Category Archives: Critical Thinking

November 22, 2010 · 9:37 am

Thankful Thoughts

As a writer who has yet to snag an agent, it might be assumed that I have little to be thankful for in that department. But that would be wrong.
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Ten Writerly Things I Am Thankful for This Year:

1. I have written an entire novel and my target audience seems to like it.

2. I’ve learned so much about writing and the business since this time last year that my next manuscript will probably be a lot easier to edit.

3. I am thankful for the existence of Twitter and Facebook, from which I’ve gotten leads on some great blog posts that have educated and entertained me.

4. I have met some wonderful critique partners who have helped me see my manuscript in a new light, and I’ve enjoyed reading and commenting on theirs.

5. It’s been a lot of fun starting and maintaining my blog. (Just passed the ten month mark!)

6. I got to attend my first online writer’s conference (WriteOnCon) as well as my first in-person one (Northern Ohio SCBWI), and had a great time at both.

7. I have finally wrestled my query into decent shape, which has resulted in a number of partial and full requests.

8. Jim and Jack is about ten times better now than it was a year ago, due to the aforementioned accrued knowledge and critiquing.

9. You can’t fix what you don’t know until you do know it. I have finally realized that while criticism can sting, it can also be your best friend.

10. I have happily discovered that reading bad writing and recognizing what makes it bad is the easiest way to avoid it in your own writing.

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Now, please pass the stuffing. And have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. 🙂

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October 15, 2010 · 4:23 pm

From Yellowed Page to Silver Screen

Many vintage books have been made into what are now old movies, and many contemporary books have been made into newer movies, but it is surprising how many really old titles have been adapted for film decades after first being published.

I’m not talking about classics that return to the silver screen every few years as a remake, such as Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, or Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I mean old novels that were popular as first editions, but have fallen into obscurity with the passage of time, such as the not-so-recent but definitely familiar titles, The Blue Lagoon (Henry De Vere Stacpoole, 1908), A Room with a View (E.M. Forster, 1908), and Brewster’s Millions (George Barr McCutcheon, 1902).

The reasons for the reemergence of slightly moth-eaten stories as movies vary, but one of the most likely is that after 75 years, copyrights expire. In other words, anyone can adapt older works without having to pay royalties. Since the titles have fallen out of the public eye, the plots seem fresh and new, and audiences have no, “I hated the movie because it wasn’t like the book,” complaints.

Frequently, these titles were written by once-popular novelists, but are not known as the authors’ defining works. The movie thence enjoys a shirt-tail association with fame, but is able to capitalize on the unfamiliarity of the plot. (McCutcheon was most famous for Graustark and its sequels, Forster for A Passage to India.)

I think that if I were to attempt a screenplay based on an old novel, it would be Elsie Dinsmore, by Margaret Finley. Written in 1867, it is about a young Northern sympathizer in antebellum times, and was the beginning of a series that remained popular with young girls well into the 1940s. Although the Elsie books were what made Finley famous, if it were to sell, there is a stream of ready-made sequels.

How about you?

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Brewster's Millions

Brewster’s Millions, by George Barr McCutcheon, 1902

Brewster's Millions

Brewster’s Millions, starring Richard Pryor, 1985

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Product Details

The Blue Lagoon, by Henry De Vere Stacpoole, 1908

The Blue Lagoon, starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins, 1980

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A Room With a View

A Room with a View, by E.M. Forster, 1908

A Room With A View

A Room with a View, starring Helena Bonham Carter, 1985

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References:

Answers.com

Wikipedia.org (a), (b), (c), (d), (e)

The Literature Network

TheMovieBlog.com

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September 24, 2010 · 11:51 pm

Conference Highlights/Helpful Hints: Part 2 – Attending a Conference

In my last post, I listed some advice that I picked up from the experts while attending The Northern Ohio SCBWI conference back on September 10th and 11th. Today I am posting my personal recommendations of things to keep in mind when attending a writers’ conference.

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1. Go ahead and ask questions.

A conference not only provides an opportunity for in-depth information on specific topics during break-out sessions, it is a great chance to get answers directly from the experts, rather than one’s peers.

As an editor remarked at the conference, they expect to talk with people and answer questions, that’s part of the reason they’re there. But be courteous — they don’t want to be cornered in the bathroom. 😉

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2. Don’t be afraid to speak up.

Dinner was the first thing on the agenda Friday night, and when I walked into the dining room, my lack of conference experience flared. A lot of the tables were already filled, and I had no idea where to sit.

The conference organizers happened to be crowded around the entrance, and I said to one of them, “I have never been to a conference before. Is there a seating chart, or do we just find a spot?”

The woman looked at the lady next to her and asked, “Where should I put her?” I ended up seated at a table with the agent and one of the editors, fifteen feet from the podium.

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3. Determine your  conference goals ahead of time.

“Why are you here?” was the question posed in the Welcome Speech at the start of dinner.

“Why am I here?” I asked myself. I was excited to finally be at a writers’ conference, but what were my intentions? I had said to friends that I just wanted to look friendly and not spill my food, but deep down, I knew that my subconscious goal was to snag an agent.

As there was only one agent at the event, my chances were rather slim, but my subconscious didn’t care, and the agent happened to be eating dinner two people away from me. Unfortunately for me, he spent the evening in conversation with the man to his left, and I didn’t even have the nerve to make eye contact.

By the next morning, I had revised my goal to just say hi to him, which I managed to do.

Moral of the Story: Figure out before attending what your goals are, but be realistic and don’t forget to enjoy the moment.

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4. Get the critique.

Frequently, conferences will afford the opportunity to have an editor or agent critique a portion of your manuscript, discuss the project with you and answer questions specific to your work. Even if you don’t agree with the advice, it gives you the chance to see your manuscript through the eyes of a professional, which is never a bad thing.

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5. Tweet your conference plans (#conferencename) before you go.

I didn’t do this, but someone I follow did (@lkblackburne), and she happened to be going to the same conference! As a result of her tweet, I was able to meet her there and actually have a conversation – something of a rarity in the virtual world of social media. I also met someone else who follows her, and now we’re following each other, as well (@dotificus). It’s a small writing world, after all.

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6. Bring along a sizeable carryall.

I happened upon a wonderful shoulder bag to carry at the conference, more than large enough to tote anything I might have needed. Some of it I was smart enough to bring along, such as several pens, a pad of paper for taking notes, and some simple business cards that included the title of my manuscript and the hook. Post-it notes came in handy, as did several copies of my first few pages along with the cover sheet to my manuscript.

I could have also used a mini stapler and some TicTacs, but next time I’ll know better.

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7. Don’t be intimidated by the food.

Lunch at the conference involved the tallest sandwich I have ever seen, and the roll that encased it was firm enough that it didn’t flatten down when squeezed. I glanced around the table and saw that none of my nine companions had braved it. Every one of them had taken the top off and was politely sawing at the contents with a knife and fork. I tried that, but there was crispy bacon involved, so it wasn’t easy.

The pasta side salad and a small bowl of fresh fruit allowed me to contemplate the matter, and I ended up putting the lid back on and eating my lunch like the Earl of Sandwich intended. Delicious. And no one said a word. I think that they were all secretly jealous.

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8. Don’t forget to have some fun.

Don’t miss the opportunity to make new connections outside the confines of the scheduled events. After the official program has ended Friday night, grab some of your new writing buddies and head on over to the hotel lounge. Bonus: If you stick to soft drinks, they are frequently on the house.

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Previously: Conference Highlights/Helpful Hints: Part 1 – Agent/Editor advice

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September 21, 2010 · 10:41 pm

Conference Highlights/Helpful Hints: Part 1

I promised this for last Monday, but I had a busy week. Better late than never! 😉

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The Northern Ohio SCBWI conference was great. It was exactly what I had hoped it would be, a small, well-organized conference with interesting presenters and tasty food. I wasn’t sure how much I would actually learn, because I’ve spent the last year soaking up information about the writing biz, but there were all sorts of things I didn’t know, and I am definitely wiser for the experience. I would highly recommend this conference for writers and illustrators.

Here are a few helpful tips that I picked up over the course of an information-packed weekend:

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1. Before sending off a query, MAKE SURE THAT YOU FOLLOW THE AGENCY’S SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER.

Agencies will commonly post guidelines for query submissions on their websites. If an author can’t invest the time to check an agency’s website for the proper parameters, why should an agent spend the time to read their submission? Hint: They won’t.

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2. Don’t be afraid to be different.

Everybody knows when a trend has been done to death, but no one knows what the next big thing is going to be. Rather than trying to ride the coattails of the latest craze, it’s better to be brave and disregard what other people are writing. One needs to stay mindful of one’s audience, but it’s better to be a maverick than a copycat.

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3. Small to medium publishing houses can be the best choice for new authors.

A common fantasy might be to sign with one of the Big Six and get a huge advance with lots of advertising, but in reality, the larger houses tend to focus on their established authors, and the little guy might not get everything he is looking for in terms of marketing or personalized attention. Small to medium houses, however, like the little guy. The advances might not be as big, but they tend to keep things in print longer, which translates into royalties.

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4. Not every book has to start off with a bang.

A common recommendation online is that something dramatic needs to happen in the first few pages, or an agent will quit reading. I asked about this at the conference, and the agent replied that although he can pretty much tell if a book will be good by the end of the first page, some books don’t really take off until around page fifty, and that is perfectly acceptable.

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5. Read, Read, Read.

Whatever your genre, get to know the market by reading, talking to librarians and teachers, volunteer at the library or get a part time job at a bookstore. When you think you have a good idea of what works, keep that at the back of your mind while you write.

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Friday: Conference Highlights/Helpful Hints: Part Two – Attending a Conference

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August 31, 2010 · 5:53 pm

TMI

I had to stop while driving the other day to ask a stranger for directions, and quickly regretted it. The man was willing to help, but after telling me how to get where I was going, he added, “otherwise, you could take a left at the Walmart, go down over the bridge and and then take a right after about two miles. Then you take a quick left over the tracks and it’s just past the frontage road. There are fewer traffic lights that way. The bridge is normally out, but lately there hasn’t been any rain, and it’s open.” (Okay, this is not exactly what he said, but you get the gist of it.)

I thanked him with glazed eyes, trying to keep his original instructions straight in my brain. Amazingly, I got where I was going, no thanks to his confusing directions.

This experience put me in mind of a large number of writing samples that I’ve seen posted online. The story is there, and sometimes it’s not bad, but it is buried in details and extraneous words that require the reader to work to figure out what the author is trying to say.

I made that mistake, when writing the first draft of Jim and Jack. I wanted the reader to see things the same way I did, in order to provide a better understanding of the characters and the story. When I read it over the first time through, I had a lot of trimming to do.

The best way to recognize this “overwriting” is to read the work of authors who are not yet published. When encountered, the issue is so obvious that it is much easier to identify in one’s own work.

Each person has his/her own style, but clarity is something that all writers should strive for. Nothing is worse than having to re-read a passage because it is too convoluted to “get” the first time through. If an agent has to do much of that, the manuscript is going to get rejected.

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August 16, 2010 · 10:16 pm

Making Lemonade

I spent the first half of today feeling discouraged, and the second half of today feeling like my writing is so terrible that I shouldn’t waste my time trying to get published. In other words, I had my normal response to a partial-manuscript rejection.

By this evening, I had straightened around to deciding that I should at least consider an idea proposed by the agent that would, in her opinion, increase my likelihood of securing representation:
Drumroll, please…

Switch it from YA to MG.

This agent is not the first to suggest that Jim and Jack has a Middle Grade feel to it. Two of my critique partners also mentioned this, but I have stayed true to my original vision of the novel being for gifted eighth-grade boys (as well as a grade or two in both directions).

Why?

1. Boys mature at a significantly slower rate than girls during those tween/lower teen years.

2. Boys are generally not as emotionally complex as girls (read The Male Brain, by Louann Brizendine, MD, if you disagree with this. If you are still doubt, go make friends with a 12-15 year old boy.)

The Male Brain

3. Gifted kids of both sexes are known for their asynchronous development, in that their emotional maturity frequently lags behind their intellectual prowess.

4. 1929 (in which half of Jim and Jack is set) was a simpler time in many ways. Even though adolescents typically had more responsibilities at a younger age, frequently getting married right out of high school, there was a naiveté that doesn’t exist today. Society as a whole was more focused on developing character rather than on “being cool,” and I want that lack of sophistication to be reflected in my 1929 characters.

5. Just to make sure I was right, I had my manuscript test driven by ten 12-to 16-year-old gifted boys (nine of whom did not know me) before I started querying. On response sheets, in answer to the question, “Do you think you were the right age to read this novel? Why, or why not? What age would you think IS the right age?” every one of them thought that theirs was exactly the right age, for various reasons. Which says to me that it is right on target.

I am willing to consider the change, though. Clinging to my rationale won’t bring Jim and Jack any closer to publication. As the litmus test, I have recruited my reluctant-reader middle grade son to read it. If he likes it, I will pitch it differently and see what happens.

They say that you know you’re getting closer when you start to get personalized rejections. We’ll see.

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August 6, 2010 · 1:34 pm

Vintage Book Review: Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter

My father recently purchased a Kindle, but needs someone with younger eyes to figure out how to use it and then show him what to do. Fortunately, I am that someone, and have been enjoying it all week.

Paradoxically, on this newfangled contraption, I have been reading a vintage novel — Freckles, by Gene Stratton-Porter.

Freckles (Library of Indiana Classics)

First published in 1904, it is the tale of a young man whose only knowledge of his origins is that he was found as a baby on the doorstep of a Chicago orphanage, badly beaten and missing a hand.

His boldness in the face of adversity impresses a lumber boss, who gives him the job of guarding a valuable stand of timber in the swamplands of Indiana. Although it almost kills him, Freckles overcomes the dangerous conditions and starts to appreciate the beauty and majesty of the natural world.

Surprised one day by a pretty young woman who comes upon his “study,” (a hideaway he has created by transplanting flowers and foliage around a grouping of trees), he dubs her his “swamp angel” and helps the wildlife photographer she works for to access many unusual birds and moths.

Eventually, thieves come to steal some trees, there is fist fighting and shooting, and Freckles is kidnapped by murderers. Will he escape? Will he ever find his family? Will he and the Swamp Angel ever be more than friends? As you might guess, the answers are yes, yes and yes, but the story is engaging apart from the main plot points, and well worth the read.

My only criticism is that while the majority of the dialogue is believable, from a modern standpoint some of it tends toward the melodramatic. Stratton-Porter was an extremely popular author in her day, so one can presume that the writing style is reflective of the era. Fortunately, the strength of the storyline helps to ease the reader through the more fervent passages.

From a historical perspective, the book’s portrayal of women as strong-minded and courageous, and men as thoughtful and sensitive inspires the notion that mid-twentieth century stereotypes of “real men” being stoically macho and women being silly and weak may have been thrust upon us more by our fathers’ generation than our forefathers’. One wonders if women’s twentieth century shift from homemaker, caregiver and encourager to roles more traditionally held by men resulted in a backlash of polarization as males were stripped of their historical importance as protectors, breadwinners and authority figures.

I would guess that this title is no longer available at the average local library, but it is in stock at Amazon.com, and is even cheaper for the Kindle. Freckles can also be read for free online at Gutenberg.org. Check it out — it’s good, not only as a story, but as a historical reflection of the times.

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July 28, 2010 · 12:30 am

Hunting Wabbits – A Cautionary Tale

Man’s development of a robust cerebral cortex and making use of it to create symbols for objects, converting them into language and eventually writing them down, is largely what separates us from the apes.

The long attention span responsible for creativity and deep thought formed over time as people became more civilized, and the focus of life went from hunting rabbits to the more intellectual tasks of art, literature and diplomacy.

I recently read a study suggesting that the internet has the negative effect of reducing people to a stone-age mentality, thanks to the short attention span typically needed to multi-task and process information quickly while online.

For some reason, this phenomenon brings to mind the fable of the rocket ship that traveled to a destination so distant that it took more than one generation to get there and back. There were so few complexities to life that the children of the astronauts only needed to push the right button to operate the ship. When they got back to earth, that’s all they were capable of doing.

This makes me think of modern kids and their X-boxes, PS2s and Wiis. I am as guilty as anyone else of allowing my relatively intelligent kids to become comatose in front of these devices, in part because it frees up time that I would normally spend parenting, and I can spend a few minutes longer online.

Do we want a future of Platos, or Elmer Fudds? The choice might be ours.

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July 20, 2010 · 11:39 am

Time and Place: The Importance of Setting

The two main aspects of setting, time and place, form a matrix that ranges from the time of day to the outer reaches of the universe. Some books, such as The Road, Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz, are inescapably tied to their settings. Other novels could be set anywhere or anytime and it wouldn’t affect the story much at all. No matter what the genre, care needs to be taken to create a believable atmosphere that will keep the reader engaged.

Fictional settings take advantage of the reader’s willing suspension of disbelief. If desired, an author can move back and forth between actual events and embellishment of the facts. The whole genre of Steampunk, for example, is based on taking a generally accepted stereotype of nineteenth century England and molding it to the writer’s will, an “alternative history.” When seamlessly done, the reader is immersed in another world.

Research is important for realistic fiction, because obvious inconsistencies will distract the reader. Authors Rosamund Pilcher and her son Robin use businesses and factories as settings, and their authentic portrayals of whiskey distilleries and woolen mills hook the reader on an intellectual level that lends credibility to their novels.

Historical fiction is largely built on facts, but the author is free to mix them up if the story calls for it. In the final pages of The Help, Kathryn Stockett notes that she moved the existence of Shake-n-Bake ahead a few years to advance some characterization in her novel. (These twists on the facts should be subtle for the best results. If Sacagawea is snacking on Twinkies, it’s going to pull the reader out of the story.)

Fantasy, paranormal and science fiction rely more heavily on a reality created by the author, but whatever the genre, the characters need to be consistent with their surroundings to fully connect the reader. The language used, clothes worn and social conventions of the time are all extensions of the setting. “Young ladies taking exercise by the shore” supplies a completely different image than “babes in bikinis at the beach.”

Setting is not just a backdrop to the storyline. When well constructed, it is the framework supporting a world that the reader can get lost in.

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July 9, 2010 · 2:56 pm

Everyone’s a Critic

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Yesterday, I was researching a Dickens passage for another post I’m working on, and went to Amazon.com to see if I could “search inside this book” for Great Expectations. Much to my amusement, I noticed that out of 260 reviews, it had only received four (out of five) stars.

Great Expectations is a classic, assigned to generations of high school students on the strength of its literary merit. Dickens’ thirteenth novel, it was first published in 1860 as a newspaper serial. The hardcover edition was released in July of 1861, and enjoyed immense popularity at home and abroad. 149 years later, it has never gone out of print, and has been adapted for stage and screen nineteen times.

Of its Amazon reviewers, 129 gave it five stars, 61 four stars, 25 three stars, 18 two stars, and 27 one star. Curious as to the calibre of the one star ratings, I clicked on the first, entitled, “One of the Worst Books I Have Ever Read.”

Interestingly, the critic suggests that he/she might have liked the story, had it not been for the poor quality of the writing — specifically, Dickens’ irrelevant descriptions of trees and rivers. As a result of this and other intellectual tedium, the writer confesses to not actually having finished the book, convinced (although claiming to have seen the movie) that nothing worthwhile would take place. If fact, the first chapter was deemed to be so terrible that the critic recommends no one even attempt to read it. (3 out of 9 people found this review helpful.)

The moral of this story is that no matter how well you think your manuscript is written or how clever the plot, or how many of your beta readers/critique partners think it is worthy of five stars, someone is always going to hate it.

Don’t worry – you’re in good company.

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References:

Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Expectations-Penguin-Classics-Charles-Dickens/product-reviews/0141439564/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Expectations

Charles Dickens – Gad’s Hill Place
http://www.perryweb.com/Dickens/work_list.shtml

BBC Historic Figures
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/dickens_charles.shtml

Penguin.com (USA)
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/great_expectations.html

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