Tension in story telling

I had a really interesting meeting with Claudia this morning. She hit on a key ingredient to writing a good novel, and one I was struggling with as I reached about the halfway mark of my novel. The ingredient I'm talking about is TENSION. I didn't have any trouble with it in the beginning of my novel as I put my character in a tense situation right off the bat. But there comes a part in many novels where things begin to mellow. In mine, it was a part where the main character and a secondary character were beginning to gel. I mean, gelling sounds like a good thing, but not if it puts the reader to sleep. I had actually recognized this problem in my novel before starting my mentorship with Claudia, and tried to remedy it by introducing a whole new tense-filled storyline. However, Claudia pointed out that this thrown-in storyline only detracted from the main story. The tension needs to revolve around that main story throughout. So I've deleted the added storyline (which was no small task since in wound through various areas of the book) and am back to work with setting a few road blocks and setbacks in my character's path in order to heighten the stakes in her main quest...a very interesting challenge!

Childrens Books as Gifrs

I went to my granddaughter's 8th birthday party yesterday. What fun! I gave her a United States of America game, and 3 books. I loved seeing the smile on her face as she thumbed through the books. One was extra special. It's called PERFECTLY CHELSEA and was written by my mentee, Claudia Mills. I had told my granddaughter about my participation in the RMC-SCBWI Mentor program and about Claudia, and she was thrilled when she saw the special note to her inside the book, signed by Claudia herself! It's so fun to see a child become interested in books. Suddenly, a million worlds are opened up for her. I remember the thrill of reading a book you don't want to put down, can hardly wait to get back to, and feel a sense of loss when you come to the end. But then...you find another one, and the cycle starts all over again. A writer can provide so much joy to a child. What a great way to spend your life!

Kids as Motivators

I attended a dinner a couple of nights ago held in celebration of volunteers and contributors to the Ridgeview Youth Services Center, a model program designed to treat young boys who have been sentenced by the courts to the Division of Youth Corrections (DYC) for serious crimes they committed. DYC is a wonderful Colorado state agency which oversees both state-run and privately-run (e.g. Ridgeview) programs for kids in trouble with the law. It was great to see several staff with whom I'd worked during my time as Director of Research for DYC. One of the speakers at the dinner was a former Ridgeview client who is soon to become a teacher. There are many similar success stories for kids whom, by the time they reach Ridgeview, many have given up on. A couple of years ago, a former work cohort and I partnered to teach a one-day class on life skills at Ridgeview through the Junior Achievement Program. It was a fabulous experience. The kids were respectful, attentive and eager to learn. We ate lunch in the cafeteria and listened while kids talked about the books they were reading. Their excitement was contagious and I could hardly wait to get home and work on my novel. There's nothing more motivating than the enthusiasm of kids, especially kids who are finally finding their way in a world that has been wrought with problems and heartbreak.