Category: The Nitty Gritty of Children’s Writing

Posted in Business Side of Writing, The Nitty Gritty of Children's Writing, Tools

Save Me!

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

lifebelt.jpgI was helping a new writer and she was confused about versions of her story/article. This is a common problem for many writers as it requires some computer literacy that people often don’t have. Here’s what I suggested to her:

  • Have a computer folder for the book project. Hers was a collection of stories from mission trips to Haiti. Her folder logically says HAITI STORIES.
  • Inside that folder have a folder for each individual story. One of her stories is titled “Anesthesia by Song”–don’t you want to know what that’s about?! Her inside folder where all copies of this story are can simply be ANESTHESIA BY SONG.
  • – I also use this folder to save notes, resources, etc. related to my article or story.
  • – I might have a separate folder labeled NOTES or INFO inside the story/article folder if I have a number of different documents.
  • If you want to have different versions of a story/article, name the files with dates or a number. E.g. Travel Story 4-15-17.docx, Travel Story 5-1-17.docx, Travel Story 1.docx, Travel Story 2.docx. (Or .doc for older computers.) At a glance, you’ll see which is the newest version. You could also label them Travel Story first draft.docx through Travel Story final.docx.

Whether you are on a PC using the file manager (looks like a folder at the bottom of your screen) or on a MAC using Finder, organizing your work helps you know where everything is. The folders within another folder, the files within a folder, all can be in alphabetical order which makes it easy to find the file you need when you need it.
My friend was surprised to hear you can have folders within folders. I liken it to a wide hanging folder in a desk drawer. It can have multiple manila folders. But the computer is even better as you can keep nesting as far as you need.
But how do you save different versions of a document?
There are multiple methods:

  • The one I find myself using the most often is opening the document itself and then clicking on “save as” and adding a version number or date. This leaves my new document open and I can immediately start work.
  • Another option is to go where the file is and make a copy. When you save the copy, the system will add a number to differentiate it or will add the word copy. Then you can rename the copy, open it and get to work.

“Save as” is useful in other ways too.

  • Saving a backup copy to another location such as Dropbox, google drive, a USB device, etc.
  • Saving the first ten pages for a consultation/critique. Of course, you can also copy the first ten pages and paste in a new document, but you probably will lose your headers.

I liked having the “save as” icon on my toolbar, so I can click on it easily.
Another writer expressed this week how she lost six hours of work when preparing a PowerPoint presentation. We’ve all lost work and it is very frustrating. Here’s what I do to help avoid that:

  • Name the document or presentation right away. An unnamed doc or ppt is much more difficult to find if you have a computer crash. I’ve also clicked on “don’t save” when I meant to click on save when closing a document. Arghh!
  • When you save the file that first time, make sure you put it in a logical place so you’ll know where to find it.
  • Save frequently as you work. I suggest every twenty to thirty minutes. (The “save” icon on the toolbar makes this quick and easy. Command/Control S is the keyboard shortcut.)
  • If you’re inserting create commons images you’ve copied from the Internet, I suggest downloading them then insert versus copy and paste. You’ll have the downloaded copies in your downloads folder as a backup.

And speaking of backups… Make sure you are backing up your documents and files. For further info, go to this blog post.

Posted in Craft, The Nitty Gritty of Children's Writing

Run Away Words

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

runners-373099_1280.jpegEver met someone who can’t seem to stop talking? He always has something to say. She may or may not be interesting, but has words for every topic. If there’s silence, this person is more than happy to fill it. Perhaps, overfill it.
Ever been sidetracked in a conversation? It definitely happens to me. I start telling a story, then at some point realize my words have run off the road. I’m not sure where I took the detour that got me from the original topic to where I am now. I might lamely say something like, “I’m not sure what the point of that was…”
Writing is neither about simply filling the page with words nor about letting words run away. Sure, a rough draft may work that way. But even with a rough draft, we hope we are headed in the correct direction. Our intent isn’t simply to spit out words.
Recently when editing someone else’s novel, I found myself marking “redundant” on information. As a reader, I already got that point and didn’t need to be told again. But as I writer I know how easy that is to do. We want to make sure our reader doesn’t miss something important. We want to keep a reader grounded in the setting. We have good intentions. However, we need to trust that the reader will understand without us over explaining.
I find it easy to let my words run away when working on a picture book manuscript. And it isn’t only about word count. I have to go back and look at my text and see what should be left out because the illustrator will take care of it.
Sometimes run away words are simply a bad habit. “Everyone” says them and we use them without thought. I found this site that lists 200 Common Redundancies in English. It’s actually rather entertaining to read. The words in parenthesizes are the ones to leave out.
Clichés are similarly not good practice in our writing. I like how this article, 681 Clichés to Avoid in Your Creative Writing, calls them shortcuts. Peter Selgin says, “The real problem with clichés is that they deprive us of genuine details, which, though less sensational, are both more convincing and more interesting.” This article suggests interesting ways to remove clichés: Replace Cliches with Phrases That Move.
If you have tips or suggestions on other ways we writers let words run away, feel free to comment below.

Posted in Craft, The Nitty Gritty of Children's Writing

Novel-sized Problem

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

boy-984313_1920.jpegIf your story problem can be solved quickly and easily, it’s probably a magazine story. But if your main character has multiple things going on (subplots) and is going to have a lot of “doing” or action before the end of the story, then you have a novel-sized problem. Some problems are novel-sized just by their seriousness–death, grave illness, other big losses, abuse, etc.
I can’t conceive of a whole children’s novel at once, whereas I can a children’s short story. I can visualize the problem, the steps the main character will try, and the solution for a short story and be pretty accurate that it will happen that way. For a novel my conception is more fluid. Yes, I have ideas of a problem, but not all the problems my character(s) will experience. I have ideas for solutions, but that’s not necessarily what the main character will end up doing. My idea of the final solution may change drastically as I write. I like what Greg Hollingshead says, “The primary difference between the short story and the novel is not length but the larger, more conceptual weight of meaning that the longer narrative must carry on its back from page to page, scene to scene.” This takes us back to the problem. Novel problems matter more than short story problems. They affect the character’s whole life in some way not just a small piece of it. Problems that are big enough for a novel won’t be forgotten by your character next year. A short story problem once solved could be forgotten next week.
I recently read an outline for a children’s short story where I told the writer it was more of a novel problem. My first hint was the depth of the problem. My second was the character was making a decision about something and I wasn’t going to get to see the result of that decision. Hard to explain without getting into details for that specific story, so let me come up with an example. I’ve never watched The Bachelor, but what if there was a scene where he said, “I know whom I’m going to marry.” He even says the name. But we don’t get to see him ask her and see if she says yes. We’d feel cheated. If what NEEDS to be shown won’t fit in your short story, think novel. Or maybe you’re starting in the wrong place–too soon in the story.
There’s satisfaction in writing both. Short stories offer a more immediate sense of accomplishment. Novels can offer a longer lasting sense of accomplishment. T.C. Boyle says, “The joy of the story is that you can respond to the moment and events of the moment. The drawback is that once you’ve completed a story, you must write another even though you find yourself bereft of talent or ideas. The joy of the novel is that you know what you’re going to do tomorrow. The horror of the novel, however, is that you know what you’re going to do tomorrow.”
So part of determining whether you have a short story or a novel problem is how strongly you feel about the main issue in the story. Is it something you are willing to spend some time on? A few hours, a few days, maybe a week? Or is it something you’re willing to devote months, often years? A novel will take the latter.
Let me conclude with this lovely statement from Elizabeth Sims: “…in a short story you should be trying to get at one or two poignant aspects of being human. In a novel, you can create characters, let them loose, follow them and see what they do. If you feel your story will be more a journey than a statement, you may be leaning toward a novel.” (Go here to read her complete article.)

Posted in Craft, The Nitty Gritty of Children's Writing

Emotions and Feelings

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

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Look at these images. Do I need to put a label on them so you know what the character is feeling? No. Why not? Because these are well-drawn and the emotion is clear. It’s shown.
The same goes with writing. We don’t need to label characters as annoyed, happy, in love, scared, shocked, etc. We need to show it. (Picture books are often the exception to this rule.)
Let’s take Ms. Bunny above. She looks shocked to me. So what happens when a person is shocked (I don’t mean the electrical kind)? Eyes go big or widen. A hand might come up to cover an open mouth. Someone might take a step back or sit down suddenly. A face might pale. The person might gasp. If you describe your character experiencing being shocked, you won’t have to use the “shocked” label.
I love the image of the annoyed penguin. We know what is annoying him and what he plans to do about it. What do you when something is flying around you and it is annoying? First, perhaps wave the insect off. This is almost a subconscious reaction. But after a few times it impinges on our consciousness and we get annoyed. Now we might be slapping at the bug. Making noises of irritation. Then finally get up to get something to kill it.
Mr. Frog is obviously scared. He’s jumped up. His heart is probably pounding (although this is so easy to overuse). He might be sweating. Eyes dilate. Breathing rate could increase. A hand/paw/webbed foot might go to the throat. A body can shake; a hand tremble. If one is like the fainting goats, one might pass out.
So next time you are tempted to write something like “Sam was happy.” Instead think about what that looks and feels like. Observe yourself and others and write was happiness does to a person. Show the reader that instead of telling a “label.”

Posted in Craft, The Nitty Gritty of Children's Writing

Sensory Details

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

blind-men-1421406_1920.jpegYou may have heard “use all five senses in your writing,” but I disagree. Use all six senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, and temperature in your fiction.

Sight is the sense that seems to come easiest. We might talk about the blue dress, or the rain, or the black and white cat. We might describe the style of the dress–its length, fit, and neckline. The rain might be sheeting down or lightly sprinkling. The cat could be short or long-haired, skinny or fat, etc.
But we may forget to think about what we hear. In the three examples above what could you possibly hear? With a dress it depends on the fabric, but the skirt might swish or crinkle. Rain can pound on the patio cover or spatter on the window. That cat may have tiny feet which can be silent pawing across the floor, but at other times can thump louder than seems possible. Or is she a loud purrer? The stray cat we’ve been feeding is half the size of our own cat, but her meow is three times as loud. And rather harsh and gravelly as if she’s been a long-time smoker.

Taste is more than eating, although it definitely includes that. Have you accidentally breathed in hair spray? It doesn’t taste good. Neither does your mouth if you don’t brush your teeth for several days. But then there are wonderful flavors–melted butter and honey on fresh homemade bread, the tang of a slice of orange, chicken tikka masala, the burst of bubbles in your carbonated drink. What is a normal taste in your character’s home may be different from something your readers have experienced? I remember reading books and wanting to try something the characters ate because it sounded so good. And some of those were fictional food items. (But they didn’t feel fictional.)

From the good to the bad, and the downright ugly, smells affect our lives and should affect character lives, too. I like subtle smells of flowers, fir trees, and clean sheets. I love the smell of spaghetti sauce simmering, or a beef roast in the oven. Sometimes my dog has bad gas that I’d willingly skip, but she doesn’t give me the choice. The smell of exhaust can make me choke. My husband tells the story of the time his mom decided to cook up some horseradish–everyone but Mom left the premises because the smell was eye-watering intense!

Touch. Right now I have a jagged fingernail that keeps catching on things, including my own skin. I’ve got a soft fuzzy crocheted afghan in my lap, which my cat usually has to knead before sitting down. Sometimes my healed broken ankle aches, and when spring hits, my eyes may itch from pollen. But let’s go back to my first three examples with sight and how to think about the tactile aspects. Does that blue dress have a satiny texture, or is it that bumpy seersucker fabric? Or maybe it’s coarse homespun. And the rain coming down–how does it feel when I go out in it? Pelting rain that stings my skin? Or a soft mist that is like a creamy moisturizer? Do I want to pet the black and white cat or is her fur mangy and dirty? Definitely no for the latter.

Temperature, a sixth sense. Are you cold and goose-bumpy, overheated and sweating, or somewhere in between? I often don’t mind being caught out in a warm rain, but will hasten in out of the weather when it is cold. Stepping barefooted on sun-heated asphalt can make one leap for the coolness of lush grass. Is that breeze warm, hot, cool, or cold? Or how about the temperature of the pool, river, or lake? And is summer the dry heat of an arid area, or the hot-steamy bathroom feel of a humid climate? Again, your characters should be affected by temperature, just as you are.

For some stories, temperature might have to move to seventh place as the traditional “sixth sense” of intuition, or some psychic or magical sense is important to the story.

Does every scene have every sense? Not usually. But scenes should have three different sensory details. And the sensory details can be about a variety of things in your character’s world. Be as specific as you can. And if those specifics are sometimes unusual that will add interest. The sensory details you include will establish setting and help bring your characters to life.