19 Writing Tips by Kitty Griffin

 Just 19 tips for those of you writing for children.

1. From Emma Dryden--Social Media (twitter, FB, blogs, websites) is never meant to be a sales pitch venue. NEVER. It is all meant to be a means to chat with colleagues, readers, and a way to make new friends.  Blogs are not read by kids, so blogs are not meant to be geared towards young readers -- rather, blogs are a really important way for writers to share their writing, their ideas, their thoughts, their interests with other adults -- writers, editors, friends, etc.  Blogs are an excellent way to start conversations, to raise questions, to ask friends and strangers to join in on a conversation, to express themselves, etc.  They say that for blogs to be most effective, the author should post 2 times a week -- this is a lot, so the idea of a group blog is terrific!  Generate ideas, share poetry, share recipes, share anecdotes about kids, pets, family, etc....all of this is a way to make writers more "personal" to a larger community  of readers.

2. From George Ella Lyon—“They don’t come to your house.”

(Knock! Knock! “Oh, hello hard-working writer, I’m a famous New York editor and I hear you have a story that is just wonderful. Can I see it? If you don’t send it they won’t see it!)

3. From Jane Yolen—“Butt in chair.”

4. Meeting an editor can make all the difference in the world. There are lots of conferences out there. Once you make a connection, work it, but do it professionally. Remember that editors today are insanely busy. A card to say thanks after having a one on one is nice. Nothing about your manuscript or your brilliant writing, just a plain thanks for taking time to help me.

5. Don’t bother an editor who doesn’t want a picture book with a picture book manuscript. Pay attention to what they do and what they want. If they don’t want sci fi, don’t tell them that yours will change their mind. It won’t.

6. The first page is so important. While quiet writing is always lovely and enchanting, I’ve found that the stories I have that slap the reader right into the story are the ones that get the most attention. Strong voice, vibrant verbs, and snappy dialogue will get your next page looked at. Then that has to be strong, vibrant and snappy, too.

7. Stay focused. No matter what is going on around you, keep your eyes on the prize, and that’s a finished manuscript. Then remember, an editor will tell you, “I love it love it love it can you change it?” This is hard, but ask yourself, “Do I want to be published?”

8. Invest in some classes. After all, if you don’t believe in you, who will? If you’re serious about your writing, but you realize you’re not getting anywhere, take a class and see if that helps. If you write fiction, maybe try a nonfiction class to see where it leads. Push yourself. Stretch your creativity. Get uncomfortable.

9. Rejection sucks. Nothing makes it feel better. It’s lousy. Remember that word, persistence. Be persistent and believe in yourself.

10. When something nice happens, reward yourself. Let the feeling last oh, a good ten minutes. Then get back to work.

 

From "The Ride: The Legend of Betsy Dowdy" Illustration by Marjorie Priceman

11. Make sure you are following the publishers’ guidelines. Read their submission policy carefully. Some want exclusive (me only) submissions. Some don’t care. Some want a first chapter. Some want a certain number of pages. If you’re addressing your query to someone in particular, make sure the name is spelled correctly. I've heard editors/agents talk about not reading a manuscript because THEIR name was spelled incorrectly.

12. Are you in a writer’s group? If there’s one in your area, try it on for size. Go three times and if you’re inspired and you RESPECT the people in the group, give it a try. Writer’s groups should nurture, not reject. They should help, not hinder. If there is someone who dominates the time and interjects and interrupts, run away.

13. Can you tell your story in three sentences? The first would tell the beginning, the second would be the middle, and the last one would give a hint about the ending. Can you do that? If you can’t…put the story in the oven and let it rise some more. Seriously. If you can’t do this three-sentence thing, your story is going to run all over the place. (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE IN THIS POST) 

14. When your crafting character’s dialogue, make sure that everyone doesn’t sound exactly the same.

15. How are your transitions? Are they conducting the reader or stopping them in their tracks?

16. Does your main character talk to herself a lot? Like all the time? Might could be you want to give her a friend to talk to.

17. Try to avoid using was.

18. Do you know what third person close means? It's the most common POV used in children's writing. If you don't know, find out. Or write to me and I'll tell you.

19. Remember, you can do this. You can do this. It takes time and persistence, but you can do this. I did it. You can too.

Look at how confident I was as a kid! Yee haw!

Catching a Trend

by Marcy Collier

I went to the Pittsburgh Pirates game over the weekend. For those of you who don’t follow baseball, the Pirates have struggled with 19 consecutive losing seasons, the longest in North American professional sports history. But as of today, they are in first place! http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Pirates-stay-hot-beat-Giants-13-2-3691712.php


As I think about the ups and downs of our home team over the years, I'm reminded  of how we struggle as writers to get that first novel published.

Every single one of my writer friends has vowed that he or she will quit writing at one point or another in their career. Some of them have, but the ones who really love it, breathe it, live it, have to write. They don’t have the option to quit because it’s a part of them. Like baseball players who love the game, even after such a long losing streak, they keep working hard, playing harder and if they’re lucky, eventually see a winning streak. They play because they love the game. Even during a rain delay when the tarps are rolled out over the field.

I finally sent my manuscript off to a few agents. I’ve received comments like:

 “I’ve read your sample pages and like the writing. However, the premise of the story is late to market so it would be a hard sell. I’d be happy to look at any other work you have.”

and

“I’m sorry to say we see too many teens with abilities novels just now, and I worry yours may have trouble standing out.”

and

“This isn’t feeling like a match for me.”

So what do you do when the novel you’ve labored over suddenly becomes a hot genre as you’re writing the draft? Do you hurry to finish so you can catch the trend wave? Do you vow that you'll never write again? 

No way! You keep running with your head held high, just like the pierogies during their race to the finish at the Pirate's games. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pierogi_Race)

The novel would not have been polished enough to have gone out to catch the trend. As writers, we have to write from the heart, not what’s hot. If you’re lucky, you’ll be the writer who sets the trend and becomes a race contender.

So what to do now? I’m going to do more research, keep submitting and start writing my next novel and hope that I don’t have 19 consecutive losing seasons before that first win.

A Better Brain for 2012

My writers group is truly a gift in my life. When I joined, an agent handled my work. I came to our meetings and participated in the critiquing. When the discussion turned to submissions--which editors had moved where, what the different houses were looking for, whether or not they accept un-agented manuscripts--I sat back, blissfully reorganizing comments around my manuscript or looking up an author someone had mentioned. I didn't need to worry about editor issues. They were my agent's proficiency. That was his arena, his problem, even though a niggling little voice told me I'd lost touch with a big, important part of the field. Sort of the way you feel when you hand your tax documents over to your accountant thinking you'd forgotten something, but telling yourself that if it really mattered she would ask for it. That's her job, to know what your tax return needs. Right?

I knew it was coming. Life had gotten more complicated and left me precious little room to write. I took up valuable space in my agent's hard drive, I suppose, because I certainly didn't bug him in any way. In fact, I avoided contacting him since our conversations always ended with his asking, "How's that next novel coming?". It wasn't. So in 2011 my agent cut me loose. Without him, I suddenly needed to know which editors have moved where, what they're looking for, and whether or not they accept un-agented manuscripts. And that's not all. While I lolligagged in Agentville, a whole new set of requirements developed involving the other fact of life I had avoided: technological savvy.

Like Dave Amaditz wrote in his blog Weather Woes=Less Motivation??, I've looked at these things for the past year as hills in my way. So, for 2012, I've turned them around, transformed them into learning opportunities. (I'm reading Daniel Amen's Making a Good Brain Great. One of his suggestions for doing so is to learn new things. It doesn't count to keep doing the things you're already decent at). Therefore, in the interest of my brain, holding onto my lovely writer's group, and getting this novel published, I'm relearning the marketplace. I've also signed up for Apple's One-to-One learning sessions. Book trailers are coming up on our group's agenda. I'll have my notebook and my Macbook ready. Bring it on.

submitted by Fran McDowell

Literary Rambles: Agent Spotlight... Part Two

by

Dave Amaditz and Marcy Collier

Casey McCormick

We hope that all of you had a nice holiday with friends and family.

This past Friday, December 23, 2011, we posted part one of a two-part interview with Casey McCormick, from Literary Rambles. The first part mainly focused on her blog, the history and what is required to maintain the site. Today, we'll talk mainly about how creating this site has affected her writing career. Let's get to the interview questions.

So grab a cup of coffee and what’s left of your holiday cookies and enjoy the interview.

Dave and Marcy: How long have you been writing for children?

Casey: I've been writing for children for four years.

Dave and Marcy: When reading your blog I have noticed that you have not yet submitted your work to agents because you feel your writing is not ready to submit. You’ve obviously read enough comments from agents to know that that is a wise choice. Do you feel you'll have something ready to submit soon? Do you have a pitch ready? How do you feel about the importance of a one line pitch?

Casey: I don't expect to have anything ready to submit anytime soon, no. The truth is, I'm extremely insecure and self-critical and it gets in the way of my writing hugely. Until I can find some self-confidence and a process that really works for me, I don't think I'll be ready for a professional career in writing. 

I'm beginning to think I belong on the other side of the desk, to be honest. The time I've spent helping other writers compared to the time I've spent actually writing suggests I enjoy the former more than the latter!

Dave and Marcy: I used to be able to pick up a book and read from beginning to end no matter what flaws were contained within. Now, as a writer who values a good critique of my own work, my critiquing skills are always on high alert, and I find it impossible to simply read a book or manuscript and accept what has been laid out in front of me without thinking it would have been better had something been written differently. Has this happened to you? Do you wish for a time when you were able to pick up any book and read from beginning to end without thinking about what could have been changed? Or, does your ability to critique a manuscript make you appreciate that much more for those manuscripts and books that are really done well?

Casey: I am definitely a far more critical reader than I used to be, but it really depends on the book. There are books throughout which my inner editor screams and screams, but there are books that are so good I struggle to be critical of them at all. Overall, I'd say it makes me appreciate good books more. I like being a mindful reader.

Dave and Marcy: How has your new blog partner, Natalie Aguirre helped develop the blog?

Casey: Natalie not only helps me with much needed updates, but she does amazing interviews and giveaways each week. She also started the "Ask the Expert" series, where she interviews teens about their reading habits. Best of all, having her as a partner has allowed me to step back and give my family more of my time, and I'm extremely thankful for that. Literary Rambles would be really quiet right now without her!

Dave and Marcy: How has interning for an agent helped further your writing and editing skills?

Casey: Interning has been an incredible experience. I'm exposed to a wide range of writing ability and it's helped me develop a better sense of what works, what doesn't, and what really stands out. It also forces me to be critical, so I'd like to think I'm constantly developing new editorial skills as well.

Dave and Marcy: What is the most important tip you could give to a writer seeking representation?

Casey: Don't forget that the main reason you need an agent is to SELL your project and future projects. If an agent (however nice and legit) doesn't have strong connections with editors in NY, they're probably going to be a waste of your time and writing. If not initially, down the road.

Check agency websites for deal news, subscribe to Publisher's Marketplace (even for just a month), research clients (who they are, what they've pubbed, how long they've been with the agent, if available), and make knowing a priority. If the information simply isn't available, make a note to ask during "the call" in the event you get an offer.

You want an agent who is actively making deals with the kind of publishers you hope to publish with (big six? specialty?), and the more deals they make in the genre you write, the better. 

Marcy and I would like to thank Casey for taking the time to answer all of our questions. If you haven’t checked out Literary Rambles  (http://caseylmccormick.blogspot.com/), please do. It’s a terrific blog! 

Unagented Again

I hate to make people wait. The thought that someone has put some aspect of their life on hold for me, while I do whatever it is they're waiting for me to do, feels burdensome. I realized last week that I've been carrying that feeling around with me for a long time and it was getting heavy. Maybe I didn't know it then, but now that it's gone, I feel lighter.

I've had an agent for many years. I remember the day he took me on as a client. I couldn't believe it. I was ecstatic. It was the next best thing to selling a manuscript. And I bought into the myth that landing an agent is almost harder than landing a publishing contract, something that agented (but unpublished) writers like to believe. I loved that myth, too. It made me feel better, somehow, like all I had to do now was back-pedal a little, the hardest part was over. I don't know how many times I said to people, "Oh, yeah, it's actually harder to get an agent." It was a cocky thing to say. But it fit the way I was feeling. And then, to top it off, I would add, "He's in New York.". I think I said it so many times over the years that I started to convince myself I was almost done.

After a third rewrite of a third novel my agent began waiting. He was waiting for the fourth novel that I promised him I was half finished with. I've been half finished with it for years. And I knew he was waiting for me to be done because I was waiting for me to be done. Every week that I didn't write, I knew we were both waiting. I guess he finally decided he'd waited long enough. I don't blame him. I know how he felt.

We had some success. My rejections were, for the most part, great. I had a few requested rewrites of a few novels and each time really believed I'd nailed it. And, although editors "really enjoyed reading Mrs. McDowell's story" and thanked us for letting them, no one ever actually bought it. It takes more than liking, loving, enjoying, admiring to sell your work. It takes something special, at a special point in time. And it's all hard.

So, my life as an agented writer is over. Though I'd expected to be as devastated at the end as I was ecstatic at the beginning, I'm actually fine with it. I have the freedom to do with my work as I please, which may be something fun and exciting or nothing at all. But at least I know no one is waiting. And that feels good.

Fran McDowell