October 2011

Forcing Readers to Read It Your Way

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Dear Editor…

To me the use of ellipses, em dashes, and the use of italics to emphasis specific words are very much a part of both the author’s voice but more importantly the character’s voice. Some critiquers have said nothing about the amount of each of these included in my story, while others have had a fit. I want to say, “Have you talked with any teenagers recently, especially teen girls?” My female main character’s POV includes many more these style type things than does the male character’s POV. It’s part of what’s different about their voice.

Would LOVE your take on this,
Beth

Dear Beth…

You’re trying to write the teen accent, girl, and written accents almost always distract. The writing becomes about using typographical trickery to force the printed words to make certain sounds in readers’ minds, and the reading experience becomes a conscious effort to read the accent rather than focus on the content. Distraction city. Readers should sink into your story, not recite it. Don’t get me wrong, total thumbs up for trying to create an authentic teen voice. But don’t confuse “authentic” with mimicry. Real-life talking is a mess of meandering, stuttery gobbledygook. Writers approximate real-life talking styles to keep their fiction accessible even as they create voice. A book full of forced accent like “Oh my gawd! I was so, like, mortified—what with being a girl and all…”, can overwhelm readers, especially kids. Stop forcing it. Instead, use action between the lines of dialogue to create emphasis, and use repetition and hyperbole: “I full-on dive into the car and then ball up on the floorboard with my jacket over my head. Kill me now. Just kill me now and get it over with. Life at Derkson High is a living nightmare.” Less distracting, more dynamic, totally teen.

Happy writing!
The Editor

Can I Use That Title, Too?

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Dear Editor…

Is it OK to use the same title for a new YA novel as an already published adult novel?

Thank you,
Laurie

Dear Laurie…

You can’t copyright a book title, so you’re *almost* free to use one that’s already on another book. Two points to consider: 1) Will anyone confuse your book with the other one? Yours is a different category, so probably not. 2) Has an association between the title and that other specific work been established in the public mind? Or, as the US Patent and Trademark Office puts it, did that title have “wide promotion and great success” that could’ve established a secondary meaning and thus be protected by some states’ “unfair competition” laws? Here’s an interesting peek at trademarking book titles, series titles, and characters on the USPTO site that offers a larger view of this issue.

Happy writing!
The Editor

NEWSFLASH: “First 20 Pages Critique Giveaway” Winner

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Dear Readers…

We have a winner for the giveaway of the free critique of the first 20 pages of a fiction manuscript. Read on for the winner….

Dear Readers…

The giveaway for a free critique of the first 20 pages of a fiction manuscript is over. This morning I used Randomizer.org to select the winner:

Barbara Meyers Underhill, with her MG manuscript The Beatles Fan.

WAIT, THE GIVING ISN’T OVER! Two e-book editions of Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies are being given away today at The Writing Nut. Click over and enter: http://bit.ly/p7NXAz

Thanks for celebrating the premier of my book trailer with me.

Happy writing!
The Editor

 

“Free First 20 Pages Critique” Giveaway!

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Dear Readers…

The Editor is celebrating the premier of her book trailer for WRITING YOUNG ADULT FICTION FOR DUMMIES by giving away a FREE CRITIQUE OF THE FIRST 20 PAGES OF YOUR FICTION MANUSCRIPT. See the book trailer and get the full rules today on DearEditor.com.

Dear Readers…

Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies has a book trailer—and I’m celebrating with a “Free First 20 Pages Critique” giveaway! Check out the nifty trailer then use the blue bar on the right to scroll down for the giveaway rules.

Now for the giveaway rules:

  1. Your manuscript must be FICTION of ANY GENRE (general, sci fi, romance, steam punk . . . you get the idea; no non-fiction like how-to’s or memoirs—as fictional as those may seem; and sorry, no children’s picture books this time). Your manuscript can be for adults or young readers (YA or MG).
  2. The FIRST 20 PAGES of your manuscript must be COMPLETE.
  3. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements will be disqualified.
  4. Deadline: MIDNIGHT, October 20, 2011, PST.
  5. Winner will be randomly selected and announced on October 21, 2011, in the DearEditor.com comments section and on the DearEditor.com Facebook page, and the winner will be notified directly via email.

TO ENTER:

One entry –  SEND EMAIL to DearEditor.com using the “Write to The Editor” button at the top of the blog or by clicking this link. Type “Free First 20 Pages Critique” in the subject line. In the body of the email, include the TITLE of your manuscript, the GENRE, the CATEGORY (adult, YA, or MG) and YOUR FULL NAME. (If you have any difficulty with the contact button, send an email entry directly to dear-editor@hotmail.com.)

Bonus entry – SUBSCRIBE. DearEditor.com subscribers get a bonus entry by sending a second email with “Subscriber’s Bonus Giveaway Entry” in the subject line and your title and full name in the body. (Note: the Editor will verify!) Not a subscriber yet? Then subscribe now by clicking on the “Subscribe” button at the top of DearEditor.com and then email your second entry.

Extra bonus entries – SPREAD THE WORD. Blog, tweet, or otherwise electronically tell others about this giveaway to get additional entries. Send an email to DearEditor.com with “I Spread the Word!” in the subject line, and in the body include a link to your blog post or your Twitter address or your Facebook wall or whatever social media you used to spread the word. Don’t send screen-shots; attachments won’t be accepted. Include your title and full name in the body. Spread the word more than once? Then send an “I Spread the Word!” email for each one!

Anyone who doesn’t follow these rules will be disqualified, at the Editor’s discretion.

Disclaimer: The Editor does not share or in any other way use your contact information; it’s collected solely for winner contact purposes at the end of the giveaway.

Good luck!
The Editor

Guest Editor Gary Soto re: Heeding Your Creative Instinct

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Dear Editor…

I have a short story that my writing group thinks could be a whole novel. I worked hard to distill this character’s story down to its essentials . . . I can’t seem to get my head around expanding it meaningfully. I feel like I’m adding stuff for the sake of adding pages. I hear about great novels that started off as short stories. What’s their secret?

Thank you,
M.

Dear M.…

If you’re in a writers group, you may be expected to heed advice of others—that’s why you’re there, right? To listen, absorb, learn from others who are practicing this art of ours. However, I find that some will suggest revisions where revisions aren’t needed, new titles when the old titles will suffice, introduction of more tension (more screaming please!) when the story is adequately tense, etc. Now a colleague in the group—perhaps as he or she set her coffee cup down—has blurted, “Hey, this might be good as a novel, not a story?” Everyone chirps, “Great idea. You go, girl!”

I sense worry. I sense doubt. I side with you as we remember the maxim “When in doubt, remain in doubt.” In our art—fiction and short story writing—we live by hunches, what talent we are given, perhaps even the temperament that defines us—you, by nature, may color a smaller canvas. What’s wrong with that? This is you. You are not the Jackson Pollack of large canvases! You have a hunch that what you have done is a short story and will remain a short story. Are you being difficult? Are you losing an opportunity for a larger work? Probably not.

In short, if you try to lengthen the story into novel length, you’ll probably discover that it’s tough going—and, yes, those are tears of frustration falling on your keypad. My advice: recognize that the story is done. Now begin something else.

Stay strong,
Guest Editor Gary Soto

Gary Soto is the author of many much-loved middle grade and young adult novels, short story collections, poetry collections, and plays, including the acclaimed Baseball in April and Other Stories. He’s just published the new short story collection for young readers called Hey 13! and his first e-novel, When Dad Came Back. For more about Gary and his books, visit www.GarySoto.com.

Is Your Internal Dialogue Telling You Something?

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Dear Editor…

I’m writing a young adult novel in first person that alternates between the 2 main characters’ POV. I’m getting conflicting advice from critiquers about the use of internal dialogue—those not very into YA fiction say I have too much; those accustomed to YA fiction don’t comment on the internal thoughts OR say I need more! Is it a genre thing?

Sincerely,
Beth

Dear Beth…

More intriguing to me than the category split is the fact that all your critiquers commented on the internal dialogue. Something’s off. I.D. is essentially dialogue that reaches the tip of a character’s tongue but gets bitten back (Not in this lifetime, loser); it should spill out as naturally as a verbal comment. Natural and judicious use of I.D. is not so conspicuous. I suspect your characters’ talking voices have more personality than their narrative voices and that’s why you’re writing lots of it—distracting some readers with its overuse while wowing others with its zing. Put that zing in the narrative voice! Try it. Rewrite a scene as if the character is next to you, talking about that day. Not describing it, but talking about it the way he’d talk to himself. Different? I bet.

Happy writing!
The Editor

Do Agents Give Second Chances?

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Dear Editor…

An agent rejected my sci fi manuscript. I really want to be repped by this agent—he’s impressive at conferences and he reps great authors. Is it okay to submit another manuscript to him?

Thanks,
Anon.

Dear Anon….

Give that agency a second shot. Just be up front about it: “You passed on a previous submission of mine, but I do believe we’d make a good match and hope you’ll take a look at this new project, which is great in all these ways.” Put this in the second paragraph of your query rather than lead with it. If the agent’s rejection letter included specific comments about improving your manuscript, thank him for taking the time to give the feedback and tell him that you’ve incorporated his recommendations into this new ms. If you get a second rejection, then it’s time to move on because this agent isn’t responding strongly to your work. You want someone who’s as passionate about your writing as you are.

Happy writing!
The Editor