| janfields |
January 25: Night Open
Forum begins in five minutes. Chat with web editor Jan Fields about
anything related to children's writing...in five
minutes
|
| janfields |
January 25: Night Open
Forum begins in two minutes. Chat with web editor Jan Fields about
anything related to children's writing...in two minutes. Do you know
where your manuscripts are?
|
| janfields |
Welcome to Night Open
Forum. I'm delighted to be with y'all tonight and happy to have some
questions in the que. I get so winded when I have to tap
dance.
|
| janfields |
Before we jump into the
chat. I just want to say...HEY my novel is in the hands of tween
girls even as we speak!
|
| janfields |
DRG sent out copies of
my novel with their Creative Girls Club package this
month.
|
| janfields |
I don't know how
many...I only found out because someone had emailed to say, "Hey, I
have a novel with your name on it -- is it yours?"
|
| janfields |
Now I'm waiting on my
copies so I can wow my eight year old with them.
|
| janfields |
So, anyway, if the
girls love them, I'll be writing a novel a month.
|
| janfields |
How's that for
pressure?
|
| janfields |
It's called Wellspring
of Magic.
|
| janfields |
If you Google
"Wellspring of Magic" and "Jan Fields" you can see the
cover...
|
| janfields |
someone loved it so
much they're selling their copy on ebay.
|
| janfields |
I'm trying not to be
crushed by that.
|
| janfields |
But at least I got to
see the finished cover...I had seen the graphic but not the
finish.
|
| janfields |
Ah someone asks how I
can write a novel so quickly.
|
| janfields |
I
outline.
|
| janfields |
I have about 6 of them
thoroughly outlined, chapter by chapter so I know what has to be
accomplished by each chapter.
|
| janfields |
And I have very
specific character sketches, so I make sure I keep up with details
of the characters.
|
| janfields |
The finished novels are
also 20,000 words, which is on the short side.
|
| janfields |
I had to come up with a
number of outlines for future books months ago when the project was
planned.
|
| janfields |
Work for hire is very
weird...not really like regular publishing process.
|
| janfields |
But still, cool in it's
own way.
|
| janfields |
It took me about a day
to do each outline.
|
| janfields |
Really when I came up
with the series, I was full of ideas for different things it could
do.
|
| janfields |
And by the time I
finished one...I was really just riding the flow, so I didn't have
trouble with the outlines.
|
| janfields |
But they will change
some as I write.
|
| janfields |
With the one that's out
now, I had to make some changes from the outline when the tension
seemed flat or I didn't have enough action.
|
| janfields |
Or when I wanted to
explore more about a character.
|
| janfields |
Outlines can't become
too rigid or the book won't thrive.
|
| janfields |
Now...let me hit the
que questions.
|
| janfields |
PJ: I've seen a couple of
comments from guest speakers about the first part of the year being
a slow time for acceptances. Is there a better or worse time of the
year for submitting book-length manuscripts?
|
| janfields |
Basically, the period
from late October to December can be challenging.
|
| janfields |
Many editors are
fitting vacations into that time...so it can be hard for
acquisitions decisions to be made.
|
| janfields |
And a lot of
manuscripts come in during that time.
|
| janfields |
Which is why things are
slow right now...editors are catching up.
|
| janfields |
Amazingly there is a
real lull (most of the time) during the summer.
|
| janfields |
So you'll often get a
quicker response because there isn't quite so much
pressure.
|
| janfields |
And the early fall can
be good -- Sept and October, at least, I've always seen things
moving fairly fast then.
|
| janfields |
But it's all kind of
nebulous...because the perfect time for YOU can come the day before
Christmas.
|
| janfields |
I've heard of
acceptance phone calls coming in December.
|
| janfields |
I got my agent call
practically right on top of Thanksgiving, as I
remember.
|
| janfields |
So don't hold a
manuscript thinking -- summer is better, summer is
better.
|
| janfields |
Really, the time to
send is when you have the absolute best thing possible TO
send.
|
| janfields |
But those general
fast/slow times do occur, so that gives you an idea of when they
are.
|
| janfields |
And, of course, some
publishers only open their doors for a brief time a year...like ummm
Carol Rhoda (is that spelled right?) and Blooming
Tree.
|
| janfields |
Anyway, for those
publishers, the "right" time is a little easier to define
:-)
|
| janfields |
Oh, right after either
of the HUGE SCBWI conferences can be a really tough
time
|
| janfields |
Because those
conferences always result in the FLOOD of
manuscripts.
|
| janfields |
Again, lots of
manuscripts in can be slower responses out.
|
| janfields |
Patti: Can two books have
the same title? How can I find out if someone else has a book by my
title?
|
| janfields |
Technically, a title
serves as a kind of unregistered "trademark" for your
book
|
| janfields |
So it's good to have
something attention getting.
|
| janfields |
But realistically,
there are a lot of books with the same title.
|
| janfields |
Especially with genre
titles since things like "Mystery" or "Secret" or key fantasy
phrases can be so ubiquitous
|
| janfields |
You can use a title
someone else used...that's legal
|
| janfields |
As long as your book is
markedly different -- otherwise they might have some trademark
recourse...maybe
|
| janfields |
But if your book is in
the same genre with the same (of nearly the same) title, you stand a
chance of confusion.
|
| janfields |
So you might do a
school visit, but the parents accidentally buy the book by Author B
since it's the same title.
|
| janfields |
If you want to know if
your title is in use, AMAZON.COM works as an excellent "books in
print" resource
|
| janfields |
since they basically
list every book with an isbn number
|
| janfields |
or pretty
near...including some books recently out of print.
|
| janfields |
So, just put your title
in the search function and see what's out there like
it.
|
| janfields |
Then decide if you want
to go with it anyway.
|
| tessa |
Do you ever resubmit a
story to the same mag 2 years later?
|
| janfields |
I never
have.
|
| janfields |
But I
would.
|
| janfields |
If I felt the story was
really really perfect for the magazine
|
| janfields |
and I knew why they
rejected me, and I'd fixed that issue.
|
| janfields |
Generally if I
resubmit, I do it right away.
|
| janfields |
I actually do the very
very very very very very evil thing
|
| janfields |
I resubmit
sometimes...just sometimes...
|
| janfields |
when I have not been
invited to
|
| janfields |
If they gave very clear
reasons for the rejection
|
| janfields |
And I totally
understood their reasoning and accepted it.
|
| janfields |
And if I felt I had
fixed the problem.
|
| janfields |
But I don't do that
lightly because although editors don't have HUGE
memories.
|
| janfields |
They will remember
people who annoy them.
|
| janfields |
So it's a risk I'll
take only if I'm pretty sure the revision won't annoy the
editor.
|
| janfields |
Because usually an
editor who is helping you...well, they usually figure you're not
going to do the revision right and don't really want to get into a
back-and-forth revision relationship
|
| janfields |
Not when they haven't
accepted the piece.
|
| janfields |
So mostly they're
offering advice for you to try out and inflict on a DIFFERENT
editor.
|
| janfields |
Tami: I'm considering
doing some kind of how-to article for one of my assignments. What
are the most popular kinds of how-to articles for
children?
|
| janfields |
The most popular how-to
articles are for activities...science related
usually.
|
| janfields |
Editors love hands-on
learning activities.
|
| janfields |
Especially when they're
fun.
|
| janfields |
These aren't the most
PLENTIFULLY PUBLISHED how-tos, but they are the most
wanted
|
| janfields |
because editors get so
few of them that they really like.
|
| janfields |
Because a science
activitiy needs to be unusual
|
| janfields |
cheap and easy to
do
|
| janfields |
and needs to work
consistently.
|
| janfields |
It's no good if it
doesn't work when the kid does it.
|
| janfields |
Now, the most
plentifully published how-to is probably the craft
how-to.
|
| janfields |
For tweens/teens these
are usually fashion related.
|
| janfields |
Or give
related.
|
| janfields |
For younger kids, they
might be artsy or make a toy.
|
| janfields |
Again, they must be
cheap, relatively easy, and work.
|
| janfields |
They also have to have
a feeling of uniqueness.
|
| janfields |
So don't just buy a kit
and then try to sell a how-to on how to buy and work a
kit.
|
| janfields |
I have actually seen
folks do that...not a good how-to.
|
| janfields |
The third most used
how-to is the recipe.
|
| janfields |
Most kid recipes are
about assembling ingredients rather than cooking.
|
| janfields |
And "assemble" recipe
is safer -- no ovens.
|
| janfields |
if the recipe is
seasonal or holiday...it's even a bigger hit.
|
| rainchain |
I have seen some mags
looking for how to outside games for
|
| rainchain |
kids lately to inspire
exercise and health
|
| janfields |
Health and exercise is
huge lately.
|
| janfields |
Magazines do want to
inspire kids to get outside.
|
| janfields |
So even science
activities will sell better if they can be done
outside.
|
| janfields |
And outdoor games are
often grouped together with a magazine doing an article featuring
several games.
|
| janfields |
I've seen that many
times in Family Fun, for example.
|
| janfields |
Again...keep it simple,
not a lot of unusual equipment
|
| janfields |
Tami: Does a how-to
article need a bibliography? If so, should I tell where I got the
idea?
|
| janfields |
If you got the idea by
copying it out of another source, like a book or magazine...um,
that's an issue.
|
| janfields |
Editors don't want an
idea copied from somewhere else.
|
| janfields |
Though your idea may be
inspired by something else.
|
| janfields |
For example, my
daughter and I are working on a board game inspired by a number of
different games.
|
| janfields |
But something like that
would not need a bibliography.
|
| janfields |
If your how-to is
similar enough to something else to where you feel the need for a
bibliography, chances are you need to come up with something more
original
|
| janfields |
perhaps springing from
that idea...but going well beyond it.
|
| monkee |
Why are editors asking
for jpeg format for pictures? Isn't
|
| monkee |
tiff better because it's
lossless compression?
|
| janfields |
I expect you're dealing
with what editors are familiar with
|
| janfields |
and what works across
the board in the most software.
|
| janfields |
Virtually anyone can
create a jpg...every single image software has that
option.
|
| janfields |
But some of the skimpy
programs may not do a tiff
|
| janfields |
And honestly, I would
guess some editors don't know what a tiff is.
|
| janfields |
Editors tend to be a
lot like writers.
|
| janfields |
They understand their
computer to the extent they need to
|
| janfields |
but not beyond
that.
|
| janfields |
So, give the editor
what they want.
|
| coloradokate |
My regional SCBWI folks
have asked me to collect links and articles and to write a do's and
don't's article on critique groups for our new website. Any
ideas?
|
| janfields |
Do you want my dos and
don'ts or my suggestions for links and articles?
|
| janfields |
We have some good crit
articles here on the icl site in the Writers Support/Networking
section.
|
| janfields |
One of the absolute
"dos" is making sure everyone is on the same page before you get
started.
|
| janfields |
If some folks think
crits should only be stated positively...they'll be hurt by someone
pointing out flaws more bluntly.
|
| janfields |
And watch for crit
hogs.
|
| janfields |
Some folks want to be
critiqued but not give critiques.
|
| janfields |
Sometimes they fret
that they're not good enough to give crits.
|
| janfields |
But the end result is
the same, the group feels taken advantage of when some members get
but don't give.
|
| janfields |
Critique groups can be
wonderful.
|
| janfields |
But when they don't
work out...it's almost never the things you think you should worry
about...
|
| janfields |
like protecting each
other's ideas...
|
| janfields |
usually it's
personality conflicts more than anything else.
|
| janfields |
Folks who have
different expectations for the group than what it provides so
communication early and clearly really is key.
|
| soradina |
What do you do when you
get stuck working on an idea?
|
| janfields |
I don't get stuck a
lot.
|
| janfields |
But when it does
happen, I just stop and I'll return to the idea later when I'm doing
dishes
|
| janfields |
Or in the
shower.
|
| janfields |
Somehow warm water
seems to figure into a lot of my writer's block
cures.
|
| janfields |
Anyway, I find that
working on the problem away from the computer
|
| janfields |
when doing something
else...often lets me think through the problem
better.
|
| janfields |
I know some folks who
go running (folks who aren't me)...and find the combination of
activity and gentle teasing at the idea really
helps.
|
| janfields |
And sometimes I just
work on something else...usually something
odious...
|
| janfields |
that often makes the
block break just to get away from the icky stuff.
|
| jan_fields |
sunshineday: what happens
when you have a great idea for a story and know all the exciting,
conflict and cliffhangers but the middle of the story is the
problem?
|
| janfields |
I actually have a book
where that happened...it was going so well...then it just
kerflumped.
|
| janfields |
No, I have two
manuscripts like that.
|
| janfields |
In one I even know how
it should end, but the middle sucks and I can't fix
i.
|
| janfields |
it
|
| janfields |
I think the ultimate
problem with both was that the characters were beginning to drift
out of the personalities...I was holding them to the framework of
the plot idea I had
|
| janfields |
and they were resisting
it.
|
| janfields |
And as a result, I
finally hit a wall...they just stopped feeling really
real
|
| janfields |
and strong in the
scenes.
|
| janfields |
When I had that problem
in the book that's out right now.
|
| janfields |
I stopped and spent
time going back over the characters (its an ensemble
cast)
|
| janfields |
And I started
asking...would she really do this.
|
| janfields |
And I found spots where
the honest answer was...no
|
| janfields |
And so I had to rework
the plot...even in scenes I liked
|
| janfields |
until the characters
got back in the groove of very clear personality.
|
| janfields |
And then I found that
although I "lost" some of my real cool preplanning
|
| janfields |
I got better stuff
instead and I still reached the story end goal
strongly.
|
| janfields |
So, you might try going
back to character.
|
| soradina |
What do you to get
motivated to write?
|
| janfields |
I get nagged by my
husband.
|
| janfields |
It's very
motivating.
|
| janfields |
He knows that no one
will pay for stuff I don't write.
|
| janfields |
And he really likes it
when I get paid.
|
| janfields |
But, beyond that...I
actually love to write though some of the projects I work on are not
my favorites.
|
| janfields |
So usually, really,
motivation isn't a problem as much as fear is
|
| janfields |
I get worried that I
can't pull something off and I start thinking I should go watch Dr.
Who
|
| janfields |
Or clean the
bathroom.
|
| janfields |
And then I just have to
make myself work sometimes.
|
| janfields |
It can be like herding
cats, though, because I really resist things that scare
me.
|
| janfields |
But that's how I grow
as a writer...sometimes I write things that suck really
badly.
|
| janfields |
But I learn from
that...it's not pleasant, but it's very...um Marine
Corps
|
| janfields |
That which does not
kill me, makes me write better :-)
|
| soradina |
so money is your
motivator then?
|
| janfields |
Naw, money is my
husband's motivator.
|
| janfields |
I love the idea of kids
reading my work
|
| janfields |
Or writers reading
something I wrote and being helped by it.
|
| janfields |
Sure, forcing yourself
is tough and you don't write as smoothly and
flowingly...
|
| janfields |
and sometimes ...
WELL
|
| janfields |
when you force
it.
|
| janfields |
But sometimes it can be
all that stands between you and a nice long fear-induced
block.
|
| janfields |
I'm a firm believer in
force because otherwise your fear will convince you
|
| janfields |
that you can only write
when the muse is with you
|
| janfields |
or when things are
flowing
|
| janfields |
or when it
clicks.
|
| janfields |
Hey, muses, flow and
click are WONDERFUL and sometimes it works like
that.
|
| janfields |
But if I only write
then...the time between writing will tend to grow longer and
longer.
|
| jaquelyn |
Assignment 4 nonfiction:
can it go over 1000 words?
|
| janfields |
If I'm your instructor,
sure.
|
| janfields |
I like to see folks
take as long as it takes to do a good job.
|
| janfields |
But you need to stay at
least reasonably within the word counts in the
course
|
| janfields |
Because ... well, for
practical reasons, you're instructor is getting paid on the average
amouhnt of time to complete that range of word count
crit
|
| janfields |
If you go way
over...the instructor has to make a choice...
|
| janfields |
not crit it all or crit
it for free.
|
| janfields |
That can be a tough
choice. Now, I critique it all...within reason.
|
| janfields |
I had one student send
like...25 pages.
|
| janfields |
That's a little
excessive, ya know.
|
| janfields |
So anyway...yes, you
can fudge a bit beyond the manual word count but try not to stretch
much.
|
| janfields |
It's really really
really really really hard to sell nonfiction of 1000 words, by the
way.
|
| janfields |
The average word count
for nonfiction in magazines for kids (and teens) these days is 500
words.
|
| janfields |
So, if you want to sell
it. You probably don't want to stretch too much
anyway.
|
| monkee |
Terrible - what do you do
when your characters in writing
|
| monkee |
prompts keep expiring?
What does this mean?
|
| janfields |
Eek...maybe you need to
feed them more.
|
| janfields |
Thank you all for
coming and chatting with
me.
|
