Middle Grade and Young Adult Differences

 

By Karen Cioffi

Lately, I've notice that a number of clients don't understand the difference between a middle grade (MG) book and a young adult (YA) book.

So, let's go over a few of the basic differences.

Also, keep in mind that there is simple MG and upper MG as well as simple YA and upper YA.

THE READER AGE GROUP FOR EACH GENRE

MG books focus on readers in the 9-12 age range. According to editor Mary Kole, "That's really the sweet spot." (1)

Along with this, there is an upper middle grade group that caters to the 12-13-year-old reader. They're not quite ready for YAs, but they're more advanced than a 9 or 10-year-old.

There is also a lower middle grade group that caters to the 8-10 range.

Another factor to consider is the age of the protagonist.

Generally, the protagonist is between 11 and 12 years old as kids want to read up. They want the protagonist to be as old or older than they are.

If it's an upper MG, the protagonist is usually 12-13.

It is important that the protagonist isn't in high school, thus the 13-year-old limit for upper middle grade.

Young adult books focus on readers in the 13-18 age range.

This genre is also divided into lower (younger) YA and upper (older) YA.

For the younger YA readers, the protagonist is usually aged 14-15.

For older readers, the protagonist is usually 16-18 years old, but he shouldn't be in college.

I'm currently ghostwriting a YA where it starts with the protagonist at 14 and will go with him through high school to 18-years-old.

WHAT CAN AND CAN’T BE IN THE STORY

With middle grade, especially younger middle grade, the story should still be simple and it'd be a good idea to keep it to a single point-of-view.

For upper MG, you can use two points-of -view, but my preference is still only one.

While the subject matter can be more mature than chapter books, it should be age appropriate. Keep in mind that the MG age group is still young. They're not experienced or mature enough to handle complex or mature topics.

Things like fitting in, simple crushes, and all the other things that go into the middle school years are fine.

If you're writing for upper middle grade, things can get a bit more advanced. Kids are experiencing the world. They know what they're seeing on TV and other media. You still though want to avoid dark or explicit subject matter. And, profanity should be avoided.

With young adult, kids are becoming savvy. They're experiencing everything from terrorism, violence, pandemics, and so on.

YA stories can go into the darker and grimier side of life.

While you still want to tone it down a bit for the younger YA group, for the older group you can pretty much go into everything. Although, explicit sexual content should still be limited. This is not the place for adult content.

You can though, add two or more points-of-view.

THE WORD COUNT

MG

The word count for middle grade is 15,000 to 65,000. Although, my fantasy adventure, Walking Through Walls, is about 12,000 and is great for the reluctant MG reader.

The general parameters are:

- Young MG is usually 15,000 to 25,000
- MG is usually 25,000 to 45,000
- Upper MG is usually 45,000 to 65,000

There is also the fantasy or sci-fi MG which can have a higher word count. But, it's not advisable not to go beyond 85,000 words.

YA

The word count for young adult is 50,000 to 75,000.

For the younger YA, keep it on the lower end of the word count.

While these are just the basics of the differences between MG and YA, it gives you a general idea of where your story should fit.

According to an article at Writers Digest, "a book that doesn’t fit within the parameters of either age category is a book you won’t be able to sell." (2)

An example of this:

With the story I mentioned earlier that I'm ghosting, it started as a MG. But, as the client wanted older subject matter and wanted the protagonist to go through high school, I had to change it to a YA.

The client actually wanted the protagonist to go through college also, but I had to pull in the reins.

You need to stay within the genre limits.

I hope this clears up the major differences between middle-grade and young adult stories.

This was first published at:
https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/2020/06/28/middle-grade-versus-young-adult/

References:
(1) https://marykole.com/how-to-write-middle-grade-fiction

(2) https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/the-key-differences-between-middle-grade-vs-young-adult 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author and children’s ghostwriter as well as the founder and editor-in-chief of Writers on the Move. She is also an author/writer online platform instructor with WOW! Women on Writing. You can check out Karen's books at:
https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/karens-books/

You can connect with Karen at:
LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter https://twitter.com/KarenCV  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karencioffikidlitghostwriter/


MORE ON WRITING

Basics and Strong Writing

'Show' in Your Stories, but Sometimes it's Okay to 'Tell'

What Are the Requirements for a New Edition of Your Book?

Confused About New Editions

                         What Are the Requirements for a New Edition of Your Book?

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning
 #HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for Writers.

My friend Judith Briles decided to reimagine her whole series of brilliant (if I do say so myself!) how-to books for writers and do it in what seems like no time at all. I have been involved with a variety of new editions for my #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers over a period of time that has spanned more than a decade. That contrast should convince writers that there is no one set way to do it right. You might be considering a new edition to boost sales, to celebrate a historical anniversary or publishing anniversary for the book itself, or to make it fit a new project or the style choices of a new publisher.

To maintain the traditions of the book industry, though, authors (and publishers) should plan on these five essentials or it to be considered a true new edition:

1.    A new ISBN number.

2.    A new cover.

3.    An "Edition Number" addition to the title of the book.

4.    A thorough look at the book to be sure grammatical and formatting efforts are up-to-date.

5.    A substantial update of specifics like internet addresses.

6.    New revisions or updates of the general content of the book.

If somehow a factual error slipped through in an earlier edition, consider using an errata feature in the front or back matter of the book. (The publishing world borrowed the Latin word errata as a more formal approach to admitting an error.) And here are two good reason to decide against a new edition:  

1.    A new edition—just like the first—requires time and effort to publicize it.

2.    A new edition needs to be paid for. But then, you've been through that before and have an idea of the cost. You'll still need to factor in inflation and any fancy ideas you have for the new one.

I am including part of my sell sheet I'm using for the new third edition of my winningest book from the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books, "The Frugal Editor" for you. (See below.) It may give you some ideas for your own new edition or at least for some of the processes that may be involved in developing one:

Why a Third Edition of The Frugal Editor?

It surprises people when they learn that grammar rules change over time. Or that what they learned in high school or advanced grammar classes in college is either passé or may not apply to fiction. It also surprises them to learn that a perfectly edited book is never perfect because there are always so many disagreements among experts. And even experts are often misinformed. The worlds of grammar and style choices are filled with myths and misinformation like, “Never use contractions in your writing,” “Never use fragments,” and “Never end a sentence with a preposition.” As my client base grew, I kept running into more flagrant publishing world scams perpetrated by "professionals." Thus, a new edition of The Frugal Editor was a must! So here is a smattering of what is new:

       The Third Edition has been reorganized and my publisher tells me I outdid myself with about 50% new (helpful!) material including new “Editor’s Extras” based on my own school of hard knocks!

Authors will love the all-new sections including:

o    Beta readers and peer reviewers

o    What you probably don’t know about custom dictionaries

o    Up-to-date rules for accommodating gender-specific and other cultural needs

o    A chapter for word-lovers and poets

o    Quickie reviews of word processors for you

o    What even traditionally accepted front and back matter can do for your book sales, your career, and your readers

o    Political Correctness considerations change and grow with each passing day. So, yes! Lots of updating here!

o    And a few new grammar terms I coined for the sake of making it easier to understand--and more fun.

The Third Edition of The Frugal Editor still includes the basics that make you into an on-your-own editor when you must be. Few writers other than Stephen King can afford to hire an editor for every query letter, every media release, every media kit, every blog post. So until your career is so star-studded you can afford a publicist and editor on a retainer basis, writers need to know both the basics of editing and the little-known secrets.

The third edition is still loaded with reader favorites like what authors need to know about book covers—but it’s updated!

New information will dispel myths like these:

o    Agents are a cantankerous lot. (Nope! In The Frugal Editor, twenty-one of the nation's best tell you their pet peeves and they do it in the best of spirits.)

o    If your English teacher told you something is okay, it is. (No! Language rules have changed since you were a sophomore. Anyway, your English teachers likely have no background in publishing, so apart from basic grammar, how much help can they be?

o    If a manuscript or query is grammar-perfect, you'll be fine. (No! Lots of things that are grammatically correct annoy publishers.)

o    Always use your Spell and Grammar Checker. (No! Some suggest you don't use it at all, but The Frugal Editor will help you make it your partner instead of your enemy.)

o    It's easy to avoid agent and editor scams by asking other writers. (The Frugal Editor gives you a to-do and not-to-do lists to help you avoid being taken.)

o    Your publisher will assign a top-flight editor. (Maybe, but don't count on it. The more you know, the better partner you’ll be for an editor!)

o    Formatters and editors will take care of the hyphens, ellipses, and all the other grungy little punctuation marks that English teachers avoided teaching because they didn't know how to use them either. (Chances are, you'll catch even great formatters and editors in an error or two if you know your stuff!)

“Careers that are not fed die
 as readily as any living
  organism given no sustenance.”

More About Carolyn:

Carolyn Howard-Johnson brings her experience as a publicist, journalist, marketer, editor, and retailer to the advice she gives in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers and the many classes she taught for nearly a decade as instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program. The books in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books published by Modern History Press include the third edition of The Frugal Book Promoter and the third edition The Frugal Editor which won awards from USA Book News, Readers’ Views Literary Award, the marketing award from Next Generation Indie Books, and the coveted Irwin award in its earlier editions. It will soon be available at this shortened URL provided by representatives at AmazonCentral.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BK5224CF

Short Story Writing Builds Skills for Tighter Text

 Short Story Writing Builds Skills for Tighter Text by Deborah Lyn Stanley

Writing short stories is a great way to build skills and a daily writing practice. Don't try to understand what people want. Instead, figure out what you want to say and write the heart of it.

We will be more satisfied with our stories if we learn from the master authors of classical short stories. For a worthwhile reference see: https://americanliterature.com/   I am quite impressed with their menu options as well as creating a personal library for my quick “planning ahead” reads. At the top right, open the “login” and create your account with an email with password. Now start building your personal library.

Short Stories have traditionally ranged from 1,500 to 5,000 words (but 3,000 is more common). Short Stories use the 3-Act structure (beginning, middle, end) used for novel writing. A short story is condensed, with setting and action beginning from the start. Structure with art in the delivery.

How do we find great story ideas?
I have a book by Fred White titled: Where Do You Get Your Ideas? A Writer’s Guide to Transforming Notions into Narratives. He mentions:
* Sometimes a newspaper report will catch your eye or hit a nerve, and become a story.
* You might retell an ancient myth into a current tale.
* You’ve grabbed an idea you can work with. Here are some pre-drafting activities you might find useful. Lists can provide inventory for content; Maps help create a layout for events; Profiles help develop your characters; and Collages visualize your story idea.

In How to Write Short Stories, Jerry Jenkins includes several points. I have included a few below:
* Learn to recognize the Kernel of an idea, a memory, a problem or fear.
* Make a practice of jotting down notes to expand upon during free writing, discover what comes to mind. Descriptions of characters to add or a setting for the story might pop in from your notes.
* We come in contact with people daily: at the supermarket, walking, and on the web. Use some of those traits to help develop your characters.   
* Now start writing. There’s plenty of time for changes and additions once you have a draft. If something doesn’t seem quite right, cut it out (at least for now).
* Be sure to craft a satisfying end, that leaves the reader appeased for the time well spent.

The Take Aways:
•    When you have a collection of 12 or more Short Stories, consider combining them in book form as an anthology. Consider thematic clusters, or maybe choose all 12 of a similar theme. Plus, remember, a powerful, interesting title is key for grabbing the reader’s eye.
•    Approach magazine publications and propose adding one of your stories to a coming issue.
•    Where Do You Get Your Ideas? See: https://www.amazon.com/Where-You-Get-Your-Ideas/dp/1599635305
•    Jerry Jenkins https://jerryjenkins.com/how-to-write-short-stories/
 

Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts.
Visit her My Writer’s Life website at: https://deborahlynwriter.com/   
Visit her caregiver’s website: https://deborahlyncaregiver.com/

Mom & Me: A Story of Dementia and the Power of God’s Love is available:
https://www.amazon.com/Deborah-Lyn-Stanley/
& https://books2read.com/b/valuestories

Share on LinkedIn
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Use the Power of Asking

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As a writer, there is a great deal which is outside of our control. Publishers, editors, booksellers, agents and others in the industry appear to have much more control and power than writers. I want to give you some action-oriented ideas how you can use the power of asking in your writing life.  I wrote about this topic on this blog in 2008 but this article has completely different content and ideas. 

James, the Apostle and brother of Jesus, wrote, “You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3, NIV)

Before You Ask

To be successful in your asking, there are several steps to take before you ask. As I’ve said before in these articles, who you know in publishing is almost as important as what you know. As a writer, each of us needs to be consistently building and maintaining relationships with others. There are many ways to build these relationships such as connecting on LinkedIn, joining their email lists, reading their newsletters, commenting on their blog, reviewing their books, and many other ways to catch their attention and help them—before you ask for anything. As you do these additional steps, you will position yourself in a different way and hopefully help the asking process to go smoother and much more positive (getting a yes answer rather than silence or no).

Ask In the Right Way

Whenever you ask someone for something, you want to follow several key principles. First, create a short, personal email. If you are asking for an endorsement or a foreword, offer to draft the material (write it) for the other person. In general, an endorsement is a couple of sentences while a foreword is 1000 to 1500 words and more like a short magazine article. In your pitch, you can include a draft of this material to make it easier for the person to say yes. I suggest including a deadline so the other person understands the timeframe. If you ask in a thoughtful and careful manner, you give yourself the best opportunity to get a yes response. 

When you launch a book or new product, many people gather a launch team. Create unique benefits and gifts for people who agree to be a part of your launch team. Take the time to learn some of the tools and techniques for creating a launch team such as a private Facebook group, then build and encourage this group and ask for their help to spread the news about your new book. Remember there are thousands of new books entering the marketplace every day. What steps are you doing to make your book memorable and standout? Use the power of asking others for this process.

Whenever you pitch a magazine editor, a book editor or a literary agent, you are asking for their assistance. Before you send them anything, make sure that you are asking the right person in the right way. It’s important to personalize your pitch and make it targeted to whoever is receiving it. Your extra effort will give you the best possible opportunity to get a positive response. These professionals receive thousands of pitches and can quickly tell whether the writer has done their homework or not.

When you pitch the media (and every author needs to learn to pitch the media—journalists, podcast hosts, radio hosts and many others), learn to craft a short, attractive and targeted pitch. These professionals receive thousands of submissions and can quickly tell which authors have done their homework before asking.

No matter who you are asking, understand and use the power of asking in this process. It is something every writer can learn and do—whether you have been in this business for decades or are only beginning. My hope is that your using this power will open new opportunities for your writing.

Tweetable: 

Every writer needs to use the power of asking in their writing life. This prolific writer and editor provides a series of insights to help you get a positive response. Learn the details here. (ClickToTweet)

________________________________________

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success.  Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Grow Contract Awareness for Magazine Work

 

Grow Contract Awareness for Magazine Work by Deborah Lyn Stanley

As we grow writing skills and expertise through magazine submittals for publication, we must be contract wise.

Magazine work is a great way to earn money and to promote various topics to gage readership response. The online world has made it possible for the rapid growth of digital magazine publications. So, be sure to research the magazines that catch your interest for the right fit for you and your audience. Plus, a topic focused specialty is attractive to a publisher.

Once you land a deal with a publisher, a contract will follow. If for some reason, no contract is sent to you, create your own. Don’t work without a contract describing all conditions.

Contracts cover all pertinent information and must be considered point by point. Take it slow and break it down item by item. Be thoroughly aware of the publisher’s expectations and your commitments. For example, the delivery date must be doable.

The Contract’s main and subsections include:
1.    Payment method and rate
       a.    Payment upon acceptance or on publication, but typically between 30-90 days
2.    Rights and responsibilities
       a.    First North American Serial Rights,
             1.    Provides the publisher exclusive rights to be the first to publish your article. Note the time   period for this exclusivity, commonly 90 days.
       b.    One Time Rights,
              1.    Gives the publisher the right to publish your article one time
       c.    Second Serial Rights or Reprint Rights,
              1.    Grants the publisher a nonexclusive right to publish, one time, a piece already published somewhere else.
       d.    All Rights
             1.    You are selling all the rights to your article to the publisher—this takes careful consideration. What if you want to publish the article somewhere else? And, what if they rework the piece so much that it’s not yours any longer?
       e.    Electronic Rights
             1.    This means all forms of electronic media: CE’s, DVD’s, games, apps, etc.
3.    Deadlines, format for delivery, and Word count
4.    Magazines often have their preferred contract format; However, I have included two links that might help you get acquainted with a couple.

Basics Tip: An essay is all about the writer; whereas, an article is all about the reader. An essay is an analytical or interpretative composition, and an article is informational non-fiction prose.

Helpful Resources:
Writing for Magazine - Is It the Perfect Job for You?  By Suzanne Lieurance
https://www.writersonthemove.com/2014/02/writing-for-magazines-is-it-perfect-job.html

Contributor’s Agreement Sample  —    http://publishlawyer.com/contrib.pdf 

Memorandum Agreement Sample —   https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/LIGHTSPEED-Original-Contract-Short-Story.pdf   

Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts.
Visit her My Writer’s Life website at: https://deborahlynwriter.com/   
Visit her caregiver’s website: https://deborahlyncaregiver.com/

Mom & Me: A Story of Dementia and the Power of God’s Love is available:
https://www.amazon.com/Deborah-Lyn-Stanley/
& https://books2read.com/b/valuestories

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The Writing for Children Ropes - 8 Tips

 

By Karen Cioffi

Since I was a kid, I always enjoyed writing. I wrote poems, short stories, even songs. And although I enjoyed writing, I never thought of publishing my work or making it a career until around 2007. As a novice, I figured it'd be a breeze – easy-peasy. I mean how difficult could it be to write simple children's stories? 

Since I always felt comfortable writing, I thought it be a natural transition. Writing was something I always went to when in awe, when being inspired, or during struggles. And, I was always able to think of things to write about. So, I began the process of actually writing children's books with the intent of having them published. 

 My eyes were quickly opened. Another world sat before me, one filled with a lot of hard work, time, road blocks, and rejection letters. 

While I minored in English Lit in college, it had been many years ago. Along with this, it's not really the background specifically needed in writing for children or writing to get published in the market at the time … or now. 

To write for children … 

- You need to know what the current market wants. 

 - You need to know techniques such as the Core of Threes and having the protagonist solve the problem, not the parent or grandparent. 

 - You need to know showing is a must, and telling should be limited. 

 - You need to have the right sentence structure along with proper grammar and punctuation. 

- Your words and dialogue must be age appropriate. 

- You need to have an age-appropriate plot. 

- There should be only ONE point of view, one main character. 

- Your main character needs to grow in some way as a result of his journey. 

 - You need to watch out for blind spots in your writing. Spots where you know what you intended to be conveyed, but the reader won't. 

 - You need to understand and utilize words such as tighten, good voice, focus, point of view, hook, and lots of other writing elements. It goes on and on and on. 

Well then, just how do you learn all the information needed to write for children, especially if you don’t want to get a degree in children’s literature or are unable to enroll in a school specifically geared toward this subject? 

The answer is the internet. Sounds easy, right? 

Well, think again. Since I've gotten my Bachelor's degree, I've taken a few college courses and other courses long distance and online and I can tell you that learning a subject in a classroom is much easier than learning through other means. 

And, learning on your own with the internet is even more difficult and very time consuming. 

Why is it so hard? 

The reason for the difficulty is there are thousands and thousands of websites and blogs that offer children's writing information. 

You'd think this is a good thing, but not everyone online knows what they're talking about. For this reason, it's important to use common sense when searching for information. 

Make sure the site is current and posts content regularly. Another must is to research the blog owner. Does she have published books? Traditionally published? 

 Is she in the business of writing or a hobby writer? 

Another difficulty is that finding good sites can be time consuming. 

If possible, get recommendations from other authors or writers in your writing groups. 

So, what can you do to ease into this? 

 1. Writing Groups 

Your first order of business is to join a children's writing group. One of the best is SCBWI Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). There are new and seasoned people in the business of writing there who are willing and able to help. This is also a good place to network. 

 2. Critique Groups 

 Next on your plan should be to join a children’s writing critique group. You'll be able to find one in SCBWI.  

3. Writer Conferences 

If you're able, it'd be a good idea to make it a priority to attend a writer’s conference. 

Some of the bigger ones are: 

SCBWI Annual Conferences 

The Highlights Foundation Workshop Retreats 

Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference 

Northwestern Christian Writers Conference 

You can also do a search for others. Just be sure to look at dates. I've found a number of sites that list events that are outdated – by years.  

4. Writing Workshops and Webinars 

There are also a number of sites that offer online writing whether workshops, zoom meetings, or others. 

 MasterClass 

SCBWI 

WOW! Women on Writing 

JaneFriedman.com 

WritersDigest.com 

Gotham Writing Workshop 

The workshops and sites mentioned in this article may not all focus directly on writing for children, but they will offer great writing information.  

5. Blogs 

Another source of advice is children's writing tips from children's editors, publishers and agents' blogs. Often, you'll get super-useful tips and information. Find reliable and well-established sites. An excellent one is GoodStoryCompany.com and KidLit.com with Mary Kole. 

Here are a few others: 

Steve Laube Agency 

Caitlin Derve Truby's Writing Studio 

Children's Book Insider  

Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi 

The Write Practice 

Writer's Digest 

Writers Helping Writers.net  

6. Books on Writing for Children  

Below are a few:  

How to Write a Children's Fiction Book by Karen Cioffi 

The Magic Words by Cheryl Klein 

The Business of Writing for Children by Aaron Shepard 

How to Write a Children's Book by Katie Davis and Jan Fields 

Yes! You Can Learn to Write Children's Books by Nancy I. Sanders  

7. Read, Read, Read  

Read writing books and books in the genre you want to write. 

 As you read, pay close attention to the books in your genre. 

What do you like about the book? How did the author convey emotion? How did the author hook you? How were the sentence, paragraphs, and chapters written? How was the dialogue written? How did the story flow? Who was the protagonist? How did s/he grow through the journey? 

Pick up on everything you can.

 8. Industry Standards Matter 

Keep up with the industry standards. What are traditional children's publishers and literary agents looking for? What's being published? What are the standard word counts for the different genres? What books are winning valid awards? 

This matters whether you're traditionally publishing or self-publishing. You want a professional book. One that screams that the author knows what she's doing. 

While the world of writing for children can feel overwhelming, it can also be very rewarding. Take the time to learn the ropes so you can create a publishable book. And, create a time management plan. 

Keep on learning; keep adding tools to your writing toolbox. 

With hard work and perseverance, you can write a children's book that you'll be proud to be the author of and one that will be publishable as well as marketable. 

This article was first published at: https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/2021/03/28/the-writing-for-children-ropes-8-tips/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, a successful children’s ghostwriter with 300+ satisfied clients worldwide, and an author online platform instructor with WOW! Women on Writing. For children’s writing tips, or if you need help with your children’s story, visit: https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com

You can check out Karen’s books at:
https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/karens-books/

 

MORE ON WRITING

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Good Things Come in Fives

Think Beyond Bookstore Sales

 

 

Kid's Stories - Should They All Become Books?

 

 Writing over 300 stories, between ghostwriting and rewriting, I’ve only seen one story that couldn’t be tweaked, nudged, shaken, or even deconstructed and reconstructed into a publishable story.

The concept and author of that one book were, well, not quite all there. Dealing with so many clients, I’m surprised I only had one so far.

Aside from that though, most stories or drafts can be magically turned into something an author will be proud to be author of.

A big problem I see is that new authors sometimes don’t know what a publishable story is.

But, wait a minute …

Let me clarify what I mean about a publishable book because today any story can become published, whether it’s poorly written or a well written story.

When I use the term “publishable,” I’m talking about a book that meets the U.S. standard children’s  publishing guidelines.

Three of the top mistakes I see that would warrant taking another stab at your story or demolishing it and starting over are:

1. The point-of-view

You’re writing a picture book or chapter book and have more than one point-of-view (POV).

This can happen when you have two or more main characters in your story or it can happen if you have head-hopping in your story.

Let’s go back a step and define POV. Every story has to be told from someone’s perspective. In other words, who is the story about.

It’s essential in young children’s writing that you clearly define who the protagonist (main character) is. And, there should only be one.

Jerry Jenkins, author of over 190 books, says he avoids slipping into an omniscient viewpoint “by imagining my Point of View or Perspective Character as my camera—I’m limited to writing only what my character ‘camera’ sees, hears, and knows.”

So, POV is a critical element of your story. Check to make sure you have only one POV and its that of the protagonist.

Head-hopping is slipping from one character’s POV to another, within the same paragraph or even same sentence.

In the example below, Tommy is the protagonist:

Tommy dug his cleats in. He raised the bat to his shoulder. A second later he watched the ball heading toward him . . . like a torpedo out of it tube. Without blinking he swung the bat. CRRAACCK. Stunned, he dropped the bat and ran. Did . . . did I just hit the ball.

“Pete,” said Jim with a nudge, “you see that. I didn’t think he’d hit that ball—it came so fast.” Jim threw a pretend pitch. “Look at him running round the bases.”

The second paragraph in the example is a no-no. It’s bringing Jim’s perspective into the story since Tommy couldn’t see or hear him.

Tommy is the protagonist and must know what’s going on in the story or it can’t be in the story.

This could be rewritten, though:

Tommy dug his cleats in. He raised the bat to his shoulder. A second later he watched the ball heading toward him . . . like a torpedo out of it tube. Without blinking he swung the bat. CRRAACCK. Stunned, he dropped the bat and ran. Did . . . did I just hit the ball.

When Tommy raced to home plate, he heard Jim yelling, “I didn’t think he’d hit that ball—it came so fast.”

Now it’s all with Tommy’s point-of-view.

2. Adults save the day.

Children want to read about children. They want the protagonist to solve his own problem.

While parents or other adults in a story can be a support system, their involvement needs to be minimal. The young protagonist needs to come up with the solution to her problem.

In “Stephanie’s Ponytail” by Robert Munsch, Stephanie wants to be unique. Here’s how the story starts:

“One day Stephanie went to her mom and said, ‘None of the kids in my class have a ponytail. I want a nice ponytail coming right out the back.’”

The problem though is the day after Stephanie comes in with that particular ponytail, all the girls in her class have it. So, each day she tells her mother create another specific kind of ponytail. The day after each new ponytail, the class copies her.

At the end, Stephanie comes up with a clever, and funny, idea that cures the class of copying her.

While the mother in involved in the story, it’s Stephanie who comes up with all the ideas. And, it’s Stephanie who solves the problem.

3. Jumping in without learning how to swim first.

You’ve wanted to write a children’s book for years. You have tons of ideas and you’ve even written a couple down. It’s gotten to a point where you can’t wait any longer and you put one of your ideas into a story.

You type or write away and finally have your story, and it seems great.

Picture books can be 10 pages, right? You ‘kind of’ draw, so you can create your own illustrations, right? You have a couple of rhymes here and there, so that’s good, right?

While you may have a great story idea, standard picture books are usually 32 pages - of those pages there are 24-26 for content and illustrations. Unless you’re a professional illustrator you shouldn’t create your own illustrations. And, either you’ve written a rhyming story or not.

There are lots of other elements that you need to be aware or before jumping in to write a publishable book.

So, there you have it, three top children’s writing mistakes.

If I were to give a number 4, it would be that you have TOO much showing in the story. If I were to give a number 5, it would be that you’re trying to knock the young reader over his head with the moral of the story.

Hope these tips help you when you sit down to write your story.

References:

Fiction Writing for Children
http://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/diy/

POV with Jerry Jenkins
https://jerryjenkins.com/point-of-view/

This article was first published at: https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/2018/10/28/are-all-childrens-stories-meant-to-become-books/  

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, a successful children’s ghostwriter with 300+ satisfied clients worldwide, and an author online platform instructor with WOW! Women on Writing. For children’s writing tips, or if you need help with your children’s story, visit: https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com

You can check out Karen’s books at:
https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/karens-books/

 

 MORE ON WRITING

The Lazy Way to Be a Great Writer

Making Your Book Into a Classic

Tips for Balancing Action & Exposition

 

Freelance Writing Rates: What to Charge

by Suzanne Lieurance

As a writing coach, one of the questions I get asked most often by new, and not-so-new, freelance writers is, “What should I charge for my writing services?”

The trouble is, when I go over the current rates for different types of writing, most writers are reluctant to charge what their writing is worth.

Sound familiar?

If you’re a writer who has trouble speaking up when you think you deserve better payment, then you need to read the following:

The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success, by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell. 

This book will help you learn ways to negotiate for more money and better terms without feeling like you’ll ruin your relationships with editors and therefore risk your entire freelance writing career.

What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants, by Laurie Lewis, is another book that you’ll find helpful as you set your freelance rates. 

You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/What-Charge-Strategies-Freelancers-Consultants-ebook/dp/B004M8S8XC

This book is somewhat dated by now (it was published in 2000), but it still offers great tips on how to negotiate a fair price for yourself and your writing clients. Plus, it helps answer questions like, “Should I charge by the word, by the project, or by the hour?”

Art for Money: Up Your Freelance Game and Get Paid What You’re Worth, by Michael Ardelean, offers tips and tools to significantly grow your freelance business.

Name Your Price: Set Your Terms, Raise Your Rates, Charge What You’re Worth as a Consultant, Coach, or Freelancer, by Kate Dixon, will help you do just what the subtitle promises.

https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing-insights/how-much-should-writers-charge-per-word-or-per-project

Also, check out these website resources:

Freelance Database by Contently

https://contently.net/rates-database/rates/

How Much Should Writers Charge Per Word or Per Project

https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing-insights/how-much-should-writers-charge-per-word-or-per-project

And here's a post that helps blog owners know what to pay guest bloggers, so you'll find it helpful if you enjoy blogging:

How Much to Pay Blog Writers

https://www.growandconvert.com/content-marketing/how-much-pay-blog-writers/ 

 

Once you've learned about pricing from at least a few of these resources, start marketing your writing services and charge what you're worth.

For more writing tips, be sure to visit writebythesea.com and get your free subscription to The Morning Nudge. Once you're a subscriber, you'll also have access to a Private Resource Library for Writers.

Suzanne Lieurance is the author of over 40 published books, a freelance writer, and a writing coach. 

 

Unique Holidays: Don't See Anything You Like? Create Your Own

Writers and authors need to always be marketing! That means, developing a platform, such as a blog, podcast, or video series, and spending time on social media. So many places ... but how do we find new things to post? 

News, interviews, trivia, lists posts, and essays make for great content. But one of the best places to spark creative ideas is holiday calendars. Yes, traditional holidays work too. But I am a fan of creating content around unique holidays, like those found on HolidayInsights.com.

For instance, for writers, there's National Tell A Story Day on April 27, National Punctuation Day is September 24, and National Novel Writing Month is November. There's actually a whole list of writer holidays. 

Plus, there's The Nibble for food holidays, On-this-day.com to identify special days that relate to your books and/or business, and Positively Woof's Pet Holiday Calendar for those with a pet ... or pet-centric themes in the life or businesses.

Once you find your holiday ...

1. Brainstorm Content Ideas

2. Write your text 

3. Gather images

4. Construct your posts

5. Release 

6. Rinse and repeat

7. Be sure to keep a content calendar to track all of your ideas

 

While there are menus of holiday possibilities everywhere, what happens when you can't find a holiday that meets your needs? Simple. Create your own. That's what I did!

Let's go back to National Novel Writing Month. As we approached November, I found myself wanting to commit to some sort of monthly challenge, but didn't have the time for NaNoWriMo. 

I asked myself what I wanted to do more of in November. The answer: Dance! And #DaEvDaNo - Dance Every Day in November - was born.

First, I checked Twitter to research the hashtag. I created an image. 

Then, I put up a post on LinkedIn and started Tweeting about it. 

When creating or tagging onto existing holidays, the trick is to keep things simple. You don't need to overcomplicate things to come up with amazing content! You just need to do it.

Looking for new ways to put yourself out there? Uplevel your creativity and share your spin on an existing celebration ... or create one of your own!

* * *

What's your ideal unique holiday? ANd how do you use it to support your business? Please share in the comments.

* * *

Debra Eckerling is the award-winning author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals and founder of the D*E*B METHOD, which is her system for goal-setting simplified. A writer, editor, and project catalyst, Deb works with entrepreneurs, executives, and creatives to set goals and manage their projects through one-on-one coaching, workshops, and online support. She is also the author of Write On Blogging and Purple Pencil Adventures; founder of Write On Online; Vice President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Women's National Book Association; host of the #GoalChat Twitter Chat, #GoalChatLive on Facebook and LinkedIn, and The DEB Show podcast. She speaks on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.

Free Coffee Chat with Pinterest Specialist Deb Gonzales

Writers on the Move's Linda Wilson has been working with Pinterest guru, Deb Gonzales and is sharing her information with all of us, along with an invite to a free Zoom meeting where Deb will discuss marketing strategies.

 

Hello, there! I’m jumping in real quick to see if you’d like to join me for a quick Coffee Chat via Zoom on Thursday, September 23 at 1:00 EST. Our clients are  doing so many cool things with their websites and platforms. I’d love to share their marketing strategies with you. Perhaps they’ll give you some ideas you might like to try.  You see, we’re preparing our platforms to capture the holiday content trends on Pinterest. We’re busy culling our content and crafting our pins with an eye to capturing our audience’s fancy at the precise time they’ll be searching for our wares. I’m eager to show you what we’re doing. I’d also like to lead a discussion about why someone would choose to establish a marketing platform on Pinterest in the first place. Is it really worth the effort? We’re discovering so much about clarifying goals and establishing strategies to meet them. We’re also learning that, unlike other social media platforms, we have to step away from the impulse to shine the light on ourselves to discover ways to edify our audience. As one client mentioned, “I love that this [Pinterest] is all about the other and not about me. It feels right.” I agree. I hope you can join us  for the Coffee Chat on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 1:00 EST.  Sign up here if you think you might be able to come.  Have a great week! Deb

 

 

 

 

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