| janfields |
Night Open Forum begins
in five minutes in the Auditorium -- bring your writing questions in
to play "stump the moderator" and we'll try to get the transcript to
work this time!
|
| janfields |
Night Open Forum begins
in Two Minutes in the Auditorium -- hope y'all have
questions!!
|
| janfields |
Howdy, Howdy and
welcome to Nigh Open Forum.
|
| janfields |
I'm Jan Fields and I'll
be your host on a rolicking evening of listening to me
pontificate.
|
| janfields |
If you have a question,
I ask that you send it in
|
| janfields |
To do that, type
/ask
|
| janfields |
Then type your
question...all on the same line.
|
| janfields |
(well, sometimes you
have to send them in parts)
|
| janfields |
But I can't port as
many over as I did last thursday
|
| janfields |
It made the software
flake out and we didn't get a transcript.
|
| janfields |
Ahhh...you like
"pontificate" omalizzie
|
| janfields |
I had a beau that loved
that word so I stole it
|
| janfields |
Sounds so obnoxiously
pompous, doesn't it?
|
| janfields |
Okay...lemme at some
questions...
|
| soradina |
Are there any resources
you recommend for plot outlining?
|
| janfields |
I know there exists
software to help with plotting.
|
| janfields |
But I've never used any
of it.
|
| janfields |
Because I like to do as
much of the "pre-writing" away from my computer as
possible
|
| janfields |
Because my rear end is
getting wide enough in this chair.
|
| janfields |
So I use index
cards.
|
| janfields |
And I once used
misprinted business cards.
|
| janfields |
I write a basic
synopsis of each scene I plan on the cards.
|
| janfields |
Then I can move them
around to find the best order.
|
| janfields |
Sometimes if the plot
feels like it's getting stagnant, I can start messing with my
cards
|
| janfields |
and see a whole new way
to approach.
|
| janfields |
And...it's way easier
to see the overall structure on
|
| janfields |
bits of paper than it
is for me to see it on the screen.
|
| janfields |
I know of one author
who uses post it notes in the same way.
|
| charweb |
How do we approach
publishers without an agent?
|
| janfields |
Just like you approach
magazine editors
|
| janfields |
You use the market
guides (the most up to date one possible)
|
| janfields |
and see how the
publisher wants to be approached.
|
| janfields |
Some like queries (even
for picture books)
|
| janfields |
Some accept manuscripts
(even for novels)
|
| janfields |
Some accept queries
plus synopsis plus sample pages.
|
| janfields |
You need to give them
what they want.
|
| janfields |
If the publisher says
what they want is NO UNAGENTED SUBMISSIONS
|
| janfields |
then you don't send
them anything
|
| janfields |
UNLESS you spot that
editor speaking at a conference
|
| janfields |
Then you rush to the
conference, and get your "conference free in"
|
| janfields |
Many editors of closed
houses go to conferences regularly
|
| janfields |
and nearly always open
to conference attendees for a short time.
|
| acceber |
Do you use an
agent?
|
| janfields |
Nope...I had an agent
for a while.
|
| janfields |
And I would love to
have one again.
|
| janfields |
But right now I do all
my own marketing.
|
| janfields |
Which eats up
time.
|
| janfields |
I am actually pretty
tough about rejection
|
| janfields |
(Meaning I only sulk,
whine, and eat chocolate)
|
| janfields |
But I have trouble
keeping things out in the market because I would rather be writing
new stuff.
|
| janfields |
So I tend to shelve
stuff if it isn't picked up within two or three
submissions.
|
| stretch |
would we neeed an agent
for magazine article subs?
|
| janfields |
Nope...magazines either
accept queries, manuscripts or only work with established
writers
|
| janfields |
Writers who know the
editor
|
| janfields |
Or writers they
contact
|
| janfields |
But in children's lit
-- most magazines accept queries or manuscripts.
|
| janfields |
So, no, you don't need
an agent for magazine work.
|
| dona |
Do writers "hire"
editors?
|
| janfields |
Sometimes,
yeah.
|
| janfields |
I'm always reluctant to
recommend this
|
| janfields |
because of one BIG
truth.
|
| janfields |
I think editors are
reluctant to say -- this manuscript cannot be redeemed -- give up on
it.
|
| janfields |
And sometimes, that's
really the truth.
|
| janfields |
But on the other hand,
you might learn a lot from revising to make it a better piece...even
you don't make it ready for publication.
|
| janfields |
So...hiring an editor
can be like being in a critique group -- it can help you write
better by having someone point out your weaknesses
|
| janfields |
But it's soooooo
expensive
|
| janfields |
So, you cannot be
expecting to recoup your costs on the manuscript in
hand
|
| janfields |
And you have to decide
if you feel it's worth the expense.
|
| janfields |
Now...an
note
|
| janfields |
I can't retype
questions you post in the room your
|
| janfields |
you're
in
|
| janfields |
So to send me a
question
|
| janfields |
You need to type slash
ask
|
| janfields |
Which looks like this
/ask
|
| janfields |
Then the
question
|
| janfields |
Like this -- /ask How
much do you get paid to do this?
|
| janfields |
Then the question comes
over here and I'll answer it happily.
|
| janfields |
As soon as I
can.
|
| stretch |
and then, should you also
send in a resume?
|
| janfields |
Send a resume ONLY if
it's specifically mentioned in the publisher's
guidelines
|
| janfields |
Or their market
listing.
|
| janfields |
Most of the time, they
don't want one
|
| janfields |
I think I've sent
one....two or three times in over 20 years
|
| janfields |
And they were for
educational publishers
|
| stretch |
If the mag states in the
submissions part to send in complete ms, you also need to send a
cover letter, instead of a query, even if it's a nonfiction article,
right?
|
| janfields |
Right...if a magazine
asks for manuscripts (like Hopscotch, for example)
|
| janfields |
Then you send the
manuscript and a cover letter
|
| janfields |
Even for nonfiction,
they don't want to see queries.
|
| robinb |
What books or resources
can you recommend to describe sound. For example, I might describe
Goldilocks chair breaking as crack. But Sometimes I stumped for
words.
|
| janfields |
Hmmm...I don't actually
know
|
| janfields |
I think I saw something
like that in a book called....
|
| janfields |
hmmmmmm
|
| janfields |
The Children's Writers
Reference Guide
|
| janfields |
Or something like
that
|
| janfields |
It was full of odds and
ends and I think it had sounds
|
| janfields |
Otherwise, I
dunno
|
| janfields |
I might look in a
thesaurus for "crack"
|
| janfields |
And see if it had some
sound words
|
| janfields |
Otherwise, I really
dunno...I sometimes "collect" them when reading someone who is very
"soundy
|
| janfields |
To remember some great
sounds.
|
| jan_fields |
Umoscribe What do you
recommend to get emotions from your readers in your
characters.
|
| janfields |
First, you'll get more
emotional impact from objecting showing
|
| janfields |
Avoid telling as much
as possible.
|
| janfields |
For example, "He
slammed his fist into the locker"
|
| janfields |
is much more effective
for startling the reader
|
| janfields |
and making them feel a
character's anguish
|
| janfields |
than to say "He roared
with pain and heartache
|
| janfields |
Which tends to throw
the reader out of connecting with the character.
|
| janfields |
The more you make the
reader work, make them interpret the emotion
|
| janfields |
from seeing the actions
of the characters
|
| janfields |
and voice of the
characters
|
| janfields |
the more the reader
will be invested in the story
|
| janfields |
and the more the reader
will feel.
|
| omalizzie |
I've graduated from the
basic course and would like an...
|
| omalizzie |
idea of what other
courses there are for me to choose...
|
| omalizzie |
after being offered
advanced courses. Can you let me know?
|
| janfields |
Gosh, I am sorry --
you've caught me in an area I know little about
|
| janfields |
I'm not familiar with
all the courses.
|
| janfields |
I think there is an
advanced magazine course -- hmmm...beyond the
basics.
|
| janfields |
There is also an
advanced course that focuses on books...but don't know the
title.
|
| janfields |
And there are two
self-study courses that you can take at any point
|
| janfields |
Both are set up to be
for the more advanced student
|
| janfields |
I wrote one of them,
and I wrote it assuming the reader was ready to start
selling.
|
| janfields |
They are Pipeline to
Publication
|
| janfields |
And Revise to
Publish
|
| janfields |
Pipeline is STRICTLY
magazines -- I wrote it and that's the market i know
best.
|
| janfields |
Revise covers books
too.
|
| artisme |
do instructors encourage
or coach on subbing if they see pot
|
| janfields |
I do.
|
| janfields |
I spend a lot of time
coaching my students on submitting.
|
| janfields |
But I honestly cannot
speak for every instructor.
|
| janfields |
Markets -- specificaly
magazine markets -- is my area of greatest
expertise
|
| janfields |
So I really drill it
into my students.
|
| janfields |
But some other
instructors might have their greatest stength somewhere
else.
|
| thompson |
What do you do for
writer's block
|
| janfields |
I write...and I
read
|
| janfields |
One way I avoid ever
having writer's block is having a lot of different kinds of
purposeful wrting
|
| janfields |
I write
nonfiction
|
| janfields |
I write
fiction
|
| janfields |
I write
poetry
|
| janfields |
And I write personal
writing tools
|
| janfields |
When I cannot write
anything else because I'm just not in the right place to do
so
|
| janfields |
I write a personal
writing tool
|
| janfields |
Which means I sit and
imagine a place where I've been
|
| janfields |
And get as deeply into
it in my imagination as possible
|
| janfields |
I try to see colors,
feel textures, smell
|
| janfields |
And then I write these
"sensory photos" out
|
| janfields |
And I keep these in a
file with separate headings.
|
| janfields |
Then if I am writing
about a character in a school hallway
|
| janfields |
I pull my "school
cards" and they bring my school sense memories right
out
|
| janfields |
And I can slip tiny
bits of specific detail into my stories that make them more
real.
|
| janfields |
So, if I'm
blocked...these "exercises" help me.
|
| lily
li |
/ask What is an
educational publisher?
|
| janfields |
An educational
publisher is one writing books primarily for the school
market
|
| janfields |
Or magazines primarily
targeting teachers.
|
| janfields |
Lucent books would fall
under that heading
|
| janfields |
Even though you see
their books in libraries
|
| janfields |
they are primarily
written for school libraries...and all nonfiction.
|
| janfields |
They are books for kids
writing reports -- period.
|
| janfields |
They aren't meant to be
"light reading for entertainment."
|
| stretch |
Do you need a website if
you only write for magazines?
|
| janfields |
Nope, not unless you
want to practice making one.
|
| janfields |
I have a site and I
write primarily for magazines.
|
| janfields |
But I don't "need"
it
|
| janfields |
Though I HAVE gotten
work from having the website.
|
| janfields |
Because the site
presented me and my work in a way that appealled to some
publishers.
|
| o.engle |
can you recomend any good
publishers
|
| janfields |
I can recommend a
really good publisher guide!
|
| janfields |
And it's
free
|
| janfields |
The publishers at CBC
-- The Children's Book Council
|
| janfields |
Are all excellent
publishers.
|
| janfields |
Just google Children's
Book Council
|
| janfields |
They have a member
roster
|
| janfields |
And it even tells which
of the publishers are accepting submissions!
|
| janfields |
They have a number of
smaller presses that are more open
|
| janfields |
But they don't have any
of the bad "publishers" who will take advantage of
you.
|
| janfields |
There are many
publishers who are not part of the CBC, but it's a great place to
find some good 'uns.
|
| mcgill |
In a mystery story for
Highlights, how much peril can you let your character experience,
also must they actually solve a mystery, or could it be something
that only seems mysterious, i.e. a surprise party, until it is
revealed?
|
| janfields |
Hmmm...not
much.
|
| janfields |
You might be able to do
some "implied" peril
|
| janfields |
I did read a Highlights
story where a boy had to do something to save a
...hmmm
|
| janfields |
ship at sea, I
think
|
| janfields |
Now, the boy wasn't in
peril
|
| janfields |
But the folks he was
saving were
|
| janfields |
Highlights is a bit
delicate about scaring the readers.
|
| janfields |
And you can have
something that seems mysterious but turns out to be
innocent
|
| janfields |
BUT understand they get
A LOT of stories like that so yours has to be
super.
|
| audrey2006 |
sorry, how does one go
about finding an agent
|
| janfields |
The Children's Writer's
and Illustrator's Market has a list of agents every
year.
|
| janfields |
I am inclinded to think
the Children's Writer's Guide to ___ (whatever year) also has
one
|
| janfields |
But I'm not totally
sure...and I don't have one next to me right now
|
| janfields |
I would start with a
market guide...pick agents rep'ing the sort of work I
do
|
| janfields |
Then I would do a
GOOGLE search on the agent
|
| janfields |
and the
agency
|
| janfields |
See what turns
up
|
| janfields |
Often you'll see books
they've rep'ped
|
| janfields |
info about their
reputation
|
| janfields |
gushy stuff from their
clients
|
| janfields |
And...bad stuff if bad
stuff exists.
|
| janfields |
Be sure to look at more
than one site after you Google
|
| janfields |
Because sometimes the
top sites are top sites because someone is throwing money at
it
|
| janfields |
And that can occur to
cover up naughtyness
|
| janfields |
Right Preditors &
Editors and Writer Beware are two I use when a student asks me about
a specific agent
|
| janfields |
And I haven't heard the
name before
|
| janfields |
But I also
google.
|
| janfields |
I want it
all!
|
| veb234 |
Is it worth having an
agent to get first publication?
|
| janfields |
It is if you have a
novel
|
| janfields |
For almost anything
else, an agent is nice
|
| janfields |
But also very hard to
get
|
| janfields |
You might spend more
time looking for an agent than you would spend just selling a
picture book
|
| janfields |
So few agents rep
picture books authors unless the author also has a novel the agent
likes
|
| janfields |
Or unless the picture
book author has a track record of picture book
success
|
| janfields |
Oh...PB = picture
book
|
| janfields |
Sorry, I forget
sometimes
|
| janfields |
Some things we get in
the habit of saying
|
| janfields |
MS =
Manuscript
|
| janfields |
MG = middle grade
novel, which really means novel for kids who read fluently but
aren't teens
|
| janfields |
YA = young adult, the
teen group
|
| coloradokate |
How can I find out who
are the agents for my favorite writers? Look in "Acknowledgments," I
know, but how else?
|
| janfields |
It can be
tough.
|
| janfields |
And often
fruitless
|
| janfields |
if the agent is repping
some of your favorite authors...she/he probably has his hands
full
|
| janfields |
You can check the
author's website
|
| janfields |
and Google the author
by name
|
| janfields |
Sometimes you'll find a
passing reference on a discussion board or
something
|
| janfields |
Where someone heard the
author mention her agent at a conference.
|
| omalizzie |
Jan, I did not see any
agents listed in the Table of Content
|
| janfields |
Thanks...okay folks --
for agent lists, look in the Children's Writer's & Illustrator's
Market
|
| janfields |
Your public library
probably has a copy (if you cannot afford one)
|
| janfields |
and the agent section
is only a few pages long
|
| janfields |
Honestly, when I was
starting out...I copied the agent section out in long hand at the
library.
|
| stretch |
SUB=submissions,
PUBs=Publishers
|
| janfields |
Thanks,
Stretch...that's two more...writers love these
things/
|
| o.engle |
what should I do with
Cildren's Literary Agency? Should I get my story
back?
|
| janfields |
Our new friend,
o.engle, has a book with CLA
|
| janfields |
You don't have to worry
about them stealing your book
|
| janfields |
They aren't in the book
business
|
| janfields |
They are in the
"getting money from authors" business
|
| janfields |
All you need to do is
sever the relationship
|
| janfields |
Just send a letter
saying you are severing the relationship
|
| janfields |
That they no longer
represent you
|
| janfields |
And they no longer
represent "XYZ manuscript"
|
| janfields |
They may send you some
letter trying to get you to come back
|
| janfields |
But the guy who runs
that operation ultimatley is only interested
|
| janfields |
in getting money from
easy marks so if you tell them you don't want to play, eventually
they will go away.
|
| deje-who |
newbie here. Is CLA a
vanity press?
|
| janfields |
CLA -- Children's
Literary Agency is a branch of a collective of
"agencies"
|
| janfields |
All started by a man
named Robert Fletcher
|
| janfields |
In none of the
agencies...not one
|
| janfields |
do they have ANY
legitimate sales of manuscripts to legitimate
publisher
|
| janfields |
They send manuscripts
to vanity presses
|
| janfields |
And other such
places...some author mills
|
| janfields |
Anything to look like
they are submitting
|
| janfields |
But if an agency has
been around along time ...and Bobby Fletcher has been separating
folks from there money for many years
|
| janfields |
And they have NEVER
sold a book -- you don't want them.
|
| doublee |
What is the best way to
find time for writing with a busy schedule?
|
| janfields |
Map out when you are
most creative
|
| janfields |
And push everything out
of that time slot
|
| janfields |
And if the stuff won't
move...push harder
|
| janfields |
Right now I edit Kid
Magazine Writer eMagazine
|
| janfields |
Children's Writer
eNews
|
| janfields |
And I teach at
ICL
|
| janfields |
And I'm a
Mom
|
| janfields |
And a
wife.
|
| janfields |
Some days I cannot find
time to poop...but I find time to write because I insist on
it.
|
| janfields |
I don't watch
television (well, except for CSI and Mythbusters -- a woman's gotta
have a life)
|
| janfields |
I don't garden, or
knit, or paint (though I like those things)
|
| janfields |
because I gotta
write.
|
| doublee |
How do you determine the
age group of your audience?
|
| janfields |
Well, ask yourself who
will best relate to the story?
|
| janfields |
I just read a student
story today that was clearly written for parents.
|
| janfields |
It was fiction, but the
approach would totally turn teens off.
|
| janfields |
It was meant to clue
parents in to certain dangers.
|
| janfields |
So ask youself -- who
would respond to this?
|
| janfields |
Who am I speaking
to?
|
| janfields |
That happens for both
fiction and nonfiction
|
| janfields |
Editors tell me it is
astounding the number of submissions they get that could only
connect with adults
|
| janfields |
Because the perspective
is adult
|
| janfields |
It helps if you can
"think youself back" in time
|
| janfields |
Picture yourself bored,
in a dentist office...at the age you think might be the target
audience
|
| janfields |
Why do you want to read
the piece?
|
| janfields |
What do you get out of
it?
|
| janfields |
If you have a good
answer to those questions -- then you found your perfect
reader
|
| janfields |
You can usually then
know your target audience is a three year range with that reader in
it.
|
| janfields |
You cannot write for a
kid from 4 - 12
|
| janfields |
You cannot write for a
child of any age
|
| janfields |
If you write something
like that in a cover letter, it's an invitation for an editor not to
bother to read it.
|
| janfields |
Because it suggests you
didn't think of that one audience who have a good answer
to
|
| janfields |
Why do I want to read
this?
|
| janfields |
What's in it for
me?
|
| artisme |
what is the biggest
benefit to SCBWI mbrshp?
|
| janfields |
Conferences
|
| janfields |
The newsletter is also
pretty good
|
| janfields |
And you can get them to
help you create a crit group in your area
|
| janfields |
Or find one if it
presently exists.
|
| janfields |
Beyond that...I like
the idea of being part of a group with folks who pursue the same
goals...but that's just me.
|
| robinb |
I find that I'll have a
good story idea, but I can't seem to get the story started. What
should I do?
|
| janfields |
Don't start at the
beginning.
|
| janfields |
Start with a snatch of
dialogue you imagine in the story.
|
| janfields |
Or start with some
action you imagine in the story
|
| janfields |
Or start with the
ending line.
|
| janfields |
Wherever your good idea
points you
|
| janfields |
if it doesn't point you
anywhere...you aren't ready to write it yet.
|
| janfields |
You need to ask
yourself some questions about
|
| janfields |
character
motivation
|
| janfields |
And fun...where's the
fun? Where's the action? Where's the hottest spot in the
story.
|
| janfields |
Lots of folks have
trouble getting into the beginning...but if you cannot get into the
story anywhere, you haven't got an idea that excites you enough and
the cure is to go read some kid lit
|
| janfields |
Reading always make me
want to start writing.
|
| robinb |
Is a chapter book like
junie b jones considered a novel? Would agents consider it
worthwhile representing?
|
| janfields |
Depends on who you
ask
|
| janfields |
Some publishers
consider them young middle grade novels
|
| janfields |
Some publishers call
them "chapter books"...not novels
|
| janfields |
Unfortunatly that
area...the strong reader who still wearies easily and so cannot
handle a long book form
|
| janfields |
Is still emerging and
changing
|
| stretch |
and you're a great asset
to us in open forum and moderator for guest chats, we love
you!!
|
| janfields |
Awww...and you're a
sweetie.
|
| janfields |
And I must wrap
up.
|
| janfields |
It's running into my
bedtime!! Since I'm an East Coast gal.
|
| janfields |
I know I didn't get to
all the questions.
|
| janfields |
I'll try to slip any
leftovers into this week's enews
|
| janfields |
So you can get
answers.
|
| janfields |
Thanks for hanging out
with me.
|
| janfields |
And know that we'll
have another forum on Tuesday
|
| janfields |
2pm
eastern
|
| janfields |
Thank YOU for coming to
chat
|
