ANYONE KNOW A TECHIE?

 

I know a lot of middle-aged writers! We were raised in the 50’s and 60’s and I think have a fair amount of nostalgia for those times. Young people today roll their eyes when we reminisce about actually walking to school, playing outside unsupervised, riding our bikes anywhere. It was a time of great freedom for kids and, with the exception of TV, no technology!

The world of kids today is so different. If you want to write a contemporary novel, technology rears its intimidating (to some of us) head! How can you write about teens and not include Facebook? Even preteens. And how do you write knowledgeably about Facebook if you never use the darn thing? Not to mention all the other stuff – downloading music and movies, ITunes, iPhones, tweeting etc.

One solution is to dive in and learn how all this stuff works, if you don’t already know. The best way is to have a helpful teen fill you in on what’s current and what’s not. Do kids ever email each other or do they just text? Do they ever use old-fashioned cameras or do they just use the camera on their phone?  Do kids blog? You need to know all this. And to make matters more difficult, it changes fast.

What if you’re just not interested? (I tend to fall into that category. A half-hearted use of Facebook and this blog is as far as I go!) I can offer a couple of solutions.

Write about a pre-technology time. You don’t have to go back that far (the 80’s will do it) or go back even further and make it a true historical novel. I did that with Finding Grace which is set in the 1950’s. I had many reasons for setting my book in 1954 (eg. polio is an important issue in the book) but it was fun to be able to write about childhood the way I remember it. I will say there seem to be a lot of books in recent years set in the 50’s and 60’s. Will editors start getting weary of this?

Another solution is to choose a setting where the kids don’t have access to technology. I didn’t have to even think about computers in After the Fire because the story takes place in a wilderness setting with no electricity and no Internet! How refreshing!

Of course, there’s no reason you can’t write about a contemporary teen who uses technology sparingly or not at all. Make him or her abit of an oddity! You’ll have to make it convincing though or your readers just won’t believe it!

I write mostly books for 8 to 12 years old and technology isn’t as big a problem there. A little bit of computer use, a little bit of texting and the story feels contemporary. I think it is a much bigger challenge for the young adult market, and may be the reason my only young adult book If Only is set in 1968. (I am currently working on a young adult historical novel set in 1908 – you see where I stand on this!)

So if you want to write contemporary fiction for kids and you’re not a techie, find yourself a willing teen and plunge in!

ON SECOND THOUGHT

You’ve come to a roadblock. Maybe you’re plotting out the next part of your novel or thinking about what makes your character tick. You stare out the window and up pops an idea – a great idea! That was easy. Problem solved.

Maybe not. Because good writing isn’t easy and often the first idea we think of it is not the best idea. The reason we’ve thought of it first is because, sadly, we’ve read it before. We might even have read it, or a version of it, lots of times in lots of different books. It’s probably pretty predictable. Horror of horrors, it might even have become a cliché.

The best way I’ve found to avoid this pitfall is to write down the idea (after all, it is a great idea, that’s why it’s been used before!) and then brainstorm at least five alternatives. Preferably think of things that make the life of your character more difficult. There’s a good chance one of those alternatives will be truly original and yours.

Here’s a few ideas for kickstarting a sluggish imagination:

*Have a character say or do something “out of character.”

*Have a new character walk into your scene and introduce themselves.

*Have a character write you a letter telling you what they think should happen next.

*Pick an emotion and develop a scene to make your character feel that emotion eg. make your character mad or sad or worried.

*Think about cause and effect – one thing makes another thing happen. It’s the domino effect. I wrote about that in my blog in April 2013 “One Thing Leads to Another”.

  You may end up going with your first idea after all. But chances are, with a little thought, you’ll come up with something much much better.

TWO'S COMPANY . . . AND THREE . . . AND FOUR

 

Writing can be very lonely. Downright reclusive. There’s really no way to avoid that. Finishing a novel requires hours and hours and hours of work -  all by yourself. One way to introduce a little bit of company into your writing world is to join a writing group.

A writing group can really be anything. Just you and a writing friend talking over a cup of tea. Maybe three or four of you, meeting informally to exchange ideas and offer moral support. Or it can be more formal and structured with regular meeting times and a commitment to attend and participate.

I’ve been meeting with three other kids authors for ten years. We’ve grown together as authors. We’ve celebrated each others successes and commiserated over disappointments. We can’t meet regularly as we all live in remote areas miles apart but we keep in touch with emails and we get together for wonderful three day retreats. I’ve been thinking about why this group works so well.

We’re passionate about writing for kids. We respect each other and honour the differences in our writing. We offer honest critique ( a writing group that pats you on the back and says that everything you write is awesome is useless.) We stay positive. We offer specific advice. We’re sensitive to each other’s feelings but we’re also tough critics. Above all, we laugh. A lot. And when we go home, we feel energized, motivated and enthusiastic. Our batteries are recharged.

It might take a while to find a writing group that suits you. Stay away from negativity and the poor us syndrome (publishers are evil etc.) Find people who feel the same way about writing that you do. Find people who inspire you, not bring you down. Find people who will be honest.

When is the right time to share your work at a writing group? That’s an individual decision. I like to keep my first drafts private. Too much critique at an early stage of your novel or picture book might just discourage you or send you in the wrong direction.  You’ll know when you’re ready.

By the way, I was terrified the first time I read from a manuscript to a group of other writers. They were kind to me but I was literally shaking. It’s easier for me now but it’s always a little scary. After all, you’re sharing part of yourself. 

Elizabeth George in Write Away offers some advice about joining a writing group:

“If there’s someone in there with an axe to grind, don’t become a member. If the group isn’t solution oriented, just pass them by. If you don’t feel good about the group dynamic, trust yourself and don’t join up.”

Nigel Watts in Write a Novel and Get it Published offers a word of caution:

“Writing a novel, however, is rarely a collaborative process, so beware of too much feedback. It is your novel, after all,  and for you to write in your way.”

I’m off this week to meet my writing friends and I’m looking forward to stimulating chat, great food and lots of laughs!

WHO ARE YOU ANYWAY?

 

I’ve ground to a halt on my novel in progress. I’ve completed a very very rough first draft but I can’t seem to get going from there. After a frustrating non productive (desperate)  month, I think I’ve figured out the problem. My main character, a sixteen year old girl named Charlotte who lives in Edwardian times, has not come alive for me. She’s vague, blurry, and I don’t feel like I know her at all.

To jump start my second draft, I’ve decided to try something that I’ve tried in the past but quickly abandoned – a character profile or dossier. They haven’t worked for me before but I always tried to fill them out before doing any writing. And I quickly got bored. Would it work better after the first draft is completed, I wondered. Would it help me to figure out who Charlotte is? I figured it was worth a try. 

There are lots of sample character profiles in how-to-write books. I pulled out a few and then made up one just for Charlotte. I went into a lot of detail – all the usual stuff like age, hair colour, height, mannerisms, speech, friends, family members, education, home, employment,  and hobbies and skills. So far those have been relatively easy to fill in though it surprised me how little I knew about Charlotte, even after a whole first draft.

I made a long list of personality characteristics – shy, confident, extravert, introvert, timid, bold, pessimist, sympathetic, empathetic, pessimistic, optimistic, warm, cold, secretive, confrontational, humorous, stubborn, determined, loves company, seeks solitude, leader, joiner, sensitive, untruthful. Slowly I’m circling the attributes that apply to Charlotte, jotting down beside each one examples from the story to show (not tell) why she is that way.

I asked myself – what makes Charlotte excited, happy, afraid, embarrassed, frustrated, disgusted, angry, jealous, impressed, worried, disapproving, shocked?

I’m having fun thinking of all her favourite things: colour, season, flower, music, book, time of day, sport, food.

I ended the profile with a series of questions that are proving much more challenging but I think will help me figure out who exactly Charlotte is.

What does she long for?

What are her goals?

What actions does she take to achieve these goals?

Does she take or avoid risks?

What are her earliest happy memories?

What are her earliest painful memories?

What does she dream about?

How does she feel about herself?

What does she regret?

What is she proud of?

What would she change about her life if she could?

So far, as I work my way through the profile, I can feel Charlotte emerging from the shadows and becoming a real person. I can spot inconsistencies in my first draft and I see places where I can show the real Charlotte. For the first time in a month, I feel excited about this story!

WHO AM I WRITING FOR?

 

I came across an interesting article in the Writer’s Digest writing magazine Writing Basics called Write Not For Yourself by Kip Langello. She offers some advice that I am eager to try out.

The idea is that a huge range of people read books. That applies to kids as well as adults. If I think back to my days in the classroom, I remember kids who devoured books, any books, kids that only liked short books, kids that were made to read by parents or teachers, kids who read only sports, or animals stories or mysteries, kids who adored twists and turns in a plot.

Am I writing my next novel for all those kids? Of course not. I really like Kip Langello’s suggestion to visualize one specific person, and only one, and write for him or her.

Take some time to invent this reader. I’ve already got someone in mind  for my next middle grade novel. I met her at the Farmer’s Market in 100 Mile House last week. She was about eleven years old with a million dollar grin. She had set herself up at a card table, no supervising adult in sight, with a sign saying Amy’s Jewelry and a display of bracelets made from brightly coloured elastic bands. She was buried in a book. She was quite delighted to have a customer. I bought two bracelets and we had a good chat about books.

So, as I sit at my computer, I’m keeping this future entrepreneur in mind – a young girl who “loves books where interesting things happen to people and maybe there’s a horse in it”, lives in a small town and likes to make bracelets.

Kip Langello says that focusing on a single reader made her “novel read that way – consistent, focused, true. Not self-indulgent and occasionally meandering because I wrote it thinking only of myself, and not broad and flat because I tried to write it for the reading public at large.”

Find your reader and try it!

A Conversation with Alexandra Amor

Earlier this week, I had the very fun experience of having a conversation about writing with author Alexandra Amor which she recorded as part of her Writing For Kids podcasts.

Check it out!

http://alexandraamor.com/writing-series-with-becky-citra/

ACTIVE VERSUS PASSIVE

 

Pork chops were cooked by Dad.

Dad cooked pork chops.

While neither of these sentences are memorable, one of them is better. The second one. That’s because it uses an active rather than a passive voice.

Changing passive sentences to active sentences is a sure fire way to make your writing livelier and stronger.   Change the verb cooked to a more specific verb like fried or barbecued and the sentence improves even more.

Another way to look at is the subject should do the action rather than receive it.

Or, the subject of the sentence should be doing something – not having something done to it or by it. The verbs should be strong and carefully chose.

When he opens his eyes, he is being stared at by Constable Diggins.

When he opens his eyes, Constable Diggins is staring at him.

In both examples, the first sentence, as well as being weak, is clumsy to read. It slows the pace. It’s also a tiny bit longer – only two words but that can add up to a lot in an entire manuscript and we’re always trying to cut out those unnecessary words, right?

That little word “by” is often a clue that the voice is passive.  Watch for it.

Get rid of all your passive sentences? No. But stick to the active voice whenever you can. And take time to find the best verb possible.

Favourite Kid’s Book of the Week:

The Lynching of Louie Sam by Elizabeth Stewart

A compelling historical novel.

Amazon: Inspired by the true story of the lynching, recently acknowledged as a historical injustice by Washington State, this powerful novel offers a stark depiction of historical racism and the harshness of settler life. The story will provoke readers to reflect on the dangers of mob mentality and the importance of speaking up for what's right.  

From Quill and Quire: Stewart’s prose is relatively unadorned, keeping the book’s excitement level high. The few rhetorical flourishes she includes are deft, as when she closes a chapter featuring the mob’s pursuit of Louie Sam with an observation of George’s horse walking in the dark: “All he needed to do was follow the pack.” A clear nod to the diseased morality of the lynch mob, the comment exemplifies the book’s thematic heart.