Category: The Nitty Gritty of Children’s Writing

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

BACK UP!

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

This phrase has so many meanings. “Back up” as in physically move backwards; we might tell someone to “back up” when they told us something we didn’t understand. We might ask someone if they had a “backup” – either a plan or duplicates of their computer files when it died. I say the Internet is “back up” after my connection has been down.

Back up is also an appropriate phrase to apply to writers.
Moving physically back is pretty obvious:
– we back up and reread for editing
– we go back to add necessary details or expand scenes
– we step back from our work to see it with a fresh eye.

Making “backups” is one we creative people often ignore.
We don’t like making backup plans. Can’t go to that event/conference after all? Agent A doesn’t like our story. What if the editor rejects the new book? What will we do next? Having a plan in place, makes it easier to keep moving forward.

Probably the scariest “backup” fault we have is not having duplicates of our computer files. Each time I heard of someone losing all their files due to a hard drive failure, I’d tell myself I’d work harder at backing up more often. Every time my goal of once a month quickly dissolved and I only backed up a couple times a year. If I was doing well.

In 2006, I decided to change that. For my birthday I asked for an automatic backup device. Attached to my computer, it backed up my files EVERY NIGHT. I wondered why I didn’t do it years ago…
But nothing is ever permanent in the world of computers. That device eventually failed. And I’d gotten a laptop, too. So I started saving everything from my desktop onto a usb thumb drive and copying it to my laptop. I did the reverse of copying any changes I made on the laptop back to the thumb drive and putting it back on my desktop.
file00043520561.jpgThat was great, but I worried about what would happen if my house burned down or someone broke in and stole all the electronics. For insurance, I got an online backup system–this was before people referred to storing items in “the cloud.” Again, that system eventually failed to work. (It saved files, but I couldn’t restore them anymore, so what was the point?)

Next, I was introduced to dropbox, which lets you store files online for free. Similarly to using a usb drive, it is a great way to transfer copies from one computer to another. Some people use dropbox as a way to backup their work. It’s great if and when you remember to save copies there.

Last year, I decided to pay for an automatic online backup again. After listening to some discussions about services, I chose Carbonite. One of the things I love is it saves versions of files. In other words, if I wished I’d kept a copy of last week’s file instead of overwriting it with this week’s–both are there. It’s really easy to use, too.

I know that was a long story, but partially I told it to show that there are different options and partially to show that you ALWAYS need to check that your backup method is still working and affective.

Okay, the last “back up” definition in my opening referred to being online. For me holiday preparations and activities take me off line for writing. Time is more limited. Focus is more difficult. Now that the holidays are over it is time for me to be “back up.” Back focused, back spending enough time, back making progress on projects, back to submitting. How about you? Are you “back up”?
Wishing you the best at getting back up to speed, if you’re not already, and to making those backups!
Cloud image courtesy of Doug Rivers on morguefile.com.

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

175 Proof

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

image courtesy of Mary K. Baird on morguefile.com
diluted-rumIn Britain in the 18th century, rum was “proved” by adding gunpowder and seeing if it would burn. If it didn’t burn, it meant it was watered down and didn’t have enough alcohol. 100% alcohol was considered 175 proof.
Are you watering down your stories and articles by not proofing carefully? Just as British sailors would reject a watered down rum payment, editors reject watered down writing.

Common mechanical problems that water down your writing:

  • Misspellings. Many of these can be fixed by simply running a word processor’s spell check; although spell check will not catch errors of the wrong word used.
  • Capitalization errors. Only names, proper nouns, and the first word in the sentence should be capitalized. Mom, Dad, etc. are capitalized when used as a name, but not when used as a label, such as “my mom.”
  • Missing words. If you leave out a, the sentence doesn’t make sense. Huh? Look what leaving out a four letter word did. You might figure out I meant, “If you leave out a word, the sentence doesn’t make sense,” but our readers shouldn’t have to guess at our meaning.
  • Misused apostrophes. “Joe’s” is possessive. It means we are referring to something Joe has: Joe’s shoes, Joe’s smile, Joe’s room. If you mean there are more than one Joe, there is no apostrophe for plural: “There are three Joes in my class.” Or “I love sloppy joes.” If the object is plural and possessive, the apostrophe usually goes after the s, for example: “writers’ workshop.” You’ll see apostrophes wrong on public signs, but we owe it to our readers to get it right.
  • Wrong word. These are usually homophones, or in other words, words that are pronounced the same, but are spelled differently and, more importantly, have different meanings. This site, http://www.homophone.com/, has a list of homophones–just click on the letters on the left to see the homophones that start with that letter. It’s overwhelming how many there are! But don’t panic! You don’t need to memorize them all. Instead here are the ones you must know:
    – to, too, two
    – they’re, there, their
    – your, you’re
    – its, it’s

Use grammar checker to help you find the others in your writing. And if you like, check out these resources to help you with some other common ones: www.superteacherworksheets.com/homophones.html

  • Missing Punctuation. Sometimes this is due to run-on sentences where there should be a conjunction or a semi-colon, but it’s amazing how many sentences are simply missing the period at the end. I also frequently see missing quote marks. Another problem I see is a missing comma inside dialogue when a person’s name is used. Right: “Mom, make him stop.” Wrong: “Mom make him stop.”
  • Extra spaces. Extra spaces often occur before or after quote marks, before other punctuation, between words, and even blank lines after paragraphs. We’ll talk later about how to catch extra spaces and blank lines yourself.

Help on catching these water-downers:
After you use spell check and grammar checker–make sure you understand why you are changing something in your text–try these:

  • One of the easiest ways to see errors in your own writing, is to change the font (style and size) and print it out. This moves words around and helps you actually read what is there instead of what you think is there.
  • Read your manuscript aloud. It’s amazing how much I catch in my own writing when I read it aloud. Especially if I have an audience!
  • For extra or missing spaces (broken lines and other oddness), print your piece the way you plan to submit it to your instructor or editor. Ignore the text itself and look at only the appearance. If something looks funny, check it out. You can also use the Find and Replace option in your word processor and search for space space and replace with space. You many need to run it several times to catch three or more spaces in a line.
  • Make sure your word processor has 0 in the “spacing after” paragraph box. You may need to select the entire document, then go into paragraphing to fix this. You can also change it in your default document, so any new documents won’t have this annoyance.

There’s more to proving yourself to an editor than these simple mechanics, but if these basics aren’t correct, an editor probably won’t even get to the content of your writing.

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

He Thought to Himself and Other Excesses

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

photo courtesy of typexnick on morguefile.com
thinking_man.jpg
“He thought to himself.” I’ve often seen this phrase in students’ writing. “To himself” is redundant. “Who else would he think to?” Now if he thought it and someone else heard it, that would be a very different story.
“She nodded yes” or “she nodded her head up and down.” Isn’t a nod inherently yes? Nodding, we know, is an up and down movement of the head. What else would you nod? I can’t think of anything. Simply write, “she nodded.” Similarly with “he shook his head no” or “he shook his head back and forth,” write, “he shook his head.” Or “she shrugged.” We know what she is shrugging. Another culture might have different meanings for these gestures, so specifying in that case would be important.
“He said to me” as a dialogue attribution. If only two of you are talking, whom else would he say it to? Simply cut “to me.” If there are more than two people in the room, is it critical that what was said was directed only at one person? If so, an action might be a better indicator. i.e. “He shielded his mouth from our teacher. ‘She’s gone loco.'”
“Mom said as she opened the front door.” If you have an action, there’s no need for the dialogue attribution. Dialogue next to “Mom opened the front door.” will indicate who is speaking.
“He would walk; he would eat.” Using “would” with another verb is future-in-the past tense. Often writers use this when they want to say someone does something habitually. Or they use it before the real action to give back story. Instead make sure what you say is important now in the story and use straight past tense: “he walked; he ate.” You can still indicate habit, if needed. i.e. “Every day he ran to school.”
“There is/are” sentence construction. This is a form of passive writing. For example: “There are lots of kids sitting on the carpet squares.” Stronger would be: “Lots of kids sat on the carpet squares.”
The last excess I want to discuss is using more words than necessary. Sometimes we can get away with it, but if a short story is too long for the market, or someone says “it needs tightening,” then it’s time to cut. Here are suggestions for getting rid of flab:

  • Say it once, maybe twice, but not thrice. “He scratched his head in confusion.” The action of scratching his head shows he’s confused. Dialogue might show it as well. Definitely remove “in confusion.”
  • Make sure descriptions add to the setting. If not, get rid of them.
  • Don’t distance the reader from the action. “She noticed the cat jumping up on the couch.” Instead: “The cat jumped up on the couch.”
  • Check for words or phrases you use over and over. Are they necessary? Or merely a habit.
  • Look at individual sentences, especially long ones. Is there a way to say the same thing with less words? i.e. “After a couple of minutes…” could become: “After a few minutes…”
  • Use one strong adjective instead of several weak ones.
  • Use a specific verb instead of a weak verb and an adverb.

The best thing about removing excesses* is clearer sentences. This helps readers keep reading. And that’s our goal: to keep them reading.
*I’d love to hear your thoughts about excesses in writing… Just post in the comment section.

Posted in The Nitty Gritty of Children's Writing, The Publication Process

Confessions of a Writer Easily Distracted

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Photo courtesy of pippalou on morguefile.com
clockfaceA number of years ago a speaker at a Writers Conference motivated me to quit my part-time job to dedicate more time to writing. I had to decide how to save that new free time just for writing. I started with one accountability partner. We promised to meet twice a week and each work on our own projects. We met in a library in the morning to write, would chat over lunch, followed by several more hours of writing. The progress we made was exciting.

Here’s what I learned through that experience.
I’m easily distracted when writing at home. It’s too easy for me to start checking email, or to look up “one” thing on the internet, get involved with social media, do volunteer work, do critiques, or even play a “quick” game. Plus there’s the obvious distractions of others at home, the phone, piles on my desk to sort, oh, and shouldn’t I at least start a load of laundry, or pay bills? Before I know it the day is gone and the only writing I’ve done is email, twitter and maybe facebook. Sigh.
However, knowing I have someone who is expecting me to show up to work makes me commit. It makes me sit down and get serious when I arrive. It helps me focus on the task at hand. Partners, times and locations change, but the progress in my writing doesn’t.
I’ve even gone to the writing location when no one else could. I’ve also found that taking my laptop into another room in my house away from the desktop where I do everything else can help.
Are you too easily distracted from your creativity time? Here are some other tips that might be useful.
• Be prepared. Have what you need to create at hand, so writing time isn’t wasted in preparation. I have a bag that goes with me that has critique notes, research books, etc.
• Schedule. Set aside a regular time and place. Show up whether you want to or not.
• Be accountable to another writer or two. Not only does it help you show up, but it helps keep you on task. We knew if one gal was giggling, she was probably on twitter, so we’d tease her about it. If I started making comments about stuff I was finding on the internet, they’d ask me if it was related to my wip. Oops. Back to work. Accountability works even if you don’t meet face-to-face. You can report to each other about the day’s goals, such as I’m going to write two pages or work three hours. Knowing you have to confess to “not trying” makes you work.
• Snatch stolen moments. You woke up early? Too wide awake to go to sleep? Your kids took an unexpected nap? Write.
• Get away from your time stealer. TV, computer, internet, phone, that social or volunteer commitment you agreed to do out of guilt…
• Cut back on commitments if you can.
• Tell others about your writing time. If friends or family call, they aren’t offended when I remind them I’m writing and offer to call back later. My family has learned about those scheduled times and try to avoid them.
• Helps for writing in public locations.

  • Libraries often have private study rooms and are quiet. They may have a time limit.
  • Coffee shops can be noisy especially near the espresso machine, but headphones and your own music can block that and other patrons’ talk.
  • You may want to bring a surge suppressor power strip as power outlets may be limited.
  • Some public locations are very cold. I wear layers or have an extra wrap in my writing bag. My daughter made me fingerless mitts to keep my hands warm.
  • Don’t leave your laptop unattended to go to the restroom or get food. A friend did and hers was stolen. Writing partners can watch your stuff.
  • If using a laptop, either backup your work onto a usb drive or use a service such as dropbox or carbonite.

I’ve found that the habit of writing regularly makes it easier to write regularly. I get motivated by the pages and projects I complete. The sense of accomplishment makes me want to do it again, and again. This writing habit makes me not so distractable after all.

Posted in The Nitty Gritty of Children's Writing, The Publication Process

Is That Right?

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

keep rightFirst rights, all rights, simultaneous rights–what do they all mean? Let’s talk about these terms and others in relationship to magazines. First, the eight terms below refer to North American serial rights, which includes the United States and Canada.
1. all rights – the rights to those words in that order. You may not resell or reuse this piece. Some magazines who buy all rights will sell the piece elsewhere and split the proceeds with you–usually those resales are to a market most of us don’t have access to, such as an assessment test or inclusion in a textbook. Decide if it is worth sending your manuscript to an “all rights” magazine, knowing it can’t be reprinted by anyone else without the publisher’s permission. Some high profile magazines buy all rights.
2. first rights – the right to print those words in that order first. You may resell it to someone else, who accepts reprint rights, second, simultaneous, or one-time rights. Sometimes first rights include limitations such as “first rights for 60 days following publication.” Make sure any succeeding publishers are aware of any limitations if it will affect them.
3. one-time rights – the right to print those words in that order once. Again, you may resell. A lot of religious magazines are open to this option as their audiences are very separate.
4. second rights – the right to print those words in that order once, after it has been printed one time elsewhere. Reselling again is permissible.
5. reprint rights – the right to print those words again and again. Except for the initial printing, you may not know when they use the piece again. It’s okay to sell elsewhere yourself.
6. simultaneous rights – similar to one-time rights–it doesn’t matter when someone else is using it.
7. first and nonexclusive reprint rights – the right to print those words in that order first, and to print those words again and again. This is an alternative to all rights that some publishers are offering. The author may resell the piece as well.
8. regional rights – the right to print those words in that order in a specific area of the country. You’ll often see this with local parenting magazines or newspapers. A parent in San Francisco won’t likely be reading a Boston parenting magazine, so editors of noncompeting magazines might be interested in the same article. However, these often have sections or sidebars with strong local focus.
What rights do magazines buy? It depends on each individual magazine or magazine publishing company. This is why it is vitally important to check market books and each magazine’s current writer’s guidelines.
What if a magazine accepts a variety of rights? How do you decide what to give them?
1. Most magazines that buy all rights only buy all rights. If they offer more than that, different rights may change your pay, so it will depend on what you’ve already sold or are willing to sell.
2. If they buy first or one-time rights, they may pay more for first rights. If you haven’t sold the manuscript elsewhere, offer first rights.
3. If a magazine buys one-time and simultaneous rights, offer the latter if you plan to submit elsewhere now. You may offer one-time if you don’t plan to submit again until an acceptance/rejection comes from this magazine on this manuscript.
4. If first rights on a piece have been sold, offer second rights or one-time rights before offering reprint rights.
How do you let those magazines who accept different rights know what rights you are offering? In your cover letter and on your manuscript below your word count. If you’re not offering all or first, it is common courtesy in your cover letter to let them know who published the article or story and when.
But what if you want to write another article on that topic and you sold all rights? Can you do that? Of course. Above I mentioned “the rights to those words in that order,” it doesn’t mean they bought the ideas, only this particular piece. You could take the facts you learned when researching or interviewing and write an article with a different slant. You won’t use any sentences from the original piece. Your paragraphs won’t look like the original piece. It’s very doubtful you’d use the exact same quote.
For a short story, you can write the same theme with a different aspect of the same problem. Of course, you’d use a different main character. Or perhaps you’d choose to write about a younger or older or opposite gender character who has a similar problem–it would be a different story. This new story or stories might also be in a different setting. i.e. instead of a city, a rural location.
One final question I’ve heard: But what if you want to use that character in a book and you’ve sold all rights? This isn’t likely to happen, but if it does, you can always ask the magazine for permission. But remember, a magazine character isn’t as fully developed as a book character. Neither is the setting in a magazine. Your character will change and morph when you give her a book length problem. Your setting will likely expand as well. Don’t limit yourself by being stuck on only one name and personality.
Thanks to heirbornstud of morguefile.com for the above image.