The Graveyard Book Wins the 2009 Newbery!

Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book won the Newbery award today---and I was very excited. I absolutely adored this book when I read it back in October and I'm happy to see it get recognized in such a big way.

Runners-up include: Savvy by Ingrid Law, The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle, and After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson.

Have any of you read this year's winners? Are there any books you would have liked to seen on the list? What are some of your favorite Newbery books of the past?

(I wish Elise Broach's Masterpiece had made the list. I thought this book about a boy and a very clever beetle was charming, well-written, and touching. Some of my favorite children's books are previous winners of the Newbery, like Maniac Magee, Holes, and A Wrinkle in Time.)

My blog

BTW, I have already been asked why I didn't have a picture posted. Well, I'm the one with the camera usually so I'm never in the picture! I have one posted on my own blog now. (It's taken me awhile to find one that I was in that wasn't horrible...it's not easy having young children take the picture. They don't understand that certain angles are not flattering to a middle-aged woman's posterior!)

Have you heard of Authonomy?

I was perusing the blog Galley Cat last night, when I happened across a post on HarperCollins' new experiment in writing and publishing, Authonomy. Have you guys heard about this?

Basically, Authonomy is a UK-based site where writers can post their unpublished manuscripts (at least 10,000 words must be posted). Readers of Authonomy pick and choose which manuscripts they like the most---and the five most popular books in a given month are passed along to the editors at HarperCollins to read. Thus far, three lucky writers have been offered contracts with HarperCollins due to their participation with Authonomy.

Authonomy is free (I opened an account yesterday although I haven't posted anything yet) and open to anybody. Although gaining publication is very rare, this site does offer a venue to show your work and to have people offer their comments on your plot and writing. It's kind of like a writer's group in a way.

I think I'll post the first 10,000 words of my novel on Authonomy once I come up with a good synopsis for it. If anything, this site can help me get more feedback on my manuscript.

Who's next?

Our critiques are due on Wednesday for Lisa's excerpt, which means somebody new must come up to bat for our next round of proofreading and critiquing!

Any volunteers? Should I pick our names from a hat? Or throw my own hat into the ring? It doesn't matter too much to me....

Also, I have a little suggestion for our group---it may be helpful for us to state what kind of critique we are looking for in our excerpts. Do you want an in-depth, page-by-page sort of analysis? Or a broader do-my-characters-seem-authentic sort of thing? Each of us are in different stages of our novels and it will be helpful for the critiquers to know what they should focus on.

Do you guys have any suggestions or comments you want to make about our critique process? Is the two-week time period working for all of you? Does it need to be lengthened or shortened? Do you have any gripes or complaints you want addressed?

BY THE WAY...

I am working on the critique. Are we going to go truly in-depth with many comments per page/paragraph/etc.? Or are we going to do an overall critique on the plot/characters/setting?

Queries. Synonym: torture

The query I just sent out on Dec. 31 took me well over 6 months to write. Notice I did not say "perfect". I do not believe it is possible to perfect one of these! I wrote, rewrote, got people who had not read my book to read it, took their feedback and rewrote it...and so on and so on. Finally, I decided to redo it one last time, keep it short and succinct and (hopefully) interesting before sending it off.

The dreaded query letter

My reaction to writing my query letter:

Ughhhhhhhhh...

I've put off writing my query letter while I've hammered out my rough draft because---well---I'm avoiding it like the plague. Does anybody else feel like this? Maybe it's just me. For some reason, the query letter intimidates the hell outta me. I mean, I can spend a year and a half writing and editing and re-writing my novel, but if I have a mediocre query letter then no agent will want to represent me. Late at night, I often wonder to myself---do I have it in me to write a truly engaging and wonderful query letter?

Goodness, I just hope to write something decent and hope for the best. (And maybe you gals can help me out?!)

What has been your experience writing your query letters and synopses? How long did it take you to write them?

Thoughts

I agree with the dilemma, Caroline. We would either have to be very patient, or we would have to shorten our timeframe. Personally, I would find it difficult to shorten the time frame and give each piece the time it deserves.

Adding another member to our mix?

Another writer on the SCBWI Discussion Boards wants to join our critique group. Any thoughts?

Here's what I'm thinking:

Pros
1.) It's always nice to have somebody else critique our work. The more people who read our manuscripts, the more feedback we receive.
2.) The more the merrier, right?

Cons
1.) My main concern is our timeframe. At our current pace, each of us receives feedback on our work every couple of months. If we add more members, then this timeframe gets dragged out more and more.

So what do you guys think? To add another member or to not add another member? If we want to add more people to our group, I think we may have to shorten our critique period to one week rather than two.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Contest, posting, and stuff

Caroline, I've been working on the SCBWI grant, trying to get ready for when the application can be sent in. Other than that, the only contests I've entered have been through Writer's Digest and local writing competitions. (I'm waiting to hear about the last WD contest, and I have another story ready to go when the new one starts.)

I'm looking forward to reading more of the first book we're critiquing! I will finish the critique over the next few days-week.

Scholarships, Contests, and Grants...Oh My!

Here are a few scholarships, contests, and grants you might consider entering. I'm applying for all of them! (Hey, an unpublished writer has to do what she's gotta do, right?)

Scholarship for the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop
From July 11 - 18, the Highlights Foundation will hold their annual workshop in Chautauqua, New York. The faculty includes editors, agents, and accomplished writers and the curriculum focuses on a variety of ways to strengthen a writer's writing (The Puzzles of Plot, Getting Out of the Slush Pile, etc.). The Highlights Foundation offers a scholarship to writers who wish to attend the---and I just sent in my application today. If you would like a copy of the application, please send me an email and I'll forward it to you.

Work-In-Progress Grant at SCBWI
You guys probably know about this grant, but this is something I plan on applying for too. SCBWI starts accepting application on February 15th!

Maryland Writer's Association Novel Contest
For this contest, writers send in a "query package" for review so the judges can assess the publishing potential of your novel. Writers mail in an excerpt from their novel and a synopsis of the work. There is a YA category as well as a Fantasy/Sci-Fi category too. Submissions cost $38 and you don't have to be a MWA member to enter the contest.

What sort of scholarships, grants, and contests have you entered or plan on entering?

I grew up in Tennessee where I created my first book when I was about 8 years. It was about my Siamese Chocolate point, Susu, and her sleuthing adventures. I won several art awards in high school and also while acquiring my Bachelor of Fine Arts. I worked as an Interior Designer/CaDD operator (3D drawings) for an architectural firm specializing in luxury hospitals before attending law school.

Initially, I clerked for judges, researching and writing published opinions. In Florida, I practiced transactional law (contracts and intellectual property) and employment law while working for large corporations. I dabbled with fiction writing during my spare time, but kept my aspirations a secret. Later, I created, marketed and designed hand painted fabrics for which I received recognition at the International Fashion Fabric Exhibition in New York and I was featured in Southern Living and several fashion sections of newspapers.

One day my husband suggested I write children's books. After I shared a completed MG mystery I'd written without his knowing, he has supported my dream. Currently, I write full time and the manuscript I'm going to share with you is the first I've submitted for critique feedback, although you won't be the first readers.

I look forward to reaching our goals together. Thank you for including me.

Writing Critiques

The Writing Exchange

Author: ( ) Lisa ( ) Caroline ( ) Stephanie ( ) Janet

Reader: ( ) Lisa ( ) Caroline ( ) Stephanie ( ) Janet

Requested Feedback

( ) Positive Feedback ( ) Constructive Suggestions

Areas of Concern

Typos: _____________________________________________________________
Grammar: ___________________________________________________________
Dialect: _____________________________________________________________
Transitions: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­__________________________________________________________
Character Development: _________________________________________________
Setting Descriptions: ____________________________________________________
Character Descriptions: __________________________________________________
Emotional Impact: ______________________________________________________
Chapter Arc: _________________________________________________________
Clarity of Ideas: _______________________________________________________
Voice: ______________________________________________________________
Conflict: _____________________________________________________________
Dialogue: ____________________________________________________________
Beginning Sentence: ____________________________________________________
Ending Sentence: ______________________________________________________

Author Has Two Specific Questions
1. ___________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Getting the ball rolling...

Now that Breezyday (aka Lisa) is on board, I would love to get to work on critiquing! Is there a volunteer who would like to have her work critiqued first? Anyone? Anyone?

Once we figure out who will go first, we'll have this person send out a portion of their manuscript (I'm thinking 3000-4000 words) to our individual email accounts. If possible, could we attach the manuscript as a Word Document? I figure this may make reading and editing a whole lot easier on all of us.

In two weeks time, our critiques will be due and we will send our comments back to the author via email or via the blog. The author may want to use the blog to post short follow-up revisions of her work or to ask questions about certain comments she received. (Or anything else, really.)

Does anybody have anything else to add? Or perhaps anything they want to change? I'm open for any ideas!

And lastly,

Ok, before I begin I may need to apologize for any blog bumbling. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to post but hopefully I have it mastered now.
My name is Lisa and I am from Kansas City. I am a yet-to-be-published author with a current interest in YA fiction. I have completed one MS and am in the process of working on another. I have also written a short story which I have submitted to a local magazine, but I haven't heard from them yet.
My interest in writing has been longstanding, but dormant. I went into a more practical field initially (I am an OB/GYN) and am just now getting back into the swing of writing on a regular basis. My current project is a YA fiction novel about teen pregnancy. I wrote it for my girls (who are 10 and 13),and based it on some of the things I have seen in my practice.
I am married to a great guy and we will celebrate 18 years together this month. We have 4 kids (2 girls then 2 boys) who keep us busy with music, scouts, and sports.
I look forward to working with all of you!

What are your favorite MG/YA books?

Whenever I read articles giving advice for aspiring novelists, I always come across the counsel to "Read, read, read!" One editor of a publishing house advised writers to read over 300 books in their given genre. Whew! I love to read and even that seems like a lot.

So what are your favorite MG/YA books?

In the middle grade genre, I adore THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman---I shed a couple of happy tears at the ending---and I just finished MASTERPIECE by Elizabeth Broach, which I found well-written and charming.

As for young adult works, I loved the Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins (the Gregor books) and so I was very excited to read THE HUNGER GAMES. I thought the book was fast-paced, exciting, emotional, and I loved the main character Katniss. Recently, I also finished GRACELING by Kristin Cashore. It is an interesting mix of fantasy, adventure, and romance, and I'm not surprised that the book has sold so well.

My favorite kids books of all time would include: MATILDA, MANIAC MAGEE, FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER, HARRY POTTER I-VII, and ENDER'S GAME.

What about you?

Writing Critiques

Although exchanging with other active writers provides the writing rule oriented suggestions, another source for getting an opinion is your librarian.

Librarians are up to date on what is popular and what is written well. If you haven't already established a strong relationship with a librarian, I suggest going to your local library and checking out books in your genre. Ask the librarian which books have won awards and which are the readers most excited about.

Tell the librarian what you're working on and ask for reading suggestions in that genre, which may be less recent, but classics. Then, after a few months of weekly visits, ask your librarian whether she or he would like to read an excerpt or your full manuscript. The responses won't be as technical as our group will provide, but it will give an overview of how your work compares with others in it's category.

As payback, you can offer to treat her to lunch or give a gift certificate with a thank you card.

About me

I am a media coordinator at a very large elementary school (1000+ students) in a small town outside Raleigh, NC. Prior to my job in the media center, I taught sixth or seventh grade social studies, language arts, and/or science for 12 years in 5 different school systems in NC. I was selected as my county's teacher of the year for my last year in the regular classroom. As a teacher, I coached Science Olympiad teams and the drama club. After all, there's just not enough "drama" in a middle school classroom! (And if you believe that, there's some ocean front property in Arizona I'd like to sell to you!) The drama club performed two plays that I wrote.

I have been writing for many years, although poetry was my genre when I was in elementary and high school. Although I still write poems, I moved into prose 7 years ago. My first novel is an adult suspense novel, The Curse of Josiah's Orchard, and I received some positive feedback from a publisher. However, the changes he suggested were overwhelming at the time so the novel has been pushed towards the bottom of a very long to-do list.

The writing bug had bitten me, however, and a slew of short stories, adult and child-oriented, sprang from my fingertips into my computer. In between raising three children, numerous soccer games and Scout meetings, teaching middle school, and earning my master's degree, I still found time to work on another adult suspense novel. I also entered and won a local writing contest. Then, after a very long day in the library, I found the beginning of a middle grades fantasy novel emerging from a conversation with my assistant. From that conversation, J.T. Middleton and his time-traveling librarian were born! I have completed the first two adventures of this average fourth grader, and I'm a third of the way through his third story.

Over the summer, I realized I really needed to put aside all anxiety and fear to write...the query letter! After unsuccessfully trying to find an agent for a few months, I joined SCBWI and realized that some reputable publishing houses still accept unsolicited manuscripts. I am now in the process of submitting the first adventure to those editors.

A little about me

Well, I guess I will introduce myself since I am the first one to post on this blog...

My name is Caroline and I am an aspiring novelist, freelance writer, lover of women's history and sleep, and a rabid fan of Project Runway, Jhumpa Lahiri, The Graveyard Book, and tiramisu.

When I was in the third grade, I wrote a story about a mysterious white van parked in front of a young girl's home. The story was written---in pencil---on sheets of lined notebook paper and I truly believed I had composed an utterly fabulous masterpiece.

Truthfully, the story was pretty awful, but my interest in writing has only burgeoned since then.

In college, I dabbled in a few creative writing courses but I didn't allow myself to think about becoming a writer. How would I pay my rent? What would I eat? Would I have to live at my parent's house for eternity? And so, I pursued other careers instead.

After I graduated, I worked at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, and I applied for different Masters programs in history, but late at night I would type away at my laptop and cross my fingers I would get published one day despite the pile of rejection letters sitting on my desk.

A year and a half year ago, I married my wonderful husband Justin and I moved down to Fayetteville, North Carolina. I have worked as a freelance writer ever since then---my work has been published in newspapers and magazines and I have a forthcoming article in Highlights.

I have a nearly-completed-upper-middle-grade-science-fiction-novel (phew!) that I would love to have critiqued. Initially, I was hesitant to write a sci-fi novel since I think some people are automatically turned off by the words "science fiction," but the idea for my book kept banging away in my head and the only thing I could do was to write the darned thing. Don't worry though! I've tried to keep my book as grounded as possible and I don't delve into any elaborate explanations of astrophysics or calculus. (My mind is not wired for advanced mathematics or science, much to my parents' chagrin.)

Anyway, I am really excited to be a member of this online critique group and I really look forward to reading your stories!

Welcome!

Hello there!

I created this blog so we could have a community "gathering place" to discuss our work, give each other advice on our writing, offer suggestions on agencies and publishing venues, vent about our frustrations, and anything else really.

I hope we can use this blog to get to know one another, to give honest and constructive advice, and to help each other on our paths to publication. (Fingers crossed!)