Wednesday, March 29, 2017

The Backstory

I love hearing the backstory of a book or song, and how it can make the meaning of something even greater.

I never knew the backstory behind Matchbox Twenty's song, "3 AM." I always thought it was a romantic song, when in reality lead singer Rob Thomas wrote it about his mom, who was diagnosed with cancer when he was 12. That brought a whole new perspective.

While researching books for our community literacy outreach program, I came across Amy Krouse Rosenthal's and Tom Lichtenheld's I Wish You More. I loved the spark that came from a little girls' sweater, the emotional and thoughtful brainstorming behind the illustrations, and what's even more special about this particular backstory is the valuable collaboration woven into it.

We recently had an author visit our campus. With over eight books published, Sherri Smith has a wide arrange of experience, including work in animation and construction. I asked her how she finds inspiration for books and if she often has to wait for it. She said that she can't just wait around for inspiration, and that writing requires discipline - I thought that was a good lesson for the high school students to hear. But she did share about some of her novels that had specific backstories, such as her mother's experience during Hurricane Katrina and the book Orleans.

I'm not into horror books. Stephen King intrigues me, however, A lot of the students at my work check out his books but I'm only familiar with Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption, and Stand by Me - which are all a bit of a departure from his normal horro. I try to read what students are interested in but I was really reluctant with King. One student, a devoted fan of his, shared with me that he wrote Misery out of frustration with his fans who seemed to only accept horror from him. I researched a little more and discovered that it's really a love/hate letter to his fans. I find it really fascinating that he has this kind of relationship with his fandom.

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