A smile. An encouraging word. A thoughtful gesture. Each day people interact with us, help, and make our day a bit brighter and full. This is especially true in the Writing Community. 

Take a second to think about writers you know, like the critique partner who works with you to improve your manuscript. The writing friend who listens, supports and keeps you strong when times are tough. The author who generously offers council, advice and inspiration when asked.

      So many people take the time to make us feel special, don't they? They comment on our blogs, re-tweet our posts, chat with us on forums and wish us Happy Birthday on Facebook.        

                                       Kindness ROCKS!          

To commemorate the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus, Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are hosting a TITANIC Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ. And because I think KINDNESS is contagious, I'm participating too!

Wow, where do I start?  There are so many writers I want to thank.  I'm incredibly lucky to have my wonderful mentor, Joyce Sweeney. She's helped me grow so much as a writer (everything from plotting and characterization, to writing a dazzling first chapter and strong scenes that always move the action forward).  She's been there for me every step of the way--celebrating great news, and giving me hugs and pep talks after some heart-breaking rejections.  I'm sending her a bookstore certificate as a surprise thank you for everything she has done for me!

Another huge thank you goes out to Marjetta Geerling who recently gave me an awesome critique that I hope will take my MG from being great to can't-turn-it-down awesome.  Marjetta helped point out that I tend to make things too easy for my main character.  Even though I torture her a lot, I often fix problems too quickly and sometimes have things happen to her instead of having her actions cause bad things to happen.  Wow...my eyes are wide open now!  I'm excited that my revision is almost done, and am thrilled that Joyce, Marjetta, and my critique groups have helped my manuscript shine so brightly. I recently sent Marjetta a special thank you gift, but had to thank her again in today's post.

How do I even begin to fit in the rest of the people who have been amazing friends and critique partners?  I want each and every one of you to know how much you mean to me, and how grateful I am for everything.  You've all helped me improve my writing, have been there to support me, cheer with me, and encourage me every step of the way.  One of the best things that came from the second time I went to Rutgers was getting to know two online friends better, and forming an informal critique group with them.  Thanks so much, Kim Sabatini and Jodi Moore for everything.  And I'm really glad you brought Megan Gilpin into our critique family--I owe the three of you so much.  xoxo  

NI (Novel Idea) has helped me so much through the years.  Thanks to Amie Borst, Ann Marie Meyers, Rose Cooper, Jen Swanson, and all the past members, too!

RQ (Revision Queens) has been a huge help with my picture books through the years.  Thanks Laura Crawford, Amy Dawn DeLuna, Cathy Cronin, Leslie McCrary, and all past members (both in RQ and the previous name, TBA). :)  

Thanks to everyone past and present in The Prose Shop, my weekly group led by the amazing Joyce Sweeney, my monthly Boca group, and all the amazing writers I've swapped critiques with through the years (the picture book crits have been a huge help, and I'm really grateful to those of you who took the time to critique an entire novel, like Karen Schwartz, Shel Delisle, Amanda Coppedge, Heather Burke, and Sharon Pavon--and those who helped me have huge breakthroughs like David Case, Stacie Ramey, Kerry Cerra, and Nicole Cabrera).  I wish I could name more of you, but this post already has enough words to create two to three picture books!    

I hope you all know how much you mean to me.  I'm sending a huge thank you for always pushing me to write the best possible novels and picture books.  You all rock, and I feel so lucky to have you in my life.  (((Hugs)))  I'm also incredibly grateful to all my writing friends who have been there to cheer me on, offer advice, and share all kinds of sweet comments through here, Facebook, and Twitter.    

I wish I could give every single one of you a gift today...but even though that isn't possible, I'm going to close my eyes and wish that you all receive fantastic writing news, and that we'll have tons of reasons to celebrate soon!  And in honor of everything you've done for me, I'll pay it forward by offering one critique of a picture book or the first ten pages of a chapter book, MG, or YA.  Just leave a comment below and I'll randomly draw a winner on Thursday and announce who it is on Friday.  I'll give you an extra entry for each time you share this link (don't forget to let me know so I can add all your entries).   I can't wait to read the winning pages.  Good luck!   

One of the reasons I jumped at the chance to participate is that The Bookshelf Muse has been a fantastic resource for me and other writers (I've given the link to so many writing friends through the years). Becca and Angela have put so much into their fantastic site...and now their e-book.  After everything they've done, I'm thrilled to help celebrate the launch of their e-book and give a huge shout out to people who have made a world of difference to me because they're such amazing friends and critiquers.

Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for you as well, so hop on over to The Bookshelf Muse to pick it up.

Do you know someone special that you'd like to randomly acknowledge?  Don't be shy--come join us and celebrate! Send them an email, give them a shout out, or show your appreciation in another way.  Kindness makes the world go round. :)  

I really enjoyed hearing Christian Trimmer speak at a recent SCBWI event at The Loft at Congress.  Huge thanks to Christian, Linda Bernfeld, Laurie Taddonio, and Flora Doone for putting together such a wonderful event.  And free, too!  FL SCBWI rocks, and I’m so lucky to be a part of it.

Christian has been in the business for seven years, and absolutely raves about his authors, such as Mo Willems, Stacey Kade, and Robin Mellom. Right now, he said that Disney Hyperion isn’t actively looking for paranormal or much science fiction.  He loves books with rich details that find the truth in relationships, like Ditched by Robin Mellom and Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford.

What do editors want?  Christian said a great voice, authenticity, and honest emotions.  Research helps make the world more believable. Pay attention to the details!  This helps make sure that readers can see the scenes, too and adds a layer of credibility. 

In almost all his editorial letters, he mentions character motivation.  If you can’t see what drives a character, then neither will readers.  When you create a character, you want readers to see themselves in that person.  You need to have an emotional arc (which helps readers genuinely care about a character) and a narrative arc.

     Here are some tips Christian shared with us:     

* Build a network—it’s great for support (he could tell our local SCBWI is an extremely supportive group).  Seek help with info if you need it.

* Make yourself stand out.  Marketing and publicity love when a writer has an active blog and large online following.

* Seek out agents who rep books from authors you admire.

* If you receive several offers, make sure you chat with an editor on the phone before accepting to make sure he or she is the right one for you. 

* You need to be prepared to sell books.  You have to talk about your books, and try to get your face out in the community to teachers, librarians, and book sellers.

* Envision your entire career—not just selling one book.  

* Set real deadlines and be disciplined enough to make them.  Write daily!

* Everyone’s path is different.

* Aim to have a second book published about a year after the first one is out.  Write at least one book per year to keep the momentum going.

* It’s good to have a couple manuscripts under your belt when you sign with an agent.  You never know which manuscript will hit first. 

Someone asked about boy books.  Christian said boys don’t read as much as girls do.  Humor definitely works, and when you have a boy main character, it can’t hurt to throw in a girl to widen your audience.

Besides a great voice and everything else I mentioned, what else is Christian looking for?  He said he’d love to find a religious allegory (bible tales made relevant for today), and something about recent wars in Afghanistan or Irac and how they affected teens.

Christian was full of helpful information, and went out of his way to chat with everyone and answer questions.  I hope we’ll have him at another event soon!   

When you have a chance, check out my recent From the Mixed-Up Files...of Middle-Grade Authors blog post. There are so many middle-grade novels, it’s hard to know what to read next.  If I love a book, I usually rush to pick up future novels from that author.  But how do you find great new authors in the first place?

I often seek out books that friends rave about, plus anything that catches my eye on the Mixed-Up Files book lists (you can browse categories like reluctant readers, books for boys, fantasy/paranormal, etc. and if you scroll toward the bottom you’ll see all our past new release posts).

Since we love helping our readers discover great new books, I listed some of my favorite middle-grade novels that came out in the past couple of years by new authors (or authors who are new to this genre).  I’d love to know what some of your favorite books are, too! 

How to Improve Your Writing Voice and Characters’ Voices

Agent Jill Corcoran at the 2012 FL SCBWI Conference in Miami

Jill Corcoran talked about the difference between the author voice, which is in everything you write, and the manuscript voice, which changes according to things like tone, the target audience, and point of view.

She had us write a short scene with two characters from one point of view, then write it from the other.  It’s amazing how you can feel the difference.  Even better…this exercise can help with writer’s block! 

Character Voice

·       Make your characters distinct so you don’t always need to put in tags.   There’s a great way to test this—take the tags out of dialogue and see if you (or others) can tell who is talking.

·       Give each character something unique.  Weaving these little details in helps give dimension.

·       Readers fill in the gaps—you need to leave some white space.

Here are some other great suggestions from Jill:

·       Read outside your genre.  This helps you see styles of writing that might be great for you.

·       Make dialogue count…especially when it’s up front.

·       Try to write three pages every morning before doing anything else.

·       Play around to find the right voice for your manuscript. You can try a different point of view, tone, day, attitude, etc. 

·       Think about where your book will sit in a bookstore, and keep that in mind when you revise.

Other notes:

Most picture books are not in 1^st person because it makes them more universal.

Jill loves multiple point of view.

I loved listening to Jill critique first pages during her workshop and on the First Pages Panel.  She always has tons of fantastic advice to share.  Check out her amazing blog.  

Erin Moulton (Flutter),

Kathy Erskine (Mockingbird),

Tricia Springstubb (What Happened On Fox Street),

Sarah Aronson (Beyond Lucky),

Uma Krishnaswami (The Grand Plan To Fix Everything),

and

Jennifer Nielsen (Elliot and the Pixie Plot).

I recently took Marjetta Geerling’s SCBWI Workshop, How to Appeal to Children and Adults When Writing Children’s Books, and can't wait to share the fantastic info with you!

Children are like us, but inexperienced.  You don’t dumb down or talk down to them.  Never condescend, oversimplify, think the audience is ignorant, or take conscious superiority.  Kids immediately realize this!  Children and teachers don’t want a book that screams ‘here’s something you should know.’

When you write a children’s book, you must first appeal to an adult audience.  Children won’t be the first people to read your book.  There are often over ten layers of adult readers…critique groups or writing mentors, agents, editors, marketing people, art directors—and this is all before the book goes into print!  Then, there are reviewers, award committees, booksellers, and then parents, teachers, and librarians that we hope will be so excited by the books we write, they’ll want to share it with all the children in their lives.

Many writers think they need to find a way to get by the ‘gatekeepers’ but in reality, they’re just as much a part of the children’s literature audience as the children themselves.  Think about this…if a child falls in love with a book and asks to hear it every single night—who is doing the reading?

How do we appeal to children and engage our adult audience at the same time?  Marjetta read the book PARTS by Ted Arnold.  I have to admit that I smiled the second I saw it.  My daughters and I absolutely LOVED that book, even after reading it together a zillion times.  In fact…I still have most of it memorized!

I remember the humor and fun illustrations the most.  It takes a few reads to get past the humor so we can analyze it and see all the brilliant layers.  It has some amazing lessons about life for kids and adults…in a way that doesn’t feel preachy at all.   

·       When digging deeper, you can see that both children and adults can relate to the theme—nervousness.  It definitely has universal appeal!   

·       It talks about normal things we don’t always think about.  Kids experience things in a new way that we often take for granted.  (Adults do this in different ways—we don’t worry about stuffing falling out, because we know it won’t happen…but if we notice a new spot on our skin, our minds start racing with the ‘what ifs’ and we could worry that it’s cancer—and then we need to find a way to cope with that fear.) 

·       When she reads PARTS to kids, they usually don’t see the book ‘Parenting for Beginners’ but adults really get it!

The end is a funny joke (we all laughed and groaned when she read it) but…at first it seems like the adults solve the problem, even though we all know the child is supposed to solve it on his or her own.  But the problem isn’t the lack of info.  It’s that he’s been passive and never actively sought out info to help him solve his problem…how to cope with anxiety.  And now, instead of freaking out, he shows in the last scene that he does reach out and immediately ask for the answer. 

So this book is profound, complex…yet completely accessible to kids and adults!

What about novels?  Middle grade readers are often independent (but may still read with a parent or teacher).  A great book to analyze is WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead.  It has so much kid appeal and engages adult readers as well.  And if you read A WRINKLE IN TIME, you can see a whole other layer…but it stands on its own, too.  (I loved WHEN YOU REACH ME, even before it won the Newbery Medal.)    

Even though parents often don’t play a big part in choosing YA books for their children, these books still need to appeal to adults.  Kids will outgrow the typical age of these characters…but librarians don’t!  It’s great to have teachers and media specialists introduce great young adult novels to a whole new audience.  A fantastic book to analyze is SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson.  (I had to smile when I heard this title, too—SPEAK was one of the first books that had a huge impact on me as a writer.)

Marjetta asked us to break into small groups to discuss one of our favorite children’s books, and gave us an amazing list of questions to consider.  And guess what…she gave me permission to share the entire list with you!  Thanks so much, Marjetta!

1.     Main Character:  How is the main character unique?  How is he/she like a kid?  Like an adult?

2.     Theme: Why can children relate to the theme?  What resonates for adults?

3.     Illustrations: What’s delightful for children to find? What can an adult appreciate?

4.     Language: What’s happening on the surface? What else is going on that would only come out in repeated readings?

5.     Story: What is surprising or not surprising about how the story unfolds? What does it teach the reader about storytelling?  About life?

I chose THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins because I love that book so much, it haunted me.  I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters and their story.  I once talked to an agent about how to make a character more likeable, and she asked what my favorite book was…and we tried to figure out why I cared so much about Katniss and her story.  Most of the time, authors use internals to help readers feel the emotions of their characters, but I didn’t find very many in there.  The agent had asked what I liked about Katniss, and I realized that if I had to be in the games, I’d want her by my side, or as my sister, ready to take my place in a heartbeat.  I trust that she’d put her own life at risk, trying to save me.

Marjetta joined our small group discussion.  We chatted about question one--that Katniss was supposed to follow a lot of rules, like a kid, but also had to protect and provide for her family.  She was forced to grow up too quickly, and denied her childhood (which unfortunately happens to many children). 

There were so many gems Marjetta gave me at the workshop, but the one I’m most grateful for (in addition to this list to help me analyze popular books) is why she thinks we feel so emotional about Katniss.  It’s all about the language.  Every line…especially the description, advances the characterization or plotting.  There’s never any downtime in this novel.  Every sentence moves us forward.  For example, reading the cat description in the beginning shows us just how desperate a world Katniss lives in.  There are so many layers, that this book is truly a monument to craft. 

A huge thank you to Marjetta for a fabulous workshop!  She’s leading the Novel Intensive at the FL SCBWI Mid-Year Workshop in Orlando on Friday.  I know it’ll be an amazing day!  The last I heard, there were two spots left…if you want to join Marjetta, Kathleen Duey (who gave so many fantastic gems in Miami and Orlando), and editor Michele Burke from Knopf BFYR.  There’s also room in our Illustrators’ Intensive (one of the faculty members is an associate art director at Simon and Schuster!), and it’s also not too late to sign up for the amazing workshop tracks on Saturday!   

Marjetta is also teaching a fall class—KidLit: The World of Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adult Fiction at the Florida Center for the Literary Arts.  It's going to be on Wednesdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at MDC's Wolfson campus from Sept 19 to Nov 7. Registration isn't open yet, but you’ll find it on this site closer to the class.

I love having new tools to help improve my writing!  And I can’t wait to look at my favorite stories again, and dig deeper to figure out why I think they’re so amazing, and what the author did that helped make them so popular.

I’m off to get ready for the Orlando Mid-Year Workshop and Picture Book Intensive, and can’t wait to share the info with you when I come back.  I’ll also try to link to at least one blog about the Novel Intensive (I really wish I could take both!)  

that Cynthia Leitich Smith posted of Joyce in Cynsations!

 

Here's a picture of Joyce signing my copy of The Guardian.
 

I heard about Joyce's incredible critique group at my first FL SCBWI conference, and couldn't believe that some writers drove way over an hour to attend her group...until I met Joyce at a conference critique.  Her feedback has always been spot on, and has helped me dig deeper than I ever thought possible.  She's helped me find my strengths and improve my weaknesses, and has encouraged me every step of the way.  Thank you super-mentor Joyce, for everything you've done to help me and so many others!  

I recently ran Joyce's Success Story in the FL SCBWI listserv, and would love to share it with all of you!  You'll notice that she said she has given away 30 beans so far...that's because two of her peeps have sold their manuscripts since she wrote this! 
 

Florida SCBWI Success Story!

 Joyce Sweeney

My success story is going to be long, because I've been a writer for a long time -- since 1984!  During that time, my career path has taken some interesting twists and turns.  I wanted to be a writer when I was eight years old and I remember taking this aptitude test in the second grade that made me really mad.  It said I would be happier as a teacher!  I remember tearing it up, thinking that piece of paper would actually stand in the way of my writing dreams.  Actually that piece of paper was really smart. 

I pursued the dream of being a writer and when I was only 27, I won the First Annual Delacorte prize for a young adult novel with my book Center Line.  Center Line was a very successful book, was optioned many times for film (but never made into an actual movie) and won a number of other awards.  My career as a YA writer went on for two more decades, with the usual ups and downs.  Highlights for me were winning the Nevada Young Readers Award for my novel Shadow (I went to Las Vegas and signed 1000 books in one day!), the success of my novel Players, which was named a Top Ten Sports book for tweens by Booklist and which outsold all my other books, and my novel Headlock, which won a silver medal in the first annual Florida Book Awards.  I also lived through having one of my publishers go bankrupt, firing one agent and hiring another and a few books that didn't make a splash.  My most recent novel, The Guardian is about a boy lost in the foster care system, who turns to what seems to be his guardian angel for help. But it's not his guardian angel...it's something much more sinister.

All the while, through the good and bad times of being a novelist, I knew something was missing.  That darned aptitude test was right. I loved writing, but as it turned out it wasn't my favorite thing to do after all.  When I moved to South Florida, I had a chance to teach five week classes through the Florida Center for the Book.  Wow.  I knew right away, this was what I really wanted to do. I was good at it and they kept asking me back over and over.  But I noticed that people did great while they were taking a class with me, but if I checked back later, they had often lost momentum. 

I decided what was needed was an ongoing workshop, more of a support group really. I knew from my own experiences that it took much longer to get published than people think.  I knew good people were getting discouraged too soon. So The Thursday Group was born.  I hand selected 15 really talented writers who met weekly for critiques and ongoing writing lessons from me, but I think more important, supporting and encouraging each other.  The second year of the group, Noreen Wald got published, a memoir about her life as a frequent Jeopardy contestant.  The third year there were two more book contracts and by the fourth year...we had seven people, including Alex Flinn, Lucille Shulklapper and Sherri Winston.  That was when we created the Magic Bean ceremony.  One of our members had gone to Costa Rica and brought back seedpods from the guanacaste tree. Each one had 20 beautiful seeds inside.  So we had a big ceremony for our seven published authors, shaking rattles and handing out seven magic beans. 

When Linda Bernfeld started our Florida SCBWI chapter in 2000, there was an explosion of talent for me to discover and opportunities to meet and make referrals to agents.  Dorian Cirrone, Laurie Friedman, Gloria Rothstein, Janeen Mason and many others came in the next wave of magic beans. I expanded from one to three groups and also continued to help people publish in other genres including mystery, poetry, women's fiction, non-fiction and more. 

I'm up to Magic Bean number 30 now and in addition to my three critique groups I also critique manuscripts by mail for people all over the country.  Last year I partnered with writing coach Jamie Morris to create a series of weekend craft intensives called The Next Level.  We offer about five workshops a year, all around the state of Florida.  Working intensely with people over a three day period produces more breakthroughs...so I need to figure out where to get more magic beans!

I've decided teaching is my true passion, but I still write.  I've published a chapbook of poetry called Impermanence about my mother's struggle with Alzheimer's disease and now I'm writing and directing plays.  I love working with creative people, nothing gets me more excited. 

Huge congratulations, Joyce!  FL SCBWI is lucky to have such a dedicated member who has helped so many writers break into the business.  Would you like to share a writing tip with all of us?

My best tip to all of you who write:  I know the process is long and frustrating but you can't give up.  All the published writers I know went through some kind of long, difficult struggle. But believe me, when you see your name on the cover of a book, it's all worthwhile. 

Intensives--Friday, June 24^th 

Picture Book Intensive

Alexandra Penfold: editor at Paula Wiseman, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Lisa Wheeler: author with over thirty titles on library shelves including picture books in prose and rhyme, an easy reader series, three books of poems, and creative nonfiction for the very young

Novel Intensive

Michelle Burke: editor at Knopf Books for Young Readers 

Kathleen Duey: award winning author who has published over 70 books for readers K-YA

Marjetta Geerling: author of FANCY WHITE TRASH and another novel scheduled for release in 2012

Illustrators’ Intensive

Lucy Cummins: associate art director with Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Priscilla Garcia Burris: author and illustrator, SCBWI National Illustrator Coordinator & Advisor

Linda Shute: illustrator or author/illustrator of 13 picture books and our FL SCBWI Illustrators’ Coordinator
  

Workshop Tracks--Saturday, June 25^th

Picture Book

Alexandra Penfold: editor at Paula Wiseman, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Emma Dryden: 25 year veteran in children's publishing, owner of drydenbks--a multi-faceted company pertaining to all aspects of the children’s book publishing business

Alan Katz: author of many highly acclaimed children's books, including nine Silly Dilly Songbooks

Priscilla Burris: author and illustrator, SCBWI National Illustrator Coordinator & Advisor 

Middle Grade

Joanna Volpe: agent with Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation

Gordon Korman: author of more than seventy novels for kids and young adults with over twenty million copies of his novels in print

Young Adult

Michele Burke: editor at Knopf Books for Young Readers 

Kathleen Duey: award winning author who has published over 70 books for readers K-YA

Poetry

Kristin Daly Rens: editor at Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins

Lee Bennett Hopkins: award winning author and editor

Digital Media

Rubin Pfeffer: agent with East/West Literary Agency

Emma Dryden: 25 year veteran in children's publishing, owner of drydenbks--a multi-faceted company pertaining to all aspects of the children’s book publishing business

Loreen Leedy: author-illustrator of 40 picture books for children that often incorporate math, science, and language arts content. She is in the process of creating digital versions of some of her books.

Curtis Sponsler: Creative Director and Animator of AniMill, überNerd, Author of "The Focal Easy Guide to After Effects"

Moderator—Joyce Sweeney: mentor and author of fourteen novels for young adults

Are any of you wondering if the Digital Media Track is the one for you?  Moderator Joyce Sweeney sent me a blurb about it, and it sounds fabulous!

Do you need a gps to navigate the changing landscape of publishing?  Are you app challenged? Social media phobic? Downloads got you down? 

Our panel of experts --  Emma Dryden (veteran editor and founder of drydenbks), Rubin Pfeffer (East West Literary Agency), Loreen Leedy (award winning author and illustrator) and Curtis Sponsler (Creative Director, Animill) will not only demystify the new world of Digital Media, they will show you that there are some great new opportunities out there for everyone from beginners to veteran authors.  Get an insiders view of Digital Publishing from e-books to apps to book trailers. 


Everything looks amazing, it was so hard to choose!  I finally decided to take the Picture Book Intensive and the Middle Grade Track.  I hope some of you take the other tracks and the Novel Intensive, so we can swap notes!

It's been a whirlwind of incredible movie news in South Florida!  Beastly was spoofed on Saturday Night Live, with Miley Cyrus playing Lindy.  Here’s a blog post where Alex shares photos and fun details about the Beastly premiere.  And I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials, but if you’re like me and just can’t see it enough, here’s a link to the trailer.  And here’s a great article in the Miami Herald.

So...what happens when you take an amazing book and turn it into a movie?  I've been having so much fun shouting out all of Alex's fantastic news.  Beastly is #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List for children’s paperback books and is #26 on the USA Today Best Sellers List.  Wahoo! 

So huge congrats to Alex Flinn for her novel, Beastly, and the movie based on it being so successful!  And congrats on the recent publication of her newest novel, Cloaked.  It's sitting on my bookshelf now, begging me to finish up the novel I'm reading so I can dig into it.  I can't wait!

Time to stop blogging and get back to my synopsis.  I had to put my Mom Wars revision aside for a few days so I could whip the synopsis into great shape and send it along with the beginning of my middle-grade novel for the SCBWI WIP Grant by Friday.  It's amazing how much more difficult it feels to write a synopsis than an entire novel!  I think the bones are all there now.  I'm waiting on some more feedback from my wonderful critique groups to make sure I have enough of my main character's personality shining through, and that everything is as streamlined and clear as possible.  Critique groups and crit buddies rock!

Good luck to all of you who are applying for a grant.  I hope to see many of your names on the winner's list!    

The Novel Intensive

 Erin Murphy, Krista Marino, and Joyce Sweeney

 FL SCBWI Regional Conference 2011 in Miami 

This was an absolutely amazing intensive.  The three instructors worked so well together, it felt like they’ve been putting this intensive on for years.  I’ll share some of the highlights with you and wish I could blog about it in more detail…but I can’t give away everything.  If you ever have a chance to take a workshop or intensive with any of them in the future, sign up ASAP!

Overcoming Obstacles

Led by agent Erin Murphy

              Erin asked what our fantasy writing life would be like, and said that obstacles are usually assumptions and not reality.

What strengths/talents and weaknesses do you have?  Write them down…because we’re often too busy putting obstacles in our way to notice the good things.

Some people are over-disciplined (they might outline or have to write at the same time each day, and others are under-disciplined.

It’s great to have a support community.  She mentioned Verla Kay’s Blueboards as a wonderful one (I agree 100%--I’ve learned so much, made tons of writing friends, and even found my online critique groups through the Blueboards).

Erin mentioned a method called the Pomodoro Technique, which helps her stay on task.  You write down your goals the night before, then set a timer for twenty-five minutes and don’t let anything distract you from your goal.  If you need to look something up or come up with a brilliant idea for a different project, quickly jot down the info so you can work on it at another time. 

Joyce talked about the importance of a great critique group. She says to try to have at least one person who is better than you.  And make sure it’s the right group for you.  Do you leave inspired, or never wanting to write again?  (I feel really lucky to be in three wonderful online groups and two amazing local groups—including one led by super-mentor Joyce.  I can’t imagine trying to get published without my talented critique buddies letting me know if the pacing is off, when something is unclear, and helping me dig deeper than I ever thought possible into my characters and stories—not to mention all the support they give me.  Critique groups and crit buddies rock!!!)

Krista Marino added that authors shouldn’t post the amount of money they make online, and to make sure you don’t talk negatively about editors and agents. 

Building Scenes

Led by Author Joyce Sweeney

You should be in scene almost all the time, with little bits of narration in between.  Otherwise, you’re just telling the story.

 Here are the beginner problems she sees most often:

·         A point of view switch for no reason

·         Not writing in scene (you should see dialogue)

Each scene is a plot in and of itself—you should see a little arc in each one.

             Each scene has to matter to plot.  Make sure you cut it if it isn’t advancing the story.  If a book takes place in November, you don’t have to celebrate Thanksgiving if it doesn’t add anything to the plot.

 If something bad is coming, make sure the description fits the mood.

 Use the inciting event to lure the reader in.  It isn’t exciting to say ‘nothing much happened on Tuesday’.

 The climax doesn’t always have to be an awful event—it can be happy…but has to be more than just showing a friendship.  Make something happen, too!

 If you stop a chapter at an awesome place mid-scene, then you don’t need to orient the reader again in the next chapter.

I didn’t include the parts of a scene in this post, because I had taken an amazing two hour scene workshop with Joyce a while back, and blogged about it in detail here.

Voice

Led by Krista Marino

You can recognize the authorial voice from book to book—it’s the fingerprint of an author.  Some change it up more than others, like Libba Bray. 

The narrative voice is invented by an author, but it isn’t the author’s voice.

 Elements that contribute to voice:

·         Diction—vocabulary/word choices

·         Perspective

·         Characterization—conveys info about appearance, gender, education level, religion.  Even if it’s not on the page, the author needs to know EVERYTHING about the characters.

·         Dialogue—interior monologue is the #1 element she feels is missing from manuscripts.  When a character shakes her head, what is she really thinking?  It needs emotional context.  (She read a scene from a book without internal monologue, and then again with it, and wow…there was a HUGE difference.)

Just being about a teen doesn’t make it YA.  It has to do with perspective (experiences).  The second an adult voice takes over, we place judgment on a child.  To see a good example of teen outlook vs. adult outlook, watch 17 again—a great line from that showing the wisdom from an adult prospective is “When you’re young, everything feels like it’s the end of the world.”  The younger you are, the more a child often has the ‘end of the world’ experience.    

Big is a great movie to see for a teen outlook in an adult world. 

Her favorite books are character driven—they need to have a plot and a strong voice.  A great example is Harry Potter.

Make a list of your main character’s attributes.  Does he or she have any defining physical traits? You need to know your character’s motivation.  Think of him or her as real (one participant in the intensive buys things for his main character and looks at those items as he writes).

Dialogue or interior monologue should:

·         Illustrate the character’s personality  

·         Take the plot forward

·         Feel real

What they’re thinking can be different from what they say.  Internals that are creative and deep can take a manuscript to the next level. 

Go to a public place where you can listen to what kids say (and how they speak).  You can also use your experiences (try to remember how you felt at prom, etc. and wonder what if… and see where it leads).

Krista Marino mentioned that she usually doesn’t like first person, present tense.

Revision

Led by Erin Murphy

Put your manuscript away for a while and get some distance so you can see it clearly. 

Here are some revision methods to consider: 

·         Darcy Pattison’s shrunken manuscript method—shrink down to about four manuscript pages per printed page, lay them out on the floor, and glance at them to see the pacing.

·         You can color code elements, use sticky notes, create a spreadsheet, or use a program like Scrivner

·         Outline after you’ve written

·         Read it out loud

·         Have someone else read it

·         Switch between reading it in print or on a screen

If you hate cutting anything from your novel, create a file for the deletions (I’ve been doing that for a while, and am starting to have more pages in my Orphan file than my actual manuscript…but it definitely makes hitting the delete key much easier).

When you get a revision letter, start small and break it down.  You can’t do everything at once—it’s too overwhelming.

You can check for overused words on a program like Worldles.net.  (I think Joyce added this one—it really is amazing to see what your most used words are.  A word like ‘just’ shouldn’t be one of the most frequent words in your manuscript.)

There’s a helpful checklist/outline format on Verla Kay’s Blueboards called: Nine Steps for Plotting Fiction. 

Erin Murphy gave us a great handout  entitled Questions to Ask Yourself When Revising a Scene.  I LOVE having all these wonderful questions in one place, and am having fun choosing a few to consider with each full round of revisions.  I’ll share some of my favorites with you (since I can’t give away all of Erin’s secrets).

·         Why is this scene necessary?  What would be missing from the story if it were removed?

·         Do you find yourself skimming some parts to get to the good stuff?

·         Does the scene address the main character’s internal arc as well as his or her place in external events in the story?  Do we have a sense of his or her goal in this scene?

·         Are all the characters present in the scene active in the scene, or actively shown there?  If it’s easy to forget any are there, and that is not intentional, do they really need to be there at all?  **Another gem that Erin shared is that if this happens in several scenes, you might be able to merge two characters together (I had to do that in my first novel because I didn’t really need two grandmothers and the combined version of both became a much more 3D character).  She said it’s okay for characters to be there for comic relief.

·         Does the scene include any important concrete devices or motifs that need to be threaded throughout the manuscript?  (If not, are any of those things present within a scene or two of this one)?

Wow…I wanted to keep typing away, because I have two pages of wonderful questions in the handout.  Definitely take Erin’s revision workshop if you have the chance!  In the meantime, Erin told us that Robin LaFevers has an amazing site that contains a good portion of the ideas that inspired her handout.  There are tons of gems on Robin’s site—scroll down and check out the list of labels on the right side.

Here’s some of the great info I picked up about Erin Murphy and Krista Marino during the first page critiques and Q&A:

* Both of them aren’t big on talking animal books.

 Krista Marino:

·         Boy MG is needed

            
             Erin Murphy:

·         She prefers that writers have more than one book and are familiar with conferences and the writing world.  An agent is a partner, not a teacher.

·         As the economy slows, the process slows.  An agent might get a manuscript as strong as possible, then test to one or two editors to see if there are any revision suggestions before blowing their chances.

·         Smaller imprints in bigger houses tend to be a little more nurturing.
 

As you can tell, this was an amazing Novel Intensive, and I’m thrilled that I was able to participate and share some of the gems with all of you.  I’ll blog about all the Saturday speakers, plus the two wonderful workshops I took on Sunday as soon as I make some more progress on my MG revision. 
  
 

GOOD NEWS!
Congrats, everyone. :)


 BOOK CONTRACTS, RELEASES, AND SIGNINGS:

I’m hoping to put at least one success story in every listserv.  What are you waiting for?  Let me know your great news so we can all celebrate.

For this issue, the success stories are all up above in the tribute to Linda.  And like I said when I introduced the agent panel…I have a feeling that after listening to the secrets that Erin Murphy, Michael Bourret, and Sarah Davies shared with us and attending the FL SCBWI Miami Conference, a lot of you will be sending me great news soon—and I can’t wait to celebrate with you!

AWARDS AND CONTESTS: 

Greg Neri just won a Coretta Scott King Book Award Honor for Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty!  Greg’s book was illustrated by Randy DuBurke and published by Lee & Low Books Inc.  Huge congrats, Greg!  We all cheered for you at the conference and are sending more congrats your way now.  

The 2011 Picture Book Marathon starts on February 1^st—sign up by January 30^th for this fun challenge that will have you writing twenty-six picture book manuscripts next month.  Of course, they’ll probably be really rough drafts…but think of all the fun you’ll have choosing which ones to revise instead of staring at a blank page, wishing you could find the time and inspiration to start a new picture book manuscript.  Bruce Hale talked about finding ways to make more time to write, and this could be the jumpstart you need!  

SCBWI Crystal Kite Member Choice Awards Competition.

January 31^st is the deadline to enter any 2010 publication in the all-new SCBWI Crystal Kite Member Choice Awards Competition. Any first-run book for young readers published by a PAL publisher in the 2010 calendar year is eligible for the award.

How to Enter

All you need to do is log in to your SCBWI Member Profile, enter your book information on the "Publications" tab, and make sure that you've clicked the box that reads "Yes, I would like to submit this publication for Crystal Kite Awards nomination."

HIGHLIGHTS 2011 FICTION CONTEST (The deadline is almost here!) 

CATEGORY:  Fiction involving an embarrassing moment.

PRIZES:  Three prizes of $1,000 or tuition for the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop at Chautauqua.

ENTRY DATES:  All entries must be postmarked between January 1 and January 31, 2011.

WRITING CLASSES, WORKSHOPS & OTHER EVENTS 

Writing for Children and Teens: Finding an Agent

Sat., Feb. 12, 10:30 a.m.

Royal Palm Beach Branch Library

500 Civic Center Way * Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411 

Are you an adult who writes picture books, middle grade fiction, or young adult fiction? This workshop and critique group series is for beginning to intermediate writers who want to improve their craft and learn a little bit about publication. In February we will talk about writing good query letters and finding a literary agent. (60 min.)  Please call 561-790-6030 or email boskya@pbclibrary.org to sign up.

MARKET NEWS 

Julie Strauss-Gabel has been promoted to VP and publisher of Dutton Children's Books. The unit will publish 10 to 15 titles a year as "a boutique middle grade and young adult imprint with a focus on titles of exceptional literary quality and strong commercial appeal." Penguin Children's president Don Weisberg says that Strauss-Gabel will be taking Dutton Children's "gracefully into the future and I am excited to see her take on this new role at Penguin." 

NEW AGENT ALERT

Marcia Wernick and Linda Pratt, veteran literary agents who spent the majority of their careers at the Sheldon Fogelman Agency, are decamping to start their own eponymous outfit. The pair, who handle children's authors and illustrators, have worked together for more than 20 years and will focus on everything from picture book authors to YA novelists at the new agency, Wernick & Pratt.

*We do not endorse any contests or event, we are just passing along the information. Please do your own due diligence before entering any contest or submitting to any agent.

FANTASTIC ARTICLES, BLOGS, AND WEBSITES:
 

Here’s a note from Bruce Hale, who gave an incredible keynote speech at our conference in Miami:   

I loved meeting you all at the Miami conference! If you're running into roadblocks on the way to being published..., or if you're wondering what to do now that you're finally published — you might enjoy my newsletter of writing tips.

It's got inspirational quotes, feature articles, and a Q&A section where I answer readers' questions. This month, you'll find the answer to the first of several questions sent to me by Miami conference attendees. Here's the link: http://www.BruceHaleWritingTips.com/

Looking forward to hearing from you! 

Bruce 

At our conference, several agents spoke about writers leaking too much information online.  Don’t forget that whatever you say on blogs, message boards, and basically anywhere on the Internet can (and probably will) be found by agents or editors.  Here’s a great blog post from agent Jennifer Laughran on the same topic. 

Agent Jill Corcoran wrote an informative and timely blog about how to sub queries & full manuscripts in the digital age.

Check out this great new blog called EMU’S Debuts that explores the winding path that lies between the Book Deal and the Debut, brought to you by eight debuting authors represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Erin Murphy of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.   

Here’s a site by Harold Underdown where you can check all the major children’s book awards and winners from 2002-2011.  You can also find out more about each award.  You’ll also find great articles and market info on his website.   

Want to read more about the conference?  Here are the photos I took, and I hope you’ll all stop by our Florida SCBWI Facebook page and add your photos (please take a peek at what is there first so we don’t have too many similar pictures).  Check out these blogs, and you’ll find tons of info, inspiration, and photos!   

Donna Gephart

Larissa Hardesty

Shannon Hitchcock

Sarah Davies

I haven’t had time to type up all my notes yet, but Erin Murphy said that a good portion of her amazing handout entitled Questions to Ask Yourself When Revising a Scene was inspired by the great info that Robin LaFevers has on her website.  I love how easy it is to find writing gems like a characterization worksheet and plotting advice (scroll down and you'll see a list of labels on the right side).  Thanks for sharing all this wonderful writing info, Erin and Robin! 

I hope to have the Novel Intensive, general session, and workshop posts up soon (probably in three separate posts next week), so feel free to hop by my blog.     

Do you blog about our conferences?  Shoot me an e-mail with a link when you post a conference blog and I’d love to include it in future listservs.

CRITIQUE GROUPS

It's always helpful to receive feedback on a manuscript.  I belong to two local and three online groups, and can't thank them enough for all the suggestions and support they have given me.  Are you interested in joining a local or online critique group or starting one if there are no active groups in your area?  Contact our Critique Group Coordinator, Paul May, and don't forget to check out the list of critique groups on our website.

Here’s a message from a critique group in Jacksonville that is looking for new members:

Our critique group in Jacksonville is looking for an additional member. We would prefer a picture book writer, but middle grade is fine as well. We currently have six active members who are serious about being published. One member has several book deals and others are getting close.

Because our group is established we take our time finding new members. We ask each prospective member to complete a questionnaire and to submit a writing sample so we can get to know them. We think this is the best way to have a good fit for everyone.

If you are interested, please contact Jennifer Swanson.  

Are you actively seeking new members for your critique group?  Send me a blurb about the genres you cover and other important info, and I’d be happy to include it in the next listserv.

* If you have a book sale, publication date, signing, (and are a PAL member who wants to mention a book from a PAL publisher), or you have a contest win, agent news, or an SCBWI Success Story to share, please e-mail the info to me in a similar format to the ones I posted above.  I can’t wait to celebrate with you!  
 

Best, 

Mindy

Mindy Alyse Weiss

I had an amazing time at the 10th annual SCBWI Florida Regional Conference in Miami.  I'm lucky to live in an area with such a wonderful SCBWI group, filled with incredibly supportive and talented authors and illustrators.  Here's a special tribute that I included in the FL SCBWI listserv that I'd love to share with all of you, and hope you'll be able to join us for a future conference.  The January conference in Miami is a great excuse to escape the snow for a weekend, and our June conference is on Disney property, so you can easily turn it into a family vacation.

I'll paste the tribute part of the listserv below, and will add the rest in a second post--it includes some wonderful market info (including contests and a fun picture book challenge with deadlines in the next two days).

Hi everyone.  I want to thank our amazing RA, Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld, wonderful new ARA, Marcea Ustler, and all the fabulous volunteers for making the FL SCBWI conference in Miami an absolutely incredible experience for us.  I can’t rave enough about the speakers.  And thank all of you for making our 10^th anniversary such a special event.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was when Linda was given a beautiful necklace, a celebration cake, and several of our successful authors told her how much all her hard work and dedication helped their dreams come true.  Surprise again, Linda—because I contacted everyone and now you’ll have it in writing.  Any time you’re running around trying to replace a faculty member who can’t come last minute or any of the other issues that come up, you’ll remember how many people you’re helping…and how grateful we all are to you.

Joyce Sweeney

 Author of fourteen novels and one book of poetry.

She has twenty-nine students published and is now also directing plays.

I remember Linda contacting me about creating a possible SCBWI chapter...I told her, I'll do anything to help you make that happen.  We had that little conference at the elementary school and the next year, Linda had found a hotel and rounded up Judy Blume.  I knew that with SCBWI helping me I could go from a small time mentor to an Uber-mentor...and it happened.  SCBWI was not only an amazing place for me to find talented writers, but also to meet agents and editors to whom I still make referrals.  I have 29 people published from my workshops alone and I think the total number of people published in these past ten years from all of SCBWI Florida is about 40 people. We have incredible success stories like Alex Flinn who has a feature film coming out of her novel Beastly.  Or Christina Gonzalez, whose book has gone into multiple printings.  And other, quieter careers that are equally fullfilling.  Linda is a true fairy godmother to us all and she's also a wonderful writer. I know you'll all agree it's her turn to get some of that fairy dust!

Marjetta Geerling

Author of FANCY WHITE TRASH (Viking, '08)

and RAPUNZEL SHAVES HER HEAD (Viking, '12)

At the very first SCBWI Miami Regional Conference in 2001, Alex Flinn (who I'd met only a few weeks before) introduced me to Joyce Sweeney and told Joyce she should work with me. Joyce mentored me, referred me to agent George Nicholson who took me on as a client in '02, and my first book sold in '07. Without my SCBWI critique groups and contacts, I probably would've given up long before the first contract came along. Thank you, Linda, for helping to create such a supportive community for children's writers in Florida!

Danielle Joseph

 Author of Shrinking Violet (MTV/Pocket Books, 2009)

Indigo Blues (Flux, 2010)

and Pure Red (Flux, coming October 2011)

Linda Bernfeld has done an awesome job in helping many writers reach their dreams. She has put together ten years of amazing SCBWI conferences, outdoing herself each year. Not only is she busy running two Florida conferences a year but she also runs a weekly critique group. I have been in Linda's critique group for almost nine years now. I have learned so much from the group and conferences which has helped me better my writing tenfold, eventually signing up with an amazing agent and am now awaiting my third book to be published this coming October. Thanks, Linda, you rock!

Debbie Reed Fischer

Author of Braless in Wonderland (Dutton)

  and Swimming with the Sharks (Flux)

The first time I attended an SCBWI conference, my head reeled. Not because of the wealth of information being presented, or the authors, agents and editors with whom I was casually mingling, but because of the overwhelming feeling that I had found my people. There were others who read and wrote YA?! And they weren’t in the closet like me! They read childrens' books openly and talked about getting published!

Incredible. I was not alone.

A lady sitting next to me during one of the sessions pointed to Joyce Sweeney in the crowd and said, “She’s a great workshop teacher and all the authors know her.” So, once again, I rustled up some courage and approached Joyce. Again, a warm welcome, more introductions, an overwhelming feeling I was among people who understood me and would guide me to where I needed to go on this writing journey.

I took Joyce’s class, and a few months later found myself in the weekly critique group she led, which included Norma Davids, Dorian Cirrone, Danielle Joseph, Adrienne Sylver, Janeen Mason, Gloria Rothstein, Laurie Friedman, Flora Doone, Linda Rodgriguez-Bernfeld, and many others. My new mentor, Joyce, explained that I would have to read what I had written and then we would discuss it.

 Talk about courage. Why didn’t I just stroll down the street in my bathrobe and zit cream mask? That would have been easier than sharing my words with people who were going to slice them and dice them and put them under a microscope.

But I learned. I became a better writer. I learned what I did well as well as what I had to work on. Most important, I created close bonds with other writers, which is so much of what SCBWI is all about. By the time the second conference rolled around the following year, I had a critique session with an agent named Steven Chudney, who told me within minutes of my pitch that I talked too much. Very perceptive! We laughed, and luckily, he decided to read what I had to say instead of listening to me babble. A few months later I officially had an agent. At that same conference, I met an editor from Dutton named Mark McVeigh, who later bought my second novel, Braless in Wonderland and became my editor.

So to recap: I met my teacher/ mentor, my agent, and my editor at SCBWI conferences. All because of a few chance meetings leading me to SCBWI.

And I met Linda. None of it would have been possible without Linda Rodriguez-Bernfeld. She gives up her own writing time for the demands of SCBWI, works hard all year to bring in the best of the best. All year, we writers look forward to the conferences where we strengthen those bonds.

That is why you MUST show up to these SCBWI conferences because you never know who you will meet that will bring you closer to your goal of being published. I am a prime example. 

To quote The Cat Ate my Gym Suit’s Paula Danziger, who spoke at the first conference I attended, “We make our own success. Put yourself in the right place, hope it’s the right time, and do your best.”

So, thank you so veryveryvery much, Linda, for providing the right place, year after year, and inspiring us to do our best. We are forever grateful.

Adrienne Sylver

Author of Hot Diggity Dog: The History of the Hot Dog

I first met Linda when I attended a critique group at the South Miami Library. I don’t think the group had had many meetings yet, and I remember that it was a small group, maybe just Linda, Sandy, and perhaps Susan at the time. From the minute I walked in the room, I was made to feel welcome. It was a place I belonged and it was an atmosphere where we could learn together. Linda really set the tone for what would become Florida SCBWI. Our little critique group grew over the years and moved to several different locations, but that feeling and camaraderie has never changed. Our much larger statewide organization is filled with people who are always willing to share, whether it’s advice on how to improve a manuscript or the feeling of joy when one of us sells a book. And while we may joke that Linda loves being an R.A. because it gets her a trip to L.A., we know that she is making the trip for us. Every time she returns, she’s got a list of terrific editors, agents, and authors who are willing to come to Florida to share their expertise. I’m happy to say that I’m an SCBWI success story; I met my editor at an SCBWI-Florida conference. Without Linda, that wouldn’t have been possible. And without Linda, we wouldn’t be sitting here this evening celebrating ten years together. Linda consistently puts the needs of others before the needs of herself, and she deserves a huge thank you from all of us.

The last speaker had us all in tears—it was Linda’s son, Brian.  And here’s what he had to say:

First off, Mom I helped you out this whole time because you've always been there to support me. I was seven when you started all of this.  I had no idea what it was, but I knew it was at my elementary school and there were cookies, and ever since then I haven’t wanted to miss one. You have always been there for me no matter what, going to my games, taking me to the hospital. And I have seen that you still have been able run these amazing conferences. I have seen and heard from experience going to all these events that you really run one hell of a show. And I can say with pride that 'Linda is my mom.' And for everything you have ever done for me, thank you, because I know if half of your work ethic has rubbed off on me, I will be one amazing and successful kid when I go off to college.  

Brian also has a message for us:  Tell everyone thank you so much for helping and supporting her. She wouldn’t be able to do this without any of you guys. She gets all the credit, but you guys are the heroes.

And here’s a special message from our wonderful, hard-working RA, Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld:

How do you say thank you for such a lovely gift? Not only the necklace, which I adore. The necklace is perfect. I love pearls and the Golden Kite Medallion is beautiful. I am going to have fun showing it to everyone the next time I get together with regional advisors.

But the truth is, the best gift was the parade of friends giving such wonderful testimonials about my small part in their success.  Plus, the testimonial of my awesome son. It meant so much having my family there to witness those speeches.

Organizing the conferences is a labor of love. I truly enjoy finding the speakers. I enjoy having them here and I love the fact that now Florida conferences have the reputation as the place to be for speakers. But they don’t come just because Florida is warm and they have fun at our events. They come because other editors are telling them if you have a chance to go to Florida, take it because the level of writing here is tremendous. I provide the opportunity but you provide the talent and the hard work that makes this state a goldmine for editors and agents.

We had at least 18 requests for manuscripts coming out of the January conference. Wow. That’s a tribute to you. And it makes it much easier for me to reach out to someone and say, “how would you like to come to Florida?”

The Mid-Year Workshop is scheduled for June 24-25 at the Coronado Springs Hotel in Disney World. I still haven’t settled on the number of intensives but we will definitely have an Illustrators’ Intensive, probably a Picture Book Intensive but I’m still trying to figure out the Novel Intensive. We are toying around with an idea but I don’t know if it will be in place of the Novel Intensive or in addition to the Novel Intensive. More on that soon.

The Workshop itself will have the Picture Book Track (Emma Dryden, Alan Katz), the Middle Grade Track (Joanna Volpe), the Young Adult Track (Kathleen Duey) a Poetry Track (Lee Bennett Hopkins and Kristen Daley Ren) plus an Interactive Media Track that I’m still finalizing. Emma Dryden will be speaking in that track as well as the PB track. Lisa Wheeler will be involved in the PB Intensive.

Because of the many family medical crises this year, I did not have the opportunity to pin down all the speakers before the January conference. But I’ve made great progress since then and I hope to have things settled by the end of next week.

There are so many people to thank after an event, especially an event as successful as the regional conference. I always manage to forget someone so I’m going to apologize in advance.  

Thanks again, Linda, for putting together such an amazing conference for us!  I can’t wait until the Orlando Workshop on June 25^th (intensives will be on the 24^th).  I’ll share the names of the rest of the faculty with all of you as soon as they are confirmed, and hope to see a lot of you there!

I keep reading queries with beautiful writing but NO STORY HOOK. Create your hook BEFORE you write the book. Then write your hooky book beautifully.

1. Get as much of my Mom Wars revision finished as possible.  I'm over page 100 now.  The first fifty pages are in fantastic shape.  The second fifty are in various stages of revision.  I'd love to complete at least one full round of revisions on the entire manuscript.
2. Write my November From The Mixed-Up Files post and have it formatted and ready to go.
3. Plot out my NaNoWriMo Novel.  I wasn't sure what I'd write until I was eating dinner at a restaurant with my girls.  That makes three NaNo novels in a row that they've inspired!  I jotted down tons of ideas, but put it aside so I could work on my revision.  Suddenly, lots of ideas keep coming to me again, so I need to write them down before they fly away.  I'd also love to do more detailed character sketches than I have in the past, and use a few writing exercises that I've learned.  A year ago, I took a Chapter One Workshop with Joyce Sweeney, and it helped me find the perfect place to begin Mom Wars (and add a cool hook), so I'll definitely go through those exercises again.
4. Complete at least one writing article (I've had a few ideas floating around for a while, but thinking about NaNo gave me a fantastic article idea this morning.  I can't wait to see how it will come out!)
5. Polish up at least three picture books and if there's time, work on one or two that are a bit further away from being able to submit.
6. Get my November 15th sub of Mom Wars and a picture book sub ready for my groups.
7. Finish all crits (and clear my schedule of them from November 1st through until I finish my NaNo novel...which is usually around the 16th of November).
8. Keep exercising 4-6 times a week (I have a bad habit of slacking off when I have a huge to-do list and during NaNo).
9. Spend lots of time with my family.
10. Buy everyone in the house extra underwear...because we've run out in the past when I've fallen behind on laundry because I can't pry myself away from my NaNo novel.

My girls loved reading when they were younger, but had trouble making the leap from picture books and early chapter books into middle-grade novels.  I’m thrilled to post an interview with author Laurie Friedman on The Mixed-Up Files...of Middle-Grade Authors site today.  Laurie and her spunky, lovable character, Mallory, have helped so many kids make this important transition.  The series begins when Mallory moves to a new town and starts 3^rd grade, and follows her through summer camp, several trips, and culminates as she finishes 4^th grade.   Since Mallory starts off as an eight year-old in the series and finishes at age ten, she takes the leap into middle-grade along with readers.

Hop on over to The Mixed-Up Files site to read the interview, that talks about the Mallory series, and how it can help kids make this important transition.  You'll also learn some secrets about what is in store for Mallory in the rest of the series.  The 14th book was recently released and there are a total of 20 under contract now....yes, I said 20.  Wow!

You'll also have a chance to win the most recent hot-off-the-press book, Mallory in the Spotlight. 
 

For those of you who write middle-grade novels and are agented and/or have at least one book under contract or out with a traditional publisher...From The Mixed-Up Files has decided to add four new members to our blog family.  Check out yesterday's blog post for more information!  
 

I feel lucky to live in an area where there are so many supportive writers!  I took yet another amazing workshop with Joyce Sweeney, and I’ve already been able to strengthen my middle-grade novel, Mom Wars, thanks to the new insight I’ve gained from these exercises.

Thanks Joyce, for letting me share this incredibly helpful info with my online friends!    

Readers really don’t get to know a character from a physical description—it’s always shown through dialogue.

·       The main character is basically the most like you—should have your heart and soul.  He or she is a disguised part of you.

·       The conflict the main character has should be something you have gone through and understand...or hope to understand. 

·       The better you know yourself, the better you’ll be able to make your character.  Make sure he or she has flaws—you can’t just paint the character in a good light.

Exercise 1: In about 75 words, describe your main character in a way that lets us see his or her built in flaw.

The plot can have four big turns, where the reader sees something change the character or make the character understand better. 

Plot turn 1: The first quarter point where readers get sucked into the story.

Plot turn 2: Midpoint.

Plot turn 3: Climax (can be close to the end).

Plot turn 4: Resolution.

Exercise 2: Write out the four plot points for your character—list the emotion next to each point.

You need to emotionally understand your supporting characters, because they’re all part of you on some level.

Exercise 3:  Write three positives about yourself.

            Next to them, write the opposite.  For example, if you’re generous, you could write selfish after it.

            Now...think about the antagonist in your story.  The opposite traits often show up in your antagonists over and over again.

Exercise 4: Write down the name of your antagonist/s (you MUST have at least one character who is an antagonist, it can’t just be a hurricane or other element—even if the element causes the downfall of your character, the antagonist will be there to cheer for his or her defeat).

Think about what the main character wants at the beginning and who stands in the way.  There should be a big confrontation with the biggest antagonist at the climax (or at least somebody laughing at his/her failure).

If multiple antagonists, try to go from the smallest to the largest antagonist for the biggest impact during the climax.

Other characters:

·       Foils—Exist to highlight something about the main character (usually something he/she isn’t, because it doesn’t help to have other characters who are exactly the same as the main character).  The opposite traits frame the main character.

·       Mentor (don’t have too many—and don’t let the mentor solve the main character’s problem—the main character MUST rescue herself).

·       Little thing to be protected, which raises the stakes (like Rue in The Hunger Games, Toto in The Wizard of Oz, and it could be something like a vulnerable gay friend).

Exercise 5:  List everyone in the book (except walk-on characters).

For children’s literature, see if you can keep your character list small...maybe ten people.

            Now, write why they are important to the story—how do they impact the main character?  (At this point, I realized that all mine worked except one, and it’s because she’s a walk-on character even though she’s in a few scenes). 

* Make sure every character has a purpose.  Don’t just give someone three brothers because that’s what you have.  Only use three brothers if they NEED to be in the story.  (In my first novel, I ended up having to cut a grandmother because both grandmothers served the same purpose, so she wasn’t needed, and I meshed the qualities together to create an even more unique, important-to-the-story grandmother.)

Exercise 6: Write a scene showing a huge conflict between your protagonist and the biggest antagonist (for those of you with completed drafts...write something that is NOT already in your novel).  *When I did that, I stumbled upon a great scene that I can’t wait to add during my revision of my MG, Mom Wars.

Exercise 7: Write a scene around the climax between the main character and the foil.

At the end, I asked Joyce if she had any advice for fleshing out characters.  I’ve really been trying to make sure mine are all unique…but it isn’t always easy to make them clear enough that you could actually tell who is talking if someone reads the dialogue without tags.

 
Here’s what she suggested:

1.     Take friends and stick them in there (she takes older friends and makes them younger but keeps similar speech patterns).

2.      Kathleen Duey’s interview method, where you start asking your character questions, then remove yourself from the process as much as possible and let your character take over.  (I’m absolutely in love with this one—it has given me so much insight into my characters!) 

3.     Kathleen also suggests to have a secondary character think about the main character and write a paragraph or two about him/her. This can help you flesh out characters and get to know your main character even better. Check out some of Kathleen’s other gems in this past blog post).

 
Here’s one last point that Joyce emphasized: Don’t forget that the emotional life is more important than the physical details.  Work on the inner life of your characters more than their exteriors—that’s what readers remember the most. 

Hi everyone.  Our 10th Annual SCBWI Florida Regional Conference will be held on January 14-16, 2011 at the Wyndham Miami Airport Hotel.  We have a fantastic faculty lined up (and might just surprise you by adding another speaker or two...so keep your eyes open for updates). 

¬  Author Bruce Hale--The Chet Gecko Series, Prince of Underwhere Series

¬  Author Cinda Williams Chima—The Warrior Heir, The Wizard Heir, The Dragon Heir, The Demon King

¬  Author Lauren Myracle—Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Bliss, TTYL

¬  Editor-in-Chief Bonnie Bader—Grosset and Dunlap and Price Stern Sloan

¬  Editor Kate Jacobs—Roaring Brook Press

¬  Agent Sarah Davies—Greenhouse Literary Agency

¬  Agent Erin Murphy—Erin Murphy Literary Agency

¬  Agent Michael Bourret—Dystel & Goderich Literary Management

Intensives:

Novel: Author Joyce Sweeney and agent Erin Murphy

Fantasy: Author Cinda Williams Chima

Picture Book: Author Gloria Rothstein

AWARDS AND CONTESTS:

The guidelines for the Highlights 2011 Fiction Contest are up, and they're looking for stories that involve an embarrassing moment.

Cheerios New Author Contest:  You could win $5,000 and have your original story for children 3 – 8 distributed inside boxes of Cheerios. NOTE:  You may not enter if you have received payment (or are about to receive payment for an upcoming publication).  Make sure you check the rules carefully!

MARKET NEWS

Lauren Hodge recently left Little, Brown for Custom Publishing at Simon and Schuster.  She was a speaker at our 2010 Regional Conference.  (Thanks to Harold Underdown for the info.)

Catherine Onder has joined Disney-Hyperion as senior editor. She has been an editor at Harper Children's for the past seven years, and was a speaker at our 2007 Mid-Year Workshop.

Nancy Conescu will join Dutton Children's as executive editor on July 6, reporting to president Lauri Hornik. Most recently she was senior editor at Little, Brown Children's.

Cecily Kaiser will join Abrams on July 6 in the new role of publishing director for children's books for kids five-years-old and younger. Kaiser will be responsible for "conceptualizing, launching, and managing all aspects of this new initiative." She has been at Scholastic for the last 10 years, most recently as editorial director in the trade division for Cartwheel and Little Scholastic.

FANTASTIC ARTICLES:

Check out this fabulous blog from agent Jennifer Laughran (from Andrea Brown, Literary Agency).  She always gives great info about the business and answers all kinds of questions about agents. 

Wow, this is a fantastic Q&A on the Greenwillow blog (they're an imprint of HarperCollins). 

The Bookshelf Muse posted a great list of blogs you can't live without and it has other great info, like an emotion thesaurus (scroll down and read all the options on the right side of the page).

( Read more... )