This is the last in my series of links to sample pages from my books of blackline masters, published by ready Ed. Today’s featured title is The Book Book, a book all about books, for use in primary school classrooms.
Enjoy the sample pages.
Guest Article: Great Fiction
Do you want to write great fiction? I know I do. Lauara Backes has some great advice on how to make this happen.
GREAT FICTION COMES FROM WRITING LIGHTLY
by Laura Backes, Publisher, Children’s Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children’s Writers
Great fiction appears effortless to the reader. The characters and setting are so real, the story so believable, that the reader is completely unaware of the author behind the words. The smoothness of the text belies the hours of hard work and practice that went into its creation. The authors who achieve invisibility have learned the art of writing lightly; of subtly inserting so much information into the story without adding any new words that the book can’t help but spring to life. Here are some tips to help you write lightly too: Work hard on your opening paragraphs.
Regardless of the age you’re writing for, your first one or two paragraphs set the tone for the entire book. They introduce the main character, point of view, setting, mood, and sometimes the story conflict. The story starts in these first paragraphs– not two or three pages down the road. Grab your reader instantly rather than boring him or her with unimportant background information.
Make your dialogue work for you. Good written dialogue contains the essence of speech, not conversation as it happens in real life. Dispense with the clutter and make your dialogue count. Dialogue should give a sense of the personality of the speaker (through word choices and speech patterns), move the story along (have your characters talk about what’s happening in the book, or what they’re going to do next), and contribute to the visual imagery of the story. The latter can be achieved with “stage directions”; gestures or movements by the speakers, physical reactions of the listeners, or other action that’s happening during the conversation. Break up long stretches of dialogue with action or attach stage directions to the dialogue itself (“I can’t leave now,” she whispered as she parted the curtains and peered down the dark street). Remember, how someone speaks and what they’re doing as they talk all give clues to their emotional state, thus adding layers of meaning to the spoken words.
Choose verbs wisely. Well-chosen verbs can also add meaning to a sentence. How someone moves can show what they’re thinking or feeling. Just as importantly, specific verbs allow you to communicate a scene exactly to the reader. If the wind is blowing outside, your reader won’t know if it’s a good day to fly a kite or if a storm is approaching. However, if that wind explodes through the valley, there’s no room for doubt. Know your setting. Even if your setting doesn’t play a main role in the story, it’s a good idea to have details set in your own mind. What does your main character’s room look like? How big a house does she live in? Does she walk to school or ride the bus? These details will find their way into your story, and add life to the book.
Only tell the reader what he or she has to know. This is important for any age of fiction, but it’s most often abused in picture book manuscripts. Your story takes place during a certain time frame–an extraordinary period in your character’s life. Use only those characters necessary to tell this story; introduce events, conflicts, situations that apply directly to this time frame. If a traumatic childhood incident affects your 15-year-old character’s relationship with her father, then it’s necessary. If her losing the spelling bee in fourth grade means nothing to her now, leave it out.
Write as you talk. You can admire and study other authors, but don’t try to imitate them. The best way to achieve your unique writing style is to write as you talk. Don’t search for words you’d never use in ordinary conversation. Author Stephen King said, “Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word.”
Don’t worry about getting too complex with your writing either. Long, complicated sentences filled with dashes and semicolons, or descriptive paragraphs full of flowery prose won’t appeal to your audience. The trick, when composing your first draft, is not to think too much. Norma Fox Mazer, author of over 20 books, said she wears a hat with the brim pulled low over her eyes when writing a first draft. That way she can see her keyboard but not the computer screen, preventing her from getting “housewifey” and wanting to clean up the text. During the revision process you can choose your words more carefully, but if you find yourself stretching for a phrase or description, ask your-self if you’d ever use that in real life. If you were telling this story out loud, how would you tell it and what words would you choose? In the end, it all boils down to writing simply, directly, and making every word count. It doesn’t always come naturally, but if you practice the above techniques your writing will also achieve a light touch.
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For more information about writing children’s books, including free articles, market tips, insider secrets and much more, visit Children’s Book Insider’s home on the web at http://write4kids.com
Copyright 2001, Children’s Book Insider, LLC
Seven Answers to Seven Questions – Ian Irvine
Today, Ian Irvine has dropped in to share his seven answers to seven questions. Enjoy!
1. Tell us a little about your publication credits. If you have none, tell
us about the genres you prefer to write, and your current projects.
I started writing in 1987 and was first published in 1998. I have written twenty-one novels, of which twenty have been published and the last is at the printer at the moment. I mainly write fantasy. My Three Worlds series for YA-to-adult readers, which comprises 11 books in two quartets and a trilogy, has done well and has been published in many countries and languages. The first book is called A Shadow on the Glass.
I’ve also written a trilogy of eco-thrillers about global warming and catastrophic climate change, Human Rites. These books draw on my professional experience as a marine scientist dealing with environmental and pollution issues over several decades. The first book is The Last Albatross.
And I’ve written 7 books for children, including three books so far of the Runcible Jones quintet (Puffin), and the four books of the Sorcerer’s Tower quartet (Scholastic), for primary readers, wonderfully illustrated in black and white by DM Cornish.
I’ve also written various articles about the business of writing and publishing, how the system works, and about the art of book promotion. See also the long article on my site, The Truth About Publishing, which is widely used in creative writing courses.
2. How long have you been writing for children?
About four years.
3. How much time do you spend each week writing and/or revising? And how
much time on other writing-related tasks such as promotion, researching
markets and so on?
I write full-time, so typically I would spend about 50 hours a week in writing and editing (more during the initial draft stage). I probably spend another 10 hours a week on all the other aspects of the writing life and business.
4. How much time do you spend reading children’s books? And what are you
reading right now?
I suppose I spend a quarter of my reading time on children’s books; unfortunately not nearly as much time as I would like. I’m presently reading The Field Guide, the first book of the Spiderwick Chronicles.
5. What advice would you give other would-be children’s writers, or share
with other professional children’s writers?
Keep it simple, keep description to a minimum and start the story in the first sentence. Don’t waste time in scene-setting or you’re likely to bore your readers away.
6. What is your favourite online resource for children’s writers? Why?
Write 4 kids, http://www.write4kids.com/, though to be honest I don’t use online writing resources all that much.
7. Do you have a website or blog? What else do you do to promote your
published works and/or your writing skills?
My websites are
www.ian-irvine.com
And
I do all manner of things for promoting, including speaking at conventions and schools, getting huge numbers of postcards and other materials printed and distributing them, mass mailouts to my fans etc. I’ve also had three book trailers made and these can be seen on YouTube, eg for the Runcible Jones books, at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTt1eYG4LG4
Thanks heaps for dropping in, Ian.
If YOU would like to be featured here on the blog and share your answers to the seven questions, drop me a line at sally @ sallymurphy.net.
Sample Pages 9
Today’s sample pages come from a spelling book called (not very originally) Spellbound. This is the book I wish I’d had when I was first teaching – teaching spelling rules to upper primary and lower secondary kids is both difficult and important.
Enjoy the sample pages.
Eight Answers to Seven Questions: Sandy Fussell
Today we welcome children’s author, Sandy Fussell, who has come to answer my seven questions (and an extra one of her own). Welcome Sandy!
1. Tell us a little about your publication credits. If you have none, tell us about the genres you prefer to write, and your current projects.
In 2007 I had my first book published, Ratbags, an educational title in the Aussie, Aussie series. Peter Viska did the illustrations and it looks great. In 2008 I was fortunate to have three trade books published by Walker Books Australia. The first book Samurai Kids 1: White Crane was released in March 2008. While I initially wrote it as a stand alone my publisher felt it had series potential and also chose to illustrate it. Rhian Nest-James’ black and white drawings give the text an authentic Japanese look and feel and I know readers love them. They write and tell me! White Crane was subsequently picked up by Walker Books UK and Candlewick Press so will see overseas release in 2009. The second book Owl Ninja was released in October this year and an unrelated title, Polar Boy, in August.
I have recently completed Samurai Kids Book 3 and am currently writing Book 4. Another unrelated title will be released in 2010.
I like history and fantasy best. Early history gives me the opportunity to combine these two interests as historically accurate culture and religion of times past often bears a close resemblance to contemporary fantasy elements. And I would love to write a picture book – I think they are magical. Just one would see me satisfied. I have only ever had one picture book idea so that goal might be a long way away.
2. How long have you been writing for children?
I started writing quite by accident in 2003. My avid reader son decided overnight that ‘all books are boring.’ Like any good parent I panicked and bought him even more books. Nothing I provided would change his mind. So I challenged him to write a non-boring book. He told the story and I recorded it. I had some control over language but none over plot. The story was based on his friends and reflected the playground arguments of each day- every night people were being murdered and then springing to life the next afternoon. Very random. And very frustrating. I was inspired to begin writing my own story.
I penned nine 30,000 word manuscripts in three years – I was practising. The last of these was White Crane. I was lucky that I didn’t have to wait a long time to be published – I am definitely a Cinderella writer. But I did also work very hard. In those three years I did a number of courses, attended weekly workshops and anything else I could get to.
3 How much time do you spend each week writing and/or revising? And how much time on other writing-related tasks such as promotion, researching markets and so on?
It varies but I try to write at least 500 words a night. Even if they are rubbish and I throw them away the next morning. I think discipline is important. Writing is a habit for me. I am probably the most boring and rigid creative person around. I blame my tertiary background in pure mathematics and computing. My family are all in bed by 10.30 pm and then until 12.30 am I will write, read, google, research, play with my websites, email writing colleagues, maybe exchange manuscript notes with a friend – that sort of thing. I also attend a weekly face-to-face workshop. I have a young family and a full-time job so I try to do as much on-line as possible. I do lots of revision editing waiting at the school bus stop.
4. How much time do you spend reading children’s books? And what are you reading right now?
I am a very fast reader which is a good thing as once I start a good book I can’t put it down. I can read an average size young adult novel in an hour. And then if I really like it, I will often re-read it. Once for enjoyment and once to learn from it. The book I most recently did this with is an Australian verse novel Against the Tide by Irini Savvides. Wonderful! I try to read three books a week – usually junior fiction but I will always be tempted by a good fantasy especially if there is a dragon in it. Last week I read Skulduggery Pleasant Playing With Fire (Derek Landry), Loathing Lola (William Kostakis) and an adult novel for a change – Dark Mountain (Catherine Jinks). Loved them all. On my desk for this week are Brisingr (Christopher Paolini), Dragon Dawn (Carole Wilkinson) and Into White Silence (Anthony Eaton).
5. What advice would you give other would-be children’s writers, or share with other professional children’s writers?
If you want to be discovered you have to get out there where people will trip over you. Learn everything you can. Meet everyone you can. Give as much as you can to others. I received all this advice from Di Bates, who mentored me through every aspect of the writing profession. Her advice is brilliant and I’m glad of the opportunity to share it. Someone else once told me writing is 95% sweat and 5% talent. Personally I’m not too sure of the percentage but there is definitely a lot of persistence, hard work and perspiration required. I am the queen of overkill!
In relation to writing historical fiction, I received two wonderful pieces of early advice that I would also like to repeat. They weren’t given to me personally, I heard them at seminars (another reason to attend!), but they immediately struck home. Vashi Farrer said if you write at the edge of history then you have more room to move – your story will not be so closely dictated by major events. And Felicity Pulman said to never overlook the value of an illustrated junior reference book as a picture can be worth a thousand words.
My own advice is – write, write, write. Then write some more. Be involved. You can be part of the industry even before your first book is published. In addition to my own writing I mentor two new writers, wrote a local newspaper books column (up until the paper folded a few months ago), am on the executive of the local branch of the CBCA and am the web master for an on-line book review magazine The Reading Stack. Other projects are in the pipeline.
6. What is your favourite online resource for children’s writers? Why?
My favourite resource is answers.com. I love the thesaurus. Not to look up words but to wander around in. I once read that Stephen King said any word found via a thesaurus is not worth using and while I would never be so foolish as to argue with Stephen, I think the thesaurus is a great place to throw a fishing net. I just trawl through looking for words that make me feel things. When I was writing Polar Boy, it was a real challenge to describe a minimalist landscape of snow and ice with a very limited repertoire of imagery. So I went ice fishing in the thesaurus and I discovered snizzle – a light fall of snow. I can still remember how it felt – it felt soft on my shoulders. Another night I discovered screak when I was looking up onomatopoeias. I love them. They’re my favourite sorts of words. Was there ever a better work to describe a bat cry than screak?
When I write, answers.com is always open. I look up words I use not to replace them, but to get a wider sensory experience from them.
7. Do you have a website or blog? What else do you do to promote your published works and/or your writing skills?
As a computer programmer with a background in web site build and design, using the web for promotion is second-nature to me. I have two websites. The first is my author website www.sandyfussell.com which is all about me, my books, my journey and the books that inspire me. My second website is dedicated to the Samurai Kids series and specifically provides teaching resources such as a webquest, fun activities for kids such as an on-line quiz Which Samurai Kid Are You? and information about the series. Kids can even print Samurai Kids cards.
I attend everything and anything. In the last two months I spoke at Bookfeast in western Sydney (a gathering of 400 students), presented sessions at three schools for Book Week, gave a public reading in the local mall as part of the Viva La Gong Festival and attended two primary school ‘literary luncheons’. It’s all fun.
And if I could add a question of my own…
8 What is the best thing about being a children’s writer?
The kids. It’s a real privilege to write for kids, to receive their feedback and be involved in their reading experience. I love doing school visits. This initially surprised me because while I felt it was important and was determined it give it my best shot, I thought I would not be very good. But I soon discovered it doesn’t matter whether I am a polished performer or not. Kids love meeting an author and they definitely love all things samurai. I went to sword fighting classes as part of my research so I have a bokken, a wooden practice sword. And I also like to play with sound words so I have a gong (in Samurai Kids Sensei is always banging a gong). I take these with me to schools. Loud noises and pointy sticks – what kids wouldn’t like that? I have heaps of fun and hopefully the children learn a little too.
I was lucky enough to be invited as Official Guest at the Henry Lawson Festival of the Arts. It’s a long story where the first choice, a well known TV actor couldn’t make it last minute, and I have family in the area so was a logical fill-in fallback. Not only was it a wonderful experience where I made lots of speeches, presented medals and judged competitions, but in the street parade one of the local schools dressed as Samurai Kids and when they came to the official dais, they shouted ‘Sensei’ and all turned and bowed to me. I’ll admit it – I bawled!
Thanks so much for dropping in, Sandy. If YOU would like to answer these seven questions and be featured her on this blog, drop me a line at sally @ sallymurphy.net.
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