’s a place in the market for such books, and Stacy is determined to fill that through Tu Publishing.  Here’s a message she sent for those who want more information:

If you guys are on Facebook, you might have already seen me posting about the small press that I’m starting, Tu Publishing. If you’re not, I’m working on starting a small publishing company that will fill a gap in the market, to publish multicultural fantasy and science fiction for children and young adults. Our website is http://www.tupublishing.com, if you want to know more about our mission.

To get started, publishing books takes a lot of money, even on a “shoestring” budget. That’s why I’m doing a Kickstartercampaign—to raise enough money to get started and give a reward to everyone who donates. If enough people donate $5, or $15, or $20, we’ll be able to reach our goal. For every donation through Kickstarter, the donator gets a reward: bookmarks, early copies of books we publish, books donated to libraries, etc. For a really big, pie-in-the-sky donation, I’ve even promised an author visit. So they get something for their money, and with enough people banding together, the project can become a reality.

The project has had almost 3 months to run. So far, we’re up to $4031 of $10,000, with just under a week left. So we’ve got some ground to cover—no money exchanges hands if we don’t reach $10,000.

Here’s the link to the Kickstarter page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1586632165/tu-publishing-a-small-independent-multiculturalhttp://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1586632165/tu-publishing-a-small-independent-multicultural

It’s completely secure—payments are handled through Amazon payments.

With my job experience and expertise, I know I can make this company a success if we can reach this goal. With $10,000, we’ll be able to start acquiring books, and then after we’ve gotten a book or two out, I’ll be able to approach a bank for a Small Business Administration-guaranteed loan. (That $10,000 will be supplemented by my own income and perhaps a few small investments from other people—the $10,000 is seed money, basically.)

Anyway, I just wanted to make you aware of this, in case you hadn’t seen it on Facebook. I know money is tight everywhere right now, so if you can’t fit it in your budget, I understand. But if you do have a few bucks to spare and think this is a good cause—making sure that there are more fantasy and science fiction books out there that feature characters from all backgrounds—you’ll get something back for it.

Another way you can help is to blog or Twitter or tell your Facebookfriends about it, giving them the links above. The more people who know about it, the more people who might have an extra $5 or $20 to spare.

Thanks, everyone! Happy holidays!

Somehow, linguistics and language issues—particularly semantics—manage to infiltrate every book I write.  I don’t mean in application, but in commentary: I actually make statements on my thoughts and feelings about how language works in my stories.  It isn’t something that I seek; rather, I’ve come to consider it one element of my style, these passages of metalanguage (there’s a lot of metafiction in some, too).  What, you want an example?  Okay, well, in my never-to-be-named-on-this-site-until-sold children’s fantasy (which a publisher has had in entire manuscript form—requested—for one year this week), I have a fairy who majored in Homo Sapien Semantics and Semiotics or, as she explains to my confused protagonist, “What humans call stuff.” 

And just a few days ago a linguistic element popped into my head for a potential sequel to the above-mentioned book.  Can’t go into much detail, but the situation involves a great leader who is given magical powers and protection due to her station, and who later abandons her post.  In this crisis, someone has to replace her, only he doesn’t receive all the abilities and protections that came with her official position.  His interim position comes with a kind of runner’s up set of powers, headlined by—don’t know who’ll get this, but I love it—magic stupid powers.  NOT stupid magic powers.  

I was going to write just what I mean by the distinction (for those who, quite reasonably, aren’t aware of how the six—I think it’s six?—level hierarchy of English adjectives is structured), but I think I’ll make you wait for the book’s release.  That may be, I don’t know, about four years.  I guess that makes this a teaser.  Well in advance.  Well, well in advance.

Anyway, does anyone have linguistic issues spontaneously pop up in their creative writing?  You know, commenting on the complexity of article use, literally, by referring to the fact that ”a 360 degree angle” is correct and ”the 360 degree angle” isn’t for the first introduction of said angle?  (It has to do with that whole definite/indefinite thing…)  If so, I have only one thing to say…

How weird are you?

*****

In other news, when I visit schools I offer to post drawings of dragons that kids do here on the site.  I think the first such drawing is in the mail (the educator swears she’s already sent it).  When I get it, I’ll post it here for everyone to enjoy, along with proper attribution for the student.        

Thanks to all the teachers and students who took part in last Thursday’s assembly at Bell View Elementary in Sandy.  Thanks, in particular, to Principal Webb and to Ms. Chilcutt, who, I believe, has the impressive title of Literacy Specialist.  As for the event itself, it went about as well as I could imagine for a first time presentation.  

Grades 4 through 6 attended, and they were excited and eager from the moment they entered the auditorium.  (This enthusiasm was helped along by the really cool images of dragons I had cycling on the projector.  I know they were very cool because each class that entered the room did so with choruses of “Oh, Wow!” which is always good.)  The students were well-behaved and participated eagerly.  Together we learned about the secret pieces of a story, told a great tale about a hero and best friend searching for Captain Kidd’s lost treasure while being chased by Evil Tyler (who used a giant eggbeater to create a whirlpool and, when that didn’t work, sicked his trained attack swordfish on our heroes), and made a lot of noise in general.  Then I talked a little bit about GDC, answered a few questions, and signed books for kids who had bought copies.  A few others asked if Barnes and Noble carried them for Christmas.  I assured them that my book would be the single greatest Christmas present that any kid ever received in the history of the world.  I think they were too smart for that, but some still said they’d ask for it on their Christmas lists.

It was a good learning experience for me, and I’m looking forward to more school visits in the future.  I’m confident it was an entertaining and useful experience for the students and teachers as well.  What I covered should give the teachers a platform from which to address reading, writing, narrative, and media overall, and I hope the students now have a new appreciation for how capable they are at storytelling, and know that is important. 

If none of that happened, well, at least they’ll always have me as Superwoman.  (Just a photoshopped image.  I thought that showing up at the school in a red miniskirt and cape, while interesting, might send the wrong message.  I’m not certain just what message that might have been, but I suspect it would have been wrong on a multitude of levels.)

On Thursday the 19th I’ll be conducting my first full-blown assembly at Bell View elementary in the south Salt Lake area. Don’t know if any of you have kids that attend this school, but if so tell them to let me know that their parents are particularly astute and interesting (characteristics shared by all frequenters of this site, I’m sure).

Beyond Bell View, the next six months look to hold a number of such visits, so keep your eye on this blog. There’s a distinct chance that if you live in the Salt Lake and surrounding areas that I may be coming to your kids’ school. Also, if any of you are interested in observing a school visit (many of you may be planning to do your own sometime in the future), just let me know and I’ll invite you to an event. Give me a few times to get the program down and I’ll be happy to let people see what I’ve come up with.

As for the “something” in this post’s title, do any of you ever wonder what exactly is poetry? One of the many, many random thoughts that continually ricochet through my head is, I think, an odd attempt to answer that question. (Do any of you have spontaneous definitions or semantic explorations just shoot through your heads? If not, how weird are you?) Here’s what popped in there this time: the semantic exercise which turns blunt tools (words) simultaneously sharp and squishy. If anyone knows what that means, please let me know, because it has me awfully curious.

Oh, and just a reminder to come see me Monday at the Layton Barnes and Noble at 7:00 for my free workshop.

I’m pretty sure last week was the first since I started this blog that I didn’t post at least something here.  Sorry about that.  I’m sure that your pangs for my wonderful words were quite exquisite.  But thirteen hours of classes straight every day for five days, plus transit, had me down to five hours of sleep a night—when I didn’t shower.  (I’d like to note that I did not skip five days worth of showers, so relax.)  It was kind of grueling, but a very positive experience, overall.  Here are some of the highlights: Jack Welch’s fireside on creativity, discovery, and truth (great on its own, but it was nice to shake Jack’s hand again as well, as he’s something of a friend); Daniel Peterson making a cogent argument for LDS theology possibly fitting into social trinitarianism (courageous thesis); Doug Brinley sharing lots of firsthand stories from students that show just how weird some people are who still manage to get married (quite encouraging, in a disturbing way); an excellent two-hour block by Matthew Richardson on how the Greek notions of the four loves—philos, storge, eros, and agape—determine the nature of every healthy relationship (every single person on this planet should attend this lecture); lots of Michael Wilcox, who is no less wonderful when heard frequently and in large amounts; and four nights of eating out without exercise (which was enjoyable despite being very naughty and making me work far harder than is healthy this week). 

So, that’s what I was doing last week.  This week, I’m trying to make next month work out. 

A little too cryptic, huh.  Well, can’t say more yet, except all the work I’ve been putting in to the school tours for next month has met with some frustratingly mixed results.  I’ve been looking to switch gears a bit.  It may take a few days to finalize what’s going on, and I’ll let you know as soon as I do.  But here’s a heads up: I think I’m going to be holding a free workshop, probably one that I’ve never given before.  Hope that wets your appetite.  Come back for more information when I have it.