From the Inside Out

I have had several people ask me about my writing process. (Truly I have no idea why :) Keep in mind - as you read this - that I am currently "unpublished" so this is purely "non-expert" writing advice. I did get some of these ideas from many editors that responded to me personally during my first book's submission process.

So read at your own risk!

Backstory -
To date - I have written 2 MG/YA books: 1 epic MG fantasy (50,000 words/350 pages) and my current YA thriller (30,000 words and 150 pages).

I used different processes on both.

First Book - no process! what a mistake!
The first book - I simply wrote haphazardly trying to envision where my character was going and how she was growing. My book did not do bad but obviously it did not get sold. I did get about 5 requests for manuscripts, 2 Acquisitions Meetings opportunities, and several personal editorial letters. When it still did not sell, I used an editor (Harold Underdown) to review the book for me not understanding what was wrong. He told me I had major plotting issues and inconsistencies and suggested I create a "File" of information including an outline. I went through all of Harold's comments - (and trust me there were alot! about a 10 pages editorial letter) and tracked where all my problems stemmed from.

That editorial letter along with some other personal advice from editors/agents helped me form my second book.

I actually shelved this book because going back and replotting seemed impossible at this point.

Second Book
I like to say when I am creating a book - I am creating a whole person from the inside out so here is how I envision it.

1) The Soul/Heart - I created character profiles for the people I knew I would have in the story - at first it is main characters. I try to include descriptions and backstory. I eventually add in mannerisms, phrases, clothing style - anything I needed to keep track of . I feel is is very easy to forget these little things that make your characters real - especially when you are writing a long book - it is easy to get confused and lose track. Even JK Rowling has her characters and their backstory written out. You may not use it all but it help breath life into your characters from the very beginning.

2) The Brain. I then go on to write a high-level summary about the story that I want to tell. I think most writers know what they want their story to be about. That is why you start writing it. To me - if you can not really pin down what you want your story to be about - you may miss the mark. Kinda like if you go on a trip - you know where you are going. You may not know how you are going to get there or how long it takes or what you see along the way - but you know you generally the direction and destination. This - in a way - is a beginning step to your one-page synopsis. But at this point - I do not spend alot of time on it. Again - this does not mean your story can not evolve - my story is different than when I first started - it just gives you a starting point. I also make sure I include what are the 3 things that make my book different from the other that may be in the same genre. I have to make sure I play up those 3 things so my book is sellable.

3) Pick the Bones - I create a high-level outline. Yes an outline. This is like my skeleton. I know some people do not like outlines. But to me - this is a general path of how you are going to tell your story. Again, if you know you are going to California, you draw out a way to get there. You may not take that route - you may get off track - but you generally need to know that you wont end up in Oregon. In my first book - I refused an outline because I felt it hindered my creative process. Unfortunately, my character ended up in Oregon when I wanted her in Southern California. I realize now it just gave me a rough path to follow. This does not mean - I fully outlined my entire book. My outline is as organic as my book is. I just helped me decide what the chapter was really about which kept my story focused. At first I only wrote a sentence about what happened in that chapter.

4) Building a frame- I go through and write the book. As I write my chapters - I always kept my outline open and added to it as I go. This helps me track things that came up in the writing process or remember question/lines/plot points that I want to include later. During this time, I do not stop to fix anything, I just write from my heart. Most of it is fixed later. I do not worry about spelling or grammar (like I have that anyway :) I just write with no judgement without really thinking. I try to go as far as I can. I force my way to the end, keeping my outline updated as I go.

5) Look at the Skeleton. After my first sweep - I print out my book and read it as a book. This is a very rough draft with tons of spelling and alot of the story is not in place yet. But this helps me see the big picture and figure out where holes are. As I read it - I get ideas on how to build out the story and where my holes are.

6) Reshape Frame. I go back and blow out my detailed outline and character descriptions based on what I read and figured out. I add more detail to the outline and try to have a paragraph for each chapter. I may move chapters around based on what I read. I cut and paste alot. My story may change and the chapter order may alter. Some characters comes in, some change, and some even leave. If they are not needed, they get the boot. I don't like to many characters in a book. I like enough to create a world but not too many that I cant keep track and that they are not generic. They are all essential to the story. For example - I don't bring in the butcher or teacher or a friend unless it is critical to my story line. I try to find a way for that character to have some information for the reader.

7) Add the Meat - Here I focus purely on my plot line. What are the clues? What are the steps on my characters journey to growth? What are the plot points in each chapter? What does the reader discover in each chapter? What is each chapter really about? I work on my outline until it feels complete. I track all my clues and plot events in the outline. I mark them in blue if they are addressed and red if they are a loose end or may not be needed. I make sure all these line up in the story. Every clue has a place. This doe snot just have to be mysteries, there should be clues or points where the reader learns something in each story that pushes the story forward - even they learn something about them selves. I find each chapter needs at least one things learned or it is a wasted chapter. This helps me spread out the information. I cut out any chapters that don't offer something.

For example - I took the book into a 6 week critique class and my whole book has evolved much more just since my last draft.But it feels complete. I have redone my outline, added to character descriptions and kept my process going. I put everything in its place.

8) Add in the fat - I expand the chapters to be sure everything i think needs to be included is. I go back through the book and add in little details. ie - Instead of my character having long hair. I had in mannerisms - she brushes her bangs back alot - nervous habit. She says - "Crapola" alot. She never looks in the mirror and actually avoids them at all cost. Little things like that. I try and sprinkle those through the book. These are things I go back and add to my character descriptions. This helps me make sure that all my characters do not have the same color eyes or say the same phrases or talk the same. I try to give them each 3-5 characteristics that make them different. For example in my Grace book - her Native American boss called her Elu (Native American for Grace), her ex calls her "G", her dad calls her Gracie, her boyfriend calls her "blossom." Things like that. IN the first drafts - they probably all called her Grace.

9) The Whole person - I read the book aloud to someone - this is where my critique group, my mother, and my poor hub get dragged into my process. God bless them! This process may happen several times deepening on changes. I take notes and make sure there are no loose ends and everything is where it needs to be. At this point, the chapters do not change order and the story is finalized.

10) Trim the Fat - I go back through and cut anything that does not have a specific purpose in the chapter or any chapters that don't in some way move the story along. This is where I am now and it is hard. I cut great lines, funny dialog, overstated descriptions that stall the story. Alot of good writing is cut here but it is in the best interest for the reader.

In the end, I have a book, a synopsis I have added to, character descriptions, and a detailed outline with clues and key events. And more importantly, I hope a publishable book.

Side note:

I thought I would include a few things that help this writing process....

1. Music - I like to write to music (it is the ADHD side of me). I know some people can't but I do. I actually choose a song for each chapter that I feel gets me in that moment. For example - I use Pink - I'm not dead for my opening chase scene. I now have a playlist that follows my book so I listen to those songs as I write that chapter. I don't know why but it helps me get into the moment and block out the world.
2. M&Ms - unfortunately these are an issue :) I like the peanut kind and have to reign myself in from getting them too often. I've tried fruits and veggies but it does not give me the same effect.
3. Coke Zero or Coffee with flavored cream - this can also be dangerous. But helps.
4. Darkness - I especially like to write at night when everything is quiet - besides my music of course.
5. My dog at my feet.
6. My comfy leather chair.

This process helps me keep the organic side of writing alive while still being systematic in creating a compelling story.

Hope this helps :) Feel free to ask me questions.

Over the Hump

I am finally over my first hump in the revision process.

For the past 6 weeks, I have been re-plotting, re-writing, and re-cutting my entire YA novel (50,000 words and 400 pages worth). I am in the home stretch - the last 1/3 of the book which is where the fewest changes occurred.

I stayed up until 1 am last night fighting through the mangled mess of words and events only to shoot out the other side.

Whew!

I can breath a sigh of relief. I made it and I did not know if I would. After all, I gave up on my first book at this stage because it was just too hard.

But this time, I fought through it and finally see a glimmer of light and hope at the end of my writing tunnel. Out of 150 pages, I have rewritten 2/3rds of the book. It has been the hardest, most frustrating, exhausting, mind-boggling journey.

I am about to rebirth a brand new baby and I love what it has become. I am a proud mama. Thanks to Harold and Eileen at First Pages (the proud grandparents :)

Now that I am out of the fog and have been rejuvenated. I am almost ready to submit to agents. I feel good about my manuscript and am ready to get started.

My book is better than it was before.

Came across this quote and it felt very appropriate for my situation:

"You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence."(Octavia Butler)"

So 3 cheers for completing the revision process!!!!!!

At least until the next one ;)

Toot Toot - Says my Horn

After the conference this past weekend, no matter how great it was and how full I felt afterwards, I still found myself disappointed on Sunday night. For those of you who do not know me - this is not surprising. Because I am by nature a pessimist, a problem solver, and always seem to find a crack in a seemingly-perfect world. When great things happen, I tend to look up waiting for a piece of my "happy place" to fall.

Don't get me wrong - I love going to conference, they inspire me, push me, teach me, and I leave feeling happy. But soon after I return home, I begin to dwell on how hard it is to get published, how hard the biz is, and how far I seem to be away from really getting published. That's OK. I go through a period of feeling pressure to finish, pressure to submit, and pressure to write more.

This year, I made some pretty aggressive goals at the conference:

1. Write 15 hrs a week - whether it be blogging or working on my novel
2. Submit to agents this year as opposed to publishers
3. Research agents my top 20 agents/agencies
4. Submit query package by end of Oct.

So far I have written about 2 hrs a day - leaving me at about 6 hrs thru Wed (week is Mon-Fri so I still have time). I did not realize a few things, when I made these goals. Kinda like when you make a NY years resolution to loose weight but then realize you eat bags of MMs at midnight. (Wait - do those things NOT go together?) But I am motivated by achievement and the flaw of never going back on my word -so I push forward. Soon I realize:

1. I have to give up Wipeout. (You'd be surprised how much time you can squeeze out of a night when you turn off the T.V.)
2. I lose 2 hrs of sleep a night. (Unfortunately I am a procrastinator so by the time I start writing, I go to bed later. Yawn - no pain, no gain!)
3. I need more MMs (which now means I have to work out more. There adds another 5 hrs a week.)

I digress.

Sunday night, I sent a prayer to all the world about positivity and peace. But I snuck in one of my own :)

Give me a sign that I am doing the right thing!

You see, sometimes I need to know I am on the right path. That I am broke for something. That I miss my daughter's soccer game for a rare conference. That I miss Wipeout or Grey's Anatomy to write. That I use my family's money to go to conferences, send out packets, buy books. I need to be reminded it is not all just a big waste.

I digress!

After my prayer, I went to sleep thinking and envisioning myself as a published, bestselling author, being interviewed on Oprah. (Doesn't every writer do that?)

The next morning, I wake up to a critique sitting in my inbox. I have been a part of a 6 week class where 2 experienced editors throw darts and rip holes in my "once-completed" manuscript as I fight through a sea of revisions and replotting. I am all for revising but this was chopping and cutting and twisting everything my mind had organized. Needless, to say the last 6 weeks have been very hard! And at times, I wanted to give up but I kept going because I believe in this book. For the record - it is worth it. I have seen a HUGE difference in my book and know it is much better than before. But when you are in the middle of revising - you never quiet know if it is for the best until you fight your way through it. (or until you get published). I just have to trust the process. (I digress.)

I wait until I am alone (kids in school, hubby at work) before I read the email - again procrastination assuming more revisions are coming. (As a side note: this editor used to be an executive editor at Scholastic press publishing 151 books a year, with an average of 2-3 new series a year, for grades K-5, both fiction and nonfiction publishing. But who is counting! ;)

Drum roll please. Now, here are a few quotes from that critique: (please know as you read this I bawled like a baby (great just what I need is a cliche) and have been smiling every since:)

• Great Job! I had to read this twice to try to find something... and you left my pen idle.
• Terrific! Absolutely terrific, and I don’t get to say that very often.
• You have mastered the major elements in these first few chapters – setting, characterization, dialogue, pacing and progression.
• You’ve done an excellent job defining all of the characters.
• That brings me to dialogue – you are very good at it.
• As a reader, I was engaged immediately and I think the choice to show a future scene and then flash the reader back to what happened prior to this event, was a good one.
• I like the cadence of your sentences. The flow between short, sharp sentences and long descriptive ones are well balanced. Your verbs and descriptions are great.
• I don’t know how the rest of your novel reads, but if I were receiving in-house submissions, I would certainly want to see more based on these first chapters.
• The plot is adventurous and I’d want to see how you do it. This is definitely ready for submission.

And there you have it! The blood, sweat, tears, and more tears are paying off. Thank the Lord!

This little nugget of hope was what I needed. It will push me just a bit further in this sometimes disheartening process and jumbled process - called publishing.

So - TOOT TOOT!

Insider Information - Midsouth Notes

Keynote: Bruce Coville – “What we do matters?”

In your stories, you want a:
· Ha - laugh
· Wha – tears (sad or joy)
· Yikes – when a story turns on itself – conflict or surprise

2 ways to fail
1) so tasteful no one wants to read it
2) character does not save herself – someone else does it

• Ask yourself questions about your scene – why is XX doing this? Answer it and then ask "why" again. You don’t want the easy answer – you want to underlying answer.
• Use 3 of the 5 senses in every scene – taste, smell, sight, touch or hear
• Make sure you have set ups for every payoffs – for example - if a boy’s book falls into a puddle (payoff), the set up is that it has to rain the night before

Amalia Ellison – Confessions of an Asst Editor

Used to work at Random, has a grad degree in Literature from New School in NYC. Is also a writer – the heart of a writer with the knowledge of a publisher

Benefits of an agent

1. more money
2. more protection
3. editing
4. buffer and advocate for you with editor
5. manages legal aspect
6. watches rights
7. makes sure your advance is not so high that you cannot earn out (either make break even point or sell X number of copies)
8. set up a vetting screen for editors. If you come agented – editors automatically perceive better than those unagented.

General Notes

• Editors are only allowed to offer X$ to unagented authors. Even if they should make more and they were the next JK Rowling, if they came unagented – there is a limit.
• If an editor is working with you and has not mentioned a contract in any way yet. You have time to get an agent. You can even ask the editor – may I tell an agent you may be interested. If I say yes, you may be able to get an agent easier. But if I have told you I am drawing up a contract and provide an offer – then it is too late to get an agent. You have already committed to the process. You can walk away but if you said at this point – let me get an agent – I would probably retract offer. It would not be good.
• When submitting, go for asst agents and asst editors at reputable houses. They are hungry and need to prove themselves. Be sure they have acquiring power. They have more time and energy to work harder.
• Sometimes small and mediums size houses offer more to authors because they are more intimate. You can tell by how much they publish – look in catalogs. Mid size – Abrams, FSG, Candlewick. Small – Holiday house, Greenwillow
• Abrams does not rank authors – they are all top priority. Some houses have mid lists and rank authors from top to bottom
• Take your book and know what makes it different than others. Think about reversing it or twisting it around. ie – If a book is about a girl sports – instead of softball - why not use football and have protagonist the only girl on an all male team?
  High Concept dramas are hot right now – ie Lost, Harry Potter, Twilight, Heros. Watch TV shows – they allude to trends even in book market. You don’t see a lot of sitcoms, you see dramas.
• Picture books and nonfiction – hardest to sell. PBs cost a lot
• Have discussions about covers and illustrations before illustrator is picked. Offer editor a few you like so they can see styles. Let them know your vision.
• If your book goes to acquisitions meeting – you are in good shape.
• It is ok to do illustration notes in PB submissions
• This year Abrams has 6-8 YA, 6-8 MG, a few picture books.

2 types of auctions:
1) best offer – one round, best overall offer wins. Editor does not see any other bids, just puts in best offer.
2) bid auction – at least 3 rounds – editors can bid against each other and can see all bids

Top 3 problems she comes across in books:

1. authors talk down to kids. unauthentic voice
2. it just does not fit her personal taste or her houses taste – do your research!
3. authors seem to spend more time on letter than book. She does not even like letters

Harold Underdown – Analyzing Catalogs (this was great! Hard to take notes unless you have a catalog to look at)

General Notes

• Know and research imprints. They have their own staff but are owned by larger houses.
• Find out if you can submit separately to each imprint or you can only submit to one.
• Check out catalogs – count number of PBs, MG, YA and nonfiction. It will tell you what the imprints focus is on.
• Check out conferences at NCTE, ALA Book Expos. Most houses have booths and catalogs. You can order catalogs online at some houses.
• Don’t try to figure out editors taste. Editors go from house to house. They have to stay in alignment with house and imprint taste. It is better to learn the “tastes” of the houses then to track editors.

Information you can find in House Catalogs:

• what kind of books they do
• “bestselling” or “number of copies in print run” – this assumes Commercial books
• “awards” and “reviews” – assumes books for teachers or libraries
• marketing plans and budgets - are they do signings at bookstores or libraries - are they doing ads? displays, budgets – larger budgets – bigger books,
• how many spreads given to each books. tells what the focus is. If PBs get 2 pages and YAs get 1. PBs seem to be the focus.
• Tells what rights are sold.
• Lists how many pages books are and target ages of audiences
• Sometimes tells you the agency if all right have not been sold.
• USCOM – means can be sold in US, Canada and Open market (in countries where English is first language only.)
• W – can sell worldwide in any language.
• Tells if authors have other books. Can tell how many of the books are first time authors.
• Tone of the books. Are they quirky, serious, dramas, chick lit etc.?

Bruce Coville – Creating a Series

Started with book packagers. Has total of 93 books. Found book packaging job in Publisher Weekly classified section.

Funny Quotes

• “As writers – we need to always shoot to do better than we did before.”
• You can only write if you are at the keyboard. Can only get published if you send out your work.”
• “Inspiration without craft is basket making. Craft without Inspiration is Modern Art.

Book packagers

• Good way to eneter biz
• When you write a series, always try to write a book better than expected.
  Don’t work for a book packager too long.
  If you are ever offered a flat fee or royalty. Always take the royalty, bet on yoursel

Where do series come from?

When writing a series – try to leave something to wonder at the end. Don’t tie everything up too neatly. Leave some questions that create demand.

1) Planned Series – you get a “bible’ which has all background. Usually comes from Book Packagers. ie Goosebumps, Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins
2) Accidental Series –
a – character driven – character needs to grow and does organically
b – by demand – fans/readers want more

Types of Series
1) Template – all start the same. Nancy Drew
2) Evolutionary – characters develop over time. Harry Potter, Narnia Chronicles

How to create a Series Bible?
Always write your own BIBLES – includes setting, character profiles, and plot summaries
1) setting – what is your world about? what does it look like. Add details
2) create description of main characters. This should include positive and negative characters – all opposing forces.
3) Do synopsis for a few books. Be sure stories can stand alone with an overarching story.

Tips
(a) Create strong main character
(b) Up suspense – write the book then try to find a way to condense plot to create sense of urgency.
(c) Keep it fresh. Start with a story. Identify ways to make it unique. Switch points of view, change characters, create the unexpected.
(d) If you need to have a synopsis to keep readers up to speed. Try writing prologue in characters voice
(e) Know when to stop

Misc. Notes

Submission Statistics

• 70% picture books
• 20% MG/YA
• 10% non-fiction
  o Out of these, only 1% get personal rejections/go to acquisitions/editorial letters
  o Out of this 1% – 1% get published (5,000 a year published – this is 1% of the total submissions

Best fonts
o serif fonts
o bookman old style 12.5
o always double space – not 1.5 spacing. always 1 inch margins.

Good books on craft
o Story by Robert McKee
o Art and Fear
o 30 days to a better PB