| janfields |
Open Forum, January 15,
will begin in five minutes. This is open topic, so you're welcome to
ask any writing related question...in five minutes.
|
| janfields |
Open Forum, January 15,
begins in two minutes...so flex your typing fingers and ask me some
questions..okay?
|
| janfields |
Welcome to Open Forum
for January 15th. This is open topic, so all writing questions are
welcome...feel free to jump in any time.
|
| janfields |
I have a few questions
to catch from email.
|
| janfields |
So, I'll go ahead and
do those...then, catch any audience questions as they
come.
|
| janfields |
Or we can hang
out.
|
| janfields |
I'm so
easy.
|
| juan |
an assigemnt arrived late
to me and the deadline is near,
|
| juan |
what do i
do?
|
| janfields |
Anytime any kind of
concern comes up about assignments
|
| janfields |
you can always call or
email student services.
|
| janfields |
The call is toll
free
|
| janfields |
the email
is...Counselor_Services@InstituteChildrensLit.com
|
| janfields |
You never have to worry
about bothering them.
|
| janfields |
Student services is
totally impossible to bother.
|
| janfields |
They love helping...so
really, anything you need, you can ask.
|
| janfields |
And they can extend a
deadline.
|
| janfields |
Your instructor never
wants you to feel squashed by deadlines.
|
| janfields |
The course is supposed
to be challenging...but fun.
|
| janfields |
If time pressure sucks
the fun out because of a mistake like Juan is
facing
|
| janfields |
Or just because life is
kicking you a little hard lately.
|
| janfields |
Call...or email...get
an extension.
|
| janfields |
We don't want you to
lose your forward momentum
|
| janfields |
but momentum isn't
worth much if the course feels like drudgery.
|
| janfields |
So...call and we'll
help you keep it fun...though sometimes a little
challenging.
|
| jan_fields |
charweb: What are
literary magazines?
|
| janfields |
"Literary" magazines
can have two meanings.
|
| janfields |
Some magazines are
called "literary" because they are attached to a college or other
institution of higher learning
|
| janfields |
And they run fiction
that is character driven
|
| janfields |
And
non-genre.
|
| janfields |
Plougshares was a big
literary magazine when I started writing.
|
| janfields |
Literary magazines
often buy pieces from college students.
|
| janfields |
The money is
low
|
| janfields |
The circulation is
limited
|
| janfields |
And the tone can
be...um...stuffy.
|
| janfields |
The "classic" literary
magazine does not buy children's stories.
|
| janfields |
When you talk about
literary magazines for children...
|
| janfields |
you mean either
magazines open to less plot driven stories...
|
| janfields |
like Cricket, for
example.
|
| janfields |
Or you mean magazines
open to stories from kids...like New Moon or Stone
Soup
|
| janfields |
which are both called
"literary magazines."
|
| janfields |
So generally the two
things connected with the "literary" magazine are less "plot
focused" stories
|
| janfields |
and running stories
from younger writers.
|
| jan_fields |
georgekulz: What is the
trick to writing for these literary magazines?
|
| janfields |
Focus on
character...these stories are heavily into
character.
|
| janfields |
And if you're writing
for adult literary magazines, the ending is usually
not...um...happy.
|
| janfields |
So, you want something
a bit edgier, a bit darker.
|
| janfields |
Less dialogue, more
inner voice.
|
| janfields |
Lots of
setting
|
| janfields |
You'll have a plot, a
sense of moving forward, but it doesn't dominate
|
| janfields |
that kind of
thing.
|
| gonewest |
I'm on my last lesson in
the second course magazines...What
|
| gonewest |
do you think I could take
next to keep learning?
|
| janfields |
Okay, if you like
magazines over books...you're probably at the end of the ICL
courses.
|
| janfields |
You can go to
conferences and workshops.
|
| janfields |
But...okay, for me...I
would switch to "on the job" training and just
write.
|
| janfields |
Write, submit, collect
the painful responses, write some more.
|
| janfields |
When I switched from
writing for grownups to writing for kid's magazines I got a boat
load of rejections...and I learned through the
process.
|
| janfields |
Everything you write
will make you better.
|
| janfields |
ICL doesn't offer a
course focused on nonfiction books.
|
| janfields |
But if you're
interested in that, I know Laura Purdie Salas is doing an online
class in writing books for educational publishers.
|
| janfields |
If you check the
transcripts, the transcript with her has her
website
|
| janfields |
and you can email her
from there.
|
| janfields |
That would be a good NF
book course, and would look at some fiction for educational
publisers too.
|
| janfields |
She's even written
nonfiction poetry for educational publishers.
|
| janfields |
I honestly don't
remember where Laura is from, gonewest, I have a memory like sack of
cats sometimes...lots of action but you can't control what comes
out.
|
| janfields |
Right, the ICL book
course does let you write a nonfiction book .
|
| janfields |
Probably a lot of the
instructors in the ICL book course have nonfiction experience
too...and you could specifically ask for one with educational
experience...might happen, hard to say. But there are lots of
options.
|
| janfields |
I'm also fond of just
jumping in there and working the business...but then, I was raised
by parents who didn't believe in bike helmets either -- they felt a
little bleeding was educational.
|
| janfields |
So I tend to think that
way too.
|
| janfields |
Ah...more input from
those in the courses...
|
| soradina |
Jan you can choose to
write a nonfiction book in the
|
| soradina |
advanced book writing
course. The course is set up to
|
| soradina |
let the student choose
that option.
|
| janfields |
So, straight from the
students mouths...I don't teach that one.
|
| signaturew |
Do you have any pointers
to share with us on filing taxes?
|
| janfields |
Yes, marry a guy who
likes numbers.
|
| janfields |
Honestly, I don't get
near my taxes...my husband handles it.
|
| janfields |
And I know other
writers who get tax people to do it.
|
| janfields |
I know if you're making
steady money at writing (as I do...small, but
steady)
|
| janfields |
then you have to make
self-employment payments throughout the year
|
| janfields |
Which is exactly the
kind of detail that would get me carted off to the pokey if I didn't
have a nice detail minded fella to keep up with it for
me.
|
| janfields |
I do take a home office
deduction because I have a dedicated home office.
|
| janfields |
"dedicated" is an
important feature of that.
|
| janfields |
And I keep track of
expenses like magazine subscriptions and buying
magazines.
|
| janfields |
And office
supplies.
|
| janfields |
If you're going to do a
lot of deductions...you need real tax help.
|
| chippy |
Writing is taking a
backseat at the moment due to packing and house selling. Any ideas
on how to fit it in to the madness in a less stressed
way
|
| janfields |
Most of the folks I
know who want to "keep a hand in" while something big and life
changing is going on...
|
| janfields |
all switch to short
forms during the stress times...poetry
|
| janfields |
maybe
fillers
|
| janfields |
doing some setting
studies.
|
| janfields |
But not really trying
to double team.
|
| janfields |
Now, having said
that...I wrote novel while we moved to this house so I'm not a good
one for following my own advice.
|
| janfields |
But I also noticed an
unusual rate of hair loss...so I was probably a little
over-stressed.
|
| janfields |
But when you have a
deadline...you do what ya gotta do.
|
| jitterbug |
do u have to always
describe the char. if the emphasis is on
|
| jitterbug |
the
story
|
| janfields |
I describe characters
in action...always.
|
| janfields |
So my characters don't
get a lot of physical description.
|
| janfields |
I do know if a
character has a feature that needs to be revealled, you gotta do it
early.
|
| janfields |
Otherwise, your reader
may be picturing one thing
|
| janfields |
and when you reveal
something else, it's jarring.
|
| janfields |
So if your character
needs to be a redhead or needs to be short or wear glasses...get it
in early.
|
| janfields |
But I don't give the
reader more than they need.
|
| janfields |
As a result, I'm often
surprised at how my character look in illustrations
|
| janfields |
Since I don't specify,
really anything is "right"
|
| jitterbug |
where can u find out more
about poetry guidelines?
|
| janfields |
Publishers, whether
magazine or book, usually specify what they want in
poetry.
|
| janfields |
Magazine guidelines
often tell how many lines, even
|
| janfields |
and whether they accept
unrhymed
|
| janfields |
and what
topics.
|
| janfields |
As far as how to do the
manuscript (if that's what you meant), you are fairly free...some
double space all poetry but some writers single space if it's only a
couple lines long.
|
| jan_fields |
JEN: Are publishers
really not buying rhyming PB or talking animal PB from new
writers?
|
| janfields |
Ahhh...this is a
favorite, and it hits my in box often.
|
| janfields |
Editors do buy rhyming
books and books with animal characters.
|
| janfields |
Lots of them
actually.
|
| janfields |
Unfortunately, if you
check out any slush pile...any slush pile for a publisher who does
ANY kids books, you'll find mostly picture books.
|
| janfields |
Like over 90%...and
that includes slush piles for publishers who don't do picture
books.
|
| janfields |
Among those picture
books, most will rhyme.
|
| janfields |
And most will have
animal main characters.
|
| janfields |
A great many will do
both.
|
| janfields |
So if you do animal
main characters or rhyme, you are doing what almost every other
writer sending to that publisher is doing.
|
| janfields |
Can you imagine how
hard it is to stand out that way?
|
| janfields |
Most editors will not
read more than ONE line of an animal character story or rhyme
story.
|
| janfields |
You honestly have to
grab them with the first line.
|
| janfields |
It needs to dump them
right into the action of the story in a way that blows the editor
away.
|
| janfields |
Then the editor will
move to the second line...same requirement.
|
| janfields |
The second a line
doesn't blow the editor away, they set the manuscript aside because
there are so many talking animal or rhyming manuscripts to choose
from.
|
| janfields |
So if you write that
kind, it would behoove you to go to workshops
|
| janfields |
and make some
"connections" to help lift you a bit out of the sameness of those
kinds of stories.
|
| jan_fields |
signaturew: when sending
an SASE, do you feel it sufficient to send a regular size envelope
and single postage for a disposable manuscript?
|
| janfields |
I never ask for a
manuscript back.
|
| janfields |
I always send a long
business sized envelope with normal postage...not enough for the
manuscript to come back.
|
| janfields |
And I write in my cover
letter "I have sent an SASE for your reply" -- I don' t mention
disposable manuscripts.
|
| janfields |
I just send an envelope
that is only big enough for the reply.
|
| janfields |
Honestly, if you're
getting a busy intern, sometimes they will cram the whole manuscript
in that little envelope...a regular longish business envelope like
all your bills come in.
|
| janfields |
And you get to pay the
extra postage when it comes.
|
| janfields |
But MOST of the time,
they figure it out and just send the response.
|
| janfields |
I hate to say
"disposable manuscript" because that sounds...I dunno, like the
manuscript is flimsy or something.
|
| janfields |
I just go with assuming
a bright editor can figure it out from the cheap envelope and cheap
postage and the fact that I say "reply."
|
| soradina |
Jan what is the date of
the next guest speaker forum? Is it
|
| soradina |
Is it January or February
21?
|
| janfields |
Night forum, January
25th.
|
| janfields |
Afternoon forum,
February 12th
|
| janfields |
Do I have the dates
messed up somewhere?
|
| janfields |
It's the mind like a
steel gnat thing.
|
| janfields |
Next guest
speaker...Feb 21
|
| janfields |
Our last guest speaker
was in January...the 3rd.
|
| janfields |
I only do one a
month.
|
| janfields |
Ahhhhh...I see
that..okay, I'll get it fixed...steel
gnat...buzzzzzzz
|
| janfields |
And the techie guy is
soooo trusting, he just puts up what I tell him.
|
| soradina |
When is Shirley Webb
coming as your guest for the forum?
|
| soradina |
You have it listed as
January 21.
|
| janfields |
Yup, should be
Feb...see what would life be like if I didn't help make it
confusing?
|
| george
kulz |
For the return envelope,
is normal postage one first class stamp? Because I've been putting
on 2 just in case.
|
| janfields |
I only put on
one.
|
| janfields |
My money guy watches
over the stamps like a mama gator.
|
| janfields |
But honestly, the post
office probably loves you if you put on two.
|
| janfields |
Normally, a rejection
letter is a small light thing...mean, but light
|
| janfields |
And if they send an
acceptance with contracts and whatnot, they often use their own
envelopes.
|
| janfields |
For years, I never got
my sases back...even rejections came in the magazine's
envelopes.
|
| janfields |
And I envisioned teams
of elves steaming off my stamps.
|
| janfields |
I wondered why the heck
I was sending the things.
|
| janfields |
But not I get my sase
back a lot more...and sometimes the magazines save postage by
scribbling on a page of my manuscript. Honeslty, I've gotten
ACCEPTANCE letters writtenon the bottom of my cover
letter.
|
| janfields |
So, you never know.
It's a mystery.
|
| ccollier |
I tell them theres no
need to return but they often do
|
| janfields |
Yeah, especially if
it's a short manuscript...they seem to be sure you really do want it
back, you're just in denial.
|
| chippy |
In a world where reading
is very limited, why are publishers so picky about what they
publish
|
| janfields |
Because they can
be.
|
| janfields |
Publishers get so much
material.
|
| janfields |
So why not pick only
what you want for whoever is reading.
|
| janfields |
But really, there are
still a lot of kids out there reading.
|
| jan_fields |
JEN: How many rejection
letters should I get before I give up and consider
self-publishing?
|
| janfields |
A
million?
|
| janfields |
Really, if you have to
set a piece aside, move on to the next one.
|
| janfields |
But don't side track
yourself if your goal is a career.
|
| janfields |
You can't fall so in
love with a manuscript that you can't let it go and move on to the
next one.
|
| janfields |
Keep in mind that many
writers who sold their third, fifth, tenth, twenty-seventh
book
|
| janfields |
were able to sell some
of those shelves book
|
| janfields |
later once they made
that first inroad and began learning how the whole business
works.
|
| jan_fields |
JEN: Are there any
self-publishing companies you would suggest?
|
| janfields |
If you want to publish
your grandma's stories to distribute to the family -- I suggest
Lulu
|
| janfields |
If you want to put
together a book to supplement a talk you travel around giving -- I
suggest Lulu.
|
| janfields |
Otherwise, I suggest
avoiding off-road publishing...that's just how I feel about
it.
|
