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Rules, Tara? Why are you writing about rules? K.L. Going just urged writers to shake off the rules and “step boldly across the lines.” We are creative souls! We don’t want more restrictions!
Ah, you are right. But remember, Ms. Going also said that writers need to be educated. Know those rules and understand why they are in place. Only then can you decide where to successfully break them. Then you don’t have to call them rules anymore—think of them more as suggestions.
Yesterday I met with Alyssa Eisner Henkin of Trident Media Group, an experienced professional who came to agenting via the editorial track. She knows this business. She knows what sells. So when she gave me five rules for picture books, I took careful notes.
Rule #1: Audience age is 2-6 years old
This one was a little surprising to me. I often see PBs categorized in three ways: baby board books, toddler books, and books for 4-8 year olds. But eight year-olds are not reading picture books. They may be classified that way for teachers who want to read aloud to their class. Unless you’re writing board books, think of your audience as 2-6 years of age. What situations will they relate to?
Rule #2: 500 Words is the Magic Number
Again, another suprise–somewhat. Yes, I’ve heard about that 500-word mark, but I’ve also heard about the 1000-word barrier. Most of the books I read my own children are closer to 1000 and sometimes more. Personally, I don’t often spend $16.99 on a 500-word three-minute experience. My children and I enjoy sharing stories at bedtime and a short one can sometimes leave us feeling short-changed. Ms. Henkin said she’s heard the same thing from many parents, so I asked, “Why is there this disconnect between parents and the industry?” It’s all about perception. The current industry perception is that today’s parents are busier than ever and they want short books to put their children to sleep quickly. OK, that’s not true in my house, but I’m a statistic of one. Publishers are buying 500 words or less. Repeat after me: 500 or less.
Rule #3: Make it Really Sweet or Really Funny
Maybe this isn’t so much a rule as a great suggestion. These kind of books are easier to sell. People get it. Elevate your “awww” factor. Make the laughs side-splitting.
Rule #4: Use Playful, Unique Language
When publishers say they seek a “unique voice” that doesn’t only apply to middle grade and young adult novels. The sounds words make are new and interesting to young children. Play it up.
Rule #5: Create Situations that Inspire Cool Illustrations
PB writers are told to leave enough unwritten so illustrators can tell half the tale. But that’s not enough to be thinking about. Go a step beyond. What story situation will inspire an unusual, unique illustration? Something you’ve never seen before? Don’t just leave room for pictures, leave room for AWESOME pictures. The cooler the art, the better the book.
Another thing that I brought home with me after our PB discussion was concept. Many times, I’ll get a spark of an idea and immediately sit down to write. I will start taking more time to develop that concept, thinking about all the rules above before ever putting pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard). And then maybe I’ll decide to step over one or two of those lines. I’m a creative soul, after all.
Last week Nathan Bransford asked blog readers to tell him about the worst piece of writing advice they ever received. I didn’t participate because I couldn’t think of anything. Sure, there was the critique partner who rewrote my manuscript in her own style. Yeah, I’ve been told a story was ready for submission only to realize, months later, that it needed more work. And a writing professor once banned the entire class from killing off characters. He didn’t want us to come to a rough patch in our story and take the easy way out. I didn’t agree with the rule, but it was understandable.
I don’t consider any of that bad advice. Poor judgment, maybe, but not faulty guidance (especially since I didn’t follow it).
The best advice is not really advice at all, but when a publishing professional relates his or her own experience to an aspiring author. Advice is subjective; it’s based upon personal circumstances. If you don’t know the story behind the advice, then it’s impossible to gauge whether or not that advice will work for you.
So don’t give advice. Tell others what you’ve learned and how you’ve learned it. Share your experience.
The children’s writing world is filled with many generous professionals who volunteer their time to assist those of us starting out. Never before have I met such a kind and welcoming group of people. I have to say that no one has given me a bad piece of advice yet. And hopefully I won’t steer you wrong, either.
How do I choose which manuscript to submit to the next first page session? I’ve been going back and forth, trying to decide which one showcases my best work. And yet, the two manuscripts I am considering are so very different.
One is a clever tale of a boy with an unusual name–a name that creates a lot of confusion. This picture book is in the boy’s voice, told from his point of view. Yet the illustrations will show something very different happening around him. I have repeatedly heard editors say that a PB must leave enough unsaid for the pictures to comprise half the story, and I think this tale accomplishes that.
Then I have a fractured fairy tale. With pizzas. Glorious, cheesy pies! What kid doesn’t like pizza? A familiar story with a unique new twist might take the cake. Err, I mean, pie.
I admit, I’m getting a little too hopped up for a first page session. I shouldn’t expect anything to come from it other than a lot of good advice. I listen carefully to each page and then when the editor or agent gives his thoughts, I take a lot of notes, hoping to learn from all the manuscripts, not just mine.
Unfortunately, I don’t think everyone has this attitude. Last time a woman in front of me drew doodles on her paper throughout the two-hour session. And when it was over, she complained that the professionals didn’t like her story because they didn’t understand or appreciate rhyme. That may be true, as the editors worked in middle-grade and not picture books, but I had an entire page of notes on her story, while she went home with a lot of squiggles and stick figures.
There’s two ways to approach a first-page session: as a way to grab the attention of an editor or agent, or as an opportunity to receive professional feedback. It’s important to remember that if your work doesn’t impress the editors, all is not lost. Be inspired to work harder. Editors and agents volunteer their time to these events, and we should all be grateful. They don’t owe us anything. But we owe them our very best work.
Before you toss that rejection letter into the fire, consider recycling it. But don’t bundle it with the newspaper and set it on the curb.
Lemons beget lemonade. Paper begets paper beads.
They say the more rejections you accumulate, the closer you are to becoming published. So show off all those “not right for our imprint” letters! Cut them up and roll them into jewelry. This tutorial from Paper University will show you how.
Paper Bead Necklace by radrb8vicki
Who knew rejection could be so beautiful?
I have recently learned ’tis a wonderful thing to have an agent request your manuscript, yet the moment becomes bittersweet when you don’t have a completed work to send.
I know a very important rule for writers: don’t attend a pitch session if your manuscript isn’t finished. It’s a waste of time for editors and agents who are attending to find and sign new talent. And it’s just as moot a move for you. No one will take a chance on an unproven fiction writer, no matter how compelling your first page, first chapter or first half of the book is.
The good news is that I did not attend a pitch session. I attended a critique fully expecting to be critiqued. What I got were the words every writer dreams of: “You have to send me your manuscript.” Alas, I cannot send an incomplete work. It’s excellent incentive to keep moving forward with my novel, but disheartening to know that I have every opportunity to louse up a perfectly good half-finished story.
Employers spend an average of just 30 seconds scanning each job resumé. If you don’t make an immediate positive impression, you won’t get called in for an interview.
The same half-minute scan holds true for your fiction. One page is all you have to hook an agent or editor and entice them to keep reading. Without a strong voice, a compelling hook and sharp writing, you’re doomed for a swim with the slushies.
It therefore makes sense to attend a first page critique. The neighborhood kids may giggle over your tale, your friends might deem it wonderful, and your critique partners may even bless it as ready for submission. But a professional opinion is your best literary litmus test.
A professional first page critique can answer these questions:
- Is your writing appropriate for the genre? Does the voice match the target age range? Is your picture book too wordy; is your young adult novel too simple?
- Do you have a truly unique premise? Certain subjects—like fairies and witches—may be popular at the moment, but that also means the market could be saturated. If you’re writing about fairies or witches, your idea should really stand out from the books already on the shelves.
- Have you left enough questions for the reader to want to continue? Or do you leave the reader too confused instead?
- If you’re writing in rhyme, does it have a consistent scheme? Does it move the story along or bog it down?
- Does your dialogue sound authentic?
- Are you telling the tale in the most appropriate point of view?
- Can a child relate to the story?
- Does the reader get an immediate sense of who/what/when/where? Can the reader imagine herself in the book’s setting?
- Are you beginning the tale at the right place?
Wow! All this just from a first page? Absolutely!
Professional editors and agents know the latest trends in the literary marketplace and they see hundreds—if not thousands—of first pages every month. The highly competitive book publishing business dictates that they weed out undesirable stories as quickly as possible in order to get to the good ones.
Thirty seconds is all you have. Make them work for you.
A new critique group member recently presented us with Chapter I of her YA novel—an engaging high school sports saga with a female athlete protagonist. After hearing our comments, she confessed that it wasn’t the first time she’d shared this piece. Workshop members from a local college had very different reactions than the ones we provided. For instance, they did not appreciate her clever metaphors, whereas I felt the work was strongest at those points—humorous, insightful, spoken with a strong and unique character voice.
At home that evening with a cup of tea and time to reflect, I wondered: is there such a thing as too many critiques? After all, not everyone agrees on the merits of published books, so a first draft would certainly elicit a wide range of comments. If a writer is presented with a dozen different viewpoints on the same story, which suggestions should she accept and which should she let slide?
Firstly, writers need to examine how many people point out the same problems. If there is more than one critique member who questions the character’s motive in a particular scene, then it makes sense to consider that section more carefully. But points on which the critique group does not agree, it’s appropriate for the writer to trust her own instincts, either by revising or letting the words remain.
Next, getting to know your critique partners well helps to reveal the most reliable criticisms. There are people whose judgment you will tend to trust, and those who just don’t agree with your direction. There will be those who always insist on line-editing until your prose reads exactly like their own. A group member may have a wildly differing style or not call your genre a specialty. It is important to listen to all criticisms and to understand why they are being voiced, but to address every single one is not productive. Too many cooks may indeed spoil the broth.
There’s no doubt that every manuscript needs to be critiqued. If you’ve completed a first draft and you’re licking the envelope to that agent: stop. You’ve only just begun. Find a critique group and get ready to rewrite.
There are no rules regarding how many times something can be workshopped, but as you become more familiar with the revision process, you’ll soon learn which advice to listen to and which you can ignore. A novel will not be all things to all readers, but it needs to be true to your vision as a writer.
What do you think? Can work be over-critiqued?
Chuck Sambuchino of The Guide to Literary Agents blogged recently about writing for teenagers and adolescents. He attended a talk given by an agent and an author and shared nine great tips to consider when crafting a novel for middle grade and young adult readers. Check out Chuck’s post here.
Some insights included not starting off a work with a graphic event like a suicide. Hmmm, lesson learned immediately for me. While it might grab the reader’s attention, it may do so in a negative manner, making them put down the book rather than keep reading. I’m gently reminded of agent Nathan Bransford’s warning about too much shock and awe.
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 