Stalking Emma Dryden

from Craig Lew

Rancho Santa Margarita, California:

It all began in a Borders Book Store thick with the smell of espresso and the sound of soccer moms gossiping.  

Yeah, that long ago...

I thought I’d do some research in the kid lit arena, possibly write a few kids books between film projects.  Should be easy.
Yeah, that naive...

I picked up a book off the Best Seller shelf with a one word title.

“WTF?  Who in their right mind would take a chance on an edgy YA novel written completely in verse?”

A rapid Google revealed the agent.

Time to Say Goodbye ... (to an old manuscript)

by Sarah

This year, I said goodbye to a manuscript. 

I worked on The Looking Glass for years. That manuscript taught me how to write. When I wrapped my mind around a new aspect of writing, I applied to it to the whole novel. I rewrote it many times, and every rewrite tackled a specific issue:  made my main character more active, fixed a sagging middle, or built a believable world. 

The Looking Glass was the manuscript I rewrote (again)  while I was in the Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program. I met my Monkeys because of it! My mentor, Harold Underdown, taught me so much as I worked on it.

All the rewrites changed it for the better.

Until they didn't.

By the end of last August, I had a feeling that things still weren’t right. Consultations with agents at two SCBWI conferences confirmed my fears. The worst part was that I didn’t know how to fix my story. The portions I did try to revise didn't show any real improvement. 

Amy wrote a great post about when it’s time to stop revising and send a manuscript out. My manuscript met all those criteria. Except it wasn't time to send it out. It was time to put it away. 

While I dithered about whether to set The Looking Glass aside, I remembered a conversation I had with one of my sisters, a classically trained singer.

During the last year of her degree for vocal performance, she gave a senior recital, singing several difficult arias. After she graduated, she continued to improve, but she told me later that all her growth disappeared when she revisited some of those first arias. Her breathing would change. She’d loose her range. She’d carry more tension in her voice.

She couldn't return to those songs without reverting to the skill she had when she first sang them.

I was doing the same thing with my writing. 

Continuing to work on The Looking Glass limited me to the skill I had when I first began crafting it. I’d built weaknesses into the characters and the plot. All my newbie decisions were so intrinsic to the story that I couldn’t see them, let alone undo them.

I needed a new start. A partial scholarship* to a Highlights Foundation workshop gave me the impetus I needed to dive into a new manuscript. The three-month deadline for a rough draft kept me from looking back.

I was surprised at how much easier the first draft of Valiant was to write.  I knew what needed to be done. I knew the questions I needed to ask about the plot and characters. I knew the mistakes I tended to make and worked to avoid them.

Don’t get me wrong: what I had at the end of three months was rough– really rough. But the bones were good. I used every bit of craft I'd learned over the years ... instead of working around all the mistakes I'd made over the years.

Isaac Newton, speaking of his accomplishments, said, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." 

Granted, the giants he referred to were the intellectual greats that came before him. But the metaphor holds: I am convinced that a new manuscript stand on the shoulders of all the other stories we've spun. Those old stories give the new one height and depth and wisdom. 

So... if it's time, wave goodbye to your old manuscript. Give yourself permission to write the story all your earlier stories prepared you for. 

And in the meantime, have a Merry Christmas! I pray it brings you warmth and friendship and joy. 



*If you've been considering a Highlights workshop, but can't afford it,  apply for a scholarship! Now is the time of year to do so.

***Next week, the Turbo Monkeys will be on holiday with their tribes, but we've prepared some newsy little posts for you, so be sure to stop by, between the presents and the turkey. Love to you all!

Acknowledge!

Have you ever read the acknowledgements page in a book and mentally composed one of your own? For your book that someday might be published?* 

I have. And while I hate, hate, hate to jinx any future publication, I think an acknowledgments post might be a good idea, especially the day after Thanksgiving. Writing doesn't happen in a vacuum. We are surrounded by folks who keep us going. So:

Thanks to the amazing family and friends who have never, not once, mentioned a real job.

Thanks to the mothers who wonder why we aren’t already published.

Thanks to the crit group members who have an idea of why we aren’t published- and help us improve. Thank you, Turbo Monkeys (and Slushbusters!) for reading my best attempts at chapters and giving me feedback that's made me a better writer. Bless you for believing that I could be a better writer. 

Thanks to all the editors and agents who blog about this amazing industry and make it a little less mysterious. Thanks especially for this post. If I ever meet Janet Reid, I owe her a drink. Several. I don’t know how many times I’ve reread this, but I tear up every. single. time.

Thanks to SCBWI for the conferences, for the information, for the community. Thanks to the agents and editors at those conferences who encourage pale and trembling attendees.  

Thanks to the Nevada SCBWI Mentorship Program. To Ellen and Suzy who organized it, the marvelous faculty who staffed it, and Harold who mentored me. You all made the program so special- and introduced me to my fellow Monkeys!

Thanks to Highlights for the way they support and nurture those who love kidlit. Thanks for the scholarships that allow so many to attend their programs. Thanks to Patti for the times she was fierce with me.

Thanks to the writing community in Facebook and on the web– all the wonderful people who encourage us on a daily basis. 

Thank you for following Turbo Monkey Tales! We're so fortunate that you choose to swing through the kidlit jungle with us.  

Now it's your turn: who would you like to acknowledge? And for you published folks out there, who have you already acknowledged? 

*You know, your wildly successful debut novel whose pre-order sales have already outstripped Harry Potter, Twilight, and 50 Shades combined? That book.

picture provided by Wikipedia Commons

Onward to Nevada!

Greetings fellow Monkeys!  

Ellen here, and for my blog this week, I’m going to tell you about an amazing writing opportunity, the Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program. (here)

Imagine staying at the St. Mary’s Art Center and Retreat in Virginia City, Nevada, writing and collaborating with others for a weekend in the spring and one in the fall. Sage covered mountains with a sprinkling of pine and aspens surround you. The sweet smell of sage lingers on the breeze, wild horses graze nearby.

It’s the belief of the Nevada Mentor Program that one of the best ways to improve your writing is to work one on one with a successful professional.  Nevada SCBWI is committed to giving our members the best opportunity to improve their writing and illustrating skills and to get closer to their goals of seeing their works published, or published at a higher level. After being accepted (and only about 20 folks are) you and two others are teamed up with a Mentor. Last year there were nine well-published professional children’s book and illustrators to act as mentors.

I’ve participated twice, and both times was fortunate enough to work with amazing mentors, Suzanne Morgan Williams and Terri Farley. Suzy’s published eleven nonfiction titles for children and a novel, Bull Rider (Margaret K. Elderberry, 2009). A former teacher, Suzy believes in attention to detail, thoughtful structure, and being open to new approaches to presenting a story. Terri is the author of the 24-book middle grade series, the Phantom Stallion and its sequel series, The Phantom Stallion: Wild Horse Island. Also a former teacher, Terri is a master at character development.  

I’ve come away from the Mentor Program each time with information that has helped me strengthen my writing craft. Not only did I have another pair of eyes reading my novel, picking up on plot and character issues, but also someone to share my story with. New ideas were generated. I learned from Suzy that it’s okay to dig and rip and revise over and over . . . and over and over. Suzy has a system to highlight plot, action, dialogue, etc., which helps her see, in full color, how the different sections of her text are working. Terri, on the other hand, focuses on getting inside a character’s skin. Characters must experience setting and conflict from the inside out. Your character must grow with the story. He/she must be believable. They must have a strong voice.

My last Mentor Retreat ended a few weeks ago. With everything fresh in my mind, I began revision. I needed to work on the plot. I needed an event to demonstrate conflict between my protagonist and his father. I needed to rip my book apart. I wanted to avoid becoming overwhelmed. I wondered how best to revise.

As an English teacher, I decided to “teach” my book to myself. My first assignment was to summarize each chapter. As I began, I paid special attention to plot progression and character interaction.  I highlighted these places. This enabled me to find the best place in the plot to add the new event I wanted, a sword fight between the protagonist and his father. I thought about the relationship between these two characters and decided I needed to strengthen their voices. Like Terri said, I needed to get inside their skin.     

I found a simple character chart that I had used in class. Three columns, the character, the trait and evidence of that trait revealed through thoughts, dialogue and actions of the character. I learned from Terri to give your protagonist three dominant traits, one being a negative one. As your character deals with conflict, he/she must cope with all three character traits, and in the end, even the negative trait becomes helpful.  

I color-coded the protagonist and other characters, paying special attention to their interaction with each other. I plastered myself to the protagonist and listened to his voice in everyday life, and during conflict. I felt his raw emotion. I experienced his world.   

When I finished, the fog of revision cleared. My summaries and charts became my road map. I felt more confident in tackling a major revision.

Thank you, Suzy and Terri! Discussing my work with you, having you help me see the positive and the negative, helped my writing become stronger.      

The mentor program does not guarantee publication, but if you enjoy mingling with others that have a passion for writing, and if you like the thought of an adventure, then head on out to Nevada!