Yup! It has come to this. Sex is the topic for tonight. Not sweaty, moaning, body aching sex that is had with another person. I don't even remember that kind. Nope, I am committing the ultimate switch-and-bait as I want to discuss sex in literature/fiction.
The other day on my FB profile, I took an informal survey about 50 Shades of Grey. I have just finished The Hunger Games trilogy and I thought that maybe something a little saucy would be fun. I have heard that it's pretty kinky, so vicarious living might be a good thing.
I was surprised at how many friends gave the book a big thumbs down. Poor writing, one complained. Story drags a bit, said another. Hype and not really sexy proclaimed another. Overall, more shoulder shrugs than I was expecting. That got me to thinking about what we as readers expect when it comes to sex scenes in a book or short piece of fiction.
I have two sex scenes in my novel. Neither are particularly explicit, though the first one is a little more detailed. I pull out of both scenes before I have to say anything like "he plunged into her waiting and wet womanhood with a lifetime of pent-up passion coursing through his veins" (I don't even know how to write like that. To be honest, I don't know if people actually write like that. Probably, just better than what I could muster). I leave the juicy tidbits up to the reader's imagination. It's fairly obvious what is about to happen in both scenes and I just don't think the reader needs or even wants me to connect the dots. Besides, by the time I got to the second scene, I was giggling uncontrollably. Not the case with the first one.
Is less better? Does it depend on how artfully the scene is written? Anais Nin has some very graphic descriptions in her stories and I don't object. Yet, she might be the only author I have read who aims to be sexually graphic (other than Ginsburg).
I've decided against 50 Shades of Grey. I don't mind sex (are the gods listening out there), but I'm not sure that I'm interested in a book where that has been the big selling point. I mean, I've seen porn and it's pretty stupid. I prefer to use my brain a little more productively.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Actions > Words
I know, I know. I should have started this process a long time ago. I cannot even begin to formulate what an awful school year I had and how I allowed that to interfere. But, I am now ready, even if I am scared to death. It is a frightening prospect to make oneself vulnerable. I think that is why I love museums and music and other forms of art so much. The artist cuts open his/her veins for us and shows us what's inside. I guess I am about to really take that leap. I've been talking about my book. But it has been sitting on my flash drive, unloved for a while. This summer must be the summer. Walking instead of just talking. Now, I need a little feedback. Below, I have included a copy of a query letter I am set to send to agents this week. Tell me honestly, does the story synopsis I have written have a good enough hook? Is there something there you would want to know more about? Just tell me - I'm opening my veins for all to see.
Dear Potential Agent (who will love me and my work),
Dear Potential Agent (who will love me and my work),
I’d like to present to
you a synopsis of my first novel, High
Reality. It is the story of a mid-career English teacher working at low
performing inner city school.
High
Reality
is a 40,000 word story set at Michael Collins High School located in a current
day immigrant-filled Detroit area neighborhood.
The main characters in the story are Zoe Greene, a married English
teacher, and David Tilford, a divorced Art teacher. Aside from teaching English, Zoe is also the
Student Council adviser and the teachers’ union vice-president. The two have
successfully kept a two-year extra-marital affair secret, though their secret
is under threat due to external circumstances beyond their control – reality television.
The
school has been chosen to be the filming location for a reality show that is
supposed to highlight the challenges in teaching in a high poverty, low-English
proficiency neighborhood. Of course, the
reality of the reality show is that it will be edited to heighten any drama to
boil quickly and manipulated from behind the scenes to urge people to behave
their worst. This manipulation mixes
with the real life racial and ethnic tensions that have besieged the school for
years, ultimately resulting in a drive-by tragedy.
I am a veteran teacher
(16 years) who has spent her entire career teaching American Literature in a school
similar to the one in my novel. Because
of my experience, I believe that my story attains an authenticity without being
bogged down in overly technical educational terms. This is a story that will appeal to both
teachers and non-teachers.
I am also a mother to
a wonderful and bright seven year old son, who is high functioning
autistic. His father and I adopted him
from China in 2005. My inability to get
pregnant is a trait my main character Zoe and I share.
The manuscript has been
edited by a Long Island freelance editor who spent nearly 30 years in the
publishing industry.
In the fall of 2011, I
was published for the first time. In
October, RED OCHRE LiT (http://www.redochrelit.com/index.html)
published my first short story, “Tea With a Friend,” a fictional account of my
meeting with my son’s birth mother.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Stranger Danger
The statistics seem pretty clear, a child is more likely to be kidnapped by a family member than by a total stranger. That doesn't mean that we parents don't worry about strangers. We worry so much that schools and safety agencies teach about "stranger danger." To be honest, most children are wary of strangers anyway and cling to parents in new situations. Not my child.
Nope, my boy is the ambassador to the world. We take a walk, he absolutely says hello to everyone who passes. That, in my mind, in a good thing. His cheery greeting brings smiles to the world. Every parent (and I mean every parent) who walks his/her child to my son's school knows my son. Both his dad and I have had the experience of being some place only to have a complete stranger say "hello" to Andrew, by name. This is because, due to the autism, he is great with adults. Not so great with same age peers, but adults just eat him up. Thus, our problem.
Due to the likelihood that he suffers from Child Maltreatment Syndrome, with a dash of Disorganized Attachment thrown in, he has very little stranger danger. He talks to everyone, thus no one is a stranger. He does ask me for permission to talk to new people, which is a good thing.
Today, his school caused me a bit of a scare. I had to run errands, so I sent a note to school explaining that the sitter would pick him up, as she does when I am working. No problem, except at the end of the day, he did not make it to her car. She went into the office and was told that he left with his mother. Not true. Meanwhile, someone else called his dad, who dashed out of school to go get him. I called his dad to confirm that he was going to retrieve the boy from the sitter, only to be mildly chewed out. No one called me. That stirs up an issue that is not entirely related here. I suppose that the school thought I was still working.
I dashed to the school, grumpily demanded to know why I hadn't been called. No good reply. My biggest concern is that someone thought he had left with me. What if that "mom" had been some random lady looking for a child. I know that's unreasonable and that because so many people know my son, that would not have happened. But, autism is a communication disability. It took a couple of hours for him to actually tell us how the end of the day happened. If a stranger had tried to take him, he might not have been able to communicate that something was horribly wrong.
Now, I feel like I need to have on file pictures of people who are allowed to take my boy home and that everyone needs to have that file. I know that I have to have a meeting with the school to insure this never happens again.
Nope, my boy is the ambassador to the world. We take a walk, he absolutely says hello to everyone who passes. That, in my mind, in a good thing. His cheery greeting brings smiles to the world. Every parent (and I mean every parent) who walks his/her child to my son's school knows my son. Both his dad and I have had the experience of being some place only to have a complete stranger say "hello" to Andrew, by name. This is because, due to the autism, he is great with adults. Not so great with same age peers, but adults just eat him up. Thus, our problem.
Due to the likelihood that he suffers from Child Maltreatment Syndrome, with a dash of Disorganized Attachment thrown in, he has very little stranger danger. He talks to everyone, thus no one is a stranger. He does ask me for permission to talk to new people, which is a good thing.
Today, his school caused me a bit of a scare. I had to run errands, so I sent a note to school explaining that the sitter would pick him up, as she does when I am working. No problem, except at the end of the day, he did not make it to her car. She went into the office and was told that he left with his mother. Not true. Meanwhile, someone else called his dad, who dashed out of school to go get him. I called his dad to confirm that he was going to retrieve the boy from the sitter, only to be mildly chewed out. No one called me. That stirs up an issue that is not entirely related here. I suppose that the school thought I was still working.
I dashed to the school, grumpily demanded to know why I hadn't been called. No good reply. My biggest concern is that someone thought he had left with me. What if that "mom" had been some random lady looking for a child. I know that's unreasonable and that because so many people know my son, that would not have happened. But, autism is a communication disability. It took a couple of hours for him to actually tell us how the end of the day happened. If a stranger had tried to take him, he might not have been able to communicate that something was horribly wrong.
Now, I feel like I need to have on file pictures of people who are allowed to take my boy home and that everyone needs to have that file. I know that I have to have a meeting with the school to insure this never happens again.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Numbers rule my life
I teach English, so the title of this post might confuse a few people. Words should rule my life - beautiful words that stir the soul. Sadly, that is less true than I wish. As a teacher in the state of Michigan, I am the sole cause of the decline of civilization. If a high school student fails, blame falls on me alone. The student is not responsible, nor are the parents - just me.
The state has mandated a new teacher evaluation process. This new process must include data from tests given to the students. Our building has chosen to given the same test, twice in one semester. How the students score on this test will then be factored into my evaluation. This year, the percentage that is tied to my performance is 2.5 percent. In about three years, that will jump to a whopping 40 percent. The test the tenth grade English students took included a short story by Ernest Hemingway and 25 multiple choice questions. It was hard. How did they do? Look for yourself.
It looks like a mixed bag of numbers. The are a number of students who added or dropped by one or two. A handful of kids made big jumps and two had disappointing tumbles.
You know what's actually missing here? The kids themselves.
Do I get bonus points for the increase in score by the student who lost both parents this year? Or the student who was kicked out of her house earlier this year? Can I take credit for the increase in score by the student who just told me that the gas and electricity has been cut off, thus suggesting that it has been a rough year at home? How about that kid that lost 11 points? That student is patently dishonest and has been caught plagiarizing - do I really have to take the blame for that score?
It's funny. Every time a college-educated adult has given me a hard time about my summer's off, I counter by asking why he/she didn't become a teacher if the job is so easy. Their universal reply: I don't want to deal with those kids. Same with my own student. If I venture to ask if anyone would want to be a teacher, they exclaim in unison, "These kids are too rotten! I'd kill someone!" But on these kids, and how they might do on a test on any given hormonally-challenged day, my career hinges.
The state has mandated a new teacher evaluation process. This new process must include data from tests given to the students. Our building has chosen to given the same test, twice in one semester. How the students score on this test will then be factored into my evaluation. This year, the percentage that is tied to my performance is 2.5 percent. In about three years, that will jump to a whopping 40 percent. The test the tenth grade English students took included a short story by Ernest Hemingway and 25 multiple choice questions. It was hard. How did they do? Look for yourself.
Coral – English 10 Pre/Post Test Scores Total
Points Possible - 25
February 2012 and May 2012
1st hour
|
Name
|
Pre-test # Correct
|
Post-test # Correct
|
Change +/-
|
|
1
|
9
|
12
|
+3
|
|
2
|
7
|
10
|
+3
|
|
3
|
7
|
Did not take
|
NA
|
|
4
|
9
|
Did not take
|
NA
|
|
5
|
10
|
9
|
-1
|
|
6
|
8
|
6
|
-2
|
|
7
|
9
|
12
|
+3
|
|
8
|
13
|
11
|
-2
|
|
9
|
19
|
17
|
-2
|
|
10
|
13
|
Did not take
|
NA
|
|
11
|
20
|
21
|
+1
|
|
12
|
6
|
8
|
+2
|
|
13
|
16
|
16
|
No Change
|
|
14
|
8
|
17
|
+9
|
|
15
|
11
|
10
|
-1
|
|
16
|
9
|
Did not take
|
NA
|
|
17
|
16
|
16
|
No Change
|
|
18
|
15
|
10
|
-5
|
|
19
|
13
|
Did not take
|
NA
|
|
20
|
10
|
18
|
+8
|
|
21
|
15
|
13
|
-2
|
|
22
|
9
|
9
|
No Change
|
|
23
|
5
|
Did not take
|
NA
|
|
24
|
13
|
12
|
-1
|
|
25
|
2
|
Did not take
|
NA
|
|
26
|
11
|
12
|
+1
|
|
27
|
6
|
10
|
+4
|
5th hour
|
Name
|
Pre-test # Correct
|
Post-test # Correct
|
Change +/-
|
|
28
|
17
|
17
|
No Change
|
|
29
|
17
|
18
|
+1
|
|
30
|
17
|
18
|
+1
|
|
31
|
19
|
17
|
-2
|
|
32
|
14
|
14
|
No Change
|
|
33
|
10
|
19
|
+9
|
|
34
|
8
|
15
|
+7
|
|
35
|
12
|
16
|
+4
|
|
36
|
13
|
13
|
No change
|
|
37
|
16
|
15
|
-1
|
|
38
|
13
|
9
|
-4
|
|
39
|
15
|
14
|
-1
|
|
40
|
18
|
16
|
-2
|
|
41
|
11
|
17
|
+6
|
|
42
|
18
|
19
|
+1
|
|
43
|
11
|
14
|
+3
|
|
44
|
11
|
10
|
-1
|
|
45
|
13
|
15
|
+2
|
|
46
|
18
|
15
|
-3
|
|
47
|
12
|
13
|
+1
|
|
48
|
14
|
12
|
-2
|
|
49
|
13
|
13
|
No Change
|
|
50
|
11
|
18
|
+7
|
|
51
|
16
|
5
|
-11
|
|
52
|
Did not take
|
14
|
NA
|
|
53
|
Did not take
|
10
|
NA
|
|
54
|
19
|
16
|
-3
|
|
55
|
3
|
6
|
+3
|
|
56
|
16
|
14
|
-2
|
|
57
|
14
|
13
|
-1
|
|
58
|
17
|
19
|
+2
|
|
60
|
16
|
11
|
-5
|
|
61
|
12
|
11
|
-1
|
|
62
|
8
|
15
|
+7
|
7th hour
|
Name
|
Pre-test # Correct
|
Post-test # Correct
|
Change +/-
|
|
63
|
6
|
15
|
+9
|
|
64
|
19
|
16
|
-3
|
|
65
|
9
|
16
|
+7
|
|
66
|
16
|
17
|
+1
|
|
67
|
7
|
6
|
-1
|
|
68
|
Did not take
|
18
|
NA
|
|
69
|
5
|
Did not take
|
NA
|
|
70
|
18
|
18
|
No change
|
|
71
|
15
|
15
|
No change
|
|
72
|
13
|
Did not take
|
NA
|
|
73
|
Did not take
|
17
|
NA
|
|
74
|
10
|
Did not take
|
NA
|
|
75
|
2
|
Did not take
(class change)
|
NA
|
|
76
|
20
|
14
|
-6
|
|
77
|
Did not take
|
15
|
NA
|
|
78
|
Did not take
|
5
|
NA
|
|
79
|
Did not take
|
7
|
NA
|
|
80
|
10
|
14
|
+4
|
|
81
|
20
|
20
|
No Change
|
|
82
|
16
|
15
|
-1
|
It looks like a mixed bag of numbers. The are a number of students who added or dropped by one or two. A handful of kids made big jumps and two had disappointing tumbles.
You know what's actually missing here? The kids themselves.
Do I get bonus points for the increase in score by the student who lost both parents this year? Or the student who was kicked out of her house earlier this year? Can I take credit for the increase in score by the student who just told me that the gas and electricity has been cut off, thus suggesting that it has been a rough year at home? How about that kid that lost 11 points? That student is patently dishonest and has been caught plagiarizing - do I really have to take the blame for that score?
It's funny. Every time a college-educated adult has given me a hard time about my summer's off, I counter by asking why he/she didn't become a teacher if the job is so easy. Their universal reply: I don't want to deal with those kids. Same with my own student. If I venture to ask if anyone would want to be a teacher, they exclaim in unison, "These kids are too rotten! I'd kill someone!" But on these kids, and how they might do on a test on any given hormonally-challenged day, my career hinges.
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