Two interesting blog posts about children and ereaders

(picture from Clipart ETC)

About a year ago, my sister sent me a link to a blog post by Eric Kimmel about whether we'll be seeing e-picture books.

Mr. Kimmel was responding to an article in the NY Times which describes the development of color monitors on ereaders. The article's author strongly believes that the spread of these devices will attract child readers.

Mr. Kimmel brings up many salient points, both pro and con ereaders for children. On the pro side: producing an ebook is much cheaper than producing a full-color picture book with glossy paper; children might be attracted to the format. On the negative side: whose device are they reading on? Is a small child able to handle an ereader independently? Is the gimmick of the format going to wear off? Is it going to become another excuse for publishers not to acquire and produce picture books (which is already a big problem)?

I recalled that post today when I read another article, this time on the Motherlode blog of the NY Times. http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/28/why-books-are-better-than-e-books-for-children/
The author, KJ Dell'antonia, recently read a Time Magazine article about children's literacy and ereaders. The Time article suggests that children interact differently with ebooks than with print literature--and so do the adults facilitating the reading experience. These habits negatively impact their ability to learn to read.

In the Jewish community, there's an additional issue: a lot of relaxed family time takes place on Shabbat and Yom Tov. That's when Ima and Abba have time to curl up with Junior and Juniorette and read. For many of us, that means no electronic devices. Sure, we'll read an ebook, but not on Shabbos.

Maybe e-picture books do have a future--actually, I'm betting they do. But they'll need to address at least some of these failings in order make them take over the picture book market entirely.

Great link to a book review site for those of us who want a good clean book to read

I've just discovered this fabulous resource, the Library of Clean Reads, a blog by Laura Fabiani.

http://libraryofcleanreads.blogspot.com/p/about-us.html

There are a few other similar sites out there, most of them by LDS women. However, this one has no references to Mormon or Christian beliefs and doesn't review religious books. Definitely worth checking out.

Exciting 2012 AJL Conference Announcement

Wahoo! 

In 2012, the national AJL conference will be held in the Los Angeles area! It will be Sunday, June 17th in Pasadena, at the beautiful Langham Hotel. All the info will soon be on the www.jewishlibraries.org website.  Writers, librarians, teachers, illustrators or parents can attend the entire conference or opt only to visit select daytime events. One highlight is hearing the winners of annual Sydney Taylor awards speak.  The wonderful librarian Lisa Silverman of Sinai Temple Library says that attendees will have opportunities to meet a lot of people in the field. (She also assured me that the food will be kosher.)

Because of this exciting local event, Lisa informs me that they will not be holding a West Coast Children’s Jewish Literature Conference this April. That's too bad, but I'm very excited about the opportunity to attend the conference without having to book plane tickets or a hotel! Pass on the info to any L.A. area book-lovers who might be interested. Additionally, if you want to present a session at the conference, you can still submit a topic until December 31st. Follow the link below:

http://www.jewishlibraries.org/main/Events/AnnualConvention.aspx

Don't get taken advantage of!

Recently, I've had a few friends who have approached me about sketchy sounding publishing deals they were being offered.

This is not a new problem. For example, for years, there have been people who advertise that they are compiling a book of poetry. They request submissions, but in order to be included, you have to pay. Then, you must pay additional money to receive each copy you might want to own or distribute to friends.

However, with the advent of self-publishing, the problem has escalated. It can be very hard to tell the difference between a self-publisher that's genuine (like CreateSpace or Lulu or many if not all the major Jewish ones) and someone like Publish America who doesn't charge you up front, but then demands extraordinarily high prices for any "needed" services (like editing) and then overcharges on shipping every copy you want and sets prices so high that buyers are turned off. Not only that, but the wrong publisher (even some traditional ones that are big names) can sneak things into the contract that limit your rights regarding overseas sales, translations, ebook or film rights, and so on.

Additionally, even many legit self-publishers will forget to tell you that the average self-published book will never sell more than 100 copies--so it is highly likely you'll never recoup your investment unless you study book marketing and prepare to premote yourself like crazy.

If you want to be taken seriously as an author, there's another concern: there's less prestige associated with self-publishing than going the traditional route. (By the way, this is less true in the Jewish world, where it has always been common to self-publish, co-publish or to pay for publication through donations.) However, self-publishing isn't the no-no it used to be so long as you are sufficiently informed about the process.

The lesson from all is this is do your research BEFORE submitting to a publisher or agent, and certainly before signing any paperwork. These two sites are must-sees for anyone contemplating a book or article submission:

Writer Beware
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/

Preditors and Editors
http://pred-ed.com/

Electronic Publishing

On a couple of my LinkedIn groups, there have been some fascinating conversations lately about self-publishing. At this point in my life, I can't imagine starting such a project--unless we're discussing ebooks.

As I have mentioned before, the novel I'm currently working on is so quirky, I'm a little afraid of its publishing possibilities. I'm also considering an anthology of my stories (including ones that have previously appeared in magazines). I can't imagine spending the money on self-publishing up front--but ebooks can be printed with services like Lulu for virtually nothing. Moreover, if you price your book in the magic window of $.99 to $2.99, you can get a lot of downloads. The author's share of the profit is higher, and they can accumulate into a little pile of spending money.

I tested out a Kindle last week.

Definitely a weird experience for me. The sound, smell and tactile experiences of reading an ebook are so different than with a print one, and your eyes and hands operate so differently, that it was a little off-putting. 

I visited the Lulu site, too. There are a LOT of details, details traditionally published authors don't handle.

Additionally, I have concerns about how well ebooks are penetrating the Jewish market. My most recent Artscroll and Feldheim catalogs do boast ebook offerings, and here are some links to Jewish e-book sites online:

http://www.jewish-e-books.com/

http://www.publishersrow.com/ebookshuk/

Definitely more research is in order.

Wonderful reads this weekend

I had one of those weekends where I spent a lot of time enjoying magazines. On Motzei Shabbos (Saturday night), I got my Winter 2011 edition of The Mulberry Tree (the official magazine of St. Mary's College of Maryland), and it included a tribute to the late professor Alan Paskow. Dr. Paskow's wife, Jacqueline, was my French professor for several semesters and the couple was notable not just for their intellectual brilliance, but for their kindness and dedication to their students.

The Mulberry Tree article excerpted a talk Dr. Paskow had given shortly before his retirement from SMC, entitled "On Writing an Academic Book." I'm finding that I identify with a lot of what Dr. Paskow says in it about the process of writing his 2004 book book, The Paradoxes of Art: A Phenomenological Investigation. Take this:

"One of the first things I experienced in beginning my work was a periodic reminder that no one had asked me to write it...One of the most difficult tasks in writing the book was to suppress thoughts about how it would be received, even whether it would be received at all. I would think: No one will publish this thing."

This is precisely the thought that has run through my head about the novel I'm supposed revise (and which I keep finding excuses not to). It's really a great comfort to share your most recent existential crisis with someone you really admire, and even more a comfort to know that he was able to persist, completing his book and successfully publishing it. Here's a link to Alan Paskow's book. http://www.amazon.com/Paradoxes-Art-Phenomenological-Investigation/dp/0521828333 I think it's out of print, so if you want to get your hands on it without spending a lot, your best bet is probably borrowing it from a university library.

(The book addresses the idea of why fictional characters and even images of people that appear in paintings affect our emotions, even when we are fully aware they are not real. Personally, I think this quality of art is a defense of both the arts and arts education. Dr. Paskow concludes, interestingly, that the fictional subjects of works of art achieve a sort of quasi-reality that allows us to interact with them. While at first glance, such an assertion seems peculiar, think about the legions of Harry Potter and Twilight fans who talk about the characters as if they are personal friends of theirs and dress in costumes appropriate to the books. Or think about the Cornelia Funke book Inkheart and the story "I Remember the Future" by Michael Burstein.)

The other interesting read this weekend was an outstanding profile of Gadi Pollack in the Inyan Magazine (HaModia) for Parshas Vayeishev. Most people are more familiar with Mr. Pollack's artwork than his name. Here's a link to some of the books he has illustrated.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&ie=UTF8&field-author=Gadi%20Pollack

The article in Inyan detailed how Mr. Pollack integrates his artwork and his spiritual life in an inspirational way. I recommend picking up the article while last week's magazine is still on the shelf.

How sharing literature, movies, and music can lead to important conversations with your kids

I just read this interesting article in the Chicago Sun-Times about how reading/watching the final episode of the Twilight trilogy is a great jumping off point for mothers to address serious issues with their teenaged daughters. http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/9007549-452/vampire-fantasy-can-spark-real-life-dialog.html

My Nitzsche Moment

Isn't it Nitzsche who said, "Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger?"

As I posted a couple weeks ago, I circulated the rough draft of my novel-in-progress among several friends and colleagues. The feedback that has been trickling back has been very enlightening, often useful, and will probably result in a much, much better book.

However--although most of the readers have overall liked my book and said they'd recommend such a book to friends--the feedback has also been extremely demoralizing and makes me want to crawl under a rock.

Everyone insists that I ditch the prologue, make a couple characters more obnoxious, and alter a particular detail. Add more action! More fun details about the planet. Make the robot even more menacing!

Okay, okay, I get it. If four people are telling me the same thing (so far), I guess I'd better take it seriously.

It's going to take me a long time to fix all that, plus address various other issues brought up by my invited editors, reviewers, beta readers, whatever you want to call them. Plus, I still haven't resolved the issue about whether to make the book accessible to a wider audience by limiting my use of Hebrew terms and explaining those used, etc.

I started working at the next draft, but had to stop when my computer died. This was probably a gift from Heaven. I think I need a little break. I was sitting in front of my computer, staring for a couple minutes at the screen, then begining to hyperventilate and twitch.

And I asked for it!

The craziest part is that I would ask for the experience again, because it'll make me a better writer, and my book will certainly be improved. (Maybe I'll even sell this one!)

A lot of writers disregard criticism of their "babies" because it's so painful. But so is childbirth. Literary babies have to develop and grow just like our real children, and after their initial births, you have to spend even more time and effort "educating" them before they can go out and live on their own. Yes, occasionally someone will share an opinion that no one else shares, and you can ignore it. And, yes, criticism should be shared in a respectful way. But if several people who have opinions you trust tell you the same thing, you'd better take notice.

Even if it's painful.

Heads Up on a Nifty Article & a Cloudy Recommendation

Yael Mermelstein, the wonderful Jewish author, is profiled in this past week's (Parshas Toldos) Inyan Magazine found inside the HaModia newspaper. Immediately following the article is the first of a new two-part story by Mrs. Mermelstein. In the profile, Mrs. Mermelstein gives excellent advice about how to start writing as a career or as a hobby. If you are at all interested in this topic, I recommend reading the article.

And here are links to a couple of posts I've written on the topic--some of the advice is the same as Mrs. Mermelstein's, but there are other hints, as well.

http://klempnerkids.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-do-you-do-it.html

http://klempnerkids.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-do-you-do-it-part-2.html

On a totally different topic, I have to tell you that the cloud has now officially saved my -ahem!- tush. My computer died on Thanksgiving day, resulting in a second replacement of its hard drive. Aside from the back up drive that supposedly saves all our updated files every two weeks, I've been relying on the cloud to preserve all my new documents daily. The result--my computer flaked, but I still have my novel, with up-to-date copies of my revision-in-progress. I HIGHLY recommend that all serious writers maintain multiple backups of all files (hard copies, stored in cloud, exterior drive, etc.).

Wiggleroom?

About six months ago, my sister sent me the link to an interview with Eric Kimmel, the acclaimed children's author. The popular blogger at Homeshuling chatted with Mr. Kimmel about his retelling of the Purim story, which came out early this past spring.

(Before I go any further, I want to make clear that I'm actually a big fan of Mr. Kimmel despite what follows. I assure you that many of his books are perfectly appropriate for Jewish families, and urge you to purchase them or borrow them from the library.)

One of the central themes of the interview is whether it's okay to alter the details of a story from the Tanach (Hebrew Bible) or a folktale. Mr. Kimmel feels that "You cannot be absolutely tied to the text or you are going to tie yourself into knots." 

Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/homeshuling/2011/03/an-interview-with-eric-kimmel.html#ixzz1eagiZr1n
He continues later,

I’m writing modern midrash. Because midrash continues to the present day. We are constantly reinterpreting and reinventing these stories. They are not locked in stone. I want children to learn that the stories of the Torah are great stories – they stand with the best of them – Anderson and Grimm – and it all comes down to the story.

 

Recently, my family purchased the animated movie, Young Abraham. This film incorporates many elements of midrash, dropping certain details and streamlining or fictionalizing others. I was a little uncomfortable with the tampering with tradition, but the overall message is the same as in the original midrashim and completely coincides with frumkeit so I don't mind my children viewing it.

This is not the case with Mr. Kimmel's The Story of Esther: A Purim Tale. The author plays fast and loose with the details of the original text, which is--after all--a sacred work from the Tanach. For example, he "glosses over" the deaths of Haman and his family. However, one of the central points of Book of Esther is that Esther and Mordechai are making a tikkun (correction) for the lack of follow-through King Saul demonstrated when he didn't kill King Agag of the Amalekites despite HaShem's instructions to do so. Additionally, it's very important to a true understanding of the Book of Esther that Achashveirosh is a drunken slob and that Esther doesn't really want to be married to him. Mr. Kimmel changes that detail, too.

These are changes to essential details, and I wouldn't want to read this book to my children.

Similarly, in Even Higher, a retelling of the famous I.L. Peretz story about the Rabbi of Nemerov, Mr. Kimmel wanted to give a little context to the story. However, the information he interjects to explain the battles between the misnagdim and the chassidim is incorrect. His mishandling of the chassidus vs. misnaged battles of the 18th and 19th centuries actually makes the subject more murky, not less (and is probably not age-appropriate anyway).

In the same story, Mr. Kimmel shows the Rebbe livening up an old lady by dancing with her. It is highly unlikely a Chassidishe rebbe would dance with a woman, and it sends a message that you can just ditch halachah (in this case, the rules against negiah) if your intentions are okay.

I think that perhaps there is a little "wiggleroom" when you teach children (and writing a picture book is essentially teaching)--but you have to respect the original message and not misrepresent authentic Judaism in the retelling. For this reason, my husband and I generally screen even Jewish books before they enter our home.

What's your opinion?

A trip into the Uncanny Valley

My kids love Tintin comics by Herge, so I was unable to suppress my desire to watch the trailer of the new Tintin film (despite the fact I haven't gone to the movies in nearly eight years). If you're interested it's here:

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/05/17/tintin-adventures-trailer-spielberg/

What surprised me is that the animation in Tintin seemed to me to fall into what is called the Uncanny Valley.

The Uncanny Valley refers to the widespread belief that when computer graphics, robots, or other representations of people look and act almost, but not quite, like the real thing, people are creeped out. Apparently some genuine research has been done in this area, and many experts in CGI and robotics try hard to avoid stumbling into the Uncanny Valley in order to avoid turning off potential viewers. 

 

As technology advances, this becomes more and more difficult. Just when does the image flip from being disgusting and become convincing? And how are we supposed to respond to such simulacra? 

[Indeed, this is a favorite theme in science fiction. For example, both the classic book I, Robot by Asimov and the Ridley Scott movie Blade Runner (based on Phillip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) directly address this conundrum. In one fictional world, androids are prohibited from having a convincing human appearance altogether; in the other, such robots exist, but are forbidden from living on Earth.]

Now let's get back to the new Tintin adaptation. I watched the trailer (and I should repeat that I actually don't watch movies in theaters and rarely at home unless Jewish), and I immediately responded---Ugh! 

I'm not sure why the producers opted for an image capture CGI as opposed to live action (there actually are already animated adaptations of the Tintin comics, so I'm not so shocked that they opted out of another animated version), but I had a visceral reaction against what I saw. I'm wondering if other viewers will have similar reactions. With more and more exposure to video game graphics and the like, maybe the Uncanny Valley will lose it's effect on people who see a lot of CGI.

Ever wanted to write a novel?

As some readers might know, November is National Novel Writing Month. Known as NaNoWriMo to insiders, participants sign up on the website, http://www.nanowrimo.org/, then commit to write a novel of at least 50,000 words by the end of the month. While some people find this task daunting, other people find it motivating and even exhilarating. The deadline gets people who've always wanted to write a novel but failed to follow the number one rule of writing (get your tush into a chair and start writing daily).

Intriguing? Well, even though it's almost the end of the month, it's not too late to participate! Barbara Krasner, who blogs at The Whole Megillah, is starting a Jewish version of NaNoWriMo to coincide with Jewish Book Month, which starts tomorrow (Nov. 21st).

Follow this link to get more details.

http://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/write-your-own-megillah-guest-post-why-write-a-thon-by-rochelle-melander/

Jeremy Rosen's Blog: Jewish Writers

I just read an excellent blog post about what makes a Jewish writer. Jeremy Rosen's Blog: Jewish Writers

I've been wondering a bit about this myself. Right now, I'm looking at the comments I'm getting on the rewritten manuscript of my novel-in-progress from my "reviewers." The book is a sci-fi novel with a very religious (read "traditional Jewish) premise...but I'm not sure that I want it to be published by a Jewish press exclusively for a Jewish audience. (Is it obnoxious to say that I want to write the literary equivalent of a Matisyahu song?) How much can I change the story to be palatable to a wider audience without sacrificing its Jewishness?

When I read a book by Saul Bellow or Phillip Roth (mentioned in the blog post listed above), I'm very uncomfortable. Yes, they are ethnically Jewish, but a lot of the content of their books is anti-Jewish in their religious/philosophical underpinnings. Is a book Jewish just because its author is?

Then again, does a Jewish writer have to write books that are Jewish in substance? If yes, are we talking culture or religion? There are books I've read that are not by religious Jews, but are completely consistent with Jewish ideals. On the other hand, I've read books by Orthodox authors that aren't specifically religious in any way.

Any opinions out there?

The Right tools for the Write job

(image from Clker.com)

Each writer has a unique toolbox of implements they use while writing.

I could be speaking metaphorically, but in this case, I'm talking about actual tools. Most writers have a very special relationship with computers, word processing programs, desks, paper, journals, pens, highlighters, folders, and the like. There are favorite brands and coveted models of all these writing implements.

Most writers have very strong opinions on at least some of these items. There are Moleskin fans, Mac devotees, people who swear by fat .9 mechanical pencil points, and others who want only a black Bic Stick with a fine tip.

Sometimes, I "test drive" pens. I'm not the only one--have you ever gone to store and found the display covered in squiggles and John Hancocks? Pentel, Biro, Bic, PaperMate, and Pilot all have their advocates. Check out this great blog with comparisons of different types of pens, markers, and paper for use by wordsmiths. http://apenchantforpaper.blogspot.com/

And here's an example of how some writers creatively re-purpose items not normally associated with writing for their exploits. http://theemptypen.wordpress.com/2011/11/13/your-best-non-writing-writing-tool/

Recently, I caved into my cheapskate habits and purchased a $0.99 composition book to use as a journal. I think I'll have to discard it soon...I'm not using my journal like I usually do.

This seems silly, but having the right instruments makes writing more pleasurable--and therefore, you're less likely to avoid sitting down and getting to work. (It also helps to have a comfortable chair at your computer desk.)

Currently, I prefer a blue gel pen (Pilot is my fav), medium point only. My preferred notebook is hardcover with a spiral binding so that the pages lie flat. And a pretty picture on the cover helps. That's for journaling, outlining, diagramming--all that pre-writing work. I sometimes do my very first draft in the notebook, too, but then I switch to the computer. I'm pretty flexible on the Mac vs. PC issue, but I HATE, HATE, HATE laptops.

Did I mention that authors have strong opinions on these subjects?

Care to share yours?

Inspiration?

So, I finally finished revising my novel on paper (complete with red ink) at some point early last week. However, I was having trouble actually typing the changes into the document. I'm not sure if I was nervous, bored with the project, or what. I kept finding excuses and wasting time, even with friends and relatives asking if I was finished.

And then the incredible happened...

On Friday morning (while my challah dough was rising), I figured that I should price the cost of making copies through both chain print shops and locally-owned ones. I was about to go to a locally-owned one that I'd heard was reliable and competitively priced when I found an online coupon for Staples Print & Copy services. The coupon was good for 30% off of a job that cost at least $30 AND IT WAS GOING TO EXPIRE ON SATURDAY!

Very motivating.

I had the project done by 1:30 and sent it off to the printer electronically before 2 o'clock.

Wow.

I'm very excited, but more than a little freaked out. I already have my new baby in the capable hands of one reader, with a cover sheet for feedback attached (and a stack of post-its). My writing group will, G-d willing, meet later this week. I'll fork out a couple more copies at that point.

It's funny how my mind works.

Almost ready to print and distribute to a selected few

I'm almost done (at last) my rewrite of the novel-in-progress. It's still too short (over 30,000 words, but not by very much), it still has a few scenes that I think are a little lame, but the characterizations are more convincing, there's better world creation, and I think the whole thing is more coherent. I've lined up a few writing friends (and a couple teens, too) to read the book and tear it to shreds.

That puts me at the point of printing the copies I need to distribute. As big as an investment of time that I've already put into this project, the copies that I need produce to hand out will require actual moolah. Moolah is not something we have a lot of around in the Klempner residence.

Here's a link to an interesting post on the "MY WRITING LIFE" blog on this topic: http://learnedaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2009/04/printing-manuscript-terror-and-anguish.html

The author writes that even before making copies at a print shop, astonishing length of time and price of ink invested in that first manuscript at home is frustrating. Plus, a long document inevitably requires troubleshooting due to jams, misprints, and the like. Ugh. In this case, do-it-yourself may not be either the cheapest or best option.

I'm thinking of electronically sending my document to the local Office Depot or the like and having them do the entire thing. Time to do a little comparison shopping.

And then I have to reveal to my darling husband just how much I'm spending on a book that I may never even sell.

Just when you think the world is going to heck in a handbasket...

Here are links to two articles with wonderful examples of how people can support one another despite sectarian differences.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/faith/52827990-81/modest-loch-fashion-says.html.csp?page=1

A modest-clothing blogger who is a member of the LDS church bonds with the evangelist Christian, Orthodox Jewish, and Muslim women who visit her website.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45165318/ns/us_news-life/?google_editors_picks=true#.TrYm8UOIlyk

Two Muslim cabbies from Pakistan buy out a struggling Jewish owned business and vow to keep it kosher.

And yes, I found the articles when wasting time I was supposed to be working on my novel.

Missing a deadline

Confession time: I didn't finish my revision of the novel-in-progress by Nov. 1st. In fact, I'm only 2/3 done and it seems just to go slower and slower. It's so stressful, I find myself wasting time in lots of creative ways.

I'm usually great about making deadlines, so I'm trying not to view my -ahem- delay as either a failure or evidence that I'm really just a slacker.

I'm heading back to work, now.

Really.

And even more great bedtime reads!

While reviewing my site stats, I've noticed that lots of people want bedtime selections for their little sweethearts (or maybe for their little hellions...maybe THAT'S why they're so anxious to get them to sleep). Here are some new discoveries in the Klempner household.

This Little Chick by John Lawrence tells the adventures of a wacky little chick who would rather speak the languages of the other barnyard animals than that of his family. The woodblock print illustrations are just fantastic, and my children laughed at the chick's antics. Ages 18 mo - 5 years.

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na has to be one of the most dreamily illustrated boardbooks I've ever seen. A wakeful owl watches over sleepy animals of all types until day arrives. The language is simple and lulling, and the pictures are filled with fanciful whorls and flowers and vines faintly sketched against the blocks of color. My favorite illustrations are those of the giraffe using the cloud as a pillow and the penguins huddled together. Perfect for ages 18 mo through 4 years.

The next Jewish holiday, a month and a half away, will be Chanukah. Here's a fun story to celebrate the holiday:

Asher and the Capmakers by Eric Kimmel isn't precisely a folktale. This is a whimsical, darkly humorous story--about the mysterious adventure a boy has when he runs to the neighbor to borrow an egg for the family's latkes--created by interweaving folktales from many traditions. I'd recommend this one for children 5 to 10 years old. It's a little scary for the youngest readers. Also, some families might be uncomfortable with the mention of fairies and their magical caps.

Revision update

I know I set a deadline of Nov. 1st for revising my novel, but I kinda forgot I'd be out of commission during Sukkot. Now, I'm paying the price.

My tush is asleep. My tailbone is rebelling.

I really want to finish by Tuesday night, but I'm finding the chair at my computer so painful (despite yoga and 600 mg ibuprofen every 6 hours), I'm not sure I'm going to make it. Plus, every time I look at what I've already written and supposedly revised, I keep finding more things I don't like. Ugh.

Self-doubt sets in. Maybe it's no good after all.

I'm going to try to finish, anyway. What if I spend the next 20 years kicking myself about "that novel I wrote, but never finished..."?

Bram Stoker's journals to be published

(photo by Paul Capewell on Flickr)

Here's a reminder to jot down all your brilliant and not-so-brilliant ideas into a notebook and then to keep your notebooks around long after you've filled them:

Relatives of the Irish author Bram Stoker recently discovered his first journal, kept while he was a university student. While the quality of the writing it contains shows nowhere near the professional skill of Dracula or Stoker's many short stories, it does reveal that in later life, he went back to the snippets he jotted down in early adulthood to include in his writing. Even if he couldn't use the material immediately, this journal laid a foundation for future success.

A lot of people walk up to me and say, "I have this really great idea, but I don't have the time to follow up on it right now." Or they say, "I had this thing happen to me, but I don't think I can write about it."

My answer: JUST JOT DOWN A FEW WORDS. Or draw a picture. Or paste in a magazine clipping or family photo that will jolt your memory at a later date. A journal, notebook, or planner works because these formats are less likely to get lost than the back of an envelope and keep everything together.

Maybe right now you don't have the skills or time to write your masterpiece. That's okay if you save the ideas for later in a concrete format. (For foodie types: it's like keeping a crock of sourdough starter around so you can eventually bake bread.)

For the complete article about Bram Stoker's journal, follow this link.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/oct/18/bram-stoker-notebook-dracula?CMP=twt_fd

This is officially a rant.

Please forgive me for the following. I cannot help myself.

In the middle of this lovely Jewish holiday of Sukkot, I find myself very cranky instead of all smiley-faces. I just received a rejection letter (the second for this particular writing project), but that's not the thing that upsets me the most. What upsets me the most is that there are so few options left for me on this project.

I am an author. I am a first-rate doodler, but I am not an illustrator. And because of that, many publishers and agents don't even want to hear from me. Many, if not most, have closed their doors to unsolicited picture book manuscripts that are submitted without illustrations attached.

There are some wonderful author-illustrators out there. But even many famous ones write books not illustrated by themselves (Mo Willems, Rosemary Wells, and Kevin Henkes, for example), and there are also examples of books that would have been better if the publisher had given the writing and illustrating jobs to separate people (I refuse to name names, as this would be hurtful). Outstanding words rarely come from outstanding graphic artists. Many wonderful authors would never be heard from if they had to prove their drawing chops just to get a book deal.

Maybe an editor or agent can explain this trend to me, but right now I'm busy having a pity party. Try me some other time.

Chugging away

(photo by RJ Stew on Flickr)

I've decided to set a goal for myself: rewrite the rough draft of my novel in entirety and hand over to my trusted reviewers by November 1st. Hopefully, a deadline will keep me chugging away.

After the research I did last week, I've decided to do a "two pass" method. First I went through the whole thing and made sweeping changes to the structure, made characters, plot points, and themes consistent all the way through, etc. Now I'm doing a line-by-line edit.

I'm very excited but very nervous. What if everyone hates it? What it everyone loves it but no one will print it?

[Reminding myself to reframe:

It doesn't have to be perfect, just the best I can do right now (thanks Holly Lisle).]

Ladies: Have you seen "The Heart that Sings" yet?

Last spring, I enjoyed the fabulous, soul-stirring, ladies-only film by Robin Garbose "The Heart that Sings." The film is 100% kosher. Not only are performances by ladies only for ladies only, but contain authentically Jewish content. If you didn't catch the movie the first time around, you can catch it during chol hamoed Sukkot in the following locations: Boro Park, Monsey, Crown Heights, Toronto, L.A., and Lakewood. Follow this link for times and ticket prices:

http://www.kolneshama.org/sukkos-screenings-of-the-heart-that-sings/

There's also a preview available to watch on the website.

And now comes the hard part

I'm preparing to revise the novel-in-progress.

Many bloggers have recommended the "One Pass Method" of Holly Lisle. For details, see: http://hollylisle.com/how-to-revise-a-novel/ which tries to do everything in one fell swoop from beginning to end.

Others suggest a longer process, saying their revisions take longer than writing their first draft. Yikes! Just the idea makes me want to hyperventilate.

I'll update you on my trevails. I'm taking a breather for a few days and working on other projects.

I DID IT!

Yes, it's true! I finally finished my first novel. Hooray! Of course, I was supposed to finish by Labor Day, and it's probably pretty terrible, and it's shorter than I intended, but it's done. It's just a first draft...but a complete first draft! And the longest thing I've ever written. (I never realized before how it takes a long time to print an entire novel.)

I'm in shock right now. All my nearest and dearest are in bed right now, so I'll just blog and get to bed.

Bear With Me

When you actually make it to regular pediatrician visits for all your kids--and you've got a few kids--you spend a lot of time with the aforementioned pediatrician. So you shmooze. Over the last couple years, part of our shmooze has been on the topic of his son-in-law's picture book.

It came out not too long ago, and I have to recommend it, not only is it by a friend of a friend (so to speak), it's by a local author and actually very worthy of a recommendation. Max Kornell's Bear with Me is quite a charming book and got lots of giggles out of my kids.

A little boy's parents bring home someone new to live with them. Someone who takes up a lot of his parents' attention. Someone who tampers with his belongings and makes him lose sleep at night. Sound familiar? However, this little boy didn't get a new baby...he got a new bear.

While some of the reviews I've read recommend this book for children with new siblings, I think it would be even better for kids with an ADOPTED sibling on the way. Here's why: the little boy and the new bear are able to enjoy each other's company rather quickly. It can take a while before newborns are entertaining and engaging. This would probably be good to discuss before a new baby comes home, otherwise your elder children might be disgusted by the family's new addition.

Other than that little picky point, I highly recommend this funny little book for kids, ages 3-7.

Identifying Your Life’s Mission

Identifying Your Life’s Mission

The above article (by Sara Yocheved Rigler and appearing this week on Aish.com) explains how to find your "tafkid," that little sliver of the world that constitutes your mission in life. I encourage you to read it before Rosh HaShanah. I found it very inspirational and the perfect complement to a shiur I attended over the weekend.

Rabbi Simcha Weinberg was visiting our shul over this Shabbos. At seudat shlisheet, he explained that the Yomim Noraim (the Days of Awe) are the when we should not only think about what we've done wrong in the past year, but what would it look like if we did it right in the year ahead. He suggested that we should not imagine what we want, but what HaShem's dream is for us. What does He want from us? Then we can establish some steps to take to get us there.

Of course, He wants us to make peace with other Jews (including family members!). Of course, He wants us to improve in how we follow his mitzvot.

But He also wants us to be the best people we can be, using our talents and skills. The article by Sara Yocheved Rigler will inspire you to do just that. What gets you excited about life? How can you use that talent and passion to improve your family, your community, your world?

Sifriyat Pijama B' America begins!

My daughter received her first book through Sifriyat Pijama B' America (which distributes free Hebrew language materials to American children, particularly those with Israeli parents or grandparents) this week. The first selection was Lea Goldberg's classic Hayeled Hara (The Bad Boy). My children enjoyed the story--about a boy who blames his naughty behavior on the "bad boy" inside him--and found the illustrations quite charming. The directions for parents explain the book connects to the mishnah in Pirke Avos about "Who is the strong man? The one who controls his inclination (for bad)." The message fits perfectly into this season of Elul, where we are supposed to carefully consider our actions and resolve to do better in the coming year. I'm going to see if I can get my bigger kids to read it to the little ones for their own Hebrew language practice.

I should point out that not only are the Sifriyat Pijama B' America books in Hebrew (with nekudot), but the parent directions are in Hebrew, too. There was hardly any English at all in the entire package. The result: a little fumbling around with a English-Ivrit dictionary in the Klempner household before we could introduce the book to our children.

The program is now at capacity, but will add new members in December. You can get on the waiting list here:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dG5DTEhoa29GQWFsNzhOaUxQZTFJaWc6MQ#gid=0

Soundtrack to the novel I'm working on

(picture by Thunder Circus on Flickr)

I've been wasting a lot of my precious post-bedtime lately. I'm supposed to be finishing my book, but I find myself listening to groovy music instead. In theory, it's helping identify with various characters and create atmosphere, but honestly, I'm still pretty much avoiding real work. Here are some highlights.

"Infinity" by Shtar

"Running Away" by Matisyahu (cover of a Bob Marley song)

"I Can't Be with You" by the Cranberries (female vocalist)

the Diwon remix of "Acharon Acharon, Chaviv" by Lipa Shmeltzer

"You are Never Alone" by Socalled

"Chalomot shel Acherim" by the Idan Raichel Project

"Rachmana" by Ta-Shma

"The Only One" by Moshav

"Down in the Now" by the Crystal Method (with Matisyahu)

Who's the bad guy?

My eldest son asked me the following question earlier this evening: "Ima, why does everyone call Mr. MacGregor a bad guy?" He was, of course, referring to Mr. MacGregor, the nemesis of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny.

We had a very interesting little conversation after that--about how Peter Rabbit's father had been killed and eaten by Mr. MacGregor, but also about how the farmer's actions were justified, given the bunnies' acts of thievery and trespass. And Peter Rabbit--despite the short coat, shiny brass buttons, and shoes--is nevertheless a rabbit. So long as you're not Jewish, it is perfectly appropriate to eat our little floppy-eared friends.

Now I find myself contemplating other much-maligned characters in childhood classics. The fish in The Cat in the Hat is much more morally upright than the Cat, but the Cat's the one who everyone dresses up as for Purim (or Halloween). And what about the wolf who ate the three little pigs? He's just doing what wolves do...eat other animals.

Recently a whole genre of fairy tale retellings--where the "villain" is frequently exonerated--has developed. Maybe Mr. MacGregor will get to set the record straight, after all.

Shall we play a funeral dirge?

Yes, it's time to break out a little Chopin funeral march.



Two of our favorite Hebrew picture books have been officially loved to death: the classic Tiras Cham and HaShalom shel Michael. Their tattered pages are currently being mourned by the members of the Klempner household.

This event has sent me on a new adventure: finding new copies. I've been successful at finding Tiras Cham. That book is so popular in Israel that Steimatsky there sells Tiras Cham-themed pajamas (possible Chanukah gifts for my little ones?) and you can easily purchase books through their website. However, HaShalom shel Michael is nowhere to be found on the internet. It's like it never existed. I've tried transliterating in a variety of ways and even translating despite my relatively poor Hebrew skills (Should that be Michael's Hello or Michael's Greeting?). Zilch!

I'm a little traumatized. Perhaps I'll patch up the sad, dilapidated pages that have fallen out of the binding and onto the floor. It's such a beautiful story, all about greeting everyone with a "panim yafot," as Shammai suggests in Pirkei Avot. I highly recommend the book to everyone...if you can just find a copy!

My time isn't a total loss. The plus side is that I discovered a neat-o blog about Hebrew language education with some nifty things in it (like an art project/lesson plan to go with another Israel classic, HaBayit Shel Yael):
http://inoursmallgarden.wordpress.com/childrens-books/
Then that blog led me to another:
http://www.dafdaf.co.il/
And another!
http://www.internationalchildbook.com/hebrewlanguage/1318031?page_483032555=2
And yet another!
http://justhebrew.com/

Almost (but only almost!)

(photo by Ian Britton)

Well, my goal for the summer was to finish my first solo effort at a novel and...I didn't quite finish.

Ugh.

I'm probably just 3,000 words shy of a complete first draft. After ditching my original draft of "Part 3," I had a good think and outlined a new path for the rest of the book. However, I'm having problems bringing myself to sit down and finish.

What's my excuse? Instead of spending quality time with my keyboard, I've been spending quality time with humans (my husband and kids, now back in school), and I've been actively looking for more freelance work.  I finished a writing project last week and submitted something else. It's not like I've been wasting time doing nothing. On the other hand, I have wasted a lot of time blogging, reading weird science news (justifying it as research), and listening to music that's too noisy for effectively focusing on a computer screen.

It's time for a completely non-professional attempt at psychoanalyzing myself. I definitely need to figure out why I don't just sit down for a couple nights and crank out the rest so I can get over it.

1) I used to write for fun. It was relaxing, and even escapist. I still love writing. I'm still very enthusiastic about this project. However, writing has been reclassified in my brain over the last 9 months as a professional exercise and not a hobby. It's actually work.

2) I think I'm a little freaked out about finishing the first draft because I know it will be...a first draft. Like, not perfect. Like, potentially terrible. I guess I have to just accept that it will start out that way, but trust that it'll eventually improve.

Interesting perspective on modesty

Tzniut, or modesty, is an important topic for those who adopt a Torah-true lifestyle. I was attracted to Randa Abdel-Fattah's book, Does My Head Look Big In This?, because it addresses this very issue from the Muslim perspective. I thought it would be interesting to see how a Muslim writer handled it as opposed to the Jewish writers I'm already familiar with.

Amal, a teenager in Australia, decides to begin to wear the hijab (traditional Muslim headcovering) full-time even though she attends a very White prep school. The saga of how her choice impacts more and more of her life flows logically. Amal is a very likable narrator and explains the ideology behind the hijab and other Muslim practices beautifully, and they are very much in harmony with the views of traditional Judaism. I appreciated that we see both the ups and downs along Amal's journey, and that she stays firm on her decision at the conclusion of the book.

Amal, like most teenagers, is OBSESSED with movies, television, Cosmo, celebrity gossip, etc. We see Amal's parents telling her that these pop-culture icons are nonsense, but we don't see her very moved by this. Amal never seems to really get that celebrity culture and fashion magazines are completely the opposite of what the hajib stands for. Some of the trouble she must deal with is actually created by her involvement in mainstream culture. She keeps watching "Friends" even though the characters make life decisions incompatible with Islam, and she compulsively does Cosmo quizzes and uses the magazine's advice to flirt with boys even though she will not date them. I wish the book would have been more insightful about how our society feeds into immodesty, and how it's healthy to step out of that largely-immoral media mix.


Most Orthodox Jews would tell you that the solution is to retreat from secular media, to varying degrees. It's common to monitor our children's television viewing (or ban it from the house altogether), restrict what movies they see, limit internet access, and the like. Many frum children aren't permitted to use cell phones, or the phones do not have text access. And many Orthodox Jews send their children to schools with separate girls' and boys' departments, if not entirely separate schools. I know that many Muslims adopt such strategies (none of which is perfect, but which help)...what puzzles me is that Ms. Abdel-Fattah doesn't bring them up (except that Amal's parents disapprove of Cosmo, so she has to sneak it into the house).

There are fleeting mentions of political beliefs that most Jewish readers will disagree with (there are a couple references to the Palestinian-Israeli dilemma); however, none of these are obnoxious, argumentative, or deeply offensive. There is mutual respect between all sorts of characters (it's very nice that Jewish characters are portrayed favorably, with a marked distinction between politics and religion, although as an Orthodox Jew, I flinched when the Jewish kid falls for a non-Jew). 


Two things cause me to hesitate from recommending Does This Make My Head Look Big? to every Bais Yaakov girl, though: 


I was surprised that there is some swearing in the book (no F-bombs, though, I think), and there is some frank talk about how Amal's beliefs address sexuality and women's body image, although nothing graphic. However, I think that this book would be a very good read for many young women or even teachers/parents of young women. I think that the book has a lot of insights that are unlikely to be found in a YA novel published by a frum publishing house, and I think the fictional format is particularly useful in approaching this audience. I hope this book's pro-modesty message will reach teens that wouldn't normally pick up an Orthodox Jewish book. 

Jewish magazines still jockeying for market share

In the last few years, English-language Orthodox (charedi) periodicals have proliferated. (A little disclosure is appropriate here--I've written for both Aim! and Mishpacha Junior, am a long-time subscriber to HaModia.) Interestingly, as new publications show up, the older ones change formats (sometimes repeatedly) in order to improve their market share.

For example: HaModia came out with an online edition and now so has the Yated (honestly, I don't know which happened first, but I heard about HaModia's first). HaModia came out with a unique format for the kids' mag that competes more with Weekly Reader than with any other charedi publication and sets it apart. Supplements targeted towards kosher "foodies" are in vogue almost across the board. Most recently, I noticed that Binah Bunch is now divided in two--one half "Clubhouse" (which seems designed to compete with Mishpacha Junior) and one half a tween magazine (more similar to Aim!).

Watching these "renovations" is sometimes entertaining (trying to guess the reasons behind different editorial decisions, for example), but it's also a little depressing because these magazines HAVE to compete in order to make money. I enjoy all of them, but I can't afford to purchase all of them on a regular basis. Neither can the average Jewish consumer, so these magazines and newspapers have to compete for our subscriptions.

It also has implications for us writers. If there's more variety out there, there are more niches writers can develop for their writing...which is fabulous. But if everyone just tries to do the same thing, just better, (how many food magazines do we really need?) writers get locked in. I've seen a little of both in these format changes.

On a happier note, I think the competition has forced all the magazines to strive for a level of excellence that I don't think has been reached before. Not only are there more magazines, but they are better than ever, I think.

Another picture book about children's safety issues

A few weeks ago, I reported about Yoni Ploni Never Talks to Strangers, a book written about personal safety specifically for children in the Jewish community. (See the original post here.) This book is now available through the Israel Book Shop website.

Another book on this topic has just been released: Artscroll's Let's Stay Safe. This book had a wider subject area than Yoni Ploni..., as it covers such topics as crossing the street, bicycle safety, etc. as well as stranger safety. You can find Let's Stay Safe at Jewish bookstores and online on the Artscroll website.

Jewish Sci-Fi Update

Yaakov the Pirate Hunter is the new-ish novel for tweens by L.A. local Nathaniel Wyckoff. Yaakov Peretz has just started summer vacation, and an accident with one of his family's robots results in his discovery of a treasure map. Wacky adventures result from the Peretz's choice to seek out the treasure so it can be returned. It's all reminiscent of a Geronimo Stilton book, but with no mice and only black and white print.

I remember reading a while ago that the way George Lucas and Steven Spielberg invented Indiana Jones was by fantasizing about all the coolest scenes they wished had been in matinee serials and adventure novels pre-1960, and then binding these scenes together with a plot. You know: Trapped in a pit with snakes--check! Fight with strongman who gets too close to a propeller--check! Pretty but tough girl gets trapped in a basket, but which one?--check!

That's what Yaakov the Pirate Hunter is like. What would tween boys most like to read about? Robots--check! Pirates--check! Bumbling cops--check! Kids save the day--check! It makes perfect sense for this to be the novel's general impression, too. Wyckoff originally invented the story to entertain the kids in carpool (How's that for a successful carpool strategy?). With all those elements, how could it go wrong?

The recipe works like magic. Yaakov the Pirate Hunter is pure fun. My 9 year old son LOVED it. Like begged to find out if there's a sequel in the works kind of loved it. (Answer: not in the immediate future. Alas.) He also loved that the book is set in Los Angeles, not the NY metro area or Israel, like most Jewish books.

I'd recommend this book for 7-11 year old kids, especially boys. It could work as independent reading or a bedtime read-aloud. Here's a link to Amazon if you want to purchase it: http://www.amazon.com/Yaakov-Pirate-Hunter-Nathaniel-Wyckoff/dp/1456452495/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313374964&sr=1-1

There was also an outstanding sci-fi story FOR ADULTS (shocker!) in Binah Magazine's Aug. 8th issue (thanks to Miriam Hendeles for the heads-up). It was authored by the wonderful Yael Mermelstein, and it's so good, it should be anthologized or something. It would be a pity if its only appearance was in a single magazine issue.

Interesting new alternative to Facebook

Many religious Jews (and others) find the use of Facebook problematic. For ladies, there is already MetroImma and Imamother which can be used for social networking, but now there's a new alternative, available to both men and women: FaceGlat.

Apparently, it works much like Facebook, and can even be accessed through your Facebook account. There are a few differences, but the biggest is that there are separate site for men and women. No more requests to be Friended by ex-boyfriends or the guy who thought you were cute at your last job! As Facebook has been cited in a great many of divorces (according to therapists and rabbis), this is an enormous asset to FaceGlat.

Link to women's site: http://faceglat.com/woman/

Link to men's site: http://faceglat.com/man/en/faceglat.html

I'm interested to hear if anyone has tried out this new service. Feel free to share feedback in a comment below.

Busy, busy, busy

This week's Aim! magazine (found inside Ami) contains an article by yours truly on the topic of the CIA. It's actually the cover story! I had wonderful fun researching and writing it, and hope you will enjoy reading it.

I outlined a new "Part Three" for my novel, but I'm taking a breather now. Instead, I just wrote a short story yesterday. A weird short story. Revising today.

I'd also like to announce my new blog. I had to learn the Word Press platform, so I took information I've learned this summer about free and cheap local activities and started "Fabulous, Fun and Free L.A." You'll find great info for date nights, family fun, and vacations here in Los Angeles, all affordable.

Visit it here: http://funfreeorcheapla.wordpress.com/

How do we mourn?

My husband says one of the reasons we can't truly mourn the loss of the Beis HaMikdash (the Holy Temple in Jerusalem) on Tisha B'Av is because we don't understand what we are missing. We never saw the Temple with our own eyes, and the coming of Moshiach will be so miraculous, we can't even imagine it. Books can help us to better appreciate the loss of the Beis HaMikdash and picture the future end to our exile.

Leah Braunstein Levy's The Waiting Wall, Genendel Krohn's When We Left Yerushalayim, and Rabbi Fishel Schachter's Yibaneh HaMikdash, can help children identify with the gravity of Tisha B'Av and hope for the redemption. Moreover, there are a number of excellent books and DVDs (such as Chaim Shmuel Friedman's) which elaborately describe the Beis HaMikdash's appearance and function, and these can help us too.

I'd also recommend David Shapiro's The Promise of G-d, which depicts a possible scenario for the coming of Moshiach.

You could even use this as a writing exercise:

Simply sit on the floor and contemplate what will be different when Moshiach arrives, when there is no more war. Xenophobia and illness--gone! Wealth distributed fairly! The RAMBAM writes that there will no envy or competition, either. Imagine a world united to the service of G-d and happy in it. Write it down, believe in it. Then think about the gap between that future time and what we have now. Better yet, think about one thing you can do to bring that beautiful future closer.

Moving photoessay online based on book "Where Children Sleep"

This piece in the New York Times contains selections from an upcoming book about the lives of children worldwide. When I saw these pictures of children and their bedrooms, I was greatly moved. James Mollison's exquisite photos let you draw your own conclusions without any commentary, and--boy!--I drew quite a few.

For one thing, you can clearly see the variety of ways in which human beings live. Everyone knows that intellectually, but these pictures really send the message home.

The other thing that becomes immediately apparent is the material simplicity in which many of these children live. In some cases, there is obvious poverty and even oppression (the child in Appalachia, the pregnant 14 y o in Rio and the domestic worker in Katmandu). In other cases, material simplicity reflects a completely different way of seeing the world (Tvika in Beitar Ilit, the two Rendille children in Kenya and 8 y o Kraho boy from Brazil).

Here in the U.S., we see images of perfectly appointed bedrooms with matching furniture, bedding, and decor (there are some of those in Mollison's photos, too) in Pottery Barn and Ikea catalogs and long for them. We see material excess and long for it. But for the vast majority of children on earth, those perfect bedrooms are impossible to obtain. These photos even make you consider--are they worth obtaining, after all? Is the child on Park Avenue happier than the one sleeping on the bare earth in the Sahara?

Something to think about.

Also interesting is that many of these bedrooms contain no visible reading material.

Making Up New Words to Go with your New Worlds

I just finished a sci-fi novel entitled The Empress of Mars. There were many things I liked about it, and one of the things that the author, Kage Baker, managed particularly well was naming all those imaginary new technologies that appear in the story.

Almost all sci-fi stories describe hi-tech gadgets, and if those gadgets are new to your imaginary realm, you have to name them. One of the challenges is naming them in a way that evokes the item's function, but doesn't sound too similar to either real-world objects and those that inhabit other author's books. And you'd better not trample on anyone's trademark, either. Sometimes you read a book, and you're lost by the new vocabulary, or it's clunky and sounds artificial. Ms. Baker did an excellent job of naming things in ways made sense, yet seemed exotic enough to flesh out a new planet, many years in the future.

I have always been the type that makes up words. Long before Frindle, I would spout strange new words that never appeared in a dictionary or thesaurus, but which better described items or behaviors than any word that does. My specialty is turning nouns into verbs, and vice versa. However, my newest invention is "shadebathing." It is intended to describe the behavior of one of my children, who on a hot day will run into a bit of shade, plotz, and stretch out to cool off, no matter how inconvenient the time or place.

I'm blessed that one of my children has followed in my footsteps. For example, he thinks that the phrase "crime-ridden" should be replaced by the descriptor "crimey." I voiced the objection that this is too close to the word "criminy," but he remains unconcerned. "No one knows that word anymore, Ima. Or if they do, they sure don't use it."

Naming characters and locations has always been relatively easy for me. I can just make up anything, no rules. However, when you name your fictional gadget, as I mentioned above, you need to balance familiarity with novelty. I find this much tougher. In the novel I'm writing now, I keep picking names for things, then feeling the need to relabel them.

Thank G-d for "Find and Replace!" I seem to be employing it a lot lately.

Drat!

As I mentioned before, one of my objectives for the summer has been to complete a first draft of a novel. Make that my weird Jewish, sci-fi, teenage parable. So I was cruising along, having outlined and then fleshing out first part one, then part two, and then got 3000-ish words into part three...when I realized that part three didn't belong in this book! Yikes. Now I'm trying to decide just what is the real part three that belongs to this book.

I'm not entirely stuck--I've added additional materials to part one and two this week (including some borrowed from the now-defunct part three)--and have worked on another couple writing projects, to boot. However, I'm starting to fear I will not finish by Labor Day. I'm starting to fear I will never finish. (Insert image here of me imitating the little boy in the photo at the top of this post.)

I need to decide where I want to go with this book, but the idea of being stuck is giving me such anxiety that I think it's actually making me more stuck. Usually, I'm not the writer's block type...but this might be it.

I'm going to go practice some deep breathing now...

10 Ways to Use Your Words to Spread Love and Peace

This time of year is known on the Jewish calendar as the Nine Days, which culminate in the saddest day of the year, Tisha B'Av. This fast day is the anniversary of many tragic events in Jewish history, the most important three being the evil report given by 10 out of 12 scouts sent into the land of Israel by Moshe; the destruction of the first Temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians; and the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans.

Two out of three of these events are blamed by the rabbis on the use of words to harm others. By improving our speech, avoiding gossip and hurtful language, we can help bring the Moshiach and his reign of peace. If we build people with our words instead of destroying them with our words, we are adding bricks to the Third Temple.

In this digital age, we use words all the time. As a writer, I'm practically obsessed with them. But the more you use words, the more you must be careful with them. It is truly shocking how often we find people online misusing their words. People insult, use profanity, spread xenophobia and hatred with aplomb. People spread hurtful and offensive comments based on hearsay, rumor, or untruths and act like they're doing a public service.

The amazing thing is that a level-headed comment that respectfully disagrees is more influential, and a kind word or compliment makes people want to hear more of what you have to say. The more you use your words for good, the more blessing G-d gives them. If more people used their words to spread love and peace in the world, the world would be that much of a happier place to be.

Here are some positive ways you can use your words:

1) Apologize in a more meaningful and detailed way than a simple "I'm sorry," to someone you harmed.

2) Write an affectionate letter to a spouse, parent, child, teacher or friend.

3) Thank someone you haven't seen in years for something they did to help you a long time ago.

4) Write a positive review of a book or product.

5) Write a recommendation for a person to get work.

6) Write a letter complementing a company on the fine qualities of their product, or...

7) on the excellent service you received from an employee.

8) If you feel you must disagree with someone, make the comment respectful. For example:

"With all due respect, I must disagree with the idea that..."

"I'm not sure that the evidence supports your comment..."

"You make an interesting point. Can you defend it with some evidence?"

"I'm impressed by your..., but think your statement that...requires more thought."

"While I think that...is a wonderful..., I have to respectfully disagree with their notion that..."

NEVER insult a person, even if you must attack their ideas. (And, frankly, you usually don't really need to do that, you're just itching to.)

9) Leave a note in your spouse's or kid's lunchbox with a funny joke or mentioning something you look forward doing with them when they return home.

10) Write a (true or not) story or poem that reflects gratitude to G-d or to a person for the blessings they have brought into your life.