Chapter Book Revision, continued

In my revision, I’ve reviewed the setting and made sure I let the reader know where the story is happening. The action takes place in a park, in present day, for the duration of three days. The setting provides the backdrop for the action, and that allows me to use sensory language to evoke vivid sights, aromas, and slimy tactile sensations, in this case—snot! Snot works for the chapter book age group.

The park setting is the backdrop for the conflict, too, from sneaky bullies inside buildings, to finding hidden cave treasures on a hillside,  to a deep diving escape in the swimming pool. Nights can be dark with only firelight to see. Sunny days can offer an environment for soundless steps on a mossy bank, perfect for sneaking up on wild goats. I’ve used setting to enhance the conflict and raise the tension. The thesaurus has come in handy in choosing descriptive words and phrases to create the mood of the story. In revising, I’ve tweaked the scenes to make the setting a part of the story narrative, rather than merely describing it, to keep the reader immersed in the fictional world.  

Conflict/problem builds reader interest. I introduced part of the conflict in the first chapter, hinted about another conflict in the second chapter, and fully introduced the other conflict in the third chapter. The goal of the main character is to attend a weather camp weekend at the park, but because he has a problem with a neighbor, he is grounded (the initial conflict). The conflict arises in the first chapter and gives the story direction.

 In my next blog, I’ll discuss more elements of revision.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

FrostFire Worlds is intended for younger readers, from ages 8-17 and up. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy short stories, poems, art, articles, reviews, and interviews. Preferred are adventure stories, space opera, and magic opera [like space opera, but fantasy]. Also preferred are stories that take place on other worlds. Stories must have the following: characters the reader cares about, plots and subplots, and settings that draw the reader into them.

Submission guidelines athttp://albanlake.com/guidelines-frostfire/ 

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

Compelling Characters

If you are a writer, you want to create a protagonist that is empathetic. Is this a character you would spend a lot of time with? If not, the reader probably won’t either and will stop reading the story long before reaching the end. Does the character defend those who are vulnerable, stand up to a bully or commit to other acts that showcase empathy?

Pile on the problems but give the character enough backbone to confront the obstacles. We are striving to develop compelling characters, not perfect ones, so allow them to have a few frailties and faults, something to hinder the ability to succeed. As the story progresses with the character facing even greater obstacles, s/he grows, adapts, changes and becomes strong enough, clever enough to keep trying. Conflict is a must. If there is no conflict there is no story because conflict leads to growth.

 Make characters relatable, reflecting real life so they seem real. Have them take action and not be passive. Action drives the story and ups the tension. Compelling characters are the basic element to any story. The reader is cheering them on to reach their goal. After all, we write for the reader.

Call for submissions for Young Writers

CALLING for Submissions from Middle Grade and Young Adult writers! The Crawl Space Journal, a small place for big imaginations, is looking for great writing, especially short forms: poems, prose, and flash fiction, within the realms of magical realism, fabulism, and fantasy, for our Spring Issue. We do accept novel excerpts (up to1,500 words) if they stand alone. Our readers are mainly between the ages of 11 and 14.

Submission guidelines at http://thecrawlspace.me/about-us/submissions/

Call for submissions for Adult Writers

Lilybell welcomes writer submissions. Lilybell has a very specific voice. We recommend reading several issues before submitting work.

Submissions should be sent to sara@mylilybell.com. Please include your work in the body of the email. No attachments accepted.

Submission guidelines at http://mylilybell.com/writers/

Writing to Snag a Contract

What do editors mean when they say they don’t know what kind of manuscript they want until they see it? I was asked this question earlier this week. I’m no editor but here is what I THINK they mean in regard to middle grade fiction:

Build tension throughout the story. A compelling story must have conflict, but how is that accomplished?

Broadside the character with a problem early in the story, in the first few pages. Treat your character badly. Just say NO to whatever the character wants and needs.

After you treat your character badly, treat him/her worse. Don’t lighten up. Add more problems, both external and internal. New twists, surprises, and problems make life and decision making more difficult for the character.

End the chapters with suspense or some surprising element, a cliffhanger.

Divulge more to the reader than the character. The reader may know that the character shouldn’t open the door, but the character should not. If the reader knows, that just adds to the suspense and tension. Also, allow the character to have a few secrets that s/he reveals throughout the unfolding of the story.

Next week, I’ll discuss more ways to add tension to the story.

Call for submissions for Young Writers

Blue Marble Review is published four times a year and accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, non-fiction and art on a rolling basis. We are looking for new work that hasn’t been published anywhere else either online or in print. We want to be a journal appropriate for younger middle school readers and writers as well as high school students so please keep that in mind when submitting your writing.

Submission guidelines at http://bluemarblereview.com/submit/

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; acceptances are selective. We encourage international submissions written in English. We are a print publication.

Theme:  For the  Summer 2016 issue, the theme is Make, Break, Repair, Replace.  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.

How to submit your work: Submit by email only to TheNotebook@GrassrootsWomenProject.org.

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

Creating Scenes

Let’s look at other elements needed in scenes.

Action. The sooner the action, the sooner the reader is drawn into the story. The momentum of action carries the reader forward, turning the pages. Remember to keep the action true to the character. A girl might run away from home, but she is not likely to intentionally place her younger sister in harm. One effective beginning is to start a novel with an action scene without explanation. Jump into the action. Backstory is unnecessary as a novel opening and is best revealed and scenes unfold.

Add conflict, tension, or suspense. I began my children’s novel, Amazing Grace, with two mysteries. As the scenes unfolded, the first mystery was revealed. A few scenes later, I introduced the second mystery. Failure creates conflict, tension, and suspense. Allow your character to fail and fail again. Through failure comes learning, experience, and change—elements needed so the character can grow and succeed. Failure is a motivator. It’s what keeps the character determined to continue the quest. Failure and learning creates an emotional growth for the character, as well.

Consider how each scene takes the character to the goal or solution to the problem, the end result. If the scene doesn't do that, scrap it. Save it for the next book.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Cuckoo Chronicle is a bi-annual online literature journal for young writers aged 15-21. We like innovative, original work by young writers, and aim to both support talent development and showcase high quality work. We accept poetry, short fiction, flash fiction, excerpts from longer fiction (providing they make sense as a stand alone piece) and creative non-fiction (not reviews). We also love to receive audio/ video/ film- so send us your songs, performances and illustartions too. We’re also interested in illustrations too. BE CREATIVE.

We also offer a Cuckoo prize of £50 for the best submission of every issue!

All submissions are read by our Editorial Committee made up of young people, also aged 15-21. They decide what goes into Cuckoo, edit pieces and decide on the editorial direction of Cuckoo Chronicle.

Submission guidelines at http://chronicle.cuckoowriters.com/submit/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

2016 SUNDAY TIMES EFG SHORT STORY AWARD.
Writers from around the world are invited to enter the 2016 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award. The winner will receive £30,000 (US$46,500), making this the most valuable prize for a single short story in the world. The prize is for stories up to 6,000 words in length and there is no entry fee. Stories can be either unpublished or published. If published, the work must have first appeared after 1 January 2015. Writers can enter regardless of their nationality or residency but they must have an existing record of publication in creative writing in the UK and Ireland. Deadline September 24, 2015.

Submission guidelines at http://www.booktrust.org.uk/stefg/entry-form

Ways to Improve Writing

Today, I’m continuing the series “Ways to Improve Writing” and focusing on character emotions.

Consider writing an embarrassing situation for your character. Everyone experiences moments of humiliation. Embarrassment humanizes characters and help readers identify with them.  
 

Place your character in a bad situation and make it worse…and worse. Don’t go easy on the main character. Tension keeps the story interesting and the reader reading. If embarrassment doesn’t work for you, try painful or stressful or all three.

Allow the character to express anger through dialog, body language, and thoughts. As in real life, the character will react to difficult situations. The character responses should be consistent with his/her personality. Susie might throw a remote control while Ben would be more likely to land a punch. One character may be slow to anger and another is easily provoked.

Make the character suffer. Of course, by the end of the story, you can let your softer side prevail and create a world that works for the long-suffering character.
 

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Crashtest is an biannual online magazine founded and run by the creative writing students at the Fine Arts Center, a public arts high school in Greenville, South Carolina, so that students in high schools all over the country will have a place to publish work that tests limits, asks questions, rejects the easy answers, risks obliteration, believes in failure, is suspicious of scripted success.

Submission guidelines at http://www.crashtestmag.com/?page_id=48Creative Kids Magazine. We are looking for the very best material by students (ages 8–16). Material may include cartoons, songs, stories between 500 and 1200 words, puzzles, photographs, artwork, games, editorials, poetry, and plays, as well as any other creative work that can fit in the pages of the magazine. As long as it's creative, we're interested!

All materials must be mailed to:

Submissions Editor
Creative Kids
P.O. Box 8813
Waco, Texas 76714-8813

Submission guidelines at http://www.ckmagazine.org/submissions/
 

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

TINDER PRESS

Unagented authors will be able to send their manuscripts direct to the imprint for two weeks in March, with the event being held to celebrate two years of Tinder Press. The open submissions period will take place from March 2nd to 15th, with authors asked to submit 50 pages, an outline and an author biography. Only previously unpublished writers of fiction can take part, and short stories as well as novels will be considered. All submitted books must be complete, and written in English.

Submission guidelines at
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/tinder-press-accept-unagented-manuscripts-march

Ways to Improve Writing

Today, I’m continuing the series “Ways to Improve Writing” and focusing on character emotions.

A character’s actions can tell even more than dialog. A response that contradicts her words adds another layer of emotions. “Yes, of course you’re invited,” she answered, balling her hand into a fist so hard she cracked her favorite pencil. This works to elevate tension in a plot, as well. The reader feels the emotion.

When emotions run high, tension is increased and perceptions can be stronger. In a dark alley late at night, a character relies on all senses to guard against danger. Fear is shown different ways by different characters. One might not look directly into the eyes of someone s/he fears; another might stare wide-eyed. Some may sweat or shake due to the increased adrenaline. Does the character have a nervous tic? Make it noticeable in tension-filled situations.

Body language helps to develop a character, reveal emotions, and strengthen the story. Don’t just tell the reader the character is afraid, make the reader feel the fear. Describe the physical effects.

Think about a time when you were anxious, frightened, or panicked. Draw on those memories to write authentic emotions.

Call for submissions for Young Writers:

ONE TEEN STORY. Contest submissions will be accepted from May 1st to June 30th, 2015!
If you love to write, we’re looking for one great story. One Teen Story will consider original, unpublished fiction written by teens ages 14-19. We are interested in great fiction of any genre—literary, fantasy, sci-fi, love stories, and horror. What’s in a great short story? Interesting characters, a unique voice, and of course, a beginning, middle and end.

Submission guidelines at http://www.oneteenstory.com/index.php?page=contest

Call for submissions for Adult Writers:

Reader’s Digest Writing Contest. Contest is open to residents of the U.S., its territories and possessions, including Puerto Rico who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Tell us your original poem, in 15 lines or fewer. The entry must not be lewd, obscene, sexually explicit, pornographic, disparaging, defamatory, libelous or otherwise inappropriate or objectionable, as determined by the Judges and/or Sponsor in their sole and absolute discretion.

Prize(s): One grand-prize winner will receive $500 and his/her story will be published in Reader’s Digest Magazine. Reader’s Digest will also select three (3) runner-up winners to receive $100.

 

Deadline: January 31, 2015

Submission guidelines at http://www.rd.com/magazine/poetry-contest-rules/#ixzz3MaCPeJpR

Writing a Middle Grade Novel/Calls for Submissions

This week, I’m continuing my focus on scenes. 

The character must continue to make decisions, to choose among several options. Reacting and failing allow the character to learn and to become proactive in solving his/her problems. Eventually the character will make some good decisions as s/he overcomes the odds and wins. The decision must be logical and stay true to the character, a decision the reader will respect. The risk can be great, and should be, to keep the reader’s interest high. Setbacks and failures create tension and suspense. 

Convey specific details of the surroundings to set the tone. If the scene needs to produce fear and it is at night, use night sounds and visuals, plus other senses to feed the fright factor. Do shadows creep under lighting? Did something snap? Does the character smell smoke? Could the building be burning?  

Use the setting to reflect the character’s feelings. If the character is sad, do the buildings look rundown and gloomy, does the moan of an animal sound the way the character feels?  

Every scene does not need monumental action and an extremely agitated state of mind for the character, but each scene should show the character and his/her emotional state. 

Linking strong scenes together makes a believable, dramatic story that keeps the audience turning the pages.  

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Storybird. Write. Your words. Our art. Amazing stories. Simple tools help you build books in minutes. Let the art inspire and surprise you as you write. Readers will encourage you along the way.

Submission guidelines at http://storybird.com/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Harness Anthologies 2015

Publication Date: January 2015. Payment: Two Copies.
Solstice: A Winter Antholog. Winter vacation, snow cream, snow days from school, building snowmen, snowball fights, snow storms, the first time you or your child saw snow. Give us your best white memory! All things winter and snow related. Fiction or nonfiction accepted. Also accepting original winter poems and winter recipes.
Stories should be 750 to 2500 words.
Poems and recipes should be limited to one page.

Open to Submissions: September 2014
Please do not use headers or footers/page numbers in your ms. Please use TNR or similar basic font, size 12.

Submission guidelines: Send as a Word doc in an attachment to harnessantho@rockinghorsepublishing.com

Writing a Middle Grade Novel/Call for Submissions

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

Read books, lots of books. Find a book you love in the genre you’re writing. The first time you read, read for enjoyment; then reread to analyze why you enjoyed the book. Make notes. You may read parts of the book several times. 

How does the plot unfold? Does the author glide the protagonist into the storm or throw the character into the squall? How does the character react? Plotting the novel can help a writer roadmap the chain of events to the end. This outlining doesn’t have to be elaborate. Just number the chapters and write a sentence or two of the main action per chapter. This will aid in keeping the tension high. You may prefer to write more detailed plot outlines. Do whatever works for you. 

How does the author keep the tension high? Pay close attention to this aspect since tension is the key to holding a reader’s interest. Keep the protagonist in trouble. The adage, Treat the character badly; then treat him worse, adds tension to the plot and interest to the story. Notice how the author drives the plot by introducing more problems for the main character. How does the character react to each of the problems? The character needs to learn from mistakes and grow by the end of the story. 

How does the ending tie up the loose ends? Does the ending make sense? The reader invested a lot of time to reach the conclusion. Does the story have a satisfying ending? Is it a quick ending? Is there a twist, a surprise ending? Did the author choose a type of ending that suits the events that preceded it? 

Most of all, did you continue to think about the story after you finished the book? 

Great books resonate with readers long after they stop reading. 

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Writing Contest: “All About Love”—Tell us your tale: a first crush, an old flame, a treasured friend or family member, a passion for a special place…

Starting June 1, 2014, email your story of 2,500 to 3,000 words. You’ll be entered for a chance to win $2,000 and possible publication in a future issue of Good Housekeeping or on goodhousekeeping.com. Be sure to provide your full name, phone number, and mailing address both in the email and on the submission itself.

DEADLINES
Entries must be received by midnight September 1, 2014. One entry per person allowed. Submitted material cannot be returned or acknowledged. Winner will be notified by March 1, 2015.

ELIGIBILITY
Contest is open to anyone age 21 or older who is a legal resident of the United States, the District of Columbia or Canada (excluding Quebec).

PRIZES
One winner will receive $2,000 and possible publication of the winning story in a future issue or on goodhousekeeping.com.

Submission guidelines at lovestorycontest@goodhousekeeping.com

Writing a Middle Grade Novel/Call for Submissions for Adult Writers

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

Writing a middle grade novel is an exciting, tiring, uplifting, exasperating, and enormously satisfying activity. Stringing words together to tell a story can bog down by the middle of the manuscript. Most, maybe all, authors deal with this at some point in their writing. A strong plot with lots of tension prevents a sagging middle in a manuscript. The protagonist’s motivation must be clear. Why does s/he want to solve this problem? What is the character’s goal and motivation? What is preventing the character from reaching the goal?

To quote E. M. Forester, an English writer, who described the difference between story and plot.

The king died and the queen died. (A simple story that shows what happened.)

The king died and the queen died of grief. (A story with a plot that shows not only what happened but the effect of what happened. That’s a plot.)

Plot is a plan of action that moves the story from beginning to end. The plot must be age appropriate for the audience in children’s books. Also, it has to capture the interests of the readers so keeping the audience in mind when writing scenes is crucial. Readers in the 8-to-12 age range like plots with suspense, action, and humor. If you can combine all three, that’s even better. Family, fantasy, and realistic, contemporary stories are popular with middle grade readers.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Cicada, a magazine for readers ages 14 and up, publishes original fiction, poetry, first-person nonfiction, and comics by both adult and teen writers and artists. Cicada's on the lookout for the smartest, strangest, and most beautiful YA lit/art/comics around. Writers, artists, and comic artists of all ages: Visit the Cicada Submittable page to read our guidelines, create an account, and submit work!