Writer's Workshops

On the weekend I went to a workshop for children's writers with Australian authors Phil Kettle and Susan Halliday. I don't really class YA as kids books, but my city is a bit of a literature workshop wasteland. We very rarely get authors come to town, let alone ones who are prepared to impart their wisdom on aspiring authors.

The key thing I got out of it was tips for planning your novel. I'm a pantser - big time - and I don't think I will ever plan as thoroughly as the methods I was taught at the workshop. But I am doing one key thing I will be doing is spending more time with my characters.

Without even thing about it, I did spend a lot of time with my first MC, Mishca. I know her inside and out, along with most of her side characters. I spent hours storyboarding her, her family, her friends and her enemies, but for some reason I haven't done it much since.

So I'm starting that habit back up again for all my WIPs and plot bunnies. I'm hoping it will give me a fuller understand of my characters and help my story flow.

So the question of the day is - What do you do to help plan for a new story?

PS - I've been invited to contribute to a new blog called Writing Teen Novels. It features a stack load of authors from around the world and follows their publication journeys. The 2012 authors range from several first-time teen novelists, to authors with two or three novels with major publishers, to authors with five or six teen novels with major publishers in eight or nine countries, to authors with a career spanning multiple decades and dozens of novels with major publishers. So I hope you'll come check it out and follow my journey.

After the Madness Workshop - sign up now!

 

 

Brenda Drake, Shelly Walters and Cassandra Marshall recently held a PitchMadness contest where agents got to bid on 60 pitches posted on three blogs.

When reading the PitchMadness entries, they noticed the entries that didn't make it to the agent match was because the first words weren't hooking them. There wasn't a unique element to pull them in, the setting was right but the action was too familiar, or the story started in the wrong place. So they decided to do another workshop focusing solely on the opening page. 

And YAtopia jumped in to help, joining Brenda Drake, Shelley Watters and Erica Chapman in critiquing your opening words on  our sites this month.

Brenda Drake
Shelley Watters
Erica Chapman

 Here how it's going down...

If you want to join in, sign up on the linky below. Remember your entry will be placed on our blogs and critiqued not only by us but also by your peers. We're accepting up to 40 60 participants. We'll be critiquing two each per day starting March 26. Depending on the success, we may open another round at a later date. After you sign up on the linky below email your first 250 words of your manuscript (finished or unfinished - any genre) to brendadrakecontests@gmail.com. Again, don't wait. Email your entries right away.

(edit - there was so much demand with the first 40 spots filling up so quickly that we've increased it to 60)

Only the first 40 60 will make it into the workshop, so hurry and sign-up now!

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Teentopia: Lucy

Teentopia is a monthly feature here on YAtopia where we ask real teens questions about what they like to read and how they choose the books they read. For more information and more Teentopia posts, click here.

This week, we're interviewing Lucy, younger sister of our very own Wendy Higgins. Lucy is in the 10th grade and says this about herself: "I'm what most people would call a girly girl. I love doing hair and makeup and I plan on becoming a cosmetologist."

What are some of your favorite recently-read books?


The House of Night Series, Water for Elephants and The Vampire Academy Series.

How do you find out about and choose books that aren't assigned in school?

My Lovely Sister, Wendy Higgins, gives me most of the books I read. Whenever she finds one that she enjoyed she'll always mention it to me!

On a related note, do you read reviews before you decide to read a book? Where?

No, I don't think I've ever read a review on a book.

Do you read author's blogs/facebooks/twitters? If yes: before you read their book or after - and what kind of content do you like to see?

I can't say I've looked on an authors blog either!

What kind of covers draw your attention?

I prefer covers that have people rather then a drawn cover. 

Do you feel like YA books accurately represent teen culture? How so?

I do. I think that since it is written for young adults they capture the way teens now act or want to act.

Is there anything (themes, character types, genres, time periods, etc) you'd like to see more of in YA books?

I would like books that are a little sad, not depressing though. I love chick flicks so if I cry during a book then it's defiantly a good thing! 

Anything you want to see less of?

Vampires! Even though I fell in love with two series recently dealing with vampires, I think that many authors thought that vampires were an easy way to write a good book. Don't get me wrong, there are many books that are good but the rave for those kinds of books have dropped.

How do you read books? (paper, e-reader, phone, audio, etc)

I read both paperback and on my iPad.

What do you think about all the YA books that have recently been made into movies?

I'm always disappointed in books that are turned into movies. I always expect too much out of them and end up not liking the movie at all.

What book have you read that you think deserves more attention?

Thirteen Reasons Why. It was a wonderful book and I fell in love with it so fast!!

What novel are you most looking forward to in 2012?

Sweet Evil!! I'm so ready for that book to come out!

Do you use any book-specific sites to keep track of what you've read?

Nope, I have not.

What's the most important element to you: characters, plot, writing style?

 I would definitely have to say characters. I think it's important to be able to relate to them so it's almost like you do know them.

Have you ever seen a book trailer? If so, did it make you want to read the book? What do you think about them?


No, I have not! To be honest, I don't know what a book trailer is!


A huge thanks to Lucy for stopping by to answer our questions! Also, Lucy will be around this week to answer any more detailed questions you have for her, so feel free to fire away!

To Pinterest or not to Pinterest?

Pinterest...You have to have heard of it. But in case you haven't:

Pinterest is a social networking site that centres around 'pinning' images to pinboards that you create. And these boards can be as random or specific as you want.

Now you might be wondering why I'm talking about Pinterest on a book blog. Well! I think Pinterest can be a great tool for writers and readers. And here's why.

As a writer, we often take inspiration from a number of different things. One of which can be pictures or places. Instead of clogging up your blog or twitter feeds posting pictures of things that inspire you, you can pin them to a board on Pinterest.

For example, I might want to write a story set in Paris. So I make a board dedicated to Paris and while I'm scouring the net for pictures, I can pin them into my Paris Board for a) one place all these pictures are stored and b) somewhere readers interested in knowing what inspired me can go to for these pictures.

You can pin anything with an image. Recipes. Clothes. Furniture. Decoration ideas. Tourist locations. And wherever you find the original picture, the pinned image will take you back to that website.

It's good for promotion too. Others can pin your book cover from your blog, Amazon or Goodreads, driving traffic towards your book. And who doesn't want promotion? You can use it for self promotion too. Posting pictures from your blog so when people click on it, it'll take them right to your site.

Writers can use Pinterest to post pictures of their writing life too! The computer they use to type. Their desk space. Places they go to write. Contracts. ARCs in their boxes. Which links in to readers.

Want to know what a new author is up to? Or your favourite author? If they have Pinterest you can see what motivates them, see images of things mentioned in the books, places, fashion of characters, movie actor choices etc. You can comment on these pictures and get into dialogue with other readers too!

There is so much to do with Pinterest. I think it's a great tool. Not only for writing/reading, but to be social. I've found so many great recipes I want to try! And I've found other books to read on there too.

Any questions about Pinterest? Ask in the comments and I'll try to answer. Also, if you're already on Pinterest, check me out too.

World Read Aloud Day

World Read Aloud Day is a way to celebrate literacy and draw attention to the 793 MILLION Earth citizens who cannot read or write. It's "about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people."

To celebrate World Read Aloud Day, Sharon, Leigh and Sarah read short excerpts for you!

Three accents. Three awesome book excerpts. One great cause!



Here's the link if this doesn't embed for you.

Agentopia: Gemma Cooper

Welcome to the first of our new monthly feature: Agentopia. For more information and to see other Agentopia posts, click here.

Many thanks to Gemma Cooper, an agent brave enough to be our first Agentopia guinea pig participant!

BIO

Gemma Cooper is a literary agent at Bright Literary Agency, which is a division of Bright Group International, a global children’s content agency with offices in London and New York. (Bright Literary Agency blog can be found here.)

Gemma represents children’s authors and author/illustrators – everything from picture books to YA. She joined BLA in November 2011 to grow the fiction portfolio and is particularly looking for MG and YA. Her key focus is development of new authors, and using her editorial experience, she enjoys helping authors make their manuscripts shine.

When she is not working (which is almost never), she writes scary MG books and is represented by Joanna Volpe at Nancy Coffey Literary. Gemma drives a bright pink car and lives in a c1800’s old rectory, which would be described by an estate agent as ‘needing extensive renovation.’(Follow her on Twitter)


WISHLIST

For both MG and YA, I am obsessed with strong voice. I’ve found recently that this has meant I’ve struggled with third person POV. However, I have just taken on a client with a MG boy third person POV, but it was so well done it felt like first.

YA

• Boy voice YA – it’s my favorite thing in YA and so hard to do well. 
• Contemporary or issues books – I’m seeing a lot of urban fantasy, so I’d love a nice juicy contemporary.
• A thriller or something fast paced with lots of action. 
• A crime novel or some sort of heist.
• A younger tween friendship based novel – think Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.

MG

• I would like to see some of the paranormal elements that work so well in YA filtered down into MG.  
• An amazing literary novel with great voice and perhaps a slight magical or mystical element.  
• I love Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, so I’d love to see some funny space stories. 
• Author/illustrators writing MG or chapter books would get my immediate attention!

HOW TO QUERY

No paper submissions please!

Please email the first three chapters plus a synopsis (1-4 pages max, ideally). Please send these as .doc or .pdf attachments and add a short cover letter to your email.

All submissions to be sent to literarysubmissions@brightgroupinternational.com

I read and respond to all submissions personally, so it can take between 2-6 weeks for you to hear from me.

What I've Learned So Far

First of all, I apologize for posting this a day late. We had inventory at the store I work at and we've all been running around making sure it would go smoothly.

Anyway...

Negative reviews are something all authors, especially new authors, fret over. We've all read those obnoxiously scathing GoodReads reviews and I'm sure we've all felt terrified over possibly having one of those users write a review for our books. If not, then I commend you for having a thick skin.

The thing about negative reviews, though, is they're inevitable and, if they're well-written, they can be extremely useful. As a writer, I'm continuously growing and learning what works and what doesn't. In these past few months I've seen incredible growth, if I may say so, which makes me happier beyond belief. And part of this new and improved me is, surprisingly, due to some less flattering reviews of my work. So, here are a couple of things I've learned and what I'm doing to fix those issues:

-I gloss over bits of information or action scenes --> Instead of censoring my writing to avoid being too descriptive, I've been working on writing more than I have to so I have a more expansive scene to work with later. It's easier to improve something when there's more to work with, I think. Then again, I've been told my descriptions are spot-on and wonderful, so I suppose this point could be one of opinion.

-My characters drink a lot of water --> In an effort to make mundane activities a little more apparent in stories (I mean, really, why don't more characters have to go to the bathroom??), I made the mistake of repeating certain actions. I didn't mean to, of course, but things like getting a glass of water were apparently too frequent. So, I've been making sure I include less of that and keeping tally of how many times it occurs so I can go back and remove some instances.

---------------------------------

Now, here are a few things I've learned from positive reviews:

-I have a sense of humor. --> I had no idea I could successfully write humor. I like to think I can be pretty funny in real life, but I've aways wondered if my humor came through in my stories. It's nice to know that it does and that I'm not the only one chuckling.

-My use of alternating POVs worked --> I had never written from two POVs before Hunted, so I was worried I wouldn't pull it off, but this is one thing people have consistently pointed out as a positive feature of the book. Yay, me! :-)

-My werewolves are believable --> One of the goals I had for Hunted was to make my werewolves not only believable, but very grounded in reality. I didn't want them to be a sort of mystical occurrence or a scientific mishap. I knew they had to be in between those things and I'm glad to know people are responding well to the realism I've tried to bring to my wolves.

---------------------------------

So, all in all, while I don't like reading negative reviews on my work, I like to view them as constructive criticism and take away as much as I can from them. It's important for writers to use people's opinions to help point out their weaknesses and show them how they can improve. Sometimes we need an outside viewer to open our eyes to our areas in need of improvement, even if that viewer can be a bit harsh.

Besides, you can always go read a glowing review to make you feel better afterwards, haha! :-D

Cringe-Worthy Comments

Nope, I don’t mean blog comments.  :)  I’m talking about “real life” comments people make when they find out I’ve written a book.  Everyone has been kind and supportive--they really have. So why do I break into a sweat and fight the urge to run anytime someone approaches and says, “I heard you wrote a book!” Aside from a bit of natural shyness, I think it’s because people have four standard responses to hearing my news, and each of them makes me inwardly cringe for different reasons.

1)  “Ooh, what’s it about?”

For some reason I feel extremely stupid talking about my book to people outside of the YA world. Here’s how it usually goes: First I tell them it’s a teen novel, a love story, kind of “girly.” They pause and blink, then smile and nod. My sweat mustache prickles to life as they wait for me to continue. So I tell them it’s about angels and demons and the main character is both angel and demon…and that’s when their heads cock to the side and they go, “Ah, wow, that sounds…interesting.” I feel bad for dashing their hopes that I’ve written something scholarly and literary. And then I feel the need to defend my story by blurting out something ridiculous like, “Well, I’ve been told the kissing scenes are well-written.”    *cringe*

2) “Don’t forget about us when you’re rich and famous!”

Ah, the misconceptions of being published. Again I must disappoint acquaintances by admitting I sold my book and rights to an impressive publishing house for a handful of beans. For me, the dream has never been the mansion on the hill. My story has brought me joy, and the dream is to share that joy with others. People don’t realize that the chances of an average author striking it rich are slim to none. And if I were to miraculously become “rich and famous,” please find me and punch me in the face if I forget about you.

3) “When will it be made into a movie?”

Whoa there, buddy. I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. I don’t even know if my book will be on sale inside bookstores, yet, much less on the big screen. Let's not get our hopes up. Besides, the thought of someone taking creative liberties with my baby is still a little scary. 

4) “You’re going to be the next J.K. Rowling/Stephen King/Stephenie Meyer!”

No. Just, no. I’m not. And I’m not trying to be humble here. I’m a huge dreamer, but they are the elite--publishing royalty--and I am a peasant. A happy peasant.

In all seriousness, I appreciate the love and support I've received, despite the awkwardness I experience when it comes to verbalizing. People's enthusiasm is adorable.

Are there any standard responses you receive when people find out you're a writer/author?

Hugs, Wendy  :)

A novel description competition

Over at my personal blog, Down Under Wonderings, is a novel description competition. All you have to do is come up with a creative comparison to describe a book.

Examples:

Blood Song is a YA version of The Game of Thrones.
Across the Universe is a YA 1984 set in space.
The Selection by Kiera Cass is being called The Bachelor meets Hunger Games.

Up for grabs is a $30 B&N evoucher and a copy of Blood Song - one prize per winner (so at least two winners). You don't need to follow this blog or promote to enter - but it would be nice if you did.

So head on over to my blog for a chance to win!

WRITING WHAT YOU KNOW by Jolene B. Perry

“Write what you know” has always made me cringe.


Because, really, isn’t one of the beautiful things about writing is that you get to write what you DON’T know? What you’d like to experience? Or just write a story you really want to tell?


The idea for Night Sky came when I was wondering what happens to the guy who’s in love with his best friend, doesn’t tell her for too long, and then doesn’t get her.

This is the jumping off point for my book.


I had to find a love interest for this guy. Someone interesting, complex, who would challenge him more than the friend ever could.


I tossed around ideas for a while, and as I was writing, just as he noticed her, I thought – hey, I could make her a part native Alaskan girl (I had this particular girl in mind who is a million kinds of awesome) and then I almost didn’t do it because it felt TOO easy.


I knew immediately what she’d be like. A history for her practically created itself as I started writing their meeting. I took problems from several people (as well as cases from my prosecutor husband who has always had an Alaskan village assignment) and it just fell together – because it was all so familiar.


And that’s when it hit me – THIS is when writing about a culture I know well, that other people might NOT know well, is going to help this character come alive.


And so Sky, with her need for honesty, her love of totems and drums, and a past she doesn’t like to talk about, came to life. And I think she turned into probably the sexiest character I’ve ever written.


All because I used what I already knew.


And for those who care – here is their first meeting:





***

I slow down through the stoplights, and there’s a girl by the side of the road walking in a scandalously short jean skirt, flip-flops, five layers of tanks in different colors and long, black hair. Wow.

I’m stopped at the light next to her, and she’s staring at her phone, looking lost.

“You need a lift?” I offer. How brave am I?

“I don’t think so.” She glances at her phone chuckling while shaking her head.

“You look lost, and I live just around the corner so…”

Her head snaps up. All I see is her huge brown eyes. She looks exotic, maybe half Indian with a beautiful straight nose and high cheekbones only girls from the reservations seem to have. The car door opens and just like that, she gets in. She doesn’t even pull down her skirt, which is barely covering…

I can’t believe this girl is in my car. Well, Dad’s car. But still…

“Green light.” She points as her eyebrows go up.

“Right.” I hit the gas and the car jumps out from underneath me. Okay, take a deep breath. Don’t make an ass out of yourself.

“Whoa, warn a girl, will ya?” She smiles. “I never do this sort of thing…so promise you’re not going to cut me into a million pieces and scatter my body across the desert.”

“I promise.” I smile back. “And that was a rather specific request.”

She shrugs. “You can never be too careful.”

“Then why are you riding in a car with a total stranger?”

“Good point,” she admits with a grimace.

“I don’t scatter bodies across the desert anyway, too far for me to drive.” I wait for her reaction.

“And…where would you put the body?” She looks around. “Only one seat and I’m sure I wouldn’t fit in the trunk.”

I glance up and down her lean frame.

“That was not an invitation to check me out.” Her lips pull into a scowl, but there’s too much tease in her eyes for me to take her seriously.

“Sorry.” Only, I’m not really sorry. This is better than any distraction I could have dreamed up tonight.



***

So, how do you use your life experiences in your writing – and more than that, do you wonder, like me, how much of the author’s experiences end up in their books?



You can find Jolene on the web at her blog HERE, and her books, including Night Sky, on goodreads, HERE.