Blog Entries for Monique Polak

Goeje Dag from Amsterdam

Monique Polak

Goeje dag means hello in Dutch. I am writing to you today from Amsterdam. And tonight I leave for Nice -- and cooking school.

I just met with Samantha Haywood, a literary agent based here. I learned a lot of interesting things about the state of publishing in Europe. As in North America, the YA industry is thriving. So that's good news for me -- and my "boeken" (that's Dutch for books).

The day before yesterday, my daughter and I went to see the Ermitage Museum h [...]

Thinking About Voyages

Monique Polak

I'm off this afternoon -- to Holland, then on to France. In all, I'll be away two weeks, which means I may not be blogging with my usual regularity (it all depends on how difficult it is forme to use Dutch and French keyboards!)... but I do have a couple of things to tell you before I go.

Number one, I'm still reading The Cardturner by Louis Sachar (alas, because it is hard cover, I've lent it to a writer friend, who has promised to return it as soon as I walk in the doo [...]

The Pleasure of Starting to Read a New Book

Monique Polak

You know the feeling I'm talking about... you crack open a book, you start reading, and within seconds, you know it's GONNA BE WONDERFUL. Now, that's what I call pleasure.

I'vejust started reading Louis Sachar's The Cardturner. The beginning was so delightful I couldn't resist reading it out loud to my husband: "Ever since I was a little kid, I've had it drilled into me that my uncle Lester was my favorite uncle. My mother would thrust the phone at me an [...]

What Do You Do Before You Start to Write?

Monique Polak

I don't know about you, but I do a whole bunch of things before I settle down to write. Here's what I've done this morning: Got up, wrote in journal (I recommend this as a loosening-the-writing-muscles exercise), went for run with husband (I recommend this as an exercise for other muscles), showered, made myself poached eggs, washed bathtub and sink, had two cups of green tea, phoned best friend for quick chat ... and now here I am, ready to dive in. Today, I'm working on a li [...]

Advice From Tom Rachman and Woody Allen

Monique Polak

Now that the revision of Miracleville is with my editor, I could be relaxing... only I'm not very good at that!! Instead, I've drummed up some journalism work. I'm doing two stories forThe Gazette, and another for Maclean's Magazine. I was telling my husband last night how journalism brings me a certain buzz. I think it's because it's a quick hit -- I spend a few days researching, a few days writing, then BINGO, there's a story.

Speaking of Maclean's, th [...]

Revision Time

Monique Polak

I'm working on the first major revision of my manuscript Miracleville. It's due on Monday at lunchtime and I'm trying to give it a real push this week. Some moments, I think it's coming; others, I feel like I'll never get it right. I am taking some solace from what YA author Louis Sachar told me last week -- that he writes as many as SEVEN DRAFTS of his novels. It's good to be reminded that rewriting is such an important part of the writing process -- and that it's [...]

Louis Sachar Comes to Dinner

Monique Polak

YA author Louis Sachar -- best known for his book Holes -- had dinner at our house last night.

So in today's blog entry. I will answer your burning questions!

What did he eat? Asian salmon and for dessert, homemade cherry pie with vanilla ice cream.

What was he like? Super nice, and down-to-earth. Funny, but in an understated way.

What did he say about writing? A lot!! He says he writes about six or seven drafts of each book. He doesn't discuss a work-in-pro [...]

Meet Louis Sachar! (I Did!!)

Monique Polak

Oh, what a wonderful afternoon!! That's Louis Sachar with me in today's pic. Louis is the author of many YA books including Holes, which was made into a movie by Disney. I LOVED THATBOOK!! My friend and co-author, J.R. Scharf, read together with Louis today at an event organized by Summer Literary Seminars. Louis read from the first few chapters of his new book, The Cardturner. Once again, he's created an irresistible narrator with a deadpan sense of humour -- and I get a strong f [...]

Double Trouble!!

Monique Polak

This seems to be my week for hanging out with twins! In today's pics, you'll meet two pairs offraternal twins. The pair at the bottom who are in Grade Six at Ecole de l'Envolée in Blainville, Quebec, where I did an author visit today.

These students are part of a special three-month English [...]

Report from Hebrew Academy

Monique Polak

Yesterday, I did the last of three creative writing workshops at Hebrew Academy here in Montreal.

I've been working with a group of six lively and bright 11-year-old girls. Because I wantedthe girls to produce some writing (and not just talk about writing!!), we came up with the idea of doing a group story. Each girl agreed to contribute two chapters. To be honest, I wasn't convinced it would work since the project's success depended on many factors: that everyone would do t [...]

Saturday Afternoon On-line Chat

Monique Polak

I spent a fun afternoon with some bright young readers from across Canada -- all without leaving my comfy chair here in Montreal.

That's all thanks to Teenrc.ca a website for Canadian teens who love to read and write. The"rc" stands for reading club and it's run by the Greater Victoria Public Library in Victoria, British Columbia.

I was on-line for two hours, but it sure felt shorter! That's because the teens with whom I was chatting had so many good comments [...]

Meet Scaredy Squirrel's Creator

Monique Polak

This week, I got to interview Quebec picture book author and illustrator Mélanie Watt. (I'm doing a profile of her for the CANSCAIP newsletter.) Mélanie is the author of 15 books including Scaredy Squirrel and Chester. She's also a great person to interview because she is honest and funny.

Scaredy Squirrel is doing amazingly well and it's going to be the basis of an animated TV series scheduled for broadcast in spring 2011. If you haven't read it, it [...]

In Memoriam: Mary Qinuajuak

Monique Polak

Today, I want to tell you about a very special person named Mary Qinuajuak. Photographer Thomas Kneubuhler and I met Mary in December 2009, when we traveled to Akulivik, an Inuit community in Nunavik. Mary was one of the students in a class producing a chapter in the 2010 Quebec Roots: The Place Where I Live book.

Mary was smart and lively and fun. She had an amazing sense of humour and a great happy laugh that started as a chuckle and got bigger and bigger. And she laughed a lot. Mary [...]

YES Artists' Conference & Workshop 2 at Hebrew Academy

Monique Polak

I spent the morning at the 10th Annual YES Artists' Conference, where I participated on a panel called "Creation and Inspiration: How They Made It!" Our moderator was Andy Nulman, presidentof Festivals and Television at Just for Laughs. I had five co-panelists, all from different fields ranging from computer design to acting. Dil Hildebrand, a young painter who was also part of the panel, had this very wise advice for aspiring artists: "You need a healthy relationship with [...]

Hippity Hoppity Happy Writer

Monique Polak

I was just in my car thinking how I'm feeling like a hippity hoppity happy writer. I think those words only when I'm feeling most happy. And the reason I'm HHH (see, I won't make youkeep reading the words!) is because I got the notes on my manuscript Miracleville from my wonderful dear super smart editor Sarah Harvey .

This means that come next week, I'll put aside the historical manuscript I've been working on and start draft two of Miracleville. I have nearly a [...]

Cooking Up a Story

Monique Polak

Yesterday, I did the first of three writing workshops at Hebrew Academy here in Montreal. I'm working with six Grade Five students -- all girls, and all eager to write! In my one-hour session, I spent a little time on writing tips, but then we moved into brainstorming. That's because I'm hoping by the end of our third week, the girls will have written a story, to which they'll each have contributed two short chapters. I don't want to tell you too much about our idea until [...]

Feeling Dutch

Monique Polak

I'm feeling Dutch these days. Could be because I keep making Dutch friends! It's also because I spent yesterday at the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of NetherlandicStudies, where I spoke about my book What World Is Left.

My two dinner guests last night are both associated with CAANS. Mary-Eggermont Molenaar was born in Holland, but now lives in Calgary. She has been doing research on the art collection of Sir William van Horne. My other guest wa [...]

Two Conferences in One Weekend!

Monique Polak

I'm just home from participating in a conference run by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Netherlandic Studies, and though I'd like to tell you about it, I'm going to do alittle blog entry instead about the conference I was at yesterday.

It was the first day of workshops ever offered by YesOuiCANSCAIP, a Montreal chapter of a national organization for children's writers, illustrators and performers. I particpated in a panel about breaking into YA fiction, [...]

Audio Interview

Monique Polak

Today, I'm scheduled to do an audio interview for a website called TeachingBooks. They're located in Madison, Wisconsin, and through their website, young readers can hear their favourite authors discuss and read from their work. Cool idea, no?! I'm going to talk about my book What World Is Left and I think I'll read the passage about the necklace that appears on the book cover. When Danika Brubaker, the author-librarian who is recording the interview phoned before, I wasn' [...]

The Shadow Self

Monique Polak

You may or may not know I review self-help books for the Montreal Gazette. A side-effect is that I can get a little unbearable when someone has a problem -- I'm always recommending booksand self-help strategies. Can't sleep? Leave one foot dangling outside the covers or dab a little lavender oil under your nose!

Anyway, all this to say I am reading a self-help book now that is actually having an impact on my fiction. It's called The Shadow Effect and it's co-authored by [...]