Being A Broad Discussion Board

SCBWI Writer’s Night: Brick by Brick - “Building Your Blog” and “Less Talk, More Action”

2012-02-03T10:40:56+09:00

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents
Saturday, February 18, 2012
SCBWI Tokyo Writers’ Night featuring

Claire Dawn-Marie Gittens with Brick by Brick—Building your Blog
and
Trevor Kew with Less Talk, More Action—Achieving Balance between Action, Dialogue, and Description in Your Children’s Book

Time: Saturday, February 18, 2012, 6:00–8:30 p.m.
Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 1
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University).
For a map see http://www.scbwi.jp/map.htm
Fee: 1,500 yen SCBWI members; 2,000 yen nonmembers
Reservations: RSVP contact (at) scbwi (dot) jp by Friday, February 17
This event will be in English.

Brick By Brick: Building Your Blog
Today’s writer needs an online presence. Blogging is one of many ways to create such a presence. Claire Dawn-Marie Gittens will give an overview on blogging specifically for writers. For those who are new to blogging, we’ll look at reasons to blog, how to set up a blog, and what to put on your blog. For those who are already actively blogging, we’ll look at how to build a following. Finally, we’ll take a moment to look at other social media for writers. Is blogging the best route for you? How can you combine your blog with other social media? Q&A and discussion will follow the presentation.

Less Talk, More Action—Achieving Balance between Action, Dialogue, and Description in Your Children’s Book
Have you ever heard kids complain that a book contains too much action? Probably not. Too much dialogue, maybe. Too much description, definitely. All three elements are important to the success of any novel, but how do we achieve the right balance for our audience? How do we paint a picture without boring readers with excessive details? How do we ensure that dialogue doesn’t overwhelm the story? And how do we create action that seems meaningful and authentic? Trevor Kew will speak briefly on his experiences in writing action-packed scenes for children, using examples from both drafts and finished pieces. This will be followed by an interactive session, where participants will get the opportunity to make choices about their own use of action within their writing. Q&A and discussion will follow the presentation.

Claire Dawn-Marie Gittens is a 30-year-old Barbadian living in Iwate. She writes for young adults, and her story “Ichinichi on the Yamanote” will be released in the forthcoming Tomo anthology. Her blog can be found at http://aclairedawn.blogspot.com.

Trevor Kew is the author of three novels for children–Trading Goals, Sidelined and Breakaway that all revolve around sports. His story “The Bridge to Lillooet” will appear in the forthcoming Tomo anthology. He teaches English Literature at Yokohama International School and originally hails from Rossland, British Columbia, Canada. Visit his website at http://trevorkew.wordpress.com.

http://www.scbwi.jp

Wondering how you are?

2011-05-19T21:22:33+09:00

Hey Aiko-chan,
I was wondering how you were doing and if you had safely made it to the States with the hubby. I’ve been MIA as well for a while, but for a good reason—but was thinking of Oki and you~~~
Take care,
Kelsey

About “Yada” article on Being A Broad blog

2012-01-27T17:26:54+09:00

“Yada” article here:
http://www.being-a-broad.org/2012/01/yada/?utm_source=Being+A+Broad+Newsletter&utm_campaign=f0106c25c2-120127+yada+kristin&utm_medium=email

Below is my comment to the article. Feel free to share your comments/discuss the article/give ideas.

Kristin, I really enjoyed your article. I spent 15 years in Japan, and moved to Berlin after Fukushima. I now plan to travel between Fukushima, Hokkaido and Berlin. Many foreigners bring very bad poor intelligence customs to Japan, and I used to be one of them. I used to like the bad quality food you mention in the article. That food kills the environment. Japanese were healthy vegan originally. Shojin Ryori and macrobiotic foods originated from Japan. Then the “black ships” came to Japan and poisoned it with bad traditions.

If you heart is in Japan, I hope you stop eating garbage which you mention in your article, and learn Japanese healthy traditions, and teach it back to Japanese, who seem to have lost their mind under American, British, NZ, German or whatever influence or brainwash. Those medical drugs you show on photo are also a big concern for me. Start eating healthy. Japan has turned into a land of junk, and you don’t need to become that. But you need to go agaist the main stream as the main stream is ignorant and unhealthy, especially towards children and Nature.

Hope you visit “Being A Broad Discussion Forum” as you might get good ideas from there. If you want to get a job, you have to maintain your health as who wants to hire sick people? I own a company, and I don’t want to nurse sicks. I’d only hire those who can solve problems and who focus on healthy living and caring for others, and who can earn money for the company as well. I am sure it’s the case with many other employers. Unless you want to start your own business, then you are your own boss. But even my staff always told me I have to make health my priority. I am 40, I became vegan about 2 years ago and also stopped all caffeine, junk food and alcohol at the same time. I am healthier and stronger now than before.

You have to learn cooking for that, and take out too much salt and sugar out of Japan’s traditional vegan diet and add more raw food to it to be healthy. And maybe you could write books about how you make changes. I’d certainly love to read your next article, if you want to write about healthy change. Regards from Berlin

Event for Writers - SCBWI Creative Exchange and Shinnenkai Dinner

2012-01-20T14:37:12+09:00

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Creative Exchange and Shinnenkai Dinner
Time: Saturday, January 21, 2012
Exchange 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Dinner from 8:00 p.m.

Place: Exchange:
Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 1
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University).
For a map see http://www.scbwi.jp/map.htm
Dinner:
Daylesford Organic Restaurant
La Porte Aoyama, 2F
5-51-8 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo
For a map see http://www.daylesford.jp/shop/index.html#access-map

Fee: Exchange: 500 yen SCBWI members; 800 yen nonmembers
Dinner: charged individually according to dishes ordered
Reservations: RSVP contact (at) scbwi (dot) jp by Friday, January 20 (please specify exchange, dinner or both)

This Creative Exchange will be in English and Japanese.

Join us for the first SCBWI Tokyo Creative Exchange of 2012! Bring your work in progress and your new ideas to share with the group for constructive feedback. Open to published and pre-published writers, illustrators and translators of children’s and young adult books. Also, bring along your questions about writing, illustrating and the marketing process.

After the exchange, join us for a shinnenkai (New Year’s party) dinner to share our creative goals and hopes for the new year.

What to bring for the Creative Exchange:
For MG and YA Fiction Bring 10 copies of a story or chapter up to 2,000 words.
For Picture Books Bring 10 copies of a dummy or story board or manuscript up to 600 words.
For Translations (Japanese to English) Bring 10 copies of a story or chapter up to 2,000 words.
Participants without manuscripts are welcome to participate.
http://www.scbwi.jp

ALT positions in Kashiwa City, Chiba

2012-01-16T09:43:48+09:00

Kashiwa City is hiring ALTs directly to work in elementary and junior high schools. Please see their website - http://www.city.kashiwa.lg.jp/soshiki/270300/p010440.html

Proposed but getting cold feet after discussing with future in laws

2011-10-12T21:13:54+09:00

Hi all. I’ve been living with my Japanese boyfriend for a bit over a year and he proposed few weeks ago. We are doing really well in our relationship, both nearing 30, and I was looking forward to coming years also wanting us to get married and have kids etc. We can talk practically about anything, so I raised some concerns I had, for example where to raise the kids and where to live in the future, to which we agreed that returning to my home country in Europe would be a very probable option. Schools in my home country are free of any tuition fees and the education and support for families plus social security are best in the world. Boyfriend also wants to do some business in the Europe, so it is also his wish that we live somewhere else than only in Japan.

All was well until we popped the news to his parents. I am no stranger to them, having visited the house quite often and my boyfriend even told me that his father really seems to like me. So I was thinking that they would be happy to hear the news.

His mother didn’t look that thrilled at all, for starters. First thing she was worried was that we would take her future grandchild away from her and she would never be able to see the kid. Never be able to see her son. (I was thinking, hey! What about MY parents who haven’t seen me practically for ages?! They certainly want to see me more often but would never put on the pressure on me by saying stuff like my boyfriends mom) My boyfriend has an older sister with 6 year old boy, and the kid stays at grandparents house practically all the time, so basically it’s not like they don’t already have a grandchild to spoil.

Then his dad starts to lecture and ask questions like am I ready to throw away my own nationality and my home country and take a japanese citizenship? (As far as I know no foreigner can get citizenship just like that and I’m not willing to even if it was possible) Am I willing to not return to my home country? In the end he told me that if I can talk to my own parents about these issues and they are ok with it, then he is ok with us getting married. But he wont be visiting my home country or meet my parents unless they come to Japan.

Ok I might sound selfish, but I really saw red during this visit. First, I thought they should realize that I am no japanese and thus our marriage and life or the way of raising our kids would not certainly be 100 percent japanese style. I love my home country and definitely want to return there some day, at least on vacation and even more if we have a kid because of the great education my country could offer. I would want our kid to have possibility to get into both cultures and later decide which country he or she wants to live in.

I know that family is important in Japanese culture. And that grandchildren are more loved than your own children. But still! Why it seems that because I willingly came into this country, according to them I should be willingly throwing away my own cultural background and values and gaman everything because “you are in Japan and this is the way we have done always here”.

Enough of the rant. My problem is, that I really got scared after this. I love my fiancee and I want to marry him, not his parents. He understands my views and our cultural differences (if he didn’t we wouldn’t have come this far), but like any good japanese son, he does not really say anything against to his parents. I have a feeling that he would not stand up for me against them if need be. He loves me, and wants us to live abroad, but I know that if his mum starts to brainwash him she might be able to talk him out of anything.

I am thinking to meet with the future in laws and try to talk with them about these issues, though I feel it might no do any good. I have a feeling that if we get married, the in laws would see me as a trouble maker who lured their son and grandchild away from them and put these crazy ideas of living abroad into their sons head. Like, I would be the cause of any problems there might be. I am getting scared out of my socks of this whole marriage thing, to which I was looking so much into before. Afraid that marriage would end up in divorce and mother in law would snatch our kid if we had one at that point.

All I want, is a good relationship with in laws (but not them butting in into our lives too much), a possibility to live in my own country too and see my parents there. A possibility to live my life happy with my love, cherish our different cultural backgrounds and raise a family with him. A possibility to offer the best of both cultures to our children.

How are you other foreign wives managing out there with your in laws? Any issues with them and living away from Japan and them wanting to be with your kids? Should I just marry and hope for the best and fight with the in laws if the situation comes to that? Not marry? Not make kids? Or am I just getting stressed over nothing?

2012-what do you predict will happen?

2010-09-19T22:20:21+09:00

Broads

I bought film “2012” at Costco but haven’t watched it yet. I haven’t read any books about 2012. I just have a gut feeling that if we’re not going to HEAL THE WORLD, something BAD will happen on Earth around that time, maybe December 2012, maybe in Tokyo, Sapporo, New York- places with BAD buildings, land with agri chemicals, polluted places, etc. But if we heal it together, hopefully it would be OK.

What do you all predict? Will tyry to watch the film tonight or tomorrow. (For those new to Broads, words I put in CAPITALS are MJ words-names of MJ songs, books or albums)

Thank you for your thoughts.

Natalia Roschina = BILLIE JEAN

Severe PMS/PMDD

2011-10-30T13:17:53+09:00

Hi All,
After years of suffering with the demon that is PMS, I’ve decided it’s time to seek treatment. I was wondering if any of you had sought diagnosis and/or treatment here in Japan and if so, what kind of response did you get? What medication was prescribed? And finally, if you are in the Kansai region, do you have any recommendations for a doctor?
I appreciate your reply
Dawn

Giving birth in Tokyo or home country?

2011-05-08T18:47:09+09:00

Hey ladies,

Anyone with experience who can help me make a decision? I’m 17 weeks pregnant and starting to think about where to deliver. The options are Tokyo or my home country (Canada). I’m not worried about medical care in either place, but rather about the support I’ll have with a newborn in Tokyo versus at home.

My husband’s family live a few hours away from Tokyo, and while we get on well I don’t really want to go stay with in-laws after giving birth, don’t really want my mother-in-law to come stay at our place (it’s small) and don’t even know if you can take a newborn on a shinkansen. We’ve got friends in Tokyo, but like most people they have jobs and lives. However, if I stayed in Tokyo to give birth I wouldn’t have to fly anywhere nor deal with passport/visa hassles for the baby after he/she is born.

On the other hand, I have family at home who would be stoked to lend a hand. Getting the baby a passport might be a hassle, but I’m sure I can take care of it. My husband could only take two weeks off, though, and I really don’t want him to miss the birth if the baby comes more than a week early or late. I’m guessing I’d fly home a month before my due date and return when the baby is a month old—so, a two-month stay.

Anyone made a similar decision? What I really want to know is, how exhausted are you in the month or so after having a baby? Does it really help to have family around to give you a hand? If you gave birth overseas to a baby with a Japanese parent, did you have any paperwork/passport/visa hassles? How long did you stay abroad?

Healthy Vegan Christmas -what shall I cook instead of turkey?

2009-12-01T17:50:14+09:00

Hi Ladies

I am kinda vegetarian since april. Not 100%, as I would eat meat if it is given to me at someone’s home or party (to keep the peace), and I can not give up fish yet. But I do not buy or cook meat/poultry any more.

Any exciting vegetarian turkey replacements for Christmas?

Thank you!

(Added: I’m now macrobiotic vegan since March 2010).