Author: Katie L. Carroll (Page 139 of 142)

The End of an Era with the Closing of Paul’s Hamburger Stand

September 26, 2008 / Katie L. Carroll

It was a sad day when I learned Paul’s famous hamburger stand closed. In an article in the local newspaper, the owner—a guy whose name isn’t Paul—said the cost of running the business was too much. There was no warning, no big closing-our-doors party, no last chance to get a juicy cheeseburger, an order of mozzarella sticks, and a chocolate shake. Here one day, gone the next.

Paul’s wasn’t just a hamburger stand; it was a testament to an old way of life when serving a product of quality was king. My dad used to take us kids there all the time. During the Christmas season, he would give out $10 Paul’s gift certificates like they were business cards. The employees always knew his name, and they learned mine once I started going there on my own. The stand’s motto said it all, “Not serving numbers but generations.”

More than just the loss of a hamburger joint, though, Paul’s closing is a poignant reminder of how transient life is. It reminds me of when Harrison’s Hardware (the local hardware store that was around for over 90 years…I worked there while in high school and met my husband there) closed. It reminds me that Yankee Stadium will be torn down soon.

Yet as symbolic as these things are and as sad it is to lose them, they are just that: things. And worse than losing the things you love is losing the people you love. Still, I really do believe that humans are creatures of habit, and change, while inevitable, is unsettling. Without it, though, we wouldn’t have that little reminder to hold on tight to those things (and people) we love. Try not to take them for granted while they’re here because one day they won’t be.

How Do You Know Me Poll

September 12, 2008 / Katie L. Carroll

I was curious to see how the readers of my blog (all four of you!) know me. Plus, I wanted to try out the poll option. Here’s to you!

(This originally appeared when my blog was still on Blogger and clearly didn’t transfer over to WordPress…I guess we’ll never know how the poll turned out!)

SCBWI L.A. 2008 Conference Gems: Part 2

September 5, 2008 / Katie L. Carroll

My picture made someone else’s blog! Wow, I’m almost famous! Lisa Yee is a YA author who presented at the conference. Check out the second picture on this post to see me attending her session on revision.

What you can’t find me? I’m all the way over to the right…the blonde in the bluish/green sweater…okay, so really about a quarter of me is cut off, but I’m still mostly in the picture. Well it was fun for me to see it, so I don’t care if you don’t care!

Here are a few more conference tidbits for you to ponder:

Everyone starts as a beginner
You never know what might become a masterpiece
Say what you mean
No one else knows just what you know
Time slips away so fast; don’t wait
Just because a book is a classic doesn’t mean you have to like it

Leonard Marcus (from his speech “Advice from a Legendary Editor: Ten Invaluable Lessons About Making Great Children’s Books”)

Imagination is more important than knowledge

Dilys Evans (from a panel discussion called “All About Agents”)

Take the good part and circle it, then use that as your standard; try to make everything else that good and keep working until the rest gets there

Lisa Yee (from her session “~~ReVision~~, ~~reviSion~~, Revision”)

All the following are from the panel discussion called “Emerging Editorial Voices”:

Do something during work hours that is not related to work; you need to engage other parts of the mind

(Namrata Tripathi discussing advice from her mentor Brenda Bowen)

Keep working, you’re not there yet

(Gretchen Hirsch discussing advice from her mentor Allyn Johnston)

When you’re really upset about something ask “Is anyone going to loose an arm?” If the answer is no, then it’s okay.

(Krista Marino discussing advice from her mentor Beverly Horowitz)

Ponder away!

SCBWI L.A. 2008 Conference Gems: Part 1

August 20, 2008 / Katie L. Carroll

I went to L.A. for a writing conference, so I basically spent four days listening to speeches and attending sessions about writing. (Fear not nonwriters–this post won’t strictly be about writing.) I took a ton of notes and observed many little gems of wisdom.

I was frantically trying to record everything, but I wasn’t quick enough to always get direct quotations. Some of these may be actual quotations, but more likely I’ve paraphrased them. Still, I’ve cited the speaker and talk in which each was written.

Here are some gems that I think not only apply to writing, but can also be useful in everyday life:

Open your ears, mind, and heart
Be bolder in what you do
Celebrate everyday joys
Joy is free
Celebrate laughter as the highest human action

Bruce Coville (from his speech “The Art of the Heart: Writing True for the Child”)

There are no rules–just whatever you are doing has to work

Mark Teague (from his speech “My 20 Years in Children’s Books: A Survivor’s Tale”)

You will go in the direction you are looking

Margaret Peterson Haddix (from her speech “Dig In”–this was advice from her ski instructor, which just goes to show how universal these thoughts are)

Stories have such power in the world, even when they’re only about the death of a certain kind of story

Arthur Levine (from his speech “Picture Books Live! An Analysis of Success”)

Spending a lot of money doesn’t always mean making a lot of money

Elizabeth Law (from a panel discussion called “Today in Children’s Publishing”)

These don’t even take us halfway through the conference, so I’m sure I’ll have more once I finish transcribing my notes. Besides, I think that’s enough to contemplate for one day!

Book Nerd California Bound

August 14, 2008 / Katie L. Carroll

The major cities I’ve been to include New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Miami, and London, and it was finally time for me to see what Los Angeles had to offer. Seeing as I spent most of my time in the bottom floors of a large, climate-controlled hotel, my visit to L.A. wasn’t as immersive as some of my other trips. Even still, I formed plenty of opinions on the city (of course!).

My plane took off in the early evening (East Coast time) and followed the setting sun west. We chased it across the country in an everlasting sunset until it dipped below the horizon and the quiet night caught up with us. I almost believed the enduring sunlight was a metaphor for how my trip would turn out—forgive me for my weak moment of Romanticism. If I had been thinking clearly, I would’ve realized the darkness would eventually come, and then my metaphor wouldn’t have seemed so optimistic.

It didn’t matter anyway because as the plane approached LAX and descended into a smoky, black cloud, all my sappy thoughts were quickly dispelled. At first I thought it was a storm cloud, but underneath it there was no lightning or rain, and then I realized it must be a smog cloud. I wondered what sort of unseen storm the smog was unleashing, and what impact it would have on my lungs.

Despite the smog, the city appears to be quite health-conscious. The Westfield mall that is across the street from the hotel (which shows what a small world it is because there is a Westfield mall about five minutes from my house in Connecticut) has an interesting food court. All eat-in food is served on real dishes, and the drinks come in real glasses. The mall near my house almost always serves the food and drinks (eat-in or take-out) in disposable containers.

The food selection is also on the healthier side. As I walked across the food court with my tray of pizza and orange soda, I got the feeling that people were staring at me in disdain (like I’m a bad person for eating something so greasy and delicious). Even the shelves of the grocery store are filled with all kinds of health foods that are usually only found in small, specially marked sections in the grocery stores I frequent.

My favorite indication of the differences in lifestyles between East and West Coast occurred during one of the conference sessions. (Did I forget to mention I was there for a writing conference?). An editor from New York mentioned how she often munches on fried-egg sandwiches while reading manuscripts. The moderator of the discussion said something like, “That’s a very East Coast thing to say.” Then she joked that an editor in California would be more likely to review manuscripts over a soy burger (ew!).

The soy-burger comment was made in good fun, but I couldn’t help but feel it legitimized my insecurities of walking through the food court. I was all alone, holding food that told everyone I wasn’t from around here, wearing clothes and sunglasses that weren’t designer brands, and feeling like it was my first day at a new school and I had no one to sit with in the cafeteria. At least I had remembered to take off my name badge…that would’ve really showed them what a nerd I am.