Grammar, Lovely Grammar
I learn the strangest rules of grammar. For example, in Feather Brain, Lucas says, “I pretended that Kyle was a Tyrannosaurus Rex and that I was something smaller and much more clever.”
Grammar rules state that if you wish to be something you actually could be, like an astronaut, you can write, “I wish I was an astronaut.” But if it is something you cannot be, you must use were instead of was, as in, “I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener.”
In Feather Brain, the correct sentence would be: “I imagined that Kyle were a Tyrannosaurus Rex and that I were something smaller and much more clever.”
My editor and I agreed that sounded dead stupid for a ten-year old boy, and ignored the rule.
What I want to know is, can I bend the rules of grammar in a fantasy world? If, in my fantasy world, my character really could become a dinosaur, then she could “wish I was a dinosaur” and still be grammatically correct, couldn’t she? I look forward to arguing that one with my editor!
Maureen
Crow Boy is finished!
Hey, Crow Boy’s done! I just realized that. It’s completely out of my hands now (which is a little freaky). But done. I’m packing up my notes, thinking about what we need to do on my website. I think I need to open a really good bottle of wine.
Crow Boy is already available to preorder on Chapters and Amazon. It seems a little early, but I’m not complaining. This means that anyone ordering The Nexus Ring or Feather Brain for the spring Readers’ Choice Awards has a chance of seeing it, and maybe ordering it, too!
Maureen
Veil of Magic
Monday I worked with all three Veil of Magic stories, and found it a little disorienting. In the morning I had a great time talking with Mrs. Hogue’s kids at Aberhart – they’re reading The Nexus Ring (Book I). I came home and finished the page proofs for Crow Boy (Book II). And then I pulled out my manuscript for Book III and read through what I’ve written so far. It was useful to see how the three fit together; I rarely see them this way. But at the same time I had trouble keeping track of exactly where I was. (Literally – which mountain is this?)
Maureen
Musings: Crow Boy Leviathan page proofs Scott Westerfeld
by Maureen Bush
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Page Proofs Away
I’ve just sent in the page proofs for Crow Boy. It almost looks like a book! The publication date: April 9, 2010.
Now I can get back to writing, after too long a break. Everything seems to be a distraction from writing, now. I need writing time every day or I get antsy.
BTW, I read Leviathan, a YA steampunk novel by Scott Westerfeld. I loved it – it would be a great gift for older kids who like quirky adventure.
Maureen
Musings: Crow Boy There's a Witchdoctor in my Bathroom
by Maureen Bush
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Home again, home again
I’ve returned from the retreat peaceful and quiet. Too quiet. Caught a cold, lost my voice. I’m now into day three of whispering.
I’m working on the page proofs for Crow Boy, and will start editing There’s A Witchdoctor In My Grandmother’s Bathroom in the new year. Hopefully I’ll find some writing time in there, too, amidst all the editing.
Maureen