Write. Write. Written! -- A Writer's Journal

2008-07-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Spare us, please! My publisher--that would be HarperCollins--just sent me a memo to remind me to help promote Brooke Shields' latest tome, a children's book, entitled Welcome to Your World, Baby! As if! Gag! Gag! Gag! I think I'll just toddle over to the basin and throw up, or slit my wrists. I'm sorry. I'm sure it's just something in my makeup that prevents me from seeing the...the...the uniqueness of celebrity books, but they just don't do it for me. I don't often comment in the negative on books, but celebrity books touch a special nerve. No, thank you, Ms. Shields. No, thank you, HarperCollins.

2008-07-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

Stop living accidentally and start living intentionally.

2008-07-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

Sue Alexander August 20, 1933-July 3, 2008. Let tonight's fireworks be in celebration of a life force and true friend, who passed away suddenly last evening.

I love you, Sue.

2008-06-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

Well, the monsoon did not arrive on time, but waited twenty-four hours. Then it arrived with a wallop. Rivers of rain came down. I watched my down-the-hill neighbor filling sandbags to keep the run-off out of his garage. Fortunately, by the time I got out to offer assistance, he'd pretty much finished. He probably would have declined my help anyway since he's half my age.

Birmingham Sunday was shipped out to my editor yesterday. I need to remember to ask her not to abbreviate it inhouse as BS, but rather B'ham. I really should have thought about this possibility when working on a title. We Are One was known inhouse as WAO; I just don't think I could bear a work of mine being called BS. Now I will turn my attention to securing permissions and banging out a few more scenes in my mystery.

Somebody asked me the other day how I celebrate when I've finished a book. I'm not sure I ever have, although sometimes I will take a week off from writing and play. More often, I just move on to the next project. I don't uncork a bottle of champagne, board the next flight to an exotic locale, shout it from the balcony, or have breakfast at Tiffany and Company. That's the stuff of movies. Writers--working writers--generally...ah...well...WORK.

2008-06-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

What a BEAUTIFUL morning! It's cool--and the AC isn't even on. The eastern sky is a lovely shade of pink and blue and gray. Today is supposed to be the start of Tucson's monsoon, so heavy rains, thunder, and lightning are anticipated. This is the BEST time of year here. An interesting article about the monsoon was titled "First You Fry." And it is so true. With temperatures in the triple digits for a couple of weeks, we were frying. Now...we cool off (at least part of the day).

It's time to return to Castle--the mystery I've been working on in spurts. I would like it to be a chapter book rather than a full-blown novel, and maybe it will be. But I'll have to rein in my writing and cut some detail to make it so. We'll see.

2008-06-24T05:55:00.000-07:00

Today is my dad's birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad! He's 91 years young today and in his second week of radiation treatment for a cancer that has sprung up. So far he's holding his own with the treatment--such a trooper.

I haven't posted anything recently because I've been busy tweaking my manuscript. Adding bits here. Deleting spots there. Rephrasing and rephrasing. And rephrasing. I realized that I'd completely written around one critical event without mentioning the event itself, so today I will add that bit. Then I think I'll let it rest a day before giving it one more pass. Then--with luck--it should be ready to send off to Carolyn and her trusty pen for comments. And while she is hacking it to pieces--in a good way--I will send out dozens of letters requesting permission to use quotes from this source and that and start giving some thought to photographs. Another trip to Birmingham for those? Possibly, but I'd like to do as much of it from home as possible.

Speaking of "home," it has been hot as a furnace here in Tucson. Okay, it's not so unusual that it is warm. But this has been scorching. Days and days of 105 (F) and 109 (F) degree temperatures. Getting my electric bill should be cardiac causing. And my dear, sweet brother sends me an e-mail the other day: Fox says 111 in Tucson today. First of all, he should have his hands slapped for watching the Fox network, which skews and mis-reports the news terribly. Second of all, do I really need to know that it's going to be 111 degrees?

2008-06-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

As I finish the last section of my book, weather reports indicate that storms are barreling across the plains states and into the northeast. Here, it is sunny, windy, and warm. Typical, except that the forecasters are saying the temperature will rise to 104 degrees today. I tend to believe that this might be true given that usually when I wake in the morning--that would be night for some of you since I wake at around 3:00 every morning--the temperature has dropped to the upper 60s, making the morning walk nice and cool. This morning, however, it was still in the 70s, so I buttoned up the house to try to hold on to that tempered air for as long as possible. But by 9:00 and AC had kicked in--telling me it is indeed HOT outside.

I am ready to send off the next proposal. I shared it with my agent but have not heard back from her about it. Yet. I think I will send it out myself and hope for the best. Keep your fingers crossed for me, please.

2008-06-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

The view of Tucson from here. Evening. (It looks farther away than it is. It's actually only about two miles from my garage to the tall, dark highrise. And as you can tell, it's pretty much a straight shot.)

At least when I'm slaving away at the computer, there's a view outside my window. Of course, the last two days all I've had to watch are palm trees swaying in the 50 mph winds and dust. It was so dusty yesterday morning that I thought it was fog. I guess that's what I get for all those years on the California coast.

Speaking of the California coast, I may be calling it home again in the next couple of years. Nothing definite. But it's certainly playing on my mind. What's the adage? You can take the boy out of California, but you can't take California out of the boy...or something like that.

IRA is in Phoenix in February 2009. I think that just dawned on me. I guess I need to make preparations to attend. I hadn't planned on it but it's so close, it would be crazy not to go.

2008-05-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

For two days now a family of quail has been visiting my yard--an adult and a dozen chicks. The adult perches on top of a rock in the yard while the younglings hunt and peck around its base. When mom decides they've explored enough, she hops off the rock and scurries across the road. At first, the younglings don't seem to notice. Then she calls and, lemming-like, they dash after her--a wave of brown-gray bobbing and weaving toward their protector. Very amusing to watch.

I managed to finish a new nonfiction proposal yesterday, but haven't decided if I'll send it out yet or not. I've been so overwhelmed with the current project that the thought of diving straight into another deep subject gives me pause. Maybe what I need is something that's pure fancy, totally imaginative and playful. I think I'll just let things sit on my desk for a while and see what time tells me to do.

Sunday I'll be going to an open house at my friend Sloan's new casa. She has been busy working on it and pulling it together since January or February. With her great sense of design, color and style, it will be exciting to see what she has done with her mid-century residence. I saw it early-on, before she'd begun casting her magic on it, so it will be interesting to see the renewed space.

2008-05-26T18:18:00.001-07:00

So many people think the desert is devoid of life. Tonight as I sat having dinner--lemon chicken and fresh asparagus--movement caught my eye outside the dining room window. I got up to look and, sure enough, a mountain lion was sauntering through the yard, crossed the street, and moseyed up the road and out of sight. I decided that Kubric and I would wait a while before taking our evening walk, since this cat looked skinny and hungry, and it obviously was on the prowl.

The book is progressing. If I can stay on schedule, I should have it completed--round one, anyway--by the first of June. Then I'll have to tweak it for my editor's eyes.

Hope your Memorial Day was a pleasant one.

2008-05-21T06:40:00.000-07:00

As long as I'm posting some photos this morning, here's a hint about my next book.

2008-05-21T06:31:00.000-07:00

Chuck George, our local weather guy, tells us that it's going to cool off by Friday. Hope so. It has gotten HOT early, and I'm not ready for it--if one can ever be ready for HOT. Still, the nights and mornings are spectacular and coolish and wonderful for walking. This is a shot of the moon setting over my backyard at 5:00 A.M. this morning when I was out with the dog.

2008-05-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

Bakersfield was a blast! Five schools, a young authors' conference, a barbecue, and a banquet in six days. The weather was cooperative and spared us the sometimes brutal temperatures that sometime plague the area. Best of all was getting to meet up with long-time, dear friends and newer friends: Debbie and Lloyd Wakelee, Sandra Yoon, Helen Foster James, Susan Goldman Rubin, and others. The children in the schools were all well prepared and eager to ask their questions. At Berkshire Elementary, one young man laughed when I explained that I'd tried BMX freestyle myself. When asked why he laughed, he got wide-eyed and said rather timidly, "Because you're old and grumpy." I'm sure he meant that he just didn't think somebody as old as me could do any tricks on a bicycle without serious injury. But "old and grumpy" is what came out of his mouth. At Stockdale Elementary, a student wrote me a thank you note that began, "Dear Larry Dane Grimner." Angie, from the same school, wrote: "Thank you for coming to are school and waisting your time." She went on to say, "You were great... ." So that made up for the "waisting your time" comment. But "Grimner" and "old and grumpy"? I was beginning to feel like the Rodney Dangerfield of children's literature--gettin' no respect!

Now I have a deadline hanging over my head, and I want to get a query off to my agent.

2008-05-01T10:03:00.001-07:00

By now most of you know the new award, which was officially announced Monday: The Jane Addams Book Award. You can read more about it here: http://home.igc.org/~japa/jacba/index_jacba.html

Thanks for all your good wishes.

I leave in about an hour to do a school visit in Phoenix. Then I travel west for a week of school visits in Bakersfield.

Good books to read: Delicious: The Life & Art of Wayne Thiebaud, by Susan Goldman Rubin; Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali, by Charles R. Smith, Jr.; and Dizzy, by Jonah Winter. Not only are they great books to read, the authors are wonderfully nice people, too.

2008-04-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

Thursday I received the Norman A. Sugarman Award for Biography at a gala event replete with great food, live jazz, and freedom songs--all beautifully presented. Chrystal Carr Jeter (spelled correctly this time, Chrystal) outdid herself by organizing a multi-day event that included meeting the gracious Joan Sugarman, who made the award possible through a generous endowment to the Cleveland Public Library. Chrystal's staff--Vicki, Cathleen, Jaime, and others whom I can't name only because of the whirlwind of activity the last few days--and her boss, Andrew Venable, all went to great efforts to make me and the other authors feel welcome at their beautiful library and in their historic city. I came away feeling as if I'd made many new and good friends, although I'm still pinching myself and staring at the award (which is now sitting on the bookcase in my office) to convince myself that the last few magical days actually happened. The only thing I forgot to pick up were the lovely Sugarman stickers (hint, hint) which will proudly be displayed on my books in the future. Tomorrow another award will be announced.

2008-04-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

One of the benefits of writing books for children is that children sometimes write back. This past week, several such epistles flew into my mailbox. Here's a sampling (as they were written) of some of what they had to say, with my comments in parentheses:

Dear Mr. Larry Dane Brimner (It's always the entire name!):
Calamity Jane is my favorite. You inspired me to be an author when I grow up.
Your Number One Fan,
Naomi

Dear Larry Dane Brimner:
When you came to our school you said there will be no more Corner Kids books. They're everybodies favrite, especially mine. I am so sad there will be no more Corner Kids. Can't you change your mind? (I'd be willing to write more, but Scholastic would have to make me a fair offer.)
From your Fan,
Caroline

Dear Mr. Larry Dane Brimner:
You inspire me with your great books. When you write you are so intelligent, incredible, fablous, and wonderful. (They must have been studying adjectives--I guess this means that when I'm not writing, I'm stuck on stupid and not very wonderful!)
Your friend,
Tatiayna

Keep those letters coming. They really brighten my day.

2008-04-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

A librarian, whose school I'll be visiting in August--a first author visit for this librarian--e-mailed to ask what she could do to make the visit successful for her students and for me. Since there might be other librarian's in this situation, I thought I'd post my response for others to read. It follows:

The best thing you can do to prepare for any author visit is to acquaint the children with at least some of the author's work. Have them read (or read to them) several of the author's titles in the weeks prior to the visit. This will build enthusiasm. Mount some displays, not only in the library but also in other parts of the building. Try to involve the teaching staff in the process as well--perhaps they could tie some of the author's books to their curriculum or do an author study. Some schools have hosted an author reception or tea, while others have promoted a writing competition--with a couple winners from each class getting to have a pizza lunch with the author. Others have used the pizza lunch idea as a reward for their most talented writers or top students or best citizens. Offering a booksale will also garner interest and enthusiasm. The more acquainted the children are with the author's work and the more enthusiasm instilled, the more successful the visit will be.

* * *

Some of the schools that I've visited over the years have blown me away with their preparation activities. One (Robertsdale in Alabama) had the stage behind my presentation area set up as a teddy bear's picnic (for Country Bear's Good Neighbor). Another (Tate Elementary in Kern County) had life-size re-creations of the characters from several fiction titles decorating the hallways and raindrops (from the Rookie Reader Raindrops) dangling from the ceiling. The children created artwork panels based on my books and a volunteer parent stitched them together into a king-size quilt. (Yes, I use it!) At another (Smallwood Elementary, Buffalo, New York), every grade level selected a title and tied it to curriculum...with one grade level reading my tall tales and creating their own and another reading my Corner Kids titles (Rookie Choices) and doing projects with each character trait discussed in those books. It never ceases to amaze me at how creative teachers can be at using books in their classrooms when given the chance.

2008-04-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Wind. Dust. Gosh, I thought I might blow away this morning when I was out for a walk with the dog at 5:00. We ended up chasing my baseball cap half a block before we caught up with it. Kubric thought that was great fun.

It hit the 90s yesterday. Finally--a chance to get warm! Of course, I also know what lies ahead...from warmth to HOT.

Yesterday, I woke at 2:00 with a brainstorm about the current book project. I'd been troubled that perhaps I was going into too much detail. So as I lay in bed thinking about it, the "fix" (or at least I hope it's the fix) came at 2:00 and I was up typing notes to myself so I would not forget. (I learned the hard way not to rely on memory when such inspiration strikes. I swear I've written the Great American Middle-Grade Novel in the night, only to have it evaporate by morning.)

2008-04-09T12:05:00.001-07:00

Today finds Tucson under gray and cloudy skies. Wet skies. It has been raining for about the last hour. And you thought it never rained in sunny Arizona. Ha! Ordinarily, I can see from my hillside, across the valley, to the Catalina Mountains. Today the clouds are so thick I can't even see the house across the street, let alone the high-rises downtown.

It has been a morning to catch up on some desperately needed house cleaning. My sinks and counters now sparkle. The floors will have to wait. Tomorrow, the work crew will finish the office and den--yay! Then I'll be able to move back into my office and work on a REAL desk--instead of on a board suspended between two sawhorses.

The newest book is progressing well, but I was prompted to comment to a friend last night over dinner: "I feel as if I'm writing the entire history of the South from the flood forward." And somehow, I have to make it fit into a 48-page format. (Write now, cut later.)

2008-04-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful morning here in Tucson! I was up long before sunrise and out with Kubric (the schnauzer) for our morning constitutional. We were the only ones out that early, except for birdlife--which seemed to be welcoming the new day in full force. Lovely!

There's much to do: make some progress on the Birmingham book, put together an agenda for an upcoming board meeting, think about a picture book idea that has been nagging me--I need to find the window in (not to mention the window out!)--and start putting together a 'thank you' talk.

For Michael, who e-mailed to ask how a writer takes command of 'kid-speak' when writing dialogue: listen. Listen to children where you find them. When I taught at ICL, I used to advise students to visit the neighborhood park and jot down phrases and glimpses of children's dialogue when they were at play. But not in today's world. Instead, listen to kids wherever you might find them: in line at the grocery store, at your neighborhood video store, when you're out for a walk with the dog. It doesn't take much to add realism to the dialogue you write.

2008-04-03T19:54:00.001-07:00

Plans have been finalized for my trip to Cleveland from April 23rd to 26th to accept the Norman A. Sugarman Award for Children's Biography. They tell me I'll be speaking to a couple of school and civil rights groups, having dinner with the committee, and meeting the Sugarman family, whose generosity makes the award possible. Also, I'll possibly get to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame--which fabric artist Nancy Polster tells me will knock my socks off (and possibly damage my eardrums). I'm looking forward to it (the museum, not the eardrums part).

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (or Casa de los Cuentos, as my house is called), my office is taking shape (this for writer, Helen Foster James). The cabinets, bookcase, and desk were installed today. I'm still waiting for the tops to arrive--possibly tomorrow, possibly not until early next week. Then I will finish painting and move back into this room of my own (and--the Cosmic Coordinator willing--finish the current tome). I recall that my dear friend, Lois Sims, used to have a coffee mug that read: So many men; so little time. Sometimes I feel that way about books: So many writing ideas; so little time to write them! Also what comes to mind--as long as I'm tripping back over favorite sayings of old friends--is a something that friend and teaching colleague (from San Diego State University) used to say: I could have a great social life, if it weren't for the need to work. So true. So true.

Happy April, y'all. (This term popped out of my mouth while speaking to school children in Buffalo, New York, and after only a month in Birmingham. I think I understand now why and how my Los Angeles-born friend and now Chicagoan John Kendryna came back from a few years in Atlanta sounding as if he'd spent his entire life in the South. It's catchy!)

2008-03-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite times of year here in Tucson. The days are pleasantly warm (mid-80s) and the nights are wonderfully cool enough for a blanket on the bed. What I like most, I think, is that in the early morning when I take Kubric (the schnauzer) out for his morning stroll (some would say he takes me), there's lots of wildlife to observe: coyotes, rabbits, quail, and roadrunners--and that was just this morning. Also, this morning a most beautiful red bird flew across our trail. I'm not a birder or I might be able to tell you what it was, but it was stunning. At night, with the windows cracked, a symphony of crickets and the faraway, haunting wail of a passing train lulls one to sleep.

I know a lot of you think that you've been to Tucson if ever you've been to Phoenix, but the two destinations are completely different. Tucson is higher (and, thankfully, cooler) than Phoenix and, although it's unfortunately growing, it hasn't yet reached Phoenix's sad status of being called "Los Angeles East." Tucson is still a "cowboy town," as evidenced by the corral of horses at the bottom of the hill and the lone cowboy I sometimes see moseying along behind my house.

Happy Trails! (I need to get some work done on a book.)

2008-03-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

I'm just back from visiting Smallwood Drive and Windermere Boulevard schools in Amherst, New York (think Buffalo). What dedicated teachers and wonderful children! It was a delightful four days with hostesses Freda Orosz and Nancy Kane, inspite of snow, wind, rain, sleet, cold, ice, and cloudy skies. Everyone made me feel so welcome and very much like a "star." As a bonus, I came home with a couple of mementos of Buffalo (a lovely tie and a crystal ornament) and a recipe for a delicious spinach/strawberry salad that I'm looking forward to trying out on my friends. Of course, I was there when the Spitzer affair made the news, and that was quite fun to talk about (with the teachers, people, not the students). And, of course, now there's Patterson and his wife. Politics is so salacious these days; it makes me happy I didn't follow my parents' advice to enter politics!

I knocked out some captions for the illustrations in my book about Booker T. Washington, due out in 2009. The book layout is fantastic and looks rich. My editor, Joyce Stanton, is a gem. If ever you have the opportunity to work with her, jump at it.

It is time to dig into the next major art piece, a book tentatively titled Birmingham Sunday. I've been researching like crazy, spending a lot of time in Birmingham. But all good things must come to an end--and the real work of writing must begin. (Especially if I'm going to meet my June 1 deadline.) It looks as if I'll be alternating between Sunday and a chapter book mystery for a while. We'll see where it all leads. Interestingly, after several weeks in Birmingham, y'all seems to have crept into my vocabulary.

Also, I finally raised my school visit fees. My Smallwood Drive librarian informed me that I was selling myself short by not charging what everyone else is charging. I give more; I charge less. There's something strange with that picture, but true to the Brimner investment strategy of buying high and selling low. So after thinking it over, I raised my school visit fees but will also continue to cover my own transportation and lodging when schools book me for four days or longer. That seems fair to me. The truth is that with airfares on the rise and hotels following suit, I was just barely covering my expenses. I've tried to keep my fees reasonable so that more schools and children would be able to experience an author visit, but it's time for a readjustment. The 2008-2009 fee schedule is posted on my "Programs" page.

Off to a South of the Gila Gang meeting of writers.

2008-03-02T12:33:00.000-08:00

I spent yesterday in Casa Grande, Arizona, at the Arizona Young Authors' Conference. What fun! I met with several outstanding young writers, talked a bit about some of my books, did a writing activity with them, and fielded their questions. Questions. It never ceases to amaze me what passes through young minds. One of the cutest questions that I was asked was as follows: "Don't you get tired of the paparazzi following you all the time?" I chuckled because the mere notion of the paparazzi or, more likely, the singular paparazzo, following a writer--especially a children's writer--around is a bit off the wall. And I answered: "Most of the time it isn't a problem, but just the other night when I was trying to have a peaceful dinner about 500 paparazzi crowded around my table and I became so upset that I left the restaurant and crashed my brand new limousine in the parking lot." Of course, I immediately confessed to pulling their leg--especially when I realized the teacher thought I was serious--and said, "The nice part about being a writer is that we are not plagued by paparazzi. A crazed teacher or librarian now and then, but not the paparazzi. When it comes to fame and the writer, people tend to know a writer's work and not the writer." (The teacher seemed very much relieved that I didn't have a limousine to crash in a parking lot.)

Now I am off to San Diego for an Authors' Festival and then will leave there for Buffalo. Pweeze let it not be snowing in Buffalo. This reminds me that I need to contact Freda and Nancy to let them know that I'm on my way.

2008-02-12T17:03:00.000-08:00

I'm back from another delightful and productive visit to Birmingham, but I think I left my wallet and likely future royalty income in the copy machine in the archives at the Birmingham Public Library. After a little organization, I'll be ready to review my notes and write.

I saw long-time friends, Neal and Joan Broerman, who took me to Dreamland for some down-home Alabama barbecue. Yummy! And that day, my Calkins Creek editor told me that We Are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin has gone into its second printing. Already. I'm not complaining.

Later this week I will visit Mesquite Elementary School in Gilbert, Arizona. School visits are almost always fun, so I'm looking forward to meeting everyone at Mesquite. Gosh, can it be mid-February already? I just realized today that 2008 is a leap year. Who knew?!

Happy Valentine's Day!