Network News: The Big Edit

This is something I do with my students at the end of each module and I thought it might be something some of our network groups might like to try. It’s somewhere between speed-dating and a normal critique session.  

One module I’ve used it with recently is Writing Novels for Young People. Students have to produce a 500 word synopsis and 3000 words of the novel. If the 3000 words ends mid-scene they may, outside the word count, add a contextualising note. For all sorts of technical reasons they may not write just the first 3000 words. In SCBWI groups we’re more likely to be dealing with a synopsis and the opening three chapters. This will work just as well.

Hard copies and coloured pens

Participants should bring along a hard-copy of their manuscript double-spaced printed on one side only and some coloured pens. Typically I work with a group of 15-18 students. This can work also with a smaller group.

The week before we’ve discussed these stages of editing a young adult novel: 

1.      Is the overall structure sound?  - hook, inciting incident, increasing complexities, crisis, climax –

2.      Is the resolution satisfying?

3.      Overall time scale

4.      Check format and length against target market / reader

1)      Mixed genre

2)      Emotional closeness

3)      Leaving reader to decide

4)      Pushing boundaries

5)      Fast paced / high stakes

6)      Characters resemble young adults

7)      Bildungsroman

5.      Characters. Are they consistent? Do they develop? Do you know everything about them that you should?

6.      Is it convincing? Is there cause and effect?

7.      Is there conflict and tension? Are there peaks and troughs?

8.      Does the pace vary?

9.      Dialogue 

• It should not be too natural
• It should only say important things
• It should differentiate characters' voices
• When angry, becomes childish
• Should take 2/3 of popular book
• Should convey mood, character and reaction
• Every speech should give information

10.      Detail and description should be slipped in small chunks.

11.  Point of View – is it consistent and if it “zooms” does it do so in a reasonable way? 

12   Show, don’t tell.

13.  Kill off your darlings.

14.  Get rid of clichés

15.  Overall flow

16.  Copy edit

 

Stages of revision

Stages 1-4 are mainly to do with the synopsis, the rest to do with the 3000 words / three chapters. As you’ve probably not had a “week before” you might want to discuss briefly what you understand by each stage.

So, on to the speed-dating bit:

·         Everyone person passes the manuscript to the person on the right.

·         You give everyone a number up to 16. This is the edit they start with.  If they finish before you stop them, they can go on to the next stage.   

·         You time ten minutes and then everyone passes on their script again.

·         Everyone begins the next edit on the new script.

·         If possible, every edit should be conducted in a different colour.

At the university we work for two lots of fifty minutes. Seminars are one hour fifty minutes long.  They start on the hour and finish at ten to the hour so the room can be cleared for the next class. We have a ten minute break  - comfort break, time to go and fetch a coffee or some people need to go and light up. I always provide some goodies to help the energy levels on these sessions. You can make yours a different length.  Ninety minutes with a short break might be ideal, especially if you need some time to clarify the stages of editing.

Pleasant surprises

It is really quite effective. Participants bring in what they think is a submission-ready copy and go home with a lot more new ideas. And it’s fun. In a non-university setting it might be nice to have lunch afterwards or hold the event in the back room of a café that serves wonderful treats. And naturally you can adapt it for a type of text.   

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Gill James is the Programme Leader for English and Creative Practice at the University of Salford. Her latest Young Adult / Adult crossover book The Houe on Schellberg Street was published by Crooked Cat in April 2014.       

   

        

The Debut Author Series: Christina Banach

The Learning Curve - Insights from Debut Authors 

Nicky Schmidt

For many the road to publication is long and fraught. For others, a publishing deal comes relatively easily. Those who are still trudging the path may find it hard to imagine what it’s like to be a debut author, and authors with a few books to their name may only dimly recall the original experience. 


So what is it like? Does life change? Do dreams become reality and with a deal to your name does it all become plain sailing? And what is the process from slushpile to contract to published novel actually like? I asked Christina Banach about her journey to publication. 

From the time you first started writing, how long did it take to get a publishing deal?

I began writing seriously in 2001 and in 2006 I resigned from my job to become a full-time writer. It took me until 2013 to get my publishing deal. 

It is said that writers have to persevere and have a tough skin – did you find you grew in endurance and perseverance? Did you ever think about giving up? What made you keep going? 

Did I think about giving up? Oh yes – often – but, in a way, every knock-back only served to harden my resolve. Of course there were times when I lost faith in my abilities, times when I doubted whether I would ever get published. But I kept telling myself that if I didn’t keep at it then I never would. 

How did you feel when you first landed your deal? Did it feel like the world had changed? How long did the excitement last? 

As you might expect I was thrilled. As you might not expect, after doing the happy dance with a mega-kilowatt grin plastered across my face, I promptly burst into tears. Talk about my emotions being all over the place, they certainly were – and then some. Did I feel like the world had changed? Not right away, in fact it took me a long while to believe that it was real - to allow myself to give in to the excitement that was bubbling inside. How long did the excitement last? It hasn’t stopped yet! 

If you think about the amount of work you did on your story pre-deal, how much more work did you have to do once you’d landed your deal – did you realise the real work had only just begun and how surprised where you by that? 

Most of the work was done pre-deal. Some time ago I submitted a manuscript (not Minty) to Cornerstones Literary Consultancy for an editorial report and on the back of that they offered to sell me through to agents. Then began a long working relationship with Kathryn Price, their co-director and uber editor. She and I worked through several structural edits of Minty. This meant that I had very little work to do, post deal, apart from tweaking the opening chapters and then, of course, playing my part in the proofreading process. 

As the creator of your story, having always been in control of your characters and your plot, how did you find taking on board someone else’s comments and suggestions – was it like losing control and did you ever argue with your editor? 

Working with Kathryn was an incredible experience. What an editor she is: insightful, considered and very encouraging. She read the first draft of the manuscript and told me that Minty was ‘a great book’ but with work could become ‘something very, very special indeed.’ I trusted her judgement completely. We never argued and I always felt in control of my story, even if I sometimes couldn’t work out what direction it should take next.

Assuming you took the majority of suggestions on board, how do you feel it impacted on your story? 

I took many of her suggestions on board, but not all; Kathryn always urged me to find my own solutions towards making the manuscript better. But she did challenge me – a lot! I’m so glad she did because, without her expert eye, Minty wouldn’t be the story it is today. It’s a much deeper, and more satisfying story than it was in draft one. 

How have you found working with illustrators and cover designers? How much involvement have you had with the graphic content of your book (covers or illustrations)? 

The cover was designed by the amazing Jennie Rawlings. I had given my agent a postcard of the little coastal town of Elie, which plays a major part in Minty’s story. Unbeknownst to me she passed it on to Jennie, who then incorporated it into the design you see today. My publishers actually sent me a choice of three book covers, each designed by Jennie – all excellent in their own way. However, when I saw the one that became the actual cover I absolutely knew that this was the one: it encapsulates the story so brilliantly. It was as if Jennie had stepped right inside my subconscious and designed the cover I’d have created for myself – if I had the talent. 

Do you think that having had your first book published, your writing life will be easier and your career will be on track? Do you think it will all be easier the second time round?

In some ways it might be harder, in as much as there seems to be less time to devote to writing. On the other hand I have the support and guidance of a dynamic new publishing house and a fantastic agent – so I feel my career is in safe hands. 

Aside from the editing, what other aspects of being an author have you had to come to terms with? (things like marketing, PR, admin, copyright, contracts - anything that someone new to this would not anticipate.) 

All of the above! Seriously, I hadn’t anticipated how much is involved in being a published author. There is so much to learn, and it can be time-consuming and a little daunting. It’s an amazing experience, though, and I realise that I’m very lucky to be doing what I do. 

What have been your biggest lessons since landing a deal?

I should’ve been more prepared for the marketing side, especially the author’s role in raising awareness of the book. For example, I wish I’d created a Pinterest mood board for Minty well in advance of publication day, or had started my blog earlier, and had my website up and running months before I did, or made a start on developing my school visits programme well in advance – that sort of thing. However, probably my biggest lesson has been learning to balance writing book number two with marketing the current one. I’m still working on that! 

What one key piece of advice would you offer unpublished writers when working with an editor for the first time? 

Don’t be precious. Yes your book is your baby, but you don’t always know what’s best for it. Trust your editor but also trust your gut instinct. Listen to the advice given, mull it over, then try to work out how best to improve upon the story. 

Now that your first book is out – what next? 

I’m working on another young adult novel. It’s a ghost story come psychological thriller and is the most ambitious book I’ve written to date. My lovely publishers are so patient and haven’t given me a deadline for submitting it – yet! 

Thank you for inviting me to take part in this Q&A session. It’s been fun. 

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You can find out more about Christina Banach on her website. 

You can learn more about and buy a copy of Minty from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com 

You’ll also find Christina on: Goodreads, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook. 

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SCBWI-BI “member abroad”, Nicky Schmidt  is an ex scriptwriter, copywriter, and marketing, brand and communications director who "retired" early to follow a dream. Although she still occasionally consults on marketing, communications and brand strategies, mostly she writes YA fiction (some of which leans towards New Adult) in the magical realism and supernatural genres. When not off in some other world, Nicky also writes freelance articles - mostly lifestyle and travel - for which she does her own photography. Her work has been published in several South African magazines and newspapers. As well as being a regular feature writer for Words & Pictures, Nicky also runs the SCBWI-BI YA e-critique group. Nicky lives in Cape Town with her husband and two rescue Golden Retrievers.

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 5th August

A big thanks to Philippa for holding the fort so expertly last week.
I'm just back from holiday and still catching up on stuff, but I've prioritised the two most important activities - booking my place at the November Conference and writing this!

The SCBWI Picture Book Retreat seems to have triggered a massive burst of creativity, inspiring three very different blog posts. Sue Eves gives some nifty advice on making mini books and talks about her adventures with colour. Candy Gourlay finds that time spent with illustrators gives her sudden insight into her writing. And Sarah Broadley? Well, she's written a poem all about the weekend.

Space on the Bookshelf are moving away from traditional books this summer, to focus on some alternative routes to literacy. Their WOW! series promises to celebrate children’s comics, magazines and graphic novels.

Katie Dale is also taking a sideways look at her bookshelf, trying not to judge a book by its cover. There are many wonderful stories out there, which you might never spot if you went by their blurb or their position in the book store. Why not take up Katie's challenge to go Discovering Diamonds?

The ever-busy Sam Zuppardi has contributed an illustrated story to a new music-themed anthology comic called Radio On from indie publisher The Analogue Press. Sam shares a page of his story on his blog, and you can get your own copy of the comic by contributing to the publisher's Kickstarter campaign.

Sarah McIntyre has (of course) written loads of blog posts while I've been away! I particularly liked this one about the American inspirations for her Oliver and the Seawigs drawings, and these very silly unicorns inspired by her Summer Reading Challenge.

Nick.

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A SCBWI member since 2009, Nick Cross is a former Undiscovered Voices winner who currently writes children's short fiction for Stew Magazine.

Nick's most recent blog post is a guide to writing flash fiction, to celebrate the latest issue of Stew!

An Interview with Robert Muchamore - Part One

Robert Muchamore is best known for the CHERUB series of books. He wrote the first instalment CHERUB: The Recruit in 2001 after his 12-year-old nephew told him that he couldn’t find any books he wanted to read. Thirteen years on and Robert has just launched Lone Wolf, the 16th Cherub title – so it’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about what makes a good story, and a good series… 

Robert, you were recently a guest-speaker at YALC (the Young Adult Literary Conference) which was part of the London Film and Comic Con – how did that go? 

Booktrust hosted an ‘in conversation’ thing with me and my friend (Girl, Missing author) Sophie McKenzie. It was the first time I've ever given a talk while people were walking about in the background waving lightsabers. It was quite surreal, and certainly different to the kind of audience I’d get at the Edinburgh or Hay Festival.

Lone Wolf – the latest in your Cherub series of books – is out on August 1. Can you tell us about the idea behind Cherub? 

CHERUB is a secret organisation that hires child orphans as spies. Everyone’s familiar with the basics of spy fiction, but I didn't want to make Cherub like James Bond – all slick and over the top. Instead I made it as gritty and believable as possible. The thing I most wanted was for kids who read the books to come away thinking 'this could really happen to me'.

Where did your inspiration for the Cherub series come from? 

About 15 years ago I went to visit my sister in Australia for a month and I got to know my nephew – Jared – really well. He was the classic kid who was bright but regarded books as naff and boring. Harry Potter was huge but he just wasn’t into fantasy, so I decided to try and write something he’d actually want to read… that's why I made Cherub very grounded and set in the real world.

Did your job as a private investigator help? 

When you say ‘private investigator’ you’re probably think of a guy hired to follow someone who’s up to no good. Most firms don't do much of that sort of work because it’s very expensive. If you’ve seen the TV series Heir Hunters (BBC show following the work of probate researchers who attempt to track down the distant relatives of people who have died without making a will) well, that was the mainstay of the work I did. The great thing about that job was that most of my work colleagues were ex police officers. When I was writing my second Cherub book, Class A, instead of doing my research online I'd have my tea break with the guy who used to be Head of the Manchester Drugs Squad, and I’d just ask him instead. It was a useful environment to be in.

Can you tell us more about Lone Wolf? 

There are 12 books in the first Cherub series, and Lone Wolf is the 4th book in the second series, so it's the 16th Cherub book. It’s about Fay, a girl whose mother and aunt are both drug dealers and are killed by a drug baron, so she sets out to seek revenge. Meanwhile the Cherub agents try to get close to Fay so they can infiltrate the drug gangs.

Was writing in the voice of a teenage girl a challenge? 

No more of a challenge than writing for teenagers in general – you’re writing for a group of people who have fundamentally different thought processes and attention spans to adults. The thing I think I would find challenging would be to write a teenage female character in the first person. I'm not sure I'd have the confidence to do that. Maybe I'll try it one day.

Who reads your books, who’s a typical Cherub fan? 

They’re aimed at boys from year 7 up (age 11+). But when I do a book signing I find that, these days, the ratio is probably 60/40 boy/girl. There are quite a lot of girls who reject those really girly books and are into things that are typically seen as more masculine. Female Cherub fans don't turn up in dresses and sparkly pumps, they wear jeans and hoodies.

Is that why you’ve got a girl on the cover of Lone Wolf…?

My books are still primarily aimed at boys, and my publishers think they're being quite bold because there's this fear that, if you have an image of a girl on the cover of a book, boys won't pick it up. My take on it is, as long as the girl looks cool, it doesn’t really matter. If you ask a boy of 9 or 10 if he likes girls he'd probably be embarrassed but if you ask a boy of 13 or 14 ‘Would it be good to have a really cool girlfriend to hang out with?’ he'd probably go ‘yeah’.

What’s the secret to writing a really good story? 

There are a lot of 'how to' books out there that claim there's a formula for writing a great novel or screenplay. They say things like 'in the third act so-and-so has to happen' but, to be honest, I don't really agree with that. What I always try to do is get to a point where you can take any chapter from any of my books and pull it out and read it as a standalone and it will still be interesting and compelling. You can't always do that, because sometimes you need a certain amount of exposition to move the story along, but, as a writer, I think that should be your goal.

What’s the secret to writing a really good series? 

The short answer is a quote from the folk singer Malvina Reynolds: 'If I knew where my inspiration came from I'd go there every day.' But the slightly longer answer, or the way I do it anyway, is to look everywhere. I tear things out of magazines, I print things off the Internet, I tape documentaries. I've got a tray full of ideas on my desk. When you're looking for ideas for your next book you're not just looking three weeks before you're due to start writing, you're ALWAYS looking.

Which contemporary teen/YA writer do you most admire and why? 

I'm quite a fan of John Green’s books which is odd because I don't massively like the subject matter. I think he has an amazing way of getting into the head of a teenage girl, which is something, as I mentioned earlier, that I've always been a bit intimidated by. I admire him because, as a writer, I think he’s done something really clever.

Who was your favourite author when you were a kid? 

I used to love a series of books called The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison. I read them over and over. Then, about 18 months ago, someone from my publishers who knew I was a sci-fi geek, found out they were being reprinted and got hold of them for me. I was so excited… and then I read them… and they were awful. The 12-year-old me couldn’t get enough of them, but when I was re-reading them as an adult all I could think was 'ah, that's such a cliché!'.

CHERUB: Lone Wolf is published on Friday 1 August 2014 by HODDER CHILDREN’S BOOKS Price £12.99 ISBN: 9781444914092

For more info on Robert and CHERUB go to:
www.muchamore.com
www.cherubcampus.com 

Look out for the second instalment of our interview with Robert where he tells us: how he deals with writer’s block; what he thinks are the best and worst things about being a writer; and the three qualities you need to a succeed as a teen/YA author.

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Jo Dearden spent 15 years writing about other people’s stories – as a reviewer and feature writer for various TV listing magazines. Three years ago she attended an Arvon course on writing for children. She loves writing didactic rhyming Picture Book texts with copious illustration notes. Despite this, her story ‘Betty’s Bellybutton’ was recently placed third in the Winchester Writer’s Competition and she has previously had a story shortlisted for the Mumsnet/Walker Books Book of Bedtime Stories. Jo lives in Rawtenstall, Lancashire along with fellow SCBWI-ers George Kirk and Steve Hartley (only in the same town though, not in the same house… that would just be weird.)

Edinburgh

Home again from the city of fun, so wish I could have stayed for weeks. I saw some brilliant shows even got a free ticket for Potted Sherlock the latest 'potted' show from CBBC's Dan and Jeff. They attempt and succeed in covering a whole body of work, on stage, in an hour. Here's a potted clip of their first show…


Also would have loved to have seen more of lovely people like these…

Sarah Broadley, responsible for that fabulous interview with Lindsey Fraser on Thursday,  hides behind her latest brilliant picture book concept in Spoon on Nicolson Street.

Sheila Averbuch enjoys tea and scones in Anteaques. Actually this is last year's photo. I was too distracted by stray babies, show flyers and  rapping scientists to remember to take a picture - doh! This year it was latte and wine in The Gilded Garden.

Christina Banach, who is all encouragement, ignores the madness that is the Royal Mile in August. (We may have just overindulged on pasta and pizza here but you need energy in this city - there are steps everywhere.)

Christina is also  the last of Nicky's Debuts - so pleased that people have been enjoying this series. I've put a handy link top left and thank you, this week, to Liz and Jeannie for sharing their experiences.

Talking of handy buttons we also have one top right which is one click away to booking for this year's conference and the likes of Nick Butterworth, Melvin Burgess, Cathy Cassidy and Sally Gardner. Got a feeling it could be a good idea to book asap.

I have two more thank-yous - to Phillippa for some fab blog choices  while standing in for Nick, and Kathy who again is organising the annual conference badge competition - don't know how they do it!

Coming up: don't miss Christina's debut interview on Wednesday and can you believe we have bestselling storyteller and author of the Cherub series, Robert Muchamore, on the blog tomorrow? Even if you can't believe it, we absolutely do. What a great way to kick off Story, our theme for August.

Also, I've dismissed all that annoying word and number recognition. So if you've a mind, you can now comment with abandon).

I'm off to unpack...

Have fun in the sun!

Jan Carr

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Jan Carr is the editor of Words & Pictures. Her fiction is all over the place, she blogs occasionally and loves to write in magenta. You can contact her at editor@britishscbwi.org.

Badges Badges Badges 2014!

Kathy Evans

Once again I'm hijacking Celebrations to give you all a chance to win something! The Amazing SCBWI British Isles Annual Conference has already been announced, which means it's time for me to announce the highly popular badge design competition!

Last year's gorgeous illustrations and witty writing-and-illustrating-related slogans were truly fabulous and I know this year's will be just as good. Everyone can have a go as long as you're a SCBWI member. So what are we looking for?

Fun  illustrations, designs, or short witty slogans that would make great pin-badges for this year's conference. 

This is a great chance to see your work on the chests (or jackets, bags, hats or conference name tags) of everyone who matters… can you afford not to take part?! Who knows where it might lead and there are prizes - oh yes!
 Apart from fame, glory and a bit of free publicity:

• First Prize is a complete set of  ALL the other badges selected as winners.
• Second Prize is a half set of badges (including the winning badge and your designs) 
• Runner up prizes for all chosen badge designs are two badges of your design.

Winners from Kathryn Evans

RULES 
 1. Any SCBWI member can submit their best ideas/designs before noon Sunday 7th September 2014, by e-mail to Kathy Evans at kathy.evans@tiscali.co.uk – head your email: "SCBWI Badge Competition". 
 2. The final badges must include either a reference to SCBWI British Isles or the logo. 
3. The badges are round and 38mm in diameter.  
4. Illustrators - please don't e-mail hi resolution images unless we ask you for them.
5. Writers – due to the high number of orphan slogans last year, you are limited to one slogan-only entry. HOWEVER why not team up with an illustrator and work together and then you can submit as many as you like. See Rule 6.
 6. If you are a writer struggling to find an illustrator or an illustrator seeking a writer to work with please e-mail, kathy.evans@tiscali.co.uk and I'll do my best to team you up with someone.
7. The best designs or slogans will be selected by our judges and will then be made into pin badges in time to sell at the conference – the badge committee's decision will be final. 
 8. Deadline for entries is 7th September 2014 

Badges will be sold in aid of British SCBWI. Badges will be on sale for £1.50 a badge – but you can buy 3 for £3! Snap yours up early during the conference – the most popular designs sell out quickly - show everyone you're a proud member of SCBWI!

As usual, we're also on the lookout for a few volunteers to help sell the badges at the conference during breaks. It's a great way to mix, meet people at the conference and support SCBWI in a really simple way. Please let me know at kathy.evans@tiscali.co.uk if you'd like to be a badge seller.

I can't wait to see your designs!  Good luck! 

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Kathy Evans is an all round star volunteer for SCBWI. She created the W&P celebrations editor role, for the last year has been managing the British Isles' chapter's finance and is again organising this year's conference badge competition. She is also South East Network Coordinator with Mariam Vossough and is represented by Sophie Hicks.