Cheryl Rainfield's Blog, page 101

These are SO cute! Little libraries to help share books, increase literacy. I love it!

…Have you ever seen one in person? I haven't. I'd love to!

I LOVE what librarians are doing at the New York Public Library–waiving the fines of children barred from borrowing new items by having them read! For every 15 minutes of reading these children do, they get $1 taken off their fine. What a brilliant thing to do–encouraging literacy and reading!

A reader asked me today where she could pre-order Hunted. What a delight to read that comment! So I thought I'd share where you can pre-order Hunted if you'd like to:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Powells

and likely on Indiebound

and other bookstores–online and brick & mortar.

Toronto Public Libraries are under threat of privatization and closure. Please take a moment to sign the petition. It doesn't take long, and it will help to add your voice to this. We need our libraries!

I love bookplates. Here are three free bookplates that I created for you to print out and use. You may want to print them onto sticker paper and them cut them to size, or you can simply print them on paper and glue or tape them into your book. I hope you enjoy them.

Click on the images or the text titles to download and save to your computer.

Bookplate: we read to know we're not alone

Bookplate: books are friends

Bookplate: books find us homes

I have just added some freebies that you can download that deal with self-harm. I hope you'll grab them if you need them, or share them with others. I hope you'll find them helpful.

You can down download as PDFs:

Reasons Not To Hurt Yourself

and my tips on dealing with self-harm:

Alternatives To Self-Harm

How To Stop Self-Harming

Helpful Responses To Someone Who's Self-Harmed

Today I have a real treat for you–a guest post by Deborah Halverson with some wise advice on writing teen fiction, AND a giveaway. Deborah Halverson is the award-winning author of Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies and the teen novels Honk If You Hate Me and Big Mouth, is the founder of Dear Editor, and is a former editor for Harcourt. I'm excited to have her here, sharing her insight with us all.

The giveaway is a copy of Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies. The giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents. To enter, just leave a comment on this post. The contest will run for one week, and then I'll randomly chose a winner.

Everyone gets something, though–you can all download the Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies Cheat Sheet. If you're interested in writing for teens, you'll want to grab this.

Banishing the Blahs from Your Fiction

by Deborah Halverson

Not long ago, a writer sent me the first chapter of her novel, along with a plea for help. She was frustrated. She'd once been totally excited about her story concept, but then she'd sat down to write the novel and within a few chapters, pphptt! Her enthusiasm vanished. She couldn't seem to get energized about the scenes she was writing, and she found it hard to continue with the project. What was the problem? She still thought that it was the coolest concept ever and that her protagonist could be awesome. Could I help her figure out what had gone wrong?

I read the chapter for her. The diagnosis was easy to make: Her manuscript was suffering from a severe case of the blahs.

The writer in question had included a lot of dialogue in her scenes—a tactic that has great potential for energy and a fast pace—but the stuff she'd inserted in between the lines of dialogue was letting her down. It was boring, meaningless filler action: He raised his eyebrows in surprise . . . he took a bite of an energy bar . . . he brushed his hair off his forehead . . . he rolled his eyes. Sure, these actions have the characters physically moving, and they break up the lines of dialogue and thus inject vital rhythmic pauses, but they don't do any more than that. They don't deepen the characterization or enhance the setting, and they force the dialogue to convey all the emotion in the scene. They're the literary equivalent of rice cakes: they're food but they don't make your mouth water or leave you feeling satisfied.

The Prescription

The good news is, the blahs are easily fixed once you know your manuscript has been infected. You just replace the blah action in your narrative pauses with revealing action.

Look at this example of blah action:

"I said I don't care!" Laurel shouted angrily, glaring at her former BFF for all she was worth.

There's shouting going on, which should be energetic, and there's glaring going on, which suggests anger, but there's nothing particularly interesting actually happening. You've got a loud, angry girl. So what? Why's that fun to read? Why do we care about this girl? What makes her emotion specific to this situation and her mpersonality? Check out this revised version:

"I said I don't care." Laurel stabbed her pencil into the sharpener as if spearing a balloon. Grimacing, she pulled the pencil back out and then swore at the broken tip. "What idiot decided Scantrons need pencils, anyway?" She slammed the pencil into a trashcan and stomped back to her desk with her blank Scantron, pulling a red pen out of her pocket on the way.

Not only is the mood more powerful, but we just learned that this girl is rebellious (switching to a pen for a Scantron . . . a red pen, at that!), we see a slightly violent side to her personality in her spearing and slamming, and we deepen the overall mood by contrasting happy balloons with an unhappy person. This action is unusual and reveals things about the character, enriching the characterization and making the passage much more interesting to read—and I daresay much more interesting to write.

Notice that in spicing up the action I omitted the need for the descriptive tag "shouted." Tags aren't where you want readers to look for action. They should identify the speaker, that's all. I also removed the exclamation point, which was another crutch used to convey mood to the reader. With the new narrative action, there's no need for punctuation tricks. The dialogue can relax even as the scene gains tension.

Adverbs . . . The Blah's Best Friend

I also omitted the adverb "angrily" from the example above. When you write, strive to avoid adverbs. The most noticeable ones are those -ly words. Adverbs tell readers how an action is done. Only, you don't want to tell readers. You want them to understand the mood and manner from the content of the dialogue and from the actions themselves. Yep, it's that old show, don't tell adage. The amazing Gabriel Garcia Marquez famously banished adverbs from his writing after his novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold. For him, out of sight, out of mind: Soon after he started consciously writing without adverbs, he stopped thinking in them, too. That'll happen for you.

Renewed Vigor

Once you've excised the empty fillers and banished the adverbs, what's left? Actions that are dynamic and that let the reader make his own judgments about the mood and personality of the character acting them out, that's what. Now your narrative pauses will be about moving the story forward and enriching the overall reading experience. That'll keep your readers interested in your story for the long haul—and it'll give you reason to stay excited about writing it.

Deborah Halverson is the award-winning author of Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies and the teen novels Honk If You Hate Me and Big Mouth. Armed with a masters in American Literature, Deborah edited picture books and teen novels for Harcourt Children's Books for ten years before leaving to write full-time. She is a frequent speaker at writers conferences and a writing teacher for groups and institutions including UCSD's Extension Program. Deborah is also the founder of the popular writers' advice website DearEditor.com and freelance edits fiction and non-fiction for both published authors and writers seeking their first book deals. For more about Deborah, check out her website DeborahHalverson.com.

This post was part of the Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies Blog Tour. There are three more stops to go; don't miss them!

July 25: Story Connection

July 26: The Got Story Countdown

July 27: Free "Writers & Artists" webinar with Katie Davis





And, if you'd like to check out the previous stops, you'll find a lot more detailed, helpful information about writing good fiction.

Shrinking Violet Promotions (Flipping the Switch From Introvert to Extrovert)

SCBWI blog (Serving Up Subtext)

QueryTracker.net (Melodrama Isn't a Four Letter Word)

Elizabeth O. Dulemba Blog (Interview)

Today I talk with YA author Shari Maurer, the author of Change of Heart. Read on to find out why Shari writes, what she likes and doesn't like about the publishing business, and more!

Shari, why do you write?

I think it's a challenge to create characters and the world they inhabit.

Yes, it is!


What do you love about the publishing business?

One of the biggest surprises since my book has been published is how much I have enjoyed having a community of writers. I've gotten to know so many smart and interesting people throughout my journey to publication and beyond.

I love that, too. We have a wonderful community!


What don't you like about the publishing business?

I'm not a very patient person and publishing is a lot of waiting. You query an agent and wait. They ask to see your manuscript, you wait. The agent subs to editors, you wait. Even after getting a publishing contract, there's more waiting until the book comes out. I've gotten better, but still find myself wishing things moved more quickly.







I understand. It IS Hard to wait!


What would you want in your ideal writing studio? What does your writing space look like now?

I love to write outside if I can. My backyard is very green and full of birds and flowers. It's a great place to write. However, I live in New York, so the reality of that is that there are only a few months a year I can do that. In my office I have pictures that inspire me–from the Norman Rockwell picture of the brave African-American girl walking to school during desegregation to photos of my book club and my college friends–all fabulous women.

Where do you write most often?

Lately, I've been writing on a netbook and sitting in my kitchen or Starbucks or the library or anywhere I can sneak a few minutes.

Netbooks are very handy!


What do you think is the most important thing (or things) that makes a good book work?

I need to connect to the characters. If I don't care about them, even the most gripping plot will fall flat for me.







That's true for me, too.


What is your favorite type of book to read?

I love contemporary YA, which is probably why it's what I write.







What are some of your favorite YA books? How about picture books?

I have read so many great books lately, it's hard to pick out a few to list. I really have enjoyed so many of the WestSide Books (which is probably why I wanted to write for them). I'm always in awe of Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson.

As to picture books, I love everything from the Froggy series to David A. Adler's picture book biographies to one of my boys' favorites, The Giraffe Who Walked to Paris.

How much of yourself or your own experiences and emotions do you put in your books?

My books often start from something that is very close to me, but then as they become their own stories, they aren't as reflective of my life. On a smaller scale, it's fun to work in little details of our lives. In Change of Heart, I gave Emmi two younger brothers and difficult hair, which was something both my daughter and I shared. And I steal names from people I know. My kids' friends are constantly asking me to name a character for them.

I love that your kids' friends ask you to name a character for them! How fun.


What is your favorite book that you wrote? Why?

I think I love each of my books in different ways. The one I'm writing at the time is typically the one getting my full love and attention.





What do you want to tell readers?

In promoting Change of Heart, I've gotten the chance to spread awareness about organ donation registration. It's an awful thing to think about dying, but if you knew that your tragedy could save up to 8 other lives, it's a bit of a comfort. For more info about how to register where you live, go to www.donatelife.net.

That is important to know.


Shari, where can readers find you online?

I'm having a lot of fun connecting with people on Facebook. You can also find me on my website, and Twitter.

What are you working on now? Or what's your next book that we can look for?

I'm excited about the new book I'm writing. I can't say much about it, but it was inspired by how wonderful and awful (and potentially dangerous) social media can be.





Sounds interesting, Shari! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today.







Born the day after Valentine's Day, Shari Maurer's life has always been full of "heart." Married to a cardiologist, she is the co-author of The Parent's Guide to Children's Congenital Heart Defects. After graduating from Duke University and NYU, she spent six years at the Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) working on International versions of Sesame Street and other kids' programs. She currently writes a "Moms Talk" column for the on-line newspaper, the New City Patch. Shari lives in New City, NY with her husband Mat and their children, Lissie, Josh and Eric. Change of Heart is her first young adult novel. Visit her on the web at sharimaurer.com.

Today I talk with YA author Shari Mauer, the author of Change of Heart. Read on to find out why Shari writes, what she likes and doesn't like about the publishing business, and more!

Shari, why do you write?

I think it's a challenge to create characters and the world they inhabit.

Yes, it is!


What do you love about the publishing business?

One of the biggest surprises since my book has been published is how much I have enjoyed having a community of writers. I've gotten to know so many smart and interesting people throughout my journey to publication and beyond.

I love that, too. We have a wonderful community!


What don't you like about the publishing business?

I'm not a very patient person and publishing is a lot of waiting. You query an agent and wait. They ask to see your manuscript, you wait. The agent subs to editors, you wait. Even after getting a publishing contract, there's more waiting until the book comes out. I've gotten better, but still find myself wishing things moved more quickly.







I understand. It IS Hard to wait!


What would you want in your ideal writing studio? What does your writing space look like now?

I love to write outside if I can. My backyard is very green and full of birds and flowers. It's a great place to write. However, I live in New York, so the reality of that is that there are only a few months a year I can do that. In my office I have pictures that inspire me–from the Norman Rockwell picture of the brave African-American girl walking to school during desegregation to photos of my book club and my college friends–all fabulous women.

Where do you write most often?

Lately, I've been writing on a netbook and sitting in my kitchen or Starbucks or the library or anywhere I can sneak a few minutes.

Netbooks are very handy!


What do you think is the most important thing (or things) that makes a good book work?

I need to connect to the characters. If I don't care about them, even the most gripping plot will fall flat for me.







That's true for me, too.


What is your favorite type of book to read?

I love contemporary YA, which is probably why it's what I write.







What are some of your favorite YA books? How about picture books?

I have read so many great books lately, it's hard to pick out a few to list. I really have enjoyed so many of the WestSide Books (which is probably why I wanted to write for them). I'm always in awe of Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson.

As to picture books, I love everything from the Froggy series to David A. Adler's picture book biographies to one of my boys' favorites, The Giraffe Who Walked to Paris.

How much of yourself or your own experiences and emotions do you put in your books?

My books often start from something that is very close to me, but then as they become their own stories, they aren't as reflective of my life. On a smaller scale, it's fun to work in little details of our lives. In Change of Heart, I gave Emmi two younger brothers and difficult hair, which was something both my daughter and I shared. And I steal names from people I know. My kids' friends are constantly asking me to name a character for them.

I love that your kids' friends ask you to name a character for them! How fun.


What is your favorite book that you wrote? Why?

I think I love each of my books in different ways. The one I'm writing at the time is typically the one getting my full love and attention.





What do you want to tell readers?

In promoting Change of Heart, I've gotten the chance to spread awareness about organ donation registration. It's an awful thing to think about dying, but if you knew that your tragedy could save up to 8 other lives, it's a bit of a comfort. For more info about how to register where you live, go to www.donatelife.net.

That is important to know.


Shari, where can readers find you online?

I'm having a lot of fun connecting with people on Facebook. You can also find me on my website, and Twitter.

What are you working on now? Or what's your next book that we can look for?

I'm excited about the new book I'm writing. I can't say much about it, but it was inspired by how wonderful and awful (and potentially dangerous) social media can be.





Sounds interesting, Shari! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today.







Born the day after Valentine's Day, Shari Maurer's life has always been full of "heart." Married to a cardiologist, she is the co-author of The Parent's Guide to Children's Congenital Heart Defects. After graduating from Duke University and NYU, she spent six years at the Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) working on International versions of Sesame Street and other kids' programs. She currently writes a "Moms Talk" column for the on-line newspaper, the New City Patch. Shari lives in New City, NY with her husband Mat and their children, Lissie, Josh and Eric. Change of Heart is her first young adult novel. Visit her on the web at sharimaurer.com.

Did I mention that I bought 12+ books from all the recommendations I got on ESP-related YA fiction? Yep, I did! (From two different bookstores.) Now I'm waiting for them to arrive.

Meanwhile, I'm reading and loving Tighter by Adele Griffin. And I just finished and absolutely LOVED Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey, and Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier (in case you love YA fantasy too and would like some recommendations.)