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Posted in Character, Revision

Writing Lessons from Tiffany Aching

Posted on by beckylevine

Okay, Tiffany Aching isn’t Steven Tyler. But if we’re learning anything from Jo Knowles’ “unintentional blog series” about Tyler, it’s that writing advice comes where you find it. And, probably, most people would agree that Terry Pratchett would be right up there with authors we could all learn from.

BTW, if you didn’t know who Tiffany Aching is without that Wikipedia link, stop reading this post , go out to the bookstore or get online, and buy yourself a copy of The Wee Free Men. If you’re smart, you’ll just buy the whole series now and save yourself the extra gas and shipping charges. And then be prepared to spend the next few days laughing hysterically, having moments of philosophical clarity, and pretty much bowing down to the genius that is Pratchett.

Anyhoo…

Tiffany Aching is a witch. Not your typical witch, unless you’re talking typical to Discworld. She’s a witch for many reasons–the first and foremost probably being that she chooses to be one. Another reason, though, is that Tiffany has First and Second Thoughts. Occasionally, she has Third Thoughts, but when that happens her Second Thoughts step in and say, “Let’s all calm down, please, because this is quite a small head.”  (She’s only nine years old.) Tiffany’s thoughts let her see things more clearly than other people; they let her stand outside herself and observe what’s really going on, separated from her own feelings at the moment. It’s a powerful ability, better, in my opinion, than all the magic the wizards at Unseen University can do.

So where does the writing lesson come in? Here: To really use these thoughts, to really see past all the illusion and even all the things she’d like to believe, Tiffany has to be still. She has to, as another witch tells her early in the book, “open your eyes…and then open your eyes again.” She has to look.

I’m a bit stuck on my picture book revision. I’m at the point where I really have to get closer to the dynamic/relationship/conflict between my young hero and the other character. Which means–yes, here we go again–really figuring out what each of them wants and what that want makes them do. Once again: goal+action. You’d think I’d have it down by now.

All weekend, I was busy with weekend stuff, but I thought maybe I could let the problem bubble away in the back of my mind and see what that back-of-my-mind came up with. The internet is full of writing articles and blogs about people getting brainstorms in the shower or while they’re cooking dinner or just before they go to sleep. Well, I occasionally get this happening to me, but not all that often. For whatever reason, when my brain is showering or cooking or drifting into unconsciousness, it is pretty busy doing just that. The membrane between front and back seems to be relatively non-porous.

Apparently, when I want to figure out a story problem, I have to–yes, you’re getting it–I have to be still. Like Tiffany.

So this week, I’m scheduling time for stillness. I will take myself away from the computer. I will stretch out and close my eyes. I will open them to look at my characters. And then I will open them again.

I’m betting I actually get somewhere.

Posted in Conference Report, Writing Conferences

Friday Five: Pennwriters Conference

Posted on by beckylevine

A week ago, I headed downstairs from my hotel room to join the happy crowd picking up their registration goodies for the 2011 Pennwriters Conference. I’d already had some excitement the night before, what with my plane circling the Pittsburgh airport in the middle of some very cool lightning flashes,  landing between the thunderstorms sitting on top of the airport, then waiting an hour or so for the lightning to stop before we could get to our gate. I didn’t mind–the ride wasn’t bumpy at all, we landed safely, and–as our pilot told us after we were on the ground–ten minutes more, and we’d have been heading to Cleveland. I’ve got nothing against Cleveland, but, hey, the conference I wanted to get to was in Pittsburgh! I rode in on the airport shuttle with Denise Little, and we both agreed that making it there made up for any hassles along the way.

And it was great. Pennwriters is an amazing group, filled with warm, friendly, and energized writers. The conference coordinators brought in some awesome faculty–agents and editors and lots of writers to share their craft & market experience. Keynoters were Jacquelyn Michard, who told stories I’m not sure anyone else could have told and had us laughing, and Jonathan Mayberry, who shared all the misconceptions he had about writers when he first started out, before the Pennwriters proved him totally wrong.

Lots and lots happened, but here are five highlights from the weekend.

1. My three workshops went well. The Powerpoint presentations worked, and–let me tell you–it is a joy to give workshops in a hotel where the tech staff is there for you.  People asked lots of questions, and I think I got a few of them feeling better about finding a group and getting started with the whole critique thing.

2. I got the chance to sit in on other people’s classes. I mentioned Ramona DeFelice Long’s character workshop in Tuesday’s post. I also listened to Heather Terrell give a great talk about making the move from “adult” fiction to YA, and went to a fascinating workshop from Tamara Girardi about determining our learning processes, then finding writing techniques and tools that actually work with the way we,  as individuals, learn. I’ll be doing her homework, believe me. On Saturday, I ran in late to a workshop with Kathryn Miller Haines on researching historical fiction. I’ll tell you, sitting with that group, tossing around ideas about how to find the stuff we all need, how to weave facts into story, felt like coming home. Which, since I never thought I’d write historical fiction, is still a bit disconcerting, but wonderful.

3. Friday night, I sat up late (thank goodness for the time change) and did a Read-and-Critique session with Kathleen Ortiz. The last time I did anything like this, I was on the other side of the “table,” having an agent critique the (anonymous) first page of my picture book, so I know how intimidating it can be to be the writer in this scenario. Kudos and big hugs to the eight writers who handed over their first two pages and synopses and let Kathleen and I go at it!  And let me tell you, Kathleen is sharp–she has an incredible ear for voice and is dead on target about that divide between middle-grade and YA. If you’re looking for an agent, I can definitely recommend putting her on your list.

4. I signed books. Yes, I’ve done this before, but never behind long tables with other writers sitting to either side of me, all down the row. Quite fun, because there’s always someone to chat with. Tricky, because–you know–I had books of my own I had to get signed, and while I didn’t have a line out the door (Ha!), I was a bit worried that I’d miss someone while I stood in Jonathan Mayberry’s line, getting his zombie YA signed for my son. It is just so much fun to have someone come up to you, with your book in their hands, and get into conversation about their critique group, their writing project, and their hopes for both.

5. I bought books. Of course I did. I had even called my credit card company ahead of time so they wouldn’t freak out, because there was a conference years ago when they called me, to check if I really HAD gone into the same bookstore six times in two days. Um, yeah. You know. You grab the books you know you want first thing. Then you go to a workshop, and–boy, you need that book. And then another workshop…another book. There is just no way to be efficient about this, folks! I ended up toting home a nice, full suitcase, loaded down with the following:

All in all, the conference was one of the best I’ve ever attended. People came from all over the place; I met a woman from Alaska! I can see why. If you’re anywhere in the neighborhood next year–and, sure, Alaska counts as the neighborhood–I totally recommend this one. It’s a weekend you will treasure.

Posted in Blog Contest

Wednesday Winner: My Choice for the Best Revision Metaphor

Posted on by beckylevine

Well, my contest got some pretty great entries and even some back-and-forth between entrants, which is always cool. I think everybody came close, getting to that feeling of having to take things apart and–somehow–put them back together. Which is really what revision is all about! Thank you to everybody who entered.

BUT..There can be only one.

So, I’m picking Cathy C. Hall for her bathroom makeover. Okay, yes, she cracked me up, but that isn’t the “winning” reason. I thought Cathy did a fantastic job of getting in the push/pull of working within the structural/functional stuff you need to keep, at the same time as you tear things apart around that stuff and make big changes. Plus, she gave me this line, which really says it all: “along the way, you find that every time you make a change, it affects the whole makeover.” Yes.

So, Cathy, congrats! And thank you! Send me an email at beckylevine at ymail dot com to claim your prize!

Posted in Character

Houston, We Have a Problem.

Posted on by beckylevine

I’m baaack! I had a wonderful time at the 2011 Pennwriters Conference, and I’m going to do a more complete post about it later this week. This morning, I’m going to talk about one of the revelations I had at one particular workshop, and what I’m going to do about it.

First, a quick reminder that today is the last day to enter my contest for the “best” revision metaphor. Leave a comment at last week’s post and join in the fun.

So..there were plenty of wonderful workshops at the conference, and I had time to drop in on a few. One was Ramona DeFelice Long’s “Four Truths of Character.” Ramona’s talk was great, and it got me thinking–as all the good classes do–about my own projects. Specifically, about Caro’s story. One of the things Ramona talked about was the character’s mission–another word for her goal. THE THING SHE WANTS. And I realized that I’ve been drifting around that question, not honing in on what it is that Caro is going after.

Now, I have some excuse, I know. There was that crazy first draft, at the end of which I realized I had two stories to write, not one. If I wasn’t clear, while I was drafting, what story I was supposed to be putting Caro in, it’s no wonder I wasn’t clear on what she wanted. So I’m not flagellating myself. Too much.

BUT…here’s the thing. I have this book-in-a-drawer. It’s a book I still love, and a book I have hopes of revising at some point down the line. And the longer I stay away from it, the longer I realize that perhaps the biggest revision point will be…wait for it: what the hero in that book really wants.


Light-bulb moment.

I wrote six drafts of that book, all without tightening the story enough around the hero’s goal/needs. And the result has been, I think, that I have a nice, well-written, funny book, with a big flaw that is now–because of that polishing–harder to revise away.

In other words, I don’t want to wait that long on Caro’s story to figure it out.  (Okay, and this is very possibly true for the picture book, too!)

So what am I going to do about it? Well, my first thought was that I needed some brainstorming time with my critique group. So I brought it up at yesterday’s meeting, thinking I’d just schedule 20 minutes or so at our next meeting. But, of course, because they are so amazing, that wasn’t good enough for them. One brilliant critique partner suggested that I could let them know about some missions/goals that I’ve seen in other YA books.

Another light bulb.


So here’s the plan. In the next couple of weeks, I will:

  • Pick a half-dozen of my favorite YA novels and reread at least the first chapter, but most likely up to the point where the inciting incident hits, since I think that incident is a microcosm of the story’s BIG PROBLEM.
  • Figure out what the hero wants at that moment, and see if I can come up with how that specific goal plays into the big story goal (which, I think, the hero doesn’t always know until later in the story).
  • See if, in the process, any more light bulbs go off.
  • Bring those goals and my own questions about Caro to my critique group for brainstorming

I’m also, I think, going to read Donald Maass’ The Breakout Novelist. I think Maass’ writing books may be the best I’ve found, for pushing me to actually think about character, instead of just typing away and seeing what comes.

Between Ramona, my critique partners, Donald, and me, I’m guessing Caro and I will get our mission. Or at least get a heck of a lot closer to it!

Posted in Blog Contest

Contest: What’s Your Revision Metaphor?

Posted on by beckylevine

WARNING: MIXED METAPHORS (or possibly even analogies) AHEAD:

You know that stage in revision, when things are FINALLY coming together? When you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel (and it’s NOT a train)? I have struggled for years to come up with a good way to describe. Something concise, cohesive, and coherent that really hits the nail on the head. See? There’s already that whole nail/hammer imagery going on, and we haven’t got to the contest yet!

I’m heading off to yet another workshop where I will be talking about this moment WITHOUT a metaphor. Without one that really says it all. Oh, sure, I’ll talk about weeding out the stuff that doesn’t belong, I’ll describe sanding off the rough spots. I’ll tell them how the puzzle pieces start to fit, even fall into place on their very own. I’ll mention Michelangelo’s (or was it daVinci? Someone else altogether?) idea that the statue is already in the chunk of rock, and that if you (only he?!) chip away long enough, the complete thing will emerge. If I’m crazy enough, I might even mention the idea that it’s kind of like carving something out of soap and watching all the spare flakes fall to the ground (and hoping that the darned thing doesn’t snap into pieces).

Okay, no, I won’t talk about all these things. The workshop is only an hour, for pete’s sake. Plus, I don’t want the people who come to listen thinking I’m completely crazy.

Wouldn’t it be nice, though, to come back to the answer. A description of one or two (okay, MAYBE three) sentences that just…says it? You all know what I’m talking about–if you haven’t hit it yet, yourselves, you’ve heard other people talk about it and you’ve dreamed about it happening to you. Yes, you have. I’m not saying it’s the moment of “done.” But it’s that time when all the work you’ve done starts to feel worthwhile. When you see a glimmer of resemblance between the words on the page and the vision in your mind. When you at least start to believe that you may possibly create something that holds together, stands on its own, doesn’t–as my husband is fond of saying–roll on square wheels.

So, while I’m gone: A contest.

Normally, I am a totally random contest-winner chooser. I put all the names in the hat, and I draw one out. Not this time. This time, I will be…A JUDGE.

Here’s what I want. Post your entry in the comment section of this post. I’ll give you UP TO 3 sentences to come up with a metaphor (or an analogy or a simile or a comparison or a whatever) that gets these elements across:

  • That feeling that you’ve gotten rid of most, if not all, of those big extras you THOUGHT you’d need but that you now see have no place in the story.
  • That feeling that, when you make a change in one chapter, you (almost) instantly think of one or two more places in the book that you need to change, and you’ve got a pretty clear idea of what change is going to work.
  • That feeling that, as you revise, you’re connecting your characters at a deeper level, that everybody’s story is starting to link up with everybody else’s. In a good way.
  • And, finally, that feeling that you may still have a long way to go, but that–right now–you’re very busy turning this story into something.

Okay!

Wait, what? Oh, a prize? Yes, there is a prize.

If you win, and you don’t already have it, I’ll send you a signed copy of my book, The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide. But I don’t want to cut out ideas from anybody who already has the book. SO…if you win and you do already have the book and don’t want a copy for a friend, I’ll send you, INSTEAD, a copy of Colin Cotterill’s The Coroner’s Lunch. Just because this series is my newest happy reading discovery, and I like to share. Basically, your choice!

I’m going to run the contest for a week, and I’ll announce the winner on Wednesday, May 18th. I’m going to make no claims about knowing the BEST entry; I’m just going to pick the one that feels the most right with the way I feel when I get to this point in revising. I’m still working on an early draft of my WIP, so all these entries are going to be nice reminders of what I have to look forward to–good motivation for writing along, so I get to revise.

Enter away. And have fun!

Posted in Critique Groups

Monday Musing: What IS the Magic of a Critique Group

Posted on by beckylevine

I’m sure I’ve talked about this before, but my mind is pretty much swimming in critique group stuff these days, as I get ready to head out to Pittsburgh to talk about it all at the Pennwriters conference this week. I’ll be talking about how to grow a strong group,  how to develop a truly helpful critique, and how to revise from critique feedback (without losing your mind!). What keeps coming to the surface, though, as I get the talks ready, is–once again–how important I think critique groups are.

Obviously. 🙂

I find myself, over and over, using the word “magic.” The magic of a critique group. That phrase keeps popping up in my workshops, out of my mouth, onto the keyboard.

So today, I thought I’d do a quick post on what I think that magic actually consists of:

The magic of a critique group is:

  • The comfort and trust that lets you be motivated to write more, simply because there are people at the other end waiting to read that more. This is, obviously, the flip side of being in a not-so-good group, where you’re actually hesitant or worried about sending those pages out. Build that trust–you’ll never regret it.
  • The joy of surrounding yourself (in-person or online) with people who get this writing thing, who–like you–live with and for words as many hours of the day that they can.
  • The spark of an idea as it jumps from one brain to another, as it literally bounces around the critique table, gathering momentum and depth and absolute right-itude, until it lands in the writer’s lap as a gift, all wrapped up in shiny paper and bright, curly ribbon.
  • The delight of reading the work of someone you care about and being completely wowed at their talent–that line that makes you laugh out loud, that character that pulls you into story, that scene that has you holding your breath. getting to be part of these authors’ writing world.
  • The explanations and examples, from several angles, that your critique partners give you about a problem in your manuscript. The feedback that lets you, at revision time, erase the worried frown on your face, snap your fingers, say, “Yes!” and start writing the new words. The better, stronger words.
  • The education you get in the writing craft, not just from what you  hear about your own writing, but from what you tell the other writers in your group about their projects. Every time you push yourself to dig deep into someone else’s book, every time you resist the impulse to not address a problem, every time you get your explanation as absolutely clear as possible, you’re learning. How easy is it for us, in our own books, to skate over the stuff that isn’t good enough–out of fear that we don’t know how to fix it. When we commit to a critique group, we commit to not skating over anybody else’s writing–and as we work to help them, we teach ourselves. Oh, yeah.

Those are just a few of the things that I’ve been thinking about and sort of re-realizing all over again this last week. What about you? What’s the magic of your group? What’s the magic you hope to find in a group some day?

Posted in Uncategorized

Is There Such a Thing as Power-Writing?

Posted on by beckylevine

It’s been waaayy too long since I dug myself into one of my WIPs. Life is all good, the busy is all good, but I am reminded once again how simultaneously easy and hard it is to put all your focus onto tasks that have to be done, away from the fiction that doesn’t have the same kind of deadline.

The busy this week was some family travel and putting finishing touches on my workshops for the Pennwriters conference next week. I’m really looking forward to heading out to Pittsburgh, meeting new writers, and just having a little conference fun and adventure.

I’m also really looking forward to coming back and writing.

And I’m thinking about the idea of just throwing myself back into my historical and blasting through some chapters, to get back into Caro’s world and problems. I’ve written fast before, on other projects, and it feels incredibly productive and fulfilling. I suspect, too, that–for me–the difference in these early drafts between what I get when I write fast and what I get when I write more slowly isn’t all that big a gap.

Then again, I felt like I rushed the first draft (even though it took me forEVAH!) and had promised myself I would take my time on this one. It’s that pull of the pressure coming at me, I know. The pressure to accomplish, to complete, to have another big milestone under my belt.

And,  yes, I know this is pressure I need to resist.

So…once again, it’ll probably be a compromise. I’ll try to give myself a day of transition, but then get a file open and start thinking and writing. I’ll let myself clean up the chaos that I’ve created by my focus these last couple of weeks, but I’ll also make sure I put that after my writing time. And I’ll try not to let myself sweat the small stuff in the writing–the word choices, the sentences, the perfect historic details.

So maybe no actual power writing.

Maybe just some nice, long strides uphill that take me over the top and forward along the trail.

What do you do when you’ve been away from a project for a while. Throw yourself in head first, or dip a few toes in to see how cold it is?

Posted in Blog Contest

Christina Katz’ Every-Day-in-May Book Giveaway

Posted on by beckylevine

For those of you who don’t know Christina Katz yet, she’s the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Writer Mama, Author Mama, and the upcoming The Writer’s Workout. Christina also has a great website & blog with tons of wonderful resources.

This month, she’s having a humongous giveaway.

What with being away for a few days, I missed the start, but–like the picture says–she’s giving away a book every day for the rest of the month, including The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide somewhere along the way. Today’s contest is for a copy of Melissa Hart’s memoir, Gringa.

The rules (simple ones, believe me!) for the month-long contest are posted here. Click over and check everything out!

Posted in Blogs

Thankful Thursday: From My Blog Reader

Posted on by beckylevine

There are times when it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the information on the Internet, especially when we tell ourselves we’re supposed to be keeping track of it all and applying it to our writing lives.

Um…impossible.

I have a long list of blogs in my blog reader, and on any given day, I can look there & find something to update or instruct me about the latest technology or publishing changes, to motivate and inspire me about the writing life, to reassure me that I’m not the only one wondering what it’s all about.

So just to mention a few of my favorites today and to say thanks…

Obviously, these are just a few of the blogs I check in at every week, but they are definitely some of my staples.

Have any thank-yous to bloggers you’d like to share? Feel free to drop them in the comments.