Monique Polak

The plane leaves at 10 to 8 this morning and I've got to catch a cab in 12 minutes. Just wanted to say a quick hello before I leave!! Talk to you soon!!

So, we made it through the first week of school! As usual, I've been discussing body language with my students, telling them how important it is to look alert and alive (and happy helps, too) in the classroom. I've also told students in both my Journalism and Writing for Children classes to pay attention to other people's body language since these details can really help bring a story(and your characters) to life. It just so happens that yesterday there was a great quote in The Globe & Mail newspaper about body language. It comes from Lord Chesterfield (I believe chesterfields -- a fancy word for couches -- are named for him). Here's the quote: "Mind not only what people say, but how they say it; and if you have any sagacity, you may discover more truth by your eyes than by your ears. People can say what they will, but they cannot look just as they will; and their looks frequently [reveal] what their words are calculated to conceal." Right on, Lord Sofa, I mean, Lord Chesterfield!!

Monday morning early, I'm taking a plane to Wemindji, a Cree community on James Bay. I'm going with my photographer friend Monique Dykstra -- and with another photographer/filmmaker/writer Louise Abbott, who will be filming us. We're going to spend a couple of days working with students in Wemindji. I get to tell them about my books -- and help them with their own writing. Not sure whether I'll be able to write my blog from there -- but if I can, I will. Either way, I should have plenty to report on by the end of next week. People are complaining about the cold here in Montreal... but something tells me Wemindji is going to be way colder. Time to figure out where I stashed the long underwear! Have a great weekend. Keep your eyes peeled for interesting body language. And if you see some, WRITE IT DOWN!!

This morning I got a very cool e-mail. It's from a Dutch woman named Moniek Polak -- so you see, our names are very similar, though she spells her first name differently than I do. Moniek is a photographer and she sent me the address of her website. If you want to check it out (I did, and she has some beautiful pics on it), it's: www.moniekpolak.nl

Anyway, it was fun to get her message. Moniek asked whether my friends call me "Mo" like her friends do, and I wrote back to tell her yes. And also that my dad calls me "Momo"!!

On another note -- and this one has to do more with the writing life (except, you know, I am already thinking about possible stories about these two people in different countries with the same name, who happen to cross paths!! REMEMBER WHAT I SAID: EVERYTHING'S A STORY!!), I wanted to share a great quote I read last night from Canadian children's writer Marthe Jocelyn. Marthe was interviewed in the latest Canscaip News (Canscaip stands for Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers) by another children's writer named Sharon Jennings. Marthe is the author of several prize-winning books, including Mable Riley. In the interview, Marthe says: "I write all the time, but I don't write all the time.... So I might be working when I'm relaxing in the hammock." Sound familiar? Maybe she also gets good ideas when she's in the shower. So, when you're next relaxing in a hammock -- bring your notepad along -- just in case!!  

Last night, Karla Dobritoiu, one of my former students, interviewed me. It was a role reversal because usually, I'm the one who gets to ask the questions. Actually, it was kind of fun! I got to lie on the couch, while Karla (who did the interview by phone) did all the hard work! Karla, who is doing a double major in Communications and English Lit., at Concordia University, is taking a coursecalled "The Creative Process." Her assignment was to interview someone who does creative work -- and so she thought of me. She had 21 questions, mostly about how I get my ideas and what my writing routine is like. The hardest question she asked me was, "How do you define creativity?" Hmm... that took some thinking. I explained that my definition of creativity is fairly broad. To me, creativity means making something from nothing -- whether it's a story, or a song, or even a sandwich. Anything really! Even how we interact with others can be creative. Karla promised that if anything comes up in her class that she thinks might interest readers of this blog, she'll post a comment. There are more than 100 students in her class at Concordia and they're all interviewing someone different for this assignment. So Karla, let us know what you learn -- and pass on any tips you discover for making the creative process work!

That's it for today. You already know what I'm going to say: "Back to the rewrite!" 

So classes started again today at Marianopolis College. Back to school -- and back to reality!! I only taught one class today, then I stayed around to do a little office work, and then I zipped home to get back to work on the rewrite. I'm going to have to make a major effort to protect my writing time -- especially while I finish up this rewrite that is due on Valentine's Day.

Thismorning, I taught Print Journalism. Tomorrow afternoon, when I go back to school, I'll be teaching a course in Nonsense, and another called Writing for Children. So there'll be lots of connections to this blog. A few weeks ago I said on the blog that I wanted to discuss WHY I choose to write for young people. Mainly, it's because, in my opinion, there is no one more interesting on the planet than a teenager (or a pre-teen). That's because people this age have a way of questioning everything around them, including themselves. And of course, this makes for interesting stories. Another reason I write for kids is because I will never forget the books I loved when I was growing up -- they touched me in a way that got me hooked on reading. Now, wouldn't it be great if my books could do that for some young reader out there? Okay, I've given MYSELF a pep talk today!! Back I go to the rewrite. For those of you reading this blog who are also back at school today, good luck with the new semester. I like new starts. What about you? 

I write when I'm jogging and sometimes, when I'm in the shower. I know this sounds odd. But it's true. Not that I'm actually writing between strides, or while I'm soaping up... but I've found that some of my best ideas come when I am NOT at the computer. That's why, today, I want to talk about the importance of having a writer's notebook -- or at least some scrappaper and a pen -- with you AT ALL TIMES. BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN AN IDEA WILL STRIKE. And when you get to be my age (47), if you don't record a good idea, you might lose it altogether. I keep pen and paper by the bed (sometimes I get ideas when I am dozing off or waking up), and in the little pouch I wear when I go jogging. And if I get a good idea while I'm in the shower, I hop right out and jot it down. 

Today's Friday and I've got two kinds of writing to do. First, I want to write my review of Sophie Kinsella's new book, Remember Me? Then, I want to get back to my rewrite. It's coming along more quickly than I expected -- and because this story is so personal (it's based, as you may know by now, on my mum's childhood), it feels like a labour of love. Have a great weekend -- and don't forget that notebook!! Here's to loads of great ideas striking at odd moments and in unusual places!!!

I'm all charged up after our visit this morning to St. Willibrord Elementary School in Chateauguay. I went with my friend, photographer Monique Dykstra. But we were part of a much bigger team -- Florence Allegrini, educational program coordinator for Blue Metropolis Literary Foundation was there, too; so was Louise Abbott, a writer/photographer who is making a documentary about Quebec Roots (that's the project Monique and I are involved in where photographers and authors help Quebec students produce a book about their community); Louise's husband, Niels Jensen, a filmmaker was there, too -- and so was McGill University prof Teresa Strong-Wilson, who has a special interest in stories and how narrative works.

We worked with Kelly Ryan's two grade six classes. Mrs. Ryan is a real dynamo -- and she knows how to keep her students in line. I was quite impressed! I was also impressed with the students. There were about 40 in all -- too many to mention everyone by name, but I wanted to share a few impressions and OBSERVATIONS (you know me by now, always noticing things like body language!!)

So, in no particular order, here are some of the neat things I noticed: There was a student named Journey. Great name, no? Journey, like about half the students in Mrs. Ryan's classes, is Mohawk. I would LOVE to name a character Journey since every story  is a journey, with a character ending up in a different place from where he or she started off. 

I also met a student named Mallory who has an interesting habit of pulling on the top of her ear when she is thinking. It must have been a day for ears since I also noticed how a student named Allie also plays with her ear -- though in her case, she runs her fingers along the bottom of her earlobe,  just under her butterfly stud earring.

Then there was Dalton, a young Mohawk man with a Mohawk haircut!I could tell  that Dalton is into stories. His sister invents scary stories and his grandma on his mum's side is an artist. I could feel he has stories of his own to tell, too.

I could tell from a short writing exercise I gave the students that a boy named Joey has a flare for poetry. Joey, if you're reading this blog, get yourself a good anthology of poetry at the school library and start reading. I'd advise you to especially pay attention to modern poetry that DOES NOT RHYME.

I met other students, too, like Jennifer and Josh, who are twins (even though Josh tries to deny it!) and Ryan, who has a great vocabulary and is a history buff. Ryan, once you guys settle on  a topic for your project, see if you can do some historical research. One of my favourite writers, British poet William Blake once said: "Dip him in the water who loves to swim." Of course, those words don't only apply to water and swimming -- they mean that we should all try to do the things we love. 

I love stories. EVERYONE HAS A STORY. That's what makes life so interesting. Hearing other people's stories makes me happy. What about you? If you can, go and find out someone's story TODAY. All you have to do is ask the right questions -- and then listen carefully (and take notes so you don't forget what you learn).

I'm off to work on the rewrite of my historical novel. Sophie posted a comment on the blog this morning asking if I get to keep the books I review for The Gazette. The answer is YES!! If you guys at Marianopolis ever want to borrow any, all you have to do is ask!   

Well, I got some interesting comments from readers about rewriting. Kim said she prefers working on a first draft, and that sometimes, during rewrites, she feels like trashing whatever she's working on. Rosa wrote about how she enjoys the crafting involved in rewriting.  I'm somewhere between you two, though perhaps I lean a little more towards Kim's point of view  -- and yes occasionally I feel tempted to scrap my efforts!! The first draft can be scary, but there are so many possibilities, which always feels exciting to me. And the rewrite, well, it's just plain hard work. But it is true that once you've had a break from a project, you can see it with clearer eyes. Another thing I've found is that thinking about the rewrite is always worse than doing it. Maybe a lot of difficult tasks in life are like that. It's the thinking about them beforehand that gets us down.

So I'm about 18 pages into the rewrite. Did I tell you I have until Valentine's Day to get it done? If possible, I'd like to finish ahead of schedule. Does mean I'll have to guard my writing time like a mother bear looking after her cubs!

School starts on Monday and so I'll be shifting gears. Tomorrow, I am going to meet students at St. Willibrod Elementary School in Chateauguay together with my photographer friend Monique Dykstra. We're going to be helping the students write a little book about their community. This is part of a project called Quebec Roots, sponsored by the Blue Metropolis literary foundation. I'll be out for a good part of the day working on that, but I'll do my best to check in on this blog when I get home. Talk to you then! Hope you're having a good day wherever you are!!

"Time to Bake the Donuts!" -- that's the slogan for a donut shop commercial. I'm not a big donut lover,  but I do appreciate the sentiment of the slogan. In my case, "Time to Bake the Donuts" means today's the day I start the rewrite on Lotje's Story -- my historical novel based on my mum's wartime experience. I had a 2-1/2 hour phone meeting yesterdaywith Sarah Harvey, my editor at Orca Book Publishers, and we went through the whole manuscript together. There's a lot of work to do, and I'm a little nervous about meeting my deadline (Valentine's Day!), but on the positive side, all of Sarah's suggestions make sense to me and make me feel like the end product is going to be a much better book.

Though I don't return to teaching until next week, I hope that when I give students feedback on their work, they feel inspired and hopeful, too.

We were away in Pennsylvania this weekend. While we were gone, I finished reading Sophie Kinsella's new book, Remember Me? which I am reviewing for The Gazette. (Lucky me, since it won't be on sale for another month or so.) I really really enjoyed it. That Sophie Kinsella sure knows how to tell a story!! Also, the main character in this book -- Lexi Smart -- is extremely likeable and funny, though she also has a tough side, too. I interviewed Sophie Kinsella for The Gazette last spring and she was super interesting. She is a very disciplined writer, who does a lot of pre-planning in a large notebook before she begins to write a novel. When I asked her whether she had any wisdom to share with aspiring writers, she said: "Write what you would like to read!"  

Okay then, donut time!! 

I'm up early and I haven't even had my green tea... but I thought today I'd respond to some of the comments you've been posting on this blog. So here goes:

Sophie talked about the sense of smell -- how having a blocked nose affected her experience of eating chocolates her dad brought home. Sophie's comment provides a good opportunity to remind starting-out writers aboutthe importance of using the sense of smell -- both as inspiration and as an example of sensory detail in their work. Researchers tell us smell is one of the sharpest triggers of memory. Sometimes you get a whiff of something --  yesterday, for me, it was someone's discarded Christmas tree out on the side of the road -- and it brings you back to another time and place. That can be very useful in your writing. Sophie also mentioned a quote I use in class: "I never thought of myself as a good writer. But I'm one of the world's greatest rewriters." It is one of my favourite quotes, too -- Sophie said she'd forgotten who said it, well, it was American author James A. Michener.

Rosa asked if editors ever want authors to make changes in order to make a book more marketable -- not necessarily better. My answer is that good editors -- and I've had the great privilege of working with terrific editors -- want to make a book the best it can be. That being said, a better book should sell better, too.

Tamar, you wanted to know what I've been reading -- and if I had some suggestions I could post. Right now, I'm reading the new Sophie Kinsella book, Remember Me? -- it's not for sale yet -- I've got a review copy for The Gazette. Lucky me, since so far, it's a riot. I thought I'd mention some of my all-time favourite books: Eddie's Bastard by William Kowalski; The Rose Tree by Mary Walkin Keane; Confessions of a Heartless Girl and Mistik Lake, both by Martha Brooks; In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez; Johnny Kellogg Died Today by Hadley Dyer (whom I've written about in earlier blog entries) and Klepto by Lori Weber (another local YA writer who will hopefully be visiting Marianopolis this semester).

Kim has been getting up early all week for the robotics competition. How's it going Kim? Are you learning a lot and having fun? (My two top priorities!!)

Okay, time for green tea. I'm hosting another birthday luncheon here today -- this one is for my friend Mireille, who teaches French at Marianopolis. Tomorrow,  Mike and I leave for a long weekend in Pennsylvania. It's his mum's 80th birthday, so we'll be meeting up to celebrate with his whole family.  Looks like I may not be back to my blog till next Tuesday... Have a great weekend. If, like me, you're heading back to school in 10 days or so, rest some, but have fun, too!! It's going to be a busy, intense semester ahead!!