July 2010

NEWSFLASH: The Editor to Write “Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies”

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Big news…

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Dear Readers…

I’m proud to announce that I’ll be writing “Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies” for Wiley Publishers’ For Dummies line. The book is scheduled to publish June 2011.

In the meantime, I’ll continue posting new questions from writers—and my answers—here on Dear-Editor.com. Keep those great questions coming!

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for my next Free Edit Giveaway Contest. Dear-Editor.com is juuuuuuust about at the six-month anniversary mark….

Happy writing!

The Editor

I Wrote It . . . Now What?

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Dear Editor…

I have written several childrens stories and am seeking publication. Most are picture book style, two for YA. Some rhyme, giving an opportunity for interaction. My manuscripts are ready. I’m unsure of how to proceed. Any suggestions?

Sincerely,

Claudia

Dear Claudia…

You’ve done the work, now it’s time to do the homework. Study the Literary Market Place to figure out which publishers handle your kind of material—your themes, storytelling styles, and genres. Study books in stores to see which houses published the ones most like yours. Do the same for agents, if you decide to go that route, as agents are in the LMP and are often mentioned in a book’s acknowledgments. Then join the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators: www.scbwi.org. This national organization’s resources, forums, chapter speakers, and national conference presentations will educate you about the biz, the rules, and the players as you move into this next phase. Attend their chapter meetings and conferences to network with other writers and, potentially, agent and editor guest speakers. Your submission path will become clear as you immerse yourself in the children’s book community.

Happy writing!
The Editor

How Many Dots for Ellipses?

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Dear Editor…

I use ellipses a lot in my current manuscript. But how do I know when to use three dots and when to use four? And someone told me I’m spacing them incorrectly. Huh?

Sincerely,

Seeing Spots in San Diego

Dear Seeing Spots in San Diego…

Ellipses are just tiny blots of ink, I know, but bobbling them distracts editors and who wants that? Here’s the skinny:

Use THREE dots, tapping your space bar before and after each one, to indicate an omission within a sentence, to join sentence fragments, or to indicate an intentional trailing off of a complete sentence. Hence:

  • “It’s too bad this snooze inducer isn’t a hilarious comedy.” becomes “It’s . . . a hilarious comedy.”
  • “The dog skidded around the corner, spun wildly in circles, then crashed into a pile of clothes.” becomes “The dog skidded . . . spun wildly . . . then crashed into a pile of clothes.”
  • “If I had my way . . . ,” he mumbled.

Use FOUR dots, with the first dot smashed up against the letter preceding it, when a complete sentence precedes your ellipses: “My choice was agonizing. . . . Yes. I’d do it. I’d do it!”

For the full scoop on ellipses, read the Chicago Manual of Style, starting at 11-51. And, hey, about the ellipses spacing in DearEditor.com’s salutation, ignore it. It was a stylistic choice in the web design. Really, I swear. . . .

Happy writing!

Sincerely,

The Editor

A Place for Poetry Collections in Children’s Books?

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Dear Editor…

Are agents accepting children’s poetry books by authors with a passion for phonemic awareness and whole-brain education?

Sincerely,
Jennifer

Dear Jennifer…

Ah, a poet who knows it and wants to work it. There is a place for poetry books in the children’s book market, but it’s a tough one to squeeze into. The picture book market is still scrabbling its way out of the recession, and straight poetry collections are hard sells. To better your chances, your collection should center on one child-friendly theme, which you’ll use as your hook. Douglas Florian built a career by coupling this strategy with clever, child-friendly poems that wow grown-ups, too. Mammalabilia, Insectlopedia, Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings… Florian works his poetry like nobody’s business. Where there’s a passion for poetry, there is a way.

Happy writing!
The Editor

How Many Characters Are Too Many in Chapter 1?

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Dear Editor…

Is there a maximum number of characters to introduce in the first chapter of a MG grade or YA novel? I don’t want to introduce too many, but I have 8 characters PLUS a generic Mom, Dad, and two sisters. Does it make a diff if some of these 8 are name intros only?

Sincerely,

Carol

Dear Carol…

Twelve characters isn’t an opening chapter—it’s a party! And it’s overwhelming. No reader can keep that many new characters straight, especially when two thirds of them are just names. That’s a clear sign you’ve fallen victim to backstory, where you explain your protagonist’s life or describe her predicament in full. Don’t do that. Chapter One should focus on the protagonist, revealing her main concern and hinting at the journey or challenges ahead of her. You may do this with the help of a secondary character or two, but keep the number small, and have them acting upon or reacting to the protagonist, keeping the spotlight on her. There’s no official number of characters for the first chapter, but ‘fewer is better’ is a good rule of thumb. Next time, instead of writing a big ol’ party, imagine your readers at a big ol’ party. They wouldn’t get some voice-over delivering the history of every party-goer as they walk in the door. They’d meet a few of them, one or two at a time, one question-and-response at a time. At the end of the night, they’d go home with a solid feeling for two or maybe three people. Perfect. There’ll be plenty of parties for the folks they didn’t meet tonight—just as there are plenty of chapters in your book for the characters in the wings.

Happy writing!
The Editor

Telling the New Agent about the Old Agent

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Dear Editor…

When I query agents for possible representation, should I inform them that I had an agent for 3 years
but I chose to leave due to creative differences?

Sincerely,

Merrily

Dear Merrily…

Tell them. Knowing you had an agent before can give weight to your query—it means you’ve caught someone’s eye once before. My agent, Erin Murphy of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency, says that while agent reactions can vary, she isn’t put off to learn someone had a previous agent. But she doesn’t dig the term “creative differences.” Erin says, “Much as I know agents and writers part ways for many reasons having nothing to do with either of them being troublemakers, of course there is always a tiny voice wondering why things didn’t work out with that agent, and that phrase sounds more of an alarm than many explanations; I immediately begin to suspect that this writer doesn’t like to listen to guidance. Something like ‘differing opinions about which direction to take my writing next’ sounds less ominous to my ear—it essentially means the same thing but can be taken as ‘that agent wanted me to write to a particular market and my muse wouldn’t cooperate,’ which I’m sympathetic to.” In the initial query, though, something like this will do you just fine: “In November 2009 I amicably parted ways with my agent of three years and I am now seeking new representation.” There are other factors, of course. Did the other agent sell anything? How widely circulated were the manuscripts? Is there any new material that the agent had not sent out, which would give a new agent space to build from? But you can get into that later, after this new agent has nibbled.

Happy writing!

The Editor