CCBC-Net Archives

A Single Shard: A Message from Author Linda Sue Park

From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Thu, 07 Feb 2002 10:46:27 -0600

Here's a message from Linda Sue Park about the title of A Single Shard. Do you have other questions for her? - Ginny

FROM LINDA SUE PARK:
... For most of the writing process, the manuscript was titled THE CELADON JOURNEY. When it came close to submission time, I tried the title out on my children and several of their friends (elementary and middle-school age at the time). Not surprisingly, the universal response was, "What's celadon?" And one boy said, "That sounds like some kind of fantasy story."

I did not want the title to mislead readers (especially fantasy lovers, who would be awfully disappointed!). So I decided to change it. I leafed through the manuscript, hoping a phrase would jump out at me. "A single shard" was the only one that did.

I did query my editor, Dinah Stevenson at some point, asking her specifically what she thought of the title. I had in mind the possible alternative of (simply) SHARD. Her response was that she thought "A Single Shard" was better because it indicated to readers unfamiliar with the word that a shard is in fact a *thing*, whereas "Shard" by itself might be a name or a place, etc.

She also said that she liked it because it was 'thematic' as well as descriptive--just as Mr. Ertz points out--that it applies to Tree?r himself as well as to the pottery. This was a complete surprise to me on a 'conscious' level, and I have no idea if my subconscious might have been aware of this possibility!

Similarly, with SEESAW GIRL, a reader once wrote to me to say that she thought the carved ivory ball-within-a?ll-within-a?ll was the perfect symbol for Jade, who lived inside her house inside the wall inside the city inside a country that had cut itself off from the rest of the world. This had not occurred to me as I was writing. I *love* this reading, and to me examples like this demonstrate how reading is indeed 'interactive,' how a text in the mind of the reader can become something more and bigger and richer than the writer's conscious intent.

One reviewer whose opinion I respect expressed dismay at the title, saying it gives away far too much of the plot. I would be interested to learn if young readers feel this way.

Finally, I would close by saying that several friends are now referring to the book by an acronym of the initial letters of the title words. In that sense the title is most unfortunate. ;-)

Thanks for the chance to discuss this; I hope these comments will be of interest.

All best, Linda Sue


Ginny Moore Kruse gmkruse at education.wisc.edu Cooperative Children's Book Center www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Thu 07 Feb 2002 10:46:27 AM CST