Utah Children's Writers

Challenged Books

2012-01-27T09:03:00.000-08:00

Every year, I set at least one reading goal to help lead me to the books I'll read that year. Last year, my goal was to read the last two Twain novels I'd never read (that's Mark, not Shania), and to begin rereading all of Steinbeck's novels and selected non-fiction in the order written, to study his development as a writer.

This year, I am continuing my Steinbeck goal, but I've also decided to read at least ten of the most-often-challenged books in the US as listed by the American Library Association. I've also added a few other books to my list that have led to authors being banned or even jailed in other countries.

These are books whose very presence in a library or classroom is challenged by parents, community organizations, school boards, churches, governments, and a host of others who feel that the very presence of a book in one of those pesky storehouses of knowledge and ideas we call libraries threatens the fabric of society, the idea being that books, as well as other art forms, should always be uplifting (according to their definition of "uplifting"). The ALA website has a fascinating list of some of these books and the reasons they have been challenged by specific groups, including some right here in Utah, as well as lists and graphs describing various facts about bans and challenges.

Many of the reasons why a book is challenged are valid from particular perspectives. Parents are, by far, the largest group of challengers. Certainly, parents have a right to raise concerns about assigned reading they consider offensive or inappropriate for readers of a certain age. Whether they have the right to determine what an entire community reads based on their own opinions, well, that's an argument I won't get into here (but just saying that probably reveals my position well enough). This post is not about parental rights.

Many books are challenged or banned for reasons that appear weak to most of us. Banning the Harry Potter books for glorifying witchcraft and magic, banning Twilight because it includes supernatural characters who fall in love with mere mortals, or banning The Lord of the Rings for being satanic all sound kind of silly, but all have happened. Banning The Adventures of Captain Underpants for depicting a boy in his underwear, or banning the entire Goosebumps series for being frightening and having ghosts and other spooky ookies, doesn't sound any better. Many of these bans obviously come from people with extremely narrow views who have never read the books.

But many challenges are much more complicated. For example, the most-often challenged book in the US is often challenged, not because of closed-mindedness but because of an attempt to discourage bigotry and closed-mindedness. I'm talking, of course, about "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." True enough, That Word is deeply offensive. Even though it is considered worse today than it was in the story's (and author's) time and place, it was still not a nice word back then. In Twain's time, it was very similar in effect to the currently misused adjective, "gay." Questioning the presence of a book so full of the N-word in a classroom, especially one in which many students are likely to be personally offended, is not completely ununderstandable.

The problem is, to ban the book for depicting racism is to miss the point. Yes, it depicts racism. Huck struggles with racism throughout most of the book, believing that slaves can hardly have feelings like "real people," and questioning whether he's doing the right thing by helping him. For much of the story, Huck ponders turning Jim in. But over the course of their journey, Huck learns that Jim is, in fact, a person, has feelings, loves his family, values freedom, and is not all that different. When Huck finally decides that he'll even risk eternal damnation to help Jim become free, Twain is making one of the most powerful anti-racism statements in American literary history.

In many cases, books like "Huck Finn" are taught in order to make points that go beyond the book. Twain's opus opens the door for discussions about racism and civil rights, about how much has changed and how much change is still needed. The answer is not to ban, but to discuss.

Of course, that's not always understood or appreciated, nor is it easy. Take, for example, the recent controversy right here in Utah when a teacher was discussing Martin Luther King and the lesson morphed into a discussion about the hated N-word. Many parents were upset that the word was used in class, in many cases not an inappropriate response. However, as reported anyway, that response seems misguided in this instance. During the course of the discussion, kids mentioned that they hear the word all the time in the music they (or older siblings) listen to, so it can't be that bad. The very fact that the kids would respond that way shows why the discussion is needed, even at a young age.

Often, it's government who challenge a book. The USSR was notorious for banning books that depict anti-communist sentiments, and the USA is notorious for challenging books that are pro-communist. 1984 by George Orwell has been banned in both countries for both reasons. I think that most of us agree that when government gets in the business of controlling ideas, good never follows.

I've taken a long time to make my point, so I'll do it now and wrap up. Good art is often challenging. It challenges our society, our morals, and our beliefs. It discusses very real parts of the human condition that people don't like to talk about openly, such as sex or our own prejudices (and we all have them). It holds up a magic mirror that shows our world as it is, not necessarily the way we like to pretend that it is. Many people don't like to be challenged, and they certainly don't want their children to be challenged or exposed to certain ideas. The problem is, by hiding those ideas and those unpleasant aspects of who we are and the world we've created, we eliminate discussion and ensure that the problems will not be addressed. We contribute to the lack of change and improvement. And, worst of all, we short-change our children and their ability to think and reason and to see for themselves why the ideas and words and actions depicted in the book are considered bad, and to learn how to deal with them.

And, by pulling those books from our libraries, we prevent children and adults who have issues or questions from a safe place where they can learn more about those issues and resolve their questions. That's why libraries (and, to a somewhat more controlled extent, schools) need to contain the widest variety of ideas, including those we do not cotton to, and why access to libraries must remain free.

I'll step down off my soapbox now. Please discuss.

Today's Barnes & Noble Free Friday e-book: Zombies Don't Cry by Rusty Fisher.

Pop Culture Controversy

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Maybe I'm a few years late to this particular discussion, but I think it bears repeating.

Last week on Pandora, I heard a great new song: "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People. It had a catchy, edgy beat and I found myself humming along. Later, my daughter said her 6th grade class had discussed this song because it talks about a school shooting. I didn't think much of her comment at the time, but the thought stuck with me.

Yesterday, I did some research on the song and, thanks to Google, found out the story behind the song. It's about a student who is bullied and harassed and who takes his gun to school to seek revenge. The lyrics are "run faster than my bullet." Here's what SongFacts says about the song:

Mark Foster explained the song's meaning to Spinner UK: "'Pumped Up Kicks' is about a kid that basically is losing his mind and is plotting revenge. He's an outcast. I feel like the youth in our culture are becoming more and more isolated. It's kind of an epidemic. Instead of writing about victims and some tragedy, I wanted to get into the killer's mind, like Truman Capote did in In Cold Blood. I love to write about characters. That's my style. I really like to get inside the heads of other people and try to walk in their shoes."

Foster says he considered writing the song from the perspective of the victim, but felt that would be a cop out. He also points out that there is no actual violence in the song, as the threats are all the kid's internal monologue.

Another writer for the Chicago Tribune decried the song's dark meaning:

But after looking closely at the song's lyrics and listening to it many extra times, I have come to agree that this song is more deserving of a push away than the warm embrace it has mostly received.

I don't for a moment fear that my kids or yours are one ill-considered pop song away from going bad, but I'd just rather not have their environment include a school shooting treated with all the gravity of bubble-gum pop — with whistling!

One person's edgy, thought provoker is another person's dark influence to be shunned. Who's right?

Writers of songs and writers of books live in parallel universes when it comes to pushing the envelope. We each decide how far to push boundaries in our creations, and often society will push back.

So where's the limit? Is it inherently wrong to tell a song (or story) from the perspective of the bad guy? I bet you can name books that do that exact same thing. But will that perspective glorify the violence? Are we condoning the behavior we discuss? Who decides that? Certainly there is no real fear in our teens hooking up with vampires who then love them too much to bite them. But what about realistic fiction? What about writing about the power a kid feels when he pulls a gun on someone or when a girl smokes her first joint? Are we giving kids ideas they wouldn't otherwise have?

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

(and tell me if you like the song too! I think the song is catchy and the words create a vivid scene in my head that could easily make a powerful book.)

Finding Balance

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Deren Hansen

Sandra Tayler, speaking at the 2011 Life, the Universe, and Everything (LTUE) conference, addressed the perennial question of finding balance. She said you can balance your life by paying attention (as in at least 10 minutes a day) to the five things that are most important to you.

I've amplified Sandra's five things to illustrate the technique.

Source of Inspiration

The word inspire comes from Latin root that mean, "to breath into." Many creation stories have God, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or the Amorphous Essence of the Universe breathing life into creation.

What is it that breaths life into your writing, your work, and your very existence?

What fills you with joy in being?

Whatever it may be, take time each day to reconnect with your source of inspiration.

Important Relationships

For good or ill, humans are social animals. Much of our sense of who we are is a function of those with whom we are close. Put another way, much of what we do is motivated by the people with whom we have the most important relationships. Some have pursued their art at the expense of those relationships and wound up with no one to share it with when they won the prize.

Take time each day to acknowledge and nurture your important relationships. Not only will you have more support right now, you'll likely have someone to appreciate it when you succeed.

Health and Welfare

As Count Rugen, in the Princess Bride, says, "If you haven't got your health, you haven't got anything."

Take time to take care of yourself.

Writing

If you are serious about writing it should have a high priority. While writing every day is an important habit, the point here is that you ought to do something related to writing each day to keep in touch with your passion.

"Something only I care about."

Sherry Wachter, writing on The Blood Red Pencil, talked about the importance of a room of one's own. That is, how having a project of your own makes it easier to compromise when you're working on someone else's project. Taking time each day to do something only you care about is essential if you don't want to lose track of yourself amid all the demands placed upon you.

Balance = The Things that Matter

You can think of this as the plate-spinner approach to personal balance. Like the performer who runs back and forth spinning up the plates that are slowing down, taking time each day to at least touch the five most important things in your life will go a long way to helping you find balance.

And don't think of it as balancing your life. The job of balancing an entire life is overwhelming. Sandra Tayler said, "Balance the day and the year will take care of itself."

Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

Best Writing Advice Ever

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

By Julie Daines

In 1986, Frank L. Visco published this advice in Writer's Digest. It's so awesome I had to post it again here, even though I'm sure many of you have already seen this.

How To Write Good:

My several years in the word game have learnt me several rules:

Avoid Alliteration. Always.
Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
Avoid cliches like the plague. (They’re old hat.)
Employ the vernacular.
Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
Contractions aren’t necessary.
Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
One should never generalize.
Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”

Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.
Profanity sucks.
Be more or less specific.
Understatement is always best.
Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
One word sentences? Eliminate.
Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
The passive voice is to be avoided.
Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
Who needs rhetorical questions?

Here are a few more added to the list by another guy:

Never use a big word when a diminutive alternative would suffice.
Poofread carefully to see if you any words out.
A writer must not shift your point of view.
If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be by rereading and editing.

Click here for source.

Posted by Julie Daines
www.juliedaines.blogspot.com

Developing Fun Characters Children will Love and Relate To with Molly Nero, Author of Smarty Pig

2012-01-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

Your characters must come to life for young kids. By drawing on my teaching experience, I have developed a family of pigs that children will hopefully relate to and love. Teaching kids for many years helped me understand that Power Rangers, SpongeBob, and the name of Disney’s newest princess must be in your vocabulary. The latest DS, XBOX, and Wii games also get young people to look at you as though you actually are attempting to understand their world a little bit, though they know you are really an outsider since you’re older than 11 or 12! If you try to listen to kids at their level, you will begin to understand their world better, but it’s hard for adults to do that. We are lost in our own world of IPads, IPhones, emails, and daily demands. Trying to remember what it’s like to be 7 or 8 becomes difficult.

My classroom, filled daily with various aged kids, allowed me the chance to find a way to connect to be an effective teacher. To have validity with my audience, I use those details. Attitudes and situations that kids understand or experience themselves help create depth in my characters. Smarty Pig‘s family has given up on school. They simply don’t care and show that by not doing their homework. How many kids give up on homework sometime? How many kids wish they could just not do it at all like the pigs do? This is relatable for young students and helps my characters come to life. Pigs playing video games, watching tv, playing tag are all current and relatable activities. The natural consequence of failing their subjects is another relatable situation. How many high achieving students are teased with “Nerd, Goody-Goody, or Smarty-Pants” by others who don’t or won’t put forth the same effort? Again, a very typical classroom situation that is represented in Smarty Pig except it’s portrayed in the home instead.

Beyond the words, you need to find an illustrator who has the correct vision of your character. Monique Turchan provided me with a couple of different versions of Smarty Pig. I immediately gravitated to the one that we ended up using. I wanted a character that was pig-ish, but childlike at the same time, again hoping to help the kids relate to her and her pig family. In this type of book, the marriage between words and illustrations must come together creating the complete package of lovable, relatable characters that kids will love to read about.

About the author: Molly Nero loves to sing, dance and read. She spent over 18 years teaching elementary school. Reading to her own children, she was inspired to write. The second book in the Smarty Pig book series Smarty Pig and the Test Taking Terror releases in Spring 2012.

Smarty Pig is the only one in the pig family who hasn’t given up on school and doing her homework. Although she is teased, her report card shows her hard work, while the others fail. The other pigs reach out to her and she becomes their tutor, by creating games in their home. They all realize learning can be fun and that it’s not just for school, it’s for life.

Get a sneak peek of the book at http://youtu.be/E2L_NS2QqgM

You can find out more about Molly Nero’s World of Ink Author/Book Tour schedule at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/MollyNero.aspx. There will be giveaways, reviews, interviews, guest posts and more. Make sure to stop by and interact with Nero and the hosts at the different stops by leaving comments and/or questions.

Organizing Your Projects

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Scott Rhoades

I recently discovered another free app that can be used to keep your writing life organized.

Cozi Family Organizer (cozi.com and popular app stores) was designed for families. You can keep a family calendar as well as calendars for each family member, journals, to do lists, and shopping lists.

That's pretty cool, but I immediately thought of ways to use it as a writing tool.

For example, instead of setting up the organizer for each family member, you can set it up for each project. Then you can keep track of your writing schedule and submissions on the calendar, to do lists for each project, and keep a journal of word count, story issues, and progress. I haven't thought of a cool way to use the shopping list feature, which is essentially like the to do list, but you probably will.

You can also use it to keep track of stuff within one project. Say, for example, you have several characters doing different things at the same time. Use the calendar to track each character's movements over the course of the story.

You can use this app to keep your writing life at your fingertips wherever you are. Apps are available for the iPad and iPhone, Android tablets, and Nook (Color or Tablet). The app is available in the Amazon App Store, so it's probably safe to assume that you can get it for that cool new Kindle Fire.Your info is also available on the Web, so you can use any computer.
All your info is automatically synced across your devices. You can also sync the calendar with your Outlook calendar and import your Internet calendars, including your Google or online school calendar.

So if you're looking for a way to keep your projects organized and like the idea of having all your project info ready wherever you are, this might be your answer. I haven't had a chance to really work it out, but I've played around with the key features and it looks like it will do the job. All you have to do is pretend your projects are family members.

Give it a try and let us know what you think.

Today's Friday Free EBook from Barnes and Noble: From the Ashes by Jeremy Burns, described as an Indiana Jones-like conspiracy thriller involving archaeologists and Nazi Germany. Looks fun.

How to Follow Trends

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Deren Hansen

Nearly a year ago, agent Mary Kole shared a note about trends on her KidLit blog.

She pointed out that you'll always be late to the table if you write to trends because it takes about two years to go from manuscript to publication and what's hot now is practically guaranteed to be dull by then.

The best, and most consistent advice is to write a story you love instead of chasing the market because there will always be a market for a good story.

So as we write, driven only by the pure flame of inspiration, can we safely ignore trends?

For the most part.

I've talked before about meeting the market half-way. In order to meet the market, you must have some sense as to where the market is and where it seems to be going. For example, if you were an auto maker, would now, with the price of gas rising, growing concerns about our dependence on foreign oil, and a strong green movement, be a good time to introduce a monster truck whose fuel economy is measured in gallons per mile? By the same token, in a market glutted with vampire stories, should you really try to do one more? Or is there, perhaps some other under-appreciated paranormal type that sucks away your life (like lawyers) with which you could do something fresh?

In terms of market awareness, there's some value in being aware of trends. But there's a big difference between being aware and following.

So is there any time you should actually follow a trend?

Only when you're currently shopping a manuscript and can use the trend to help position your piece. If, say, you've written about sparkly, salmon merfolk and their eternal battle with the were-bears, and if you learn that an editor wants a paranormal fish story, you should waste no time crafting a query that says, "I've got just what you 're looking for!"

Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

Teaching a Lesson Through Books for Kids with Maryann B. Sawka

2012-01-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

“Close your eyes. Imagine yourself sitting on the beach, with the squeaking sound of seagulls as they glide along above your head, diving and rising along with the swirling tide as the surf announces its approach with a thunderous crash onto the beach. Use your imagination; focus on your senses so that with closed eyes you can visualize the scene unfolding in front of you as you dreamily transport yourself to another time and place. Now, open your eyes as we begin to read, Treasure Island by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson,” said the teacher in a sixth grade literature class.

Based upon that opening, which sets the tone for the book that will be introduced in class, the teacher is calling upon the students to stretch their imaginations and use their senses as she gives them a peek into the setting of the book. Teachers often use books outside of the required curriculum to teach a lesson, to reinforce a concept or to make a connection between a student’s prior knowledge and the new material that is going to be taught.

Teaching through a book broadens the scope of the lesson by incorporating many disciplines of study into each lesson, demonstrating the connection between reading and learning. Teaching a science lesson doesn’t just come from the science book each student receives at the beginning of the school year. The science material can also come from a book such as Treasure Island, as an example. The lesson could focus on the geographical terrain, the plant and animal life evidenced during the book’s passages, the environment and temperature patterns. In addition, a lesson on geography could be built from the book as you discuss life on an island, looking at other islands and discussing when some of them were discovered and by whom, and looking at the various cultures involved. Students would be introduced to a new set of vocabulary words that come from the story. Perhaps the students could be challenged to write their own ending for the book or to change one climactic point of drama in the middle of the story. Regardless of the focus of the creative writing exercise, a lesson is being taught on reading and writing.

For younger children, picture book and early readers often teach skills such as counting, alphabet recognition and phonics, shapes and colors. Just as with the example of Treasure Island, teachers can use young literature to teach lessons that correspond with their topics of study.

But, using literature to teach is not restricted to only teachers. Parents and caregivers can also use a book to teach a lesson, regardless of the child’s age. Remember the soft, puffy books babies often spend time drooling on? Taking a few minutes to talk about the pictures in the book and relating them back to the baby’s world is teaching a lesson. Point to the picture of a ball and then show the baby a real ball. They will love this activity and will want it to be repeated, like a favorite game. This is how they are learning about their environment, connecting what was shown in a book and then shown in real-life.

Literature is a powerful tool for teaching! It can be used in an obvious manner such as “read this book and write a paper about it” or through a more subtle approach where you use a book to reinforce the main concept of a lesson.

About the author: Maryann B. Sawka is an educator and parent, who has always embraced the notion that good manners are stylish and timely in every situation. She founded Charming Manners, a training company that educates all ages in the quest for civility and self-confidence. Sawka introduces good manners with a fun, engaging approach that makes the pursuit for knowledge an enjoyable experience.

Halo Publishing, Int. and the World of Ink Network will be touring author Maryann B. Sawka’s book Good Table Manners Made Easy, which released in January 2012.

Good Table Manners Made Easy is a quick, easy-to-read resource that teaches basic table manners in a delightful fun way. It also serves as a quick refresher for the table manners that we may have forgotten.

Get a sneak peek of the book at http://youtu.be/CGGKkxa9qSQ

You can find out more about Maryann B. Sawka’s World of Ink Author/Book Tour schedule at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/MaryannBSawka.aspx. There will be giveaways, reviews, interviews, guest posts and more. Make sure to stop by and interact with Sawka and the hosts at the different stops by leaving comments and/or questions.

In addition, come listen on January 16, 2012 to Blog Talk Radio’s World of Ink Network show: Stories for Children at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork. The hosts VS Grenier, Kris Quinn Chirstopherson and Irene Roth will be chatting with Maryann B. Sawka about her book, writing, the publishing industry and experiences. Sawka will also be sharing writing tips and trials, and the tribulations of the writer’s life.

To learn more about the World of Ink Tours visit: http://worldofinknetwork.blogspot.com

What Reference Books Do You Keep on Hand?

2012-01-13T15:07:00.000-08:00

Writers like words, and tend to keep reference books in or near their workspace.

In addition to shelves full of writing books and other useful stuff that is behind me when I'm at my desk, I keep several books on a little shelf on my desk. They are:

The American Heritage Dictionary
The Chicago Manual of Style
Roget's Super Thesaurus
Webster's Dictionary of English Usage
Word Nerd
Fowler's Modern English Usage (Second Edition, 1965)
Webster's Instant Word Guide

Admittedly, I rarely use any of these. The Internet is at my fingertips, after all. But I feel better having them close by.

How about you? Which books do you keep nearby?

On to another subject, today's free Friday Nook book in the Barnes & Noble shop is Don't Know Much About Mythology by Kenneth C. Davis. This is a good addition to every writer's (and reader's) library. Pick it up while you can get it for nuthin'!

In Late, Out Early

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Deren Hansen

Heidi M. Thomas said, in a post on pacing in writing at the blog The Blood-red Pencil:

"Most writing gurus these days advise to “arrive late and leave early.” By this, they mean, start in the middle of the action or with an element of suspense that will help prompt the reader to keep reading."

Heidi is right that stories should (and readers expect to) skip the boring bits. Why slog through the dull set-up and waiting when you can jump in right at the point where things get interesting. By the same token, why hang around after the interesting bits when you can jump away to the next interesting thing. And what prompts the reader to keep reading is that they come to trust that you won't bore them with dull stuff.

But in-late/out-early is more than simply a way to keep your reader hooked. Once you develop a masterful sense of just how long a scene needs to be, in-late/out-early evolves from a mere technique into a tool for directing reader's attention and encouraging their engagement by inviting them to fill in the blanks.

Directing Focus

Like their visual counter parts, scene breaks and "screen" (or page) time tell the reader where to focus their attention. In a long scene, where several characters come and go and other things transpire in the background, readers can pay attention to many things so no one thing will have their full attention. In a short scene, they can only pay attention to what you give them.

For example, let's say you have a scene whose purpose is to show the reader that the main character notices another character acting strangely. If you show the main character strolling through the hall at school, greeting friends and chatting about the prom, until the boy she's had her eye on runs into them, nearly knocking her over while muttering something about the penguin revolution, and then the character and her friends spend a few more pages talking about what just happened, the reader may miss the key revelation about the penguin revolution. If, on the other hand, you jump into the scene moments before the collision and then jump out right after the first, "What was that?" comment, there's no danger of distracting the reader with the other people or the pending prom.

Fill in the Blanks

However, the most subtle use of in-late/out-early--at a level that approaches zen mastery--is to leave as much unsaid as possible. On several occasions, I've heard Howard Tayler say, "The monster you imagine when I say something goes bump in the dark is far scarier than anything I could describe."

By showing only the most critical part of the scene, we allow the readers to fill in the blanks by imagining what happened before and after the scene. In so doing, readers create a far richer experience for themselves than you as the author could by describing it all for them.

Think about it.

Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

Can a female adequately write from a male point of view?

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

I'm a female, but I know men. I'm married to a man. I was raised by a man. I grew up with little men who grew into big men. I'm raising two little men of my own. Not a day goes by that I don't interact with men.

So does that qualify me to write from a male perspective?

It depends.

Am I creating a female who acts like a man? Or am I creating a man who acts like a man?

What is it that makes a male (or female) POV? Traits. There are traits of men that can be generalized and typified: task oriented, one track minds, talk less, work hard.... you know the traits. They are usually what we laugh at when we're watching a sitcom or movie. But they are true! And using some of them can help create a believable male character. A successful male POV must be male through and through, not just superficially or stereotypically male. Too few stereotypes and you're stuck with a lack-luster pseudo-male that people want to beat up; too many stereotypes and you have a Neanderthal that everyone despises.

Just as you would research for a story on Russia, research your male (or female). Read lots of articles about writing from the opposite POV. Read popular books written with a POV opposite of the author's gender. Practice being in a "male mindset" and writing out of those thoughts (focus on thoughts, not feelings). Write mini-scenes and think through how the situations would be seen from a male or female. Write both. Beware of thinking like a female, but writing on behalf of a man.

In the long run, it might be easier for a female writer to keep her POVs solely female. Yes, easier, safer, less stretching....more boring, less challenging. If you're up it, you can learn to write in any POV. Research, practice, feedback-- all these things will help you to unleash your inner male (female) POV.

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More to read about this:

http://fictiongroupie.blogspot.com/2011/06/man-up-writing-male-pov.html

http://www.keriarthur.com/extras/for-writers/articles/male-pov/

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/writing-the-male-point-of-view

http://talktoyouniverse.blogspot.com/2011/12/writing-male-point-of-view.html

Glueing It All Together

2012-01-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

By Julie Daines

An element in story crafting that I frequently find missing is cohesion. Each story needs a few elements that bind it all together and carry the protagonist--and the reader--through to the end.

For some reason, I find that adventure type books struggle the most with this problem. Often, the main character sets off on the adventure, but it feels more like they are strolling through the zoo. They wander along the hero's path, going from one interesting animal (scene) to the next. It feels like a series of random events that happen to the main character.

So the question is, how do we keep our story unified?

There are many ways, but here are a few to get you thinking:

The Main Character's Goals Must Be the Driving Force: Whatever it is that the main character wants, that should be what influences all their choices and actions.

In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's goal is to go home. It is what motivates everything she does. In The Hunger Games, Katniss wants to protect her sister Prim. That is why she volunteers for the games, and that is why she wants to win the games, so Prim is not left alone with a wacky mother.

This is perhaps the most important element in cohesion. If your main character's object of desire (goal) is not present throughout the story, the reader will loose interest. Why is he/she doing this? If we don't know, we don't care.

The Threat of the Villain: Keep the threat of the villain ever present and constantly hanging over the hero's head.

JK Rowling did a great job with this throughout SEVEN Harry Potter novels, always upping the stakes with each one. Never once do we forget He Who Must Not Be Named lurking in the back of Harry's mind. And, every other "mini-villain" Harry faces ties back to Voldemort in some way, such as Draco Malfoy and Professor Umbrage.

And not only should the villain be always present, but the stakes. What happens if the villain wins?!

Keep the Main Conflict Front and Center: This is good for books that are not adventure stories and don't have a specific "villain," like Twilight. Not much happens in the story, but the conflict is always there, hanging over Bella's head--forbidden love, is he or is he not going to eat her.

These are only three. What other elements of cohesion can you think of?

Julie Daines
www.juliedaines.blogspot.com

Guest Post: Balancing Your Writing with School as a Teen Author with Rachel Yurchisin

2012-01-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

I recently have been working with teen author Rachel Yurchisin, who just published her first picture book, Dairy of My Days in Kenya. She’s been a real inspiration to me and others as she focuses on her studies as a junior in high school, sports, her love for wild life and still finds time to promote her book. I started wondering if a teen author has the same challenges as adult authors.

Rachel is the fourth youth author I have encountered during my years in the world of ink and she is no different from many of us oldies who love to write and dream about sharing our work with young minds searching for a good story and a better understanding of the world around them in a good book.

So today, I have asked Rachel Yurchisin to share her thoughts on being a teen author and balancing her writing with school.

*****

When I first got the notification my manuscript was accepted by Halo Publishing, I was overjoyed.

It was an amazing feeling when I got the first shipment of books and saw my name on the cover, and my picture on the back. It was really a dream come true.

This whole experience has not changed my relationship with any of my friends- many of whom have bought my books for the holidays. Even some of my teachers have expressed interest in my book. Also, now since I am a junior in high school- the college search is currently taking place.

When I visit various colleges, many are impressed with the fact that I am a published author and I hope that will assist in my college acceptance probability.

I have found it very difficult to balance writing, the process of publishing and publicizing my book "Dairy of My Days in Kenya" with my schoolwork and hobbies. I give Virginia a lot of credit with putting up with me not keeping up with deadlines, etc.

However, I believe that family comes first, and then school work, and then anything else. However, on the side I participate in the Zoo Crew at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, which is a group that teaches the public about the animals on exhibit. I also am in involved with the Future Scientists groups at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History that does surveys of wildlife on various museum properties throughout the course of the year. In addition, since 6^th grade, I have been participating in science fairs on the state level and last year I represented the state of Ohio in a national science fair.

For school, I am on the varsity tennis team and hopefully on the varsity softball team in the spring. As you can imagine, it’s hard to have a social life when you’re involved with all of these extracurricular activities- thank goodness I have very understanding friends and family, who support me through all of my endeavors.

If you haven’t written anything yet, but you want to become an author, I would suggest starting to write about anything you find interesting. For me in particular- I have always found inspiration in nature and past experiences.

If you get a spell of “writer’s block” make sure you relax- in most cases there isn’t a deadline and if you relax more than likely you will be able to think of something. If you already have something written that, you feel has potential for becoming a published work- send it in as soon as you can!

The worst thing they can do is say no and suggest a few changes. It may make take a few tries but it is definitely worth it once you get the satisfaction of seeing your name on the cover of a book that YOU wrote.

About the Book: Diary of My Days in Kenya…is a fictional story loosely based upon the real life occurrences of a nomadic lioness who nurtures baby oryx as if they were her own young. During a drought, a naturalist, Susan Polling, and other professionals, are sent on assignment to observe and document this special pairing. The book’s spirited protagonist, Polling, offers the reader interesting insights as to why this unique phenomenon has transpired. The story explores how the traditional relationship of predator and prey is transcended, presenting a spellbinding account of how a parental bond, even a non-traditional one, can never be broken.

Diary of My Days in Kenya

Publisher: Halo Publishing, Int.

ISBN Number: 978-1-935268-89-5

Genre of Book: Children’s/Educational

Publication Date: May 2011

About the Author: Rachel Yurchisin’s love of science and nature has inspired her to write her first children’s book in the hopes of passing on her passion to other young ‘budding’ naturalists. Yurchisin is a junior in high school and participates in educational programs at her city zoo and natural history museum.

About the Illustrator: Fred Fulcher, the author's grandfather, is a retired Clevland firefighter and business entrepreneur residing in Parma Hts., Ohio. He is a self-taught artist and has enjoyed creating the illustrations for his first children's book.

Places where Diary of My Days in Kenya is available for sale:

http://halopublishing.com

http://amazon.com

You can find out more about Rachel Yurchisin’s World of Ink Author/Book Tour schedule at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/RachelYurchisin.aspx. There will be giveaways, reviews, interviews, guest posts and more. Make sure to stop by and interact with Yurchisin and the hosts at the different stops by leaving comments and/or questions.

The show will air live January 23, 2012 at 6pm EST. You can tune in live at the World of Ink Network site at http://www.blogtalkradion.com/worldofinknetwork.

The Word vs The Thing

2012-01-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

By Scott Rhoades

2011 was the year I discovered that, as much as I love books as objects and as much as the physical object is part of the comfort of reading, I enjoy ebooks. The first one I read was on my phone. I expected to hate it, but I was hanging out at the airport, waiting for my daughter to arrive, and I gave it a try. Even on the little screen, having several books in my pocket was pretty cool, and the reading experience wasn't bad. Then I got an iPad from work, and that was that. Of the 40 books I read last year, 15 were ebooks. Two years ago I expressed my disdain for ebooks in comments on a couple blogs. Once I tried them though, I learned something.

What I learned should not have been a surprise. As much as I love the feel and smell of a book, It's the words that made me love reading as a kid. That is what I love most about reading now.

To be sure, curling up with an iPad is not the same. It's a cool gadget-on-roids, but it's heavy and awkward, and not that comfortable to hold, especially with one hand, a big deal the last six weeks of the year, when I've been one-handed due to arm surgery. You can't really hold the iPad in one hand, and you certainly can't curl up with it.

Of course, the iPad, isn't the only, or the best, ereader in town. Kindles and Nooks are much smaller and more comfortable to hold, even the newer tablet-style readers. I've resisted those readers for a while because of the number of books you can buy for the price of the reader. But because I have enjoyed ebooks so much this year, I asked for a Nook for Christmas, and was thrilled to get a Nook Color.

And guess what, I can actually curl up with it, and hold it in one hand. It doesn't have the same warm comfort as a worn paperback, but the physical object itself is enjoyable. Of course, the words are the most important thing, and they are comfortable to read on my new gadget. As for the price, well, so many books are available for free or in collections of 20-80 books for between 99 cents and 3.99. I read a lot of classics, so those collections have more than made up the difference between the price of the screen and the books I could buy for that money.

Of course, I still love books, and books I want to keep will be bought and squeezed on to my shelves, consigning other books to the boxes in the closet. But there are a lot of books I want to read that I don't care about showing or storing in my dwindling space. The words and stories are what I love the most, and they are the same in whichever media.

Now that I've seemingly gone to the dark side (or the backlit side), I should mention something else.

A couple days after Christmas I got a box containing books full of classic children's stories. Those books had been in my Grandma's homes all my life. Grandma died in July at the age of 92. My aunt knows how much I love books, and that I read from this set when I was much younger, so she gave them to me. I opened the first volume and was overwhelmed with a variety of emotions. It stll smelled like the room in her house in San Jose where I used to sleep as a wee bairn. I'll never get that experience from bits on a screen. Ever.

So it's not an either/or thing. The stories are why I read, but there's so much emotion attached to special books, whether they remind you of Grandma or of the time and place where you bought them, or where you were in your life when you read them.

What this all means is that I have room in my life for both types of reading experience. I can enjoy them both for their own benefits. I will never give up my books. But I'll also never give up the joy of carrying a library in a convenient and comfortable reading device. I love both the words and the multiple ways those words can be consumed these days.

There's really only one conclusion I can come to: it's a good time to be a reader.

Trolling for Inspiration in News Stories

2012-01-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

Ever searched sources of truth for inspiration for fiction? Just a line, a bit of a statement, part of an explanation, when viewed with the right mindset, can provide immense inspiration for current and future stories. A couple weeks ago I heard a story on NPR's "The World" and one single line from the story stuck out to me as a promising start (or addition) to a story. It was something about how the fighting was so intense between the three warring parties that an independent priest had to carry the only set of keys and lock and unlock the local church each night.

Fiction from Nonfiction? Absolutely!

Here are some promising statements I dug up after a quick search of today's new stories:

"The immediate problem is that the body can't be found."

"It's one thing to be the rabble-rouser. It's quite another thing to be the leader."

"She seemed genuinely surprised when [he] informed her she was being held for investigation of attempted murder. She bent her chest into her knees while sitting, and cried."

The person who signed it "Pie Fairy" also wrote: "My wings are shorter now and I am a little too fat to fly anymore. But I still love you!!"

Doing too much too soon is a common mistake. Injuries and burnout are often the result.

Along the way, someone else nearly always got an invitation to ride with him, whether it was a student on the way to school, a person going to work or someone waiting for a bus.

"It's just surprising when design finally meets toilet paper — that's sort of the final frontier," Adamson said.

She was fat. She could see it in the mirror.

"Part of my job is trying to convince that 85-year-old woman that she really should start weight lifting," says Dr. Dennis Kerrigan, senior exercise physiologist

yet on the tsetse-fly scale of restaurant years, it was many mutations ago. Things have changed.

He lived outside conventional ideas, he implied, because “I live alone mostly, in the middle of nowhere.”

But these young people are not battling alcohol or drugs. Rather, they have severe cases of what many in this country believe is a new and potentially deadly addiction: cyberspace.

What could possibly justify such an early wake-up call?

Among them are foot stomping, tail flagging, head bobbing, ear twitching, hoof pawing and nose licking; lunges, charges, chases, pokes and antler thrusts; and aggressive sounds he describes as grunt-snorts and grunt-snort-wheezes. There are also alarm snorts and bawls and less disturbing sounds, like social-contact grunts between does (deer).

Pulled from KSL, Deseret News, NPR, and NY Times.

Know Your Genre

2012-01-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

What is genre?

What is genre?
It is literary technique, tone, content, length etc.
Fiction is the hardest genre to break into.

Realism-Plausible story about people and events that could really happen. Romance, thriller, historical, sports all fit under realism.

Fantasy-Fantastical elements in traditional or modern fantasy.
- Traditional fantasy follows the quest.
- Modern fantasy has elements of magic in the human world. Horror and sci/fi are sub genres of modern fantasy.

Elements in Fiction:
Plot-Plot is the backbone of the story. In fiction plot is the action that grows out of conflict.
Conflict-is the obstacle, the problem
Initial Conflict-First event that starts the quest, the hook. Only needs one page (sometimes a chapter) to establish. It creates the next cause & effect (conflict) then moves the character to the next conflict. Initial conflict will predict the climax.
Exposition-Back story weaves through out the story.
Rising Action-Series of at least three conflicts
Climax-The most intense part of the story. Everything in the story moves the story to this point and the main character has an Epiphany to the resolution. Needs only one chapter.
Resolution-Is the outcome. Needs only one chapter

Non-fiction SELLS THE MOST

Biography-needs more factual support.
Autobiography-Bigger piece of time
Memoirs-Small part of life
General non-fiction (Dewey decimal)-Different stories from life in one book

Elements in Non-Fiction
All non-fiction needs:
Plot
Conflict
Hook
Exposition
Climax-lesson learned
Resolution-reader says “I can do that!”

What are the target audiences?
Picture book: 1-3 pages
Chapter book: Max 100 pages
Middle grade: 100-200 pages
Young Adult: 150-300 pages
Adult: 150-several hundred pages, 70,000-90,000 words max

Making Time to Write

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Deren Hansen

In a session on organizing the writing life during Life, the Universe, and Everything (LTUE) 2011, Julie Wright said, "Time is always made, never found."

So how do you make time to write?

At one level, it simply comes down to the question, "What are you willing to give up in order to write?"

Of course, saying it that way makes you sound less than committed if you're not a writing hermit.

So how can a person who has a life outside of writing make time?

Consider the following techniques (all of which were discussed in the LTUE session I mentioned above).

Ways to Make Time in General:

Priorities

Many of us treat our writing as a hobby--not that we're lacking in commitment but rather that we approach it more like a leisure activity. Let me hasten to add that there's nothing wrong with writing as a hobby if you're satisfied with the time you are able to devote to it. If, however, you wish you had more time to write (a lament I've heard from nearly every writer I've met), raising the priority of your writing to the same level as, say, exercising, would mean that it's no longer optional.

Sandra Tayler said, "When I write first, the laundry gets easier."

Little Systems

Now that you've raised the priority of your writing, how can you make time by spending less of it on other things? There's an entire industry devoted to offering answers to that question. And every situation, of course, is different. That said, I've found the pattern of making little systems to be surprising powerful for something so simple.

I've discussed little systems elsewhere. In brief, a little system is anything that helps you streamline a recurring task. For example, I sort mail (the paper kind) over the trash can because most of it will end up there.

The most effective sort of streamlining is to remove decisions points. If you like to write in the morning, but find it hard because of the time it takes you to get ready for the day, choosing your clothes the night before means one less decision to make in the morning.

Ways to Make Time to Work on Long-form Fiction

Clear Space, Both Physical and Temporal

Creativity is a safe, adult-appropriate word for play. In order to sustain the focus we need to create long-form works, we need a place in time and space to play. We need a place where we can leave our half-built castles in the air while we attend to other things secure in the knowledge that they'll be there, undisturbed and ready for us, when we return.

In this age of convenient mobile computing systems, setting up your writing environment may be no more complicated than opening a laptop and firing up a word processor. Clearing your schedule and your internal worry processor are more difficult. This is why many writers will go to a library or a cafe. Whatever you do, the key is to find a time and space where you can focus on your project.

Create Stability

Emergencies will derail your writing. You can't prevent all emergencies, but you can take care of things under your control so that you're not creating problems for yourself.

If, for example,you paid your bills when you receive your statement, you'd never run the risk of leaving it all to the last moment and then having a fire drill to get everything paid. I know people who, as a matter of principle, pay their bills at the last possible moment in order to deny the entity whatever interest it might have earned having the money a few days earlier. I prefer to discharge my obligations as soon as they come due so that I can devote the time I would have spent keeping track of my unpaid bills to my writing, secure in the knowledge that it's safe to play.

Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

Suspending Disbelief

2012-01-03T18:07:00.000-08:00

I finished a book the other night by one of my more favorite authors. I love her recent historical fiction for young adults and thought I'd read some of her earlier work.

I didn't get it.

At all.

It got me thinking about the concept of "suspending one's disbelief" in fiction writing. Writers ask their readers to set aside natural disbeliefs and suspicions and go with them in a fictional journey all the while pretending that it is real. Sometimes the journey involves other worlds and creatures, other times and places-- Orson Scott Card and JK Rowling come to mind immediately. Sometimes the journey seems almost identical to everyday, run-of-the-mill life, and yet we still must trust that somehow, somewhere, in someone's life, these events truly could happen.

The author's book I read had too many yarns woven together, too many lives being explored, and too much of a stretch that the main "collision of worlds" described on the cover flap could actually happen at all. I walked away thinking: "Really? Would that even really happen?"

That response is the sign of a failure on the part of the author to keep readers engaged. When I read Harry Potter, I closed the book and thought "Oh, if only!" I knew it was fiction; I knew Hogwarts was the creation of a talented author, but oh how I wanted to go there! I'm not alone in that. Look at how many millions of people try, in their own simple ways, to recreate the Wizard and Muggle worlds around them.

How do you do that? Here are a few keys I thought of:

Consistency. You can't be changing the rules every other chapter; it won't work. Write the rules for your world/story and keep them the same throughout.

Plausibility. Yes, it is fake, but it must be believably fake. For example, a raging blizzard in Hawaii won't get your story anywhere-- unless that topsy-turvy weather is plaguing the whole globe.

Depth. Your story must be well-rounded and have substance. Pretend your creation is a boat-- the bigger the boat (tale), the deeper the water needed to support it. A shallow story does not justify sufficient suspension!

Description. If you're solely creating the characters, the world, the fantasy, then assume your readers know nothing. Show them everything. Yes, there is a fine line to walk between description and belaboring that all authors must walk, but in this discussion, walking that fine line is the difference between failure and success.

Anchor. Keep at least some aspect of your story moored in reality. Throwing a reader into a newly-created, uncharted existence in a story is sure to leave them feeling like a tourist dropped off without a guide in the middle of nowhere.

All of these keys--and the skills behind them-- are learnable. Some authors are blessed to get them right off the bat (just like some authors are able to make millions with their first book). Most of us don't get it right away. We need practice and experience. We need to look through our manuscripts with a hearty dose of skepticism to make sure our story merits the "suspension of disbelief." Being aware of this will help make it easier for you to spot the holes in your own fantasy as you're writing.

Good luck! Please post your comments below! :o)
------------------------------------------------------------------

For more reading:
http://readerviews.com/Articles-Writing_Creating_Suspension_Of_Disbelief.html

http://www.redchurch.com/quantum/2007/09/14/6-secrets-to-suspension-of-disbelief/

http://writinghood.com/style/how-to/the-magic-of-harry-potter-suspending-disbelief-in-fiction/

Websites I've Stumbled Upon

2012-01-03T17:30:00.000-08:00

"Writing Excuses: Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart."
Brandon Sanderson contributes to this one so it's got to be good! 15 minute podcasts to listen to.
http://www.writingexcuses.com/

"How to write a famous blog in 6 steps"
Most of you have a blog. Do you know how to make it famous? (me neither)
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Famous-Blog

"Creative Writing Prompts."
Pick a number, any number, and be inspired by the prompt. LOTS of ideas here!
http://creativewritingprompts.com/

"The 18 most popular writing articles from 2011"
Let someone else do the searching for you. One list of great articles to read.
http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/the-18-most-popular-articles-on-writing-of-2011

"Is my story worthy?"
Not sure if it's worth your time. Here are some great tips from a good webforum.
http://www.fuelyourwriting.com/avoiding-pressure-is-my-story-worthy/

The Road to Creating a Great Book

2012-01-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

Tips from Writer’s Digest and a few Words from VS Grenier

Every writer who has ever submitted his work to an agent, editor or publisher in the hopes of getting it published has at one time or another received the dreaded “rejection letter.” But do you wonder how other writers are doing it…getting published? Some will tell you they self-published or started their own publishing house. Others may say they have a friend, who has a friend, who has a friend in publishing. You may wonder if they just happened to scratch the winning lottery ticket. In most cases, these are all true but the one thing they also have done is called the softer side of marketing…or as I like to call it…selling yourself!

Writing is more than creating a great book, article, poem or short story. It is about sharing yourself with the world. A great way to do that is by building your author platform. If you are like most of us, you want to devote most of your time to writing. However, it is just as important to build your platform as an author if you want to reach your target readership and build a fan base.

Most writers get queasy even imagining having to sell themselves but without a plan, you cannot truly figure out a way to sell your book. You need to think of this as your business plan, after all—this is your new business (writing and publishing), so you need to put a road map together for your book and/or business’ (you the author) success. You also should have this in place, or at least working on it, the moment you begin writing, especially if it is a new book.

In the publishing industry, not having a road map to detail your goals, book’s message and marketing plan will only land you lost among all the other books in the slush pile or on the selves trying to find a potential reader. Nevertheless, your map will keep this from happening by guiding you from staving writer to successful author. I talk about this often on my blog talk radio show, “What is Success” every Friday and this last month, Writer’s Digest also had an article on this very subject: “50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day.”

With that in mind, you must be wondering, “What do I put in my author business plan?” A very good question, so let’s start with...what do you need to write a book? Now I know you must be thinking “imagination”, however, we both know you need more than that. What you will need is a “WOW” factor and some talent. To get started you will need some paper and a pen or if you are like me, a computer (laptop or desk) will do. However, what happens next?

So to get you started, here is a short list of ideas:

Outline who you want to reach with your book. Knowing your target readership is important, not only in writing but in also knowing whom you need to market to after you are published, and better yet…before your book even hits the bookstores. Time to jot down all those people who will want your book and how effective they will be at getting more people to want it; after all, if you hit the right target market, they will be more than happy to share about you and your writing with others who like the same things they do. Nothing beats word of mouth marketing.
Sign up for Google Alerts. Google Alerts (google.com/alerts) can help you track who is following and talking about you or your book. I use this for not only myself as an author and my books, but also for Stories for Children Magazine, the World of Ink Tours and everything else I do. Why is this important? So I can make sure I am reaching my target readership or a group I might not have thought about to begin with. The other important thing to do is send a "Thank You" when you see they have posted, twitted or shared about you. Remember…Network!
If you have a blog/social network site, post pictures of you out promoting your book and at writing events. Readers like to know you are actively involved with your writing. Trust me; I know how hard this can be. I am not the best about this either, but my goal in 2012 is to be better. I have a blog, I have a newsletter and I should be posting my picture at writing and community events. So get ready to see more of me in 2012, even if I hate having my picture taken.
Hold your own local event. This one is not as tough as we make it out to be. There are many local businesses that are willing and happy to host a book signing or author event. You just need to ask, but I would first build a networking connection with the business first and also offer something in return for their help. Make it a partnership.
Offer guest posts to those who have blogs or websites on writing or topic of your book. This helps build a fan base or following. Those of you who have been reading or following me for sometime know that I write guest post for a few blogs and websites (free of cost). I do this because I love sharing about writing, marketing and publishing.
Be a guest on a talk radio show. This is a great way to show your expertise as a writer or on a topic in your writing/book. I have my own blog talk show but before I become a blog talk radio host, I was a guest on many different talk radio shows local and on blog talk radio. This helped me build a following and fan base for my writing and my services.

If you want more tips and suggestions, read the Writer’s Digest article: “50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day.” The tips I shared are also listed along with 45 more!

Wishing you much success in 2012.

Also, don’t forget to check out the January SFC World of Ink Tours. We have some great authors touring with us every month. You can learn more about our World of Ink Tours and the authors we are currently hosting and have hosted at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/WorldofInkTours.aspx.

In addition, tune in to blog talk radio’s World of Ink Network every other Friday where I’ll be hosting the “What is Success” show on Fridays and the “Stories for Children” show on Mondays. You can also catch me monthly on the “Families Matter” show, which airs live on the 3^rd Wednesday of every month. You can learn more about BTR’s World of Ink Network, our guest and hosts, and our shows at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork or on our blog http://worldofinknetwork.blogspot.com.

Bio: VS Grenier is an award-winning children's author, founder & owner of Stories for Children Publishing, LLC., award-winning editor-in-chief of Stories for Children Magazine and chief editor for Halo Publishing, Int., and also, the host of the blog talk radio shows Stories for Children, Families Matter and What is Success. To learn more about her, visit http://vsgrenier.com

Resisting the Temptation

2011-12-30T09:35:00.000-08:00

Here I am after Christmas with a fresh pile of new books to read but I’m rereading Harry Potter again… It is however, benefitting me in some ways: By now I’ve memorized all the plot twists and my mind is able to focus even more on the clever writing.

When I last posted about Rowling’s genius a question popped up concerning how the young wizards who aren’t muggle-born get educated before Hogwarts. I pondered this a bit while reading but the answer never came up. It got me thinking about how there are many other huge important aspects of this world--that has become real to so many of us—that are never covered in the books.

I promise I’m getting to the point.

The question about the young wizards’ and witches’ education was just that, a question; a speculation of how the younger wizards lived. We inquired “How were they educated?” It was never, “Why didn’t Rowling think of how they had been educated?” This is because we have grown to trust her. She has formed the world so flawlessly with Harry being introduced to features about it little by little all the way to the end of the story. We never doubted that—whether Harry’s been given time to find out about it or not—the answers to our questions exist. Rowling may or may not know the answer to how the children were educated before Hogwarts, but we have no problem trusting that there is one.

I am one of those writers that has a problem of pausing the story for pages at a time hoping to get all of the aspects of the world I’ve worked so hard on across to my readers. It is extremely difficult for me to tone things down and weave in the description I would much rather just give in an info dump. This becomes especially hard when my MC is already familiar with parts of the world; I always fear that my readers will never have a chance to learn everything.

The simple truth is that most of the time, they probably won’t. If you have done your job as a writer and made your world whole and complete, then while your readers explore parts of it with your MC they will grow to trust that the rest of it exists. We need to learn to enjoy the fact that much of our preparation with worlds and characters will never make it into the manuscript but that our knowledge of their existence gives what is written there a new depth and reality.

(Though I may never hear of any goings on in South Dakota, I trust that exists and has just as much of a history and culture as Utah.)

Book Review: The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing by the editors of Writer's Digest Press

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Scott Rhoades

How can you not like a book that ends with "Some people have no sense of humor when it comes to great literature. Or arson."?

This hefty collection of articles from Writer's Digest was an enjoyable read. It's 77 chapters are full of quotes and interviews and advice from writers on the writing process, genres, being a writer, and just about every other conceivable topic. Like most collections of this sort, I expected it to be hit and miss when it came to personal relevance, but there was very little miss.

Even advice on writing in genres that I will likely never write was useful. I might not write romance, but I need to know about writing sexual tension and how to set a story in a historical period. I'm not a big fan of thrillers, but I can always use more advice on increasing suspense and avoiding the pitfalls of withholding information from readers.

I always like to read about the ways established writers struggle just like I do, and how they work through it. That Margaret Atwood has abandoned forever some of her novels after writing 200 pages or more because they just weren't working gives me hope.

The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing is like attending a huge writing conference or lecture series featuring established writers and editors from Orson Scott Card to Kurt Vonnegut. Whether you read this cover to cover like I did, or just seek out the articles that will kick start you out of your writing doldrums, this is a book that should be on your shelf or in your e-reader, where it is handy whenever you need advice.

The Sky is Falling

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Deren Hansen

Between the economic downturn during 2008 and 2009, and the rise of e-books in 2010, it seems that the voices prophesying upheavals of apocalyptic proportions for the book business this past year have grown louder and more insistent. With the annual odometer about to tick over, it seems like a good time to celebrate doom and gloom for the publishing industry.

Of course, there's been a book business for roughly four hundred years, so doom and gloom are nothing new. In just the twentieth century--and not counting the Internet--radio, television, paperbacks, video tape, and computer games have all been identified as evidence that the sky is about to fall on the publishing industry.

'Wait," you say, "this time it feels different."

Perhaps. But things tend to survive, sweeping change notwithstanding. Automobiles are pervasive, but there are still buggy whip manufacturers.

Books aren't going away any time soon. The book business, however, is another story.

If I asked you to name the major players in computing you'd likely answer, "Microsoft, Apple, and Google." If you're tech-savvy, you might add Amazon (because of their cloud computing services), and if you have a sense of history, you would include IBM. With the single exception of IBM, it wasn't that long ago that a completely different pantheon, with names like Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and Cray, dominated the industry. And before them, there were the elder gods like Control Data Corporation.

Other industries have seen a great deal more changes. What is it that has shaken publishing to its roots?

It's simply that we can no longer rely on the certainties that defined the business for decades.

So, what's going to happen to publishing?

The most cogent argument-by-historic-analogy I've heard is that publishing is more like television than music. (See Kristine Kathryn Rusch's piece on changing times in the publishing industry for a much more thorough and thoughtful analysis of the structural changes facing big publishers.)

The key similarity between the two industries is that they grew up around a distribution network that was, for a time, basically the only game in town. If you wanted your television program to reach a national audience, it had to go through one of the three major networks. If you wanted your book to reach a national audience, it had to go through one of the major publishers. Remember, the key service historically provided by publishers was distribution.

Television changed when cable systems expanded and provided new channels outside the three networks. As viewers, we have more programming options than ever before. For broadcasters, it looks like the audience is smaller because we now spread our attention across all the providers. (And for the national networks, it feels like fall from grace because they're just one of many providers now.)

The new distribution systems supporting ebooks will most likely produce an analogous change: readers will have more to read than ever before, while the major publishers will have to compete for what looks like a smaller audience.

We clearly are subject to the old Chinese curse that says, "May you live in interesting times."

Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

The Future of Books?

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Interesting article: http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2011/06/when_hard_books.php

What do you think?

Oh, and of course, Merry Christmas!

How to Hear Success Stories

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Deren Hansen

Aspiring writers are drawn to success stories, like moths to flames. And we're all guilty of a little twinge of jealousy that we aren't the subject of the story. But as inveterate optimists (what else can you call someone who devotes years to a single manuscript), we soak up the stories hoping that one day we will be the hero of a similar story.

So it's deeply ironic that we who are storytellers often fall prey to the tricks of our own trade when we hear these stories and afflict ourselves with unrealistic expectations. We hear, for example, of the writer who went from query to book deal in 37 days, note that our own queries have gone unanswered for more than 37 days, and conclude that we're not worthy.

Why do we do this? We forget that the foundation of the storyteller's art is to skip the boring bits. Advice about pacing, pithy dialog, and scenes ("in late, out early") all comes down to artfully avoiding the boring stretches that are an inevitable part of real life.

And how will you tell your success story? Fresh from the process of scrupulously scrubbing all the boring bits out of your manuscript will you say, "Then on the following Tuesday, I wrote 1673 words. But when I looked over the new material on Wednesday, I decided I needed to rework half of it so I didn't reach my new word count goal that day ..." No, you'll apply your craft and weave together a concise narrative of the highs and lows of the experience with a sprinkling of lessons learned. Above all, you will make it a story with protagonists, antagonists, try/fail cycles, a climax, and a denouement.

Why?

Because that's the essence of what you do as a storyteller.

The next time you hear a success story, remember that it is a story. Learn what you can from it, but don't compare it directly with your experience because you simply don't know all the boring bits that were skipped to make it a good story.

Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

Real-Life Fiction

2011-12-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

by Scott Rhoades

If you've ever been in a writing group or taken a creative writing class, you've no doubt listened to a writer fight against suggestions for change to a fact-based piece of fiction on the grounds that "That's what really happened." This is one of the drawbacks to turning real life into fiction. Fiction has certain requirements, and real life often does not fit. There's story structure, characters, conflict, all those things we know about.

If you want to base a story on a real event, you need to be ready to invent new characters for the sake of the story, combine others, change events, play loose with facts, make up dialogue, and cut out real events and characters who do not move the story forward, no matter how important they were to the actual real-life story. There could also be legal implications when you put real people into your stories, exactly as they really are.

There can also be problems when you write about something you are very close to. The way you and your spouse got together (or split up) means a lot to you and your spouse. Keep things exactly as they were if you're writing for yourself. But people who are not so close to the real-life story will not love reading a fictionalized account unless it meets the requirements of a good story, no matter how touching and poignant the real thing was.

I highly recommend Robin Hemley's book, Turning Life Into Fiction, for anybody who wants to write a story based on real life, whether it's your own life, somebody's you know, or somebody who lived long ago.

By all means, go ahead and base a story on real life. We all do it to some degree. Just make sure you put the reader and the story first, not the events that inspired the story, if you want it to be an enjoyable read for people who aren't as close to the things that really happened as you are.

Publishing Options and Exploiting Your Intellectual Propery

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Deren Hansen

Given the recent discussion of traditional and self-publishing, I feel the need to join in with some structural observations. My aim is to give the conversation a baseline of economic reality.

First, however, I have to say that the degree to which partisans are vilifying each other reminds me of the Mac vs. PC religious wars of the '90s. As someone who understands that all Turing-complete computational devices are provably equivalent, I grew impatient with the name-calling in that context until I came to understand that the deep feelings arose because people needed to justify the $3000 - $5000 investment they'd made in one platform or the other.

In addition to the investment dynamic there's a notion of art and its noble pursuit wrapped up in our aspirations as writers. You're here because books have affected you deeply--probably more so than any other expressive medium. That experience elevates reading and writing from the level of mere commerce. But the fact of the matter is that if you want to trade your words for money you're squarely back in the realm of business.

Writers who charge for their work are in the business of exploiting their intellectual property. It's unfortunate that the word, "exploit," has few positive connotations because it is the correct term: you're trying to derive benefit from your words and the stories they contain.

In the past, the best way to exploit your intellectual property was to license it to a publisher--effectively entering into a partnership designed to benefit both parties. Similarly, in high tech launching a start-up became practically synonymous with securing venture capital because the necessary equipment was too expensive to finance yourself. In both cases the pattern of trading future returns for current working capital was so dominant that alternative approaches could be written off as non-starters.

But things change.

In high tech you can rent all the computing power you need (and only what you need) from cloud computing providers. In publishing, you no longer need $30,000 to $50,000 to print, store, and sell books. In other words, it's now not only possible to exploit your intellectual property rights yourself--doing so in the right circumstances might make better economic sense.

All of which is a long way of saying that finding a publisher or becoming your own publisher can and should be a clear-headed business decision. And just like any other business, you must understand the full implications of your options: licensing your intellectual property to a publisher doesn't guarantee you'll be taken care of; publishing it yourself isn't a short-cut to the fame and fortune the gatekeepers have wrongly withheld from you. Both paths (in all their variations) require hard work over a long time with no assurance that you'll ever see a return on your investment.

We need to move past trying to justify one approach over another and take a clear-headed look at the promises and pitfalls of all the expanding opportunities for writers.

Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

"Finding Your Voice"

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

"...I was searching for something outside myself-- some sound that did not belong to me, that was not a part of me and was never to be created by me. And all the time I could have spent investigating my own instrument was instead trying to imitate [the] 'perfect voice'... Remember your true voice can only be arrive at with a relaxed concentration and careful attention to individuality."

-Carolyn Sloan
"Finding Your Voice", page 46

**I believe I have posted this quote before. I was going through some papers of mine and came across it again. I read this book during a brief time of delusionment when I believed I could learn how to sing. I loved the quote so much that I wrote it down. Finding your voice is a powerful drive for writers. We cannot succeed when we are attempting to imitate someone's work. We must be true to ourselves and our own creativity ability. The world does not need another JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, or ___fill-in-the-blank___. The world is missing you and your work. You, uniquely, imperfectly, gifted, exactly, you.

What are you doing to find your own voice?

Self Publishing...Or Not...Again

2011-12-12T07:07:00.000-08:00

By Julie Daines

There's been some sparks flying--again--on the whole To Self Publish or Not debate. So, I'm chiming in with my two cents.

Here is a great quote by Edan Lepucki (The Millions) from an interesting article about her reasons for not self publishing. I agree with with much of what she has to say, but not all.

I found this especially in line with my own thoughts:

Readers themselves rarely complain that there isn’t enough of a selection on Amazon or in their local superstore; they’re more likely to ask for help in narrowing down their choices. So for anyone who has, however briefly, played that reviled gatekeeper role, a darker question arises: What happens once the self-publishing revolution really gets going, when all of those previously rejected manuscripts hit the marketplace, en masse, in print and e-book form, swelling the ranks of 99-cent Kindle and iBook offerings by the millions? Is the public prepared to meet the slush pile?

Is the public ready to meet the slush pile? I'm not. And as more kids are getting e-readers, parents have to be doubly vigilant to ensure their kids aren't downloading anything worse than just a poorly written book.

But, as she points out, blogs and other forms of reviews are already popping up to help readers wade through the slush.

My personal reasons for going with a traditional publisher are similar to Ms. Lepucki. Mainly, I want my manuscript to be its best. I want an editor telling me what's working and what's not. I want that stack of revisions to make the story better.

I recently started reading a self-published book with at least FIVE editing errors on THE FIRST PAGE! I don't want that to be me. I had to put the book down.

I have nothing against self-publishing whatsoever. It's just not for me--at least right now.

What are your thoughts?

The Archaeology of Storytelling

2011-12-09T12:56:00.001-08:00

by Scott Rhoades

I recently read a quote from Stephen King in which he compares writing to walking through a desert and finding a chimney sticking out of the sand. That stuck in my mind because I've been going through that experience myself lately.

I was reading a pretty good book last week, when something in the story sparked an idea for a story of my own. That happens fairly frequently. Sometimes it's something I'm reading, but it might also be a place I'm visiting, a person I see, or any of several other triggers. The entire world is that desert King mentions, and when my eyes are open, I often stumble upon chimneys.

But then what? I tend to get more sparks of ideas than I could possibly have time to write. What happens once I discover the chimney, or some other artifact? That's when a writer has something in common with an archaeologist.

First, we have to examine the artifact and determine whether it's worth exploring. That often means fighting an inner critic who automatically tries to discredit the new find as not being worthwhile. That's like our archaeologist trying to get funding for a dig. It's not fun, but it's necessary. It can also be hard. Why should we invest time and energy on this particular dig when there's so much out there? And what makes us think we're the write person for this exploration anyway?

Once we fight that battle, things get more interesting. First, we have to look closely at the artifact (a whole story idea, maybe, but more likely a brief glimpse at a character, a snippet of conversation, a bit of setting, or something even less material). How can this little bit of almost nothing turn into a story. We get out our picks and brooms and start working away at the layers.

Can we find the motivation for our new character? Other necessary characters? Can we work him into an interesting story? What does he want and who or what stands in his way? Layer by layer we try to find something significant in that little bit of brick we found sticking out of the sand. And all of this is before we've even started writing.

If there's enough there, we can start writing and see what we find as we unravel more and more of this hidden civilization.

I'm exploring an idea right now. I don't know yet whether I'll actually start writing something new. I know from past experience that most ideas don't pan out. And often, those that do end up having little or nothing to do with that original spark. The manuscript I'm shopping around now is nothing at all like it was when I had that first bit of an idea. Everything is different--the setting, the characters, the plot.

That chimney in the sand might turn out to be the remains of a lonely cabin, or a house, or a factory, or a city, or a movie set, or a discarded piece of masonry that somebody dumped in the desert, with no significance whatsoever. But you'll never know unless you study it and do a little work.

Revisions: Nice and Slow

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Deren Hansen

Agent Jessica Faust offered excellent advice on responding to revision requests from agents.

She wrote her post after @agentgame tweeted, "I've gotten back revisions on an overly fast turnaround that damaged the book rather than making it better."

Jessica says she understands why authors might be anxious to respond quickly (e.g., fear she'll lose interest or hope to appear responsive), but cautions:

"getting it back to me quickly isn’t going to do you a damn bit of good if what you send back is in even worse shape than the first version. If you think it had to be perfect before, now it has to be even better than perfect. There aren’t many second chances in life. When you get one, use it wisely."

I found the second of her suggestions for handling a revision request particularly illuminating:

"Remember that revisions to a submission are only just the tip of the iceberg. Revision letters to my clients can be pages and pages long. I’m not going to spend that time on a submission. Therefore, you have to carefully read between the lines. Look at what I’m saying and then beyond that, and fix it all."

I encourage you to read the entire post.

In the spirit of using second chances well, there's another reason not to rush your response to a request for revisions.

We advise writers to let some time pass between completing a draft and diving into revisions so that they can approach their work with fresh eyes.

There's a similar dynamic with readers: over time the specifics of a story fade into a general impression. The agent who asks for a revision clearly wants to see the project again. Why squander the opportunity to have them take a second look at it with fresh eyes?

Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

"5 Books your Teenage Boy will Actually Read"

2011-12-06T16:09:00.000-08:00

I'm always curious to read what other people say about the books that *every* boy/girl/adult will read. This list from KSL actually surprised me. Only one of them was published within the last 10 years. The rest are older than that.

It makes me realize I need to rethink the books I'm getting for my son to read. I've gotten stuck in the "what's new" or "what's hot" mindset to the exclusion of the classics.

What do you think about this list? Do you agree? What did they leave off?

"5 Books your Teenage Boy will Actually Read"
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=18298422&nid=1011&title=5-books-your-teenage-boy-will-actually-read

Character Development: Innie vs Outie

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

By Scott Rhoades

There are many ways to develop characters and create fictional people whose personality types help to ensure realistic conflict. I've written before, for example, about the Enneagram personality profile system, which can help create compatible and incompatible characters with realistic traits.

A simpler way to make sure two characters have natural conflicts is to make one an introvert and one an extrovert. Literature is full of innies because they are easy for many writers and readers to identify with. We sometimes have trouble with outies.

I've been reading lately about the differences between innies and outies. This week I came across an interesting web page containing a lexicon that nicely illustrates how introverts and extroverts see the world differently. You can find it here.

Two characters with such different ways of looking at their worlds will conflict, especially if the want the same things. The lexicon can also help you understand your characters and depict them realistically, especially if you are an innie and your character is an outie. I hope you find it (and other discussions about how introverts operate in an extroverted world) useful.

Another useful article: http://www.carlkingdom.com/10-myths-about-introverts

Mac-attack

2011-12-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

Last week, I made the jump from a PC user to a Mac user. Thanks to a great deal offered to my husband at his work, I got a screaming deal on a MacBook Pro. It took a week or two to get my files and such transferred and then I finally did it.

Last Friday, I broke the reliance on my PC. First time for years that I didn't turn on my laptop and use it. I'm all Mac now.

Before now, all my word processing has been on Microsoft Word. Now I'm left to wonder if I should invest in a copy of Microsoft Office for Mac as a default, fall back to my old comfort zone, or do I explore the new range of options available to Mac users? What say ye?

A good friend of mine recommended Scrivener. Any of you heard of it? Any of you use it?

What other Mac programs do you recommend I look into? If I'm going to break out of old habits, then I want to do it all the way. But since I'm a Mac novice, I need your help/suggestions/insight.

Leave lots of comments below for me! :o)

Book Country's Genre Map

2011-11-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Deren Hansen

I recently suggested that Genre is no more or less complicated than identifying your audience. Put another way, genre is a crude, pre-Internet way of approximating, "customers who liked this also liked these others."

The problem of categorization doesn't go away in the coming e-book utopia where we won't be limited by traditional bookstore shelving constraints. In fact, the always-on world of digital media multiplies the opportunities (or demands) to know what other books your is like.

So, how can you confidently determine the genre of the book without reading every other genre? The good folk at Book Country have produced an interactive genre map. (The example here is only an image.) Click on a genre to see a list of representative books.

One of the ways to use the map is as a guide for your reading. Once you've chosen which of the five general genre feels most like home, go through the sub-genres and make sure you've read at least one book in each list.

Still not sure where your book belongs because it's a thrilling romantic mystery set in a future where a technological society battles medievaloid magic users? Try the exhaustive, pair-wise comparison exercise: for each pair of genres, if you can only choose one, which genre best characterizes your book. Then tally up the winner for each pair. The genre with the highest score is your primary genre.

I should point out that the genres in this map are for adult fiction. Young Adult and Middle Grade books can be classified in similar terms, but were, until recently, all shelved together. Barnes & Noble now has different shelves for YA genres like paranormal. In other words, while genre boundaries aren't quite as strictly drawn in children's literature, you can't ignore the question.

Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

Dream a little Dream

2011-11-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever written a book based on a dream? Scrambled to record the details of an amazing dream you had as soon as you woke up? If you have, you're not alone.

My first novel (yet unpublished) came out of a dream. First and pretty much only time that's ever happened. But for my first novel, it was a great experience to try to recreate a few single images lingering in my brain into a stand-alone work that invites the reader into the life of the dream.

The most popular "dream turned book" story has to be "Twilight." Stephanie Meyer, love her or hate her, had a dream with one image from her Twilight series. That single moment lead to the multi-billionaire franchise we all know (love or hate) now. You can't search very far-- okay, you can't get a single result, honestly-- without finding "Stephanie Meyer" at the top of the list. She has become the queen of "dream" success stories.

That got me wondering what other books were started in the unconscious minds of authors. Here's a few websites I found to answer just that.

http://abookloversdiary.blogspot.com/2010/11/15-famous-books-inspired-by-dreams.html#.TtPsVGBeFok

http://listverse.com/2011/02/26/5-famous-books-inspired-by-dreams/

http://abookloversdiary.blogspot.com/2010/11/15-famous-books-inspired-by-dreams.html#.TtPsVGBeFok

Do you pay attention to your dreams as a source of inspiration? How do you do it? Pen & notebook on the bedside table?

Sarah

Take a Deep Breath, and Revise

2011-11-28T07:44:00.001-08:00

By Julie Daines

By now you should be wrapping up your NaNoWriMo projects. I finished my 50K over the holiday weekend. *Wipes Brow*

The next step - Revisions!

Here are a few tips on revising that work for me:

-Let it rest for a few days. A week or two is best, so the themes can percolate.

-Read the last two or three chapters first--without making any changes--and then go back to chapter one. We know our characters so much better by the end of a book--what the main conflicts are, themes that have emerged, the character arc. Keeping the ending in mind will strengthen the beginning.

-See my post on using a timeline to keep track of everything. You can do a lot of jumping around during revisions, and this helps keep things straight.

-Don't be afraid to kill your darlings. You may have written something awesome, but that doesn't mean you can't write something better. If it doesn't fit, it will only cause blisters!

-GET FEEDBACK! Critique groups, beta readers... anything. And listen. If you don't know what advice to accept and what not to, read this post on Storyfix.

-Ask yourself why? Why did my character think that? Why does this upset her? Why did he just say that? Most first drafts are lacking in interiority. Let the reader understand what motivates your character, and what it is that your character really wants.

What are some of your tips for revising?

The Road to Writing for Children and Teens by VS Grenier

2011-11-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

"It is the magic of fiction that allows the young reader to 'escape' from ordinary day-to-day doings and to live more fully in a heightened, highlighted version of life, with adventure possible at every turn of the page"
—Lee Wyndham, Author

Every time I think everything has been said about writing, something new pops up. I don’t mind admitting I’m wrong. Heck, I think that’s one reason why I love writing for children and teens, but knowing the nuts and bolts is important before you sit down to write, especially for the children and YA market.

Writing for children and teens can be a rewarding experience—both personally and professionally. The insight you gain as a writer is un-measureable. It also means opening yourself to a child’s point of view and rediscovering what it feels like to learn something new, to experience something for the first time, to let your imagination run wild. However, children’s writing isn’t all fun and games. In many respects, it is more difficult than writing for adults because the writer has so much less in common with the reader. Or so we think, and just because your readers will be children/teens doesn’t mean you can pay any less attention to the basics.

In fact, bright, curious young readers demand realistic, compelling characters and exciting plots just as much—if not more so—than their adult counterparts.

If you are thinking of taking up writing for children and teens, first be warned it is not an easy way to make money. If you’re in the game for money…then forget about writing in this genre. True, there are always stories of beginning writers (J.K. Rowling, Brandon Mull, Stephanie Myers) who will ship out a children’s story and sell it to a publisher on the first or second try, and wind up with a very successful book. But for the rest of us…entering this profession takes years of practice, self-education (I highly stress this part) and much frustration. And that’s only the beginning.

So here is my road map for those of you who want to start down this journey. The suggest material comes from my own research as I walked down this path and now reflect back on my own personal expertise/experiences. Much of the information will also apply to other areas of writing as well. I hope this road map will help your writing and personal growth.

Road Map to Becoming a Children/YA Author:

1) Buy books on the subject. There are many books on writing and many of them focus on different genres such as picture books, chapter books and YA novels. Some even focus on techniques for writing for young readers. You can never have too many of these books and even a few not specific to your genre but to writing in general. Here is the list of books I first started off with:

a) The Business of Writing for Children by Aaron Shepard

b) You Can Write Children’s Books by Tracey E. Dils

c) Picture Writing: A New Approach to Writing for Kids and Teens by Anastasia Suen

d) From Inspiration to Publication: How to Succeed as a Children’s Writers by the Institute of Children’s Literature

e) The Story Factor by Annette Simmons

f) Creating Plot by J. Madison Davis

2) Signing up for writing workshops/ecourses. To hone your writing, you need to take writing courses at a local college, writers group/conference and/or online. I cannot stress the importance of these workshops. Some will teach you new techniques while others will share information you may not have known or heard about. Here is my list of places where you can take writing courses:

a) The Institute of Children’s Literature (I did take their basic course)

b) The Muse Online Conference (This is free and in the month of October)

c) Writer’s Digest (They offer different ecourses throughout the year. Even though I have not taken one, many of my fellow writers have really enjoyed their courses.)

d) Local colleges or continuing education workshops offered by your city or local college campus. (I teach for our continuing ed program through Dixie State College and my students here really enjoyed what I have shared with them. This is a cost effective way to learn a lot in a short period of time.)

e) SFC Publishing online workshops (The SFC team has put together some online workshops to help those wanting or already writing for children and teens. We truly want to help you hone your skills.)

f) The Working Writers Coach (Another program I haven’t taken, but know many who how have and say it was one of the best things they have done for their writing.)

You can also do a Google search for many other online workshops on writing. But before you sign up for any of them…first ask fellow writing buddies if they have heard about it. You don’t want to spend lots of money on a program that isn’t right for you.

3) Join a critique group. I’m sure you have heard this one repeatedly. There is a reason for this…it works. Most critique groups have new and advanced writers meeting together, sharing their experiences and knowledge. Critique groups are not only good to help hone your writing, but also to make connections with fellow writers who may one day help you see your book in print.

4) Sign up for writing newsletters and magazines. Make sure you don’t overdo it. You want to make sure you’re not just receiving them and not reading them. What good is it if you don’t read the articles within?

5) Join a local and/or online writing group. There are many writing organizations out there for writers. I’m a member of a few and have been a member of others in the past. These groups are wonderful not only to help you hone your writing, but also in sharing publication information, contract advice, etc. The connections are valuable and will pay off down the road. Here are a few groups I suggest:

a) The CBI Clubhouse (Fightin’ Bookworms) http://cbiclubhouse.com/

b) League of Utah Writers (they have local chapters throughout Utah) http://www.luwriters.org/ch_heritage.html

c) WriteOnOnc http://writeoncon.com/

d) Savvy Authors http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/benefits.php

e) Verla Kay’s Writing Board http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php

f) Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators http://www.scbwi.org/

g) MuseIt Up Club http://museitupclub.tripod.com/

Plus check out Facebook, Yahoo Groups and Google for more online groups and writing resources.

VS Grenier is an award-winning author and editor who learned how to hone her writing skills at the Institute of Children’s Literature, and has membership in the Society of Children’s Book Writer’s and Illustrators (SCBWI), the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW), the League of Utah Writers (HWG chapter), and Musing Our Children. Her works include Babysitting SugarPaw, the Best of Stories for Children Magazine Volume 1 anthology and over 30 short stories, articles, and crafts for children along with newsletter articles for writers.

She is the Founder & Owner of Stories for Children Publishing LLC, and also is chief editor for Halo Publishing; in addition, to running her own editorial and critique services. Learn more about her at http://vsgrenier.com

Thankful

2011-11-25T08:50:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for being a writer. Writing helps me keep my imagination active, provides endless entertainment, and allows me to explore worlds and ideas in ways reading alone doesn't. Best of all, writing has given me access to some great communities of writers, like Utah Children's Writers and, especially, Sharks & Pebbles. Thanks to all of you for your part!

Text Metrics

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Deren Hansen

Motivational business rhetoric is full of old saws like, "if you can't measure it, you can't improve it." While true in straightforward situations, like how many widgets per hour come off an assembly line, as we stray from the well-ordered fields of the purely quantitative realm into the qualitative wild lands, metrics become more nebulous--and in some cases do more harm than good.

So, in full knowledge of their debatable benefits, let's look at some of the text metric tools you can use to improve your understanding of your manuscript.

Word count is the most important metric for queries. Microsoft Word 2010 has a running word count in the status bar. With earlier versions, File|Info (Alt-F, I) brings up the Document Properties dialog where you can view the Statistics tab. (The same dialog is available in Word 2010 via File|Info|Properties|Advanced Properties.) OpenOffice/LibreOffice has a Word Count item in the Tools menu.

Metrics are most useful for comparison. You can use the tools at Renaissance Learning to look up the word counts of published books like yours to see if your manuscript is in the right ball park.

There are a number of other web-based tools like the word frequency and phrase frequency counters at writewords.org.

The good folks at UsingEnglish.com have an advanced text analyzer for members in the Tools area. They offer everything from overall readability to word and phrase frequency.* It's a rich resource geared toward educators. There is no charge to register and by doing so you can store and compare up to twenty texts.

Textalyser.net is a simpler site that offers a similar set of metrics and doesn't require registration.

And if that's not enough, you can have the Gender Genie predict the gender of the author implied by your text.

While none of these tools will guarantee publication, it's worth your while to see what insights you can glean. At very least, run some representative chapters through the tools that show word and phrase frequency and see if you have a problem with pet words.

One final caution: while it's highly unlikely that anyone will appropriate your manuscript if you enter it in one of the web-based tools, there's no need to analyze more than a few chapters to get a good sense of what's going on with your text.

* UsingEnglish lists the following features for their advanced text analyzer: "General Statistics, Readability Ststistics, Word Analysis (Distribution, Length, Frequency, Word Cloud, Hard Words), Phrase Analysis, Lexicon Analysis, and Graded Text Analysis."

Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

Anne McCaffrey

2011-11-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

R.I.P. Anne McCaffrey, age 85. I read her Dragonriders of Pern trilogy way back in college and loved it. Always sad to see the great ones go.

Two Favorite Phrases

2011-11-18T09:12:00.001-08:00

by Scott Rhoades

Today, I thought I'd write about two of my favorite phrases.

What If...?

"What if...?" is the phrase that leads to story ideas. To generate a basic story concept, ask yourself a few what-if questions. They can be easy or outlandish or whatever. What if aliens landed in Saint George and discovered they were allergic to spaghetti? What if dogs could talk? What if Murray High School was really a secret training ground for the CIA?

Write your questions down, and maybe combine some of them. What if giant mushrooms took over Provo and what if Utah banned disco music, but what if Donna Summer's disco music was the only thing that could kill the mushrooms, but what if the Bee Gees made them more deadly? And what if all Donna Summer records were destroyed during the Great Disco Purge of 2116?

Let's Pretend...

I've always loved sentences that start with these two words. It's related to "What if?" but involves some action. You're not only asking a question, you're acting it out. It's a playful phrase that can lead to almost anything.

Writing is all about pretending, about bringing ideas to life and exploring what could happen if they were real. That playful aspect is perhaps my favorite thing about writing.

How about you? What words or phrases get your creative juices flowing?

NaNoWriMo check in~Inquiring minds want to know

2011-11-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

How many of you are furiously working on your NaNo goals?
How's it going?
Did you set daily word goals?
Are you working on a brand new story or one that's been waiting to be written?
Did you do an outline or are you winging it?
Computer or pen and paper?
Edit as you go or after November 30?

Wait, what are you doing here? You don't have time to read blog posts! Get back to work AND good luck!!

"Green Screen" Distraction-free Text Editors

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Deren Hansen

I started playing with computers when green screen, character-mode displays were state-of-the art (I preferred amber over green, but that's another story). Then the original Macintosh (yes, that's what they were before they became hip enough to afford a three-letter name), splashed onto the scene with a full-time graphical user interface (GUI).

A few years later, folks from the English department at the University of Delaware published a study in which they argued that the quality of freshman papers written on a Macintosh was lower than those written on PC-class computers with character-mode displays. Oh, the papers produced on Macs looked better with well-laid-out text and proportional fonts, but (so the authors of the study claimed) the content of those papers was less well-thought-out than the papers composed without graphical blandishments.* They suggested that this was because the students tended to believe that their papers were good (and more importantly finished) because they looked good.

The study and its claims were controversial. But I think there was a kernel of truth in the observation that there's value in a writing system that gets out from between you and your words: that removes even the little distractions like formatting.

Of course, now that we all use graphical interfaces the point may seem moot or at best hopelessly retro. Perhaps, but there are several applications for various platforms that give you a full screen with nothing there but your words in a console font.

I use a package called WriteMonkey on my Windows systems.

Having an editor in which I can focus entirely on my words helps me use my limited writing time well.

You can, of course, achieve a similar effect with the Full Screen mode in your standard word processor. Perhaps it's the retro angle, but I enjoy the Matrix-like way in which the black background fades away and the glowing words float in prose-space.

Of course, life is never as simple as it should be and WriteMonkey has its drawbacks, most of which come back to the fact that it is a text editor, not a word processor. This means that you get plain double quotes instead of the nice opening and closing quotes that Word supplies as you type. Also, Write Monkey doesn't convert a pair of dashes into an em-dash (again, like Word).

I turned this liability into a feature: after writing about a chapter with WriteMonkey, I import the text into Word and use the fact that I need to correct the quotes and em-dashes as an excuse to edit the new material.

For those of you who prefer Macs, I understand that Writeroom provides similar functionality. There's also JDarkRoom, which is written in Java and should run on your platform of choice.

Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

Teen Voice: Vocabulary

2011-11-14T07:03:00.001-08:00

By Julie Daines

"I hate you!"
"This is why I'm moving out when I'm eighteen!"
"I have no control over my life!"

Yes, those are all phrases I have heard from my own teen-age sons. Frequently. I have three.

So, I thought I'd do some posts on capturing that teen voice, starting with vocabulary. Here are a few do's and don'ts.

Be Extremely Careful of Overusing Slang

According to Agent George Nicholson, "Slang dates good fiction more easily than any other single thing."

Slang varies by region, so too much slang makes your book non-universal. If you do use a lot of slang, make sure it reflects something about the character and adds to the depth of the story. Don't just use it to sound teen, teens are expert at picking out phony voice.

The best writing has a richness of language, not just a scramble of slang. Use vocabulary that reflects the time and place you're writing about.

Don't Dumb it Down

But at the same time, it has to sound like something a teen (specifically the one in your book) would actually say. Teens, in some ways, are smarter than we give them credit for. As long as the voice is authentic and rings true, teen readers are open to a wide range of voicing styles.

Mix it Up

Don't give all your characters a similar sounding voice. Vary vocabulary and rhythm to create contrast and interest. Some teens never stop talking, some are only one word anwerers. Some rely on humor, some on emotional extremes. (See examples above.)

Keep the Narrative in Voice

Make sure the narrative parts are in the voice of the POV character and not the author's. Maintain continuity.

Anything Goes Day: Odd 'n' Ends

2011-11-11T09:08:00.000-08:00

I don't have a lot of time today, so I thought I'd just toss out some odds and ends I have in notes. Feel free to put in your own odds and ends and interesting little notes in the comments.

The Free ebooks offer from Writer's Digest ends tomorrow, Saturday Nov. 12. http://www.writersdigest.com/nanowrimo
Today is 11/11/11, and in one hour it will be 11:11 on 11/11/11. Any NaNoWriMo people planning on 1111 words today?
Interesting book from my bookshelf: Character Traits by Dr. Linda Edelstein helps you piece together your characters by combining common character traits. It's a fun book. http://www.amazon.com/Writers-Guide-Character-Traits-Edelstein/dp/1582973903/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321031527&sr=8-1
Bunches o' books about writing, marked way down: http://www.writersdigestshop.com/category/sale/1

Receiving Critical Input

2011-11-10T07:15:00.001-08:00

By Julie Daines

I had to interrupt my regularly scheduled NaNo to post a link to this fantastic article on the StoryFix blog. Every author or writer needs to read this great advice on accepting criticism, and choosing which criticisms to accept.

Do it now.

Hurry!

Dropbox for File Synchronization and Evergreen Backup

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

by Deren Hansen

Since the advent of personal computers, one of the perennial issues is backups. Elsa Neal at The Blood-Red Pencil, for example, discusses some quick and easy techniques for backing up your work, among which her favorite is to email your files to another account.

Backup is one of the few areas where more really is better, both in terms of frequency and techniques. As Elsa mentions, you can back up to another folder on your hard drive, to an external hard drive, to a thumb drive, to a shared location on a local network, and to a web service. If you want a more permanent record, back up to write-once media like CD/DVD ROM. The best practice is to use several different devices and methods instead of relying on a single kind of backup.

So far, so good. There's nothing revolutionary here. It's good advice that we'll likely honor more in the breach than the observance.

But all of that was simply to pave the way to telling you about a web service with which I'm quite taken called DropBox.

You see, I have a problem. I like to write on several different computers. I've dealt with this problem by using a thumb drive to move files among the various computers. That works well when I'm in the middle of drafting a manuscript and have only a few files to manage. But it becomes burdensome when I'm working with a larger number of files.

Enter DropBox. It's a folder that stays synchronized across a set of computers and a password-protected web service. Change a file on one system and you'll find the new version of the file ready for you on the second system.

DropBox is primarily a synchronization service, not a strict backup. It does offer a 30-day history of file changes, but it won't help if you need to keep older versions of the files for the long term. That said, if you chronically fail to keep your resolution to backup your work, DropBox is a good way to guarantee you have the latest copy of your files in more than one place.

Oh, and best of all, DropBox is free for the first 2 GB.

Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

Free Writing EBooks From Writer's Digest

2011-11-08T09:29:00.001-08:00

In honor of NaNoWriMo, Writer's Digest is giving away seven ebooks about writing, including one of my favorite writing books, Hooked by Les Edgerton. Head over to http://www.writersdigest.com/nanowrimo now and download these books in the format you prefer.

And if you're doing NaNoWriMo, try not to let these books distract you. It'll be tough.

Create an eBook in 5 Simple Steps -Guest Post By Karen Cioffi

2011-11-06T05:31:00.000-08:00

You know . . . an easy way to turn your knowledge into possible income is to create a booklet or e-book. And, with an e-book, if you use sources such as Kindle, Lulu.com and Smashwords.com, it doesn’t have to cost a penny. It’s as easy as putting the pieces of a puzzle together.

5 Simple Steps to Creating an eBook

1. Create content

Create content in a simple word document. The content can be anything you think your readers or target market want or need. In addition, it can be any length you decide upon. You can create a simple 10 page e-book, or a 100+ page e-book. You can also create a compilation of articles you’ve already written on a particular topic.

Tip: It’s wise to include an accuracy disclaimer and a copyright reference.

2. Organize Your Content

Whether your product is a few pages or 100 pages, having it organized is important. The e-book needs to offer easy reading and clarity, along with value. If you are creating a longer product, divide the content or articles into parts chapters, and provide a Table of Contents (TOC) page.

Be sure to use a large and bold font for section headings and it’s advisable to include page breaks for each section.

TIP: have plenty of white space and include an About the Author page.

3. Include Images and Tweak Your Content

You can add an image at the beginning of each section or where ever you see fit. This is another trick to make the e-book more interesting to read.

Check out free clipart or images if you’re giving the e-book away for free. If you’ll be selling the e-book, find images on ‘paying’ sites.

Tip: the images will help break up the monotony of straight content.

4. Create a Cover

Every book needs a cover, so you will need to create one, and after it’s done, be sure to click Page Break.

5. Turning Your Word Doc into a PDF

Now it’s time to magically turn your word document into an e-book. There are a number of free PDF creator software applications to do this.

If you don’t already have a PDF converter, it’s time to do an online search for “free pdf creator.” Just be sure the one you choose is Adobe compatible.

It’s that simple!

~~~
Karen Cioffi is a published author, ghostwriter, and editor. You can find out more about Karen and her books at:

http://karencioffi.com (author site)

http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com (writing and marketing information and services)

http://daysendlullaby.blogspot.com (Day’s End Lullaby information and reviews)

http://walkingthroughwalls-kcioffi.blogspot.com (middle-grade fantasy adventure, Walking Through Walls)

Karen’s newsletter, A Writer’s World, offers useful writing and book marketing information and strategies. Subscribe today and get two e-books on writing and/or marketing.

You can find out more about Karen Cioffi’s current World of Ink Author/Book Tour schedule at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/KarenCioffi.aspx. There will be giveaways, reviews, interviews, guest posts and more. Make sure to stop by and interact with Karen and the hosts at the different stops by leaving comments and/or questions.

In addition, come listen to Blog Talk Radio’s World of Ink Network show: Stories for Children at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork. The hosts VS Grenier, Kris Quinn Chirstopherson and Irene Roth will be chatting with Karen Cioffi about her books, writing, the publishing industry and experiences with virtual tours. Karen will also be sharing writing tips and trials, and tribulations of the writer’s life. The show will be live November 21, 2011 at 2pm EST.

Find Your Inspiration

2011-11-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

by Scott Rhoades

What inspires you to write better? I don't necessarily mean come up with a new story idea, although it could mean that. I mean, what gets your creative juices flowing and makes you want to write and improve your craft?

For me, it tends to be things that make me see the world in a different world. A new place (or a familiar place through someone else's eyes), a good poem, an unusual phrase, a new piece of music (or an old one presented in a new way)--all of these things make me want to create. Creation is play, and seeing something in a new or different way makes my mind want to play.

Where everybody knows your name

2011-11-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

The other day I was reading a PDF of a book an agent asked me to review. While I enjoyed the storyline and intriguing characters, I constantly and, might I add, consistently was taken out of the story by one simple problem: character names.
No, the names themselves weren't unusual or hard to pronounce. No, the names didn't remind me of someone I knew/hated/loved.
The names were ALWAYS in the dialogue!
Trying reading the example below out loud (my own made up dialogue):

"Hey Mary. Did you hear the news?" Henry asked.

"What news, Henry?" Mary asked back.

"About school. We get three days off! Isn't that great, Mary?" Henry said as he did a little jig.

"Henry! You just made my day." Mary threw her arms around him in a happy hug.

This example was seriously how the dialogue went throughout most of the book. Annoying!
Do you talk like that? I don't. Having a one-on-one conversation with someone I sure hope they know their own name and I don't need to remind them every time I talk to them.

Let's redo the dialogue:
"Did you hear the news, Mary?" Henry said.

"What news?" she asked.
"About school. We get three days off!"

"You just made my day!" Mary said as she threw her arms around him.

Notice the difference? Other than my brilliant (said in Grinch voice) writing, did the dialogue read better?

What takes you out of a story?

Your Writing Habit

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

by Deren Hansen

In episode 188 of the I Should Be Writing podcast, where the topic was health, producer Patrick Hester said:

Eating one piece of cake doesn't make you fat.Not eating one piece of cake doesn't make you thin.

This is true of many things in life, but I wanted to emphasize the writing corollary:

Writing one day doesn't make you a writer.Not writing one day doesn't make you not a writer.

Habits form over time.

Writing, in case you haven't noticed is habit forming. As with other habits, there are good ones and bad ones. Bad writing habits are the ones that may give you a rush for a while, but overall tend to leave you feeling guilty and depressed. Good writing habits may have less of a rush but produce a general feeling of satisfaction.

Does this sound uncomfortably like food habits?

It's no accident because the psychology is similar.

An article in Scientific American explained that we systematically choose short term benefits over long term resolutions because we believe we can always do better tomorrow.

Patrick Hester said that the light bulb went on for him when he realized that while he couldn't change all the habits accumulated over a lifetime all at once, he could change one thing today.

For those who aspire to write but can't seem to make the time, you're not going to change all the habits that make it hard to make time overnight. What you can do, however, is to choose to write instead of doing something else when you have a few minutes.

Think of it as the writing equivalent of not having a second piece of cake. In time, you may no longer need the first piece of cake (i.e, you may find it easier to make a bit more time to write). If you can stop dreaming about your bestseller (and getting down because your draft isn't even close), and think instead in terms of small steps and milestones, you'll be amazed at the effect even a small change can have over time.

After all, writing is a habit.

If you can use NaNoWriMo to jump start your manuscript, that's a good thing. If you can use NaNoWriMo to jump start your writing habit, it will pay dividends the rest of your life.

Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

Guest Post: Creating Stories for Young Readers

2011-10-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is not an easy subject, because I have to look at my process of creating a story in retrospect. I just have a story and I write it. I’m just a big old kid at heart, so writing kids’ stories simply delights me, and I think that this trait really helps in creating characters kids will want to identify with. I also remember the wonder on kids’ faces when you tell them a story, the more fantastic the story, the more wondrous their expressions. I love the world of fantasy, and so do kids.

I’m afraid the only outline I make is to just write my storyline as soon as it comes to me… otherwise I’ll forget it. The whole story is there with all its characters. Then, I start with my what-ifs. I may write two or three versions, usually not very different. Characters may get deleted or added. The characters take shape according to the version I choose. My protagonist starts out with a defining characteristic, but it’s the events that shape her. So really, the characters grow with the events I choose to make them go through.

Illustrations are a very important of children’s stories, and if you’re not an illustrator you must look for someone who can convey your characters the way you’ve conceived them. My illustrator and I discussed how I wanted the characters to look and she presented me with a storyboard. The important thing was that she was open to deviate from it if I didn’t like something, or changed my mind later on. I like to give the artist a free hand, as much as I possibly can.

Up till now, I’ve never brain stormed to get the ideas for the three stories I wrote (two of them still in revision stage). For me, the brainstorming comes later on, when I start playing with the what-ifs.

I try to write the story in the simplest language possible, but I usually go back and simplify words more. Sometimes there are words that can’t be further simplified, but I don’t shy away from those. In my story about crabs, I have a few big words that I intend to put in bold so parents can explain them to their children. Of course the pictures will also depict them. I think it’s a great idea to introduce kids to new words. Their brains are like sponges and they learn quickly.

Maha Huneidi is a wife, mother and now grandmother, who finally found out what she wants to be when she grows up…a writer of children’s book. When Monsters Get Lonely is the first step of her journey.

Huneidi began writing this book and later found out her granddaughter was afraid of monsters. “It was not about my granddaughter at all, but when I heard that she was afraid of monsters, it quickly became all about her. I wanted to empower her to take charge of her fear,” states Huneidi. “I sent my son a copy of "When Monsters Get Lonely" in a word file, with illustrations, just before I submitted it for publishing in April. Hanaa’s parents immediately began reading it to her...Now, she sometimes tells her mother, ‘the monster touched my neck, but I made friends with him.”

Huneidi wants to help children, like her granddaughter Hanaa, find the courage to deal with monsters and other fears on their own. “My granddaughter still enjoys monster movies and monster stories! But she has found the courage to overcome her fears,” states Huneidi

You can find out more about Maha Huneidi’s World of Ink Author/Book Tour schedule at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/MahaHuneidi.aspx. There will be giveaways, reviews, interviews, guest posts and more. Make sure to stop by and interact with Huneidi and the hosts at the different stops by leaving comments and/or questions.

Happy Halloween: The Tale Of Peter Rabbit And Zombies

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

by Scott Rhoades (with apologies to the ghost of Beatrix Potter)

Once upon a time there were four little rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter. They lived with their mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir tree.

"Now, my dears," said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, "You may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden. Your father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor. Now run along and don't get into mischief. I am going out."

Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella and went through the wood to the baker's. She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns.

Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail who were good little bunnies went down the lane together to gather blackberries.

But Peter who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor's garden and squeezed under the gate!

First he ate some lettuces and some French beans and then he ate some radishes.

And then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley.

But round the end of a cucumber frame, whom should he meet but Mr. McGregor!

Mr. McGregor was on his hands and knees, pawing at the grave of Mrs. McGregor. His face was pale and his skin was falling off, and around his eyes were circles as black as night. He jumped up and ran after Peter, dragging his feet and calling out "Braaauuggghhh!"

Peter was most dreadfully frightened; he rushed all over the garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate. No matter how he hurried, Mr. McGregor shambled after him.

Peter lost one shoe among the cabbages, and the other amongst the potatoes. After losing them, he ran on four legs and went faster so that I think he might have got away altogether if he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net and got caught by the large buttons on his jacket. It was a blue jacket with brass buttons, quite new, but Peter thought about other things. He thought about his mother and how angry she would be. Mostly, he thought about Mr. McGregor, who showed fangs longer and sharper than dangerous Willie Warewolf. He also thought about Mrs. McGregor, who crept behind her husband looking as hungry as if she had not had a pie or one of the farmer's cabbages in a dreadfully long time.

Peter gave himself up for lost and shed big tears; but his sobs were overheard by some friendly ravens who flew to him in great excitement and implored him to exert himself nevermore.

Mr. McGregor's hand fell off, but he picked it up and reattached it and reached for Peter, but Peter wriggled out just in time.

Leaving his jacket behind him.

He rushed into the tool-shed and--

Jumped into a coffin.

It would have been a beautiful thing to hide in, if it had not had so much blood in it and the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hedgehog. Mr. McGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the tool-shed, perhaps hidden underneath a flower-pot.

He began to turn them over carefully, looking under each. Wherever he turned a flower-pot, he left behind a puddle of bloody drool.

Presently Peter sneezed "Kertyschoo!"

Mr. McGregor was after him in no time, and tried to put his foot upon Peter, but his foot fell off. Peter jumped out of a window, upsetting three plants.

Peter sat down to rest; he was out of breath and trembling with fright, and he had not the least idea which way to go.

Also he was very bloody with sitting in that coffin and had bits of brain hanging from his wiggly nose.

After a time he began to wander about, going

lippity--

not very fast and looking all around.

Soon he saw Mr. and Mrs. McGregor, shambling

creepily--

sleepily--

sniffing the air and coming straight for him.

He found a door in a wall; but it was locked and there was no room for a fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath, even one who was slippery with the blood and bits of brain of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hedgehog.

An old mouse was running in and out over the stone doorstep, carrying peas and beans to her family in the wood. Peter asked her the way to the gate but she had such a large pea in her mouth she could not answer. She only shook her head at him and pointed toward Mr. ad Mrs McGregor as they shuffled ever so near.

Peter began to cry.

Then he tried to find his way straight across the garden, but he became more and more puzzled. Presently he came to a pond where Mr. McGregor filled his water-cans. A black cat was staring at some gold-fish; she sat very, very still, but now and then the tip of her tail twitched as if it were alive. Peter thought it best to go away without speaking to her.

He had heard about cats from his cousin, little Benjamin Bunny, who should have paid more attention to what he had told Peter so perhaps he would not have been eaten by a fat orange tabby with stitches on its leg.

He went back towards the tool-shed, but suddenly, quite close to him, he heard the noise of a hoe--scr-r-ritch, scratch, scratch, scritch.

Peter scuttered underneath the bushes, but presently as nothing happened, he came out and climbed upon a wheelbarrow, and peeped over.

The first thing he saw was Mr. McGregor gnawing on the black cat. His back was turned towards Peter and beyond him was the gate!

Peter got down very quietly off the wheelbarrow and started running as fast as he could go, along a straight walk behind some black currant bushes. Mr. McGregor caught sight of him at the corner, but Peter did not care. He slipped underneath the gate and was safe at last in the cemetery outside the garden.

Mr. McGregor hung up the little jacket and the shoes for a scare-crow to frighten the ravens.

Peter never stopped running or looked behind him till he got home to the big fir-tree.

He was so tired that he flopped down upon the nice soft sand on the floor of the rabbit hole, and shut his eyes. His mother was busy cooking; she wondered what he had done with his clothes and why he was so covered in blood and bits of brain. At first she thought he was dead and was about to place him in the pot, but then he moved and she thought better of it. That would have to wait for another time.

I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening. His mother made him take a bath and then put him to bed and made some garlic tea; and she gave a dose of it to Peter! "One teaspoonful to be taken at bedtime." But--

Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper.

Demystifying Genre

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

by Deren Hansen

In an early episode of The Appendix, a writing podcast, Robison Wells, Sarah Eden, and Marion Jensen discussed choosing a genre.

Marion Jensen said, "When you pick a genre, you've got to pick something that you like. It's kind of like picking a career."

That's right, writers. No pressure. Just like the end of high school when well-meaning people like guidance counselors and parents say, "Now that you've spent your life listening to us tell you what to do, it's time for you to make a decision, oh and by the way, this decision will have life-long consequences."

Choosing the genre in which you'll write is a critical decision only if you succeed.

Why?

Because with each book you publish you create precedents and build expectations among your growing circle of readers. It's not that you can never try anything different, but imagine the hue and cry if J. K. Rowling decided she wanted to write gritty detective stories full of graphic sex and violence.

The advice about picking a genre is better understood in terms of setting up shop someplace where you're comfortable because you could be spending a lot of time there.

One of the reasons this seems like a big deal is because genre is to kind as veal is to beef. This is another in a long series of cases where we have two words in English with the same meaning, but the Latinate, or more specifically French, version sounds more sophisticated.

Repeat after me, "Genre means kind." It's nothing more or less complicated than deciding what kind of books your book ought to be shelved or grouped with.

And why does that matter?

Because you're hoping to take advantage of recommendation engines, whether human or automatic, that will suggest someone might like your book if they liked something similar.

Put another way, in terms of publishing being a market, genre is shorthand for your audience.

That's why you must decide on your genre: you must know your audience and their expectations.

Deren blogs daily at The Laws of Making.