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This illustration was sent in by Heather Dent. Since a little girl, Heather’s dream has been to become a professional author and illustrator. Now the time has come to try to make that dream come true.  Right now she works for a small business in Berea KY called Attic Light Studios that transfers old videos and photos into digital files and makes movies for special events like weddings, funerals, and anniversaries.  Her blog is:  http://heatherdentstudio.blogspot.com/.

Anita Nolan is doing a four hour intensive workshop titled, Creating Better Beginnings on June 7th at the New Jersey SCBWI Conference. Here is the description:

It’s vital to make the first pages of your manuscript the best they can be. After all, an editor or agent might read no more than the first few paragraphs before deciding to reject. In this intensive we’ll look at different ways to begin a story and what should be included in the first few pages. We’ll consider what you are revealing about your main character, (and whether it is what you intended!) and whether the character is sympathetic. You’ll rewrite your first paragraphs of your story in this workshop. Bring a printed copy of your first chapter (at least 5 pages, double spaced), paper and pen, (and your laptop if you’d like—laptop is not necessary) highlighter, and be prepared to dig into your first chapter.

I asked Anita if she could share some tips with the writers following my blog. Anita does a great job. You will learn a lot and advance your story if you sign up for her Friday session. Below are a few things from Anita on what a first chapter should accomplish:

As a reader dives into the first chapter, he searches for clues as to what type of story he’s reading. Is it a fantasy? Historical? A fast-paced adventure or a slower-paced coming of age story? Is the voice humorous? Sarcastic? Flowery?

A story’s beginning makes a promise to the reader about what type of story he’s picked up, the pacing, and voice.

Recently I read first pages from one story that promised a fantasy but had no fantastical elements, and from another that had no fantastic elements in the beginning, but the story had an entire secondary fantasy world.

Here are a few things the first chapter should accomplish:

1. Intrigue Reader. Hook them & keep them reading.

2. Introduce either main character/s or theme.

3. Identify what Main character needs/lacks/wants.

4. Identify the obstacles standing in the Main Character’s way.

5. Establish a bond (sympathy) between the reader & Main Character.

6. Present the world in which the story is set.

7. Establish the general tone of the novel.

8. Show Pacing.

9. Show the Voice.

Remember registration ends April 30th at midnight.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

I was going over my registration last night for the New Jersey SCBWI Conference and noticed an interesting intensive workshop titled Do-it-Yourself MFA in Writing for Children being held on June 7th at the conference. This intensive will focus on how writers can create a customized learning experience without going to school.

Gabriela Pereira will introduce the DIY MFA concept and then guide writers through the three main subtopics of DIY MFA. Write With Focus: This segment will focus on creativity and motivation. In particular it will cover techniques to help jumpstart a story or boost a work-in progress that has hit a rut. Read With Purpose: In this section, the emphasis shifts to reading like a writer. She will teach techniques that writers can use to make the most of their reading. Techniques that are not just about reading, but how by reading, you can gain a deeper understanding of the writing process. Build Your Community: In the last segment of the Intensive, Gabriela will shift gears and talk about building writing community. This section will include some information about building writer-to-writer relationships and community, but the primary focus will be on how writers can connect with their readers.

So I went to www.diymfa.com to see what other information I could find out about Gabriela Pereira. I discovered there was a lot of good information, but I wanted more, so I contacted Gabriela, so I could get answers.  This is what I found out: 

Before Gabriela Pereira started DIY MFA, she was a founding editor of a literary magazine, which gave her a lot of great experience in reading others’ writing with an “editor’s eye.” One of the things she does with DIY MFA is work as a content editor with writers, helping them write, revise and shape their books. She doesn’t advertise this service because she’s very selective about the clients she takes on. Writers she works with must be serious and ready to work hard. Gabriela has had clients go on to sign with agents and get book deals as well.

After she graduated from the MFA program at The New School (concentration in Writing for Children), Gabriela was inspired to share her knowledge by starting DIY MFA. She has spent the last few years building her audience and now she is branching out by doing workshops with shindig.com. The workshops have been greeted with a great response and turnout.

DIY MFA is also developing electronic workbooks and other self-guided workshop-type products like the Starter Kit which people can sign up to receive on the DIY MFA website. I signed up to get mine last night and it is filled with lots of information.  It was painless and free to receive. 

www.diymfa.com even has a Writer Igniter, which shuffles characters, situations, props, and settings to help trigger ideas. Very Cool! Check it out – especially if you need a spark to ignite a new story or break the writer’s block that may be plaguing you.

Gabriela is the spark, the Instigator of DIY MFA. 

Here is a more detailed bio:  

Gabriela Pereira earned her “real” MFA from The New School, in New York. While undercover as a graduate student, she collected information and discovered new techniques, even inventing a few writing tools of her own. Now she wants to share everything she learned with all writers.

Gabriela is a freelance writing teacher and leads workshops throughout New York City. She has taught at 826NYC, Everybody Wins and the East Harlem Tutorial Program, as well as a local writing workshop she built from the ground up. With a concentration in Writing for Children, when she’s not working on DIY MFA Gabriela loves to write middle grade and teen fiction, with a little “fiction for grown-ups” thrown in for good measure. Her work has appeared in several literary magazines and in a lesson plan anthology by 826 National. She enjoys coming up with new dastardly plans and innovative resources to share at DIY MFA.

For the latest articles, classes and tools, visit DIYMFA.com. Gabriela lives in NYC with “lawyer-hubby,” the “little guy,” and a collection of feline critters. Her secret dream is to take over the world.

TWITTER: @DIYMFA

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/DIYMFA

Hope you will consider coming to the conference.  Here is the link: www.regonline.com/njscbwi2013conference

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Alan Kingsberg was asked to be part of the New Jersey SCBWI Conference, because we a few of our member are studying with him in NYC.  The views of what they are learning from him and how he has helped improve their middle grade books are fabulous. So if you can see you book as a TV show or just want to enhance your book with more visual scenes, then you should consider signing up for this intensive workshop. Here is the description:

This intensive workshop is designed to teach children’s book authors and illustrators How To Break Into TV Writing. Topics will include: How to adapt your book or story for TV; how to structure a TV script that sells; how to build a writing portfolio to get an agent or a job; story telling for books vs. TV, and how to start writing a pilot script or improve the one you’re writing. This class is designed to teach you how to break into a growing and lucrative market with your existing talents and creative skills. The class is suited for beginners and experienced writers. Whether your goal is to turn your book into a successful TV series, get staffed on an existing TV show, or simply explore a new creative arena, this workshop will help you move forward. Clips will be screened from iCarly, Victorious, 30 Rock, News Room and Seinfeld.

In 1999, Alan Kingsberg created the popular TV writing workshop at Columbia University’s Graduate Film School.  He’s been teaching TV Writing and Advanced TV Writing to Columbia MFA students for over a decade. His students’ TV scripts have won many national contests, including the Humanitas Award and multiple first place prizes at the highly competitive film festivals.

Alan’s students have written for 30 ROCK, WEEDS, NEW GIRL, LAW AND ORDER, SMASH, LAST MAN STANDING, VEGAS, CONAN O’BRIEN, and CALIFORNICATION.

Alan has written for numerous network and cable shows including NBC’s “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” and Nickeloden’s “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”  He has been a show runner on five animated TV series including the hits “Winx Club”, “Pokemon” and “Cubix”.  As a show runner he produced or wrote over 220 half hour episodes.

Email Alan

TESTIMONIALS

“Alan is a phenomenal teacher, who taught me everything about TV writing, from story structure to dialogue.  In his class, I wrote and revised the scripts that launched my career in the industry.”  –– Vanessa Reisen, Supervising Producer, WEEDS, CALIFORNICATION.

“The script I wrote in Alan’s class won first prize at the Austin Film Festival, secured me an agent, and got me my first feature screenwriting job at Fox Searchlight Films.” – Martina Broner, Writer/Producer.

“Alan inspires you to write.  He is straightforward and clear.  When you take his class, you’ll end up writing a spec script for a TV show.  He is the real deal.”  – Beth Einhorn, Writer: THE TONIGHT SHOW.

“The Scrubs Spec I wrote in Alan’s class won the Humanitas award ($10,000).  Alan’s class prepared me to work successfully in the industry.”  Chris Carlson, Editorial Director, SPIKE TV.

Conference Link: www.regonline.com/njscbwi2013conference

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy