Writer Wednesday Winner! The Pink Locker Society

We have a winner! This week's Writer Wednesday guest, Debra Moffitt offered a copy of her newly released book, The Pink Locker Society. The lucky winner is....


Julie Anne Lindsey

She has been contacted and the book will be sent ASAP. Congratulations Julie and thanks to all who stopped by.

I want to mention one more time that Debra Moffitt is also the editor of an excellent website focused on issues that girls today face. It answers any and all questions that girls (and boys) have about growing up. Parents, you should check this site out and bring your kids too.

http://www.pinklockersociety.org

Thanks,

Kristin : )

Writer Wednesday: Debra Moffitt

You know more than you think you do.

Those words are from parenting expert, Dr. Benjamin Spock, but I find them strangely comforting and applicable to writing. Of course, I have to balance them against the equally true statement: You don’t know anything at all. For me, writing happens in the valley between the two.

I chin up and soldier my way through the hard, early days of a new writing project, needing to remind myself that I can do characters, dialogue, and plot. But I also sigh and fret. I lament my inadequate education, my own laziness about reading the classics, and my general lack of worldliness. Where have I been? What right have I to spin these tales, which emerge from my imperfect memory and unchallenged point of view?

But, oh yes, I know more than I think I do. I know that I can’t have zero confidence and be a writer. So I have no choice but to rally and find the courage to put something down, to believe that my little squinty view of the world is worth sharing. I remember a decade ago at a writers’ conference, this woman asked the presenter how she could get beyond her internal critic. “Every time I write something, I say ‘Oh my God, it’s awful.’ So I just never get anything done.”

I recall thinking, “Oh, you poor thing.” But rest assured, I was just beginning to write fiction, and my own insecurities were waiting for me around the bend. Right about then, I enrolled in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Writers Workshop. I prepared for class like a model student, wrote my first short story, and was secretly hoping it would get an unqualified A, even though the workshop’s leader was not a professor and the class was not graded.

The deft workshop facilitator had me read an excerpt and then raised so many questions that I felt nauseous. He never said it was a bad story, but he encouraged revision and deeper thinking about what I was trying to say. He asked, rhetorically, “What’s the emotional truth of the story?” Ugh, darned if I knew.

I worked and reworked, always feeling a little like an elephant doing ballet. But through several rounds of the workshop, I started to internalize some of his persistent, and now predictable, questions. It didn’t work miracles, but my fiction writing got a little better.

All the reading he had us do also helped. I stopped racing for the finish when I read, and started noticing the choices that masterful writers make. (Oh, how they tell us just enough and let that last sentence burn a hole in the page!)

Every writer has probably experienced the “I wish I’d written that.” moment. It’s infantile, I know, but I’m confessing. Now that I’m a little older, it doesn’t happen as much. Maybe it’s because I have created for myself a secret stash of encouragement from some fabulous writers. Lots of writers write about writing. But not all of them fill the curious space left by my own insecurity and doubt.

Here are three of my favorites if you need a reminder that yes, you can have a writer’s life, if you want one.

Anne Lamott: Bird by Bird, Lamott’s guide to writing, truly delivers. Ms. Lamott is one of the kindest angels you can have on your shoulder while you write. Need further evidence? She riffs brilliantly about procrastinating when you should be writing and recognizes “Shitty First Drafts” as an official step in the writing process.

William Maxell: I will gladly listen to Maxwell, who was both a fine writer and fiction editor at the New Yorker for 40 years. Maxwell, who died in 2000, had me at the preface to his short story collection, All the Days and Nights.

In it, Maxwell describes how at age 25 he decided to go to sea so he would have something to write about. He left his job as an English professor and got aboard a schooner near Coney Island. Thirty years later, he looked back on it like this..."(The captain) had no idea when the beautiful, tall-masted ship would leave its berth. And I had no idea that three-quarters of the material I would need for the rest of my writing life was already at my disposal. My father and mother. My brothers. The cast of larger-than-life characters - affectionate aunts, friends of the family, neighbors white and black - that I was presented with when I came into this world."

Billie Letts: Letts, an Oklahoman, is the woman you want to read if you’re raising kids and trying (and often failing) to fit in a little writing time. Tucked in the back of her breakout novel, Where the Heart Is, she describes her personal journey from wife and mom to college graduate, English teacher, and – at age 55 – novelist.

By her own description, Letts was not well poised to become a published writer. She was not born in New York, completed college only after having children, and was the traditional “woman behind the man” as her talented husband took a Fulbright Scholarship. She taught English as a second language for many years.

Only as she neared retirement, did she make progress toward her dream of being a writer. In her generous essay, she answers the question she must get asked most often: How did you do it? Her answer: “I don't know. I only know how I have written two books. I had stories to tell and I began typing.

You can read the whole thing here: Billie Letts on Writing
http://www.knowsouthernhistory.net/Culture/Literature/billie_letts.htm

I think of Letts’ essay as something that should be behind glass, like in one of those old fashioned fire extinguisher boxes. In case of discouragement, break glass. I’ve reread it numerous times and know I’ll reach for it again, whenever I need reminding that I know at least a little more than I think I do.

Debra Moffitt, a former newspaper reporter, is an editor at KidsHealth.org. Her first book, The Pink Locker Society: Only Girls Allowed, was published by St. Martin’s Press in September. The book is the first in a four-book series for tween girls.

An interactive website, www.pinklockersociety.org, invites girls to support each other and find answers to common questions about growing up. Moffitt lives in Delaware with her husband and three sons, ages 13, 12, and 4.

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Thank you Debra for being this week's Writer Wednesday guest and thank all of you who stopped by today. As an added bonus Debra has generously offered to give away a copy of her newly released book, The Pink Locker Society to a lucky reader. It could be you! All you have to do is leave a comment. One winner will be randomly selected after midnight tonight and will be announced tomorrow.

Happy Reading and Good Luck!

Kristin : )

CBRS: The Pink Locker Society by Debra Moffitt

Attention parents, caregivers, school teachers, and counselors: Are you looking for a book that helps preteens and tweens understand and deal with physical and emotional changes? One that looks at the time in a child's life before they are exposed to sexual activity and substance abuse issues? If your answer is yes, The Pink Locker Society is for you!

The Pink Locker Society (also known as PLS) by Debra Moffitt is a story about 4 girls, (Kate, Jemma, Piper, And Bet) who are chosen as new members of a secret society. They are expected to help other girls by answering their questions about changing feelings and body issues. Most of the questions involve the common things on most girls' minds; the PBBs (Periods, Boys, Bras). The problem the girls encounter is, how do they help other girls with issues that they are just learning about themselves?

In order to provide the best and most accurate information they research every topic they are asked about and are surprised with how much they learn along the way. But this book covers much more than body changes and first crushes. There are also important lessons about friendships and Internet scams.

The Pink Locker Society by Debra Moffitt was inspired by actual questions asked by tween and teens on a website with the same name.

http://pinklockersociety.org/

This website was developed by the creators of http://kidshealth.org/ to provide a safe haven for kids to feel comfortable about asking questions and getting accurate and straight forward answers. It is directed at kids, but can be a great resource for parents and teachers as well. A great way to find out what your kids are concerned about and to get some ideas on how to answer if you are asked similar questions.

I finished this book with a few questions in mind and thought what a great idea it would be to ask the author on line. We are both on Twitter, so I decided why not do a TwitterView. If you are on Twitter you can view the whole interview by entering this hash tag into the SEARCH box on your Twitter home page. #TV-PLS (It stands for TwitterView-PinkLockerSociety)

Please enjoy my TwitterView with Debra Moffitt, also known as @PinkLockerSociety

KCBOOKS: Q1. Are there more adventures planned for The Pink Locker Society?

PinkLockerMom: Yes, I'm working on book 2 now. The first one was periods, bras, and boys. This one is a lot about BOYS!

PinkLockerMom: Often, they [girls] don't feel comfortable talking to their moms. For instance, they're scared to say they have a boyfriend.

KCBOOKS: Q2. What issues, other than boys, would you want to cover in future books?

PinkLockerMom: Friendships are very important.I'd like to help girls get beyond the drama & know that friendships change. It's normal.

KCBOOKS: Great point, esp. when boys get involved. Changes occur in friendships & it is normal.

PinkLockerMom: Re: Boys have questions too... Here's a blog post from a boy. 51 girls were happy to help. http://bit.ly/B0sB7

KCBOOKS: Boys on PLS website goes w/Q3. Do you think the girls [in the book] might recruit a boy to encourage more male participation? #TV-PLS

PinkLockerMom: A boy in the PLS? Not sure they'd give him full member status. But he would be a great advisor.

KCBOOKS: yes and could make a great tie in w/the girls having their first group crush & how to handle it.

PinkLockerMom: Exactly. In book 2, something just like that is brewing up!

KCBOOKS: oooo...we just got a sneak peak! Can't wait to see how it's handled.

KCBOOKS: My last question involves something I worry about as a mom. Internet safety. Between child predators & scams, there are real dangers.

KCBOOKS: Q4. PLS touched on computer safety & scams. Today's tweens live in a tech world. Are there plans to cover these issues more?

PinkLockerMom: RE: Internet safety, I agree. That's why we put a subtle message in the book. Don't want to overdo bc kids will tune out.

PinkLockerMom: I think kids see the Internet/texting like we viewed the phone. It just IS. But we do need to help them be safe.

I had a lot of fun talking with Debra over Twitter. I hope to do more interviews like this in the future. I would love to hear what you think about the book, the website, and the Twitterview.

Thanks for stopping by. Keep in touch.

Kristin : )