Nim's Island

A site for readers of the book Nim's Island, by Wendy Orr

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Montmorency South Primary's Amazing Nim's Island Website!

I visited Montie South Primary School last week to launch an amazing website done by four amazing kids. They've got pages about Nim, Jack and Alex, sustainable gardens, iguanas, an interview with me.... even facts about sea lions I'd never heard before! I thought it was fantastic – but they want to do a little more to polish it up before the world sees it. As soon as I hear it's ready, I'll put a link up here.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Nim's new title

My editor has just returned the Nim's Island sequel manuscript with her comments and suggestions for some little changes. It's good to see that there aren't too many - and some of them I knew I hadn't got quite right yet anyway. (I was hoping I was wrong and she'd say, not that's perfect! But she noticed, and so did the lovely grade 2-3 class in Vancouver who read it.)

But the other thing that I've been hoping would magicallly appear and fix itself is the title. The working title - what I called it to myself while I was working on it, and what my publishing contract says - is Nim's New York. I've never wanted that to be the real title, partly because it's not right: the story is more about the journey there. Besides, I don't want it sound like a guide book!

So, for a month or two, every time I walk the dog on my own I go over different titles in my head. Sometimes it gets quite silly as I'm walking along looking at different things, but mostly I keep going over the same type of things: Nim's Journey, Nim and the Sealnappers, Nim's Voyage, Nim's Troppo Tour. I've reread the manuscript a couple of times just looking at words to jump out at me; I meditate in the morning before I get up, trying to let the idea float free and come up with a wonderful title...

Maybe today will be the day.