YA Sunday Morning News: This Week for Writers 7/30/17

by Lori Ann Palma

Hello, writers!

It’s Sunday, and that means fresh YA news hot off the press! This week’s links include a section for San Diego Comic-Con, as well as a new weekly category (!)—YA Book to Screen Adaptation News. With all of the amazing books being turned into shows and films, I wanted to give these headlines their own spotlight.

Happy reading!

San Diego Comic-Con News

Genre-Blending: How and Why? Panel | San Diego Comic-Con 2017 via Penguin Random House: An author panel discusses how to classify science fiction and fantasy work, and the benefits of genre blending (Youtube video).
DC Icons: YA Authors Meet DC Superheroes Panel | San Diego Comic-Con 2017 via Penguin Random House: Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, and Matt de la Peña talk about their individual adaptations of the famous comic characters and writing in the DC universe (Youtube video).
San Diego Comic-Con 2017 Author Panels via Penguin Random House: Nine additional author panel videos for you to scroll through.
New Kids’, YA Comics Initiatives at San Diego Comic-Con 2017 via Publisher’s Weekly: Announcements surrounding graphic novels at SDCC.

Writing for Publication—Book Marketing and Social Media:

Do Bookstore Events Even Matter? How To Benefit From In-Person Author Visits via Digital Book World: Things to remember when you make a bookstore appearance.

Author Interviews:

Author Chat with Melissa Hurst (The Edge Of Forever), Plus Giveaway! via YA Books Central: Interview with Melissa Hurst, author of The Edge of Forever.
Author Of The Week: Chat with Chelsea Bobulski (The Wood), Plus Giveaway! via YA Books Central: Interview with YA Author of the Week, Chelsea Bobulski, author of The Wood.
Author & Editor Teams: Writing a Contemporary Novel with Heather Demetrios via Swoon Reads: YA author Heather Demetrios, author of Bad Romance, tag-teamed with her editor, Kate Farrell, to answer burning questions about crafting realistic stories, the importance of emotional depth, and more.
Ep 114: Kara Thomas via First Draft with Sarah Enni: Podcast interview with Kara Thomas, author of Little Monsters.
Author Chat with MacKenzie Cadenhead (Sleeper) via YA Books Central: Interview with MacKenzie Cadenhead, author of Sleeper.
Meg & Clara: An Interview Between a Young Adult Author and a Certified Young Adult! via Riveted: Meg Leder, author of The Museum of Heartbreak, is interviewed by her 13-year-old niece.
Author Chat with Lauren Miller (All Things New), Plus Giveaway! via YA Books Central: Interview with Lauren Miller, author of All Things New.
Alexandra Sirowy on the Inspiration Behind First We Were IV’s Prankster-Vigilantism via The B&N Teen Blog: Alexandra Sirowy, author of First We Were IV, to discuss what drew her to the idea of vigilantism, and the easy path from writer to seeker of justice.
Q & A with William Ritter via Publishers Weekly: Interview with William Ritter, author of the Jackaby novels.

Adventures in YA Publishing Author Interviews:

Literary Agent News and Interviews:

New Agent Alert: Jennifer Haskin of Metamorphosis Literary Agency via Writer’s Digest: New agent Jennifer Haskin discusses what she’s looking for in submissions.
Literary Agent Andrea Somberg at Harvey Klinger via Kathy Temean: Update on Andrea Somberg.

Writing and Pitch Contests:

2018 WALTER DEAN MYERS AWARD FOR YA AND MG CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS via We Need Diverse Books: WNDB invites submissions for their annual Walter Dean Myers Award; follow the link for submission guidelines.

Writing Craft:

How To Write Compelling Imagery In YA Fiction via Epic Reads: Emilia Rhodes, Senior Editor at HarperTeen, breaks down the imagery in Little Wrecks by Meredith Miller.
What is the Theme of Your Story? A Guide for Authors via Reedsy: Discovering and exploring the theme within your own works of fiction.
How to Write a Scene: 3 Questions You Should Ask Before You Write via The Write Practice: Step by step guide to crafting a scene.
Did I Just Say That? When Characters Say Dumb Things via Fiction University: Characters are (sort of) human, but when they say the wrong thing, it’s great for your story.
How to Write Characters Who Don’t All Feel the Same via Fiction University: A deep dive (with examples) into writing a scene where characters have their own agenda and voice.
WoW: Outlining Simplified with Candace Granger via Adventures in YA Publishing: Candace Granger, author of The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash, discusses outlining.

Writing Inspiration:

5 Easy Strategies for Overcoming Writer’s Block via Epic Reads: A list of ways to beat the block.
18 Things Every Young Writer Should Know via BuzzFeed Books: Authors appearing at London’s Young Adult Literary Conference share some of their best advice for aspiring writers.

YA Book to Screen Adaptation News:

Lana Condor to Star in ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ Movie Based on Jenny Han Novel via Variety.com: The adaptation of Jenny Han’s novel has found its Lara Jean Covey.
Katherine Paterson YA Works Getting Movie & TV Treatment From Arcady Bay & Meteor 17 via Deadline: Katherine Paterson will see more of her works hit the big and small screens.
‘Bloodline’ Actor Owen Teague Joins YA Romance ‘Every Day’ via Deadline: Owen Teague will play Alexander in the YA adaptation of David Levithan’s Every Day.

Publishing News & Trends:

Is Trump Ruining Book Sales? via New Republic: A look at book sales around the November 2016 election, as well as the current publishing climate.
HarperCollins Children’s to Partner with Wattpad for YA Titles via Publishers Weekly: HarperCollins Children’s Books has announced a new collaboration with Wattpad in an effort to cultivate new voices in teen fiction.
GeekNation Launches Book Publishing Arm, Partners with Lani Sarem on YA Series ‘Handbook for Mortals’ via Hollywood Reporter: GeekNation—a digital hub for geeks and pop culture fanatics—is branching into publishing, beginning with a YA series.

New YA E-Book Deals:

New YA Book Giveaways:

YA New Book Deals and Releases:

New Releases this week 7/24-7/30 plus 2 Giveaway via Adventures in YA Publishing: Our weekly featured new releases, plus giveaways!
What’s New In YA ~ June 25th, 2017 via YA Books Central: YABC’s list of new YA releases.
What new YA books release this week? (July 25) via YA Interrobang: Another great list of this week’s YA releases.

Just for Fun:

Get Your Wallets Out: Torrid’s Harry Potter Collection is Live via Book Riot: Clothing store Torrid releases a new line of Harry Potter dresses, cardigans, jewelry, and more!
Want to start reading YA graphic novels but not sure where to start? via Fierce Reads: A fun infographic if you want to dive into the world of graphic novels.

Lori Ann Palma

Posted: Jul 30, 2017

Category: Imported from AYAP

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← Previous: Alexandra Sirowy, author of FIRST WE WERE IV, on drawing inspiration from various sources Next: New Releases this week 7/31-8/06 plus 6 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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