Chapter Book Revision, cont'd.

At this point in my chapter book revision, I’m focusing on the first three chapters, since that’s what many agents/editors request. If they like the beginning, they may ask to see the entire manuscript. The first sentence, followed by the first paragraph, followed by the first chapter are the parts of a manuscript that have the greatest initial impact (first chapter = initial impact). If readers aren’t hooked in the first chapter, they often read no further. A great first chapter warrents further reading. A not-so-great one earns a rejection. The writing must stand out to the point it beats the competition, which is not an easy task to achieve, but IS achievable.

A lot happens in the first chapter. Here are revision checkpoints I’m homing in on:

 Introduce the hook. A hook is writing that snares  readers' interest and keeps them reading.

 

Introduce the characters. Begin with the main protagonist. My initial plan involved writing about an unreliable narrator, one who the reader could not depend on to tell the story in an unbiased way. The little boy didn’t get along with his neighbor so from his perspective, everything about the neighbor was negative. A few revisions later I still kept this aspect of the character’s personality. Then, after setting the story aside for months, I’ve decided to make the character narrating the story more reliable and the neighbor can come to life showing her positive and negative traits as the story unfolds. Setting this story aside to work on other projects allows me to be more objective in critiquing because I’m coming back to it with a fresh outlook, a policy I recommend for all writers.

I’ve revised the first three chapters until my fingers tingled, but Chapter 1 is missing the mark, still. What’s a writer to do? Revise, revise, revise. At this point I’ve rewritten the opening about thirty times. Yes, 30! There may be a 31. I’ll run it by my critique partner and find out.

In my next blog, I’ll provide more checkpoints for revision.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Hunger Mountain is a print journal of the arts. We publish fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, visual art, young adult and children’s writing, and literary miscellany. Our print issue comes out annually in the spring. Hunger Mountain hosts four annual writing contests, which are open to all writers: the Howard Frank Mosher Short Fiction Prize, the Ruth Stone Poetry Prize, the Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing, and the Hunger Mountain Creative Nonfiction Prize.  We also offer a paid Hunger Mountain Fellowship.

Submission guidelines at http://hungermtn.org/about-us/

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 40+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK.

Leave a message or check out my blog at www.nancykellyallen.com

How to Stay Motivated, part 2

The number one way to stay motivated is to find positivity in writing. For some, that means satisfying feedback from critiques, a compliment from someone who has read your work, or the ultimate: a contract that leads to seeing your work in print. 

My critique partner, the awesome Sandi Underwood, and I are in the fortunate positions of completing revisions for books that will be published next year. Along with editorial notes are the myriad emotions that accompany the task at hand: elation (I’m beyond thrilled.); doubt (Can I actually rewrite this manuscript on a professional level?); fear (What if I fail? I’ve already told people the book is in production.); confidence (Yes, I can. Yes, I will!); and more too numerous to list, plus completing the revision with a deadline looming. Underlying the mixed emotions is this powerful drive called motivation (deadlines will give even the most reluctant writer a huge dose of get-up-and-go).

Sandi and I work together on our manuscripts all the time, but each of us working at the same time on final revisions for forthcoming books is uncharted territory. The big positive here is that we’re more excited than ever. She’s helping me. I’m helping her (I hope). 

Positive moments in a writer’s life create motivation, a yearning to push a little harder, a little farther down the path to publication. 

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 40+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK. Check out her blog at www.nancykellyallen.com 

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

One Teen Story publishes 4 stories a year and accepts submissions from teen writers ages 13-19.

Submissions are now open. What kind of stories is One Teen Story looking for?

One Teen Story is looking for great short stories written by teens about the teen experience. We seek stories that deal with issues of identity, friendship, family, and coming-of-age. Gratuitous profanity, sex and drug use are best avoided. We’re open to all genres of well-written young adult fiction between 2,000 and 4,500 words. Because of our format, we can only accept stories that are strong enough to stand alone (as opposed to excerpts from novels-in-progress). Proof of the author’s age will be required for all stories accepted for publication.

Submission guidelines at http://www.one-story.com/index.php?page=submit&pubcode=ots 

Call for submissions for Adult Writers:

ASK: Ages 6-9. Nonfiction magazine with a focus on science and the world. Each edition centers around a specific theme. Focus on engaging nonfiction, not dry text. Humor, unusual questions. and unexpected connections are encouraged. All articles are commissioned. Query first with resume and writing samples. Feature articles:  900-1600 words. Humor pieces: 200-400 words. http://www.cricketmag.com/19-Submission-Guidelines-for-ASK-magazine-for-children-ages-6-9

Submission guidelines at

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=ask+magazine+submissions

 

Critiques

2015 is still young and this is THE YEAR to find a critique partner or group if you have not already.

Writers at all stages of their careers benefit from new eyes reading their words. Feedback provides valuable information, especially if the feedback is from writers who understand what to look for in a manuscript. A critique should focus on a piece in two ways: the overall story and specific parts, also known as the big picture and the small picture.

Overall story evaluation includes character assessment: Are the character believable? Does each character have unique traits, such as speaking differently. Feedback I once received from an editor stated that two of my characters were too much alike. As I reviewed the manuscript, I had to agree. Until she pointed out the flaw in my writing, I had not noticed it.

The specific parts critique is a line-by-line evaluation that focuses on word choice, transitions, action verbs, grammar, etc.

Critique groups are basically large online groups, forums, and small personal groups. The large online groups offer critiques from writes at different stages of their careers. Some writers love this type of feedback. Go online and type “children’s writers critique group” and you’ll find lots of information and a variety of groups. With critique forums, you post your story on a forum and receive feedback. Of course, you will be expected to provide critiques for other writers, also. My critique group began with four members a few years ago. We are now down to two, but we provide more detailed feedback and more often, if needed, than if we were members of a large group.

If you prefer face-to-face contact with a critique group, you can find members locally. Go to the local bookstore, library, or college and post signs requesting a sign-up of the group. You’ll probably find several people in your community that want to participate.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Teen Lit. Our goal is to promote teen literacy locally and globally by building small libraries in schools and in a free medical clinic, and by sending newly-released teen literature worldwide to be reviewed by teens.

Submission guidelines at http://www.teenlit.com/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

BUZZY MAG is looking for original science fiction, fantasy and horror short stories up to 10,000 words. Thriller, suspense and paranormal tales that cross into traditional speculative fiction are welcome. Buzzy accepts submissions from both authors and literary agents. Make sure you short story is acceptable for a 15-year-old to read. We DO NOT ACCEPT pornography, child subject matter, racial propaganda or fan fiction. Payment is ten cents/word.

Submission guidelines at http://buzzymag.com/submissions/

OOPS! Do As I Say, Not As I Do/Contest

When working with editors, our goal always is to mail an error-free manuscript and cover letter. In this electronic age when a simple press of the “send” key flings our work into cyberspace, it’s easy to overlook an error. Some publishing houses are now accepting manuscripts by electronic submission. The good news is two-fold: they accept manuscripts and emailing is free. So what’s the downside? Sometimes, we tend to ship out precious manuscript cargo without printing a hard copy. Catching our own mistakes is difficult because we read the work as we intend it to be rather than the way it is actually written and finding mistakes is more difficult when reading a computer screen. I made this mistake as recently as last week’s blog article in which I wrote “road” and it should have been “rode.”

I reread the article two or three times but overlooked the mistake with each reading. Had that been a cover letter, an editor probably would not have read further. Cover letters MUST be error-free and so should picture book manuscripts. Overlooking a grammatical error of longer manuscripts for middle grade and young adult manuscripts would probably not be a major problem for an editor if the mistakes are few and far between, but errors are totally unacceptable in cover letters and short manuscripts.

Happy writing and double-check, make that triple-check, your work. Even better, have a critique partner or two read it. Their eyes are fresh since they’re reading the work for the first time.

HIGHLIGHTS 2013 FICTION CONTESTCATEGORY:
Stories for beginning readers in 500 words or fewer. We welcome stories of any genre (mystery, historical fiction, sports, humor, holiday, friendship, etc.) as long as the stories are intended for kids ages 6–8.
PRIZES:

Three prizes of $1,000 or tuition for any Highlights Foundation Founders Workshop. (For a complete list of workshops, visit http://www.highlightsfoundation.org.)
All entries must be postmarked between January 1 and January 31, 2013.
RULES:
No entry form or fee is required.
Entrants must be at least 16 years old at the time of submission.
We welcome work from both published and unpublished authors. All submissions must be previously unpublished.

Stories may be any length up to 500 words. Indicate the word count in the upper right-hand corner of the first page of your manuscript.
Include your name and the title of your story on your manuscript.
No crime, violence, or derogatory humor.
Entries not accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope will not be returned.
Manuscripts or envelopes should be clearly marked FICTION CONTEST. Those not marked in this way will be considered as regular submissions to Highlights.
SEND ENTRIES TO:
FICTION CONTEST
Highlights for Children
803 Church Street
Honesdale, PA 18431
WINNERS:
The three winning entries will be purchased by Highlights and announced on Highlights.com in June 2013. All other submissions will be considered for purchase by Highlights.

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/