Holy Acknowledgement Surprise, Batman!

This week has been a tough one for me - getting up at 6am is taking its toll, and I slept through my alarm more often than not. I've loved my productive mornings, but making myself into a morning person when the sun doesn't rise for another two-to-three hours and it's cold (and dark and cold and AAGH and did I mention cold?) is hard work for me. I'm still enthusiastic about my projects, but I'm struggling to find the enthusiasm at 6 o'clock in the morning. Plus, there's Life Stuff, which I'm not going to get into.

And then I sat down to read a friend's book*, and got curious about who her editor is (because the book is awesome), and when I turned to the acknowledgements I saw this:

Holy patooties, fruities!

And then I jumped around like a maniac, because my name is in the acknowledgement section of someone's book, OH YEAH!!!!

Here's the thing about writing books.

It's hard. You're all alone, and you know it probably sucks, and you're struggling to fix it, and you don't know if you're making it better or worse. You finally get it to where you think it's shining like a shiny thing, and 99% of the industry people you send it to tell you that thanks, but they'll pass. It's HARD. And that's the way it has to be, because quality matters, but knowing that doesn't make it any easier. (It makes you more able to be a grown-up about it, though, which is important. Be a grown-up.)

And then you see your name in the acknowledgement section of a friend's book, and you remember that night months and months ago when you answered an email with exactly the right questions, and you remember what it was like to read those early pages, those treasured secret words, filled with hope and possibility.

You remember that you have allies. You remember that you are an ally to other people.

And you feel so freaking lucky to be able to participate in the magic of creating stories for young people.

I am so grateful that I get to do this. I work with some of the most awesome people in the world. We make magic together.

What made you feel lucky this week?

*The book is A POCKET FULL OF MURDER, by R.J. Anderson, and it is delightful. Perfect for the magic-and-mystery-loving 8-12 year-old in your life.

Accountability Count: Don't even ask when I got up; Worked on WIPs every day, YAY ME I GET COOKIES; language and music are suffering, but have been Filling the Well like crazy, so I feel okay about that. Also, NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON-ISH, watch this space.

Reading: Worlds of Ink and Shadow, by Lena Coakley, which I critiqued an early chapter of years ago and which is AMAZING and #1 on the Globe and Mail Juvenile Bestseller lists, YESYESYESYESYES! More on that next week.

Watching: Jersey Boys and The Good German

Goodbye, Starman

Today has been one of those days. The American Library Association made history by announcing that a picture book, LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET, had both won the Newbery and garnered a Caldecott Honor, and it was announced that David Bowie had passed away.

Stars were born, and a star died.

It happens every day, but I'm feeling it keenly on this cold January afternoon.

Taken at the "David Bowie Is…" exhibit at the AGO.

I can't remember the first time I heard a David Bowie track. I can't remember which track it was. It feels like he's always been there.

But I do remember a girl I used to look after. She lived in a house in Kentish Town, and she was eleven, and she was the biggest David Bowie freak I had ever met. She would dress up like him after school and belt out Life on Mars as if she had written it herself, and it was wonderful. Through his music and his artistry and weirdness and his sheer force of personality, he gave her a bit of his stardust. He gave a bit of it to all of us.

Goodbye, Starman.

Accountability Count: Up at 6 every day, except when I slept through my alarm this morning; one hour of writing or revision done every day; music done every other day; language not done at all, ACK; blogging done and edited, but password forgotten so can't post, DOUBLE ACK; social media time seems to be under control THANK HEAVEN FOR SMALL MIRACLES.

Reading: THE NEST, by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Jon Klassen

Watching: LABYRINTH. Of course.

New Year, New Rules

Morning motivation from my office.

I like that quote. It says so much about life: that if you want something, I mean really, REALLY want something, you've got to do the work to get it. And getting the thing and doing the work are basically the same thing.

So.

I decided I needed to set myself some rules for getting this thing that I want - publication with a major house, on a consistent basis, from now until forever.

New year, new rules.

The rules apply every day, even on Christmas. They are called Rules for a reason, folks.

Here are The Rules:

- up at 6am; NO EXCEPTIONS (I'm not gonna lie: this one sucks for me. I am SO not a morning person. But, hours! In a day! Limited! So, new wake-up time. I'll get used to it.)

- minimum one hour writing time; NO EXCEPTIONS (Also, blogging does not count as "writing time.")

- blogging once per week (I'm doing it now! YAY!)

- vlogging once per week (Vlogs will be mirrored here on the blog, to keep the blog ticking over more often than once weekly.)

- half an hour per day on a language (This is nothing to do with writing and everything to do with me wanting to be more Me and less Mom/Spouse/Homeschooler/Vegetable Grower/etc. Also, Spy. I want to be more Spy.)

- half an hour per day on an instrument (Same deal as the language thing.)

- one hour per day consuming media (Reading, critical TV or film watching, etc. You've gotta fill the well, folks.)

- social media for half an hour before 9am, and during The Kidlets' piano practice (Blogging counts!)

- accountability on the blog

That last one is important. I can't tell you how many times I've made a promise to myself, only to break it within a few weeks. It might not be this way for everybody, but for me, accountability is vital. It's what makes me ACTUALLY do what I say I'm going to do. So every time I post here, I'm going to tell you how I'm doing at the end of the post.

I guess you could call these resolutions, except that none of them are Great, Grand Plans or anything. They're just little changes I'm making to my day, every day. We'll see if it makes a difference.

How about you?

Accountability Count: Up today at 6am; Twitter, FB, and blogging done, cut off at 1/2 an hour; blog for the week done. And its only 8am! WOO-HOO!

Currently reading: THE MARVELS, by Brian Selznick. Halfway through, I give it an A+.

Currently watching: Wonderfalls.

Paper Towns Challenge

YOU GUYS.

I’m in LA!

I’m here for the #LA15SCBWI Summer Conference, and I couldn’t be more excited to be here! There are SO MANY sessions... I’m focusing on craft, and WOW. Meg Wolitzer... Varian Johnson... Jordan Brown... Julie Strauss-Gabel...

*hyperventilates*

ANYWAY.

I got here Thursday night, and since I’m here for a kidlit and YA writer’s conference,  I thought the best way to spend the evening would be by watching an adaptation of a YA novel with my someone who really knows her YA.

So my critique partner, Lindsey Carmichael, and I went to see Paper Towns together.

I have to say straight out that I loved the book, and I thought the movie was an excellent adaptation of the book. Also, seeing the movie with all its elements laid out on screen - the sidekick (who happens to be black), the binge drinking, the misogyny, the Confederate Flag on a t-shirt, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl that people are arguing about (did John Green dismantle the trope, or perpetuate it?) - made me realize two things.*

One: One book cannot address All The Things, nor should it.

and Two: I don’t think it’s possible to dismantle a trope as deeply ingrained as the Manic Pixie Dream Girl.

I want to discuss Point Two at greater length with you guys, but first, you have to see the movie.

So that’s your challenge.

Some time in the next two weeks, go and see the delightful hilarity that is Paper Towns. (Seriously, it’s a GREAT adaptation.) Let me know in the comments to this post that you’ve seen it. And then we’ll talk about the mystique of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl.

*Okay, more than two things. But I’m writing this at 1:40 in the morning and two things are all I can think of right now. And two things are enough for one blog post, anyway.

Monday Musings: Heroic Princesses, Body Image, and the Size of Ariel's Butt

Happy Monday!

I've been busy over the weekend learning how to use video-editing software, which I hope will lead to much better quality YouTube videos in the not-too-distant future. But in the meantime, we'll have to settle for ideas over looks.

Which, interestingly, dovetails nicely with my latest vlog:



See you tomorrow, when I'll post my reading of The Elephant's Child in two parts, and announce the book I'll be reading in the lead-up to Halloween. I can't wait!

X is for X-Men

Edited to add: My internet and phone were down all day and Blogger has been buggy with the pre-scheduled posts, so I haven't been able to post this until suppertime. Boo! Sorry. But let's get on with the fun, shall we?

It’s Friday, and I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for a little fun to round off the work week.

My favorite superhero is Superman, the subject of many a schoolgirl crush. I spent so many daydreaming hours wishing that Superman would come along and sweep me away... But I never thought about being like Superman. It was never an option – all his powers were a result of his being from somewhere else. (Oh, planet Krypton - where were you when I needed you?)

Being a secret X-Man was much more realistic. I have to admit that there’s still a teeny-tiny part of me that’s hoping that tomorrow, I really WILL be able to move things with my mind or hear other people’s thoughts. Maybe the ability is still there, latent, waiting for someone to invent the right supplement or non-invasive surgical technique that will enable me to see the future for real.

Like that will every REALLY happen – but a girl can dream, right? I mean, without daydreams like this, where would storytellers be?

If you could be an X-Man, what superpower would you want to have?

M is for Mork and Mindy

Remember this?



Na-noo na-noo. Hee-hee.

What was your favorite show from the late seventies and early eighties?

H is for Margaret Hamilton

It's Easter Monday, and since I grew up in Ohio where "the country" consists mostly of cornfields, that can only mean one thing: it's tornado season. And tornadoes have been synonymous with The Wizard of Oz ever since the spectacular film was released in 1939.

Of all the characters in the film, my favorites are the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. But of the performers in the film, my favorite has to be Margaret Hamilton, who was cast as the Wicked Witch of the West. Here's the story behind that genius piece of casting. Make sure you watch to the end - she gets in some real zingers:

After that interview, I checked out some of her other work, and it turns out she was quite the comedienne. Here she is in an episode of "Car 54, Where Are You?" along with a couple of familiar faces from another great show, "The Munsters." See if you can spot them:

Super stuff.

Who was your favorite actor in The Wizard of Oz?

For more #AtoZChallenge posts, go here.

Looking at trends: Books to Screen

I was at a conference last autumn where an editor said that by the time a book trend makes it down to picture books, it's over in YA and MG. One example of this is the vampire trend - it had its day in YA with TWILIGHT, and now that you can pick up a few cute vampire picture books, YA has moved on to Dystopian and Sci-Fi.

So, I'm wondering what you all think of the trend patterns of books-to-screen. Does having a book serialized in a TV show extend the trend? Or maybe it highlights a coming trend? Or maybe it heralds the coming end of a trend? Is there any correlation at all?

There are a lot of modern takes on fairy tales making it onto the screen out there these days: on TV we have Grimm on Friday nights on NBC and Once Upon a Time on Sunday nights on ABC, and later this year we'll be treated to not one, but TWO different takes on Snow White in movie theatres across North America. This comes after a slew of movies offering their own spin on Little Red Riding Hood, the brothers Grimm, and all things fairy tale.

And of course, there's the dystopian trend we've all been hearing has been saturated. We have The Hunger Games coming out this weekend: will this jumpstart another wave of demand for dystopia?

So, what does it mean? Is it the beginning for these types of stories? The end? Or somewhere in the middle? While it's true that writing to a trend is a foolhardy proposition, for those of us with a manuscript or two in a drawer, it might be worth thinking about.

Friday Favorites: Because Nothing Says Movies like Coffee and Popcorn

I had the great pleasure of watching Hugo at a fantastic little repertory theatre on Bloor Street, in Toronto, ON. I don't often go to repertory theatres anymore - my own town doesn't have any - but I grew up near one, and it was where I first saw most of the movies of my childhood. Boy, do I miss them.

I miss the small-ness of them. I miss the surprise that is discovering a movie that isn't in the maistream cinemas anymore, but is still wonderful. I miss being able to wait in a lobby and have a conversation without needing to yell. The Kingsway Theatre has all of those things.

We walked into the small lobby and around a central bar area that I didn't really pay attention to. We walked past some velvet ropes that seemed to mark where we might wait, if there were a line. And at one counter along the back, we were invited to pay for both our tickets and our refreshments: popcorn, candy, soda, and, incongruously, coffee. "You get your coffee back there at the bar," the ticket guy said. I turned around to re-examine the central bar area, and sure enough, there were the tanks, filled with medium roast and dark roast, and accompanied by three cartons of milk product of varying degrees of fat content. A 21st-century twist on the movie-going experience. "Okay," I said to the guy, "I'll have a small popcorn and a coffee."

The velvet roped area turned out to be a sort of holding cell for patrons who had paid for their ticket to wait in while the theatre emptied out after the last show. As I stood there, holding my steaming coffee and letting the scent of movie-theatre popcorn wash over me, I knew what I would find inside: row upon row of velvet upholstered seats bolted to a very gently raked floor, a screen in the front of the room playing crackly shorts from the early days of film, and the quiet anticipation of eager children out for a special afternoon.

It had been a long time since I'd been to a repertory theatre, but I plan to go back. Because nothing says "movies" like coffee and popcorn.

What's your favorite repertory theatre experience?

Monday Musings: Post Oscars Edition

The Oscars! What a night. For those of you who missed Billy Crystal's return to evening television, you can catch a round-up of the winners HERE.

My personal favorite moments were Octavia Spencer's acceptance speech for her award in the Best Supporting Actress category, Christopher Plummer's very classy and also very funny acceptance speech for his award in the Best Supporting Actor category - and boy, was it a long time coming! - and seeing so very many nominated and winning films that had been adapted from books.

But this brings me to my least favorite part of the evening, which was seeing my fellow writers on Twitter complaining that no-one had thanked Brian Selznick for writing the glorious book that became the film Hugo.

Guys, you know I love books. And I loved THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET - it is such a unique and special book, and it is truly award worthy. And I don't want to get preachy on this blog, and maybe all the griping was borne out of a basic ignorance of the way movies get made, so I'm just aiming to inform here.

But GUYS. The people who won awards for their work on the film? They were the sound mixers, and the visual effects people, and the sound editors, and the set designers. They didn't have anything to do with the words part. Their job was to make sure that the train whistle didn't drown out the dialogue, or that the music was loud enough that you could hear it without being so loud that you couldn't hear the sound of Hugo's footsteps echoing down the corridors. The visual effects guy was worrying about making everything look smooth so it blended in with the live action. The set designers might have seen the illustrations in the book, or they might have met with Scorsese and had him tell them, "You know such-and-such place? Make it look like that." (Plus, the set designer was an Italian lady who seemed not to speak much English - maybe thanking the author and everyone else was a little beyond her at that point.)

It kind of sucks to say it, but these guys didn't necessarily need the book. To pick on them for not mentioning Selznick is kind of like picking on a Newberry Award winner for not thanking their parents for giving birth to them so they could live to write something so amazing.

The people who always thank the original writer of the book are the screenwriters who do the adaptation, which Hugo didn't win, and the director (another category that Hugo didn't win), and the actors (and Octavia DID thank the author of THE HELP). Because these are the people for whom the original words were really, really important.

So, I hope you know a little more about what sound mixers and all those other people do. And I hope the next time you sit down to watch the Oscars, you can enjoy it a little more, and maybe cut them a bit of slack. They work as hard as we do, and it's wonderful to see talent and hard work recognized, in any field, but especially in the arts.

What were your favorite Oscar moments?

Friday Film Favorites: Hugo

I went to see Hugo (the not-3D version) at a wonderful little repertory theatre on Bloor Street in Toronto a couple of weeks ago, and WOW, guys!

I loved it. I simply LOVED it. I expected to like it, because a) it's directed by Martin Scorsese, so that's a no-brainer; b) it's nominated for 11 Academy Awards, which usually means it's good (but not always); and c) I had read in reviews that it was a tribute to the history of film. But it was so much better than I expected it to be.

The real delight for me was in the realisation that Hugo isn't just a tribute to old movies in the literal sense. Yes, the story does spend a considerable amount of time dwelling on the history of filmmaking, from the first film of a train rushing into a station up through the hundreds and hundreds of short films that followed. But there is much, much more to it than that. The real joy was in seeing that the way Hugo views the world, watching people from the safety of his various hiding places throughout the station, is akin to watching a string of short silent films. The beautiful simplicity of this story, of the circular nature of who Hugo is and what he accomplishes throughout the film, is marvellous. The camera work is perfect - this film was perfect.

A film that brings all of its elements together to make a seamless whole is so, so rare, but this film does exactly that. This is one worth owning and watching again and again.

And about those other reviews? A lot of them said that kids might be bored by the historical parts, but my 8-year-old son and step-brother loved them, so this movie works for cinephiles and newbies alike. Watch it.

What's at the top of your list of must-see movies?

Friday Fun: Happy Days are Here Again

Well, if you like network TV, they are. *grin*

Next week marks the return of all my Must-See-unplug-the-phone-put-the-kids-to-bed-early shows: The Mentalist (Thursday nights at 10 on CBS), Grey's Anatomy (Thursday nights at 9 on ABC), Castle (Monday nights at 10, also on ABC), and Glee (Tuesday nights at 8 on FOX). (Okay, not so much Glee anymore, but it's still pretty good. If they can get back the quirky humor and get out of the formulaic rut they've fallen into, they'll be back on top. It would also be good to improve the dubbing of all the singing parts. But I digress.)

How about you guys? Do you watch network TV? What are you excited to see the return of?

Friday Favorites: Wonderfalls

Hubbles and I sometimes take forever to get through our DVDs. We were given a set this past Christmas, and only just got down to watching it a couple of weeks ago. But boy, are we glad we did.

The series is Wonderfalls.

It's from 2004, it has Lee Pace in it (along with a bunch of other delightful actors), it's set at Niagara Falls, it's about a girl who hears inanimate objects talking to her, and it's hilarious. Like all excellent quirky offbeat comedies (remember Lee Pace's other vehicle, Pushing Daisies?), it got canceled.

We're five episodes in, and we love it. You might too. Check it out!

Friday Favorites: Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh...

FIRST: Have you entered yet to win signed copies of Lauren Oliver's BEFORE I FALL and DELIRIUM? Go here to do it now...

I love Winnie the Pooh.

Actually, I should clarify: I'm not a fan of any of the TV series, or the "New adventures" spin-offs. I'm talking about the original Pooh - the books by A. A. Milne, and the classic "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh," a compilation of three shorter Disney films about Pooh's adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood. I grew up laughing at Pooh's quirks, Tigger's exuberance, and Rabbit's inattentive bossiness.

So, you can imagine how excited I got when I saw this trailer:

I couldn't wait to share this with my kids, and they, fans of the original classic that they are, couldn't wait to see it. So we went this week, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. The animation is perfect, the humor is clean and pitched perfectly at the intended audience, and, most importantly to me, it is true to the original stories. There were no explosions, or high-speed chases, or war-machines. This movie is innocent - the way most children, in their hearts, really are. It finds its way through moments of joy, and fear, and laughter, and loneliness, as honestly as any little girl or boy left to his own devices with a handful of stuffed animals would, without the stuff and fluff of hyped-up battles and souped-up guns. My boys - especially my 8-year-old - giggled and guffawed through the whole thing.

My kids did notice a few differences: this film's Rabbit wasn't at all the same as the original one, being much more actively bossy and much less likely to slump against the wall moaning, "Why, oh why does it always have to be me?" They re-used the old joke about Pooh misinterpreting "issue" for a sneeze, but this time the characters got pretty deeply into explaining what they really meant. Everyone was a little more wordy than before, and as a result, the film lacked some of the subtlety of the original.

But that didn't take away from its appeal - a truly "G"-rated movie for the young children of the 21st century. And if the other animated movie released this summer by Disney is any indication of where things are headed, it may well be the last one ever. Better see it while you can.

Friday Favorites: Finale Season!

It's May Sweeps!

For those of you who don't lurk on TV show fan boards like I do *ahem*, that means this is the time of year when all the prime time networked shows (which are basically the only ones I watch, aside from cartoons with my kids and the Weather Channel) wind up their seasons and go on hiatus for the summer.

Which means this is when things heat up. Cliffhangers galore, guys. Get ready to be left dangling.

SO, which season finales did you like, and which ones did you hate?

I thought the best offering by far was the 2-hour delight that was The Mentalist. I loved the twist towards the end of the first hour - I had been wondering how they would wind up the whole bomb scenario, and I thought they did it really nicely. And the ending! In a food court, of all places! All I can say is, wow. You need to watch this one, guys. And if that isn't enough to convince you, then check this guy out:

Simon Baker

Bet you want to watch now, don't you? He totally rocks the character of Patrick Jane: damaged, enigmatic, impetuous, and brilliant. How could you not want to watch this show?

Of course, there were other good moments.

Grey's Anatomy did a super job of reversing pretty much every single relationship on the show in one hour without leaving this viewer feeling depressed and hopeless about it all, which was quite a feat.

They can't believe it, either.

Castle finally (FINALLY!) said those three little words - although it's a toss-up as to whether Beckett will remember by the time Season 4 opens in September. (For the reason, you'll have to go back and watch the finale if you missed it.) I'm looking forward to finding out!

She knows.

The New Directions lost at Nationals on Glee, but can anybody honestly say they were surprised? I mean, the oldest members of the Glee Club are Juniors. They've got one more year of high school, and we're writers. Do you put the climax 2/3 of the way through the book? No, you do not. So, no surprises there. But, there was an awesome moment between Kurt and Blaine.

Brittany and Santana: MVPs for the season.

But the best, in my book? The Mentalist FTW!

How about you? What was your favorite finale?

Writing Craft: Expecting the Unexpected

I was watching one of my never-miss, the phone is unplugged, just let that person at the door think we're dead shows with the hubster a while ago, and it features yet another will-they, won't-they couples. In this episode, there was a scene at the end where the woman basically told the man that she loves him, but not using those actual words, and then there's a moment during which neither of them says anything while their eyes do the talking, and THEN she puts on a sad sort-of smile, turns away, and the camera fades to black.

Needless to say, thew end of this scene caused some rather heated debate at my house. The hubster was certain that the woman just needed more time to process (since she is, of course, involved with someone else at the moment), while I had dramatic twists and turns pouring out of my ears. I finally settled on one of two things: either there has been a proposal from the actual boyfriend, or she's pregnant. Both scenarios would give the writers the most time to spin out the will-they/won't-they for yet another season, while delivering the highest level of immediate impact for big drama and high stakes.

And then we waited with bated breath to find out what would happen.

And then last week, what happened was that we saw her decide to make a move on this guy (FINALLY!), only to miss out by seconds.

In other words, she wasn't pregnant, and she was also probably not engaged. And nothing else was going on, either. It was predictable. It was kind of blah. And you know what else?

It was refreshing.


I have begun to expect the unexpected in books and film, and when the normal happens, it's actually kind of a nice change. And I think there's a lesson here.


When we write, yes, high drama is important. Yes, we need to keep the stakes high. But there's a balance to be struck: we need a few moments of ordinary in there, too. Sometimes, the best way to take our reader by surprise is not to try to surprise them at all.


What do you think? Do you expect the unexpected, and get surprised by the normal? Do you look to have a balance of both in your writing, or is it high drama all the way? What works for you as a reader? As a writer?

Friday Favorites: Blockbuster

Those of you who regularly read the blog know that I'm a TV and movie freak. I have my don't-miss, the-phone-is-off-the-hook shows, like this one: 

Castle

And of course, this one:

Grey's Anatomy

And I love movies. Especially with popcorn. So last winter, when faced with the prospect of getting to watch my choice of movie after a 20-minute walk through the snow, a search through the shelves, and another 20-minute walk back, versus joining Netflix and having unlimited access to whatever I wanted to watch from the comfort of my own home without having to go ANYWHERE in the snow, you know what I picked. Of course I joined Netflix. Who wouldn't?

But as I sifted through Netflix's offerings, I quicly realized that Netflix didn't have most of what I wanted. So, I watched some things on Netflix (like kids' TV with the kids), and I went to Blockbuster for the rest. Like my local librarians and my local bookstore proprietors, I love my local Blockbuster staff members. They know my face. More importantly, they know my tastes. I need them like I need air. I knew that even if Blockbuster didn't have what I was looking for, there would be a friendly staff member who would be more than happy to look into ordering it in for me.

Only now Blockbuster Canada has gone into receivership.

Which does not bode well for this customer.

Because when Blockbuster is gone, where will I be able to go to find those old gems that Netflix doesn't offer? My choices will be limited by a handful of nameless, faceless people who I have no relationship with and no way of reaching.

I hate that.

What does the loss of brick-and-mortar places like Blockbuster and Borders mean for you? Do you care? Why or why not?

Friday Favorites: Firefly!

Confession time: I'm a sci-fi geek.

I KNOW! Who saw that one coming? No-one, right? With my big hair and actor/dancer-ness? But yeah, I'm totally a sci-fi geek. I once dressed up as Counsellor Troi from Star Trek:TNG for Halloween. I went to conventions. My attic is a gold mine for Trekker nerds. But what with the kids, and the husband, and the trying to launch multiple careers at the same time, I kind of lost my way.

Until I discovered Firefly!

First, the concept: It's the Wild West. In Space. The blend of horses, six-shooters, illegal shipments of cattle, and spaceships is pretty frawesome. If that's not high-concept, I don't know what is.

Second: It was created by Joss Whedon. You know who he is - he wrote this show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer that might have gone on to attract millions of fans and spawn a spinoff, dolls, books, comics... He also wrote Toy Story. Mm-Hmm. So you know going in that this is going to be high quality scriptwriting.

Third: it stars Nathan Fillion, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. His characters are so rich, you almost think he's just being himself, except that they're all different from each other, so he must just be good.

If you like westerns, you'll like Firefly. If you like Sci-fi, you'll like Firefly. If you like both, you'll definitely like Firefly.

It was cancelled after 14 episodes for reasons that are unknown to me - and frankly, I just can't understand what could have made them drop this show. So, go to the video store. Buy the series. Watch it. You'll love it.

Hitting Your Target Age Group

I saw "Fantastic Mr Fox" this weekend. It was dry. It was witty. It was excellently cast and voiced. The animation was perfect. It was peppered with brilliant references to other, famous films. It was fantastic.

It was not for kids.

This film was, in my opinion, way too violent for the 7+ age group it was targeted at. It included characters being drugged, shot at, drowned (but miraculously surviving), threatened with knives, bullied, and kidnapped. The main character, Mr Fox, breaks the law, lies to his wife about it, gets caught by his wife and promises not to do it anymore, and then in the end continues to steal and is applauded by the rest of the crowd of animals he hangs out with. There are very, very mixed messages being portrayed here. It's not for kids.

The jokes, while brilliant, are adult jokes. They'll go right over kids' heads - at least, they'd go right over my kids' heads, if I were to let my kids see the movie. So the humour isn't for kids, either. The target market for this movie is the 25-35 age group: the parents of the kids.

So why was this movie marketed to kids? Is it to get the parents to rent it for their kids to watch, and then get taken in themselves? What benefit is there to making something that looks like a kids' movie, has its trailers shown in the previews before other kids' movies at the theatres, but is so clearly not really for the kids? Did they know they were making a movie for grown-ups and teens, or did they just aim for younger kids and miss their mark?

This movie reminded me of the fine line we have to walk as children's writers between attracting the kids and keeping them reading, and pleasing the parents. Kids love Junie B. Jones for her quirky use of language and her spontaneity, and parents dislike her for the same reasons. Teens love Twilight because it speaks to their fascination with the line between life and death, and to the tortured nature of teenaged relationships; like it or not, teen girls can relate to Bella. Mothers hate that, and they think Bella is a poor role model. Write something too adult, and we lose the kids; write something too childish, and the parents start raising eyebrows.

That said, if I'm going to err, I want it to be on the side of writing for the kids. I don't want my jokes to go over their heads; I don't want to scare them into putting my book down; I don't want them to want to stop reading. And I want to make them think. And I have to believe that I can do that without making my book so risque that their parents won't want them to read it.

What do you think? Did you see "Fantastic Mr Fox?" Would you let your 2nd or 3rd graders see it? Is it appropriate to make a book whose movie version we wouldn't let our kids watch? Where is the line, and how do we walk it?