WOW Wednesday: V.E. Schwab on Short Paths & Long Roads

by Martina Boone

Today’s guest post is by Victoria Schwab, another of those talented young writers who seem to be setting the book world on fire. Which is exactly what she wants to talk about. She’s the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, she’s been known to say “tom-ah-toes”, “like”, and “y’all.” Her first book, THE NEAR WITCH, will be out next summer. You can catch her on her website or on her blog.

On Short Paths and Long Roads

by Victoria Schwab

People say I had a short path to publication. Others say I had a long road. I think it depends greatly on how you look at it, and how much you know.

I’m 23. My book sold when I was 22. I signed with an agent at 21. I wrote my first novel at 19. But I’d been writing in other forms since I was 16.

I signed with an agent 7 days after querying, on a book called The Shadow Mile. Now, THAT is in fact a short path. But The Shadow Mile went on submission for more than 9 months, and didn’t sell. It got close, again and again and again, but no sale. That is a pretty long road.

Toward the end of that time, I started writing The Near Witch. I wrote that book in under two months. That is a short path. It went on submission, and sold in under two months. That is a short path. But, revisions on that book took TEN MONTHS. That is a long road. The Near Witch’s window from sale to shelf: TWENTY-THREE MONTHS. That is a long road.

There’s a reason I’m saying all this. There is almost never a short path. Even when you THINK something is a short path, it’s most likely not. I know of an author who wrote a book, and the book sold within days, at auction, HUGE deal. Dream scenario. Everyone said, “That was so fast!!” and they didn’t say it in the kindest way. But what wasn’t publicized about this deal was that the author had written almost a dozen books before it.

We become preoccupied by the journeys of those around us. We see how easy it is for some (we think) but the fact is, we never, ever know the full road. Just as no two books and no two writers are the same, no two paths will ever be. It’s easiest for us to endow this industry with a sense of random chance, to attribute someone’s deal to luck, than to face the fact that we are never allowed the full picture.

It has always been on of my greatest weaknesses, comparison. The want to look around and gauge my own progress by that of others, to lay my path side by side with another’s. But it’s not worth it. We all have had long paths and short roads. Rather than concern ourselves with the journeys of others, we must try, for the sake of our productivity and sanity, to focus on our own, and not just to look down at the stretches of road ahead and behind, but to keep our eyes on the place we want to reach. If we are constantly looking down, preoccupied by how long the road is, we might lose ourselves there and never look up again.

~Victoria

THE NEAR WITCH
Disney*Hyperion
August 2, 2011
http://www.victoriaschwab.com/
http://www.veschwab.wordpress.com/

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: Oct 27, 2010

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: Getting Published | Inspiration for Writers | WOW Wednesday

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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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