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Many middle grade and YA authors debate whether or not to include a prologue when beginning their manuscripts. Prologues are sections of story that precede the first chapter, similar to an introduction, but their sequencing in relationship to the following chapter(s) is not necessarily chronological. Often structured as a flash forward or flash back, a prologue can provide details that justify a character’s motives later on, or offer a quick glimpse at the central action, conflict or climax of the story that lies ahead. (This kind of prologue was used by Stephanie Meyers in Twilight.)

It’s important to know that prologues are not wildly popular with editors – they can feel like a cheat, something the author has chosen to use because he or she can’t figure out how else to incorporate that information, or because their beginning isn’t strong enough.  They can also be viewed as a stalling tactic, a way to write your way in to the story, like a kind of literary ‘throat-clearing.’

Don’t decide definitively to include a prologue until your manuscript is complete… and even then, make sure you are including one for the right reasons. Below are some pros and cons of prologues that may help in choosing whether or not to create one for your story:

Prologue Pros

• Can provide details that will explain character motives later on
• May tempt readers to read on by allowing a glimpse of the excitement that lies ahead
• Provides a place for important backstory without slowing momentum once the story is underway

Prologue Cons

• Can be viewed as a stalling tactic or sign that you’re unsure how to begin
• May be overlooked or ignored by readers, who may then miss the key information it contains

(Interested in more information like this? Check out my home study courses in writing picture books, chapter books and middle grade novels and young adult fiction, at JustWriteChildrensBooks.com) 

What does it take to draw in today’s young reader and persuade them to keep reading?

Last week, in the children’s lit class I’m teaching at Stony Brook Southampton, we looked closely at the beginnings of middle grade and YA novels.  I made a list of important elements for my grad students… but I’d love to hear what else you consider when it comes to starting a story.

Here’s my crib sheet:

The beginning of your story has to accomplish several things. It must:

→ Introduce your setting
→ Introduce your main character/s
→ Establish the tone/rules of the world
→ Hook your reader and compel them to read on

The last point is perhaps the most important. Here, then, are some tips.

Good beginnings…

Start with an event, a problem or a change. Judy Blume says that novels should begin “on the first day that something different happens in your character’s life.” Don’t worry about backstory or exposition – that can reveal itself later.

Fulfill the premise – and promise – of your story. If your book is about a girl who can talk to animals, don’t wait 50 pages before she talks to, or hears from, an animal. Even if she doesn’t realize what’s happening yet, there should she be some hint right away of what your story is really about.

Raise questions. Questions propel the characters into action, and the reader into the next page, wondering what will happen next. What’s going on here? How or why did this happen? Who could have done this?

Avoid clichés. Childrens book authors often start books on the first day of school or the day a character arrives some place new. Although these are natural starting points because they involve a change, they’re also a little too common. Try to be fresh, original. Here are some other common/cliché beginnings to avoid:

→ The weather (“It was a dark and stormy night…”)
→ The hero waking up in the morning and thinking about his/her day
→ A dream or a vision
→ A death
→ Starting with the present, and then going into flashback mode to provide exposition

Establish the rules of the world. If your story is set in a world in any way different from ours, then some hint of how the world works, or the rules operating there, should be in your opening – but remember to show rather than tell. Reveal or demonstrate the rules in action as opposed to describing them through exposition.

Establish the tone, style and pacing of the book. Your opening scene sets the overall mood of your story, whether its dark, funny, contemporary, lyrical, whatever. Whatever the primary tone of your piece is, your initial scene should establish that feeling.

Say what you will about the ceremony itself (I actually found it to be refreshingly tender and dignified, for the most part), Sunday night’s Academy Awards were a tribute to Oscar’s own medium – the history, customs, elders, and influence of cinema.  From the retro popcorn girls in the aisles and the live band in the balcony, to the themes of the films and the longevity of the careers that were saluted, Oscar celebrated his own crib and the significant contribution the film industry has made to our lives.

For many of us, though, there was another medium honored throughout a surprisingly large portion of the evening – children’s books.  Back in January, Publishers Weekly noted that 21 of the nominations were ‘nods for films based on kids books,’ specifically Hugo (11 nominations), War Horse (6), Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (3), and Tin Tin (1).

I would argue the number to be 24, if you count Puss in Boots, Jane Eyre (now widely considered to be a YA novel) and The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, a children’s book app as well as a short film, that in and of itself celebrates books and reading.

This is great news for children’s book authors of all stripes (though it would have been nice – and politic – to hear Brian Selznick’s name mentioned at least once over the course of the evening’s 5 awards given to Hugo.)  It demonstrates the enduring appeal of stories for and about young people, from classic fairy tales, novels and comics to the richness of today’s middle grade and YA fiction and the exciting possibilities that new media represents for the entire genre.

But for me there was a subtler connection at play between the mediums of film and childrens literature on Sunday night.  The films on offer this year were notably less snarky, trendy or cynical than those of recent years. Those familiar Hollywood qualities were largely replaced by conscience, compassion and – dare I say it – hope.  What’s going on?  Even in the darkest realms of YA, these are the universal themes of childrens lit!

Whatever it is, I like it. Let’s hope it sticks around awhile… or at least for as long as some of Sunday night’s honorees have.

One of the things I love best about being a member of the children’s lit industry is the spirit of community with which we support one another. Unlike many other businesses, almost everyone who writes, illustrates, edits, publishes, markets, sells or otherwise works with children’s books puts their love of kids and reading first. This makes for an environment in which everyone encourages everyone else, and all in the interest of getting more kids reading – and loving – books.

This was something Katie Davis and I chatted about this week, when she invited me to be a guest on her terrific podcast series, Brain Burps About Books. (You can listen to the interview here: http://katiedavis.com/emma-walton-hamilton). Katie and I had a great time talking about various aspects of writing for kids, and she was enormously generous in putting the word out about my various creative efforts, such as The Children Book Hub, my Just Write for Kids online course in writing picture books and the Southampton Childrens Literature Conference. In return, I offered her listeners a special introductory rate to join the Hub (you’ll have to listen to the interview to access it!) and invited her to be an Expert Interviewee on the Childrens Book Hub in March. I’m really looking forward to that, since Katie has just published a fabulous resource for childrens book authors and illustrators, How to Promote Your Childrens Book. It’s chock full of invaluable information, and a thoroughly enjoyable read, being written (and illustrated!) in Katie’s fun, accessible style. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

I am also touched and honored to be “In the Spotlight” this week on Beth Stilborn’s excellent blog, By Word of Beth.  I have had the pleasure of working with Beth editorially on several different projects (she’s a terrific writer  with a shared commitment to the arts and literacy), and we now collaborate as co-administrators of the Childrens Book Hub Facebook page (check it out – it’s not limited to members of the Hub, but welcomes all children’s authors, illustrators and editors, whether published or aspiring). I’ve watched Beth’s passion for children’s literature grow into a thriving platform that now serves the industry in numerous wonderful ways. Beth is giving away two copies of my book Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment this week – to be eligible for the draw, go here: http://www.bethstilborn.com/wednesday-worthy-emma-walton-hamilton/

As I watch our politicians (among others) take one pot shot after another at each other, I continue to be grateful to be a member of this warm and supportive community.

The KidLit Blogosphere is a formidable force in the children’s book industry, and an important one to become familiar with.  Essentially, it is comprised of ‘bloggers’ – that is, people writing regularly in blog form on their websites – who devote their content exclusively to children’s literature. Their posts might encompass book reviews, industry trends, news, rants and raves and more – but they will always be relative to the world of children’s lit. Some Kidlit bloggers write exclusively about one genre – YA is a popular choice – others dabble in several.

The KidLit Blogoshpere has become so powerful within the industry that many publishers and authors feel it can be as important to garner a good review from one of these blogs than from the New York Times.  Interestingly, the vast majority of the most esteemed KidLit Bloggers are women, mostly comprised of librarians, educators, booksellers and authors. There are annual awards – the Cybil Awards – for the best in KidLit blogging. Kidlit bloggers are fiercely protective of their territory.  You cannot buy their favor – you have to earn it.

Below is an impressive list of Kidlitosphere blogs recommended by fusenumber8 (a.k.a. NYC librarian/blogger Elizabeth Bird), with additional thanks to Roger Sutton. School Library Journal also maintains links and lists of the best in the blogosphere. Get to know them all, for each has something unique to offer. I subscribe to most of these through my Google Reader, which makes it easy to view them all in one place at one time:

Alice’s CWIM Blog — The editor of Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market offers her perspective on the literary market, as well as thoughts on hot kidlit topics.

Big A, little a — A Midwestern blogger with almost daily updates on almost every topic imaginable. Author Kelly Herold also edits the online children’s literary magazine “The Edge of the Forest.”

Blue Rose Girls — The collective blog of authors, editors, and enthusiasts, including Grace Lin, Elaine Magliaro, Libby Koponen, Linda S. Wingerter, Anna Alter, Meghan McCarthy, and Alvina Ling.

Book Buds — A driving force behind the kidlit blogger book award, the Cybils, Anne Boles Levy reviews picture books that might not get the attention they deserve elsewhere.

bookshelves of doom — An irreverent and clever blog touching on kidlit and YA topics. The second blog I check every morning. Says the profile, “Highbrow intellectual critiques do not live here.” It’s too modest.

Brooklyn Arden — Blog of Scholastic editor Cheryl Klein, touching on everything from what a typical day for an edito