Go Teen Writers

7 Common Mistakes Teen Writers Make Part 2

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

Gina here!

Yesterday, I talked about the first three mistakes teen writers make. Today I focus on the last four. But whether you’re a teen writer or just new to writing, these are mistakes all beginners usually make. With time and practice, you can master them and make them less common in your own writing.

Telling Emotions instead of Showing

Though teen writers have a good grasp of showing the actions of a scene instead of telling like younger writers, they still have difficulty showing emotions. They often use adverbs at the end of their dialogue. For example, she said, angrily. Or he said, shyly. A better way to write the dialogue would be to use an action beat to show the emotion. Instead of she said angrily, after the dialogue you can say, She hit the desk with her fist. No one likes to be told how to feel. The same is true with the reader. If you learn to allow the reader to feel your character’s emotions instead of telling them, it will make for a richer reading experience.

No Goals

Teen writers tend to write about what they know. Which is a good place to start, but if you just write about fun people, school, annoying parents, and boys without giving your main character a goal, then your story will be boring. Every character needs to have a goal (or dream) and a greatest fear that they must face. That goal should be hinted to in the beginning of the story. But remember not to tell simply tell the reader the goal, but to show it.

Let’s take a look at the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy is a typical teenager who doesn’t like her family or authority. She wants to escape. To run away somewhere over the rainbow. That is her goal in the beginning, but it’s not her story goal! That comes later when she is in Oz and wants to get back home to Auntie Em. But that’s another post for another day about story structure. The point is, don’t just have interesting characters on the page. Have them want something…something big and then send them on their journey. Which brings me to the next common mistake.

Not Enough Conflict

Once your character starts her journey toward her goal, there has to be conflict, preferably on every page. Yes, every page. But remember conflict comes in many forms. There’s internal conflict that is inside the character and stems from opposing goals, dreams, fears, insecurities, and past mistakes. There’s relational conflict where another character causes problems (external or internal) for the main character. And there is external conflict that comes from outside the character. Conflict is anything that slows the journey of your character and makes it more difficult (yet not impossible) for them to reach the end of their journey.

Now I know you love your characters and throwing problems at them is hard, but it’s necessary for a good story. Our job as authors, whether you’re a preteen, teen or adult, is to torture our characters so they can learn their lessons. Kind of sounds like a parent-child relationship, huh!

No Story Structure

I was twenty-three and newly married when I started my first novel. I had an idea I couldn’t get out of my head, so I just started writing. How hard could writing a novel be? Four kids later in my thirties, I wrote THE END. Then I tried to sell it, and soon realized there was more to writing then just putting words on a page. There was something called story structure, and I needed to learn it to be a good writer. Needless to say, that first story never sold.

Now some of you might be thinking, oh great, story structure. {insert eye roll} A bunch of writing rules I have to follow. Instead of thinking of story structure as a bunch of rules, think of it as destination stops on the way to where you want to go. If you were taking a cross country trip, there would be certain places you’d stop. This is the basis of story structure. But HOW you get to those different places has endless possibilities. For example, you can start in New York and drive to Philadelphia. Then you can take a plane to Dallas, take a bus to Oklahoma city and maybe rent a motorcycle for the rest of your journey. Not so structured, now is it.

Whether you’re young or old, a new writer is a new writer, and we all need to learn the “rules” to great writing. The best thing about being a teen writer is you’re going to learn and master them way before most people. So go write! And help make these 7 common mistakes not so common!

I’m giving away ONE first chapter critique up to 10 pages (a $20 value!) to commenters on this post. I’m in the process of crafting an ebook for teen writers outlining the 7 mistakes and everything you need to know to structure a novel. If you would like to know when the ebook will be made available, or if you’d like to take my online story writng course, please leave your email. If you tell me you found me on Go Teen Writer you will get a 10% discount!

Stephanie speaking: Thank you so much, Gina, for being with us and for giving away such a fabulous prize! Hey, writers, you can get entered twice if you leave a comment yesterday and today. To get entered today leave a comment saying with of the 7 traits on Gina's list trip you up the most: Too much backstory, not starting in the middle of the action, head hopping/POV, telling instead of showing, no goals, not enough conflict, or no story structure.

And learn more about Gina and her books at Writer ... Interrupted!

7 Common Mistakes Teen Writers Make Part 1

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

Today Gina Conroy is here to talk about 7 Common Mistakes Teen Writers (and new writers) make. She's giving away a 10 page critique to one lucky commenter. To get entered to win, leave a comment saying what common mistake resonated most with you (or what mistake you used to make, but you now know better). If you comment today and tomorrow (Gina will be back for part two in her series) you'll be entered twice.

Gina Conroy used to think she knew where her life was headed; now she's leaning on the Lord to show her the way. She is the founder of Writer...Interrupted where she mentors busy writers and tries to keep things in perspective, knowing God's timing is perfect, even if she doesn't agree with it! ;)

Gina loves words and the power of story. As a teen writer she honed her writing through journaling and writing for her high school news paper. In college, she followed the journalism path and became news editor of her college paper. After college, she found her true love in novel writing, but still wrote for magazines and papers to pay the bills. Decades later she is represented by Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary, and her first novella, Buried Deception, in the Cherry Blossom Capers Collection, released from Barbour Publishing January 2012. Gina is a creative writing teacher and mentor to writers of all ages and loves to connect with readers. When she isn’t writing, teaching, or driving kids around, you can find her on Facebook and Twitter.

From Gina: Maybe you’re like me when I was a teen writer. I wrote my heart out, not giving any attention to the “rules” of writing. After all, I got straight A’s in my English classes and my teachers all loved my stories. And to be quite honest, I didn’t know there were any “rules” to writing a book. I figured you just started at the beginning and kept going until the end.

But it wasn’t until I finished my first novel as an adult and wanted to submit it to an editor that I realized there were a million things I didn’t know about writing a novel. So I joined a critique group and learned the “craft,” then decided it was time I helped others.

After mentoring adults, then teaching 3rd -5th graders how to craft a novel, I realized I could take what I’ve learned and teach it to teens in a way they could grasp. Using the same techniques I used as a novelist, I broke down the ideas into easy to understand language and watched my teen students soak in the information. Their ideas and imaginations were engaging, and many were already good writers, but they were making the same mistakes I made when I first started writing. It was my hope to make them great writers by teaching them what I had learned as a new writer.

One thing I learned about teaching teens and mentoring new adult writers is that a new writer is a new writer, no matter what their age. And many of the mistakes older new writers make are the same ones teen writers make. If you master the 7 common mistakes teen writers make, you’ll be well on your way to crafting the best novel you possibly can.

Too Much Backstory

Everyone falls in love with their characters and their entire history. We want everyone to know everything about them so they can fall in love with them too. But what teen writers don’t realize is that you don’t have to tell a character’s entire history or backstory for the reader to be interested in your character. In fact, the less you tell up front, the more intrigued your reader will be about your character and the motivation behind their actions.

If you have a bunch of backstory, that’s okay. In fact, writers sometimes have to get to know their characters really well before than can tell their story. If you don’t know your character’s story you can start by journaling about their life. Just let the words flow.

But once you know their story, ask yourself “What is the most important thing about my character the reader needs to know NOW to understand my character’s action?” Include that piece of information and then later look for ways to weave in your character’s history instead of explaining it all at once in narrative.

How do you do that?

You can show your character’s history through her present actions. Did something happen in her past to make her angry or cynical? Did something happen to cause her to have a bad relationship with a friend or family member? Resist the Urge to explain (RUE) why a character is acting the way she’s acting and just show it. Then as the story progresses you can drop little nuggets of information, one liners, or subtle comments through dialogue or internal thought to give the reader a HINT at her backstory. If you drop all the information about your character up front, the mystery and intrigue will be gone, and your reader will be bored and not want to turn the page.

Not Starting in the Middle of the Action

This mistake goes along with too much backstory. Teen writers often feel the need to explain or show all the actions that lead up to the important action that starts the book, but it’s much more interesting to drop the reader in during the action! If your story is about high school bullying, it’s not necessary to show the reader everything that happens before your main character gets to school. Just drop your reader into the scene where the action is starting…when the bully is getting in the face of the main character or maybe is doing the bullying herself!

Head Hopping and Wrong Use of POV

Many teen writers like to get inside of every character’s head in their story, but this can be confusing to the reader. The basic rule is to tell the story through the eyes of one character during a certain scene or chapter. The character whose eyes you see through is called the POV character and when you write action or description, you only write what that character sees and feels. Think of it like looking through a camera lens. Whatever your character sees through the lens is what you have them see. That means they can’t see when someone sneaks up behind them, BUT they may be able to hear footsteps or smell a distinct odor as the person approaches. This also applies to emotions. You can’t know what every character thinks or feels. Just the thoughts and feelings of your POV character.

The exception to this rule is when you end a scene or chapter and start a new scene or chapter, then you can choose a different POV to tell the story. But I don’t recommend this unless you’re writing a romance or thriller which needs the POV change. Staying in one POV may seem more difficult, but the challenge will make you a better writer and it will help solidify that deep POV connection with the reader.

Come back tomorrow for the rest of the 7 Common Mistakes Teen Writers Make!

I’m giving away ONE first chapter critique up to 10 pages (a $20 value!) to commenters on this post. For a second chance to win, come back for part 2 of 7 Common Mistakes Teen Writers Make. I’m in the process of crafting an ebook for teen writers outlining the 7 mistakes and everything you need to know to structure a novel. If you would like to know when the ebook will be made available, please leave your email and if you tell me you found me on this blog, you will get a 10% discount!

5 Things I Wish I Knew as a Teen Writer

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000-06:00

Today I have the privilege (drat! I never spell that word right the first time!) of guest blogging on Gina Conroy's Writer ... Interrupted.

I spoke about 5 Things I wish I knew as a teen writer. Also, I shared a picture of me in a very dorky hat. So, go for the wisdom or go to poke fun at my hat - you can't lose.

Writing Contest: Alex has somewhere to be

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

Good morning, guys!

The new writing contest opens today. Here are the details:

There is no prompt this round. I repeat - no prompt. Instead I'm giving you a set up. The set up is: A character named Alex who is trying to go somewhere.

Word limit: 100 words. Think of these words as the opening of a novel. Your goal is to draw the judges into your story and make them wish they could keep reading.

Your entries are due on Wednesday, February 8th by 11:59pm Kansas City time. You may email it to me by clicking here or at Stephanie(at)GoTeenWriters.com. Include your first/last name, and no attachments please!

I always send confirmation emails, so if it's been 48 hours and you haven't heard from me, feel free to check back.

The contest is for those age 21 and under. One entry per person please.

For more details and a sample winning entry, click here.

Your wonderful judges this round are Erica Vetsch and Sarah Holman. If you plan on entering this round, feel free to leave a comment below telling these lovely ladies thank you.

Erica Vetsch

Even though Erica Vetsch has set aside her career teaching history to high school students in order to homeschool her own children, but her love of history hasn't faded. Erica's favorite books are historical novels and history books, and one of her greatest thrills is stumbling across some obscure historical factoid that makes her imagination leap. She’s continually amazed at how God has allowed her to use her passion for history, romance, and daydreaming to craft historical romances that entertain readers and glorify Him. Whenever she’s not following flights of fancy in her fictional world, Erica is the company bookkeeper for her family’s lumber business, a mother of two terrific teens, wife to a man who is her total opposite and yet her soul mate, and an avid museum patron.

Sarah Holman
Sarah is the author of The Destiny of One and The Destiny of a Few. She is a homeschool graduate and lives in central Texas. When not pursuing her passion of writing, she can be found taking long walks, reading, sewing or spending time with her family. You can find out more about her at her blog www.destinyofone.blogspot.com

A checklist for editing your dialogue

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

The lovely Emily Rachelle asked me if I could please compile a checklist for editing dialogue. I thought that sounded like a great idea, so I did. If the following list seems helpful to you, here is the link for downloading and printing it out.

__ Are you trusting your dialogue and using action beats, or are you trying to make up for weak dialogue with lots of, “she retorted” and “he exclaimed” and she “expostulated”?

__ Are your characters strategic about what they say next, or are they just blurting things out? Did they enter this conversation with a plan?

__ When your characters receive tough news or bad breaks, are they processing the situation and experiencing grief in a realistic way?

__ Have you fallen into a “Q&A” pattern anywhere? Where one character is doing nothing but asking questions and the other character is doing nothing but answering them.

__ Do your characters use different words for the same thing, or are their phrasings too similar? (Grocery store can also be the market, purses can also be handbags)

__ Are you letting character/story information come out naturally, or are you trying to explain too much with your dialogue? (“Gee, Bob, I’m so glad it’s our anniversary today and that we’ve been married for 7 years and have 2 beautiful children!”)

__ Does every character behave and interact as though they believe they are the main character?

__ Are you using contractions?

__ Is your dialogue age-appropriate? Or are your toddlers elegant and your grannies saying words like “peeps.” (*Shudder.* Don’t know why, but I hate that phrase.)

__ Do you have too many “group” conversations? (Conversations with 4 or more.)

__ Is “small talk” bogging down your story? (Hi, how are you? Good, how are you? Good. Nice day we’re having. Sure is. And so on.)

__ Do you have a good balance of internal thoughts and dialogue? Does the reader get a sense of not only what the point-of-view character is saying, but why they are saying it and what they feel about the conversation in general?

__ Have you considered conversations from the perspective of all the characters involved, not just the point-of-view character?

Anyone notice something that should be on the list? Leave a comment below, and I'll get it added.

Have a great weekend! Be back here on Monday for the new 100-word writing contest!

Winning Entries from "By the time he arrived..."

2012-01-26T12:57:00.000-06:00

Here are the winners from the first writing prompt contest of the year:

First Place

Gillian Adams

Jenna Blake Morris

Second Place

Rebecca Pennefather

Jyllenna Wilke

Third Place

Jordan Newhouse

Georgina Caballero

Honorable Mentions

Abigail Hartman

Richard Barrett II

Madison Cherie

One of the changes that's been made this year is that there are points for honorable mentions. First place gets 3 points, second place 2 points, third place 1 point, and honorable mentions .5 points. I keep track of everyone's points throughout the year so we can do all kinds of fun giveaways at the end of the year. So you certainly don't have to enter every time, but you can end up with some cool stuff if you're consistent about it.

For your reading pleasure, here are some of the winning entries. (Posted with permission.)

By Gillian Adams (1st)

By the time Dirk arrived, he knew he was too late.
The keening wail of mourners assailed his ears. His horse danced a nervous jig, hooves clattering on cobblestone.
He should turn back.
Tugging his hood down, he pressed on, fingers straying to the rapier at his side. The spiked palace gate loomed ahead, soldiers on either side, crossed halberds barring the way.
Dirk flicked his hood aside. “Let me pass.” The soldiers shifted nervously, but did not move.
“Brother.” A man stepped from the shadows. “We’ve been expecting you.”
Dirk’s rapier leapt in his hand. “Roderick.”
“Father’s dead. But you’ll see him. Soon.” Roderick motioned the soldiers forward. “Arrest him.”

The judge says: Well done! Nice peppering of sensory information with the setting’s description. There’s just enough intrigue to keep my attention, but not confuse me. It’s easy to read and fun to imagine what would happen next. Excellent!

By Jenna Blake Morris (1st)

By the time I arrived, I knew it was too late.
Of course, when you're being frog-marched around by brainwashed goonies, you don't call the shots.
But Cord was already dead on the table. My head started spinning.
"Reese!" Faust said warmly, like we were old friends and he wasn't going to kill me. Then he launched into this spiel about his master plan. When he pulled out his evil-genius homemade charts, I quit paying attention, finally let myself look at Cord. And regretted it. If he weren't so still, he'd seem...alive.
"Reese?" Faust said.
I hesitated.
Then Cord opened an eye, winked at me. Alive.
The plan was back on.

The judge says: The style is so energetic and full of life. Even though this wouldn’t be my normal genre, I’m completely engaged. Love it.

By Jyllenna Wilke (2nd)

By the time I arrived, I knew it was too late to calm my mother. Only the arms of two men kept her from attacking everyone in the hospital room. I slowly approached her, all the while watching her writhe and twist her ghostly body.
“The dementia will only continue to worsen until...” The nurse swallowed hard and looked away.
“They’re coming back to finish killing me!” My mom’s eyes bulged out and she gave another violent effort to get free.
“Mama, no one is going to hurt—ˮ I felt the vomit start to climb into my throat as I stared at the bloody gash stretched across her neck.

The judge says: Original take on the prompt. Caught my interest. I really feel like I’m in the scene.

By Jordan Newhouse (3rd)

By the time he arrived, he knew he was too late. No doctors, no nurses, just his baby girl lying in a hospital bed. She was only 15 years old - too young for this.
"Daddy?"
He went over and took her hand.
"I'm sorry." Her desperate grip said more than her tremulous words. "I miss my baby."
He tried to think of comforting words, but his mouth was parched and his head throbbing. Watching her belly grow for months hurt bad, but he hadn't imagined the hurt he was feeling now.
"I didn't see her, but I heard her crying."
"You did the right thing."
"No, I want my baby back."

The judge says: What a unique way to use this prompt. It pulls on the emotions with a depth that makes the reader want to read on. Nice!

By Abigail Hartman (Honorable Mention)

"By the time I arrived, I knew I was too late."

The speaker, finished with his recitation, spread his hands palm-up before him. The telling was over; now came the waiting, waiting in the cold, violent light that filled the place like water.

Then out of the glare leaned a silhouetted face. "So the child lives."

No answer was needed. The face rose and a body appeared starkly beneath it as the voice continued, "You were tardy. Very well! let it live; it is, after all, only a girl-child. But a child such as she..." The figure turned, sending ripples through the light. "You will have to be more careful, Puck."

The judge says: Great descriptions. Especially like “violent light that filled the place like water.” I want to keep reading.

By Richard Barrett II (Honorable Mention)

By the time he arrived, he knew he was too late.

He sat down and leaned on the table, his breathing low and short as he placed two fingers to his temple. “All right,” he said. He took a deep breathe to regain his composure.

His breathing slowly steadied as he reached for the tumbler, and sipped the lemonade.

“They’ve taken it,” he said, staring off into space.

“Sir…How…shall we proceed?” asked the sergeant.

He breathed methodically in thought. They could not have it.

“Well,” he said, his mind still running the possibilities. He turned his gaze toward the sergeant, his blue eyes flickering steadily. “We’re going to blow it. We’re going to blow the most destructive weapon—ever known to mankind.”

The judge says: Unique hook. Nice creativity with good suspense build-up. You can feel the stress, the tension. Nice job!

Congratulations, everyone!

An exercise for richer dialogue

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

One last dialogue exercise for you guys today. This is an exercise I found in James Scott Bell's Revision and Self-Editing, though he credits Jack Bickham (Writing Novels That Sell) for creating it. It's possible I've mentioned it on here before because my bookmark was still on this page. But if I have, it was awhile ago, and I couldn't find the post.

In my head, I always call this "the PAC exercise." The idea is that in any interaction between people, we tend to pick a role and speak and act consistent with that role. These are the three choices:

Parent: They are the seat of authority, the one with the power. As James Scott Bell puts it, the parent, "lays down the law. What he says goes. End of issue."

Adult: This is the most "objective" role. The rational and even-tempered one who can see things as they are.

Child: This person is not rational in the way they think. They tend to be selfish and want what they want, when they want it.

So, a conversation between two "Adults" is not going to be as conflict-ridden as a conversation between a "Parent" and a "Child." Or between two "Children." Or two "Parents." Ever been around two people who like to (and are used to) being the ones in charge, who are used to having the final say? Tension can mount quickly!

When you're thinking about your characters (or filling out character charts if you do that), consider what role they tend to take on when interacting with others.

Of course, most people would say they're "adults" because we all assume our way of thinking and doing things makes the most sense. It's also possible for characters to toward different roles depending on who they're with. Like because I spend so much time being a real-life parent to my real-life children, sometimes when my husband gets home, I tend to be a "parent" in our conversations as well. And I'm completely ignorant of it until he points it out to me.

The great thing about this exercise is that it can help you deepen your characters because you learn more about their inner workings. If they tend to be a "child," then what situations can push them into more of a "parent" role? Of if they're pretty level-headed, what makes their "parent" or "child" come out?

You can have a lot of fun with this one!

Jill Williamson is here with a giveaway!

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-06:00

I'm super excited to have Jill Williamson on the blog today! Jill and I had a chance to spend some QT with each other back in November when we locked ourselves in a stuffy conference room all day and took fast and furious notes about all kinds of things relating to the business of writing.

Here we are on the airport shuttle, a little delirious from the day.

Jill is a way fun person. If you someday choose to lock yourself in a stuffy conference room all day, I recommend you sit beside Jill.

And not only is Jill fun to hang out with, she's also a dang good writer. The powers-that-be for the Christy Awards agree with me, because they've given her two in the last two years. (Three years, maybe? Regardless - she's got a couple of 'em.)

Jill's latest book, Replication, just hit shelves and today's your lucky day because she's going to give away a copy to one lucky commenter on Go Teen Writers. (Due to the realities of international shipping prices, the giveaway is limited to US Residents. Conversation with Jill, however, is not.)

Jill, I love the concept for Replication. Can you tell us a bit about how you got the idea?

I was riding in a car through upstate New York with my sister. We were going to pick apples. We passed endless amounts of ranches, orchards, and farms. It got me thinking. What if there was a farm where they grew people? Clones. It could be called Jason Farms. And that’s where the idea for the story came from. I wanted to explore how the world might treat cloned humans. Would they have the same rights as the rest of us? And what would their existence say about a creator God?

Intriguing. I love how that happens sometimes. You're driving along, and then bam.

What's your writing environment like? Do you have an office? Are there inspiring quotes or pictures up on the walls? Do you have music playing?

I sometimes write on my laptop, but mostly I’m at the computer. It’s in what we call the “computer room” in our house, which is an open room between my bedroom and the kitchen. The computer sits on a 4’ X 6’ desk, which is covered with piles of my stuff. I have these To Do piles that I never usually get to doing. Anyway, I tend to have the current project’s folder in the pile nearest the computer, or sitting on top of the other pile, spread out all over the place. I also have a “come and meet the author” fancy sign I made for booksignings that I cover with pictures of my characters. That stands to my right so I can look my characters in the face.

There are some nice posters on the walls. I have a framed map of Middle Earth, and Brad has a sweet picture of several starship Enterprises and the new Tron poster. My writing files and shelves are in this room, holding file folders with all my other ideas.

I do NOT have music playing. I can’t concentrate with music playing. If I hear any music, my brain is overcome with wanting to sing and I can’t create. I know some writers love music while they write, but it’s never worked for me.

Me too! It has to be instrumental, or my brain is preoccupied with singing along.

What's a piece of advice that really took your writing to the next level? (For example, something really clicked for me when I realized my character needed to have a goal.)

For me, things really started to get easier when I stopped taking everything so seriously. I used to edit the life out of my writing, trying to get every writing rule perfect. But then I’d read books by multi-published authors who were breaking all the rules I was trying so hard to keep. It was SO confusing!

So I stopped. I decided to write the book, then edit it until I felt it was ready, then move on to the next book. Doing that boosted my confidence enough that I stopped freezing and fretting over whether I was good enough and trusted that I knew what I was doing. For writers, it’s often really difficult to trust yourself, but we all have to get to that point if we are going to turn writing into a career.

What a great insight, Jill. Making a career out of any kind of art form can be tricky for that reason. It's so hard to know when it's ready.

If you could only pick one book to read for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Pride and Prejudice. The dialogue is so good, I could read it again and again and again and…

I know I'm not alone when I say this - that's a book I could reread every year. That's probably my desert island book as well.

Speaking of reading, one of the things I admire about you is you read a variety of genres. What's the best book you've read recently?

The Jerk Magnet! I read it last week. It’s Christian teen fiction by Melody Carlson, but truly, I loved it. And really, I suppose that the premise is a bit out there. Not every girl has the financial ability to get that kind of a makeover, but I just really loved what Melody did with the story. It was very well done.

Thanks, Jill for being with us!

To get entered to win a copy of Replication, you may either leave a question for Jill or tell us what genres you like to read best. Or are you like Jill, where you simply like good books regardless of where they're shelved?

More Tips for Improving Your Dialogue

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

Back in 2009, I had the privilege (I never spell that word right the first time - anyone else struggle with that one?) of attending one of Donald Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel seminars. It was a-mazing. I sat next to Erica Vetsch and we both scribbled fast and furious all day long.

I have a couple of Mr. Maass's craft books, and a lot of the exercises we did that day were from his workbook, but there was something different about taking the class. Something about sitting in a room with 300 other writers, my head full of my manuscript, and Mr. Maass challenging the heck out of me from the stage. If I could take that class every time I started a new project, I totally would.

One of the things he did with us that day was having us find a conversation in our manuscript that we felt needed improvement. He then had us rewrite the same conversation using several different styles. First he said to us, "Rewrite the conversation using all insults. Start now. Go."

I just stared at my page. Insults? I was thinking. Chase wouldn't be insulting Gabby right now...

But even as I thought it, I realized that Chase did have a little anger bubbling inside him. As did Gabby. This is what I jotted down:

C: Why are you acting like this? Why do you insist on ignoring what's really going on?
G: Because - nothing is going on. This isn't going to happen, Chase. Not now. Not ever.
C: Why are you afraid of this? Because of where I live? Because of Frances and Marco?

After a few minutes of letting us write, Mr. Maass made another suggestion: Write the dialogue they'd like to be saying. His example was when you're at a restaurant and your food finally comes. The waitress says to you, "So sorry about the wait," and you say, "It's fine." But that's not what you want to say, is it? And that's likely not even what she wants to be saying.

The next time we rewrote the same conversation with a "Rat-a-tat" style. Short sentences, small words. Like:

C: What's with you?
G: Nothing.
C: You look weird.
G: Uh, thanks...
C: I meant strange.
G: That's not better.

The last exercise he had us do was to write the same conversation, but with just one person speaking, with the other not responding.

After the conference, when I tackled that conversation with Chase and Gabby, I ended up kinda combining the different styles, and I was really pleased with the results. The exercise pushed me deeper into my characters thoughts and emotions, and it also pushed me out of my same-ol', same-ol' dialogue routine.

Question for you guys: How often do you pull conversations from real life and put them in your manuscript? Do you have people in your life who provide you with more "gems" than others? (Whether they intend to or not!)

News Day and the Top 20

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

Super proud of two lovely ladies from the Go Teen Writers community. First:

Walks Alone by Sandi Rog is available digitally, or you can preorder a print copy. Jordan Newhouse made the dress that "Anna" wears on the cover! How cool is that??? You can find more pictures of the dress here on Jordan's blog.

Also, yesterday Rachel Coker began guest blogging on Go Teen Writers. I saw on her blog that Interrupted was reviewed by Publisher's Weekly which is a huge deal. Especially because their review was so positive. Way to go, Rachel! You can find more details on Rachel's blog.

And the following 20 people have big news. They finalled in the Go Teen Writers 100-word contest. (Listed in alpha order.)

Abigail Hartman

Alana Carter

Becki Badger

Clare Kolenda

Georgina Caballero

Gillian Adams

Jenna Blake Morris

Jessi Roberts

Jordan Newhouse

Jyllenna Wilke

Katie McCurdy

Kayla Anne CP

Laura Auchinleck

Madison Cherie

Mary-Jo Shaw

Micah Eaton

Rachelle Rea

Rebecca Pennefather

Rebekah Hart

Richard Barrett II

Congratulations, guys! There were 74 entries to this contest, which is by far the most we've ever had. Winners will be announced next week, and if your name isn't on that list, you'll be receiving your feedback sometime in the next couple days.

Have a great weekend!

Rachel Coker on How She Got Published at 15

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hi, everyone! Rachel Coker here. I’ll have to admit that when Stephanie first invited me to write as a guest-blogger for Go Teen Writers I was a little overwhelmed. But then, as I looked over past posts and read all of your comments encouraging each other and offering advice and support, I had a miraculous change of heart. This is exactly the type of community that I wish I’d been a part of when I first started out writing.

Every time I think about all the teens out there, all over the country and across the globe, who are as passionate about writing as I am, it gives me hope. Hope that the market will open up and be more willing to receive books by average teenage kids with amazing talent and passion.

If you had asked me six years ago what my life would have looked like at sixteen, I’m one hundred percent sure I would have had no clue. I thought my days would be filled with school and rushing around to get to my day job. I always figured I’d be scrimping and saving for college, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do with my life. I never thought I’d be a writer. I never imagined I’d have a book published before I even finished eleventh grade. But God had different plans in store for my teenage years.

My life changed course in the summer of 2010. I hadn’t been writing fiction for very long—maybe two or three years at the most—but I’d just finished working on a book. A novel. At fourteen, I felt like it was something of an accomplishment. Of course, that was back when I thought I was all alone in the world as an aspiring author. I was self-conscious, unsure, insecure, and all the other things that normal fourteen year olds are when they evaluate their own abilities. I never spoke a word of my writing to anyone outside of my family. No one knew about my book, no one even knew that I wrote! It was something I kept to myself, nervous of the reactions I would get if people found out.

So how did my life turn upside down, in spite of my fears and reservations? Well, one afternoon, I decided to see if I could get published. Yeah, it was pretty much that unexciting. I asked my mom if I could send a query letter to a couple agents, and she said yes. So I Googled “Christian literary agents” and came up with a short list. Then, after a few prayers, I sent out emails to about a dozen agents. Long story short, one of them decided to work with me and my parents quickly realized that this was serious and they had to read this book I’d written.

By Christmas, my then fifteen-year-old self had a contract with Zondervan for my first YA novel, Interrupted: A Life Beyond Words.

That was a little over a year ago. And since then, my world hasn’t been the same. In the middle of all the marketing and interviews (including one on this very blog with Stephanie!), I realized something. The very best thing that has happened to me through all of this is that God has let me interact with so many teenagers from all over the country who share the same hopes as me. Teens who just want to write, and be heard. They have something to say, and their only desire is for God to give them a chance to say it. Just like me.

I don’t know how much I have to say about writing, or life, but I guess I’ll find out over the next few months! I’m just a sixteen-year-old girl who struggled her way through geometry and is still trying to pass her driver’s license test (it’ll happen soon, I tell you!), but I still like to believe that there are some teens out there interested in my story. Who will be encouraged to find out that unlikely things can happen, and that a teenager can publish a book. Who will find comfort in the knowledge that God can use our talents no matter how old we are.

Stephanie and I agreed that I would guest post on Go Teen Writers once a month. I’ll talk about writing and the publishing process, as well as offering any personal stories or advice that other teens can learn from. If you want to hear from me on a more regular basis, you can check out my personal blog. [Caution: I sometimes ooze sarcasm and talk about pie way too much]

I do accept all kinds of questions from readers and try to give answers pretty regularly. Also, if you want to know more about this elusive novel of mine, pre-order it here and get your copy by March!Thanks again for having me, and hopefully this will be the first of many posts here!-Rachel

Melanie Dickerson is here with a giveaway!

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

I am beyond thrilled to have Melanie Dickerson with us today! Melanie Dickerson is the author of The Healer’s Apprentice, a Christy Award finalist and winner of The National Reader’s Choice Award for Best First Book. Melanie earned a bachelor’s degree in special education from The University of Alabama and is a former teacher and a missionary. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Huntsville, Alabama.

Melanie is giving away a copy of The Merchant's Daughter to one lucky Go Teen Writers' reader. Details for getting entered will be at the bottom of the post. Kinda like how supermarkets put milk all the way in the back...

Melanie, as a historical writer, what is it that draws you to the medieval time period?

I love the medieval time period, and I always have. I grew up reading about King Arthur and Ivanhoe and Robin Hood. Those stories are so thrilling and romantic to me. And that period is so colorful and fun and has such potential for plot twists and intrigues. That time period has always fired my imagination.

I cannot resist asking this. When you write romantic scenes between your characters, is it ever in the back of your mind that these people have never brushed their teeth?

Oh my gosh, Stephanie! That is a hilarious question! LOL Well, I do think about that sometimes, but not when I’m writing the romantic scenes! Actually, there were etiquette books that have been found from medieval times that explain how people should clean their teeth. They actually did have toothbrushes of sorts, tooth powder to use with the brushes, and certain types of wood were whittled down to use for teeth cleaning that were supposed to give you sweet breath if you chewed on them. I have found that a lot of what people think they know about medieval times is actually not true at all. It makes for fascinating study. For instance, bathing was a social activity, and medieval people probably bathed fairly often. They had Roman bath houses to bathe in, and even had more than one type of bath tub for use at home. So yeah, they weren’t as stinky and dirty as you think!

That's good to know! I'll read my next medieval book through a new (and cleaner!) lens. I loved The Merchant's Daughter. It was so fun, and I really love how the fairy tale aspect (Beauty and the Beast) is there ... but it doesn't take over the story. The story still feels original. I know you have a couple other fairytale-inspired stories in the works; what comes first for you - the original fairytale, or your storyline?

Hm, that’s a hard one, Stephanie! I start out with a fairy tale, usually, and then start thinking, What if? The story takes off from there and deviates quite a bit from the original fairy tale. I usually have to make myself come back, as I’m plotting, to the fairy tale to keep the story from deviating completely. And the characters and the story just evolve together. I don’t know how else to explain it. The characters and the story have to fit and complement each other. Ranulf was himself, and yet his character came out of the fact that he was “beastly.” I’m probably not explaining this very well! Honestly, it’s always hard for me to remember which aspects of a story I thought of first, and how it all came together and came into being. And by the time I’m halfway into writing my story, my characters and their story are so real to me, it’s more like I’m dictating their story as they tell it to me. I’m sure you know what I mean!

So ... what happens when you run out of Disney movies?

Well, I’m thinking about branching out for my next book and using a lesser known fairy tale. I’m not stuck on Disney ones!

I know you received at least one angry review from someone who felt like the Christian message didn't appear in The Healer's Apprentice until the end, that you surprised readers with it. No one could ever say that about The Merchant's Daughter! The Christian message is so strong (yet organic) in this book ... was that just because of different story/different needs, or did the reader feedback impact you?

No, the reader feedback did not impact this story at all, because this story was already written before The Healer’s Apprentice was even published! I am not hiding the fact that my stories are published by a Christian publisher, and they are Christian because I’m a Christian. I set out to write the most entertaining and meaningful, thought-provoking stories I possibly can, and the Christian message is there because it’s there.

Well put! What is something you did that you feel made the difference in your journey from unpubbed to pubbed? Writers conference? A particular piece of writing advice? Sitting on the airport shuttle with me in Denver?

Hard work and prayer. And riding in the airport shuttle with you, Stephanie, of course!!! (I WAS happy to meet you!) God is good. And I worked hard. There was no one thing that I did that made it happen. I tried for three years to get The Healer’s Apprentice published, and in those three years I wrote two more books, the first being The Merchant’s Daughter. If I had to say one thing, I’d say it was because I didn’t give up, I tried to listen to God’s direction, and I chose to believe it was going to happen, some time, some way.

"God is good. And I worked hard." Amen to that! When did you start writing? And if you stumbled upon some kind of time transport system and could send your newbie-writer self an email with 3 tips, what would they be?

First of all, I would tell my 19-yr-old self not to quit writing and reading fiction! I wanted to be a writer in high school, but having the fatalistic mindset that I had at the time, I decided if I couldn’t be a successful, published writer right away, I would give it up entirely. I didn’t start writing again for almost 15 years. And as for the tips, I think I found those pretty much right away when I started writing again, by some blessed-by-God chance. The most important things are ... Don’t give up. Persevere. Pray hard. And listen to God’s direction. God is faithful.

Isn't Melanie great? I just love her.

And you want to get yourself signed up to win The Merchant's Daughter because it's a wonderful read. To get entered to win, leave a comment either asking Melanie a question or answering what is your favorite part of the writing process? The first draft? (Shudder.) World building? Brainstorming?

(Due to the realities of international shipping fees, this giveaway is for US residents only, though all are welcome to converse with Melanie. This contest ends Monday, January 23rd.)

Tips for Improving Your Dialogue

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

A writer asked me about writing exercises you can do to improve your dialogue. Really, the best exercises for learning to write better dialogue are:

1. Write more stories.
2. Read more great books with great dialogue.
3. Watch more movies and TV shows with great dialogue.

A myth I often hear about dialogue is that it should sound like real life. No, it shouldn't. Great dialogue sounds like the way we wish we all talked. The way we would talk if we could edit real life. Expose yourself to great movies and great books, keep plugging away at your own manuscripts, and dialogue will start to work better.

But sometimes even after you become an agented, published, well-received author, there can be conversations in your book that just aren't working. They're flat, predictable, trite, whatever. I hit a wall like this while writing Out with the In Crowd.

I was on my first draft and Skylar, my main character, had just had a wonderful show down with her former best friend, Jodi. Because that plot line had really heated up, I knew it was time to hit her from another angle - to bring back the mother who had left back in chapter 3.

I got to my computer that morning, rubbed my hands together, and poised my fingers over the keyboard.

And then...

Nothing.

I mean, nothing good. It was all what you would expect - What are you doing here, Mom? I came back for Abbie. You want to go with her? Yada, yada, yada.

When I finished writing the conversation, I knew it was flat. That despite all the emotions that should be going on in the family's conversation, they weren't there on the page.

I re-read my work, and then found one little blip of dialogue that intrigued me:

Abbie's chair grated across the tile as she stood. "Do you know what it's like to be plain and boring while your sister's some exotic beauty?"

It intrigued me because until then I had always been seeing Abbie through Skylar's eyes - the long copper hair, the cinnamon eyes. But I had never before thought about how Abbie felt about Skylar's unique beauty.

And if I haven't thought about that, what else have I not considered from Abbie's perspective?

I prefer to write in first person and from only one point of view character, but I rewrote the conversation from Abbie's point of view, just as an experiment. And then from the mom's. When I did that, I was able to tap into the other emotions going on in the scene. Previously all I'd been able to capture was Skylar's shock. But Abbie and their mom had been planning, manipulating, waiting. Much more interesting.

Then I took what I learned, and I rewrote the scene from Skylar's point of view. It worked much better that time, and I'm proud of the finished product. It would be madness to attempt this exercise for every conversation. But for those high-emotion, high-impact scenes, it's worth the effort.

If you own a copy of Out with the In Crowd and want to read the scene in its entirety, it starts on page 135. If you don't own a copy of Out with the In Crowd, but you would like to, leave a comment below, and I'll get you entered to win a copy. And be sure either check back for the winner or leave an email address so I can get a hold of you. (Due to the realities of international shipping fees, this giveaway is limited to US Residents only.)

Speaking of giveaways, Melanie Dickerson will be here tomorrow - yay! - giving away a copy of The Merchant's Daughter.

Also, if you have anything you'd like included in this week's news day - finishing a first draft, getting an article published, committing to a writing schedule - send me an email at Stephanie(at)GoTeenWriters.com, and I'll get you on the schedule.

What book or movie or TV show do you think is an example of great dialogue?

Question for you: Are you sticking it to the man?

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

I had the kind of weekend where I felt like I was merely surviving. Just keeping my head above water, doing what absolutely had to get done before I fell into bed at night. For those of you who have entered the Go Teen Writers 100-word contest, this means I'm way behind on confirmation emails. Hopefully I'll be catching up throughout the day. Thank you for your patience on that.

Today I have a question for you - is "the man" in your manuscript?

It occurred to me that these four very popular YA titles have and a common element of battling "the man." (Is stick it to the man an American phrase? Just in case it is, "the man" refers to the head honcho. Usually it applies to the government, but it can also apply to powers on a corporate level. Like your boss would be considered "the man.")

In the Twilight saga, Bella must battle the Volturi - the monarchy within the vampire community.

In Matched, Cassia is resisting the overbearing government as it interferes with her grandfather's life, her mother's job, and even her love life.

In The River of Time Trilogy by Lisa T. Bergren, "the man" element is slightly different since Marcello, the hero of the novel, could technically be considered the man. But Gabi and Marcello consistently fight the opposing government.

And "the man" element is most prominent in The Hunger Games trilogy where Katniss is practically sent to her death in the beginning of the first book for the entertainment of the capital city. (I saw the movie trailer last time I was at the theater and I got all teary. Very excited for March!)

These are books that have made a splash, made an impression with readers. All have love triangles (though they're more prominently featured in the first two listed) and they all have an authority figure who the main character must battle. Readers like rooting for a character who can see beyond his/her problems and fight for something bigger. In your novel, is your main character fighting for something bigger than his or herself?

Building a Platform before You Have Anything to Say

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

You may be saying to yourself, "Hey, where is the promised post on dialogue exercises?"

It's still waiting to be written, and it's all my husband's fault. Okay, so that's not entirely fair, but him having surgery yesterday morning did eat up a lot more of my time that I anticipated. (That sentence just made me laugh out loud. Hello, Stephanie. Husband having surgery + 2 little kids will likely not leave much time for blogging. Not sure why I didn't see that coming.)

So, the short of it is that dialogue exercises will have to happen next week. But I do have time to do some copying and pasting!

Some of you might have seen this on Seekerville back in the fall. This is written by Gina Holmes, the award winning author of Crossing Oceans and the founder of Novel Rocket (which, oddly, was mentioned on here yesterday because they just opened their Launch Pad contest for unpublished writers.)

Many of you have asked me about if you should have a blog now when you're not published, or what kind of things you should be doing to market yourself. I will be perfectly frank with you and say this is something I wasn't at all smart about. But Gina Holmes was, and she has some great tips to share, which is why I asked her permission to repost her words on Go Teen Writers:

When you’re constantly receiving rejection letters from publishers or agents, the last thing you’re probably thinking about is publicizing a novel you can’t even seem to sell.

Before I continue, let me stop a moment and give this very loud and clear disclosure: nothing, nothing, NOTHING, matters more than writing a killer book. Spend 99 percent of your writing time perfecting your craft and fashioning a story that will change the lives of those who read it, or at least entertain the heck out of them.

But with the other one percent of your time, even if you’re just starting out, start building yourself a PR folder. You’ll thank yourself later.

My debut novel, Crossing Oceans, released May 2010 with Tyndale House Publishers. Though it was the first to earn a publishing contract, it was actually the fifth novel I’ve written. I started my marketing folder back on book two because I was sure it would be published. Although book two still collects dust, as does three and four, I’m lucky to have gotten that head start.

The thing with publicity is if you wait until your book is releasing or even about to release, you’re almost too late.

Once you sell your first novel, you often are under contract for a second, and possibly third. I was contracted for a second novel which was due the end of the month my first novel released.

I had more than a year to write this novel, so I didn’t stress. Until that deadline snuck up on me and I wasn't even close to being finished. What happened? Well, I had some personal things that set my writing back. I got married to an amazing man who distracts me just by walking by. Major life changes, no matter how good have a way of slowing the literary flow—for me at least.

After what seemed like a ridiculous amount of time, I finally turned my sample chapters in for approval… they weren’t approved. The story I'd planned and plotted was too different in tone from the first. I was asked, for my own career good, to hold off on this one and try something else. Both my agent and publisher were in agreement, and after a little consideration, so was I.

I found myself with just a few months to publicize my all important, debut novel, and write my all important sophomore novel.

I also had children, a day job and Novel Rocket to tend to. Guess what? I was certainly stressed, but not as stressed as I would have been had I not started preparing for that moment years in advance. I’d like to share some of what has helped me.

What can you do now to get ahead of the eight ball?

1. Buy your website URL and begin to build it. You can go very expensive and pay thousands for a professional site, or you could start small and do something like godaddy, where you build your own site. I took a third route and hired someone to make me a template and then set it up like a blog, so that I could tweak and update it easily.

2. Get professional headshots. I hired a friend whose work I admired but who is still considered an amateur. For fifty dollars and my husband agreeing to baby-sit for an afternoon, I got a few really great and professional looking pictures. Don’t let anyone convince you that a good headshot is a waste of money for a novelist. On Novel Journey we post lots of author photos, many of which look like candid shots that other people are cut out of. Remember how important perception is. I look at a substandard picture and I subconsciously think this author is no perfectionist, and am less likely to want to read their work. Spend the money and get a good promo picture of yourself.

3. Keep a file filled with the names of magazines you come across that fit your writing. For example, if you write Victorian era historicals, Victorian magazines might later be interested in an article written by you. Jot down the names of them and any other publications you come across that might be a fit. This will save you a lot of research time later on.

4. Keep a folder of book reviewers you’ve come across that seem to enjoy the type of stories you write. I send myself emails with the reviewer’s name, books they’ve reviewed and liked, their email address and, if I know them, how I know them. While it’s true that they might not still be reviewing when your book finally releases, it won’t hurt to try.

5. Start reading marketing/publicity books now and take notes. My personal favorite is the simply titled Publicize Your Book. If you can only afford one book on marketing/publicity, I highly recommend you make it that one.

6. Read The Tipping Point. It will explain some very important concepts on what makes things popular. It’s an easy and surprisingly entertaining read.

7. Read How to Make Friends and Influence People. The book has been around forever for good reason.

8. Keep a list of natural influencers. You’ll call upon these folks later for help in getting the word out about your book.

9. Help anyone you can. For one, it’s just the right thing to do, for two, what goes around comes around.

10. Start building your platform now. Write articles, create a blog with excellent and frequently updated content, volunteer to teach classes on what you’re an expert in, or for whatever committees in ACFW, or other writing organizations you belong. People are much more likely to be interested in your book if they feel like they know you and you’ve shown interest in them.

In conclusion, Crossing Oceans, my debut novel went on to hit CBA, ECPA and PW's bestseller's lists. Did my platform and diligent efforts pay off? I tried to do everything right—to write an excellent story, to build a platform, network, help others, and everything humanly possible to publicize my book.

Was that what made the difference?

That’s the kicker, maybe yes, maybe no. The thing with publicity is that no one really knows what works. All we can do is write the best book we’re capable of, not let any chance pass that will help get the word out about it, and say our prayers.

With my sophomore novel, Dry as Rain in stores now, I get to ride the up and downs with as much wonder as the first go around. It's still every bit a mystery as it always was, but I'm doing what I can once again to help my book's chances of finding readers. . . and not letting book three's deadline catch me off guard this time.

Gina Holmes is the author of the award-winning novel, Crossing Oceans and newly released Dry as Rain. She founded Novel Rocket (formerly Novel Journey) in 2005 where she continues to wreak havoc to this day. She and her sexy husband and fabulously good-looking and brilliant children make their home in Southern Virginia. You can learn more about this modest writer at

her web page www.ginaholmes.com or Novel Rocket.

Contest Announcement and News Day

2012-01-12T06:30:00.000-06:00

I'm currently sitting in the lobby of a surgery center waiting for my husband's procedure to get underway. It's minor, routine surgery that will help him breathe through his nose better ... but it still means very sharp objects near his eyes and brain. Both of which I happen to like. So I'm a wee bit nervous...

Let's focus on happy stuff. Like:

Emily Rachelle: I finally worked through a very sticky, somewhat boring, and slightly info-dump scene in my WIP. This particular scene put the whole project on hold for a couple of weeks. It's not anywhere near good enough for the book, but of course, that's not the point of first drafts ;) On another note, I then got to write one of my fave scenes in the same WIP! A very sweet reward for getting through the sticky parts, if you ask me.

Indeed! Congratulations on pushing through that tough part.

Don't forget your writing prompt entries are due next Wednesday. And if you missed it yesterday, Betsy St. Amant was here giving us a peek at her writing process and giving away a copy of her latest release, Addison Blakely: Confessions of a PK. There's still time to get entered for that.

Also, I saw on Tuesday that Novel Rocket has opened their contest for unpublished writers. Novel Rocket (once Novel Journey) has been featured three times in Writers Digest's Top 101 Websites for writers and are a really great source for published and unpublished writers alike. There is an entry fee, $35, but every writer who enters receives a professional critique of their chapters so it's a good investment. If you're at the place where you're starting to wonder, "How does my writing compare to others who also want to be published?" a contest like this is a great place to start. You can find more details on their site.

Betsy St. Amant is here with a giveaway!

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-06:00

This is Betsy St. Amant:

She's not only gorgeous, she's sweet and thoughtful too. Betsy and I have "known of" each other for a few years now, but we've only become friends in the last year. Love that girl.

This is Betsy's latest release:

And she wants to give away a copy to one of you, so you should be doing this:

Addision Blakely: Confessions of a PK is about sixteen-year-old Addison Blakely, who has tirelessly played the role of PK—preacher’s kid—her entire life. But after Wes Keegan revs his motorcycle into town and into her heart, Addison begins to wonder how much of her faith is her own and how much has been handed to her. She isn’t so sure she wants to be the good girl anymore. Join Addison Blakely as she attempts to separate love from lust, facts from faith, and keep her head above water in her murky, fishbowl existence.

Betsy is in the throes of book promotions right now, but still managed the time for an interview here on Go Teen Writers. Thanks, Betsy!

What inspired you to write Addison Blakely: Confessions of a PK?

The way this story came about still makes me chuckle at how God sometimes chooses to work. I started writing Addison's story as a secret novel, a vent book of sorts where I could write whatever I wanted, with no regards to rules, or content, or boundaries. Just writing for fun and outside of every box, for ME. When a publisher asked if I had anything YA, I brainstormed with a friend who suddenly said "YOUR SECRET BOOK!" And sure enough, it was perfect. We fleshed the story out further (I had only written a few chapters so far) and Addison was fully born. God can use even our frustrations for His glory!

Amen! What's your writing environment like? Do you have an office? Are there inspiring quotes or pictures up on the walls? Do you have music playing?

I do have an office at my home, but I rarely use my actual desk (which is this awesome giant thing my dad built forever ago!) I do have fun art on the walls and two giant bookshelves that still can't hold all my books, and I love it! However, usually when I'm writing, my daughter is on the desk computer playing games and I'm sitting on the floor with my laptop, lol. I do what I can...

*Groan.* Had a few writing sessions like that myself. Typing with one hand, feeding the baby with the other...

Can you give us a peek at your writing process? (Do you write a horrible first draft? Do you edit as you go? Do you make character charts?)

I only write one draft. (*Stephanie's eyes pop open with surprise.* How is this possible?!) I edit/perfect as I go, and go back and edit chaps as my critique partners return their suggestions to me. But it's literally only one draft. I'm so much of a perfectionist, I can't stand to leave stuff hanging. Every time I end a scene or chapter, it needs to be as close to turn-in-ready as I can make it. That's why I have never done NANO! ha.

Wow. I love how writers are all different. What's a piece of advice that really took your writing to the next level?

I learned something on the craft of Deep POV (point of view) at the ACFW conference this past September from Kristen Heitzmann, who is one of my all time favorite authors. Her advice on when to use pronouns in Deep POV really rocked my world. It's so much harder to do it her way but so worth it. Some authors overuse their character's name (in third person) and it jerks us out of first POV. Kristen only uses her third person character's name when in their POV once or twice a chapter. She has to get creative to not overuse "She" or "He" in that stead, and that's where the challenge lies. Amazing.

YES, that was an excellent class. I just listened to it last week based on your recommendation. I'm going to email the wise Kristen Heitzmann and see if she'll please-pretty-please let me post her rules on here.

If you could only pick one book to read for the rest of your life, what would it be? (And no fair choosing the Bible - let's assume you get to bring that one too.)

Oh this is tough! NO FAIR!! :) Okay, tantrum over. Hmmm. Maybe Pride and Prejudice? I love the snarky Dad in that novel. It's such a classic.

I can never decide if I love him more or Emma's father, the hypochondriac. Pride and Prejudice might be my One Book too.

What's the best book you've read recently, the one you told everyone you know, "You have to read this book"?

Two, actually. I just finished Susie Warren's "Baby It's Cold Outside" which was great, and also, in a totally different vein, Jim Rubart's "Rooms". Both amazing reads in different ways, Jim's being more spiritually in-depth and soul rocking, Susie's more feel-good romance and cozy holiday read. I highly recommend both!

Thank you so much for coming by, Betsy!

If you would like to get entered to win Addison Blakely: Confessions of a PK
(and you know you would!) please leave a comment below either asking Betsy a question or answering this one: How did you come up with your most recent story idea? Did it just appear out of thin air? Was it a dream, a la Stephenie Meyer? Playing the "What if" game? (All are welcome to chat with Betsy, but this contest is only open to US residents due to the pesky realities of international shipping prices.)

What Your Characters Say and What They Don't

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

The first contest of 2012 went live yesterday, so if you haven't yet, make sure to check it out. I'm shocked by how many entries have already rolled in!

Today's going to wrap up our discussion on dialogue, unless you still have something you'd like me to cover. If you do, you can either shoot me an email or leave your question in the comments section.

What People Say versus What They Feel

A writer asked, "You said something about creating conflict through your dialogue by not having the characters say everything that they feel. ... But, I am having trouble in that area because in the first few chapters in my WIP my MC is pretty depressed. She's given up on trying to love, to hope, to feel, because she knows it'll hurt to much. How do I make that evident in my dialogue, without having her say too much and risk over explaining?"

The short answer is, you do that with your character's thoughts, not their dialogue.

In the last dialogue post, I used Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones as an example. Let's go back to that.

In the opening scene, Jenny uses Lucy's internal thoughts to tell us how she's really doing:

She grabbed his hand as he leaned away. "Is it me?" Because wasn't it always her?

Oh, man. That's a character who's been hurt, isn't it?

In this one Matt is speaking to her and Lucy answers:

"It looks like a class reunion invitation. I thought you didn't graduate in Charleston."

Her childhood in South Carolina was the last thing she wanted to discuss tonight. Or ever. "Obviously it's a mistake on someone's part." Or a cruel joke.

There's a story lurking in those words, isn't there? Someone isn't being completely honest.

Sprinkling in those internal thoughts build complexity in your character. We don't always say exactly what we're feeling, right? When I'm having a rotten day, if someone says to me, "Hey, how's it going?" my immediate answer is, "Good, how are you?" Even if it's a friend, they'll likely have to dig a bit before I'm honest.

So even though it's important for "story stuff" to be happening in the dialogue, your character doesn't need to be saying to others, "I'm depressed and having a tough time opening myself up to love." Not only do they not need to say that, they shouldn't.

An additional note. If you're dealing with a character like this writer mentioned, one who's depressed, who's been hurt, who's given up on finding any kind of love in her life, you also need to give your character a place of strength. A fabulous example of this is Edge of Recall by Kristen Heitzmann. Her main character is an emotional wreck on the inside, but she's an extremely talented landscape architect and highly sought after in her field of work. Because we see her strength exhibited in her job, we know - even on a subconscious level - that this character will ultimately have the strength to overcome her emotional issues as well.

That wraps up my thoughts on dialogue. On Friday I'll be sharing some fun exercises for writing dialogue, which I'm really excited about!

Tomorrow the lovely and talented Betsy St. Amant will be here, and she'll be giving away a copy of her first YA novel, Addison Blakely: Confessions of a PK.

Also, Thursday is news day, so if you have news you'd like to share - an article to be published, finishing a first draft, sending out query letters - we'd love to celebrate with you. Send your news to Stephanie(at)GoTeenWriters.com with "News Day" in the subject line.

Writing Prompt: By the time I arrived...

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

As I type this, I'm so tired my eyes keep closing on me. Which, I think, is an excellent way to start off this year's contests... (Is the sarcasm coming through? I'm too tired to judge accurately.)

The prompt for this round is By the time I arrived, I knew I was too late. (Or, by the time she/he arrived, she/he knew she/he was too late. Pick your pronouns.)

Think of the prompt sentence as the first sentence of a novel. Your goal is to write the next 100 words in such a way that the reader is drawn in.

Your entries are due on Wednesday, January 18th by 11:59pm Kansas City time. You may email it to me by clicking here or at Stephanie(at)GoTeenWriters.com. Include your first/last name, and no attachments please!

And I always send confirmation emails, so if it's been 48 hours and you haven't heard from me, feel free to check back.

Word limit: 100 + prompt sentence (11, right? Again, sleepy eyes and brain...)

The contest is for those age 21 and under. One entry per person please.

For more details and a sample winning prompt, click here.

Your wonderful judges this round are Shellie Neumeier and Dina Sleiman. If you plan on entering this round, feel free to leave a comment below telling these lovely ladies thank you.

Can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

Shellie Neumeier
Shellie Neumeier holds a degree in Secondary Education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a minor in Psychology, Sociology and Social Studies. A devoted mother of four, Shellie previously worked on staff with Northbrook Church as the King’s Kids ministry assistant (serving children in grades 2nd through 5th). Shellie’s YA novel, Driven (Risen Fiction) and A Summer in Oakville (Black Lyon Publising) are available online and at your local bookstores. Her middle grade chapter book The Wishing Ring will release February 2012. She is an active member of ACFW as well as a contributing author for various blogs. Shellie is located in southwestern Ohio.

Dina Sleiman
Dina Sleiman writes lyrical stories that dance with light. Most of the time you will find this Virginia Beach resident reading, biking, dancing, or hanging out with her husband and three children, preferably at the oceanfront. Since finishing her Professional Writing MA in 1994, she has enjoyed many opportunities to teach literature, writing, and the arts. She was the Overall Winner in the 2009 Touched by Love contest for unpublished authors. Her debut novel, Dance of the Dandelion with Whitefire Publishing, is now available at amazon and other online and ebook distributors. Dina is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. She has recently become an acquisitions editor for WhiteFire as well. Join her as she discovers the unforced rhythms of grace. For more info visit her at http://dinasleiman.com/

How to Write Good Dialogue Part Four

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

Goodness, I can't believe this is part FOUR of our dialogue series. What's funny is when I started writing the first dialogue post, I had no idea the topic was so big. As it grew to a crazy word length, I thought, "Okay, there'll have to be a part two because no one is going to read all this." Then there were so many wonderful questions, that I knew we'd need at least three posts.

But dialogue is critical to getting the story right. I don't know about you guys, but I've realized I never skim dialogue the way I do prose. In an exciting scene or an argument, my gaze is often leaps over the descriptions and actions but never, ever the dialogue.

And nothing will yank you out of a story like cliche, tired, or fake sounding dialogue.

Today we're going to cover a couple more of your questions, and then next Friday (assuming my scheduling abilities can be trusted) we'll talk about some writing exercises for your dialogue.

Pausing and Pacing

A writer asked, "I've noticed that some authors use ellipses in their dialogue, and others actually state something to the effect of, "She paused." Do you think it's better to use one method consistently (and risk overkill), or is it okay to mix them for variety? Also, with what frequency do you think I should do so?"

This is purely my opinion, and in no way a rule or The Correct Way to Write Pauses. I mix it up. Here are some examples of ways that I do this:

"Is Mom okay?"
Dad blinked a couple times. "Of course."

*

"What are you saying?"
"I just think that maybe .... maybe we shouldn't be together."

*

"Do you understand what this ... this..." Lydia waved her hands, as if she could grasp the correct word from the air. "This power play of yours has cost me?"

*

"The thing is..." How could I say this to him? He was gonna be crushed. "Your father and I are separating."

*

“Your mother’s and my goal”—Dad takes Mom’s hand in his own—“is to get things back to normal life as soon as possible."

There are other ways to write a pause (including, but not limited to "She paused" or "She hesitated" or "A beat of silence passed" or "After a moment's pause.) but those are some of the ways I do it. Those last two examples are techniques I'm particularly fond of.

I like using a pause in dialogue to show what the POV character is thinking. And the em-dash is a technique I first discovered in Sarah Dessen's This Lullaby, which is one of the first YA novels I ever read. I remember actually copying down word for word, dash for dash, an example so I would know how to do it. The exact formatting depends on the publishing house. Revell, the publisher of the Skylar Hoyt books, formats it like above. I've also seen it:

"Your mother's and my goal—" Dad takes Mom's hand in his own—"is to get things back to normal life as soon as possible."

and

"Your mother's and my goal—" Dad takes Mom's hand in his own "—is to get things back to normal life as soon as possible."

As for the frequency of pauses, this answer may seem far too simple but it's the best one I have to offer. In your head, if you "hear" your character pausing, let them pause. So long as you're giving them a reason to be hesitant, you'll be fine.

Another writer says: "I find it really hard to pace things like a breakup or something. How would you space that out in a dialogue scene... thing?"

I love the way the writer phrased that. Can't you just hear the hesitation in what to call it?

Breakups are hard to pace, but I love writing them. (And I'm naturally drawn to angry breakup songs. Meanwhile, I've been happily married for 7 1/2 years. Strange.)

The key, I think, to pacing a breakup scene (or any other scene that in real life would be dramatic and looooong) is to go back to the concept of "arrive late and leave early." You should be doing this for all your scenes, really, but it's especially vital for breakups/I love yous/so-and-so died and so forth.

This is from Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones (fabulous book, one of my faves of 2011):

The smells in the room-the food, her life decaying-made her want to throw up. "I could wait, you know. We could do the long distance thing."

"I'm sorry." He grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. "For what it's worth, I believe you're the right girl-it's just not the right time."

Two minutes later Lucy stood in her living room and watched Matt drive away.

We didn't need those other two minutes, right? Jenny has given us everything we need to know about their breakup.

Figure out what it is your reader needs to know. Like in the above scene, which takes place in the prologue, we need to know that Lucy was willing to make it work, and that Matt was not. Once Jenny passed along that info, she got us the heck out of there and on with the story. If it's helpful, you can make a list of vital information that needs to be exchanged. Once you get it out of your character's mouths, you'll know it's time to draw the curtain on that scene.

Don't forget, contests resume next Monday, so make sure you check in next week to find out the writing prompt! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Contest Update and News Day

2012-01-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

Lots of news to share with you today!

I'm so looking forward to Go Teen Writers' contests resuming! The first contest of the year will open Monday, January 9th. There are two changes to the contests this year that I'm going to mention today, and then full contest rules will be posted on Monday. After much discussion on the Go Teen Writers Facebook page, the contest age limit is now going to be 21. Also, last year each round had 3 judges and this year there will only be 2 judges per round.

On to news from our community! Soooo much to celebrate this week:

Betsy St. Amant, who frequently judges contests and contributes here on Go Teen Writers, has a new book out! Addison Blakely: Confessions of a PK hit shelves January 1st. Congratulations, Betsy! Can't wait for my copy to arrive. Betsy will be giving away a copy of Addison Blakely next week on Go Teen Writers so stay tuned!

Becki Badger: I finished the first draft for my book "UNDERESTIMATED!"

We know how good it feels to type THE END - congratulations!

Rachelle Rea: I typed The End to the WIP that was inspired by one of the GTW writing prompts and a character who simply would not let me go! Final word count is about 55K. That is a little on the small side for me, but I am in love with this story...plus, this was my first attempt at only one POV -- and that in first-person!

That's awesome, Rachelle. Risks like that can pay off big time!

Katie McCurdy: I have published a novelette on Kindle! The book, A Time to Love, is a historical fiction set in the years after the War Between the States.

Wow, Katie! Good for you. Sounds like a great read, and the price is great!

Jordan Newhouse teaches creative writing to a class of homeschoolers. Some of her students publish their work here: http://itsaboutstory.wordpress.com They would love to get comments from fellow young-writers!

What a need idea, Jordan! I bet you're an excellent teacher.

Madison Taylor: I finished the first draft of my novel yesterday!! I am soooo excited! Time to edit. :)

That's the best part, Madison! Congratulations!

Ophelia Marie Flowers: Recently I published my first book with CreateSpace. It is called, Sixteen, So In Love With You , and it contains over seventy of my best poems, each matched with a Bible reference.

Wow, I'm so impressed that you have such a large collection of poetry at such a young age. What an accomplishment, Ophelia.

Alright, I think I've used up my daily quota of exclamation marks, so it's time to wrap this up. Happy Thursday, guys! (Had one more in me, apparently...)

How to Write Good Dialogue Part Three

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-06:00

Man, it feels like forever since How to Write Good Dialogue Parts one and two. In part one we talked about avoiding Q&A sessions, not letting your character say everything they're thinking, and pacing yourself. In part two we discussed not letting it be all about your main character (MC), being cautious about "info dumps", and being mindful that characters should speak differently from one another.

Today I'm going to answer some of the questions you guys asked. First I wanted to share this gem of wisdom that comes from Jenna Blake Morris. She says, "One thing that tends to drive my crazy is when authors never use contractions in dialogue, like "I do not know" or "it is in the closet." Random examples, I know, but unless that character is foreign, from a historical setting, or is clumsy with English, that makes me twitch. Or when they have a young character spouting elegant, unrealistic dialogue."

That makes me twitch too. This is a mistake I often see in the manuscripts of new writers because they haven't yet turned off their English teacher's voice. My AP English teacher - the lovely and brilliant Ms. Bromberg, who told our whole class she believed in me, so don't get the wrong idea here about my feelings toward her - marked off points every time I used a contraction in an essay. And I found it so hard to refrain from contractions because they SOUND better. I finally just had to turn off that preference, and write the way she wanted me to - no contractions - so I could get an A in my English class.

But after 2 years of not using contractions, it was really difficult to get back in the habit of writing with them. So, yes, use contractions. And only let 4-year-olds use words like "distressing" if they're Fancy Nancy fans.

Moving on to conversations between more than 2 people:

A writer said, "So, I'm not sure what's on the agenda for the future dialogue posts, but I would much appreciate something about conversations between more than 2 people..."

Drat. This is a tough one to answer.

Conversations between more than two people are hard. It's hard in real life (at least for this introvert) and it's hard on paper as well. Here are a few thoughts on how to do it well.

My husband and I were at a work party a few weeks ago. (This is an illustration, not a subject change - stick with me!) There were about 20 of us there, and we all ate at one long table.

What happens when you're at a big table like that? You talk to whomever is across from you or next to you. Maybe you sometimes catch snippets of other conversations going on at the table, and maybe you stop to listen when that policeman is telling a really cool story about a perp he was chasing who fell through the floor. But mostly I was engaged in conversation with the people across from me, and the people next to me.

So, in your manuscripts, you want to achieve a balance of the group talking and side conversations. If the group is talking, it must be a topic that engages most or all members. Like in this scene, my main character, Sabrina, has found herself on a triple date with her two (girl) best friends, a guy they know from work, and two of his friends whom she's never met. As soon as I wrote myself into this situation, I wanted to write my character right out of there because it was hard to keep up the pacing:

Nate pushes napkins to our side of the table. “You eaten here before, Autumn?”

Autumn blinks, as if confused by why he’s addressing her. “Uh, no.” She turns to me. Apparently she’s designated me as Nate’s date. “Have you, Sabrina?”

“A couple times.” I fiddle with my Queen of hearts. I don’t know why this place doesn’t just take your name or give you a number or something, why they insist on foisting a germy playing card on everyone.

“Their reubens are the best,” Patrick says.

Izzy flicks her 9 of Clubs, makes it spin on the table. “Reubens are disgusting.”

“Agreed.” The-third-guy-whose-name-I-don’t-remember grins at Izzy as if they are officially soul mates. “Sauerkraut is the second grossest food on the planet. I mean, what is it?”

Patrick and I answer at the same time. “Cabbage.”

Patrick flashes those white teeth and dimples at me, but I look away.

“What’s the first grossest food?” Izzy asks with a hint of a smile.

“Cottage cheese.” He actually shudders when he says it.

“No way,” I say. “How’s that possibly grosser than, say, pig’s feet? Or bologna?”

Patrick is still giving me the teeth-and-dimple combo, which must be like a one-two punch for girls like Autumn.

“Or soft boiled eggs?” Nate offers. “Those things freak me out.”

Autumn frowns into her soda. I don’t think this is the kind of conversation she imagined having on our triple quasi-date. She also probably thought she’d be sitting beside Patrick, instead of wedged between me and Izzy, with the boys on the other side of the booth. And with Patrick across from me.

Be strategic about where people sit because those are who your characters will get into side conversations with. Plus you want to optimize tension. Sabrina knows that her friend Autumn likes Patrick, but unbeknownst to everyone else at the table, Patrick asked Sabrina out the day before. She's super uncomfortable in her seat, which is exactly why it's the best spot.

If someone isn't contributing, get them out of there. They need to go to the bathroom or see a friend walking by. Or they need to break into a side conversation with someone else. Like when guy number 3 and Izzy were not moving the story along, I separated them:

“I work at the AMC downtown, and Trent”—Nate jerks his thumb at Boy #3—“works at Hy-Vee.”

Izzy sends her card spinning again. “When people come through your line with cottage cheese, do you shudder?”

Trent grins. “And I make them scan it themselves.”

Izzy smiles full-on, and they lapse into their own volley of other foods that disgust them. Miracle Whip. Spam. Cheetos.

I glance at Patrick, who arches his eyebrows like See? I knew this would work out.

And now, because Izzy and Trent are talking, I only have four people to deal with. Soon Sabrina will receive a phone call and excuse herself.

Group conversations are obviously necessary to breathe life and realism into the story, but too many of them will slow down your plot. You want to cut away from them and focus on your main character as soon as you can.

Okay ... was that helpful at all? There are a few more questions to answer - one on writing pauses into dialogue and one on what people say versus what they feel. I'll get to those on Friday.

Tomorrow is news day! If you have news you'd like to share - finishing a first draft, submitting an article to a magazine, joining a writer's group - send me an email at Stephanie(at)GoTeenWriters.com to let me know so we can celebrate with you!

Anybody else have dynamite dialogue tips like Jenna's to share?

Can a good character get you published?

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

It's possible.

I saw yesterday that Roseanna White of WhiteFire Publishing has a great offer going. You can send her a 50 word description of your story, focusing on your main character, and not only will you receive feedback but Roseanna's favorite 3 will be invited to submit a book proposal to WhiteFire.

You'll find details over at Shellie Neumeier's NextGen site. Get to writing!

Best Writing Advice of 2011

2012-01-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

I'm feeling a bit like a bear just waking up from a long winter's nap. *Stretch.*

Okay, maybe I have no idea what a bear feels like, but I do feel a weird combination of rested and groggy. And a tad hungry.

Did everyone enjoy their holidays? I dove deeper into my work in progress (WIP) and devoured Waterfall and Cascade by Lisa T. Bergen. I even spent some time with these guys:

And my husband, parents, grandmother, and in-laws were utterly ridiculous (but in the best kind of way!) because this beautiful girl was waiting under the tree for me:

Gorgeous. Last year I was remodeling my office, so I was unwrapping things like a gallon of paint and a huge roll of cork. My family seemed to enjoy this gift much more.

Because it's January, and it's only natural to both reflect and cast a vision, let's do some of both!

If you're game, leave a comment answering one or both of these questions:

What's the best piece of writing-related knowledge you gained in 2011 that you're bringing with you into the new year?

and

And what goal(s) have you set for yourself this year?

What I learned in 2011...

I don't work well with an uber-detailed outline (already knew that part!) but what does help me is having an outline of the basics. From reading James Scott Bell's Plot and Structure, I decided to try plotting the basics. I don't want to post the ones I did for my work in progress (WIP) but I did a quick right up for Me, Just Different:

My character's ordinary world: She's wealthy, popular, and a partier

The disturbance: Narrowly escaping a date rape

The doorway into act two: Choosing to go to youth group

The middle: Skylar tries her hardest to be good on her own, but her parents are warring, her little sister is secretly pregnant, and she's trapped in a relationship she doesn't want with the guy who saved her from getting raped. Oh, and she's way more interested in the new guy at school than she wants to be. Especially because he's dating her best friend.

The doorway into act three: Skylar telling her friends she's making a lifestyle change and choosing to go to a youth coach's house.

Ending: It has one, but I won't spoil it here in case you still haven't read Me, Just Different (which is super cheap on Amazon - $5.20. And, yes, being a better marketer is on my 2012 goals list - why do you ask?)

I can combine the above plot points (Bell refers to them as "a disturbance and two doorways" which I like much better) with a couple key questions:

What goal is driving my character through the novel, and what are her obstacles?

What lie does my character believe?

When I'm done answering those questions, I've written under 200 words of an outline, and I'm itching to write. I've found this provides just enough structure to keep me on course, but I still have a ton of room creatively since I'm just using 200 words to define a 60 to 75k novel.

A goal I've set for myself this year is...

To have a better balance in my marketing/writing life. Before I was published, writing was the priority. Now that I have books on the shelves, and since I would someday like for there to be more Stephanie Morrill books on the shelves, that means I have to prioritize marketing.

But because marketing is one of those things that you never get to check off your to-do list, because there's always something else you could be doing, I have a tendency to push writing to the back burner much more often than I'd like to. Which makes me cranky. And which is bad in the long run, because if I'm not writing books, I'll have nothing that needs marketing.

I'm currently in the first draft stage of a manuscript, so my goal is to write 5,000 words a week. (When I'm in the editing stages, it gets trickier to pick a word count.) I would love to have a daily goal of 2,500 or something like that, but with little kids in the house ... yeah, it's just too unpredictable. So. 5,000 a week. If I can do more, great. If not, 5,000 will at least keep me from being crabby.

What about you?

8 Ways to Stay Focused on Your Novel

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

Tonight we will be attending our church's Christmas Eve (Eve) service, and that will officially kick off my holiday vacation. I intend to spend the next week logging time with my family, watching Christmas movies, and doing lots and lots of writing and reading.

So, today will be the last post until January 2nd, and I won't be spending much time on email and such either. You're still welcome to email me, of course, but it'll likely be 2012 before you get a response.

A writer emailed me to say, "I hear a story or read a book and all new book ideas pop into my mind. I never end up finishing a book because I start a new one as soon as I started the last! What should I do? How do I stay focus and interested in my old ideas?"

I think most writers deal with this to an extent. For me, it tends to be around the halfway point of my current work-in-progress (WIP). That's when the story starts to feel sluggish, when my plot lines are a bit out of control, and when tying everything together feels the most overwhelming. Then I'll find myself daydreaming about that great idea I had last week, which has even more potential than this current project, and I just know it could be my best book yet. Really, it would be irresponsible to not put aside my WIP in favor of the new project! (*Rolling my eyes.*)

If you're writing just for fun, then I say write whatever you feel like. If it's just for fun, why force yourself to write stuff you don't want to? It's a creative outlet, after all, and there's no reason to put pressure on yourself. Kinda like pleasure reading. If you're picking out a book to read for enjoyment, and you like funny, heartwarming books, why would you pick The Heart of Darkness when you could read the latest Jennifer Weiner novel?

But if you've been doing that for a while, and you're at a place where you want to take your writing to the next level, if you want to prove to yourself that you can write a full manuscript, then yes, the time has come to stay focused. Here are 8 ways to do that:

1. Make a clear goal

This is huge. Don't just say "I'm going to finish this manuscript before I start on any other stories." Make it concrete. Make it manageable. "I'm going to finish this manuscript by writing 1,000 words a day before I go to bed."

2. Share your goal

If you have a friend or family member who encourages your writing, tell them about your goal. Ask them if they would please follow up with you. It can be as simple as, "Did you write your thousand words last night?" or "What's going on in the story now?"

3. Write a synopsis or outline

Sometimes I have trouble moving forward in the story because I just feel stuck. I don't know what's going to happen next (or it's a scene I'm not looking forward to writing) and my mind starts to wander to those other book ideas I've had recently.

This is a great time for me to - if I haven't already - write a synopsis. It's just a 2ish page summary of what happens in the book. A lot of times when I do that, when I see how everything will come together, it renews my energy.

4. Brainstorm with a buddy

A lot of times I've already written my synopsis, or I'm genuinely stuck. What on earth would my character do next? Or maybe I have an idea, but it feels like a tired, unoriginal idea. When that happens, I pull in a writing friend. (Often it's Roseanna White - and today's the last day to get yourself entered to win her latest release, Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland.) If you don't have a friend who would be good for brainstorming, think about joining the Go Teen Writers Facebook Group. A couple times a week, it seems, there are young writers helping each other with their ideas.

5. Make a story board

I have a huge cork board in my office:

I use it for all kinds of things, but I really like being able to tack up character photos, maps of the area, articles, and various other items that remind me of my WIP.

6. Create a book cover

This isn't something I've tried, but I've heard other writers say they make book covers for their WIPs. It's something to remind them of their goal, and that the finished product is well worth the struggle. Katie McCurdy has one up on her blog for The Princess' Assasin.

I'm no artist, so I'm really not sure if this would work for me or not, but it could be a fun way to motivate yourself. (Or to encourage other writers you know - make them a book cover to express that you believe in them!)

7. Save your other ideas

Create a system for preserving all those random bits of genius that come your way. I keep an Ideas and Inspiration notebook.

8. Give yourself an "other project" writing allowance.

If you have an idea that absolutely will not let go, give yourself a time limit (1 day or 2 days) to write down everything you want for that other idea that's niggling at you. Write the first chapter, character descriptions, themes, whatever you want. Purge yourself of it, then put it away, and get back to work on your WIP.

Those are my thoughts on the matter, but what about you? How do you stay focused and motivated?

Have a great Christmas, guys! See you back here on January 2nd!

News Day and Prizes Announced!

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

Our next news day will be Thursday, January 5th. If you have news to share - finishing a first draft, joining a critique group, placing in a contest - we'd love to celebrate with you! Email your news to me at Stephanie(at)GoTeenWriters.com and put "News Day" as the subject.

Today we're celebrating with:

Becki Badger: After a year and several hundred thousand words (okay, I might be exaggerating . . . slightly), I have the first (real) draft of the first book in the trilogy I have planned! YAY!

Yay indeed! Way to stick with it.

Jessica Staricka: I'll be getting my first contributor's copy of a magazine in the mail, along with a check, in the next few days! My story was accepted for publication by Starsongs Magazine!

Yay, Jessica! Congratulations!

Katie McCurdy: A few months ago I found out that my WIP, The Princess' Assassin, won second place in the TARA writing contests Romantic Suspense category.

Yay, Katie! You can read more details about Katie's award at her blog.

Prizes Announced

Those who placed in the 2011 Go Teen Writers contests were automatically entered to win a prize from fab authors like Christa Allan, Melanie Dickerson, and Shellie Neumeier. The winners and their prizes are listed below. (If your name is listed and we haven't talked yet - send me an email!)

Contests will begin again in January - so stay tuned!

From Christy Award winning author Jill Williamson, a copy of her not-quite-released novel Replication: The Jason Experiment.

Martyr---otherwise known as Jason 3:3---is one of hundreds of clones kept in a remote facility called Jason Farms. Told that he has been created to save humanity, Martyr has just one wish before he is scheduled to 'expire' in less than a month. To see the sky. Abby Goyer may have just moved to Alaska, but she has a feeling something strange is going on at the farm where her father works. But even this smart, confident girl could never have imagined what lies beneath a simple barn. Or what would happen when a mysterious boy shows up at her door, asking about the stars. As the reality of the Jason Experiment comes to light, Martyr is caught between two futures---the one for which he was produced and the one Abby believes God created him to have. Time is running out, and Martyr must decide if a life with Abby is worth leaving everything he's ever known.

And the winner of Replication: The Jason Experiment is Kait Culbertson!

Jill Williamson also generously offered a 5 page critique. And the winner of that is Jenna Blake Morris!

The next prize is Melanie Dickerson's, The Merchant's Daughter which I just finished reading. Excellent book.

Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf's bailiff—a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past.

Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff's vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger.

Ranulf's future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart.

The winner of The Merchant's Daughter is Sarah Luckadoo!

(If you're not Sarah, but you'd still like to read The Merchant's Daughter the ebook is being offered for $1.99 for a limited time!)

The next prize is a copy of Driven by Shellie Neumeier. (A great read!)

Robyn can’t help but notice the handsome new guy at her school. She ignores, however, the arrival of another being at Brookfield Central High School—a demon assigned to destroy her…

Robyn loves her friends, enjoys her youth group, and looks forward to meeting cute Caleb Montague. But when a caustic news reporter challenges her school’s prayer team, Robyn must choose: defend their right to meet on campus and pray for whomever they wish or back down at the principal’s request.

Now she must learn what God wants her to do. And she had better learn fast, because there’s a supernatural enemy in town whose sole mission is to stop her—no matter the cost.

And the winner of Driven is Adria Olson!

Also from Shellie Neumeier is a 5 page critique. The winner is Sarah Zakowski!

The next prize is Love Finds You in New Orleans by Christa Allan - a total rockstar of a lady who judged a ton this year.

Raised by her grandparents in 19th-century New Orleans, Charlotte knows little about her long-lost parents. Now facing an arranged marriage to a suitor she dreads, she finds herself attracted to somebody else: a young Creole man named Gabriel Girod. Meanwhile, her grandparents harbor a family secret. Will the truth set everybody free—especially Charlotte?

And the winner of Love Finds You in New Orleans, Louisiana is Carilyn Everett!

The next prize is from Ashley Mays, who is giving away a 2 chapter critique. WOW. Ashley Mays is the former Editorial Assistant for Brio and Brio & Beyond magazines and currently writes her own fiction for teens.

The winner of the 2 chapter critique is Charlotte Buzzard!

The next prize is from Betsy St. Amant, who is giving away her brand, spankin' new release Addison Blakely: Confessions of a PK.

Sixteen-year-old Addison Blakely has tirelessly played the role of PK—preacher’s kid—her entire life. But after Wes Keegan revs his motorcycle into town and into her heart, Addison begins to wonder how much of her faith is her own and how much has been handed to her. She isn’t so sure she wants to be the good girl anymore. Join Addison Blakely as she attempts to separate love from lust, facts from faith, and keep her head above water in her murky, fishbowl existence.

And the winner of Betsy St. Amant's Addison Blakely: Confessions of a PK is Emma King!

Also from Betsy St. Amant is a 5 page critique. And the winner is Sammie Weiss!

The next prize is Around the World in 80 Dates by Christa Banister.

Sydney Alexander is a travel writer. She’s a very well dressed travel writer—hasn’t yet met a shoe or clearance sale she could pass up. She’s funny. She’s got a great relationship with her sis. She’s got a hilarious best friend, Rain, who happens to be a hippie. And, she’s got a wonderful relationship with God. So what’s missing?

A decent date. A date where she doesn’t have to pay because he’s “between jobs.” A date where she’s not fabulously fashionably ready to go only to learn “the band just got a last minute gig” and he has to cancel. A date she wants to kiss goodnight—not run screaming from the curb.

Bridget Jones may have had a few more public disasters (Sydney works in print not on the telly), and considerably more cigarettes (Sydney doesn’t smoke), but really, besides that, their lives really aren’t so different. She’s just a girl, looking for love, drowning in a sea of cute couples, determined to keep swimming.

The winner of Christa Banister's Around the World in 80 Dates is Kaitlyn Evensen!

The next prize is Idaho Brides from New York Times bestselling author Erica Vetsch.

Experience the Wild West through the eyes of the three McConnell brothers who long to overcome their troubled childhood as drunkard’s sons. Can Alec show that he’s worthy of the ranch boss’s daughter? Can Trace help a distraught woman trust again? Will Cal prove his innocence to a U. S. Marshal in disguise? Will they each find a woman with whom they can trust their tender hearts?

Justice is demanded from the McConnell brothers who are tainted by association with their abusive father. Can Alec show that he’s worthy of the boss’s daughter? Can Trace help a distraught woman trust again? Will Cal prove his innocence to a U. S. Marshal in disguise?

The winner of Erica Vetsch's Idaho Brides is Rye Mason!

And from me is a copy of the first book in the Skylar Hoyt series, Me, Just Different.

Skylar Hoyt is a girl who seems to have it all—she’s pretty, popular, and has a great-looking boyfriend. Her senior year should be the best one yet. But a horrible experience at a summer party has changed everything. Now she’s vowing to make better choices, including going back to church. But as Skylar tries to gain new perspective on life, the world as she knows it begins to fall apart.

Her parents are constantly fighting. Her younger sister has a big secret that Skylar is forced to keep. The guy she’s dating is annoyingly jealous. And the new guy down the street is just plain annoying. In the midst of the chaos, Skylar starts to wonder who her real friends are and, even more importantly, who she is.

The winner of Me, Just Different is Gillian Adams!

Congratulations to all the winners!

How to Write Good Dialogue Part Two

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

In part one of How to Write Good Dialogue we talked about avoiding "Q&A" sessions, not letting your characters say everything they're thinking, and pacing yourself on releasing information. Many of you took the time to share your own dialogue struggles and asked some great questions. I'll get to them all - it's just going to take a couple posts!

Here are some more ways to write good dialogue:

Don't let it be all about your main character

Oh, boy, was I ever guilty of this as a new writer. And even now I lapse into this during my first drafts.

Any 30 Rock fans out there? My all time favorite exchange on that show is from last season where Liz (Tina Fey) and Jack (Alec Baldwin) accidentally get married. Liz - who is the main character - yells, "I'm sorry you got caught up in another one of Liz Lemon's adventures!" And Jack says, "My adventures. I am the protagonist!"

In the dandelion story, all the dialogue is Paige-focused. Even when two other characters are talking, they are talking about Paige. She's the protagonist - who else would they be talking about?

Themselves. That's the way it works in real life. Haven't we all had the experience where we walk away from a conversation and think, "I could tell you anything you want to know about them ... but I don't think they know a thing about me!" We're all guilty of being focused on our problems, our lives, our fears - make your characters guilty of it too!

Beware of the info dump

One of my new writing pet peeves is an exchange that looks like this:

"Sally, how long have we known each other?"

"For 10 years."

"That's why I'm giving you this 10-carat diamond."

I've seen variations of this on TV, in books, movies. Makes me crazy! Because that's not the kind of thing we say to each other. I never turn to my husband with moony eyes and say, "Honey, how long have we been married?"

Not only is it information we both know, it's information we both know that we both know.

Now, I might say, "I can't believe we've been married for 7 years," or, "I can't believe you've put up with me for 7 years," but I've yet to say to him, "How long have we been married?"

I see this kind of info dumping a lot with dates. Like, "Since today is Wednesday, do you have that report for me?" Or like in this little gem from the dandelion story:

"My father ... is being transferred at the end of June."
"The end of June?!" he exploded. "We're a week into June already!"

That sounds so forced to me. It's much more natural, I think, if Carter says, "That's, like, 3 weeks away!" (There are other things wrong, of course. Like that Carter "explodes." And I'm not even sure Paige should be including a time frame yet, but that falls more under "pacing" than it does "info dumping.")

Think about your characters and what their motivations are for saying what they're saying. And for-the-benefit-of-the-reader is not a good enough motivation.

Not everyone talks the same

One time I was having a conversation with my mom about a person who was angry, and my mother said, "She has a bee in her bonnet, that's for sure."

She has a what?

"Bee in her bonnet" is something I would never say. But to my mother - who watches old movies, reads historical fiction, and was raised by Oklahomans - it seemed like a very natural thing to say.

It's also important to pay attention to word choices. When I go grocery shopping, I'll say, "I went to the grocery store." When my best friend, Roseanna, goes grocery shopping, she says, "I did some marketing." Or if you're in you 30s or 40s, headphones are called headphones. If you're younger, headphones are earbuds.

Tonya from our wonderful Go Teen Writers community brought up that she struggles with her antagonist's dialogue. I do too. Because my main character and those who support her make sense to me, and those who oppose her do not. At least not early on when I'm writing.

This is where that "Why?" question becomes so important. It's not enough for someone to just be mean to your character or to serve as a blockade. You must ask Why? Like:

Why is Autumn being mean to Sabrina?

Because she's jealous that Patrick likes Sabrina instead.

If Autumn is angry with Sabrina ... then why is Autumn also made at Alden for the poor way he treated Sabrina?

Because deep down she loves Sabrina and knows she deserved to be treated better. Also because if Alden had treated Sabrina the way he should have, the two of them would be together and Patrick would be free.

The only way to achieve the feat of your characters sounding, behaving, and thinking differently than each other is to spend time mulling over who they all are, where they come from, and what is motivating them at this moment in time.

Early on in my first draft, I find that difficult. But by the time I've spent 70,000 words exploring these people, it starts to click. This snippet comes from a manuscript of mine, and it falls in the last 25ish pages:

“I didn’t mean to date Glen.” Mom says it so quietly at first I’m not sure I heard correctly. “I went to the market that day for very simple things—milk, arugula, and butter. And then Glen…”

Roseanna commented that my choices for "simple things" said a lot about my character., but I honestly hadn't thought much about it. By that time, I knew my character's mom well enough, and I had a recipe in my head that she made all the time, and it included arugula.

There's still a lot more to cover about dialogue, so stay tuned for part three!

Tomorrow is news day around here - if you have news you'd like to celebrate, please email it to me at Stephanie(at)GoTeenWriters.com with "News Day" in the subject line. Remember news can be anything from starting a new project to joining a critique group to winning a contest!

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

The Top 65 and Prizes to Be Announced!

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

The 265-word free write was the final contest of 2011, which means the following list is the final standings from this year:

1. Katy McCurdy

2. Jordan Newhouse

3. Rebecca Pennefather, Rebekah Hart

4. Courtney Calvert

5. Faye Rhys

6. Alyssa Liljequist, Ellyn Gibbs

7. Kait Culbertson

8. Jenna Blake Morris

9. Monica Burke, Sammie Weiss, Imogen Elvis, Rachelle Rea, Clare Kolenda, Micah Eaton

10. Emily West, Rayna Huffman, Tonya La Course, Lindsey Bradford

11 Kaitlyn Evensen, Heidi Vanderveen

12. Rye Mason, Abbie Mauno, Esther Wong, Rachel Crew, Jessica Staricka

13. Joshua Hildebrandt

14. Rachel Twombly, Emii Krivan, Rachel Heffington, Korie Mulholland, Joe Duncko, Jordan Graham, Carilyn Everett, Helga Oskarsdottir, Gillian Adams

15. Sarah Posey, Mary Quinn, Sierra Bennett, Talia DeAndrea, Teddy Chan, Nicki Taylor, Sarah Faulkner, Bethany Forster, Morgan Sutton, Whitney Stephens, Jessi Roberts, Emma King, Cosette Russell

16. Moriah Newhouse, Charlotte Buzzard, Sarah Zakowski, Jennifer Grimes, Avery Wall, Katie Scheidhauer, Sarah Luckadoo, Alyson Schroll, Georgina Caballero, Adria Olson, Savannah Daniels, Melanie G. Schroeder, Isla Patterson, Jessica Zelli, Nicole Goddard

Congratulations to everyone! Hundreds participated this year, and it was super fun reading all the entries and experiencing your creativity.

The 65 people listed above not only receive bragging rights (and who doesn't love those?) but they've all be automatically entered to win a variety of prizes - including critiques and free books from wonderful authors like Jill Williamson, Shellie, Neumeier, and Roseanna White.

Also, the first and second place winners (Katy and Jordan) will receive a full manuscript critique, and the third place winners (Rebecca and Rebekah) will receive a partial manuscript critique. Something I noticed about all four girls is they were consistent, creative, brave (attempted new styles/techniques), and had very clean, typo-free writing. That doesn't apply to just them, certainly, but it's something worth noting.

2012 will bring a whole new batch of writing opportunities and contests. Don't get left out! Make sure you're plugged in to Go Teen Writers (you can receive posts by email [I moved the sign up to the top right of the page for today], sign up for the newsletter, or join the Go Teen Writers Facebook group.)

Have a great day, everyone!

Roseanna White is here with a giveaway!

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited to feature Roseanna White today. Partially because she's my best friend, but also because Roseanna does a ton of stuff for Go Teen Writers.

Quick housekeeping note, and then we'll get to the interview and giveaway with the lovely Mrs. White: I'm putting together a thank you email for all the judges from 2011. If you entered contests this year, would you please take the time to write a quick note that I could send to them all? You can express appreciation for them giving of their time, and I'm sure they would love to know anything you learned from the judges' comments. You can send your thank you notes to Stepahnie(at)GoTeenWriters.com, and if you would put "Thank you to judges" in the subject line, that would help me tremendously.

On to Roseanna!

In case you aren't familiar with who Roseanna is, she's the author of two Biblical love stories and Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland. She makes her home in the mountains of Western Maryland with her husband, two small children, and the colony of dust bunnies living under her couch. After graduating from St. John's College in Annapolis, MD, she and her husband founded the Christian Review of Books, where she is the editor. She is a member of ACFW, HisWriters, Biblical Fiction Writers, and HEWN Marketing.

This is the lovely cover art for Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland and a brief description:

In 1784 peace has been declared, but war still rages in the heart of Lark Benton.

Never did Lark think she’d want to escape Emerson Fielding, the man she’s loved all her life. But when he betrays her, she flees to Annapolis, Maryland, the country’s capital. There Lark throws herself into a new circle of friends who force her to examine all she believes.

Emerson follows, determined to reclaim his betrothed. Surprised when she refuses to return with him, he realizes that in this new country he has come to call his own, duty is no longer enough. He must learn to open his heart and soul to something greater … before he loses all he should have been fighting to hold.

4 1/2 star Top Pick from RT Book Reviews!

“White writes an unpredictable love story that will keep the reader cheering for the characters.”

Roseanna, you are being kidnapped, but your kidnappers are somewhat kind and offer to let you bring three of your favorite books to help you pass the time. What do you bring?

Euclid’s Elements – that’ll keep me busy and my brain from turning to mush. (Didn’t expect me to name a geometry book, did you?! LOL). Laurie Alice Eakes’s A Necessary Deception, because I’m in the middle of it now, and it would just be awful not to know what happens.

And . . . um . . . a blank (thick) journal/notebook. Because if Roseanna can’t write, Roseanna gets cranky. And we don’t want to be irritating the kidnappers, right? ;-)

If you had to pick one book to read for the rest of your life, which would you choose. (In addition to the Bible. Will let you bring along that one as well because I know otherwise that would be your answer.)

Oh, good grief. Life with only one book other than the Bible?? I’d sooner perish! ;-) Much as I love all my fiction, I can’t imagine spending a lifetime with a single novel. So I’d probably vote for a book that would help tend my soul (which would need some tending with only two books!!), so I’m going to go for My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.

Wow. This is a real learning experience for me. So far you haven't named a single book I would have guessed for you.

Let's switch gears and talk about your current release. What makes Love Finds You In Annapolis, Maryland unique from other books in the genre?

The pure genius! Kidding, kidding. ;-) For one thing, the Colonial / Early Federal era is a growing but still small segment of historical fiction, which immediately sets it apart. And I also worked off a premise not often used—a hero and heroine who are betrothed at the beginning. Lark breaks the engagement when Emerson betrays her, and the story is largely about how one woos back a broken heart. Not too many out there like that. =)

I've read Love Finds You in Annapolois, Maryland, and I have to ask ... do you think powdered wigs will ever come back in style? And will you be attempting to forge the way?

I don't claim to be a fashionista ... but seriously?

I am literally laughing out loud at this one! When I first started doing research on the era, the whole idea of powdered wigs made me groan, roll my eyes, and wrinkle my nose. Did I really have to have my characters wearing them??

The answer was actually no—they’d gone out of style with the younger generation by then. =) But I just finished up a book set five years earlier, and my heroine in fact DOES wear powder and wigs, and I’ve come to appreciate the style . . . within the pages of a book or in a picture, LOL. I think I’ll just leave it safely there though, thanks.

Okay, good. Because I might have to rethink our friendship if you start showing up to awards dinners in a powdered wig. (Though it could be an effective marketing tool. I have $10 with your name on it if you don one for your book signing. $20 if you wear one to the ACFW gala dinner....)

Me and Roseanna at the ACFW awards gala. Wouldn't a powdered wig complete the outfit?

So, you're not a fan of powdered wigs. If you could pick any fashion time period to live in, when would you choose?

Oh, this question gets me in a whole other way! I sooooo love old-fashioned styles. Let me go grab my favorite resource: Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20th Century – The Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute (which I found used for $5! Go, me!). I think a good compromise of all my favorite elements can be found in the 1850s. Ornate dresses with big skirts, but the hoop didn’t enter until the middle of the decade. Floor-length, well fitted, a variety of colors and fabrics . . . yes, I would be quite happy to live in 1850s clothing. In all seasons but the summer. Unless we’re transporting an air conditioner back in time with me. ;-)

Name 3 writers, dead or alive, whom you would love to have a conversation with and why:

Francine Rivers is number one. I admire her so much for her books, her personal story, and her faithfulness in both. I’d love to have the chance to talk with her someday and get to know the woman behind some of my all-time favorite novels.

Next would be Cervantes (with an interpreter, please, as my Spanish is non-existent). His Don Quixote is the world’s first novel, which makes him my instant hero. =) I’d love to see what he thinks about the industry he helped pioneer, about how it’s grown and evolved, and if he had any idea that crazy story he penned hundreds of years ago would still be required reading today.

Hmm, I actually have had conversations with lots of authors I really admire or just plain adore, so it’s hard to pick a third that’s in dream-land . . . guess I’ll go with another writer of the past and name L. M. Montgomery, who may have shaped my life and my goals more than any other author. I read and loved the entire Anne of Green Gables series, but my absolute favorites are her Emily books, since Emily is a writer. =) I read those as a pre-teen then again in college, at which point I realized how much I’d tried to become Emily, LOL.

I have yet to read the Emily books. (And weren't we just discussing what you could get me for Christmas...?)

Roseanna, you and I have bonded over the fact that we worked to get published while in high school. What are 3 things you wish you could tell high-school-writer-you?

Roseanna as a high school writer

1.) Don’t assume that talent is enough. You need skill too. Which requires work. And lessons. And a lot more information than you had available in the days before blogs and online writing groups. Learn the rules and then follow them. For instance, let me explain POV and Show V. Tell . . . ;-)

2.) Don’t try to have anyone else’s career. This path you’re on is yours, no one else’s. Don’t think you have to be Francine Rivers or Nora Roberts or Tom Clancy or Stephenie Meyer (who you wouldn’t have heard of yet) or anyone else. The Lord has a special plan just for you. So stop comparing yourself to other writers and go where He leads you.

3.) You’re doing great! In spite of all the mistakes you’ve made (and will keep making), you have a passion that doesn’t waver, and it’ll see you through. It’s that passion that’ll help you learn those first two lessons, and which will keep you on the path in spite of rejection after rejection. That passion will give you patience—which you’re gonna need, baby. Never give up—and never stop improving.

Roseanna has offered to give away a copy of Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland to one lucky US resident, which would be an excellent Christmas read for anyone! To get entered to win, share something you love about Christmas. It can be a tradition your family has that you cherish, the peppermint mochas at Starbucks, watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or anything else that strikes your fancy!

Another winning entry from the 265 word free write

2011-12-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

I hate that I deprived you guys of reading one of the first place winners from the 265 word free write! I'm so thankful my error was pointed out because you would not want to miss this:

By Jessica Staricka, first place

For three days after the last night of our performances, Ivan Thall walked around school with my hand print burnt into his face. I had resisted the urge to lash out at him up until the very last curtain call; I wasn't going to throw away all the work we'd put into that play by sending the lead role into the hospital. Some folks noticed that evening that Ivan didn't stick around for the reception—I just smiled, savoring my revenge, and shook hands with each praising audience member.

“Oh, your hand is warm!” said one woman, jerking back and then laughing nervously. “You must be overheating in that costume! Well, you did a good job, a good job...”

Ryan Staves turned to me suspiciously. “You're hand is warm, huh? Just how warm?”

“Warm enough to leave a mark,” I said through a big, forced grin.

“So that's where Ivan went. I thought maybe he'd made a break for the woods.”

“No. More like a break for the emergency room.”

When Ivan showed up for school the next morning, it was between classes, and the halls were buzzing and busy. But everyone fell silent when he marched slowly and proudly down the hall.

“Good performance last night, huh Ivan?” I said cheerfully, raising my voice above the whispers.

He turned to glare at me with dull eyes. “Quiet, freshman.”

I grinned at him and let the temperature of the hallway spiral downward for a moment before bringing it back up. “And a good morning to you, too.”

The judge says: I love the supernatural element and how you’ve woven it into a contemporary, relatable setting. I want to know more about the main character and why she is the way she is. Also, the conflict is great from the very beginning. Most readers can identify with the element of being angry with a classmate, but then you threw in the unexpected element of burning his face with her hand…it’s definitely enough to get my attention!

How to Write Good Dialogue Part One

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

The title of this post has me wigging a bit. The passive aggressive part of me (which is about 90% of me, to be honest) would much rather say something like, "Some thoughts on improving dialogue" or "here are some things I've learned about dialogue." But I'm trying to become more bold, so, no. This post is about how to write good dialogue.

I learned in a blogging class that I'm should be using more pictures on Go Teen Writers. I had no idea what kind of picture to use for this post, but I do like to follow instructions. This is my daughter. She turned 4 on Wednesday. Okay, now let's talk about dialogue.

One quick thing I'll say is that dialogue can be spelled either dialog or dialogue. The form "dialogue" is the old English spelling, and "dialog" is the American. Since I'm not a Brit, you might wonder why I write "dialogue." I don't know. My guess is that's the way my teacher's taught me, so it's the way it looks right to me. "Dialog" looks incomplete to me, even though my brain knows it's perfectly correct. Especially for an American.

Okay, I think I'm officially stalling.

Ahem.

How to write good dialogue.

It's been a while since I talked about the dandelion story, which is a book I attempted in high school that had many, many things wrong with it. Including lousy dialogue. Let's take a look at some examples and pinpoint what's so bad.

Avoid Q & A sessions

What do I mean by Q&A sessions? I mean exchanges like this:

"Thank-you," Paige said to him as they entered the hallway and her head cleared.
"I know you get claustrophobic," Kyle said. "It's so great to see you."
"It's great to see you too," she told him.
"Where did you move to?" Kyle asked.
"A place called Vernon. It's a suburb of St. Louis."
"Did you like it there?" Kyle asked her.

Um, what do you bet Paige answers him? And that Kyle asks her another question?

It's not like characters asking each other questions is some no-no. But the tennis-match-style conversation is just kinda ... blah.

Don't let them say everything they're thinking

One of the ways you create conflict in your story is to create conflict in your dialogue. And one of the ways you do that is to not let your character say everything they're thinking. This is a scene from the dandelion book where Paige is telling Carter - long time boyfriend - that she's moving.

"My family..."Paige trailed off. She started over, "My father...is being transferred at the end of June."
"The end of June?!" he exploded. "We're a week into June already!"
"I know. Please don't yell."
"Where are you moving?!" Carter went right on yelling.
"St. Louis, please don't yell," Paige begged.
He yanked his hand away from her. "Don't touch me," he whispered harshly, turning away.
"Carter-don't do this. Calm down."
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop being so positive and cheerful. Paige, we've barely spent a week apart these past 2 years. Letters and phone conversations and e-mails aren't going to hold us over."
"We can visit each other," Paige suggested.
"Let's get real, Paige. My family doesn't have the money for plane tickets and neither does yours," Carter said.

I have two points I want to make about this excerpt.

The first is that these two are being way too open with each other. My husband and I have been together since we were freshman in high school ... but when I come to him with news I know he isn't going to like, there's strategy involved. I'm not talking about manipulation or anything like that, I mean that I think through how this is going to effect him, what the positives are, when the best timing will be. And we're talking about someone who I've been with for half my life, and who I'm quite confident isn't going to leave me. Real life conversation involves strategy, and story world conversation does too.

Of course it can be a lot of fun to toss in a character who tends to say whatever pops into their brain, but how often do you say everything you're thinking? When you're put on hold for 10 minutes and someone finally comes back on the line and says, "I'm so sorry for the wait," what's your answer? I always say, "Don't worry about it," even though I've spent the last 9 1/2 minutes grumbling things like, "Don't worry - my time isn't important. I'm not spending precious kid-free minutes trying to sort out this stupid billing error that's your fault. Take your sweet time."

Pace Yourself

The other thing I noticed in the above excerpt is there's so much in so little - and not in a good way. So, in a little more than 100 words she tells her boyfriend she's moving, and they're already trying to figure out how this is going to work out? (And in the manuscript, they're broken up about 50 words later - yikes!)

It goes way too fast. I can tell that I had information I wanted Paige to impart to Carter (I'm moving, I'll be in St. Louis, I want this to work out) and I worked all that in as quickly as I could. Probably so I could finish the scene before Geometry class ended.

You've probably heard of the 5 stages of grief. They are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. As your characters are moving through the story and experiencing set backs, conflict, and heartbreak, they should be going through these stages.

As I sit here thinking about Paige and Carter, about where they live, and how long they've been together, it's obvious to me that Carter absorbs Paige's news in a ridiculous amount of time. Same as if my husband came home from work today and said, "We're moving to Idaho Falls." My first thought would be something like, "Uh, no we're not."

Make sure you're giving your characters time to process what's going on.

Okay, there were so many issues with the dialogue in the dandelion story, I have to break this into two posts. More on this next week.

Have burning dialogue questions you'd like answered? Post them below. And, just for fun, which do think looks better - dialogue or dialog?

News Day and Winning Entries

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Thursday, guys! Today's news day, which is always fun because I love getting a peek at where everyone is in their writing journey.

Becki Badger says: I completed a whole first draft in just THREE days! Granted, it's only 20,000 words or so, but still! :) Now on to revisions!!!

Congratulations, Becki!

If you have news you'd like to share - getting an article published, starting your first novel, taking that brave step of joining a critique group - email me at Stephanie(at)GoTeenWriters.com and put NEWS DAY in the subject line.

And these people have news too. These are a few of the winning entries from the 265 word free write. Amazing stuff. Happy reading!

By Gillian Adams, First Place

They were coming.
Gundhrold peered into the moonless dark, wings ruffling in the chilling breeze. Distant howls echoed to the beat of thundering hooves and clinking armor. Distant, but drawing nearer.
Foul murderers. His claws dug into the wet bark of the limb. Dark sap bubbled out of the long scratches. A fresh scent hovered around him, strange amidst the eerie screams born upon the wind. He studied the russet sap staining his claws. Like blood. His claws would be covered in that crimson hue before the night was done.
Gundhrold clacked his beak impatiently. He sought to pierce the heaviness of the woods with his gaze. Where was she?
A twig snapped in the depths of the forest; a branch rustled. He tensed, tilting forward and raising his wings for flight. Soft footsteps on damp leaves, a shuddering breath, and then a whispered voice spoke from the shadows. “Gundhrold? Are you here?”
At last. Dropping from the limb, Gundhrold spread his wings and glided to the forest floor. He landed without a noise, catlike on the ground, before a woman closely hooded and cloaked. “Lady Auna, you are late.”
The woman started, then breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Did you expect another, Songkeeper?”
“Do not call me that,” Auna hissed. “I have been followed.” She pushed her hood back, revealing eyes sparked with urgency beneath a flood of dark hair. “There is no time. They are coming.”

The judge says: I love the creativity of this point-of-view, the danger and high stakes apparent from the get-go. Vivid writing and an intriguing plot!

By Helga Oskarsdottir, First Place

She stumbled on the hem of her dress as the guards pulled her along the dim hallway. The knight stormed ahead of them and slammed the great doors open. “I found her, my lord.” The knight bowed and gestured as the guards pushed her into the room. She let her feet buckle beneath her and fell in a heap to the floor. She padded her skirts and sighed with relieve. The box was save. She squeezed her eyes until they were brimming with tears and looked up. “Papa”. She saw disappointment cross over his face. “Please excuse us, Knight Rowley,” the Lord of Silverwind said and crossed over to her. She scrambled to her feet and threw herself into his arms. “Oh papa, they came out of nowhere and grabbed me. Thank the goddess for Knight Rowley.” She sobbed into his shirt. She heard the doors close behind her. Her father grabbed her shoulders and drew her away. “You can cut the act, Elina,” he looked at her with his stern eyes, “I know you planned this.” She pouted and crossed her arms. “I will not marry him.” The Lord of Silverwind slumped into the great chair and massaged the bridge of his nose. “I know you are too young to understand the importance of this betrothal, my little silverwing, but could you try to be a little civil. Earl Drowley is not a bad man.” “Oh yes he is,” Elina cut him off, “I saw him once beat his horse.”

By Katy McCurdy, Second Place

Wulf had always been vigilant, never caught unaware.Until now.He’d lingered at the village too long, growing lax with the routine of normal life. And now, in consequence of his carelessness, here he was.He glanced at the men riding on either side of him—they stared straight ahead. He flexed his arms, straining the leather straps that bound his wrists behind his back. They didn’t budge. A low, frustrated growl vibrated the back of his throat. Focus, Wulf. You were trained for this. Wait for the opportunity.A large castle appeared from behind a veil of trees. He hadn’t lived in Trinovia long, but knew the castle must belong to one of the dukes of the land. ‘Twas too grand for anyone else. But why would a duke want him, of all people? And why by force?The group of riders passed beneath the gate and halted in the courtyard. One of the men fisted a handful of his tunic and yanked him off his mount. Another prodded his back with the hilt of a dagger, urging him forward. They reached a door that led into a large, long corridor stretching both ways. They turned right. No one spoke. In fact, no words had been spoken since they captured him the day before. Wulf wasn’t the type to plead or ask questions, and the men hadn’t offered anything. Which suited him fine. Now that they had arrived, all would soon be explained. And he would take appropriate action.True, they’d taken his sword and bow. Removed all his daggers. But they’d missed one.

The judge says: Excellent writing and feel. I love the play of tension and silence, that sense of something to come, and the knowledge we’re left with, that Wulf has an ace—or a dagger, anyway—up his sleeve.

By Cosette Russell, Second Place

A drop of liquid fire, the sun sank to hide beyond the mountains just as the last angry glow faded from the ring of hot steel. Evangeline watched the steam dance off the water's surface just long enough to cool the piece, then hung the tongs on their peg and inspected her work. Marcello would have been proud of his daughter, she thought. It wasn’t a difficult piece, not by far. The real challenge always reared its head when the people came to her for weapons-- when the men were away, and the monsters took advantage of them. Then was the time her skills were truly called upon, and then was the time she could never use them properly. Nothing could overcome her fear of the monsters. They never appeared in daylight, and never sent spies ahead. But they always, always came when the army left for battle. Their cleverness and cowardice was the perfect scheme. On a dusky evening such as this, it was only a matter of time. Wrapping the bridle ring in a clean cloth, she peered out the window into the silent village. The restless people had finished their business early today in anticipation of the night's terrors. "Evangeline!" Andrew burst through the door. "I've found a way!" Her brother's comrades jostled each other behind him, all dressed in their newly earned battle armor. The light of the forge only added to the dangerous excitement in his eyes. "We're going out after them." Evangeline froze. "After the monsters?"

The judge says: This writing is beautiful! It flows nicely. The description is very good. I can imagine all the details with ease. I like the way it starts out in a calm sort of way, but finishes with a good deal of tension and unanswered questions.

By Emma King, Third Place

She rushed down the vacant streets, dodging between buildings. Adrenaline always kicked in after dusk, giving her the speed she needed to get back to her alley. The wind howled behind her, screaming for blood. She pushed her legs harder, while consistently attempting to slow her heartbeat. There it was, just around the corner. Home. Something blurred in the pursuing wind, and she could barely make out the forms of humans. These wind-spirits wanted her, but even the air they were riding was not quick enough to grasp their unfortunate target. She dived into the alley, landing head-first into her hay bed. She stood quickly, her hair ruffled with pieces of hay sticking out at odd angles. She stuck her tongue out at the now-rampaging spirits, not caring for maturity. She was only five years old. On a normal day, the wind spirits would get bored and leave her be. That night, however, they banged against her protective border. Something cracked, and her eyes widened. The girl turned toward the back of the alley. How could she be so stupid? She chose an alley with no escape route! The back consisted of a ten-foot-tall brick wall, impossible to climb. With one sharp inhalation of air, she began sprinting toward it. Her defensive border shattered behind, allowing the spirits into her home. Every step brought her closer to death. The wall was approaching, doubling in size as she neared it. With only two feet to go, she hurled her body upward in a desperate effort to save herself.

The judge says: So intriguing, with wind spirits! I’m also a sucker for heroes/heroines who are children, but smarter and more capable than they should be. Well done with solid writing.

By Nicole Goddard, Third Place

Insects crawled beneath him at impressive speeds, zooming back and forth on swift legs. No, not insects, he absently reminded himself. Cars. People. He liked to think of each car as a little universe. From the outside, they were just metal boxes. But there were people inside, little lives and little worlds that zoomed below and they looked like insects. “What are you waiting for?” He started at the unexpected voice behind him and whirled around. A man stood before him, hands casually stuffed deep in his pockets, leaning against the door that led off the roof and down the stairwell, back into the building below.“What?” he demanded, uncomprehending. He could have sworn he had locked that door. He wasn’t supposed to be interrupted.“What are you waiting for?” the man repeated slowly. Sad grey eyes roved across the rooftop, taking in his place on the ledge, and then moving up towards the sky.“I’m not waiting for anything.” The man snorted.“We’re all waiting for something,” he said softly. “I’ve been waiting for today. Clearly you have as well. Probably for some time now.” He sighed and came to stand on the ledge. “The name’s David, by the way. I feel like whenever one jumps off a roof with someone, one should definitely know the name of the person jumping off the roof with them.”

The judge says: The description used here to describe the cars and people is awesome! Not only does it resonate with me, it creates a sense of being an “outsider”, which is what you were going for, I think. I love the unexpectedness of the other person on the roof, and the calm way the person introduces himself. These opening sentences are just enough to pique my interest.

How to Make Your Reader Feel Like They Are There

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

Laura Smith is here today to talk to us about writing with all your senses! Laura is a fellow YA author whose books include Skinny, Hot and Angry which address eating disorders, dating and divorce, respectively. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter and at her website www.laurasmithauthor.com.

Utilizing Your Five Senses for Richer Writing

Imagine Christmas this year without the sharp taste of peppermint candy canes, the creamy, rich froth of hot cocoa, the fragrant scent of pine, the crisp chill of a December morning, the tingle of a snowflake tickling your tongue, a rainbow of twinkling Christmas lights, the warm glow of a cozy fire, the melodic notes of “The First Noel” or the tinkle of bells.

Just as we wouldn’t want to miss a single one of these morsels of holiday magic, we don’t want to deprive our characters, plots and readers of those sensations either.

I’m writing this blog from my favorite cozy coffee shop, with amazing atmosphere, but me telling you it’s “cozy” and “amazing” doesn’t do you much good unless I describe it to you using, you guessed it, my five senses. So, why don’t we find a seat and chat about this writing tool.

We could either sit at one of the tall stools along the ledge, looking out the front window, in the giant orange crushed velvet couch that looks like it came out of a Scooby Doo episode or in my favorite, one of the booths with cracked black, leather seats and glossy, polished wood tables. There. We used the first sense - sight – this one is the best utilized sense in writing. Probably, because it’s what we rely on the most to make decisions. We are drawn to the sweater that “looks cute” in a store window before we know if it’s comfortable, if it fits us or if we can afford it. We often choose the dessert on the dessert tray that “looks” yummiest, before we’ve ever tasted it. Using sight, is as simple as explaining what something looks like. Make sure to use a variety of descriptions -- height, texture, color, spatial references and analogies all work. The important thing to remember is that your description should be relevant. We described the seats we could sit in when we were looking for a place to sit, not the tattoo on the barista’s neck or the signs plastered along the windows. These details might be relevant to a different scene or chapter, but not here.

Close your eyes and listen. I hear the whirr of the espresso machine, the clang of ceramic cups, the buzz of multiple murmured conversations and Sufjan Stevens singing in a raspy, melodic voice along to his acoustic guitar over the sound system. Can you hear them? Can you imagine you’re here? That’s what you want your reader to be able to do -- to immerse themselves in your scene, to feel like they’re actually in your story. Whenever in doubt how to use sound in your writing, do what we just did. Close your eyes and imagine what you hear in your scene, than incorporate it into your text.

Yum! Sorry I couldn’t wait to take a sip of my coffee. Sadly, taste is the most underutilized of our senses in writing. With all of the delicious flavors out there, this is such a shame. I often have writers ask me, how can I use taste if my story doesn’t involve eating? My answer is – writing is a creative process. Be creative. Taste is not limited to the robust, caramel flavor of the Fair Trade Highlander Grogg in my mug. Gum can be cool and minty or sharp and cinnamony. I can walk past someone with a cigarette or a bus with exhaust and taste the foul, thick smoke lingering in the air. Kisses are delicious – kissing a baby on the forehead and tasting their sweet, powdery innocence or kissing your grandma and tasting the heavy, floral perfume, she’s been wearing since before time began.

Brrr. It gets chilly when someone comes in through those side doors and lets in a blast of December Ohio air. I’m shivering a little on this squishy, leather seat. To combat the chill, I wrap my hands around the welcome warmth coming from my smooth, ceramic mug as I cradle my coffee. Touch – There isn’t a scene you write that can’t contain some sort of feeling – and we’re not talking happy, sad or angry, I mean the way something feels if you touch it. Use texture, temperature, weather, clothing, furniture – anything your character’s body comes in contact with to convey this tactile sense.

In this coffee shop there is the obvious bold, rich aroma of coffee permeating the place. I love when I get home and unzip my laptop from its case, and the lingering scent of coffee drifts from the keyboard. But there is also the smell of Panini’s, slathered with butter, grilling behind the counter and the pungent odor of bleach, sharp against my sinuses, when I visit the bathroom. Other customers smell of cologne, patchouli, sweat, cigarette smoke or outdoors as they walk by my table or when I stand next to them in line. By adding the sense of smell, we add a rich layer to our descriptions. The sense of smell is tied to memory and experience.

I’m going to finish my coffee and savor the way my five senses are stimulated in this shop. Where are you writing today? Which of your senses is being particularly stirred, or which ones are you struggling to capture? I’d love to hear.

Winners of the 265 Word Free Write

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited to announce the winners of the 265 word free write!

First Place

Jessica Staricka

Gillian Adams

Helga Oskarsdottir

Second Place

Katy McCurdy

Jordan Newhouse

Cosette Russell

Third Place

Emma King (double-finaled)

Nicole Goddard

Congratulations, guys! Pending approval from the authors, I'll be posting some of the winning entries on Thursday.

Jill Williamson's 10 Tips to Becoming a Better Writer

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

If you haven't already received your feedback from the free write contest, you should be receiving it sometime today. I'll be perfectly honest - it all depends on how well my kid naps this morning. I know you're anxious, so I'm doing my best to get your entries returned to you.

The winners of the 265 word free write will be announced tomorrow. I'm very excited!

Me and Jill in Chicago.

Some of you may have already seen this on Jill Williamson's Teenage Author site. She's sweet enough to let me share it over here. Jill Williamson is the author of the Blood of Kings series, a two time Christy award winner, and has a new book - Replication - coming out at the end of this month.

10 Tips to Becoming a Better Writer

Learning to become a great writer takes time. As teenagers, you are at the beginning of that time. Do not be discouraged! You can learn the tricks to becoming a better writer now and by the time you’re my age… well, let’s just say, “Move over Christopher Paolini, here you come!”

These tips are rules. Once you learn the rules, you, as a great and extremely talented crafter of the written word, will know when it is okay to break them. Truth? I still am not sure when to break them. Don’t tell anyone, okay? Yes, there are lots of rules to becoming a great writer, and you may tire of hearing them all over and over, but once you understand them, your writing will greatly improve and an editor or agent will notice the difference.

So here they are, drum roll please, my Ten Tips to Becoming a Better Writer…

Tip #1– Read, Read, Read

One of the easiest ways to learn great writing is to read great writing. Pick up books like the kind you want to write and read them. This will help you learn what works and know your competition.

Tip #2– Know Your Reader and Genre

When you are ready to begin writing, decide who you are writing for and what you are writing. Write a picture book for kids. Write a junior detective reader. Write a young adult fantasy. Write a young adult historical coming of age story. If you try to write all of these things in one book, it’s going to be very confusing and there will not be a market for it. If you are writing for fun, then, hey, do what you want. But—if you are writing to become a great writer, then start by following the rules. Once you are up there with Lois Lowry and J. K. Rowling, you can do what you want.

Tip #3– Point of View

Decide which person’s head you will be telling the story from. I suggest telling the story from a single persons head, or point of view, for your first novel. Head jumping can be a very tiresome thing, and usually makes me want to toss the book in the trash. What I mean by head jumping is this:

Kate looked at Edward. He was a silly little boy. Why did he think he could get away with taking her things all the time. It was a real pain having him for a little brother. She wanted to ship him off to Australia media mail. That would teach him.

If she wouldn’t always boss him, then he would behave more. He really only wanted Kate to play with him. The other kids in third grade didn’t have a big sister as cool as her, but she always yelled at him. It made him sad when she did, but at least she was paying some attention to him.

Mr. Jones always took his son’s side. How could he not? Kate was going through some bizarre teenage girl phase that he didn’t understand. She constantly tortured the family, especially Edward. As a good father should, he stepped in, but Kate always took it as a personal attack.

See what I did? In the second paragraph I went to Edward’s point of view, then in the third I went to Daddy’s. That’s a no no because it confuses the reader. Yeah, it’s true that there are lots of published authors out there who do this, but I think it’s very confusing. If you want to use more than one point of view in your book, switch at chapter breaks or at least at scene changes.

Tip #4– Problem?

I’ve read books where I was in the third chapter before I knew what was happening. I’m not talking about a great suspense novel, I’m talking about rambling on and on without any sign of a plot. A story must have a plot. The easiest way to explain this is to give your main character a major problem to solve. Maybe they chose to get involved in the problem like Nancy Drew nosing around in a crime, or maybe it was thrust upon them like Harry Potter becoming a wizard, Eragon finding a dragon’s egg, or Anne Shirley being an orphan. Readers need to know in the first five pages, preferable the first page, what the character’s problem is. Then the reader can decide whether or not they want to read on. If you don’t have a problem, you don’t have a story. Sorry.

Tip #5– Show, Don’t Tell

Okay, this is the first time you will hear me say that. It took me at least a year of desperate searching to understand what that meant. You’ll hear it a thousands of times in your quest to becoming a great author, so commit it to memory now.

Honestly, at first, authors think they are being clever and poetically descriptive. What they are really doing is being lazy and littering their work with red flags that scream, “HELLO, I’M AN AMATEUR!” As an author, we want to SHOW our readers what is happening so they feel like they are actually one of the main character and they are getting excited, scared, cold, sick, or hungry along with your character because you write in a way that draws them in.

Why? Because today’s generation of readers were raised on television and movies. They want to be entertained and that has translated into book writing. If you want to be a great writer, you’ve got to get used to it.

Tip #6- Delete Adverbs

An adverb is a part of speech that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. For

example: “She was beautiful”; “He drove perfectly”; “They played very well.” Adverbs are often formed by adding ‘ly’ to an adjective. Ex: Weakly, hungrily, or tirelessly.

Amateurs love to use lots of adverbs.

For example: She was beautiful. –This doesn’t really show us much. We as readers have no choice but to take your word for it. We may believe you once, but if your writing is filled with you telling the reader what to believe, we’ll get annoyed with you. We want to see her beauty.

Better example: She was small, with big brown eyes and lashes that seemed to blink in slow motion. Her hair fell in black waves over her shoulders and down her back.

Yak! FYI: I will never put “Good example,” because that would insinuate that I can write good examples, but I hope that you see what I mean. Readers need specifics. Once you give them to us, we can see her and we believe she is beautiful without you ever having to tell us so.

Tip #7– Be Specific or CUT, CUT, CUT!

When you are writing your first draft, just write it. Zip on through and get the story in the computer. (Yes computer. The days of writing by hand are in the past.) As you go back through, look for those boring snoozer words that really mean nothing of interest. Good writing is in the details and specifics.

For Example: John climbed the tree and looked at the mountain.

Zzzzzzzzz. Snort. Drool. Zzzzzzzz. Oh! I’m sorry. Must have dozed off. Tee hee.

Better example: John shimmied up the swaying willow and gazed at the monstrous peak of Mt. McKinley.

Okay, so I replaced the boring, non specific words with concrete ones. Ones that help the reader see what you want them to. Instead of climbed, John shimmied. Instead of tree, I used swaying willow. That is very specific, and if you ever tried to climb one, you would know they sway. Instead of looked, I used gazed. It just seemed more right for the scene. Instead of mountain, monstrous peak of Mt. McKinley. Yep. Mt. McKinley is monstrous, the second tallest peak in North America, and that alone tells the reader (who knows his geography, anyway) where the story takes place.

This is true with any word. Be specific, but if you feel that being non specific is the right thing to do, go right ahead. Like I said, once you know and follow the rules, you can break them when you want to. Confused yet? Ha ha ha ha ha!

Tip #8– Get Rid of, or Make Simple, the Said Tag

This is another one of those places where and agent or editor will take one glance at your manuscript and scream, “AMATEUR!” The dreaded said tag. And even worse, the dreaded said tag with even more dreaded adverb attached.

For Example: “Get out!” Sharon screamed angrily.

Ick, ick, ick! Here’s why: “Get out!” Does that look like someone might whisper those words? Nope. So you don’t have to tell us that Sharon screamed. And angrily is even more redundant. You’ve only got so many words to write a good story. Wasting them on saying the same thing over and over is a bad move. Watch out for redundancies and lazy telling.

Better Example: “Get Out!” Sharon slammed the door.

This example uses an action tag. Not only does the action fit the words she has spoken, but it tells us that she spoke them without using the word ‘said’ at all. Whoo hoo! Have a party. ‘Said’ is one of the most abused and over used words in literature. That being said, it is far better to write, ‘“Get out!” Sharon said,’ than to write ‘“Get out!” Sharon said angrily,’ or ‘“Get out!” Sharon clamored.’ When in doubt, ‘said’ works best, but I know that you can do better using action tags.

Tip #9– Avoid Flashbacks

There is nothing more confusing that a flashback in the middle of nowhere except, two or more flashbacks spread throughout a novel. If you must tell a past event, get creative. Put it into dialogue or put little pieces here and there throughout the story. This is far more mysterious than blurting it out by going back in time for three pages, and let’s face it, I skip over it anyway. If you absolutely are itching to tell a character’s past, do it in a prologue, or sneak it in another way. If you refuse and must have a flashback, make it short. Please!

Tip #10– Write, Write, Write!

You would think this would be obvious and yet, I waste more time thinking about nothing, biting my fingernails, writing to do lists of what I’m going to write, and eating in front of the computer, than actually writing. Randy Ingermanson, a really smart writing guy, said it takes the average writer a million words typed to get published. That is the equivalent of ten novels. Currently, I’m closing in on 500,000. Sigh! So, you best get typing now and stop wasting your time reading this e-zine!

Bonus Tip #11– Rewrite, Rewrite, Rewrite!

What’s this? A bonus tip? How thoughtful of me! It is also said, by many wise writing guru people that the real magic, the real amazing gift of the writing craft comes in the rewrite. So write your story. Put it aside. Write something else. Then come back and rewrite that first one. Rewrite it until you feel real good about it. The problem is, some people (like me) never feel real good about it and we could go on picking the poor book to death until it is just a sad skeleton of a former healthy novel. That, however, is a different kind of problem altogether.

Big News Day and the Top 11

2011-12-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

Usually Thursday is news day around here (Well, okay, the one news day we had last week was on Thursday) but that didn't work out this week. So today is news day, and we'll be back to regularly scheduled programming around here next week.

If you have big news you'd like to share next Thursday - a published article, finishing a first draft, signing up for a writing class, etc. - please email me at Stephanie(at)GoTeenWriters.com with "News Day" in the subject line. I'm happy to post a link to your blog or a picture of you as well, if you so choose.

This week's big news:

Talia DeAndrea finished NaNoWriMo!
So did Shelby Stoddart, who mentioned her final word count was 50,200. Awesome!

Way to go, guys, (For those who don't know what NaNoWriMo is, you can find out more at their website.)

There was some chatter on the Go Teen Writers Facebook page about NaNo winners as well, so if you also won NaNo, feel free time chime in below! You can even share what your story is about, if you'd like.

And these people have big news too:

Nicole Goddard

Rebecca Pennefather

Katy McCurdy

Emma King

Helga

Cosette Russell

Jessica Staricka

Gillian Adams

Jordan Newhouse

Jenna Blake Morris

Rachel Crew

There were 59 entries for the 265-word free write, and the above writers made the top 11. (Listed in no particular order.) Congratulations!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Yes, you can get published as a teen.

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

I know you guys are going to love today. Ever since Jill Williamson told me about Rachel Coker - who is 16 and her debut novel, Interrupted, is releasing with Zondervan in February - I have been itching to have her on Go Teen Writers. Well, itching isn't really accurate. More like "leaping" or "cartwheeling."

Yesterday I shared Rachel's book trailer and some information about her book, but today we get to talk to her!

Rachel has agreed to poke her head in from time to time to interact. She likely won't have a chance to answer every question that comes her way, but she could probably get to a few.

Enough of me. Onto Rachel:

Rachel, at what age did you start writing Interrupted? Was it your first novel?

I first got the idea for Interrupted when I was fourteen years old. Most of the book was written in the spring of 2010, when I was fourteen. I was fifteen when I was signed with Zondervan, and did a few revisions after that, but I’d say that over 90% of the book was written before my fifteenth birthday.

Funnily enough, Interrupted is not the first novel I ever wrote! When I was twelve, I wrote a novella (short novel) about an Irish orphan at the turn of the century. It was back when I was first trying to develop my writing style, and really reflects my personality at the time. I was a very dramatic, sensitive child. ;)

Oh, boy. Me too.

How did you know your book was "finished" and ready for the eyes of an agent?

I don't really know if any book is ever really 'finished'. A lot of authors say they knew their book was agent-ready when they looked over it and felt it was finally perfect, or at least close to it. I don't think that's the case at all. I'm always finding things to fix about Interrupted, even in the post-editing phase. I think it was more a matter of: I spent a lot of time writing this book, and I finally think it's good. It's not perfect, but it has a lot of potential and it's something I would be interested in reading. That's when I knew that I was ready to pursue publication.

What were the first steps you took toward getting published?

Well, the first thing I did was pray a lot. I don’t really know what I was praying for—just that God would make things happen if it was His will, I guess. Finally I decided to just go for it. I figured getting published was such a long shot that if it wasn’t His plan for me, there was no way it would ever happen.

Did you look for an agent? How did Interrupted get in the hands of editors?

Yes, I did my best to find an agent, because I knew there was very little chance getting signed with a good publishing company if I didn’t. I actually checked out a big book of Christian agents from the library, and then Googled a list online. I sent cover letters to about fifteen people, and only one or two were even interested.

Bill (my agent) and I just clicked from the beginning, though. Everything he said was just so in agreement with what I believed. We both prayed about it, and felt God leading us to work together. So I was over the moon when I signed him to be my agent. He’s the one who got out there and sold my book to the editors at Zondervan.

Are you in any kind of critique group? Who are the big supporters of your writing in your life?

Actually, no, I’m not in any kind of critique group, but if you know of a good one let me know! I’m very personal about my writing, and I think the only people who have even read Interrupted outside of my editors are my mom and sister. They read everything I write and tell me what they think about it. Our family is full of big readers, so I respect everything they say. I love that they are blunt with me, too. My mom is not shy about telling me when something seems to be too big of a stretch, and my sister can find character flaws in anybody. And of course, my agent and editor are fantastic supporters. Reading their comments always make me smile.

What made the big difference in you going from being an aspiring writer to being a contracted author?

I think timing is really important. Two years ago, I never could have dealt with all the pressure and business of being a signed author like I can now. I also don’t think I was mature enough to write at the same level. I never want to feel like I have to do everything too early in life, even if I’m tempted to sometimes. No, I want time to live and grow as a result of my choices and mistakes. You need time to let your feelings and thoughts mature, before you can make a lot of the big decisions that being a contracted author takes. I feel like sixteen is a good age for me, personally.

Very interesting. What surprised you most about being published?

The amount of support I’ve been getting, definitely. Before Interrupted, I never talked much about my writing or my desire to be a writer. I figured I was too young and everyone would be secretly laughing at me. But ever since I’ve started talking about my journey, I’ve been blown away by the number of teens and other aspiring authors who have told me they were encouraged by my story. I never thought being a writer could mean connecting with so many different people. And my book isn’t even out yet!

I'm eager for it to hit shelves!

What advantages are there to being published at 16? What disadvantages are there?

The biggest advantage is that it creates quite a buzz. Everyone wants to talk about you, and interview you. It makes for a really cool story, and gave me an excuse to take a year off of writing in high school. ;)

The downside is that, at sixteen, you still suffer from a lot of peer pressure. I’m always worrying that my book is being hyped too much, and wonder what my friends will think. Will they all think it’s lame? And I also worry that people will judge my writing based on my age, and not on whether or not I am a good writer. The last thing I want is someone to say, “Oh, it was a good effort from a sixteen-year-old.” I’d rather them just like it, or hate it. You know what I mean?

I do. And I'm so appreciative of you taking the time to share some of your journey with us.

I had such a great time emailing back and forth with Rachel. I've found her to be sweet, professional, full of faith. Oh, and very brave. She didn't seem too freaked out by my exuberance.

So, tell Rachel hello, and look for her book in stores February 1st. Support teen writers!

Teen Author Rachel Coker

2011-12-08T09:47:00.001-06:00

I am super excited that tomorrow Rachel Coker will be here for an interview!

Rachel Coker is the author if Interrupted, which releases from Zonderkidz this spring. And she's 16.

I am way excited about having her on here. So excited that it's possible I kinda scared her with my enthusiasm when I emailed her. But fortunately Rachel is made of tough stuff. Tough, faith-filled stuff.

Make sure you're here tomorrow to hear about her journey to publication. For now, you can enjoy her book trailer and a description of Interrupted.

Can love really heal all things? If Sam Carroll hadn't shown up, she might have been able to get to her mother in time. Instead, Allie Everly finds herself at a funeral, mourning the loss of her beloved mother. She is dealt another blow when, a few hours later, she is sent from Tennessee to Maine to become the daughter of Miss Beatrice Lovell, a prim woman with a faith Allie cannot accept. Poetry and letters written to her mother become the only things keeping Allie's heart from hardening completely. But then Sam arrives for the summer, and with him comes many confusing emotions, both toward him and the people around her. As World War II looms, Allie will be forced to decide whether hanging on to the past is worth losing her chance to be loved.

Rachel Coker resides in Virginia with her parents and two sisters. She has a passion for great books, and has been surrounded by them all her life. Her gift for writing became apparent at the age of eleven, at which time her parents signed her up for a year of lessons with a professional writing coach. Rachel also has a deep love for classical music and old black-and-white movies. When she is not writing or playing the piano, Rachel enjoys spending time with her family and friends and serving her Lord and Savior.

What An Editor is Looking For

2011-12-07T06:31:00.000-06:00

We have friends in town, which is good for my emotional health but bad for my blogging schedule.

That's okay, because I've been looking for a day to slack off so I could direct you to Seekerville where Ramona Richards, the senior acquisitions editor for Abingdon Press's fiction line blogged about what she looks for in a manuscript. She says the author's "voice" is key for her, and then she goes on to define what that means to her.

Some of you guys have asked me about voice before, and I've done my best to share what I think it means, but Ms. Richards is an EDITOR. So if the voice thing is still murky for you, be sure to check out Ms. Richards' post.

Exercising "The Rules" by Dina Sleiman

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

Our guest today is Dina Sleiman, and she's here to talk to us about the rules of fiction writing. Welcome, Dina!

Those of us who are fiction writers hear a lot about “the rules.” I recently heard a new one—that similes are unacceptable. Are you kidding me!!! I’m a poet. A well executed, well timed simile is like a feast for the senses. Of course, an ill executed, ill timed simile can make you want to gag up said feast. Hmm…maybe that’s the point. It’s all about how well you do it.

All of these so-called “rules of fiction writing” are just someone’s attempt to capture that elusive entity known “great writing” and put it in a bottle. To give you a concrete guideline. But the rules are a means and not an end unto themselves.

Here are Dina’s “Rules About the Rules.”

1) You can break any writing rule if you do it well.
2) Apply the 10% caveat: feel free to break any rule 10% of the time.
3) Over adherence to any single rule will result in breaking another.

I’ve seen too many friends run in circles by rule #3. And no wonder when critiquers and judges shoot out comments like sniper bullets. They often give vague advice with no real training on how to apply the advice. The writer thinks they’ve applied the advice and gets in trouble with another judge or critiquer who seems to tell her to change it back.

The real problem is, the writer misunderstood and misapplied “the rule.” Let me give you some examples.

Often writers are told they shouldn’t have backstory for the first 30 or even 50 pages. True and not true. We need to have a feel for who these people are after all. What we can’t have is long, boring backstory dump. But please, do weave in hints and quick targeted details. A mention of lingering tension between the character and her mother in the dialogue. A hint of her history with the hero linked to a sensory detail. Perhaps tell us her occupation in her internal monologue. You can give us backstory…if you do it well.

Here’s another one. A friend of mine was recently (oh no! adverb usage) told she had too much description. So she stripped it all out. What? Description is the basis for setting. And the reader couldn’t picture the scene at all. You need setting. What you don’t need is long, boring description in list-like fashion. But please, do weave setting into the action. Show the character interacting with the setting. Allow it to spark her inner monologue. Let us experience the sensory details along with her. You can give us description…if you do it well.

We all know clichés can never, ever be used in fiction. But, wait! What if you have one specific person in the story who clings to the safe and familiar never venturing out on their own. Clichés in their dialogue can actually strengthen characterization. I would argue that you can use clichés (say it with me everyone)…if you do it well.

Yes fellow writers, rule #1 is true. You can do anything. You just need to do it well. This reminds me of a corollary in the dance world (being very careful not to word this as a simile. Sheesh people!) Sometimes you’ll see a novice dancer who thinks that because she can kick her leg to head height, that she’s ready to be a professional.

Not true.

What she doesn’t understand is that her foot must be turned out, her hip properly fixed in place, her knee straight, her toes pointed into a lovely arch, her arms in the correct position. All at the same time.

And how do professional dancers learn a proper kick? By a judge or critiquer telling them once. No no no, my friends. By doing thousands of hours of exercises to strengthen, hone, and stretch their muscles. By starting with small kicks and slowly working up to big kicks to maintain proper technique.

Yes it takes training, ladies and gentlemen. Years and years of long, hard training. You don’t get to say, “I’ve watched plenty of dance recitals. I can do that.” You have to put in the work to develop the strength, skill, and technique yourself.

The “rules” are not a quick-fix to great writing. Writing, and writing, and writing creates great writing. Studying the craft, attending conferences, taking classes. These are the keys to great writing.

So, my fellow writers, as the next round of critiques comes along to bludgeon you in the head, don’t get discouraged. Get back out on the dance floor and exercise your fiction muscles (gracious me, did I just mix metaphors?!?!), understanding that it will take time, patience, and practice to become great.

Dina Sleiman writes lyrical stories that dance with light. Most of the time you will find this Virginia Beach resident reading, biking, dancing, or hanging out with her husband and three children, preferably at the oceanfront. Since finishing her Professional Writing MA in 1994, she has enjoyed many opportunities to teach literature, writing, and the arts. Join her as she discovers the unforced rhythms of grace.

Dance of the Dandelion

Love's quest leads her the world over.

Dandelion Dering was born a peasant in the English village of Arun, but her soul yearned for another life, another world. One filled with color and music, with adventure and passion . . . with more. Haunted by childhood memories, Dandelion determines to find a better existence than the life every peasant in the village contents themselves with. Even if her sweetheart William’s predictions prove true, and her journey leads straight to heartache.From her sleepy hamlet to the intrigue of castle life, from the heart of London to the adventurous seas, Dandelion flees from the mistakes of her past, always seeking that something, that someone who will satisfy her longings. Will Dandelion ever find the rhythm to her life's dance . . . or did she leave her chance for true love at home in Arun village?

Creating an Idea Notebook

2011-12-05T07:05:00.000-06:00

Creating an ideas/inspiration notebook has been on my to-do list for (seriously) over a year now. I finally did it over the weekend, and it took me about 10 minutes. Here's how you can make one too.

Start with a 3-ring binder. I like the kind with the clear pockets on front so I can label them, but that's just me.

For now I only need 3 dividers, story ideas, articles, and characters.

In my story ideas section, I keep all those little scraps of paper with various levels of ideas.

Some are scenes that have popped into my head, but don't yet have a full story. Some are introspection about things that happened to me in high school. Others are ... something else. One note card says, "Maddie always going to bed at 7."

I have only a vague idea of what that is referring to, and I have no clue how it would fit into a story, but there it is. Waiting to inspire me when I'm feeling dry.

The articles section is where I store any articles that I think could prompt a plot line. One is on an inside-job bank robbery these Kansas City area 20-somethings tried to pull off. When I read the article, I thought "Surely a character of mine would have been dumb enough to date one of these guys." But I don't know who yet, so I've saved the article for the right time.

The last divider is for pictures relating to characters.

Sometimes the pictures are faces that I would like apply to a character. Other times it might be an outfit or a room. You could also keep lists of names in this section, but I have a file folder for that.

What took the longest was taping my pile of idea note cards onto pieces of paper, but otherwise this thing was a snap to make. Hopefully when I'm suffering from writers block, something in here will jump start my creativity.

Do you have a system for keeping track of your story ideas?

Free Write Entries due tomorrow!

2011-12-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

Since we've never had an entry due on a Sunday before, I just wanted to post a reminder that your 265 word free write entries are due TOMORROW evening. If you're interested in having published writers give you feedback on the first 265 words of your novel, click here to get details on how to get yourself entered.

And this is the trailer for Jill Williamson's latest release, which we'll be giving away a copy of in January. Can't wait!

Beth White is here with a giveaway!

2011-12-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

I am thrilled to feature Beth White today!

Back in September when I attended the ACFW conference, I left a post on Go Teen Writers about favorite books. One of you guys mentioned Tour de Force by (Eliza)Beth White, and that night I happened to sit by her at dinner! I was thrilled to have the chance to tell her how much I loved Controlling Interest, but also to tell her she had just been mentioned on Go Teen Writers.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Ms. White, here is a little about her:

Beth White’s day job is teaching chorus and piano at LeFlore High School in Mobile, Alabama. A native Southerner, she is a pastor’s wife, mother to two married young adult children, and grandmother to ten-month-old Judah. Beth’s hobbies include playing flute and pennywhistle and painting, but her real passion is writing historical romance and romantic suspense with a Christian worldview. Her novel Controlling Interest won American Christian Fiction Writers’ 2009 Book of the Year award, and Crescent City Courtship won the RT Book Club Reviewers Choice award. She is currently working on a historical romance series set on the Colonial Gulf Coast. Visit her on the web at http://www.bethwhite.net.

And now I'll let her tell you about her writing process. Ms. White has been generous enough to offer to give away a copy of Tour de Force. Details for getting entered ton a down below! (US Residents only, please.)

1. Idea Seed

Story ideas come from all sorts of places: articles, people I meet, songs, photographs, spin-offs from my previous novels. Sometimes the idea is rooted in a fascinating profession — like fireworks designer, ballet dancer, Border Patrol agent, Supreme Court justice, landscaper. If that's the case, the first thing I do is interview someone in that job, and ask him or her as many nosy questions as I can think of! The two most important questions are:

• What's the worst day you ever had on the job, or what's the worst thing you could imagine happening?
• What are a few of your top goals in your job?

The book I'm working on now—The Pelican Brides, set to release in January 2014—is a historical, and the idea came from a random fact I came across while researching a previous novel, Redeeming Gabriel. Gabriel is set in Mobile during the Civil War, and it originated from a visit to the Museum of Mobile with my son, who was then in the fourth grade. While researching Gulf Coast history, I discovered that Mobile was settled by French-Canadians under Louis XIV. To discourage intermarriage with the Indians, the French Crown sent twenty-five young Frenchwomen across the ocean as brides for the explorers. Exciting stuff!

2. Once I’ve settled on the basic premise, I have to nail down the protagonist’s story goal and motivation and, conversely, what keeps him or her from attaining that goal. This is a little harder than it sounds, because those two elements must be strong enough to sustain an 80,000-100,000-word novel. The more heroic the goal, the better—and the more life-and-death the conflict, the better. There are entire books written on the subject, and I recommend studying them. Deb Dixon’s Goal, Motivation and Conflict is a classic, as is James Scott Bell’s Plot and Structure. Another great resource is Randy Ingermanson’s “Snowflake” plot method: www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com. Have fun checking that out!

3. Using one of the above methods (sometimes all three), I take a couple of weeks or months (depending on how much time I’m allotted by a mind-numbing list of personal life factors) to develop a 10-20 page synopsis. Have I always done this? No. Many times I’ve taken off writing, knowing little more than who the main characters are. That “strategy” is, to my more mature mind, the equivalent of trying to get around New York with nothing but a child’s crayon drawing in hand. Shall we just say, that’s an invitation to taking the scenic route? You might get to some interesting places, but you’re just as likely to wind up in a nasty, dark, blind alley without a flashlight.

4. Anyway, once I have a solid synopsis (some people call it an outline, but don’t think of it as an English essay-type outline—not the same thing at all), I look for a place to start the story. Again, that’s easier said than done. Often, I’ll write a chapter or two and realize I’m just laying down backstory, which then must be ruthlessly cut. But nothing is wasted. Backstory (what happened to the characters before the story starts) lends motivation and emotional complexity, and readers love it. They just don’t want it dumped all in one place at the beginning of the book. It has to be fed in by teaspoonfuls via onstage action, dialogue and internal thought.

5. Writing the first draft, as most writers will tell you, is like pushing a refrigerator uphill (I borrowed that phrase from somebody, can’t remember who). I procrastinate, rethink, chase rabbits, research, and pray as I go. I’ve taken as long as six years to finish a book, and as short a time as two months. I have no writing schedule, because I’m a high school music teacher, and I just cram in writing time wherever I can. Some people function well if writing is their only gig; that’s not me. In order to have something worthwhile to say, I need to live life. I need friends, I need family, I need to give myself away, and most of all I need my relationship with Jesus Christ. All those things require time. I may short-change one area or the other while meeting a book deadline, but that can’t last for long—or else the writing would be a hollow, meaningless shell. I encourage you to think that last sentence through. Meditate on it. Talk it over with a writing buddy. If I’m going to invest one of my precious life-hours in anything, it had better mean something to eternity. I hope you’ll come to the same conclusion.

The book I’m giving away today is Tour de Force, my most recent release from Zondervan. It’s about a young ballet dancer who meets the man of her dreams in a season of her life when she’s experiencing phenomenal worldly success—but neither fame nor romance nor even her own giftedness can sustain her when everything comes crashing down. If you’ve ever had the rug yanked out from under you by circumstances, you’ll identify with Gilly’s struggle to come out of despair into joy. Just chime into the conversation, and you’ll be entered into the drawing!

Go Teen Writers News Day

2011-12-01T09:29:00.001-06:00

If you have news you'd like to share with our community - finishing your first draft, placing in a contest, getting an article published - please email me at Stephanie(at)GoTeenWriters.com, and I'll post it for you. Write "Go Teen Writers News Day" in the subject line, and make sure to include your name as you would like it to appear. If you would like me to link to your blog, please provide the address for me. I'm also happy to include a picture, your age, and city/state if you'd like.

Kicking off our News Day tradition is Roseanna M. White, who not only judges frequently for Go Teen Writers contests, but also helped shape Go Teen Writers, and who contributes regularly both on and off stage. Roseanna has several biblical fiction books out with a small press, but Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland is her first BIG release, and it officially hits shelves today. (Though reportedly yesterday you could already buy it at Walmart!)

In 1784 peace has been declared, but war still rages in the heart of Lark Benton. Never did Lark think she’d want to escape Emerson Fielding, the man she’s loved all her life, but then he betrays her with her cousin. She flees to Annapolis, Maryland, the country’s capital, and throws herself into a new circle of friends who force her to examine all she believes. Emerson follows, determined to reclaim his bride.

Surprised when she refuses to return with him, he realizes that in this new country he has come to call his own, duty is no longer enough. He must learn to open his heart and soul to something greater…before he loses all he should have been fighting to hold.

The first line: Perhaps if Lark recited the pirate's code it would steal his attention.

Congratulations on your new release, Roseanna!

If you would like to be included in our next news day, shoot me an email, and I'll get you scheduled!

How to Stay Motivated

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

A writer emailed me to ask, "How do you keep yourself motivated while writing? All I ever seem to do these days is stare at the computer screen waiting for some inspiration."

I have definitely been there, and I'm guessing we aren't the only two. Here are things that have helped me:

If you can, pinpoint why you're struggling. Are you burned out or are you being lazy? Because those require two different treatments.

If I'm frustrated about holiday plans, and Connor had me up three times overnight with his nasty cough, and the house hasn't been cleaned in weeks, and inspiration isn't striking ... well, the best thing I can probably do is go take a nap. And clean my house. Sometimes, sad as it is, life gets in the way of writing. The best thing to do in that case is get your batteries recharged pronto. We write for fun. Even when we're taking our writing seriously, it's still fun. Right?

But sometimes I'm not burned out. Sometimes I'm just being lazy. Sometimes I would rather peruse Baby Gap's website or queue up an episode of 30 Rock. Sometimes it's tough to make myself focus.

When that happens, I utilize this guy:

I set my timer for 25 minutes. I close out of email and Twitter and Facebook. I ignore text messages or phone calls. I tell myself I can take care of any of that stuff 25 minutes from now, but this is writing time.

And then I write.

After 25 minutes, I allow myself a 5 minute break. By then, I've usually cured my desire to hunt for deals on Baby Gap, so I might check in on Facebook or respond to a text, but I'm ready to be lost in my storyworld, so I don't linger for long in my real one.

And that leads to another question you can ask yourself - do you like what you're working on? Do you love your characters? Your plot? Your theme? Because sometimes that's my problem, that I've lost my passion for the story.

In that situation you can do a couple things:

1. Read back through what you've already written. When I do that, I usually find a plot thread I accidentally dropped or a character who would be fun to flesh out. Just a little spark of excitement can do wonders.

2. If you have someone else with whom you've shared your story (a critique partner, a sibling) try talking to them about it. My critique partner, Roseanna, has often helped me fall back in love with my projects just by helping me brainstorm new directions or character flaws.

3. Set it aside. You know that phrase, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder?" That totally applies to your writing. There are times to push yourself to finish a manuscript (like when you're just being lazy) but if you're completely burned out, and you don't have a publishing house waiting on you, don't be afraid to set the project aside. Work on something else that's fun, and maybe come back to that other project in a month or so. That happened numerous times when I was writing Me, Just Different. Eventually, it still got written. It just took 4 years, is all.

Another great motivator is competition or accountability. NaNo is just wrapping up, and there was so much chatter about it going on over at the Go Teen Writers Facebook page. Being in community with other writers who are saying things like, "I wrote 3,000 words today!" and "I won NaNo today!" can really help encourage you to buckle down and do the hard work.

New York Times bestselling author Erica Vetsch plays 1k in 1 hour on Twitter with a friend of hers. I don't remember what the hashtag is, but for 1 hour they "compete" with each other to see who can write 1,000 words the fastest. So find a friend and work to encourage each other!

Let's hear from some other writers: What helps to keep you motivated?

265 Word Free Write!

2011-11-25T15:19:00.001-06:00

Here are the quick details for those of you who have been entering Go Teen Writers contests for a while and know the drill:

This round is a free write - which means no prompt sentence. Which means if you're working on a novel right now, you can copy and paste the first 265 words into an email, send it to me, and get feedback from published writers Julie Garmon, Ashley Mays, and Roseanna M. White.

Word count - 265 (Thanks to all who clicked "follow" to boost that number!)

Due Date - Sunday, December 4th by 11:59pm CST (central standard time)

Prizes - Those who make the top 10 entries will receive a line edit in addition to the general feedback.

Submit your entry to me through my author site or via email, Stephanie(at)GoTeenWriters.com. No attachments please!

Even more details:

The judges will think of your entry as the opening of a story. They're looking to be drawn into a story world, same as you are when you read the first page of a novel.

You do not have to use all your allowed words, but your entry cannot exceed 265 words.

If you submitted an entry to the 150-word free write, you may NOT resubmit that one. But you can study the winners and see what the judges liked!

You must be 25 or younger to enter. Only one entry per person.

Have questions? Leave a comment below, and we'll get it answered!

Your judges this round are:

Julie Garmon

Julie Garmon is a Southern author who’s not afraid to tackle sticky subjects. A nugget of redeeming hope hides buried in her writing. Her tagline is “Southern Stories of Grit and Grace.” She’s been a regular contributor to Daily Guideposts since 2003, and writes on assignment for Guideposts magazine. She’s published with Sweet 16, PLUS, Angels on Earth, Homelife, Today’s Christian, Today’s Christian Woman, www.sober24.com, www.crosswalk.com, and www.urbanministries.com. Julie won a coveted spot to the Guideposts’ writers contest in 2004, and was chosen to attend subsequent Guideposts’ workshops based on winning entries.

Ashley Mays

Ashley Mays is the former Editorial Assistant for Brio and Brio & Beyond magazines and currently writes her own fiction for teens. She enjoys rock climbing, people watchin gin airports, and expanding her shoe collection. Ashley lives with her husband in Colorado. No, they don't ski. Learn more about Ashley on her website: www.ashley-mays.com.

Roseanna M. White

Roseanna M. White, author of two Biblical love stories and LOVE FINDS YOU IN ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND (December 2011) makes her home in the mountains of Western Maryland with her husband, two small children, and the colony of dust bunnies living under her couch. After graduating from St. John's College in Annapolis, MD, she and her husband founded the Christian Review of Books, where she is the editor. She is a member of ACFW, HisWriters, Biblical Fiction Writers, and HEWN Marketing.

3 ways to hook a reader in 100 words and last round's winners

2011-11-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

Don't forget on Monday morning I'll announce the official word limit for the free-write contest. Which means you have through the weekend to ratchet up the Go Teen Writers "followers" number. (If you're not sure how those two sentences relate to each other, make sure to read the post on the free-write contest going on now.)

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving yesterday! When I think about what I'm most thankful for, you guys always come to mind. Anyone doing Black Friday shopping? That's one of the "I nevers" that I get to use when I play that game. One of these days I'd like to experience it, but not with my 1-year-old and 3-year-old in tow. (I might be referring to my 3-year-old a lot over the next couple weeks because she's on the verge of turning 4, and I'm in denial. Though she assures me that she will still be fun and will still let me read to her even after she's a big 4-year-old.)

Below are the wonderful winning entries from last round's prompt, "If only they could see me now."

When Fred Warren emailed me his winners, he told me the following:

It's tough trying to hook a reader in the first 100 words--and 100
words sounds like a lot until you put it on the page.

Here's what I was looking for:
1. Solid mechanics--grammar, spelling, etc.
2. An intriguing idea--it needed to leave me wanting more.
3. Restraint--there's a huge temptation to squeeze too much into those first 100 words. Lots of details and background up front can bury an exciting premise.

First Place

Lindsey Bradford (double-finalled)

Jenna Blake Morris

Second Place

Jessi Roberts

Heidi Vanderveen

Katy McCurdy

Third Place

Katy McCurdy (also placed second)

Kaitlyn Evensen

Jessica Zelli

Honorable Mentions

Jessi Roberts (also placed second)

Heidi Vanderveen (also placed second)

Jessica Zelli (also placed thrid)

Jordan Newhouse

Rachelle Rea

Faye Rhys

Lindsey Bradford, 1st (twice!)

"Take this," I told Rye, handing her a small knife. "It won't stop one if it wants a bit of you, but it'll keep you alive long enough for me to get there."
Rye's small hand closed around the handle. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the insufficient weapon. "My daddy always said I wasn't allowed to hold knives," she said slowly.
"You're doing lots of things you weren't allowed to." I looked outside at the ruined city. The sun was coming up. We had to run.
"I guess so." Rye grinned. "If only they could see me now."

The judges say: Great job setting the stage with just a couple of lines of dialogue and a few descriptive words that spoke volumes about where the characters were, what they were doing, and how they felt about it. Nice sense of urgency and danger that pulled me in from the first sentence./Chosen because of the excellent writing, realistic dialogue, and intriguing ending hook.

Jenna Blake Morris, 1st

When I woke up, I had to wonder why I was suspended over the Bottomless Pit.
Then I remembered the explosion. They must've caught me after that....
"Hello? Anyone there?"
Nobody answered.
Then I noticed my guard. She grinned, waving a shuriken at me. I shook my head, praying this Sim wasn't heartless.
No dice--she hurled the shuriken, which grazed the rope above me. I swallowed.
Game almost over.
At the Academy, I'd been the Supergirl--my instructors guaranteed I'd survive anything. Now I plotted--first I'd catch a shuriken, without shredding my hand...my thoughts reverted to my instructors.
If only they could see me now.

The judge says: Good way to show the motivation of the character, and the stakes are very high—life and death. Good job.

Jessi Roberts, 2nd

I pulled the picture of my family from my vest. If only they could see me now. Cold reality crushed my fantasy. Would they even recognize me? I examined the girl in the picture, the girl I used to be. My facial structure hadn’t changed but the girl in the picture hadn’t killed or watched her friends die in her arms. I wasn’t that girl, not anymore.
“We have to go,” a soldier said.
I stood, stuffing the picture back into my vest. If my family knew I was alive, would they be proud or ashamed of my choices?

The judge says: Family photographs are powerful images, and you used this one to good effect as a way to introduce your character and her situation. It was a very genuine, emotional moment. I instantly cared
about her and wanted to know the rest of her story.

Heidi Vanderveen, 2nd

I stand on the cliff, the cold running fingers through my hair and slapping me across the cheek. I tremble, but not from the cold.
The churning black waters below me look so far away.
I close my eyes. Inhale. Exhale.
Their taunts fill my ears. You’re nothing. A coward. You’ll never do anything.
I square my shoulders. Force my body to still.
If only they could see me now.
I jump.

The judge says: Excellent job of pacing and the unique descriptions that catch the reader’s attention and hold it!

KatyMcCurdy, 2nd and 3rd

Icy vapors billow around my face as I crouch in the dark alley. I scan the snow-covered streets for soldiers—deserted. The house where the hostages are being held is two doors down. I slip my gun out. My mission is simple.
Kill the soldiers. Release the prisoners. Get out.
The front door of the house bangs open. My breath catches. Twelve soldiers pour out, hustling along two bound men. Something’s not right—they weren’t supposed to be moved tonight!
They pass my hiding place. If only they could see me now…to know they’re not abandoned.
I blink into the darkness. I need a Plan B. Fast.

The judges say: Nice suspense and tension./Very intense scene--I liked the little details you used to set the stage: the soldier's breath, snow in the streets, the sound of the door banging open. I also liked the staccato rhythm of the soldier's thoughts as he reviewed his mission and scrambled to react to the new situation.

Kaitlyn Evensen, 3rd

Looking down from the roof of my apartment building, I shivered against the cool fall wind. Leaves whipped across the streets below me as I contemplated whether or not to jump. The scientists who made me years before thought I was a failed experiment. If only they could see me now. I thought bitterly. The wind picked up as I stepped to the edge and shrugged my jacket off. Somewhere in the distance, I heard a terrified scream. New York needed a hero, and that was something I could be. With eyes shut, I jumped, unfurling my wings as I hurtled towards the ground.

The judge says: I am a sucker for a superhero story. Nice premise and beginning.

Jessica Zelli, 3rd

I thought of my family as my maid clasped the jewels around my neck. I thought of their tangled hair as she complimented me. If only they could see me now. As the maid exited the room, I ran my hands over the white lace. This was the gown I was to wear today as I married the prince, to bring peace to the kingdom. Yet I wasn’t who they thought I was.
I was not the princess, but an assassin. And I had to kill the prince.
The prince I was going to marry today.

The judge says: Unique story angle, and totally awesome ending hook!!

2 Ways to Respect Your Reader

2011-11-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

I'm feeling a bit nervous about this post.

One of my goals for Go Teen Writers is to write posts that meet you where you are as a young writer. Respecting my reader was something I had no concept of as a teenage writer, and that was okay. When you first start writing, it's okay to be selfish with it. It's okay to not factor in the reader. You're experimenting, you're developing your voice, you're figuring out what type of stories you want to write. Having that "me" time was critical for my career, and there's nothing wrong with being in that stage of your writing journey.

But if you've decided you're interested in pursuing publication, your readers will appreciate if you do a couple things to show your respect:

1. Trust their intelligence.

This is a snippet from the dandelion story, which I wrote as a teenager. This is what it looks like to not trust your reader's intelligence:

"Stop it Carter, I'm serious. We need to talk," Paige repeated more forcefully.

Carter ran his hand through his brown hair and collapsed on a swing.

"What's up with you? You've been acting like this all day," Carter cried, exasperated.

"Stop yelling at me, alright!?" Paige yelled, even though Carter hadn’t been yelling. "I can't deal with you yelling at me on top of everything else!"

"Okay, okay," Carter said soothingly.

My readers are smart people, and they don't need me handing every single emotion to them. I don't need to say that Paige repeated her sentence more forcefully, or that Carter is exasperated, or that Carter is speaking soothingly.

If your dialogue is strong enough (which is debatable in the above scene) not only are those dialogue tags (Carter cried, exasperated) unnecessary, they're annoying. If I tell my reader that Carter ran his hand through his hair and collapsed, then he says something like, "What's up with you?" then I really don't need to further add that he's exasperated.

This goes along with what we talked about with backstory and flashbacks - don't over explain. It's tempting to pause the action to explain what everyone is feeling and thinking, but you want to keep the story moving. A little confusion is okay. Readers want to be intrigued, and that happens when you withhold information.

Of course, that can also be annoying. It's a tough balance, but one that's worth fighting for.

2. Know who they are and what they're looking for in a story.

Having a specific reader in mind can be tremendously helpful. This goes beyond having a target audience, like writing a book for "boys between ages 3 and 8." This is someone who supports you and who likes to read. Your sibling, your best friend.

When you're writing a scene, it's possible this person pops into your mind. You're thinking, "Sally is going to love this part!"

This is also someone you don't want to let down, who encourages you to do your best. And, ideally, they tell you what they like and what they don't like.

A lot of times when I'm writing, I think of my critique partner, Roseanna White, because I know a lot about her reading tastes. Other times I'll have other target readers in my head - would Kelly think I'm being too preachy right here? That reader of mine who loves my character, Skylar, and relates to her ... how would she connect to this new character?

If you're published, there are other things I would suggest, like taking time to respond to readers who email you, praying for your readers, spend time thinking about ways that you can thank them for loyalty (bookmarks, signed books, etc.)

But the above are two things you can do in your pre-published days, two things that will carry you far as a writer!

Tomorrow I'm taking the day off to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family, and Friday the winners from last round's writing prompt will be announced.

That "follower" number is creeping up there! Don't forget to click "follow," and invite your friends to follow as well to increase the number of words you're allowed to submit to next round's free write. Details here.

Have a great day, guys!

Top 20 from "If only they could see me now."

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to the following writers whose entries made the top 20 (listed in no particular order):

Clare Kolenda

Jessica Zelli

Lindsey Bradford

Sarah Badger

Becki Badger

Laura Auchinleck

Jessi Roberts

Kaitlyn Evensen

Heidi Vanderveen

Rebekah Hart

Faye Rhys

Imogen Elvis

Rachelle Rea

Katy McCurdy

Rebecca Pennefather

JT Valun

Jordan Newhouse

Sierra Bennet

Jenna Blake Morris

Alyssa Liljequist

Details about the current writing contest were announced yesterday, so check them out!

The other thing that came out yesterday was the trailer for Betsy St. Amant's upcoming release, Addison Blakely: Confessions of a PK. Enjoy!

Writing Contest - 250+ Free Write

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday, I noticed Go Teen Writers had 249 followers. Which is pretty incredible, since at this time last year, this blog didn't even have 49 followers. What a fun year it's been, and I'm so, so grateful for every one of you.

My favorite part of Go Teen Writers is getting to hear about the stories you're writing. To celebrate hitting 250 followers, we are doing a free write, same as we did back when we hit 150 followers. (A free write, as you might assume, means I don't provide a prompt sentence or a theme or anything. All the words are yours to do with as you wish.)

So if you have a book you're working on, you'll be able to submit the first couple hundred words and get feedback from the amazing published writers listed below.

Here's how the word limit is going to work. However many "followers" Go Teen Writers has by this time (7am) next Monday morning (the 28th) is how many words you'll be allowed to submit for your free write. So if a week from now Go Teen Writers still has 250 followers, you'll be allowed 250 words. If there's 273 followers, you'll be allowed 273 words. If there are 3,000 followers ... you get the point.

So, if you hang around here but you don't officially "follow," now would be a good time to click that button. If you want to be allowed to submit more words, tell your friends about Go Teen Writers, and have them click the button too. For the next week, I'll leave the followers widget up at the top left to make life a little easier.

I'll announce the official word count next Monday morning, and your entries will be due by 11:59pm, Sunday December 4th. Since you know you'll be allowed at least 250 words, you can at least get started!

Other details you might be interested in:

This contest is just for those ages 25 and under. One entry per person.

There will be 10 finalists - all of whom will receive line edits and detailed feedback about their story.

Submit your entry by clicking here or emailing to me at Stephanie(at)GoTeenWriters.com. (No attachments, please!) Make sure to include your full name and email address.

If you submitted to last round's free write, you may NOT resubmit that entry.

Just like the other writing prompts we do here on Go Teen Writers, your entry is intended to be the opening of a story. It should not be an entire story within itself. If you're at all confused by that, check out the winning entries from the 150 word free write and see what those writers did that captured the notice of the judges.

I'm indebted to the lovely ladies below. I sent out an email last Thursday saying, "Pretty, pretty please - I know it's the holiday season, and I know I can't tell you exactly how many words you'll be reading, but will you consider judging for this special round?"

All three of them were so enthusiastic and jumped to do it. That's because they care about the next generation of writers. If you enter, please take the time to tell them thank you!

In alpha order:

Julie Garmon

Julie Garmon is a Southern author who’s not afraid to tackle sticky subjects. A nugget of redeeming hope hides buried in her writing. Her tagline is “Southern Stories of Grit and Grace.” She’s been a regular contributor to Daily Guideposts since 2003, and writes on assignment for Guideposts magazine. She’s published with Sweet 16, PLUS, Angels on Earth, Homelife, Today’s Christian, Today’s Christian Woman, www.sober24.com, www.crosswalk.com, and www.urbanministries.com. Julie won a coveted spot to the Guideposts’ writers contest in 2004, and was chosen to attend subsequent Guideposts’ workshops based on winning entries.

Ashley Mays
Ashley Mays is the former Editorial Assistant for Brio and Brio & Beyond magazines and currently writes her own fiction for teens. She enjoys rock climbing, people watchin gin airports, and expanding her shoe collection. Ashley lives with her husband in Colorado. No, they don't ski. Learn more about Ashley on her website: www.ashley-mays.com.

Roseanna White
Roseanna M. White, author of two Biblical love stories and LOVE FINDS YOU IN ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND (December 2011) makes her home in the mountains of Western Maryland with her husband, two small children, and the colony of dust bunnies living under her couch. After graduating from St. John's College in Annapolis, MD, she and her husband founded the Christian Review of Books, where she is the editor. She is a member of ACFW, HisWriters, Biblical Fiction Writers, and HEWN Marketing.

Happy writing everyone!

Sarah Holman is here with a giveaway!

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

I'm thrilled to feature Sarah Holman today!

Sarah is the author of The Destiny of One and The Destiny of a Few. She is a homeschool graduate and lives in central Texas. When not pursuing her passion of writing, she can be found taking long walks, reading, sewing or spending time with her family. You can find out more about her at her blog www.destinyofone.blogspot.com

And Sarah, generous, lovely gal that she is, is offering a free copy of The Destiny of a Few to one lucky commenter! To get yourself entered to win, leave a comment either asking Sarah a question or share something you are thankful for. (Sarah has been doing that this month on Facebook. Oh, and by the way, you can "like" her by clicking here.) This giveaway is restricted to US residents, but conversation with Sarah isn't. I'll draw a winner on Friday, November 25th, and I'm putting it on my calendar so I don't forget!

What do you think are the unique struggles of being a young author?

I think the biggest struggle I have had as a young writer is not having a lot of life experience. Sometimes, I’m not sure how people would react in a situation, or how an action would make someone feel because of my limited years. Thankfully, I have people like my parents who let me tap into their life experience.

What do you think are the unique perks?

I think young writers tend not to be tied down to the writing rules as much as older writers. True, this sometimes means that their writing needs work, but it also means that they have more freedom to be creative. Young writers, in my opinion, are some of the most innovative writers, thanks in part to not knowing about those rules.

What is a piece of writing advice you received that has made a difference for you?

Just keep writing. Sometimes the best thing to do for writer’s block, or if you are trying to write scene but it just isn’t working, is to just start writing. You may have to go back and do some serious editing or even rewrite it completely, but once you start it gets easier. I think that is the best advice anyone ever gave me.

Can you give us a summary of your latest book?

Maria Morris’ adventure continues from The Destiny of One. She is searching for a long lost prince with only a cryptic clue as her guide. Along the way she meets many different people that help her to see that it isn’t just her destiny that is at stake, but the destiny of many. It isn’t easy, though, for the clue’s meaning is elusive and obstacles are everywhere.

What is unique about your books?

It is hard to answer this question about your own books, but I will do my best. My books are science-fiction/futuristic books, without the wired creatures and New Age ideas; there aren’t a lot of those. Also, the high moral standards of my characters sets them apart from many books.

What are the next steps for you as a young author?

I’m working on the last and final book in the Destiny Trilogy; The Destiny of a Galaxy. After that, I ‘m already working on a story set in the Middle Ages. After that, who knows? We shall see where the inspiration takes me.

I would like to thank Stephanie for having me on Go Teen Writers, it is such an honor.

You're so welcome, Sarah! Thanks for being here!

Flashbacks and Backstory

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

On Monday we talked about flashbacks and backstory and how not to do them. Sometimes at conferences I hear new writers talking about flashbacks and backstory being on the "no-no" list, but that's not true at all. They just tend to get over used, which can suck away tension and drama.

So. You're staring at your manuscript. You're looking at that flashback scene, that paragraph of backstory, and you're thinking how do I know if it should stay?

When to use a flashbacks

If this is a moment in time that has forever altered your character.
You've spent time in the story building up tension about what happened on "that night" or "that afternoon" and your flashback is revealing what went down.

When to not use a flashback

You wrote the scene, but then your timeline changed, but you really want to put it somewhere...
It's a cute scene and you love it and you think readers will find it "fun." (Flashbacks are not about fun - they're about revealing something deeper.)

I'm not a huge fan of them being used in prologues, though with that being said The Apothecary's Daughter is one of my favorite books and Julie Klassen opens with a flashback-y prologue. So it can be effective in the hands of a skilled writer.

Onto backstory.

Backstory can be a sentence or two, like the red below:

"Kyle? Will you raise your hand so that Paige will know who you are?"

The entire class teetered with laughter at this comment. Paige and Kyle had been best friends since preschool. In fact, the idea of Paige not knowing a person in the class was a little humorous in itself. Paige had been friends with everyone and had been the most well-known girl in school.

Or it can be paragraphs. Don't worry. I won't make you read a paragraph of backstory. I'll just say that usually the lead-in to a paragraph of backstory sounds like, "Paige and Kyle met during a finger painting incident in preschool..." and then it goes on for awhile about the details of their meeting, but in a "telling" fashion rather than flashing back.

One of the biggest things to consider with backstory is your character's voice and viewpoint. Even backstory needs to happen through their eyes. An example is:

When I told Meghan about Jay, she said, "I think you guys should just be friends."

Of course. Ever since Joel stomped on her heart last spring, Meghan has been all about "staying friends."

That bit about Joel is backstory, but it comes through the Point of View character's filter. It tells us everything we need to know at that moment. Which is that she doesn't trust Meghan's advice because of what Meghan's been through. We don't need an additional paragraph about the narrators feelings on Meghan and Joel's relationship. Maybe that will matter later, or maybe not. Like we talked about Monday - RUE! Resist the Urge to Explain!

Little sentences here and there are normal. Those are the bread crumbs, or as I've been told Jill Williamson calls them, "shards of glass." If your backstory delves into a paragraph or two, it's definitely possible the story needs it, just make sure you're asking yourself that question.

Don't forget to get your writing prompts turned in tonight! And make sure you're back here on Friday because Sarah Holman, young author of The Destiny of One and The Destiny of a Few, will be here for an interview and giveaway!

Two Writing Opportunities for Teens

2011-11-15T10:23:00.001-06:00

The first is Starsongs Magazine has an immediate need for Christmas or winter-themed short stories. The word count for stories is 1200 - 1500 and for essays 200 - 300. They do accept some light Christian content, but Starsongs is a general market publication, so keep that in mind. And they're on a very tight deadline over there so if you can have your submission in by Friday, that would be ideal. For questions, email Patti Shene: starsongs.mag(at)gmail.com

I also received an email from Hilary Weisman Graham, whose debut YA novel, Reunited, is set to release next summer. Hilary is interested in having teenage writers guest post on her blog. In her own words:

I’m specifically looking for posts that relate to REUNITED’s central story and themes. These topics include: friendship break-ups, road trip stories, loving a rock band, and ex-best friends.
The tag-line for REUNITED is:
1 concert
2,000 miles
3 Ex-best friends

You can find out more about Hilary and Reunited at the following places:

Her website

Blog

Goodreads

If you're interested in contributing, you can contact Hilary here.

Happy writing, guys!

Dealing with Your Character's Past

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago, I pulled out a manuscript of mine from high school. At the time I wrote it, I felt like if I could complete the project, I would have a shot at getting it published. But the dandelion story, as I've been calling it on here, had problems I didn't yet realize.

So far I've talked about my book idea being too small, some serious POV problems, and a lack of confidence.

One of the biggest flaws of the dandelion story was my clumsy use of flashbacks and backstory.

Just so we're all on the same page, flashbacks are scenes that take place in the past. They are set apart from the story, sometimes in a different font, sometimes just with scene blocks. Backstory is woven into the current story.

The text marked in red is what backstory looks like:

This day was different, however. Today she stood in the doorway a stranger to them all.

At the end of freshman year, Paige had tearfully moved away from Brawder, California to some unknown town in Missouri, and no one had heard a word from her. Now here she was, a year later, on the first day of junior year. No one had even been expecting her.

The above is copy and pasted from the dandelion story. I'm itching to edit, but I'm refraining. Though I would especially like to remove that unnecessary "even" from the last sentence. (For those who read last Friday's post, I would like to point out my parents and my husband [then boyfriend] loved me and supported me even when I was writing stinky stuff like this!)

A well used flashback or snippet of backstory can enhance a story. But it's one of those tools in your writer's tool box that should be used sparingly. Otherwise you run the risk of making your plot sluggish.

Here is the big lie I believed about flashbacks/backstory when I first began weaving stories - in order to be interested in my characters, the reader must understand who they are and how they got here.

This is one of those weird thing that when you read the above sentence, you can be like, "Yeah, I agree with that. Why would I be interested in them if I didn't know who they are?" But when you're reading and the author keeps pausing the story to fill you in, you're thinking, "This is moving so slow!"

Here are a couple quick guidelines for wielding flashbacks and backstory, then we'll talk more about them on Wednesday:

1. R.U.E.

This stands for Resist the Urge to Explain. In the above example, I do a good thing where I say, "This day was different, however. Today she stood in the doorway a stranger to them all." Intriguing, right? Because I've already established that the other students know her, so what makes her a stranger to them?

Planting the question is good.

Answering the question in the next sentence is bad.

Instead it'd be much better if I just left the question dangling there and moved on with what was currently happening in the story. If the reader doesn't need an explanation at that moment, hold it back. You want to drop your backstory in like breadcrumbs.

2. No flashbacks within the first 3 chapters.

Again, this is a guideline, not a hard and fast rule. But it's a guideline suggested by Donald Maass, who wrote Writing the Breakout Novel and who is possibly the biggest literary agent out there. (I don't know that there are any official rankings on literary agents, but he's doing very well for himself.)

In my early days, I would have really argued this point because I was a big fan of flashbacks. But now I agree. A flashback slows down the current story, which is the one your reader really cares about.

3. Only one or two flashbacks per book.

A flashback should be used only for a scene that is so emotionally charged, you can't do it justice by explaining it in a paragraph. In the Skylar Hoyt books, before the first book opens, she's nearly date raped at a party. It's, obviously, a very important turning point in Skylar's life. It's also not really something she likes to think about. Because she's pushing the pain away, there was no need to flashback to the scene in Me, Just Different. Or in Out with the In Crowd. It isn't until halfway through So Over It that we find out what happened that night, and then the scene is given almost an entire chapter.

But by now, the reader has gone through 2 1/2 books of not knowing exactly what happened that night (Skylar's also a little fuzzy on the details, as it turns out). By the time they reach the flashback, they understand the significance of it. Whereas if I'd put the scene in the first book, or if I'd opened Skylar's story with it, the way I'd considered, the reader wouldn't have understood as deeply.

I'll talk more about flashbacks and backstory on Wednesday. Anyone have any burning questions they'd like to make sure I address?