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 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!

The short synopses

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind with trips to Arizona and Cancun, and a weekend in Colorado Springs to attend the 2008 Pikes Peak Writers Conference. The trips away were both fun and restful, and I think these breaks from writing help stir the creative juices when you return. The PPW conference was fabulous, as always, with a good mix of speakers and hands-on writing exercises. Carol Berg, Vicki Lewis Thompson and David Liss all gave wonderful keynote presentations. I love the mix with agents and editors during meals. Few conferences that I've attended give you the opportunity for these social encounters. I pitched to Cecile Goyette and was fortunate to sit next to her at dinner Saturday night. She's direct and helpful during the pitch, and delightful and fun socially. She said I could send her a few chapters of my manuscript as well as a one page synopsis, leaving me with two strong suggestions: 1) make sure the first 3 pages of the manuscript are tight and make we want to keep reading, and 2) don't leave me hanging in the synopsis. I want to know how it ends.

I think the vast majority of agents and editors would agree with Cecile. The one-page synopsis is tricky to write. I believe the key is to think general, the way you have to do when you write your log line. In fact, to me it's almost an extension of the log line, leaving out many secondary characters, subplots and situations you'd love to include because they involve your favorite scene or scenes. It's tempting for beginning writers to leave out the ending, hoping it will make the reader want to read the whole manuscript, but as Cecile indicated, it doesn't work that way in synopses. Don't leave them hanging!

Big Sur Children's Writers Workshop

I just returned from a Children's Writing Workshop in Big Sur sponsored by the Henry Miller Memorial Library. The conference director was Andrea Brown and many of her staff attended the workshop. It was excellent, with a mixture of presentations, critique groups, one-on-ones, and free time to write and revise. The ratio of staff to participant was incredible, approximately 80 participants to 20 staff. There were four critique groups over the weekend, five or six people per group, each group led by an editor, agent or author. The same people were in the first and last critique group which allowed us to present some work, use the comments to make changes, and bring it back to the group. I found that to be extremely helpful, and returned home tired but with focus and direction toward revising my manuscript. I had the good fortune of being in a group led by Caryn Wiseman, an agent with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She's bright, fun and so on target with each of our manuscripts. I also had a one-on-one with author Elizabeth Spurr who suggested I rewrite my manuscript (an adventure/thriller) in present tense to make it more immediate. I used the "free writing time" to try and incorporate the suggestions from my critique group and from Elizabeth, and felt my manuscript come alive. I highly recommend this workshop for anyone trying to bring a finished or nearly finished manuscript to the next level. The workshop was held at the Big Sur Lodge which is nestled in the woods just blocks from the ocean. The scenery is breathtaking and inspiring. I can see why there were many participants returning from prior years. I'd have no reservations about going again!