#1st5pages Workshop and Mentor News!

by Erin Cashman

We are on hiatus for August, so our next workshop will open on Saturday, September 1, at 12:00 pm EST. We’ll be hosting a workshop twitter chat on August 29, from 8-9 p.m. EST, and we hope you can join us! Just use the hashtag #1st5pages.

In the meantime, we have some exciting Mentor News!!!

We are so thrilled that NYT, USA Today, and WSJ bestselling author of both YA and adult fiction, Rachel Caine, has joined the workshop as a permanent mentor!! I love Rachel’s books, and I absolutely devoured THE GREAT LIBRARY SERIES! The fourth book in the series, SMOKE AND IRON, came out in July, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the final book! And HONOR BOUND, the second book in the wonderful series Rachel wrote with Ann Aguirre, comes out in February, 2019. You can add it to your Goodreads shelf here. DEAD AIR, the adult novel/audio/podcast, which Rachel co-wrote with Gwenda Bond and Carrie Ryan, releases on August 15th. And WOLFHUNTER RIVER, the third book in the Stillhouse Lake series, comes out March 26, 2019 (I loved Stillhouse Lake – but don’t read it before bed unless you want nightmares!)

We are all SO excited for IF THIS WERE A STORY, a middle grade contemporary by Beth Turley, releasing August 28! Beth isn’t just a wonderful mentor, she was a workshop participant!

Brenda Drake has two books to add to your TBR pile! I love the Fated Series, so I can’t wait for SEEKING FATE coming in September! And her new series looks fabulous – starting with ANALIESE RISING in January, 2019!

And Pintip Dunn also has two books coming out! I’m so excited for STAR CROSSED coming in October, and MALICE in January! And, Seize Today® was awarded the RITA for best YA Romance!

Then there’s THE DEVIL’S THIEF – the sequel to THE LAST MAGICIAN by Lisa Maxwell – which comes out October 9th. I adored THE LAST MAGICIAN so I can’t wait for this one!

I was lucky enough to read SVEN CARTER AND THE ANDROID ARMY by Rob Vlock – the second book in this series – and I adored this hilarious, middle grade, sci-fi adventure! It releases October 16th.

I loved REIGN OF THE FALLEN, so I can’t wait until January to get my hands on SONG OF THE DEAD by Sarah Glenn Marsh!

As a big Ron Smith fan, I’m so excited for his new MG sci-fi, THE OWLS HAVE COME TO TAKE US AWAY, releasing February, 2019. I absolutely love the cover – and the title!!

And I’d love it if you added my contemporary YA fantasy, UNCHARTED, coming September 4th, to your shelf on Goodreads! I also have a big preorder campaign going on – with a giveaway that includes signed books from several of our mentors, if you want to check it out here!

Lastly, FAT GIRL ON A PLANE, by Kelly deVos, was named one of Readers Digest’s Best Summer Books OF ALL TIME!!!! And well-deserved! You can read the list here!

Happy reading, writing, and revising!
Erin

About the Author:
Erin Cashman is AYAP’s 1st 5 Pages Workshop coordinator, and a permanent mentor. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, three kids, and an energetic rescue dog. She writes YA fantasy. UNCHARTED will be published on September 4, 2018, and THE EXCEPTIONALS, a Bank Street College of Education best book of the year, is available now. For up to date information about the workshop, you can follow Erin on twitter here

Erin Cashman

Erin Cashman writes young adult fantasy novels. She’s the award-winning author of The Exceptionals (which was named a Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book) and Uncharted, now available from Page Street Publishing.

Erin lives in Massachusetts with her husband, three children, and their energetic rescue dog, Riley. When she’s not writing, Erin enjoys reading (of course!), walking her dog, hiking, and watching TV with her family (all diehard fans of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek). She also loves to bake. She’s known for making her family and friends ugly but yummy birthday cakes.

Post © Erin Cashman and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Aug 7, 2018

Category: Imported from AYAP

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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