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In fact, she says, “producing one is exactly what will turn you into a professional writer.” As writers, we may abhor that crappy first draft. How could such garbage have come from our own fingers dancing on the keyboard?
If that is you, Gray-Grant says to ask yourself some questions. Who else is going to see the yucky thing? More than likely, no one. If so, then what does it matter? It is called a rough draft, after all. No one does anything perfect the first time, so there is no need to beat yourself up for adhering to human nature.
She list several reasons why crappy first drafts are important to writers. It will help you write faster. One of the things I love about NaNoWriMo is that November is the one month a year I can turn off my internal editor. It is a freeing experience, writing without the agony of perfecting every word and sentence. This is a first draft, a beginning, a place for you to tell yourself the story. Throw up the words on the screen and clean up later. Gray-Grant says there is a momentum that builds by piling up words, and that allows more to flow at a quick pace.
According to Kathleen Duey, a recent WIFYR instructor, real writing takes place in the rewrite. The best writers don’t necessarily have talent as much as they have a commitment to rewriting. How do you divide up your dedicated writing time? If you could dash out a crappy first draft, that would free up more time to come up with a good second draft and an even better third.
So, embrace that crappy first draft. It is an unavoidable necessity that is part of the process. Get that first draft out of the way in order to have something to work with. As E.B. White has said, “The best writing is in the rewriting.”
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
By: Bruce Luck,
on 2/7/2015
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Oh, to be in New York City right now. The annual SCBWI winter conference is in full swing and I would love to be there, too. Utah’s own James Dashner is giving the keynote on Sunday.
It is the kick off to the 2015 writing conference season. The SCBWI is the biggie, attracting a large national level
LTUE - Feb 12-14
Life, the Universe, and Everything. That about covers it. The conference moniker is borrowed from a Douglas Adams book with the same title. Running now for thirty years, LTUE bills itself as a “three-day academic symposium on all aspects of science fiction and fantasy.” Of course, it deals with “everything” so there’s bound to be something for most any writer. It meets at the Provo Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. For complete information, go to LTUE.net.
Writing for Charity - March 21
This one day event features presenters, many of whom are Utah authors, panel discussions and a chance to have your work discussed with an agent, either Ammi-Joan Paquette or Minju Chang. They have four options for registration, each with varying levels of exposure to the two agents in attendance. Oh, and your registration fees are charitable. Writers for Charity chooses different organizations to donate to with a goal of getting books into the hands of children. They’ll also meet in Provo and more information is available at WritingforCharity.blogspot.com.
LDStorymakers - May 15 & 16
Agents galore and more Utah writers presenting on various aspects of the craft. Martine Leavitt delivers the keynote. Prices vary depending on the degree of involvement you choose. This conference also happens in Provo and their site, LDStorymakers.com provides details.
WIFYR - June 15-19
My personal favorite is Carol Lynch William’s Writing and Illustrating For Young Readers. Like the others, this conference offers agents and Utah authors, and pricing varies. This is a week-long conference and differs from the others in that writers in the morning workshops are more active participants. Listening to a lecturer tends to be a more passive role. The workshops are interactive and intense. Their purpose is to critique and improve your manuscript. The afternoons have presenters and Jennifer Nielsen is the keynote speaker. This conference meets in Sandy and the WIFYR.com website offers details.
It’s winter in NYC, balmy in SLC. I would love to do SCBWI’s conference one of these days. But why spend the money on airfare and lodging when we’ve got some excellent opportunities for writers right here in Utah.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
The “next” project is one I’ve been working on forever.
Okay, not forever, but for 30 years or more. It was an MG story conceived, then started, then abandoned (but not forgotten). It was the one that got me into writing. I spent a few years on it and as I sent it out, editors and agents pointed out some glaring issues with it. By then, not only was I into a new project, but had become weary of it and had no more energy to devote to it.
This year I brought it out again, blew off the dust, repackaged it as a YA, and workshopped it at WIFYR. There I was struck by an inner voice, perhaps the ten-year old stuck in my head, that said I’m an MG writer, not a YA. Okay, back to working it for younger readers.
Still, the story is missing something, no matter what audience it reaches.
Imitation of those who do it well seemed like a good strategy, so I’ve been re-reading exemplary MG stories.
In A Clockwork Three, Matthew J. Kirby gives his three main characters something to work for then expertly raises the stakes making it harder for them to achieve it. Sharon Creech’s Walk Two Moons is a richly woven tale about Salamanca, a girl searching for answers to the disappearance of her mother. A supporting cast of characters are among the reason this book resonates. Solveig in Kirby’s Icefall also involves a compelling protagonist who rides on the shoulders of strong supporting characters. The lesson here: stories are about people.
I also revisited John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story. He says writers need to focus not just on the hero, but the whole web of characters that help define him. Most writers start by listing traits of the MC, write a tale about him, then force a change in the end. Truby says this is wrong, that the hero does not act alone in a vacuum. The most important step in developing your MC is to connect and compare them to others. This forces you to distinguish the hero in unique ways. As in life, we are affected not just by our families and co-workers, but by the idiot that cut you off in traffic, the writer that brought you to tears with her prose, or the politician whose ideology you disagree with. How we react defines our character. The heroes in our stories are no less so connected to the web of characters in our stories.
Truby provides a writing exercise to help build your character web. It is worth looking into.
Okay, “next” project. I’ve got my eye on you. I don’t know if you’re going YA or MG, but you are going to have some interesting people carrying you along.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
By: Bruce Luck,
on 8/2/2014
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A year ago, I had an MS ready to start pushing to agents/editors when the wonderful Carol Lynch Williams offered to look it over. She found issues. Since then, my writer’s group has gone over the thing again, cleaning and tightening. This week I finished it, wrote a query and submitted to an editor. Then appears an article on submitting.
Okay, maybe it came out with it before. It’s been a busy month. The editor at WIFYR gave us until the end of July to get anything sent off to her. I’ve been cramming to get the story in a shape to send off, so emails have not been looked at.
Fortunately, I’ve managed to follow most of the suggestions Sambuchino offers. I failed with the that says to make a final check on Twitter or their site to make sure they are still open for submissions. Another embedded article caught my attention, “Query Letter Pet Peeves - Agents Speak,” also by Sambuchino.
He says its not just a matter of what to write in the query letter, but what not to write. Among the irritants of agents:
-Bridget Smith of Dunham Literary, Inc., does not like vagueness. If you can’t tell her enough about the novel in the query then she will reject it.
-Shira Hoffman of McIntosh & Otis, Inc., mirrors the same. Some authors spend too much time on their bios without presenting essential story details.
-Linda Epstein of Jennifer De Chiara Literary reminds us that agenting and publishing are businesses and the query should be a business letter that should be professional and taken seriously.
-Nicole Resciniti of Seymour Agency agrees. We should treat the query as a job interview. It should be professional and concise and the writer should know their craft and understand the market.
-Bree Ogden of D4EO Literary wants to easily know what the manuscript is about. “It shouldn’t be an Easter egg hunt for the pot line,” she says.
Not included in the above are things such as glaring grammatical or spelling errors, mass emailings sent to a dozen or so other agents, and misspelling of the agent’s name or agency. Those seem rather obvious. Most of the agents in the article mentioned statements that tell the agent the story is “the greatest,” or a blockbuster or masterpiece.
At WIFYR, agent Amy Jameson of A + B Works shared some of her treasured queries not to write. They included the above mistake extolling the brilliance of their writing. One simply included a picture of the writer. While stunningly handsome, there was no mention of his story specifics. Amy rejected it.
Dang it. And to think I just blew a bunch of cash on a studio photographer.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
Taking time away from writing is hard sometimes. Getting back into it is even harder.
The year has been a productive one for me. I found that if I log my writing time, I am more encouraged to keep at it each day. Using an Excel sheet, I’ve recorded the number of minutes on a particular writing task, and the same for the next one. At the end of the day, I’ve totaled the time and converted to hours. Each daily count was added and then averaged. For the first half of the year I’ve been spending just a tad over four hours a day on some writing activity. Not all of it was actual writing. Some was fulfilling WIFYR assistant duties or meeting with my critique group or attending a writing presentation. But still, four hours is four hours.
The day after WIFYR, my family whisked me away to Europe. What was I to do about my writing? I was in a groove and was quite enjoying a regular dose of scribbling down words. Plus, I didn’t want to mess up my daily writing average. Yet, with the activities planned, I could tell early on my laptop was not going to get much use. Add to the fact it would be a nuisance to haul around, I chose give myself a break from it altogether.
And that was okay. I missed it, and thought about my works-in-progress, and spent a few minutes in my characters’ heads, but I managed to live without writing.
Now that I’m home, I’ve been surprised at how slow it has been to get back into the swing of things. Blame it on jet lag or whatever, I haven’t been productive. I can’t get motivated to open the laptop and when I do, the story I was so enthused about a few weeks back seems impossible to resume.
Fortunately, the habit is beginning to return. Two SCBWI events this week has helped. The editor at WIFYR gave us ’til the end of July to submit to her. My writer’s group is providing a boot to the backside to help that deadline become a reality. I’m a writer and words insist on being written.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
Naturally the UCW has been all agog over WIFYR. And sadly, I was not able to attend this year (sigh). But it got me thinking about all of the inspiration I've received from writing groups and conferences over the years. One speech given last year at WIFYR by Stephen Fraser, a literary agent from Jennifer De Chiara Lit Agency, has really stuck with me.
What he essentially talked about was the importance of following your inner compass.
At many conferences and at many writing classes, the fear for most not-yet-published writers is to look like an unpublished writer. To look like an amateur. So a zillion classes are given about what the "rules" of publishing are: exactly how long each genre should be, exactly how it should be written, exactly what most publishers are looking for ....
I don't know about you, but I always bristle at these boxes and labels and rules. My hand is the one that shoots up every time with the every annoying "But why?" (Yep, I'm still that kid in class.) Why do books with beautiful illustrations have to be for three-year-olds? Why do characters in middle grade books have to use pop-culture vernacular? Why can't a picture book have 1500 words? Why ...? Why ...? Why ...?
There are many reasons to follow many of the rules. But the answer usually given to me is always the least satisfying: Because publishers know that X sells because that is what has sold.
But Fraser pointed out the importance of being the first. You never know if your version of breaking the rules could be the one that starts a new trend.
Who knew sparkly vampires would be irresistible until it was done? Who thought that mixing fairy tale archetypes into a hodgepodge world based on Greek mythology and Joseph Campbell-like folklore would capture the fascination of young readers in today's pop culture ... until it was done? Who knew that rewriting classics using monsters would be a "thing"? Who said Death could be a popular narrator?
And this viewpoint came from a well-known literary agent who had previously worked at such publishing houses as HarperCollins, Scholastic, and Simon & Schuster. In other words, a guy who is looking to publish rule-breakers. There are those in the publishing industry that can think outside of the highly organized, very rigid box of publishing.
And they are looking for writers like you and me.
This fact has probably given me more strength and determination to keep writing than any I've received.
So break it. The rule. The narrative arc. The law. The genre. The stylebook. The mold. The norm.
Take that idea of yours that just doesn't fit and run with it.
Write it from your soul. Be the one to do what hasn't yet been done.
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| The view from the Waterford School, site of the WIFYR workshops |
Cyn and I are just back from WIFYR 2014 -- the
Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers conference run by the awesome
Carol Lynch Williams, where we each led an Advanced Novel workshop.
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| My workshoppers took me out to lunch |
In the mornings, we led workshops, critiquing manuscripts, and giving and reading writing exercises. The afternoon was filled with speeches by various faculty members, panels of authors, editors, and agents, and a keynote (this year, by
James Dashner).
Cyn and I taught it two years ago and we were delighted to be asked back -- it's one of our favorite events of its kind and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in working on their craft. This year, workshop faculty included
Ken Baker,
A.E. Cannon,
Cheri Pray Earl,
Lisa Mangum,
J. Scott Savage,
Shawn K. Stout,
Carol Lynch Williams, Cyn, and me. Editor/agent faculty included John Cusick, Kristin Ostby, Michelle Witte, and Amy Jameson.
Here are some pics of the event:
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| Me and food at Barbwire and Lace |
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| John and Kristin |
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| Me during one afternoon session on Voice |
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| Cyn and I during the signing |
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| Ken, John, Jeff |
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| Carol and Cyn |
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| Cyn and me and the goat that tried to eat her dress |
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| My assistant -- Stephanie the Awesome -- decorated the room with dinos and lgm |
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| Some of my class |
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| Me and Allosaurus. Because we had to go to the Natural History Museum of Utah. |
All work and no play makes Jack (or Jill) a dull boy (or girl). It probably makes for uninspiring writing, as well.
WIFYR was, again, amazing.
Ann Cannon is a great instructor, my classmates are serious writers. Carol Williams puts on this annual event and runs it to perfection.
It kicked my butt.
Thus, I’m going on holiday. I’m going away and am not taking my laptop, will do no writing at all. Not even for this blog for the next two Saturdays.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
WIFYR season is upon us and there are 150 or so hopeful writers who are getting giddy about it. We’ve been waiting all year and now it is on our doorstep.
Critique is the main focus of the morning workshops. It is a critical process that every writer and every story needs. We authors get so close, too close, to our work we can’t see it objectively, the way others not as vested can. New eyes can provide a fresh look and clarity where we are unable. The story may be clear in our heads, but we need unbiased evaluations when it is not coherent in the mind of others.
Finding the ideal writer’s group can help you get the most out of a critique. I’ve been in a few, some that have worked and some that have not. Success may depend on organization of the group - convenient meeting times, driving distance, etc. I had a great writer’s group, but the drive from Salt Lake to Ogden was long and tedious and our meeting times were not ideal for me. The key ingredient in the success of a group comes down to the people. My new group is ideal. The logistics are fine, but mostly we’re a good fit, we mesh well together.
Critiquing at WIFYR is unique in that you are thrown in with a hodgepodge of people, most of whom you’ve never met before. Some are strong writers, others are still finding their way. Of course, we seek to improve our own stories, but through the appraisal of others, we enrich our own understanding. Our purpose is altruistic, we’re there to help each other out. Yet, we become better writers ourselves as we pull each other along. You’re only with your WIFYR new best friends for a week, but an intensive five days it is.
I’ve read their incredible stories. I can’t wait to meet them.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
Writer’s should read and perhaps the most compelling reason is that reading good writing reminds us of what we aspire to.
There are a few authors whom I want to write like. On is Matt Kirby after reading Icefall. Gary Schmidt’s Doug character pulled me into Okay For Now. MG author Tom Angleberger impressed me the way he saved the final resolution of The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda until the last page. And John Green is John Green. Who wouldn’t want to write like him?
Add to that list Carol Lynch Williams.
Carol is an amazing writer. I just finished The Chosen One for the second time and once again was blown away. Ann Cannon has assigned reading The Chosen One as part of our WIFYR workshop. I checked it out online through Overdrive and received both the audio version and an epub format.
There are number of elements key to a good book. These include compelling characters, dramatic events, believable settings, and a strong writers’s voice. Carol not only applies them, but squeezes the most from each.
She draws you in immediately with her first line, “If I was going to kill the prophet,” I say, not even keeping my voice low, “I’d do it in Africa.” Thus begins the story of a 13-year old polygamous girl chosen to marry her 60-year old uncle.
Most of us Utahans may have encountered polygamists on the street and peered curiously at them. Carol takes us inside an isolated polygamous community where we accept as normal the three wives of Kyra’s father. Carol enriches her setting with scorching heat, red desert dust, and Russian olive trees.
The Chosen One is character driven and Kyra is a compelling MC. She unquestioningly accepts the lifestyle yet does not fit the mold they have cast for her. Books have been banned as the devil’s words, yet she has a yearning to read. Kyra has an interest in a boy and wants to choose him to marry rather that have the prophet dictate who her husband is to be.
Besides her incredible voice, a technique Carol employees masterfully, is the way she raises the stakes for Kyra. This poor girl not only must deal with her sins against the rules of the community and the approaching marriage to the uncle she despises, but faces other traumas. Carol perpetually ratchets the tension until resolving the story nicely.
Carol’s an amazing writer. She also puts on a great writing conference, coming up later this month. (Classes still open, more info here.)
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
It is one of those elusive things. Writers try to develop it. Publishers look for one that is unique. It is an essential element of effective writing. So what the heck is voice?
Simply put, voice is the way you write, your individual writing style. As there are a zillion of us tapping away at keyboards, there are just as many variations on voice. As a trumpet, a clarinet, and a violin all are capable of playing a melody, the sound of each produces will be different. Voice conveys the author’s attitude and personality. It’s what makes writers unique; it’s what makes your writing pop. It’s what draws a reader into a story.
Ann Cannon posted recently on her blog about voice. She says that “we all recognize it when we see it—a narrative style that makes you sit up and take notice, one that feels fresh and wholly original—a style that is as unique and individual as an author herself. Voice elevates an ordinary story and makes it memorable, even extraordinary—and when a voice feels authentic, we as readers feel like something so natural must also be easy to pull off.” Then she confesses it is not easy.
I will be the assistant for Ann at the Writing and Illustrating For Young Readers (WIFYR) conference again this June and my guess is she is planning something on voice. She has assigned us to read the works of two masters of voice, Carol Lynch Williams and Ann Dee Ellis, both Utah writers.
I had read Carol’s The Chosen One a few years back. Rereading it does not diminish the power of her voice. Carol writes with such authority. The main character Kyra’s story is so compelling, the reader is completely pulled in. It is hard to put down and the voice stays with you after you close the book.
Ann Dee Ellis displays her gift of voice in both her first two books, This Is What I Did and Everything is Fine. I’ve just begun hearer latest, The End Or Something Like That, and it promises to serve a big slice of voice. Ann Cannon can’t think of another YA writer “who has the gift of voice in the way she does… Ann Dee’s voice draws you into fictional words that simultaneously ring both eccentric and true. Her use of language is startling.”
Ann Dee will be doing the WIFYR Friday mini-worship and her topic just so happens to be, drum roll, please, voice. Carol and Ann are running morning workshops. Carol’s class is full, but if you want to learn a thing or two about voice, there are still spots available with both Ann and Ann Dee.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
Okay. I’ve been on Facebook for a week now and can’t say much has happened.
It could be my fault. I haven’t added much since setting it up. Posting writerly things would be a start.
I did have contact from several long lost friends. I clicked on some of them to see what they’re doing with their lives. I’ve learned FB can be a big time-suck.
Scott Rhoades commented and said social media is trending toward generating more discussion than blogs. He says that people wanting to know more about you as an author are more likely to seek you out on Facebook.
One author that effectively uses social media is John Green. I recently heard about this guy on the WIFYR blog. Becca Birkin was talking about an author who knows how to “speak teenager.” I have consumed several of his books hoping to develop an ear for that jargon.
John Green is an outstanding author which probably pushes his “likes” up to 1.3 million. (Beats my 31). His The Fault In Our Stars is coming out as a movie this summer. Besides his talent, what also is impressive about him is his use of social media. For TFIOS as well as Looking for Alaska, he uses this technology to answer readers’ questions about things in the books. He has a FB page, Tumblr and Twitter accounts, his own website, and a YouTube video channel he created with his brother.
So, what is a poor unpublished writer to do? I guess go out and write a book that people would want to inquire about. Write like John Green. And quit frittering away valuable writing time on Facebook.
And… WIFYR is still accepting writers wanting to lift their craft. Go to WIFYR.com.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
I’ve been working with Elissa Cruz, our local SCBWI chapter Assistant Regional Advisor, looking ahead to a potluck social this summer. (It is Friday, July 18 at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City, by the way.) As it is a “social,” we were thinking social media and how it impacts writers would be the theme for the evening.
Publishers are more interested in taking on authors who have a strong social media platform with which to help promote their books. It stands to reason that establishing an online presence is something writers would want to do. But how does one go about that?
In the next few weeks, this very question will be examined. Being woefully deficient in this phenomenon, others better qualified to lead such a discussion will be referenced. Of course, your comments and suggestions on the matter are appreciated.
Various internet articles discuss the specific social media sites best to use and the general consensus seems to be Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, Google+, and Linkedin. Facebook is the granddaddy of them all and it would be prudent to ride along its coattails. I was surprised Goodreads came up on several sites as I subscribe to it just for the reading suggestions it makes. One site declare Goodreads and Facebook as mandatory in the writer’s social media inventory.
Let’s start with Facebook. I’ve had an account for a while but rarely went there. Then people kept telling me my brother is a funny guy on FB. I started checking out his page and yes, he is. Who new? Now I’m lurking there more frequently, occasionally “liking” something or leaving a comment.
So, what am I supposed to do now, start spouting writerly things on Facebook? Probably only my family would notice and they wouldn’t care.
Nathan Bransford is a youngster whose blog I follow and has posted twice on the subject. He says it is possible to have multiple pages on FB so you can keep your personal connections separate from your author pages. One of his posts, Facebook for Authors - How to get Started was written in 2011, but is relevant today. Bransford suggests authors create two pages, one an author fan page now and a book page once you have a cover for it. Admittedly, the fan page is presumptuous if one isn’t a celebrity. But, he says, you should create a fan page now even if you aren’t yet a publish author.
Want to set up a fan page now? You can follow his link and he gives directions on how to do that. I just created one and it was fairly simple. Scott Rhoades created on for this Utah Children’s Writes blog. You can access it here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1441614632721608/
I still have few things I’m not sure about. Bransford says if you want to “promote your book stuff,” you should turn on subscriptions, thus allowing people to subscribe to your public posts. Do I want to do that? Not sure. I went there to edit settings and got stymied by the instructions. Nathan Bransford’s post also has more information on optimizing your page with Like Buttons, something I need to look into.
Nonetheless, I now have an online writing presence. My page is here: https://www.facebook.com/brucethewriter. If more of us create fan pages then share, we could “like” and help build each others’ platforms.
Happy social media platform building.
And: WIFYR is still accepting participants.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
Elissa Cruz is the ARA for our local SCBWI chapter. Please don’t ask what an ARA is. Basically it means she’s the head honcho for Utah. Neysa Jensen is in charge of the Utah/Southern Idaho SCBWI and Elissa helps her with the Utah end of things.
Elissa is wonderful. She has tried scheduling monthly writing events, last year rotating the locations between Weber, Salt Lake, and Utah counties. This year she is pulling in the southern Utah writers. A while ago she asked for volunteers to head informal critique sessions. Silly me, I volunteered to do the Salt Lake one. My critique partner, Travis, conducts the Utah County session. We run them the fourth Wednesday and Thursday of the month. I must say it has been educational.
These informal critique sessions are unique. A normal writer’s group has regular writers with a set format and established procedures and expectations. Anyone can show at these SCBWI ones.
Since we started in January, the Salt Lake people have included PB and short story writers, illustrators, and a poet. I’m an MG guy, now dabbling in YA, so I have critiqued PB before. I had never critiqued a poem until this year. Story telling from the illustrator’s perspective in a unique was to think about a tale. The commonality is precision of language. This is a must for the poet and the PB writer. Succinct language is a must for other genres as well.
At each session, there have been people new to writing, new to the writing community. They’ve come out of curiosity, perhaps with a piece to share. It has been a pleasure to watch them observe what I’ve experienced since I became a writer. There is a genuine concern for the effort of other writers in a critique session. Like-minded people gather for the sole purpose of helping each other become better writers.
Critique is the way our writing blossoms and grows.
This and That:
With April just around the corner, look forward to something different from this blog. The annual 30 Day, 30 Stories will feature a different story every day from a host of writers. There may be days still available. If you have an interest in contributing, leave a comment.
I’ve been made aware of two other writing events since I posted last week. Follow this link for a full list of events, minus these two:
WIFYR registration is now open. Carol Lynch Williams’ amazing conference is a must. More info can be found here.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
Writers should be readers, we’ve heard that before. Not only can superb writing strategies be observed, we can see poor techniques to avoid. A book I read last summer I was told in third person POV. It was was quite good except for one glaring problem. Somewhere, a quarter or so through the tale, the author shifted POVs. We were in MC’s head along then a minor character takes over. The change was so jarring, taking me out of the story. I vowed never to shift POVs in anything I write.
Fast-forward to now and the current WIP faces same problem. The story is told mainly through MC #1’s POV, but there are times when he cannot be in the scene. MC #2 and #3 will have to narrate. What to do to make a smooth transition?
A cruise on the internet referenced two experts, Renni Browne and Dave King and their Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. I pulled out my copy and quickly re-read the chapter on POV. The whole thing gets rather involved. They say point of view is how you show who your characters are. It allows authors to convey emotions and readers to share a character’s concerns and to see the world as that character would see it.
I became aware of point of view at my first WIFYR in an afternoon session. Can’t remember the speaker, but it was when the conference was held at BYU and she said writers need know who’s story it is and which character can best tell it. Most of us write in first or third person. There is also omniscient and others.
Browne and King place first person on one end of a continuum with omniscient at the other. Third person falls in between. First person allows intimacy with your viewpoint character. In third person, intimacy is sacrificed in favor of a larger perspective of things going on around the MC. Omniscient widens the angle even more, allowing readers into the minds of other characters. Authors can vary the narrative distance and get in close to the character or not.
The best example I’ve seen of a use of an omniscient point of view was an MG book I used to read to my fifth graders called Bat 51. (I’m not sure of the author and a Google search won’t pull it up.) Set in the Olympic Peninsula in Washington after World War Two, it is about graduating elementary school girls preparing for an annual a baseball game against another town, this one in 1951. Each chapter is told by one of several girls who advance the story while adding backstory of their lives affected by the war in which some of them were interred in detention centers or had relatives killed by the Japanese. Each voice distinct and compelling.
I was concerned about shifting POVs in my story but Browne and King say it can be done. They present examples of point of view shifts done poorly as well as those of writers who have pulled it off successfully. A shift in POV is best down with a new chapter. The writer can also end the scene, insert a linespace, and start a new scene from the point of view you need.
Point of view is a powerful tool and one of the most fundamental means for crafting a story, according to Browne and King. Effective writers learn to master POV.
On another note, registration is now open for WIFYR. Go here to learn about the options for attending this year’s conference.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
Many agree that the synopsis is one of the hardest parts of the writing process. After penning a 300 page story, authors often are daunted by the task of composing a three page synopsis.
That may be because there is no real agreement on what the thing entails. While the query letter has a set format, the synopsis, other than to reveal all important plot points, has none. Opinions vary on length, anywhere from one to four pages. Everybody has a different idea what it should look like and, according to Nathan Bransford, there is no one way to write a synopsis.
The general consensus is that a synopsis should tell all, leaving no questions as to how the book ends. The query letter is the place to dance the mystery and intrigue of the story. With a synopsis, an agent or editor is looking to see how each story and character arc plays out.
YA novelist Marissa Meyers loathed the process. Rather than remain intimidated by it, she decided to embrace the synopsis writing challenge and figure out a method to creating one. The New York Times best-selling author of The Lunar Chronicles shares, in six steps, what she came up with. The full article can be found here.
Step 0, Meyers says, is to write the book. Otherwise you would be writing its outline.
Step 1 - Skim through the manuscript and note the important events, boiling down each chapter to one or two sentences. Show each plot and subplot arc.
Step 2 - Embellish the beginning and give the reader a foundation to stand on. Give the same set-up as the first chapter provides, supplying the setting, protagonist, and their problem.
Step 3 - String together the short chapter summaries, using standard synopsis format, which is: written in 3rd person, present tense, with first mention of each character’s names in all-caps.
Step 4 - Read through the notes with a focus on plot. This self-discovery process can allow the author to see plot holes and insure a natural progression of events.
Step 5 - Read through again, this time with a focus on character arc. Insure that your MC evolves as a result of events in the story. Look for those big moments that change their attitudes and goals and show how they effect the protagonist emotionally.
Step 6 - Trim and edit. Like the novel itself, remove excess words and phrases that don’t help tell he story and choose descriptive words carefully.
Piece of cake, right?
On another topic, WIFYR registration is now open. Check it out here.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
The local chapter of SCBWI sponsored an event last night where three dozen writers listened to Carol Lynch Williams discuss the art of critiquing. Carol knows her stuff. She writes, she blogs, and is a creative writing instructor at BYU. Carol heads up the annual WIFYR conference. In her quiet but humorous style, she shared her thoughts.
The purpose of critiquing is to improve writing. We get too close or so attached to our own work that we can’t see the flaws. We need fresh eyes to look at it and that is what a critique group can provide. It is a mutually agreed upon thing. You will look at another writer’s story and try to make it better, trusting they will do the same for you.
It is important to find the right people with which to form a writer’s group. There is a lot of trust involved, not only that each member will dedicate their time to your work, but also they will do so in a positive, yet constructive manner. Ask not only what your critique group can do for you. Ask what you can do for them. It usually is the same things.
The rules and expectations should be clearly laid out ahead of time. Dates for submissions and meetings should provide enough time for all participants to read through and make comments. Obviously the faults of a work must be pointed out. A mention should also be made of the positive points, the things that worked well. Carol says the one being critiqued should remain silent, that if there is anything they need to explain, it should have come out in the writing.
Some writers fear a critique. They spend hours on a piece, massaging it to perfection, then don’t want to share with others who could find its flaws. An ideal critique group will treat your precious baby with tender care, offering suggestions for its growth and development.
Ultimately with a critique, you are the writer. Your group can make suggestions but it is your work. It is your story, your vision, so go with your gut.
Carol said there were four steps to do before sharing with a writer’s group. You should first read your piece silently on the computer and make changes. Then you should read it aloud on screen and make changes. Then print the piece and repeat the steps. I’m okay with the silent reading. It’s the reading out loud that struck me as problematic. Not sure the rest of the family wants to listen to that and I don’t feel like sitting in my car doing so. Yet as a teacher, I’ve asked my students to do the same. I made little reading phones out of PCV pipe. Kids can whisper their story without much disruption of the rest of the class. It is amazing the mistakes you find when listening to your own writing. I may have to pull one of those things home.
If you want a pat on the back, go somewhere else. If you want to improve your work, take it to a critique group. Then be willing to listen with an open mind.
Matt Kirby once told Carol that he would rather not be published at all if his work were not the best writing he could produce.
The level of children’s writer talent in the Utah is notable. Publishers in New York refer to this phenomenon as the Mormon Mafia. One of those responsible for setting the bar high, then pulling writers up to it is Carol Lynch Williams.
Carol is more than just a remarkable writer, though an amazing writer she is. Waiting and Miles from Ordinary: A Novel are her most current books. My favorite, however, is The Chosen One, a look at the world from the eyes of a girl in a polygamous community.
She is more than a teacher. Carol teaches creative writing at BYU. She has nurtured and fostered the creative genius of numerous writers who respect and admire her.
What elevates Carol to goddess stature is the annual gift she gives the children’s writing community. Writing and Illustrating For Young Readers, or
WIFYR, is an amazing place to mingle and learn with fellow writers at all levels. Now in its 14
thyear, Carol consistently pulls in a cast of talented faculty members willing to share their expertise. These published authors conduct morning workshops and speak at afternoon breakout sessions. Carol pulls in agents and editors from the publishing houses seeking to tap into the Mormon Mafia talent base. They respect what Carol does and appreciate the commitment these writers show with their attendance at such an event.
This summer she will bring the magic again. Registration is open now and the conference is set for June 17-21 at the Waterford School in Sandy. (Click here for
registration info.)
The SCBWI is presenting an opportunity to meet her. Carol will be speaking at the Provo City Library this coming Friday at 7:00 pm. (Details are here.) In her talk, titled Critique 101, she will discuss how to best critique and be critiqued. You will enlightened and entertained. And you will come to see the brilliance of this amazing woman.
Mark your calendars. June 17-21 is the date for this year’s Writing and Illustrating For Young Readers, a.k.a. WIFYR. See details here:
http://www.wifyr.com/index.php
WIFYR is an incredibly inspiring conference. It is a chance to learn and be pushed. It is a place to relax and mingle with other like-minded people. There is an aura to it. It is filled with people who want to make your story and their stories the best they can be and people who can help them do that.
I take my WYFIR full on. The morning workshops are phenomenal. Nationally acclaimed and other talented and published writers and illustrators head up the faculty. This link displays the faulty biographies:
http://www.wifyr.com/fac.php You and a dozen or so others spend five mornings, four hours a day together going over manuscripts. Not only does your work get thoroughly critiqued, but also you learn as you participate. Not that every instructor runs it the same way, but I have found most faculty members have participants share and critique the work of each other. You may be asked to prepare critiques ahead of time. Then, taking turns, the whole group discusses each story. Having your work critiqued can be intimidating real growth comes from it and it is usually done in a kind and caring manner. It is possible to have two critiques done of your work. The morning sessions are spent in critique yet there still is time for agent and editor visits and lesson on the craft from your faculty member. It can be an intensive week. The mental satisfaction, however, is well worth the price of registration.
If time constraints are an issue, WIFYR offers just afternoons. There are a wide variety of topics and presenters during the breakouts. These sessions come on the heels of the keynote and plenary speakers from the likes of the agents and editors invited each year and are part of the package the morning workshop people receive.
New, this year, are mini one-day morning workshops in addition to the weeklong ones. This URL can give you more information on the mini workshops:
http://www.wifyr.com/mini.php
Carol Lynch Williams is the mastermind behind this annual event. She pulls in talented people as faculty, speakers, or presenters. Carol has an MFA in Writing for Children and Adolescents from Vermont College and she teachers creative writing at BYU.
The Waterford School campus is an ideal setting. But what makes the conference is the collegiality. People from novice to published attend and share and mingle and grow together.
Hopefully this is your year to blossom as a writer. A week at WIFYR can help realize that dream. It is a magical experience.
By: Bruce Luck,
on 2/16/2013
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I think I’m studying this thing too much. When I first began writing, I wrote carefree, jotting down events as they came to mind. Then I was introduced to WIFYR and became aware that there are formats and procedures and formulae to follow. More and more, I began to research what the experts were saying on writing. Now I’ve got so many “do this, don’t do that” things going on in my head, I’m bound to go against some expert’s opinion with every sentence I write.
Cheryl Klein, Martine Leavitt, Alane Ferguson, Ann Dee Ellis, Mathew Kirby, Kathleen Duey; these are some of the gurus to whose savvy advice I try to adhere. The latest is John Truby. I recently caught up on some back copies of the SCBWI journal when I ran across an article in the November/December issue. It talked about Truby’s book, The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller. Silly me. I went out and purchased it.
I’m not sure which of the 22 steps I’m on, as they are not readily laid out in the table of contents. Truby addresses story anatomy from a screenwriter’s perspective but his concepts can be adapted to any fiction writing. I’m on the chapter about story structure. Truby says story structure is how a story develops over time.
He says your MC must have a weakness and a need. The weakness could be the character is arrogant or selfish or a liar and the need is to overcome the weakness. Then there must be desire, which is not the same as need. Desire is what the character wants. It is the driving force in the story and something the reader hopes he attains. Need has to do with a weakness within the character and desire is a goal outside of the character. The hero must, of course meet an opponent. Truby says the opponent does not try to prevent the MC from accomplishing their goal as much as they are in competition for the same thing. In a mystery story, it would seem the protagonist is opposed to the perpetrator of the crime. Under the surface, however, they are both competing for their version of the truth to be believed.
This is where the conflict is with my work-in-progress (my incredibly slow work-in-progress). It’s a middle grade book, so the story is not as intricate. Do kid characters need the complexity of adult characters? I get it that you can’t make them too sterile, too one-sided. Should a middle grade MC be arrogant or a liar?
Likewise, I’m having trouble with the opponent aspect. In my story, there is no real antagonist. There is a mystery the MC is trying to solve, but no person is preventing him.
The experts say do this or do that. My gut tells me different. What’s a poor writer to do?
By: Bruce Luck,
on 2/9/2013
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The New York publishing houses have their eye on Utah children’s writers. Elissa Cruz, of the local SCBWI, said that publisher refer to us as the “Mormon Mafia.” Deren Hansen mentioned in his Wednesday post that Utah seems to have a disproportionate number of writers. It could be that we take our craft seriously as evidenced by the number of writing conferences in the state. Three good ones in particular are coming up soon.
Deren mentioned the LTUE next weekend. Years ago the brilliant Douglass Adams penned
Life, the Universe and Everything, from which LTUE takes its name. Life, The Universe, and Everything is a three-day symposium that examines the realms of science fiction and fantasy. Their sessions are full of all topics imaginable to writers of these genres. They offer several editors and agents and you can sign up for a pitch session with them. For more information, click on their site:
http://ltue.net/
In May the LDStorymakers meet. They, too, have some amazing sessions along with publishers and a pitch session. One of my critique group members is going and encouraging the rest of us to go. I’m having a hard time finding a reason not to attend. More information can be found here:
http://storymakersconference.myshopify.com/
My favorite writer’s conference is WIFYR in June. Carol Lynch Williams does such a service to the children’s writing community by providing top-notch authors and a week to sit in their workshops and glean tips of the craft. This is a weeklong event with afternoon sessions offering speakers detailing the multiple aspects of writing. Real writing growth comes from the morning workshops. Guided and pampered by an acclaimed author, participants meet in an intimate setting with other like-minded writers Monday through Friday. The author shares their take on character and story development, trends in the publishing industry, and tips on how to move your manuscript out of the sludge-pile and get it noticed. Agents and editors will be at WIFYR, as well. Registration will open soon. Go here to learn more:
http://www.wifyr.com/
Whatever your ability level, you can kick your writing up a notch by attending any of these wonderful Utah offerings.
Right as I struggle to get a new story off the ground, along comes a great read to make mine look even suckier.
Matthew Kirby’s Icefallis an inspiration. The book has a good storyline and engaging characters. It is a model of superb writing, the kind of story I want to write.
Setting can be a main character and Kirby sets the tone the first sentence: “The fjord is freezing over.” Like this January in Salt Lake, winter grips the Scandinavian landscape and refuses to relinquish. Solveig, the narrator, tells us “winter is here to wall us up, bury us in snow and keep us safe.” That leads to plot.
Solveig and her siblings and guards to protect them are sent into hiding in this barren terrain to keep them safe from the warlord her father is battling. The winter is harsh, the soldiers become restless, and the effect of being cooped together in a small area is compounded when it becomes apparent that a traitor is in their midst. Who among her father’s trusted men has turned against them?
Solveig, is not pretty like her older sister, nor bound to inherit her father’s kingdom like her younger brother. She is plain and unimportant. She embarks on a journey to find her calling and is assisted by strong supporting characters and the inner strength she finds within herself.
Matthew Kirby is (or was – I heard he moved) a local Utah writer. He ran a workshop last year at WIFYR and is on board to do so again this summer. Two years ago, he presented an incredible afternoon breakout session about plot. He said characters must drive the plot, as does Solveig in Icefall. Kirby talked about layering the outer and inner plots. The outer plot is the series of events and the inner is the emotional change it produces in the protagonist. An inciting event occurs which raises the stakes. This incites a re-orientation of the MC who reacts. Another outer plot incident ratchets up the tension and is followed with inner psychological change. The outer and inner plots must escalate together and the author must aim the trajectory at a point where it seems all is lost. This goes on until the climax, the moment at which point the inner and outer plots confluence.
Kirby effectively uses this strategy with Icefall. He nailed it with his first book, The Clockwork Three. The guy is a master storyteller.
Looking for that perfect Christmas gift? How about a WIFYR conference?
I’m not talking about something for others in your life. This is a special gift just for you, for the writer you. He or she deserves it. And a wonderful gift it is.
There are several ways to go about it. You can leave subtle little hints around the house. In notes, strategically place here or there, you could mention the great authors your gift entails. They run the morning workshops and share their expertise in the afternoon sessions. Matt Kirby, Martine Leavitt, Cheri Pray Earl, and AE Cannon will be there. As will Mette Ivie Harrison, Sharlee Glenn, J Scott Savage, and Kris Chandler. Steve Bjorkman will be heading up the illustration class. Perhaps a conspicuously misplaced letter to Santa would get the message across. Remind the jolly elf that the gift fits all, from beginner to advance writers.
If subtle doesn’t work, a more blatant approach is needed. Tell your significant other you want to take your writing to the next level. Sitting for five days with a room full of like-minded writers, critiquing and being critiqued, discovering the nuances of the craft, learning areas your story works and where it needs help; no other gift can offer so much.
Yes, it’s pricey. Compared to other conferences, however, it is cheap. The Southern California Writer’s Conference costs almost as much but it only runs through a weekend. You don’t get the critique workshop experience. Same for the SCBWI conference in February. You could pay more for the one in San Francisco. It stretches over the longer President’s Day weekend, but still no critique session with your very own published author.
And none of the others is run by our own Carol Lynch Williams. Carol has done so much to help developing Utah writers through this conference.
If your gift givers are still not getting the message, to heck with them. Give this one to yourself. In addition to hints on the multiple aspects of the craft, WYFIR offers editors and agents who provide tips to getting publication. They view the attendees as serious writers and often offer specific submission guidelines to help move your query above the slush pile, base just on your attendance alone. A morning workshop gift for you is ideal, yet the afternoon sessions alone is a less expensive option that will still get you close to editor Alyson Heller and agents Ammi-Joan Paquette and Stephen Fraser.
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13 things I’ve learned from NaNo
-1600 words a day is a lot of words
-especially when you’ve got your job, your family, the rest of your life to deal with
-some days the words are there, some days they’re not
-1600 is a bunch of words when your story dies and you have no idea how to jump start it back to life
-stories have legs; the legs can walk the story; they can walk away from it.
-this has been a fun way to write. In my normal routine, I get too hung up on getting chapter 1 right before moving on to 2. NaNo helped me advance the story quickly (when the story was there). Writing this way was freeing. You can ignore story details and quickly figure out what happens next.
-jotting notes to self adds to word count
-butt-in-chair rule must be adhered to
-not having a clue as to what your story is going to do next can make butt-in-chair rule easy to ignore
-email & Internet sites is not a legitimate butt-in-chair activity
-but it can add to your word count. (I counted my research notes.)
-and sometimes, any diversion is good enough
Win, loss, or draw? I definitely didn’t win. At 17000 words, I wasn’t even close. As the month ended, my story is bogged down and in need of direction. It’s been there before, several times in the last 30 days, actually. It seems as though every time I got on a roll, I would run out of story. It would languish a few days and come back to life, then repeat, repeat, repeat. NaNo ended at a time my story was in one of those low points on the cycle. As much as I wanted to ring in the new month furiously typing away and energized for a few more weeks, it didn’t happen that way.
But I didn’t lose. I have a solid start on a project that has potential. It has history. Like the stock market, its been up its been down. It should come back. Without the daily motivation to work on it, I now get to move away from it and let it simmer. I can get back to another project, one I was tiring of before NaNo and ready to take a break from.
So, by NaNoWriMo standards I didn’t win. But I gained something
-Oh, and #13, I think I’ll do it again next year.
Something I didn’t learn from NaNo but realized the first time I went to one, the WIFYR conference is a good way to polish off your new creation. If you’ve got only a start or were one of those people who cranked out 50,000 words, you need to think about attending next June. The afternoon sessions are invaluable, but joining a week-long morning workshop with an experienced author and several other similar aspiring writers, WIFYR can take your story to the next level. Check it our at
http://www.wifyr.com/
I’m still revising and still getting tired of the old project.
At one point I thought the thing was okay. It seems the more time I spend on it; the more doubts have about it. Been working on it coming up on two years and I’ve felt pretty good about. The endless tweaking and wrestling over fine points gets tiring.
That equates to less time for the new one. Ah, the next project. I’m close. I start too many things without wrapping up loose ends. I want to see the old one to finish. But I’ve got this other story that’s been stewing and I’m about ready to pull it off the back burner. Maybe I can close it out this month just in time for NaNoWriMo.
I love the act of writing. I’m coming to appreciate the value of time spent on developing, story mapping, or whatnot before fingers take to keyboard. I wrote one book and took it to WIFYR (on it’s second time) to discover it was vague and wandering. Had most of it worked out by the next conference, but that was only after figuring out the direction.
Direction good. A story still needs the freedom to wander and go to unintended places.
I’ve got an idea for the new project, a very rough idea of where it’s heading. The two main characters are in mind and a few events mapped out in my head. The genre is a tricky part. My favorite is historical fiction, a view not many share. There seems to be a disconnect with history and young readers. As the market speaks, so publishers go for other genres, fantasy, for example.
Yet historical can be like fantasy, minus the flying dragons and such. Real people, just like us, but in an other world. Setting becomes its own character.
Take A Game of Thrones, a riveting series by George R. R. Martin and a current fascination of my wife and I on TV. How different is its medieval-like setting from our earlier human existence? Martin’s main characters jockey for position as their drive for power drives the story. Lords and Ladies, noble houses, greed, deception, assassins, war: Game has it all. It could have been set in feudal Europe of the 1300s. It’s the same kind of stuff Shakespeare wrote. Minus the dragon eggs, of course. Historical fiction has its place.
That’s the next project, after The End on the old one.
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Oh! If only my baby wasn't due on June 26th. Hmmmm....maybe I could still make it. The last couple kids were a week or two late after all...
ha!