This is an odds and ends day! Lots of illness in my family, so I’m just trying to hang in there and get my 750 words written today.

Independent Bookstores Get Branded eBook Reader

IndieBound Mobile APP (only for Android right now, but soon for iOS) was released this week. It is a branded ebook reader, The IndieBound Reader™, that allows you to order shop local bookstores’ websites and purchase books. Read more here.

Children’s Book Character Costumes

Oliver is available to visit your school.

Nominations for Top Writing Blogs

Write To Done is having its “Nominate Your Favorite Writing Blog: 6th Annual Top 10 Blogs for Writers Contest”. Would you nominate Fiction Notes for this contest? Or, nominate your favorite blog?

Here’s how:

• Leave a comment with Darcy Pattison’s Fiction Notes at http://www.darcypattison.com. (Cut and paste, if it helps.)
• You must include a comment on why Fiction Notes deserves to be in the Top 10 Blogs for Writers, or the nomination doesn’t count.

DEADLINE: December 10, 2011.
Yes, I need you to nominate this blog, because to be considered, a a blog must be nominated more than once and the more the merrier. Hey–thanks. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Grinch Tips on Character

How the Grinch Stole Christmas Movie

Take a page from Dr. Seuss. Be nasty when you create characters. Try different physical descriptions, motivations, typical ways of moving, common phrases and specific actions.

Grinch Tips on Setting

Whoville. What kind of name is that for a town? A memorable one. And the Whos are memorable. Dr. Suess was a genius at creating fictional worlds that are believable.

Take another look at your setting: create a town, populate the town with a mayor, a teacher, families. Now, write a story set in that town.

Grinch Tips on Plot

The Grinch ties his best to ruin Christmas by stealing every THING that relates to Christmas. Things become worse and worse for the Whos.

Make sure that you intensify the conflict of your story. No one will read boring, nothing-happens stories. Burn this into your sense of story: without bad things happening, there is no story. Dr. Seuss intensifies the dilemma by having the Grinch do every despicable thing possible to ruin Christmas.

Grinch Tips on the Blackest Moment of the Story

Popular book for over 50 years!

Dr. Seuss did not try to avoid the blackest moment and neither should you. What is the absolute worst thing that could happen to your characters? Make it happen. Be a Grinch, be nasty.

But also follow that moment with a twist. It doesn’t have to be a complete reversal like the Whos manage to pull off. But it should be a small moment of hope, of defiance against the evil. Slap ‘em down and watch ‘em get up again. And your audience will stay with you forever (Right, Theodore Geissel?)

Grinch Tips on Story Endings

At the end, the Grinch’s heart grows two sizes larger. It’s a poignant moment of clear character growth and change. The metaphoric becomes concrete.

Draw two columns down a page and label the columns, Before and After. In the Before column, write details of your character in the story’s opening. In the After column, write details of your character in the story’s ending. Make sure there is a sharp difference, a big change. If there isn’t, what changes make sense in the context of the story. Now, revise to make sure the character’s heart does grow two sizes larger!

Winter Writing Lesson Plans for Teachers

In appreciation for all you do for children’s literature, I am offering a free set of lesson plans for Winter Writing with Kids. Based on popular Christmas and winter children’s stories, kids will learn 34 skills of writing.

Download the FREE Winter Writing with Kids 2011 here.

11 Ways to Ruin a Photograph: Winner of “The Help” Children’s Story Contest

My story won “The Help children’s story contest! Read more about this family story written by Darcy Pattison.

By the way, there’s an app for the Grinch!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Top Writing Tips from Seasonal Personalities

Top Writing Tips from Rudolph, Santa, Frosty, Gingerbread Man, 12 Days of Christmas, and the 3 Kings

• Santa’s Top 5 Writing Tips
• Rudolph’s Top 5 Writing Tips
• Frosty’s Top 5 Writing Tips
• The Gingerbread Man’s Top 5 Writing Tips
• 12 Days of Christmas Writing Tips
• 7 Writing Tips from the 3 Kings

Winter Writing Lesson Plans for Teachers

In appreciation for all you do for children’s literature, I am offering a free set of lesson plans for Winter Writing with Kids. Based on popular Christmas and winter children’s stories, kids will learn 34 skills of writing.

Download the FREE Winter Writing with Kids 2011 here (pdf).

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

I’ve taken a look at my statistics and here’s the top posts on Fiction Notes for 2009, in order of popularity. Five of these are the first page of a series of posts on a certain topic. The other five are individual posts.

1. Novel Writing. 30 Days to a Stronger Novel. 30 one-minute creative writing tips to improve your novel. After the First Draft is the Ebook version of this post. If you’ve just finished NaNoWriMo, this is for you!



2. Book Trailers. 43 Book Trailer Sites to Inspire, Instruct and Share. More information about book trailers for novels, for high school students, for kids and trailers in general than you really want to know.
3. Characterization. 15 Days to Stronger Characters Character description, character development, stronger characterization, names and more.
4. Revising a Novel. Novel Metamorphosis: Uncommon Ways to Revise This novel writing and revising workbook is based on my Novel Revision Retreats and includes many ways to rethink, rework and rewrite your novel.
5. Writing Picture Books. 30 Days to a Stronger Picture Book. Improve your children’s picture book in just 30 days. Creative writing tips, plot, characters, pacing and more. How to Write A Children’s Picture Book is the Ebook version of this series.
6. Characterization. Villains Don’t Always Wear Black. This 3-part series talks about characterization of villains: how to describe the characters, names, and more.
7. The Writing Life. One of the first posts I wrote on this blog continues to be popular: Hope Helps You Through The Writing Process. This five part series on the psychology of the creative writing process, especially revising, is one of my favorites I’ve written.
8. Creative Writing. 4 Times to Stop Revising. Do you do endless revisions on your novel or picture book? How do you know when you’re done?
9. Writing tips & techniques. Flashbacks Can Deepen Stories. This in-depth discussion of flashbacks discusses when, where and why to include a flashback.
10. Character Description. How to Create Whacky, Interesting, Character Descriptions that Stick With a Reader. Now this one was just plain fun.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Find a Working Method that Works for You

My current WIP novel is at a curious stage. I’ve finished two drafts and now have feedback from two readers. I collated all the critiques onto one printout and have made even more notes on these pages.

So, the creative writing problem has been how to proceed from here.

Retype. At first, I started retyping everything. While I’ve suggested this as one way of doing a drastic revision, I’m not ready for this yet. It did force me to reconsider every word, but it was too much at this stage.

New File. Next, I tried starting a new file for the revised version and just adding one chapter at a time. But I found myself afraid to revise in this file. I didn’t want to make mistakes in this new file, and the writing suffered from my aversion to trying new things.

Temporary File and New File. Finally, I started copying the next chapter into a temporary file and making revisions there. Only when I’m happy with the chapter will I copy it into the new revised file.

It may seem cumbersome to you, but I had to find a working method that would foster the creativity and freedom needed in this novel revision, while still keeping me moving steadily forward. The temporary file and new file combination just works.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

by Joelle Anthony

The guest post today is by Joelle Anthony, whose first novel will debut in Summer, 2010: Restoring Harmony (Putnam)

It’s always sad to me when a writer tells me that they really need to finish their novel so they can get an agent because they’ve been at this for a couple of years and they “need to be making some money soon.” My answer is to tell them they should get a job. Not because you can’t make money selling books, you can, but because the time it takes will undoubtedly be longer than you think.

The Short Sixteen Years to Becoming a Published Author

Here is a timeline of how the last sixteen years have gone for me. And I hope that you will take this as encouragement and that it will instill in you the belief that IT WILL HAPPEN because I do believe this. I admit it, I am a naturally upbeat person and quite frankly, every time I got a rejection, I was surprised because I was sure “this was it” but it usually wasn’t. Unlike a lot of people, this didn’t bother me very much. I suppose you could read my timeline and want to throw in the towel, but I hope you will see it for what it is…a long process that will pay off in the end if you stay after it.

I began writing sixteen years ago, and about four years ago, an editor at FSG took an interest in one of my manuscripts. Eventually we met, and over tea, she told me she thought I should start looking seriously for an agent, and so I did. I consider that the moment I really “turned professional” even though prior to that, I definitely considered myself a pro.

• Agents queried: 40+
• Requests for partials/fulls: 10 or so
• Agent offers: 3
• Time from first agent query: 15 months
• What happened: Chose an agent, signed with her, didn’t work out.
• Left after 7 months.
• Time it took to find a new agent: 3 months (2 offers)
• Time from signing with new agent until book went out on submission (revision required): 4 months
• Time from signing with my agent until my book Restoring Harmony sold: 6 months
• Time between acquisition and publication: Just under two years (acquired Fall 2008, will come out Summer 2010)

Novel Contracts: Talking Money

For those of you wondering about money, I will say this. I received the first half of my advance a few months after they offered, and I’ll get my second half when we’re finished editing (which is soon, but not yet). So you can see that if I had said to myself, “Oh, boy! I’ve got an agent…things are going to happen now!” I would’ve been right, but they happen at the glacial speed of publishing.

7 Ways to Keep the Publication Dream Alive

Now, there are a few more things I want to share about the process. These are the things I did over the last four years that I believe made the difference between not even having an agent and now having a book coming out.

• I kept writing. – My debut novel is a novel I wrote DURING all the agent searches. I hadn’t even thought of it when I started querying. I also wrote two other novels during these years, and have begun a third. Writing is the most important thing.
• I kept querying. – I always had at least 5 queries out, usually 10, no matter how “interested” an agent claimed to be and I turned down a request for an exclusive from a very ‘top dog’ agent because I would’ve had to withdraw it from other agents, and I wasn’t willing to do that.
• I wrote articles. – I wrote articles for SCBWI about the things I learned looking for an agent. Also, I wrote articles about writing and reading.
• I kept reading. – I read over 150 novels in my preferred genre per year for 3 years (now I read about 100 and I mix it up a little with adult and nonfiction)
• I set up a website. – I hired a pro to put up a website 2 years ago and I blog regularly. This has made me a lot of friends, contacts, and given me some exposure. When I posted on there that I had sold my book, I received more than 75 congratulations emails, about 60% from people I’d never heard of who read my blog.
• I participated in the community of writers. – I left a lot of comments on other people’s blogs (not so much anymore) but people know my name now.
• I studied. – I think that this and reading are the two factors that really made the difference. I continued to study the craft of writing. I read articles, I read books on writing. I tried exercises. And most importantly, I took Darcy Pattison’s Novel Revision workshop (which I can’t recommend highly enough!!!). If you can’t take her workshop, buy her book, Novel Metamorphosis: Uncommon Ways to Revise.

It’s a long, slow process to publication and people with a book coming out every year make it look like it moves fast, but it really doesn’t. There were 5 months between the time my editor took on my book and we even STARTED the editorial process. Yeah…5 months. But do you know what? I wrote other things during all that time and by the time we began, I was a better writer than when she bought the book. Stay after it, but most importantly, know that you can’t rush it, so enjoy it. Read, have a life, love what you do…

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Since writing in scenes isn’t second nature to me, I often fill in this type information before I start a scene:

• Basics
  • Setting:
  • Who is present:
  • What is happening (actions):
• Emotion
  • Emotional Pulse running through the scene:
  • Emotion at Beginning:
  • Emotion at End:
• Plot
  • Plot Goal:
  • Plot Complication:
  • Plot Complication:
  • Plot Complication:
  • Disaster at end of scene:
• What gets reviewed in between scenes (What Swain & Bickham call the sequel part).
• Goal of next scene:

Often, I get only halfway through this before I abandon it and start writing. That’s fine. It’s just to get the scene firmly in my mind, not necessarily fill out the entire form.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

The holidays and the end of the year are bringing out the generous nature of agents!

The 2nd Sort-of-Annual Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge

• Deadline: 7pm. EST, Thursday, December 11, 2008.
• Who: Literary agent Nathan Bransford, Curtis Brown, San Francisco office
• What: Post the first paragraph of your WIP and compete for the prize of a partial critique, query critique or a 15 minute phone call.
• How: Skip over to Bransford’s website and post your paragraph in the comments.
• Warning: The competition is stiff. With 10 hours left, there were 1176 comments/paragraphs.
• Attention: This is a learning opportunity. Read through at least some of these paragraphs and see which you like and which you don’t. What grabs your attention? Check back when Bransford posts the winners and vote on the finalist. Do you agree with his choices or not? Why or why not?

For more on opening lines:

• Opening Lines: The Story in Miniature
• Openings: 5 Ways They Go Wrong
• Prophetic Openings

Take a Holiday Break from Queries and Submit a Chapter Instead

• Dates: December 15 to January 15
• Who: Firebrand Literary
• What: Firebrand agents want to read your first chapter and will forego the usual query. This is a big task for those agents and a great opportunity for writers of all kinds. For those of you who have never got a request for a partial (probably because your query was weak), this is your golden chance. Let your writing speak for itself.
• How: Go to the Query Holiday posting on Firebrand’s website.

For more on opening chapters:

• Take the Scene Box Test
• Begin at the Beginning

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Creative writing tips, courtesy of the season:

• Peppermints! When you add sensory details to a story, the most common is visual details. The two most neglected are olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste). Flavors of the season are peppermint, cinnamon and cloves.
• Gifts! Give your character something to hold in his/her hands. It’s one of the easiest and best ways to characterize someone, while providing you, the writer, with great verbs. Put an iron skillet in Grandma’s hands and watch her rustle up a meal for the 30-odd relatives coming by tomorrow.
• Trees! The setting of a story can add to the mood, if you choose the right details. A pathetic, sad tree is aluminum, thin, sparse, leaning. A cheerful tree is straight, full, soft fir needles, well-lit, glowing, radiant. Be precise in the details you use and you’ll evoke a mood to support (or contrast) with your character’s inner life.
• Worship! Just as the Wise Men, shepherds and angels worshiped the birth of the Christ, so we should remember to keep life in perspective. Writing is fun and consuming, but there’s more to life than just writing. Take time off to enjoy your family, attend a madrigal feast (I’m going Thursday night!), go caroling with friends, and ponder the Deep Magic of this special child.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

I’ve been reading a great new psychology book that should help in developing characters, especially the settings which reveal so much about a character.

Snoop

Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You by Sam Gosling, Ph.D. is a fascinating book by a psychologist who studies a person’s environment and what that environment says about you.

For example, in a bedroom:
Variety of books, magazines, music — this is a person who is open to new experiences.
Well-lit, uncluttered and organized books and music — this is a conscientious person.
Inspirational posters — this is a negative or anxious person.

In an office:
Distinctive decor, stylish, unconventional, varied books — this is an open person
Good condition, clean, organized, neat, uncluttered — this is a conscientious person
Decorated, cheerful, inviting — this is an extravert
High-traffic location — this is an agreeable person
Decorated — this is a negative or anxious person.

Not only does he tell you what to look for, he also details the things that people mistakenly look at when trying to evaluate a person’s psychology.

Examples of things people tend to rely on, but shouldn’t, in a bedroom:
Stale air does not indicate a negative or anxious person
Cheerful and colorful does not indicate an agreeable or a conscientious person
Decorated and cluttered does not indicate an open or extraverted person

In an office:
An uninviting office does not indicate a negative or anxious person
A comfortable office does not indicate a conscientious person
An inviting office does not indicate an agreeable person

The nuances of our Stuff are fascinating to read about and the book is easy to read. It’s a good resource when you are creating new characters.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win