{Ed. Here’s a press release that should be of interest to all aspiring novelists!  Get busy polishing off that manuscript – you’ve got until April 16th to get it prepped for submission!  Good luck!}

ANGRY ROBOT ANNOUNCES YET MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEBUT NOVELISTS

The scheme was a huge success: nearly 1,000 submissions resulted in publishing contracts for three authors – Cassandra Rose Clarke, Lee Collins, and Lee Battersby – and the commissioning of at least six brand new novels for publication for the Angry Robot lists in 2012 and 2013.

Today, Angry Robot are announcing that Open Door will return, with a second phase running from April 16th – April 30th 2012. During this frantic fortnight the floodgates will once more be opened to admit brand new work by hopeful (and, of course, hugely talented) writers from across the globe.

This time around, the rules are slightly different. Angry Robot will only be considering submissions that meet the following genre criteria:

a) Epic Fantasy – ideally with a bit of an edge or the sort of left-field twist the Angry Robot audience has come to expect.

b) YA – any subject welcome, but must be science fiction or fantasy, and intended for a Young Adult audience, for potential publication via Angry Robot’s new Strange Chemistry imprint.

More details can be found at http://angryrobotbooks.com/opendoor

Why does everything take so long? Um . . . maybe because I put it off forever?

But today my choices were clean off my desk (never) or finally update my Book Store (okay, yes). So what you’ll find there are not just some random selection of novels, biographies, science books, food books, etc., but an actual thought-out list of recommendations for some great reading in a bunch of different categories.

What have I read most recently that I absolutely loved? Why, Judi Dench’s memoir, of course. If you’re a fan of Dame Judi–and really, how can you not be?–then you’ll enjoy her book AND FURTHERMORE, even though those of us who aren’t British may not be as familiar with all the names she drops from her days in the Royal Shakespeare Company and all that. But I’ll tell you what, thanks to her memoir (which I’m now re-reading a week after I finished it, because I just want to), I’m on a Judi Dench movie kick lately. This weekend it was CASINO ROYALE and QUANTUM OF SOLACE, because even though Dame Judi was fabulous as Queen Elizabeth in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, really there’s nothing better than watching her as M in the James Bond flicks.

And thanks to one of her scenes in QUANTUM OF SOLACE, I really want to start answering the phone, “What is it?” That’s right, Judi, make them get right to the point.

The other book I’m absolutely rabid about right now is Laura Hillenbrand’s UNBROKEN: A WORLD WAR II STORY OF SURVIVAL, RESILIENCE, AND REDEMPTION. That book will amaze, horrify, and most likely change you. I’ll tell you one thing, it certainly makes you want to stop complaining about every little thing in your life. I listened to the audio book on a long car drive recently, and it not only made the miles fly by, it also made it a little dangerous at one point because I was crying so hard I probably should have pulled over. Sorry, Safety Monitors. But that book was so inspiring I’m probably going to read the print version next, because I really need to experience it again.

Both the Judi Dench memoir and the Laura Hillenbrand biography can be found in my book store under the category “Burly Adventurers Who Inspire Me.” Because you don’t have to be a mountain climber to make it into that group–you just have to lead a remarkably bold and fearless life.

My final current recommendation, listed under “Favorite Books on Writing,” is James A. Owen’s DRAWING OUT THE DRAGONS: A MEDITATION ON ART, DESTINY, AND THE POWER OF CHOICE. Owen is the bestselling author and illustrator of the CHRONICLES OF THE IMAGINARIUM GEOGRAPHICA series, starting with HERE, THERE BE DRAGONS. His new book grew out of the inspirational talks he gives to middle school and high school students, encouraging them to pursue their dream of being writers and artists. I’m already pursuing that dream, but dang if I wasn’t re-inspired. It’s like one of my other favorites, Stephen King’s ON WRITING, but without the drugs.

So there! Another item I can mark off my to-do list! Now what else can I do instead of cleaning my office?

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Me, at a Hats Off to Women's conference.

Below is a little about Noelle Sterne and a brief excerpt for the readers to see if the article appeals to them.  

Writer, editor, writing coach, and consultant, Noelle Sterne holds the Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University and publishes in writers’ and mainstream magazines. Her articles have appeared in Archetype, Children’s Book Insider, Pure Inspiration, The Write Place At the Write Time, Writer’s Digest special issues, Writers’ Journal, and The Writer. Her short storyabout a boy with healing powers appeared in the Star Stepping Anthology (2008). Noelle is currently working on a collection of essays offering candid counsel and relentless support to writers: First You Find Your Desk: Start Writing and Keep Writing with Less Agony and More Joy. 

As a children’s author, do you know you can use more resources to publicize your book than mainstream authors? I discovered many of these avenues after the publication of my children’s book Tyrannosaurus Wrecks: A Book of Dinosaur Riddles (HarperCollins). This book, in print for eighteen years, was featured on the first
dinosaur show of PBS-TV’s Reading Rainbow, which continues to air
and is now on DVD. 

8/20/10

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 Virginia Grenier Stories for Children Publishing

From:	[email protected] on behalf of Virginia Grenier Stories for Children Publishing ([email protected])
Sent:	Fri 8/20/10 6:58 PM
To:	Virginia Grenier Stories for Children Publishing ([email protected])

Hi Everyone,

Boy have I missed working with all of you and putting out each issue of Stories for Children Magazine. I am really excited to say the day is getting closer when Stories for Children Magazine will reopen its doors to submissions.

Right now, I’m looking for people interested in joining the SFC Team. This is a totally

On Tap Today:

• Letter From the Editor
• Top 10 Pitfalls Writers Should Avoid
• How to Reach Your Freelance Goals
• 18 Contest Dos and Don’ts for Writers
  
• Get Your Manuscript Professionally Critiqued
• Your Weekly Writing Prompt
• New on the WD Blogs

Great newsletter from Darcy Pattison that arrives in my email box Check it out and subscribe.

8 Ways to Enrich Your Character: FICTION NOTES‏

From:	Darcy Pattison ([email protected]) on behalf of Darcy Pattison ([email protected])
	You may not know this sender.Mark as safe|Mark as junk
Sent:	Fri 7/16/10 4:07 PM
To:

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.   8 Ways to Enrich Your Character

Character Revision: 8 Ways to Jumpstart a Make Over

You have a first draft, but you realize that your character needs work. How do you retrofit a character when you revise?

I don’t think of a personality transplant. Instead, I try to add to and enrich a character. Here are 8 suggestions on how to revise your novel’s character.

By Ginny Wiehardt, Fiction Writing Guide | My Bio

• My Bio
• My Blog
• My Forum

To check out Kathy’s great post go to: http://kathytemean.wordpress.com

This Week: Two Manuscript Revision Checks

Posted: 18 Jul 2010 09:30 PM PDT

Http://www.darcypattison.com

From:	Darcy Pattison ([email protected]) on behalf of Darcy Pattison ([email protected])
	You may not know this sender.
Sent:	Mon 6/21/10 4:07 PM
To:

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.   Mentor Texts: Novels to Learn From

I’m finally — after two major life events, a grandchild and my daughter’s wedding — ready to start a new novel. I’ve found two mentor texts that I’m hoping will show me something about how to proceed.

Novels to Imitate and Learn From

Educators often use mentor texts when teaching writing to kids. The idea is to choose texts that in some way model the type of writing you want as a result. This means you need a good vision for the end result, or the mentor texts you choose won’t help.

For my new novel, I know that I”ll have quite a few characters and that the POV will probably change often; each section might be quite short; that I might be playing with 3rd person and omniscient POVs. I’ve been looking around and found two that are interesting in this respect.

The first is the 1979 Newbery book, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. It features over a dozen characters; it moves in and out of omniscient and 3rd; it has very short sections. Interestingly, Kathi Appelt’s Newbery Honor book, The Underneath, also features multiple characters and she us

Posted: 15 Jun 2010 12:48 PM PDT

I had a wonderful time at the SCBWI NJ conference, and hopefully will even sign a client or two. I was busy critiquing when David delivered his State of the Children’s Book Publishing Industry talk but now that Kathy has it up on her blog I wanted to share it all with you.

Art by the fabulous Jill Newton

Recently I was asked to do a presentation and I had no idea where to start. So, I went on the internet in search of some basic information on where to start. I needed to know “tips” and fast as the speaking event was the next day.

Here is something that I found that just might help others faced with the same dilemma. Be sure to follow the link to get the entire article.

http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadpres.html

Big Dog’s Leadership Page – Presentation Skills

• Introduction
• The Voice
• The Body
• Active Listening
• Nerves
• Questions
• Preparing the Presentation
• Habits
• Tips and Techniques For Great Presentations

Templates PowerPoint Visual Aid Presentation Presentation Outline and Training Outline

Introduction

Presentations and reports are ways of communicating ideas and information to a group. But unlike a report, a presentation carries the speaker’s personality better and allows immediate interaction between all the participants. A good presentation has:

• Content – It contains information that people need. But unlike reports, which are read at the reader’s own pace, presentations must account for how much information the audience can absorb in one sitting.
• Structure - It has a logical beginning, middle, and end. It must be sequenced and paced so that the audience can understand it. Where as reports have appendices and footnotes to guide the reader, the speaker must be careful not to loose the audience when wandering from the main point of the presentation.
• Packaging – It must be well prepared. A report can be reread and portions skipped over, but with a presentation, the audience is at the mercy of a presenter.
• Human Element – A good presentation will be remembered much more than a good report because it has a person attached to it. But you still
  0 Comments on A Starting Point for a Presentation. as of 6/8/2010 8:10:00 AM
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As most of my regular readers know, I love it when I read something that speaks to me as a writer. I love to point others to articles/blog posts, etc. that I think will be beneficial.

This one is from Rachelle Gardner’s site  @ http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com.  Be sure to go to there and read all of her blog entries.

Rachelle’s blog post for June 2, 2010.

Today we’re going to talk about the one-sentence summary, also known as a logline, a hook, or a one-sentence pitch. (It is not a tagline, however.)

What: About 25 words that capture your novel, memoir, or non-fiction book.

Why: To get someone interested in reading your book.

When to use it: The start of a query, or anytime someone asks you, “What’s your book about?”

What it does: A one-sentence summary takes your complex book with multiple characters and plotlines and boils it down into a simple statement that can be quickly conveyed and understood, and generates interest in the book.

It’s my humble opinion, of course, but one could learn alot from subscribing to this newsletter. I know I do.

http://www.darcypattison.com

Subscribing to a good newsletter is a great way to acquire the skills needed to grow as a writer. The reader has the opportunity to benefit from the journey of a more experienced writer. With a newsletter it comes right to your email. You can print it off and take it with you to read at your leisure or you can put it in an email file to look at later.

Darcy Pattison ([email protected]) on behalf of Darcy Pattison ([email protected])

Can you say that in a novel?

Are there untouchable topics in literature? No, of course, not. But there are topics that are difficult to do well, or it feels like you are preaching.
You know the ones: alcoholism, abortion, medical ethics, underage drinking, etc. These are hard to put into a story or novel and have it work.

Dealing with Flash point, Difficult Topics

I’ve been listening to Mary E. Pearson’s novel, The Adoration of Jenna Fox and she does a stunning job of addressing medical ethics. It’s reminiscent of Peter Dickinson’s 1989 novel, Eva, but takes the discussion in new directions. Here are some of the things she does right as an author treading lightly.

Character. The novel works because the character is front and center. This is above all a character novel, with all the ethical dilemma from the medical “miracle” taking place within the character. She IS the ethical problem and has to resolve how she feels about herself. So, it’s not a theoretical issue; it’s an issue of

My most recent article, one of  five articles written  the last two years, is published on the Institute of Children’s Literature Rx for Writers  @ http://institutechildrenslit.com/rx/ws03/blocking.shtml.

I would recommend to new writers that you subscribe to the newsletter. (The link to subscribe it at the bottom of my article.) There are a lot of interesting articles found in the archives which could help them learn more about writing. Some of the writers who have contributed to the index include: Paula Morrow, Debra Vetter, Harold Underdown, Lois Lowry, Uri Shulevitz, Kristi Holl, Jennifer Reed, Kent L. Bown, Jr., Katherine Patterson, Dori Butler, Linda Sue Parks, Verla Kay, Jan Fields, Jane Kurtz, and Stephen Roo.

I have two more scheduled to appear in the newsletter, one in November and another in December.

I have been working on building my skills in regards to pitching, when I came across this in my email. Nathan’s way of putting what “Voice” is resonated with me. Be sure to sign up for this email newsletter.

Nathan Bransford – Literary Agent‏

From:	[email protected] on behalf of Nathan Bransford – Literary Agent ([email protected])
Sent:	Mon 5/10/10 6:28 PM
To:

Nathan Bransford – Literary Agent

---

How to Craft a Great Voice

Posted: 10 May 2010 02:14 PM PDT

Voice is one of the most difficult writing terms to define and pinpoint. We might know it when we see it, but what’s voice made of, really? You hear so often that agents and editors want “new voices” and “compelling voices” and voice voice voice. So what is voice? How do you cultivate it? And how many rhetorical questions do you think can I fit into one post?

Voice, at its most basic level, is the sensibility with which an author writes. It’s a perspective, an outlook on the world, a personality and style that is recognizable even out of context. You could drop randomly into a David Sedaris story or an Ernest Hemingway novel and probably guess the author within a few paragraphs because they have strong, unique voices. An author’s voice is often imitated (think: Tolkien), but a truly original voice can never be duplicated.

So what makes a good voice? How do you cultivate one?

Among the essential elements:

Style: At its heart, voice is about style. And not just style in the sense of punctuation and how the prose looks on the page (though that can play a role), but style in the sense of a flow, a rhythm, a cadence to the writing, a vocabulary, lexicon, and slang the author is drawing upon. A voice can be wordy (William Faulkner) or it can be spare (Cormac McCarthy). It can be stylish and magical (Jeanette Winterson) or it can be wry and gritty (Elmore Leonard). It can be tied to unique locations (Toni Morrison) or it can be almost wholly invented (Anthony Burgess). But whatever the flavor of the writing, a good voice has a recognizable style.

Personality: A good voice has a personality of its own, even when the novel is written in third person. There’s an outlook that is expressed in a voice. It’s a unique way of seeing the world and choosing which details to focus on and highlight and a first draft of how the reader will process the reality of the book. Think of how CATCH-22 captured the absurdity of WW-II by boiling down irrational rules and presenting them at face value, or Step

Lisa Graff, one of the speakers at the recent SCBWI conference, suggested when you are setting up your main characters in your novel, you should consider the following things.

1.     Voice

2.     Personality

3.     Goals

4.     Conflicts

5.     Ways to overcome the conflicts

6.     Emotional Arc

7.     Narrative Arc

8.     Setting

Day1 and 2 picture book rough drafts done . I love being motivated by all the other writers who are doing the challenge as well. I am using one of the ideas generated by the challenge I participated in last November when Tara Lazar had her picture book contest. It’s one that I never did more than wrote the idea down. I never took the time even though I really liked the idea.

Here is a brief excerpt from Paula’s site for my readers to decide if it is something they want to participate in.

The basic rules? Just write 7 complete and separate picture books in one week. Each picture book must have a clear beginning, middle, and end. There is no required minimum word count because picture book lengths can vary from 50 words to 2000 words, depending on the genre.

Caveat: This is NOT to say writing a picture book is easy. On the contrary, it’s EXTREMELY difficult and challenging to write a?complete story with a beginning, middle, and end, an original plotline, and a unique character with a compelling voice for the picture book genre. Every word has to count. Every image and every action has to speak volumes in terms of theme and deeper meaning… while still being kid friendly, fun, and appropriate for the tone of the book (be it a quiet literary picture book or a hilarious, laugh out of loud funny picture book).

Having said that… I want everyone to have fun with this! I’m not expecting Shakespeare or “Goodnight Moon.” This is an attempt to encourage people to finally write that picture book they’ve been dreaming of… please think of this as a fun opportunity to brainstorm and finally write that first rough draft that you can go back to later and revise and improve upon. So often we  procrastinate or convince ourselves that our idea for a picture book is not “good enough.” So NaPiBoWriWee is a fun way to have everyone GO FOR BROKE and write 7 picture books in 7 days and see what happens

Paula Yoo

For those who are wondering what I am talking about: Visit http://paulayoo.com/ My Twitter page is here: http://twitter.com/paulayoo and my cat Oreo’s page is here: http://twitter.com/oreothecatyoo