Thought for the Day:
There is not an idea that cannot be expressed in 200 words. But the writer must know precisely what he wants to say. If you have nothing to say and want badly to say it, then all the words in all the dictionaries will not suffice.”
~ Eric Hoffer ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
Something isn’t working in your novel, but you just don’t know what. It probably has something to do with the plot. HERE is a great post by Janice Hardy on Fiction University called Why Your Plot Isn’t Working. It’s from a few years ago, but it’s still very relevant.
Dave King has a post HERE on Writer Unboxed on Character Building that has some wonderful examples.
Anne R. Allen not only has terrific advice on her blog, but her posts are so entertaining to read. HERE is a great post about critiques called 10 Dangerous Critiques: Writing Advice to Ignore. I’m sure you will relate to much in this post if you have ever been in a critique group.
I wasn’t here last week because I was busy finishing my goal of seeing a game in every Major League Baseball park. Both my daughters and my granddaughter went with me to Petco Park in San Diego for the last park. My beloved Giants didn’t win, but it was an exciting game ending in a score of 5 to 4. San Diego really has an awesome team this year. I will share just a few thoughts about some of the parks I have visited. My favorite park is Camden Yard in Baltimore. It is an old-fashioned brick yard with a very intimate feel to it. The most rabid fans will be found in the stands at the Chicago Cubs and the Toronto Blue Jays parks. The friendly confines (that is an apt description) of Wrigley Field have every seat filled by the time of the first pitch, and no one leaves early, the opposite of Dodger Stadium, where fans often don’t show up for the first couple of innings, and by the seventh inning, they are streaming out. (Dodger fans — shaking my head here.) Blue Jay fans will line up ten hours early for a giveaway, and they tell me the stadium is filled every game. The Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park was only built a few years ago, and they built a village of shops, restaurants, and bars around it, handy for spending your money before and after the game. Inside, they will entertain you every minute you are there, with fun fan participation challenges between every inning. The people who work at all the parks were wonderful and helpful, and the fans in the stands I chatted with were great. I had an amazing time completing this personal challenge.
When I was last here, I offered a gently-read hardback copy of CONFESSIONS OF A MANGO by Kate Lumsden and Nate Pieplow, to one of you. The winner this time is Destiny Lawyer. Congratulations, Destiny! I will get your book out to you soon.
I have been working on reading (or re-reading) all of Gary D. Schmidt’s novels pretty much in the order they were published. He wrote several books I hadn’t heard of, and he co-wrote one with Ron Koertge, A DAY AT THE BEACH. While I’m waiting for copies of his earliest novels to come in, I decided to read this one since it is kind of an outlier. I have not read any of Koerge’s books. I know his name. I think I’ve seen him listed as a speaker at some conferences over the years, but I have no experience with his writing. The co-writing was pretty seamless. I couldn’t discern which writer I was reading. The book seems almost like a collection of short stories and vignettes about kids spending a day at the beach, most with their families and some on their own. Once in a while, a kid will wander into another kid’s story, but there is no strong through line that connects all the stories together. Some of the stories are quite moving, some are just fun, but all are interesting. It starts and ends with the same sister-brother pair, and problems are pretty well wrapped up. I found it to be a fun, quick read that did represent a day at the beach. It had no weighty issues and isn’t particularly memorable, but I enjoyed it. It would be a great book for reluctant readers, but I think all middle-grade readers would like it. I would recommend it if you are looking for something light and quick.
Please don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.
Rosi Hollinbeck 
Yay! Thank you for choosing me!
Destiny Love Lawyer, Windsor School 6th grade ELA and Social Studies
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for reading and commenting. I do appreciate it. I mailed the book on Monday, so you should have it soon.
LikeLike
What a home run for you, Rosi! And, hope I’m not overstepping, but if you or anyone here is interested, Gary Schmidt is a faculty member at the Better Books Marin Workshop (https://betterbooksmarin.com in the South Bay) in October. I can only sing his praises after having experienced his wisdom, knowledge, and advice in the past. Best to all!
LikeLike
Not overstepping at all. Thanks for the heads up. I applied for the workshop. Hope I get in. Thanks for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
As a Cubs fan, I agree. We are there to see the whole game at Wrigley Field. But I also think there’s something special about Camden Yard. I haven’t lived in the DC area for decades, but I still remember its cozy feel. Also, I enjoyed the post about bad critiques. I think I’ve lived through them all, LOL. Cheers!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bad critiques can teach us things too, but painfully. Thanks for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
I enjoy reading Anne Allen’s blog too. That bad critique one is priceless. We’ve all had some interesting experiences in those groups, I’m sure.
Your trip sounds like a lot of fun! And so does this book. Very interesting that Gary Schmidt can write light and happy too. It looks like the perfect end-of-summer book. I can’t wait to read your reviews of the rest of his canon.
LikeLike
It is a great book to finish your summer. I now have all of Schmidt’s novels, so more reviews will be coming. Thanks for the comment.
LikeLike
So cool that you’re featuring all of Gary Schmidt’s books, as Jenni said, looking forward to reading your thoughts as you progress along. Happy MMGM
LikeLike
Thanks. I have a few review books ahead of my next Schmidt book, but I will be reviewing some more soon.
LikeLike
Thanks for the reminder about Gary Schmidt. I recently finished Okay For Now (such a fabulous and moving book), and my current book of his is Just Like That.
I haven’t been to Camden Yards yet, but I have heard other fans also say they think that is their favorite park. I’m a Padres fan. They are having a pretty good year (battling for the last wild card spot), but even though the Dodgers are in a bit of a funk right now, I don’t see the Padres being able to compete with the Dodgers. I’m a fan but also a realist.
LikeLike
Okay for Now is way at the top of my favorites list. Such a good book. Just Like That is great too. Padres fan, eh? Well, the Dodgers are beatable, and they often fold in the post season. If the Padres make the playoffs, I’ll cheer for them for you. Thanks for the comment.
LikeLike
The Padres still have 0 titles. We’ve become the Cubs, who went 108 years between championships.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I could use something light and quick given the 300+ page heavy duty plots I’ve been reading this summer. This is one of the few Gary Schmidt books I have not read but will soon. A huge congratulations on your MLB ball park achievement. I’m only up to 4 parks now so I have a long ways to go before I could ever catch the champ! Thanks for the links once again! I remember the Janice Hardy post but it was refreshing ot read it again. Have a Happy MMGM!
LikeLike
This book is a perfect break from heavy reading. Janice Hardy’s post age well, don’t they? Thanks for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
Rosi, I love reading your blog each week! I have only been to 6 ballparks so I am nowhere near achieving your impressive ‘Queen of Baseball’ status but I just looked up how far Camden Yard is from me and it’s less than four hours away so a weekend away might be a good plan.
Of course there are no bad days at Wrigley Field and as you perfectly stated, we Cubs fans are a friendly bunch and can fill an away stadium too! Aside from Wrigley, I also really enjoyed seeing a game at Fenway in 2015.
I have been reading a bunch of Gary Schmidt too and picked up A Day at the Beach last week but I haven’t started it yet. As always, you’ve inspired me.
LikeLike
What a lovely comment! Thanks so much. You just made my day. Enjoy A Day at the Beach.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No baseball fan here, but I have recently become a fan of Gary D. Schmidt! Thanks for the heads-up about this book–it sounds like one to keep on hand for some times when I need pure comfort food for the mind.
LikeLike
Comfort food for the mind — a nice way to describe this one. So glad you have found Gary D. Schmidt. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
LikeLike