Hook the reader!

We’re always being told to “hook” our reader at the beginning of the story. We’re constantly reminded at workshops to visualize a reading patron at a bookstore, browsing through books, reading the first page, and quickly deciding whether to buy your book OR NOT. That is absolutely true, for me, anyway. When I pick up a book, I read the first couple of paragraphs, and if they grab me, I buy the book.

Three MG and YA examples of some of my favorites: Trino’s Choice by Diane Gonzales Bertrand, fellow writer and critique partner. “Trino had to run or die. Hands clenched into fists, he ran through the hot dust that stuck to his tongue and made his eyes burn.” Becoming Naomi León by Pam Muñoz Ryan. “I always thought the biggest problem in my life was my name, Naomi Soledad León Outlaw, but little did I know that it was the least of my troubles, or that someday I would live up to it.” When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt. “Nothing ever happens in Antler, Texas. Nothing much at all. Until this afternoon, when an old blue Thunderbird pulls a trailer decorated with Christmas lights into the Dairy maid parking lot.”

I found a really good blog, The Writer Today, by writer/blogger Ana Martin that addresses ten ways you can begin your story with a great hook. The title of her article is “Beginning Hooks - Strategies to use to catch your reader's attention.” I found it truly helpful. So let's all find and work on those hooks and get started on our stories. Good luck!

“No matter how much education you’ve had, it’s best to read as many classics as possible and keep abreast of today’s popular reading, especially in the area to which you hope to contribute.”—Writing Tip: Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Point of View

What is point of view in writing? We all know POV can be in first person, second person, or third person. In http://www.dummies.com/, “Understanding Point of View in Literature” By Geraldine Woods, she writes the following: “Literature provides a lens through which readers look at the world. Point of view is the way the author allows you to ‘see’ and ‘hear’ what's going on.”



Sunset over Albuquerque



 Sometimes in the middle of writing, I find myself switching point of view, not really intending to. In my critique group, we often find these point-of-view changes when we’re reading each other’s manuscripts and find it somewhat alarming that we didn't see it ourselves before. It’s very easy to switch and be totally unaware when you’re in the middle of intense writing. As a reader, I find this switch of POV distracting and jolting. It interrupts the flow. That’s why it’s important to stick with your point of view unless, of course, you’re doing it on purpose. For an excellent article on the “Point of Point of View,” visit the blog Ingridnotes. 

"An author who is proactive in her book's marketing and promotion is much more desirable than one who waits for the publisher to make the first move." -- Writing Tip: Writer's Digest Weekly Planner

Regional writer's conference

Last weekend I attended the Austin SCBWI regional conference. In attendance were editors, agents, illustrators, and authors.  It was a thrill seeing author Carolyn Coman (Newbery Honor for What Jamie Saw) again. She was one of the faculty at a writer’s workshop I attended a while back in  Pennsylvania. And she remembered me!! Another exciting moment for me came when I was in a small group at the conference and one of the editors speaking was Michelle Poploff of Delacorte. She is the editor for the 2010 Newbery Medal book, Moon over Manifest, written by Clare Vanderpool. I had just finished reading the book the day before, which by the way, I thoroughly enjoyed. I happen to love historical fiction. Another favorite author who writes in this genre is Donna Jo Napoli.

Writer’s conferences are part of the writing process so I try to attend whenever I can. It gives me a chance to get feedback from editors and agents and catch up with the latest in the publishing world. It’s always great to see old friends and make new ones. It’s a great way to get inspired, being among peers who have the same passion for writing. Have you made plans to attend one? What are you waiting for?

I got a pleasant surprise the other day. My book, Lupita's Papalote, was the February 2011 Children's Pick at the independent bookstore, Dulce Bread & Book Shop, in Dripping Springs, Texas.

Homemade kites!

“Workshops and conferences are a great source of information and inspiration, no matter your experience level.” – Writing Tip from Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Query Letters

You’ve done your research. You’ve polished your manuscript. Now you’re ready for that query letter to be sent out to editors. Most of us struggle with those query letters. For me, they take much thought. It is not easy. How can you catch that editor or agent’s eye with a one-pager? You’re limited on your word count and are only supposed to include the essentials. Ouch! Query letters are like drafts. They need to be “revisited” and revised until you have it just right. Maybe even run it through your critique group. I do. Here is a link that will provide information on this topic, “Query me crazy,” by blogger YA author Corrine Jackson. She offers tips offered by an agent assistant. She even shows an example of a before-and-after query, which I found super helpful. So if you’re about ready to write that all-important query letter, you might want to visit her blog.



Mission Window

 A few days ago, I got a nice surprise. Criticas Connections, of LibraryJournal.com did a review of my book, The Battle of the Snow Cones, in their February blog.

"Professionalism is an attitude. For a writer, this means professional presentation of queries and manuscripts, a thorough study of the market, and the ability to deliver assigned work on time." --Writing Tip from Writer's Digest Weekly Planner

Revisions

If you have a children’s story ready to go, my suggestion is that you enter it in the Kindergarten Story Writing Contest sponsored by Children’s Writer. Visit their Website for further details. But hurry. The deadline for entries is February 28, 2011. Good luck!

Whenever I do school visits, part of my presentation is on the writing process. I stress revision, revision, revision. Revision is “revisiting” your draft, I tell students. It’s taking a look as to whether you want to change the point of view, add a section, delete a part, change the tone, change the tense, change the beginning or the end. In your messy first draft, you were just brainstorming and composing, writing text down. In revision, you’re getting to the final part before editing. It’s all a process to make your final piece the best that it can be. Chuck Sambuchino’s article, “Revisions: What Every Writer Should Know,” on the Guide to Literary Agents Editor’s Blog, also links to other blogs on the same topic.

Pinatas by the roadside

"Great stories give us metaphors which flash upon the mind the way lightning flashes upon the earth, illuminating for an instant an entire landscape." -- Paula Fox

Illustrator Perspective

If you’re thinking about writing a picture book, here are a couple of great blogs that address this topic. They are both from an illustrator’s perspective. The first one is Ingrid’s Notes, where blogger Ingrid Sundberg summarizes briefly what author/illustrator Adam Rex, of Tree Ring Circus, and many other books, shared about the picture book layout.

Another excellent blog is Et Tu Journal, where writer/illustrator Carolyn Flores shows step by step the creation of a dummy book. I found this fascinating. As I’ve mentioned before, a picture book is a collaboration between the writer and the illustrator. The more you know how an illustrator works behind the scenes and the guidelines required for a picture book, the better for you as a writer.

Now get to work on that picture book you’ve been wanting to write. Best of luck!

“Touch magic — pass it on.” – Jane Yolen

The writing life

If you’ve ever been frustrated as a writer about getting your work published, here is a message of hope from YA author Sara Zarr who was one of the keynote speakers at the 2011 SCBWI winter conference. Her inspirational speech is written in an article by Candy Gourlay on the blog Notes from the Slushpile. Zarr offers hope and encouragement for writers and the waiting game we all go through. “There is going to be a lot of waiting and you are going to have to decide what you are going to do while you are waiting. It is not about a book deal, a good review, a big advance. It is about a life,” she says. In the article by Gourlay, Zarr offers advice on how to nurture a creative life. Great article.

And, I just had to stop and take a picture of this Styrofoam-cup Valentine message on a fence on a busy local street. You can bet there is a story behind this. 



HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!