5 Tips for Revising a Novel

Like a rollercoaster ride, the revision process is full of ups and downs. One moment, it feels like everything is going well. The changes you're making are definitely making the story stronger. Then a few minutes later, doubts creep in. Is what I want to do even working? Have I really addressed the doubts of my critique buddies? Is this new plot direction going to work? What if it ruins what I already have?

Some signs you might want to rethink your revisions:

1. It feels like your character is running on a hamster wheel, going around and around and not getting anywhere. Remember, the tension and conflict should be increasing.

2. The scene you just reworked bears a striking ressemblance to another scene earlier in your novel.

3. You fall asleep while you're writing. Maybe there's a little too much of that description or interior dialogue?

4. A never-before-seen character or object appears in your novel just before the climax to help get your protagonist out of a tricky situation. If your setting isn't Hogwarts, you might be in trouble.

5. After reading your latest chapter, the reader has a clear image of how your main character slurps up ice cream, eating out all the chocolate bits first and licking whipping cream off the spoon, but has no idea how your character got away from the evil monster and ended up in the ice cream shop. Oops! Go get a real sundae and then get back to the keyboard to show those key plot events!

Do you have any great revision tips to help get through the process?

Unreliable Narrators in MG

We MiGWriters were discussing one of our works in progress, and Car brought up the subject of her main character being an unreliable narrator on one plot point. Would it play for middle grade?

I love unreliable narrators, and I can think of examples where it works in middle grade. Take Diary of a Wimpy Kid. We know Greg isn't a great friend to Rowley, even though Greg is convinced that he is. Middle grade readers see the difference between Greg's actions and his thoughts. For a classic example, in the Secret Garden, Mary's ornery personality is so clear that we know her surroundings aren't nearly as disagreeable as she says they are. The trick is to present both what is really going on and what the character is thinking, and to have some reason why the character sees the world as it isn't. I think if you can pull that off, you can have a successfully unreliable middle grade narrator.

There are two traps you don't want to fall into. If you only present what the character thinks and why they think it, but don't show what's really going on, you have a mystery on your hands, gang. My son has read a lot of the Boxcar Children books, and they all use that basic plot: kids meet mysterious character, have reason to think he's shady, and in the last chapter, all is revealed and they find out the mysterious character is really their long lost cousin.

The second trap is the idiot plot. You present what the character thinks and what is really going on, but you never show why the character has reason to think what he thinks. That leaves the reader scratching his head, wondering how your character can't see the truth. We need to know why Janet thinks Jack is making a pass at Chrissy when he never has before. Since we never find out, and Janet has no reason to think Jack's motives have changed, Three's Company descends to farce or idiot plot.

None of this might be helpful to Car, but I feel good having analyzed that into the ground. In summary, your unreliable narrator works in middle grade if you clearly show 1) what the viewpoint character thinks; 2) why the viewpoint character thinks it; and 3) what is actually happening instead.

I'd love to hear your counterarguments and/or other examples of unreliable narrators in middle grade.

-- Kate

Traditions

My fellow MiG Andrea Mack is doing a fabulous series over on her blog, That’s Another Story, called the ABC’s of Writing Middle Grade Fiction. (I think she’s up to the letter W). I always come away with plenty to think about and if you haven’t checked it yet, well, what the heck are you waiting for?! (And she's got links, people! Lots of terrific links.)

With apologies to Andrea for borrowing her idea, I’d like to take on the letter T, for tradition.

Traditions are very important to kids. I was reminded of this fact this past weekend when my husband and I took our three kids to Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Each year, we take three days to do this trip. And we always try to do it early in June, before the hot weather and heavy tourist crowds move in. My kids look forward to this annual trek and it’s practically the only time my (oh, let’s go with) money conscience husband lets the kids go a bit wild with spending. (“Funnel cake fries? Okay, here's $10. It's chilly. You guys want to buy sweatshirts?") Yes, the trip is expensive. Especially since we love to stay in the park resorts. But it’s worth it. My kids, now all teenagers, talk about the trip, plan for it and always bring back memories of being together. (And Heaven help me and my husband if we suggest we eat at another place for dinner inside the park. Lesson learned.) The trip is part of our family fabric.

Putting in family traditions in your YA or MG is an easy way to spice up a bland manuscript. Traditions can also be a great opportunity to give readers insight into a character or the family they come from. The traditions don’t have to be big. Maybe they’re small, like a family joke or saying.

Here are a few family traditions I came up with that might be good in a YA or MG:

Funny, family rules to traditional game (like getting $500 when you Pass Go or making 4's wild while playing Poker)

An annual trip to a beach or the ice cream shop down the street on the first day of summer

Opening a single gift on Christmas Eve

Adding a “Cha cha cha” verse to the Happy Birthday song or making the birthday boy or girl wear a silly hat all day

Having pizza on Thanksgiving because no one likes turkey

Saying “Applesauce!” after someone sneezes

Your aunt always writing you a check for your birthday for the same amount as your age

Watching a Christmas movie in the middle of July

Waking up at the crack of dawn to go on a donut run in your pjs

Can you think of any of great traditions to add to the list?

~Carmella

Winner of 7 Wonders Book!

Today we are announcing the winner of the autographed  copy of Carmella Van Vleet's latest book,  Seven Wonders of the World: Discover Amazing Monuments to Civilization.

The winner is....

brookefav

You should be receiving an email from us soon. Please respond back with your mailing address so you can get your book.

Comic: "The Scream" for writers

Editors Day in KY

These days I'm swamped with revisions on my MG, end of the school year stuff (in the next few weeks my kids have three, major school trips) and trying to get my oldest graduated and registered for college. (Excuse me a moment but how is it possible I have a child going to college? I'm too young. I swear!) But I wanted to pass along this information. If anyone is near Kentucky, there's a great editors event coming up June 11th. Check it out

HERE

Happy writing!

~Carmella

Release of Carmella Van Vleet’s Latest Book!

The MiGs have more great news! We are thrilled to announce that Carmella Van Vleet’s latest book, Seven Wonders of the World: Discover Amazing Monuments to Civilization has been released!

For more information on her amazing books, check out her website here: http://www.carmellavanvleet.com

We know you want to hear all the juicy details on how this book came into creation from Carmella herself. And she has offered to answer the MiGs’ questions as well as give away an autographed copy of her book!

Here’s the blurb:

Seven Wonders of the World: Discover Amazing Monuments to Civilization is an activities book devoted to the seven ancient—and modern—wonders of the world. (For Ages 9 & up)

Andrea: What did you like most about writing your book? And what was the most challenging part of the process?

Car: I love doing research. I would find one cool piece of information and it led me to something else. (I’m easily distracted!) It was the thrill of discovery.

The most challenging part of the process - besides the 2 year wait between submission and publication - was the seemingly endless job of checking facts. When you’re writing a kids’ book, you’ve got a responsibility to get it right.

Christy (eating peppermint patties): If you could visit only one of the monuments in your book, which one would it be?

Car: The Great Pyramid. It looks seriously impressive. In one of my earlier books on ancient Egypt, I included a scale model project of the Great Pyramid. I have my own wooden version that I take to classroom visits and kids are in awe when I tell them it would take one MILLION of my models just to fit on the *base* of the Great Pyramid.

Debbie: How did your Seven Wonders project get started?

Car: I had written numerous books for my publisher (Nomad Press) and they asked if I’d be interested in writing one on the Seven Wonders. I knew about a few of the wonders already because they were in my other books, so I thought the project would be a fun way to expand on that research.

What's next up on your writing plate?

Car: I am taking a break from non-fiction to concentrate on middle grade and young adult. I’ve written two books and just started a third. These days, I’m revising my MG for a couple of agents who are interested in it.

What was one of your favorite moments in researching/writing your Wonders book?

Car: Hmmm. How about I tell you one of my favorite things about the final project? (Besides the cover!) When I was writing this book, I had trouble pronouncing all the names and places. I decided that if I was having trouble then kids would struggle too, so I did something new for me and included pronunciations. I was delighted to see the publisher kept these in.

How did you prepare for writing your book? (e.g. note organization? outlining?)

Car: The very first thing I did was make an outline. It was quite basic: chapter title and craft idea. (The activities often changed, however.) Next, I created a timeline.

I spent about a week-and-a-half working on each chapter. The first part of the week was spent researching. The second part was spent writing. The following week I’d work the accompanying project and start researching for the next chapter and so on. Some chapters, of course, took longer to complete. But I tried hard to keep on schedule so I didn’t get overwhelmed.

Kate: What skill from writing non-fiction do you carry over most into your fiction writing?

Car: This is a really tough question. Writing fiction is a whole new ball game for me. The process is completely different. For instance, I need a lot more time to think through things before I commit words to paper. My timeline has gone out window!

However, I think my ability to remain calm has carried over from non-fiction to fiction. What I mean is this: when you’re starting a new project and you know you have to produce 30,000+ words, it’s very easy to freak out. You start asking yourself things like “Am I crazy?” and “How will I ever get this done?” I got around this before by concentrating on one chapter at a time. I do the same thing now - One. Scene. At. A. Time.

Fun Facts
Any favorite music when you're writing? I love to listen to Brother Iz (Israel Kamakawiwo’ole). He was this amazing Hawaiian singer whose beautiful voice makes me cry.

What kind of chocolate do you prefer: dark or milk? Dark if I’m eating it by itself. Semi-sweet if it’s going in cookies.

What's your typical writing outfit when you work? Since I typically sit cross-legged while at the computer, I usually wear sweats and slippers. I gotta be comfortable to think. (Yes, Mom. I know sitting cross-legged at my desk is not a healthy work position.)

What was the last thing you finished reading? Does the newspaper count? :-) I tend to read in spurts. That’s because when I’m working on my own project, I have trouble reading fiction. I either start borrowing the author’s voice or get swept up and don’t want to work. The last book I read, though, was “Before I Fall” by Lauren Oliver.

Thank you so much Carmella! To enter the contest to win an autographed copy of Seven Wonders of the World: Amazing Monuments to Civilizations, fill out the form below and answer the question in the box provided.