3 Great Cheryl Klein posts on the Craft of Writing

I'm popping in for a moment to make sure writers hear about a terrific new mini-series on Cheryl Klein's Brooklyn Arden blog.

Klein often writes Behind the Book posts for the titles she publishes. This time she offers Three Things Writers Can Learn from Liar's Moon by Elizabeth C. Bunce.


Klein discusses (1) knowing what sort of story you're writing; (2) how to make a mystery matter; and (3) how to recognize the power of a damn good outline. You don't have to write for young readers to find these posts helpful.

It all starts with this post:

http://chavelaque.blogspot.com/2011/12/behind-book-three-things-writers-can.html

Cheryl Klein is a superb analyst as well as a terrific teacher, which is why we recommend both her blog and her book.

When Is the End, the End?

by

Dave Amaditz


In dealing with this month's theme of "the end" I thought I had come up with a perfect blog topic. A week or so ago I breathed a sigh of relief because I finished a major rewrite of my young adult novel. I should have known better than to celebrate, well to celebrate the end prematurely anyway, because as any writer should know when writing a story, the end is not always the end.

So let me take you back to the beginning, which would have been the end, had I not had this really cool idea...

1998.

Idea wouldn't let go of me. He knew something I didn't know. He knew I needed a beginning before I could have an ending. He knew an ending wouldn't happen unless the thought was put to paper... which finally happened four years later...  just a few chapters, a few notes, a brief outline while I finished other projects.

"Outline notes and a few chapters are not enough," Idea told me. "Finish."

"Don't you really mean for me to begin?" I asked.

"Begin then," Idea said.

So I began my first draft somewhere around 2003 and finished approximately a year later. Finished, did I say? Reached the end? No. No. No. That was just the beginning - - of the beginning - - of five more drafts - -  which takes me here, to the present, to the start of this blog post, to what I mistakenly began to celebrate as the end.

My story is getting stronger. It's in the hands of my writer's group as they critique my work. I know what they're going to say. I know there's more work to be done. In anticipation of that, I've begun to craft another beginning which utilizes tips I recently learned participating in a webinar given by Cheryl Klein. http://chavelaque.blogspot.com/ or http://cherylklein.com/ Anything to make my story stronger. Anything to bring me closer to the end.

I sometimes wonder though if I'll ever be able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing I reached the end. If and when my novel is accepted for publication is what I used to think. But I've been around the writing business long enough to know that work on your novel isn't finished just because you've been accepted for publication. Just ask Judy, my friend and fellow blogger, about the changes her editor has requested for her soon-to-be published manuscript.

The end? The end? The end? Will I ever reach the end? Will any writer ever reach the end?

I've come to believe a writer will never be done working. Not as long as ideas are born.  Because as we know, birth is a beginning not an end.

So you may be wondering... will I ever submit my story? Not until I have….

1. Had a trusted eye or set of eyes review my work.

2. Read my work aloud so I hear mistakes I was not able to see.

3. And another I've often heard about, but plan to try. Put my finished work into a drawer for a few months. That way, when I look at it again I'll hopefully see my work with a fresh set of eyes and be able to find mistakes I couldn't find before.

Some final words for you to ponder.

Idea has been keeping me awake at night and trying to distract me while I'm driving. I don't ask for him to do these things. He just does. It seems he never wants to leave me alone. And maybe that's a good thing.

Has he come to visit anyone else? In your dreams? In the shower? While you're walking? Some other crazy spot?

Let me hear from you.

An Editor's Advice on Creating the Perfect Cookie (or Cookie Table)

Or, the Pittsburgh Cookie Table—Christmas Style, part 4

Today's gift to you is a delightful forest to wander in—Brooklyn Arden. It's a forest of words--the blog of Cheryl Klein, an editor at Arthur A. Levine Books.

Here's one of her newest books. Are there cookies on that cover? Everywhere Klein works, I spy cookies. I suspect she's almost as obsessed about cookies as I am.

Consider, as evidence, these two selections from Klein's writings.

Words, Wisdom, Art & Heart: Making A Picture-Book Cookie is a talk Klein gave at a 2007 Los Angeles SCBWI Speakers' Day. Read it at http://www.cherylklein.com/cookie.html

I do hope Klein's Picture-Book Cookie recipe will be included in her forthcoming book Second Sight: An Editor's Talks on Writing, Revising, and Publishing Books for Children or Young Adults. Alas, this book is still pre-published, so I can't give (or receive) a copy this year. But I'll announce it on this blog as soon as it's out of the oven.

Klein's an essayist as well as an editor. Her light take on how to design/select sweets gave me lots of . . . food for thought. Two years later, Klein's Hypothesis of Sweets still makes delectable reading: http://chavelaque.blogspot.com/2009/01/hypothesis-of-sweets.html.

Brooklyn Arden is found at http://chavelaque.blogspot.com; we offer a quick link at right. But before you leave Route 19, take a look at this recipe.

It follows Klein's hypothesis that the ideal sweet combines two (but no more than two) sweet tastes. In this case, the flaky pastry wrapper is the dry crisp, while the fudge filling is the creamy.

The first version of this recipe I ever made appeared in a 1980 Ladies Home Journal, under the name Auntie Mary's. I loved their unusual shape and their fudginess. But the pastry was a misery to handle. This version, found a few years back in a Taste of Home magazine collection, makes a dough that is still tender and flaky, but rolls and shapes easily. So that's the recipe I'm presenting here.

The recipe is officially named

FUDGE-FILLED DESSERT STRIPS

But my family still calls them

THOSE AUNTIE MARY FUDGE SLICES

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups chopped walnuts
• Confectioners' sugar, optional

[In my view, the confectioners' sugar is essential.]

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add the flour. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth, about 3 minutes. Divide dough into [equal] fourths [I use a kitchen scale and shape the dough portions into rectangular patties]; cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle.

In a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips in milk. Stir in walnuts. Cool to room temperature.

On an ungreased baking sheet, roll out each portion of dough into an 11-inch x 6 ½ -inch rectangle. [I make a template on a piece of parchment, and roll on that.] Spread ¾ cup chocolate filling down the center of each rectangle. Fold long sides to the center; press to seal all edges. [Remove the parchment template.] Turn over so the seam sides are down.

Bake at 350 for 27-32 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. [Sift a generous amount of confectioners' sugar over them at this point.] Cut [while still a bit warm] into ½-inch slices. Makes about 3 dozen.

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED: Recipes often call for softened butter. But softened doesn't mean melted. Your butter is ready as soon as you can dent it with a gentle push of your finger. If your finger sinks all the way in, or if part of the butter is liquefied, the butter will not yield perfect results. Use it for a melted-butter recipe instead.