Telling the Stories That Want to be Told

Back in early May, I was anxious for the release of Wilder Mind, the new album by the band Mumford & Sons. I’m using more than one meaning of “anxious” here; I was excited to have new music from a band that’s become a favorite of mine over the past few years, but I was also a little concerned. There was every indication this new album would be a serious departure from their signature sound.

Initially I was a bit disappointed with the changes, because the band had always been such a reliably unique feature on the landscape of popular music, and the sound of the new album was definitely a step away from that direction. But I kept listening and gave it every fair chance to connect with me. Eventually it did, to the degree that when I listen to it now I hear more similarities to their previous work than differences. The new songs convey the same emotional resonance as the older ones, and have the same storytelling aesthetic. The band still wrote the songs that wanted to be written, but just wound up writing them differently than before, and trusting what followed.

I thought a lot about how my reaction to this album could be like a middle grade reader expecting a certain kind of story from a favorite genre. Most kids in the middle grade age group will identify what they want to read by genre more than anything else, whether they realize they’re doing it or not. They’ll think, “Well, if I liked reading Book A, which has this kind of story, then I’ll probably like Book B because it has a similar story.” This kind of favorite-associating connection is a common discussion point between teachers and parents while searching for ways to engage reluctant readers. Scary books, funny books, books about animals, sports books, myths and legends, historical fiction, science fiction, graphic novels, sad books, adventures, non-fiction, or something from a series -- all of these and more are explored while trying to find that magical gateway that will get a child interested enough in reading. A lot of middle grade readers, both the tentative and the self-motivated, are more likely to try a book if they have a good idea about what to expect from it before they commit to reading.

So where does that leave us, the middle grade writers? Should we focus on horror stories because the Goosebumps books have had such staying power? Should we start sketching characters for graphic novels to take advantage of that current popularity, or create a boarding school filled with extraordinary people where we can send a misfit character who will make friends and enemies, face challenges, and have adventures? Should we mold our story ideas to conform with the most popular genres, and then keep driving along while always staying in the same lane?

Of course not. I’d like to think anyone who would seek out a blog devoted to middle grade literature would understand the futility of chasing trends as a key to success. But what about establishing a platform when you’re starting out, or even just trying to find a niche?

Let’s take me, for example. I don’t read a lot of fantasy. I don’t have anything against it, it’s just never been something I’ve actively sought out. If I decided to try and write a fantasy novel, I’d find myself at the beginning of a steep uphill battle because my passion isn’t there. But what if I was lucky enough to have a tidy little pile of published books years from now, and one day a brilliant idea for a fantasy story came out of nowhere and smacked me upside the head? Would it be better to take it on and work out the idea, or ignore a story I felt strongly about and move on to something else I felt was more expected of me?

The way I see it, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with a writer trying to demonstrate the kind of range they potentially have, especially when they’re still working to become established. Since there really aren’t any guarantees in publishing, I think the first rule has to be for a writer to stay true to their passion. If that means living inside of one genre for all the reading and writing you do because that’s what you love, great. You’ll have plenty of background knowledge to work with, and that will translate into your writing, and you’ll still likely find ways to keep yourself challenged. But if not? Well, I think that’s okay too. You still have to write something you feel strongly about, and maybe your stories will take you in different, unexpected, and exciting new directions.

If publishers do guide their established writers to work inside the genres that fit their familiar platforms? I suppose that would be the kind of problem I don’t think I’d mind having. But until it happens -- if it ever does -- I’ll just keep telling the stories that want to be told. Even if that means sometimes telling them differently than before, and trusting what follows.

Writer Process Blog Tour

One of my Middle-Grade Minded Blog buddies, Tom Mulroy, invited me be part of the Writing Process Blog Tour. If you aren’t familiar with this super-cool tour, it involves different writers responding to questions about their writing process, then passing the same question on to other writers, and so on. Writing and talking about writing are two of my favorite things to do so I jumped on board… or blog… hmmm.

And here are the questions Tom handed off to me, with my answers.

What are you working on?
What’s getting the most attention right now is a story I previously wrote as a YA and am changing to MG. It’s about a girl named Robin who has perfected the act of being someone she isn’t.  When one of her best friends from elementary school, Dani, is selected as the new target for her “friends” to pick on and tear down, Robin figures out a way to help her old friend best her current friends by preparing Dani for what they'll say, what they'll do and how to beat them to the punch. What started as a one-time project rapidly multiplies with requests from girls that want her to help them, too. When Robin’s popular-or-die friends hear the buzz about the Robin Hood Club and her clients, especially Dani, push Robin to choose one side or the other, Robin is forced to confront warring loyalties and decide for herself who she really is.

How does your work differ from others of its genre?
Most of my stories are based on at least a thread of something that happened to me.  I have never written a novel without including some of my real-life experiences.  My characters are typically girls who clumsily trip through life, bouncing from mistake to mistake, to figure out who they really are and what they stand for.

Why do you write what you do?
I’ve been a teacher of students ranging in age from 7 – 18. Watching them struggle with every day problems and much bigger, life-altering problems, fuels me to help people find their own gifts and strengths and purpose… and that what you’ve survived is never an excuse for giving up on yourself.  

Also, someone once told me that writing was just a hobby and I’ve spend every day since then proving that person wrong.  

How does your writing process work?
You’re probably going to want to skip over this because… my process? It’s a P-R-O-C-E-S-S! And I’m pretty sure I’m the only who gets excited talking about it.  But if you’re game, it goes something like this:

• Cool idea gets me excited about a new story.
• Title. I have to have some sort of working title before I can move on.  I will seriously not write a single word until I have this.
• Character names! I love and hate this process, but the names – like the title – have to fit my characters.
• Story development (the REAL work).

• I break the story in the quarters. In each quarter, I write some things that will happen and the turning point that leads to the next quarter. This involves chart paper, markers, and sticky notes, so I am very, very happy during this process. 
• I then break down each quarter into chapters and write a quick description of each chapter.
• Then… yes there’s more… then I break it down into scenes. 
• At that point, I generally create a rough synopsis and then…. THEN I BEGIN WRITING!
• I have some great critique partners that are also some of my best friends and they keep me (and my story) in line.  So, I give them a chance to make it better.
• I write a really clean first draft, so my revisions are almost 100% story-related (characters who don’t make sense or who show up out of no where and why is there a pelican on your porch in Denver?)
• I revisit the synopsis and make it more detailed and accurate.
• From there, it goes to my agent, who then reminds me I’m nothing without her and makes the story even better!

The most frequently asked question I get is how long it takes me to write a book. When I finally quit coloring and spreading colorful sticky-notes on chart after chart, I write quickly.  All three of my published novels have been written and edited and ready for submission in less than 2 months.

The next most frequently asked question (by MG readers) is how it feels to be famous.  Is it rude to laugh when people ask me that? I’m pretty sure it’s rude.  But I’m even surer that the truth about how “unfamous” I really am will only quell their memory of meeting a “real author.”

If you have some fun answers that I could use instead of rude, obnoxious laughter, please, please, please leave a comment below and I’ll enter you into a drawing for my July MG release with Aladdin, The XYZs of Being Wicked.

The things I wish I’d know about plotting when I first started writing

For every new writer there is a steep learning curve. There are a gazzillon things we’ll need to learn before we’re ready for publication. Some things come easy, some take time. Everyone has different talents and different struggles, things we’ll need to work harder to overcome. For me, one of the things that took me the longest to learn is about plot.

                          

Sure, we all have a story to tell but a story doesn’t always mean we have a plot.

Now, I’m still learning, but over the last year I've gathered quite a bit of information that I truly wish I’d known when I was just starting out. Even if you’re fairly good with plot, there may be a thing or two you could still learn. It also may help you catch a problem with a plot you never noticed before.

1.     Plot means conflict, yes, but it also means the call for action.

            There is no story without conflict, it should be inherent on each and every page, but conflict alone isn’t enough to carry a plot. There needs to be a call for action that connects with the conflict. What needs to happen in this story and why? It should be something only your character can or will do.

2.     Your character needs a goal

            This goes along with number one because the call to action is a goal. Don’t make things just happen to your character, those things might push your character into the plot, but there needs to be a thing or two that makes your character active in this story. What does your character want other than surviving?

             Even “down the rabbit hole” plots need to have something active within the “get out alive” goal.

            The best way to beef up a story is to have two different layers of conflict: internal and external. Sometimes those goals can even conflict with each other. They have a goal, now what connects that goal to their emotional journey?

3.     Every scene needs to move the plot forward.

            When I first started writing this was my worst habit. I’d make the inciting incident happen in chapter 12, thinking that all the things that happened before were important (hint: they aren’t). If you can cut scenes without changing how the story pans out, you’re probably falling into his pit hole.

            Every scene needs to matter, needs to change something. It can be personal, the way the character thinks about something, or it can include a hint that pulls them further towards the end goal, or maybe it makes things worse, deepens the conflict. Look at every scene in your story and decide if you NEED it there. Even subplots should connect back to the main conflict, even if it’s not right away.

4.      Stakes

            What happens if your character fails at his/her goal? There should be some very scary consequence to failing. The world ending? Well, yes, that’s a pretty easy go-to. But honestly, something personal is usually more compelling. Death, the loss of a family member, being hated by someone they care about, making their parents proud. With Middle Grade, those stakes CAN be a bit smaller than adult works because sometimes peer or parent acknowledgment is the most important thing to this age group. That’s okay. So long as it truly matters to your character, it will matter to the reader.

5.     Subplots

            Developing the goals of side characters is a great way to deepen a plot. I won’t go into huge detail about this subject since Jamie wrote a great post about subplots a few weeks back:http://middlegrademinded.blogspot.com/2014/05/enter-subplot.html

6.     Structure

I plan to write a full post about this because it can get kind of in depth. If you’re worried about plot structure try using a beat sheet like this one: http://jamigold.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Beat-Sheet1.jpg. There are some really interesting theories to plot structure that can make any story line much stronger. 

 

I’m still learning about plot myself, and it’s one of those things that is different for every story (and that’s a good thing, otherwise all our stories would be the same), but there are always ways to make it stronger, to make it more compelling to readers. What have you learned about plot? Any more tips for me or books you really enjoyed reading about the topic? I’d love to hear them!