YA Sunday Morning News: This Week for Writers 6/18/17

by Lori Ann Palma

Happy Sunday, writers!

We’ve reached the half-way point in June and the pipeline of new YA book releases is going strong! I have interviews below with these debut and seasoned authors, as well as YA adaptation news, and our regular scheduled programming of links on writing craft and publishing trends.

If there’s a news story or blog post you found particularly interesting, or you want to share your thoughts on an article, send me a tweet. Or just stop by to say hello!

Enjoy!

Writing for Publication—Queries and Submissions:

How to Immediately Improve Your Query Letter’s Effectiveness via Jane Friedman: Tips on how much detail to include, query length, and more.
Also see the Pitch Wars Query and First Pages Workshops link under the Writing and Pitch Contests section below for more helpful critiques.

Writing for Publication—Book Marketing and Social Media:

Authors, Grow Your Fan Base By Leading A Book Club via Digital Book World: Authors who create their own online book clubs can expand their reader base and make their books more discoverable.
Hey Author, Don’t Ask Questions, Just Start a Newsletter via Nathan Bransford: An overview of newsletters and how to set one up.

Author Interviews:

Sherman Alexie and the Tricky Art of Memoir via NYT Books: Sherman Alexie shares how his difficult childhood inspired his upcoming memoir, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.
Sandhya Menon Q&A via Riveted: Sandhya Menon and her editor, Jennifer Ung, interview each other.
Author Of The Week: Chat with Elle Cosimano (The Suffering Tree), Plus Giveaway!! via YA Books Central: YABC interviews their YA Author of the Week, Elle Cosimano.
Q & A with Mackenzi Lee via Publishers Weekly: Interview with Mackenzi Lee, author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.
Want Author Cindy Pon Talks Sci-Fi Worldbuilding and Odd Futures with Rhoda Belleza via The B&N Teen Blog: Cindy Pon, author of Want, talks with Rhoda Belleza, author of Empress of a Thousand Skies, about worldbuilding, weird science, and how the future is now.
Must-read YA: ‘I’m Not in the Band’ by Amber Garza (and interview!) via Happily Ever After: Interview with Amber Garza about her novel, I’m Not In the Band.
Interview: Jodi Lynn Anderson, author of ‘Midnight at the Electric’ via Happily Ever After: Interview with Jodi Lynn Anderson on her latest novel.
10 Authors Discuss Adoption, Indigenous Superheroes, and More in June’s YA Open Mic via The B&N Teen Blog: YA Open Mic is a monthly series in which YA authors share personal stories on topics of their choice; this month’s authors include Sarah Dessen, Ambelin Kwaymullina, S.K. Ali, and more.
20 Of Your Most Burning Questions Answered By Cassandra Clare via BuzzFeed Books: Members of the BuzzFeed community ask Cassandra Clare their most burning questions.
Author Chat with Adele Griffin (Be True To Me), Plus Giveaway! via YA Books Central: A chat with Adele Griffin, author of Be True To Me.

Adventures in YA Publishing Author Interviews:

Literary Agent News and Interviews:

Agent Update: Becky LeJeune of the Bond Literary Agency via Writer’s Digest: Update on what Becky LeJeune is seeking and submission details.
AGENT SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW WITH BIBI LEWIS and QUERY CRITIQUE GIVEAWAY via Literary Rambles: Interview with Bibi Lewis, associate literary agent at The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency.

Writing and Pitch Contests:

Pitch Wars Query and First Page Workshops via Brenda Drake: A quick reminder that Pitch Wars opens on August 2, and if you’re polishing your manuscript and query, check out this archive of critiques to help you along.

Writing Craft:

How To Create a Sense of Time and Place in YA Fiction via Epic Reads: HarperTeen’s editorial director Jen Klonsky breaks down Jodi Lynn Anderson’s vivid and detailed storytelling in her new YA fiction novel, Midnight At The Electric.
Two Easy-to-use Tools the will Dramatically Improve Your Dialogue via Operation Awesome: Quick article on replacing dialogue tags with action.
Filter Words and Phrases to Avoid in Writing Fiction via Anne R. Allen: Removing filter words from your writing and replacing them with stronger narrative.
75 Questions to Help You Get to Know Your Characters via The Writers Alley: Get to know your characters before you put them into action by answering this comprehensive list of questions.
How to Begin a Story: 3 Quick Ways to Improve Beginnings and Endings via The Write Practice: Great tips to help you begin or end a story.

Writing Inspiration:

5 Things All Writers Should Know When Writing a Second Novel via Writer’s Digest: Tips to help writers with starting their second novel.
Celebrating Milestones via Sub It Club: Enjoying the smaller moments along your writing journey.
The Secret Every Frustrated Writer Needs to Know via The Write Practice: Fighting your way through the creative gap.

Publishing News & Trends:

Danielle Macdonald Joins The Dumplin Movie Cast! via Epic Reads: The Dumplin’ adaptation has cast its Willowdean.
What new YA covers hit the web in May 2017? via YA Interrobang: ICYMI, all the YA cover reveals from May.
Story of a Girl: Watch the trailer for Kyra Sedgwick’s directing debut via EW: The real story here is that Story of a Girl is an adaptation of Sara Zarr’s novel, which will air on Lifetime.
Keiynan Lonsdale Joins the Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda Movie Cast via Epic Reads: The latest addition to the Simon movie cast.
Powerhouse YA Authors on World-Building and Agency | SLJ Day of Dialog 2017 via School Library Journal: Recap of the Day of Dialog with YA authors discussing world-building, family dynamics, and how actions drive plot.
MGM Acquires ‘Every Day;’ Michael Sucsy Directs, Angourie Rice Stars In YA Adaptation via Deadline: MGM has acquired the rights to produce Every Day, the feature adaptation to David Levithan’s bestselling YA novel

New YA E-Book Deals:

New YA Book Giveaways:

YA Book Awards and Congratulations:

Crooked Kingdom wins the Teen Choice Book Awards. via YA Interrobang: Congratulations to Leigh Bardugo!

YA New Book Deals and Releases:

New Releases this week 06/12-06/18 plus 4 Giveaways! via Adventures in YA Publishing: Our weekly list of new releases and giveaways!
What’s New In YA ~ June 13th, 2017 via YA Books Central: YABC’s weekly look at new YA releases.
What new YA books release this week? (June 13) via YA Interrobang: Rounding out the trifecta, another list of new YA books hitting shelves this week.

Just for Fun:

YA Series That Need Their Own Netflix Shows via Harlequin TEEN: Is your favorite series on the list?
Smells Like Trouble: Candles Inspired By Badass YA Heroines via Book Riot: Love YA? Love candles? This list has you covered.

Lori Ann Palma

Posted: Jun 18, 2017

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: Lori Ann Palma | This Week for Writers

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← Previous: Cora Carmack, author of ROAR, on writing things that scare her Next: New Releases this week 06/19-06/25 plus Giveaway of SUCH A GOOD GIRL →

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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