Posts Tagged ‘Simon Pulse’
Another successful SCBWI Eastern PA Pocono Mt. Retreat! Every time I attend this conference there is something special going on. This year I was thrilled to spend the weekend with Laurie Halse Anderson and to bring a friend to her first writing conference, but more about that later. First off, everyone celebrated the 20 year anniversary of the conference by exchanging memories. I was still in transit, but my buddy Jodi Moore (author of WHEN A DRAGON MOVES IN) told the very special story of the Golf Bag Holder. If you haven’t heard this story you can read about it HERE.
Now we have two of our “babies” sitting in the Golf Bag Holder with us. <3
Now that everyone knows the secret of the Golf Bag Holder, everyone wants in on the love. This just makes me smile.
First up was my Workshop Session with Sara Sargent, who talked about Inspiration, World Building and Other Indoor Sports.
My favorite thing she said in this session was that watching a character evolve is fun. Seeing it happen live is exciting, so take your reader on the ride with you instead of giving them so much backstory. I don’t think I can ever be reminded of this too much. Great advice.
The first Keynote speaker of the Conference was New York Times best selling illustrator Amy June Bates…
Here is some of my favorite nuggets from Amy…
*If you wish to be pretty, please be more honest with yourself.”
*One person is a portrait, more is a story.
*Dynamic bodies captured in gestures tell stories.
Later in the evening we had Sweets, Swaps and Shirts. This is where you wear a fun T-shirt (conversation starter), sway books and eat candy. I brought some of my favorite
Simon Pulse books to share. I loved sharing these wonderful authors with my friends.
***WELCOME SATURDAY***
This is the part of the program where the Friday all-night gab-fest mutates into a dire need for coffee AND the heart thumping anticipation of knowing that Laurie Halse Anderson is going to be the morning’s guest speaker. *SQUEE*
Laurie’s keynote was Writing the life of Your Dreams. Crap! How am I going to pick out just a few choice phrases for you to savor when everything she says resonates with me and makes my heart grow by three sizes? I’ll do my best…
*Never Google your name–You only need to know what YOU think of your work.
*Writing time will not magically appear.
*Having a dedicated writing space opens up a dedicated writing space in your brain.
*Give yourself the gift of art, especially if you’re feeling dry. You need new stuff going into the well.
*”I would rather have a root canal and then chew on aluminum foil that write a first draft.” I LOVE THIS WOMAN!
*Ideal ratio of time spent for writers–10 hours writing : 5 hours reading : 1 hour farting on the internet. *head thunk*
Next up I had the pleasure of having a second Workshop session with the lovely Sara Sargent. 
It was a packed house so I pulled up a section of rug, which was actually rather comfortable. This session with Sara was about TENSION and how to take your novel to the next level.
My third Workshop session was outside of my usual box, but I enjoyed it tremendously. YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP: HOW TO USE PRIMARY SOURCES TO CREATE NARRATIVE NON-FICTION by Deborah Heiligman.
As I mentioned, narrative non-fiction is not something I ever plan to write myself. Research makes me break out in hives, but I LOVED hearing about how Deborah created CHARLES AND EMMA and I’m biting at the bit to read it now. Attending this session gave me lots of great take aways that I could translate into my own writing life, but the one thing that really struck a cord was when Deborah said…”It all has to be in service to the love story.” What she meant was that, with an avalanche of facts and interesting information to pick from, the only way to successfully chose what to put in the book came when she reminded herself that her story was a love story and all the information needed to progress that plot line of Darwin’s life. I loved being reminded of that–I know how helpful it is to have that focus in my own writing. So, as a little side note, I highly encourage you to step outside of your box every once in awhile and take a session that you don’t think will be a perfect fit, because you just might find something wonderful in the unexpected.
Now it’s time for Laurie Halse Anderson to get mean about revision in Workshop #4
I’ll share a couple of her secrets with you…
*Everything needs to be on the table to be cut or changed–even the main character.
*It doesn’t matter if it REALLY happened. It’s only good if it informs the story.
*It can always be better.
*The fun of reading is the mystery–don’t weigh down it down with too much back story.
*Make the character’s life hard.
*Kids reach for books to find out how other people deal with situations.
*THE GAP-this magical place between the reader and the story. You want to trust the reader enough to let them fill out some of the places on their own.
At dinner, Taylor and I had our very first knitting lesson. It was so much fun when it stopped being confusing LOL!
This is how I started…
And this is how I ended…
Megan, Carli, Kim, Stephanie and Taylor
After dinner the lovely Kay Winters talked about THE POWER OF PICTURE BOOKS.
BTW–Guess who had an ARC in the Silent Auction?
ME!!!!! I’m very happy that TOUCHING THE SURFACE could help raise funds for next year’s scholarships. And the auction winner was…
My girl and yarn guru, Carli Bandeira. I really hope she loves it. <3
And just when you think that we’d exhausted our sugar rush from the Sweet Inspirations candy bags with writing prompts…
It’s time for a dance party… Twist and Shout!!! Oh, and Mary–we did Jagger LOL!
***YAWN…WELCOME SUNDAY***
Heading back in after checking out of our room and putting our bags in the car, Taylor and I were cruelly reminded (by Megan and Jodi) that we had yet to make it to the table with the morning beverages LOL!
Next I got the chance to hear Deb Heiligman speak some more…
*Writing for children is the most important job in the world.
*When I am writing I recognize myself–I know who I am when I’m writing.
And to finish off the conference there was a FIRST PAGES/FIRST LOOKS Panel that evaluated the first pages of picture book, middle grad and young adult manuscripts in addition to a selection of three illustrations by three of our artists. And of course, because the conference was so wonderful, I can’t help but avoid saying goodbye. Here were some more highlights from the weekend…
Friends sharing their books.
I finally was formally introduced to Carli’s tea duck. He totally quacks me up!
A full circle moment for me–getting to share one of my heroes with someone I love very much. Laurie personally welcomed Taylor into our tribe.
We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us…
Laurie and Taylor. This makes my heart squish.
Laurie signing books for the Fishkill Frogs!
Taylor with knotted yarn barf. ROTFL!
Sara Sargent and I have a very similar chocolate addiction. We bonded. Green & Black’s Organic
Yep, I was totally trying to put Angie in my suitcase. I love this lady.
And speaking of love…
I know it’s a little blurry, but the thing is…I can see it clearly and that is all that matters.
Monday is almost here and I’m more than tired. I stayed up too late talking to my friends all weekend, but very moment was a gift I couldn’t pass up, and speaking of presents…
I’m now the proud owner of my very own Time Turner. It feels good to have it–you never know when you might need it. But for now…
I don’t want to go back and change a thing–it was perfect.
I’m taking questions about the conference or the magic of the Golf Bag Holder. Or you can feel free to chime in about the sheer awesomeness of Laurie Halse Anderson or the SCBWI Eastern PA. Wish you all could have been there.
Tags: #SCBWIPA, Amy June Bates, ARC, Carlu Bandeira, Charles and Emma, Deborah Heiligman, Golf Bag Holder, Jodi Moore, Kay Winters, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Knitting, laurie halse anderson, revision, Sara Sargent, SCBWI, Simon Pulse, Time Turner, Touching the Surface, WHEN A DRAGON MOVES IN by Jodi Moore
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Here’s your Monday mash-up!
*TOUCHING THE SURFACE has a new release date–October 30th!!!! I know that means that I’m making you wait a little bit longer, but it also means that I get to launch my book during my favorite time of year. I can’t help but be excited–only eight months to go!!!
*Guess what’s available for pre-order??? Yup–TOUCHING THE SURFACE is on Amazon. I can’t even begin to tell you how cool this is. *does a little twirly dance* Feel free to stop over and hit the like button for the hardcover and for the Kindle ebook or…you can even pre-order it now. OMG!!!! I can’t believe I’m finally getting to say that.
*Want to learn some funky facts? You can now find out more about me and TOUCHING THE SURFACE on the Simon & Schuster website. Kimberly Sabatini-Author Revealed. You can even sign up for email updates.
*Friday night was a blast. I got to head to one of my favorite Indie bookstores,Oblong Music & Books, for their monthly Hudson Valley YA Society Event.
Jennifer Laughran (Andrea Brown Lit) Introducing Kate Ellison and Lauren Oliver!!! Yes, you heard me correctly.
Kate Ellison and Lauren Oliver talking about books and writing.
Lauren Oliver, Kimberly Sabatini, Kate Ellison *squee*
Linda Hanlon got a picture too. And yes, Lauren is really that tall and doesn’t Kate wears really cool tights?
Woot!!! Got to share Class of 2k12 swag and my ARC of TOUCHING THE SURFACE with some new friends and my buddy April from Good Books and Good Wine.
So, have you pre-ordered any highly anticipated books off of your wish list lately? I have to confess, I just pre-ordered all the Class of 2k12 books that are currently available. I wish that would make them come faster!!! I also pre-ordered IN A FIX by my Wolf Pack sistah Linda Grimes!!!! I can’t wait to read them all!!!!
Tags: Author Revealed, Hudson Valley YA Society Event, Jennifer Laughran, Kate Ellison, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Lauren Oliver, Linda Grimes, Oblong Books, Pre-order on Amazon, Pub Date, Simon and Schuster, Simon Pulse, Touching the Surface, Wolf Pack
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One of my favorite parts of the conference is Lin Oliver‘s stats and joke during the welcome.
I’ve come to look forward to them. So with out much ado…the 13th Annual New York Conference stats…
*1,148 people in attendance (a sold out show)
*301 were published authors and the remainder are pre-published because that’s how we role in the SCBWI
*392 were women, 56 were men and 700 were UNKNOWN. I met a few of the 700 and they were confused but very nice.
*There were 867 writers in the house and 485 illustrators
*19 different countries were in attendance, including Aruba and Jamaica. Yes, you are correct if you guessed that Lin was singing.
*We also had 49 out of 50 States in attendance but because South Dakota actually showed up this year, Lin was stumped as to who was dissing us.
You have to have the right kind of person to follow Lin Oliver and we were not disappointed.
9:00-10:00 KEYNOTE: TURNING REAL LIFE INTO FICTION – Chris Crutcher
Here are some of my best walk-aways…
*If you want to make life important…shorten it.
*The language of grief, the language of hard times–they need to be told in their native tongue.
*We tend to write for the censors instead of the people who are reading our books.
*The truth you know is the one that will get you published.
*Jesus had an older brother named Esus! Who knew? Chris’ older brother, that’s who. Bwahhhh!!!!
10:15-11:30 PANEL: CHILDREN’S BOOKS: TODAY AND TOMORROW” FOUR EXPERT IMPRESSIONS
Moderator: (LO) Lin Oliver
(RP) Ruben Pfeffer, Agent, East West Literary Agency
(BM) Barbara Markus, Strategic Innovations Advisor
(JF) Jean Feiwel, Senior Vice President and Publishing Director, Feiwel and Friends (MacMillan)
(NP) Nancy Paulsen, President and Publisher, Nancy Paulsen Books, (Penguin)
Question: Significant changes in publishing? (LO)
*(RP) Much more energized and commercial publishing going on.
*(BM) We have bestseller hardcover children’s books that sell better than adult books.
*(JF) The closing of Boarders the changes in Amazon, self-publishing etc…
*(NP) Social Media. Remember, you can use it to help support local bookstores.
Question: How do you characterize the market? (LO)
*(JF) In the last 10 years you could publish just about anything. The market has forced a correction–in order to be effective you need to know your core strengths.
*(RP) Because we publish fewer titles, we have to publish titles better.
***GUEST SPEAKER ALERT!!!!***
Yes!!!! It’s Henry Winkler!!!! *heart squish*
Henry is dyslexic and he was wonderfully funny and thoughtful in his speech but I simply can’t capture his talk effectively, but I would like to add this link to a recent interview he did about his dyslexia. Henry Winkler on The Doctors.
11:15-12:45 1ST PRE-ASSIGNED BREAKOUT SESSION—YOUNG ADULT FICTION with Tara Weikum, Executive Editor, Harper Collins
Tara gave a brief history of YA and some thoughts on it…
* The OUTSIDERS–wasn’t the first book for teens but it was the book that made people stand up and take notice.
*Printz Award launched in 2000
*YA is in a major state of flux. Editors ask themselves–What is different about this book from the others I have read? Do I LOVE this book?
*Teens want to read about what is important and relevant to them.
*Voice is different for every editor.
2:00-3:00 KEYNOTE: LOVE TRIANGLE AND FORBIDDEN LOVE–CREATING AND MAINTAINING ROMANTIC TENSION IN YA LITERATURE by Cassandra Clare
*Forbidden love
-By Family
-By Society
-Because it’s unsuitable or dangerous
*Love Triangles
-Epic love vs Indecision
*The kind of love story that is fun to live is not fun to read about.
3:15-4:15 2ND PRE-ASSIGNED BREAKOUT SESSION–REVISION with Cheryl Klein, Executive Editor, Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic)
*Revision=Re-visioning
*Revision requires courage and love–be kind to yourself.
*Take the truth and put it in a story that makes money. (the best of both worlds)
*It’s much more exciting to be in the action than talking about the action that is coming up.
*Write a synopsis from the enemy’s point of view–to show balance.
*SAID is transparent, it disappears–the other tags don’t.
*Keep a copy of everything
*Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
4:30-5:30 3RD PRE-ASIGNED BREAKOUT SESSION–THE NOVEL with Wendy Loggia, Executive Editor, Delacorte Press
*Take the familiar and raft a narrative that makes me see things in a new light
*If you have a clear sense of what you want to do–it shows in your writing.
*There has to be a consumer for your book.
*Keep your reader hooked.
*If something doesn’t feel natural to you–don’t write it.
*Be aware of trends, but if you’re writing to a trend it’s too late.
I also have to mention that Wendy gave a huge shout out to my fellow Apoclaypsie Lissa Price and her up-coming debut novel STARTERS. Of course I was *squeeing* like mad–out loud when she was talking about Lissa’s book!!! And it gets better…Wendy gave me the ARC she was reading from!!!!! I started it on the train and LOVE it!!!! Contest coming soon!!!! Thank you Wendy and Lissa!!!!!
And don’t think you can sit down now–it’s off to the Gala where they had *drum roll* a mashed potato bar with toppings!!! If I hadn’t died and gone to heaven, I would have taken a picture. But here are a couple shots from the night.
Kim and Greg Fishbone-Founder of the Class of 2k7
Kim and Lynda Hunt Mullaly–Class of 2k12
And of course, long after the Gala was over, I was still talking to old friends and making new ones in the lobby…
Hanging with my Simon Pulse peeps–Hannah Moskowitz, Kim and Michael Strother. <3
Yes, that is Chris Crutcher hanging out with us!!!!! Life is good.
I’ll be back on Monday with the final installment from the conference, but in the meantime, have a great weekend!
Tags: Apocalypsies, Cassandra Clare, Cheryl Klein, Chris Crutcher, Class of 2k12, Conferences, Greg Fishbone, Henry Winkler, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Lin Oliver, Lissa Price, Lynda Hunt Mullaly, NY12SCBWI, SCBWI, Simon and Schuster, Simon Pulse, Starters, Touching the Surface
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By the time you grab your coffee and read this, I’ll be eating a bagel at the Marketing Workshop at the New York SCBWI Conference. That’s a thumbs up for bagels and marketing knowledge and a raspberry for getting up that early in the morning. Thinking ahead–yes, I AM talking about me. *gives you the stink eye* I planned out today’s blog post and Monday’s because I’ll be spending my first day after the conference in bagel detox. And sadly, reclimbing Mt. Laundrious as my kids have come to call that pile of clothes in their closet that almost touches the ceiling. Cheeky little bugger aren’t they. So, since I was out in the wild at the train station, this morning, I thought that In The Wild would be a wonderful theme for today’s blog.
Not too long ago I mentioned that my local B&N had relocated the YA department from–right next to the kids section…to snuggled up in the adult section. I asked my friend Linda (who works there) how the change was going and she gave it a thumbs up. I also promised some pictures of the new arrangement…
A display table that is chock full of books and the aisles behind the table are all YA!
So many of my favorite titles and authors hanging out on the shelves.
Sorry, these didn’t look this blurry on my phone. Grrrr…
And as I was wandering around, petting and hugging the books, I found some books that I’d never seen out in “The Wild” before. You can click on the picture to find out more about the book and it’s author.
Double Apocalypsie Trouble–Click on the pic for a link to more info about Brodi Ashton’s EVERNEATH and click HERE for more info about TEMPEST by Julie Cross
UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi–An Apocalypsie!!!
THE MOCKINGBIRDS by Daisy Whitney–one of Michelle Wolfson’s Wolf Pack!!!!
DARKER STILL: Magic Most Foul Book #1 by Leanna Renee Hieber–Also and Apocalypsie!!!
Another Apocalypsie!!! FRACTURED by Megan Miranda
Another Wolf Pack author!!! Two out of three of the PARANORMALCY series by Kiersten White–Did I tell you that I’m reading ENDLESSLY RIGHT NOW!!! Yes, be jealous.
My class of 2k12 girl–Robin Bridges with THE GATHERING STORM Book#1 of the Katerina Trilogy
Apocalypsie Double Trouble! Click on the picture for a link to Brodi Ashton’s EVERNEATH and click HERE for more on TEMPEST by Julie Cross.
My Simon Pulse Housemate–Lucas Klauss with EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO SURVIVE THE APOCALYPSE
Apocalypsie and NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING AUTHOR Marissa Meyer and CINDER!!!!!
I can’t even tell you how exciting it is to see all these books out in the wild. So exciting!!!! Can’t wait to stop in again soon and see who else is peaking out at me from the shelves.
FYI–I’ll be blogging about the conference when I get back, but in the meantime you can follow the conference live from twitter–just follow #NY12SCBWI I’ll do my best to keep you up to date. So, have you read any of the books that I’ve spotted out in the wild? What did you think? Any that you’re lusting for?
Tags: Apocalypsies, Arissa Meyer, Barnes & Noble, Brodi Ashton, Daisy Whitney, Julie Cross, Kiersten White, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Leanna Renee Hieber, Lucas Klauss, Megan Miranda, Michelle Wolfson, Robin Bridges, Simon Pulse, Touching the Surface, Veronica Rossi, Wolf Pack, YA Author, YA Book, YA Novel, YA Writer
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I am so excited to be a part of this!!!! Corrine Jackson is a fellow Apocalypsie, a fellow Class of 2k12 member, a Simon Pulse sistah and one of the nicest people I know, so it gives me great pleasure to be involved in the cover reveal for her YA novel IF I LIE. I am DYING to read this book!!!! Before I show you the cover, let me tell you why you’re going to want to read it too…
IF I LIE
A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.
Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.
Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.
*SQUEE* Didn’t I tell you this is going to be awesome????
Okay…so you want to see the cover???
I know you do!!!!!
Okay…I can’t make you wait any longer.
Here it is….
I think it’s absolutely perfect!!!!
Tags: Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Simon and Schuster, Simon Pulse, YA Author, YA Novel, YA Rebels, YA Writer
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I was so excited when an ARC of WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND showed up in my mailbox. Yes, I did a little happy dance because Tracy is my pub-sister at Simon Pulse and a fellow Apocalypsie, making me double eager to read this book! I’ve pulled some information from Goodreads and Tracy’s website so I could share this amazing book and author with you.
“Don’t even think of leaving…I will find you,” he whispered. “Guaranteed.”
Sara and her mom have a plan to finally escape Sara’s abusive father. But when her mom doesn’t show up as expected, Sara’s terrified. Her father says that she’s on a business trip, but Sara knows he’s lying. Her mom is missing—and her dad had something to do with it. Each day that passes, Sara’s more on edge. Her friends know that something’s wrong, but she won’t endanger anyone else with her secret. And with her dad growing increasingly violent, Sara must figure out what happened to her mom before it’s too late…for them both.
Kimberly Sabatini’s Review of WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND
If you like Elizabeth Scott, I think you’ll absolutely adore Tracy Bilen. WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND is one of those stories that is morbidly beautiful. It is the harsh reality of a less than ideal life, threaded with moments of love and hope. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from what was unfolding on the pages. I immediately connected with Sara and I adored the healthy relationships in her life. I read this story with a rapid pulse and sweaty palms–praying that the last page would be just as good as the build-up. I wasn’t disappointed.
Tracy Bilen is a high school French and Spanish teacher in Michigan where she lives with her husband and two children. Before moving to Michigan, Tracy taught at a ski school for high school students in Vermont (Spanish, not skiing!). In college she spent her junior year abroad at the Sorbonne in Paris where she lived in a dorm run by nuns (and where she had to run down four flights of stairs to take a phone call). She enjoys cross-country skiing and walks in the woods. Her debut young adult novel, What She Left Behind, will be released by Simon Pulse on May 1, 2012.
WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND is available for preorder at…
Don’t be shy–hit that buy button–you know you want to! You can also find out more about Tracy Bilen and WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND here…
Tags: Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Simon and Schuster, Simon Pulse, Tracy Bilen, What She Left Behind, YA Author, YA Novel, YA Writer
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I went running this morning. (Thursday) I needed to be connected to the earth again after yesterday’s overwhelming cover reveal. I spent Wednesday glued to my seat, in front of my lap top, amazed at the outpouring of love and support. I smiled non-stop for over twelve straight hours and I shall cherish the wrinkles that I earned from that experience.
As I pounded the pavement, I felt sure that I would be writing a post today that would thank everyone who was so kind. But I can’t. One foot after the other, this post started to take shape in my head–my footfalls like my fingers on the keys. And like most of my writing–I start in one place and then let go–allowing my inner compass to take me home.
But before I write that post, I still need to say a quick thank you to Anica Rissi and everyone at Simon Pulse, to Michelle Wolfson, to the Class of 2k12, to the Apocalypsies, to all my writer buds and most of all…to the local friends in my life. I know, that for me, the term local has changed and expanded as I’ve traveled. But no matter where you are, you all have stayed in my heart. I consider you part of my home–the place I love most. To all of you…
I need you to know that I was moved by your generosity and support. You make me want to write better books and be a better person.
* * *
So, today’s blog post IS about thanking people, but it’s about giving a shout out to the people in my life who have hurt me. I’m not going to name names. *cackles and rubs hands together* Yeah, it might be a little fun, but seriously it doesn’t matter. What matters, is that while I was running, I was thinking about what comes next after the cover reveal. After the love and support. After the fan fair and joyous celebration.
Next….
Comes the smack down!!!!!! *dum, dum, dum, dum*
Sure–I’m still expecting lots and lots of good things to happen with TOUCHING THE SURFACE. Sheesh, I’ve spent years of my life working on this book, pouring my heart and soul into it and I think it will be good. I know it will make a difference in someones life. I believe it will matter. But, just like in my own life (the freaky place where not everyone likes me) there will be people who are vocal about not liking my book and perhaps…even it’s author. *gasp* I won’t lie, the thought of that made my steps falter while I was running. It made my stomach clench. But then I remembered–I have good training for this.
I can handle being wounded because people in my life have hurt me.
I don’t get over it easily. Usually it takes me at least a novel and one or two blog posts to work through a problem in a semi-satisfactory manner. And even then, there are no guarantees. But I survive. And more important, I suck the freaking essence from the haters’ mean asses and use it to become a better person.
(There might be a little residual anger involved, but I’m working on that.)
What I’m trying to say is that I believe our life prepares us for our life. If someone had handed me a newborn, without allowing me to carry the little critter in utero for nine months, I never would have made it. I slowly built up to the level of sleep deprivation, poor grooming skills and weeping that I needed in order to be a successful mother. Without the inability to touch my toes for weeks at a time, I never would have had the proper perspective that I needed for when the baby came along. The universe has a built in training program to help us survive. It’s the equivalent of a GOOD parent guiding a teenager. The teenager CAN NOT see the forrest through the trees. Later they understand. In life…we are that teenager. More often than not…oblivious.
Okay…it’s only a theory and the next person to hurt me will make all of these larger than life thoughts fly right out of my head. I’ll curl up in a little ball and lick my wounds until I can start the healing process. You know how it goes… two steps forward–one step back. But I’m a big-picture girl at heart. And it’s good to know that at the end of each bump in my road, I can always get to that spot where I believe that the people who hurt me the most–give me the greatest gift off all–strength.
Nanny, nanny, boo, boo.
Tags: Anica Rissi, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, mean people, Michelle Wolfson, Simon Pulse, YA Author, YA Novel, YA Writer
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I’m apologizing in advance for the poor picture quality. I stink a big one because I forgot my good camera for this book signing event. I can legitimately blame it on the 6 year old who was needed help with his iPod so he could listen to a novel on the way to the book signing…yeah, I didn’t yell at him either. :o)
Stages on Pages is a group of authors with the arts in their novels or the arts in their lives, that have banded together to go on book tour. Five of the authors made it to
Oblong Books and Music last Sunday so that I could stalk them and be a total fan girl…
And yes, she ROCKS the violin!!!
Click
here to hear her play.
(From L-R) Uber Andrea Brown agent
Jennifer Laughran, Sheela Chari, Gretchen Mc Neil, Stasia Kehoe, Rosanne Parry and Jessica Martinez
Jessica talking about VIRTUOSITY.
Oh, and she sang some kick ass opera too!
Boo! Jess had to leave early to catch a train so she missed the las picture!
Several of the Stages On Pages authors (besides Tara Kelly) were not on this leg of the tour, but you may want to check out…
Tags: Jennifer Laughran, Jessica Martinez, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Oblong Books, Rosanne Parry, Second Fiddle, Simon Pulse, Stages On Pages, Virtusoity, YA Author, YA Novel, YA Writer
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I’ve been thinking about manuscript critiques a lot lately. This might be because I’m evaluating the manuscripts of two different friends. It’s a ton of fun, but so much work. It is a time consuming process, but if you do it right, it can be as beneficial to you as it is for the person you’re helping.
Have you ever critiqued someone else’s writing?
It is scary (or at least it was for me) the first couple times I did it. I second guessed everything I commented on. Then I expended just as much energy worrying about what I had missed. I was convinced that I was an idiot who lacked the magic editorial gene. I KNEW I was doing it wrong.
What I didn’t realize is that critiquing is a lot like writing. It’s a muscle that gets stronger when it’s flexed. Or to make it easier to visualize–it’s just like running. The more you do the activity, the better you become at it. You get faster and go further. But running doesn’t just make you a better runner, as you become stronger, you become a better athlete. The benefits carry over.
So how does this translate to writing? Sometimes it’s hard to practice the things that we’re learning (about writing) in our own writing. We have so many balls up in the air at one time, some days we’re just lucky not to knock ourself unconscious trying to keep them all aloft. CLONK! When we work on someone else’s manuscript, we have the distance needed to safely practice using the tools in our bag of tricks. And the beauty of this, is that our critique partner wants the exact same skill-set we’re bringing to the table. They want fresh eyes. It’s win-win for everyone.
Now, I freely admit that over time, I’ve grown by leaps and bounds in my ability to make suggestions in a manuscript. The very fact that I’ve been through several rounds of edits with my brilliant editor,
Anica Rissi of
Simon Pulse, has given me the equivalent of a master class in critiquing. And I won’t lie–I’m a lot more helpful now than I ever was. Do I still have a long way to go? You betcha! But, even when I started critiquing and didn’t really know my ass from my elbow–you know what? I was still giving a good and helpful critique.
Huh?
Seriously–I was–because I cared. I read the manuscript with the same attention that I would want for my own book. I commented with praise for the things that I thought were well done. I tried to be honest in a kind way. My suggestions for improvement were not attacks. I gave a good critique because, at the core, I’m an avid reader. I might not have been able to point out the same details I know today, but I could give an honest evaluation of when I was confused and state why. I could tell you why character A made me swoon and why character B infuriated me. In the margins, I carefully logged my organic responses as a reader. And even though a question I raised, might get clarified two sentences later, the author now had a running record of my thoughts and how I processed their writing. This is valuable.
If you are a writer, you should have your work critiqued. You’ll learn a tremendous amount from the experience. You should also evaluate the writing of your peers. It is an equally powerful exercise. In the video below,
Jackson Pearce gives a visual guide of how to work with a critique partner. She gives great advice.
Take it a step further if you must… There are lots of things that you can do to enhance the critique experience. There are a million blogs and books and videos that will give you wonderful advice on how to do it better. Or even how to survive a bad critique partner. *shudders*
But in my opinion, if you’re a kind and thoughtful person, the only way you can really mess up a critique, is by being too afraid to try. So get out there and throw on those scarves, hats and gloves. Pull the skirt out of your Buddy’s underwear. We are a tribe. We work together to up the quality of everyones writing. And equally as important, to ensure that no one gets picked to star in the show What Not to Wear. Team work is excellent!
What is your favorite tip for critiquing or being critiqued?
Additional critiquing resources:
Tags: Anica Rissi, Critique Partners, Jackson Pearce, Kimberly Sabatini, Simon and Schuster, Simon Pulse
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