Choose Your Voice

I love author visits. I am currently teaching writing classes for first, second, and third grade at a charter school. Yesterday I taught dialogue and tomorrow I will teach about voice or point of view. POV is the way writers usually say it. I like to call it voice.

I like to call it voice, because it reminds me that voice is what lets us know what's going on a characters head. Every story has a storyteller, and the storyteller is the one with the voice. That's the person who lets us into their head.

In books we have the unspeakable privilege of getting inside a character's head. This rarely happens in tv or movies. In books it happens all the time. We hop inside a characters head easily when the book is written in first person. The storyteller is a character and we see the story through their eyes.

Here's an exampler of first person from The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills.

"I sat on a stool back by the woodstove with Clemmie on my lap, so no one would step on us. I couldn't stand it! They all wore black, black like the coal mines that killed my papa. He didn't even like black. He liked all the bright colors of the day. So why were they wearing black, I wondered."

When the storyteller is a narrator, we can also see into a character's head but it happens a little differently. The narrator tells us what the character is thinking or feeling. Usually the narrator only tells us about the thoughts and feelings of one character. Head hopping is when a narrator talks about the thoughts and feelings of lots of characters. It is hard to pull off. Sticking with one is usually a good idea. This type of writing is called third person.

Here is an example of third person from the book Lu and the Swamp Ghost by James Carville.

"My poor swamp ghost! Lu thought. He may have no family, but he does have a friend. Quietly she eased away from the table, loaded a basket, and lifted a key from a hook on the wall."

Recently I started wondering if there is such a thing as second person. It makes sense that if there is a first person, and a third person, there should be a second person.

Voila, I found it. Second person is when the storyteller addresses the audience. It is not very common in fiction, but is often used in non-fiction, especially how to books. Since I am a lover of picture books, I looked for examples in picture books and I found a few.

Here is an example of second person from The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems.

"Oh, Don't worry. I'll take care of it! I promise I'll water it once a month. What?! Everybody knows that puppies need plenty of sunshine and water! Oh...I get it. You don't want me to be happy, do you? You don't want me to take a piggy back ride on my puppy! Or play tennis with it! You just don't understand."

All three styles can be very engaging. Choose your voice. The choice is yours.

Linda Garner

I Need a Face for that Voice

As a picture book author, I am keenly interested in illustrators. The illustrator is vital to the success of a picture book. It wouldn't be a picture book without pictures. The story would be incomplete without them. A talented illustrator can make a great story better.

I love making connections with illustrators, because I need them. I have a lot of picture books looking for a publisher. They have a voice, but they need a face.

One of my favorite illustrators is Will Terry. He has illustrated a bunch of picture books and has a fun and unusual style. You might recognize some of his books, such as Armadilly Chili, Three Little Gators, Little Rooster’s Diamond Button.

I recently stumbled across Will’s website where he blogs and teaches art classes. Seriously, art classes. He has three packages of art lessons on video, namely Acrylic painting, Digital painting in Photoshop, and my personal favorite, How to Illustrate Children’s Books.

I purchased the series called How to Illustrate Children’s Books. Can I just say “Wow.” Lots of great information. I found the video extremely helpful even though I am an author, not an illustrator.

Each Video Series is available on his website, willterry.com for...is it okay if I say it?...$29.99. Eight lessons. That’s hard to beat. His blog also has some great material. Stop by and visit Will, and tell him I sent you.

Thanks Will Terry.

Linda Garner

Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?

I love school visits.

Yesterday, Friend-husband invited me to help him teach some writing classes. Friend-husband is a retired elementary school teacher. He does some part time work at the school where he used to teach. Yesterday, he was teaching some writing classes to free up teachers for meetings. He was asked to teach about the writer’s voice. Voice may be my favorite writing topic. Why? Because you can talk about almost any subject if you do it in a character’s voice.

I like to think of voice as the storyteller. Having a great story is not enough. You also need a great storyteller. You need a strong voice. Voice gives the piece personality, uniqueness, and emotion. To understand voice, open any book and read just a few paragraphs. Who is the storyteller? After reading a few paragraphs do you have a sense of the storyteller’s personality? Does the storyteller have unique qualities? Are you aware of their thoughts and feelings?

Put another way, voice is the door into the character’s head. In good writing you can you get inside a character’s head and get a sense of what makes them tick? You see things from their point of view.

After Friend-husband and I discussed voice with the kids, I read them a few paragraphs from my story Grudge Rock. In Grudge Rock, Walker is upset at Jake for tripping him in a basketball game at recess. We invited the students to rewrite the beginning of the story in Jake’s voice. Here are a couple of examples. First is my story, in Walker’s voice.

Jake’s legs got tangled up with mine and I went flying. I could have scored. Jake grabbed the basketball as it popped out of my arms. He did a fancy shot and swish, just as the bell rang. I scraped my knee. It hurt like crazy. I picked a pebble out of my raw skin and stuck it in my pocket. Everyone cheered for Jake and headed back to class. No one noticed me sprawled on the blacktop holding my knee. 

I thought about my knee all afternoon. I even dreamed about it at night. The pebble was back in my pocket when I limped out the front door and headed for school.
Jake and Chris were talking in front of the school. Jake used to walk with me, but not today. Jake used to be my friend, but not any more. I didn’t want to talk, so I slipped in the side door, and stuck my tongue out at them when they weren’t looking.

Here are some examples of Jake’s voice as written by the students. The first group are sixth graders.

I grabbed the ball and won the game. Chris asked me to walk him to school. I was a hero. I don’t know why but Walker was grumpy all day. I tried to talk to him but he just walked by.

At recess today I was playing basketball with my best friend, Walker. Then when we were about to score we tripped and the ball came flying out of his hands. I caught the ball, did an amazing shot and scored at the last second to win the game. Everyone cheered and Walker was on the ground and nobody noticed but me. WaLker was tough but he stayed down. We had to hurry to class so I left him.

My legs got tangled up with Walker’s. Walker fell and the ball popped out of his hands. Luckily, I caught it! I did one of my best tricks and…BOOM! I made an awesome basket right when the bell rang! Everyone cheered for me! Walker ignored me and limped the rest of the day, and I don’t know why.

Today I was playing basketball. I saw that Walker was going to score a basket so I tripped him and got the ball and shot it in. I’ve always hated that loser, Walker. When we were going back to class I noticed Walker on the ground, but I thought he could get up on his own. The next day, I walked with Chris instead of Walker because I would look bad being by him. He was my friend till he tried to steal my glory. When we were at school I noticed that he stuck his tongue at me so when he wasn’t watching I stuck my tongue at him.

Walker ran right into me. We both fell to the ground but I got right up again. As Walker was laying on the ground I got the ball from him and did a few allstar moves and swoosh, the ball went right in! Everyone cheered for me. It was like I was a celebrity for the rest of the day. The next morning I got up and walked outside. I looked around for Walker, but he wasn’t there. So I walked to school with Chris. We talked about school, then I saw Walker jog by. I told Chris that I wanted to talk to him, but Chris told me not to go. I felt bad but I didn’t see him again. It was like he was avoiding me. Oh well.

Here are some examples from the fourth grade.

I got my legs tangled up with this other kid. The ball popped out of his arms. I reach out, grab it, and do my fancy double dribble shot. If I was a millimeter off I wouldn’t have made it. The bell rang as I made the winning shot. As we walked back to class everyone was cheering for me. They put me up on their shoulders. I was so popular…

My legs got tangled up with Walker’s. As the basketball popped out of his arms I grabbed it. I did a fancy shot and right as the bell range, swoosh it went through the hoop. My whole team cheered for me. When we walked back to class I noticed that Walkers wasn’t there… I wish I had caught Walker and said sorry.

I was right by my friend, Walker playing basketball. I’m the one who should have had the ball. I pushed Walker away and did a fancy shot for my girlfriend Jaimeo. Then the bell rang. My ball went in. I scored the winning shot! Then everyone crowded around me and I couldn’t see Walker. I hope I didn’t hurt him…

Today my legs got tangled with my friend as he shot. I twisted and turned and made an amazing shot, right as the buzzer happened. I broke up with my friend Walker and didn’t walk with him to school. I would sneakily peek behind me and just barely see Walker stick his tongue back in his mouth.

We forgot to collect the papers from the fifth grade, but they were just as fun. If you have questions about voice, maybe you could ask your kids.

And by the way, Are you smarter than a fifth grader?

Linda Garner

Use Your Voice

Don't forget to vote.

Today's the Day.

Make a difference.

Vote!

See you at the polls.

Linda Garner

The Pillar of Society

The pillar of society. I think it was my mother-in-law that used that term about someone she knew, someone who took a lot of pills. As I grow older, I find myself taking more pills too. Don't worry. All natural stuff. All doctor recommended.

Did you know that magnesium is nature’s tranquilizer, or that arganine prevents stroke? Did you know that niacin strengthens blood vessel walls, or that fish oil fights depression? Did you know that cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar or that carnitine prevents aging. The list goes on and on. Did you know that practically no one in North America gets enough vitamin D from the sun, at least not this far north in North America?

Today as I counted out my pills, I realized that I have arrived. I have become the pillar of society. I guess there are worse things I could be. It seems that there is a pill for everything, at least everything medical. I would like to formulate my own kind of pill to remedy the other ills of my life.

I would like a pill that would help me be kind when I feel irritable, a pill that would motivate me when I am tired, a pill that would help me see a bigger picture, a pill that would make me less selfish and less greedy. How about a pill that would help me balance my budget, stick to my diet, control my temper. Do you see the possibilities?

Always looking for shortcuts, I wonder if we could manufacture a line of writer’s pills. If your manuscript is ailing, we could prescribe the appropriate pill. We could have one for plot problems, another for character development, definitely one for voice, and another for dialogue. With the proper dosage of the appropriate pill, you would know exactly how to nurse your manuscript back to health. Readers would be happy, writers would be ecstatic, and we would be rich.

The "we" I mentioned, is you and I, my faithful readers, because I would let you in on my secret and we could work together and share the profits. We could call our pharmacy Write-Aid, and together we could be the pillars of society.

And if not…there’s always hard work.

Linda Garner

Studio 5: Can you believe it?

Can you believe it? I am going to be on Studio 5. One week from today on September 15 at 11:00, I will be on the air. Have you seen Studio 5? It’s a neat show with lots of features about current trends and new ideas. I am so excited to be able to share Some Secrets Hurt on such a great show. Spread the word.

Am I nervous? That’s what everyone wants to know. Should I be? I am not the least bit nervous about my message. I love talking to people about Some Secrets Hurt. I love talking about protecting kids and empowering them to take control of their own bodies. I love giving parents tools so that they can talk to their kids about sexual abuse. I love getting teachers and other adults on board. Keeping kids safe is everyone’s job. I envision a caring community that is committed to kids and works together to protect them.

So, I think I’m not nervous. On the other hand, though, I am a little bit OCD about what to wear. Does this make me look fat? Is this color good on me? Should I wear dressy or casual? I have been spending a lot of time (and money) at Christopher Banks, my favorite store, and I have been experimenting with my hair and makeup. I changed to brown mascara like that Dressing Your Truth lady said I should, and I tried some of her very expensive products, so that I could look good.

I know that this is not about me, or my clothes and hair; it’s about the message. I just want to be a good messenger.

This is not my message; this is Heavenly Father’s message. He wants Some Secrets Hurt in every home where it can make a difference. He wants adults everywhere to teach kids about the sacredness of their bodies. He wants them to be able to stand up for themselves. He wants us to teach them how to say no. He wants us to stop abuse from happening so that his kids can heal. He wants us to stop the epidemic and be part of the solution. He wants us to reach out to teenagers who are at risk, and to wounded adults who don’t know how to heal.

I am honored to be a voice for children. I am not afraid to talk about sexual abuse. I am not nervous about teaching truth. I am excited to represent kids on T.V. I just want to look good, so that I can represent them well.

Hey, what are you doing later today? How about coming over and helping me figure out what to wear? We could experiment with my hair, and you could tell me if my new makeup looks orange. We could even talk about making a difference for kids.

Be sure to watch Studio 5 next Tuesday at 11:00 on KSL. If you can’t watch it, maybe you can record it. There is strength in numbers. Though we won’t be in the same room, I’m sure I’ll feel your strength. Together, we can make a difference.

Linda Garner

Finding Your Voice

What is a writer’s voice – you ask? The writer’s voice is a person’s writing style, the way they form words on paper. They can dazzle or destroy. That is the writer’s voice.

If you’ve been reading our blog, you have probably noticed that all of us writers have a different voice. Plus, most of us write in different genres.

Linda writes for children
L.T. writes for adults
Tony writes for adults
I write for YA & dabble in children’s
Brandilyn is our illustrator (an excellent one at that, too).

Each week I am surprised how different each post sounds.

L.T. has beautiful words and has a talent of mixing images on paper.
Linda is caring and loving. This comes through in her posts and in her writing.
I’m a bit corny when it comes to writing (and love it, thanks).

Each of us has a different voice. Finding your voice is what will pull you through your writing. It will help you to either love what you are writing, or dread what you are writing.

I’ll give you an example (if you’ve heard this before, just remember I’m getting over a cold and still a bit groggy).

I went to a writer’s conference with a focus on children and YA writing. The author that I worked with (who is AWESOME) has written many children’s books. So, I thought I should take a children’s chapter book with me.

Okay, here is the secret, I had never written a children’s chapter book. Picture book, yes. Chapter book, no. Therefore, in the darkness of the night, I threw together the beginnings of a chapter book. I made copies and took them with me to the author’s critique.

Let’s just say, my book got a warm greeting, but not an enthusiastic jumping up and down, let me grab the agent, kind of welcome.

After we had gone through everyone’s first pickings of critiques, we were invited to bring more to the table. I brought my YA book. It wasn’t that good, and I knew it, but I brought it anyway.

That’s when the author pointed the sharp side of her pencil at me and said, “This is your voice.”
Jabbing my finger to my throat I asked, “Isn’t this my voice?”
“No, you have the voice of a teenager. That is the genre you should be writing.” (Honestly, does that sound like a compliment?)

So, I have been writing YA and love it. I do have some children’s pieces on the table, but find YA to be quite rewarding.

If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Could you imagine Edgar Allen Poe writing comedies? Or how about Dr. Seuss writing horror stories. Yeah, just doesn’t fit.

So that is what the writer’s voice is. Finding it may take a bit of work on the writer’s part. Having someone (besides the writer) take a look at the work is a great way to tell what voice you may have.

Once you find your voice, the next step is learning your craft. I’m not talking about the cheesy kind with noodles, although I am a bit hungry. So, until next week, don't forget the rigatoni (I should’ve had lunch).