Pacing, Dialog, and Narrative/Call for Submissions

Today, I’m continuing the series, Writing a Middle Grade Novel and focusing on pacing. 

Use scenes to heighten the tension. Treat your characters badly; then treat them worse. Just when the reader thinks things cannot get worse for the character, surprise the reader with more problems, bigger problems.

Example: 

“Let’s go,” Annie said. 

“Where,” Lucy answered. 

“Anywhere to dodge the bullets,” Annie said. 

This dialog is rapid-fire, pardon the pun, with short phrases and no narrative, which works well in scenes that are fast. Trimming the sentence of all but essential words speeds the action.  

Other scenes benefit by incorporating narrative along with dialog.  

“Move over,” Annie said. A smile covered her face as she reached out and placed a gentle hand on Lucy’s shoulder.

“No,” Lucy answered as she jerked away. She crossed her arms over her chest, a sure sign that a stubborn spell gripped the six-year-old. 

The narrative illustrates the attitudes of each character by showing their actions and reactions as it slows the action. 

Move the story forward with dialog that introduces new information or reveals something new about the character. The marriage of narrative and dialog takes the plot forward as characters develop, little by little.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

 Spellbound is a fantasy magazine for children ages 8-12.

Published quarterly, each issue contains fantasy stories, poetry, art and more all centered around a featured creature.  Issues come in a DRM-free ePub format.  The e-zine can be read on Nooks, Kindles, iPads, Kobos and many other ereaders, as well as laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones.

Spellbound is dedicated to putting together a publication that emphasizes diversity and inclusiveness.  We actively seek stories, poetry and artwork that reflect a wide range of cultures, and characters. We believe that stories are important and can change the world and we hope to have a positive impact on young readers.

Submission guidelines: http://eggplantproductions.com/spellbound-magazine/

Writing a Middle Grade Novel/Call for Submissions

Today, I’m continuing the series, Writing a Middle Grade Novel.

A story is told through the viewpoint of the narrator, either in first or third person. In first person, the story is told by one of the characters, as in “I said.” Third person narrative is told from the perspective of someone outside the story, as in “she said.”

First person is popular with this audience because it lets the reader know what is happening as it happens. The character’s thoughts and actions are relayed as they occur. The voice of the character can add humor, sarcasm, anger in a way that reflects the growth of the character.

Third person narrative is also popular. The advantage is that it offer more sophisticated language and observations.

The writer’s job is to get into character and express thoughts and feelings of the protagonist. Most middle grade stories are told from the perspective of a single character. This allows reader to identify with the character, understand why the character behaves the way s/he does, and to support his/her efforts. 

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

COUNTRY MAGAZINE. We pay $250 for story submissions that run a page or more. Contributors published in "Mailbox" or "Little Humor" receive a gift certificate for a one-year subscription, or subscription extension, to Country Extra. Most other contributors will receive an authentic hand-forged iron dinner triangle. In our "Just For Fun" section, photos garner a dinner triangle; jokes and short items earn payment of $25. Generally, a published one-page story runs 400-500 words in length. Country magazine celebrates the breathtaking beauty, engaging people, enduring values and spiritually rewarding lifestyle of the American countryside.es
1 ripe avocado
2 ears of fresh sweet corn
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Honey Lime Dressing
Juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp honey
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
Dash of cayenne pepper
DIRECTIONS

Submission guidelines at http://www.country-magazine.com/contributor-guidelines/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Today, I’m continuing the series, Writing a Middle Grade Novel.

Description is used to enhance fictional stories. Check out the following ways:

Writing effective description can be difficult. Too little description leaves the reader wondering what happened and seeing a fuzzy mental picture of the scene. Too much description makes the reader lose interest in the plot, because it’s just simply boring. The sweet spot is to provide enough description to give the reader a visual of the people, events, setting, and objects in the story.  

Every detail should not be described. Allow the reader space to use his/her imagination.

Instead of describing the obvious details, occasionally focus on some less obvious. The girl is wearing a red straw hat, black pumps, and a blue suit. Looking closer, describe how the red hat seems faded, the back pumps look too tight, and the blue suit has stains on the sleeves. The less obvious details are what we notice and wonder about in real life so we should also focus on them in our writing.

Description slows the action. Avoid long description in the midst of an action scene since it will slow the momentum. In a fight scene, keep the pace fast with short descriptions. A left blow. An upper cut. A long description—from my left I saw the attacker swing. His fist was headed toward my left jaw—provides so much detail that it detracts from the action.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

THE NOTEBOOK  is published biannually by the Grassroots Women Project. We seek work by female or male writers, photographers & digital visual artists with rural or small town roots. We are interested in progressive thinking—past, present or visionary—that explores a spectrum of authentic experiences for women and girls in rural areas and small towns in any of the world’s cultures. Issues of THE NOTEBOOK comprise regular columns and other single-issue features, plus themed sections. We are a peer-review journal, so acceptances are selective. We encourage international submissions written in English. We are a print publication with plans to publish e-book editions in future.

Theme:  For the Fall 2014 issue (our third!), the theme focuses on SECRETS, BETRAYALS, LIES and REGRETS.  All genres of writing or digital imagery will be considered as long as some aspect of the theme is related to the experience of rural or small town women or girls, either directly or indirectly. You may define, interpret or conceptualize any or all parts of the theme  in any way you see fit.

Deadline: July 31, 2014

Submission guidelines at http://www.grassrootswomenproject.org/the-notebook.html

 

Writing a Middle Grade Novel/Call for Submissions

Today, I’m continuing the series, Writing a Middle Grade Novel.

We want our readers to be “there.” To feel the excitement, the wind, the joy, the fear, and more in the journey of the character.  Descriptive passages create an illusion. The illusion of reality pulls the reader into the middle of the action and holds the reader there through the last page. Description is the image-making power of the story. It engages the reader by making the characters and action seem real.

The setting may seem unimportant compared to character, plot, and voice, but descriptive setting enhance the realism. In mysteries, frightful settings play a critical role if sights, sounds, smells, taste, and touch are conveyed through sensory details. Touch can send goosebumps down a reader’s spine if the character is in a scary setting and something bumps him. Fog or smoke can blur the character’s vision and make the setting creepier or seem more dangerous. Portraying a specific locale with sensory descriptors allows the writer to make a setting appear so real the reader can almost step into the pages of the book.

In Amazing Grace, I wrote:

Riding shotgun suited me fine. I loved to perch in the front seat by the driver. Besides, I was on the lookout for something. As we rounded a curve on Route 23 past Louisa, a row of Burma Shave signs popped into view. I read the signs to Johnny:

Don’t stick

Your elbow

Out so far

It might go home

In another car.

In writing this scene, my goal was to transport the reader back in time to some of America’s first roadside billboards, the Burma Shave signs. 

Next week, I’ll give more tips on writing descriptive passages. 

[I will resume Call for Submissions for Young Writers in September.] 

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

The Wolfe Pack's Black Orchid Novella Award. Recommended free contest gives $1,000 and publication in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine for the best traditional mystery novella. Contest sponsor The Wolfe Pack is the official fan club for Nero Wolfe, a legendary fictional sleuth created by Rex Stout in a series of mystery novels published from 1934 to 1975. Entries should be 15,000-20,000 words. See website for thematic and stylistic restrictions. Essentially, they are looking for an old-fashioned story of deduction, with a witty style and an engaging relationship between the characters, and no explicit sex or violence.

Deadline May 31

Guidelines at http://www.nerowolfe.org/htm/literary_awards/black_orchid_award/Black_Orchid_award_proc.htm

Writing a Middle Grade Novel, part 12/Calls for Submissions

Middle grade fiction needs a character arc. The character arc is the growth of the character from the beginning to the middle to the end of the story. Begin with a likable character. Place that character in a situation that is so challenging it seems s/he may forever be doomed. Allow the character to try and fail different attempts to alleviate the situation. By the end of the story, the character achieves the worthwhile goal and through the journey is changed. The change in the character throughout the story is the arc.

One character arc is called the Hero’s Journey. In this type, the character is someone who seems unlikely to ever achieve his/her goal. By the end of the story the character undergoes a radical transformation to become a hero.

Another type is the Growth Arc in which the character finds inner strength to overcome some fear, to challenge someone or face head-on a situation that s/he would never have done at the beginning of the story. The change is less dramatic than the Hero’s Journey.

A character arc that is seldom seen in middle grade novels is the Tragedy Arc. The character dies or declines (emotionally, physically). Most of the stories in children’s literature have a happy ending with the main character resolving a conflict or ends with the reader having hope that the situation will improve.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Young Voices of America Contest. Students in Grades K-12 are invited to participate. Remember this is a short story contest. We are looking fiction. Make the story come to life on the page.  It can be Mystery, Sci/Fi, Comedy, Romance, Young Adult, etc. write it in any genre' you choose as long as you comply with the rules.

Deadline: midnight, June 30, 2014

Submission guidelines at http://www.youngvoicesfoundation.org/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Pockets Fiction Contest. Stories 750-1000 words. No set theme. Prize: $500 and publication. Postal submissions.

Deadline August 15

Submission guidelines at http://pockets.upperroom.org/write-for-us/annual-fiction-contest/

 

Win a book. A picture book. My latest picture book, FIRST FIRE—A CHEROKEE FOLKTALE. 

Sign up for a chance to win. Tell others. Tell others to tell others. 

My publisher, Sylvan Dell, is giving away 5 copies. Here is the Goodreads link:

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/80661-first-fire-a-cherokee-folktale

Thanks a bunch and good luck.

Let’s look at how to write a middle grade novel. 

Keep a log of character features. If the character has black hair in one chapter, s/he should have black hair in every chapter, unless you tell the reader otherwise. Stay consistent. Give the characters special quirks. Every person has unique quirks so let’s make our characters more realistic by giving them specific habits and behaviors. This uniqueness allows you to develop lifelike characters. This is much easier to achieve if you have a list of characters to which you can refer for their peculiarities.

 So, if you are writing about two or more characters the same age, how do you give each of them unique characteristics? Dialog works. As you read works by various authors, notice how they make characters sound differently. One character in my book has a habit of saying, “First thing.” Some characters might use few words to communicate and others may say in 20 words what could be said in 2. 

Another way to show individuality is with mannerisms. A character in one of my books twists her hair when she gets nervous. Maybe the a habit of interrupting others when they are talking could be used as a trait. The choices are unlimited.

 

All readers love to relate to the characters, and the middle grade audience is no different. Create weaknesses, problems and situations the characters must deal with and in which the readers can relate. The readers will see themselves reflected in the characters problems, actions and reactions.

 

I'll continue this series next week. 

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION CONTEST. This environmental journalism competition invites youth between the ages of 13-21 to report on topics related to the environment. Participants submit an article, photo, or video to the competition for a chance to win great prizes, plus national and international recognition. Deadline March 14, 2014. Prizes for the Young Reporters for the Environment USA 2013-2014 competition will be awarded in each media category (writing, photography and video) for each age group (13-15, 16-18, and 19-21). A first, second, and third place winner will be recognized in each category, for a total of 27 awards.

Submission guidelines at http://www.nwf.org/Young-Reporters-for-the-Environment.aspx

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Ladybug is the Cricket Magazine Group literary magazine that targets children ages three to six. Its stories, articles, poems, and activities are fun and imaginative. It is open to submissions that use “clear and beautiful language” and have “a sense of joy and a genuinely childlike point of view.” For fiction, editors look for very well crafted original pieces or folk and fairy tale retellings (to 800 words). The are particularly interested in receiving stories set in cities or foreign places. Ladybug nonfiction (to 400 words)

explores the places in a child’s daily world, nature, science, and cultures. Rhythmic or rhyming poetry of current interest (to 20 lines) also deals with children’s “daily lives and their emotional and imaginative worlds,” or are action rhymes that encourage movement. 

Submission guidelines at www.ladybugmagkids.com

 

Writing a Middle Grade Novel, part 4/Calls for Submissions

The best way to learn to write a middle grade novel is to read a wide assortment of stories by numerous authors. Books that have won awards are a good bet, but don’t overlook those with poor reviews. Read those you enjoy and those that don’t capture your interest. Stephen King advises writers to read books they don’t like to figure out what is not working with the way the story is presented. Books that really grab my attention and hold it to the last word are those that I read twice, first for the entertainment value and second to analyze how the author developed the characters and plot. 

Tackle a story with universal appeal, something that will resonate with a wide range of readers, something that is meaningful to the age group. Lying, bullying, divorce, loss of a parent, suicide, war, or sibling rivalry are subjects that this age group deals with in everyday life. Write a story that reflects real life. 

The middle grade audience enjoys reading about characters that are slightly older than themselves. The characters should be three-dimensional, so real that they practically step off the page. 

Next week, I’ll continue the series. 

Update: Last week, I listed a call for submissions for Turtle Magazine. The magazine is no longer in publication.  

Call for submissions for young writers: 

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION CONTEST. This environmental journalism competition invites youth between the ages of 13-21 to report on topics related to the environment. Participants submit an article, photo, or video to the competition for a chance to win great prizes, plus national and international recognition. Deadline March 14, 2014. Prizes for the Young Reporters for the Environment USA 2013-2014 competition will be awarded in each media category (writing, photography and video) for each age group (13-15, 16-18, and 19-21). A first, second, and third place winner will be recognized in each category, for a total of 27 awards.

Submission guidelines at http://www.nwf.org/Young-Reporters-for-the-Environment.aspx

Call for submissions for adult writers:

Brain, Child is the largest literary magazine for mothers. We publish 20-plus essays per month for our print, online and blog publications. Founded in 2000, our mission is to bring the voices of women of different backgrounds and circumstances together on the page, on our website, and on our blog.

We love to read submissions. We are excited by great writing. It makes our day when we hear from an established writer or publish an author for the first time. We believe our writers are the lifeblood of our publication and strive to publicize and promote our writers through our website, Facebook (16,000 fans), and partnerships (e.g. Huffington Post). We respond within six to eight weeks. We offer competitive pay rates. We welcome follow up emails if by chance you do not hear from us.

For all submissions, please email the manuscript in the body of the email to editorial@brainchildmag.com with “Submission” and the department (i.e. “Fiction” “Essay” “Feature Pitch”) as the subject heading. Please don’t send your submission as an attachment.

Submission guidelines at http://www.brainchildmag.com/about/writers-guidelines/

Writing a Middle Grade Novel, part 2/Calls for Submissions

My inspiration to write about a spunky female character came when a good friend displayed such a spunky attitude when diagnosed with a serious illness. I created a spirited, courageous protagonist, threw her into a tension-filled plot, and enjoyed seeing the character rebound in the end, all this in the form of a picture book. The manuscript shipped out into the world to seek a contract. I wasn’t surprised with the rejections, but I was thrilled with the offer for publication. A few weeks later, the publisher withdrew the offer due to changes within the publishing house.  

Another rejection suggested that the material would work better as a chapter book. I agreed with the editor and revised the manuscript into ten 1,000-word chapters. Once again, my “baby” shipped out in the big world to seek a contract. Rejections came with similar advice given by a different editor: The story would work better as a middle grade novel.

Back to the keyboard. I wrote and rewrote, enlarging my story to encompass subplots and shipped it out into the big world to seek a contract. Rejections came but so did an offer for publication. This time, the editor suggested I add two more chapters on specific information. Editors’ insights have always made improvements in my writing, so I take their suggestions to heart. Now, 15 looooooong years later, a tribute to a friend is finally coming to fruition in the form of my first middle grade novel.  

Moral #1: perseverance is the key to a writing career.

Moral #2: Don’t get in a hurry.

Call for submissions for young writers:

GREYstone is a subsidiary of BRICKrhetoric, which publishes works of
poetry, artwork, flash fiction, photography and scientific art from
students and teachers {K-12} quarterly online in the months of February,
May, August & November.

Details at http://mygreystone.wordpress.com/ 

Call for submissions for adult writers: 

MAIN STREET RAG Publishing Company will be accepting submissions of poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction for 3 upcoming anthologies. Themes: (1) Cars, (2) Crossing Lines, (3) Home & Houses. Reading period: January 1 through February 28. No reading fee. Submissions by e-mail only.

Submission guidelines ats: www.mainstreetrag.com

or e-mail: editor@mainstreetrag.com. 

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