Carol Baldwin's Blog

Thursday, August 21, 2008

My Day @ the Races

Magnificent gleaming horses galloping at top speed, a clear blue day, rainbows of silks pouffing out in the windstream of the race—what more could a Southern girl from North Carolina want from her day at the Saratoga Race Course in New York?

A win would have been nice, but it wasn't in the cards. Or should I say, don't bet on it? Once again, I'm talking about idioms.

How do phrases like "a head start" or "to hit one's stride" come into our language? If you're really curious, check out this Sports Idioms for Track and Field for some interesting history of words and phrases such as "the inside track" or "a dark horse." They've become as much a part of our normal speech as the "ponies" are a part of the racing industry. (Stick with me on this one. The point will become clear, I promise.)

Yesterday I watched as calm, older horses called "ponies" pranced in step alongside the racing horses to calm them before a race. They were the unsung heroes who led the mares and geldings into the starting gate, and then faded into the background even before the announcer yelled, "And, they're off!"

No glory for them, their work was complete. This is not unlike a good idiom. Almost unseen unless you're on the lookout for one, an idiom does its job of amplifying the message a writer is communicating, and then quietly sinks into the background.

Meanwhile, here's a picture of me squeezed between my nephew and my mother, along with my brother and sister-in-law at the Saratoga Springs track. The youngest member of the party was the big winner of the day—pulling in a hefty $7.70 for one $2 bet. And here's a picture of the horse I should have bet on, but didn't.

So, has this blog been a hands-down winner? It's anyone's call.

Remember, if you need a book on idioms, check out Maupin House's books: Idioms for Aliens and Exploring Idioms.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Gone to the Dogs- For Real

After bugging my husband Creighton for more years than I can count, he finally gave up and gave in. Meet Gypsy, part cattle dog, part yellow lab, my new writing buddy and the newest addition to the Baldwin family. She will unequivocally be hanging out with me while I write and most definitely will approve of anything that comes out of my computer. So nice to have that kind of audience, don't you agree? But apparently, I'm not the only one in the family who will be enjoying her. I love how Lydia crawled into her crate to show her it was a good place to hang out!

Gypsy also has the distinction of being the first dog who made it onto the Maupin House blog. Check this out!

Friday, August 15, 2008

Piecing the Puzzle Together

This week I interviewed Jack Claiborne; an author and former sports writer for the Charlotte Observer. He grew up in the Elizabeth neighborhood of Charlotte (which just so happens to be the place Anna Marie Dinsmore, the main character in my young adult novel will have spent time). He was eloquent in his descriptions of people and places; his memories roamed over his childhood pastimes of going in and out of soldiers' tents bivouacked outside the Armory just before WWII to hearing his principal at Elizabeth Elementary ring the bell at the beginning and end of each day. By the way, that bell just happens to be the one that now rings at UNCC for commencement.

Since I met Jack at UNCC, afterwards I went upstairs to the Special Collections room of the Atkins Library and browsed old Charlotte Country Club magazines, shmoozed with the librarians, and read the Charlotte City Club By Laws from 1952. (This one was interesting: "No lady or group of ladies will be admitted to the dining room unless escorted"). As I was randomly flipping through the South Carolina encyclopedia, I stumbled upon the Laurens Glass manufacturing plant which was the first suppliers of Coca-Cola bottles. Why is that note-worthy? Charlotte just happens to have been home to the first Coca-Cola bottling plant in the Carolinas. For those of you reading this blog who know of my interest and love of glass, rest assured that I'll tie these tidbits into my story.

You know you're a research hound when perusing old country club magazines and hearing random stories about the time period you're researching excite you. Sort of feels as good as finding the right piece to complete the outline of a puzzle. It all fits together.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Her Own Place

As background for my own work-in-progress, I decided to listen to Dori Sanders' second novel, Her Own Place. I was looking for a greater understanding of what life was like for rural African American women in the second half of the 20^th century and I was not disappointed. Sanders, who is well known for her first novel Clover, grew up in Filbert, SC, a tiny community in York County, near Rock Hill, SC and not far from Charlotte, NC. Since her family operates one of the oldest African-American farms in the region, (her father, a former sharecropper, bought the land around 1915) she is well-equipped with stories. I enjoyed listening to the book but was distracted by the author going in and out of different character's point of views. Now that I'm thinking of writing a novel, I think about things like that!

It seemed to me that one of Sanders' goals was to show the changes that occurred in South Carolina from about 1930-1990. As a result, there are some stories which are told in greater depth than others. Although the reader hears the protagonist's (Mae Lee Barnes) struggles throughout her life, I felt an emotional detachment from Mae Lee and would have preferred to have been more hooked into such obviously difficult events like raising her five children without her husband's support. The span of years that is covered, the lack of transition between events, and my lack of emotional involvement as a reader, makes the book read more like a memoir than a novel. As such, it was interesting to me and would be worthy of reading for others interested in this time and place in American history.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

The Story in Your Own Backyard

About five miles from where I live is the lovely historical neighborhood of Myers Park. That doesn't exactly qualify as my "backyard" does it? But when my friend and fellow author, Joyce Moyer Hostetter, relayed that her editor, Carolyn Yoder, encourages writers to dig for stories that are figuratively in their own backyards, I decided that Myers Park would qualify for me. Joyce, by the way, first heard that advice at a Highlights Founders Workshop and turned around and wrote BLUE, a novel which is the story of the polio epidemic in Joyce's hometown of Hickory, NC. Obviously, Carolyn's advice paid off for Joyce and I hope that it will pay off for me too!

As I mentioned in my "That's the way it was" post, I have been interviewing a variety of people and hearing their stories about Charlotte. I drive around and look at my hometown for the last 22 years with new eyes. Which home were here 60+ years ago? Which roads, businesses, and homes didn't exist? Instead of the homes along the main roads that lead out of town, what did the farms look like? What happened to Briar Creek that Mr. James Ross (pictured here) used to play in? What happened to Henderson Dance Studio where Liz Medearis (another interviewee) used to go for dance lessons? What happened to the armory where Liz and her teenage friends used to go to and listen to Count Basie?

For every question I answer, a new one pops up. But like a huge jigsaw puzzle, I am finding pieces that eventually I hope to fit together into a young adult novel. Meanwhile, I am having fun as I discover the story of Anna Marie Dinsmore, my fourteen-year-old protagonist who just moved in with her Myers Park grandparents after her father left to serve in Korea. Stay tuned, and you'll hear the story as she tells it to me. After all, this is her story, and I just happen to live in her backyard.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Good Words from Wordsmith.org: The Magic of Words

For all of you "wordaholics" out there, I hope you have found www.wordsmith.org . Below are a few snippets from today's AWADmail Issue 317:

From: Bill Peters (billjanet earthlink.net) word lover
Subject: catachresis
Def: The misuse of words

I went to many business meetings and began to collect the catachresis statements. Here is my best:
"You've got to step up to the plate or the wheels will fall off".
Heard at a seminar of the Chemical Industry of California circa 1988.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

From: Vaishali Kamath (vaishali.kamath cognizant.com)
Subject: Catachresis

A brother-in-law of mine once said (probably without knowing that it was wrong usage):
"...and the share prices plummeted gradually."

From: Kevin O'Grady (kevin.ogrady ontario.ca)
Subject: catachresis

My favourite example of catachresis is that of Camil Samson, who was the leader of the Quebec Social Credit Party campaigning against the governing Union Nationale in the 1970 provincial election:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Union Nationale has brought you to the edge of the abyss. With Social Credit, you will take one step forward."

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

From Gabe Helou (gabe mystery.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--parapraxis
Def: A slip of the tongue (or pen) that reveals the unconscious mind

And not entirely without reason. In his famous dictionary, Johnson defined oats as, "A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people."

I expect you will be flooded with e-mail from people quoting Boswell's rejoinder:

"Aye, and that's why England has such fine horses, and Scotland such fine people."

Still, it bears repeating.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

From: Leilani Chandler (leilani nortonmusic.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--orthoepy
Def: 1. Study of the pronunciation of words. 2. Customary pronunciation of a language.

What a laugh-filled moment this word brought to me this morning! Definition: study of the pronunciation of words... and the word for that action has TWO pronunciations. What a delightful bit of unintentional humor.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Arguments over grammar and style are often as fierce as those over Windows versus Mac, and as fruitless as Coke versus Pepsi and boxers versus briefs.
-Jack Lynch, English professor, author (b. 1967)

© 2008 Wordsmith.org

There is nothing new under the sun

The writer of Ecclesiastes (1:10) said that first, but having just finished reading Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, I must share this quote from the biographical notes. Plath wrote this about her book of poetry that was repeatedly submitted and rejected under ever-changing titles:

"Nothing stinks like a pile of unpublished writing, which remark I guess shows I still don't have a pure motive (O it's-such-fun-I-just-can't-stop-who-cares-if-it's-published-or-read) about writing…I still want to see it finally ritualized in print."

Sigh. Doesn't that ring a bell for all of you aspiring writers out there?

If you haven't read Plath's book which is based on her own life and struggles with severe depression, I recommend it to writers, teachers, and high school students. Her language choices excel and her use of similes is stellar. "I felt very still and very empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo" she writes, describing her life in New York City. Her vivid description of her inner turmoil gives the reader a front row seat into mental illness during a time (the 1950's) when electroconvulsiveshock treatment had become widespread.

Plath's main character's decisions to lose her virginity as well as her suicide attempts are graphic and therefore this might not be a book for everyone.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

And the winner is….

Thanks to all who entered my simile contest and thought long and hard to complete the following simile:

"A beach chair is as unusual source for a language arts mini-lesson as…."

Among the creative and unique similes received, I enjoyed the following contributions from fellow Carolina SCBWI'ers:

"A beach chair is as unusual source for a language arts mini-lesson as a warm shower that washes away the conundrums of a stringent day." Roosevelt Pitt
"A beach chair is as unusual source for a language arts mini-lesson as snot is an unusual ingredient for chocolate cake with sprinkles on top." Beth Revis
"A beach chair is as unusual source for a language arts mini-lesson as eyeteeth on a catfish." Jean Hall
"A beach chair is as unusual source for a language arts mini-lesson as a hairstylist for a bald man." Donna Earnhardt
"A beach chair is as unusual source for a language arts mini-lesson as a spelunker with claustrophobia." Donna Earnhardt

I wasn't as savvy as Donna who enlisted Susan Marlow to judge her Perfect Pitch contest, so I had to do it myself. Tough choice. But after serious (and fun) deliberation, I decided that the winner is…. (drum roll please!)

Donna Earnhardt
for her double entry and for making me laugh the most. For her efforts, Donna will receive a modest gift certificate to her local Barnes & Noble store.

What's the moral of this story? Coming up with an appropriate simile is hard work. When you're stuck, check in with your fellow writers. Someone is bound to have a bright idea that will spark your imagination.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

“That’s the way it was”

Attending an all black school, worshipping at an all black church, not being served at restaurants where Caucasians ate, going to the back of the bus…these were all normal part of Madie Smith's everyday experiences growing up in Charlotte, NC in the 30's and 40's.

Last week I began my research for my young adult novel which will take place in 1951 in Charlotte by visiting some places on the African American Heritage Tour in Charlotte. Madie, a friend of my writing compatriot, Linda Phillips, agreed to join us for the day. After nosing around downtown Charlotte and seeing where buildings such as St. Michael and all Angels Episcopal Church and Good Samaritan Hospital used to be (they were torn down when the Panthers Stadium was built in the early 1990's) we headed over to the historic Cherry neighborhood. There we found Mt. Zion Lutheran Church which was erected about 1896 and continuously served as a religious center until a contractor recently bought the building. In a city that is famous for tearing down historic properties in the name of urban renewal, this was one of the first jewels we saw that day.

After lunch, we headed to the Grier Heights neighborhood. We were excited to find the Billingsville School that is now home to the Grier Heights Economic Foundation. One of the few remaining Rosenwald Schools, this school is a memorial to the philanthropy and foresight of Julius Rosenwald. Disappointed that the doors were locked, we continued on to the Arthur Grier House, where George Wallace, executive director of the Grier Heights Foundation and his best friend since birth, Eugene Grier, Arthur Grier's grandson, were walking out to their cars.

Talk about a great moment in the life of a writer researching her first young adult historical novel!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Wallace and Mr. Grier and heard stories of a swimming hole where white boys joined their black peers since "Big Boy" (as it was locally known) was the deepest hole around; stories about both grandparents who worked on Governor Cameron Morrison's plantation where SouthPark Mall now presides; and stories about Mr. Grier's grandfather's funeral business that also ran an ambulance for the black community.

That's the way it was in Charlotte, NC. As a story lover, I can't wait to hear more. Stay tuned, and as I hear them, I'll share them with you.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Integrating Technology into Your Classroom

I don't know about you, but I am easily overwhelmed with the amount of information that is available on the Internet. Add to information overload all of the new technologies that can be used in the classroom and it is easy to feel like crawling inside a cave, rolling a boulder in front, and taking a nice long nap. Like it or not, that's not an option for today's teachers. Yesterday I found some help for fellow educators: the oldest children's publication on the web, MidLink Magazine.

Established in October, 1994, MidLink, is jointly sponsored by NC State University and the University of Central Florida. I encourage you to take a look at their projects page and archives for free projects to help you integrate technology with language arts, geography, math, science….you name it!...into your classroom.

"What does skillful technology integration look like? What are the outcomes of a successful technology project? What does the student work actually look like? What learning outcomes can teachers hope to accomplish with their students?" These are the questions which are answered in this valuable resource that is visited by teachers, students, and parents at the rate of 5,000 – 10,000 per month.

I'm looking forward to the second edition of Teaching the Story coming out in September. It will include more than 15 mini-lessons, written by Steve Johnson, showing teachers how to use wikis, digital cameras, Interactive whiteboards, MP3 players, etc, to enhance the process of writing short fiction. Along with the great projects provided by MidLink, I hope it will prompt more teachers to crawl out of the cave and into the digital classroom.

Friday, July 4, 2008

What good is a chair

When you're at the beach with a toddler?

That's the question I asked myself today after dragging along my folding chair to Figure Eight Island, to spend the afternoon with Ebby, my granddaughter.

If you click on the video below, the answer is obvious.

But, what does that question have to do with teaching language arts? Hang with me, and I hope you'll get the connection.

First, I thought of creating a simile that would have made this event clearer in your mind. What could I compare a folded-up, unused beach chair to? Hmmm… how about a yellow, #2 pencil in a technology-rich classroom? Not bad, but not quite the image of "something that is usually useful, but I didn't get the time to even take it out."

Let's see. What else. How about sprinkles and whip cream at a kid's birthday party that were forgotten until the party-goers had gone home? That conveys the image of a busy fun time with kids, but my beach chair wasn't forgotten, I just didn't have time to use it and wondered why I had bothered toting it along.

How about comparing it to a pile of library books on a backpacking trip across Europe? Perhaps that's closer.

Good similes take work. They don't often come at the first try, at least not for me, anyway.

Right now I'm reading Sylvia Plath's book, The Bell Jar. She rolls similes off the page like Ford trucks off an assembly line. When I read it I'm as jealous as a young dancer who watches a prima ballerina pirouette on stage. In fact, you could say that my envy wells up inside of me like a thundercloud that could burst all over the book, leaving it worn and useless.

Hmmm…. What good is a chair on the beach when you're with your 20-month-old granddaughter?

If nothing else, it's as unusual fount of inspiration for a language arts mini-lesson as well, ….I don't know what. Why don't you tell me?

Let's have a simile contest! Whoever completes the sentence, "A beach chair is as unusual source for a language arts mini-lessons as...." with the best simile will receive a yet-to-be-announced prize. E-mail me and I'll pick a winner by July 20th.

Pages