Bruce Hale: A Man of Many Hats

Bruce Hale, author of SNORING BEAUTY and the Chet Gecko mystery series, delivered the kickoff speech at our Miami SCBWI Conference. To say he was phenomenal is an understatement.

I read on Bruce Hale's blog that prior to writing children's books, he worked as an actor and a deejay. He still loves to perform and has appeared on stage and television. None of that experience has gone to waste. Bruce Hale is first and foremost an entertainer.

Bruce's talk centered on the following six principles:

1. Start a good habit - cut time blogging, facebooking, tweeting etc.
2. Write like your hair is on fire - driven by passion.
3. Think it through, and take the big view - ask questions like a three-year-old. Keep asking why.
4. Teamwork makes the dream work - critique groups, conferences.
5. Face the iron tiger - FEAR. Fear never stops.
6. Beat resistance with persistence - what would happen if I pushed a little harder?

For Bruce's grand finale, he sang "You Gotta Be" by Des'ree. He was so infectious, that all of us rose to our feet and sang along with him.

If you'd like to be inspired by Bruce Hale, he has a free electronic newsletter full of tips for writers. You can sign up here: Bruce Hale's Writing Tips.

I recently submitted a question to Bruce and he published it in his newsletter. The question was "What happens after a writer receives a contract?" For participating, I received an ARC, (advanced reading copy), of one of the Chet Gecko mysteries.

So what happens after a writer receives a contract? You'll have to subscribe to Bruce's newsletter to find out!

Novel Writing Tips from Erin Murphy, Joyce Sweeney, and Krista Marino

As part of the SCBWI Miami conference, I attended a "Novel Writing Intensive" led by literary agent, Erin Murphy; Executive Editor, Krista Marino; and writing instructor, Joyce Sweeney.

Erin Murphy talked about the art of revision. She advised us to see our manuscripts with fresh eyes. She shared the following tips to help:

• Apply Darcy Pattison's shrunken manuscript technique.
• Outline after you've written a first draft.
• Employ the nine steps for plotting fiction (found on Verla Kay)
• Use wordle.net to look for overused words.

Joyce Sweeney started by telling writers to "be in scene almost all the time." She advised using the first part of a scene to orient the reader (e.g. who, what, when, where). She asked us to consider what each particular scene means to the novel as a whole. To remember that each chapter needs its own arc.

Krista Marino lectured about voice. There are two kinds: authorial voice, which she defined as the fingerprint of an author, think Stephen King and Meg Cabot. The second kind is narrative voice, which she called "the character's voice."

Elements that contribute to voice include:

• Diction - Word choices.
• Perspective - Mental view.
• Characterization - Appearance, age, gender, education level, ambitions, motivations.
• Dialogue

Krista said the #1 element missing from most manuscripts she receives is interior monologue. She read us a passage from REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly without interior monologue, and then she read the same passage with the interior dialogue inserted. The manuscript was much richer and more interesting with the right amount of interiosity included.

Krista reminded us that when you're young everything feels like the end of the world. She said to write effectively for teens, we should erase adult perspective and in our minds go back to high school everyday. We need to actually listen to teens to get their dialogue just right.

The workshop provided lots of great tips, and I'm summarizing an entire days worth of notes. If anything is unclear, post a question and I'll try and answer it.

Happy Writing!

ERIN MURPHY and AUDREY VERNICK TALK QUIET BOOKS

During the recent Miami SCBWI conference, I attended a workshop with literary agent Erin Murphy and her client Audrey Vernick. The topic was quiet books.

What exactly is a quiet book? It's the opposite of a high concept book, (e.g. vampires). If you hear that an author wrote a vampire book, you're pretty sure of what the book will be about...romance with a vampire. On the other hand, a quiet book is hard to summarize in one sentence. Quiet books are often about relationships, sometimes they're historical. These kind of books are harder to sell and harder to market.

Ms. Murphy spoke about ways to make a quiet book louder. She used Lisa Schroeder's book, IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES, as an example. This book is technically a quiet book. It's about the relationship between a mother and her daughter. Sounds like a hundred other books, right? But the author made this book more interesting by its unusual setting: many scenes take place in a cupcake shop. The publisher was able to use this setting as a marketing hook. The cover is pink with cupcakes to appeal to tween girls.

Ways to Make A Quiet Book Louder:

1. Add a hook. (e.g. THE EXPRESSOLOGIST by Kristina Springer - main character is a barista)

2. Really unique setting. (e.g. IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES)

3. Glamorize the situation. (e.g. THE PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER by Ellen Emerson White)

4. Wish fulfillment (e.g. ANNA and the FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins)

5. Have the character make a really bad choice. (STORY OF A GIRL by Sara Zarr)

I developed a reading list of both picture books and novels from Ms. Murphy's workshop. Check out the following titles for quiet books that were loud enough to find success in the marketplace.

LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green

CLEMENTINE by Sara Pennypacker

THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson (Erin Murphy's favorite book of the season)

THE PENDERWICKS by Jeanne Birdsall

TOYS GO OUT by Emily Jenkins

A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT by Linda Urban

JULIA GILLIAN by Alison McGhee

STORY OF A GIRL by Sara Zarr

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky

TRIGGER by Susan Vaught

PENNY DREADFUL by Laurel Snyder

RED GLASS by Laura Resau

AMAZING MORNING ON ORANGE STREET by Joanne Rocklin

ADIOS, NIRVANA by Conrad Wesselhoeft

SOMEDAY THIS PAIN WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU by Peter Cameron

SOMEDAY by Alison McGhee

NOTES FROM A LIAR AND HER DOG by Gennifer Choldenko

Quiet books are my favorite books to read and to write. This workshop gave me lots to contemplate as I plot my next novel. Audrey Vernick writes quiet books too. Be on the lookout for her upcoming novel, WATER BALLOON.

If you've read any of the books on the list, I'd like to hear your opinion. Or if you write quiet books, I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences.

Writing Picture Books Tips From Rubin Pfeffer at East/West Literary

I recently had the good fortune to attend a workshop at the Florida SCBWI conference led by Rubin Pfeffer. The workshop was called, "The Art (or Science) of Picture Book Submission."

Mr. Pfeffer started by telling us it's a tough market for picture books. One reason is the number and quality of good chapter books. Kids are simply graduating to chapter books earlier, which is why editors are looking for brief picture books written for the very young.

Mr. Pfeffer shared a story about a picture book he recently sold called A PRESENT FOR MILO. After he made the rounds of New York houses, he simply could not sell this book. Because Mr. Pfeffer is a champion of e-publishing, he had an "app" made of A PRESENT FOR MILO. The electronic version led to a print book deal. He opened my eyes to the possibility of a print and e-version actually complementing each other.

The following list is the criteria Mr. Pfeffer uses to evalutate picture book submissons. He credits the list to his dear friend, Andrea Welch at Beach Lane Books. A manuscript doesn't need all of these, but it should have several of them.

1. Who is the manuscript for? Is there a clear audience?
2. Is the manuscript emotionally engaging?
3. Does it meet a special childhood emotional need?
4. Is there a highly creative concept, structure, or execution?
5. Does the manuscript use clever, evocative language?
6. Is there a compelling narrative arc?
7. Does the manuscript have strong pacing? Fun page turns?
8. Wordcount...Keep it down! Has the author left enough room for the illustrator to bring it to life?
9. Are the characters memorable and relatable?
10. Is it a story kids will want to hear again and again?

I was thrilled to meet Mr. Pfeffer, and proud that I'm represented by his partner at East/West Literary, Mary Grey James.

I'd love to hear if these tips help with your picture book submissions. Happy Writing!

BOARD BOOK EDITION OF TONIGHT YOU ARE MY BABY IS HERE!

TONIGHT YOU ARE MY BABY is a beautifully illustrated picture book that tells the nativity story from Mary's viewpoint. Though the book was originally published in 2008, HarperCollins has released a board book edition just in time for the holiday season.

If you're looking for the perfect gift for a little one in the 2-4 age group, pick up a copy at your favorite bookstore or order it from Amazon.com.

Dreaming Of Chautauqua?

I have never been to Chautauqua, but I try and attend at least one Highlights Foundation program each year. At no other conference, have I received the sort of one-on-one editor feedback available through their programs.

Below is an email from Jo Lloyd about scholarships available to attend Chautauqua:

Hello Highlights Foundation Friends,

Wishing you a happy holiday season. Since you have mentioned one or more of our programs in recent blogs, I wondered if you might pass along information about our 2011 Chautauqua Scholarship Program via a blog or some other social-networking means?

You may know someone who is hesitating to pursue his or her Chautauqua dream due to finances. The Highlights Foundation offers scholarships and now is the time to find out more.

A lot of children’s writers dream of the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop at Chautauqua. “Next year,” they promise themselves. “Next year I’m going to Chautauqua!” Then reality sets in. The drive and talent to support the dream are there, but the finances . . . maybe not.

Please encourage your writing friends to stop dreaming and start planning! Pass along our scholarship newsletter. Scholarships will be considered in two groups. Early applications will be accepted through December 15, 2010.(Final scholarship deadline is February 11, 2011.)

Please feel free to forward this e-mail to others who might find it of interest, paste it into your blog, or spread the news on social-networking sites.

Thanks so much,
Jo

Jo Lloyd Program Assistant
Highlights Foundation, 814 Court Street
Honesdale, PA 18431
Phone: (877) 512-8365 (toll-free) or (570) 251-4557
Fax: (570) 253-0179
jalloyd@highlightsfoundation.orghttp://www.highlightsfoundation.org/

PEANUTS CARTOONS

Some days are like that for writers. You pour your heart and soul onto the page and end up feeling like crap. Luckily, I am part of a group of talented writers known as "The Goal Buddies."
Our fearless leader is the talented Barbara Krasner and our resident humorist is Mary Morton Cowan, winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for CAPTAIN MAC.

This past week was a difficult one for THE GOAL BUDDIES. Things didn't go according to plan for some members and Mary posted this cartoon to make us all smile.

If I have one bit of advice for other writers, it is this: Surround yourself with other people who share your passion. They'll cheer at your good news and coax you over the bumps.