Monthly Archives: October 2013

Westview Questions of the Week

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This is the last set of questions from my visit to Westview Elementary.  I have been surprised by the level of questions the students have posed and have enjoyed answering them.  Here are the last five questions.boy reading to snake

1.  What if you don’t know what to do at the end?

There is a saying that the end is in the beginning.  The main goal that the character wants to achieve must be figured out by the end.  If it was resolved, but you kept writing, it’s time to do some editing.  If you are not sure what your character wants to accomplish you probably have to rewrite the beginning.  It’s in the beginning that the main goal is set.  Through the middle conflict gets in the way of meeting that goal.  By the end, the character has figured out how to solve the problem and reach the goal.  If you’re having a problem with the end, look at the beginning.

2.  What kind of story is it?

The story I am writing is historical fiction novel for middle grades.  It’s historical fiction because the setting of the story is a true historical event, but the characters are made up.  True history and setting + fictional main characters = historical fiction.  It is intending for students in fourth through sixth or seventh grade.

3.  Why does it take so long to write a story?

It depends.  Short stories don’t take very long.  Novels take longer.  If a person writes for six or more hours a day, the story gets done faster.  If they are inconsistent it will take longer.

4.  How long have you been writing?

Most of what I have written has been academic, meaning I did it because I had to for school.  Even so, I still liked it.  I enjoy the relaxation that writing brings me when it’s going well and overcoming the frustration when it isn’t.   I liked proving my point through writing.  I also appreciated the things I learned through research. There is no better feeling than the one that comes upon completion!  Now, I entertain myself when I create a scene of my book.  I  didn’t start writing for the purpose of creating a manuscript to publish until a few years ago.

5.  How do you publish it?

There are two major routes.  The first is self-publish either online or pay a company to turn your manuscript into a book.  When you self-publish you are completely on your own with producing a great story.  The other way is to go through a publishing house.  Most publishing houses don’t take work from just anyone, so a writer needs to find an agent who will help get their books to an editor at a publishing house.  Another way to get access to a publishing house is to attend conferences where publishers also attend and invite you to submit your story to them.  They do this at writer’s conferences because they know that the people who attend are serious about their story and making it the best that they can.

That’s it, folks!  Thanks for the great questions.

Stop by anytime and enjoy Playing with Words!

Westview Questions of the Week

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persevereA few weeks ago I visited Westview School in Champaign, Il to talk to the fifth grade students about the writing process.  I told the students I would respond to their questions on my website.  They have asked some really great questions.  Here’s a few for this week.

1. Do your kids write books?

Sometimes my children like to tell stories, but they haven’t started writing much.  One is not in school yet and the other is in early elementary.  For now I hope they enjoy reading books and maybe one day they will find their own story.

2. Did you ever doubt yourself or want to give up?

Sure, this has been a long process filled with times of both success and frustration.   My faith is a big part of my life, so when I feel like that, I pray.  I also take a break from writing long enough to read something for fun or watch an inspiring movie.  It also helps to have someone read something I’ve written and get some encouragement.  The main thing that brings me through, though, is my faith.

3.  Is your story on your blog?

No, I am actually saying very little about my story on my blog for now.  Until I have it on the way to the bookstores, I am keeping it pretty private.  What my blog is about is the stuff I’m learning about writing that I think might help someone else who is on the same journey.  I also like to share great books I have read and what makes them so good.

4.  What helped you become a writer?

Being a reader is the best thing you can do to become a writer.  By reading a lot you develop a sense of story.  You know how a story is suppose to work – plot, characterization, story arc, etc – by reading good stories.  It just kind of soaks in.  There is a lot to learn through books about how to write, but you can’t learn how to sense what works in a story or what doesn’t unless you are reading a lot of good stories.

5.  Is it a hard process?

I think like most things, the first time you do something is pretty hard.  You do a lot of things wrong and you learn from your mistakes.  I have written a lot of things in the past, but nothing like this.  So I am learning A LOT!  I’m hoping it will get easier with each story, but some challenge is good.  It keeps you sharp and when you get through the challenge you have grown and can feel proud of yourself.  Yes, it is hard, but not so hard that I don’t want to try.  I’m looking forward to the victory!

Next week is the last set of questions.

Until then,

Enjoy Playing with Words

Obstacles

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Every writer will face many obstacles in the pursuit of creating a manuscript, getting it published, and getting readers to be interested.

This will be a stream of consciousness and a bit of venting.  So here it goes:

Limited time.  Limited ideas. Too many ideas.  Not liking what you have written.  Liking what you have written so much that you are not open to critique. Having no one to critique you. Having people to critique you, but have little to offer.  Mommy guilt.  People who think that what you are doing is merely a hobby.  Having  a support group who is overly involved.  Burn out.  Not knowing your protagonist well.  The art of writing.  Not sounding like a fifth grader wrote it. Balancing dialogue, action, and description.  Being funny.  Being dramatic.   Having time to read.  Under-editing your work.  Over-editing your work.  Creating a protagonist the readers will care about and relate to.  Creating an antagonist that your reader will despise.  Creating great word pictures.  Writing less, but saying more.  Knowing when it is good enough.  And knowing what to do next.

There are probably at least 142 more things to add to this list, but I have only been a writer-in-action for a short while, so I will play my green card.

As to solutions, all I have at this juncture is to never, never, never give up.

Oh ya, one more obstacle : tech problems!

Westview Questions of the Week

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Mrs. O'Leary and her cow

Mrs. O’Leary and her cow

I recently visited Westview Elementary School in Champaign, IL.   I brought some questions home with me to answer on the blog.  May I add, I am impressed by the thoughtfulness of the questions.

1.  Do you like being an author?

I do enjoy writing quite a lot.  It is a bigger job than I ever imagined and sometimes incredibly challenging.  On the other hand, I enjoy seeing a story come to life at my fingertips and I LOVE hearing about the enjoyment my book brought to others.  If I can write something that makes kids want to read, then every moment of the battle during the creation is worth it!

2.  When did I first decide to write?

Sometime in 2001 I was reading about the Great Chicago Fire and thought it would make an exciting setting for a historical fiction children’s novel.  At that time I was a teacher and didn’t have the time to even dream about writing let alone try to do it.  A few years ago after being a stay-at-home mom for a while the interest came back to me.  Then one day I was sitting at a cafe by myself having some lunch and thought about how some really great ideas started on napkins.  And so I began writing some words of a story, not on napkins, I did have a notepad with me.  I had no idea what I was doing or where it would take me.  But it was fun.  (The words weren’t so good when I look back at it, but it was a great way to get started!)

3.  How many books have I written?

This is my first, but certainly not the last.  I have ideas bubbling in my head, so I need to finish this one and move onto the next!

4. Does the book have to be like the movie?

Generally, the book comes first and only a very small number of books are turned into movies.  I love to watch movies, but nine times out of ten the books are always better!

5.  How did the fire start?

For a very long time a poor cow was blamed.  Someone put that idea in the newspaper and it became fact, even though it wasn’t.   The world thought that a cow owned by Mrs. O’Leary knocked over a lantern while being milked.  That fire grew uncontrollably due to several reasons and burned for two days destroying much of the city.  In my research I read a book call The Great Chicago Fire and the Myth of Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow by Richard Bales.  In this book the cow and Mrs. O’Leary are proved innocent.  It appears that the likely cause was someone smoking behind the barn and accidentally started a fire.  No one stepped forward to take the blame.

6.  What does the main character look like?

My main character is a twelve year old boy who is an Irish Catholic.  He is lanky with black hair and blue eyes.

7.  How do you focus?

It is very easy to get distracted or to feel lazy!  It is sometimes hard to sit and get started.  If the house is too quiet it’s hard for me to concentrate.  Having soft music on or something like the weather channel or a news channel on quietly provides enough noise to help.  But if I put on a show that I like, forget about it, I’m watching tv instead!  It also helps me to set a goal.  Once I get started I want to reach that goal.  If it’s a really tough day to focus, I may even give myself a reward for completing that goal.

Documentary Novel vs Historical Fiction

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identity crisisYou write about what you already know, right?  But, you also write about things you want learn more about.   Admittedly, after researching this topic I may be more confused than when I started.  Let me see if I can work it out!

The easy part: Historical Fiction

  • The setting of the story is historical, a real time and place of years past.
  • Characters: Most of the characters are fictional, some may be real
  • Plot: Events through the plot will be a blend of true and created.
  • Historical: The writer presents historical information accurately.
  • Fiction: The plot is the engine of the book, history is secondary, but must be accurate.

Examples

  • Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
  • The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
  • The Watson’s Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

Goodreads has a list of 653 of the Best Children’s Historical Fiction.

The hiccup: (and something I learned in my research!)

In order for a story to be historical fiction, it must be historical to the author.  If I were writing a novel set in London 2013 about a girl who desperately wanted to become a nanny for the future king, it would be contemporary fiction right?  In twenty years it would still be contemporary fiction from a different time.  So the argument then is books like those written by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Laura Ingalls Wilder would not be historical fiction because at the time they were written they were contemporary fiction.

What do you think? Agree? Disagree?

Onto documentary novel – the waters get a little more muddy for me here.

I have seen three different definitions for documentary novel.

1.  True event + real people told in a narrative format.  (plot, dialogue, characterization)

  • From this definition, I have only found one title that keeps appearing, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.  I have not read this book, so I can not speak accurately to it.

until . . .

  • Loving vs Virginia by Patricia Hruby Powell came out in January 2017. Loving vs VirginiaAnd this one I have read. It is written in verse and alternates between the two lead characters, who are historical figures. I spoke to Patricia regarding this book. It is as historically accurate as is possible considering the main characters have both passed away. Through in depth interviews with friends and family she was able to ascertain specific details to the events of the story. The area that the author must take a little liberty is when there is dialogue.

2.  A historical fiction novel that includes articles of history within the pages.  These may include quotes, advertisements, and the like.

  • Countdown by Deborah Wiles is an example of this.  Newspaper clippings, advertisements, and quotes are scattered between the chapters.

3.  A historical fiction novel in which the format appears like non-fiction articles.

  • The title that came up most often for this genre was Nothing but the Truth by Avi.  This is written as a series of diary entries, dialogue – as it would be seen in a play, memos.  Again, I haven’t read this one, but I am curious and it’s made my list of books to read.

So now that I see these definitions of documentary novel, I am wondering if that is the genre my book will fall into.  I have considered the idea of including bits from newspapers in my Chicago Fire book.  So now my question is, is that my choice or the editors?

What kind are you writing? Historical fiction or documentary novel?

Next time I will share the strategy I have been using to dissect my novel.  And boy, has it been eye opening!

Until then,

Enjoy Playing with Words!