Sunday Writer's Treat: Middle Grade On The Narrative Breakdown

This morning, I discovered Scholastic exec. editor Cheryl Klein's amazing writing podcast (hat tip Andrea Mack).

Episode 35 of The Narrative Breakdown features author and editor Jill Santopolo. She and Klein discuss everything middle grade, touching on topics from outlining to what makes a book middle grade to increasing writing productivity. They also chat a bit about the series that made me love reading as a kid: The Babysitter's Club.

If you have some free time this chilly Sunday, put the kettle on, pour a cup of tea, and have a listen! The conversation lasts about 30 min.

Listen: Episode 35: Middle Grade With Author-Editor Jill Santopolo

-- More About The Narrative Breakdown --

In The Narrative Breakdown, Cheryl Klein, James Monohan, and other guest co-hosts discuss storytelling tips and techniques of interest to any writer, student, or fan of quality creative writing, screenwriting, playwriting, fan fiction, English literature, etc. Each episode, Cheryl and James draw upon their respective experiences in publishing and filmmaking to analyze popular novels, movies, plays, television shows, short stories, and song lyrics. Featuring various co-hosts and writers, as well as material from Cheryl Klein’s book ‘Second Sight’ and James’ iPhone / iPad app ‘The Storyometer.’

The Post-Conference Slump

At SCBWI LA with writing pals (left to right) Bridget,

Jodi, Pat, (me), Kathryn, Ghenet, & Edith

When I started writing fiction seriously about four years ago, I also began attending writer conferences. So far I've been to about six of them, and this August I made it over to the national SCBWI conference in LA for the first time.

Many of my writer friends consider this event one of the most special, motivating, and authentically fun weekend seminars for children's book writers. And I'm happy to report that the conference did not disappoint. The keynotes were delightful, particularly Laurie Halse Anderson, Matt de la Pena, and Jarrett Krosoczka. I had an amazing critique from an agent, and Richard Peck's first line workshop seriously inspired me to write more beautifully. I even got to meet a blogging pal - Cynthia from Read Is The New Black.

During the entire four-day event, I was pumped. The talks energized me to write the best book I can possible write -- to sharpen my prose, raise the stakes in my plot, liven up my characters. But when I got off the plane in NY, my brain remained in plan mode. Aaaand... I didn't write again for about three weeks.

This wasn't the first time I experienced a post-conference writing slump. In fact, it's happened to me after every single weekend-long conference I've attended. So what gives?

Last week at another SCBWI workshop (this one in New York) the words of a wise author hit home to me. And for the first time, I realized why conferences -- while stirring and enlightening -- have been so temporarily disruptive to my own writing.

Editor Wendy Lamb and Newbery winner Rebecca Stead at
SCBWI Metro NY's Professional Series

Rebecca Stead, along with her editor, Wendy Lamb, were special guests at my local Metro NY branch's monthly writing talk. If you read my MMGM features, then you know I'm a Fan of Stead. Yes, that's fan with a capital F. As far as middle grade goes, she's top notch, and I seriously wish I could have read her books in elementary school.

While describing her writing process, Stead mentioned how perfectionism can really get in the way of doing the work. And what writer can't relate to that? She said that sometimes, preparing to write is like setting up for a perfect dive. And if you're a good, dedicated diver, you'll stand on the edge of the pool and concentrate on the building blocks of that set up so you execute strongly.

But if you're too focused on setting up perfectly -- you might not dive at all.

Here is a tweet from another attendee that sums that up more concicely:

"Writing is like diving. U want 1st jump to be perfect...I've had to learn to throw myself off the board flailing." @rebstead @scbwimetroNY
— Ginny Poleman (@GinnyPoleman) September 11, 2013

Though I enjoy and learn a ton from conferences, the intense amount of information, feedback, and reflection put me in set up mode. I leave thinking of a million things I should change and improve. And for a small amount of time, I'm too intimidated to dive (ha) back into my writing. Because a piece of me wonders if I can ever live up to the renewed vision I have for my work.

That said, I seriously love attending writing conferences. This problem eventually solves itself, but next time, I might paste a few gentle reminders in my notebook to help bolster me from my own hyper criticism.

How about you? Do you ever psych yourself out when you're learning all the good stuff at writing conferences? Any tips on how to incorporate craft lessons without slipping into a slump?

Row80 Update: The End of Another Awesome Round

For the last 79 days, I've been working on a set of writing goals via Round of Words in 80 Days. This time around, I didn't do as much updating via my blog, but I was still mindful of my goals and what I hoped to achieve during that period.

Tomorrow is the last day of this round. My major goals were to:

1. Finish revising my middle grade manuscript
2. Begin pitching
3. Write 15k words of a new manuscript

 And despite going off track a few times, I didn't do too shabby! Here's where I'm really at:

1. Finish manuscript: My three-year-old manuscript is finally in the hands of beta readers. And honestly, I'm so tired of reading it, I really welcome the break I get while I wait for their feedback.
2. Begin pitching: Revisions took longer than I hoped (per usual), so the query process will likely start in April.
3. New WIP: This is where I'm most excited. Because my first book took so long to write, I thought I'd be flailing with this new one. Instead, I'm 20k into my newest work-in-progress. Which is about halfway done. Hooray!

 So that's where I'm at! One thing I really like about ROW80 is the scheduling - which keeps me on track. I know it's not for everyone, but it's definitely taught me to plan, set goals, then tweak my goals along the way.

How did this round work out for everyone?

Progress Report: #amwriting

Happy Sunday everyone! I haven't checked in on my goals in a forever kind of way. But that doesn't mean I've been slacking. Just the opposite.

As of tomorrow, I will be handing my manuscript over to beta readers (eee!). And even more exciting, I'm 10k words into a new story. This has been super gratifying since I've been writing/revising my first WIP for three years now. Three years! That makes it older than both my nieces combined.

With my new work schedule, I've also picked up two freelance gigs. So let's just say my laptop is getting a hefty workout.

How about you all? Any milestones? Are you tackling your goals like a rugby player, or fizzling down toward the end of the challenge?

Shhh... I'm Writing

Over the weekend, I had the chance to spend three yummy nights here:

With these  three  ladies. I somehow managed to bring my quiet productivity back from the cabin to bumping Harlem. Now that I'm on the verge of finishing up another draft, I am going to sneak away from the Internet again, and keep tapping away on my keyboard. Will be back soon!

Off to the Woods!

After work I'm going on my very first writer retreat just a couple hours away in the Poconos. There will be a cabin. There will be tea. There will be walks in the woods. And there will be four writers ready to put hours and hours into their manuscripts. I believe it will get goofy.

I plan on writing (something new) and revising (something old). Or, a little bit of this, and a little bit of that:

Let the muses loose, and see you on the other side.

The Difference Between Young Adult and Middle Grade

Literary agent Kristin Nelson's new weekly video blog has been interesting to follow. It airs on Friday, and this week she covered a question that anyone writing kidlit wonders at some point: What Is the Difference Between Young Adult and Middle Grade.

Answered elegantly, yes? You can check out her original post here.

And speaking of middle grade - I'm happy to report that I'm plowing through my newly revised ROW80 Goals like an abominable snow monster. The kind that has a snow monster laptop.

For once, I'm on track to meet my revisions as scheduled. This is partly due to getting through the dreaded beginning (it consistently wins the award for hardest/worst part of my manuscript), and also from conference motivation. I recently attended the Writer's Digest Conference - which my lovely writing pal Ghenet sums up here. She attended sessions with Donald Maas, James Scott Bell, and NaNoWriMo's Chris Baty, and does a great job extracting the gems from their talks.

So yay to conferences, yay to goals, and yay to staying on track. Hopefully all this motivation will keep up! Happy writing this week to you all!

Row80: The Checklist Returns

If you're just tuning in, here's the scoop on ROW80.
Happy Sunday everyone! My head is currently spinning with all the great information I took home from the Writer's Digest Conference this weekend. I'll keep this short and hopefully not too erratic.

 On Wednesday I worked on revising my goals with a more deadline-driven schedule. Having markers to revise chunks of pages really motivates me - and I was a little lost on how to start back up.  Here's the geektastic calendar I used for planning my new schedule:

I also created a checklist of what needs to be done within each group of pages I'm revising during that purple section. I'm one of those people who LOVES marking off boxes and crossing out items on a list. Geektastic!.

my darling checklist

This honestly isn't my way of procrastinating - after I organized my critique group notes into the checklist and created hard deadlines, I became super focused and more productive. My updated goals for this round can be found here. 

How have the first couple weeks of goals been working out for you, team ROW80?

Row80: My Texas Check In

If you're just tuning in, here's the scoop on ROW80. 

Greetings from the Lone Star state! The Scientist and I are on a birthday getaway in Austin. This is my first trip to Texas, and of course there isn't a better way to get to know a place than meeting its kidlit writers.

On Saturday I stopped by BookPeople, where the SCBWI Austin chapter was hosting a mini event. Lynne Kelly and Tim Crow presented highlights of The Story Masters Workshop they attended in Houston (featuring Donald Maas, Chris Vogler, and James Scott Bell). They broke down some of the larger themes emphasized at the conference, such as using emotion and surprise in your story. A great mix of picture book, middle grade, and YA writers came out to take notes and join in on the conversation. Great bookstore, and great group of writers!

I'm definitely inspired to dive back into my own manuscript. Right now my writing goals are all about revisions. Other than eating tacos and walking around without a coat, here's what I've been up to:

• I met with my critique group on Wednesday and got super helpful notes. We have just 30 more pages of my story to go!
• The highlighters are back! I cut about 1,500 words from the beginning of my manuscript to pick up the pace, and now I'm trying to catch all those teensy references and phrases that go along with them. It's smoothing out nicely.

 Hope you all had a fabulous and productive week!

New Year, New Goals

If you're just tuning in, here's the scoop on ROW80. 

I love new beginnings! Just like I love making lists. And the new year is the perfect time to wipe the slate clean and reassess. I tend to make resolutions seasonally, but January is my favorite time to jot them down. It always feels like a fresh start. My birthday is also in January, so it's full of milestones and markers, and gives me a pretty forward outlook on the rest of the year.

I didn't get quite as far as I hoped with my middle grade manuscript last year, so I'm excited to kick off 2012 with a new set of ROW80 goals.

They are listed here. I thought I was being conservative last round, but still didn't end up completing my timeline. Hopefully I'm more on the mark with this set! A few awesome things are brewing this year already, and I can't wait to announce them!

Let's rock this ROW80 challenge. Who else is on board? If you aren't familiar with ROW80, read more here. There's still time to set your goals and sign the hell up!

End of The Row-d

If you're just tuning in, here's the scoop on ROW80. 
 
Sorry, I'm a sucker for both cheesy wordplay, and early '90s nostalgia. But it really is the end of the road! And I'm so thankful that I spent the last 80 day working on my manuscript with end goals and a great group of writers driving me forward.

Ghenet, one of my talented write night buddies, told me about the ROW80 challenge, and I decided to join at the very last minute. If it weren't for her, I would definitely be way behind in my progress. Though I didn't quite get through my original goals, I've come far.

As for my adjusted goals, here's how I fared:

1. Finish revising the last 42 pages of my WIP.
Only a few pages left, which I plan to whip through at tonight's write night.

2. Create outline for next manuscript.
Last week I  started small outlines on not one, but two manuscripts. Clearly someone is eager to start a new project.

3. Incorporate new critique group notes.
I still have about 20 pages to go through, which I won't likely get done tonight.

4. Read two kidlit books.
This weekend I accidentally opened up Shatter Me. Let's just say, that pushed me over to three kidlit books - Shatter Me, plus the Future of Us, and A Wind in the Door.

I'm going to stop expressing my gratitude like I won a freaking Academy Award. But I definitely plan to join the ROW80 gang again this January. Who else is on board?

ROW80: Goals, Goals, Goals

If you're just tuning in, here's the scoop on ROW80. 

A'hoy! I haven't been updating on Wednesdays, but as there are just *two* ROW80 check-ins left (and eight days), why not?

Here's where I'm at with my end of the road goals:

1. Finish revising the last 42 pages of my WIP.
24 pages to go (w00t!). 

2. Create outline for next manuscript.
Not there yet - but maybe tonight at write night!

3. Incorporate new critique group notes.
Not yet, but will get to it. I just sent them new pages, so need to do this one soon. I can't stand getting backed up!

4. Read two kidlit books.
Finished The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.  Now I'm on A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle (which I borrowed from a 9-year-old).

Hope everyone has had a productive week so far.

ROW 80 Update: What Do You Plan on Doing Over the Next 11 Days?

If you're just tuning in, here's the scoop on ROW80.

So, here we are. Eleven days left in the ROW80 challenge. I was hoping I'd be further along in my goals as this point, but so be it. The more important thought is - what would I like to get done by then?

Here's what I've got:

1. Finish revising the last 42 pages of my WIP.
2. Create outline for next manuscript.
3. Incorporate new critique group notes.
4. Read two kidlit books.

Easy peasy? We shall see!  What will you do in the last 11 days of ROW80?

Thanksgiving Progress Report

If you're just tuning in, here's the scoop on ROW80.

Hello! And happy late Thanksgiving to my writer pals out there!

I am back in New York from Boston, where I got to visit family, eat a few slices of pie, and revitalize my hometown accent.

This is a quick check in as I don't have much to report. I'm behind on my revising goals, so I'm adjusting them again, and hope to be done with this draft by the end of the week. Instead of crossing my fingers, I'll be using them to type this time ;)

And in better news, I finally sent new pages to my amazing critique group, and also finished a book that rocked my socks off.

Hope all you brave NaNo writers are on track despite the holiday. Best of luck writing this week!

ROW80 Update: In Which Highlighters Save the Day

If you're just tuning in, here's the scoop on ROW80.

My revising troubles from last week backed me up a bit - but all your amazing comments on how to overcome the difficulties of switching around multiple scenes in a simple program like Word gave me many ideas.

Quite a few people mentioned how great the highlighter function in Scrivener is, which inspired some old school thinking. I ended up grabbing a bunch of highlighter pens to mark up the sections that needed to move using three different colors to keep track of where they would end up. It took about 10 minutes. 10 minutes! After all the time and energy I wasted thinking it was going to be tedious and sloppy and headache-inducing. Lesson: Learned.

Thanks again for all your help!! And for prodding me to keep going, too.

As for my progress - well, I'm a little behind on my revising goals, and need to push back my revisions deadline by one week. But with ROW80's philosophy, I do so with no guilt. It's the writing challenge that knows we have a life, after all!  Happy writing this week to you!

Cut & Paste

Row80 Update! And I've been so busy, I haven't updated in... a bit. Given my writing schedule, Sunday will most likely be the day I post my progress reports, or the occasional Wednesday if it works out that way.

After I posted my goals, I peeked at some other ROW80 lists and wondered if mine were maybe a little easy. Reading and editing pages every week seemed like the same old - and it's what I've been doing for the better part of 2011. But since I began tackling revisions, I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. During this third draft of my manuscript, revisions are taking much longer.

My current struggle is with moving around scenes and chapters. After rereading a large section of the beginning, I realized that reordering a bunch of scenes would solve a couple plot and character development issues. It seemed like a great idea at the time, but oh boy that doesn't make it an easy one. Once I started slicing and dicing, the results were messy and confusing. It's not a simple cut and paste, since a single paragraph might need to be split up and positioned in different places.

Right now I'm just using a Word doc, but I suspect a program like Scrivener would be amazing for this type of editing. At this stage, I'm going to finish up and learn Scrivener when I start a new project. For now, I'm handing this tricky process by marking everything up on printed pages, then copying the text that needs shuffling into a new document, split up into different sections. The new document helps keep track of the random sentences that need a different home.

Have you ever juggled parts of your story in a similar fashion? Any tips?

Teddy Wants You to Quit Balking and Finish That Book

Checking in for Row80! My goals right now are all about revising, and I'm happy to report that I haven't derailed, despite attending an 8-hour work event on Saturday.

I only had 25 pages to read through this week, so I planned ahead and breezed through them by Friday. Today, I'm incorporating line edits and bigger changes for the first 50 pages into my manuscript doc. It's slow-going, but still satisfying.

I also reorganized the notes I have for the broader changes I need to make. They range from switching someone's name to rearranging entire chapters. This part gets a little sticky. One of the greatest things about writing a book is that you get to create everything - you are an architect, fashion designer, governor, CEO, psychologist, and sometimes chief torture agent.

Given all these fancy responsibilities, there are times I seriously don't want to make a decision. I wish someone would just tell me what to do. Beta readers and critique groups can give you ideas, but ultimately it all comes down to you and what you decide. Ditch an entire character? Rewrite the beginning? Switch from third-person to first? The pressure... the pressure!!!

This quote is a nice motivator for me when I want to demote myself from all responsibility:

Theodore Roosevelt: In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

I've been stuck doing nothing before, and it definitely is the worst.  Happy writing (and rowing) all!

Row80 Check In: My Brain, It's Storming

It's Sunday check in! And I'm happy to report that I'm making progress on my ROW80 goals.

The revising phase has been slow-going for me, but every time I get through a section or a draft, my manuscript becomes more book-shaped. This week my goal was to work on pages 1-25 - the dreaded beginning.

I spent a long time - months, actually - revising the first 30 pages of my book. My critique group was probably ready to kick me out on the streets if I showed up with another new beginning, the poor dears. Revisiting the beginning was more satisfying than I thought it would be. I still like it - though I know it needs more work.

Luckily, the muses love caffeine. While I rifled through my pages in a favorite coffee shop in Union Square, an idea sprung in my head. This idea would fix a problem my critique group kindly pointed out in our last session. Then, as I ordered another green tea lemonade, the idea grew into another idea.  And on my way to the restroom, the perfect solution popped into my head.

Now that I'm on draft three, it's like I have a pretty nice looking puzzle, but important pieces are missing. Those are the pieces that will connect things together, or clear up the image painted on top of it.  My writing excursion this week found a few of those pieces, and I couldn't be more delighted.

My only other writing accomplishment this week was editing my niece's college admissions essay. Remember those days?!

Weekend at Blanco's

Every week I go to the MET. And then I eat a cupcake. This week in Cupcakes and Art:

Writing is something I try to squeeze in whenever possible, so I’ve ended up working on my story in some weird places – subways and laundromats and airplanes included. But the most fun place I’ve sat down to write? A reconstructed Spanish courtyard from the 1500s – or what I like to call the BEST OFFICE EVER!

For a change of scenery, I took printed pages of my WIP along with me to the MET and searched for a cozy corner to mark it up. I knew there were a couple marble benches in this particular room – the Patio from the Castle of Velez Blanco.  It’s a pretty big space, but it's as quiet as a library, and isn’t distracting or overcrowded. It's not ideal for working on a laptop, but was perfect for revising on paper. I got a lot of work done, and when I needed a break, I stared out at the marble wonders around me.

After I finished marking up my pages, I took in some sculptures (almost done with the purple section!), then headed to the trusty Cake and Shake truck.  This time I got the Hot Tottie, which the gal at the register said was her favorite.

It sounds terrific - almond cake with butterscotch mousse inside, then covered in toffee frosting . But not all cupcakes are winners. The frosting was amazing, but the almond extract flavoring was too strong, so the cake just tasted fake and chemical-y. Finally, I met a Cake and Shake cupcake I didn't like...

Row80 Goals Check In

Howdy partners! This week ended up being productive in small but significant ways. After declaring my goals on Tuesday, I still had a bit of housecleaning to do. Here's what my writing week looked like:

• Sent notes to critique group on each writer's pages
• Printed out first 50 pages of my manuscript
• Organized my revising goals into weekly chunks
• Organized revision notes, both from my critique group, and my own "changes needed" doc

So no mountains have been moved, but I'm moving along just the same. How did your writing week pan out?

Though it's not in my goals, I also ended  up completing a task I've put off for nearly two months - writing my blog bio. I've been thoroughly allergic to it, but in the spirit of getting stuff done, I deleted that annoying "Coming soon!" placeholder and slapped something up.

As for those weekly revising goals, I'll give you all something to hold me to:

Week 2   pages 1-25

Week 3   pages 25-50

Week 4   pages 50-80

Week 5   pages 80-110

Week 6   pages 110-145

Week 7   pages 145-184 

Instant accountability! Happy Rowing!