Kendra Levin of Viking Children’s Books: A Day In The Life of Executive Editor

Every month, we’ll share a free article that recently appeared in the pages of Children’s Book Insider, the Children’s Writing Monthly. To learn more about the magazine and get a special offer, go to http://ift.tt/2wG9fNN/

 

This month, we present an interview with Kendra Levin, Executive Editor of Viking Children’s Books. It’s an invaluable look inside the work life of an editor that offers some excellent insights for all submitting writers.

 

The interview was conducted by CBI Contributor P.J. McIlvane, and appeared in the April, 2017 edition of Children’s Book Insider.

 

 

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If you’ve wondered what an “executive editor” does (and who hasn’t, including me?), wonder no more.

 

Kendra Levin is an executive editor at Viking Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Since 2005, she has worked on a wide range of children’s literature from picture books to young adult novels. She has edited New York Times bestseller Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton, Printz Honor winner The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry, Theodor Seuss Geisel award winner Don’t Throw It to Mo! by David A. Adler, Society of Illustrators Gold Medal winner The Lost House by B.B. Cronin, and the work of authors including Janet Fox, Deborah Freedman, and others. In addition, Kendra helps writers as a teacher and certified life coach, and is the author of The Hero is You, a grounded selfhelp guide to a healthier writing process. You can visit her at kendracoaching.com and follow her on Twitter (@kendralevin).

 

PJ McIlvaine: Your bio is quite eclectic: from playwright to Executive Editor for Viking Children’s Books (Penguin Random House). Can you elaborate on your professional journey?

Kendra Levin: I wasn’t someone who always dreamed of working in publishing. I grew up surrounded by books, but I’m not sure I thought much about the people who created them, beyond the authors and illustrators.

My goal as a kid and teen was to be a writer. When I had just moved to New York to study playwriting at NYU, I got an email from an editor at Scholastic, David Levithan (whom I’d never heard of), asking my permission to include a short story of mine that had won a Scholastic Writing Award a couple years earlier in an anthology of student work he was putting together.

 

That email led to an internship at Scholastic, where I fell in love with editing children’s books under the wonderful mentorship of Joy Peskin (now Editorial Director at FSG), who introduced me to the world of publishing. I was amazed to discover a job that allowed me to use the skills I’d been honing for years in writing workshops—constructive critique, story analysis, stuff like that. So I really lucked into the perfect line of work for me. Out of college, I got a job at the Scholastic Book Clubs, a great place to learn more about the industry, and then transitioned to an editorial role at Viking Children’s Books in 2005, and I’ve been there ever since.

 

PJ: Can you give us a behind the scenes idea of what a day in the life of an executive editor really is?

KL: Part of what keeps me in this job is that fact that there’s no average day—every day is different. Currently, though, I’m feeling like I spend most of my days answering emails and attending meetings. It’s a funny but very common phenomenon that the elements of being an editor that most characterize the job—reading and editing manuscripts—wind up being relegated to evenings and weekends. Luckily, I love the social aspects of being an editor, so I don’t mind spending more of my day communicating and problem-solving than actually editing books.

 

PJ: What parts of your job do you like the best? And the least?

KL: I love to help people, so my favorite parts of the job are the ones that allow me to do that, whether I’m guiding an author through a tricky revision or advising a colleague on a challenging situation. To me, the most frustrating part of the job is when, for whatever reason, a book I love and believe in just doesn’t seem to resonate. It’s disappointing for the author and for me, too—and hard to see something you’ve put so much work into fail to reach people.

 

PJ: What surprised you the most about the publishing process?

KL: Like most people, I always imagined being an editor was a quiet job– reading and editing all day. In fact, I have to do most reading and editing in my own time outside of the office, because it’s definitely NOT a quiet job! Most days are full of meetings, phone calls, discussions, problem solving, and other kinds of running around and being social. Luckily, I really enjoy that!

 

PJ: Is there a common thread in the books you ultimately decline to pursue, for example, like not ready for prime time, editing errors, etc.?

KL: It’s hard to find one common thread among them all and much easier to see what’s common among the books I do acquire. To put it in perspective, I decline several hundred manuscripts each year. I acquire between one and five. So it’s easier for me to look at what all the ones I do acquire have in common. What tends to tie them together is an element of reader empowerment. I love books that inspire and empower kids and teens, that show them they can solve their own problems, that they are stronger than they realize, and that there’s a lot they can do despite constantly being told they are “just” children.

 

PJ: Do you have a favorite genre?

KL: One of the pleasures of working on books for young readers is that you get to be kind of a Unitarian of genres and try everything. I love the variety. But I do find myself most drawn to books that take place in a realistic world, either contemporary or historical, but have magical elements. I like books that transport me to a version of reality where magic is real.

 

PJ: You’ve edited many books, from picture books to young adult. Does each genre have a different publishing process?

KL: Any children’s books editor would tell you that the process for making picture books is very different from that of novels. One of my favorite aspects of the picture book process is getting to work closely with the art director. I love collaborating with someone who has a totally different skill set and area of expertise—I learn so much from that process. Novels come to me a little more naturally, so I feel lucky that in the area where I’m less confident, picture books, I get to rely on a partner in the work.

 

PJ: What do you look for in a book that you’re considering publishing?

KL: What every editor looks for, I imagine—writing that absorbs me and make me forget the world around me, coupled with a concept or idea that I can succinctly explain to our sales and marketing folks in a way that’ll get them excited about the project. I look for something that hasn’t been done before in quite the same way. I look for work that will empower its readers and give them a sense of their own potential and strength—to me, that’s one of the most important reasons to publish books for children to begin with.

 

PJ: Do you primarily accept submissions through agents and/or referrals, or do you still find hidden gems in the slush pile/queries?

KL: At this stage of my career, I mainly accept submissions that come from agents, though I’d love to connect with something unrepresented. As a house, Penguin is closed to unsolicited submissions, mainly because it would take many full-time staff members to deal with the sheer volume—we just don’t have the bandwidth.

 

By focusing on work that is represented by agents, we are asking writers to really do their homework: study their craft, have a knowledge of the marketplace, develop resilience—all crucial for becoming an author. That said, I do open my mailbox to unrepresented submissions from writers who attend conferences and retreats for which I’m a faculty member, and each event has its own guidelines.

 

PJ: What publishing trends do you foresee? Is there something you’d like to see, or see more of?

KL: I try not to chase trends. I’d rather create them than try to predict them! For example, historical fiction has always been challenging, but if you look at this year’s ALA awards, you can see the genre getting quite a lot of attention, including a book I edited, The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry, which won a Printz Honor. When I acquired the book, I certainly didn’t think that historical fiction would be a trend by the time the book came out. And, arguably, it still isn’t! But the genre also seems to be rising to the surface in ways it wasn’t two or three years ago. As far as what I’d like to see more of, I’m just always looking to be surprised— which could mean anything. I like to keep my options open.

 

PJ: Being a writer yourself, how easy—or difficult—is it for you to go into editing mode on material that was created by someone else?

KL: Many editors are also writers, and the ones I know seem to fall into two camps. Either they are incredibly driven and just find a way to switch back and forth between “editor brain” and “writer brain” so it becomes habit, or they struggle mightily with making that boundary. I definitely fall into the latter camp. I find writing extremely difficult because I have a tough time turning that mental editor off. Editing comes very naturally to me, at this point; it’s writing that is more of a battle. The only writing project I’ve finished since becoming an editor is The Hero Is You, my book about the creative process, which came out in 2016, and it reflects six years’ worth of work.

 

PJ: How important is branding/or a social media platform for writers?

KL: Social media acuity is not essential for writers. However, being good at some form of self-promotion is important for authors. If you are a writer who wants to become a published author, do not invest too much of your time worrying about stuff like branding and social media—focus instead on your craft and becoming the best writer you can possibly be. While you are doing that, pay attention to what forms of communication seem to come most naturally to you, and allow those to be your platform. It’s better to do one form of social media (or other kind of self-marketing) well than to do many without genuine interest.

 

So if you find that you want to save all your writing for your actual work but you like to share images, maybe Instagram is a good platform for you. If you aren’t comfortable with any social media but you love talking in front of groups, focus any self-promotional energies on getting lots of speaking engagements. If you can show in some way that you have some connection to other people, publishers will look favorably on that. But none of this is a deal-breaker; I don’t know any editor who has turned down a wonderful, hooky manuscript because the author didn’t tweet.

 

PJ: You’ve also branched out into being a life coach for writers. How did that evolve?

KL: I became a life coach in 2008 when I was still an assistant in publishing. I enjoyed my job but had a bit of an “is this it?” feeling about my work and life—wanting more meaning. A number of my close friends happened to all have crises at the same time and I found that I was dropping everything and racing to the side of each upset friend with a little too much enthusiasm. Then I was at a party where I struck up a conversation with a friend of a friend and when I asked her “What do you do?” she said, “I empower women.” I asked her out for coffee to hear more about her work as a life coach, and it sounded like a great fit for me, so I ended up taking a year-long certification course. Almost a decade later, it’s still something I do on the side but has evolved to become very much part of my work as an editor as well. And I use coaching techniques in the workshops I run for writers all over the country and in my book, The Hero Is You.

 

 

PJ McIlvaine is a published writer/produced screenwriter/kid lit author/blogger/journalist. In a former life she was a great baker of Europe. PJ’s websites are http://ift.tt/2osgWzM and http://ift.tt/2o03G8Q. She is represented by Jen Corkill Hunt of The Booker Albert Literary Agency.

 

 

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A Peek Inside the Workings of an Independent Bookstore

interview by Sharon Blumberg

 

 

Nathan Montoya’s route to owning the charming Village Lights Bookstore in Madison, Indiana was anything but direct. After an interesting life that included driving a taxicab in New York City, working as a manager at the renowned Cafe Figaro in Greenwich Village, performing with the Martha Graham Ensemble and the Pearl Lang Dance Company, and then serving as ballet and modern dance master and resident choreographer for the dance companies of opera houses Germany, Nathan and his wife returned to the States and eventually settled into the role of bouquiniste, a dealer of secondhand books. He specializes in world religions, science fiction, poetry, literary fiction (for adults and children), and antiquarian tomes. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and the Award Panel for the Indiana Authors Award.

 

Village Lights Bookstore prides itself on having the ambiance of an independent store while offering the services of much larger establishments. Customers can buy both new and used books, and can order print, audio and ebooks through the store’s website, with 99 cent shipping on phyical products (or free in-store pick-up). The store also features antiquarian and rare book valuation, bookbinding and repair, poetry readings, author events, an art gallery, an 1897 Steinway grand piano, live music events, courtesy coffee, comfy chairs, free Wi-Fi, and three bookstore cats. In short, the kind of place where every author wants to spend a long afternoon.

 

If you’re an author hoping to set up an event with an independent bookseller, or an aspiring writer who is curious about what the young customers of independent stores are buying, Nathan Montoya offers some tips and advice below:

 

Sharon Blumberg: What kinds of books are popular with kids right now at Village Lights Bookstore?

 

Nathan Montoya: Children often come in looking for Scholastic books like the ones featured in school book fairs. Middle graders are reading all of the Harry Potter book series, the Warriors books by Erin Hunter, and books by Kate DiCamillo. Skila Brown’s novels in verse: Caminar, The Donner Party, and To Stay Alive. The graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier are also popular. These books are: Drama, Ghosts, Sisters, and Smile.

 

In young adults books, The Absolute Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is popular, as well as Lois Lowry’s five books in the series of The Giver, Mike Mullin’s Ashfall Trilogy, the Divergent and Hunger Games series, as well as classic science fiction by Ursula K. LeGuin and the Tripod trilogy by John Christoper. Dystopian books that have a message for teens sell well, such as the three-book XVI by Julia Carr, set in a future Chicago. Her stories which expose sexism and gender bias.

 

SB: Why do you think these books are selling right now?

 

NM: I would say because of the high adventure and inner messages they convey with young adults. The classics are always popular with children, because children have a high desire to read them along with enjoying the illustrations.

 

SB: Are there any types of books or subject matters that you wish authors would write more about?

 

NM: I like to stock books that nurture self-confidence and foster respect and compassion for one another. In younger readers, I like books that offer a sense of humor while not being preachy. Also, books that deal with issues of diversity are great. A fine example of this is Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman.

 

SB: Do you carry self-published books from local authors?

 

NM: I don’t accept self-published books by CreateSpace because they are part of Amazon, a big competitor of ours. But regarding other self-published books, we will accept wholesale distributors such as Baker & Taylor and IngramSpark.

 

Also, we will not accept books that convey the message of hate speech in any form.

 

SB: Do you have any advice for authors who are setting up book signings or live events in independent book stores?

 

NM: We’d like to know if the authors have a website. The authors need to do their research to see if our store is a good fit for them, and see what kinds of books we want to sell. There is also a form they can download on our site for carrying their books on consignment.

 

SB: What is the best way for an author to approach you for either setting up a live event or carrying their books in your stores? Do you prefer a one-sheet with book information, a press release, a review copy, etc.?

 

NM: They should use the form on our website. We are a mom and pop store with few workers, so we don’t accept review copies. For an author event, a one-sheet is fine. We don’t generally offer author events for self-published authors, but we do offer a mini author fair for self-published authors.

 

For author events we require a headshot of the author, a digital press release, and a one-sheet PDF.

 

 

So the next time you are passing through Madison, Indiana, stop in at Nathan’s cozy and quaint Village Lights Bookstore. You will encounter small-town hospitality and the ultimate book lover’s paradise!

 

Sharon Olivia Blumberg is a recently retired school teacher, having taught Spanish and English for over 20 years. In addition, she is a writer and voiceover artist. She is a contributing author to My First Year in the Classroom, edited and compiled by Stephen D. Rogers, Kids Imagination Train, Guardian Angel Ezine for Kids, Foster Focus, and Voya Magazine. Visit her website at: http://ift.tt/2pur6ni

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Writing Children’s Book Dialogue That Flows

On July 19th, renowned author and writing coach Teresa Funke will be hosting a live online workshop about crafting high-level dialogue for young readers.  We’ll have more details in the next few days.  Right now, to get the ball rolling, here’s a piece by Laura Backes that lays the groundwork for creating excellent dialogue.

 

 

Writing dialogue is something that should come naturally. After all, most of us spend at least a portion of each day in conversation with other people. But creating dialogue is more than simply transcribing actual speech. It’s even more complicated in children’s books, because the age of the reader must also be taken into consideration.

 

Written dialogue is a compressed form of real speech; it’s the meat of the conversation with all the fillers removed. Picture books and easy readers–books written for children ages eight and under–are told primarily through action, and the dialogue reflects this action. The characters’ speech in these books must give a sense of their personalities, but also clue the reader into what’s happening in the story. Just as plot has a forward direction, so must the dialogue.

 

In Arthur’s Loose Tooth, an easy reader by Lillian Hoban, Arthur’s dilemma is presented to the reader through a portion of a conversation with his sister:

 

“Guess what we are having for dessert,” said Violet. “It is your favorite treat! It is
taffy apples!” “Taffy apples!” said Arthur. “I can’t eat taffy apples with a loose tooth!
It might get stuck in the taffy!” “Well, if it gets stuck, you can pull it out,” said Violet.
“I don’t want to pull it out,” said Arthur.

 

Using simple, complete sentences necessary in an easy reader, the author has revealed the story’s action through natural-sounding dialogue. As stories get longer and more complicated, the back-and-forth chatter between characters can be less linear. In real life, each person bring his or her own viewpoint into the conversation and gets something different out of the exchange. Allowing the dialogue to bounce around naturally can add humor to the scene and go a long way toward character development. However, the author still needs to be mindful of giving the reader new information that supports the plot.

 

In this excerpt from Marvin Redpost: Alone in His Teacher’s House, a chapter book for ages 6-9 by Louis Sachar, Marvin is dog sitting for his third grade teacher:

 

“Let me see the key,” said Stuart. “Did you look in her closet?” asked Nick. “No,” said
Marvin. Why would he look in her closet? “How about her refrigerator?” asked Nick.
“Did you at least look in her refrigerator?” “Let me see the key,” Stuart said again.
“How about her bathroom?” asked Nick. “I don’t remember,” said Marvin. “You don’t
remember if you saw her bathroom?” asked Nick. “Let me see the key,” said Stuart.

 

Dialogue is a chance for the character to speak in his own voice. But real dialogue is not exclusively something that’s said out loud. The speaker is also carrying on an internal conversation at the same time. In middle grade and young adult novels, this inner dialogue of the main (viewpoint) character can also be shown to the reader. It’s the author’s perfect chance to allow the character to divulge deeper elements of her personality without stopping the forward movement of the plot.

 

Rachel Vail’s The Friendship Ring series offers terrific examples of seventh grade dialogue. In this excerpt from Zoe, the first book in the series, Zoe and a classmate are talking about best friends:

 

“Well,” CJ said slowly. “I was best friends with Gideon Weld when we were little, but
then, you know, we figured out he was a boy and I was a girl, so that ended that.”
“Right,” I said, like obviously you couldn’t be best friends with a boy. I’m just friends
with anybody. Nothing of my own. Why didn’t that ever bother me before? “And since
fourth grade, it’s been Morgan, although, sometimes, lately, I feel like she doesn’t
understand me,” CJ whispered. “But yeah, I guess it’s Morgan. Who’s yours?” “I don’t
know.” I faced away from her, toward the door, and folded my pillow over. “I don’t
have one.”

 

Strong written dialogue that’s convincing and interesting is so much more than the words that come out of characters’ mouths. How a character speaks–complete with pauses and sentence fragments–can show his emotional state. How a character moves while talking adds layers of meaning to the dialogue. The setting within which the conversation takes place can affect the discourse. Dialogue is intricately connected to every other element of writing, and only when it’s seamlessly woven into the fabric of the story does the book become whole.

 

 

 

 

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‘The Best Things in Life Are on the Other Side of Terror’

If fear is holding you back from pursuing your dreams, listen to what Will Smith has to say.

 

 

 

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Narrative Nonfiction: Making Facts into a Story

By Guest Author

by Natasha Wing

 

When editors say they are looking for narrative nonfiction, what does that mean?

 

Narrative nonfiction is creative nonfiction yet while both are fact-based, narrative nonfiction is also about storytelling, not just presenting facts in a clever way. It gives people, places and events meaning and emotional content – without making anything up. If you make up dialog or alter facts, then it becomes fiction.

 

The primary goal of the narrative nonfiction writer is to communicate information, like a reporter, but to shape it in a way that reads like fiction.

 

So how do you do that?

 

– Set the tone with opening images or word usage or even a juicy quote. My book, An Eye for Color, starts out: “Josef Albers saw art in the simplest things.” I wanted to set the tone that this story was about art, but simple art that kids could relate to. As the story unfolded, I connected to that idea of keeping it simple.

 

– Voice. Avoid the dull, droning textbook voice that makes you feel like you’re reading a reference book. Perky, fast-paced and humorous works better to capture your reader right from the start.

 

– Don’t give away the point you’re trying to make, build up to it. Use obstacles and rising stakes. Ask yourself, if this thing doesn’t happen, then what?

 

– Use poetic language rather than dry statements. Using my new biography, When Jackie Saved Grand Central, as an example, I wanted to say that Jackie was mad and she wanted to join the protestors so I wrote: “Like a powerful locomotive, Jackie led the charge to preserve the landmark she and New York City loved.” This language ties into the train theme.

 

– Use active verbs! Trim out phrases like: decided to. For example, She decided to build another model. Change to: She built another model.

 

– Build your world or era. But do it quickly! Don’t spend a lot of opening text on setting up the year, the location, or the era. Here’s how the Jackie story starts out: “When Jackie became First Lady of the United States in 1961, she moved into the White House with President John F. Kennedy and their children.” Nuff said. I didn’t have to tell you when Jackie was born, or how many kids she had and their names, or what number president John Kennedy was, or that the White House was in Washington, D.C.

 

– Find tension. Does your main character have a competitor who is trying to beat your guy to the patent office? Is the event something that could change the world? Is the main character full of doubt which could sabotage everything?

 

– Find “aha” moments. Did your character have a breakthrough on her invention? Did the artist discover something he’d never seen before in his paintings that made him follow a new path? Did your character get an idea while observing ladybugs that helped solve his problem?

 

– Is there an emotional journey for the main character? How does she succeed or grow? This works great for inventor stories. Why did the person want to invent something in the first place? Did he have a sick mother? Was a machine too cumbersome? During his journey did he ever want to give up? Did he have a breakthrough, or a break down? Did he get the recognition he wanted, or choose to live alone in a cabin instead?

 

– Is there a kid-friendly or universal theme? Historic preservation is a tough theme to sell to younger kids, so I had to make it about saving buildings people love to use rather than pontificating about the value of restoring the architectural integrity of a landmark. See the difference?

 

– Make us care about the person or object or invention. In my Jackie book, the biggest breakthrough in my revisions came when I started looking at the object that Jackie was trying to save – Grand Central Terminal – as something people cared about. Rather than just describing the building, I showed examples where people attended dances there, where politicians gave speeches, and friends met for lunch. That way the reader could have an emotional attachment to the building and therefore care if it was going to be destroyed or not.

 

– Limit use of facts. This sounds odd when you’re writing nonfiction, but too many facts can drag down the poetic flow of the text. Choose the facts that support your theme or opinion about the topic. Interesting nuggets that are visual or help children relate to the topic are keepers.

 

And don’t pile them up in one giant paragraph. Sprinkle them throughout the story, and use quotes to break up stretches of text. Visually, quotes give the eye something different to see, therefore re-investing the reader in your story.

 

If you still think some facts are pertinent, put them in the endnotes instead.

 

When you’re writing narrative nonfiction, always keep in mind, is it kid friendly and am I telling a story? Then weave those facts into your story so that readers will learn while also being entertained.

 

Before you start writing keep these things in mind:

 

How can you connect kids to your topic? For example, how does an invention affect their lives today?

 

Does your story have an unusual slant?

 

Is your biography of someone not heard about or someone kids should know about?

 

Check to see what other books have been done on that topic and how the author treated the telling and incorporated the information. Check out their sidebars and endnotes, too.

 

Is yours different and fresh?

 

Has new information come out on that topic to warrant a new book? Such as when a new president is elected. Or a new technology invented. How does this new bit of information make what’s out there obsolete – the topic could use a freshening up.

 

Has the publisher you work with already published that topic? Then don’t submit to them.

 

Did you publish a chapter book on a topic that would make a good picture book? If so, choose one through line and simplify and use poetic language. Choose one thing the person did and focus on that.

 

Is there an anniversary coming up in 4-5 years that you can hook your topic to? Start gathering research now.

 

Make sure you document where every fact is from so you can easily find it when you need to revise with an editor, or when you need proof where you got a quote.

 

Keep a list of experts you contacted so they can vet your manuscript before you submit it.

 

Natasha Wing is a best-selling author who has been writing for 25 years. She is best known for her Night Before series, but also has written several narrative nonfictions. When Jackie Saved Grand Central: The True Story of Jacqueline Kennedy’s Fight for an American Icon (HMH Books for Young Readers) received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus.

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: Narrative Nonfiction: Making Facts into a Story

Watch Your Tone!

By Guest Author

by Jane McBride

 

Tone and voice are sometimes confused, the terms even interchanged. While voice is who we are, tone is an attitude toward our subjects and audience. There are as many kinds of tones as there are emotions: irony, sarcasm, flippancy, cuteness, sentimentality, and a host of others.

 

One way to distinguish between voice and tone is to remember that voice remains consistent, while tone varies according to subject and audience. Think of Shakespeare and his treatment of his plays. TAMING OF THE SHREW had a decidedly humorous bent while KING LEAR was written with a heavier hand. Both bore Shakespeare’s unmistakable voice, but he brought vastly different tones to the works depending upon what emotions he wanted to evoke.

 

A more current example is Judy Blume’s books. TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE NOTHING (one of my all time favorite children’s books) is written with humor and a light touch. Other works, such as ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET, are treated with sensitivity, though her brand of humor still is very much apparent. Each of these works bears her empathetic and realistic voice, but they have very different tones.

 

Let’s take a look at some commonly employed tones and how authors used them, first to tell their reading audience what to expect and then to differentiate characters from each other:

 

Sentimentality. Before we discuss sentimentality, let’s review sentiment. Writing with sentiment is to write with deeply held feelings. Louisa May Alcott did this superbly in LITTLE WOMEN and her other works. Emotion colored each of her pages, not because she told us (the readers) what we should feel but because her beautifully painted words brought forth our laughter and our tears. Sentimentality is the opposite. It is the ostentatious show of cheap or shallow emotions, often portrayed by cliches and stock situations. What would an example of sentimentality be? The melodramas of the early 20^th century come to mind. Such plays and movies were frequently filled with innocent, beleaguered heroines who were fighting off evil, mustache-twitching villains, only to be saved in the end by the stalwart, granite-jawed hero. The characters and the plot dripped with sentimentality. We were told what to feel and when to feel it.

 

Flippancy. Flippancy is defined as frivolously disrespectful, shallow, lacking in seriousness and characterized by levity. Flippancy has its place. It can make a point … up to a point. Too much and your reader is likely to be turned off. We typically associate flippancy with teenagers; however, younger children and adults can also use it to good effect.

 

Anger. We all know what anger is. Characters often get angry in stories, just as people do in real life. When anger turns to invective—unrestrained anger—it can get ugly. Save this tone for times of extreme emotion and violence. If all your characters are speaking in the same invective tone, the anger loses its punch. If you want to view some truly great examples of invective, tune in to political debates or speeches. Candidates are not shy about invoking invectives to score points off their opponents and to show their wrath for the media.

 

Irony. Irony, a figure of speech where the writer or speaker says the exact opposite of what is meant, can be a powerful tool. Jonathan Swift used it with exacting skill in his iconic work GULLIVER’S TRAVELS, using irony as a surgeon might a scalpel. Let’s pretend we are writing a book with a teenage girl as the protagonist. She is shy and retiring, but when she writes for the school newspaper under an assumed name, her wit comes out with ironic observations about the social hierarchy of the school’s social system. Her biting humor and keen commentary on the school’s cliques earn her alter a grudging respect among the students and teachers alike.

 

Preachiness. Preachiness happens when a writer or speaker is totally convinced of the rightness and moral superiority of his position. Such writing most probably will turn off your reader. Even the word causes us to cringe. Nineteenth century essays abounded in preachiness. Such writing won’t fly today. Is there a place for preachiness in today’s books? Maybe. What if you are writing a book about a young girl living in a polygamous community? Maybe there is an all-knowing preacher or father figure who leads the community and dictates every facet of the people’s lives, from their manner of dress to what the children study in school. He takes every opportunity to preach the “word of God,” laying down doctrine and unyielding rules in the same self-righteous voice. His preachiness has become a matter of contention between our young heroine and her mother, who believes his every word. In such a plot, having the leader speak in a preachy tone is entirely appropriate. Just be careful that you don’t make a caricature out of him. You want him to be believable.

 

Pomposity. Pomposity is the quality of being self-important, arrogant, or ostentatious. Have you ever read a book where a character starts to “pontificate” upon a subject? He probably sounds like a blowhard, spouting big words that come straight from a dictionary. Perhaps he throws in some scientific or technical words as well, words designed to make the listeners feel inferior to him. Like preachiness, this can work, if it fits the character and the situation. What story can we make up with a pompous character? What if you are writing a book for young children set in a barnyard? The animal characters each have their own personalities. The rooster, an arrogant bird who struts about with an air of ownership, addresses the other animals in a pompous tone that he believes is befitting of his superior position. The other animals are quick to put him down, maybe even using flippancy or irony. As with other tones, be careful with pomposity. If it is prolonged, it will probably start to become boring, frustrating, and/or annoying. Choose a pompous tone with care and sprinkle delicately.

 

Have you noticed that with each of these tones, I cautioned using them with a light hand? Overdoing any of them can turn your characters into cliché-ridden parodies. Unless this is your intent, be reserved in how you employ them.

 

You will probably identify other tones, in your own work and in that of others.

 

When I look at my own work, I see huge swings in tone, depending upon my audience and my purpose. A few years ago, I did a blog titled “Menopause Monocle.” The tone was ironic, sometimes sarcastic, and occasionally even biting. That was a far departure from an earlier blog, “The Gratitude Project,” where the tone was reflective. Each was stamped with my voice, but the tones were light years apart.

 

Pay attention when you are reading. Try to identify what tone the author is using and why he is using that particular one.

 

What about you? What tone are you employing in your current work-in-progress? Are you writing a mystery with darker overtones? Or are you working on a picture book that has a lilting rhythm and tone? Suit your tone to your audience and the subject.

 

Tone is but one more tool in a writer’s arsenal. Used wisely, it can flavor and enhance your writing.

 

Jane McBride is the author of 35 novels, numerous short stories and articles including pieces in 14 Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, and a Children’s Book Insider Contributing Editor. 

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: Watch Your Tone!

Stand Out From the Crowd When You Submit

By Guest Author

by Suzanna Henshon, PhD

 

 

Many people want to be writers. But few people put the time in to write professional level manuscripts.  So, what can you do to stand out from the crowd in a positive way?  Can you get your work noticed in the slush pile?

 

 

Everyone thinks it’s easy to dash off a story.  But the truth is that writing takes work; Jane Yolen defines this work, in a general sense, as sitting in a chair and typing until a story is done.  Malcolm Gladwell’s The Outliers uses the idea of the 10,000 hour rule to attain expertise in a field.  While you may not have 10,000 hours to spend writing, you can stand out from the crowd if you work hard.  Here are some tips.

  

 

Be professional.  Most writers commit amateurish errors, myself included.  We’ve all sent out query letters with misspellings, or manuscripts that have not chance of fitting an editor’s current need.  Some writers send far too many query letters, rather than just circulating their best ideas.  Other writers even misspell editors’ names.  If you proofread carefully, you can avoid these issues.  And if you’re not sure how to spell an editor’s name, check the publisher’s website or the editor’s blog or Facebook page. 

  

 

Know your market.  Do a bit of research to see if your idea is truly geared to the market you want to reach. Read many recently-published books for the same age group for which you’re writing so you can objectively judge if your approach is age-appropriate. Are you trying to teach an abstract lesson to the picture book crowd? By reading lots of picture books, you’ll learn that you need to hide the lesson in an entertaining story and make it concrete and visual. Are the characters in your young adult novel making only good choices? Teens don’t have the life experience to foresee the negative outcomes to all their decisions. Allow your character to learn from their mistakes.

 

 

Show commitment to your writing.  Just like you would show up for a job, you need to show up at your writing desk at a specified time.  Commit to writing the very best story you can write before you send it out. Lastly, believe in your story before you submit it to publishers.  If you aren’t enthusiastic, how can you expect others to fall in love with your piece?

  

 

Write the best piece you can.  Many times writers dash off stories quickly, and spend little time revising them.  Don’t you owe an editor your best piece, rather than a first draft?  Revising a piece takes far longer than writing it originally did.  So understand that 90% of writing is revision, and commit to time it takes to rewrite, revise and polish your manuscript to the best of your ability. You only get one shot at submitting this work to each editor, so make it count.

  

 

Get to know your editors.  As you start researching editors, you’ll get a sense of their taste, and the projects they work on.  You can start to understand their mindset when you read their work closely.  Once you understand someone’s editorial taste, you’ll be far more successful in writing projects that meet their company’s niche as well.

  

 

Show some interest in publishers.  Read a publisher’s catalog.  Visit their website.  Read their books carefully.  As you research, you’ll develop a better appreciation for their niche in the marketplace.  If you submit carefully, you will be far more successful than if you do mass mailings.

  

 

Reveal yourself in query letters.  In your query letter, it is important to tell the editor about your story and why you are sending it.  But you also want to tell a little bit about yourself.  Are you a teacher?  A freelance writer? A stay-at-home parent?  No matter what your background is, be proud of it.  You’ll want to share a few details about why you are qualified to write this piece.

  

 

Personalize your query.  Your query letter isn’t just a sales pitch; it is a wonderful opportunity to show an editor you have some interest in her work.  It is a great chance to show that you have carefully thought through why your story is a good match for a publishing house.

  

 

While there’s no guarantee of success, doing these simple things will make you stand out from the crowd. And that may be all it takes to nudge an editor into reading your entire manuscript and falling in love with it.

 

 

Dr. Suzanna E. Henshon teaches full-time at Florida Gulf Coast University and is the author of several young adult and middle grade books, and two collections of writing exercises. Her newest book, Andy Lightfoot and the Time Warp, is available for the Kindle on Amazon.

 

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: Stand Out From the Crowd When You Submit