It's Goof-Off Day!

...During which we goof off by reliving last summer's goofing off, since this is obviously not a winter picture. This is my critique group at a surprise birthday party for the lady in the baseball hat, whose family managed to keep the sizable bash a complete surprise, and who probably wouldn't have worn the hat if she'd guessed what was going down.

This group of writers has been together for 15+ years, during which we've celebrated books, awards, children's weddings, births of grandchildren, a retirement, a college graduation, and did I mention books? And unlike many groups that meet for a two-hour time slot and stick to business, we need our full, non-clock-watching measure of food and conversation -- call it goofing off if you like -- before we ever get down to the business we purportedly got together for.

There's a certain level of ease and familiarity that develops before people can goof off together. Today, why not take a few moments to give thanks for those with whom you can goof off?

Dream of Night, by Heather Henson

Twelve-year-old Shiloh, abused by a stepfather, has been in and out of so many foster homes (she refers to the foster parents as "Foster Freaks") that the next step is an institution. Dream of Night, a thoroughbred horse abused by his owner after he stopped winning races, is so damaged that his next step is the glue factory. Elderly Jessalyn DiLima, whose own past holds pain and loss, has been both a foster parent and horse rescuer for many years. But when Shiloh and Night need help at the same time, she's not too sure she isn't too old for all this. Shiloh isn't willing to cut "Mrs. Lima Bean" much slack, and Night screams whenever he sees the woman, but slowly, Night and Shiloh begin to win each other over. Then, just as all three are admitting in their deepest selves that this threesome arrangement holds out hope, logical -- but not predictable -- things hit the fan and threaten to break it all apart for them -- again.

The story is told in short chapters, during which each of the three POVs appear in about equal length. Thus, Shiloh is the protagonist of this MG novel really only by virtue of the fact that she's the MG-aged human. The horse and the elderly adult get their POV, too, making this book a rule-breaker, and a highly successful one. What I love is the lyrical, spare language. This is a poetic novel without being a novel in verse. The emotions are so believably rendered that I have no trouble imagining I can see inside an old lady, an extremely troubled girl, and a horse. Give me beautiful writing, emotional depth, a "quiet" book, yet an actual plot, and I'm hooked.

I have to say a few things about readership. The jacket flap gives a suggested age range of 8-12, but I'd be more apt to say 5th grade and up, for two reasons. One is that the emotional nuances are more advanced than the book's reading level; the second is that references to cigarette burns on Shiloh, the "bag of bones" condition of Night, and violence (veiled by Shiloh's confusion, but there) at the climax may be upsetting to some. Still, this is a lovely story of "last chance" redemption, a horse story with appeal to an audience far broader than just horse lovers, and a book with something for adults as well as their kids. An author's note about racehorse abuse is appended. One of my favorites of the "Newbery buzz" books this year.

Thinking and Dreaming and Writing

A lot of people have just finished NaNoWriMo, aiming at and in many cases achieving the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Doable? Many have shown that it is, and some even go on to publish novels that began as NaNo projects. And when you consider that's "only" 1,666.66666666... words per day (see, I said there'd be math in this blog), it really doesn't sound that bad, despite the fact that lightning-fast drafting has never really worked for me. Of course, there's Thanksgiving in there, and if you have to put on the dinner we'd better subtract another day, and let's allow one Christmas shopping day too, because if you don't start on Black Friday you'll probably start soon after -- or continue shopping that you've already begun. So subtract at minimum three days, and your daily total is now 1,851.8518, which is another very cool number. It means you have to write close to 2,000 words per day, but it's still cool.

But maybe you, like I, don't do NaNo. When you're writing, you still want to produce words, right? Lately, that's certainly my goal. My WIP is taking longer than I want it to, which is par for the course in my experience. But sometimes, no matter how much you want to get words down, everything slows to a crawl or even a halt. Sometimes, I feel like this guy:

When my writing slows to a crawl, I've learned it means one of two things: (1) I don't know what comes next, or (2) I've recently taken a wrong turn. The solution to either problem is the same -- it's time to get off the word count treadmill and think, dream, listen. While Don Music may listen to a green frog, I listen deep inside. I may reread the last chapter, ask the Holy Spirit, let my imagination run free in my fictional setting, do a spot of research for an upcoming scene and hit on a new plot point better than the one I had planned, or think about my story in the shower, which is a well-nigh foolproof way of coming unstuck. I tap into something that will start the story, and therefore the words, flowing again. It's when the words and the need to cover the page get ahead of the story that the writing grinds to a stop. Which means that on days I think, dream, pray, imagine or douse myself, I may get very few words written but discover the key to the whole book. I also rediscover the most mysterious, spiritual and joyful part of writing. The part I wanted to live when I started this whole business.

Maybe that shower is a literal filling of the well... :)

December Book Giveaway Winner!

Random.org says the winner of Falling In by Frances O'Roark Dowell AND the bonus MG novel is: sablelexi!

You have 30 days to claim your prize, sablelexi. No later than January 13, email me at marcia at marciahoehne dot com, giving me your postal address, and I'll acknowledge receipt and get that right out to you!

Soapbox Series #2 (Reading, 'Riting, Ranting) -- "I Can Write Except for the Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling."

Enter to win Falling in by Frances O'Roark Dowell through December 12! Scroll down one post.

Yep, and I could be a carpenter if it weren't for that pesky hammering and sawing.

Your tools matter. Your most basic tools really matter.

Because writing a book isn't just about getting a super, wonderful idea. Actually, many would-be writers do realize this, approach a published writer and say, "I've got this great idea. How about you write it and we split the take?" The published writer will *almost always say no, but it's too facile to say this is because he or she is too busy. It's really because the published writer already has the ideas and the writing. Until the would-be also has both, until the would-be is also the complete package, he or she will remain a would-be.

* Tim LaHaye, who is not a novelist, had the idea for the Left Behind series and asked Jerry Jenkins, who is a novelist, to write the books. But they are both writers, and LaHaye's particular expertise was foundational to the series.

Yes, a novelist is a storyteller. But the novelist conveys his or her stories in, well, prose (and occasionally verse). Which has rules. There are other ways to tell stories: orally, in movies, in song, in art, even in video games. If you want to employ those media, you have to gain whatever skills are required in order to do a quality job. If you want to write a story, you do need grammar, punctuation, and spelling to get that story across. Lacking these, your story will be different from, and less than, your vision for it. Lacking these, you won't get an agent's or editor's time of day. Because they can buy from people who are the complete package.

Doesn't an editor "fix all that"? No. An editor pitches to her employer's acquisitions committee the  most top-quality work she can possibly find, in both story and writing. The editor will write the author a revision letter, sometimes a long one, as the publication process begins, but those revisions won't be about mechanics. A copyeditor, whose job it is to fix light mechanical errors, will go over the manuscript too, but this is a far cry from fixing the work of writers who don't know how to use their tools.

As writers, we have many skills to learn, about storytelling, about writing, and about the particulars of conveying a story through writing. Writers and teachers argue over whether and which of these skills can be taught or learned. A sense of language and a "way with words," many say, must be innate. But grammar, punctuation and spelling are highly learnable, and they aren't something you either had to master in middle school or the chance is gone forever. Taking a class is always an option, but for self-study there are a number of funny, helpful grammar books. Funny? Yes!  Here's a sampling of titles:

Things That Make us (Sic), by Martha Brockenbrough
Lapsing into a Comma, by Bill Walsh
The Elephants of Style, by Bill Walsh
Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, by Mignon Fogarty 
The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier, by Bonnie Trenga

This isn't an exhaustive list by far, and many of these authors have websites and blogs, too. And since, no matter our skill level, we all need to sharpen the tools in our box, I'm sure these enticing titles get plenty of workout from all sorts of writers. How about you -- do you have a favorite grammar/punctuation/spelling book? Do tell!

December Book Giveaway + Christmas Bonus!

Isabelle Bean doesn't fit in, at school or at home. It's not hard for many of us to relate. Isabelle, star of Falling In by Frances O'Roark Dowell, is an imaginative girl who just knows there's "more." So when she falls into an alternate world on the other side of the school nurse's closet door, she's not that surprised -- except the children in that world decide that her red, pointy-toed boots mean she's a witch. After she convinces them she's not, they urge her to take refuge in the children's camp in the woods so she won't get eaten by the real witch, which is just enough incentive for the unconventional girl to go off on a quest to discover if the "real witch" is any more a witch than she is. An introduction to fantasy for 8-12, with a mystery element, this story also uses a "performance" type of voice, complete with author asides. Though that's not everyone's cup of tea, the effects are interesting to study,  and the book has good potential as a fun read-aloud.

To be entered in the drawing:

• Comment on this post anytime from now through Sunday, December 12.
  
• For an additional entry, become a follower of this blog and mention that in the comment. Ditto if you already are a follower.
• For additional entries, post links to this contest and give the URLs.
• Special this month: Winner receives a Merry Christmas bonus book! This is another hardcover  MG novel published in 2010!

Winner will be announced Monday, December 13.

So, come one, come all--and meanwhile have a great day in the world of books.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing all in the US a wonderful, blessed, and safe Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, food -- and thanksgiving.

One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia

It's the summer of 1968, and eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, fly from NYC to Oakland, CA, to visit the mother who abandoned them shortly after Fern's birth some seven years ago. The trouble is, though the girls visualize themselves surfing, spotting stars in soda shops, and visiting Disneyland, their mother Cecile just says, "I didn't send for y'all in the first place." The most motherly thing Cecile does is show up to collect them at the airport and admit "These are mine" to the stewardess who hands them over to her. Once they reach Cecile's house they are relieved of their money, fed once a day on Chinese take-out, forbidden to even step foot in the kitchen (where Cecile writes poetry and publishes it on her own small printing press) -- and sent to a Black Panther day camp to stay out of Cecile's hair. Though they're certain their father and grandmother, Big Ma, would be appalled at this treatment -- the adults consider Cecile crazy -- they also feel the girls can't be kept from knowing their mother forever. So the trio must stick it out for one month.

All three girls are strong characters. Delphine is conscientious, plain-spoken and humorous; Vonetta is a social-climber prone to the dramatic; and Fern observant and cagey. There are a number of good lines, and the interweaving of historical tidbits is smooth. This book has gotten a lot of love and plenty of Newbery buzz.

One of the most striking aspects of the novel is the portrayal of Black Panthers as more than strident revolutionaries. Particularly convincing is the fact that we don't just see a dramatization of events that made headline news, as we do in many historical novels. This book brings the Black Panthers all the more to life because it shows us the daily minutiae -- the gentleness, the teaching of children to respect themselves and their race, the providing of meals. I couldn't set this book down without concluding there was more range and depth to the Black Panthers than what we saw in newspapers and on TV in 1968. Without respecting them more. To me, this is the book's greatest achievement.

November Book Giveaway Winner!

Random.org says the winner of Clementine, Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker is: Anonymous Amy!

You have 30 days to claim your prize, Amy. No later than December 16, email me at marcia at marciahoehne dot com, giving me your postal address, and I'll acknowledge receipt and get that right out to you!

Soapbox Series #1 (or Reading, 'Riting, Ranting) -- "I Want to Quit My Job to Write"

 Enter to win CLEMENTINE, FRIEND OF THE WEEK, through November 15!

You know those pet topics? The ones people raise over and over again, the oft-voiced misconceptions, the FAQs, the "if I had a nickel..." comments, the remarks that make you want to wax eloquent? Most any human endeavor offers them, certainly every profession, and writing is no different. Here, then, commences a new, probably irregular column covering such topics that I find commonly raised by aspiring writers, acquaintances, those closer than acquaintances, or people who are simply fascinated by what writers do, and allowing me to rant -- er, expound -- on them. So without further ado, today's "if I had a nickel" comment is: "I want to quit my job to write."

Well, maybe you do, and maybe you don't.

Writing at home is a subset of working at home, which has wonderful perks and definite drawbacks. Most of these lie on a continuum. Yes, I can work in my jammies (I can also let my appearance go totally to pot). Yes, I don't care if the mother of all blizzards is blizzarding outside (but I can become a big fat weenie about driving in other than perfect weather). Yes, I can set my own hours (but I may end up working more hours than employed people do, or fewer, because people think I'm interruptible, or I may have trouble separating life and work). Yes, I don't have to cope with office politics or prickly co-workers (but I may go nuts all alone -- actually no I won't, but you might). Yes, I don't have to commute (hmm, still trying to come up with a downside to that one). I'll take the pluses -- don't get me wrong -- but we can't have them without risking, and sometimes getting, the minuses.

But that's any working from home, and it's possible someone wanting to ditch the job to write is talking about ditching a work-from-home job. What do we have to consider specifically about full-time writing? Well, it's not like telecommuting for an employer. No salary, no wage, no benefits, no guarantee you'll be adequately paid for the time you put in, and a pretty good chance you'll not be adequately paid, period. Jim Denney, in his breezily titled Quit Your Day Job: How to Sleep Late, Do What You Enjoy, and Make a Ton of Money as a Writer advises this (my words): Realize that you'll start out poor, sock away a year's salary before you make the leap, and plan to squeak by on that money for the first 1-2 years. Hmmm -- save up a year's salary? Let me know how that works out for you. Another point to take into account is that it's awfully hard to know if you can make a go of it after only 1-2 years of full-time effort. Depending on the project, it can take that long to get one submittable-quality book written, the same length of time to sell it, the same length of time to see it between two covers, and another few months to see if it'll succeed or bomb. This could easily add up to 3-6+ years. Even if the book succeeds, that's no predictor that you can sustain a full-time career. Also, Denney has written a number of celebrity autobiographies and memoirs. Celebrities=sales=money, and nonfiction is very often the backbone of a full-time writer's career. Don't misunderstand -- Denney's book gives a lot of good advice. But writing nonfiction book after nonfiction book to tight deadlines is the usual name of the game here, and I'm not at all sure "sleep late" ends up as part of the plan. Because such writing can become another 9-5er (or 9-midnight) in a big hurry.

With fiction writing, the need to rely on your creativity to pay the mortgage or buy food for your kids can put unexpected and unsustainable heavy pressure on something you once found purely enjoyable. Yes, they say do what you love and (1) the money will follow, and (2) you'll never work a day in your life, but there's also truth to the idea that once you have to do what you love, it's work. I know writers who, when given the chance to go full time, chose not to, even though it was what they'd always thought they wanted.They didn't want to think that covering their bills depended on whether their latest project would earn them a contract, and when that might happen. They didn't want to lose the joy.

One big surprise full-time writers often face is that they don't get much more done full-time than they did part-time. Despite all that's been said above about long hours, sometimes 4-5 hours of writing a day is the maximum one can mentally sustain, especially with fiction. Let's say you only manage 3 most days, either because you're not yet as disciplined as you need to be or that's really all you can do. If you previously wrote for three hours most evenings while holding a day job, you're not getting nearly enough extra writing done to justify having dumped the job and its salary and benefits. Another surprise is that "full-time writers" may earn some, or most, of their income from related activities such as teaching, speaking, editing, or writing material much different from their preferred focus. All this drains time and energy from what you really want to be doing.

Quitting your job to write can work well if:

• You're married to someone who has a regular paycheck, earns enough to support the family, agrees to be the sole breadwinner, carries the health insurance and 401k, and you consider your income gravy. 
• You're a stay-at-home parent who would be staying home in any case (there's no job to quit).
• You're responsible for only yourself and are willing to live on a shoestring.
• You have high risk tolerance.
• You're a pretty fast writer.
• You write mostly nonfiction, have a solid network of editor contacts, and have a track record of delivering quality work on time.
• You're pretty sure that if you ever go back to employment, you want a new job/career.
• You sold a book for an advance that wowed you (yeah, it can happen), and/or got a multi-book contract, and now you need to go all out to write the next book to meet your deadline. This may be your big break. Hey, if you can go for it, go for it!

Quitting your job to write isn't impossible. People do it. But the reality is that most writers just don't earn enough.

So -- what do you think? Did I leave anything out? Do you write for a living? How does it work in your case? Would you not want to quit your day job? Why not?

November Book Giveaway

In Sara Pennypacker's Clementine, Friend of the Week, it's Clementine's turn to be exactly that in her third-grade classroom. As friend of the week, she's line leader, gets to feed the class pets and collect the milk money, and, best of all, will receive a booklet at the end of the week in which all her classmates have expressed why they like her. Attention and positive strokes -- who wouldn't love it! Prompted by her BFF Margaret, a fourth-grader for whom "Friend of the Week" is SO last year, Clementine embarks on a plan to be the coolest friend ever and collect only the awesomest of comments. But when things get rocky with Margaret and her kitten goes missing, Clementine forgets all the helpful promises she's made. Is Clementine going to completely bomb as "Friend of the Week"?

This book has appealing characters and plenty of laugh-out-loud spots. Fans of Judy Moody and Ramona Quimby, not to mention the previous Clementine books, will eat it up.                            

To be entered in the drawing:

• Comment on this post anytime from now through Monday, November 15.
  
• For an additional entry, become a follower of this blog and mention that in the comment. Ditto if you already are a follower.
• For additional entries, post links to this contest and give the URLs.

Winner will be announced Tuesday, November 16.

So, come one, come all--and meanwhile have a great day in the world of books.

October Critique Winners!

Random.org says the winners of this month's critique giveaway are:  Kelly and lotusgirl!

Here's the procedure. Email me at marcia at marciahoehne dot com:

• The first 1000 words of your magazine story, chapter book, mid-grade novel, or YA novel pasted into the body of the email.
• Be sure to tell me the genre of the material (one of the above four).
  
• Put "(Month) critique winner" in the subject line.
• Deadline to submit is November 17.
• When I receive your email, I'll acknowledge receipt and let you know when you can expect my response.

Congratulations to Kelly and lotusgirl, thank you all so much for stopping by and entering  -- the response was fabulous -- and by all means enter again next month! Wishing you all a great day in the world of books...

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger

Critique giveaway open through October 31! Scroll down one post.

Neither sixth-grader Tommy nor his friends are very high on the popularity scale, so when his friend Dwight does a typical weirdo-Dwight thing, like come to school with an origami-folded Yoda on his finger, no one is really surprised. What is surprising is that Yoda gives advice--actual Yoda advice on all sorts of sixth-grade subjects that really works, not weirdo-Dwight advice. So that means Dwight can't be doing the talking for Yoda, right? If Dwight were that savvy, he could fix his own life. Wanting an answer of his own about asking pretty Sara to dance at PTA Fun Night, Tommy decides to make a case study of kids' experiences with Yoda: Is he Yoda, or is he Dwight?

Each chapter is written by a different kid, in a different typeface, ending with commentary by Tommy (the objective researcher) and his friend Harvey (the doubter who calls the figure "Paperwad Yoda"). The sixth-grade voices are real and funny, and the margins are decorated with funny sketches in the style of the Wimpy Kid books.

The show-don't-tell in this book is wonderful. Even Tommy thinks he's making his case study to find out if he should risk "making a fool" of himself for Sara, when really the book is about social pecking order and how it's determined. Tommy sees his specific dilemma but not the bigger picture, which is there to be picked up but never forced. Dwight, of course, is anything but dumb; who he really is (clever enough to give the Yoda advice) is there to be seen for those who will see it, yet any who do see it will think it's their own idea that Dwight's okay socially, which will bring Dwight better regard and more self-respect than trying to mimic or run after the cool clique would.

The humor in this book is funny rather than derogatory, and the cultural aspects of the story hit the bull's-eye: the Yoda figure is just the type of thing that can capture all sorts of attention among sixth-graders for a couple of weeks or so. Origami Yoda folding instructions included. A fun book with a subtle, realistic message.

October Critique Giveaway

It's critique time. This is the final critique opportunity for 2010, so enter now to win! Critique giveaways will resume in January. Here are the rules and caveats:

• I will critique TWO manuscripts each month. By "manuscript" I mean the first 1000 words of a children's magazine story, chapter book, mid-grade novel, or YA novel. Please, fiction only. No picture books or easy readers. No poetry.
• Enter the drawing by commenting on this post AND stating that you wish to enter. This frees you up to comment, ask a question, or just say hey WITHOUT throwing your name in the hat.
  
• For an additional entry, become a follower, and tell me so (or that you already are one).
  
• For additional entries, post links to this contest and give the URLs.
• You may enter one ms. per month. No one person can win both critiques in a single month.
• New: Include your email in the comment. Some of you are already doing this. If you'd rather not, that's fine -- but then be sure to check back to see if you've won!
• Enter now through Sunday October 31.
  
• Any story that you plan to enter in an ICL contest is ineligible. Since I am an ICL instructor, I cannot edit stories that you intend to enter in an Institute contest.
• My critique is only one opinion. This business is SO subjective. Any suggestions I make that resonate with you are yours for the taking. Compare mine with those from other beta readers, critique partners, writing teachers, etc. Even if specific suggestions vary, when two or more critiquers pinpoint a certain passage or aspect, there's probably a need for revision there. Yet don't feel you must take advice you don't agree with. In the end, it's your story.
• Winners will be announced Monday, November 1.
  

So if the above sounds good to you, let the entering begin!

October Book Giveaway Winner!

Random.org says the winner of It's Raining Cupcakes by Lisa Schroeder is: MaDonna Maurer!

You have 30 days to claim your prize, MaDonna. No later than November 18, email me at marcia at marciahoehne dot com, giving me your postal address, and I'll acknowledge receipt and get that right out to you!

Cool Writing Quotes

Enter to win It's Raining Cupcakes by Lisa Schroeder through October 17! Scroll down one post.

There are lots of cool quotes, but writing quotes are ultra-cool because they're written by, well, writers! Here are some I like:

• How many normal people do you know who would work 80 to 100 hours a week, 7 days a week, with no benefits, for 2 paychecks a year, and not know the amount of the checks until the publisher decides to send a statement?----Joe Moore
• Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.----Apostle John
• I hated childhood, and spent it sitting behind a book waiting for adulthood to arrive.----Anne Tyler
• When you write, you lay out a line of words. The line of words is a miner's pick, a woodcarver's gouge, a surgeon's probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow....Is it a dead end, or have you located the real subject? You will know tomorrow, or this time next year.----Annie Dillard
• My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.----Sons of Korah
• One sign of the born writer is his gift for finding or (sometimes) inventing authentically interesting language....He's interested in discovering the secrets words carry--for instance, how "discover" means "to take the cover off of."----John Gardner
• There is something in us, as storytellers and as listeners to stories, that demands the redemptive act, that demands that what falls at least be offered the chance to be restored.----Flannery O'Connor
• Of making many books there is no end.----King Solomon
• Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery.----Jane Austen
• A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.----Thomas Mann
• If any man wish to write in a clear style, let him be first clear in his thoughts; and if any would write in a noble style, let him first possess a noble soul.----Goethe
• Why do writers write? Because it isn't there.----Thomas Berger

I'm not a collector, but I could almost become a quote collector. What are your favorites?

October Book Giveaway

Everybody today travels -- even kids, right? Well, twelve-year-old Isabel, star of It's Raining Cupcakes by Lisa Schroeder, feels like a misfit in this department. She's never left the state of Oregon, and she spends a lot of time in the library, reading and dreaming about eating at restaurants in Athens or visiting the Swiss Alps. So what do her parents do? Buy an old laundromat, move the family into the upstairs apartment, and begin renovating the downstairs into Mom's new bakeshop venture, It's Raining Cupcakes. How can anyone expect to go on a real vacation when they're tied to a cupcake shop?

However, Isabel does like baking; it's the only thing she and her mom enjoy together. Mom has anxiety and pessimism issues -- a possible underlying reason why in this day and age Isabel has never been anywhere. When a baking contest comes up that will send the winner to New York City, Isabel is ecstatic to enter. The trouble is, her best friend Sophie is entering too, and lovable though Sophie is, she's a natural winner at everything. Plus, Mom expects Isabel to enter a cupcake recipe to promote the shop, and she'd rather bake chocolate jam tarts.

The writing flows effortlessly, the cover is hugely attractive to girls, the story capitalizes on the current popularity of cupcakes, and there are recipes in the back. A fun book! 

To be entered in the drawing:

• Comment on this post anytime from now through Sunday, October 17.
  
• For an additional entry, become a follower of this blog and mention that in the comment. Ditto if you already are a follower.
• For additional entries, post links to this contest and give the URLs.

Winner will be announced Monday, October 18.

So, come one, come all--and meanwhile have a great day in the world of books.

It's Goof-Off Day

And not only is it goof-off day, being the fifth Thursday of the month, but it's time for that occasional part of this blog -- the arithmetic. FUN arithmetic! Looking for any children's math games? Family math games? Not all of these games use numbers; some just exercise your logic and spatial relations. Like this game reminiscent of Mario. Tilt the game back and forth using the arrow keys to get the friendly little round guys into the bubble. But they have to hit any coins that appear, and don't let them get eaten by the mean little spiky guys! Have fun, and happy goof-off day.

http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-rotate-and-roll/index.html

September Critique Winners!

Random.org says the winners of this month's critique giveaway are: Sharon K. Mayhew and danceluvr!

Here's the procedure. Email me at marcia at marciahoehne dot com:

• The first 1000 words of your magazine story, chapter book, mid-grade novel, or YA novel pasted into the body of the email.
• Be sure to tell me the genre of the material (one of the above four).
  
• Put "(Month) critique winner" in the subject line.
• The deadline to submit your ms. for critique will be the DAY BEFORE the next month's critique contest begins. Critique contests always begin on the third Thursday. Therefore I must hear from the September winners by October 20.
• When I receive your email, I'll acknowledge receipt and let you know when you can expect my response.

Congratulations to Sharon and danceluvr, thank you all so much for stopping by and entering, and by all means enter again next month! Wishing you all a great day in the world of books...

September Critique Giveaway

It's critique time. Enter to win! Here are the rules and caveats:

• I will critique TWO manuscripts each month. By "manuscript" I mean the first 1000 words of a children's magazine story, chapter book, mid-grade novel, or YA novel. Please, fiction only. No picture books or easy readers. No poetry.
• Enter the drawing by commenting on this post AND stating that you wish to enter. This frees you up to comment, ask a question, or just say hey WITHOUT throwing your name in the hat.
  
• For an additional entry, become a follower, and tell me so (or that you already are one) in the comment.
  
• For an additional entry, post a link to this contest and give the URL in either the same or a separate comment. In this category, you can enter as many times as you have cyber-places to post the contest.
• You may enter one ms. per month. While the above rules allow you to enter multiple times, those entries are for ONE manuscript. If the #2 name drawn is a duplicate of #1, drawing will continue until a new name is drawn. This way, two people are assured of a critique each month.
• Enter now through Sunday September 26.
  
• Any story that you plan to enter in an ICL contest is ineligible. Since I am an ICL instructor, I cannot edit stories that you intend to enter in an Institute contest.
• The level of detail I offer in a critique will vary based on my impression of the caliber of the writing. Whenever possible, I will make both "big picture" comments and zero in on more specific areas.
• My critique is only one opinion. This business is SO subjective. Any suggestions I make that resonate with you are yours for the taking. Compare mine with those from other beta readers, critique partners, writing teachers, etc. Even if specific suggestions vary, when two or more critiquers pinpoint a certain passage or aspect, there's probably a need for revision there. Yet don't feel you must take advice you don't agree with. In the end, it's your story.
• Winners will be announced Monday, September 27.
  

So if the above sounds good to you, let the entering begin!

September Book Giveaway Winner!

Random.org says the winner of What Happened on Fox Street by Tricia Springstubb is: cevillely!

You have 30 days to claim your prize, cevillely. No later than October 13, email me at marcia at marciahoehne dot com, giving me your postal address, and I'll acknowledge receipt and get that right out to you!

I Knew I Majored in Business for a Reason...

Drawing for WHAT HAPPENED ON FOX STREET by Tricia Springstubb open till Sunday the 12th! Scroll down one post. 

...and at the time, the reason was to become more employable than a math major alone would make me. (Not that this actually worked: the job market was lousy, women were viewed as chancy-to-lousy hires who'd just get PG and quit, and my business goals were lousy-to-nonexistent, but I digress.) I've since learned that my temperament type isn't really cut out for business; however, it IS cut out for writing and teaching, so Marcia has found her niche, if not her fortune. Still, with all this, that business major wasn't a waste, and not just because no education is wasted or because God can make sense of things even when I'm bumbling around. You know where I'm going with this, don't you? Writers are businesspeople! Even if we have agents. Business may not be our favorite aspect of writing, but fortunately it doesn't have to be dull. (Okay, taxes are DULL. But again I digress.)

I took a leadership course through my church recently, stressing casting vision, strategic planning, and goal setting. Now, I like dreaming, the big picture, and the future, so I can get into that. And when I picked up The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell, I was all over it. The section of the book called Strategy begins with Step 1: Cast your Vision! I'd been hearing "cast your vision" for months, and here it was in a writing book! Not that I couldn't have figured out on my own how to apply what I learned to my writing, but I like the affirmation and integration, you know? While people often write a paragraph-long or longer vision/mission statement, I wanted a sentence, and I wanted 25 words or less. Yup, my life in an elevator pitch! And after many drafts, I arrived at the following. Though they meet my criteria there are two of them, one a bit broader and one specifically about my writing. They are:

Broader: To be a scribe -- writing speaking, teaching and singing words born out of worship.
Focused: To write artistically excellent fiction born out of worship.

Bell also covers specific goals (e.g. words per day, target dates to query), plans (e.g. days and hours for writing, a spreadsheet for agent/publisher research), networking (being a giver as well as a receiver), and writing six days a week and taking a Sabbath on the seventh. He also, like my leadership class, talks about the Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule: 80% of your achievements come from 20% of your activities. Once we know that, we can prioritize, schedule, fund, etc., the 20% and ferret out waste in the 80% (80%!!) of our activities that produce no more than 20% of our results.

How about you? How do you view the business end of writing? Do you have a vision statement? Care to share?

September Book Giveaway

What Happened on Fox Street by Tricia Springstubb is one of my favorite kinds of books -- character-driven, "quiet," elegantly written, world-creating -- yet plotted. It's all about the characters and their community on Fox Street.

Mo Wren and her little sister, the Wild Child, live with their father after the death of their mother several years before. Mo has always lived on Fox Street, among people who have watched her grow up. But now, everything is changing. Mo's best friend, who spends summers across the street with her grandmother, is now well-off, and Fox Street's relative decline is becoming more noticeable. Mo's dad dreams of leaving the city and running a restaurant, but Mo can't imagine selling their house. It's not just the idea of moving that bothers her, it's that every memory of her mother lives here.

The language is insightful and beautifully crafted. Example: "Every person you pass on the street, or wait behind in line, or see sitting alone on her porch -- every one is summoning up the courage for some battle, whether you can see it or not." A lovely book with good food for thought.

To be entered in the drawing:

• Comment on this post anytime from now through Sunday, September 12.
  
• For an additional entry, become a follower of this blog and mention that in the comment. Ditto if you already are a follower.
• For an additional entry, post a link to this contest and give the URL in either the same or a separate comment. In this category, you can enter as many times as you have cyber-places to post the contest.

Winner will be announced Monday, September 13.

So, come one, come all--and meanwhile have a great day in the world of books.

August Critique Giveaway Winners!

Random.org says the winners of this month's critique giveaway are: Rebecca and Melissa!

Here's the procedure. Email me at marcia at marciahoehne dot com:

• The first 1000 words of your magazine story, chapter book, mid-grade novel, or YA novel pasted into the body of the email.
• Be sure to tell me the genre of the material (one of the above four).
  
• Put "(Month) critique winner" in the subject line.
• The deadline to submit your ms. for critique will be the DAY BEFORE the next month's critique contest begins. Critique contests always begin on the third Thursday. Therefore I must hear from the August winners by September 15.
• When I receive your email, I'll acknowledge receipt and let you know when you can expect my response.

Congratulations to Rebecca and Melissa, thank you all so much for stopping by and entering, and by all means enter again next month! Wishing you all a great day in the world of books...

Alchemy and Meggy Swann, by Karen Cushman

Critique giveaway still open, now through August 29! Scroll down one post!

Meggy Swann, born in 16th-century England with what we now know as congenital hip dysplasia, can only walk with a "stick, swing, drag" gait she calls "wabbling." Many believe she is a witch, or cursed by the devil. Only her maternal grandmother and pet goose Louise have ever loved her, and upon the death of the old woman her mother ships her off to her long-forgotten father, a London alchemist, who has sent for her believing she's a boy who can replace his former apprentice. But to his dismay she isn't a boy, and she's "crippled" on top of it. Obsessed with finding a formula to turn base metals into gold, he disappears back into his "laboratorium," ignoring his daughter completely and caring not a whit whether she even eats -- although neither does he. Pursuing his life's work takes money, and when Meggy fears he's conspiring in a plot to commit murder for financial gain, she's determined to stop him lest his head end up on a pole, like those of other criminals, in the streets of London.

Though I don't go for ill-tempered heroines in general, Meggy didn't put me off. Maybe it was the tears that balance her anger and her love for the goose that captured me. My favorite aspects of this novel are the specific, vivid detail of Elizabethan London and the characters' voices. I love lines like "Cease your bibble-babble, you gleeking goat's bladder!" and "Hellborn goose! In sooth you should be roasted, you clay-brained louse!" Meggy and her new friend, Roger, throw many insults back and forth, and though I suspect this feature was added to their relationship to show off all those marvelous Elizabethan-era insults, and they may be a bit thick for some child readers, they're still hilarious.

Gradually, Meggy and her father reach a sort of truce and she begins to help him in the lab. Though he throws out subtle hints that he cares for her slightly more than at first -- when he declares that ONLY "the work" matters I don't quite believe him -- I found Meggy's fear that his head might end up on a pole not totally plausible. I just wasn't convinced she'd come to care that much. But the cast of characters she meets along the way is fascinating, especially the Grimm family who saves Louise the goose from the butcher's block, and the way Meggy stops the murder from happening is clever and grows logically from the plot.

There's some quibbling over whether this book is YA or MG, but IMO it's upper MG. Some of the challenging language -- the characters speak Elizabethan in both vocabulary and syntax -- probably earned it the YA label (there is no mature content), but in every other way this is mid-grade. Recommended!

August Critique Giveaway

It's critique time. Enter to win! Here are the rules and caveats:

• I will critique TWO manuscripts each month. By "manuscript" I mean the first 1000 words of a children's magazine story, chapter book, mid-grade novel, or YA novel. Please, fiction only. No picture books or easy readers. No poetry.
• Enter the drawing by commenting on this post AND stating that you wish to enter. This frees you up to comment, ask a question, or just say hey WITHOUT throwing your name in the hat.
  
• For an additional entry, become a follower, and tell me so (or that you already are one) in the comment.
  
• For an additional entry, post a link to this contest and give the URL in either the same or a separate comment. In this category, you can enter as many times as you have cyber-places to post the contest.
• You may enter one ms. per month. While the above rules allow you to enter multiple times, those entries are for ONE manuscript. If the #2 name drawn is a duplicate of #1, drawing will continue until a new name is drawn. This way, two people are assured of a critique each month.
• Enter now through Sunday August 29.
  
• Any story that you plan to enter in an ICL contest is ineligible. Since I am an ICL instructor, I cannot edit stories that you intend to enter in an Institute contest.
• The level of detail I offer in a critique will vary based on my impression of the caliber of the writing. Whenever possible, I will make both "big picture" comments and zero in on more specific areas.
• My critique is only one opinion. This business is SO subjective. Any suggestions I make that resonate with you are yours for the taking. Compare mine with those from other beta readers, critique partners, writing teachers, etc. Even if specific suggestions vary, when two or more critiquers pinpoint a certain passage or aspect, there's probably a need for revision there. Yet don't feel you must take advice you don't agree with. In the end, it's your story.
• Winners will be announced Monday, August 30.
  

So if the above sounds good to you, let the entering begin!

August Book Giveaway Winner!

The winner of Star in the Forest by Laura Resau is: Kimberly!

You have 30 days to claim your prize, Kimberly. No later than September 16, email me at marcia at marciahoehne dot com, giving me your postal address, and I'll acknowledge receipt and get that right out to you!

Micro-Trends in Fiction?

Enter the drawing for Star in the Forest by Laura Resau by midnight August 15! Scroll down one. :)

Writers can't help but look at trends in fiction, even though we're often cautioned not to chase trends as we write. The types of trends we usually mean are those of genre and structure: Is dystopian rising? Is YA paranormal about over? Can I hope to sell a historical in this market? Does my YA have to be in first person? Can I use present tense in MG? These might be called macro trends. But I've been noticing small, micro, trends too. Have you ever read a number of books in a row and, different though they may be, they all do an obvious something? Two related examples I've found recently:

First, the "heavily dependent on another book/author" trend, found in When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (A Wrinkle in Time), Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (To Kill a Mockingbird),Also Known as Harper by Ann Haywood Leal (Harper Lee, Hemingway, Flannery O'Connor), and Bruiser by Neal Shusterman (Tennyson and at least one Bronte). I know some ideas seem to "float out there in the spirit" and more than one writer can "catch" them, but I wonder -- is this an attempt to shore up a type of literacy we're afraid kids are losing? I don't know that it's deliberate didacticism, but authors make their choices for a reason. I'm curious about that reason. And I'm not sure how I feel about this trend. I like all the books I've named above, but, particularly when it's another novel that's featured (or a poorly educated mom who just happens to love major American authors), there's something about the dependence that subtracts. Any thoughts?

Second, a recent penchant for vocabulary building.Reference again Mockingbird, whose MC, ten-year-old Caitlin, is going through bereavement, has Asperger's, and her best friend is the dictionary; Bruiser, in which the parents, both literature professors, have alternated giving one vocabulary-building word a day to their kids all their lives; and also Love Puppies and Corner Kicks, by RW Krech, in which soccer-playing Andrea often has her nose in her favorite book (hmm, not unlike trend #1): Word Power: Enhancing and Extending Your Vocabulary. Using vocabulary words and pronunciations/meanings as chapter titles is a fairly common, though not universal, feature of these books.

Any ideas about what's going on? Have you noticed any other micro-trends in recent books you've read? Have you found any you'd like to continue? :)

August Book Giveaway

Star in the Forest by Laura Resau: When eleven-year-old Zitlally's father is stopped for speeding, discovered to be illegal and deported to Mexico, life becomes harder than ever for her family. Mama, always worried, must work all the time to support her and her sisters. Zitlally gradually makes friends with neighbor Crystal, a girl who makes up wild stories to cope with problems of her own, and together they adopt Star, a skinny abandoned dog they find chained up in the "forest" surrounding their trailer park -- which is not trees but heaps of rusted car parts. But the dog is more than just a friend and comfort. Zitlally comes to believe he's a special animal like the ones from Papa's stories, an animal whose fate is tied to a human's. In this case, Papa's. When Star disappears, the two girls must find and save him because Zitlally is certain this will mean a favorable outcome for Papa as well. This well-written book would make a good classroom choice and is truly accessible to mid-graders. Includes a note about Mexico-to-US immigration and two glossaries.

To be entered in the drawing:

• Comment on this post anytime from now through Sunday, August 15.
  
• For an additional entry, become a follower of this blog and mention that in the comment. Ditto if you already are a follower.
• For an additional entry, post a link to this contest and give the URL in either the same or a separate comment. In this category, you can enter as many times as you have cyber-places to post the contest.

Winner will be announced Monday, August 16.

So, come one, come all--and meanwhile have a great day in the world of books.

It's Goof-off Day

Photo time! This spring was college graduation for both Child 2 and Child 3. 2nd to finish his coursework, but 1st to have his ceremony, was Child 3. (No competition here or anything.)

                                Family gathers for the big day!

                                            Always posin'

              Such proud parents -- but what's that fly on his cap, Dad?

                                              The cute engaged couple :)

                                             But lest we be too serious...

                                     Some things never change

1st to finish her coursework, 2nd to have her ceremony, yet 1st to get her diploma because his was mailed and hers was actually in her folder, was Child 2. (You following these numbers? No competition here or anything.)

                                          Family gathers for the big day!

                                             Let's switch photographers!

                                        The cute young marrieds :)

                                        Proud parents and grad

                                                     It's for real!

                        No bunny ears? He must be the good child :D

July Critique Giveaway Winners!

The winners of this month's critique giveaway are: karenbschwartz and Angela Ackerman!

Here's the procedure. Email me at marcia at marciahoehne dot com:

• The first 1000 words of your magazine story, chapter book, mid-grade novel, or YA novel pasted into the body of the email.
• Be sure to tell me the genre of the material (one of the above four).
  
• Put "(Month) critique winner" in the subject line.
• The deadline to submit your ms. for critique will be the DAY BEFORE the next month's critique contest begins. Critique contests always begin on the third Thursday. Therefore I must hear from the July winners by August 18.
• When I receive your email, I'll acknowledge receipt and let you know when you can expect my response.

Congratulations to Karen and Angela, thank you all so much for stopping by and entering, and by all means enter again next month! Wishing you all a great day in the world of books...

The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z, by Kate Messner

Critique giveaway still open, now through July 25! Scroll down one post!
___________________________________________________________

Gianna Zales, 7th grader, is an artist and cross-country runner. As she says, she has no trouble with finish lines, but deadlines are a whole other story. It's a week before the big science project is due, and if Gianna doesn't get a passing grade, her slot at cross-country sectionals will go to mean-girl Bianca. Still, she's not worried. How
hard can it be to find and identify 25 different leaves and arrange them in an attractive presentation? Especially when it's fall, and you live in Vermont, where Robert Frost wrote such poems as "Birches"? Well, when you have time-management issues and life keeps happening, it can be very hard indeed. Nonna, who lives with the family, is showing signs of Alzheimer's, and her memory lapses turn the household topsy-turvy at a moment's notice. Mom, a type-A personality who doesn't get the artistic, intuitive nature that her mother and daughter share, buries her worry in her own activities and doesn't come through on some of the help she offers. Her best friend, a boy for whom she's developing feelings (and vice-versa), is smart, organized, generous, and more than willing to help, but when jealous Bianca feels Gianna is getting too close to done and trashes her project in the cross-country locker room, even Zig can't undo that.

Spoilers Ahead ... This book deals with a subject I'm not sure I've seen addressed: a tween's need for work/life balance. Even at the height of her leaf-project disorganization, it's arguable that Gianna balances life better than her nose-to-the-grindstone mother does. It comes as no surprise that in the end Gianna prevails -- she gets her project in and runs in the sectionals. What is surprising is all the twists and turns it takes to get her there, her mother's "help" at the end (but on the other hand, not surprising at all), and Gianna's refusal to turn in work that not only isn't her own, but isn't her. Her artistic presentation of her leaf project, at absolutely the last, last minute, is, in the word of the title, brilliant. Readers will love seeing this likable girl triumph in every way. While there's no neat wrap-up for Nonna, Gianna and the little brother she formerly considered pesky join forces in a project meant to help Nonna with her memory for as long as possible.

Evocation of setting is superb in this book. Gianna's relationships with Nonna and Zig are especially well done. This is a quiet book that works! Highly recommended.

July Critique Giveaway

It's critique time. Enter to win! Here are the rules and caveats:

• I will critique TWO manuscripts each month. By "manuscript" I mean the first 1000 words of a children's magazine story, chapter book, mid-grade novel, or YA novel. Please, fiction only. No picture books or easy readers. No poetry.
• Enter the drawing by commenting on this post AND stating that you wish to enter. This frees you up to comment, ask a question, or just say hey WITHOUT throwing your name in the hat.
  
• For an additional entry, become a follower, and tell me so (or that you already are one) in the comment.
  
• For an additional entry, post a link to this contest and give the URL in either the same or a separate comment. In this category, you can enter as many times as you have cyber-places to post the contest.
• You may enter one ms. per month. While the above rules allow you to enter multiple times, those entries are for ONE manuscript. If the #2 name drawn is a duplicate of #1, drawing will continue until a new name is drawn. This way, two people are assured of a critique each month.
• Enter now through Sunday July 25.
  
• Any story that you plan to enter in an ICL contest is ineligible. Since I am an ICL instructor, I cannot edit stories that you intend to enter in an Institute contest.
• The level of detail I offer in a critique will vary based on my impression of the caliber of the writing. Whenever possible, I will make both "big picture" comments and zero in on more specific areas.
• My critique is only one opinion. This business is SO subjective. Any suggestions I make that resonate with you are yours for the taking. Compare mine with those from other beta readers, critique partners, writing teachers, etc. Even if specific suggestions vary, when two or more critiquers pinpoint a certain passage or aspect, there's probably a need for revision there. Yet don't feel you must take advice you don't agree with. In the end, it's your story.
• Winners will be announced Monday, July 26.
  

So if the above sounds good to you, let the entering begin!

July Book Giveaway Winner!

The winner of Whirlwind by Alison Hart is: Katie L. Carroll!

You have 30 days to claim your prize, Katie. No later than August 12, email me at marcia at marciahoehne dot com, giving me your postal address, and I'll acknowledge receipt and get that right out to you!

The Dos and Don'ts I Do and Don't

Enter the drawing for Whirlwind by Alison Hart by midnight July 10! Scroll down two. :)

This may not be earthshakingly new, but I've been thinking lately about what one trait is the best predictor of writing success, by which I mean writing a good book, having it accepted for commercial publication, and, hopefully, repeating. Of course there's always more than one key to any professional success, and talent, study, and perseverance all count. (As do grammar, punctuation, and spelling.)

Is it the mental game that makes the difference? That IS huge, and it's very close to what I mean, but I think I'd state it more like this: The trait that best predicts writing success is a state of being: being someone who negotiates life mainly by means of writing. Writing is at the core of who you are. You live, therefore you write. You might say "It's a lifestyle" and mean basically the same thing, but I wonder if the trendiness of that buzzword keeps us skating on the surface a little. I'll take another stab at it: The telling trait is immersion. Trying to stuff writing into an already overstuffed life, putting everything else first...these do not bode well for the would-be writer. Nor does it work well to consider writing "me" time. Not only does it mean you put writing last (isn't that where the "me" time goes?) but if you seriously want to pursue a career, any career, you don't do it on "me" time. You do it on "career" time. (And that's one way to get people to take you seriously.) Writing is no different. You aren't just indulging yourself or your creativity; to publish, you must produce a product that a publisher wants to buy. Getting yourself to that level takes immersion. It takes being someone to whom this is life.

How do you immerse? By sacrifice, I think. At the very least, by realizing your life has a number of Roads Not Taken. By being not just selective, but sometimes brutal, about what you do and don't do. The writer Anne Tyler said, "I will write my books and raise the children. Anything else just fritters me away." So what don't I do? Here's a list. With the exception of occasional family-oriented activities that involve the following, I don't:

• Watch TV
• Watch movies
• Facebook or Twitter
• Play computer/video games
• Do crafts
• Pursue hobbies
  
• Shop
• Volunteer
• Do church work
• Staff others' projects
  
• Talk on the phone
• Have a social life

However, I do:

• Spend time with family
• Teach writing
  
• Cook two or three times a week
• Clean house with my husband biweekly
• De-clutter
  
• Read, read, read, read, and read
• EXERCISE! (lest too much BIC lead to simply too much B)
• Pray and study my Bible
• Leave time open to think, dream, and reflect
• And, obviously, blog
  

How about you? What have you had to let go of -- whether it be mainly a time waster or a true case of the good being the enemy of the best? What could you let go of that you haven't yet? What can you not let go of, because it either nurtures your family, wins the bread, or contributes directly to you or your writing?

Happy 4th of July!

Have a wonderful and safe holiday! I will be enjoying family events and visits this week. I'll still be posting on my regular schedule, but won't be visiting/commenting much on all your blogs for the next week to ten days. Alas, keeping up and falling behind all at once!

If you haven't seen the book giveaway below, do scroll down one post! Enter to win a signed copy of tween novel Whirlwind by Alison Hart through Saturday July 10!

Again, enjoy, be blessed, and "see" you soon. :)

July Book Giveaway

Special for this month: Win an autographed copy!

Whirlwind by Alison Hart is an upper-MG horse mystery with a touch of romance. What more could a girl want? :) This signed copy (not an ARC) would make a fine gift for the horse-loving, mystery-loving, or book-loving tween in your life. Though a sequel to Hart's Shadow Horse, the book stands on its own. In the earlier book, thirteen-year-old Jas was devastated to find her beloved mare, Whirlwind, dead in her stall. But now she knows the dead horse wasn't Whirlwind. Her horse's death was faked -- by a wealthy breeder who collected both the insurance money on the "dead" horse and the fee for re-selling her to an unsuspecting buyer. He'll get away with his scheme unless Jas can find the horse, but he's threatened to ruin her life if she tries. How much should she risk to search for a horse that may be impossible to find?

To be entered in the drawing:

• Extended deadline: Due to the July 4th weekend, comment on this post anytime from now through Saturday, July 10.
  
• For an additional entry, become a follower of this blog and mention that in the comment. Ditto if you already are a follower.
• For an additional entry, post a link to this contest and give the URL in either the same or a separate comment. In this category, you can enter as many times as you have cyber-places to post the contest.

Winner will be announced Monday, July 12.

So, come one, come all--and meanwhile have a great day in the world of books.

The Year the Swallows Came Early, by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

Eleven-year-old Groovy Robinson knows her passion in life: cooking. Her fondest wish is to attend cooking school when she grows up and become a real chef. When, in the opening scene, her father is arrested by Officer Miguel as father and daughter walk down the street (and just the two words "Officer Miguel" signal the small-town, multicultural setting -- this cop is a friend!) that's a horrifying enough change in her life. But Groovy doesn't know the half of it. Her mother puts off telling her, for as long as she can, that she called the police to have him arrested, because he had withdrawn from the bank $25,000 left to Groovy by her grandmother, a sum counted on to pay for cooking school, and lost it betting on the horses. The rest of the book traces Groovy's journey to finding alternative ways to reach her dream, and ultimately to forgiveness.

Groovy (who early on rejects this nickname from her father in favor of her real name, Eleanor) is a likable character, and I enjoyed the depth of the secondary characters as well. "There's more to people than meets the eye" is an important theme in this book. The mother seems shallow and the father doting, yet it's the mother who comes through and the father who fails her. Marisol, a snooty, seriously gifted artist, becomes a friend. The mother of her best friend Frankie, back after an unexplained two-year absence, had left to protect Frankie because of trouble with her green card, and Luis, Frankie's stepbrother, is barely out of his teens yet a more stable presence for both children than any of the parents.

This is a quiet novel, a heartwarming novel, a novel with layers, and a novel of the type that gets Newbery attention. Ultimately, it says that forgiveness is the only way to not put a stopper in your life. I think Groovy's story says something else, too, something that's shown, not told, and that may be difficult to accept: No matter who else makes a difference in your life (Luis) -- and those differences can be powerful -- kids' worlds rise and fall on the parents.

June Critique Giveaway Winners!

The winners of this month's critique giveaway are: Susan Fields and Susan Kaye Quinn!

Here's the procedure. Email me at marcia at marciahoehne dot com:

• The first 1000 words of your magazine story, chapter book, mid-grade novel, or YA novel pasted into the body of the email.
• Be sure to tell me the genre of the material (one of the above four).
  
• Put "(Month) critique winner" in the subject line.
• The deadline to submit your ms. for critique will be the DAY BEFORE the next month's critique contest begins. Critique contests always begin on the third Thursday. Therefore I must hear from the June winners by July 14.
• When I receive your email, I'll acknowledge receipt and let you know when you can expect my response.

Congratulations to Susan and Susan, thank you all so much for stopping by and entering, and by all means enter again next month! Wishing you all a great day in the world of books...

Critique Giveaway Now Closed

Thank you all so much for entering! Come back at NOON when winners are posted!

June Critique Giveaway

It's critique time. Enter to win! Here are the rules and caveats:

• I will critique TWO manuscripts each month. By "manuscript" I mean the first 1000 words of a children's magazine story, chapter book, mid-grade novel, or YA novel. Please, fiction only. No picture books or easy readers. No poetry.
• Enter the drawing by commenting on this post AND stating that you wish to enter. This frees you up to comment, ask a question, or just say hey WITHOUT throwing your name in the hat.
  
• For an additional entry, become a follower, and tell me so (or that you already are one) in the comment.
  
• For an additional entry, post a link to this contest and give the URL in either the same or a separate comment. In this category, you can enter as many times as you have cyber-places to post the contest.
• You may enter one ms. per month. While the above rules allow you to enter multiple times, those entries are for ONE manuscript. If the #2 name drawn is a duplicate of #1, drawing will continue until a new name is drawn. This way, two people are assured of a critique each month.
• Enter now through 6am Tuesday, June 22.
  
• Any story that you plan to enter in an ICL contest is ineligible. Since I am an ICL instructor, I cannot edit stories that you intend to enter in an Institute contest.
• The level of detail I offer in a critique will vary based on my impression of the caliber of the writing. Whenever possible, I will make both "big picture" comments and zero in on more specific areas.
• My critique is only one opinion. This business is SO subjective. Any suggestions I make that resonate with you are yours for the taking. Compare mine with those from other beta readers, critique partners, writing teachers, etc. Even if specific suggestions vary, when two or more critiquers pinpoint a certain passage or aspect, there's probably a need for revision there. Yet don't feel you must take advice you don't agree with. In the end, it's your story.
• Winners will be announced Tuesday, June 22, at noon.
  

So if the above sounds good to you, let the entering begin!

"THE Secret"--Revealed

There are several questions commonly raised by many new, and even not-so-new, writers that I think are tied together. One of them is "What's the secret?" These people want to know why those who get published rise above those who don't. They don't think it's a matter of a better story or better writing so much as a mysterious "in" that only certain people are privy to. They want to know how to join the fraternity, in other words. Whom do I have to know? If only so-and-so would recommend me to her agent. Why don't editors give reasons for rejections? My book is better than X; how come X got published? What's the secret handshake? What's the secret? Part of the secret is perseverance, getting that fiction writing is tough work, and facing that there are no shortcuts, but that's beside my point today. When asked this question, editors often say, "There's no secret. Just write a great book." Grumbling, the writer says, "Well, assuming I believe that's all [!!!] it takes, how do I do that?"

A related question goes like this: "How come Z got published when it breaks all the rules? They say you can't start with a dream, a prologue, weather, setting, dialogue, or backstory, and Z does it all. And then chapter 1 opens with the alarm going off in the morning! They say you can't info-dump in chapter 1 or much of anyplace else, and Z does. They say you have to present the conflict right away, and Z doesn't. They say the protagonist has to be likable but she's such a whiner, and the writing is full of adverbs and 'wases.' If I had even one of these problems in my story I'd get a form rejection. How did this ever get published?" I'm not sure how often writers get to, or dare, ask editors such a bald question, but when lamenting along these lines to fellow writers the answer they often get is, "You can do anything if you can make it work." Fine, but what on Earth does "make it work" mean?

I think it means two things, and those are also related. Neither are macro-things, such as conflict, plot, setting or POV, and even character isn't the whole answer. First, "make it work" means identifying with your character well enough (basically, climbing inside his or her skin as you imagine the story) that you are aware of all of the tiny increments and adjustments in his or her emotions as the story unfolds, and write true to those. We might call this micro-emotion. Fiction is at bottom an emotional experience. One of my new favorite writing quotes, by Les Edgerton, says "Emotion is the chief coin in the trade of writers." If the reader doesn't believe in the emotions, she doesn't believe in the story and it doesn't address her chief reason for reading. Get the emotions right, and she's hooked down to her very core. Second--and this term comes from Donald Maass's The Fire in Fiction--is micro-tension. What this simply means is moment-by-moment tension. Maass explains this so well that I'm going to quote him here. He says micro-tension:

"keeps the reader in a constant state of suspense over what will happen, not in the story but in the next few seconds. It is not a function of plot. This type of tension does not come from high stakes or the circumstances of a scene. Action does not generate it. Dialogue does not....Exposition...does not.... When you don't have micro-tension, you are slowly losing your reader. When you do have micro-tension, you can do anything." (Emphasis mine.) Great, but how do you achieve micro-tension? Maass puts his finger on this, too. It comes from emotions. But, because this is tension, it specifically comes from conflicting emotions, either between two or more characters or within the protagonist himself. Whether you're writing dialogue, action, or exposition, find the tension within the MC or between the MC and others in the scene, even if it's as mild as friendly disagreement or presenting two credible sides of an issue, and you can achieve that "What's going to happen next?" quality. This is how we can "do anything and make it work."

So how do we find "the secret?" (1) Learn the macro. (2) Learn the micro. (3) Accept that writing is a lifestyle and an identity, not something you do in that mythical "leftover time," which has been well covered here. (4) Persevere, and (5) Learn to submit to agents and editors professionally. If you're like me, (2) came last and is the final clue to the puzzle. I'm excited to have found Maass's good words to define and describe what's been stirring in my mind and spirit. I've found what I think is the closest thing there is to the secret! :)

June Book Giveaway Winner!

The winner of Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper is: Christina Farley!

You have 30 days to claim your prize, Christina. No later than July 8, email me at marcia at marciahoehne dot com, giving me your postal address, and I'll acknowledge receipt and get that right out to you!

June Book Giveaway

Eleven-year-old Melody, protagonist of Sharon M. Draper's new MG novel Out of My Mind, has a photographic memory, synesthesia (she can hear colors and see smells when music is played), and high intelligence, especially verbal intelligence. She also has cerebral palsy. She has never spoken a word, can’t feed herself, can't walk, has seizures. Of her pink wheelchair she says, "Pink doesn't change a thing." Like Terry Trueman, author of Stuck in Neutral, Draper has a child with cerebral palsy, and Melody's sense of being trapped in her body is similar to that of Trueman's character Shawn. It's not until Melody gets a talking computer that she is able to express herself, but not everyone around her is ready to face that Melody is far from "profoundly retarded," as she's been labeled by one professional. Fascinating and highly readable, this story by a two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner will make one think twice about presuming to judge the intellectual level or inner life of someone who can't communicate.

To be entered in the drawing:

• Extended deadline: Comment on this post anytime on June 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7. Extended extended deadline: Comments must be posted by 6am on Tuesday, June 8.
  
• For an additional entry, become a follower of this blog and mention that in the comment. Ditto if you already are a follower.
• For an additional entry, post a link to this contest and give the URL in either the same or a separate comment. In this category, you can enter as many times as you have cyber-places to post the contest.

Winner will be announced at noon on Tuesday, June 8.

So, come one, come all--and meanwhile have a great day in the world of books.