Don’t get me wrong – I ♥ social media. It celebrates individual voices while also creating a new concept of global reach. (As a writer, I’m always wowed by how powerfully social media brings writerly comrades together – we’re a very solitary ilk, after all.) That said, Pinterest didn’t seem like my thing. Scrapbooking meets wish-listing? Meh. I’d just wait until something extraordinary convinced me.

Today was that day.

Jacqueline Courtney (center) united her backgrounds in design, publicity, and digital strategy to create Nearly Newlywed. (Photo ©Lisa Beggs)

Today, I heard about nearlynewlywed.com, a website that sells pre-worn designer gowns and gives buyers a guaranteed opportunity to sell them back afterwards. “A smart business in itself,” you’re thinking, if you’re anything like me.

What I learned afterwards drove me to click.

(Keep in mind: I’m the farthest from wedding-gown shopping as you can get, without being a dude.) “Nearlyweds,” as the company calls gown shoppers (I’m falling deeper in love at every turn!), can request personal shopping service via Pinterest. “WHAAAAT,” you’re thinking, if you’re anything like me.

How it works:

1. A gown shopper (AKA nearlywed :) makes a Pinterest board with gowns and/or visual inspirations for her gown
2. She follows Nearly Newlywed on Pinterest and leaves a comment with a link to her board
3. The personal shopping team visits her board, then tags her on their own dresses they think she’d like.

As I read more about the personal shopping service on the site, a friendly chat message popped up:

Hi, we’re online right now and available to answer any questions or discuss feedback! – Jacqueline

Hmmm. I decided to bite. What transpired was an impromptu interview with the site’s founder, Jacqueline Courtney:

Margo: I love the Pinterest shopping feature – how did the company come up with that?

Jacqueline Courtney: It was really an organic idea – we wanted to find a way so that I could chat with girls about their inspiration, and also offer advice on dresses that they may not consider or see in stores – since some of our gowns are a few seasons past. Pinterest seemed like a natural choice, since it is so visual. 

M: I think it represents what Pinterest should evolve into. Another example of true customer service via social media.

JC: Definitely – and one thing that is important to me is to have our Pinterest site still be authentic, so our products are contained to one or more board. And we are also suggesting other dresses and staying involved in the larger discussion.

Ironically (and downright metaphysically), Jacqueline was proving her point about being a part of the larger discussion… by making herself available for this tiny one with me.

So, the clues are all there – her business savvy is spot-on. In fact, the idea was born out of a huge needs gap – Jacqueline herself had bought (and then sold) a Vera Wang gown for her own wedding years ago. The process was less-than-pretty; it was in dire need of elevation.

Where the magic comes from: my theory

Nearly Newlywed’s mission statement, “Making brides happy,” comes to life on the site. NN makes a daunting shopping process easier and budget-friendlier for nearlyweds, most impressively by meeting them on a platform they’re already using (or should be). Simple move, but it stands out. It proves that they’re motivated to become more active in emerging channels and platforms – not just to say they did – but rather to create an extraordinary experience for their prospects and customers.

Jacqueline’s love for what she does has become almost tangible. And in my estimation, that’s when and why the magic happens – why some companies just seem like they’re “doing it right.” NN is living, Pinteresting proof that companies that embrace change will have more customers falling for them (and will even inspire those outside the target market to blog about them). Companies that embrace change – just as their customers do – will forever mark themselves as thought leaders.

All this love talk has me a little flustered… So let’s turn to you – who do you think is using social media to the fullest?

The friend was Len Kendall (one of the founders of the3six5.com). First, he mobilized hundreds of people by inviting them to a Facebook event. This was his venue to explain his plan to propose to Katie using an internet meme. The FB event also opened up a venue for discussion (and a little trash talk) among contributors.

This morning, Buzzfeed let Len take over their homepage for the day. (They loved the idea when he approached them with it two weeks ago.)

On Len’s proposal post, anybody could post their contributions through a meme generator embedded in the comment tool. Buzzfeed created this tool just for Len. With it, users simply uploaded a background, positioned the picture layer of Len proposing, and added their own message. Hundreds of us added to the “meme” and shared the posts to their social networks. Len even directed contributors to share with the hashtag #SayYesKatie.

At about noon CST, Len posted an update – Katie said yes!

Scott Lamb, BuzzFeed’s managing editor, says, “It’s been one of the biggest and fastest growing community reaction posts we’ve ever done.” Jack Shepherd at Buzzfeed even posted a Best-of #SayYesKatie post.

So the story traveled, as good stories often do.
#SayYesKatie appeared on MSNBC, The Chicago Tribune, and Mashable, among other outlets.

My contributions

So, what does it mean, Double Rainbow?

Stop – I’m not even half as cool as a DR. But here’s what I think.

With the maturing and evolution of the social web, people now have the power to bend the internet. We’ve used the web billions of times to promote other media, but now we can do so much more to harness its own power. I know this is all very meta, but just think of it this way:
When television was first came along, people thought it was a great way to advertise radio.

If an individual like Len can “bend” the internet to tell his story, in what amazing ways could the social web tell yours?

Related articles

• Man asks Internet to help him propose … and it actually works (digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com)
• The #SayYesKatie Meme and What it Means for the Internet (experiencematters.criticalmass.com)
• For Marriage Proposal, Man Uses Meme and Asks Internet for Help [PICS] (mashable.com)
• Buzzfeed Proposal (neatorama.com)
• This Ad Exec Just Proposed To His Girlfriend In A Crowdsourced Buzzfeed Meme (businessinsider.com)

How successful have they been?

In the Mighty Twig’s first six months:

• 18,017 people visited
• 509 children checked out 6,062 books
• Volunteers distributed 15,297 free books across Evanston
• They’ve built up a long wait-list of volunteers ages 10 to 89

They want to do even more – but they need your help.

Vote for Mighty Twig on Pepsi Refresh!
Help underserved areas get books.

The Mighty Twig’s newest project, “Right Book. Right Place. Right Person“ needs your vote in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge. Cheryl Chamberlain, Twig Advisory Board member (who’s also on EPLF’s Board of Directors) says,

With our project, we’ll buy books by African-American authors and books in Spanish and distribute them to 10 book centers in public areas throughout west Evanston. These areas have zero library services. We also have another three reading rooms beyond The Mighty Twig, and yesterday we began work on our fourth.

How to Vote

The top 15 candidates will get a grant, but The Mighty Twig’s standing is in the mid-20’s. So please vote once per day until the contest ends on November 30, 2011.
Vote online here: http://www.refresheverything.com/themightytwig

Vote via text:
Send the code 109325 in a text message to PEPSI (73774).

Don’t forget:

You can vote every day both online and via text.
Thanks for your support!

I’ll post an update very soon after the move. Feel free to ask questions in the comments! I’ll be happy to answer.

James is up to some serious fun again. This time, he’s asking folks to retell Newbery-winning stories…  In video, in 90 SECONDS.

[Cough] Oh my. The prospect starts my little heart racing, it does. The contest has gotten lots of kids, classrooms, and families inspired, too. James and co-curator Betsy Bird (she of School Library Journal’s Fuse8!) have collected dozens of entries from miles around. With submissions from Canada and New Zealand, this thing has gone international AND intercontinental.

(Where it all began: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, starring James’s niece Freya. She’ll also star in the book trailer for my young adult novel Thirty Decibels.)

Check out this entry, told entirely in shadow-puppets!

Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

OH! Here’s one that had me laughing. I mean, c’mon, it’s a musical!:

The 21 Balloons by William Péne du Bois

Mark your calendars for the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival:

New York:  Saturday, November 5, 2011, 3-5 pm
The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival at the New York Public Library main branch (Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY. 917.275.6975.)
Co-hosted by James Kennedy and Jon Scieszka, with appearances by Rebecca Stead and Ayun Halliday!

Chicago: Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 6-8 pm
The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival at the Harold Washington Public Library in Chicago (400 South State Street)

Even better: you can be a part of it. That’s right, James is taking entries until October 17th!

Here’s James’s take on the whole thing:

Teachers, here’s a fun project that will get your students reading Newbery winners.
Students, here’s an excuse to mess around with video equipment.
Librarians, here’s an activity to do with your teen advisory boards.
Anyone can enter. Everyone wins!

I love it! For full rules, head over to the official contest announcement. And get crackin’ on your entry!

Related articles

• The 90-Second Newbery Video Contest (lostateminor.com)
• Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book Adapted As Silent Film (stumptowntrade.wordpress.com)

And what better way to kick off the production than to capture the story’s villain?

Meet CityLeader Frankel

CityLeader Hiram Frankel, AKA Jason Kingsley

CityLeader Hiram Frankel wields the most political power in East Jefferson, Texas, where main character Ava lives. In fact, Ava’s mother (a Whisperer) works for the man himself. His groundbreaking legislation will take away Whisperers’ only freedoms, and he hopes to extend these changes nationally. He represents the newest, most power-hungry generation of Leaders since the Whisper Rules went into effect nearly a century ago.

The shots

Sehban Zaidi, the director, shot several takes of actor Jason Kingsley giving a speech as CityLeader Frankel. Since we won’t be using his audio for the final cut, Jason made up his own powerful orations… about baked goods and tasty desserts. He had all of us giggling. Yes, every powerful villain has facets that make them human – I guess Frankel’s got a powerful sweet tooth.

Production Assistant Steve Kroodsma and Director Sehban Zaidi ensure they’ve got a great shot.

Jason postures as only a great CityLeader can. The greenscreen will allow the director to add a background later.

Related articles

• Meet the cast of the Thirty Decibels book trailer (margorowder.com)
• Prep underway for Thirty Decibels book trailer (margorowder.com)

Before I get into the update – Chicago folks, we need your help!
We’d like to shoot early to mid-September and we need: 1) A choir rehearsal space, either in a school or church or theater, for a few hours; 2) A library for a few hours (bookstore may also work); 3) A high-school age choir group. These choir and library shots are very important to the trailer. So please get in touch if you know of any resources!

Lately, I’ve been working behind the scenes with Chicago’s Palinopsia Studio to prep for our Thirty Decibels book trailer shoot – finalizing storyboards, discussing wardrobe and props, and securing locations – all leading up to the upcoming shoot.

Thirty Decibels storyboard, showing main character Ava in the library: the only place Whisperers hold authority

Thirty Decibels storyboard, showing high-powered politico villain, CityLeader Frankel, using his full volume

Wardrobe will take on a post-cultural layering theme.

Main character Ava's vest, to be paired with a white hoodie.

Short films are such a blast to work on. I have a little previous experience to draw from…

From 2000-2002, I worked for a large Chicago ad agency, Ogilvy & Mather. My main clients were Sears, Kenmore, Suave, and Dove – and I was lucky enough to art direct several TV spots. Basically, that means I helped create the “story” behind each commercial, helped cast the actors, and worked with the director, propmasters, effects artists, and editors to make sure that story idea came across effectively. After stepping foot on that first film set and seeing how efficiently film professionals could create a story from thin air, I was hooked.

In 2002-2003, I worked on the sets of a few short films: I was a set dresser for graduate student Rae Shaw’s film Soap and Roses, which earned the attention of film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum (here’s the unofficial review, and a sample scene); I was a PA (production assistant) / actor in a hilarious horror-comedy called Skunk Ape!? , which appeared in the Tromadance film festival (here’s my take); and a PA / actor in an adaptation of the rather talented Chicago author Joe Meno‘s I Was a Mathlete Until I Met Margo Marris, which appeared in the Chicago International film festival, Tribeca film festival, and Dances with Films. (Click the title to see the whole film. I’m not Margo Marris, but I have a fun cameo.)

I have such a soft spot for filmmaking – for the collaboration of skill, passion, wit, and elbow grease from everyone involved. And I’m so excited to be a part of that tradition again.

I look forward to posting our progress here as we go.
If there’s anything specific you’d like to see, or if you have any questions for myself or the director, fire them away below! We’d love to hear from you.

infreakingtense.

But what can you expect from a group, 20,000+-strong, as they cap off their 40th year?

This was my first SCBWI-LA conference, and I only wish I’d stocked up on sleep beforehand. I was in for some serious inspiration.

Arriving late on the night before the festivities, I was wired enough that of course I didn’t get a proper night’s rest. Of course!

The first day began with a wonderfully honest and engaging run-down of writing advice from Bruce Coville. His first tip? Marry rich.

I took to heart another piece of Bruce’s advice: “Scare yourself.” Take on projects that rattle your nerves. You’ll grow immensely. He followed that up with “Stop scaring yourself” – meaning, don’t talk yourself out of taking action. I believe every writer struggles with this at one point or another. This sort of self-sabotage paralyzes everyone who’s ever wanted to write… but just hasn’t yet. A story’s in there. Just put it down. And “Don’t be afraid to show your heart,” as Bruce put it. “Don’t be sentimental, just honest.”

The conference was full of honest voices, including authors Laurie Halse Anderson, Judy Blume, Libba Bray, Donna Jo Napoli, David Small, Gary Paulsen, and Nova Ren Suma, agents Marcia Wernick, Barry Goldblatt, Tina Wexler, Michael Bourret, and Tracey Adams, publishers Julie Strauss-Gabel, Alessandra Balzer, Jennifer Hunt, Allyn Johnston, Debra Dorfman, and Beverly Horowitz, plus the SCBWI’s own exec director Lin Oliver and its president Stephen Mooser.

More than one of my favorite authors shared that they’d started writing to escape a sour marriage. Writing had given other authors refuge from personal demons. For one, writing became therapy in lieu of mental health coverage. Author David Small, whose vocal cords and ability to speak had been severed for 10 years following a neck surgery, rather appropriately quoted Vargas in his rousing talk: “Life is a shitstorm. And when it begins to rain, the only umbrella we have is art.”

If you want to write, trust me (and everyone who’s done it before): The story won’t be good right away. If you don’t believe me, take it from Judy Blume, whose book Summer Sisters didn’t truly emerge until her 23rd draft. Twenty-three drafts. So just put the words down, to start. Writing’s a little like recovering from alcoholism. Take it one step at a time, and through some steady work, you’ll get stronger. You’ll show your best self. (Yes, I take liberties with metaphor.)

Here’s my favorite part of attending SCBWI-LA: Wherever I looked, I knew I’d find someone just like me, toiling away on that thing they love. That story they have to tell. If they’d made the trip to SCBWI-LA like me, that means they’re just as serious about telling it. And I find so much hope in that. Don’t you?

Barry Lyga‘s Boy Toy opens with a list devised by main character Josh Mendel.

Ten Things I Learned at the Age of Twelve:

1. The Black Plague was transmitted by fleas that were carried throughout Europe by rats.

2. If you first paralyze it, you can cut open a frog and watch its lungs continue to inflate and deflate.

3. There are seven forms of the verb to be: am, being, been, is, was, were, and are.

4. In order to divide fractions, you invert the divisor to arrive at the reciprocal, which is then multiplied by the dividend. (Mixed fractions must first be converted to improper fractions.)

5. In Salem, the witches weren’t burned at the stake – they were pressed to death under big rocks… or hanged.

6. Islam was founded in the year 610. It is the third of three world religions worshiping the same god.

7. Each point on a “coordinate plane” (created by the joining of an x-axis and a y-axis) can be described by an ordered pair of numbers.

8. “Monotheism” is a belief system centered on a single deity, while “polytheism” subscribes to belief in multiple deities.

9. The area of a circle can be determined by using the formula πr², where r is the radius of the circle.

10. How to please a woman.

At first glance, the list seems almost tongue-in-cheek. But as soon as you know you’re about to launch into the story of one boy’s sexual abuse by his seventh-grade history teacher, your brow furrows. Your heart begins to sink.

For the most part, the story’s told through Josh’s eyes, five years after the incident in question. You start to piece it together from Josh’s harrowing “flickers,” little memories from months of abuse that tend to interrupt any given moment without warning. A clearer picture emerges from a number of sustained flashbacks, and the years since have given Josh a chance to reflect. But two inciting incidents drive the relationship back into his consciousness, almost to a breaking point: 1. Josh’s abuser is freed from prison early, and 2. After years of avoiding the classmate who brought his situation to light, he runs into her and must face his own wrongdoing.

Like any seventeen-year-old’s life, Boy Toy does have its light moments. These become essential in heavier stories like this, both to keep readers going with something to smile about, and to ensure the action and tension remain true to life.

For Josh, seventh grade and its aftermath turned into a battleground of control and manipulation – without his even realizing it. Afterwards, despite frequent visits with a psychologist, he continues his fight against others’ views of control. But alongside several surprising reactions to everyday events (some culminating in a sudden violent side), Josh begins to make painful decisions of his own. It’s not that Josh’s abuse forced him to grow up. It forced him to see how un-grown-up he’d really been, through it all.

This book will mean something unique and unforgettable to everyone who reads it.

Find Boy Toy on Indiebound and Amazon.