QotW: What Are Your Favorite Social Media Sites?

by Clara Kensie

Hey everyone! Pretty much the only thing writers love as much as books and writing is talking about books and writing. So each week here at Adventures in YA Publishing, we’ll post a question for you to answer. The questions cover all topics important to writers: craft, career, writers’ life, reading and books. Together we’ll become better writers by sharing tips and discussing our habits and practices.

Question of the Week

March 16, 2014

What are your favorite social media sites?

photo credit: Jason A. Howie via photopin cc

The Adventures in YA Publishing gang answers:

Martina Boone: My social media habits go in spurts depending on what I’m doing. When I’m in heavy writing mode, I tend to be on Pinterest more often looking for inspiration. A lot of those images will eventually also find their way to my Tumblr feed. Other times, I love Twitter—but it’s like potato chips; once I’m on, I’m sucked in and clicking on links and massively derailed from doing anything productive. I really need to break that habit. I’m a reluctant Facebook user, although I do go on to skim for news about friends because lately I always seem to be about two weeks behind on email. I recently created a Facebook page, which has the feed from here at Adventures for those who aren’t on Blogger, and there is also Compulsion news, YASeriesInsiders.com news, and more.

Website: MartinaBoone.com
Tumblr: MartinaBoone.Tumblr.com
Pinterest: Pinterest.com/MartinaBoone
Facebook: Facebook.com/Martina.Boone
YASI Tumblr: YASeriesInsiders.com

Lisa Gail Green: Social media. I do love my social media. I adore Twitter, even though I’m not as active as I once was, I still make connections and have great conversations and links that make it soooo worth the time! My handle is @LisaGailGreen because I want to be easy to find. So just about anywhere that’s my handle. 😀 I admit I am getting used to FB as well. Maybe because hanging with other writers is just so much fun. I have an author page there too (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Lisa-Gail-Green/419781971445979) and I’m really getting into Pinterest. I love posting and finding fun and quirky, sometimes inspirational things. I can’t imagine the solitary life the writer once led. It may seem a bit of a time suck, but I get so much out of it that it’s hard to think of it that way!

Alyssa Hamilton: Definitely Twitter! I have connected with and met so many people through twitter it’s unreal. I also really love Instagram, mainly because it’s a fantastic way to see what books people are reading, receiving in the mail etc. I love Pinterest because it’s so fun to follow some authors and see where their inspiration comes from. Facebook is great for allowing your followers a quick tool to see all of your posts if they don’t actually follow your blog/website too.

Clara Kensie: Twitter! I am always on Twitter. You might call it an addition, and I am okay with that. I found it confusing and intimidating at first, but now it’s the place on the web where I feel most at home. It’s a great way to connect with readers, book bloggers, writers, publishers, and to stay current on local, national, and world events. I tweet about lots of topics—RUN TO YOU, books, young adult lit, funny things that happened to me that day, compelling or humorous images, etc. I love social media and I have accounts all over (see below for the sites on which I’m most active) but Twitter is hands down my favorite. Come and say hey to me on Twitter, or at any of my social media sites!

Twitter: @ClaraKensie
Website: clarakensie.com
Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorClaraKensie
Tumblr (personal): the glass jar on my desk
Tumblr (writing tips): writerly things from the glass jar
Instagram: instagram.com/clara_kensie

WHAT ABOUT YOU: What is your favorite social media site? Why do you like it? Which ones don’t you like?

Clara Kensie

RITA Award winning author of super-romantic thrillers and angsty dramas for young adults, & fun, flirty, feel-good romcoms for grown ups. Fueled by coffee and cookie dough.

Post © Clara Kensie and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Mar 16, 2014

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: Question of the Week | Social Media

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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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