I'm an NPR junkie.  I admit it.  When I hear the theme song for All Things Considered or Studio Tulsa, I  know what to expect.  I'm primed.  I'm ready for whatever the content of the show will be.  I'm almost like Pavlov's dog.  I start salivating for that great interview that Rich Fisher is going to do on Studio Tulsa.  I know that he's going to ask questions about the reasons and the history of whatever the subject matter is.

I have written a story with two distinct voices.  It was very difficult to get inside the heads of two characters who are not only different people, but come from different cultures.  Even though it was hard, it was worthwhile.  Those who have read the manuscript for me tell me that they can feel the difference in the two voices by just reading a line or two of each.  One told me that the voices were distinct and it wasn't just a difference in syntax or grammar, although these things contributed.  It was that the reader feels that the characters are different people, with different desires, different family situations, different cultures, and different needs.

The voice of a character should be like the theme song for an NPR show.  It helps to prime the reader for the story.  The reader believes the character, feels for the character, wants to get to know the character, and wants to know what will happen next to the character.

I know that many people have a play list for each book.  The music helps them to find the voice for the book.  That makes sense.  The voice is the music of the literary work.

May the voice be with you.

My brother, Scott Archer Jones, wrote this essay, published first in the Prague Review.  It is beautiful, and made my cry.

Sometimes it is best to just share someone else's amazing writing.

The Oklahoma SCBWI Spring Conference has come and gone.  After a day of hearing wonderful speakers, interacting with other people excited about the world of children's books, and soaking up the lovely vibes just floating in the air, I am so ready to tackle projects.

My goals for the coming month are to

1) submit  the historical fiction manuscript which I have completed after years of research and revision.  I remain excited about this project.  Tiny Bird, a Dakota boy, and John, a white boy, struggle to survive the Sioux Uprising of 1862, while defiining honor and what it means to be a man.  Each faces the decision of whether the other should live or die.  The story is told in their alternating voices.

2)  revise my early chapter book manuscript.  A wonderful critique from Katie Carella of Scholastic helped me to see where this manuscript needs to go -- and how it needs to be focused and refined.  I'm ready to work!

3)  consider how to approach a middle grade fantasy that I've got in the works.

I am so glad that I went to this conference.  We had a lot of new faces.  A couple of new participants spoke to me after the conference and remarked upon the great organization of the conference, the great execution of the organizational plan for the conference, the great caliber of the speakers, and the great value for the price.

I agree.  Wonderful on all fronts.

The Oklahoma SCBWI Spring Conference is next Saturday.  I am so excited, because I ALWAYS learn something at these events.  I would not have developed as a writer as I have without this wonderful organization and the great speakers and conferences.

I was not one of those people who thought that since I read a lot, I knew how to write.   I think this understanding came from years of music training and performance at solo and chamber music recitals and band and orchestra concerts.  The first time someone picks up an instrument (especially a wind instrument), the sounds that person makes are almost invariably painfully bad.  I learned to play the flute by taking lessons and practicing and listening and practicing and learning.  One of the highlights of my high school music career was being permitted to attend a master class taught by Jean Pierre Rampal.  At the time, he was the top flautist in the world.  It was an honor to be accepted to the class.

When I went to my first conference, I was so timid.  I knew about a lot of things, but  knew that I didn't know anything about fiction.  I listened and was overwhelmed,. but I was also welcomed and encouraged.  I know that my fiction writing is many times better than what it was when I started.  A very-well published friend of mine is fond of saying that I am "this close" to being published.  From her mouth  to God's ears.

Oh, and by the way, I wouldn't have that friend if I hadn't attended that SCBWI conference.  And I wouldn't have my critique group.  And I wouldn't be "this close."

If you've got a chance, go to this SCBWI conference.  You can find information at www.scbwiok.org.

If you can't go to this one, find one that you can attend, and take advantage of the opportunity to learn, to be encouraged, and to make connections that can help you build a writing career.

Have you ever noticed how vehement people are about books?  "I love that book!  And everyone should love that book!"  Or, "I hate that book.  That book is the worst, most annoying thing ever written.  How could anyone like that book?"

It reminds me of when I went shopping for a wedding dress, accompanied by my mother.  The sales lady pulled out a ruffly dress that looked like a cloud of whipped cream.  The train on the thing was about three feet off the ground, because it had layers and layers of ruffles.  I looked at it in horror.  As I came out of the dressing room, wearing something a little less frilly, I saw a young woman holding the dress I had disdained, squealing, "Oh, it's perfect."  I rolled my eyes at my mother, and she, smart woman that she is, said, "That just proves that there is something for everyone."

Sometimes, when "everyone" loves a book, I love it too.  But sometimes, I hate a book that other people love.  One book, in particular, annoyed me, because I felt that it was gimmicky and manipulated the reader, and not in a good way.  I also found it almost incomprehensible, and the tone was very unpleasant.  Guess what?  It was a best seller and it was later made into a movie.

It would be wrong of me to say that no one should be permitted to enjoy the book.  It would be wrong of others to insist that I enjoy the book.

There's something for everyone.  It doesn't have to be for everyone.

This is a post of random thoughts about reading aloud.   I have always read aloud.   I still like to read to my children.  They will both vote in the next election.  They aren't little kids.

There were a few things I didn't like to read aloud.  I learned from those too.  There was one series that led me near to insanity.  Every story was essentially the same, and each one started with the same backstory -- almost word for word.  I finally convinced my kids to skip the first chapter or two.  I couldn't stand it.

My daughter introduced me tonight to some you tube videos of people reading fan fiction  aloud.  I won't tell you where to find it because I don't really approve of laughing at writers.  Even if I did laugh until my sides hurt.  It was apparent that English was not this writer's first language.  A favorite line was, "He jumped over the slime pit and then fell in."

Think about it.  And then read your own writing aloud.  I know I will.  If someone laughs at what I write, I don't want it to be because it sounds like really bad fan fiction.

I heard on the radio today that some scientists have done a study.  They fed a lot of books written in English into a computer and did an analysis of the language used to determine whether there have been changes in the emotions of people.  They looked for  words "with emotional content," and concluded that there was a marked decrease over the last hundred years in these "emotion" words, except for those that show fear.

I have sincere doubts that people have fewer or less intense emotions than they did a hundred years ago.  I do believe that the increased pace of our world may have increased anxiety and fear.

I wonder if the scientists bothered to ask any novelists about the "show don't tell" philosophy of writing.

I am currently reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.  Granted it was not written for children or young adults, but it seems to break every rule of modern writing for kids and teens.

Start the book with action.  Thirteen chapters about the bishop, who is very important because he creates a catalyst for the change in Jean Valjean, but  I doubt a modern audience would tolerate so much back story for a character who changes the life of a main character by his goodness and generosity, then sends the main character off into the story, and then dies.

Introduce main characters quickly.  See the paragraph above.

Avoid large chunks of narrative summary.  Chapters and chapters in which the main characters do not appear.  In fact, there are a lot of chapters with no characters.

Avoid writing with a goal to teach a lesson.  Something like a quarter of the book is made up of essays that do not advance the plot.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm appreciating the beautiful writing and the thought provoking discussions of history and social philosophy, but it's different from what would be published today.

Make sure that all of what you write moves the story forward.  Again, chapters and chapters that explain history, but do not involve the characters.

Show, don't tell.  Hugo tells us of the anxiety, grief, and joy of characters or to tell us and then show us.

I am fascinated by the way that Hugo weaves all the stories together.  The main story is that of Jean Valjean and his redemption, but along the way we get the bishop's story, Javert's story, Fantine's story, the Thenardiers' story, the entire history of the convent, the story of Marius's father and his estrangement from his father in law who rears Marius, the story of Marius and his alienation from his family after his father's death and his love of Cosette,  not to mention the history of revolutionary France.

I know that Hugo was an exception for even his time, but I still think these scientists might be working under a misconception regarding the meaning of the  frequency with which words with emotional content occur in books.

My sweet husband handed me a stack of papers this week.  "You need to sort through these."

I'm always saying things like, "I hate clutter," and "we have too much stuff," so I couldn't really refuse.  I did wonder though why he found it necessary to empty these particular papers out of the cabinet in our office where they had been stored.  And why he felt it was so important that I read them on that particular day.  The answer - he's a smart guy who cares about me.

I sat down and started reading them.  What a treasure trove.  The first bit of critique I ever received from anyone, in 2005:  "I was impressed with your writing.  You seem to have conquered most of the pitfalls for beginning writers.  I thought you did a good job of showing instead of telling, and that is the number one problem.  ... I do think there are some problems with your focus and plot."

Yep.  Plot.  It's still hard.

My first critique from a big agent.  "You are trying to create an incredible universe for kids -- maybe biting off too much to chew?  Good writing style - quick, sharp dialogue -- keep that up throughout."

Hmm.  Good writing, but world building problems.

There are some more personal rejections, and some forms.  And then I lost momentum for submitting.

Like a lot of writers, I started submitting too early, and then developed a fear of submitting.

That was actually not a bad thing.  I wasn't ready to submit.  I learned from every critique and from every rejection.  Several efforts later, I have a manuscript that I believe is ready for submission.  And I think I will have more.

I hope to have more than one book published.  I know that every step of the journey is important.

Read.  Write. Learn.  Read. Write. Learn. Read. Write. Learn. Research. Study. Research. Submit.
Submit. Wait. Submit. Read. Write. Learn.

It's all progress

I'm posting a link to a commentary by Andrew Schwartz titled "Everything I Need to Know, I Learned in Music Class."

Before I decided to be a writer, I played the flute and piccolo reasonably seriously (first clue, you can't succeed as a musician if you are willing to be reasonably serious -- you've got to be really serious!  Note that Schwartz talks about practicing six hours a day). 

Schwartz's essay rings very true to me.  If we follow his prescription, we could find success in life and in writing.

We need the arts for a lot of reasons.  He eloquently explains a few.

http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/20/my-view-everything-i-need-to-know-i-learned-in-music-class/?hpt=hp_bn1

I'm of an age that I didn't grow up in the digital age, like my kids.  Even my kids didn't grow up as much in the digital age as little ones today.  Someone told me recently that he left his cell phone in the reach of a child barely out of toddlerhood, and found the child playing a game on it.  When he realized that it wasn't a game that he had purchased, he thought it might not have been a good idea to leave that credit card on file with the app store.  Faster than you could read an email, the kid had navigated to the app store, had downloaded the game, and was playing away.

So, I didn't "grow up digital" in that meaning of the phrase, but I contend that we must all "grow up digitally."  By that, I mean that we must learn to navigate the digital world, and learn that while what happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, what happens on line is there for the world to see -- forever.

The temptation when email first came on the scene was to tap out whatever you were thinking, and then hit send.  If we're lucky, we learned pretty quickly to think first, send later.  All of us still see those emails that are cringeworthy.  It's bad to act like a spoiled four-year old at all.  It's worse to do it in a medium that can be recorded for all time.

Learn.  Learn now.  That tacky email or post that you think makes your target look bad probably doesn't.  Tacky emails are boomerangs.

Your mother was right.  If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

My daughter is spending a semester abroad through her university.  She doesn't post photos, but her friend does.  I am totally stalking her through the web.  I'm enjoying her travels and experiences.  Am I jealous?  A little.  But on the other hand, I'm thrilled for her and I'm having a great time living through her -- without having to live through the unpleasantness of garbage strikes and an occasional lack of heat.

This is not the first time that our family has enjoyed virtual travel.  When my husband had a bypass surgery over a decade ago.  My brother lived in Europe at the time, and he sent my husband on a virtual vacation.  Once or twice a week, we received a postcard, each of which said something like, "You visited Amsterdam this week.  While you were there you visited the red light district, just to look.  You also saw the tulips in their full glory.  You stopped at a little cafe, where you enjoyed a glass of wine and a pastry."  Sometimes a package came with some little trinket, with a note that said, "You purchased this from a street vendor in Brussels, just before you stopped for a waffle."  Or something like that.

That was seventeen years ago.  When we saw my brother this week, my husband reminded him of the virtual trip and thanked him for his kindness.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all found creative ways to let people know we care about them?

I was going to write a post about three books I remembered from my childhood and young adulthood.  Three books that I still think about thirty or forty years later.  I started thinking about them and realized that there were more than three.  So I'll write about a few and explain what makes me remember them.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  I read this book several times.  Part of the attraction was the wonderful edition from my mother's bookshelf.  It was a big book, with beautiful pen and ink illustrations.  I loved Jane's spirit.  When she is sent to the orphanage, she is abused, yet she stands up for others who are weaker.  I cried with her when she could not save them.  Mr. Rochester, melancholy and mysterious.  And the original crazy woman in the attic.

Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth by E.L. Konigsburg.  I read this book the year I moved to a new town, had no friends and  totally channeled Jennifer.  No kidding.  I told a girl I was a witch and initiated her.  I made her drop blood onto a key (I think it was from my diary, which had nothing interesting in it until after that memorable day) and gave her a bunch of ridiculous rules to follow.  I don't remember them all, but I do recall that I told her that she had to pull her bed out from the wall and walk around it three times counterclockwise.  It didn't make me popular, but it was a lot of fun.  Sorry, Susan.

Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein.  I read this at a point when I was exploring my own beliefs, and this book explores the ability of religion and society to manipulate and  eat up its heroes and saviors.  I felt like the world had been turned on its head and twisted sideways.

The Egypt Game, by Zilpha Keatley.  Like Jennifer, Hecate, etc., above, this story drew me into friendships and imagination.  I wanted to be those kids and have that world.  I cried when it ended.  The Gypsy Game just didn't measure up, and I cried again.

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, also by E. L. Konigsburg.   Oh, come on.  Who didn't want to run away and live in the museum?

Forever, by Judy Blume.  You know why.

There were a lot of others, but these were the first to pop into my head when I started to think about it.  I didn't just read these books.  I entered their worlds.  I became the characters.  I lived their lives.  And I learned to love story.

I'd love to hear about your favorite.  Can you name just one?

This is a great opportunity.  Go to
 http://deareditor.com/2012/11/29/newsflash-free-full-picture-book-edit-giveaway/

and check it out.  Deborah Halverson is offering a free picture book edit.  You need to go to her website, check the rules and enter to win!

Wouldn't that be a nice Christmas present!!

We hear so much these days about attention deficit disorder.  I understand that this is a real disorder and I understand that people who deal with it really struggle.  I hope that no one will take my post as a belittling of the condition.

The number of things that we are called to do these days leads even those of us without ADD or ADHD to struggle.  How can I focus when I need to do four projects for work, work on revisions AGAIN, clean the house, do the laundry, cook dinner, interact with my husband and kids, pay enough attention to my aging parents, exercise, go to church, pray, read, revise that other story that I started, write the new story that has popped into my head, notice the beauty around me, get the house decorated for Christmas, do Christmas shopping, attend committee meetings, write Christmas cards (let's be honest, I gave that up years ago), and research and submit and some other stuff that I'm not remembering right now?  And the TV's on (no I didn't turn it on) and I keep checking my email, and then some random things pop into my head and I look them up on google because, you know, I want to know everything, whether it's important or not.

There is no easy answer.  There is no one answer.  Sometimes, you have to put work of all kinds aside and pay attention to your husband.  Sometimes, you have to tell your family that you're needed at work and they'll have to eat a PBJ.  Sometimes, you have to let the housework go so you can write.  In other words, you have to decide what is the most important thing right now, and pare away at what doesn't help you reach that goal.

I started thinking about focus because of the recent novel revision workshop I attended.  How, you ask, is this related?

My novel lacks focus.  It's kind of a fish out of water story, and kind of a mystery, and kind of a story about kids working together to solve major problems.  And maybe it can be a blend of all these, but I figured out that I have to decide the main focus, the main issue, the main conflict, and then pare away what doesn't help THAT story.

What an interesting way to think about stories and about life.  I'm sure a lot of other people have already thought about it.  But to me, right now, it seems like a shiny new idea.

And in one of those "Oh look a squirrel moments" it occurs to me that this is what literature does, what stories do.  They help us to see something that may not be new but can be new for us.  They help us to see the world in a different way.  They help to shift our focus.

We celebrated my father's 87th birthday this week.  He's still smart, he's still funny, he's still ambulatory, he's still helping other people.  We should all hope that we are doing that well at 87.
When we hugged, he said, "I never thought I'd have this many."

It would be easy to dread the time when there are no more birthdays, but that would be a mistake.  He knows this and he has lived his life enjoying what he can when he can.  So much wisdom.

I spend way too much of my life thinking about what I should be doing, dreading what I must do, regretting what I haven't done.  From this day forward, I commit to avoiding this waste of time.

If I can do something, I will, but if I'm stuck in traffic, or I'm too tired, or the day is too short, I'm not going to waste my time with the worry and regret.  I'm going to enjoy life.  Maybe that way, I'll live to 87.  Who knows how much fun I can have, books I can read, books I can write, games I can play, walks in the autumn leaves I can take -- if I don't waste that time?

People on facebook keep posting about thankfulness.  Each day, I see posts that say, "I am thankful for..."  It has made me think.

I'm thankful for so many things.  There's the obvious, my parents, husband, daughters, siblings. I could not be more fortunate in that regard.   I'm grateful that I have a job.  I'm grateful that I have a lovely home to live in.  I'm grateful for friends.

Today, though, I want to tell you why I'm grateful for SCBWI.

Seven years ago, I had written a couple of things that I thought were picture books, and a fantasy novel.  I sat alone in front of a computer and wondered how you did this stuff.  Then I bought a copy of Children's Writers and Illustrators Market.  One of the articles mentioned that it was a good idea to join this Society of Children's  Book Writers and Illustrators outfit.  So I went on line, found it and joined.  When a notice of an upcoming conference came in the mail, I signed up.  At that first  conference, I met some special people including Helen Newton and Anna Myers.

Just before Christmas, I went to Anna Myers' book signing. She invited me to the SCBWI Oklahoma Christmas party.  At the Christmas party, I met more people and heard about something called a "critique a thon."  I went to that event and met more people, and got feedback on a manuscript.  And I learned.  And I wrote.  

I went to the next conference and the next.  I have never missed an Oklahoma SCBWI conference since.  I met my wonderful critique group at another critique a thon.  I found out about other opportunities to learn, and took Anastasia Suen's Intensive Picture Book Class.  I traveled to attend a Bootcamp for Children's Writers.  And I learned.  And I wrote.

My critique group (and a few others along the way) gave me feedback.  And I learned.  And I wrote.

I went to a couple of conferences in Los Angeles.  And  I learned.  And I wrote.

And I made friends.  And with my friends, I learn.  And I write.

And my life is so much better.

At a recent revision retreat, Andrew Harwell gave me an advanced reading copy of Case File 13 Zombie Kid by J. Scott Savage.  It was a reward for sharing after we did a writing exercise. There are advantages to being a participant.

I read the book yesterday, and I can certainly understand why Andrew, who edited the book, is excited about it.  The three main characters are boys who are obsessed with monsters.  They watch monster movies, they keep monster journals, and they make fantastic costumes for Halloween. One of them has to miss trick or treating to go his great aunt's funeral.  They stay in her creepy house, with a basement full of voodoo supplies and a spooky cemetery hidden in the woods out back.  The exploration of a  crypt  leads to the adventure of a lifetime.  Together with his friends, he finds a way back to a normal life, kind of.

These boys live in a town named Pleasantville.  They find out from the helpful librarian that the town was originally called Oddville.  We can be sure that there will be more adventures for the Three Monsterteers.

What made this story so enjoyable was the mix of humor, creepiness and suspense.  I also enjoyed the believable family relationships.  Parents who don't solve the problem but are present, caring, and even funny.

The book comes out in January of 2013.  Put it on your wish list now!

Illustrator Jerry Bennett spoke at our writers' group last night.  Jerry talked to us about the illustration and story telling process and demonstrated by taking a bit of text and doing an illustration while we watched.  His vision of what the story might be from the small snippet of text he had was fascinating.  It helped me to focus on the visual impact in novel writing.  You can see some of Jerry's art at http://www.facebook.com/thejerrybennett

I hear people all the time say, "I need a critique group with young adult authors."  Or middle grade, or chapter books, or picture books.  This is such a mistake.

People who write something different than what you write can help you to see something new about your work.  Illustrators see things from a different perspective.  All of this can make your writing richer, more interesting, and ultimately more marketable.

If you write a book and the reader cannot see the setting in his mind, you have failed.  If a reader cannot feel the emotion, you have failed.  If the reader doesn't get the theme, you have failed.

Failed.  That's a strong word.  Let me modify that.  You have failed FOR RIGHT NOW.  You still have an opportunity to revise and improve the writing.

And as you do so, think very seriously about what your story looks like.  If it's a novel, think about what it looks like in the reader's mind.  For every scene, what would an illustrator see?  Since you don't have an illustrator, what can you add to help your reader see that?  What can you add to help make the leap between the page and the visual?   Most likely, it's a word or phrase or a sentence here and there, and not long paragraphs of description.  Try to get the most pictures from the fewest words.

It'll pay off in your writing.

This has been a crazy late summer and fall.

My mother had surgery.  I had surgery.  I got ready for a novel revision retreat.  I went into government protection.

Bishop Kelley Varsity Volleyball won State for the sixth year in a row.

The Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco made it to the World Series.

I found an old manuscript that I hadn't thought much about for awhile.  And guess what?  I think it's good.

I'm out of government protection now, so expect to hear from me again soon.

Okay, I made up the part about government protection, but it sounds like a great excuse, doesn't it?

I am looking forward to Mike Jung's book, Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities, with an anticipated publication date of October 1, 2012.



GEEKS, GIRLS, AND SECRET IDENTITIES

Today I am so excited to have as my guest blogger Katie L. Carroll.  Katie's book ELIXIR BOUND will be available August 31 from Muse it Up Publishing.  We are so fortunate that she has been generous enough to make time and stop by here to give us some thoughts on revising scenes.

Thanks for hosting me on my Elixir Bound blog tour, Stephanie! I’m excited to share some tips about scene revision. To be honest with you, I think my writing group is sick and tired of me writing comments on their manuscripts like “What is the purpose of this scene?” and “I think this scene serves the same purpose as another scene in the story.” The truth is I’m a plot-orientated writer, so notes about scenes come naturally to me.

Katie L. Carroll began writing after her 16-year-old sister unexpectedly passed away. Writing was a way for Katie to help her sister live on in the pages of a story. It also made her realize that she wanted to pursue writing as a career. The YA fantasy ELIXIR BOUND is Katie’s debut novel and will be available from MuseItUp Publishing on August 31, 2012. In addition to penning novels for teens and kids, she edits puzzle magazines, plays soccer, and collects signed copies of books. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and son. For more about Katie and ELIXIR BOUND visit her website at www.katielcarroll.com.

What a great opportunity!  Check out this contest.  In order to enter, you must submit the first 150-200 words, a log line and the title of your work, and mention the contest on two forms of social media.

Here's where to find more info:

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/11th-free-dear-lucky-agent-contest-middle-grade-fiction

Sometimes all you can do is all you can do.  My mother had a full hip replacement last week.  I spent three nights in the hospital with her, then got back to my day job and tried to get caught up, and still managed to finish a draft of my middle grade novel for a revision retreat.  It's not near anything I would ever submit, but that's okay.

After all, the point of a revision retreat is to revise and improve the work.  So, if it's not where I want it to be, that's perfect.  It'd be a waste of time to go to a revision retreat when the work was already where it needs to be.

So, I'm working hard at feeling okay about where I am.  Sometimes all you can do is get through the day or get through the night.  Sometimes, all you can do is all you can do.  And the best thing to do is accept that.

It was 111 today.  Sometime next week, they expect that it will cool down -- to 98.

Yes, it is miserable.  But I have air conditioning.  And I don't have to work outside.  So I don't have a lot to complain about.

It's a perfect opportunity for me to get some much needed writing done.  Now all I need is some gumption.