Dear Robin Williams

Molding your Story for Readers

During a recent visit to the Children's Museum in Indianapolis, I was told an incredible story. Terra Cotta Warriors: The Emperor’s Painted Army.  

According to ancient writings, Qin Shi Huang became the first Emperor of China at the age of 13. He commanded the creation of over 8,000 warriors along with hundreds of horse drawn chariots and cavalry horses. When Emperor Qin died, the Terra Cotta Army was buried with him. The clay army was meant to protect the emperor in his afterlife.

The Children's Museum exhibit shared the Terra Cotta Warriors story through a video, research, pictures, recovered life-size warriors and horses. The story was also told in clay. I studied each step of the process of designing the army in 246 BCE.


As I strolled through the exhibit, I was amazed by both the message and the medium. There are so many ways to share a story.

How does creating a clay army relate to writing a story? Both mean molding, cutting, creating details and smoothing out the rough spots.

Writers mold their main character until the reader is able to imagine him or her as real.

Writers create the setting. All stories require some level of world building.

Writers conjure up the conflicts and what's at stake.

And like an artist molding clay, writers may choose to remold a character, scene or entire story.

So feel free to create and imagine!

Where does your manuscript fit in?

Fitting in. That's a concern all of us face throughout our lives. From finding a place to sit in the cafeteria for lunch, in an office or holiday party.

As writers of children's literature, finding your place might be tricky. Recently, I have critiqued fellow writers who are unsure where their story fits in. Questions range from - Does my manuscript fall into young adult instead of middle grade due to violence? Does the sentence structure read like a middle grade or chapter book? Is there too much dialogue in my manuscript to consider it a picture book?

You Can Write Children's Books by Tracey E. Dils clearly describes each category.
Picture Books
Beginning Readers
Chapter Books
Middle Grade Novels
Young Adult Novels
Nonfiction

Check it out!

Are you Drawing in or Distancing Readers from your Story?

Son reads Mike Mullin's Sunrise. The whole series received a Thumbs Up.

My Son's Novel Rating System

Not a Chance

Something about the title and/or cover turn him off immediately. 

Strange
He read the book flap and maybe the first page. The premise is not for him. 

Interesting
After reading the flap and first page, the story has the potential of being good. He reads on. But after 2 chapters it's not working for him. He stops reading.

Good 
The cover, flap and first page looks good. He reads the entire novel, but it may take a week. Not a top priority.

Thumbs Up
The cover, flap and first page instantly pull him in. He does not want to stop reading for anything accept ice cream. And only if the ice cream is his favorite flavor - Vanilla with Butterfinger pieces.


All 3 novels in Mike Mullin's Ashfall series received a Thumbs Up. 
When my avid reader rates a novel highly, I pay attention. I want to know what Draws a reader in. 
The answer - ACTION.

Here's the author's glimpse into the Ashfall series.

"The Yellowstone supervolcano nearly wiped out the human race. Now, almost a year after the eruption, the survivors seem determined to finish the job. 

In Sunrise, the epic finale has the heart of Ashfall, the action of Ashen Winter, and a depth all its own, examining questions of responsibility and bravery, civilization and society, illuminated by the story of an unshakable love that transcends a post-apocalyptic world and even life itself."

Distancing Readers

At a recent writer's conference, I attend a Middle Grade first pages session. Although my first page was read in an upbeat tone, the tension was clear. Through my words a group of writers that laughed a moment ago to the last first page was silenced by mine. The comment from an editor, "That was tense." The agent said,  "I didn't get into this story until here." She pointed to the third paragraph. 

I found the lack of feedback paralyzing. Then I read a post on KIDLIT, Fantasy & Sci-Fi – Feed Your Head. The blogger interviewed Agent Lara Perkins at Andrea Brown Literary Agency. 

http://henryherz.wordpress.com/2014/05/04/interview-with-abla-childrens-literary-agent-lara-perkins/

What are some common mistakes writers make in their first five pages?

Agent Lara Perkins: I think one common mistake is beginning with action but no context or character development, so the plot is moving forward, but the reader doesn’t have a reason to be invested in the outcome. Another common mistake is beginning in a moment of great loss for your main character, but without enough context for the reader to feel the power of that loss and share the main character’s grief. As a result, we’re at a distance from the main character immediately.  Another common mistake is a first chapter that stays entirely in the narrator’s head–with no dialogue, no action, etc. Except in rare cases, that gets claustrophobic very quickly.

I started my story in the wrong place. So instead of drawing the reader in, I distanced the reader from the main character. With this direction, I continue to rewrite my middle grade novel.
As I strive to earn a Thumbs Up!