Tag Archives: children’s literature

Top Ten Ways to Put Off Starting Your Next Writing Project

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procrastination

Caught you! You’re procrastinating too, aren’t you? Why else would you be online right now? That’s okay. You’re in good company here! In fact, I have ten ways to put off starting that next writing project.

10. Look for pictures to help sort out what your characters look like, then get caught organizing pictures and possibly making a photo album on Shutterfly.

9. Make a sound track of your story to listen to while writing. Right now I’m searching for playful, whimsical instrumental music that fits my new MC’s attitude.

8. Pick out the clothes that make you feel like a writer, including a thinking cap. Why, yes, that is my thinking cap I’m wearing in my picture.

7. Buy a new journal just for this project to record this idea and that idea that will pop up and will need a place to be recorded. If you can find a water proof journal, please let me know. My brain tends to think of wonderful ideas while I’m showering, which are long gone by the time I’m dressed. Dag nab it!

6. Put new batteries in your dictaphone, because you know new ideas will pop in while your driving and your best ideas will occur when you have no dictaphone or paper and pen nearby. Hope your memory is better than mine!

5. Find said dictaphone. (Hmmmm, the MC of my next book may be to blame for missing dictaphone.)

4. Organize the garage because you know once you begin this project its going to swallow you up until its finished with you and your garage will remain a disaster zone until then.

3. Buy new ink and paper for your printer. Sometimes you need to be practical, right? And while you’re out, stop at Pier 1 because a new season is around the corner and you need to decorate your house for the new season before you start writing. Or else IT WILL NEVER GET DONE!

2. Eat your favorite writing meal/food. Who am I kidding? Get a glass of wine. (Unless, of course you’re a young author. In that case, get yourself a couple cookies first. Oh, okay, adults, you can have a couple cookies too. Just don’t have it with the wine. Not a good combination!)

1. Make a procrastination list to post on a blog.

Enough procrastinating! Go write some awful sentences! Don’t worry, they will get better. Just gotta get the awful ones out of the way first.  Be Brave!  Write!

The Boy on the Porch

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Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech breaks a cardinal rule of children’s literature in The Boy on the Porch.  The main characters of this story are adults!  The main child character even steps out of the picture for part of the story!  But you know what?  It works!

Image

Marta and John walk onto their porch one morning to find a young boy sound asleep on a chair.  He comes with a note asking the couple to take care of Jacob and stating that whoever dropped him off would return to get him.  Unsigned and unspecific as to when they will return, the couple hesitantly agrees.  Oh, and Jacob doesn’t talk, he taps.

Why it appeals to children: The events of the story are so outside of the ordinary, it compels the reader to stay engaged.  Children will be captivated by Jacob.  His quietness.  His talents.  His journey.  Children will also fall in love with the compassionate dedication of Marta and John.  Additionally, it has great appeal to reluctant readers.  Most chapters are just three pages long, some are longer, and many are just two pages!  The story starts with a shocking discovery and demands the reader to turn the page again and again.

Why it appeals to adults:  The story will especially appeal to educators, social workers, and foster parents.  It highlights the multiple intelligence stance – it’s not “How smart are you?” but “How are you smart?”  And it portrays being a foster parent through a very pure and appealing light.  While this book is not a “foster parent book,” it is an important thread that is subtly weaved.

It was a little odd to read a children’s book that focused on a married couple.  Adult readers will identify with the dilemmas John and Marta face.  What I appreciated most was the simpleness of their deep love. Completely different than the convoluted life of middle America.  They didn’t have much to offer, but they gave everything they had. Not to mention how it tenderly brings in heavy topics like an abandoned child and loving a child that is not like all of the other children.

Creech trusts her readers to create their own mental movie and does not overwhelm with details.   The story is written in an easy going way, but it profoundly communicates the simpleness of John and Marta’s love for Jacob and meeting his deepest needs.

As a writer: Yes, Sharon Creech broke a few rules in writing this story.  She’s a Newbery Award winner and she in entitled to that freedom.  For the rest of us pre-published authors, we have to stay in the lines for now.  (I know what you’re thinking.  Give it a try.  I hope your unique idea works for you and you break new literary ground!  Honestly.)  We can, however, let books like this inspire us to dream of something different while we hone our craft and work on getting that first one published!  We can also take note on how to write succinctly.  Who? Me?

To Sharon Creech I say, thank you for this lovely story.  It left me with a lump in my throat. It is one that will stay with me.  And I am so very glad it is one that was written.

Chicago: Ripe for a Fire

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Photo Credit Chicago History Museum: The Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory

Photo Credit Chicago History Museum: The Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory

In October of 1871, Chicago was entering fall riding on a heat wave after a summer’s long drought.  Serious drought.  Less than five inches of rain in more than three months, with less than an inch in the month leading up to the fire.  This certainly effected more than the farmers who surrounded this growing metropolis.

What made this drought so problematic? The city was made, almost entirely, out of wood.    Wooden houses.  Wooden fences.  Wooden barns and outhouses.  Wooden sidewalks.  Wooden streets.  (Yep – mostly in the business district.) The sidewalks and streets were often raised because when it did rain, everything became mud.  The raised sidewalks, some as high as six feet, provided a chimney of air for a wayward spark.  The downtown buildings, some which claimed to be fireproof, were still made of wood.  They may have had a limestone or marble facade, but were wooden underneath.   That’s thirty-six square miles of parched wood.  Do you know that even some of the fire hydrants were wooden?

But there’s more!

It’s 1871 – which means wood burning stoves.  Every house by now would have started to gather its winter supply of wood and kindling, sawdust for tinder.  Kerosene or gas lamps lit the homes and the streets.  Hay, straw, and feed were kept to care for the animals.  Though having a horse was something reserved for the more well -to-do, most houses had some livestock.

Chicago was a bustling city, busy growing.  The business district was budding and there was much money for a serious entrepreneur to make.  Being nicely located at the foot of one of the great lakes, with a river that fed into it, Chicago became a nerve center for commerce in the short thirty-eight years since it became an organized village.  Soon it became a hub for railroad lines too.  What did Chicago have that was being shipped out everywhere?  Grain.  Coal.  LUMBER.  Yep, all flammable.

Robert Cromie, in his book, the Great Chicago Fire, wrote, “It might be said, with considerable justice, that Chicago specialized in the production, handling, and storage of combustible goods.”

So, yes, Chicago was ripe for a fire.  And it had many leading up to the great one.  Next time I’ll tell about Chicago’s biggest fire.  Well, it doesn’t still hold that title.  In fact, it only held that title for a mere six hours or so.

By the way, if you wish to leave a comment, click on the title of this article.  A comment box will appear at the bottom of the page.

MRUs, they are nothing like MRIs

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Motivation-Reaction Units! oooh!

In last week’s post I shared about a strategy about how to analyze your scene/sequel structure.  Every chapter contains scene-sequel cycles, my chapters average 2 or 3.  But within every scene and every sequel are motivation-reaction units.  (This phrase is used by Dwight Swain in his book, Techniques of a Selling Author and is well-summarized in the blog Writing the Perfect Scene.   Where I lack creativity, I make up in resourcefulness!)

The nuts and bolts:

Motivation: What your MC sees, hears, feels, tastes, or smells.  It is observable and objective.

Reaction: begins internally and may end internally or externally.  The MCs reaction should mirror real life.  Initially, we react to things emotionally, something we can’t control, and to varying degrees depending on the motivation.  Sometimes the emotion is followed by a knee-jerk reaction.  Again, something we can’t control.  This happens usually in more dramatic or surprising situations.  Sometimes we skip the reflexive response and have a thought, or say something, or do something.  And there are some situations when all three occur.  When that happens, it usually follows: emotional reaction – reflexive reaction – thoughtful reaction.

Common sense, isn’t it?

As you are analyzing your scenes and sequels for their larger structure, you can mark down the side of the page when you are reading a motivation or a reaction.  This reveals story parts that are not motivation or reaction, and therefore don’t belong.  I have read nearly a full page in which my character is not reacting to anything.  A full page of motivation is too much.  The reader has identified with the MC and wants him to be engaged, not just an observer.  I also noticed, despite Swain’s suggestion that Motivations and Reactions alternate paragraphs, that my writing often had one, sometimes two, MRUs, within one paragraph.  (I’m not usually a rule breaker, but I’m okay with this one.  Especially since I have looked at other children’s books and noticed that accomplished authors have done that too.  Nonetheless, MRUs fill their pages.)

The only place that I ignore the MRU pattern is when I am establishing setting.  For the sake of my reader, this needs to be done swiftly and the action needs to get going again.  There are certainly more patient readers who like a thorough picture painted for them.  Know your reader and their attention span!

An example from the bookcase: Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Velchin

     I’m almost at the first floor when I hear the door open upstairs.  It’s my aunt.  (motivation – M).  I stop and wait for her to catch up.  I knew she’d come, (Reaction – R) and she does, arms reaching out and pulling me in.  (M)  With her face so close, I see she looks like my dad.  Though my dad never cries, of course. (R)

     “He’s wrong,” I say.  “My dad’s not an enemy of the people.  You know that, don’t you?” (Still R)
     She nods and pats my head, or tries to arrange my hair (M) – I don’t know which (R).  “I’m sorry, Sasha,” she says  “If we take you in, they’ll arrest us, too.  We just had a baby.  We have to stay alive.”  (M)
     She pushes something into the palm of my hand, folds my fingers over it, and runs upstairs (still M).  I know it’s money.  I’ll need it.  I’m grateful.  When I look, it’s not much, but at least in the morning I can take a streetcar to school (R).
 While alternating paragraphs for motivations and reactions is clearly not followed here, the MRU pattern certainly is.  Study some text for yourself.  Pick a favorite book off the shelf and see if that author uses MRUs.
 Well, January is research month for me.  So next time I will share some research tips I’ve picked up along the way.
 
Til then,
Enjoy playing with words!

Revision Process: scenes and sequels

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First off, where have I been?  I noticed my last post was in October.  My apologies.  I spent October and November in revision and took December off to focus on my primary job: SAHM (stay at home mom.)  But a new year is here with brand new motivations.

Pre-published authors are keenly aware that we are not to submit our work to agents until we get it as good as we can.  To perfectionists, that is a cruel task.  So we have to learn to let go of ascertaining perfection on our own (if ever), establish a plan, and stick to it!

In brief – the steps that got me this far:

  1. Write the rough draft like a crazy person.  Finish the darn thing and celebrate.  Really celebrate.
  2. Take a month away from it and read a craft book.
  3. REVISE: see this blog on what you can do in the first revision.
  4. Rewrite – time to fix all those things you didn’t allow yourself to look back at during the frenzied rough draft.
  5. Get eyes on it.  Yep.  Be brave!  Do you have a critique group?  They are the perfect people to do this.  They have willingly sacrificed hours of their time to read your writing and critique it because they know you will do the same for them.
  6. While your critique group has it start the next revision.

That’s what this post will focus on.  My process, in general, is an inverted triangle: start broad and become more narrowed through the revision.  Every writer has a process.  This works for me, for now.

On the first revision I was focusing on story arc, plot, characterization, what chapters can go – big picture stuff.  Now, I am getting more narrowed.  I am breaking the chapters into scenes and sequels and I am looking for specific elements.  And what I’m doing is not original.  I have taken what I have read in craft books, learned at conferences, and researched online to synthesize my process.

This step of my process was largely taken from a blog that was summarizing a book.  The blog:  Writing the Perfect Scene (beckons all perfectionists!)  The book: Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain.  (Admittedly, I have not read it yet.  As a SAHM my writing time is very limited.  But perhaps that will be the craft book I read after my next rough draft.) Refer to either or both of these for expanded information.  I will hit the highlights.

Tools: 3 different colored highlighters, a fourth marker of a different color, a red pen, green pen, tablet with Index Card app (By the way, this is a revised method.  My first was even more involved and I quickly realized I was working harder not smarter.)

Each chapter is compiled of scenes and sequels.

In a scene there is:11170843-highlighter-pens-in-desk-organizer-for-home-business-back-to-school-projects

  • a goal: the MC (main character) goal for just this little moment in time, which ultimately is somehow tied to the big goal/story arc – when I identify the goal I highlight it in blue.
  • CONFLICT! – internal or external, obstacles stumbling blocks the MC is dealing with in the scene. (I uses yellow highlighter – like warning road signs)
  • DISASTER!!!! – the thing that keeps the MC from reaching the goal (I like a pink highlighter for his one, it’s close to red. – I know, I am a very deep thinker!)

After the disaster the sequel begins:

  • Reaction: an emotional response that follows the disaster, will probably include dialogue or internal thoughts. (back to blue highlighter)
  • Dilemma: the MC is in a situation with no perfect solution that will allow him to reach his initial goal.  The MC sorts out his options. (yep, yellow highlighter!)
  • Decision: MC has weighed his options and chooses a path, therefore a new goal.  (red again. though sometimes it is also blue for my next scene.)

Most of my chapters have between two or three scene/sequel cycles.  Some had just one, the most was probably four.  Keep in mind. my chapters run about 9 or 10 pages.  So what I’m calling scenes may be what someone else calls a beat.  I’m not going to get hung up on vocabulary.  The important thing is that I am analyzing my text for the good stuff it needs to have.  My book is also an action story, fast paced.  Stories that are slower paced or focus more on building suspense or scene setting may have longer chapters or fewer scene/sequel cycles.  With my target reader in mind, I need to keep the pace up!

The purposes for the other tools:

  • Purple marker: noted flashbacks, internal monologue, and transitions (all of which were used SPARINGLY!)
  • red pen, to do what red pens always do!
  • green pen – to record MRUs – ooooh what’s that? I’ll get into that in my next blog.
  • Index Card app: After I completed each chapter I recorded for each scene: the number of the scene, the chapter it belongs to, the act it was from, the headline, the goal, conflict, disaster, the number of words and MRUs (oh! there it is again!) and humor.  And for each sequel I did the same thing, but recording the reaction, dilemma, and decision instead.

What good did it do?

I quickly realized when I was missing key components.  Sometimes an entire sequel was missing.  I have at least 5 scenes or sequels that need to be written – and one entire chapter.  And the opposite is true too.  I am able to see what isn’t a scene or sequel that is moving the story forward and can be discarded.  Repetition, lack of scene setting, drifting from the plot,  wordiness – it all stands out more.    I noticed my habit is to often skip past a reaction by the MC to the disaster.  And I’m sure there is more too.  Thankfully, it’s all recorded on my index cards!

Next time – MRUs. They are nothing like MRIs!

Til then,

Happy Writing!

By the way, what it one thing you always include on your index card when you are analyzing your story?

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!

Questions from Westview School

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It is time for another installment of questions from some very inquisitive young authors at Westview Elementary.

1. Are you a good drawer?

I enjoy drawing and painting.  I also really like to create with clay.  Most of the art I create is abstract, which means that it focuses on lines, color, and geometric shapes.  I’m not really great at drawing things the way they look in real life.

2. How many stops did take while you were making your story?

I have worked on my story very inconsistently over three years.  During the first year I got stuck on the first 50 pages.  I kept revising them and didn’t move forward.  I was also doing a lot of research in the beginning so I would write the history part correctly.  Summer months are very hard to write since my children are home and I need to keep them busy.  But over the last year I have made very good progress.  I have finished my story all the way through ( and then celebrated!) Then I revised it to look at the big picture,  Then I rewrote it taking out stuff that didn’t belong and writing parts that needed to be added.  Now I am in the middle of my next revision.  SO . . . I am hoping to not take any more breaks until I’m done, which I hope will be by the end of the year!!!!

3.  Is it fun to write all the time? Do you ever get bored?

abstract art

abstract art

I do enjoy writing most of the time.  I don’t think I get bored because it is a good challenge.  But sometimes I do get frustrated when I can’t get the scene the way I want it or when I know there’s a problem with the story, but I can’t figure out what it is.  I can also feel like there is a lot for me to still research, but when I break up one big job into many little jobs it doesn’t seem too bad.

4.  What’s the best font to use?

There are a few fonts that I like to use personally, but editors and publishers and agents prefer something basic like Times New Roman.

5. Have you ever been on an airplane?

Yes, I have.  I enjoy traveling and seeing new places.  My first time on an airplane wasn’t until I was in college, probably around 19 years old.

Thanks for the questions!

There will be more responses next Friday.

Until then,

Enjoy Playing with Words!

Number the Stars

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Number-the-StarsNumber the Stars by Lois Lowry is my all-time favorite children’s book ever!  It’s a historical fiction novel intended for an audience of 9-12 year old children.  It’s the story of Annemarie Johansen living in Copenhagen, Denmark during the Nazi occupation of World War II.  Her best friend, Ellen Rosen, is Jewish. When the story starts the Nazis stop merely standing ominously on street corners and prepare to relocate the Danish Jews.  The lives of the two girls are about to change drastically.  One will be forced to go into hiding while the other’s courage will be put to the test.

It is the winner of the 1990 Newbery Medal.  Though it rightfully received this award, it’s true accolades come from how it stands up to its toughest critics, children.  I have taught this book with two fourth grade and five fifth grade classes across a variety of ethnic groups and spanning the socio-economic bridge.  I have read this book with reluctant readers and avid readers.  The most challenging part of reading it was being told they weren’t allowed to read ahead!

Why children like it

The pace is quick.  The beginning of the story grabs hold of you and you don’t want to let go until the very last page.   The events of WWII are so unbelievable that the setting is both intriguing and mortifying.  The real stronghold is how relatable the characters are.  Annemarie and Ellen are very much like the children in the classroom, but are called to do extreme things.  And the themes of the story are the themes of most children’s lives: friendships put to the test, needing to be brave when it would be easier to run away, coming of age and learning the truth of the world around them.  I’ve had so many great conversations with my students because of the events in this book!

Through a writer’s eyes

Every time I have read this book I got something new from it.  And I’ve read it a lot!  (I am not one for rereading books, but this is a clear exception! – remember I’m a reformed reluctant reader).  This is a book that should be studied by every aspiring fiction writer.  It’s a study of doing it all right!  Characterization, plot, sub plot, intrigue, plot twists, symbolism, voice, show-don’t-tell.  What makes this an even more impressive feat is that the setting of this story, WWII, is one of the most written about topics.  What’s equally amazing is that it is all done in 132 pages!

Give Ms. Lowry a visit at http://www.loislowry.com and be sure to enjoy this book that I am glad was written!

School Visit: Questions of the Week

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kids with booksThis week I embarked on something that I didn’t think I would do for a while: visiting a school as a writer! And boy, did I learn a lot!  The fifth grade students at Westview School in Champaign were a great and patient audience!  (My timer was accidentally set to vibrate so I never heard the darn thing go off!) Nonetheless, I enjoyed the visit a great deal and hope the students got something from it too.  I was asked to speak on the writing process.  My adventure in writing coupled with my years teaching gave me the confidence to do this.

Just as I do with my kids at dinner or bedtime, I will share my highs and lows.

High: Learning new technology!  Thank you, Donna Moores for introducing me to Prezi!  Love it!!!

Low: The darn timer!!!!!

High: Favorite part of the presentation was when the students helped me create an impromptu story to demonstrate goal-conflict-disaster followed by reaction-dilemma-decision (and of course that decision creates the next goal!)

Low: lack of concrete examples that the students could relate to (next time – get a list of books in advance that the children are familiar with)

High: Take home questions that I will answer ON THIS BLOG!  There were a ton of great questions that I didn’t have a chance to answer (ahem, use an actual kitchen timer next time!), but will answer a few every Friday until they run out.  There are two questions, however, that will not be answered here: What’s the title?  What are the names of my main characters? As I am keeping most information about my actual story fairly private while its still in creation, I would rather not post that here.  But I will tell Mrs. Moores. 🙂

So here are the first five questions (names will not be posted for security purposes).

1.  What inspired you to write a story?

I have been fascinated by the Great Chicago Fire for a long time.  The more I’ve researched, the more compelling it has become.  It’s a story that should be told and there are not many children’s books on this topic.  When I was in high school, an English teacher was very complementary of the things I had written.  That coupled with my own pleasure of reading and writing gave me the courage to go for it.  Thanks Mr. Pusateri!

2.  How hard is the process when you don’t think you have any more ideas?

This is similar to writer’s block.  When you are feeling stuck go back and look at the conflict.  Did you have the steps? Does the main character have a goal? Does conflict get in the way? Does a disaster occur that knocks the main character off track? (Disasters don’t have to be big, just a big deal to the character.)  How does the character react to the disaster?  What emotions come out?  Is there a dilemma?  What choice does the character make?  His decision will lead you to the next goal.  Then you can figure out who or what will get in his way.  (more conflict, more disaster).  So, in short, conflict keeps the story going.  If you are stuck CHECK THE CONFLICT.

3.  Why would you walk away if your still working on it?

While I was busy writing the verbal vomit (rough draft) I would write for forty-five minutes and then do brainless activity (like laundry, dishes, take the dogs for a walk) for fifteen minutes.    I did this to give my brain a chance to rethink what I had written and think about where to go next.  Writing is mentally exhausting and it is good to take breaks.  But if you are on a roll, keep going.  Once I finished my whole rough draft, got all the way to the end of the book, I took a month off of writing.  I read a lot, but I didn’t look at my story at all!  I did this so I would be able to look at it through fresh eyes.  Since you are writing a short story, you won’t need to take so much time off.  A good night’s sleep should be enough to give you a fresh look at it.

4.  How long does it take to write it and publish it?  Also, how much time does it take until the book is in the stores?

Different writers take a different amount of time to finish.  Since this is my first book and I’ve had to do extreme research it is taking me three years of working on it inconsistently.  Some writers do this for a living and are very quick.  I’m hoping to get faster for my next books!  Finding a publisher can be tricky – so I will answer that question in a future post.  But once you find a publisher it takes between one and two YEARS before it’s on the shelves in bookstores.

5.  What is a good beginning sentence?

Authors battle this same question every time they start new! First of all, take the pressure off of yourself.  It’s okay if it’s garbage at first.  Just start with what comes to your mind.  You can always go back and change it once you see how your story is coming to life.  But there are some things to think about.  What kind of story are you writing?  Is it action? Then you may want to get your character moving from the start.  Is it a mystery? You may want to give a hint that all is not right in your main character’s world.  Do you want to shock your audience?  Do you want to ease your audience in by painting the setting?  Remember you are the creator of the world your main character lives in.    So consider the type of story you are writing and how you want your readers to feel from the very first sentence.  That should give you direction.  Then give yourself peace of mind because you can always change it!

Also look at how some of your favorite books were started.    I guarantee those authors questioned their beginning and probably changed it a few times too.

Great questions Westview!  I will answer more next week.

Until then,

Enjoy Playing with Words!