THE FRACTURED KEYBOARD

IS IT REAL? The Truth About Fiction

2011-06-06T17:02:00.021-04:00

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

2011-05-27T07:12:00.003-04:00

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

2011-05-19T11:37:00.002-04:00

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

2011-03-31T10:40:00.002-04:00

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!

2010-09-30T11:04:00.004-04:00

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

2010-09-14T15:53:00.004-04:00

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

2010-04-27T15:18:00.004-04:00

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!

2010-03-29T16:06:00.003-04:00

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!

2010-03-02T16:43:00.007-05:00

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!

2010-02-19T17:00:00.002-05:00

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

LINGER, the sequel to Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER comes out July 20th!

2010-02-18T11:59:00.001-05:00

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

I SOLD A RHYMING PICTURE BOOK!!!

2009-12-07T15:19:00.007-05:00

On Saturday I received confirmation, so today I am ready to announce it to the world. I have recently signed on with Shenanigan Books to publish my picture book, DON'T LET THE BEDBUGS BITE! This hard-cover picture book will be part of Shenanigan's 2011 list! In honor of this occasion, I thought I'd like to share with you the process up to this point:

I guess the best place to start is right at the beginning. In December of 2008, it was my turn to submit a bit of work to my critique group (The Mudskippers) for critique. At that time, because of the busy holiday season, I really didn't have anything to share with them. I decided to send them a little poem I had written a few months earlier since it was something they hadn't seen before. The poem had been sitting because I just wasn't sure what to do with it. I had never submitted poetry before and other than Highlights, I wasn't sure who else would be interested. Needless to say, I was very surprised with the response I got from The Mudskippers. They all enjoyed my poem and suggested I develop it into a picture book. Not totally convinced, I continued to work on the poem and struggled to come up with a twist for the end. Eventually it all came together and I began submitting. I received some interest from a few publishers, but alas, no offer of publication.

During the spring, I was given the book STAR OF THE SHOW by Della Ross Ferrari for review. (I review books for www.curledup.com & www.curledupkids.com) Before I even read the book, I was immediately impressed with the quality; the vivid colors and gorgeous artwork practically leaped off the front cover! Of course I had to know who published such a beautiful book. This led me to Shenanigan's website. (www.shenaniganbooks.com) I soon found that this New Jersey-based company publishes books that "capture imagination and make bedtime-reading a treasured family tradition." The books on their web site looked fun and zany and I knew I had to submit "Bedbugs" to them.

So, on May 6, 2009, I snail mailed my submission as per Shenanigan's guidelines. In the meantime, I continued to market my little rhyming picture book elsewhere. On August 24th I received an email from Shenanigan Books asking for a word.doc of the manuscript because it was up for consideration. Of course, after a little whooping and dancing, I complied. On October 7th, I received another email with an offer of publication. At that time I responded with a resounding "NO!" (Just kidding!) Of course I didn't say no! I said, "YES, YES, YES!"

Soon after, I received the contract, signed it and sent it off. This past Saturday I received my copy, including the publisher's signature, and after a lot of whooping and dancing, I realized my second picture book is finally in the works. (And it rhymes!) Given Shenanigan's reputation, I know it will be WONDERFUL! AWESOME! STUPENDOUS!

So I wanted to share with you some of Shenanigan's other great titles because I know you'll love them too. Check them out. Better yet, buy them and share them with your children. (Or somebody's children.)

Francine and Max decide to play circus and as usual Francine wants to take center stage. But Max has his own ideas. Francine’s comical production woes will be appreciated by every kid who’s had to share the limelight with an older sibling.
You can read my review of this title by clicking on the link in the sidebar under "Read my reviews for children's books".

A world of unusual beasts spring to life under the covers and between the lines of this A to Z rhyming book. From Apple-Clops to Zeedunks, this wildly fanciful collection of alphabet beasts will delight and amuse young readers.

Step through the hidden veil that separates our world from the magical world of fairies with this illustrated handbook for finding, understanding and pleasing fairies. Fairy followers young and old will cherish and delight in its Fairy Secrets!

When Miss Violet from the garden club presented the residents of Pudding Street with a special award for Prettiest Flowers no one knew who was responsible, except for a very clever dog and a very busy bird!

-Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

Stephanie Meyer on Oprah!

2009-11-13T17:23:00.003-05:00

Stephanie Meyer, author of the phenomenal TWILIGHT SERIES, was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show today, just one week from the opening of the new movie NEW MOON, which is based on the second novel in the series. Although I’m sure she was there to publicize the upcoming movie, I focused on the interview as a writer and thought I’d like to share with you my take on it.

Meyer, like myself, is a stay-at-home Mom. She had no ideas or hopes of ever becoming a writer and had not dabbled in the craft. (Although her author’s bio states she graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English Literature.) She was always a voracious reader. In fact, you could say she was more than your average high-level reader as at the age of eight she was reading books like GONE WITH THE WIND and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Although the horror genre was one she always shied away from claiming to be to “chicken” to read it.

One night, she had a very vivid dream. In it, there were two people in a clearing in a rain forest and the boy, who was very beautiful, was sparkling in the sunlight while the girl was not. It became clear in the dream, the girl was human, but the boy was a very perfect specimen of a vampire. When she woke, she felt compelled to write the dream down so she wouldn’t forget it. She began concocting the story because she wanted to know what happened to this couple. Her now very famous novel grew from what TWILIGHT fans have come to recognize as chapter 13. When she finished, she went back and filled in the beginning. Throughout the writing process she kept notebooks by her bed because she would often wake in the middle of the night with fresh ideas and needed to write them down. While she wrote the story, her husband really had no idea what she was up to. She was embarrassed to confide in him she was writing about vampires fearing she was crazy and not wanting him to confirm it.

Meyer’s sister, Emily, read the story and encouraged Meyer to submit it for publication. For fun, she looked into the process and queried numerous agents. She received nine rejections, five no responses and one request to read more. That request came from Jodi Reamer of Writer’s House who eventually sold the manuscript to Little Brown & Company. I imagine Ms. Reamer is decidedly thrilled she took a chance on a novice novelist. Which just goes to show how subjective this business really is. Maybe, given the opportunity, other talented writers might realize their dreams too –literally!

-Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

SCBWI-CAROLINAS CONFERENCE 2009; When is YA not YA? A workshop by David Mcinnis Gill

2009-10-29T10:11:00.002-04:00

David Macinnis Gill is the author of SOUL ENCHILADA, a highly anticipated novel released this spring by Greenwillow. SOUL ENCHILADA has been nominated for the BBYA (Best Books for Young Adults) honor. He is the past President of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents and teaches at UNC Wilmington.

According to Mr. Gill, YA (Young Adult) is not a genre, but a marketing category instead, as is the term MG (Middle Grade). They both fall under the umbrella known as “children’s literature.”

A YA is a book with a teen main character and involves a teen “problem.” It is written primarily for a teen audience and is told in the here and now. NOT as an adult looking back on his/her past as a teen.

Mr. Gill quoted Cheryl Klein, Senior Editor at Arthur A. Levine Books (An imprint of Scholastic) on her definition: “ YA is centrally interested in the experience and growth of its teen protagonist, whose dramatized choices, actions and concerns drive the story and is narrated with relative immediacy to teen perspective. “

YA vs. MG:
YA spans ages 12-18
MG spans ages 9-14

-More MG books will make it into libraries than YA.
-MG & YA share some characteristics, such as a teen protagonist, because of the overlapping age range. What differentiates the two is the intensity of the story. For example, in a MG, a teacher can only be so mean. But in a YA, a teacher can become predatory.

More often than not, it is not the author who decides which category a book fits in. As the author, it is up to you to write your best story. It is up to the editor, the sales team, marketing or your agent to decide what section of the bookstore or library your book will sit.

When you gear your writing toward the YA market, your main character should be roughly two years older than the target audience and push the boundaries in subject matter. YA is also reaching toward college-age readers allowing for longer text and more complex and darker themes. However, on the flipside, the MG market is also getting larger as publishers push toward the fourteen age range with an average of 200 pages per book.

If you want to get a good idea what is popular in YA fiction these days, go to the bookstore. Check out the SINGLE titles, not series. Look at the hard cover copies as they are the most recently published works. On the web, look at the web sites for ALAN or YALSA. On the YALSA site you can find the BBYA (Best Books for Young Adults) Award or Top Ten Teen Reads. Another great way to find hot YA’s is to look up the Prince Award and its prior honorees.

So basically, what I have gathered from Mr. Gill’s workshop is when marketing your YA work to editors/agents during the search for publication, do your homework. Read lots of YA and find out what’s out there. Check out the competition and make sure yours is as good or better. Read the acknowledgements page of similar works and find out the name of the editor or agent who helped develop it into a finished product. Target your work appropriately.

The biggest issue for me, in recognizing YA is HOW it is written. The story MUST be told from a teen’s point of view in the here and now. A true YA will not be written from a teen’s point of view after he/she is an adult and looking back at the past. This is the key and seems to be the major factor in what differentiates YA from regular adult fiction.

Are you still confused? Does your book run the gamut between YA & MG and you’re just not sure how to market it to that editor/agent? Don’t lose any sleep over it. If you have a good story, killer voice, and great character, your book will be published. Leave the marketing aspect of it to “the powers that be.” They’re the experts and they’ll know just what niche your book fits into. Happy writing!

-Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

This article was taken from my own workshop notes. Any error or inconsistencies are solely mine and not that of David Mcinnis Gill.

SCBWI-Carolinas Conference 2009 The Picture Book is NOT Dead by Fatimah Kahn

2009-10-05T16:49:00.016-04:00

Fatimah (pronounced Fateema) Khan is Associate Editor at Little Brown Books for Young Readers. She is new to the conference circuit and this was her first time addressing a crowd. She confessed immediately to being very nervous but honestly, it didn’t show. She was cute, lively, funny and most importantly, interesting!

She began by telling us that this year has been a great PB year for Little Brown! In this tough economy, that is great news. Especially for those of us who focus mostly on that genre. On the head table she had displayed some of those banner books for us to see and then took the time to give us her take on why she thought they were so successful.

1. THE CURIOUS GARDEN by Peter Brown (Author/Illustrator)
a. Has a timely, environmental theme.
b. Likeable boy character. No parents involved.
c. Fantastic artwork.
d. Spare text. Easy & clear for kids to understand.
e. Great progression with a beginning, middle and end.
f. Clear message. 1. Anyone can make a difference. 2. “Green” message.
g. Eco-friendly packaging.

2. THE I LOVE YOU BOOK by Todd Parr (Author/Illustrator)
a. Love sells.
b. Has holiday appeal. (Valentines Day)
c. Inexpensive price.
d. Designed to look like a greeting card and makes a great gift.

3. BIRDIE’S BIG GIRL SHOES by Suejean Rim (Author/Illustrator)
a. New take on growing too fast.
b. Wonderful artwork.

4. MARTHA DOESN’T SAY SORRY by Samantha Berger(Author) &
Bruce Whatley (Illustrator)
a. Story is character driven.
b. Has lasting value & appeal.
c. A new story with a classic feel.

5. DINOTRUX by Chris Gall (Author/Illustrator)
a. Marketed to boys. Strong boy appeal.
b. Dinosaurs + Trucks = Hit!!
c. Fantastic design & illustrations. d. Great read aloud.

6. OFF TO KINDERGARTEN by Tony Johnston (Author/Illustrator)
a. Low price.
b. Great back-to-school promotion.

Afterward, Ms. Khan shared with us her list of attributes that she feels make for a good children’s book.

1. Child is the hero.
2. Author uses rich, lively text and dialog.
3. Author is NOT condescending.
4. Characters seem real, complex and show growth.
5. There is a twist.
6. No heavy-handedness.
7. Details are included with a child’s sensibility.
8. There is a story arch.
9. Author has created an interesting, believable world.
10. The story is moving. –It makes you laugh, cry, ect.
11. It carries a fresh revelation through repeat readings.
12. The story is enjoyable for both the child and the adult who
reads it out loud.
13. It has a clear approach.
14. Details are carefully thought out. (This pertains to the design
of the book.)
15. Doesn’t follow a trend but has lasting value all its own.

Ms. Khan is always looking for innovative novelty projects with a playful twist, picture books with strong commercial appeal as well as novelty formats, eye-catching holiday, seasonal tie-ins and fresh fun-to-read-aloud stories. She works on books for the youngest readers ranging from board books to interactive lift-the-flap and touch-and-feel projects. Little Brown does not accept unsolicited queries or manuscripts. Most submissions are through a literary agent.

SCBWI-Carolinas Conference 2009 WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PB's by Namrata Tripathi

2009-09-30T15:25:00.002-04:00

My first workshop of the day carried the above title. Because I consider myself predominantly a picture book writer, it was great to see so many sessions dedicated to this genre. Let me start off by saying Ms. Tripathi, an Executive Editor at Atheneum books for Young Readers which is an imprint of Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Publishing Division, was cute and smart and came off as a very wise editor/businesswoman. As a stay-at-home-mom, who often feels unorganized and unworldly, my hat goes off to her and other career minded young ladies like her.

She began her lecture by giving us an editor’s-eye-view of the process of making a picture book.

1. Receives manuscript. LOVES it!
2. Takes manuscript to the editorial team and publisher.
3. If all is a go, she then discusses the manuscript in an acquisitions meeting. Here she will compare your book to similar titles and their sales. She has to come up with projected earnings. At this point she is a champion for your work and puts a lot of labor into putting it through to contract.
4. Once acquired, she will start to look for an illustrator. Usually, by this time she has a vision in her head and may already have someone in mind. However, a lot of time is spent conferring with the art director.
5. Sketches arrive and layout is planned. Again, this is done together with the expertise of the art director.
6. Neither author, nor editor have a lot of say on the final cover art. This is strictly a sales and marketing decision and they get final say.

A lot of time was dedicated to a question and answer period and because of this, my notes are rather short and sporadic. Although I learned a lot by the Q&A, (Including the answers to a few of my queries) I was too preoccupied by the exchanges to write them down. But I’ll share with you the little bit I recall.

Ms. Tripathi was asked about word length. Although she stated she does not look for a specific count, she did point out that most of today’s best sellers incorporate a short one. This is probably due to the fact that PB’s are read by adults, not children, and make for a quicker read at the end of a busy day. Keeping this in mind, remember that picture books absolutely MUST appeal to children, but should also appeal to the adults reading them. After all, what parent wants to read and reread a book they dislike ten or twenty times over?

For you rhymers, please know that picture books in verse are not dead. The problem is that too often manuscripts of this sort incorporate bad rhyme. It is a very difficult thing to do and do well. Like most editors, Ms. Tripathi shudders at the thought of receiving these kinds of submissions. However, if you have GREAT rhyme, (And make sure it is really, really great.) then she will be happy to see it. Otherwise, she likes manuscripts that are funny, quirky and truthful. But keep in mind, if you are not a conference attendee, Simon & Schuster does not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

SCBWI-Carolinas Conference 2009 FEEDING THE MASSES by Bonnie Bader

2009-09-29T15:02:00.004-04:00

Bonnie Bader, Editor-in-Chief of Grosset and Dunlap, and Price Stern Sloan, two imprints of Penguin Young Readers Group, shares her expertise and give us the low-down on these books that extend beyond traditional trade outlets.

She began by sharing with us the definition of “mass.” Of course, there are many definitions of the word, but the one that worked best for this discussing is that mass simply means; a huge amount.

Mass Market books sell to the traditional bookstores like Barnes & Noble, Borders, ect. . .
They also sell to mass markets such as WalMart, Target, BJ’s, ect. . .
And let’s not forget our favorite independent bookstores like Quail Ridge Books who runs our conference bookstore year after year.

According to Bader, the economy hasn’t really hurt children’s publishing. In fact, children’s books are doing well.

Bonnie then spoke about the kinds of mass market books her company publishes.

1. Licensed Publishing.
This includes tie-ins to movies, tv, dolls, games, ect. (Strawberry Shortcake, Max & Ruby) *Writing for licensed properties is a good way to get your foot in the door.

2. Novelty
This includes pop-ups, lift-the-flap, touch & feel, ect.
(This line is looking for holiday books.)

3. Levelled Readers
Books like All Aboard Reading or Step into Reading.
(Presently her company is working on a new program and is in need of writers for new readers.)

4. Series
Short, fast-past adventures with lots of dialog
(Always looking for good series. Send proposal w/ log line (A quick explanation of what makes your series stand out.) and ideas for the first three books along with the first three chapters of book one.)

5. Inexpensive picture books
(Such as Periwinkle Smith and the Twirly, Whirly Tutu)

Ms. Bader oversees a group of eight editors who actively acquire a wide range of books. She is always looking to hire writers to work on a “for hire” or “royalty” basis. Grosset & Dunlap does not accept unsolicited manuscripts but does review queries. Please check their website for further guidelines.

Keep a watch for the next installment of SCBWI-Carolinas Conference 2009 featuring Namrata Tripathi, Executive Editor of Atheneum BFYR. COMING SOON!

A SUMMER STOP AT THE ERIC CARLE MUSEUM

2009-09-21T14:16:00.002-04:00

In July, during my annual pilgrimage to my beloved Massachusetts, I had the opportunity to visit The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst. I had heard many good things about it and being a picture book writer myself, I was in a hurry to see what it was all about. Add to the fact that THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR was an early favorite of both my children and wild horses couldn’t keep me away. From my little hometown of Ware, the trip to the museum was a short 20 minute drive through the country with a quick stop at Atkins Farm for bakery delights afterward.

The Eric Carle Museum is built on property once owned by Hampshire College. Although it looks like the museum may be part of the campus, it is not. Founded by Eric Carle and his wife Barbara, the museum’s location was chosen due to the proximity of the area where the couple made their home for nearly thirty years. It is the first full-scale museum in this country devoted to picture book art.

We arrived just in time for my two-year-old to participate in Story Time which was being held in the museum’s wonderful library. Of course, my shy little dickens pushed her way through the crowd to sit cross-legged in front of the presenter where she immediately got involved in the interaction, then clapped wholeheartedly when a guitar suddenly appeared.

Afterward, we scurried to the exhibit halls where we were delighted by the magnificent art of Tomie DePaola (DRAWINGS FROM THE HEART: TOMIE DEPAOLA TURNS 75, July 3-Nov. 1, 2009) and Ernest Shepard who illustrated the classic Pooh books written by A. A. Milne (THE WORLD OF POOH: SELECTIONS FROM THE PENGUIN YOUNG READERS GROUP COLLECTION, May 15-Nov. 1, 2009) But by far, our favorite was 80/40: CELEBRATING THE BIRTHDAYS OF ERIC CARLE AND THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR. (Feb. 10-Aug. 30, 2009) Even my little one was enthralled with the early renderings of this famous and well loved book. Did you know the original draft was called, “A Week with Willi the Worm”? It was Mr. Carle’s editor who suggested he change it to a caterpillar and the book evolved from there to sell more than twenty-nine million copies!

Our next stop was to the Art Studio where our little group sat at a table and was given paper, brushes and paints to create our own water color masterpieces. Inspired by the prior exhibit I painted a lovely butterfly while my daughter designed her own Picasso. Apparently the activities and materials in the studio change regularly and are inspired by the present exhibitions. It was a difficult task to remove my child from the studio and after prying the paint brush out of her hand I managed to usher her into the gift shop on a bribe that I would buy her her own set of museum paints. Needless to say, I did so and also splurged on a few of my favorite classic picture books as well: THE LITTLE HOUSE, MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL, and MAYBELLE THE CABLE CAR all by Virginia Lee Burton, as well as THE STORY OF FERDINAND by Munro Leaf.

All in all, I found the Eric Carle Museum to be a refreshing and enlightening place for a struggling picture book writer such as myself to spend an afternoon. If I still lived in the area I would absolutely take part in the many events and activities offered there on a continual basis. From ‘MEET THE ILLUSTRATOR’ activities to workshops and classes, this is the perfect stop for anyone interested in being part of the picture book industry or those who are simply in love with the craft. But be forewarned, unless you are partial to picture books, are a devoted fan, and delight in this genre, you may not find yourself duly entertained. In fact, although my daughter and I had a most enjoyable time, my comrade and her nine year old remained uninspired. In fact, I think I may have heard the word “boring” used once or twice. Suffice it to say, I could see their point. This isn’t a fun-filled, interactive museum and for those who are non-bookish folk there could be a problem maintaining interest. But like everything else, what appeals to some, may not appeal to others. As for me, I give the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art five very big thumbs up and highly recommend it to all my like-minded colleagues. Go check it out!

YALSA's Top Ten Teen Reads for 2009

2009-08-27T14:57:00.011-04:00

The Young Adult Library Services Association(YALSA), along with the American Library Association (ALA) is looking for the top ten teen reads of 2009. Voting is open to teens from August 24th to September 18th. Teens can access the ballot at www.ala.org/teenstopten. Among the nominated entries selected are

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins,

FLYGIRL by Sherri L. Smith,

BREAKING DAWN by Stephanie Meyers,

ETERNAL by Cythia Leitich-Smith and many more.

Teens who take the time to vote will be entered to win Sherman Alexie's THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN. So check it out, and vote for your favorites!

-Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

Short Sabbatical

2009-08-24T18:11:00.002-04:00

Hey all you Fractured Keyboard Fans,

I just wanted to let you know I haven't abandoned you. I have been away for a month and am just trying to catch up on all those writing related things that have fallen by the wayside in my absence. As soon as I'm back on track I will be back to posting. I will start with my recent visit to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. If you're a picture book lover like I am, you won't want to miss it!

See you soon!

Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

UNIQUE GIRLS GROW TO BE EMPOWERED WOMEN

2009-07-13T09:35:00.007-04:00

I, like my 2 year old daughter, and many other little girl's across the country am a HUGE fan of the Fancy Nancy books by Jane O'Connor. I find them fun and cute and my daughter, who can be a little diva in her own right, adores them for the same silly reason. In our home, we tend to devour Fancy Nancy and other books like it where a wonderfully independent female character refuses to conform and pushes forth her own brand of uniqueness. I recently had the opportunity to review a great picture book, UNIQUE MONIQUE for Curled Up With a Good Kid’s Book. You can see it here:

http://www.curledupkids.com/uniquemo.html

In it, Monique is tired of being just like everyone else, so like every independent woman should, she takes matters into her own hands and proves just how unique she really is.

This apparently struck a chord with my daughter who, during a recent shopping expedition, thrilled at the chance to look just like Monique! I know, seems more copy cat-like than unique, but her reaction, which came many months after discovering Maria Rousaki’s engaging young feminist, Monique, showed me that the character’s strong-will resonated and stuck with my little one. As she grows and moves from toddlerdom to little girl and then (sob) young lady, I hope Monique’s influence will stay with her. I hope that she, and many other little girls, will stand strong and strive to make their own unique way in this world.

There are many great books out there that I think encourage little ladies to grow up feeling empowered. Books that prove they can make a difference. Here are a few of my favorites:

AMELIA & ELEANOR GO FOR A RIDE by Pam Munoz Ryan & illustrated by Brian Selznick
YOU FORGOT YOUR SKIRT AMELIA BLOOMER! By Shana Corey & Illustrated by Chesley Mclaren
MOSES by Carole Boston Weatherford & illustrated by Kadir Nelson
I COULD DO THAT! By Linda Arms White & illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
THE BALLOT BOX BATTLE by Emily Arnold McCully
FANNIE IN THE KITCHEN by Deborah Hopkinson & illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
A IS FOR ABIGAIL by Lynne Cheney & illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser

I too, have a few manuscripts that I hope will one day offer their own brand of encouragement for the little ladies. In the meantime, I’m still awaiting “the call” with a contract offer for them. Someday, I anticipate my own books will stand tall alongside those listed above. Of course, when that day comes, I will certainly let you know.

Girlpower!

Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

IT'S ALL SUBJECTIVE

2009-06-23T06:56:00.007-04:00

In last week’s blog post, during my woe-is-me diatribe, I wrote, and I quote:

“I read lots and lots of books. Most of which are YA and PB, and let me tell you, I’ve run across quite a few stinkers in the bunch. How often have you read a book that really sucks and you wonder how on earth this person ever found someone to publish it? How often have you thought, “My stuff is way better than this?” Those are the times that seem to push me under the furthest. Even my children give me similar sentiments after reading a particularly boring or just plain senseless book. “Mom, why can’t you get published? You’re stuff is way better than this junk!”

Afterwards, I had a reader say to me. “You think a lot of what’s published today is junk?”

My immediate response was, “Of course not!” However, looking back, and reading it over, I can see how my comments may have been construed that way. For the record, let me please say there are a lot of really awesome books out there. But yes, I still think there are some that are not quite so stellar. Like with any type of media out there, some are good, some are great, and some just make you go “hmmm”. Look at it this way, I hear people say all the time that there is a lot of crap on TV. these days. And they’re right. But on the flip side, there are some really awesome shows on the air too. It’s subjective. We all see the world differently and that’s what makes us all unique.

So, to show you all that I don’t think the publishing industry is pumping out a lot of “junk” I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you about some books I’ve recently come across that I think are impressive. Some of them are widely popular, and some aren’t. But either way, these are the books I’ve read lately and thought, “Yes, outstanding!” These are the books that, in my opinion, captured not just the eye of an editor, but their heart and soul too.

I AIN’T GONNA PAINT NO MORE! Written by Karen Beaumont and illustrated by David Catrow is an amazingly brilliant and fun book. With just enough naughtiness to keep your little one giggling this very cute picture book is one you and your kids will want to read again and again!

ALLEY LOO, Written by C.E. Walz and illustrated by Pamela Wedel is a spooky swamp story told in verse. This colorful story has just enough intrigue to keep your little ones on the edge of their seat and just when you think it might be safe to come out in the swamp again, this author and illustrator have you running for cover!

I’M NOT AFRAID OF THIS HAUNTED HOUSE, written by Laurie Friedman and illustrated by Teresa Murfin. This scary tale of one boy’s journey into a haunted house is written in bloodcurdling verse. Take cute, fun and creepy and roll it all into one and you’ve summed up this delightfully chilling story. The twist at the end lightens the mood quickly and will earn a good hearty chuckle from all.

GONE by Michael Grant takes a good hard look at how life might be if kids ran the world. When every adult over the age of fifteen disappears, chaos reigns. As the children realize their world has shrunk down to a perimeter inside a weird dome-like enclosure they wonder if there is still life outside the FAYZ. Food is running in short supply and there is nobody to take care of the little ones. But the biggest question of all is what will happen when they turn fifteen? (HUNGER is the sequel and is available now.)

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins is a post apocalyptic thriller which takes reality TV. to a whole new level. When Katniss Everdeen’s sister is chosen to participate in the deadly Hunger Games, Kat quickly volunteers to take her place. But how can someone from the poor twelfth district expect to survive? (CATCHING FIRE, the sequel is due out in Sept. 2009.)

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher is a powerfully moving story you won’t be able to put down. When Clay Jensen receives a strange package from his dead classmate, Hanna Baker, who committed suicide, he can’t help but be drawn in as Hannah’s voice explains the thirteen reasons why she killed herself and the part Clay and twelve other classmates played in her demise.

FLYGIRL by Sherri L. Smith is a realistic look at the life of a colored girl who dreams of getting her pilot’s license. As the war looms upon the United States, Ida Mae Jones answers Uncle Sam’s call and risks her own identity to become one of the elite few who make it into the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) program. This historically accurate tale will leave you cheering for the underdog and reveling in her victory.

NATURE’S LULLABY, written by Niki Schoenfeldt and illustrated by Tray Summerall is a sweet story about a boy and his grandfather sharing a warm summer eve. From the familiar chirp of the cricket to the soulful note of the barn owl, the night come alive with song and the soothing melody puts both to sleep. But is there something sinister lurking nearby? (A little shameless self-promotion.)

I could go on and on, but I won’t. However, I have decided to run a regular feature on this blog mentioning great reads from time to time as I run across them. Again, realize “great read” is simply my own interpretation of these works. In the meantime, Kudos goes out to those writers, illustrators, editors, agents and publishers, who work tirelessly to get the AWESOME stuff out there so we readers can voraciously scoop them up. Keep the good “junk” coming!

-Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

A SAD DAY FOR A CRESTFALLEN WRITER

2009-06-17T16:34:00.001-04:00

We’ve all heard it said, from the writer’s point of view, that this is “A Bunny Eat Bunny World,” and you know it’s true. This is not an easy profession we’ve entered into and only a few select authors can manage to support themselves with a full-time gig. I am not one of them. In fact, one day last week, I woke with the horrible conviction that it was time for me to throw in the towel. Why I felt that way, and why the feeling was so strong, I don’t know. Although there have been times in the past where the struggle toward publication felt like an uphill battle, I never reached the point where I was ready to quit; until last week. What changed? Nothing. Is my career hopeless? Maybe.

My track record is better than some and worse than others. I’ve a handful of magazine articles to my name, my first picture book (NATURE’S LULLABY) released last fall and as of today, I have three others being held for consideration at major houses. There is not a day that goes by I don’t do some form of work toward getting my manuscripts and name out there. My husband and family are very supportive and I belong to many great groups who share my passion. I also pray real hard that success will come my way. And let it be known I’m not greedy. I don’t need to be responsible for the next Harry Potter, or Twilight series. I just want my work to reach the children. I know that sounds corny, but it is truly how I feel. I read lots and lots of books. Most of which are YA and PB, and let me tell you, I’ve run across quite a few stinkers in the bunch. How often have you read a book that really sucks and you wonder how on earth this person ever found someone to publish it? How often have you thought, “My stuff is way better than this?” Those are the times that seem to push me under the furthest. Even my children give me similar sentiments after reading a particularly boring or just plain senseless book.

“Mom, why can’t you get published? You’re stuff is way better than this junk!”

Although I know they mean it as a good thing, that simple comment does major damage to my writing psyche. I mean, why IS this crap making it to print while mine sits dejectedly on an editor’s desk? When will my ship come in? Of course, the economy doesn’t help and the major slump in picture book sales doesn’t do much for my career either. But none of it explains my sudden urge to give up my writing career and my quest for publication. As the day progressed, my mood did not lighten. In fact, if anything, a dark pallor settled upon me and I shied away from the computer and books and any of the things connected with the industry. Bunny eat bunny, indeed. I felt like I had been chewed up and spit out by Peter and Benjamin Bunny both.

When my work time rolled around,(daughter’s nap time)I realized it was time to take a good hard look at myself and my work. Admittedly, some of my manuscripts could use another revision, but some of them are spot on. As I sat amidst the gloom of my shaded bedroom ignoring all media outlets, I thought about those manuscripts that don’t need more work. The ones I truly believe are ready. These works of mine were composed of passion and a burning need to create. I realized I couldn’t stop writing if I tried. And why bother writing if it is not for the world to see? No, I am NOT ready to give up. Perseverance is key. With a little luck, a lot of persistence and the talent I know I possess, I will get more bites, I will see my work in print and I will not be quitting anytime soon! So, bunny eat bunny, or dog eat dog, I am the alpha and I refuse to lose.

So now, with new conviction, I have forced my doubts aside. I will keep moving forward against a tide which keeps pushing me back. Because I know my stuff is worthy and one day I will find that editor or agent who believes it too.

Now, my only hope is that the day comes while I’m still living and breathing. It would be just my luck that my writing finally comes to fruition posthumously in an Emily Dickenson sort of way. I guess I am still holding on to a few teensy weensy doubts. But hey, I’m still writing; are you?

Win an ARC of CATCHING FIRE

2009-06-08T14:14:00.002-04:00

We literary bloggers must stick together. Fellow blogger, A wandering Heart, is sponsoring a contest on her blog. You can win an advance reader copy of Suzanne Collins CATCHING FIRE!

CATCHING FIRE is the much talked about sequel to THE HUNGER GAMES. If you haven't yet read THE HUNGER GAMES,you're really missing out and I suggest you get yourself a copy soon. For those of you who have, remember, unless you get your hands on an ARC, you've got to wait until September 1, 2009 to find out what's next for Katniss Everdeen.

Which brings me back to my original point. For a chance to win an ARC and be among the chosen few who learn Kat's fate before the official release, go to this link:

http://confessionsofawanderingheart.blogspot.com/2009/06/contest-win-catching-fire-by-suzanne.html

and enter. I'd love to wish you luck, but I don't want to jinx the win for myself. After all, I'm hooked and I'm not really sure I can wait three months before immersing myself in a really exceptional read. Every man/woman for him/herself!

-Niki

FROM THE POWERS THAT BE

2009-05-05T10:55:00.002-04:00

I was lucky enough to attend a small picture book conference in beautiful Beaufort, SC, last weekend. I enjoyed the fact that it was a small gathering as opposed to the massive crowds I experienced in New York back in February. There were three editors in attendance and all were very approachable. The small number of attendees made for a cozier environment and the information shared was in abundance.

Maggie Lehrman, Editor from Abrams Books for Young Readers and Amulet Books, Noa Wheeler, Associate Editor at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers and Jill Dembowski, Assistant Editor at Little Brown Books for Young Readers shared with us their knowledge and a few tips of the trade. Here is a rundown of what they had to say:

They are intrigued by old themes written with a fresh perspective. (THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS by Jon Scieszka) Send them humor, but not scatological (gross) humor. They are tired of farts and poop! None of them want to see any more Grandparent stories. The market is flooded with them. Too often, writers send manuscripts written more for adults. It is integral we, as writers, remember to write our stories from the kid’s perspective. After all, it is for them we are writing.

Send your work along with a well-written cover letter. Typos and misspellings make them question a manuscript before they’ve even had a chance to look at it. Be meticulous and keep it quick and to the point. Mention your published works only if they are some that the editor will recognize. If your work has been published in your school newspaper, leave it out. Don’t compare your work to that of other best-selling books. (My book will be the next Harry Potter!) Use a simple font; twelve point, Times New Roman is best.

Keep the text of your manuscript short. Remember, picture books have pictures! Leave room for the illustration to pick up some of the story. Say a lot with a few words. Every word you write in a picture book must count. There is no room for weedy words or long description in this genre. Try to keep your manuscripts around five hundred words or less. (HUSH LITTLE DRAGON by Kelly Murphy is only 200 words.) Take a picture book you like and type it out. See how it looks on the page and try and adapt your own work in the same way.

Poetry is a tough sell. Rhyme and rhythm is hard to do and even harder to do well. There is always room for stories in rhyme, but most are picked up by authors who already have a reputation in that area.

If your book has silly or strange elements, make sure they aren’t there simply for nonsense sake. Somehow, somewhere you book needs to be grounded in reality. Even nonsense has to make sense.

As most of you know, the picture book market has fallen drastically from where it was a few years back. Of course, the present economy doesn’t help. However, all represented imprints are still acquiring material. But be aware, they are VERY selective about what they publish. Your submission must stand out, have marketability and most important, it must have staying power. It takes a long time for a picture book to make money. Your publisher wants it to stay in print long enough to be profitable. Publishing is a business after all.

And finally, all editors agree; the best thing you can do to get your work published is to GET AN AGENT.

-Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

Carole Boston Weatherford dishes about her new book; BECOMING BILLIE HOLIDAY

2009-04-29T23:36:00.013-04:00

Carole,

I’m honored to have you here at The Fractured Keyboard. I read your new book, BECOMING BILLIE HOLIDAY, in less than a day. I’m normally not a fan of books in verse, but I couldn’t put yours down. What made you choose to write this book in verse instead of simple prose?
Billie Holiday conveyed enormous emotion in her small voice. Poetry was the ideal medium to capture the lyricism of her life story and the mood of her music.

What inspired you to write about Billie Holiday and why as a YA and not a PB like some of your other biographies? (I, MATTHEW HENSON – BEFORE JOHN WAS A JAZZ GIANT – JESSE OWENS: FASTEST MAN ALIVE – MOSES)
Billie Holiday is my muse and she enlisted me to write the book. She lived an R-rated life. So that ruled out a picture book.

Was there anything you learned during your research that challenged or changed your perceptions about Billie?
I did get to know her a bit better. I discovered that she loved movies and read pulp fiction, that she loved dogs and hated insects. She was a hopeless romantic beneath her street-smart exterior.

An illustrated novel for Young Adults is not the norm. How did the decision to include illustrations in your book come about?
That was the publisher’s decision—and a good one, if I do say so myself.

Floyd Cooper’s artwork is amazing. Did you choose him to illustrate BECOMING BILLIE HOLIDAY? Has he illustrated any of your other books? The publisher chose Floyd Cooper. Becoming Billie holiday was our first collaboration. I hope for another chance to work together.

How long did it take to complete BECOMING BILLIE HOLIDAY, from concept to final release?
About two and a half years.

Why did you end the book in the middle of Billie Holiday's career?I wanted end on a high note rather than to rehash Billie Holiday's heartbreaking decline. At the peak of her fame, 25-year-old Billie could not have imagined that she would die broke at age 44 of liver failure due to drug and alcohol abuse. But she may have sensed that her legacy would endure through her music.

BECOMING BILLIE HOLIDAY, like most of your books, is very powerful. In fact, one poem in particular held a certain resonance or punch for me. It is the one called AIN’T NOBODY’S BUSINESS IF I DO. I felt it summed up the lives of so many American youth. Do you hope to inspire these children with your writing? Billie Holiday, who was born Eleanora Fagan, used art to transcend her circumstances—poverty, parental neglect, rape, racism, and domestic abuse. Perhaps Eleanora suffered so Billie Holiday could sing.

How many books have you published? Are they all for children?
I have 32 books, 27 of which are for young people.

Can you tell us a little bit about your path to publication? Were there any hurdles along the way?
I got my first two contracts by dropping names in cover letters. I knew somebody who knew somebody. My first book, JUNTEENTH JAMBOREE, was published by Lee and Low in 1995. I struck options clauses from contracts and proceeded as a free agent, submitting my work to various houses as I worked my way up the industry’s feeding chain. Awards helped me get my foot in the door even though my subject matter was sometimes obscure. Perseverance has been key to my success. I just keep plugging until some editor sees the potential or value in what I have written.

I notice MOSES was published by Jump At The Sun/Hyperion. That is a closed house. Can you tell us how you got them to look at your manuscript?
An editor called to invite me to submit.

Is there a discussion/reading guide available for MOSES and some of your other titles?
There are study guides for several of my books. I provide links from my web site: www.caroleweatherford.com.

Thank you so much for stopping by The Fractured Keyboard! It’s been a pleasure having you here with us today. On behalf of myself and everyone who pops in, we wish you the best of luck with BECOMING BILLIE HOLIDAY. As usual, I really think you’ve got a winner!

-Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

Be sure and check out my reviews for some of Carole's other books:
I, MATTHEW HENSON: POLAR EXPLORER
http://www.curledupkids.com/imatthew.html

JESSE OWENS: FASTEST MAN ALIVE
http://www.curledupkids.com/jessefma.html

THREE DREADED WORDS; SHOW, DON'T TELL!

2009-04-22T11:53:00.003-04:00

When I first began my writing career, these three words: SHOW, DON’T TELL, grated on me worse than fingernails down a blackboard. I just didn’t get it. Time and again, I thought, “I am TELLING a story! What is the problem?” Then somewhere down the line I finally figured it out. It didn’t come to me like a sudden epiphany, but at some point, it all started to make sense. And when it did, I realized just how important those three words really are to a well-written story.

Let me begin by saying my first impression was wrong. As a writer, I thought I was supposed to simply TELL a great story. Not so. I soon learned that my job isn’t to TELL a story, but to thrust my reader smack-dab into the action where they can experience it first-hand. As you can imagine, much of my early work read more like a newscast where the reader understood my story, but never connected with it.

Here's an example:

Then suddenly, after all this time, Annie received a letter from Grandma’s lawyer, Mr. Barclay, asking her to come to Charlotte Immediately. Daddy was in trouble and he knew a way that she could help. She immediately called Mark. He was overjoyed and agreed to meet her at the bus station the next day.

The above paragraph came from page 2 of a manuscript. Page 1 was filled with backmatter. But that's another article for another day. From it, you get the basic gist of what is going on but not the whole picture. You understand only what I’ve TOLD you, but you probably don’t feel like a part of it. Because I’ve left you on the outside looking in, you’re unattached. You have no real feel for Annie, her Dad, Mark or the situation.

Now, here’s the rewrite:

Four years after Annie’s last visit to Charlotte, she received a letter.

Dear Annie,

My name is Ambrose Barclay and I was retained as legal counsel by your late Grandmother, Theodora Davis, before her death. It has recently come to my attention that her property at 582 Magnolia Drive, which is presently inhabited by your Father, Maxwell Davis, will soon go into foreclosure. Due to legal matters and a secret trust set up by my client, I ask that you, as beneficiary, come to Charlotte immediately to stop these proceedings.

Annie booked a ticket for the next day then called her old friend Mark.

“Hello,” Mark’s familiar voice shot through the line.

“Hi, Mark, it’s Annie.”

“Annie! Great hearing from you. What’s going on?”

“Well, it looks like something’s happening at Grandma’s place.”

“Yeah,” Mark agreed. “Something sure isn’t right over there. The place is practically falling apart.”

Annie blinked back tears. Gran had been so meticulous.

“I bet Dad’s gold-digging wife has something to do with it," she said. "I’m heading there tomorrow on the bus. Can I stay at your house?”

“Hey, that’d be great!” Mark answered. “I’ll pick you up at the station.”

From the rewrite, you get a lot more than just the gist of the situation. Instead of TELLING you what happened, I’ve SHOWN you and let you experience it first-hand the same way the main character does. You know exactly what happened and, if I've done my job right, you should feel some sort of attachment to the story that you didn’t feel upon reading the original.

One way I SHOWED in the rewrite is with the use of dialog. In the real world, information is usually passed from one person to the next by the use of language. In books and stories, dialog is a great way to give information too. But make sure it is realistic and not an information dump. (See article: Dialog Despair.) Another way I SHOWED more than TOLD is by sharing the media-related info with you. Instead of telling you about the contents of Annie’s letter, I actually let you read it; or at least the important parts.

SHOWING instead of TELLING takes practice, but once you get into the habit, you shouldn’t have any trouble. Here are a few tips to help you recognize areas where you might be TELLING and how to change it to SHOWING:

- Don’t TELL your reader how a character feels.

Example: Martha was disappointed when her Dad didn’t make it to the party.

Instead, SHOW Martha’s disappointment through her words and actions:

Example: Martha wore a fake smile as she said goodbye to her guests. She shut the door behind the last one and leaned against it. “He didn’t make it, again.”

- Never tell the reader what another character says.

Example: Kevin’s Mom said he could go to the park with Ron.

Instead, show the exchange.

Example: “Mom, can I go to the park with Ron?” Kevin asked.
“Sure,” Mom answered.

- Watch out for those unnecessary adverbs.

Example: He walked dejectedly away from the jeering crowd.

Instead, show his feelings without the crutch of a flimsy adverb. Beef it up.

Example: Head hung low, he left the jeering crowd for the safety of home.

So, if you want to be a better writer, stop TELLING stories. Instead, breathe some life into them and SHOW the world the exciting tales that stem from your imagination. Let your reader experience the excitement, the drama, and the emotion as it occurs. Because after all, readers don't want to just read a story, they want to live it!

-Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

Special Guest Coming to The Fractured Keyboard!

2009-03-31T14:23:00.002-04:00

I am pleased to announce that on Thursday, April 30, 2009, The Fractured Keyboard will host a very special guest. I hope you will join me in welcoming New York Times best-selling author and award winning poet, Carole Boston Weatherford!

Carole’s new book, BECOMING BILLIE HOLIDAY is a fictional verse memoir for young adults, recently released by Wordsong. She will be stopping by to tell us all about it, including her fascination/connection to the bluesy singer and why her tale is best told in this particular style.

If you have any questions you’d like to ask Carole, please add them to the comment section here and I will try to include them in the interview.

Watch the book trailer for BECOMING BILLIE HOLIDAY:

FIRST LINES; ARE YOU HOOKED?

2009-03-15T15:49:00.003-04:00

In my last post, FIRST LINES; YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION, I blogged about first lines in differing genres. In some recent conferences I attended, first lines in longer works was a subject that came up more than once. It seems “the hook” is a tool used more and more by today’s novelists to snare you and drag you into their work right from the very start. As someone who has written mostly picture book manuscripts, I wondered how this technique plays out in shorter pieces. In my humble opinion, I think the first line of an 800 word or less story must have every bit of impact as it does in a full-length novel and then some. In a picture book, every word must be chosen carefully and be important toward moving the story along. After all, there is no room for heavy description, back story, or explanations. You must tell a strong, compelling tale in a simple, straightforward form. And yet, amidst that simplicity, there must be fun and excitement. Not an easy task. Therefore, grabbing your audience from the get-go seems like a no brainer. The picture book market is tough right now. The economy has thrown in its own wrench and competition is fierce. If you want your wok to catch the eye of and editor or agent in these tough times, you need to get them on the hook before they even have a chance to swallow the bait.

In my last post, I listed the first lines from numerous picture books taken from my own bookshelf. What did you think? Did they all grab your attention and make you want to read on, or did some fall short? I realize this is a subjective exercise, but I’d like to share my assessments with you. Remember, these books are ones I have purchased and enjoy. (Which means I’m a fan of all them.) I want to look at these first lines as though I am an editor/agent and have just pulled them from my slush pile. Remember, I’ve got lots to go through and my time is valuable. In order for me to continue reading and considering, there has to be something in these first lines that grabs me. (I’m liking this role way too much. Pinch me and remind me who I really am.) So here goes:

WE’RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT by Michael Rosen: We’re going on a bear hunt.
*Same as the title. Doesn’t hook me, but makes me think that I haven’t given it a chance, so I would probably read a little more to see where it’s going.

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR by Eric Carle: In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf.
*This one piques my curiosity; especially if I look at it from a child’s viewpoint. Little kids think of eggs in terms of birds and nests. I think they would want to know what an egg is doing laying on a leaf at night. I probably would continue.

GOODNIGHT MOON by Margaret Wise Brown: In the great green room, there was a telephone and a red balloon.
*Other than the musical quality of this line, I think it is rather boring. Not much is happening and there doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. Not sure I’d continue. Don’t see a hook here. (And boy would I be wrong! This is a classic favorite!)

SNOWMEN AT NIGHT BY Carolyn Buehner: One wintry day I made a snowman, very round and tall.
*This is a tough one. I think for stories in verse, it is not so much the first line, but the whole first verse which should be considered. This first line doesn’t have much impact, but the second line, which is part of the first verse, definitely piques my curiosity and makes me want to read more: “The next day when I saw him, he was not the same at all!”

I LOVE YOU STINKY FACE by Lisa McCourt: Mama said, “I love you, my wonderful child.”
*This is a really cute book. I love it and my kids love it, but this first line is dull. No hook.

BEAR SNORES ON by Karma Wilson: In a cave in the woods, in his deep, dark lair, through the long, cold winter sleeps a great brown bear.
*Although there isn’t much happening here, the way it was written really catches my interest. I want to read on to find out what goes on in that deep, dark lair! I’m hooked.

THE CAT IN THE HAT BY Dr. Seuss: The sun did not shine.
*This book is written in verse too. However, nothing about the first sentence has a musical or lyrical quality to it that would make me realize this. Taking only that first simple sentence into consideration, I’d say, no hook. But if I consider the whole first verse, written in three simple sentences, it does make me wonder what these kids are going to do to liven up the day. Here’s the whole verse: The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house all that cold, cold, wet day.

STREGA NONA by Tomie dePaola: In a town in Calabria, a long time ago, there lived an old lady everyone called Strega Nona, which meant “Grandma Witch.”
*This seems like a lot of information thrown into one sentence, but the “witch” part did catch my attention.

FANCY NANCY by Jane O’Connor: I love being fancy.
*This is the opposite of the above. It seems kind of vague. However, I can’t help but wonder where this is going and am compelled to continue. I’m hooked.

HENRY’S FREEDOM BOX by Ellen Levine: Henry Brown wasn’t sure how old he was.
*What kind of person doesn’t know how old he is? I must read on and find out. Hooked.

THE WRIGGLY, WRIGGLY BABY by Jessica Clerk: Once there was a baby who wriggled real bad.
*This is also a book written in verse and the first line is only part of that first verse. But even so, this first line has got me wondering about this wriggly baby. I want to find out more. Hooked.

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! By Dr. Seuss: Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Who-ville, did NOT!
*The hook is sunk deep for this one. Of course I must read on. I have to find out who on earth is the Grinch and how could he possibly not love Christmas?!!! This is the best first line of all the books listed.

AMELIA AND ELEANOR GO FOR A RIDE by Pam Munoz Ryan: Amelia and Eleanor were birds of a feather.
*Not a very compelling hook, but a hook nonetheless. At this point I’m not sure who Amelia and Eleanor are, but I am curious to know what makes them birds of a feather.

HOW DO DINOSAURS SAY GOOD NIGHT? By Jane Yolen: How does a dinosaur say good night when Papa comes in to turn off the light?
*Well, I don’t think this hook has caught me by the throat, but it definitely captures my curiosity. I mean, how does a dinosaur say goodnight? And do they have fathers who tuck them in?!

YOU FORGOT YOUR SKIRT, AMELIA BLOOMER! By Shana Corey: Amelia Bloomer was NOT a proper lady.
*Who was Amelia Bloomer and what did she do that was improper? I’m hooked, tell me more.

And of course, my own first line from NATURE’S LULLABY: “Hurry,” Grandpa whispered, “the night creatures are getting ready to sing!”
*Okay, as I’ve mentioned, this first lines thing is new to me. When I started looking at first lines, I didn’t even remember what the opening line of my book was, or how I’d fare. Needless to say, I think I did fairly well. Grandpa is obviously hurrying someone along and he’s whispering, so he’s definitely got my attention. But now I also need to find out about the night creatures are and why they are singing. Hopefully you want to know too. If so, you can buy my book and I’ll happily send you an autographed copy! (She shamelessly plugs her own work.)

All in all, I thought this was an interesting exercise and I enjoyed applying it to the PB genre. I think it gave me a small glimpse into what editors/agents might look for when they pick up a manuscript, knowing they have hundreds more to sift through. Not an easy job. Something needs to stand out in order for them to keep reading. And yet, sometimes, because of a bad first line, they just might end up passing on the next HARRY POTTER. (I would have passed on GOODNIGHT MOON and we all know how that one turned out.) Let’s face it, not all best sellers have killer beginnings. Editors/Agents aren’t infallible. They, like us writers, are only human.

So what I’ve learned and what I hope to pass on to you is that we absolutely MUST hook that editor/agent from the get-go if we want a fair shake. From the very first line we NEED to make them want more. There’s an old saying that says, “leave them begging for more.” As a writer competing in this difficult bunny eat bunny world of publishing, that must be our motto. For every word you write, for every story you conceive, put it together in such a way that you’ve left them begging for more. After all, once that awesome book makes the NYT Bestseller list, there could always be room for a sequel!

-Niki Masse Schoenfeldt

FIRST LINES; YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION

2009-03-03T14:41:00.004-05:00

Lately it seems I’ve been hearing a lot about first lines. This is something I’ve never really given much thought to. And yet, if you stop and think about it, your first line is the first glimpse an editor or agent will see of your manuscript. If you can wow them from the very first line you just might end up standing out in the crowd. The crowd being the other thousands of manuscripts that run across that editor/agent’s desk. Even if your book isn’t picked up, you have hopefully left a lasting impression and that editor/agent will remember your name and look forward to your next submission.

At the recent SCBWI Winter Conference, Bruce Hale gave us his best advice in writing for middle graders. His number one rule was “grab them from the get go.” Mr. Hale believes the opening line must be your hook. He quoted the first line from CHARLOTE’S WEB by E.B. White as an example: “Where’s Papa going with that axe?”

At the SCBWI-Carolinas Conference this fall, I had the pleasure of attending Mark Johnston’s workshop called: TENSION: Where the Story Begins. He, like Mr. Hale thinks tension should begin as early as possible. He shared with us first lines from other award-winning works. Here are a few of them:

HAMLET by William Shakespeare: “Who’s there?”

Holes by Louis Sachar: There is no lake at Camp Greenlake.

HARRY POTTER by J.K. Rowling: Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

By beginning your story with tension, you immediately involve the reader. You’ve piqued their curiosity and thus forced them to delve deeper into your work, in order to find answers. It is obvious from these examples, this is a tried and true technique used by the pros and proven by the popularity of their best-selling novels. But does the same apply to shorter works?

As a writer who has been primarily involved in the picture book genre I can’t help but wonder how this same technique might apply there. Coming up with a whole story, including a beginning, middle and end in 800 words or less is no easy task. It seems to me the first line has even more relevance in this genre and must make a greater impact. Therefore, I decided to take a look at the first lines of some of my old favorites and even some popular contemporary titles. Here they are:

WE’RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT by Michael Rosen: We’re going on a bear hunt.

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR by Eric Carle: In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf.

GOODNIGHT MOON by Margaret Wise Brown: In the great green room, there was a telephone and a red balloon.

SNOWMENT AT NIGHT BY Caralyn Buehner: One wintry day I made a snowman, very round and tall.

I LOVE YOU STINKY FACE by Lisa McCourt: Mama said, “I love you, my wonderful child.”

BEAR SNORES ON by Karma Wilson: In a cave in the woods, in his deep, dark lair, through the long, cold winter sleeps a great brown bear.

THE CAT IN THE HAT BY Dr. Seuss: The sun did not shine.

STREGA NONA by Tomie dePaola: In a town in Calabria, a long time ago, there lived an old lady everyone called Strega Nona, which meant “Grandma Witch.”

FANCY NANCY by Jane O’Connor: I love being fancy.

HENRY’S FREEDOM BOX by Ellen Levine: Henry Brown wasn’t sure how old he was.

THE WRIGGLY, WRIGGLY BABY by Jessica Clerk: Once there was a baby who wriggled real bad.

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! By Dr. Seuss: Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Who-ville, did NOT!

AMELIA AND ELEANOR GO FOR A RIDE by Pam Munoz Ryan: Amelia and Eleanor were birds of a feather.

HOW DO DINOSAURS SAY GOOD NIGHT? By Jane Yolen: How does a dinosaur say good night when Papa comes in to turn off the light?

YOU FORGOT YOUR SKIRT, AMELIA BLOOMER! By Shana Corey: Amelia Bloomer was NOT a proper lady.

And of course, my own first line from NATURE’S LULLABY: “Hurry,” Grandpa whispered, “the night creatures are getting ready to sing!”

In my next post, I’ll be sharing my thoughts and conclusions. I think, looking at books in this context, or first line mentality, is an interesting way to analyze my own work. That said, I’d very much like to know your take on first lines in picture books. Do these opening sentences grab you from the get-go? Do they plop you into the tension immediately? Do they pique your interest, and make you want to read more? Do some of them fall a little short on the excitement factor? If so, why? How do you think this exercise might affect your work? Do you care to share some of your own first lines?

Please add your wonderful insights to the comments section of this post and be sure to involve your friends. As the picture book market slumps with the economy, it is harder and harder to find a publisher willing to take a chance on such an expensive endeavor. Could your first line be the difference between a contract and a rejection? Let’s find out together.

-Niki Schoenfeldt

AGENTS PANEL: Selling Your Work in These Economic Times

2009-02-10T11:37:00.002-05:00

With the economy on the downslide and no upswing in sight, we children’s writers, like everyone else, worry how it will affect our livelihoods. At the SCBWI Winter Conference in New York, four agents assembled in front of the crowd to discuss their take on the economic crisis and told us a little about themselves and their agencies. Here’s what they had to say:

Michael Stearns, Firebrand Literary:
-The market is constantly changing, but it always rebounds.
Firebrand is a small and fairly new literary agency. It is their practice to pool their thoughts together during the editorial process. Therefore, each agent is familiar with what one another is working with.
-Not a big fan of multiple submissions but wants to know if you send him one.

Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Trident Media:
-People don’t want to scrimp on their kids. Even during hard times, children’s books usually do well.
Trident Media is a rather large commercial agency. They usually will take on a client by signing in them on for one year and includes all their work during that timeframe.
-Prides herself as being a hands-on agent.
-Accepts multiple submissions, but would like to be made aware of such.

Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich:
-There are opportunities out there, you just have to find them.
-Having an agent during difficult times is important. You need someone to be an advocate for
you.
Dystel & Goderich is on the smaller side, which gives them the opportunity to garner more personal attention to their clients. They handle each client on a project by project basis.
-Personally handles all his own work.
-Accepts multiple submissions, but would like to be made aware of such.

Edward Necarsulmer, McIntosh & Otis:
-Times of crisis can be times of great opportunity.
McIntosh & Otis is a large firm with their own functioning film stage.
-Is the children’s dept.
-Handles all his own work.
-Believes an agent should be a career builder not someone on the lookout for a one hit wonder.
-If it’s not finished, I don’t want to see it.
-Accepts multiple submissions, but would like to be made aware of such.

All four editors agree that each submission should come to them with full disclosure. For example, if you have sent them a manuscript which you have also sent to editors on your own, please inform them of such, including who you’ve submitted it to and when. In fact, honesty seemed to be an important issue for all concerned and it was quite clear that it would easily make for a quick deal breaker. Follow the rules, be courteous and send only your best work.

Good luck!

-Niki Schoenfeldt

SPEAKERS & GUESTS: Highlights from the 2009 SCBWI Winter Conference

2009-02-06T15:42:00.007-05:00

Yes, I made it to New York, attended the grand daddy of conferences, and I’m back here to tell you all about it! SCBWI President and co-founder, Stephen Mooser, introduced fellow founder and Executive Director, Lin Oliver. If any of you have never been fortunate enough to hear Lin speak, you’ve really miss out. She is hilarious! And best of all, she is very down-to-earth and approachable. During her career Lin has done almost everything. She is probably most known as a writer for her Hank Zipzer Books which she co-authors with Henry Winkler of HAPPY DAYS fame.

According to Lin, the 2009 SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City was attended by 1,056 people from all over the world and forty six states. Some of the countries represented were Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Albania and the UK. Unbelievable!

She started off by posting a joke-writing challenge. We were to make believe a literary character was doing a tell-all on The Oprah Winfrey Show and write the show-stopping highlight. Here are a few examples Lin shared:

Captain Underpants confesses he stole from Victoria’s Secret!

Nancy Drew reveals her secret night with the Hardy Boys!

The prize was a $15.00 gift certificate to the conference book store. I was lucky enough to receive one with my winning entry:

The Cat in the Hat is the actual designer of Aretha Franklin’s inauguration hat!

After Lin’s challenge, Author/illustrator, Jarrett Krosocyka (sounds like Krisoska) spoke about the children’s book industry and his upcoming graphic novel series, LUNCH LADY. Jarrett showed us a film he made on writer’s block starring children’s lit greats Jane Yolen, Mo Willems, Tomie dePaola, Jon Scezka and more. It was seriously funny and well worth the laugh. Here is the link if you care to have a gander: http://www.vimeo.com/3029633

During lunch, we were entertained by Jay Asher, author of the new book THIRTEEN REASONS WHY. His speech was titled, HOW TO SELL A BOOK IN 12 YEARS OR LESS. Obviously, this business is tough on everyone. Jay’s new book was all the buzz at the conference and sold out quickly at the bookstore. It makes one wonder why it took him 12 years to finally get published. It makes one wonder how so many great works get overlooked. It makes one wonder when it will be one’s own turn. But most of all, Jay’s speech gave hope. As most of us already know, perseverance is key.

After lunch, an absolutely outrageous announcement was made. Agent, Scot Treimel, graciously offered to listen to pitches in the lobby. As you can imagine, Mr. Treimel was swamped as folks lined up around the room just to get a chance to chew his ear in hopes of finding representation. From what I was witness to, he listened tirelessly to proposals from around 2:30 in the afternoon to at least 6:00 that night. I have decided that Mr. Treimel is absolutely crazy or just EXREMELY tolerant of us desperate-to-find-an-agent writers. My hat goes off to him!

The one and only Tomie dePaola was supposed to attend the conference, but was recovering from an illness. Thankfully, he seems to be doing much better and actually addressed the crowd over conference call after the illustrator award, named in his honor and often paid by him personally, was announced. Lin Oliver surprised Mr. dePaola with a surprise tribute only SCBWI could deliver. The Tomie dePaola Award will now be a permanent fixture at the New York Conference and funded by SCBWI.

Another honored guest was publishing giant, Richard Jackson. Mr. Jackson was quick to point out that he is “happy to be retired from publishing but not from literature.” Mr. Jackson, during his long career in children’s publishing has discovered legendary authors such as Judy Blume, Virginia Hamilton, Chris Raschka and many more. He is also the co-founder of the Bradbury Press, Orchard, DK and even his own imprint with Simon & Schuster.

To discuss the art of writing for Middle Graders, author, Bruce Hale jumped in with his own brand of entertainment including a snappy musical number. I instantly felt like I’d met him before, but I think it’s because he reminded me of a white Damon Wayans and spoke very much like fellow author, Bruce Coville.

Mr. Hale gave us his eight best tips for writing a middle grade novel. Here they are:

1. Grab them from the get go.
2. Remind them of beauty.
3. Make them laugh.
4. Hold up the mirror.
5. Make them squirm.
6. Tell them the truth.
7. Go the extra mile.
8. Write what you love.

To quote the insightful Mr. Hale, “We are creating the readers of tomorrow, and readers are leaders.”

That wraps up the speakers and guests of the 2009 SCBWI Winter Conference. Keep watching for my summation of the agent’s panel and few secrets from the editors. I’m sorry to say I don’t have any door prizes to offer, nor can I brag about winning any. Either way, I consider myself a winner by having been fortunate enough to attend. Cheers!

-Niki Schoenfeldt

SCBWI WINTER CONFERENCE 2009

2009-01-29T13:34:00.002-05:00

Excitement isn’t a big enough word for the opportunity I am about to partake in. I created THE FRACTURED KEYBOARD as a place for writers to come and share what they’ve learned; on their own, through classes, workshops, conferences, and other outlets. Tomorrow, I am heading to the equivalent of Oz for us writers. Yes, I am talking about the publishing capital of the world; NEW YORK CITY, baby!

For years, as a SCBWI member, I have dreamed of participating in a national event. Thanks to my wonderful husband and precious kids, my dream is about to become reality as I prepare for the SCBWI Winter Conference in the Big Apple.

On Saturday I will be attending three breakout sessions with major editors entitled, THE INSIDE SCOOP: HOW I WORK & WHAT I ACQUIRE. Then, throughout the two-day affair, I will be dazzled by clever and well-connected keynote speakers such as the famous authors Jack Gantos (JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL)and Tomie DePaola (STREGA NONA)or agents, Alyssa Eisner Henkin of Trident Media or Michael Stearns from Firebrand to name a few.

As I converge upon NYC to the Mac Daddy of all conferences (at least from my point of view.) I will think of THE FRACTURED KEYBOARD and its faithful followers and I will come home ready to share my newfound knowledge. So be sure and check back soon, but in the meantime, please wish me a safe and fruitful trip for us all.

Thanks,

Niki

MARLEY & ME - AN ESSAY CONTEST

2009-01-15T14:32:00.008-05:00

I recently went to see the movie, MARLEY & ME, based on the NYT Bestselling book by author John Grogan. Admittedly, I have not yet read the book and although I knew the story was about a naughty dog, I assumed it would be a comedic piece. Therefore, I was very surprised at the depth of emotion the movie evoked in me and everyone else who wept openly in the theatre. I had no idea it would end the way it did.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with MARLEY & ME, it is a memoir of sorts which chronicles the life of one young couple as they embark on their life together and the building of a family; beginning of course, with the addition of a puppy. From the beginning Marley is an incorrigible animal and his hijinks do make for great humor. Although this rough and tumble canine is billed as the world’s worst dog, he manages to forge an unbreakable bond within the Grogan clan. Through good times and bad, Marley is always there. Until Father Time begins to take his toll and a decision must be made regarding the dog’s fate.

On this day, I sat in the theatre and watched John Grogan’s hauntingly familiar story play out on the screen. Amazingly, it was very much like my own and struck too close to home. In the final scenes, as Owen Wilson held and comforted his dying dog, I saw myself, doing the same thing almost exactly a year ago.

So, as a tribute to my faithful friend, Seven, and as a writing exercise with a therapeutic upside, I thought I’d like to post my essay, SEVEN & I. For those of you who are or ever have been dog owners, I’m sure you have an unlimited supply of your own brand of canine comedy. In tribute to man’s best friend, and as a simple writing practice, I ask you to post and share your fondest, funniest memories here. In fact, I'll even offer a $10.00 Books-a-Million gift card for the best one. I will choose a winner on Tuesday, January 27th, so post your submission soon! Here's mine:

SEVEN & I

I paid a $3.00 filing fee for a three-month-old stray. Had I known how badly behaved she would be, I might have left her to the Dog Officer. Upon arriving home with this yet-to-be-named imp, I opened the back door.

“Welcome to your new home,” I announced.

She promptly jumped on our new couch and threw up. Of course I felt bad for her. Poor little baby got car sick. No problem. I took her outside and tied her to the porch rail while I cleaned the mess.

Task finished, I hurried to bring her back inside. But she had other ideas. Instead of finding a puppy on my back porch, I found a brand new leash dangling from the rail, clearly bitten through by needle-sharp puppy teeth. Now what? How does one call a puppy with no name? Turns out I didn’t have to call her, she was easy to find. The house across the street raised chickens and at that very moment a considerable racket emanated from their hen house.

I found the newest member of my family happily chasing terrorized chickens haphazardly around the neighbor's yard. I desperately tried to rein in the little trouble-maker, while the chicken-lovers watched, but she was too fast and was having the time of her life! With feathers flying and gobs of chicken scat stuck to my shoes, I finally managed to grab her when she snatched up a poultry treat. Needless to say, I had saved the dog from certain euthenization, but was unable to save the chicken from the dog. So, with great apologies to my neighbor, I pried the deceased fowl from the puppy's stubborn grip and dragged her home.

Potty training was no easier. She refused to pee on paper and relieved herself whenever and wherever the mood hit. It wasn’t long before my perfectly kept home smelled like a rest room at McDonalds. Putting her outside for bathroom duties was a trial in itself. If there was a way to wiggle free from her tethers, she would be gone in a flash. Although we had finally given her a name, Seven, she still refused to acknowledge it and only returned home when she was good and ready.

We lived deep in the country back then and Seven took an affinity to the local wildlife, often bringing them home as trophies. Squirrels were her number one target and she usually managed to smuggle their dead carcasses into the house without our knowledge. One fine evening I found her tossing an opossum around the yard. When my husband picked up the lifeless creature to remove it from the yard, it curled it’s worm-like tail around his finger and gave a toothy grin. Hence the term, playing possum. But Seven’s biggest catch was the 3-point buck she herded from the woods, which very nearly struck me down. To this day, I’m not sure who was more surprised, me or Rudolph, as he charged out of the brush and I dove out of his way.

All in all, Seven remained an important and loyal member of our family for fifteen years. She was there for the births of our children. She stayed with us through our move to North Carolina and kept us safe while my husband was away. She comforted me through my miscarriages and always remained our ever-watchful protector. Her loyalty was second to none. A miserable puppy had grown to be an amazing dog. I finally made the decision to put her down when she was so stricken with arthritis that each day became a furious battle. When she looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes, devoid of their impish glow, she seemed to beg for help. I held her close and whispered of our love and devotion as Seven took her final breath, her body fully relaxed for the first time in months. She is sorely missed.

-Niki Schoenfeldt

HAS ANYONE READ "TWILIGHT"?

2008-12-30T09:41:00.004-05:00

Now that I've finished all the "required" reading of my booklist from www.curledup.com, I have decided to do a little of my own “for fun” reading before my next round of review books is delivered. I have heard the buzz and found myself mesmerized by the simple cover designs of the much talked about TWILIGHT series by author Stephanie Meyer. I began the first book Sunday night and have been struggling to keep my nose out of it ever since. Needless to say, my house is a mess and my children are in dire need of some attention. I'm not sure what it is about this book that has piqued my interest so intensely, but I must admit, I'm hooked.

I am surprised it has grabbed me as thoroughly as it has as I’m not a big vampire fan. Not to say I hate vampire stories. I don’t. But I do believe they’ve been done to death. And yet, Stepanie Meyer’s young adult series seems to have some invisible force over me that I can’t put my finger on. What makes hers different from everyone else’s and why the big phenomenon? I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll have a better grasp of it when I finish the first installment. At this point, all I can say for sure is the book has great “voice”. Written in first person from the main character’s point of view, Ms. Meyer has nearly convinced me vampires are alive and well and living in cloudy locales! Although I’m not one to shrink in the dark or wear a garlic necklace, this book brings with it an amazing feel of authenticity. This is what I think makes it so outstanding. It leaves me, the reader, thinking about the characters long after I’ve put the book down. (Which ultimately causes me to pick it up again.)

Often, when a book is as highly regarded as this, my expectations become considerably elevated and I usually end up disappointed. However, here I am halfway through book one and I've yet to experience any sense of letdown. Both Meyer’s main characters (Bella & Edward) are amazingly appealing individuals. Each has their own attractive personality and the chemistry flowing between them is incredibly fascinating and nail-bitingly enticing at the same time. So much so that I am chomping at the bit to begin book two, NEW MOON, and I’ve yet to finish book one. I will stop at the grocery store, the drug store, any store I can find on short notice and buy book two as soon as I leave my house so I will have it readily available when I finally turn the last page of TWILIGHT.

I’d love to know what opinions the rest of you who’ve read it have gathered. Are you as spellbound as I? If so, why? What do you think makes TWILIGHT different from other vampire stories? What is its pull and why has it gripped the consciousness of nearly every teenage girl I know? What is it that Stephanie Meyers has stumbled into and where can the rest of us get some?

-Niki Schoenfeldt

TO FOLLOW THE RULES, OR NOT FOLLOW THE RULES?

2008-12-28T08:06:00.003-05:00

As a book reviewer, I often have to remind myself to regard each book as a consumer and not as a writer. This can often be a difficult challenge; especially when a veteran author goes against all the rules as taught to us by the experts, including the editors and agents who buy and represent our work.

I recently reviewed a picture book by a well-known and successful author and although Consumer Niki liked the book well enough, Writer Niki was flabbergasted. This newly released book totally went against the grain of everything we’ve been taught as writers desperately submitting our own work for publication. First off, at the recent SCBWI-Carolinas Conference I attended, the editor and agent who spoke, could not stress enough the fact that picture books should contain 500 words or less. This work was well over that. Personally, I have no issue here. I think many of today’s picture books tend to be so sparse and picture driven, that I sometimes wonder if we’re cheating our children out of the actual “reading” experience. Somewhere down the line it seems book manufacturers have labeled all our children with low attention spans and have changed the market to reflect that. Although that may be the case for some, I do believe many children can still enjoy and sit through a well-written story picture book.

Another thing I noticed was the many places the author violated the number one rule. Show, don’t tell! Over and over in the text I was told what a character said or did instead of actually seeing the character say or do it. Here’s a similar example of what I mean:

The instructor asked those of us who wanted to try out to play a song as best we could.

It seems to me the text would have read better something like this:

“Whoever wants to try out can play their best song for me,” the instructor said.

In light of my recent article, ABUNDANTLY ADVERB (See below.), there were numerous no-no’s tossed into the tag lines, and at one point, even a “suddenly segue”! What’s up with that?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am certainly not trying to bash another author’s work. Remember, I liked the book . I guess a little bit of the Green-Eyed Monster, has shown its head here. I, like so many of you, can paper my office walls with the rejection slips I've received.

So what is a writer to do? I’m not sure. If I had critiqued this author’s manuscript before it went out I would have said it was great, but not ready for submission. Shows how little I know. The best advice I can give here is to keep honing your craft. Unless you are a well-known author, follow the rules as best you can. Your work has to be superior in order for a publisher to take a chance on you in today’s tough market. As for me, I intend to keep my nose to the grindstone and improve my writing word by word. Taste is subjective and someday I’ll find an editor or agent who is as passionate about my work as I. And if, every once in a while, I come across a book that disregards what I’ve been taught, I will grumble a little bit. Yet, even with my gripes, my heart is deeply imbedded in children’s literature. Let it be known that I may not like every book that comes across my desk, but I will certainly be among the first to cheer for each and every author who finds their work in print. Publication is a hurdle many of us dream about but only few accomplish. Bravo!

-Niki Schoenfeldt

ABUNDANTLY ADVERB

2008-12-16T13:38:00.002-05:00

Editors often say the mark of a novice fiction writer can be characterized by the use of too many -ly verbs. And yet, even some of the most seasoned professionals find themselves relapsing into the adverb abyss. Why? Well, there are many reasons, but the most basic is probably because –ly verbs are easy. They are quick fixes tossed in to tell the reader how something feels or why something is happening without showing the degree or extent. Here’s an example:

Tim walked quietly into the room.

From this sentence the reader is aware that Tim entered the room without making sound. It gets the point across, but it skirts Tim’s real actions by not showing what measures he takes in order to be quiet. If the writer stopped to think of what actions constitute a quiet entrance, the same sentence might read like this:

Tim tiptoed into the room.

In this improved version, the reader has a better knowledge of the scene and what is taking place. It is no longer a boring read and includes realism and drama.

Another place adverbs habitually appear is within tag lines. (See article: DIALOG DESPAIR below.) In an attempt at creativity writers may actually weaken their character’s dialog while committing high treason in the writing world. Use of these adverbs go against the number one rule; show, don’t tell. Here’s an example:

“That was close,” Susan said breathlessly.

The writer tells us Susan is breathless, but the text would be stronger if the writer showed Susan’s breathlessness through her words and actions.

“Whew! That was close,” Susan said, stopping to catch her breath.

Sometimes adverbs are used alongside already strong action verbs. As if that weren’t bad enough, they are often partnered with those that hold the same meaning. Here are a few examples:

He clenched his fists tightly.

The amplifier blared loudly.

In both these cases the writer clutters the sentences by repeating the same facts. In the first one, the verb “clenched” means to tightly hold together. By adding the adverb “tightly” to it, the writer has defined the verb for the reader. In the second example the same is true. The verb “blared” means to make a loud, harsh noise. Adding the adverb “loudly” is redundant and talks down to the reader.

By deleting these adverbs the sentences are easier to read and make a stronger impact. You will find this to be the case in most areas where adverbs make unnecessary appearances. A quick way to tell if an adverb is important is to read the sentence, skipping over the questioning word. If the adverb isn’t missed and the sentence works just as well without it, it should be deleted.

-Ly verbs are also frequently used to segue action or new scenes. The most familiar is probably the word “suddenly” . If you are one who punctuates with too many exclamation points to help build excitement, you may also be guilty of the suddenly segue. Here’s an example:

Suddenly, a loud boom split the night!

The word suddenly means to happen quickly or unexpectedly. By writing short, action packed sequences you can easily convey “suddenly”. Here’s how:

Boom! An explosion split the night. The ground shook and the sky lit up.

In fiction, adverbs often take away rather than add to your work. Therefore, a conscientious writer will look to correct these slip-ups. So, before sending your manuscript off to that dream agent or editor, click the “find” button on your word processor and type in –ly. How many hits do you get? Look them over. Make sure they are legitimate and not in the league of those noted above. A few simple corrections can positively boost your sales and constructively confirm your professionalism.

-Niki Schoenfeldt

I'M NOT PSYCHIC

2008-12-06T16:59:00.002-05:00

I’m happy to report my visions were not actually visions, but simply the bizarre ruminations of my overactive imagination. This comes as a great relief to me for two reasons. (1) It means both my events went well. (2)I won’t be seeing dead people around every corner.

So let me begin by telling you that I actually had an audience at my library reading. If there were mice and dust mites in attendance, they did not make themselves known nor did they shred any copies of my book for bedding. Instead, I was surprised by old friends who came to say hello and offer congratulations. People I’d lost touch with over the years brought their children and old school chums who live out-of-town sent their parents to buy books for their kids. An old classmate stopped by with her family and said she remembered some of the stories I’d written in grade school. How cool is that! It really was a wonderful turnout and I had a lot of fun. I must say, I grew up in a small town of really great people.

And, if you can believe it, my visit to St. Mary’s Catholic School (my Alma Mater) was even better. There were no bully-monsters anywhere in the vicinity. In fact, each and every one of those children was awesome! I met with all the grades, from Kindergarten through 8th, and they all gave me their undivided attention. Some of them even stumped me with questions regarding the business end of the business. I think that kid’s going to give Donald Trump a run for his money! Seriously, they were an exceptionally bright bunch of students. They impressed me way more than I could ever have them.

Now, with that behind me, I’m ready to forge on to discover more new and exciting venues. I think I’m lined up for an upcoming reading in Huntersville next week. I’ll let you know when the details are finalized. Whew!

-Niki

BOOK SIGNING, SCHOOL VISIT

2008-11-18T13:37:00.003-05:00

I will be doing my first public appearances this coming Thanksgiving week. Both of them will take place in my home town of Ware, Massachusetts; the quaint little New England ‘burb of my childhood.

My first appearance is a reading/signing scheduled for Monday, November 24th at 6:30 p.m. at the Young Men’s Library Association on Main Street. I have frightening visions of myself standing among tall shelves of dog-eared volumes reading to an insignificant audience of a few million dust mites and one emaciated mouse. None of which are paying customers. In fact, the only interested party among them is the mouse who is rubbing his forepaws together and eyeing my book thinking it might prove to be a cozy addition to his nest once he shreds it in thousands of pieces for a bed.

The other event is a speaking engagement at my old Alma Mater, St. Mary’s Catholic School, the next day. Here I will read and discuss the writing and publishing process. Again, I have visions. This time they’re of spitballs shot by oversized children who bear striking resemblance to every bully I’ve ever come across. These creatures relish the opportunity to gang up on me until I run for my life to the safety of the principal’s office I once cowered from. Here, not even the likes of a thin mouse shows interest. In my experience, bullies are not usually book people, therefore, less likely to buy one. However, they may enjoy nabbing a bunch off the desk for the shear enjoyment of flushing them down the toilet.

Much of the advice I’ve heard from other published authors is to keep my expectations low. These are not grand media events and I am obviously not J.K. Rowling. But I can’t help but wonder, if my mouse friend or the collective bully-monster are simply figments of my overactive imagination or my sixth sense giving me premonitions of what lies ahead. I’ll keep you posted.

-Niki Schoenfeldt

CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED

2008-11-14T15:50:00.003-05:00

Thank you all for entering. I was hoping for a bigger turnout, but hey, it wasn't bad for my first blog give-away. And of course, I can always count on those fabulous Mudskippers for their support.

Okay, now for the moment you've all been waiting for. The winner of The Fractured Keyboard's 1st contest giveaway is. . .

Drumroll please!

Beth!!!!!!

Here is her winning submission:

You know you're a children's writer when you think J.K. Rowling might have used too many -ly adverbs!

Beth has won herself a complimentary, autographed copy of the wonderful new picture book, NATURE'S LULLABY. (I'm a little bias. I know the author.) Which can be purchased by clicking on the link to the right, or on Amazon.com.

And speaking of -ly adverbs, keep checking back for an upcoming article on that very issue.

Thanks again for playing!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A CHILDREN'S WRITER WHEN. . . A CONTEST

2008-11-06T12:38:00.010-05:00

In the style of Jeff Foxworthy's famous REDNECK series of jokes, I thought it would be fun to add our own Children's Writer's version to the mix. I'd like each of you to stop and think of a funny but true situation you found yourself in (at least in terms of your writer's imagination) and finish the following line:

You know you're a children's writer when. . .

Post it by Thursday, the 13th and on Friday, the 14th, I'll pick the one I think is the funniest. The winner will receive a complimentary copy of my book, NATURE'S LULLABY. However, there is a catch. If you win it, you've got to review it on Amazon. (Okay, a bit shamless, but hey, whatever works!)

Now get to it. Here's mine:

You know you're a children's writer when you find yourself thinking up vivid color descriptions for your son's bloody nose.

UP, DOWN, ALL AROUND; Directional Crutches

2008-11-06T11:22:00.003-05:00

Have you ever stopped a stranger on the street to ask for directions and then wished you hadn’t? More than once I’ve been unfortunate enough to ask someone for help who is extremely happy to direct me on the long and circuitous route. During their lengthy and confusing diatribe, my head starts spinning in every direction except the one I want to go. It takes all my energy to suppress the urge to slap them in order to get them to stop. This is much the feeling a reader gets when a writer fills the pages of a good story with unnecessary direction. Directional crutches, as I like to call them, are a problem most of us unconsciously do. We try so hard to keep our readers moving in the right direction we sometimes become oblivious to the obvious.

The concept of over-direction is simple really. Most movements or motions our characters do can speak for themselves and really don’t need any direction thrown in for good measure. For instance, consider the following sentence:

Margaret sat down in the chair to ponder her situation.

The directional crutch here is the word “down”. The simple fact that Margaret sat, states the obvious. When she did so, it was in a downward direction. Therefore, use of the word “down” is not needed. The sentence should simply read:

Margaret sat in the chair to ponder her situation.

If most of your story is peppered with directional crutches similar to the one mentioned above, it can become an irritating nuisance to the reader, making them feel as though you’re talking down to them. Remember, your readers aren’t brainless and they don’t need your help understanding simple concepts. By removing these needless crutches, your text will read stronger and easier. Not to mention a lowered word count! Here are a few more examples:

Ed went out to the porch to have a smoke.

Gordon stood up and brushed the dirt from his pants.

Maria turned around in circles until she was dizzy.

In the first one, Ed goes out to the porch. If he was in the house prior, then it is obvious he went “out” in order to get to the porch. The word “out” is pointless and can be cut.

In the next one, Gordon stood to brush dirt from his pants. If he was in a crouched or kneeling position to begin with, then when he stands it can be assumed he does so in an upward motion. Use of the word “up” is needless and can be deleted.

In Maria’s instance, she is turning in circles. Since, when in the act of doing circles, it is assumed you are moving “around” in a circular manner, it is not necessary to point that out to the reader. This is another directional crutch that can be stricken from the text. The new and improved sentences should read like this:

Ed went to the porch to have a smoke.

Gordon stood and brushed the dirt from his pants.

Maria turned circles until she was dizzy.

As you have likely figured out by now, there is often no need to state the obvious in your writing. Give the reader some credit and let their imaginations be guided by your words. Be creative, be intense, but stick to the point. Tell a good story in a simple manner and your readers will come back for more. Don’t worry, they’ll find their way.

-Niki Schoenfeldt

VERB PICKING

2008-10-30T04:29:00.003-04:00

I recently took my children apple picking. As a native New Englander, apple picking was a customary fall event during my childhood and my southern-transplanted children were excited to give it a try. Trudging through the apple strewn orchard, we came upon a sign with a diagram that showed how each row of trees contained a different variety. This sent my kids scurrying down the rows, snatching apples to sample each one. Apparently they liked them all.

“Which ones should we pick?” they asked.

“Well,” I explained, “it depends what you want to do with them. Cortlands are good for baking, MacIntosh are great for applesauce and Macouns are just excellent eating.”

Choosing the right variety for our needs was an important decision. In fact, it could be the difference between a good pie and an awesome pie. Similar in the way choosing the right verb can be the difference between a good story and a great one.

Think about it. An action sequence interspersed with normal, run-of-the-mill verbs is a good read. But change those everyday words into creative ones and suddenly that action is popping off the page.

Here’s a quick example :(Good)Johnny ran home with the barking pack of dogs biting at his ankles. (Popping) Jonny sprinted home with the snarling pack of dogs tearing at his ankles.

By using a less common verb, you can bring more excitement to your pages. Anybody can run, but great characters sprint, dash, dart, and race from danger. How do I know? My thesaurus told me so. Not only do I take advantage of my computer’s built-in version, but when that doesn’t satisfy me I have two or three dog-eared varieties on the shelf for further reference.

Sometimes I wonder if I’ve become too dependent on it. Could I write a creative scene without my loyal lexicon? I know if I sat and thought long and hard enough, I’d eventually come up with my own synonyms and antonyms, but whose got time for that? A Thesaurus saves me time. Time I can use to concentrate on my story instead of on specific words. It’s an invaluable tool and if you don’t make good use of one, give it a try.

As writers, our goal is to create memorable characters full of unique charm and appeal who do thrilling and exhilarating things. (Note the use of my trusty thesaurus.) Therefore, we must go that extra mile for our readers and make our words explode from the page. After all, do we want them to like our work, or do we want them to love it?

-Niki Schoenfeldt

By the way, we ended up picking the Macouns. My kids didn’t care about pies and applesauce. They wanted an apple worth sinking their teeth into; instant gratification.

DIALOG DESPAIR

2008-10-27T16:16:00.007-04:00

I recently read a book I was doing for review. With review copy, I pay closer attention and tend to analyze more. As I delved deeper and deeper into the pages, something started to nag at me, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. The writing was fairly tight, the story was decent and the characters were fully developed. And yet, something kept sticking in my craw.

Finally, while reading a passage that was particularly heavy on dialog, it hit me. In a recent workshop I attended on “VOICE” with Greenwillow Editor, Martha Mihalick, she used a word that stuck with me. That word was “authentic”. I realized that many areas of dialog in the book did not seem authentic. The words shared between the characters did not flow naturally. Although this author is obviously a talented writer and storyteller, this unrealistic interaction took away from the authenticity of her work.

For me, dialog is often harder to write than descriptive narrative or action scenes. I find myself stopping more often to reread what I’ve written and catch myself speaking the words out loud in a way I imagine the characters would say them. I want my dialog to sound natural, and yet, still manage to pull my story forward. This is no easy task. Here are some of the snags I think we writers find ourselves up against when writing dialog.

Use of –ly adverbs in tag lines.

Example: “His dog is dying,” John said grimly.

By using the word “grimly” the writer is giving emotion to the speaker that would be better off shown in the dialog. Remember the number one rule in writing; show, don’t tell! If the author has written the passage successfully, then the grimness of the situation would hold its own. The proper tag for most dialogs is simply “said”. The point of a tag is to let the reader identify who is speaking. By sprinkling in all sorts of creative adverbs, the reader must pause to focus on them, whereas the word "said" is often skipped past, making a smoother transition.

Using impossible tags.

Example: “Oh, no!” Sandra Cried. “He’s getting away.”

Since it is virtually impossible to “cry” a word, this tag line makes no sense. And yet, it is one that is commonly used. Stop and think about your tag. Words like frown, smile, growl, or sneer cannot be done during the act of speech. Keep it simple.

Beginning dialog with the tag line.

Example: Sara asked, “Where have you been?”
There is more excitement and impact shown by switching it around to read: “Where have you been?” Sara asked.

Excessive name-dropping.

Example: “Hi, Charlene,” Adam said. “How are you?”
“Hi, Adam,” Charlene answered. “I’m fine. How are you?
“I’m great, Charlene, thanks for asking.”
“Glad to hear it, Adam. See you later.”

In a real conversation, Adam and Charlene wouldn’t repeat each other’s names after making initial contact. Sometimes writers intersperse names into conversations as an attempt to clarify who is speaking. This is not necessary if the dialog is written properly.

As a final note, I want to point out where dialog can be a great problem solver. Remember that rule I mentioned earlier? Show, don’t tell. Dialog can be a wonderful tool in avoiding that issue. Instead of telling the reader your character is angry, use dialog to show it.

Example: (Telling) Norman was angry when Marcus dropped the anvil
on his toe.
(Showing) “Darn it, Marcus!” Norman yelled, “You dropped that anvil
on my toe!”

So as you write that New York Times Bestseller, keep these little glitches in mind and do your best to avoid them. Read your dialog out loud to yourself or someone else. The words are often different to the ear than they appear on paper. Listening is the key to authenticity. Keep it real.

-Niki Schoenfeldt

MY BOOK HAS BEEN RELEASED!

2008-10-25T11:56:00.005-04:00

YAY! HOORAY! And YIPEE! My book has finally been released and has shipped to all those dedicated friends and fans who pre-ordered it nearly a year-and-a-half ago. For those of you who waited but still want a copy, you can purchase it by clicking on the link here in my blog or by contacting me directly. I am expecting a shipment soon.

For anyone who has a copy and has enjoyed it, I ask that you please do me the great honor of posting a review on Amazon. An endorsement from fellow writers or fans of my work would be a great privilege. Your kind words and support mean more to me than you will ever know. There is nothing I can do or say that will accurately express the magnitude of my appreciation. Over the years I have received a multitude of encouragement from my family, my friends and my fellow writers. God has blessed me by surrounding me with wonderful people. At this point, the best I can muster is a meager, but heartfelt “THANK YOU,” to all.

Niki Schoenfeldt, Author
NATURE’S LULLABY

PLAYOFFS ARE OVER; BACK TO WORK!

2008-10-25T11:31:00.001-04:00

Now that the American League Playoffs are finished and my beloved Red Sox came in second place instead of first, the World Series will not garner much of my time. Therefore, as this blog was meant to be, I will dedicate my musings to the craft of writing. Not to say a few extra topics may not arise now and then, but mostly I will report of the things I have learned in the ten years I have devoted to honing my craft, and those in which I continue to learn. It is said we must learn something new every day and I believe it to be true. So come along on this author’s journey as I try to make sense of the common ailments we writer’s all share.

I have learned that the network of children’s writers extends far and wide, yet is small enough to fit within the confines of my desktop. I’ve met many talented people through SCBWI and the internet has paved the way. I am proud to say I consider many clever writers, poets and illustrators among my friends and peers. As you gaze upon my blog, please join in the conversation. Your opinions and comments matter. As a group dedicated to words, I hope we can use them to learn from each other. As unique individuals, we will all describe the same subject in differing ways. Hopefully, one of those ways will strike a chord with someone who needs our help.

Happy Writing!

Niki Schoenfeldt

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

2008-10-17T21:12:00.003-04:00

Game five of the ALCS at Fenway last night started as another downer for the hometown crowd and stayed that way right up till the seventh inning. In true Red Sox style, the team finally pulled it together when Big Papi finally let loose with a three run homer beginning the rally which put them back in the running. As the clock struck midnight, it was the bottom of the ninth and both teams were even at seven runs. The first two Boston batters failed to get on base and Kevin Youkilis stepped to the plate. After numerous foul balls, Youk made it to second on an error. Jason Bay followed but the Rays pitcher purposefully walked him. Next up, J.D. Drew slammed it into the field where it plopped to the ground behind the center fielder. As soon as the ball made contact with the bat, Youkilis ran for all he was worth then rounded third base to cross the plate for the win that kept the dream alive.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this Boston Ball Club plays better with their backs against the wall. It would be a miracle for any team to come back from a 3-1 deficit. But this group has proven that miracles can and do come true. Game six takes place tomorrow back at Tropicana Stadium and just like last night, it’s do or die for the Sox. So once again I’ll remind you, keep the faith.

CAN HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?

2008-10-15T13:21:00.001-04:00

In 2004 the Red Sox were down 3-0 against their biggest rival, the Yankees, in the ALCS and came back to make history by breaking the dreaded “Curse of the Bambino”. In 2007 they were down 3-1 against the Indians and came back to see another World Series Championship. So, am I worried? You bet. But I’m holding tight to the old adage, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going,” and as history has proven, the Red Sox play harder when their backs are against the wall.

As the Rays clinched another victory against the Red Sox at Fenway Park last night with a huge 13-4 point lead, the faithful Beantown fans tried to keep the hope alive. No easy task considering the way the Rays offense hit them out of the park time and time again and the Red Sox batters couldn’t seem to get any distance on the ball. With an off day to regroup, the series swings back into action Thursday night in Boston. Down 3 games to 1, the Sox are on the cusp of losing it all. But this team is used to being the underdog and if a comeback is at all possible, the Red Sox are the ones to pull it off. Keep the faith.

Cream, No Sugar

2008-10-14T12:52:00.005-04:00

Yes, you got that right; the Red Sox got creamed last night with a final score of 9-1. While the Rays hit one ball after another over the Green Monster, the hometown favorites could barely connect. It was a sad day in Mudville as Haverhill native, Rocco Baldelli, playing for the opposition, hit another homer, bringing in three more runs for the Rays. With his little brother enjoying the action from the visitor’s dugout, Baldelli mentioned the thrill of playing in the park he idolized as a child. Unfortunately, for the Boston Ball Club, he played Fenway from the wrong side of the field.

Even BoSox power hitters couldn’t seem to get the job done last night. Designated Hitter, David Ortiz, seems to have lost his touch as of late, and last night the rest of the team followed suit. But hey, I’m an optimist, and everyone has an off day now and then. Tonight’s game will take place under the lights at Fenway and with a little luck and a lot of hard work, the Sox will play like the World Champs they are. It ain’t over till it’s over, or until Big Papi swings; whichever brings in the winning run.

The National League

2008-10-13T13:33:00.005-04:00

Okay, just a quickie today. I didn't watch the game last night, but I've read the Dodgers won on their home turf 7-2 against Philadelphia. Phillies are still up two games to one for the best four out of seven. Game four will again take place in L.A. at 8:22 on FOX.

However, Game four of the American League is this afternoon at 4:30 on TBS. With the Red Sox back at Fenway, I've got high hopes. Nobody knows how to play off that Green Monster like the home team!

HOME RUN RALLY

2008-10-12T14:24:00.001-04:00

The second game of the ALCS started like every other game, however, by the fifth inning both teams began aiming for the fence. By the time it was over Boston had three homers under their belt and the Rays had two.

When the Rays tied the game 8-8 in the eighth, nine innings turned into a seemingly all night battle. Finally, in the eleventh, at approximately one thirty in the morning, the game ended with bleary-eyed fans on their feet. With bases loaded, Ray’s batter, B.J. Upton hit a high fly to right fielder, J.D. Drew. Drew caught the ball for out number two, but couldn’t get it home before third base runner, Fernando Perez reached the plate. The Rays came away victorious with a 9-8 win over the Red Sox.

Game three swings into place at Fenway, Monday afternoon at 4:30. It should be an interesting game in the shadow of the Green Monster with both teams at even strides. Let’s hope the Sox will benefit from the home team advantage.

Meanwhile, the NLCS continues with game three tonight in L.A. As it stands, the Dodgers are down two games to the Philadelphia Phillies. Will Joe Torre prove his value to this ball club despite adversity with the Yankees? And will Manny end up face-to-face with his old comrades in the 2008 World Series? Only time will tell. Stay posted.

BOSOX ROLL THE DICE FOR A 2-0 WIN

2008-10-11T15:02:00.004-04:00

In game 1 of the ALCS last night between the Red Sox and the Rays, pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka once again proved his worth to the Boston Bull Pen. For nearly eight innings Dice-K stood firm under pressure and as a result the opposition failed to score. As the rest of us sat biting our nails this veteran pitcher never batted an eyelash. Even with the bases loaded due to three walks in the first inning, Matsuzaka stayed focused and played the game one pitch at a time. Needless to say, that inning and every one after, ended in his favor and the Sox won with a 2-0 victory.

Meanwhile, halfway up the coast, in game 2 of the NLCS, Joe Torre’s Dodgers fell two games down to the Phillies with an 8-5 loss. The National League will have the evening off as the teams travel to the west coast to play game 3 tomorrow night.

Game 2 for the American League takes place tonight at Tropicana Stadium with Josh Beckett on the mound. It is scheduled to begin at 8:07 pm on TBS.

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW, WHICH ISN'T MUCH

2008-10-10T12:39:00.004-04:00

One of the first rules in writing is, WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW. It makes sense, but sometimes I feel inhibited by that. I mean, think about what makes a good story. High drama, with a dash of trouble and a dose of fear. When a character is struggling and his/her life goes from bad to worse, you’ve got a thrilling page-turner and better yet, a best seller.

So, from a literary perspective, I guess you could say my life is boring. If I adhere strictly to the “write what you know” rule, I could fill pages upon pages with lackluster tidbits and mind-numbing compositions that nobody would care to read. In order to write a spine-tingling novel do I have to immerse myself in international intrigue, drugs, kidnappings, and other violent pursuits or is there another way?

Because I write for children I try to think back to difficult times from my own childhood. I stop and reflect, looking for the juiciest bits of scandal I can recall, and I hate to say it, but I usually come up empty. Unfortunately, I had a good childhood. No major beatings, no divorce, no illness, no deaths no life altering anything. (Thank the Good Lord) So how can I possibly write what I know when I obviously know nothing?

So I must make do with what I have. I draw from the resources I’ve been given. My life. My wonderful, run-of-the-mill, all-American childhood. A childhood I would never give up or trade. Yet, a childhood I can totally destroy on the pages of a book! Yes, you read it right, I said destroy. I can find the anguish and suspense to fill the pages of a story by throwing a wrench into my own happy memories.

Here’s an example: When I was five I had a cat named Alphabets O’Malley, who loved mac and cheese. I begged my parents to let me have that cat and when they finally relented, Alphie and I lived happily together, sharing spoonfuls of mac and cheese, for the next thirteen years. But, by throwing a wrench into this memory, I can come up with a more exciting plot twist.

Here’s what I mean: Within days of Alphie’s adoption, he got hit by a car and died in my arms. But that was not the end. His little kitty ghost roamed the neighborhood stealing boxes of mac and cheese. Eventually, the whole town became mac and cheeseless. Little children cried for their favorite pasta to no avail. I had to stop my poor misguided feline phantom from seizing the world’s mac and cheese supply!

Now I’ll admit, I might have gone a little overboard in the imagination department with this one, but I think you’ll agree, nobody but me could write that story. I was the little girl who shared her mac and cheese with a beloved pet. Therefore, only I know how it would have felt to lose him so soon. Only I can truly show how passionate Alphie was for cheese-smothered noodles because I was the one who knew him best. As ridiculous as my story may sound, I’m the only one who can really explain the terror of it. Because, had it really gone down that way, I know how deeply I would have been affected.

So there you have it. Write what you know. I know my life isn’t storybook material. But, as a fiction writer, a good wrench can turn any existence into an electrifying journey. Give it a shot.

Bogging Blahs

2008-10-08T14:59:00.005-04:00

Wow, setting up a blog is hard work! After months of research and two days of putting it together, I finally got it up and running. By the time I invited all my friends to have a gander, it was shut down. Frozen by "the man".

Of course, the first thing that went through my mind was, "Did I post something offensive?" But then I realized, my posts must be pretty tame compared to some others out there. I may have different opinions or views than some of you, but hey, isn't that the whole point of a blog? To show people how the world looks from where I'm standing? I mean, if we all had the same point of view, what a boring world it would be. It is our differences that make life exciting!

Anyway, it seems I was shut down because I added too many links from my page and it set off some sort of spam filter. Apparently I have too many writer friends with blogs! You all have unwittingly sabotaged me. Now in return for such atrocities, I expect you all to add my blog's link to your page. You owe me.

Happy blogging!

Stocks and Stones and Publishing Woes

2008-10-07T09:35:00.001-04:00

As the stock market took yet another big hit yesterday people all over the world are scrambling to figure out a way to secure their savings. What is the answer? I have no idea. The stock market has always been like a foreign language to me and today's numbers are no different. I can understand the fallout however. It is easy to see where the problem stems from. For the life of me, I can't understand how so many financial institutions lent money on bad debts.

When my husband and I went for our fist mortgage it was a difficult and grueling process. The bank wanted a list of every asset we had (which wasn't many at the time) and they picked us apart under a microscope. We very nearly got declined if not for a last-minute "gift" (which we paid back) from helpful family members to make up the difference in the down payment. What gets me, is the fact that we weren't trying to borrow against our means. We were buying a home within our income status. We could totally afford the mortgage payments, taxes, ect. . .

When we applied for our next mortgage, which was again well within our budget, the bank didn't want my name on the deed because I was a stay-at-home mother with no income. Yet, time and time again, these same financial institutions lent money to folks who bought high dollar homes on incomes that obviously couldn't make the grade. As I mentioned earlier, I'm no number-cruncher, but isn't this common sense? What happened to the fine-tooth-comb mentality my hubby and I had gone up against? And what were those consumers thinking? As my mother would say, they had champagne tastes but only a beer pocket book.

So now, thanks to those bad loans and the ease of buying on credit, we're all losing. I see my husband come home each night with a deep worry line above his brow and I see my rejection pile getting bigger when only a few short months ago it was filled with positive reinforcement. When I say everyone is suffering, I do mean those big corporate publishing houses too.

I recently got an email from a great editor at one of those big New York imprints regarding a picture book manuscript she'd been holding for a year. According to her, she loved it and wanted to take it on. It was the marketing department who squashed it, stating they felt it would get lost in today's difficult market.

This is sad news for those of us who are still trying to make our mark in the world of children's publishing. Unless we have already solidified a name for ourselves in the field, or are a known celebrity, the big firms are afraid to take a chance. Profit margins are the ultimate goal and with the economy in such turmoil, losses are not an option. So what does this mean for those of us still in the trenches? It means the competition is harder than ever. It means the stakes are higher than ever. Your work has to be amazing, and you have to find that right editor at that right moment who loves your work enough to stand up for it and push it through against the odds. When you submit, make sure it is the absolute best it can be. Show professionalism and pride in your product. Let's show those publishers that we can, and will, write better content than those untalented (I mean this in the "writing" sense.) celebs with pretty smiles and big names.

In the meantime, don't quit your day job. Keep writing. Every day. Because practice makes perfect. And besides, we're writers. We're not in it for the money. (Although that's a nice benefit.) We write because the passion to do so is too strong to ignore. If we couldn't write, we'd be lost. So please, in these tough times, stay focused and stay found. Good luck!

Red Sox Nation becomes the "Bay" State

2008-10-07T09:08:00.001-04:00

Who needs Manny when we've got Jason Bay? For any of you Red Sox fans out there today is surely a day of celebration. Just 4 games into the AL East and we're on our way to the ALCS! The trade made when Manny left ranks proved to be a good one from the very start, but last night's amazing slide into home plate has cemented Bay's position in the heart of every loyal BoSox fan. I guess we can say it's just Jason, being Jason, and thank God for that!

Now if we can get David Ortiz back in the "swing" of things and get the injured Mike Lowell back in the game, we could give the Rays a run for their money. And who knows, if all goes according to plan, we just might end up face to face with Benedict Arnold (Manny) as the Dodgers begin their chase for the NLCS this Thursday.

As for me, Friday night has my attention. Don't call after 8:30 unless you want to discuss the game. Red Sox Nation on TBS. Be there!