What I Learned at YALLFEST and How It Changed My Outlook

by Martina Boone

Me, Tracy Clark, and Kimberley Griffiths Little at Blue Bicycle Books

If any of you saw my post on Saturday, you know that I’ve been down at YALLFEST in Charleston, South Carolina. I wanted to go this year for several reasons. Number one, my super-secret project, which I will tell you about in a few days, involves a few other authors. We wanted to get together someplace and finalize our plans and get to know each other better. Number two, my upcoming series, THE HEIRS OF WATSON ISLAND, is set on three fictional plantations south of Charleston. And finally, number three, Charleston is fast becoming my favorite city in the U.S.

One of Charleston’s many quirky shops

I got on the plane in D.C., and ended up sitting next to Rae Carson, and directly in front of Cinda Williams Chima, which was lovely right off the bat.

Rae Carson signing — she’s so gracious!

Then I met my friends at the airport, and we checked into the hotel–imagine four women in one room with one bathroom, and then imagine that we all got out the door in under an hour. We deserve some sort of a medal for that, I swear.

Carol Barreyre, Tracy Clark, Kimberley Griffiths Little

Friday was spent running around like crazy, picking up boxes of books from Blue Bicycle Books, one of the coolest bookstores anywhere, picking up information, shooting photos, finding places/themes/props from our books, polishing press releases, and preparing for the mayhem that was going to be YALLFEST.

Let me just say that mayhem doesn’t begin to cover it. There were 5,000 teens at YALLFEST who came from all over the U.S. to see the nearly 50 amazing YA authors.

Which brings me to what I learned:

YA fans are hardcore. They will cheerfully do without sleep and without allowance for MONTHS to get their hands on a signed book and say a few words to a favorite author.
YA moms are saints. They will cheerfully drive for days and stand in line for hours to get signatures while their teens go hear their favorite authors speak.
YA authors rock. They will do almost anything for their fans, no matter how tired, how stressed, how overworked they are.
YA books create rabid followings. It is incredible what YA readers know about the books and the characters, and how much they identify with those characters.

I know none of this sounds like a surprise. But honestly, while I loved, loved, loved spending time with my friends, going to the panels, chatting with the authors, and looking around the city, the thing I absolutely loved best was just standing in line talking to the fans, finding out what books they loved, what authors they loved, what genres they loved. It’s so humbling to see in-person how much a book can change a life. You can know that on an intellectual level, but until you hear it over and over and over, it doesn’t quite sink in. Somehow, even though I knew how much certain books have changed my own life, I didn’t extrapolate that knowledge as deeply as I needed to for today’s readers.

YALLFEST was an incredible experience for me, both as a reader and as an author. Seeing a reader’s face light up when you describe your own book is a mind-blowing thing. And listening to how a book changed them, that is beyond humbling and gratifying.

With the fabulous Libba Bray

I went to some fantastic panels, got close to 40 books signed for giveaways for my super-secret project, and had the opportunity to have lunch with the fabulous Libba Bray, drinks with the incredible Ellen Hopkins and the talented Megan Shepherd, not to mention quick chats with lovely Melissa de la Cruz, beautiful Veronica Rossi, gorgeous Tahereh Mafi, and a slew of other authors whose books I drool over. I heard Libba Bray and her band, Tiger Beat, do covers of Prince’s Purple Rain and The Who’s Revolution that were flat outstanding.

But the fans, they took my breath away.

I am so, so lucky to get to write for YA readers.

Who’s been to YALLFEST or another teen festival elsewhere in the country? What did you take away from the experience?

What author would you most want to spend time with, if you could?

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

XO,

Martina

Martina Boone

Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, starting with COMPULSION from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and the Celtic Legends Collection of novels set in Scotland, Cornwall, and Ireland beginning with LAKE OF DESTINY. She’s passionate about improving lives through literacy and the love of books, and she runs the Compulsion For Reading program to distribute books to underserved schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog Phinney, and Zoey the lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary romantic fiction with a hint of magic set in small towns and beautiful places. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Post © Martina Boone and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Nov 12, 2013

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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