IS IT REAL? The Truth About Fiction

On June first, a line of devastating storms sped through the state of Massachusetts bringing with it numerous tornados. My home town of Ware, sitting snug in the valley was spared, but much of the surrounding areas weren’t so lucky. In fact, Monson, a neighboring town will be picking up the pieces for a long time to come. As news of the destruction played out across our television screen and family and friends posted pictures on Facebook my four year old daughter became worried and confused.

“Was it a real tornado, Mommy? Or just a make-believe one like in the movie TWISTER?” she asked.

Now keep in mind, TWISTER is one of her favorite movies. Something about the storm scenes amazes her much more than it frightens her. Maybe she is destined to become a Storm Chaser or Meteorologist. Either way, at four, she is confused by the images she is seeing so close to her grandmother’s home. Of course this prompted a discussion of what is real and what is not real. This is a difficult concept for a young child to grasp. The “real” images from the June first tornado are eerily similar to the “fake” ones from the movie. I tried to explain that the movie is fiction; a story somebody made up.

“Why does it seem so real?” She wanted to know.

And herein lays the real root of the problem. As a fiction writer myself, the answer is simple. After all, if it didn’t seem real, it wouldn’t be believable. Who wants to watch a movie or read a book that isn’t believable? The key to writing good fiction is making the reader believe it. Whether you’ve brought your reader to a post-apocalyptic country where children are forced to play deadly games to win food for their village, or, like in my upcoming picture book, you introduce your reader to a slipper wearing bedbug who doesn’t want to share her bed with a human, it must draw the reader in.

If the tornados in the movie TWISTER looked like the funnel in a soda bottle science experiment it certainly wouldn’t have been nominated for an Academy Award and the effects department would find themselves standing in line at the unemployment office. The realistic feel of the movie is what made it a hit. It is what drew audiences to see it.

But not all fiction is cut and dry. Of course my smarty pants daughter wanted to know if the recent documentary we watched on Pompeii was real or fiction.

“That was real,” I said.

“You mean they videotaped it while it happened?” she asked.

Oh boy, this kid never allows for an easy answer. I explained the film we saw was a reenactment of the true story, which is called non-fiction, and the people were all actors. That seemed to appease her for the moment, but now, every story she comes across, either in print or film, spurs a burning need to know if it is fiction or non-fiction. This whole episode had me second guessing my own take on fiction. Therefore I did a little research. Webster’s definition of Fiction is, literature made up of imaginary events and characters. But as I mentioned earlier, fiction is not cut and dry. I came across a few sub-categories which will help straighten out my daughter’s confusions and hopefully yours too.


1. Realistic Fiction: A story which is not true but could actually happen. I think the movie TWISTER is a good example of this.
2. Non-Realistic Fiction: A story where the events couldn’t really happen. Like Nick Jr’s TEAM UMIZOOMI.
3. Non-Fiction: Based solely on fact like the Pompeii documentary.
4. Semi-Fiction, which is a fictional account based on a true story like the 1995 animated film, BALTO.


There are obviously more categories such as Science Fiction or Historical Fiction and more, but that delves a little deeper than this discussion warrants and I’m trying to make sense of this for a four year old after all. Who, by the way, seems to be catching on. This morning, while watching TEAM UMIZOOMI, she proudly announced the show was fiction because there obviously is no real “tiny team,” although she is unsure of the existence of Umi City. Even so, her deduction tells me she’s learning. The concept is not beyond her. The brain-sponge is soaking it in and sending a few drops my way. We’re learning together.

Another lesson we're learning together is compassion in the wake of this tornado disaster. I've sent in my monetary donation and wish I didn't live so far so I could do more. Please keep these people in your prayers.








I’d like to thank Sherri Pelski for use of the photo images of the Monson Tornado. As I mentioned earlier, this community will be picking up the pieces for a long time to come. Monson is a typical Norman-Rockwell type small town and it needs your help in order to rebuild. If you’re able, please take a moment to send in your donation at the following web site: https://www.kintera.org/site/c.kkLRJ7MQKtH/b.6626855/k.275A/Massachusetts_Tornado_Relief_Fund/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?c=kkLRJ7MQKtH&b=6626855&en=gpKGLLOrH8ICKMOqGeJKJLMrGdKTJ6PFKcJKLTMwFfLKLSOrHhI1G

Children's Book Diva, Jane Yolen, Fires Letter to LA Administrator Regarding Firing of School Librarians

If you're a children's writer or even a fan of children's literature you surely know who Jane Yolen is. To me she is the ultimate children's book diva and a woman who is very respected in her field. When Jane talks books, people listen. Recently, an infuriated Yolen penned a letter to administrators in the LA area regarding an issue where the Board of Education and their lawyers questioned school librarians to assess their "teaching" skills. Here it is in Jane's own words:



Letter to the administrator in charge of firing LA school librarians who had the Board of Ed's lawyers take the librarians into the school basement and asked them to prove they were teachers with such questions as "Do you take attendance?".



Dear Mr. Deasy:


As the author of 300 published books (yes, that is not a typo!), many of them winners of the highest awards given for children's and adult books,

I have to commend you for closing libraries. You are turning out the lights in children's minds. It will make them much easier to recruit as cannon fodder,much easier to move them on conveyor belts, much easier to treat them as cattle.

Of all the people who work in a school, teachers and librarians are the heart and soul of the place. Not administrators. My late husband

was a professor and later on an administrator. You should have heard what he had to say about top-heavy administrations. I suggest you

take the administrators (yourself included) and ask them the same questions the lawyers are asking the librarians in the basement: do YOU take attendance? Do YOU teach in the classroom? Perhaps you should fire the administrators first. And the overpriced lawyers. And when you do, you will no doubt find you have the money to keep the librarians.

And the library.

The ones who turn on lights in children's minds and guard the flame in their hearts. With or without taking attendance.


Yours very truly and to tell the truth angrily as well,


Jane Yolen




At this point, all we can do is hope that Administrator Deasy sits up and takes notice. As far as I am concerned a library is the heart of any school. Can you even imagine a school without books? Thanks for your efforts Jane!

-Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

BE TRUE TO YOUR CHARACTERS

There is nothing more frustrating than when someone critiques your work and says, “Your character wouldn’t do that!” or “Your character wouldn’t say that!”

I must admit, hearing that totally grates on me. How can anyone possibly tell ME what my character wouldn’t do or say? Hello. It is my character. I made them up and they do what I tell them to do. End of story.

I admit, this is something I’m not happy to hear. But I’m in a critique group for a reason and I need to keep an open mind. So even though I don’t initially agree with this statement, I do try to take a closer look at the problem. Although I don’t fully understand the concept of other people telling me what my character would or would not do, I do realize my critique partners aren’t totally wrong in their assessment. Very often what they’ve pointed out, is an area where my voice has come through instead of the character’s. Either the adult me has made an appearance or the 80’s teenager from my past has honed in on my contemporary protagonist. Usually it is a quick fix and I move on. But again, this is an issue that I couldn’t fully comprehend. Until recently.

A few weeks ago I was reading a book that nearly had me pulling my hair out. It was a sequel to another book I had read and enjoyed. I can honestly say I was pretty invested in the main character. Enough that I liked her and wanted to read more about her. However, in book two she consistently did things that totally made no sense to me. At least no sense in the terms of who she was or who I had perceived her to be. I really struggled to finish the book and found myself yelling at it often. “No! Why would you do that?” I think my husband was ready to have me committed. And it hit me. This is what my critique partners were talking about. I was finally able to wrap my brain around the concept of being true to your characters.

It is quite an easy concept if you think about it. For example, if your character is afraid of dogs then it is obvious she is not going to pet someone’s dog in passing or hang out in front of the pet store window fawning over the puppies. In fact, she will probably cross to the other side of the street when confronted by a dog walker and may even steer clear of the block where the pet store is located.

If your story has an "a-ha" moment where the character overcomes her fear of dogs, it must come at a price. For example, your character can not just suddenly decide she likes dogs now and happy, happy, joy, joy she heads to the pet store to get one. Something has to happen to change her opinion. And it has to be big. You can’t just have some guy with a nice dog come up to her and say, “Look, not all dogs bite. Pet mine and you’ll see.” It has to be something significant and it has to ring true to your character; her fears and her personality. A life threatening situation might come in handy for this example. What if a rescue dog saved her from a flash flood or a burning building? But even so, it can’t be easy. She can’t simply overcome her fear of the dog in order to be rescued. You’d need to show that her fear of the rising water or deadly flames has become greater than her fear of the dog. This isn’t easy to do and should impose a lot of inner as well as outer conflict. The situation must get more dire. (Outer conflict) Flames and smoke choke her. Parts of the building is collapsing all around. Meanwhile, she is struggling with herself. Should she trust the darn dog? (Inner conflict.) Finally, the situation comes down to a do or die moment where she makes up her mind to take her chances on the dog who of course, pulls her to safety.

I realize the above example is pretty easy and straightforward. The places in your manuscript where you might find yourself being less than true to your characters will probably be more subtle. But whether your dishonesty is big, like my example, or small, like a morsel of your own voice shining through, an invested reader will still pick up on it. And if they lose faith in your character, they will lose faith in you too. An unhappy audience doesn’t bode well for selling books. You can take that to the bank but leave your dog at home.

I'M STILL HERE, BUT NOW I HAVE HELP

Wow, what a bad blogger I've been. I admit THE FRACTURED KEYBOARD has been severely neglected over these past months. I can come up with a whole lot of excuses (That's excuses, not lies.) but none of them are really good enough. I think we can all agree that sometimes life gets in the way and that's the best I've got. So rather than dwell on the aspects of my personal life I'd like to remind you, as well as myself, that this is a place for writers. It is a place to discuss the craft, the biz and the whole writing journey; from pen to publisher if you will. So let me tell you what's new in my journey rather than waste your time on what isn't.

First of all, the release of my new picture book, DON'T LET THE BEDBUGS BITE!, has been moved back. Instead of coming out sometime this year, it will now debut in spring of 2012. Most folks assume this is depressing news. But if you are a seasoned writer, you know it isn't. Writers have the patience of Job when it comes to waiting. We wait for the muse to hit and make the words flow correctly. We wait for the mail to come. We wait for responses from editors and agents. We wait for edits & revisions to come through. We wait. This business is a big game of hurry up and wait. That's just the way it is. Deal with it. So therefore, this little setback isn't a major crisis. What's another few months in the grand scheme of the birth of a picture book? If the extra time is used to make it better, than I'm all for it. Piece of cake.

In other news, things are a little different on my side of the rainbow in 2011. Some of you may recall my post entitled "THE SUBMISSION PROCESS AS I SEE IT." If so, then you know I've been on the search for an agent. Well recently I struck gold when Agent Louise Fury, of the L. Perkins Agency, tweeted that she was looking for character-driven, humorous picture books. I thought, Hey! I have one of those! Of course I immediately jumped into action and as luck would have it, she liked what I sent. Let me just say it is wonderful to find someone who is as excited about your work as you are. It is, well,
E-X-C-I-T-I-N-G!

Of course having an agent takes some getting used to. I mean, for many years I was always on the lookout for submission opportunities. I scoured the bookstores for similar books and their publishers, I explored the internet looking for articles and interviews of editors and agents who were still open to submissions and I hunted through business publications searching for new or smaller imprints that might be a good fit for my work. All in all it has been a very consuming task and one I have worked hard at. Now, thanks to my lovely and oh-so-wise agent, I no longer have to be so vigilant. I can relax a little. I can focus more of my efforts on my writing and stop stressing about the submission process. This is wonderful. I feel so free and unrestrained! Well, not really. Old habits die hard and I still find myself wondering if this publisher might like that manuscript and would now be a good time to send it? But then I picture Louise. And very much like those folks who realize they could have had a V8, I clock myself in the head and remind myself to relax. There is no reason to stress. My work is now in extremely capable hands. Hands much more capable than my own. And I’m happy.

Apparently my family is happy too. My little one surprised me while I was working one day with this little ditty. Luckily I had my video camera handy.

AND HERE'S THE PITCH!

This weekend I attended the annual SCBWI Carolinas Fall Conference. I learned lots of amazing things and came away with a head full of new knowledge and a muse loaded with ideas. But there is one thing that has been nagging at me and I thought I’d like to share.

The amazingly talented marketing guru and writer, Shelli Johannes-Wells hosted a workshop Sunday morning called DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE M WORD. It was a very insightful lesson on the ins and outs of branding for authors. One thing she said that stuck with me was, “Know your pitch!” She said most people tend to zone out after the first ten words!

Wow, really? It got me thinking about the pitch for my novel, BLOOD TIES. This is my next “big” work. This is the piece of heart and soul that I hope to catch an agent with. And until Sunday, I wasn’t worried about my pitch. I had it. It was done. Heck you may have read it here on my blog. It was short (45 words), it was simple and to the point. So what was the problem? It didn’t seem natural. Shelli said your pitch should simply start like this: “My book is about. . .”

Instead, mine was more formal. It read much like a book flap or query letter. Take a gander:

His Dad is in jail, his mother is an alcoholic and his little brother is a pint-sized Goth freak. Life isn’t easy for Talon Cooley,
so when Dad calls from prison looking for another hand-out to save his worthless life, what's a guy to do?

Not bad. I mean, it didn’t suck and you got the gist. My problem was that it didn’t flow easily in conversation. If someone says to me, “So, what’s your book about?” I will look like a total dork if I suddenly turn on my James Earl Jones narrator voice and spout the above pitch. So I decided to make it more personal, more easily accessible and likely to hold up in conversation. Here’s my attempt:

My book is about . . . a teenage boy stuck in the shadow of his father’s jailhouse rep. So when neighborhood pets start
disappearing and an arson roams the area, fingers automatically point toward “that Cooey boy.” Talon’s struggle to clear
his name initiates a risky game with a dangerous drug dealer and leads to a discovery that just might give him a new outlook
on the man he calls Dad.

Whew! It went from 45 to 72 words. I’ve heard a pitch should never go above 150-200 words and I’ve managed to stay below that. Although it would never fit on Twitter. Does it still need work? Hell yeah. But my novel is still a work in progress and I’m thinking I might have a better handle on it once it is complete. In the meantime, It’ll still be rolling around my brain looking for improvement.

Now let’s talk about you. How’s your pitch? Is it formal like mine or can you tell me about it in casual conversation? Do you know it by heart? Will it fit on Twitter? (There are agents/editors who sometimes take pitches there and also sponsor contests.)

Let’s see what you’ve got. Pretend I’m Joan Q. Editor. We’re together at a social gathering and I look at you point blank and say, “So, what’s your book about?”

Share your best pitch in the comments section below.

WriteOnCon

WriteOnCon, a FREE online conference for writers is over. If you missed it, you totally missed out on a great event. But have no fear, the founders, Jamie Harrington, Elana Johnson, Shannon Messenger, Jennifer Stayrook and Lisa and Laura Roecker have more up their sleeves.

The conference, which was held August 10-12, 2010 was attended by so many writers their server couldn't handle all the traffic. In order to host another epic event they'll need to pay for a better web hosting service. So, in order to finance this whole shebang, they have come up with the grand idea of giveaway promotions and will also be accepting donations. If you haven't done so already, please go check out the WriteOnCon website for details. www.writeoncon.com/2010/09/critique-by-author-tess-gratton

In addition to the giveaways listed on the WriteOnCon site, you will find additional giveaways on each of the founders websites/blogs. Casey McCormick is giving away an ARC of EXTRAORDINARY by Nancy Werlin and a hardcover of WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green and David Levithan. There will be two winners, one book to each. www.caseylmccormick.blogspot.com

Lisa & Laura Roecker are giving away an ARC and a sneak peek at the 1st chapter of their book LIAR SOCIETY and a 50 page manuscript critique. www.lisa-laura.blogspot.com

Shannon Messenger is giving ways some much sought after autographed books. For you Rick Riordan fans she has THE LIGHTNING THIEF, THE ALCHEMIST signed by Michael Scott, MISTBORN signed by Brandon Sanderson, THE NAME OF THE WIND signed by Patrick Rothfuss and LEVIATHAN signed by Scott Westerfeld. www.ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com

Elana Johnson is also donating autographed books for the cause. Sign up to win LOSING FAITH signed by Denise Jaden and BREAK signed by Hannah Moskowitz.
www.elanajohnson.blogspot.com

Author Jamie Harrington has some autographed goodies also. If you'd like a gander at PROM DATES FROM HELL signed by Rosemary Clement-Moore or GIL'S ALL FRIGHT DINER signed by A. Lee Martinez, Jamie's blog is the place to go. www.totallythebomb.com

So lets help these wonderful ladies help us. Sign up for giveaways and make donations to keep WriteOnCon on the web! And a special thank you goes out to the founders for their effort and commitment. Organizing anything is tough work and you've done it without any monetary benefit to yourselves. Please know, YOU ARE APPRECIATED!

-Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

THE SUBMISSION PROCESS AS I SEE IT

I don't know if it's just me, but lately it seems as though responses to my submissions are coming in slower than ever. Now don't get me wrong, once in a while a rejection trickles in, but for the most part, my mailbox and inbox remain empty of editor/agent correspondence. Not that I’m complaining. I like to take heart in the old mantra, “no news is good news”. However, I wonder if other writers are noticing the same. With many houses closing their doors to unagented material (I don’t have an agent) and the economy forcing everyone and their brother into thinking they can write children’s books, the submission process seems to be getting more difficult to navigate day by day. (Editors/Agents are inundated with an ever increasing amount of submissions.)With this in mind, I thought I’d share with you my submission process:

First of all, I have more than one picture book manuscript ready for submission. That said, I think you can gather that I am submitting multiple manuscripts, (one at a time), to various editor/agents as I see fit. I try very hard to target my submissions to an editor/agent who I feel might be most receptive to that certain piece of work. For example, one of my newer works is a rhyming picture book called THE GUMBALL. (See sidebar on this blog regarding available works.) I began submitting it in early December and targeted editors who have published fun, silly rhyming picture books in the past. To date, I have received only one response and that was a very nice, handwritten rejection. I have five other editors I am waiting to hear back from. Before I resubmit elsewhere, I want to gage their reaction. If I get a pile of form rejections, I know the book isn’t working and I will need to rethink it. If I get some positive responses, then maybe I’m on the right track. However, since I’m in this for the long haul, and this is my career path, I’m praying for more than a nice rejection. With each submission, I aim for a contract. I cross my fingers and toes and answer every phone call with that little blip of apprehension, hoping against hope this is it, “the call”.
It has happened. I’ve been lucky enough to sell two books. But as I’ve said, I’m in this for the long haul and each day opens up new opportunities. I continue to scour my email and phone messages knowing that at some point there will be good news awaiting me. Fingers crossed.

Another aspect of the submissions process is the query letter. Like the full submission, this must be a carefully targeted communication. Similar to the cover letter which is included with a full submission, the query letter must convey your story in an appealing and fascinating way. Don’t give away the ending, but allude to it in a way that catches the editor/agent’s attention and makes them want to know more. If you’ve garnered their interest, they’ll probably ask to see the manuscript. At this point your work becomes solicited material and you’ve bypassed the dreaded “slush pile”. Some picture book writers hate the query letter. Personally, I run both hot and cold on it. Sometimes query letters have opened new doors for me. Houses that are closed to unsolicited submissions have requested material from me and although they passed on the particular project they have remained open to more of my work. Bonus! On the other hand, I have had queries that remain in limbo. These are queries I never get a response to. I don’t believe it is proper to send a status query on a query; seems redundant. Therefore, these are submissions I consider rejected. Yet, there is always hope it fell behind some assistant’s desk and will be resurrected. Some conscientious editor will discover it and immediately contact me for the full and love it and want it immediately. (Hey, didn’t I say I’m in this for the long haul?)

Then of course is the rewrite stage or even the “we-love-it-and-will-get-back-to-you” stage. I find these to be even more nail-biting than either the basic submission or query policies. At this point, you know you’ve found someone who is more than mildly interested in your work. However, this process seems to be harder than the others as now your submission moves on to the acquisitions meeting. Here it will be analyzed by sales and marketing and everyone, not just the editor, must love it and believe in it. These are tough odds. This is where your talent is overridden by the bottom dollar; literally. If the acquisitions team doesn’t think your book will make enough money for it to be worth their while, you will not be offered a contract. This whole concept makes me weak in the knees. It is difficult to know I’ve come so close and waiting for the outcome is like waiting for a verdict concerning my future. (Which in a way, it is.) During this stage, I’ve had to wait as little as a month and as long as a year. To date, I have two manuscripts in this position -that I know of. My fingernails are nibbled to the quick. Wish me luck!

Another area of submitting that must be considered for any writer in today’s market is the agent submission. Finding an agent is a long and arduous task. At least it has proven to be so for me. As primarily a picture book writer the list of agents accepting this type of work is not a long one. I also find it a bit weird trying to sell a book (singular) to an agent when I have numerous manuscripts in my arsenal. Not that I expect any agent to love every one of my works, but I think it would only be an asset for them to know I’m not a one hit wonder. I don’t dabble in writing, but work hard at it. I want them to know there is more work he/she may be interested in representing. I’m looking for someone to represent my career as a whole and not just one manuscript. Also, since I have been submitting on my own for a while, many agents are deterred from working with these manuscripts. They want material that has not been seen by editors. Should I hold my manuscripts for six months or more while I wait for agent responses, or should I take advantage of contacts I’ve made on my own? I really find myself in a quandry here and can't seem to decide on the right course of action. All I know for sure is that I’m not getting any younger and this is not a fast business. I really believe an agent would do wonders for my career. They would be able to open doors that are not just closed, but also locked. And yet I can’t seem to find that special person willing to take on a picture book author without a big sales record. Catch 22. But that doesn’t stop me from trying. Mr./Ms. Agent, I know you’re out there. Here’s to hoping our paths will cross soon.

And that is the submissions process from my point of view. I’d love to hear your take on it. How do we differ in our pursuit toward publication? What tips or advice can you share? Most of all, how is it working for you? Inquiring minds want to know.

-Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

WHAT'S GOING ON? : Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite!

After a week away from the computer because my mother was in town, I was excited to find an email from my editor at Shenanigan Books, Mary Watson. She was kind enough to let me know she has sent my manuscript for DON'T LET THE BEDBUGS BITE! out to an illustrator today. Of course I immediately googled the woman to see some of her work. All I can say is, "Yeah baby!"

I am absolutely thrilled to see what she comes up with. "Bedbugs" is a fun book and the illustration possibilities are endless! I can NOT wait to get a look at her interpretation. For those of you who are not familiar with Shenanigan Books, you should be. Here's the link: http://www.shenaniganbooks.com/, look them up. Their books are gorgeous!

I'm looking forward to a wonderful experience and am honored to be part of Shenanigan's list. I'll keep you posted as the process moves forward.

Thanks,

Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

Win 2 Gr8 Reads!

I have two wonderful books in my possesion that I think are awesome boy books for ages 12-14. (Or for any book lover.) They can be yours, but there's a hitch. If you would like to be the proud new owner of THE HUNCHBACK ASSIGNMENTS by Arthur Slade and THE PRICKER BOY by Reade Scott Whinnem, I ask that you post a link to my blog in any form of social media. Link to The Fractured Keyboard from your blog, mention it on Facebook, or tweet about it on Twitter. Whatever means you have available to you. Once done, leave me the link(s) in the comments section below & I will enter you in a drawing to win both of these entertaining volumes. The more links you provide, the more chances you have to win. I will draw the winner on Friday, March 5, 2010, so don't delay!

Win a chat with an agent!

Mark McVeigh has started a new blog. He is trying to get followers and is offering his expertise via a 15 minute skype or phone chat as incentive. If you'd like Mark to answer any of your publishing questions one on one, you only need to follow his blog and then get 10 of your friends to follow too. Here's the link: http://themcveighagency.blogspot.com/2010/02/want-free-chat-with-agent.html

If you go to Mark's blog and join after reading this post, please leave a comment here and let me know. When 10 of my friends join, I'll get my chance. Hey, it isn't every day I get the opportunity to pitch my work.

Thanks!

Niki