Details, details...

Stories written for children are usually rich in details.  When writers add details to describe a thing or a person, they add them for a purpose.  For instance in one of my stories, the main character wears an amethyst ring on her finger.  Notice the specific detail:  not just a ring, an amethyst ring.  As the story unfolds, we learn that this ring has significance and meaning.  It totally impacts the story. The ring is more than a pretty birthstone. 

Throwing details into a story just for the heck of it is not recommended.  Once, I received a fiction submission in which a detail was added but never mentioned again.  The story was about a kid who went on a thrilling adventure.  Before the child began her journey, the author described where she lived.  In this case, the young child lived in a very odd-shaped building.  But further reference to this detail was never made. Though probably unintentional, the author had teased readers (and editors) and forgotten that his audience would want to know more about this weird house.

The point is, if you include a particular detail in a story, you must come back to it, refer to it, or use it in some way. As Anton Chekhov is quoted, "Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off.  If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there.”  Other variations of his statement include: "One must never place a loaded rifle on the stage if it isn't going to go off. “  And, “It's wrong to make promises you don't mean to keep."  

When writers include a detail in a story, they need to return to that detail again.  Got a story with a loaded rifle?  An odd-shaped building?  An amethyst ring?  Then, something has to happen or revolve around those things.  If not, those facts must go.  In failing to return to details, you risk letting your audience down.  Dramatic principle requires that every element in a narrative be necessary and irreplaceable, and that everything else be removed.  

Tenacity

How much perseverance do you have?  Do you throw in the towel after receiving a rejection? Do you easily give up when the writing muse fails to show up?  Do you quit because you don’t have the time to write?  Being a writer is not for the faint-hearted.  But with anything we desire to succeed at, whether it’s writing or tackling something new or difficult, we must keep on trying. For example... 

 

With a little more time on my hands since my daughter started her freshman year at college, I looked into taking a French class.  I had enjoyed the subject in high school and had always wanted to learn more.  This summer after corresponding with the teacher at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning in Lexington Kentucky, I learned that she wanted me to take a beginning level class.  She expected students to buy the workbook and read through it before class started in the fall.  But when I opened the pages and began to do some of the exercises, it was way over my head.  So many rules and exceptions.  How would I ever be able to learn French?  I seriously thought about not taking the class.

 

But curiosity won me over and I decided to give it a try.  To my delight, the teacher was fun and the lesson was easy and enjoyable; however, since class size was too small, the teacher moved our session to a different day (and a more advanced class).  This class was taught almost entirely in French, so I got about 50% out of what was taught.  It was intimidating and challenging.  Luckily the following week, the teacher announced that a beginner’s class would re-open now that she had more participants.  Thank goodness, hallelujah!  Here, the pace would be slower and the information easier to grasp. 

But...what if I had given up?  What if I had not tried the upper level class?  Would I have even heard of the new beginner’s class?  My dream of learning more French might have been squashed.  So, I’m glad I stuck with it.  I guess you could call it tenacity.     

And that is what writers need when facing hardships or a challenge.  We get rejections; we stare at a blank page waiting for inspiration; we face critique partners who tell us that our manuscript needs more work.  Yet through it all, we must be tenacious. We must find the courage to continue writing despite the roadblock that stands in our way.  We know that sometimes this very roadblock will steer us to another path that will lead to success. To writers, giving up is not an option.  The only option for success is to persevere.

Leave well enough alone

I love publishing poetry for the Kid's Imagination Train.  Recently, I received a cute poem, but the meter and rhyme were off.  Since I felt that the poem had potential, the author and I worked together to edit it.  In a few days, she was awarded with an acceptance. The poem was slated for publication in a spring issue of KIT. Then, a few weeks later, the author wrote back to me. She wanted to edit the poem—again!   

Please, never consider doing this.  It's rare that an editor will work with an author to revise work. Generally speaking, editors edit manuscripts without author input.  Seasoned authors are aware however, that editors try to keep the story or article as close to what was originally written even though some words or paragraphs are struck. 

For example, when a manuscript of mine was accepted by a leading children's magazine, I was allowed to proof the piece before publication.  Upon reading it however, I found that major parts had been edited.  At first, it was shocking.  Then I realized that the editors had vastly improved it.   

In time, this poet will discover the ways of the writing world.  She'll discover that editors have a vision of how a submission should appear in print.  She find that editors want to publish outstanding work.  She'll realize that once a piece is edited and accepted for publication, it’s time to let go of the submitted work and move on to the next writing project.  

Change

Generally speaking, I don’t care for change.  I like things to stay the way they are.  So you can imagine how freaked out I got when the grocery store where I had shopped for over twenty years had been enlarged and remodeled.  That meant more walking (okay, that's a good thing) and hunting for items in places I never dreamed they'd be.  But that was nothing compared to how I felt when change affected my writing world.

About a year ago, Stories for Children magazine and the educational publisher Viatouch closed.  Suddenly, I lost two editing jobs.  I was totally crushed.  Though I didn't earn much, I loved reading other writer's manuscripts and preparing them for publication.  

After grieving for a while, I decided to take action.  Since the markets for children’s writers had been dwindling for years, I felt that a new kid's magazine was needed.  Hence, the Kid's Imagination Train magazine was conceived and developed through much sweat and tears. Now, writers have another market where they can see their work in print.  Now, children can read fantastic fiction, exciting nonfiction, intriguing book reviews,and kid-friendly lesson plans, plus, they can illustrate their favorite stories!  

If you too, have been affected by change, you probably know that you have two choices.  You can do nothing and mope and complain about it, or you can deal with it and move on.     

I would urge you to move on. Learn from the change.  Stay positive.  Look for opportunities. Think about what you can achieve.  When you take action, great things can happen—just because of change.

Latching on to Inspiration

Today, the Children's Writer's World welcomes Donna McDine.

Every day life inspires me. The occurrence does not have to be an extraordinary moment. Often times my most inspiring moments have come when I was not concentrating on my writing. From watching my children play with their friends when they were younger to listening in on conversations at the local coffee shop. I always keep a little note pad and pen in my purse for these unexpected moments. 

Several times inspiration has struck me when I’ve been driving and I keep a handheld recording device on hand for these moments. This way I’m sure to remember a thought because before I know it my thoughts are elsewhere or the current conversation has taken me someplace else.

As for my two latest books, Powder Monkey and Hockey Agony, the inspiration of the storyline of Powder Monkey came from a call for submissions on the historical fiction topic of the late 1700’s pertaining to the Royal Navy. Always fascinated by history, I jumped at the chance to create a manuscript worthy of submission. Through research I came across information of the Press Gangs the Royal Navy utilized to kidnap boys as young as eleven to work on ships. The conditions were deplorable and the determination of survival by so many inspired me to stay true to the historical events. Even though my initial submission was rejected by the publishing house putting out the request I did not give up. I eventually submitted to Guardian Angel Publishing and after several rounds of edits GAP accepted Powder Monkey!

The inspiration of Hockey Agony came from everyday life. Coming from a family of sports lovers I often find myself watching my daughters, nieces, and nephews competing in one sport or another. Unfortunately, over the years, bad sportsmanship is often found within the spectators, players, and coaches…sometimes even encouraging the players to cheat and to inflict personal injury to their opponents. And as many of us had read, some of these horrific occurrences make the local and national news. It’s our duty as adults to maintain a calm disposition at sporting events and to encourage competitive clean playing. For without honesty and integrity what will our children have in store for themselves when they enter adulthood?

For me inspiration is just a thought away or an article in the newspaper. Inspiration comes for me at the most unexpected times; and, I latch on to each and every thought making notes to hopefully use at a later time.

I’d enjoyed hearing about what inspires you! So please comment and tell me about your moments.  Thank you and here’s to your inspiration!

 

Milton, The Square Shell Turtle

In today's guest blog, MaryAnn Tatro reveals the inspiration behind her new book. 

The inspiration for my book started twenty eight years ago.  I didn't realize at the time there would be a book in my future, but it was there....waiting.

My son (then five), his day-care, and a selected number of other day-cares were asked to participate in a project that would change the look and hopefully attract the local public to a certain park in the Cleveland, Ohio area that needed much attention and clean up.

The children were given a 10" x 10" tile and asked to paint anything on their tile that they wanted. There were approximately one hundred participants who took on the task. After the tiles were painted, glazed over and hardened, they were finally arranged and displayed at their new home—the city park.

My son painted on his tile (you guessed it) a turtle. He made short brush strokes and fingerprint marks he said were grass and a few light blue areas he called water.  Now to the average viewer, my son's tile painting could be deemed abstract, but to me it was a masterpiece.

A few years ago, I heard some rather disappointing news. This particular park was to be renovated and all the tiles had to be removed.  My husband and I decided, before all was lost, to make a special trip to Cleveland and photograph our son's tile.  To our amazement, the tiles were not damaged but relocated to another area park; and, I am pleased to report that is where they are to this day.

And so that takes us back to the beginning, the inspiration for my book, Milton The Square Shell Turtle. Now, I can't leave my husband out of the story completely. I gave Milton my husband's laid-back personality and his ability to avoid a problem (or as he puts it) SOLVING a problem by finding another way and keeping peace. Lastly, I wanted Milton to be different from other turtles.  And so he is, because in real life, we are all different and unique.

Not Even the Sky is the Limit!

Today, a guest blog by Denise Zarrella

When it comes to inspiration for my children's book Not Even the Sky is the Limit!, there is no doubt that my daughter Gianna was the spark that ignited my passion for this project.  My book showcases the abilities of children and adults with Down Syndrome.  Since the moment my husband and I found out that we were going to have a child with Down Syndrome, we began to see the world in a whole new way.  We began to think about every person we knew who had a child with Downs.  We imagined what our life together would be like; and above all, we wanted to know that we could look forward to a life that would be full of love, laughter and all the things everyone else enjoys doing as a family.

My reason for writing this book, geared for toddlers, goes even deeper than that, though.  I spent a lot of time on the computer "Googling," Down Syndrome.  I was shocked to see how many parents, who found out that they were going to have a child with Downs, decided to terminate their pregnancy.  The parents, siblings and close friends of people with Down Syndrome that I've connected with admit there are some challenges to having a special needs child, but none of them could imagine a world without their son, daughter, brother or sister.  They don't want to.   

    

Not Even the Sky is the Limit! is modeled after my kid's favorite book when they were toddlers.  It was called the ABC for You and Me Book.  It went through every letter of the alphabet and had a child with Down Syndrome demonstrating a word for each of those letters.  My kids loved this book so much we are missing the "Q is for quilt," page!  My kids loved the pictures of the other kids, and I realized I loved how happy and well adjusted all the children in the book appeared to be.  The book put me at ease and got me excited about our family's future.

Since day one, I have enjoyed talking to parents of children with Down Syndrome and learning about what their kids love to do.  I've heard stories of lead singers with Down Syndrome, weight lifters, actors and actresses, the list goes on and on.  Every time I hear one of these stories, I think the reporter in me feels the need to document it, and the mother in me wants to publicize what I've heard and seen, because I believe a lot of people are unaware of all the cool things people with disabilities are doing. 

One day, I shared one of these many stories with my husband, Tony.  I said, "I just wish there was a book with all of these stories of what people with Down Syndrome are out there doing in it so I could look at it whenever I feel discouraged or worried."  He just looked at me very matter of factly and said, "Why don't you do it?"  I stopped for a second and then said, "I think I will." A little over a year later, Not Even the Sky is the Limit! was published. My husband cried when he saw the book for the first time. It was one of our most emotional moments in our relationship, ever. Tony calls this book, "your love letter to Gianna," and he's right. 

      

As someone who has written for television for years, I really always thought my first book would be something like The World According to Garp, but clearly God had other plans for me.  Gianna was born, and Not Even the Sky is the Limit! would bring me to one of the most satisfying and rewarding milestones of my life.

If one person is enlightened by reading this book to one of their children, or a child is able to see the world through more accepting eyes as a result of turning the pages, then my mission is accomplished.  My biggest hope yet:  that someone will see this book and decide to move forward with their life and their child, a child they will know with Down Syndrome.