YA Sunday Morning News: This Week for Writers 5/21/17

by Lori Ann Palma

Happy Sunday!

This week’s links are light on news, but heavy with agent interviews. If you’re querying right now, make sure you check them out!

Enjoy!

Writing for Publication—Before the Sale:

Writing 101: How to Spot a Shmagent via Adventures in YA Publishing: This post is part of the Writing 101: From Concept to Query (and Beyond!) series. This week’s post looks at ways to spot a shady agent.
A Hot Steaming Sack Of Business Advice For Writers via Terribleminds: An honest look at publishing and advice for authors getting into the business.
Queries That Make You Go Hmmm… via Sub It Club: A list of query rules with explanations on why you shouldn’t break them.

Writing for Publication—Book Marketing and Social Media:

Public Speaking Tips for Writers: 7 Keys for a Great Speech via The Write Practice: If you’re going to be an author, you must be able to speak publically.
Non-Smarmy Marketing with Nathalie Lussier via Create If Writing: Podcast sharing tips on non-smarmy marketing tactics.
5 THINGS TO INCLUDE ON YOUR AUTHOR WEBSITE IF YOU’RE NOT YET PUBLISHED via Romance Writers Chat: If you aren’t published yet, what do you include on an author website?

Author Interviews:

Author Of The Week: Chat with Sara B Larson (Dark Breaks The Dawn), Plus Giveaway!! via YA Books Central: Interview with Sara B. Larson, YABC’s YA Author of the Week.
Q & A with Jodi Lynn Anderson via Publishers Weekly: YA and MG author Jodi Lynn Anderson talks about her latest YA novel and her writing process.
Must-read YA: ‘Violet Grenade’ by Victoria Scott (plus interview!) via Happily Ever After: Interview with Victoria Scott on her novel, Violet Grenade.
Must-read YA: ‘The Names They Gave Us’ by Emery Lord (plus interview!) via Happily Ever After: Interview with Emery Lord on her latest YA novel.
Debut Author Sarah Prager on LGBTQ History for Teens via School Library Journal: Interview with Sarah Prager on her debut work of nonfiction, Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World.
Welcome Debut Novelist, Caroline Leech + Giveaway (YA Historical Fiction) via Clara Gillow Clark: Interview with Caroline Leech about her debut novel, Wait for Me.
Once and for All Author Sarah Dessen Talks Voice, the New Book, and Barbecue via The B&N Teen Blog: An interview with Sarah Dessen about her latest novel.
Author Chat with Heather Maclean, Plus Giveaway! via YA Books Central: A chat with Heather Maclean, author of Toward a Secret Sky.

Adventures in YA Publishing Author Interviews:

Literary Agent News and Interviews:

AGENT VALERIE NOBLE and ERIN BEATY GUEST POST W/ QUERY CRITIQUE and THE TRAITOR’S KISS GIVEAWAY via Literary Rambles: Debut author Erin Beaty and her agent Valerie Noble guest post to celebrate the release of The Traitor’s Kiss.
Introducing Sean McCarthy! via Sub It Club: Interview with literary agent, Sean McCarthy of McCarthy Lit.
Interview: Agent Sarah LaPolla on how authors can stand out, negotiating offers, and the state of publishing via Nathan Bransford: Nathan interviews Sarah LaPolla of Bradford Literary.
Agent Looking for Clients via Kathy Temean: A focus on Blair Wilson of Park Literary.
May’s Featured Agent – Jennie Dunham Interview Part Two via Kathy Temean: The second part to an interview with Jennie Dunham of Dunham Literary.

Writing and Pitch Contests:

The Contest Fix: How Writing Contests Can Help Your Career via Digital Book World: Why and how you should submit to writing contests.
We Need Diverse Books™ Announces the Opening of Applications for the 2017 WNDB Internship Grants via WNDB: Applications are due by May 31, 2017.

Writing Craft:

Editor’s Pick: How To Write Dynamic Secondary Characters via Epic Reads: Rosemary Brosnan, Vice-President and Editorial Director of HarperCollins Children’s Books/HarperTeen shares her knowledge on writing secondary characters with an example.
Testing Tension: The Dot Test via WOW! Women on Writing: Using the dot test to map out where your manuscript sizzles or fizzles.
6 Tips for Creating Believable Characters That Win Over Readers via Writer’s Digest: Unless your characters are believable, very few readers will remain awake.
How to Revolutionize Your Character Motivation via The Write Practice: Teasing out the highs and lows that create character motivation.
Writing a Killer First Page via M.L. Keller: A list of “do’s” for your first page.
On the Value of Studying Writing with Coaches by Martina Boone via Adventures in YA Publishing: An essay titled, “Accepting that You Can’t Ever Get Your Story Perfect.”

Writing Inspiration:

The Fundamental Secret to Finding Time to Write via The Write Practice: Instead of finding time to write, take the time.

Publishing News & Trends:

Writing Duo Finds Success with Sci-Fi Space Opera via Publishers Weekly: In July 2016, part one of Zenith, the first installment of the Androma Saga by authors Lindsay Cummings and Sasha Alsberg, reached the #1 spot on the young adult e-book list in its first week of publication.
Amazon Charts, Amazon’s new bestseller list, ranks titles by ‘most read’ and more via TechCrunch: Amazon announces Amazon Charts, a new kind of bestseller list that will give users, for the first time ever, a top 20 list of “most read” books on Amazon.

New YA E-Book Deals:

New YA Book Giveaways:

YA Book Awards and Congratulations:

CROOKED KINGDOM, SUN IS ALSO A STAR finalists for Teen Choice Book Awards via YA Interrobang: The Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader announced the finalists for the 2017 Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards. Click the link for all the YA titles nominated this year

YA New Book Deals and Releases:

What new YA books release this week? (May 16) via YA Interrobang: A list of new YA releases this week.
What’s New In YA ~ May 16th, 2017 via YA Books Central: Another great list of new YA books hitting shelves this week.

Just for Fun:

DIY: Make Your Own Ramona Blue Tote Bag! via Epic Reads: Get crafty by making this Ramona Blue-inspired tote bag.
25+ Bookish Candles to Create The Perfect Reading Mood via Book Riot: If you read by candlelight, check out these bookish candles.

If there’s a news story or blog post you found particularly interesting, please share it in the comments!

Lori Ann Palma

Posted: May 21, 2017

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: Lori Ann Palma | This Week for Writers

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← Previous: Crystal Cestari, author of THE BEST KIND OF MAGIC, on the intimidating blank screen Next: New Releases this week 5/22-5/28 plus 4 Giveaways →

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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