Quote of the Week

"Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.” 

― Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak











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Little Bookstores We Love. . . Red Balloon Bookshop

Mr. Pig went on the road again, this time to St. Paul, MN, to interview the very nice folks at another beloved independent bookstore...

Red Balloon Bookshop

891 Grand Avenue 

St. Paul, MN 55105

http://www.redballoonbookshop.com

What year did Red Balloon open its doors?
1984. We moved down the street to our current location in 1989.

Tell me what the name of your shop signifies... why was it was chosen?
The name is related to the 1956 movie and subsequent book. According to Carol Erdahl and Michele Cromer-Poire, the original owners of Red Balloon, they wanted a name that would appeal to folk of all ages. “Red Balloon” was suggested by a woman in Port Angeles, WA, and Carol & Michele liked it right away. “The idea that books can open up new worlds and ideas—soaring like a balloon,” appealed to both of them.

Oooh, I love that. Why is Red Balloon a favorite among your community and customers, would you say? 
We have over 184 years of book experience accumulated by staff here! This knowledge, combined with continued passion for books and reading, makes Red Balloon the place to go when you want help finding just the right book, or if you want to share your own love of books.

Another unique and cool thing about us is we invite local illustrators to paint our window! This one was painted by Jennifer Bell.

How magical! Speaking of... which children’s books and/or authors would you say are store favorites? 
We love our local authors and illustrators, but there’s too many to mention them all! Here's a picture of one of our favorites, Kate DiCamillo, presenting Flora and Ulysses.

[Gasp!] The Ambassador, herself! How marvelous! I have all Kate's books back home on my crooked bookshelf at the Little Crooked Cottage. So... what recent children’s book made you laugh out loud?
Moo! By David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. The combination of word & pictures made us laugh hysterically.

http://www.redballoonbookshop.com/book/9780802734099   

Made you cry?

Impossible Knife of Memory, by Laurie Halse Anderson

http://www.redballoonbookshop.com/book/9780670012091

Finish this sentence: Everyone should support indie bookstores because...

...we’re an integral part of a lively community, providing a wide choice of books and great service, making us a wonderful place for other book lovers to connect.

Well said! Thank you so much for giving us the tour of your marvelous book shop, and for all you do to support and celebrate authors, illustrators and their creations! 
Our pleasure, Mr. Pig!

The Crooked Truth . . . About Overcoming Self-Doubt

Anika’s Crooked Truth: Doubt comes for us all.

I’ve yet to meet an artist or writer who hasn’t, at some point, been plagued by self-doubt. Moments when you lean back in your chair, rub your eyes with both hands and wonder, is this any good? Should I scrap it?

The “it” can be a first draft, a sketch, finished art, an entire book, a chapter revision—or your whole career. The size of the it varies. The feelings of fear and frustration do not.

And if you think doubt is the sole domain of the unpublished or inexperienced, pleasereadmylips: It’s not! Spend some time perusing interviews, blogs and conference speeches of established writers—agented, award-winning, published-several-times-over kidlit folk—and you’ll find that some measure of self-doubt is a common denominator.   

In her keynote address to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference in Los Angeles this past summer, Speak author Laurie Halse Anderson admitted to an audience of 1,200+ people, “Once a month I find myself looking at classified ads for x-ray technicians.”

Whaa?

You mean the National-Book-Award-nominated-New-York-Times-best-selling-author-of-nearly-thirty-titles-for-kids-of-all-ages? That Laurie Halse Anderson?

Yep.

See? At one point or another… doubt comes for us all.

So, what to do, what to do, when self-doubt comes-a-knockin’?  I’m by no means an expert, but here are a few tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way. Try them and then tell me if they helped.

1. Read award-winning books.

It may seem counterintuitive, but I’m a firm believer that when you spend a little time with the masters of your craft, you feel inspired. Don’t compare your work to theirs; don’t even think about your work while doing this. Just be. Just look. Just marvel in the genius and the beauty of this thing that stirs your soul.

2. Read terrible books.

It can be equally helpful (and cathartic) to visit the children’s section of your local bookstore and pick out the duds. The ones that make you think, “Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln, I can’t believe somebody published this!” Read them, giggle smugly at them, and remember your work is better.

3. Combat self-doubt with knowledge.

I used to be afraid of what I didn’t know. Seriously. I’d avoid going to conferences or attending workshops because I thought I'd find out I was doing it all wrong. I worried that somehow, my being published was an accident. (Self-doubt, super-sized!) But spending time around other writers and learning from experts in the industry has been a great help, and an active, positive way to gain confidence in my writing.

4. Join a critique group.

(See above.) Plus, there's brunch!

5. Affirm.

When in doubt, try some good old daily affirmations. There are many out there to choose from (or you might try writing your own) but if you need some suggestions, try these simple, beautiful affirmations from Amherst Writers & Artists (#5 is my favorite.)

The Five Essential Affirmations

1. Everyone has a strong, unique voice.

2. Everyone is born with creative genius.

3. Writing as an art form belongs to all people, regardless of economic class or educational level.

4. The teaching of craft can be done without damage to a writer's original voice or artistic self-esteem.

5. A writer is someone who writes.

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Today's Crooked Truth is brought to you by Cottager, Anika Denise. This is how she looks when in a full-blown fit of self-doubt:

Eventually, it passes. And she gets back to work. Because a writer is someone who writes.

No doubt about it.