The CBC conference was in Melbourne this weekend almost gone and I'd been looking forward to it for a while. I couldn't get to Sydney for the SCBWI conference earlier and had to listen to other children's writers rave about how great it was so I was pining for anything to do with children's books to come to Melbourne.

Imagine my disappointment when I found out the tickets to the CBC conference were $800. Welcome reception was an additional $38 and the conference dinner was an additional $125. Clearly these were not prices aimed at authors.

The guest speakers were Shaun Tan and Neil Gaiman and I'd already seen Neil speak at the Melbourne SFF Natcon a couple of years ago and seen Shaun's work at SF cons all over. Also, going through the list of what else was on offer via panels etc, there was a lot of similar stuff/speakers I'd seen elsewhere and with only a few panels I wanted to see, in short, I just couldn't talk myself out of $800.

Luckily, the keynote speeches by Shaun and Neil were open to the public for a mere $25 each and that gave the public entry to the trade room and the general areas and that was all I needed.

Admittedly, there have been SF cons where I've spent the bulk of the con in the bar chatting to other writers, editors etc, despite having paid for the whole con, so to set out to catch the keynote addresses and spend the rest of the time chatting in the general area was at least more honest. And it worked out brilliantly.

Shaun Tan's talk was absolutely gorgeous and I fell in love with every single one of his works instantly, and Neil was his usual articulate self... altho I think I like the speech he gave at the Natcon a couple of years ago better. It was more off-the-cuff two years ago. There was a lot of structure and poetry in today's speech which was beautiful but less personal.

I wandered the stands learning about the publishers and even had a few publishers interested in my work, which pretty much stunned me. Publishers asking me? Then I thought, surely, they'll run a mile when I say those evil words "science fiction"... and I was stunned again. They all seemed to like the idea of science fiction. How many years had I been waiting to meet publishers like this? I even saw a full-on SF terraforming YA novel in the Harper Collins stand. Four years ago I remember having a conversation with an editor at Harper Collins about how YA SF would never be their thing. It wasn't under a local imprint but still... it looks like the tide is turning. I don't know if the golden-age of SF is returning or if SF is joining the mainstream, but I smell opportunities in the air.

So if anyone wants to go to a con and just can't afford it, take advantage of any sessions open to the public or just locate the nearest bar and hang out, laid back and casual. You'll soon meet someone to chat to.

But I have been busy.

A few stories are being held at publishers awaiting decisions, meaning that I heard the call for submissions, I did the writing and I met the deadlines. It's not always easy to get these three things right. I have high hopes... high and desperate hopes. The children's educational market in Australia seemed to slam on the brakes a couple of years ago, but, of course, Australian children need to read Australian-produced fiction, and I think the saving of ELR and PLR means that the government eventually realised that the industry needs a little support. Didn't we have to make a lot of noise before they heard, tho?

It's good to see the publishers moving forwards and calling for submissions. It's very exciting these days. No deadlines can be allowed to pass because they're so precious. The ASA recently published an interesting report on the state of children's writing in Australia, which lends facts and figures to the pinch we're all feeling. You can read it HERE.

Shiny Mag like another sub of mine, and will probably publish it sometime this year. I'm really pleased with the feel of it. It's futuristic mythical YA set in Asia. I'd like to write more stories like this. I think it has a lot of appealing elements. If you like reading Australian-flavoured YA don't forget to pick up your subscription to Shiny. "The Sun People" by Sue Isle in Shiny Issue 2 recently won a Tin Duck so it's now an award-winning emag and still ridiculously priced.

I was one of the finalists in the Julius Vogel Awards announced at an easter weekend con in Wellington. I was beaten in the short story section by Lucy Sussex, and Paul Haines picked up an award for his collection of short stories and novellas Doorways for the Dispossessed. So we West Island Kiwis were suitably happy with the results. Well done Lucy and Paul.

I was interviewed recently at Sputnik 57 who seem unnaturally impressed with my writing abilities. You can read the interview HERE.

The Pony Game (Lothian Books)
ISBN 978 0 7344 1005 4 QBD Bookshop

Welcome to Day 6 of THE PONY GAME Blog Book Tour!

You can revisit previous venues here:

Day 1 - Mon 10 Dec - Tina Marie Clark's What is Happening in my Office?
Day 2 - Tue 11 Dec - Claire Saxby's Let's Have Words
Day 3 - Wed 12 Dec - Sally Odgers' Spinning Pearls
Day 4 - Thu 13 Dec - Jacqui Grantford's JacquiGrantford.com
Day 5 - Fri 14 Dec - Sally Murphy's Scribblings

Bren: Welcome, Robyn, to the final day of your blog book tour.

Robyn: Thanks, Bren, for inviting me to your blog. It's great to be here.

Bren: How has the journey from blog to blog been?

Robyn: It's been great! Fantastic! All of the blog hosts have been wonderful. You are a bunch of friendly - I was going to say nice but I'm not fond of that word - supportive people and I feel honoured to have you as writing buddies. Answering the questions has been an interesting experience too. Your questions made me think - really think. Sure, we think about things ourselves but it's different when other people ask the questions. You've lead me off into different directions, new places I haven't explored before. Thank you for the experience. I appreciate the time and effort everyone has put into this blog tour. I recommend it and am happy to return the favour.

Bren: I like that The Pony Game is different to most pony books because the protagonist doesn't actually have her own pony even though a pony enters the story. I think a lot of children will relate to having to invent a Pony Game. You were also fortunate enough to have the talented and funky Elise Hurst illustrate your cover. Did you meet Elise or have any input into her design? How proud of this book are you? Is there any question you haven't been asked about the Pony Game yet?

Robyn: No, I haven't met Elise. But we now have the same literary agent. I hope to meet Elise one day and tell her how much I appreciated her being a part of "The Pony Game". No, I didn't get any input into her design. I loved her "rough illustrations" and thought she captured the story and characters well. It was almost as if she was in my head and childhood. I'm pleased that she illustrated the book and helped make it as beautiful as it is. So, yes, I'm very proud of it. I'm sure there are questions I haven't been asked yet. But I think we've done a good job, without going on and on forever and boring people to death. We don't want them to end up hating the sound of three little words - "The Pony Game".

Bren: The Pony Game is actually one book in a very busy year for you. You've had seven books published this year and already have six lined up for next year! A few books jump out at me. For instance, Child Heroes, a story about Iqbal Masih, a carpet factory labourer in Pakistan who spoke out about child slavery. What a fascinating and courageous boy. How did you go about putting his story together?

Robyn: This book has an interesting history. I was commissioned by Era Publications to write a book Child Heroes and include three child heroes, one being Anne Frank. It was the US publisher who works with Era that suggested this title and Anne Frank's inclusion. So, off I went to research child heroes on the Internet. I picked three with different backgrounds and themes - Anne Frank, iqbal Masih and The Tree Musketeers. The editor approved my choices and I went to work. However, I soon realised that Iqbal's story was so strong it was taking over the book. I did all my research on the Internet, spent hours poring over information and checking facts. During this time, I fell in love with Iqbal. He became my hero. I finished the manuscript and sent it to the Era editor, pointing out that Iqbal's story shone so brightly it made everyone else look pale in comparison. even though they had their own heroic stories. I didn't hear a word on the manuscript for months. Then I was called into the Era office. Uh-oh! It felt like I was being called to the Principal's office. The editor sat me down and explained that they'd decided to make the entire book about Iqbal. Was I surprised? No, Iqbal has that effect on people. Was I happy? You bet! Iqbal is an amazing boy. He is no longer with us, unfortunately, but I'll never refer to him in the past tense. He lives on. His bravery, selflessness, determination, belief - inspiration - is still part of our lives. As you can see, I'm passionate about Iqbal Masih. You can go HERE to view the cover and see this brave hero.

Bren: Another book I see coming up is Black Baron with Walker Books. Is that a full on glossy picture book? I understand that the protagonist is a racing cockroach. Of course! What an endless source of stories you could have about a racing cockroach. You could even add another story about his cousin from Queensland, the flying cockroach! (I hate how they fly). Tell me all about this new book: How stoked are you? Who is the illustrator? Why a cockroach? etc.

Robyn: "Black Baron" is a novel for 9 to 13 year olds. It will be one of the first books released in a new series, Lightning Strikes, by Walker Books due out in May 2008. I'm very excited about it. "Black Baron" is probably my favourite fiction book and my favourite fictional character. "Child Heroes: Iqbal Masih" is my favourite non-fiction title. It is a novel, so there aren't any illustrations. Why a cockroach? Hmmm... When I started "Black Baron", my aim was to write a funny story for boys. I love writing funny stories for boys. I thought about the things that boys liked and decided to write about bugs. I wanted to be different so I decided on a racing cockroach. At the start, I thought of cockroaches as dirty, stinking, rotten pests. Yuck! They have to die! Then I began writing and pretty soon I was in love with Black Baron. I was faced with a dilemma. My original idea and plot outline meant that Black Baron had to die... dirty, stinking, rotten... But I'd stopped thinking of him that way. Now I thought he was cute, wonderful - a champion racing hero. Did I kill him as I first intended? Or did I let him live? I eventually came up with a different ending I was happy with. You'll just have to read it to find out what happens to Black Baron - and his manager, Jake. I shudder at the thought of flying cockroaches!

Bren: I interviewed you a couple of years ago for my book, "How to Become a Children's Writer" in which you talked about other avenues of income for writers and balancing finding income with finding time to write. I have been fascinated with your career ever since. I think we both started getting children's books published in the same year but, of course, you are up to around 70 children's books now and have launched a career built around writing while I've pussy-footed around working conventional jobs and my mere 25 publications are in multiple genres, medias, and age groups. I feel like a butterfly in a blizzard next to the Rock of Gilbraltar. You seem to have tremendous focus and drive. How do you maintain that drive and what other ways do you bring in income to survive as a writer?

Robyn: Obsession! Honestly, I'm obssessed. Writing is my life. I'm a full time writer now. Having a "proper job" used to frustrate me because I wanted to write while I was at work and work got in the way - or the bosses did. There never seemed enough spare time to write. So I do have an advantage on you now, Bren, because I can commit myself to writing at least 8 hours a day. I think the more you write, the more obsessed about it you become. I never used to be this obssessed about writing. My partner is a writer too, so we talk about writing and writing related subjects a lot. We also work on projects together. We've just written a screenplay together, which felt more like spending quality time together than work. I don't have any children, though my partner does. So we do have child-distractions but on a part-time basis. I find it difficult to do anything other than write. Dragging myself to the supermarket is difficult. And forget housework!
My e-books and writing courses on the Internet bring in some regular income. I do author visits to schools and other paying gigs. Now, I'm working as a screenwriter too. ELR and PLR make a big difference. One of the reasons I can write full time is the fantastic lack of a mortgage. I own my house because, for many years, my husband and I invested in real estate and were able to use the capital gains to pay off our own home. The lack of a mortgage - any loans, actually - means I don't need a huge income to survive.

Bren: Looking through your list of books, it seems that you have very good relationships with some very busy publishers. I know that good relationships with editors has helped me, but, in an age when publishers are projecting themselves more through websites etc, it seems increasingly hard to get to know the people behind the company front and when the people change you can suddenly find yourself pushed away again. How important is the publisher/editor/writer relationship to you?

Robyn: I think the publisher/editor/writer relationship is important. Publishers and editors have to enjoy working with you. In other words, it has to be a positive experience for them. Otherwise, they might think twice about it next time. But I think the most important thing is your writing/stories. It doesn't matter how well you get on with a publisher/editor if they don't like your writing or your stories don't fit their list. I have good relationships with lots of publishers - and they still reject my stories. These publishers like my writing and style. Sometimes I have to work harder to get the stories to fit publishing opportunities and lists. It really is the writing and individual stories that matter. Having said that, publishers do have to want to work with you too. I write stories that I enjoy and feel passionate about and that I think readers will also enjoy. I hope publishers want to publish my stories. If they do, I think you have to be professional and easy to get along with. You know, treat others the way you want to be treated, do the right thing etc. I once heard a publisher say that she didn't want to know a thing about the writer - she didn't care. She made her decision on the strength of the manuscript and writing.

Bren: Thank you, Robyn, for giving us some of your precious time (you could probably have written another book in the time it took to answer all these questions). I think you've worked so hard in the last few years that you deserve to be on a best seller list somewhere and I'm always amazed at your humbleness and your helpfulness towards other writers. I think you're a star. Good luck for the future.

Robyn: Thanks, Bren. I've gone a lovely shade of red. Clashes with my pink T-shirt though. I hope I can inspire others, like my child hero Iqbal Masih. Part of my enjoyment as a writer is being able to help others and give back to the community. A best-seller would be good. I'd like to be able to donate lots of money to the environment, animal welfare and education of children in developing countries. That's my dream. Best of luck with your writing and everything you do. Thanks again for letting me visit your blog. It's been a great pleasure.

Keep up with Robyn at her website: RobynOpie.com or her blog: Writing Children's Books with Robyn Opie

Welcome to Day 1 of the Squeezy Book Blog Tour!

To celebrate the new children's picture book Squeezy Cuddle Dangly Legs we have sent the talented illustrator, Jacqui Grantford, on tour!

Review at Preschool Entertainment

You can follow the tour by attending these venues:

Day 1 - Saturday 10 November - Bren MacDibble's "Beast of Moogill"
Day 2 - Sunday 11 November - Sally Murphy's "Scribblings"
Day 3 - Monday 12 November - Robyn Opie's "Writing Children's Books"
Day 4 - Tuesday 13 November - Pemberthy Bear's "Pemberthy's Ponderings"
Day 5 - Wednesday 14 November - Claire Saxby's "Let's Have Words"
Day 6 - Thursday 15 November - Tina Marie Clark's "What is Happening in my Office?"
and a late host to join the ranks because you can never have too much of a good thing:
Day 7 - Friday 16 November - Sally Odger's "Spinning Pearls"

Jacqui Grantford, multi-talented artist, teacher, mother, illustrator and writer who has just released her sixth picture book: "Squeezy Cuddle Dangly Legs", welcome to the first day of your Book Blog Tour to celebrate this gorgeous new book.

Bren: Jacqui, this book is written by Peter Whitfield who is well-known for his "Zen Tails" and we all know that children, just before they fall asleep as well as 'at the darndest times', make almost zen-like statements, this would seem to match well with your style of realism but made brighter by the use of bright pastels. Was this an easy book to illustrate?

Jacqui: The appeal of ‘Squeezy Cuddle’ is its simplicity, but I think that can sometimes be more difficult. The trick is knowing what to leave out, but to still add a new dimension to the written word. This was my first book where I left lots of negative space, but I think it needs that to capture the feel of the text.

I used models as reference - Sophia, who co-owns New Frontier with Peter, and their daughter Grace. They flew down from Sydney especially so I could take photos.

Originally I had different models, but Peter and Sophia felt that the child was too old and we redid the layout. Sophia and Grace were naturals and you can tell how much they love each other which is so important in telling the story.

Bren: This is the sixth picture book you've illustrated (Jacqui has illustrated six other texts as well) and I've noticed you possess a wide range of styles. You've used a similar style in this new book to "Pemberthy Bear" and "Wishes for One More Day", more sombre colours for "A True Person", a completely different style for "Shoes News" and there's a certain baroque-feel to "Various Faerious" (I love the illustration of the faerie foot with the ring on the toe, btw). Are you conscious of choosing a style to suit the story and how did you choose the style for "Squeezy Cuddle Dangly Legs"?

Jacqui: I’m very conscious of choosing a style and it’s something that I want to develop even more. Colour choice and medium are so important in the story telling. And the fine details in the background also add an extra dimension and clues to the narrative.

With ‘Squeezy Cuddle’, I was sent a copy of ‘Playmates’ by Jane Tanner, so that became my inspiration to a degree. I deliberately kept the pencil lines rough to give it a drawn feel despite the realism. I felt that would add to the innocence of the manuscript.

Bren: You are also the author of two books you have illustrated, "Various Faerious" and "Shoes News". Obviously you must be proud to be solely responsible for the creative content of these books, but you've also illustrated socially important books like "A True Person", and books by other excellent writers. Which book is your favourite so far, why, and what is special about "Squeezy Cuddle Dangly Legs"?

Jacqui: I don’t think I could say that I have a favourite. They’re all special in their own way. ‘Various Faerious’ was my first and I love the fact that my children are in it. ‘Pemberthy Bear’ I love because Pemberthy is such a great character and kids that I read it to simply adore it. ‘A True Person’ is special because it’s such an important topic and has the capacity to do great good.

I read ‘Squeezy Cuddle’ to the kids I teach at Hampton Primary the other day and they loved it. The said the words along with me almost straight away, and got so excited by the bedtime rituals. I think ‘Squeezy Cuddle’ could become a bedtime regular with lots of small children.

Bren: Obviously you're a very talented artist as well as an illustrator. Your painting of Bud Tingwell was not only on display at the Archibald exhibition but also on the cover of the catalogue and invitations. How did you get started in children's picture book illustration and did that help with getting your own two books published?

Jacqui: I owe the start of my career with children’s book illustration to the two Anns at Books Illustrated. For those unfamiliar with Books Illustrated, it’s a wonderful shop and gallery for children’s books in Victoria and is run by Ann James and Ann Haddon. Ann James recommended that I speak to Lothian, so I then had a springboard to approach publishers with.

Bren: What advice can you give to the beginning children's writer and/or illustrator?

Jacqui: If you’re Victorian based then certainly visit Books Illustrated and speak to the Anns, or visit Dromkeen and chat to Kaye Keck. She’s been championing picture books for years.

Persistence is a big thing – keep sending your work out to publishers and go to events to meet with other illustrators or publishers. And if you can find a network to chat to others in the industry then that can be great as well.

PIO is an online newsletter that has heaps of information about the industry and competitions, advise etc for new authors/illustrators. You can email Jackie Hosking at jackiehoskingATaapt.net.au for more information. I’d highly recommend it.

And of course, reading terrific blogs such as this one will also give heaps of tips and ideas.

Keep writing, writing, writing, drawing, drawing, drawing, and sending, sending, sending. Never give up.

Bren: What's in the future for Jacqui Grantford? Are you still writing your own stories or has the increase in demand for your illustrations swallowed up all your writing time? If you're still writing what themes interest you?

Jacqui: The illustration side has seemed to have taken over a little. But I am definitely trying to find time to write still. I love it. I’m developing an idea at the moment, but I’m hopelessly superstitious, so I can’t say anything about it till it’s finished. Silly I know.

I’m hoping to collaborate with you one day on something, Bren. That would be fun. Something very science fiction and quirky.

Bren: Definitely. I was very impressed with the alien characters in your children's gallery. I'm sure that if we teamed up we'd get science fiction quirk standing on its head! Make a note of that idea because I suspect that you'll be terribly busy keeping the big publishers happy with your glorious illustrations for a long time. Thanks for taking the time to visit, Jacqui, and good luck with your multi-creative career.

"Shiny" mag Issue 1 is out now.

"Shiny" is an e-magazine of short speculative young adult fiction. Big on story and low on price, Issue 1 has three great stories:
'Small Change' by Trent Jamieson
'Close to Death' by Eugie Foster
'The Sun People' by Sue Isle

These are getting great reviews, and I'm sure most readers agree with me when I say, I wish 'The Sun People' was a whole novel worth of reading. How all that mood, backstory and ideas got packed into a short story, I'll never know.

"Shiny" will run three issues this year and then decide about next year when it gets here. So don't wait, or you may miss out.

Hotel MacDibble Inmates: 3
Projects of the Week: gardening
Critiqued this week:
Reading this week: Elysium - Catherine Jinks
Writing this week: Bella Wang (YA)

The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

It's true! I've had a play placed at the Australian Script Centre.

I wrote the play a few years ago for my son's Grade 1/2 class. The school needed a script for 50 children that was fun and easy to do, and they couldn't find any so they asked me to create a play. Which I did. It is a muddled up fairytale comedy called "The Other 'Other' Tale of the Three Little Pigs".

When they asked me to give it to them again for production this year, I realised that there were probably hundreds of schools who needed plays using large numbers of children but traditional playbooks were out because schools can't afford 50 copies of the same book. Sherryl Clark suggested Ozscript and while I initially thought the age group was too young for Ozscript to be interested, they contacted me and asked me to submit anyway.

"The Other 'Other' Tale of the Three Little Pigs" was produced for the second time, a couple of weeks ago by the local primary school at the highschool hall. All the reviews so far seem to be good:

"My favourite scene was scene three, 'Still Near a Forest". I felt happy at first and confident. In the play the fairy godmother was pretty and cinderella was too! I was a narrator". Divya, Grade 2.

"I like scene 3 because I have the most words in the scene. I feel very very Happy! I like the scene becasue there are lots of characters. I was dressed in a pink dress, 2 pink wings, and a pink crown." Karen, Grade 1

"Scene ten was my favourite because everyone laughed at Rock- Bottom bob when he said “Dead! Bring out your dead! Half price removals!” and Grim Reaper said, “He’s dead on time.” That was funny and excellent." Peter, Grade 2

This has been a wonderful experience for all involved. I have found working with a script that has allowed me to involve up to 60 children to be very unique. The play is funny and enjoyable and at no time did the children lose interest. They enthusiastically learned their lines and took on understudy roles. They were able to develop their acting and speaking skills to a very high level.
The children have thoroughly enjoyed their experience and benefitted greatly from it. Helen, teacher.

Hotel MacDibble Inmates: 4
Projects of the Week: gardening
Critiqued this week: Rhyming picture book for Trudie Trewin
Reading this week: Blind Submission - Debra Ginsberg
Writing this week: Bella Wang (YA)

The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

First the winners of the Children's Book Council of Australia Children's Book of the Year Awards >>Click here<<
Congratulations Margo and all the other wonderful creators, well-deserved wins all around.

A friend of mine has just gone off to teach a primary class in Maningrida (about 510km east of Darwin on the coast) for three weeks.

She showed me on a map where it was. Great, I said, you'll be able to go to the beach. Now, I've visited Sumbawa, Komodo, Sumba, and other out of the way places (which are strangely close to Maningrida despite being in another country) so the isolation and lack of unnecessary comforts were no problem to an adventurous backpacker like me.

Then she showed me the literature she'd been given - jellyfish, crocodiles, sandflies, mosquitos, snakes, roaming wild dogs, and advice that states: "if you want to enjoy the water, go boating". Possibly sound advice. Altho my advice, "Don't go outside!" might be even safer.

I read further through her literature. She has to have a permit to have a glass of wine. All alcohol has to be ordered and will be delivered to the Police station and only handed out once every two weeks. Right there, I know I wouldn't survive in Maningrida. If a police station in Melbourne tried to deprive a group of local 40-something women from having their after work wine every night there would be a monumental riot. Now, quite possibly the police station is authorised to supply the average 40 year old Maningrida woman with enough wine so she can have one glass per night but if I lived in Maningrida, in that heat, with the lack of jobs, crocodiles, roaming dogs, sandflies, snakes and mosquitoes, I'd bloody well feel like I DESERVED to drink to excess at least once a week. I feel like that now and my life is cushy by comparison. How do women there cope? It's not like there's counselling or friends groups or ladies golf day or anything laid on for them in Meningrida, is there? It makes me glad that my aboriginal ancestors married into an evil Scottish family and left the country. At least my right to drink whenever I choose has been preserved.

That was a bit ranty and I suppose a lot of drunks do evil things but mostly those are men and younger. I think any 40+ woman has reached a time in her life when she deserves a drink or two without some government department counting like a possessive husband. You know, at this age, we don't stand for possessive husbands.

Anyway back to the Maningrida school. I donated to them a reading pack of 5 Beast of Moogills:

and a copy of each of my other Giggler books. Then I wondered how relevant aliens and science fiction are to kids up there.
I suppose it was relevant to me living on NZ sheep stations but then we had the cold war and mad sf on TV. SF was the bees knees back then. :)

Does anyone know? Unfortunately, I seem to know more about the Indonesian islands north of there than I do about the northern territories or far north Queensland. Which is a bit pathetic when I've just said I had an aborignal ancestor... but you have to remember, I don't have Australian citizenship either. I'm a Kiwi. If you ask me about far north NZ, or Maori traditions, I'll know.

Hotel MacDibble Inmates: 4
Projects of the Week: tree pruning, Rhonda Collin's website
Critiqued this week: 1 (new mentee)
Reading this week: Mortimer Gray's History of Death - Brian Stableford (very very awesome)
Writing this week: A Long Way from Home (YA space opera)

The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

In the form of advice.

Advice for children's book writers from Ann Coburn and New Writing North. Anyone who likes Margaret Mahy MUST know what they're talking about. Actually, it's a really great read. Read it through a couple of times. It has an English bias but heaps of good advice.

And some good news for me. My first ever YA story accepted by Shiny Mag. I've been writing YA SF for a while. Haven't sent much out but when I have, it's gained interest.

Also good news is an amazing review at Last Short Story.

Hotel MacDibble Inmates: 4
Projects of the Week: Surviving School Hols while working full time.
Critiqued this week: 0, but 3 last week
Reading this week: Dark Space by Marrianne De Pierres
Writing this week: A Long Way from Home (YA space opera)

The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

I've started a little marketing drive for "How to Become a Children's Writer". My publishers don't seem to be getting it to where new children's writers congregate, so I had some postcards printed up, showing the cover and the link to the online bookshop with a small waffle about what a great beginning point this book is for anyone starting out in children's writing in Australia.

This week I started mailing out the postcards, and there I hit my first obstacle and the same obstacle as my publishers: Where do new writers congregate? They don't really, do they? Many meet at courses at TAFE or neighbourhood houses, some city dwellers might wander along to their local Writers' Centre to see if there's any info there, but most just decide that it would be great to be a children's writer and have a go or browse the net.

Not long after they finish their first children's story, they have a need for my How To guide. They look at their story proudly and realise they need to know what's next and wonder:

"Do I need to find an illustrator?"

"Do I need to find an agent?"

"How do I find out if this is any good?"

"What publishers will publish this?"

"How do I submit it to them?"

"How long will they take to reply?"

"What about copyright?"

"What do I do if I get a contract?"

"What the hell is a royalty, a flat fee, an advance?"

"What royalties are standard?"

"Who do I go to for help with a contract?"

"How do I register for public lending rights?"

"How do I find out what publishers want to publish?"

"How do I improve my skills?"

"How do I find out about what's happening in the industry?"

"What organisations can help me?"

"Can I make a living at this?"

I could go on all day about all the nitty gritty questions that new writers face (the answers to which are all contained in "How to Become a Children's Writer") but I think you get the idea.

So... how do I get to them then, at that exact moment of the first complete children's story?

Be top of Gooogle?

Anyway, back to stage one of this marketing drive, I've donated books (out of my own pocket) to NSW and VIC Writers' Centres' libraries, NSWWriters may put an article about it in their members' mag and VICWriters usually write up the latest donated books in their mags. To all the other Writers' Centres I've sent postcards only as they don't seem to have borrowing libraries for their members.

My next move is to send postcards to the tutors of children's writers at TAFEs. The problem there is that the company who designed and commissioned this book are also in the adult education business - competitors. BUT, a friend who completed a Professional Writing and Editing course at TAFE and turned out a great children's book during the course, complained to me that there was a "cone of silence" about what to do with it next. That was hilarious to me, a) because you can't stop children's writers from sharing info about their business, they're the most sharing writers around, b) because an expensive TAFE course hadn't filled him in on all the practical details (and TAFE is meant to be all about practicals), and c) because I love Maxwell Smart. So obviously TAFE students have all the same questions as every other new writer and I'm sure the tutors want to see their students do well. That's why I'm sending them postcards when I know my publisher wouldn't. So tutors, if you get a wad of postcards that you don't want or know what to do with, I apologise.

I really should take out paid ads in magazines and increase the web presence. In fact, web presence may be the one thing that reaches most new Australian children's writers.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hotel MacDibble Inmates: 4
Projects of the Week: Surviving School Hols while working full time.
Critiqued this week: 0, but 3 last week
Reading this week: Dark Space by Marrianne De Pierres
Writing this week: A Long Way from Home (YA space opera)

The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

My children's sf books "Take me to your Leader", "Red Hot Pet" and
"Beast of Moogill" have sold licences to be printed and sold in the US via
Rigby Harcourt Achieve (still available locally via Blake Ed) and eventually I got a nice cheque. Writers hardly ever get nice cheques, so this is big news.

Also this is a lesson in retaining rights in all media, and trying to get published with a company with connections. You never know when a company that has its act together will branch out in a new way. I mean that literally, no publishers have time to keep their authors informed about everything... or often anything. You submit to a void, it seems, and you mail contracts off to a void and sometimes, a cheque comes back... and it really is amazing everytime that happens!

It's been a busy year so far. I've had adult short sf stories accepted by Sputnik 57, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Flashspec 2, Antipodean SF, and Orb Magazine. I've been trying to meet every deadline for children's writers that I have a reasonable chance of being accepted in, and actually wrote a children's short story in two days! Normally I agonise over them for weeks and weeks, but this just flowed. Nothing like a good writing day to make me feel like a "real" writer.

If you're in Australia and want to get out and learn more about writing. Check out your closest writing centre for these upcoming events: On Saturday, 30th June, the NSW Writer's Centre will be holding the 'Writing for Children and Young Adults Festival'. It will be a day of readings, panel sessions, book launches and author talks from Australia's most popular writers for children and young adults. Queensland Writer's Centre will be hosting a masterclass on young adult fiction with James Moloney on Sunday, 12th August. While Victorian Writer's Centre expands the genre with a workshop on writing children's television with Chris Roache on Tuesday, 17th July from 6.30-8pm.

Hotel MacDibble Inmates: 4
Projects of the Week: Getting winter veggies going
Critiqued this week: 0!
Reading this week: The Best of SF
Writing this week: Editing Blurred Horizons

The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

When it comes to the craft, no matter what you are writing, there are two things that are worth investing more time developing than any other aspect of craft, number two is 'voice'. 'Voice' is the manner in which you tell the story. The words you choose, the sentence structure, the familiarity you can invoke. It has to be either a voice the reader is used to or a voice that is so compelling it sucks your reader in completely.

I'm quite good at voice. And like all people who are quite good at something, I love it. I love voice too much. I always feel like if I get the voice right, I'm 70% of the way to a great story. I get the impression John Marsden feels this way too. He is an Australian King of voice. Nick Earls is too. They're doing well using great voices. I know this because I have developed a great 'ear' for 'voice'. It looks like most other ears, a couple of piercings, regular shaped lobes, not too big, not too small, not too sticky-outey. I reckon if my 'ear' can learn about 'voice' then it can't be too hard to master.

The reader has to read the story and feel like the protag is speaking using their thought patterns. Writing is not a thing where you try to impress the reader with your prose. Writing is something where you try to show the reader a story using their words. It's a completely giving thing. It is my humble opinion that writing should suck a lot out of a writer. If a writer finds it easy, I immediately suspect that he/she is doing it wrong. Of course, it may just be harder for me than other writers. I'm pretty sure Neil Gaiman writes faster than me, for instance. Of course, he knows people are waiting for what he writes. What I write has to endure months of slogging around looking for a home. That's how it is down here in the doldrumous sea of mid-list writers (is doldrumous a word?).

Things like word choice, tightness, flow, sentence structure, are all very important when trying to get a voice that readers will appreciate and reading great writers is a fantastic way to observe 'voice' in action. You can't get a university degree in 'voice'. It is an intuitive thing. If you have it, you can develop it. The check list in "How to be a Children's Writer' outlines ways to tell if you have an innate knowledge of good 'voice'. If you have 'voice' start paying attention to the way good authors use theirs.

The number one most important thing when it comes to writing is the 'great idea'. It's sad for me. Here I am, all crafty with fantastic 'voice' and I still have to come up with the 'great idea' or it's all for nothing. Sometimes 'great ideas' get published and the author has an off or slightly stilted 'voice'. That's very annoying to me. I know I could write the 'great idea better... but then I didn't come up with the 'great idea'. Let's face it: great 'voice' is something you can develop, great ideas/extrapolation/plots require a higher starting point. But still, they can be developed.

Now the first 100 'great ideas' you dream up will have already been done by someone else. Sad, isn't it? You need to dream up the 100 and 1th 'great idea' or possibly the 200 and 2th 'great idea'. Come on, do you want to be a writer or not? It's not like you're the first person to ever tap on a keyboard! Not only will you have to come up with a rare 'great idea', you'll have to have it in a rare setting, with rare, yet exciting, compelling and somehow familiar characters. Is it too much to ask?

Now, I don't know how other writers do it without using the mediums of speculative fiction. Let's face it, science comes up with a hundred new story ideas a day... it goes where no man has gone before after all... even history and ancient fable reveals a little more of itself every day and the horrors known to man keep increasing and getting messier. Forgive me if I'm being biased, but aren't these all fodder for the speculative fiction writer? I suppose the world is changing so fast there is fodder for comedy, romance and crime fiction as well... okay, I'm genre biased. Anyway, the world provides plenty of opportunities for the next 'great idea', shove it all into your head, let it mix about for a while, and when it regurgitates, all you have to do is combine it with the 'amazing plot' and the 'sensational ending'. Do that and you're 70% of the way to a great story.


Hotel MacDibble Inmates: 4... any minute now...
Projects of the Week: Painting back wall of house
Critiqued this week: 0!
Reading this week: Poor Cruel Folk - Arkady & Boris Strugatski
Writing this week: Oubliette (a children's ghost story based on a true story)

The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

Take a look folks. The Beast is due for its third reprint plus Makeover, she may never look like this again!

I'm not sure what is happening with the layout etc, but I do know that the title is getting "How To" added to the front and I have updated a lot of the contacts list. Publishers coming and going, regional writers centres etc. If you have a copy of the book already drop me an email on bren @ macdibble . com and I'll send you the updates.

This is an ever-evolving guide. By the tenth reprint we'll have the ultimate book, it will sit up and read itself while delivering endless cups of tea and massages... perfect.

This is an odd thing to say, but while reading reprint two of the guide to make the updates for #3, I found myself impressed and inspired. I decided I would keep this copy for myself and highlight parts of the advice!

That's not as conceited as it sounds. Remember the great quotes and interviews by Robin Hobb, Anna Ciddor, Jen McVeity, Sherryl Clark, Claire Saxby, Sally Murphy, Robyn Opie, Richard Harland, Marie Alafaci, Tony Shillitoe, and industry professionals like Sophia Oravecz, editor, and Dr Jeremy Fisher, exec. director of the Australian Society of Authors? Incredibly insightful, helpful and generous people.

Also another point in my humble favour is that by helping new writers understand the ins and outs of starting out in the children's writers' industry, it's as if I have frozen the enthusiasm and drive that I felt when I was starting out. The Guide is incredibly encouraging and uplifting.

There is the obvious benefit that if I sat down and tried to recall everything I ever learnt about PLR, ELR, contracts, copyright, ABNs, GST, CAL, research, querys, simultaneous submissions, etc, my memory would fail me. And here it all is.

Also I sweated blood over it for more than half a year back in 2005, and the pain has lessened now. Besides, what's wrong with liking something that you've written? All authors should adore what they've written with some kind of mother wart-hog type passion!

If you've read the guide and what to make suggestions for its improvement or expansion/clarity in any section, please let me know asap before it rolls off to the printers.







Hotel MacDibble Inmates: 5
Projects of the Week: Painting back wall of house
Critiqued this week: 5
Reading this week: Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman
Writing this week: Oubliette (a children's ghost story based on a true story)

The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

The question raised from my last post was: "Do you edit as you write, plow through to the end and then edit, use a crit group to discover the nits and gnats in the prose, send it off to a professional editor, or ask your house guests to take a crack at editing for the practice in the English language, and what do you suspect the pros and cons of these approaches might be?

AND the simple answer is a famous quote: Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm (let's take "great" in this case as meaning great story... not world-changing or something mightier).

Enthusiasm is your most important asset so you have to guard and protect that enthusiasm. Editing, picking apart the prose or showing it to house guests as you write could all destroy enthusiasm so I say write it all out before you do anything else.

Prior to writing it out is plot outlining, and bouncing the story off a few trusted individuals who write in the same genre. There is potential there to either increase enthusiasm or deflect you from wasting a lot of time writing something that has been done. If you ask people who read and write in the same genre, they are likely to not only have read widely in that genre but also to have thought about and extrapolated many of the common themes of that genre.

Either they will say something like: "That's excellent. I think lots of readers will love to hear about secret genetic research, it's a hot topic right now with the whole stem cell research thing, and you know, there is a chance to expand into a conspiracy theory if you link it to secret rich people organ transplant, and you can even touch on those urban myths about waking up in baths of ice if you want..." and wahoo suddenly your plot outline takes on another dimension (let's face it, novel plots need many dimensions and most of us only have a couple when we start out on a novel). Or they could say, "Isn't that really similar to that book "Organ Grinders" and I don't remember that doing so well." Then you get to quiz them on the plot outline of the similar book and ask them where they think it fell down, and even read it as background research so you don't repeat someone else's mediocrity (btw Organ Grinders is an excellent book, not at all mediocre - I don't know why it didn't do so well - altho I wish I knew).

I've seen people ask for plot outline feedback at various online groups. Plot outlines can't be copyrighted so if you think that there is a high chance a writer will discover your plot and be so enthused by it that they steal it and write it up better than you ever could, be a little guarded with your questions. It's true that it's impossible that two writers would ever write the same plot up the same way but it is also true that there's no room in the marketplace for two similar books at the same time.

I often bounce ideas off sf or children's writer friends face to face. Normally, I do it after I write the opening scene which is bizarre, but it makes the main character and the situation real to me, and after I have a few drinks. Helps with extrapolation.

Using this method, I always have to rewrite the opening scene when I've sorted out the plot, and sometimes I have to rewrite it from scratch. I have a lot of opening scenes that just don't turn into stories because I've realised at that stage that my idea was mediocre and it needs more: that other new element or a complete overhaul.

I've been thinking a lot lately, especially since a small company offered me a publishing deal on a novel that I just can't get completely satisfied with. What I really want more than a publishing deal on that novel is to write something awesome. Something that kids will pick up and go all word-of-mouth about like Lemony Snicket, or Artemis Fowl, or Eragon. That wow factor. That complex combination of fun, imagery, imagination, empathy, adventure that grabs most kids. Mind you, a nice fat biblio can't hurt especially if I ever write that word-of-mouth novel and need to convince a publisher to publish it.

Once the story is finished, I would suggest writing three short stories to take your mind off it, or get out and paint the house. Then haul it out again and self-edit before sending off to a crit group. Get out a whiteboard (or the side of the fridge) and write out a plot map at the self-edit stage too and see if it is all entirely logical (ie. does any character do something just to further the plot not because that is the logical thing for someone in his position to do?) Pick out the ideas and obvious flaws that resonate with you from the crit group (be selective) change it, and then, if you still think it has potential, send to a professional editor or, if you're confident that the story is not only the best it can be but also better than every other story in any slush pile anywhere and that the grammar is perfect, figure out which publishers do this size/genre/style and make a list from your favourite publisher down to your okay publisher and start mailing. Mail all at once if you want to, or if you think you should respect a publisher's wishes to have exclusive submissions (which you should do ONLY if their slushpile actually has a legitimate turnaround time - check at Duotrope because imho trust has to work BOTH ways) then give them a 2-3 week headstart.

Skip the agents if this is your first novel. Anyone who thinks earning 10% of a first novelist's earnings is a good idea is seriously dodgy. If a publishing company breaks even on a first novel, then it is a success. Give up any hope of making money from writing and you'll be better off.

Some writers hate plot outlines. These tend to be novelists who have the wordspace to ebb and flow and follow their natural instincts. They also know they won't be finished in under a year and that they will have to cut 20,000 words at least in the editing stage.

Short story writers and children's writers generally know the basics of the plot before they start writing. Often there is a twist at the end of short stories that has to be built up to. Not knowing that twist until you get there means going back and taking out accident red herrings, and inserting real ones with the actual clues and destroying the flow of the story. Short story writers like plot outlines even if they deviate from them vastly. And they should never feel hemmed in or stifled by a plot outline. Follow your natural instincts as you write and if it all turns to custard, you've lost nothing because you can always go back to the point at which you deviated from the plot outline and try a different direction.

SUMMARY - Get enthused - get a plot outline - get more enthused about it - write, write, write, and don't let anything interfere with your writing until after it's done, that's how you get started.



Hotel MacDibble Inmates: 4!
Projects of the Week: Tiling laundry
Critiqued this week: 0!
Reading this week: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Writing this week: Girly Chomp (a children's science fiction story about hitchhiking the galaxy)

The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

Had the news today: "Become a Children's Writer" is due for its third reprint at which time it will magically morph into the more saleable title of "How to Become a Children's Writer".

It raises a couple of questions. Like the size of a print run for one. Looking at my invoices suggests it's more of a print hop than a print run. Oh well, at least keeping it up to date is easy. Another question: "How to" change a title so it is more saleable. Well... how?

It is one of the best selling Top Job Guides so for getting it to that status (the status of a big fish in a little pond) I thank you.

Yes, YOU! Your continued interest in "(something) a Children's Writer" has got it where it is today. It has come this far with its non-saleable title, and that is because of word of mouth and because of a nice little gap in the marketplace that means a book that pulls together all the other information out there and puts them in easy to digest steps is required.

I think Robyn Opie may be the only other person who has done something like this at the beginning level... and I interviewed her for my book so you can't lose.

So thank you for your words of mouths.

SoooOOOooo back to the blog. Now you are all sensible, critical readers, because you've read the previous entries... what is the next topic for this blog? What do YOU want to know?

Don't forget as well as this sensible blog I have my non-sensible/nonsenseable blog at blogspot


Hotel MacDibble Inmates: 5
Projects of the Week: Tiling laundry
Critiqued this week: The Post Office by my anonymous Mentee
Reading this week: Hal Spacejock by Simon Haynes
Writing this week: Girly Chomp (a children's science fiction story about hitchhiking the galaxy)

The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

Do you have i-tunes?

Go here and dl the free Guardian series of writing talks:
Guardian Unlimited Free Podcasts

There are interviews with Johnathon Stroud, and Eoin Colfer, including a short piece of Eoin Colfer's Westend stand up show.

There is also a recording of the English PEN: Painting by Numbers forum where Terence Blacker, Russell Celyn-Jones, Louise Doughty and Fay Weldon discuss creative writing courses and whether creative writing can be taught or not... for almost a whole hour!

You can get a lot of Spider Solitaire (prerequisite time-wasting device for all good writers) done while listening to this... and guilt free because you're listening to writers discussing writing!

Interesting points mentioned:
- You can talk too much about something that is ultimately mysterious and random and take the wind out of its sails.
- Writers who write less well at the end of a course than at the beginning. Taking two steps backwards in order to take one step forwards and spoiling the desire to write (something my fellow Clarion writers will agree with).
- Writing courses and the view that creative writing is a career option that you should expect to make a living at.
- Writers for whom attending writing courses becomes a career and whether the gap left by publishing houses and agents (who no longer have time or budgets to edit or nuture new writers) is being filled by the feedback and support writing courses offer.

I absolutly agree with the first two points. I have done a lot of things in the course of improving my writing skills and while I am a better writer now, I have way less confidence and motivation to write. I recently gave up teaching creative writing and took up a five day a week job at a plumbers. The only creative thing I write daily now is creative invoices to explain how the boys spent so much time in your bathroom when they only went to change the washers. It's so much easier to have just one day job and so much more rewarding to have cash in the bank every week. AND according to the Guardian Unlimited PEN discussion, it may be the very thing I need to get back to writing more for myself, to get away from dissecting and get back to enjoying writing.

I'd hoped to increase my creativity but this has largely been unaffected by everything I've done except reading. And reading widely, not just what's hot. I read a lot odd stuff that I love that no one else has ever heard of. The PEN discussion brushed on the topic of homogeny in writers too.

I know I have the skills to write great stories and every story I write is still better than the last but the act of putting the words together the way I want has become extremely painful. I think I know too much. I think I've over analysed the fun out of writing. Clarion helped with that (even tho I adored Clarion). I have even lost confidence with my ability to critique other people's writing to a point.

I still write regularly tho (addict) a few nights a week, and the feedback I get from editors is always good. The fact that it doesn't always translate to sales is confusing but that's what writing is these days. Good isn't good enough. It has to be incredible. I can do incredible. It's just going to take some time.

AND I still believe that learning the basics before setting off on a writing career is going to knock years off your learning curve. Which is why I wrote the book. It's just there's a point at which you must say... "okay, I'm a reasonably good judge of what I like and writing that works... I shall blaze on alone"... without falling into the trap that awaits on the other side, of writers who think they can write when really they can't.

Hotel MacDibble Inmates: 5
Projects of the Week: Tiling laundry (fireplace finished!)
Critiqued this week: Stories by Nidhi Chandra, Ramon Huang, Justin Bell, Samantha Fragias, Dillon Walsh, Jade Leggett, Kahli Garret, Evan Parris, Ebony (these are all children)
Reading this week: So Yesterday, Scott Westerfield
Writing this week: Girly Chomp (a children's science fiction story about hitchhiking the galaxy)
The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

This is the third and final segment in my humble opinion about steps you can take to becoming a critical reader.

If you have learned anything or disagreed with anything or want me to mention anything more specifically then please comment. I'd love to know that someone out there somewhere thought there was something worth commenting on in here.

We've already covered parts of the middle of a story while talking about pacing and tension (remember Sherryl's mountain range?).

Character development
You should also feel that your characters are changing and learning by their experiences, in a good way. The good guys gain confidence and strength, the bad guys learn the error of their ways. This is called character development. By the end of the story it is nice to see characters have changed.

Merit
Also these days, nicely crafted, nice stories are no longer publishable, unless you already have another selling drawcard for the story... ie. you're famous, it is about someone famous etc. Stories today have to have merit as well as being well-crafted in order to be published. The thing you liked first about the stories you chose to look at while learning to be a critical reader may be the thing that gives it merit.

There is literary merit... I have very little chance of writing a story with literary merit. I believe literary merit is using language in eloquent and poetic ways. But don't worry, there are many other ways for a story to achieve merit. It may give readers access to a different culture or time in history in an entertaining way. It may be insanely funny and full of unusual imagery and bizarre happenings. It may take on difficult topics of interest/world issues/social problems and present the options to readers in a more digestable way. It may give insights to a particular age group/disorder/ethnic group/handicap and give readers a chance to see how other people think/live/see the world. It may give kids the chance to share wild adventures with characters who are spies or crime solvers, etc.

Stories today aren't usually just nice stories.

Resolution
Let's move along to the end. The end of a story should be satisfying. Usually it's satisfying if the protagonist has achieved most of what they set out to do. They have to do this by being heroic, of course, not by winning lotto or being bailed out by the police/a rich and powerful relative.

Heroes should become heroic and solve their own problems in order for us to admire their achievements. The twist is always delightful and fun as long as the clues have been laid beforehand and the twist fits. The ending has to be honest.

Did the writer, write right up to the end, or did they tail off and then just wrap up the story for a page or so more? Generally the greatest tension is right before the end and any wrap ups that follow are quick and necessary. Once that final tension has been solved the story is basically over.

If you ever get to the end of a story and don't feel satisfied, ask why... likewise, if you do feel satisfied, ask why...

It's all about learning and the opportunity to learn is everywhere. Knowledge is even free at your local library, just take your own container.

Now, go read something... critically.


Hotel MacDibble Inmates: 5
Projects of the Week: Tiling fireplace behind stove (yeah... I know... I need half a day to myself)
Critiqued this week: The Carpet Fitter Nidhi Chandra, The Egyptian Ring Jayden Bell, The Lamp of Doom Ramon, The Baby Who Got Haunted Samantha Fragias (these are all children)
Reading this week: The Best of Australian SF & F 1
Writing this week: Girly Chomp (a children's science fiction story about hitchhiking the galaxy)
The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

Remember in the first post I said, "Books aren't perfect for a variety of reasons..." and "...whatever you liked about the books you've chosen is probably the most important thing about that book"? And you're probably wondering why I'm bring this up again and how I ever laid everything out so logically in the Top Job Guide... well, the guide (despite coming with an outline) was the hardest thing I've ever written and I'm bringing this up again because if you've actually attempted to physically utilise all the critical reading that I've mentioned so far in this blog you may be becoming a little obsessed with right and wrong.

Really there is no right and wrong when it comes to writing, only what works and what doesn't. Remember, what you like about a book is still more important than anything I've told you about grammar or flow or pacing.

At the moment I'm reading an award-winning book to my kids. I won't mention names because not everything I have to say about it is glowing and it's just pompous to poke holes in award-winning books.

It's a good story set in an interesting country at an interesting time in history, it has a well-developed main character that my kids have very little in common with but have no trouble relating to. It utilises magic and creatures that they are familiar with and a form of quest, which they are also familiar with. Being me, and being naturally obsessive, I get annoyed with a few little things.

There's a mildly annoying info dump from a previously unheard from narrator... but pov intrusions are a fairly common thing in novels and I'm pretending it came from the secondary character who actually started divulging similar knowledge before the unknown narrator so rudely butted in.

The thing that really annoys me is that the travellers in this story have to carry an item that is really important. The plot revolves around it. Yet this item seems to shrink and grow in size, sometimes be a pain to carry, sometimes it seems to be so easy it may as well be in someone's pocket. I know what colour it is, I have no idea of the size. I've also noticed that characters put it down in some scenes, yet I don't see them picking it up again, and hey presto, it reappears magically at the end of the scene. If an author makes a picture of an important item being put down, it needs to be picked up again. Also the item is of the utmost importance to only one of the characters yet that character isn't consistently obsessive in checking on the item. Sometimes he just seems to forget about it.

If something is important in a story, it has to be treated as if it is important... or in the voice of Jean-Luc Picard "Make it so"!

Do the kids notice things like this? Nup, just me. Does it ruin the story? Nup. Afterall... it's won awards!

So how did something like this happen? Remember, there are a variety of reasons books aren't perfect. In this case, I think the editor was too busy to notice the inconsistencies with the item, and the author was too close to the story to notice. You'll soon figure out with your own work, that you get so wrapped up in it, you can't see what to others are glaring inconsistencies... that's why you need feedback.

Should I contact the author now and tell them their award-winning story has an area of inconsistency? No way! What kind of person do you think I am? It's won awards. It's got more than enough going for it to carry an inconsistency or two.

Being able to read critically is meant to be an aid to writing, not a licence to mug those lucky writers who get published.




The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

SooOOooo you're back?

Have you been reading opening paragraphs all week and seeing how other writers do it?

Remember we were looking thru award winning books for openings which introduce a mood, character, setting, problem, or raise a question immediately. Those are the openings that hook readers in.

Do the next few paragraphs follow up on the promise? Do they flash back in time to fill in the backstory. Do they leap ahead in time to the consequences of that opening paragraph? As a reader, are you completely aware of what is happening? Does the writer keep you up with the story? How are they doing that?

Transitions
The marvellous thing about writing is that you never have to write the boring bits. Never. You have the magic ability to move thru space and time using the power of the "transitional sentence". If only we could employ these wonderful sentences in everyday life: "After the half hour train ride from the city, standing all the way, and the one kilometre walk home via the supermarket laden down with shopping, I was ready for a stiff drink" now isn't that easier than actually taking the train and doing all that mind-numbing grocery shopping, and lugging the bags home, cutting into your hands and banging into your shins? Trust me, I'm the expert. Let's just skip straight from work to the stiff drink with the power of a transition sentence. Ah, life would be so much easier.
What about, "I searched all the usual teenage hang outs and finally found Coralie at 3pm, asleep under a Sixteen magazine on a couch in the local library"? Instead of spending a whole day doing a boring fruitless search we've moved, with the power of a transition sentence, directly to 3pm at the library. Readers appreciate skipping the boring bits.
"We weren't always this angry. Back when we were children we played in the streets from dawn to dusk." We've just moved back in time. Time travel IS possible with a transition sentence.
"After a decade and a half in the hands of my parents, I was a quivering incompetent fool" Oooh look, skipped an entire childhood. That might have come in handy in the real world!

Have the writers in the books you're reading used any good transition sentences to keep you up with the plot and move you thru the story? Why are they good?

Point of View
Are next paragraphs from the same character's/narrator's viewpoint? If the viewpoint has changed, how do you know? What methods has the writer employed to show you that a new character is now telling the story? In a children's short story you may not need to change the viewpoint at all. If a child reader has formed an attachment to a child protagonist then it may even be detrimental to change the viewpoint. You may throw your young reader out of the story. If you try to employ an adult character's viewpoint in a story, you may lose the child altogether. What will they have in common with an adult? Child readers may not be able to explain the meaning of the word 'empathy' but they know they want a viewpoint character they can empathise with.

In a more complex story where there are two points of view it may be more interesting for a reader to see the story through two different sets of eyes. Flicking back and forth between these two heads may annoy the reader or lose the reader so most writers change heads/viewpoints at chapter breaks and give large chunks of the story from each viewpoint. Generally these form a pattern, chapter about or half chapter about. The reader becomes aware of the pattern and feels at ease.

I wrote the following little headhopping scenario in a few minutes to illustrate that sometimes hopping from head to head quickly is necessary and possible to do without losing the reader. Watch how I try to relocate the reader at each personality change. I can't think of many stories where you'd need to headhop madly like this and I doubt you'll find headhopping like this in any books that have won awards recently. In short... it's an interesting exercise but don't try this at home folks.

Donna stared at the sink full of dirty glasses. "Becka! You fat trollop! If you're going to use the good glasses, at least have the decency to wash them! They don't fit in the dishwasher, you know!"

Donna muttered as she scrubbed Becka's pink lippy off the rims. "I should get someone else in, someone tidy. Sick of cleaning up after the messy cow."

Instead of putting the long stemmed glasses back in the right cupboard, Donna climbed on a stool and put them high on the pantry shelf where Becka would never find them.

Becka was surprised to find herself standing on the stool in the pantry. 'What did I come to get? I'm so absent-minded. Have to lay off the booze.' She spied the glasses her last boyfriend had bought her, high on the pantry shelf. 'Bloody up-tight flatmate,' she thought. "Donna! Leave my glasses alone."

"You never wash them!" Donna's voice seemed distant.

"They're my glasses, I'll wash them when I'm ready!" Becka grabbed a couple by the stems and put them back in their proper cupboard.

Donna grabbed the last two glasses from the cupboard and carried them towards the pantry. 'I thought I'd got them all. Why is it that tidying up seems never-ending when that brat Becka is around?'

Becka carried two more glasses back to their right cupboard. The first two were gone! "Bitch! I just put them in here a second ago! Where are you hiding, Donna? Quit sneaking around!"


Pacing
How fast does the story trot along? Does the pace ebb and flow, the tension rise and fall? No dull lulls? Sherryl Clark once told me that the best plot lines look like jagged mountain ranges. Many new writers make just one mountain... a Mt Taranaki or a Mt Fuji standing all alone. But no... when plotting aim for the Himalayas. But stick Everest on the end. Too much tension for too long is hard for a reader to maintain, it has to be interspersed with more relaxing prose. Readers read faster when reading high action/tension. The high action/tension needs more writing. It's an interesting bit, it deserves writing up. Make the sentences shorter, easier to speed read. Deliver the ideas simply and rapid fire. Then when you need to slow down, make longer sentences and choose languid words. Can you see any examples of this in the books you've chosen?

Pacing is something that is intuitive. Being a critical reader is the only way to learn to feel the flow. Unfortunately, when people start writing, pacing is the last thing on their minds and rewriting a story where the pacing is wrong is a fairly major job.

Flow
Speaking of flow, how does the prose in these books flow? You'll probably notice the sentence structure is varied, and easy to follow and in the case of picture books and short stories, almost lyrical. New writers often find a favourite sentence structure and overuse it or use sentences that are difficult to follow. Reading out loud is a good way to spot any repetition or awkward phrasing. Flow is also something that is learnt thru critical reading and having an appreciation for the language and a love of words.

I'm sure that's more than enough to think about for now. Becoming a critical reader is going to save you lots of rewriting in the long run so invest in some reading time.

Hotel MacDibble Inmates: 5
Projects of the Week: Tiling fireplace behind stove
Critiqued this week: Jackie Hosking - Wilhelmina 2, Jeremy Shaw - Bedtime Fin, Keith Stevenson - And Mourn, Matthew Chrulew - Electric Shock Horror,
Reading this week: ASIM # 25, and The Best of Australian SF & F 1
Writing this week: Girly Chomp (a children's science fiction story about hitchhiking the galaxy that was meant for Penguin's "Chomp" series which is apparently short of girly stuff).
The Blog of Moogill | My Webpage | Mentor of Moogill

Great news.

All the Top Job Guides are getting a makeover. They are going from perfect bound A4 to perfect bound A5. So much handier for reading on the train, altho I don't know how the handy dandy Plot Checker or the handy dandy Rewriting Checklist will look on a page half the size.

Also to mark their status as a How To guide all the Top Job Guides will have the How To added. So Become a Children's Writer will become How to Become a Children's Writer

Quick, pop over to Rachel Vater's blog where she has been running a query letter workshop since Sept 14.

She asked people to submit real queries which she then workshops on her blog from an agent's pov. The workshopped query owners are then expected to send their new workshopped query out 10 times and report on any responses.

Fun, huh!