Following the light

Just a quick post. I talked to Marcy yesterday, after she'd just attended her first Rutgers One on One conference. The excitement in her voice brought back a memory...the feeling that I had when I first attended and realized that here was a place where people accepted me as a writer. The rewards for writing are far and few, well, the earthy rewards like money and fame. The joy of writing is just that, THE JOY of writing. My husband once told me that I shouldn't be so serious about this writing stuff. Just do it like a hobby. After I bought a monkshood plant (which is very poisonous) I told him that there was writing and breathing and I'd give up breathing before giving up writing. Then I explained that the plant at his dinner place was a poisonous plant. It took a few moments for him to put two and two together. He just didn't understand that I needed him to believe I was a writer. He does now and the four monkshood plants in the garden are there for their beauty. I got the point across, but it took more than words for him to understand that this is a very tough world, children's writing. The One on One conference, first as mentee and then as mentor, gave me the rocket boost I needed to keep going. Now, for all those I've encouraged to attend, what a treat to hear them say, "I feel like I'm really a writer." You are. You are. It's just hard. You have to find what lights your way and follow. It's just hard. It's why special places like the One on One conference are important.

Rhyming Tips: Use Your Thesaurus!

by Cynthia Light Brown

One of my favorite things to do is to come up with a rhyme that is a clever play on words, or is an unusual rhyme. I find a rhyming dictionary crucial for finding those unusual rhymes I wouldn’t think of by myself. But the tool that’s even more important is a thesaurus.

That’s because when I’m rhyming, I have to shuffle. Or maybe juggle. I have an idea I want to get across, or maybe a plot point in a story. I start with an interesting word, and try to rhyme it. Usually, there isn’t a good rhyme, so I have to try to rhyme another word that means the same thing; hence the thesaurus. Of course, when I change one line, I might have to scrap another. So it’s like juggling lots of balls at once. Or maybe I’m shuffling them around (and whether to use the word juggle or shuffle would depend on what rhymes with them).

The following rhyme was in one of my nonfiction books, The Geology of the Pacific Northwest.

I wanted a fun rhyme about plankton that could include any of the following that I had discussed in more detail in the text: they’re very small; includes both phytoplankton and zooplankton; they’re the basis of the entire oceanic food chain; they float around aimlessly; they live near the surface so the phytoplankton can photosynthesize; the larger plankton eat the smaller plankton; they’re also eaten by larger animals; when they die they sink to the bottom of the ocean and can eventually be covered by sediments to form oil; they can cause algal blooms; etc. etc.

I tried rhyming float and aim. Neither worked. What’s like float? Move from place to place? Not working either. Suspend? Nope. But drift was interesting because of swift.

Lots of other ideas were dead ends, such as food chain or food web, as well as size (microscopic, small, etc. although tiny had possibilities because of briny). I tried rhyming with all kinds of creatures that eat plankton, and anemone turned out nicely. Sometimes, I get a nice pair of words that rhyme and relate to plankton – like tiny and briny – but it just doesn’t work in with the entire piece, so I have to kill it.

One of my favorite words associated with plankton is “diatom ooze.” It’s scientific, but it’s also fun to say. Rhyming it was tough. Booze? Maybe not. Snooze? Lose? Maybe; I played around with that for an hour or so. Cruise had possibilities. But "choose" somehow clicked with the two possible fates of plankton. And that clinched the whole thing.

Plankton

We twirl and swirl,

We float and drift.

In getting around,

We’re not too swift.

Which makes us prey

For the anemone

And whales and fish and…

The whole dang sea.

They gobble and gulp us;

We’re an easy mark.

And if they should miss,

We sink to the dark.

Now tell us straight.

What would you choose?

The belly of a whale,

Or a diatom ooze?

© Cynthia Light Brown

When Is the End, the End? An Update.

by

Dave Amaditz

In August of this year, I wrote a post about the novel I've been working on since approximately 2003. I was thrilled, because at that time I was nearing the end of another major rewrite.

I put the novel into the hands of my writer’s group and they confirmed what I had come to suspect. My beginning needed to be reworked.

I had received comments in the past about the beginning, things like... The voice seemed more middle grade than young adult.  It seems that your story should start someplace else.

At first, I thought it was just one individual who didn't get my story. Who knows, maybe somewhere deep inside, for whatever reason, I was resisting the change. But when so many people had similar comments, I had to admit there were problems with my opening. It simply didn't work.

Which was why, as I posted earlier, I was in the process of another rewrite.

It turned out to be six new chapters. Well, not a new story really, as it was something I had already known and had already written. It was something that had happened in the past to my main character. It was pivotal to the story, yet instead of including the details of the back story into the opening, I had woven them throughout the story. Written that way, it wasn't riveting enough. It took too long to unfold, and it wasn't nearly as clear as it could have been.

Now, as I read the new beginning, I wonder why I hadn't made the change a lot earlier. Maybe I was too comfortable with the characters and the plot I had come to know. Maybe I was resistant to change. Whatever the case, it's a lesson I'll remember.

The characters and places we write about are a lot like life. If we sit back and let them do the same thing again and again, when that same thing isn't working, the characters and our story will end up going nowhere.

I'm a person who wants to go somewhere. I want my writing to go somewhere. I embrace change and all the uncertainties change brings and hope those changes will usher in a brighter future.

By the way, the comments thus far about the new beginning have been positive. I feel better, too. Hopefully, I'll feel confident enough with the new beginning that I'll soon begin to submit the manuscript. And when that time comes, you can cross your fingers along with me.

2011 Rutgers One-on-One Plus--tips for making the most of the Conference

A round-table with Route 19 Rutgers veterans.

Participating: Kitty, Susan, Cynthia, Dave. They've been invited to combined total of 10 of these spectacular Conferences. (Kitty's also served as a Mentor, twice.)

BEFORE

Susan: Plan your networking. Find the list of Mentors posted on the Conference website.

Dave: Then research who and what they've published. Using Publishers Marketplace, you can go back five years or more and see every book and writer they worked with. This lets you focus on the Mentors most appropriate for you.

Susan: From that, create a target list of Mentors you want face time with.

Kitty: Write questions down in advance so you don't forget any.

Dave: Make two lists. First, questions about your ms and anything else you want to discuss with your Mentor. You'll use this list for the 1-on-1 critique. Second list: questions relevant to the writing business, for the 5-on-5 roundtable session.

Susan: Know your lines. Memorize your one-sentence author bio and your one-sentence elevator pitch(es). Practice out loud until they trip off your tongue.

Dave: Bring your own business cards. You'll pass them out to other writers. This is a perfect chance to network, make contacts, and make your name known.

DURING

Kitty's ABC: Always Be ready to ask for a CARD. (Jot notes on each card—e.g. "looking for MG or YA"—and build a file of editors and agents)

Cynthia: For the overall Conference--be bold. You don't have to prove to people that you're a good writer--they know that already. Don't hesitate to buttonhole any Mentors you're interested in. Give each a very short elevator pitch, and ask for their card.

Dave: Feel completely welcome to approach any Mentor. They've all come to this Conference to find writers.

Susan: Don't socialize at Registration. Well, do—but not until you check your folder to (1) identify your Mentor; (2) identify which additional Mentors will be part of your 5-on-5; (3) cross those names off your Target list (because you're guaranteed face time with them); (4) reread the schedule so you have a clear idea of the shape of the day.

Now you can relax and mingle with the other writers.

Cynthia: In your 1-on-1 critique, be receptive and have the right kind of expectations. Don't expect your Mentor to offer you a contract--or even to ask you to revise and submit to them. Do expect to learn a lot from them.

There's a good chance your Mentor doesn't handle the kind of stuff you write. My first Mentor was a fellow writer; my second a fabulous editor who didn't edit the type of ms I'd sent in. But both were great writers/editors, and we really delved into my ms. I was amazed at what I learned in that short amount of time.

Susan: Don't eat lunch. At least, don't waste time standing in the long buffet line. Chomp a handful of almonds to stay the pangs, and "work" the line. It'll be full of Mentors. Grab your sandwich once the line's gone.

Dave: However, I was surprised to find that because of the sheer numbers of Mentors present, you'll have plenty of time to approach. And don't be surprised to see a Mentor sitting alone.

Susan: But the coach does turn into a pumpkin! The Conference ends rather abruptly, and most Mentors disappear like so many Cinderellas, running for the train back to Manhattan. So don't expect leisurely networking at the end of the day.

(However, if you lodge in a Manhattan hotel, like Kitty usually did, you can ride the same train. Kitty has done lots of networking on trains.)

Kitty: Wear comfortable clothes, it's a long, long day.

AFTER

Kitty: If someone answered a question or helped you with a block take time and send them a personal thank you.

Susan: Thank the dedicated and hard-working Conference staff, too.