| kristi
holl |
Hello! We'll start in
about 5 minutes.
|
| kristi
holl |
Join us this afternoon
in the AUDITORIUM-Scheduled Events Room for an "Open Forum" with
subbing Web Editor Kristi Holl. Kristi has published 24 novels for
middle-grade readers, plus the adult book for writers, WRITER'S
FIRST AID. She welcomes your questions on time management, getting
started, writer's block, marketing, writing rights, writing
earnings, or anything else you'd like to discuss. Bring your
QUESTIONS to this open forum.
|
| kristi
holl |
The Tuesday afternoon
"Open Forum" will begin promptly at 4 Atlantic/CANADA, 3 p.m.
Eastern, 2 p.m. Central, 1 p.m. Mountain, and noon Pacific. While
you wait for the "Open Forum" to start, feel free to use your ASK A
QUESTION button RIGHT BETWEEN THE YELLOW "MAP" AND THE RED QUESTION
MARK IN ICHAT to post some questions for the discussion group—two
minutes from now.
|
| kristi
holl |
Good afternoon! Welcome
to this Tuesday afternoon's "Open Forum" session. I'm your
substitute moderator, Kristi Holl, and the former Web Editor for
this site. We're back for an informal time of answering any
questions you might like to ask, on any subject. It's always a treat
for me to be here. First, please read these announcements, then
we'll get started.
|
| kristi
holl |
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:
Send questions you'd like answered or discussed by using your "Ask a
Question" icon/button. (It looks like a thought bubble icon, RIGHT
NEXT TO THE RED QUESTION MARK.) The moderator (me, Kristi Holl) will
post the questions one at a time in the chat room and do my best to
answer them. Also note: If you want to make it possible to ask the
longest question you can, first type "/ask" (without the quotation
marks), then leave one space after the end of "ask", then type as
many characters of your question as you can. If your question is not
complete, send the second part next, then if necessary the third,
etc.
|
| kristi
holl |
WARNING: If you don't
post anything at all, SOME of you will be bounced off the system in
15 minutes. TO PREVENT THIS, type something (either a question to
the moderator or even a private message) every 15 minutes to stay
active and remain online.
|
| kristi
holl |
Hi, everyone! I'm glad
to be here.
|
| kristi
holl |
I'm going to hog the
spotlight for a minute with some GOOD NEWS of my own. My Army
daughter, Laurie, who has been stationed in Iraq for over a year,
returned home to us March 13!!! Meeting her at the airport was one
of the happiest days of my life. Thank you to all of you who have
emailed me over the year with your prayers for her.
|
| kristi
holl |
I have some other good
news to share from our viewers..
|
| kristi
holl |
Laurie Klemm: A week ago
Monday I received a contract in the mail from The Friend. It was my
first story submission ever! The story was from lesson #4 that my
instructor had asked me to revise for her. I did that. She returned
it to me with a few more suggestions for improvement. I followed
some her recommendations, but not all since I am very familiarwith
this magazine and have a feel for what they are looking for. I took
a chance and just sent it in with a cover letter. I cannot express
what a joyous experience this was for me! Thanks to ICL for all the
support.
|
| kristi
holl |
Boy this takes me back!
Congratulations, Laurie!...
|
| kristi
holl |
I love to hear good news
like this, and it's an encouragement to us all!
|
| kristi
holl |
Terri Dunham: Hope you
get this in time. I have good news. My picture book, "The Legend of
Papa Noel" will be published Oct 2005. And now for the question. I
am morphing a song, "She'll be Coming Around the Mountain" in my
book. And I don't know how to find out what the copyright is on the
song. Any help with this would be greatly
appreciated.
|
| kristi
holl |
First of all, that's
terrific news about your picture book!...
|
| kristi
holl |
That's a special skill,
and I read a ton of those books now to my
granddaughter...
|
| kristi
holl |
To answer the question
hafl:
|
| kristi
holl |
http://www.pdinfo.com/
is a reference site to help identify public domain songs and public
domain music . . . royalty free music you can use anywhere and any
way you choose . . . performance, sing-along, film, video,
advertising, business, or personal...
|
| kristi
holl |
Check this site for many
helpful links and lists of songs in the public domain that you can
use and change. Music and lyrics written by an American author and
published in 1922 or earlier are in the Public Domain in the United
States. No one can claim ownership of a song in the public domain,
therefore public domain songs may be used by
everyone...
|
| kristi
holl |
PD songs may be used for
profit-making without paying any royalties. If you create a new
version or derivative of a public domain song (which I think you are
wanting to do), you can copyright your version and no one can use it
without your permission. However, the original song still remains in
the public domain, and anyone else can also make and copyright their
own version of the same PD song.
|
| kristi
holl |
Grandy1983: I am almost
finished with the Basic ICL course. In fact, I'm on Assignment 10.
Anyway, I've been revising one story over and over, (it's the same
story from assignments 6,7, and 9!) but each revision is worst than
the last one. I don't know why I'm having such difficulty with this
one story, but it's just getting worse each time I revise and
rewrite it. Do all good writers have this happen to them? I feel
like I'm not very good at writing, but it's what I like to do. I
can't help but feel disappointed. What can I do to prevent myself
from getting discouraged?
|
| kristi
holl |
First, is it your
opinion or your instructor's that the version is getting worse each
time? Often we are our own worst judges of whether a piece of
writing is getting better or worse. Sometimes, especially after
you've looked at and reworked a piece a few times, you can't see the
forest for the trees...
|
| kristi
holl |
You could be writing a
Pulitzer Prize winner and think it stinks sometimes! I don't think
your instructor would let you keep working on this one manuscript so
much if s/he didn't see a lot of potential in it...
|
| kristi
holl |
I wish you could set it
aside for a month and not even look at it at all, then come back to
it fresh and see what you think. I've done that enough times myself
to know it works wonders. You may decide it's a wonderful story, or
(as I've had happen to me) I've come back to a piece later only to
find that the wonderful piece I had written needed several more
go-rounds of revision. A clear eye--and perhaps that of a critique
partner--can be invaluable.
|
| kristi
holl |
Judy: I'm currently
teaching "Writing for Children" (for adults) at Elizabethtown
College. Last week, one of my students asked if there is a "rule"
about using name of character and tags - should it be "John said,"
or "said John" or can they be mixed? My response was what I had been
taught - state the name first, then the tag. Any thoughts? Also, I
know editors prefer "said" as a tag, but my students wondered what
others might be acceptable - (My answer was words that give meaning
to the way something was said - "yelled," "asked," "exclaimed" - but
to avoid
|
| etc. as tags.)
What's your thinking about that? |
|
|
|
| kristi
holl |
The first part of your
question you've been answering the way editors prefer: name first,
then the tag. The "said Sally" and "asked John" tag sequence has
gone out of style, at least for now, and using it can make your
writing sound dated...
|
| kristi
holl |
About the second
question: editors today prefer that you stick to "said" and "asked"
about 90%+ of the time. You're right in saying NOT to use tags that
are physically impossible to do. (We can't "shrug" or "grin" our
conversation at someone.)
|
| kristi
holl |
But use the variations
sparingly, or you'll end up with Thesaurus Syndrome, which is very
distracting to the reader. That's where dialogue is peppered with he
screamed, she reported, he extrapolated, she remarked, he
pontificated, she explained, and (I swear this was in a student
assignment) he ejaculated.
|
| kristi
holl |
Rcmbkt: Could you
briefly explain what non-exclusive rights are? I have a possible
sale of an article with pictures, and they want all rights to the
photos. I am thinking if I can sell them non-exclusive rights, they
can use the photos over and over, but I can still use the photos
elsewhere with a different article. Is that correct? Also, I haven't
seen the transcript to Tuesday's (the 23rd) Open Forum. I cannot get
to the forums, but do read the transcripts
faithfully.
|
| kristi
holl |
I am subbing, so I can't
tell you about last week's transcript, but about the rights:
non-exclusive rights means you are selling rights to those photos to
more than one (maybe many) magazines...
|
| kristi
holl |
It doesn't necessarily
mean they can use the photos as many times as they please though.
You can sell non-exclusive one-time rights, or non-exclusive reprint
rights, etc...
|
| kristi
holl |
You can certainly ask
about the rights, but if they insist on all rights, your sale may
hinge on it. You will have to decide for yourself how much that
particular publishing credit is worth. Some are worth giving up all
rights, but (to me) some aren't.
|
| kristi
holl |
I don't know if this is
how Mel usually does it, but I am posting the previously submitted
questions first, in case anyone wondered...
|
| kristi
holl |
Jean: Mel, my question
is this. Is this web site and the information given
|
| and grads, or may
we share this address with, say, SCBWI friends and members? The
information taught by these wonderful authors could benefit many a
novice and the seasoned writer as well. Perhaps the awareness of ICL
could generate enrollment |
|
| kristi
holl |
When I first designed
this website six years ago, it was with ALL writers in mind, and it
has always been that way. The information presented in the forums
and interviews and articles is for anyone to read who finds it
helpful. It's not just for students. And if it generates enrollment
too, that would be great!
|
| kristi
holl |
Rosenetka: I'm from
Canada and was wondering how would one calculate how much postage to
place on an SASE to an USA publishing company or magazine for
information and samples etc.?
|
| kristi
holl |
If you're a student,
this information is located in the 2004 Children's Magazine Market
on Page 26 and in the 2004 Children's Book Market on Page 47. The
charts give the ounces and number of pages for figuring that amount,
and tells the amount going back and forth between the US and Canada.
If you need stamps for your SASE's, you can get what you need from
the Stamp Fulfillment Service Center at 800-782-6724. If you don't
have these books, call your post office.
|
| kristi
holl |
Linda Della Donna: I
have difficulty keeping up with all the reading, magazine
subscriptions, homework assignments, research information, on-line
chats, critiques, etc. and still do my writing. Is this just me? Can
you tell me, do you belong to a children's writers e-loop? Do you
feel it is necessary/priority to belong to such a group? And is it
okay if in the course of getting the writing done, a writer goes
off-line and does just that?
|
| kristi
holl |
Not only is it okay to
get offline and get your writing done, it's the ONLY way you'll get
it done. Writers today have the advantage of the Internet, email
groups, and tons of writing information at their fingertips. But it
can be a disadvantage if it's not properly
managed...
|
| kristi
holl |
I visited my daughter
for a week this month and didn't have Internet or email access, and
I was stunned at how much more I got done and (even more important
to me) how much more relaxed I felt. I can't really explain it, but
having no access to the online community felt like "the good old
days" of using my crummy typewriter, all by myself with my broken
keys and White-Out. And I loved it!
|
| kristi
holl |
If it makes you feel any
better, under my desk at this moment is a stack (16 inches high--I
measured) of magazines, newsletters, etc. that I am behind in
reading. One rule I have followed since coming home was not to check
email before I got my writing done. That helped tremendously. But
today's computer age writers face Information Overload, and if you
don't call a halt and just write, you may never get any writing
done.
|
| kristi
holl |
Cup: I have a question
that you might be able to answer. I have a stash of 9 x 12 envelopes
that sealed themselves when they were stored in our damp basement.
Is there any way to loosen them up short of trying to steam them
open?
|
| kristi
holl |
Now THIS was a fun
one!...
|
| kristi
holl |
It depends on the type
of envelope. If they are regular ones (not bubble-filled padded
ones) then you can gently press an iron on the sealed end, then pull
them apart and let them dry open. Or (IF they don't have any metal
in them or bubble wrap) you can nuke them in your microwave for a
few seconds and peel them apart. If you nuke a cup of water for
several minutes first, you add some moisture in there that helps
too.
|
| kristi
holl |
Featherpen: I will not
be able to attend the forum tomorrow but I do have a question. How
much to first time authors make on a picture book? I am asking out
of curiosity. I know writers do not make a lot in
salary.
|
| kristi
holl |
This will sound like a
waffling answer, but it depends on so many factors. It depends on
whether you are publishing with a small regional press or a big NY
publisher. It depends on the length of your picture book sometimes
too. If it's only a few words (like many board books that have only
10-20 words) your illustrator will probably get a bigger
cut...
|
| kristi
holl |
If your picture book is
more like 500+ words, you still have to split your advance and
royalties with your illustrator, usually 50/50. I know picture book
writers who only got for an advance, but I know some (who are well
published now) who get more than for one. (And that's just the
advance against future royalties.)
|
| kristi
holl |
RealityCzech asks: When
a market guide listing notes that a book publisher accepts
submissions from "previously published authors only," what must
those authors have previously published? (Sorry to sound like the
woodchuck chucking wood here!) Does publication in a magazine count
in this case, or must one have published a book in order to have
their MS. Considered?
|
| kristi
holl |
Definitely magazine
publication counts, as well as books. What DOESN'T count with
editors are letters to the editor you had published in your local
paper, or self-published work of any kind, or things you "published"
on your own web site. If you were paid for it, count it as a
publishing credit. Certain other high quality publications, like
Ounce Upon a Time, can be used as credits, even though you get paid
in copies.
|
| kristi
holl |
Lea: Could you list all
of the different sources of information (ex: email sites, etc.) that
we need to have permission for in order to use in our stories to be
published?
|
| kristi
holl |
If you are only quoting
a small portion, you don't need to get permission to quote. Some say
you can quote up to 250 words without permission, but I think that's
pushing it. The copyright law is vague on that
point...
|
| kristi
holl |
But if you use very
small quotes, and give the credit either in the body of the article
or in a bibliography at the end, you'll be okay. Check the copyright
notices when in doubt. Some of the websites will say "no part of
this can be copied without written permission." Books, magazines,
newspapers, websites--it applies to them all.
|
| kristi
holl |
And the last
presubmitted question is...
|
| kristi
holl |
Please help me decipher!
What is "high concepts" for the middle grades? (as in "We're looking
for good writing married to high concepts with marketable commercial
hooks" )
|
| kristi
holl |
I am afraid I don't
know. I think that's very vague. I'm sure high concepts is the
opposite of "slight" but more than that, I'm not
sure...
|
| kristi
holl |
I knew we have published
writers in the room today who might be able to answer
this...
|
| kristi
holl |
if you know, submit it
like a question and I'll post it so it gets into the
transcript.
|
| kristi
holl |
For those of you who
joined us after we started, this is an "Open Forum" session where
you are free to ask any writing and publishing questions you have,
and your moderator (Kristi Holl) will do her best to answer
them.
|
| kristi
holl |
WARNING: If you don't
post anything at all, SOME of you will be bounced off the system in
15 minutes. TO PREVENT THIS, type something (either a question to
the moderator or even a private message) every 15 minutes to stay
active and remain online.
|
| kristi
holl |
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:
Send questions you'd like answered or discussed by using your "Ask a
Question" icon/button. (It looks like a thought bubble icon, RIGHT
NEXT TO THE RED QUESTION MARK.) The moderator (me, Kristi Holl) will
post the questions one at a time in the chat room and do my best to
answer them. Also note: If you want to make it possible to ask the
longest question you can, first type "/ask" (without the quotation
marks), then leave one space after the end of "ask", then type as
many characters of your question as you can. If your question is not
complete, send the second part next, then if necessary the third,
etc.
|
| tkat_2 |
How do you handle
writer's block?
|
| kristi
holl |
It's been so long since
I had it, I will have to think back...
|
| kristi
holl |
the problem I have these
days is finding the time to get the words down instead of being
blocked...
|
| kristi
holl |
but it used to plague
me, I found I most often needed a break...
|
| kristi
holl |
I just got more blocked
staring at a blank page...
|
| kristi
holl |
I lived on the farm at
that time, so I'd go outside and pick a few weeds or walk the horse
or pet a cat...
|
| kristi
holl |
that usually
worked...
|
| kristi
holl |
I had a friend who, when
she was blocked, made herself...
|
| kristi
holl |
do housework and dishes,
which she loathed...
|
| kristi
holl |
and she said it was the
surest cure for writer's block she had!
|
| cjbawriter |
How much does a first
sale usually bring in dollars, average
|
| kristi
holl |
I don't know what the
average would be, but it's low...
|
| kristi
holl |
my first article sale
was a whopping ten dollars, but I couldn't have been happier if it'd
been a thousand...
|
| kristi
holl |
well, that's a lie--a
thousand would have bee nice. 8-)...
|
| kristi
holl |
but I'll never forget
the thrill of knowing some editor "out there" thought I had
something worth saying...
|
| kristi
holl |
and it was worth its
weight in gold for firing me up to face more
rejections.
|
| lasmithm2000 |
if i want to write
articles for a magazine or paper how
|
| kristi
holl |
Sorry, that's all that
came through on that one.
|
| grandy1983 |
Hi, Kristi! About how
many words should a chapter for a middle-grade novel
have?
|
| kristi
holl |
About 25,000 is the
average book length, and about 1,200 is about the average chapter
length. But it can vary.
|
| craig |
Ms. Holl I have been
impressed with you from the first time I read the first chapter and
art textbook that is sent to us when we begin the course. I would
like to know how I can keep in contact with you or get in contact
with you because there are some things I would like to talk to you
about in relation to the course.
|
| kristi
holl |
The easiest way to get
in touch with me is through my website at www.KristiHoll.com and it
has contact info there.
|
| kristi
holl |
I'm sorry--and thank you
for the kind words about the chapter!
|
| realityczech |
I just joined a writing
critique group. Any advice for how to word critiques so as to be
helpful without hurting other writers feelings? I've heard about
sandwiching critisism between compliments, but what else can I be
mindful of?
|
| kristi
holl |
That's an excellent
technique you mentioned...
|
| kristi
holl |
I usually like to make
critique remarks in the form of a question, like...
|
| kristi
holl |
"Have you considered
telling this from the little girl's viewpoint?"
or...
|
| kristi
holl |
"Do you think you might
consider moving this scene to chapter two in order to pick up the
pace in chapter one?"...
|
| kristi
holl |
That always seems to go
over better than "I think you ought to change the viewpoint"
etc....
|
| kristi
holl |
and it gives the correct
impression that you're just making a suggestion, rather than telling
them what to do...
|
| kristi
holl |
Another thing you can
say is...
|
| kristi
holl |
"I can see why you did
it this way. Another way I've seen it handled
is...."...
|
| kristi
holl |
or "I've seen in writing
magazines that it's good to have the flashback
|
| kristi
holl |
material later in the
story...
|
| kristi
holl |
Anytime you can word
things like this, it sounds less critical, although you're saying
basically the same thing.
|
| ccollier |
Welcome Back Kristi, In
the last issue from OUAT, it gave
|
| ccollier |
Texas as your home, did
you move
|
| kristi
holl |
Yes, last summer AND ask
me how far I now live from our 21-month-old granddaughter? Just
seven BLOCKS! I am a happy Nana!
|
| rite
1 |
What helps me is to do a
brainstorming - start with one word - then bubble out with what it
makes you think of etc.
|
| kristi
holl |
I believe this is to
help answer the writer's block question.
|
| kristi
holl |
For those of you who
joined us after we started, this is an "Open Forum" session where
you are free to ask any writing and publishing questions you have,
and your moderator (Kristi Holl) will do her best to answer
them.
|
| kristi
holl |
WARNING: If you don't
post anything at all, SOME of you will be bounced off the system in
15 minutes. TO PREVENT THIS, type something (either a question to
the moderator or even a private message) every 15 minutes to stay
active and remain online.
|
| kristi
holl |
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:
Send questions you'd like answered or discussed by using your "Ask a
Question" icon/button. (It looks like a thought bubble icon, RIGHT
NEXT TO THE RED QUESTION MARK.) The moderator (me, Kristi Holl) will
post the questions one at a time in the chat room and do my best to
answer them. Also note: If you want to make it possible to ask the
longest question you can, first type "/ask" (without the quotation
marks), then leave one space after the end of "ask", then type as
many characters of your question as you can. If your question is not
complete, send the second part next, then if necessary the third,
etc.
|
| lisalisa |
Any ideas on how to speed
up a critique group? My group's
|
| lisalisa |
progress is extremely
slow, and I'm feeling like almost the
|
| lisalisa |
only one who posts
stories anymore. Any suggestions?
|
| kristi
holl |
That can be very
frustrating, and it slows your own growth as
well...
|
| kristi
holl |
I have never done the
online critique group thing, but I've been part of four or five
"live" groups over the years...
|
| kristi
holl |
I am FINALLY in one
(done through email) where everyone is working daily and we are very
active...
|
| kristi
holl |
in the previous groups I
didn't have any luck "jump starting" slow groups, although I
tried...
|
| kristi
holl |
The first three died by
attrition, and I just moved on to start another
group...
|
| kristi
holl |
we had degenerated into
talking about recipes and kids, and that's not what I was there
for...
|
| kristi
holl |
I would suggest that if
you can't get people moving more by talking frankly about
it...
|
| kristi
holl |
that you'll be better
off finding another group or starting one yourself, which is what I
always ended up doing.
|
| rapidmath |
Do many students send in
their homework in e-mail or normal
|
| kristi
holl |
This must have
"glitched"--I got five copies of this question. 8-) To
answer...
|
| kristi
holl |
the percentage of
students who submit assignments via email is small, probably less
than 10-15%...
|
| kristi
holl |
but I expect it will go
up...
|
| kristi
holl |
many instructors are set
up to receive and edit lessons online, if that's what you wish to
do...
|
| kristi
holl |
Ask if your instructor
does online submitting and editing...
|
| kristi
holl |
and if you can switch,
if you want to...
|
| kristi
holl |
If it's an extremely
important issue to you, and it is to some people, you can transfer
to another teacher if you ask.
|
| sweet_muse |
I love Writer's First
Aid. It applies to all writers not just children's writers. I never
had much access to a computer when you ran this site, but I am so
pleased to meet you now. Thanks for doing such a great
job!
|
| kristi
holl |
Thank you so much! The
articles from the early years of this website are what I gathered
and revised for the book...
|
| kristi
holl |
and it's a good reminder
to ME sometimes of what to do...
|
| kristi
holl |
Occasionally I'll be
stumped, and I will think, "You know, I used to know what to do in
this situation..."...
|
| kristi
holl |
and more than once I've
pulled out my own book and read a chapter...
|
| kristi
holl |
especially as I move
into babysitting a toddler again and things like
that...
|
| kristi
holl |
and need to remember how
to do many things at one time, as you parents of small children do
every day...
|
| kristi
holl |
But thank you for the
kind words. I do appreciate hearing that the book is
helpful.
|
| tkat_2 |
I find that the closer my
assignment deadline is, the better
|
| tkat_2 |
I manage my
time.
|
| kristi
holl |
Yes, isn't that
true?...
|
| kristi
holl |
You've hit on the power
of deadlines to boosting us into high gear...
|
| kristi
holl |
I think that's one of
the best reasons to have self-imposed deadlines if a teacher or
editor isn't waiting on something from you...
|
| kristi
holl |
and if that doesn't work
for you, a weekly critique group...
|
| kristi
holl |
who is expecting some
writing every week--and prods if you are slack--is a godsend as
well.
|
| kristi
holl |
For those of you who
joined us after we started, this is an "Open Forum" session where
you are free to ask any writing and publishing questions you have,
and your moderator (Kristi Holl) will do her best to answer
them.
|
| kristi
holl |
WARNING: If you don't
post anything at all, SOME of you will be bounced off the system in
15 minutes. TO PREVENT THIS, type something (either a question to
the moderator or even a private message) every 15 minutes to stay
active and remain online.
|
| kristi
holl |
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:
Send questions you'd like answered or discussed by using your "Ask a
Question" icon/button. (It looks like a thought bubble icon, RIGHT
NEXT TO THE RED QUESTION MARK.) The moderator (me, Kristi Holl) will
post the questions one at a time in the chat room and do my best to
answer them. Also note: If you want to make it possible to ask the
longest question you can, first type "/ask" (without the quotation
marks), then leave one space after the end of "ask", then type as
many characters of your question as you can. If your question is not
complete, send the second part next, then if necessary the third,
etc.
|
| rite
1 |
how do you get a "live"
critique group together? ideas?
|
| kristi
holl |
I tried several things
that worked...
|
| kristi
holl |
one group I started by
going to a regional/state SCBWI meeting...
|
| kristi
holl |
and at the end, I stood
up and said I was new and where I was from...
|
| kristi
holl |
and asked anyone
interested in forming a group to see me at the social thingy they
had afterward....
|
| kristi
holl |
we got a good group that
way...
|
| kristi
holl |
Another time I posted a
note on the library community bulletin board...
|
| kristi
holl |
There was a good turnout
for that one, but it was more dabblers than working
writers...
|
| kristi
holl |
and (I have to be
careful how I say this now that I'm a grandma too)
but...
|
| kristi
holl |
there were a lot of old
ladies who came who had too much time on their
hands..
|
| kristi
holl |
Over the years, I have
found SCBWI the best contact source...
|
| kristi
holl |
I used the roster to
find names of writers in my area and contacted
some...
|
| kristi
holl |
Those are just some of
the ways I've used.
|
| kelmar |
I have an idea for a
poety book, but have never been published before, is there any
chance to get it looked at by a publishing house or should I wait to
be published in say a magazine first?
|
| kristi
holl |
I will give a disclaimer
first here: I've never published poetry...
|
| kristi
holl |
but no, you don't have
to be published first in a magazine for that...
|
| kristi
holl |
(Thank you, rite 1--I
should have spelled that out)...
|
| kristi
holl |
If the writing is good
and polished and neatly presented...
|
| kristi
holl |
and you submit to a
house that takes queries or unsolicited
manuscripts...
|
| kristi
holl |
you have as good a
chance as anyone...
|
| kristi
holl |
it's just that when
you're an unknown, the response time is slower, so be prepared to be
patient.
|
| grandy1983 |
Kristi, I am on
assignment 10 now, and my relationship with my instructor is winding
down. However, I feel some of her letters and her editing comments
throughout the course were rather harsh. Criticism and suggestions
are fine, but it's how she worded her comments that made me feel
like a poor writer. I had revised one story three times, and each
revision was worst than my last. It also seemed she was
disappointed. Now, I feel slightly discouraged. How do I get past
this?
|
| kristi
holl |
If you feel comfortable
at all doing it, I would suggest letting the teacher know your
feelings...
|
| kristi
holl |
I know I certainly would
want to know if my comments had been discouraging to my students
instead of encouraging...
|
| kristi
holl |
One thing we all have to
do sooner or later is learn how to be our own
cheerleaders...
|
| kristi
holl |
There are also some
excellent books available that you might find really helpful right
now...
|
| kristi
holl |
like Ralph Keyes THE
WRITER'S BOOK OF HOPE or
|
| kristi
holl |
THE ARTIST'S WAY by
Julia Cameron...which is a recovery book for writers, and both are
excellent. I think you'd love them...
|
| kristi
holl |
find them used on
amazon.com and save money!
|
| lisalisa |
But in a remote area, how
do you do that?
|
| kristi
holl |
I think this must refer
to getting a critique group together...
|
| kristi
holl |
if so, the things I did
were all done when I lived on a farm outside a tiny Iowa town of
1500, well less actually...
|
| kristi
holl |
and I did have to drive
to the nearest big town about half an hour away to get to the
library ...
|
| kristi
holl |
but if you're VERY
remote, maybe an online group or email exchange is what you'll need.
I love mine.
|
| realityczech |
the critique group I
joined is very structured. Specific points are discussed in a timed
format for each person's MS. The moderator keeps time and says, "Now
we will discuss viwepoint. Now we will discuss dialog. Now we will
dicuss character development." It is extremely well organized, and
everyone gets equal time/equal say.
|
| kristi
holl |
Her style might not suit
everyone, but would be MY dream critique leader...
|
| kristi
holl |
especially the part
about equal time for everyone...
|
| kristi
holl |
that inequity can be a
discouraging thing to people who are quiet or not pushy, if there is
a talkaholic in the group.
|
| realityczech |
I believe you are on
staff for the Chatauqua Writer's Conference in NY this summer,
correct? Has ICL ever sponsored scholarships for Chatauqua for any
students? At what point should one be in one's writing career before
investing in a conference such as Chatauqua?
|
| kristi
holl |
Yes, I will be teaching
there again in July, and I don't know that ICL has ever sponsored a
scholarship there, although they believe strongly in Kent Brown's
work there...
|
| kristi
holl |
the first time I went, I
went on a partial scholarship myself,...
|
| kristi
holl |
so if you're wanting to
apply for one, write to Chautauqua and get an application--it's
soooooooooo worth it...
|
| kristi
holl |
I wish I had gone much
earlier in my career--if I had known about the scholarships, I would
have...
|
| kristi
holl |
If money is not a
problem, go as soon as you can...
|
| kristi
holl |
There's nothing quite
like it.
|
| brisk |
What is
SCBWI
|
| kristi
holl |
Society of Children's
Book Writers and Editors at www.scbwi.org
|
| kristi
holl |
Goodness I just checked
the time...
|
| kristi
holl |
It goes just as fast as
it used to!...
|
| kristi
holl |
I can't tell you how
much I've enjoyed this hour and connecting with you all
again...
|
| kristi
holl |
Things have improved
since I worked here!...
|
| kristi
holl |
I didn't get knocked off
ONCE, which is a blessing...
|
| kristi
holl |
some of you remember
THOSE good old days!...
|
| kristi
holl |
Thank you again for all
your good remarks and questions and kind words about
Laurie...
|
| kristi
holl |
You're the best! Have a
terrific week.
|
| kristi
holl |
You're all very
welcome.
|