RL/GL – Announcing Your Winners

by Lindsey Hodder

Our Red Light, Green Light contest has come to its very end… which means it’s time to announce our top three. We had some amazing entries in this contest, and we wish each and every one of our contestants the best in their future writing! At the end of the day, however, you – our amazing community – and the judges have spoken.

Overall Winner

UNFORSEEN REALITY
by Jen Dionne
NA Contemporary

The Pitch
When nineteen-year-old Wyatt Emerson overhears a plot involving her boyfriend to bomb Parliament in London, she must discover the details and stop the bombing before it’s too late.

The Beginning
“We should slit her throat straight away. Why wait?”
“Shut up, Heman! If I’m to die soon, I want to enjoy the time I’ve got left.”
“OK, Vineet. But if she finds out anything, she dies.”
I open my eyes. God, my head hurts! I face a wall. I don’t move. Where am I? Not The Three Tuns…
“Raj, are you sure you can assemble this bomb in under a day?”
“Yes, Heman, absolutely sure. I’ve got the steps memorized, and I’ve practiced with similar materials.”
“Excellent. We won’t receive the materials from the Emir until that morning.”

Runners Up

THE DEMON HUNTER’S INHERITANCE
by Christine Rogers YA Fantasy

The Pitch
Sixteen-year-old Matt, his cousin Sarah, and their friend Jake investigate the death of Matt’s cousin Eric. But when they learn that Eric hunted demons, it gets slightly more complicated…and lethal.

The Beginning
Matt’s birthday was Eric’s deathday, and that was how it all started.Matt should have realized that something was wrong sooner; his cousins were normally annoyingly punctual to any sort of party. Usually, Sarah would complain about how Mountain Dew looked radioactive and Eric would chug some cans of soda to annoy her, but Matt’s birthday party was in full swing, and they were nowhere to be seen. This was fine with Matt, though, because he had something far more important to think about.
Natalie Evans was a fellow sophomore and possibly the most beautiful girl to ever understand football.

FIREBIRD

by Laura Pohl
YA Fantasy

The PitchIn a retelling of “Ivan and the Firebird,” the daughter of Koschei must choose whether to save her kingdom or get revenge on the man who betrayed her.

The BeginningIn a tall white tower covered by snow, in a tall white castle that sat atop a tall white mountain Koschei the Immortal grew restless with loneliness. He’d survived thousands of years without company, and he’d survive thousands more, but with the winter growing cold and his castle empty, the blackness in his heart longed for another to share with the harsh winters of Russia.
His brothers and sisters suggested it was time for Koschei to find a bride – and one night, he stole away the beautiful Mariya Morevna and took her to his castle.

Lindsey Hodder

Lindsey is an aspiring artist, writer, zoologist/biologist and knower of random information.

Post © Elizabeth Dawson and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Sep 8, 2015

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: #contests | GreenLightWIP

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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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