How I write series…critique groups!

Critique Groups…I couldn’t live without mine (I have two).If you don’t have one, stop reading this post and go get one. Where to find one, you ask? There are several reputable places to go.

If you are writing for children, visit the SCBWI website–for those of you who don’t know what SCBWI is– it stands for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. It is a powerhouse of information in the industry. You can find many online critique groups as well as in person meets. I have one of both and they both have their perks. We have become tight knit friends, almost family over the years–but family that will tell you the truth. If you are just having family and friends read your manuscript, it isn’t enough. They love you and don’t want to possibly hurt your feelings. What you really need is someone with an objective eye.

What you’ll find in a critique group is priceless, especially if everyone really clicks together. There will be one person with a strength in line editing. One who will catch big story booboos and still another who is good with emotional curve. Everyone will have their own strength, and the brainstorming potential can be phenomenal.

I can’t say enough about my critique groups!

Other resources you may want to check into for critique groups:

Harold Underdown’s website , The Purple Crayon

The Fighting Bookworms

at Children’s Writer Writing conferences!  I met the members of one of my  current critique groups at a conference. Conferences are  a great place to make connections. Enjoy writing today– and if you haven’t heard about Writeoncon– google it!  It is a free children’s writing conference happening next week.

Below is the current list of contributing writers to the HOW I WRITE blog series. Click a link and find out HOW I WRITE! (in alphabetical order, check us all out!)

Kendall Ashby Corbit- http://www.twokendals.blogspot.com/ Rated R

Kristine Asselin – http://krisasselin.blogspot.com/ Rated PG

Tatiana Caldwell – http://tatianacaldwell.com/blog Rated R

Isabelle Flynn – http://www.isabelleflynn.com/ Rated PG

Ansha Kotyk – http://www.anshakotyk.com/blog Rated PG

Laura Pauling – http://laurapauling.com/ Rated PG

Alexia Reed – http://alexiareed.blogspot.com Rated R

Gail Roarke – http://gailroarke.blogspot.com Rated NC-17

P.M. Rousseau – http://pmrousseau.com/ Rated R

How I Write…Revising

Many writers groan and cringe  when they hear the word revise, but I actually like this process. If there were a group called revisers anonymous, I would be in it. So, how do I begin?

After I write a chapter or whatever is on the docket for the day, I let it sit until the next day. Then I begin the next day by re-reading my story, starting from the chapter before the chapter I wrote the previous day. I might make some small changes while reading for text flow,wording, re-order sentences, etc. but what usually happens is that I have an aha! Something I couldn’t quite fit together the previous day has solved itself. I believe in my subconscious– I let it do the work for me. = )

A lot of writers write their whole first draft before even thinking about revising. I don’t. I revise while I write. If I come up with a whole new path for my MC and have to tweak the beginning to get my character in the right frame of mind or at the right place to do my bidding, I will go back and revise the story from the beginning to make it happen. And then I’ll continue. I can’t continue to write the story when I don’t feel like everything is in place, but that’s just me!

Revising, I often tell  middle grade students, is really RE-Visioning. Taking the story on a different path than what you first planned. Asking yourself, “what if”. What if my MC was a purple people eater? What if the story was in a swamp instead of a desert? Why couldn’t Edward have been the werewolf? (ha! just kidding!) Often times you’ll come up with a more compelling reason for your MC to be doing what he/she is doing during revision. I find that the kernel is always there, but with revision it gets popped to its fullest potential.

What do you like about revising? How does your process differ from mine? Next Wednesday a thought or two on revision as it has to do with critique groups and  other resources.

Below is the current list of contributing writers to the HOW I WRITE blog series.

Click a link and find out HOW I WRITE! (in alphabetical order, check us all out!)

Kendall Ashby Corbit- http://www.twokendals.blogspot.com/ Rated R

Kristine Asselin – http://krisasselin.blogspot.com/ Rated PG

Tatiana Caldwell – http://tatianacaldwell.com/blog Rated R

Isabelle Flynn – http://www.isabelleflynn.com/ Rated PG

Ansha Kotyk – http://www.anshakotyk.com/blog Rated PG

Laura Pauling – http://laurapauling.com/ Rated PG

Alexia Reed – http://alexiareed.blogspot.com Rated R

Gail Roarke – http://gailroarke.blogspot.com Rated NC-17

P.M. Rousseau – http://pmrousseau.com/ Rated R

How I Write….Finishing a First Draft

Finishing that first draft is vital, so BUTT IN CHAIR!

Set yourself some goals and stick to them. One chapter a week, or a 2000 words a day– whatever you can reasonably accomplish in between your other job and family life , etc.

Who cares if your first draft is crappy– they usually are. Just get your ideas on the page, get a feel for your characters and where they are going, what they want. Give yourself permission to experiment. Give yourself permission to write like  a fourth grader. Give yourself permission to scratch something out and start over! It’s okay. It’s a first draft! Drafts are meant to be re-”visioned”. But you can’t re-”vision” if there is nothing there!

Enough said. Stop reading and go write!

Next Wednesday, motivation–getting through the dreaded middle pages.

Below is the current list of contributing writers to the HOW I WRITE blog series.

Click a link and find out HOW I WRITE! (in alphabetical order, check us all out!)

Kendall Ashby Corbit- http://www.twokendals.blogspot.com/ Rated R

Kristine Asselin – http://krisasselin.blogspot.com/ Rated PG

Tatiana Caldwell – http://tatianacaldwell.com/blog Rated R

Isabelle Flynn – http://www.isabelleflynn.com/ Rated PG

Ansha Kotyk – http://www.anshakotyk.com/blog Rated PG

Laura Pauling – http://laurapauling.com/ Rated PG

Alexia Reed – http://alexiareed.blogspot.com Rated R

Gail Roarke – http://gailroarke.blogspot.com Rated NC-17

P.M. Rousseau – http://pmrousseau.com/ Rated R

How I Write…Beginning a New Project

Beginning is always tough, but it’s the most important part. When I begin a new project I’m starting with a little kernel of an idea. It might be just one scene or action or word that has captured my imagination. It is my job to decide how I’m going to get to that point–and what is going to happen after it.

I usually start by jotting down notes and thoughts in a notebook. Whole scenes will come to me and I have to ask myself questions to fill in the before and after and find the connecting points between scenes. I find it easier to free write by hand instead of on the computer. There’s something about that blinking cursor that makes me a little anxious, but a notebook already has lines on it and holes in it. It isn’t perfect anymore, so I can’t mess it up with my scribbles and scratch outs.

Once I have a good idea of where I’m going with the story then I’ll move to the computer. I will just let the story start to come out…I’ll “free” type. Sometimes my characters change their mind about the path they are taking or the attitude they had about something. If you get stuck you can always refer back to your notebook. For instance in my new WIP, Tangled, Leif’s mom was at first glad that  he was learning a bit of magick, but as of last night, she detests magick and he has to hide it from her. We’ll see how it works out. She might change her mind again.

Well, I don’t know if that will help anyone get past the “how do I start this” anxiety– but, that’s how I do it. Jump in! See where your story takes you. And if it’s a different place than what you firs thought…well, sometimes that happens.  = )

Below is the current list of contributing writers to the HOW I WRITE blog series.

Click a link and find out HOW I WRITE! (in alphabetical order, check us all out!)

Kendall Ashby Corbit- http://www.twokendals.blogspot.com/ Rated R

Kristine Asselin – http://krisasselin.blogspot.com/ Rated PG

Tatiana Caldwell – http://tatianacaldwell.com/blog Rated R

Isabelle Flynn – http://www.isabelleflynn.com/ Rated PG

Ansha Kotyk – http://www.anshakotyk.com/blog Rated PG

Laura Pauling – http://laurapauling.com/ Rated PG

Alexia Reed – http://alexiareed.blogspot.com Rated R

Gail Roarke – http://gailroarke.blogspot.com Rated NC-17

P.M. Rousseau – http://pmrousseau.com/ Rated R

How I Write…Research, research , research!

Research for fantasy? Well, yes! There are many things in fantasy writing that are based in reality. When I was writing, To Find A Wonder , I had to learn how boys in the Middle Ages were brought up from being a page to a squire and finally knighted. I needed to know what their jobs were at each of these stages, what the typical uniform was, different types of weapons, and what kind of horses were used for travel and war–yes, they used different horses for different things! There was a lot to learn,and even though it didn’t all go into the book, Mortimer was more rounded character because I understood his history.

Research is also good in fantasy writing to know what kind of creatures are already out there. Say, for instance , that I want one of my characters to be a goblin. I open The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, by John and Caitlin Matthews,  and read what it has to say. Here are the key ingredients for a goblin:

-Generally a name for an evil or malicious spirit

-Usually small and grotesque

-May have emerged from beneath a rock in the Spanish Pyrenees

-Sometimes referred to as a group of fairies that live in churchyards, crevices in rocks or among roots of ancient trees

-In European folklore they are usually knee-high with grey hair and beards

-The best way to get rid of them is to scatter flax seed all over the floor–when the goblin appears at night to do mischief, he will feel obliged to pick all the seed up and won’t finish the task by dawn. After several attempts he’ll give up and go away.

So, we have a personality (malicious & mischievous), a physical description (knee high, gray hair, grotesque, beard), a place to put them (churchyard, rock crevices, etc.), and a way for our hero to get rid of them (flax seed). All of this information is based on centuries old folklore and many people are familiar with these traits. Now you can create a believable Goblin…

OR

…You can totally turn this stereotype on it’s head! Make your goblin blue and weak, with the capacity to realize that something is pretty or smells good. Make the Goblin your hero! I love the Goblin Hero series by Jim C. Hines! Make your goblin all goodness and light and fighting to be different than all those “other” goblins.  Now that you have some information to go on, you can make up your own character with a  mixture of traditional and new characteristics.

Let’s take it a step further though. Read anything you can get your hands on that is about goblins– books, encyclopedia articles, folklore and legends. You can find a lot of free-to-read legends and traditional tales from many countries right here on the internet. It’s always a good place to start. And how do you know you’ve done enough research? When you are struck by an idea that will not leave you and the character you were building on paper, begins to talk to you in your dreams.

How do you research for your fantasy writing? If you missed it, I did an interview of Kat Black, author of Tormod, A Templar’s Apprentice on Monday. She talks about researching 14th century Scotland! Click on her name above to read the post.

Below is the current list of contributing writers to the HOW I WRITE blog series.

Click a link and find out HOW I WRITE! (in alphabetical order, check us all out!)

Kendall Ashby Corbit- http://www.twokendals.blogspot.com/ Rated R

Kristine Asselin – http://krisasselin.blogspot.com/ Rated PG

Tatiana Caldwell – http://tatianacaldwell.com/blog Rated R

Isabelle Flynn – http://www.isabelleflynn.com/ Rated PG

Ansha Kotyk – http://www.anshakotyk.com/blog Rated PG

Laura Pauling – http://laurapauling.com/ Rated PG

Alexia Reed – http://alexiareed.blogspot.com Rated R

Gail Roarke – http://gailroarke.blogspot.com Rated NC-17

P.M. Rousseau – http://pmrousseau.com/ Rated R

How I Write… Character Development and World Building, you just have to trust yourself!

Maewyn Bridgepost, the lead Character in my new book Edge of the Wedge, illustration by P.A. Lewis

When I begin a new manuscript it usually starts with a character that begins to tell me their story. It usually comes in pictures or scenes at that 4 AM bewitching hour.

Edge of the Wedge came a little differently. I had a picture book manuscript that had gotten a lot of interest and good feedback, but no offers. A writing friend of mine read it and said, “this could be a good picture book, but it also reads a bit like a synopsis for a great middle grade story.”

DUH! Why didn’t I think of that?! To Find A Wonder began as a PB too! The basic bones of an outline was already there I just had to decide how I was going to make it unique in a market loaded with fantasy stories.

So, long story short…er short story, long, I took that 750 word PB manuscript and I fleshed it out into a 38,000 word MG novel.

This is where my world building and character development came in. I asked myself– what characters don’t we read about in MG fantasy very often? How can I make my wizards different from all the other wizards in other books? What quirks can I give them that will make them feel like real people and less like the teachers at Hogwarts? And more world building– what do their houses look like? How do they interact with the outside world? There are some good sites on world building with lots of questions to ask yourself in order to build a well-rounded world, just Google!

I always begin by figuring out what my characters look like– that’s the easiest question to answer. The next thing I figure out is what they want and why they want it–what in their past has kept them from attaining it already?Not all of my questions get answered right away–sometimes it takes a while to know exactly why a character wants something! It wasn’t until very near completion of EOTW that I discovered why Mae’s best friend, Leif, carves animals out of wood and why it was important– but when I did finally make the connection, it made perfect sense. Of course I had to go into earlier chapters and revise–but that’s the fun part, right?

I tried to stay away from things that have been overcooked overdone (yeah, Mae is still in my head–she likes to eat!). Like the typical white wizard with the long beard and “shiny” wands. I added some fun history to my race of little country people, called Happenies, and gave their race as a whole their own culture and some funny quirks that I could use in my story to provide some funny moments.

The biggest thing I want other writers to know, esp. those just beginning their writing journey, is that it doesn’t all come together right away. A story needs dreaming time. Let your subconscious do the work for you and if it tells you something, but you don’t quite understand why your character would do that…give it time. Sooner or later, it will make sense. You just have to trust yourself.

Below is the current list of contributing writers to the HOW I WRITE blog series.

Click a link and find out HOW I WRITE! (in alphabetical order, check us all out!)

Kendall Ashby Corbit- http://www.twokendals.blogspot.com/ Rated R

Kristine Asselin – http://krisasselin.blogspot.com/ Rated PG

Tatiana Caldwell – http://tatianacaldwell.com/blog Rated R

Isabelle Flynn – http://www.isabelleflynn.com/ Rated PG

Ansha Kotyk – http://www.anshakotyk.com/blog Rated PG

Laura Pauling – http://laurapauling.com/ Rated PG

Alexia Reed – http://alexiareed.blogspot.com Rated R

Gail Roarke – http://gailroarke.blogspot.com Rated NC-17

P.M. Rousseau – http://pmrousseau.com/ Rated R

How I Write, Idea Creation

For me, stories feel almost “remembered”. Like I’ve lived my characters life before and only now am I having the chance to write it down, to put into words what happened so long ago. Like an ancient bard who has just now learned that all those funny symbols the scribes make, actually mean something if you are learned in their ways.

Sometimes the memory is fuzzy, and I have to fill in the best I can. Sometimes, it is sharp, like the edge on a blade and demands to be put down moment for moment. Often I wake at four in the morning with a complete scene in my head. If I scribble it down, I’m rewarded with more and finally a return to sleep. If I run the same scene over and over, trying to remember it until morning, it’s never as crisp, and sleep eludes me. I’ll be a bit cranky the next day, though for lack of sleep, or lack of a good scene, I can’t tell. Probably both.

I’m inspired by talking to friends about what I’m writing, which as often as not, turn into brain storming, “what if you did this” sessions. Reading also inspires me, and being around other creative people, writers, artists, musicians, actors, dancers–doesn’t matter. They all have a creative drive in them that I feel– like an aura.

So, the answer to the big question– where do you get your ideas? EVERYWHERE. I know, that’s not really all that helpful. But I guess I’m saying, open your mind. Let your senses take you where they will, and an idea will pop. It might be something you experienced five years ago or five minutes ago. But we all have stories waiting to be told.

Below is the current list of contributing writers to the HOW I WRITE blog series.

Click a link and find out HOW I WRITE! (in alphabetical order, check us all out!)

Kendall Ashby Corbit- http://www.twokendals.blogspot.com/ Rated R

Kristine Asselin – http://krisasselin.blogspot.com/ Rated PG

Tatiana Caldwell – http://tatianacaldwell.com/blog Rated R

Isabelle Flynn – http://www.isabelleflynn.com/ Rated PG

Ansha Kotyk – http://www.anshakotyk.com/blog Rated PG

Laura Pauling – http://laurapauling.com/ Rated PG

Alexia Reed – http://alexiareed.blogspot.com Rated R

Gail Roarke – http://gailroarke.blogspot.com Rated NC-17

P.M. Rousseau – http://pmrousseau.com/ Rated R

Make me laugh…or cry

Writing comes in stages, just like the flowering of this...whatever it was growing in our yard in Michigan!

My friend and fellow critique partner, Susan, is writing a book about mystical experiences that people have near death. Her stories often make me cry as if I was the best friend or the mother or sister of the deceased. I know she covets my lyrical and descriptive style, but I covet her ability to bring me tears. Her passion, and compassion, often shines through in her writing and I find myself wondering how I can get my reader to feel that same depth of emotion when I’m writing about a fictional character.

On the flip side, two of my other critique partners, Dee and Laura, have this great sense of humor. Frequently I’m in stitches when I read their stories. Dee has a great way of putting words together. It might be two words that, read separately, aren’t that funny, but together they are hilarious. I wish I could see the world through her eyes more often. Laura, on the other hand, has a great sarcastic bite that really rings true in her teenage characters. I laugh when I read her writing because her voice is dead on.

Laughing, and the opposite end of the emotion pole, crying, are two very hard things to develop in your writing. I’ve taken classes at workshops and conferences on learning to bring some more humor into your writing. I don’t know that it’s helped. I think being funny and writing humorously comes with personality and experience. It’s not out of reach though if you don’t have that natural born funny bone.

I don’t try to make you laugh when I write. I don’t try to write funny. Most of the humor in my writing comes out of situations that my characters have to face, or something that is misunderstood by another character. When I write, I don’t try to make you cry either. I want that to come naturally, because you empathize with my character and can “feel” for her, put your self in her shoes. So funny, and sad, can come naturally through good storytelling and quirky characters. At least, that’s what I’ve convinced myself of = ).

As a writer, do you try to make people laugh or cry or do you let those situations play out naturally? What’s the best advice you’ve received about bringing humor/emotion to your manuscript? What’s your secret to making readers cry?

And speaking of secrets….on Wednesday some fellow blogging friends and I are beginning a “How I Write” series. Stay tuned!