Turtle Tie for Charity: UPDATE

Wow! Ian Sands Turtle Tie that was up for charity auction on e-bay last week sold to the highest bidder for $122.50

for more details on the story you can visit Ian's blog.

Congratulations on your contribution to the Triangle Special Hockey Association!

Wrapping up the Chapel Hill Retreat

In addition to the great sessions on Voice, Point of View and the Pitch and Purpose of our work, we also had time to lounge on the back porch, join small critique groups, or work on our own.

On our last night we had a chance to read for 5 minutes. This picture is of my critique buddy, Janelle, reading from her YA MS. I was brave and read from my current WIP also.

Alan Gratz was one of the attendees. Let me tell you, he's a super nice and talented guy! He was kind enough to answer our endless questions about his writing journey to publication. He's the author of Samarai Shorstop and Something Rotten, with three new titles coming out in the near future. I feel honored to say I was at the conference while he was working on his current WIP, which sounds absolutely fantastic and fresh! If you haven't read any of Alan's work, you need to get out to the library or book store and pick one up!

This is a picture of Maggie Moe taking a picture of me taking her picture.

Some parting words of wisdom from our editors, Martha, Krista and Sarah:

MS's that are easy for them to pass on: 1) Bad writing; clumsy or obvious 1st draft. 2) Not knowing the Genre. 3) an unauthentic voice

What makes them want to see more:
1) solid writing
2) Good concept of voice

Also:
1) When submitting, keep editorial assitents in mind. They are just starting to build up their career and are more likely to have time to read more and work with new talent.

Sunday afternoon. Time to leave with lots of things to think about, digest and apply. I've found that blogging has been a great way to help me internalize what I learned, and hopefully some readers have learned something along the way too.
If you've never been to a writing retreat, I think it was worth the time and $$$.

Happy Writing!

I've been tagged! A book Meme

I've been tagged with an interesting meme by Karen Lee.

I am to pick up the book very most nearest to me, open it to page 123, jump to sentence #5 and post the next three sentences.


The book closest to me is Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. On page 123, sentences 6,7&8 read:

"She hates us. She'll fail us for talking."

The next morning, the girls sat so straight that they did not touch the backs of their chairs.

Sarah Shumway, editor at Dutton/Penguin, speaks on Pitch and Purpose of your work

Sarah Shumway

This is editor Martha Mihalik, author Stephanie Greene and editor Sarah Shumway
(in that order)

Sarah and Martha having a nice little chat.

The last session at the Chapel Hill retreat focused on the pitch and purpose of our work. Or in other words . . . the business side of writing.

What do editors think about? Is it just about a well written manuscript?

Here's what Sarah Shumway from Dutton/Penguin had to say

Sarah agrees that as writers, we are and should be mostly concerned about the "writing from our heart" aspect of writing, However, it can't hurt for us to have some understanding of the business of publishing too. The better we understand what an editor has to think about, the better we may be able to present our material to an editor. It may even help to shape and hone our writing.

Sarah's advice:
1) Have an aim and a message or something to share. Have you aimed an audience to a fixed place in your story?

2) Know clearly; What is the point of your work?

3) An editor NEEDS to be able to muster enthusiasm for your work so they can pitch it to their collegues. First they see what other editors think, and then they pitch it to the Sales and Marketing team. Sales and Marketing are the ones who give permission for offering an advance to a writer.
A. Editors need you to have writing skills, but they also want to know that you can pitch your story.

What is a pitch?
A quick description of your story. In once sentence describe your character, goals conflict, and why people would want to take it off the shelf. No. Seriously, she really said one sentence!

Why? Because when book sellers go to libraries and book stores, they only have 15 -10 seconds to sell a book. When consumers go to the shelves, they need take only about 15 -20 seconds to decide if it interests them. If you can't sell the Sales and Marketing Team in 15-20 seconds in a pitch, they know they won't be able to sell it to the consumer.

Scary huh?

Things you should have:

1) A good book description/ plot and appeal of the novel.

2) What is there in the story that is worth telling people about?

3) Hooks for marketing: who is it for, how it ties into the market, why it belongs at the publisher you are sending to. . .

4) A self promotion paragraph: What do you bring to the table?
A. Writing background
B. Personal Background
C. Inspiration
(Consequently, Sarah polled her fellow eiditors and asked them what they most looked for in an author. The #1 on the list was "Connections/avenues to promote the book")

My one on one critique with Krista Marino, editor at Delacorte: Fixing "Show don't tell"

REVISE! REVISE! REVISE!

Nervous, I walked into the small room where Krista Marino sat on a pink, flowered reproduction of a victorian sofa.

What would she say? I wondered.

If honesty persist, I was expecting the worst. Only moments before I left my house the previous afternoon, I checked the mailbox where a familiar SASE manilla envelope waited for me . I need not open the envelope. My own handwritten address was the bearer of bad news. Another rejection letter.

Could this be ill omen or good? I wondered. Though I tried to remain positive, (after all, perhaps this could be the writers equivilent of an actors "Break a leg") I sat behind the wheel of my car and headed toward Chapel Hill in a somber mood. Anger soon joined the mix when I realized that Mapquest had given poor directions. I was lost and there was only 15 mintues left until registration ended.

I fought to push the constant stream of unsettling thoughts from my mind. Just keep your mouth closed and listen to what she has to say. I reminded myself as I sat in the chair across from Krista. Even if it's bad news, I can still work to get better.

I drew in a deep breath, smiled and leaned forward as if to signal my undivided attention. But inside I was trembling. At the pit of my very core I want to be a published author. Will I ever make it?

And then Krista began to speak . . .



Or . . . I could just say "On Saturday morning I had a one on one critique with Krista Marino, editor at Delacorte."

Which is more interesting?

OK. Now, I'll get right to the point. Krista gave me a very encouraging and insightful critique. Her advice was spot on and she said she liked what she read and saw a lot of potential in my story. ~squeal~ :0)

My biggest problem was that I did too much "telling" instead of "showing".

It's funny, but I know the "Show don't tell" rule very well. Or I thought I did. As a matter of fact, I thought I WAS showing and not telling. But Krista did a great job opening my eyes to a whole new level of "telling."

I equated "action" to be the "showing" instead of "telling." Not necessarily so. It's also sometimes difficult to pick out these area's once you've gone over the same story over and over again. That's one reason why critiques are so important, whether it come from an editor or a local critique group. The outside information can be priceless.

What's the fix?: Add emotion, surroundings and thoughts into the mix. Even action can come across as "telling" and can even seem canned or contrived. In other words, don't just say your character is opening the door. What is she thinking as she opens the door? What is going on around her? How does she feel?

Her critique only covered the first 10 pages of my MS, but I have easily been able to apply her advice through out the entire MS.

The critique was golden!

Krista, if you're out there and ever come across this post, Thanks for the great critique!"


Now. . . Back to work!

Point of View as a story telling tool: Notes from a session with Krista Marino, eidtor at Delacorte

Our bellies are full of breakfast, caffeine courses through our veins (or at least through mine with an extra cup in hand) and Krista Marino takes the chair as we anxiously await her session on "Using POV as a Tool to Tell Your Story." Here are the insights that Krista presented: things I had never really thought about before.

1) The point of view that you use can either help your story or hurt it. Well used POV adds to the story and gives it depth.

2) You should not have a preconcieved idea of what POV to use and it should not be forced. You do not choose the POV. POV chooses you.

3) Good POV makes your story so engaging that the narrator becomes invisible. However, the narrator in your story should have a "personality" of their own even if it 's in 3rd person and not an actual character in the story. A good POV will not draw attention to what POV is used.

1st Person POV:
A. This type of POV tends to enhance a character driven story.
1. greater intimacy with the characters opinions
2. greater intimacy with the M/C in general

B. Caution for using 1st Person POV:
1. It's important for the reader to know the MC well
2. Krista feels this type of POV can come across as "contrived" if it's not done well
3. Can slow pacing

C. Good examples of. . . .
1st person: Skin Deep by e.m. Crane
1st person past progressive: Hell Week
1st person Past tense: King Dork

3rd Person POV:

A. This type of POV is good for . . . .
1. multiple protagonists
2. plot driven stories
a. the narrator is kept at an arms length from the protagonist
which is why it's difficult to use this for a character driven story.

B. Caution with using 3rd Person POV. . .
1. Less intimacy with the protagonist
2. Can come across as a more judgemental and disengaged
3. There's a tendency to forget to include emotion

C. Good exapmples of . . .
3rd person Limited: The Giver by Lois Lowry
3rd person limited omniscient: Ball Don't Lie
3rd person omniscient: Little Women

How does POV add to the story? Example:
Ball Don't Lie uses 3rd person limited omnicient. The character is very withdrawn and isolated. This POV mirrors the MC's personality and adds to the tone and feel of the story. If 1st person had been used, it would have told us too much about the M/C, and therefore would have taken away from his personality.

Writing Exercise: Try writing your story from different POV's and see which one tells your story best. What POV adds to the "voice" of your story?

Martha Mihalick, editor at Greenwillow, talks about "What is Voice and Why do Editors go Ga-Ga over it?"

Friday Evening with Martha Mihalick
What is Voice and Why do Editors Go Ga-Ga over it?
My notes and my take on Martha's session on VOICE.

From conferences to the very mouth of an editor, "VOICE" is the buzz word. In writing circles everywhere they talk about how important "VOICE" is. But I've never been clear entirely what it means, until Martha Mihalik's session on voice. Good voice is something you notice when you read it, but when you are the writer, how do you know that you have it?

Martha broke down "Voice" as having eight elements. Though each element is distinct, it's important that they all work together and consistently support one another.

The Short version: Voice is the "Story teller"

ELEMENTS OF VOICE:
1) Language = the vocabulary and dialect of your characters and narrator
2) Syntax and rhythm = how you put together sentences and paragraphs. How do you form them and how do they vary?
3) Tone = How do your characters sound? Are they cheerful, sarcastic, hopeful, dark. . . .
4) Imagery and symbolism
5) Theme = the emotional underlying emotional drive of the story.
6) World View = Where does the story take place? How would the characters think? what would they see? what is their culture? How does the world of the character effect his/her thinking and views.
7) Pacing = Leisurely or fast?
8) Structure = how it's put together, are the characters complex or simple?

So . . . why is voice so important? What's the big deal?
The answer is simple. There are only a handful of different plots that can be told. The "voice" is what makes the telling of the same ol' plots unique and interesting. It's what draws the reader in gives the story vitality and an air of authenticity.

Martha's Advice: Don't write to follow a trend. Write from your heart. If you force your story, the voice will come across as being "fake" or not authentic and will also seem as if the author doesn't have and opinion of the story.

A few of Martha's examples of books with good voice:
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

A few of my examples of books with good voice:
Crispin and the Cross of Lead; Midnight Magic by Avi
Dovey Coe, By Frances O'Roark Dowell
The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous, by Suzanne Crowley


Tomorrow I will focus on Krista Marino's topic of Point of View and how it can help or hurt your story.