In light of a comment made here today, I looked up data on receiving funds for writing and researaching in Asia. I found two excellent resources that I wish I'd known about seven or eight years ago! The first is courtesy of Lian Hearn. She mentions it on her blog, which I have a link to in my Favorite Sites Roll. Her site is something anyone interested in Asian literature should check out. The second option is one I just looked into. They have a swift response time. Alas, my current book is finished and I don't need to return to China for further research on it. I don't have enough information on my next book to know where in Asia I would need to travel, so here's hoping someone out there can use this data.
1. Asialink Foundation is in Australia and seems to be made for Australian Artists (whether dance, visual arts, music or literature) to seek residencies in Asia for set periods of time. The deadline for the 2010 residences is September 4th at 5pm and they do not accept faxed or emailed applications, so you'll have to move fast. For more information, go to http://www.asialink.unimelb.edu.au/our_work/arts/residency_application_information.
2. Deadline October 31, 2009. Whoever wants to discover Central, Eastern and Southern Europe or China, whoever plans on a publication in German and wants to start for research trips in the East, can apply for funding. The publications should be able to reach a broader audience and help to bring about a greater understanding for the countries of Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, and China. Literary prose and essays, photo (text) books, child and youth books, but also scripts for documentaries and sound radio contributions are welcome.One can apply for all-inclusive research grants varying from 2.000 to 10.000 €. From all incoming applications, an independent jury selects several projects for funding. Apart from this monetary funding, the "border crossers" are supported in the public presentation of their work.
BORDER CROSSER GRANTInga Niemann via telephone (+49 30-816996-64) E-mail (niemann@lcb.de)http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=FSVUB&m=1f6lYATkwhYbK5&b=trTmOd3aprnprmdtC.NWSw www.lcb.de/grenzgaenger
I found the Border Crosser Grant via http://www.fundsforwriters.com/, which sends out free newsletters chocked full of info for writers. It's obviously worth your time to sign up!
I do not know if there are other resources out there for doing the sort of expensive research required for this type of literature. If anyone else has a list, please feel free to drop a note on it!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Using Dialect in Dialogue
So you want to write a book set in Asia. Wonderful! This is a momentous event, especially if, like many of the up and coming authors of tomorrow, you’re not Asian. One of many questions you should have already asked yourself is how do I convey my characters’ culture in their speech?
I guarantee one method that will never get you anywhere is to write out their dialect. Don’t do this whether your setting is in China, England or the Texas panhandle. We are a long way from Mark Twain’s dialogue with Jim the slave or Emily Bronte’s Joseph from Wuthering Heights. The use of dialect in those books makes reading difficult and causes the reader to assume the involved characters are stupid, which is the last thought you want directed at your characters.
However, using dialect is not the same thing as use of colloquialisms. This is one method of letting your reader hear your characters without talking down to either party. Debra McArthur, in “Look Who’s Talking: Dialogue, Dialect and Minority Characters” uses Christopher Paul Curtis’ book, Elijah of Buxton as an example of colloquialism use:
“‘So whilst you’s out here rolling ’bout in that ditch enjoying the tormentation you caused your ma and that toady-frog, why don’t you save us all some trouble and go in them woods and break off whichever switch it is you wants her to beat you with.’ (15)”
Words like “tormentation” and “toady-frog” will put the reader where they need to be for this story. I feel other examples of dialect in this passage are still a bit heavy-handed and close to what Twain used, but the Newbury Honor and Coretta Scott King Award panels did not feel that way.
Play around with this trick. If you write in an Asian setting, look up the proverbs and beliefs of your chosen country. It was much more effective for one of my characters to explain his actions with: "Elephant tusks cannot grow out of a dog's mouth" than by having him use a well-known western equivalent, “A leopard can’t change his spots.”
McArthur suggests other methods as well. Use “speech patterns that communicate the sound of the characters’ language”, for example in Shana Burg’s "A Thousand Never Evers," much of the flavor of Mississippi dialect in 1963 [is carried] through the first-person narration of Addie Ann Pickett:
“Ever since that cross burned, I’ve been hoping my best friend would come up with another good prank to cheer us all up. But these days, I reckon no one feels like laughing, not even Delilah. So I’ma try to make folks happy myself.” (42)
The words “reckon” and “I’ma” are strong enough to let the reader hear the character’s distinctive voice and feel grounded in the time and locale of the story without destroying the narrative flow.
Another method is to use an occasional word in your setting’s language and indeed, sometimes you may be forced to do so. For instance, in Asian settings, you won’t be able to use words like “mile” or “pound”. Employ the closest equivalent, "li" and "cattie". Make sure to use your author’s notes to inform the reader what those measurements are equal to in western terms.
McArthur comments on a particularly adroit method used by Lawrence Yep in “Dragonwings”:
“Because the main characters are all Chinese immigrants, they speak in Chinese most of the time. To the reader, this seems normal and natural, just as it would to Moon Shadow and his father, and their speech is in normal English syntax. When they speak in English, however, their words are italicized. Then, their imperfect English is apparent.
“Look at this boy,” he said in exasperation, “He eat enough for four pigs.” He started to apologize to the demoness, but she only smiled prettily again.
“There’s only one real compliment for a cook, and that’s for her guests to eat everything up. You must take the rest of the cookies with you.” She smoothed her apron over her lap and winked at me secretly.
“You too kind.” Father spread his hands. “You make us ashame.” He kicked me gently under the table.
“Yes, ashame,” I piped up. (104)
Consistent with this technique, Yep never gives Chinese names in English. Moon Shadow, Windrider, Lefty, Black Dog all are in standard type, not italicized. When spoken by English speakers, they are still in regular type, indicating that they are pronounced in Chinese, although no phonetic approximation is shown. Interestingly, no Chinese words are used in the book, yet the reader is given amazing insight into Chinese culture and values through Moon Shadow’s narration of his experiences in America.
Yep’s technique is both clever and useful. In this way, characters can converse in their own language so that readers know they are intelligent, but also communicate with English speakers in a way that shows they are still learning English. They can also express their reactions regarding the English-speakers to each other.”
I have seen effective use of both Chinese names (Alma Alexander’s “Secrets of Jin-Shei”) and a conversion to their western equivalent (Lisa See’s “Snowflower and the Secret Fan”). This may be a genre break issue as Yep’s “Dragonwings” is for children and See’s “Snowflower” is a literary novel, while Alexander’s “Secrets” is considered a fantasy. However, take this consideration to heart: western readers have trouble keeping Asian names separate. It may be easier on them if you use “Beautiful Flower” as a name instead of “Mei Hua.”
In the end, the best method for writing in a foreign setting is for the author to be immersed in that culture. Learn the language if possible, travel to the country, eat the food, and maintain friendships with people from your chosen culture. These are just the basics of what you’ll need to do to gain believability. If you’re unable or unwilling to do any of these things, reconsider your setting. You don’t want to use pejorative or insulting methods to top of your five hundred page epic novel.
Works Cited
McArthur, Debra, “Look Who’s Talking: Dialogue, Dialect and Minority Characters.”
Hamline University, 2008.
Burg, Shana. A Thousand Never Evers. New York: Delacourt, 2008.
Curtis, Christopher Paul. Elijah of Buxton. New York: Scholastic Press, 2007.
Yep, Lawrence. Dragonwings. New York: Harper Trophy, 1975.
I guarantee one method that will never get you anywhere is to write out their dialect. Don’t do this whether your setting is in China, England or the Texas panhandle. We are a long way from Mark Twain’s dialogue with Jim the slave or Emily Bronte’s Joseph from Wuthering Heights. The use of dialect in those books makes reading difficult and causes the reader to assume the involved characters are stupid, which is the last thought you want directed at your characters.
However, using dialect is not the same thing as use of colloquialisms. This is one method of letting your reader hear your characters without talking down to either party. Debra McArthur, in “Look Who’s Talking: Dialogue, Dialect and Minority Characters” uses Christopher Paul Curtis’ book, Elijah of Buxton as an example of colloquialism use:
“‘So whilst you’s out here rolling ’bout in that ditch enjoying the tormentation you caused your ma and that toady-frog, why don’t you save us all some trouble and go in them woods and break off whichever switch it is you wants her to beat you with.’ (15)”
Words like “tormentation” and “toady-frog” will put the reader where they need to be for this story. I feel other examples of dialect in this passage are still a bit heavy-handed and close to what Twain used, but the Newbury Honor and Coretta Scott King Award panels did not feel that way.
Play around with this trick. If you write in an Asian setting, look up the proverbs and beliefs of your chosen country. It was much more effective for one of my characters to explain his actions with: "Elephant tusks cannot grow out of a dog's mouth" than by having him use a well-known western equivalent, “A leopard can’t change his spots.”
McArthur suggests other methods as well. Use “speech patterns that communicate the sound of the characters’ language”, for example in Shana Burg’s "A Thousand Never Evers," much of the flavor of Mississippi dialect in 1963 [is carried] through the first-person narration of Addie Ann Pickett:
“Ever since that cross burned, I’ve been hoping my best friend would come up with another good prank to cheer us all up. But these days, I reckon no one feels like laughing, not even Delilah. So I’ma try to make folks happy myself.” (42)
The words “reckon” and “I’ma” are strong enough to let the reader hear the character’s distinctive voice and feel grounded in the time and locale of the story without destroying the narrative flow.
Another method is to use an occasional word in your setting’s language and indeed, sometimes you may be forced to do so. For instance, in Asian settings, you won’t be able to use words like “mile” or “pound”. Employ the closest equivalent, "li" and "cattie". Make sure to use your author’s notes to inform the reader what those measurements are equal to in western terms.
McArthur comments on a particularly adroit method used by Lawrence Yep in “Dragonwings”:
“Because the main characters are all Chinese immigrants, they speak in Chinese most of the time. To the reader, this seems normal and natural, just as it would to Moon Shadow and his father, and their speech is in normal English syntax. When they speak in English, however, their words are italicized. Then, their imperfect English is apparent.
“Look at this boy,” he said in exasperation, “He eat enough for four pigs.” He started to apologize to the demoness, but she only smiled prettily again.
“There’s only one real compliment for a cook, and that’s for her guests to eat everything up. You must take the rest of the cookies with you.” She smoothed her apron over her lap and winked at me secretly.
“You too kind.” Father spread his hands. “You make us ashame.” He kicked me gently under the table.
“Yes, ashame,” I piped up. (104)
Consistent with this technique, Yep never gives Chinese names in English. Moon Shadow, Windrider, Lefty, Black Dog all are in standard type, not italicized. When spoken by English speakers, they are still in regular type, indicating that they are pronounced in Chinese, although no phonetic approximation is shown. Interestingly, no Chinese words are used in the book, yet the reader is given amazing insight into Chinese culture and values through Moon Shadow’s narration of his experiences in America.
Yep’s technique is both clever and useful. In this way, characters can converse in their own language so that readers know they are intelligent, but also communicate with English speakers in a way that shows they are still learning English. They can also express their reactions regarding the English-speakers to each other.”
I have seen effective use of both Chinese names (Alma Alexander’s “Secrets of Jin-Shei”) and a conversion to their western equivalent (Lisa See’s “Snowflower and the Secret Fan”). This may be a genre break issue as Yep’s “Dragonwings” is for children and See’s “Snowflower” is a literary novel, while Alexander’s “Secrets” is considered a fantasy. However, take this consideration to heart: western readers have trouble keeping Asian names separate. It may be easier on them if you use “Beautiful Flower” as a name instead of “Mei Hua.”
In the end, the best method for writing in a foreign setting is for the author to be immersed in that culture. Learn the language if possible, travel to the country, eat the food, and maintain friendships with people from your chosen culture. These are just the basics of what you’ll need to do to gain believability. If you’re unable or unwilling to do any of these things, reconsider your setting. You don’t want to use pejorative or insulting methods to top of your five hundred page epic novel.
Works Cited
McArthur, Debra, “Look Who’s Talking: Dialogue, Dialect and Minority Characters.”
Hamline University, 2008.
Burg, Shana. A Thousand Never Evers. New York: Delacourt, 2008.
Curtis, Christopher Paul. Elijah of Buxton. New York: Scholastic Press, 2007.
Yep, Lawrence. Dragonwings. New York: Harper Trophy, 1975.
Facebook and Blogging Bans in China
My thanks to Nancy Pistorius for informing me of this situation. I wanted to post this and ask for prayers for China's peaceful development. This is a copy and paste from an unknown facebook user in China:
"FB was banned because of the riots in Xinjian. There was a lot of Western input beforehand and the consensus here is that the riots were instigated by outside agitators. Dunno about your friend, but I am absolutely lost without FB - I feel as though my connections have been cut. We were told it was a temporary measure until things cooled down and are all hoping this is so. However, blogsites,(including my own) which were banned in May have still not come back on.However, the netizens of China are very vocal about the whole crackdown and internal blogs and chatsites are pulling no punches about what they think in relation to these moves. Intersting times."
Keep in mind the old Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times."
"FB was banned because of the riots in Xinjian. There was a lot of Western input beforehand and the consensus here is that the riots were instigated by outside agitators. Dunno about your friend, but I am absolutely lost without FB - I feel as though my connections have been cut. We were told it was a temporary measure until things cooled down and are all hoping this is so. However, blogsites,(including my own) which were banned in May have still not come back on.However, the netizens of China are very vocal about the whole crackdown and internal blogs and chatsites are pulling no punches about what they think in relation to these moves. Intersting times."
Keep in mind the old Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times."
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Sassafrassafrickinfrackin
Okay, I should take anger management courses. I was so ticked at Bloomsbury, I accidentally deleted my blogroll. My apologies if I've forgotten anyone. Please let me know if your blog is missing. It's NOT intentional!
Check Out Justine Labalastier's Anti-Racist Rant
Justine Labalastier is an Australian author of young adult, middle grade and adult fantasy. She's also a delightful person I had the pleasure of meeting in 2008.
I just finished reading her blog for today and I'm pissed. I find the U.S. publishing market's assumptions (as stated in her blog) both exasperating and nauseating. You know what folks, we have umpteen different cultures on this planet. Get over it! It's time we value each other for who we are instead of highlighting some as minorities or as something other than white. Regardless of skin color, we all have the capacity to read and think and make purchases based on what we think. Right now, I'm thinking I'll buy a copy of Justine's latest, called "Liar" - from Australia.
I just finished reading her blog for today and I'm pissed. I find the U.S. publishing market's assumptions (as stated in her blog) both exasperating and nauseating. You know what folks, we have umpteen different cultures on this planet. Get over it! It's time we value each other for who we are instead of highlighting some as minorities or as something other than white. Regardless of skin color, we all have the capacity to read and think and make purchases based on what we think. Right now, I'm thinking I'll buy a copy of Justine's latest, called "Liar" - from Australia.
Win An Agent Critique!
Thanks to Jeannie Lin for posting this. I thought I'd follow suit.
THE TAGLINE/TITLE/TEN LINES AGENT READ CONTEST
Submit the tagline, title, and first ten lines of your manuscript, and you could win one of two critiques of your partial + synopsis from Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency!
The contest is divided into three phases and runs from July 23 to August 10.
Refer a friend, and you could win a box of spa/author goodies!
For more information, visit Dawn Halliday's website. The link is in this post's title.
THE TAGLINE/TITLE/TEN LINES AGENT READ CONTEST
Submit the tagline, title, and first ten lines of your manuscript, and you could win one of two critiques of your partial + synopsis from Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency!
The contest is divided into three phases and runs from July 23 to August 10.
Refer a friend, and you could win a box of spa/author goodies!
For more information, visit Dawn Halliday's website. The link is in this post's title.
Monday, July 20, 2009
New Good News!
My online buddy, Jeannie Lin (see blogroll below) has had an AMAZING week. She just signed a contract with Harlequin for "Butterfly Swords". "Butterfly" is a romance set in ancient China, so I'm delighted for many reasons. And on top of that, last weekend Jeannie Lin won the Golden Heart Historical Genre contest (http://www.rwanational.org/cs/contests_and_awards/golden_heart_awards). How cool is that? Well done, Jeannie Lin!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
What Is Your Favorite Scene?
This may be a much harder question. Favorite scene of all time, whether you or someone else wrote it. What makes you love it so much? Do you re-watch/re-read it, teary-eyed?
Movies: The first one to pop into my head, believe it or not, is the carbonite freezing chamber scene with Leia and Han in Empire Strikes Back. I love it because it's got tension and humor. That's difficult to carry off.
You're going to think I'm odd, but out of all the many scenes in the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice, I love the first proposal scene and the subsequent trip home where Elizabeth remembers Darcy's words and expressions. Her garbled feelings are conveyed through the jangle of the horses' gait and the carriage's instability. That was a great notion of the director/cinematographer.
Books: Oi. I really don't know about this one. I love the scene in Gaiman's Anansi Boys where Fat Charlie sings his way through the obstacles and saves the day. I love the scene in Tigana where Alessan, Erlein and Devin are fleeing outlaws, but by the end of the sequence, they've joined the outlaws against Barbadian mercenaries. The whole scene speaks to me of heroism, humor and intelligence, all mixed in with great depth of feeling. Anyone who knows me is aware of how much I value these things in literature.
My favorite scene that I wrote is as follows:
When Jie returned to bed, he slept peacefully.
"Papa!" Jun said. "Papa, wake up!"
Jie opened his eyes. Relief flooded his heart. He was home.
Jun knelt at his side. Jiao brought tea and rice porridge flavored with salt pork. Steam rose from the bowls. It reminded him of the kuei.
Jie sighed, happy because there were no kuei. Twelve years of loss had disappeared. His sons were not dead. It was a terrible dream.
Daylight tried to break through the shutters. Jun laughed and opened the windows. Birdsong rang in the courtyards. Jie wanted to spend the day with his children. A trip to town with his boys sounded wonderful.
"I’m sorry, Papa," Jiao said. He knelt with the porridge and tea kettle without spilling. He poured the tea and gave it to his father. Jie sipped it, cradling the warm cup in his numb hands.
"Sorry for what, son?" He wanted to treat them to sweets and a night of theatre.
"I’m sorry we’re dead."
Jie choked. His tea was bitter. The icy cup cracked and shattered. The bright morning darkened to predawn blues. The birds fell silent.
"I’m sorry this is how we have to talk."
"We wish we could be with you, Papa," Jun said.
Tears wet Jie’s cheeks. He wanted to tell them, "You are! You’re always with me," but his lips were frozen shut.
"Take him with you, Papa. He’s part of the family, too." Jiao’s lips twisted in his sad half smile. He put his hand inside Jie's numb fingers for a moment.
Stay! Stay here with me!
"Don’t forget, Papa." Jun said, like he used to if Jie promised him a toy.
"Don’t leave me alone," Jie pleaded.
"You know you’re never alone, Papa." Jiao kissed him and was gone. Jun grinned and waved goodbye.
Jie woke. A frigid blanket of air wrapped around him. His eyes were glued shut and gritty with tears, but he could hear Mei’s rustling step. A bird chirruped outside as if testing the morning. He smelled steamed rolls and bacon from downstairs.
Mei put a warm cup of tea in his hands and molded his numb fingers around the smoothed clay.
He could hear her dip a cloth in the basin. She sipped from her teacup. It was familiar and heartbreaking. She wiped the dream away from his eyes, but it stayed in his heart. He’d prayed for guidance. This was the response. He felt heavy with care and older than his years.
Mei always knew when he spoke with their boys, but she never said anything. He appreciated her willingness to wait for their children’s message. She was tender and patient while they shared the basin for washing away sorrows.
Movies: The first one to pop into my head, believe it or not, is the carbonite freezing chamber scene with Leia and Han in Empire Strikes Back. I love it because it's got tension and humor. That's difficult to carry off.
You're going to think I'm odd, but out of all the many scenes in the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice, I love the first proposal scene and the subsequent trip home where Elizabeth remembers Darcy's words and expressions. Her garbled feelings are conveyed through the jangle of the horses' gait and the carriage's instability. That was a great notion of the director/cinematographer.
Books: Oi. I really don't know about this one. I love the scene in Gaiman's Anansi Boys where Fat Charlie sings his way through the obstacles and saves the day. I love the scene in Tigana where Alessan, Erlein and Devin are fleeing outlaws, but by the end of the sequence, they've joined the outlaws against Barbadian mercenaries. The whole scene speaks to me of heroism, humor and intelligence, all mixed in with great depth of feeling. Anyone who knows me is aware of how much I value these things in literature.
My favorite scene that I wrote is as follows:
When Jie returned to bed, he slept peacefully.
"Papa!" Jun said. "Papa, wake up!"
Jie opened his eyes. Relief flooded his heart. He was home.
Jun knelt at his side. Jiao brought tea and rice porridge flavored with salt pork. Steam rose from the bowls. It reminded him of the kuei.
Jie sighed, happy because there were no kuei. Twelve years of loss had disappeared. His sons were not dead. It was a terrible dream.
Daylight tried to break through the shutters. Jun laughed and opened the windows. Birdsong rang in the courtyards. Jie wanted to spend the day with his children. A trip to town with his boys sounded wonderful.
"I’m sorry, Papa," Jiao said. He knelt with the porridge and tea kettle without spilling. He poured the tea and gave it to his father. Jie sipped it, cradling the warm cup in his numb hands.
"Sorry for what, son?" He wanted to treat them to sweets and a night of theatre.
"I’m sorry we’re dead."
Jie choked. His tea was bitter. The icy cup cracked and shattered. The bright morning darkened to predawn blues. The birds fell silent.
"I’m sorry this is how we have to talk."
"We wish we could be with you, Papa," Jun said.
Tears wet Jie’s cheeks. He wanted to tell them, "You are! You’re always with me," but his lips were frozen shut.
"Take him with you, Papa. He’s part of the family, too." Jiao’s lips twisted in his sad half smile. He put his hand inside Jie's numb fingers for a moment.
Stay! Stay here with me!
"Don’t forget, Papa." Jun said, like he used to if Jie promised him a toy.
"Don’t leave me alone," Jie pleaded.
"You know you’re never alone, Papa." Jiao kissed him and was gone. Jun grinned and waved goodbye.
Jie woke. A frigid blanket of air wrapped around him. His eyes were glued shut and gritty with tears, but he could hear Mei’s rustling step. A bird chirruped outside as if testing the morning. He smelled steamed rolls and bacon from downstairs.
Mei put a warm cup of tea in his hands and molded his numb fingers around the smoothed clay.
He could hear her dip a cloth in the basin. She sipped from her teacup. It was familiar and heartbreaking. She wiped the dream away from his eyes, but it stayed in his heart. He’d prayed for guidance. This was the response. He felt heavy with care and older than his years.
Mei always knew when he spoke with their boys, but she never said anything. He appreciated her willingness to wait for their children’s message. She was tender and patient while they shared the basin for washing away sorrows.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Fun Stuff
I needed something to lighten the mood and I found the following at Cindy Pon's Blog. Check it out (under my Blog Roll) to see Sarah Ockler's responses. I thought I'd do my questions a little differently, and ask for my readers' input.
1. Who is your literary crush? My biggest literary crush is Alessan bar Valentine di Tigana, from Guy Gavriel Kay's "Tigana". Who else should make it onto the list? Why? Why do we love these characters so much?
With Alessan, I love the concealed emotion that's nonetheless obvious. I love it that he holds the fate of his friends, his family, his entire continent in his hands and yet still cares for each and everyone of those people as individuals. I also happen to love self-deprecating strategists and smart people. :)
1. Who is your literary crush? My biggest literary crush is Alessan bar Valentine di Tigana, from Guy Gavriel Kay's "Tigana". Who else should make it onto the list? Why? Why do we love these characters so much?
With Alessan, I love the concealed emotion that's nonetheless obvious. I love it that he holds the fate of his friends, his family, his entire continent in his hands and yet still cares for each and everyone of those people as individuals. I also happen to love self-deprecating strategists and smart people. :)
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