Mary Amato, author of GET HAPPY, finds plot solutions on power walks

by Adventures in YA Publishing

What is your favorite thing about GET HAPPY?

I love the friendship that Minerva has with Fin. Even though she makes the mistake of letting her own problems distract her from being the best friend she could be, their history and their love is an absolute rock. Everybody should have at least one friend to count on.

As I was writing, every time Fin appeared in a scene, the room seemed to brighten. I hope that readers feel that as they’re reading. The process of creating characters and living with them for as long as it takes to write a book is an interesting one. I get attached to my favorite characters; and when the novel is done, I miss them.

Many writers will say that their characters feel “real” to them. I have that experience. I know that a character is imagined, but it also seems as if the character lives outside of my imagination.

What is your writing ritual like? Do you have one?

My writing day begins with meditation followed by a cup of tea and breakfast. Then go to my writing studio and open up all the shades and pour a few drops of eucalyptus oil into a little marble dish. I often enjoy working to music, and I have great speakers (if you can help it, never listen to music on computer speakers). I like using Pandora because it introduces me to new artists based on previous artists that I have liked. I write until lunchtime.

Before eating lunch, I grab my writer’s notebook and head out for a power walk. I walk the same path so that I don’t have to make any decisions about where to turn. This helps me to focus on my story. I just think through my story or a particular scene in my mind as I walk. During the time it takes to get from my house to the creek, I often come up with a plot solution or have an insight about a character. I stop and write down my thoughts. I never, ever trust myself to remember.

Typically, after my walk, I make my lunch and take it to my desk. I eat at my desk while I’m getting back into the writing. If I’m in a flow, I write until 4 or so. I do an afternoon meditation which sometimes morphs into a short nap. Often I get another insight or idea after this. I write until 5 or 6.If I get writer’s block, I take my notebook to the library or a coffee shop, just to get away. In those instances, I often work well in busy places. Somehow it takes the pressure off of me. I can’t quite explain it, but getting away from the desk can be helpful. I also break my routine to do skypes, school visits, or if I have appointments; but generally, I’m writing every day. The great part about this is that I love to write. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. It just means it’s rewarding.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Get Happy
by Mary Amato
Hardcover
EgmontUSA
Released 10/28/2014

In this poignant, realistic, contemporary YA by a state master list star, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Gayle Forman, a young songwriter builds a substitute family with her friends in place of the broken family she grew up with.

A hip high school girl who loves music, writes songs, and is desperate for a ukelele, learns to her shock that her father did not abandon her years ago and has been trying to keep in touch. She begins to investigate him, only to discover that he has a new life with a new family, including the perfect stepdaughter, a girl who Minerva despises.

Purchase Get Happy at Amazon
Purchase Get Happy at IndieBound
View Get Happy on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Amato is an award-winning children’s book author, poet, playwright, and songwriter. Her books have been translated into foreign languages, optioned for television, produced onstage, and have won the children’s choice awards in several states.

Adventures in YA Publishing

This is the user name for posts from Adventures in YA Publishing that did not have a specific author.

Post © Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Nov 1, 2014

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Author Interviews

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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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