Nancy Belgue’s 7 Tips for YA Success

I have recently completed the manuscript for my middle grade novel, so I found myself quite absorbed in the young adult world, even days after finishing my draft. Today’s interview is with young adult novelist and good friend, Nancy Belgue, who shares her seven secrets for YA success.

1. Cultivate your voice. Voice is really key with YA readers. I find writing in first person helpful. However you do it, try to find a unique voice. Quirky, humourous, alienated, thoughtful, rebellious - the voice will carry the story.

2. Channel your inner teen. For those of you close to your teenage years, this will be easy. For those who are a little further down the road, it will be a challenge to get back into the head of your younger self. But despite changing times, teen themes do remain familiar. Social pressures, parental authority, alienation, family/sibling drama...

3. Consider your conflict. Conflict makes everything work. Your character must strive for something so it's compelling to make the stakes huge (see The Hunger Games). Of course you don't have to write dystopian fiction, fantasy or sci fi (although teens really respond to genres like these) to create great conflict. It can be done on a smaller scale (see Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson).

4. Think about contests. There are a number of contests - including one in the US for a first YA novel sponsored by Delacorte Press. If you win you get published! If you even come close – i.e. a finalist, you'll have something fantastic to put in your query letter. Check out the Canadian Writers' Market for contest info.

5. Read widely in the genre. The library is your best friend. Go and check out some of the most popular YA fiction as well as recent award winners. Get to know your local librarian. They can tell you what gets checked out over and over again and why.

6. Read Quill and Quire. Keep up to date on the industry news. I found my agent by reading an article about Susan Juby in Q&Q. She mentioned her agent, and when my first YA placed in the quarter finals in the Delacorte contest, I queried that very agent - got representation, and sold the ms in a bidding war to HarperCollins.

7. Join writer organizations. CANSCAIP for the Toronto area writers is excellent for workshops, networking, mentoring etc.

Just a few more basics: write every day, keep a clippings file for ideas that are relevant, find a writer's group, write in heat, edit coldly, let your story steep (i.e. finish it, then let it sit for six weeks before reading it over).

Nancy Belgue is the author of young adult novels, Soames On The Range (HarperCollins Canada 2007), Casey Little: Yo-Yo Queen (Orca 2005), Summer On The Run (Orca 2005) and The Scream of the Hawk (Orca 2003). Her newest novel, Colette and the Silver Samovar, has already been receiving great reviews. CM Magazine calls it “an interesting novel which addresses complex issues.”

Mind-Mapping Made Easy

I'm a big fan of brainstorming. There's nothing as free-flowing as writing the main idea in the middle of the page and branching out into sub-headings to help you connect better with your concept.

A couple times this week, I had vivid, scenic, emotional dreams that inspired me to start two new writing projects once I finish my current manuscript.

As soon as I woke up, I jotted down everything I could remember about my dreams in the notebook I keep beside my bed. Then I transcribed my notes into Word. I have a whiteboard in my office, and thought it would help me organize my thoughts a lot more if I had the same kind of thing as a computer software application.

So I did some research and came across Mindomo, a mind-mapping online application that lets you create mind maps on your computer. You can even publicize some of your work if you're collaborating with a writing partner.

While the premium plan costs six dollars a month, the basic version is free and pretty much does the only thing I want it to: draft simple mind-maps that will help me think of all angles, potential characters and storylines, and themes that correlate with the original idea written in the middle of the mind map.

Check out the application here and keep your brainstorming notes organized.

Transmedia Making Splashes

Imagination has enabled humans to communicate abstract concepts and ideas through stories. Storytelling has evolved from etching drawings on walls, libraries lined with literature, and several beloved television series. Now, there’s a new form of storytelling—transmedia.

Transmedia is a technique of telling stories through multi-platforms. Still a new concept, some writers and producers have adopted this form of storytelling and developed new series taking advantage of social media. By using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs, writers and producers are able to engage their audience with each kind of medium.

I chatted with Scott Albert, the co-creator of the web series Tights and Fights who developed a year-long transmedia storytelling strategy by using social networks, 180 webisodes, live performances on Twitter, blogs, and Capester.com (Facebook for DIY Super Heroes). Launched in October 2010, Tights and Fights is already generating quite a dedicated following through multi-media platforms.

“Transmedia adds context to a story,” Scott says. “In the past, the time, effort and money required to produce a movie and a book meant it was a massive undertaking that didn't make sense except as a way of repurposing content. But the web makes it easy— upload to YouTube and write a blog post - boom you're doing it. And social networking platforms add whole new ways of telling stories.”

I also caught up with Jill Golick, a writer/producer and new media creator who launched Ruby Skye P.I., a comedy web series for tweens in late 2010. She reminds us that transmedia is still a new concept.

“There are a lot of battles waging about what transmedia even means,” she says. “To me, transmedia means telling your story across media. It is a different way of thinking about your story from the beginning. I spent most of my writing career dreaming up stories that would make great TV series. Today, I look at a concept or story idea and ask, what part of this story can I tell on TV, what would work well on the web? Is there a novel in this? A comic book? Live events? A ballet?

“That really opens up the creative process. Instead of focusing on and shaping for a single medium, I build a universe filled with characters, places, events across a long time line. Then I apply the focus of a single medium to it, asking what part of this story would best be told with the attributes of a specific platform.”

What does all this mean for writers? Will it affect any kind of writer? (i.e. screenwriter, journalist, blogger, novelist, etc.)

“I don’t think so,” Scott says. “Transmedia isn’t a way of replacing any type of writing. Transmedia simply means you try to make sure the experiences of each platform compliment each other.

“I think of the transmedia writer’s job as similar to that of a TV show runner, except instead of overseeing the collective creative voice of only TV writers, the transmedia writer either executes or supervises the collective creative voice over many media or platforms.”

Jill believes we can still be the masters of our chosen storytelling medium.

“You can apply the transmedia model to any kind of writing or you can continue to be a specialist in say, journalism, blogging or screenwriting,” she says. “Because any story universe that is expressed across media will also necessarily have to be expressed on specific platforms. So there will always be a need for writers who are prose stylists or screenwriting mavens.”

As storytelling evolves, I wondered what kind of role transmedia would play in the future of television.

“I think television and transmedia storytelling are natural fits, as both work best as ongoing stories,” Scott says. “As television series continue to move online, transmedia storytelling will serve both as a means of promotion, secondary “added context” stories, and as additional revenue streams. For example, for the TV show Castle, you can buy novels “written” by the main character.”

Jill predicts that there will be more interactive storytelling emerging as more interactive capabilities are added to your television screen.

“People will have options,” she says. “There will be stories you can “play” and interact with and stories that will tell themselves to you without you having to do anything.

“TV story worlds will extend onto the web. You’ll be able to watch your favourite show in the same way you always have, but then go on the web and explore, play in and experiment with the world. There will be characters you can talk to and influence. There’s a lot of this already, but more and more, it will be baked in from the concept stage. There will be richer, deeper, more engaging experiences for avid fans.”

Creating and launching a series using transmedia may also have business benefits. In Jill’s Ruby Skye P.I. video, she discusses the concept of building a franchise. Is this something all writers should be doing when pitching a new series or shopping a manuscript around for publication? In today’s tech-rich world, for example, should young adult novelists have an interactive web component that complements the novel?

“The only thing I recommend to other writers is to try out the new tools and see if they inspire you,” Jill says. “If a tool or platform gets your creative juices flowing, if it gives you a way to reach a new audience or get closer to your traditional one, then use it. If not, stick with what you love.

“We’re reaching the end of the one-size-fits-all era. There is no set of rules that everyone should follow. This is a time when there are a lot of choices. No one knows yet what the ending will be. So I’m spending my time experimenting and playing. And I’m having a ton of fun doing it.”

To learn more about transmedia, become Facebook fans of Tights and Fights and Ruby Skye, P.I. and start watching their series on:

www.tightsandfights.com

www.rubyskyepi.com

Canadian Writers Speak Out

In a YouTube video that launched today, one of my favourite Canadian authors, Nino Ricci, along with other esteemed writers speak out on copyright. With the proposition of Bill C-32, many writers fear that there are too many holes in the copyright legislation to protect their intellectual property.

Alan Cumyn, Chair of The Writers' Union of Canada, is also featured in the YouTube video. "The new legislation, which is supposed to protect our work, has so many holes in it we'll be in court for years trying to figure out what it all means."

In an effort to spread awareness over c-32, the Canadian authors in the video are sending the message to the general public. "Anybody who cares about the culture and history of this country ought to be concerned that professional writing and publishing are under such serious threat."

And for writers, C-32 poses yet another challenge in fair treatment of their property...including proper payment.

"Strong copyright protections are fundamental to a writer's ability to make a living," Nino Ricci says.

To watch the "Canadian Writers Speak Out On Copyright" video, click here.

The Language of Love

Words can be very powerful. They can influence votes, change opinions, and terminate friendships. They can also be indicators of how connected you are with your partner. An online application that allows you to copy and paste texts, emails, and other forms of communications is claiming to show your compatibility based on your writing styles.

Check it out here--and use at your own risk!

Debut Author Gets Two-Book Publishing Deal

Toronto writer, Matthew J. Trafford, gets a two-book publishing deal with Douglas & McIntyre, with The Divinity Gene coming out next month. Find out what this collection of stories is about, how Matthew got published, and how he likes his coffee.

What is your debut collection of short stories, The Divinity Gene, all about?

There are ten stories in the collection and they're pretty different when it comes to style, voice, and subject matter. A couple of the stories deal with issues around science and technology, like cloning. Some deal with religious and mythological figures like mermaids or the devil. But at their core, all of the stories are really about emotional relationships, the frailty of the heart.

What inspired you to write these stories under a particular theme?

My stories tend towards the magical and the fantastical, but are grounded in the reality of contemporary daily life and human emotion. I’m often inspired by the strange situation or magical possibility first, and then the emotional theme seeps into the writing as the story develops.

The stories aren’t linked; each one can stand alone. But when you look at them as a collection, certain themes do tend to emerge. I would say that identity politics, the relationship between parents and their children, loss and grieving, and the search for love are the main themes of the book.

Describe a typical writing day for you, while you worked on this book.

Even though my book is being published, I still feel like a hack because I never successfully maintained a daily writing practice. Even when I did manage to write every day, no two were the same.

At first I was working on the stories as part of my MFA, which I was completing while juggling a few jobs, so my writing tended to be deadline-driven and done in fits and starts, sometimes pulling all-nighters. The whole time I was working on the book I lived in a house with three (sometimes four) other people, with their own erratic comings-and-goings and no guaranteed 'quiet time.' But somehow this worked for me, grabbing an hour here or there whenever I could.

I am a big fan of house sitting and I did that often – those were generally long days when I would write for hours at a time. But even the physical act of writing is all over the place with me: sometimes I work longhand in a journal, sometimes on my computer, sometimes at home, sometimes in a library. I do have a version of a “perfect workday” in my head, but it never quite happens in reality, and ultimately I’m OK with that.

What was the pitching process like when you were contacting publishing houses? Any advice for new writers who are looking to shop their manuscripts around?

The best advice I can offer is to concentrate on producing the very best work you can. It sounds simple, but it really is key: good writing will get people excited, get people talking, and get people to take a look (or second look). Then, even if they have to pass because a manuscript isn’t right for them, they will remember your name and quite possibly suggest other places to send the manuscript or other people who might be interested.

My manuscript was rejected twice in the first few months following my graduation from UBC’s Optional-Residency MFA program. After that I felt very stuck, and unsure of how to proceed. Then two things happened that I think were key: I was accepted to the Banff Writing Studio and undertook massive revisions while I was there, cutting two stories that weren’t working and really improving many of the others. Second, I had a story accepted into the anthology Darwin’s Bastards: Astounding Tales from Tomorrow.

It was the title story of my book, and on its merits the anthology’s publisher, Douglas & McIntyre, asked to have a look at my entire (and newly improved) manuscript. After another few months of anxious waiting, they made me an offer.

Where can people snag a copy of The Divinity Gene?

As of February 12^th, the book will be in stores. I always encourage people to support local independent bookstores (if there are any left!), but of course the book will be in the big-chain box-stores too. Another option is to order online. For people with e-readers, an e-book version will be available as well.

How do you like your coffee?

Most days it’s black. But I like to mix it up – sometimes I take cream and sugar as a treat, sometimes just cream or just sugar.

writing for children - a new writer shares her lessons

pdo!nk is a brand new publishing company with a mission to invent great stories that inspire learning and enjoyment for positive change and self-development. They strive to be optimistic, playful, original, and to create timeless stories for families.

Jessica Lowe has been hired as pdo!nk's writer-in-residence and has been working on their first series called 'Yogurt the Ogre'. I caught up with Jessica to find out more about her new full-time writing life after working in film and television.

Can you describe your first project with them?

My first project with pdo!nk was interesting because I was finishing a contract on a TV pilot while trying to help out with the writing of our first Yogurt the Ogre story. During this period I was providing editorial notes and brainstorming with my bosses about how we wanted the look and feel of this series to be. It took several drafts and some market testing before we felt the series was where we wanted it to be.

Have you ever written for children before?

During university I had done some children's theatre where I wrote plays for children and then also performed in them for elementary schools. But most of my life I have written material more geared towards adults.

What was your experience like writing the first story? Did you imagine it would be this way writing for children?

I was definitely nervous writing my first story. Nervous because this was the first time that someone was actually paying me for my creativity, and I was convinced they weren't going to like what I came up with. But after I sent my first draft and got lots of positive reinforcement from my bosses I learned to trust myself more and to worry less. I learned that the writing process can be a lot of fun. Unlike adult content, you can get really silly and creative writing for children. Usually the sillier the mood I get in, the better the story in the end!

What is a typical writing day like for you?

Every day varies. Some days I am able to write almost an entire first draft (approximately 1400 words) in just a few hours. Other days I might only get out a couple solid paragraphs. It all depends on the day. I find that I don't write as well in the morning, so generally I try to go to the gym in the morning. That gives me something to wake up for early and to get my energy. I work from home, so it can be really easy to get distracted. So it's important to treat my job as a 9 to 5 as much as possible.

What have you learned? What advice do you have for aspiring children’s authors?

I've definitely learned to write until you hit writer's block (which you will inevitably face) and then to walk away. Sitting and getting angry at your computer screen or notepad won't help. Walking away, getting a tea, going for a jog, etc. and then returning will help clear your head and give you a fresh outlook. Sometimes if I am writing a poem, however, (for our 8pm stories) I will get stuck on a stanza where the rhyming scheme just will not work. I often put something in (even if it sounds terrible) and I am able to continue with the rest of the poem easily. Then later I can go back and fix that one problem area. That helps me keep my momentum instead of just fixating on the one part.

I think it's important for every writer to find a system that works best for him/herself. I like to write on my couch, legs out, with my computer resting on my lap. Others may prefer a desk. I would suggest playing around with different places and different times of day to find what works best for you.

And my last piece of advice for aspiring children's authors is to WRITE! It sounds silly, but for me getting this job I had to show a sample of various things I had written to my bosses. None of it was children's stories. But with a screenplay, a sketch comedy, a spec script for TV, and a few other things, I was able to prove to them that I was a writer and I was ready to write!

What’s next for pdo!nk?

pdo!nk has just printed our first story and we are selling it on Amazon before it hits the shelves of bookstores next year. I am touching up the next two stories for Yogurt the Ogre so they can all be launched this year. We have another children's series that we will begin to develop throughout the year as well as an adult series. It is only the beginning, so it is a world of opportunities!