by Francine Puckly
 
A number of years ago, I began my illustrious side career as taxi driver. I shuttled my kids to school, various music lessons, drama, hundreds of soccer and baseball practices, student council meetings and friends’ houses. The numerous hours allocated to driving substantially cut into my personal reading time, and one-half of every roundtrip was spent alone in the car. After having exhausted every last FM radio station and my expansive iTunes library multiple times, I somewhat reluctantly turned to audio books for sanity and entertainment.
 
There were fits and starts with this new form of story consumption. I was skeptical that I could pay attention to a story while driving, and I struggled when certain readers had voices and cadences that didn’t keep my attention, or worse, downright irritated me. But over time I tweaked my selections, and I have come to embrace this form of reading. I actually look forward to driving now!
 
It was a huge surprise to me to find that I remember plot and subplot structures, character flaws and descriptions, themes, clues, and imagery far better with an audio performance than when I read a paper version of the same story. I believe there are a few reasons for this.

First, I can’t jump ahead. Ever read a suspense novel and can’t stand the thought that the character might be killed off?  And then you find yourself peeking at who’s still alive on the last pages? Well, guess what? You can’t do that with an audio book! It’s maddening, but because I have to stay firmly in the current section of the story, it makes me acutely aware of how the author is teasing the story line and emotionally engaging me as a reader.
 
Second, you read (or hear) every last word. There is no speed-reading or skimming or “let me see what’s going on at the beginning of the next chapter” sorts of cheating. By noting adjective and verb choices as well as passages of descriptions you love and those you might find tedious, you’re able to see what works for the story and how those techniques may or may not apply to your own writing.
 
Third, pauses are emphasized. I can (and need to) shut off the recording for a few minutes between sections to analyze how the author has wrapped up phrases, chapters or complete sections. This reflection helps me discover how the author has left me hanging until she presents the next morsel for me to consume.
 
If you’ve never tried audio books, here are a few hints to help you get started:

• Pull out that list of recommended reading you’ve compiled from conferences, friends, and book reviews and select three or four books that are available in audio form. Request all of them through your library loan service.
• Give each audio book only 5-10 minutes to see if you can enjoy the reader’s performance of the story. If you don’t like the reader, you’ll hate listening to the story. (You can go back and read a paper or electronic copy of that book instead!)
• Once you’ve listened to a few novels, start a list of readers you love. I’ll listen to any story told by Simon Vance, Jenna Lamia, and John McDonough, to name a few. But it’s important to generate your own list based on your preferences. Also, be sure to ask around. I’ve collected reader names from friends, as well as my local librarian who also enjoys audio books.
• Designate certain books for the car. I have an active imagination (I’m a writer, remember?) so I can’t read scary things before I go to bed. Since this is when most of my reading occurs, I save all thrillers and suspense novels for daytime driving!

 
So whether you’re painting a room, taking a solo cross-country trek, or driving in circles dropping your kids at various activities, expand your reading time in the new year! 

Good luck and happy reading! 
~ Francine
 

~by Amanda Smith
​On our way to school one morning, my son noticed the particularly enormous, jacked up Ford F150 in front of us. Honestly, one couldn’t miss it. The sun danced on its shimmering black body, with shiny silver decals, and its upgraded suspension revealed a dazzling chrome plated differential.

“Why do people do that?” my sensible son asked.
“Why do you think people do that?” I stalled while reaching for my sunglasses.
“Maybe to go off road?” Mr. Practical said.
“Because it looks cool,” the young idealist in the back seat chimed in. In silence we considered the brilliant black beast. As it veered to our right we pondered the larger-than-life wheels, their chrome rims happily casting sun stars in our eyes.
“Well,” said Mr. Practical, “it certainly adds interest.”

And with that he got me thinking. A pick-up truck is the ultimate utility vehicle. America’s workhorse. Full-on functionality. The contractors’ reliable staple. Like plot.

Plot is the writer’s Ford F150. It steadily carries all our tools, our characters, our story, and our devices. But just like pick-up trucks, plots can do with a little bling. So how can we add a lift-kit, decals, or some chrome plating to our writing?

• Add descriptors. A few carefully placed descriptors can clarify a character and endear that character to the reader. For example, take Louisiana Elefante from Kate DiCamillo’s RAYMIE NIGHTINGALE. The second time the reader encounters Louisiana, she has six pink bunny barrettes scattered in her hair. “I remember that girl,” I thought as I read. Those barrettes defined Louisiana better than any lengthy description ever could. They appeared throughout the story, not essential to the plot, but certainly adding interest and defining character.
• Add character traits. We all have little traits, or facial expressions, or tells. Incorporate those in your novel. Does your character play with her jewelry when she is nervous? Does he walk with his hands in his pockets? Sprinkle those traits, like carefully placed decals, throughout your narrative to help define your characters.
• Repetition, a pattern, or a chorus also add interest. In THE SEVENTH WISH Kate Messner uses the serenity prayer repeatedly, in different forms. Seeing what those words represent to different characters, brings another layer, and helps the reader embrace the end. She also uses the “word game” as a chorus, at first for comical relief, but later in the book as exposition of the characters’ thoughts and emotions.
• Revisiting themes and weaving a symbol or metaphor all the way through a novel are other ways to soup up a story.

A little goes a long way with these devices, just as with chrome, so be mindful in how you use them. Let’s subtly add interest, without causing our readers to reach for their sunglasses.

​~ by Amanda Smith

Last week we focused on using basic plotting techniques to help organize scenes that were random and unconnected, like a hand full of beads. If you missed last week's post, you can find it here. What if you're done drafting, though? Does that mean you have no more use for plotting techniques? 

Writers often use note cards to block out scenes. For me the note card technique worked well after I finished my second draft. I combined the information from a mapping workshop, taught by Katie L. Caroll (Elixer Bound) and a workshop on non-sequential writing by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. (One for the Murphys, Fish in a Tree) to come up with a note card that served my purpose for revision. 

• Use one card per scene. Give a scene heading and a temporary number.
• If you have multiple narrators, write down the POV.
• Note the setting of the scene.
• Jot down the main moment/ event/ quote from that scene.
• What is the purpose of this scene. Does it develop plot or character? 
• What kind of scene is it? Action, back story, mood, flashback, character development, inciting incident, tension building, climatic scenes? What is the emotional intensity of this scene?
• Which characters are present in the scene? I color code my characters so it is easy to track them.
• The number at the top is added much later once you are happy with the final order of your scenes.

 Revision time is also a good stage to implement character interviews, another plotting technique. There are multiple character interviews online that you can tweak to meet your needs. After filling out interview questions, add descriptors and specifics to enhance characters, and check for character consistency. I found it very enlightening to also interview all secondary characters. Going back and adding the smallest of details can enrich secondary characters and make them feel like real people.
​Many authors have a treasure trove of plot development strategies on their websites. Don’t feel overwhelmed by them. Take these plotting devices and adapt them to work for you and your process. And it is a process! Use some before you start, some during drafting, and some during revisions until all your scenes are perfectly placed like beads on a string.

~by Amanda Smith
​​The first time I saw plot planning templates I was simultaneously impressed and petrified. These templates assumed that the writer already knew a whole lot. All I had when I started my novel were a handful of characters, an idea for conflict, and only a fleeting emotion I felt after waking up from an angsty dream. We discover the story, the characters, the PLOT as we go. While some writers are brilliantly organised, writing a novel from beginning to end, there are just as many who write non-sequentially. Does that mean these fabulous plotting techniques are not for us scatterbrains? Not at all. These templates and techniques can be used throughout the first couple of drafts. So how do you plot when you write at the whim of the character voices in your head?

The following strategies helped me string numerous non-chronological scenes, like beads on a necklace, into a viable story line. 

• When I first started, I wrote those parts of the story that were clear to me. These scenes where random and I had no idea what would link them, or even how I would get from one to the other. When I had a collection of scenes, I wrote a sentence summary of each scene on a sticky note. I placed these sticky notes on a time line (the internal structure of the story was a school year, so I used months for the time line), jotting down scenes that still needed to be written to fill in the holes. Since I had two first person narrators, I used different color sticky notes for each narrator’s scenes and a third color for scenes where they were both present.
• Once I had written some of the missing scenes, the story had made some twists and turns, the characters had grown, and a clear arc had emerged. I drew a story arc for each narrator’s story as well as the subplot, and added scenes, written and yet-to-be-written, onto the arc. 

by Francine Puckly

With a chill in the air and notoriously unpredictable weather, Opening Day is upon us. Hot dogs, popcorn and peanuts, new lineups, and impeccable turf await. A few years ago Ted Berg penned an article entitled, “The 10 Best Things about Opening Day” (http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/04/01/10-best-things-about-opening-day/2041583/). There’s nothing quite like a new baseball season, and there’s nothing quite like the feeling of beginning a new project or novel. And here’s how Berg’s Top 10 applies to starting a brand new novel!
 
10. Fresh Looks
In baseball, this means it’s time to sport new uniforms, but for me and my new novel, we’re showing off new software (Scrivener), flashy new composition notebooks, my favorite pens and Sharpies, and a multitude of jewel-toned post-its I purchased in the off season. My reusable foam plot-planning poster board is ready to take the field. This is the best my writing space will look for months and maybe years! And wait! What’s that sound? I think the organist is playing the first few bars of “Take Me Out to the Book Store.”
 
9. Ballpark favorites again available
Berg said that, “opening day provides an opportunity to eat hot dogs without being judged.” And for writers, the first draft is our opportunity to slap down all of the crazy ideas that come to mind as we crank through the what-ifs of a new story littered with a cast of new characters. No limiting expectations, no reviews, no analyses. It might be the only time in our writing process we’re not worried about the agent or editor, the reader, the critic, missing story parts, or the dilemma of what stays and what goes.
 
8. Spring training is over
So is your research. At least for now. It’s time to play ball…er, write the draft. That means don’t stop to research. Flag any missing pieces of information with those pretty little post-its you bought.
 
7. Bunting
As MLB and various ballparks roll out elaborate décor, you might look to playlists with songs that suit your characters or intended plot, a collage of magazine clippings or photos that depict character and setting, or Pinterest files to inspire your writing. Adorn your workspace with helpful details. I have a collage of photos I’ve taken and/or downloaded from the Internet posted in my writing area. Whenever I feel stymied on plot, I study those for inspiration.
 
6. The pageantry
First pitches, national anthems, and introductions of every player, coach and trainer. Writing pageantry is introducing each room, character and supporting character. We plunge into detail the way Milwaukee’s Bernie Brewer plunges into a huge mug of beer. We immerse ourselves in detail. The rooms of the house. The landscape. The shingles and siding. Every character.
 
5. Ridiculous “pace” stats
“For one day in 1994,” Berg wrote, “Cubs outfielder Karl ‘Tuffy’ Rhodes was on pace to hit 486 home runs in a season after a three-homer opening day outburst.” Nobody hits 486 home runs in a season. And those 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo? That’s 600,000 words a year, or ten+ middle grade novels a year. Woo hoo! And those 41 ideas you had for PiBoIdMo last year? You’re going to write over 400 picture books this year! NOT. They’re impossible numbers to sustain, but that doesn’t mean we can’t rejoice in getting off to a ridiculously fast start as we leave our inner critic behind.
 
4. Skipping school or work
Playing hooky to do what we love is easy at the beginning. At the start of a project we are willing to decline other opportunities so that we can take our laptops and notebooks off to write in seclusion. But eventually life’s demands creep in and the next thing we know we’ve missed four days (or maybe even four weeks!) straight. What we can learn from playing hooky or skipping other commitments is how to make our writing a priority year-round, not just at the launch or as we approach the finish line. Set some goals, people! And reward yourselves when you hit them! (http://www.24carrotwriting.com/-blog/give-yourself-a-carrot).
 
3. All of the aces
Who are the heavy hitters in your story? Make sure you have a great team of characters to support your plot.
 
2. Every team is undefeated.
So is your project. No rejections. ’Nuff said.
 
And the number one thing about Opening Day?
1. They play baseball.
And we write novels. Or illustrate books. We have the coolest jobs on earth. Now get out there and throw the first pitch!

by Annie Cronin Romano

​So often we start a project with an idea, a glowing nugget of inspiration, and we decide immediately the kind of book it will be. It's going to be a picture book. Yes, definitely a picture book…about flying sandwiches. Excellent! Off we go! 

We brainstorm, diagram, scribble, and plot. We develop our characters, our setting, and our pacing. We draft a beautifully crafted 550 word picture book about sandwiches that fly and submit it to our critique group. 

And they tell us it should be a middle grade novel. About a food fight.

*Head-desk*

Why should we turn our picture book draft into a novel? Do we have to? Our critique group is not the boss of us, after all! True. True. But consider the reasons behind the suggestion. Is it because the setting or topic would appeal more to the older age group? Maybe the characters would present more strongly with an older voice? What about the plot? Perhaps it is one that is better suited (or even needed) in the older market. Or maybe your critique partners thought there was more to explore than you could do justice to in a shorter format. What if you played around with it, not as a middle grade, but as a chapter book? What if…

As participants in critique groups, we often expect the critiques to focus on the story itself. Would our character really say this? Are we showing or telling? Watch the pacing. This is working. That is not. What we don’t usually expect is for critique partners to suggest changing the target audience. But sometimes it's an insightful idea. A middle grade story may work better as a picture book or a young adult novel. A young adult draft may be better suited as a new adult story. What the writer has in mind for a story often can benefit from considering all possible audiences. The first instinct may still be the best. But give it due consideration.

Always ask, "What if…"

So the next time you sit down to work on a story, be it a fiction picture book or young adult science fiction thriller, look at your idea from all angles. It could be that your flying sandwich would make an excellent food fight.

~Annie