2012 Letters and Lines Fall Conference

I attended our local SCBWI fall conference last weekend, and as always, it was terrific.  Kudos to our wonderful Regional Advisors, Denise Vega and Todd Tuell.  Author Chris Crutcher started it off on Saturday with a humorous and heart wrenching/warming keynote address.  In addition to writing award winning novels, Mr. Crutcher is a mental health therapist, and he left little doubt in my mind, that he was a darn (Chris would use a more expressive adjective here) good one.  It was also apparent that his experiences in working with patients help make his writing come alive.  And his humor made all of us come alive as he read an excerpt from his book, DEADLINE, recounting some hilarious scenes, each spurred by a big brother's question:  "Do you want to do something neat?"

During the conference, I learned more about social networking (Melody Jones), what makes agents/editors take notice of a submission (agent Karen Gencik's session on 101+ reasons for rejection was very well done and informative), how to write Middle Grade that rings true (editor Emily Clement - loved this as this is my niche), and enjoyed hearing editor Molly O'Neill talk specifically about what attracted her in works she took on. 

A special plus at these conferences is the opportunity to sign up for a pitch or critique session with an agent or editor.  I was especially fortunate to receive a critique of my first chapter of MG novel CHANGING TIDES from Karen Grencik.  She is very personable and straight forward when you meet with her.  She also joined our group at the banquet and kept us entertained with her delightful stories and humor.

The social camaraderie with fellow writers is always a big draw for me.  Writing itself is a very individual activity, and conversing with other writers about their struggles and sucesses helps me remember I'm really not alone when I'm writing--I just can't see them.  I can't stress enough the importance for writers and illustrators to attend these conferences.  They provide you with the state of the art news in our profession, the opportunity to meet with agents and editors, and the social contact with people who understand exactly what you're going through and trying to accomplish.

Good Critique Group--Priceless

It's impossible to put a price on a "good" critique group.  I was admitted into my second one about a year and a half ago, and I'm still counting my blessings.  They've taught me so much, from polishing up a sentence to fixing your plot and making your manuscript sing.  My first critique group was comprised of 7 new and mostly inexperienced writers.  This must be where the phrase "the blind leading the blind" came from, because that was us.  We began by restricting one another to submitting no more than 10 pages for review at a time.  Talk about a lesson in futility.  How can you possibly comment on anything you find in 10 pages as it pertains to character development, plotting, or virtually anything that goes into creating an entire manuscript.  But as I said, we were inexperienced.  We did grow some, but one person moved away and others moved on (taking care of children and working in other careers).  My current group (http://www.thewildwriters.com/) first formed back in the 80's, and the expertise they've gained over time was immediately evident.  We submit full manuscripts, and create complete, typed reviews to be discussed at a meeting.  We cover everything from writing skills to storytelling to character development.  It's overwhelming to be on the "hot seat," and after my first time, I left in a fog, wondering where I would begin with the overwhelming revisions suggested by various members of the group.  I set the manuscript aside for awhile until I caught my breath, then I dug in.  I adopted a method used by one of the group members.  I went through all twelve typed reviews (there are actually more members in our group, but not everyone reviews every manuscript each time), and made a list of each issue mentioned.  Then I made a check each time one was mentioned again.  Those with the most checks, I knew I had to deal  with.  The others I also considered carefully.  This exercise prepared me for the work which was no small undertaking.  When I finished, though, even I knew my manuscript was far and above what I had submitted to them.  I think it's hard to start a critique group with all new writers.  My recommendation is to have a mix if at all possible.  For new writers wanting to find such a group, I encourage you to become visible.  For example, attend conferences, enter contests, volunteer to help with writers activities.  I'd been interested in joining this group for years.  By the time they invited me in, I'd won several first and second place awards, and had coordinated a writers summer retreat.  I'd come to know many of them through conferences I attended.  This is crucial because any well-established critique group needs to know you're serious and you've put some time into it.  And the time you put into it will be worth it.  While I'm not yet published, I know my manuscripts are much closer.  In fact, just in the past six weeks, I've received three requests for fulls.  A good critique group...priceless!

Pikes Peak Writers 2012

     The 2012 Pikes Peak Writers Conference celebrated its 20th anniversary with a blockbuster conference.  Incredible workshops, outstanding speakers, and record-breaking attendance made this the best one ever.  The all-day workshop by Donald Maass set the stage, beginning with simple words that mean so much from a writer's standpoint.  What makes a book a breakout novel is telling a great story, and telling it beautifully.  Then he took us through an all-day exercise that forced us to look closely at our protagonists and antagonists and make them real people with real problems, motives, strengths and faults.  Through question after question, we as authors came to see our own characters more clearly.  Some of my answers to his questions came quickly, others didn't come at all right then, and I will certainly revisit them before I call my manuscript finished.  I also loved his discussion on the importance of keeping up the tension in a novel.  I was particularly intrigued by his idea to toss thirty pages of your manuscript into the air, then reassemble them in random order and read each page, making sure there is tension somewhere on the page.  I've gone through the exercise of tossing up pages, but I generally followed it up with walking out the door.  His suggestion made sense to me, though.  Tension makes a book a page-turner.  Without it, the story begins to sag, and so does the reader.  I later had the pleasure of talking with him over breakfast, and hear about the young boy he adopted from Ethiopia.  I can't think of a more selfless deed than to afford a young child the opportunities that Donald and his wife are giving this little boy who is beginning to thrive. 
       On Friday, Linda Rohrbaugh prepared us for success.  She emphasizes that "even a poor plan, properly executed, will work.  It's all in the execution," and that "nothing can change when you're comfortable."  I repeated those words today as I delved into revisions. 
     There were so many wonderful workshops--Carol Berg's tools for revision; Mark Coker's information on e-books and Smashwords, and the agent/editor panels that help us get to know the individual agencies.  Then there were the keynote speeches--some of the best I've ever heard:  Donald Maass, Jeffrey Deaver, Robert Clais, Susan Wiggs, all breakout novelists themselves delivering blockbuster, motivational talks as they toasted the 20th anniversary of Pikes Peak Writers.
     Each year, PPW offers pitch sessions during which attendees can pitch their stories to agents and editors.  While it's a bit nerve-racking, it's an incredible opportunity, and I was fortunate to pitch to Kristin Nelson, whom I've heard speak many times and whose blog, Pub Rants, I follow because it provides many helpful hints pertaining to various areas of writing and publishing.  She deserves much credit for the amazingly successful agency she has created and grown in Denver. 
     I have to say, that a special night for me was Saturday night when I was cheered on by members of my critique group as I received my first place award in the "Childrens" category for my middle grade novel, HOOKED.  All in all, the entire weekend was one I'll always remember.

Changing Tides (and Facing Revisions)

My critique group reviewed my new middle grade novel a couple of weeks ago. I was thrilled to get good reviews. Of course, this doesn't mean it's ready to send out. I have lots of work to do! I've been with The Wild Writers (http://www.thewildwriters.com/) for a year now, so there were no surprises as I sat on the hot seat. These folks are incredible, and they don't mince words, and they don't let me get away with sloppy writing or cutting corners. Some of the biggies I'm facing are: delay the second major turning point; the middle sags - give the protagonist a larger purpose and make her more active; revise the ending. Then, of course, there are smaller suggestions that only mean reconstructing and/or rearranging whole chapters. But hard as it is to face the major revisions, I know the group is right, and I've made the plunge. Getting started was hard, but I'm already feeling good about the changes, and each morning, I look forward to working on it.

I'd played around with titles for the book, and after some group discussion, one title was suggested that everyone liked and that fit the story well. I've titled the book "Changing Tides." I hope to have the next draft completed before the Pikes Peak Writers Conference in April where I plan to pitch it to an agent. Keeping my fingers crossed for good tides!

Finishing the First Draft

I'm excited and a little let down. Finishing the first draft of a novel always leaves me with an incredible sense of accomplishment mixed with a sadness because I won't be putting my characters into any new quandries that they need to figure their way out of, or challenging them with roadblocks they must overcome to reach their goals. I just finished my middle grade novel, THE EX-CON AND THE SEA, about a twelve-year-old girl, Missy, whose poor school performance leaves her at the bottom of the sixth grade, and whose mother has been sentenced to three months in an alcohol treatment center for causing an accident resulting in injury. The only person her mother could find to watch over Missy and her six-year-old brother, Hayden, is their estranged fisherman father who has been out of prison for only a year and who has no experience raising children. It's hard enough to suddenly be living with a father she barely remembers, but the task is magnified for Missy as she tries to carve out a temporary existance for her and her brother in a small fishing community, struggle with her low self-esteem, study for her pending test, and manage her growing anger over her mother's drinking.

As the title suggests, there are some ties to Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, though the story itself is quite different. I loved writing it, and the let down comes when you have to say goodbye to your children's adventures, and finally write the words, THE END. But it's really not the end, because now I'm ready to delve into revisions, and submitting it to my critique group, and more revisions, and submitting it to agents, and hopefully more revisions before submitting to publishers, and hopefully more revisions after that. So silly as it sounds, I'm praying for lots of rounds of revisions before I finally say goodbye to Missy and Hayden.

Hopping on the E-train

The e-buzz about e-books has everyone in the writing world scrambling to understand it and its implications for the future of writing and publishing. Our critique group is no exception, and we've been having a number of discussions about where the e-book train is heading. I'm finding it both exciting and daunting as I try to wrap my mind about what it all means. For example, what role do agents and publishers play in this evolving e-book market? How does it effect book reviews? Will the move to e-books effect the quality of books available to readers? Will "e-sales" become the index for labeling novels as "satisfactory" or "good" or "excellent"? Along with many fellow readers, I resisted the move away from the traditional hardcover books which for years has been synonymous with rainy days and crackling fires, but the e-book movement is gaining momentum, and I finally broke down and bought my Kindle. While my heart still fights for the old way of doing business, I'm glad that our group is taking the initiative to stay abreast of the e-book whirlwind and evaluate the impications for us as writers. Change often comes like a speeding locomotive, and if you don't hop on, you'll be waving goodbye from the tracks.

Humor and Pain

We had an interesting discussion at my critique group meeting today. It centered around the co-existence of humor and pain in novels. A book that immediately came to mind was one I'd recently read called Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine, about a child with Asperger's syndrome who had recently lost a beloved brother. The author does a magnificent job of getting into this little girl's head to tell the story, adeptly showing the confused thoughts associated with the disease, and the painful insults she endures from classmates while trying to comprehend the tremendous void in her heart. Even with such a heavy topic, Ms. Erskine has woven in amazing humor that made me laugh out loud. Done well, such humor intensifies the love and sympathy the reader feels for the protagonist as she plays out the painful elements of her life. In real life, pain and humor often go hand-in-hand. We can probably all remember sad and/or tragic times when something humorous happens that makes us smile, maybe even laugh, and we think, how can I possible laugh at a time like this. Maybe it's what keeps us from crashing. The trick in writing is to make the humor real and spontaneous, not contrived.

The End

I submitted a manuscript for review by my new critique group, then held my breath as I sat in the hot seat and listened to every comment. I was heartened by their kind praise of my tween novel, SEASHELL SECRETS, calling it a well written and powerful novel. This initial review helped soften the challenging suggestions that followed, suggestions they believed would make the story better. Of course, this is why they're there, and it's why I'm thrilled to be a part the group. Since the review, I've immersed myself in revisions. It's interesting how an easy suggestion can turn into hours and hours of work. Several of the members felt that a key scene in my manuscript needed to come earlier in the book and become the first turning point. I know they're right, but it's like one of the writers remarked, "pulling on one thread sometimes unravels the whole sweater." It actually hasn't been quite that bad, but close. In the early chapters, I had a number of scenes leading up to that key scene. After the change, I found myself referring to people who the protagonist hadn't yet met, or talking about something that hadn't yet happened. But I've almost completed those revisions and am feeling better about the book.

Then there's the other BIG thing...the ending. Endings can be tricky. In the "old" days, most books, especially children's books, had happy endings, sometimes too perfect. Now, the emphasis is on making the ending realistic, while still infusing a sense of hope and showing that the protagonist has changed and grown. I like my current ending, but can it be better? Possibly, and that's what I'm working on. My critique group offered several scenarios, all of which carry merit, a few which would require a considerable amount of rewriting. One thing is for sure, I will carefully consider all of them, even if it means going through the exercise of rewriting the final scenes, before settling on the ending to my story. We always want to believe that what we've written is as good as it could possibly be, but that's why we have critique groups, to keep us honest. And after my first critique, I have no doubt that my new group will keep me honest.

Historical Fiction - Telling it Like it is

During my celebration dinner with author Claudia Mills the other night, we had a discussion about a topic that's been on my mind since I began writing my tween novel, SEASHELL SECRETS, which is set in the early 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement. The issue is this: In order to tell a story involving the plight of black citizens during that time, and tell it honestly, you risk using language and writing scenes that were, and are, offensive. I was so moved by Kathryn Stockett's book, THE HELP. In it, Ms. Stockett bluntly describes the treatment (or mistreatment) of black maids in ways that sometimes brought me to tears. She could have softened the account to minimize the risk of offending readers, but she didn't. The recent controversy over Mark Twain's use of the "N" word begs the question about "accuracy" versus "non-offensive," understandably a difficult discussion. A related issue is whether it does more harm than good to write a book that brings back difficult, less honorable, times in our history after we've made significant strides to improve upon those times. After much thought and discussion, I believe historical fiction is one way to remind us of our past, offensive though it might be, and force us to recognize telltale signs that such despicable prejudices might resurface if we're not careful. There are constant reminders in the news that, as a nation, we have not conquered this problem. I asked a delightful black woman named Dorothy to read my manuscript before I began submitting it to agents. I told her I wanted the story to be accurate but not offensive. Dorothy looked at me and said, "If it's accurate, it will be offensive," and I realized then, that nothing would be more offensive than to downplay the struggle of the black population as they strove for equal rights and proper respect in our country.

Word for 2011

My wonderful mentor, Claudia Mills, comes up with the most delightful ideas. For example, as she talks about in her blog, she chooses a word each year that will be her word the year. This year she has chosen the word "grope". Today, the first day of 2011, I decided to pick a word, too, and the word I chose is "celebrate." It's fitting because less than an hour ago Claudia sent me an email, and after reviewing my most recent revisions to my tween novel, SEASHELL SECRETS, she proclaimed it DONE! And that is certainly something to celebrate! I wrote a blog a while back talking about how important I believe it is not only to celebrate the big things (like contest wins and your first book offer), but also the small accomplishments along the way (settling on a topic for your next book, completing the first chapter, the first draft...sending it out). This is true not just in writing, but in daily life. We certainly scold ourselves for mistakes made, but all too often, we forget to pat ourselves on the back for jobs well done. I will be taking Claudia out to dinner one evening soon so we can both celebrate, and I can hardly wait!

Christmas - Then and Now

Christmas brings such mixed feelings anymore. I miss the days when I was young and with my family at my parent's house with few concerns beyond what's in that big present. Since my parents died, my two brothers and my sister and I have gone different directions and it's hard to get us all together. This year, my eldest brother's family were all in town, and I had them over for dinner which was wonderful. He has two lovely daughters, both married, one with a darling daughter of her own. The spirit of Christmas shone bright in the eyes of this little 2-1/2 year old. I gave her some froggy pajamas, and as soon as she pulled them out of the box, she stripped off her cute Christmas dress and wore the pajamas the rest of the night. I think we all wished we could do the same. I loved being with my brother and wished with all my heart that my other brother and my sister had been there, too. If only I'd known as a child to cherish those days when being together was the norm. But I guess you have to grow up to appreciate what you once had. Still, there's a lesson here that I realize I need to pay attention to: I need to cherish parts of my adult life now that may be lost to me sometime in the future.

A toast to success and critique groups

I attended my second meeting with my new critique group yesterday. This one was extra special because we celebrated a good friend's first book offer! Pam Mingle's beautifully written YA time travel book titled KISSING SHAKESPEARE will be published by Delacorte in 2012. In it, a young girl suddenly finds herself living in the past with a daunting mission: she must seduce William Shakespeare. Otherwise, all of his plays will go unwritten. The book weaves an intriguing romance with mystery, and is filled with wonderful descriptions of the period. I highly recommend it when it comes out.


After we toasted Pam, we reviewed a beautiful short story by Laura Deal. The overwhelming recommendation was that it was so well written and the story so captivating, we all wished it was a full-length novel. Amid the praise were thought-provoking recommendations for changes that must have left Laura a bit dazed which is often the case when you're the one in the "hot seat." Again, I was struck by the talent of these writers, while at the same time a bit intimidated knowing that I will soon be the one in the "hot seat." I came away wondering how anyone writes a truly great novel without input from fellow writers. So...here's to Pam and to my new critique group.

Worthwhile Endeavors Take Time

I spent this past weekend at a girlfriends getaway in a lovely mountain cabin. We all used to work together and have been friends for many years. There's nothing quite like close friends with whom you've shared many ups and downs of your life and of theirs, and who can gather around the fire and pick up on any conversation because you know each other so well. Years of experience has its advantages, both in friendships and in writing. I cringe sometimes when I go back and read some of my very early work. They're two dimensional, like factual accounts of a kid's story rather than the subtlety it takes to make the reader feel like they're actually living the story along with the protagonist. Furthermore, they lack the emotional depth needed to make the reader care about what happens to the characters in the story. To achieve these essential elements takes hours upon hours of reading and writing for children. That's not really surprising. Anything worth doing well requires that kind of stick-to-it-ness, that kind of dedication. You have to love it, and I do. I'm on my fifth year of writing and revising my tween novel, SEASHELL SECRETS. I'm almost finished with what will hopefully be my last revision, which was quite extensive despite the fact that it won first place in the children's category at last years Pikes Peak Writers Paul Gillette Contest. Even after all these years and all this work, I still love the story, in fact, even more now. It remains to be seen whether a publisher will love it, too.

New Critique Group

I attended my first meeting with my new critique group yesterday. What an incredible group of writers! I've known some of them through workshops and conferences, and already knew the talent in this group was extraordinary. We meet once a month for four hours. The members take turns hosting the meeting, and it's a lovely atmosphere with snacks provided. Yesterday we reviewed a short chapter (possibly middle grade) book. The comments and suggestions offered were direct and insightful, not just to the author of the work, but to me, and I suspect to everyone in attendance. New members must wait three months before submitting their own work for review. The review itself can be grueling, but what an incredible opportunity to learn and improve my work. I was in a critique group prior to this, also wonderful writers, but the group began to dwindle and I was delighted to be invited to join my new group. About half of them are published. All of them are incredibly talented. They'll definitely keep me on my toes!

Using the Five Senses

At the prompting of my fabulous mentor, I'm focusing on making more use of the five senses to make my scenes come alive. It's always such a delight to find books written by authors who excel in this. One of my favorites is The Secret Life of Bees. So the other day, I paid close attention to an outing with my niece and my 2-1/2 year old grand niece as we met for a picnic in the park. What a lovely day that was. The sounds: happy squeals as kids rush to the swings, parents cautioning to be careful. The smells: freshly watered grass, occasional whiffs of dust as little feet patter across the playground. The visual: Little bodies wriggling across the monkey bars, colorful fall leaves drifting to the ground, wide eyes trying to decide what activity to do next. Taste: ham and turkey sandwich dabbed with red wine vinegrette, lightly salted chips, juicy grapes, and chocolaty brownies. The feel: the gentle autumn sun on my skin, the warmth inside as little hands reach for the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I made especially for her. We couldn't experience life without all of these sensory inputs. How can we expect our readers to feel the life in our books if we leave them out?

RMC-SCBWI Fall Conference

No matter how many times I attend a Rocky Mountain Chapter's SCBWI conference, I leave feeling rejuvenated and excited about writing for children. Bruce Coville's keynote address was both inspirational and humorous as he adapted the seven deadly sins for writers. The audience, in laughter much of the time, was also moved to tears. His talk reminded us that sometimes, as we spend many hours alone writing, we need to be reminded of the many lives our novels can touch. The conference offered participants an opportunity to submit the first page of their novels to be read aloud and reviewed by an editor. I read the submissions and Kate Harrison, senior editor for Dial Books for Young Readers, commented on each of them. I was proud of the quality of these submissions, and awed by Kate's thoughtful review of them on the spot. Author Traci Jones did a marvelous session on Tips for Writing a Multicultural Novel. Her words were particularly relevant to me as I work on revisions to my tween novel, SEASHELL SECRETS, which takes place in the early 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement. Author Denise Vega reviewed ways to ratchet up the tension, and evaluate and improve scenes in your novel. I walked away with ideas for improving my own work. Later that afternoon, I listened to a panel of agents and editors respond to questions from participants. It was a lively session with all of them responding to great questions about the publishing industry. Elizabeth Law, Editor of Egmont Publishing, was delightfully fun and funny. Of course, one of the best perks of these conferences is the opportunity to mingle with so many talented writers and illustrators. I'm so impressed with the professionalism displayed throughout, and all the hard work of so many volunteers to make the entire conference run smoothly. I can hardly wait until the next one!

Real life experiences

My brother writes beautiful poetry. I write children's books. We've exchanged work and it's so fun to talk writing with him. As a good brother should, he pays my work high compliments. And I am in awe at how he can say so much with so few words. (He was kind enough not to remark that I could say so little with so many words.) In recent works, we both honored our father, a kind, gentle man who battled macular degeneration before his death. My brother's lyrical description brought tears to my eyes. In my middle grade novel, DON'T LOOK BACK, I relied on memories of Dad's experiences to create my grandpa character. Even my own words at times brought tears to my eyes, but that's when I knew I'd accurately captured pieces of my father's life. Real life is multifaceted, good and bad, pain and laughter, sorrow and joy. The trick in any artistic endeavor is to feel it deeply enough to recreate it, to relive it as you reproduce it, whether it's in a painting, a poem or a character.

TRY HARDER, WRITE BETTER

I learned so much from Claudia Mills as she mentored me through my middle grade novel, DON'T LOOK BACK, that I asked her if she'd consider mentoring me on a revision of my tween novel, SEASHELL SECRETS. Both of these manuscripts are "completed," and both have won awards in the Pikes Peak Writers contest. But I knew in my heart that both manuscripts had problems I couldn't identify. And both had been reviewed by my wonderful critique group. I believed in the stories in each book and didn't want to give up on them. The SCBWI Mentor Program offered the perfect vehicle for me to move forward. I'm excited about the revised manuscript and have begun sending it out. Meanwhile, I'm delving into revisions to SEASHELL SECRETS with the hopeful attitude that working with Claudia gave me with DLB. In our very first meeting on SS, she made a suggestion that completely transformed the approach I'm taking at the beginning of the novel, and I'm loving it, and hope my reader will, too. It's amazing to be excited about a book you've already revised a number of times, but I am. SEASHELL SECRETS is a story about racial prejudice and racial identity during the turbulant times surrounding the Civil Rights Movement. I first wrote this book about four years ago, set it on the shelf for a while, but am ready to revise and polish it now. I recently read THE HELP and was humbled by the depth of the story and the beauty of the writing. I've heard some writers say that reading such magnificent books makes them question their own ability. It makes me want to try harder, to write better.

Finishing a Novel

Authors express a variety of feelings upon completion of a novel: exhilaration, letdown, relief, anticipation...and the list goes on and on. I just completed my middle grade novel, DON'T LOOK BACK, and am going through a variety of emotions. Certainly I feel the exhilaration of writing the last chapter and typing the words "THE END." But I also miss working on it. My mentor, Claudia Mills, once paid me a wonderful compliment. She told me she loved my characters so much she wished they were real and she could go visit them. Her words were music to my ears. The truth of the matter is, I miss the characters myself. I loved creating their stories--their challenges, setbacks and accommplishments, and putting words in their mouths only they would say because that's how I created them. I've begun sending the manuscript out to literary agencies, and pray that someday I'll see that book in libraries and stores where children can meet my characters and hopefully love them, too. Now, it's time to shift my attention to a brand new story with brand new characters, all with their own gifts, faults and challenges. I can hardly wait to meet them!

Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2010

I attended the 2010 Pikes Peak Writers Conference last month and as always, it was fabulous. It never disappoints, from the keynote speakers, to the sessions, to the hobnobbing with other authors. The opportunity to pitch to agents and editors is a special feature of the PPW conference. This year, I pitched to Sarah Warner and found her to be attentive and delightful. And there was an added bonus: a special 4-hour workshop by Donald Maass on enhancing the tension in your novel--great timing for me. He's such a master, and did a wonderful job, especially considering it was Sunday afternoon, the end of the conference, and all of us (probably including him) were tired. We were told to bring a manuscript-in-progress to work on during the workshop. It was interesting to apply his teachings to our own work. Kudos to all of the volunteers who make this conference one of the best in the country every year.