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“You enter the extraordinary by way of the ordinary.” ~Frederick Buechner
Workshop: An
Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
“The
recognition of one’s genuine material seems to involve a fall from the phony
grace of good intentions and elevated expectations.” Patricia
Hampl
Two: Grow
Notebook Material
 Develop
a notebook, or notebooks, system that works for you to keep track of subjects
and ideas throughout your writing, reading, and daily life. This is more than a
journal. However you design your note taking I suggest two versions—a
handwritten notebook and a computerized app. Each will feed a different part of
your imagination and creative thinking.
Sources
include: reading in multiple genres and ages, life experience, social values,
family, friends, questions, quotes, Scripture, art, observations, creative
exercises, overheard conversations, music and nature, for example. All become material
to draw from. Write down anything that stabs your heart and don’t worry if it
seems random. Some ideas take years to grow.
 The
key here is to notice the ideas and material from your heart and soul that
otherwise might get swept away in busyness. Over time you may discover that you
are aiming in a general genre direction or a specific voice age or a recurring
theme.
(Leonardo's Notebook)
Action Steps:
1. Decide if
you want one notebook with several divisions, or a few smaller notebooks that
keep reading and writing separate? Consider which system you are most likely to
give up trying to keep and list the reason why.
2. Choose the
simplest version of the one you least like and write in it everyday for a week
a source that inspired you positively and a thought or observation that
bothered you that day.
3. Do you think
your reason is still a factor or have you changed your mind? When might you
want to use this system, if ever?
Share:
1)
From the source list
above which creative fuel sparks ideas for you? Which is a source you hadn’t
considered?
2)
Which is your
favorite method of tracking ideas? Why?
Workshop: An
Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
“It’s about being who we are--that will determine
what we do.” Jay Kesler
Even our dream projects have the ability to grind us
down emotionally, mentally, and spirituality because of excessive demands, or
time constraints, or unexpected urgent issues that upend our day. It’s easy to
get sidetracked from our creative process. And get sidetracked from finding our personal creative voice
for our stories. There are whole books written on creative process, so here are
just a few basic thoughts that might help focus you on developing voice and
story over time. And although I’m only mentioning a few possibilities this blog
became so long I’m dividing it into three parts and will post again on Saturday
and Tuesday before we dig into specific categories beginning with Picture Books
next week.
One:
Identify Your Creative Process
Creative
Process in writing requires three parts: generate the material, shape the
material (either to audience or form), and read/polish the material. Or create,
construct and craft. All three need to be
fed—all three interconnect.
One
of Sarah Domet driving philosophies for her book, 90 Days To Your Novel, states, “If
you do not write on a daily basis, or a near daily basis, you are not a
writer.” Yet, knowing how
jumbled my own schedules have been over the years, I think the key is really consistency.
Whether writing daily, bi-weekly, weekends, or for once a month mini marathons,
once you choose what works within your life—make a commitment to it and don’t
let go except for disaster interruptions.
 James
Scott Bell advises becoming “a snatcher
of time.” He recommends taking a blank weekly calendar and darkening all
the blocks that are obligations. Then look at the empties. Fill them up with
writing appointments.
Time
is a rich commodity. Take your creative pulse. When are you most alert to write
new material? What can you nurture in slower stages of your day? Find your
balance between create mode and critique mode and keep them separate.
Also
be aware that there are often three main obstacles to goals that can effect
your process. Perfectionism. Fear. Procrastination. Being stuck can also be
part of the creative process too thought, so when that happens take time to ask
questions to the answers you do not know. But sometimes we need to have a concrete
time in order to write towards. Sometimes the story needs space to unfold and
we need to give it the quiet and time to develop.
Action Steps:
1. Keep
track of how you use your unscheduled time over the next week.
2. Pay
attention to whatever obstacles block your creative projects. Perfectionism. Fear.
Procrastination. Write down one action or shift in thinking that you use to
overcome this attitude no matter what you are doing.
Share: How can you
adapt this defense to your writing time?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop:
An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
“No
literature so transforms the reader as does the literature of childhood:
shaping, molding, uplifting, explaining, and informing.” Jane
Yolen
Genre
Another voice that impacts our stories is the genre
in which it is delivered. Again for this introduction we’re doing a broad
overview and will dig deeper as we discuss the different genres along the way.
For general
discussion though a genre is considered to be a kind or type of literature that
shares a common set of characteristics. For example, a mystery has certain
ingredients that a reader expects to find, as does a romance. Extensive world
building is considered a foundation to fantasy, sci-fi and historical genres,
but could be considered sluggish and intrusive in a contemporary or adventure
genre even when the setting is a critical factor.
However
the set-up isn’t always apparent. For instance, if we look at formulaic
fiction: some categories are generally mysteries, romance, sports stories, or
westerns and yet all of these can also be classified under realism as well.
Also the lines can blur when two or more genres are combined like a western
sci-fi, such as Firefly, or steam
punk, or a detective series with romance. Classics often cross genre
lines, are well worn, and continue to ‘sound’ across generation-to-generation
hearts.
Usually
though, when two or more genres combine there is still one main thread that
carries the main genre voice.
Here
are a few commonly considered genres as suggested by Rebecca J Lukens.
Realism: a story
that is possible. Effect follows cause without intervention of the magical or
supernatural. Outcome will seem reasonable and plausible. Usually the
representation of action that seems truthful. Under its umbrella are: problem
realism and social Issues, animal realism, historical realism, and sports
stories.
Formula
Fiction:
follows distinct patterns, it doesn’t eliminate a writer’s creativity but it
does restrict it within certain boundaries: mysteries, thrillers, romance often
fall into this category.
 Fantasy: “the
willing suspension of disbelief”, which creates another world and asks the
reader to believe in it. Fantastic Stories include a wide diversity such as Charlotte’s
Web, The Borrowers, and then moves
into High Fantasy as well where the focus is on conflict between good
and evil. Science fiction stresses
scientific laws and technologies
Traditional
Literature:
The focus here is on folktales with stock characters and the emphasis is on
plot or action or theme, as well as good versus evil. Includes: Fables with brief
story morals, and lessons, usually with animals, Myths, Legends, Folk Epics.
Poetry
Non-fiction: information such as biographies, science, history and how-to.
Which One?
How
to choose? What do you read? What are your interests, background experiences, and
particular passion? For example, are you a docent anywhere or do you have a
lifelong of a particular sport or hobby?
Do
you write short or do you write long? Do you love research? Are you visual?
And
ask yourself the bottom line question: Why do I want to write and be honest
with yourself.
Action Steps:
1.
Take that same
memory you used in last week’s action step and now choose two different genres
for one of the age groups you wrote your blurb for.
2.
Write up a paragraph
or page in each of those genres. It doesn’t need to be an opening. Pick a
situation where a new reader would be able to identify the genre because of
your setting and dialogue and details.
3.
Let the pieces sit
for a few days and then re-read. Does one voice sound more natural than the
other? Does one version make you want to write more?
Share: Which
genres did you choose to experiment with? Why?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop:
An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
“The
memories must turn to blood within us before the images, ideas, the sounds of
the heart can come forth.” Katherine Paterson
Hopefully you enjoyed working on the journal exercises
last week and are discovering a voice or theme that you want to develop. Don’t
worry if you are still not sure about an age for your personal voice. The other
side of voice is the story’s voice, which is usually heard through the
narrator. So first, it’s important to recognize the voices of each age
category, and then hear how they develop into genre, which we’ll look at next
week.
 All of the below
divisions are general. And each publishing house may have specific guidelines
for their readers within each category division. If you have a particular publisher that you enjoy, request a
copy of their catalogue if there isn’t one online.
Twice a year Publisher’s Weekly
puts out a specific issue geared solely for the children and young adult
markets. It’s an excellent resource to study publishing houses and new trends.
Check out your local library for a copy of the most recent edition. Note which
books grab your interest and why and write them down in your idea file, or
reading file. However, also remember that the market changes at a rapid pace, so it’s
more important to find out what age and genre and topic you love rather than
follow trends, which can change in an instant.
Voice-Age-Interest
Picture
books: Tend to separate into two
main categories age wise. Ages 3-6 are predominately the more familiar versions
where the author and illustrator’s talent merge to create a visual and auditory
voice that invites their readers into a new experience.
Storybooks lean more to the 4-8 year olds
and are heavier in text with illustrations that maybe highlights as opposed to
integrated storytelling—basically both text and illustrations could stand on
their own. However both categories also intermix across all ages, which can add
a little confusion.
Easy
readers: Predominately for ages 7-9, 1,000-1,500 words.
For Pre-school-1st
grade there is often repetition and simple concepts.
For
2nd –3rd grades there is a more developed plot and more
complex sentences.
Chapter
Books: Age range usually stretches from 7-10, 40-80 pages,
1,500-10,000 words, usually 8-10 short chapters.
Middle-grade 9-12,
10,000-16,000 words, 64-150 pages, and usually contains cliffhangers, even for
the quiet stories.
YA 12 + can range from 120-150 pages on average, (to much
longer depending on genre and publisher) 16,000 words, and can address complex
subjects. Many houses differentiate between the lower age of 12 to 15 with some
subject and language boundaries, but accept more intensity with the upper end
of 15 to 18, as long as the material is pertinent to the story itself and not gratuitous.
Action Steps:
1.
Choose one memory
from last week’s action steps that really caught you by surprise and/or
intensity.
2.
Pick two age
categories from the list above. Find one publisher’s online catalogue and read
the blurbs for them. Notice which
ones you begin to skim over and which grab your interest.
3.
Now draft your
moment as a blurb for each of your two categories.
Share: Do
you find yourself leaning towards a particular age yet? Why? And are you
surprised?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop: An
Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
“Write for the child within you.” Jane
Yolen
Narration comes in many voices. There is the voice of the
story, or idea and the shape it takes, and there is an author’s voice as well.
Some storytellers can identify their voice fairly quickly and for some it takes
time to develop. Like a musician, for some voices range across many notes and
others take one sound and develop it deeply.
A guest author once shared that he tried to write across
different ages and in different genres but every time he tried at some point
his writing voice became a fourteen to sixteen year old male. So he stayed with
that narrator and wrote deeply.
Author Jane Yolen has written in almost every age and genre
in children’s literature. Story first, she says. She both listens to her
characters and she searches for a connection. “Reach deep inside yourself and find out who you were before you became
what you are, and then you will discover that the child is there, very much
alive, and informing most of your adult decisions.”
Nourishing voice is an ongoing thread that begins with the
seed of idea and develops throughout any project. As we study in this workshop
we’ll be going into more details re voice and also see that voice is integral
whether we’re discussing character or plot or tone.
 For now though, begin to take notice as you experiment with
ideas what voice you tend to lean towards. Is it quiet or noisy, tentative or
firm, adventurous or cautious?
When you discover the voice that captures your heart chances
are you discover the excitement and passion that writing for any age requires.
Especially for children and young adults because our stories may be their first
glimpse into imagination and new possibilities.
Action Steps:
1.
Do
brief freewrite notes on numbers 12 to 17 from the idea file. Give yourself 8
to ten minutes per memory to write down everything you can think of. Don’t stop
for sentence structure or punctuation.
2.
Did
your moments all fall into a particular age category or were they spread out? If,
for example, most of your moments happened in grades 4 to six then you are
leaning into a middle-grade voice connection.
3.
Which
ones that you wrote connected the strongest either from a positive or negative
reaction?
Share: Did any of your recollections surprise you? Why?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop: An
Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
“An idea is something that makes a sound
in the heart.”
Katherine Paterson
Once in a while
have you ever seen a movie, or read a book, that both friends and critics have
given high applause to, and yet it has left you bored or cold or both? The
quality is evident, no argument, yet still you just don’t respond. A strong
possibility is that the storyline or the underlying threads did not engage your
heart. It did not connect. Talent is a required component to any art form, but
it is not enough if it doesn’t engage with the intended audience. And for the example above, you may not
have been the intended audience.
Only connection
is as high a value as talent in literature for children and young adults.
Actually it is probably higher. It is why some children will cling to a poorly
written story, or ask to hear a song over and over that grates on our nerves.
It may be a concept that doesn’t match any ‘rules’ of a genre, but readers
inhale it like dessert. The classic storybook “Goodnight Moon” does not fall into ‘normal’ guidelines for writing
to that age group, yet it affects all generations with its heart relationship
to that whisper of falling asleep for a child without vocabulary to express
their feelings.
Often when we are writing we are translating. We have an idea—a
character—a feeling—a fear—a hope that we are trying to put into words, to first
translate into something more tangible, and then second to share it with
another person.
 “One thing
we can do is to share with children works of the imagination—those sounds
deepest in the human heart, often couched in symbol and metaphor. These don’t
give children packaged answers. They invite children to go within themselves to
listen to the sounds of their own hearts.” Katherine Paterson
Old Testament prophet Habbakuk first saw a vision, and then was told
to write it ‘plainly’ so that a runner could take it. That’s the craft part of developing our ideas into form:
poem, short story, or article that we can make ‘plain’, make our concepts
understandable.
Only when we are writing for children and young adults it seems,
sometimes, that we are crossing a culture gap as well as generational and we
struggle to find the words. We need to find the connections that bridge our hearts,
and at the same time keeps the imagination free to expand into new ideas—not
packaged ones. New sounds—new stories—new art. Fresh hope.
Action Steps:
1. Write a definition of dream
either as a word or as a concept.
2. Suppose
you were trying to explain this word to someone who doesn’t speak your language.
How would you do it?
3. Then
read, The Dream Keeper, a poem by
Langston Hughes. http://allpoetry.com/The-Dream-Keeper
4. What sound does it make in your heart?
Share: How does his poem connect with your feelings and definition?
Read deep, marcy
“Talent is not enough.” Mollie Hunter
Welcome to this blog workshop. Over
the next several weeks we’ll be discussing what defines quality for this field
of writing, examining genres and techniques, developing critique and revision
skills, develop written practice of the elements of fiction with an emphasis on
craft, voice, and form, and take a practical look at the publishing market.
Whew!
We’ll take it all in small bites.
And add in lots of space for inter-active questions, discussion, and guest
bloggers. So, share your comments, and concerns, and questions, then if I’ve
missed any they can be covered in their specific posts.
What exactly would you like to
learn/accomplish in this field. Can you already recognize and define the
various genres of children’s literature: picture books, chapter books, reader’s
theatre, poetry, non-fiction, fiction, including
historical-fantasy-contemporary, and multicultural. Or does it all seem a
confusing melting pot?
Why?
 Without
fail every book on writing for children from crib to college asks this question
first. Why exactly do you choose to write for this particular age? Mollie
Hunter says, “the freedom of the
children’s writer can be assessed for what it truly is—freedom with
responsibility.” Katherine Paterson says, “Connecting is a vital, not a minor function. Connecting is what you
and I are primarily concerned with. That’s what imagination is all about.”
What
are your individual goals? What is your heart calling to you to write? And why
might talent not be enough? Dig out a fresh journal or begin a new folder.
Start jotting down a conversation with yourself as we explore this vibrant
literature and begin to fine-tune your journey.
Share: Which of
the above quotes do you identity with? Which puzzles you?
Read deep, marcy
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