Jacking Up the Excitement in your Middle Grade Novel

I'm writing from Puerto Vallarta today. Taking out a little time to blog during my family vacation. Don't worry, I won't bore you with candid shots of my kids learning to surf or grisly descriptions of what happens when you jump off a board onto spiny sea urchins. It's not pretty. We'll leave it at that.

Instead, let's take a bite out of jackfruit. 

What does jackfruit have to do with writing riveting novels? Well, let me explain. 

Jackfruit is a huge warty green fruit. It's kind of melon looking, if your melons were aliens or perhaps were exposed to some sort of virus. It's not melon-y at all inside. I've never seen one before yesterday. Honestly, I was super excited to try it. I'm a bit of a foodie and I love adventure, so why not try eating something that looks like a science experiment gone wrong? The guides loved it. What did I have to lose?

A few bucks, apparently. But I gained oh, so much in experience, right?

Not only does the jackfruit look strange but the rubbery pit-filled flesh (promised to be a tantalizing blend of banana, cantaloupe, and pineapple) turned out to be........bland. I could only manage a bite. 

Back at the hotel, I tried blending it into a smoothie. I was greeted with a less-than-enthusiastic shrug from the family and something that sounded a little like "Mmph." Mmmmm was more what I was hoping for.

This brings me back to the point of this post - jacking up the excitement.

Anything you write needs to have a unique, intriguing presentation. No doubt the jackfruit did. I haven't seen that many warts since Halloween. And the chartreuse hue definitely grabbed my attention. 

But as with the fruit, presentation isn't enough. Even if some locals (family and friends) love your novel, you probably want to extend your appeal a little farther than that. And let's face it, no one really wants something bland. 

So here's some tips for writing a compelling novel that lives up to its hype.

Craft a Tight Plot

Include the basic elements of plot in your story. Free write all you want to get the juices going. But it's useful to have some idea of where you are in terms of plot. Some writers do this through structured planning such as outlining. Others prefer to "pants it," writing by the seat of the their pants, or on the fly, with little or no planning at all. Whatever your process, be sure to include these vital elements of plot.

1. Exposition - this is the basic setup, where you develop enough character and world building to grab the readers attention and introduce them to the world of your novel. This is the period prior to the inciting incident.
2. Inciting incident - this is the event that sets the novel in motion, the life-changing thing that happens that propels your character on their journey. 
3. Rising Action - this is when your main character attempts to solve problems and overcome obstacles. This is where twists and turns should happen.
4. Climax/Turning Point - This is the darkest moment, often referred to as the all-is-lost moment. Your character must confront the dragon and face their own weaknesses at the same time. This is when the most intense character transformation occurs.
5. Resolution - The problem resolves and the character and their world return to normal, but it is a new normal, incorporating changes to the main character and their world. This often includes personal growth and new understanding of life and the world around them.

Create Relatable Characters

In order to be relatable each main character needs backstory, hobbies, interests, even conflicting opinions. I'm not talking about conflict between characters here, but conflict within a single character, much like we experience ourselves. 

Of course, conflict between characters is vital as well, even between allies. No one gets along perfectly all the time, not even the best of friends. Check your novel to make sure there's enough conflict and tension or your readers will find the relationships unrealistic and, dare I say it, bland.

Characters also need to have weaknesses. There's nothing more relatable than weakness and vulnerability, because we all experiences that, too.

Layer in Imagery and Metaphor

Once you finish your first draft, take a blazing fast read through of your novel. Look for imagery and themes you have included, whether on purpose or by accident. Then intensify these themes. Look for opportunities to add meaning through imagery and metaphor. This will add interest and depth to your novel.

Edit Out Fluff

It's tempting to include flowery adverbs or adjectives. But these actually detract from compelling writing. So does too much information. Consider the following sentences:

Jack clumsily walked too close to a really huge rocky ledge then fell off, screaming and hollering all the way down.

OR

Jack stumbled off a cliff.

Which one makes your heart jump? Which one makes you want to turn the page to find out what happened next?

DISCLAIMER: This post is not anti-Jack or anti-jackfruit. The author acknowledges that while jackfruit may not be to her taste, there are likely people around the world who find it delicious, and quite possibly even riveting. Just like with books....taste varies :)

Happy Reading and Happy Writing!

Story Ideas with Heart

Concept vs. Story

When I first started out, I would often keep a list of awesome story ideas that I planned to write in the future. These included super cool things like alien crash landings, vampire office dramas and yetis on skis. In retrospect I realize that these were all concepts, not stories. Yetis on skis are cool, but they’re not enough to build a story. What do the yetis want more than anything in the world? What obstacle is stopping them from getting it? What emotional catharsis will they experience in the end? Those are the ingredients that make up a good story. The yetis and middle management vampires are just window dressing.

Plotting With Emotion in Mind

Nowadays, when I’m planning a new story, I start with the moment of emotional catharsis and work back from there. Everything I write will be building to this one pivotal moment, so it's a logical jumping off point.

I begin by asking myself how I want the reader to feel at the end of the story. Will they come away with the deep sadness that accompanies losing a loved one, mixed with a sense of peace and renewed understanding that sometimes Death comes to us as a friend? Or will it be something completely different? Starting with this emotion in mind can help focus and intensify your plot, so you emphasize only the points that build naturally to this feeling.

My Advice

Pick a list of your favorite books and write down the emotional takeaway. It might be a feeling, a new understanding or a moment of catharsis resulting from overcoming an obstacle. Whatever it is, write them all out and use them as inspiration the next time you’re compiling future story ideas.

A Little About Me

I am the author of Skeleton Tree, a middle grade novel coming out with Scholastic Press in September 2017. I'm a fan of whimsy, British mysteries and reading books to my dog (she's partial to Roald Dahl, in case you were wondering). I'm super excited to write for Middle Grade Minded and to share the love of middle grade literature with the world.

Be Bold! Kill Your Darlings!

If you’ve been a writer for any period of time longer than “I just started ten minutes ago”, chances are you’ve done some background reading on the craft and its processes. When you do that, certain things become absolutely apparent right away. One of the biggest is that writing, no matter what method you use for drafting, success hinges on editing. 

Let me say that again: success hinges on editing.  And not, like, fixing typos and checking commas, but bold, brave editing that displays the kind of stalwart courage usually found in a MG protagonist.

Like it or not, your first draft isn’t going to be the Best Draft It Could Become.  Your masterpiece is going to have be revised.  And even if you’ve only done as little reading as your subconscious thinks you did when studying for that chemistry final it keeps dredging up in the nightmare about taking your finals while naked, late for class, and without lunch, odds are pretty good that you’ve come across the phrase “kill your darlings”.

Sooner or later, you’re going to have to kill your darlings. Every writer faces it.

To be honest, when I first heard the phrase, I was terrified.  I thought it meant I was going to have to make a regular practice of murdering the characters I was most smitten with. And sometimes, it does mean that, but, then, when I first started writing, I was reading Harry Potter and George R. R. Martin, and watching shows by Joss Whedon, so you can forgive me for assuming that Everyone Must Die was the new norm.

Turns out I was just influenced by a host of merciless, soul-tormenting creators with a penchant for characterization that was equal parts genius and ruthless.

Which, you know, I’m still scarred, but I suspect we’ve all been there.

The good news is, I had it all wrong! Killing your darlings isn’t (necessarily) about luring characters into dark alleyways and stabbing them repeatedly. No, murdering your darlings means that to make that book the best it can, be, you’re going to have to take something you’ve written and are positively in love with and hack away at it like you’re wintering at the Overlook Hotel, whether it’s a particular turn of phrase, an intricate, three-paragraph description of the way light hits a set of curtains in the library, or a plot sequence that plays out in your mind like that scene in slow motion The Matrix.

You remember, the one with all the shooting?

Now, being endlessly puffed up by my own ego like a balloon rides a warm draft, I’ve spent most of my fledgling writing career pretty certain that the practice of darling hatchet-ry was something other writers had to deal with, but not me.  Because, see, I always have an outline.  Outlines offer insurance against the sort of barbaric, aimless drafting though the dark, twisty tunnels of your imagination.

My road map—not to mention my immeasurable genius!—would undoubtedly save me such hassles.

Yeah, no. Sorry, buttercup. Turns out my staggering genius is much more like stumbling, and the rules of good editing apply to even me. Which means that sometimes I’m going to write stuff I love that Just. Doesn’t. Work. And no matter how I might hope, pray, push, prod, prune, and tweak it, there’s no shoving my square-shaped hunk of words into a manuscript with circle-shaped holes.

Which is exactly what I found out this week while working on my latest MG novel.

I should have seen it coming to be honest. Normally, I work fast, both when drafting and editing. When I write, I sprint, and tend to finish a MG draft in a month to 6 weeks, and then revise it enough for beta readers in another month.  Lots of different things happen after that and the timetable varies depending on the project,  but before my current project, I’ve dependably delivered books to test readers in three months.

This one, on the the other hand, has been dragging for more six and I’m still not finished. I’m in love with the premise of it more than I can describe, but the plot sputtered out of me like a certain famous ketchup rather than pouring out in a constant flow like with the other books I’ve written. And both while drafting and now in revisions, I’ve found myself tiptoeing up to certain point and then coming to a dawdling standstill, dragging my feet like a six year old forced dress up for family portraits.

That point, the hitch in my new novel, was a plot device I thought would be Really Cool to Read.  Full of action and humor, my readers would be taken in by the awe and wonder of it, and it would be the highlight of the whole novel. Heralds would sing my praises and awards bearing my name would someday be given in honor of this sequence.

Except, um, not so much. Turns out that was as much a figment of my imagination as the time I thought I could run past my dad after bedtime so fast that he wouldn’t see me. Spoiler alert: he could totally see me.

But what I couldn’t see was that I wasn’t doing myself any favors. I needed to be like the characters I want in my MG adventures: bold, brave, and sometimes even ruthless.

Earlier this week, then, I realized what had happened. My book wasn’t working because it was infected with something that needed cutting out. I had myself a dreaded darling, and it desperately needed killing.

So Wednesday night I poured myself a large, bold dose of liquid courage (well, espresso) and took a machete the scenes that I once hoped would be so wonderful.

Afterwards, after I’d hacked them out and stitched the pieces back together, I felt like my novel was ready to run. No more stalling, no more dragging my feet. It’s ready now, rarin’ to go.

Heck, it might even be able to run so fast you can’t see it.

So, yes, Virginia, everyone has a Shiny Darling Idea sometimes. When you find yours, don’t be afraid. Seek out the bold courage that kids so often embody and do what must be done.

I promise you won’t even want to look back.

Pud’n

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!