by Karen Krossing | Dec 20, 2017 | Mentoring, On Writing
If you’re like me, then you love to take time every now and then to look at where you are, where you came from and where you’re going. I’m a big goal-setter, and the end of a calendar year seems like a natural time to celebrate progress and re-adjust goals. I like to ask myself:
What writing did I accomplish this year?
I take a moment to celebrate every page written, no matter how much revision it still needs.
What writing did I hope to accomplish this year?
My goals are often more ambitious than I realize, and I don’t always get as far on a project as I want to. I try to respect the process, and give my projects the time they need to grow and develop fully.
What new goals do I want to set for next year?
I try to make new goals as realistic as possible. I’m famous for over-estimating what I can accomplish and then feeling discouraged when I don’t meet my expectations.
How can I help myself achieve these goals?
Maybe I need to plot out writing time and protect it fiercely. Maybe I need to respect the time it takes to ponder an idea, rather than pounding out a half-formed one. Maybe I need to read a book on writing craft or take a course. I try to find the ways forward that are right for me.
As writers, we’re often setting and assessing goals in isolation, so I encourage you to talk to your friends, family or writing partners about your accomplishments and goals. This week, I printed out my work-in-progress for a writing partner to critique, and I shared the moment with my family, letting them hold my impressive 299-page draft. It’s not done, but it’s on its way, and I’m grateful for that.
I had many stops and starts with writing this year, as well as much experimentation. Here’s my list to celebrate:
- a draft of a new young-adult novel written.
- a plan to revise a middle-grade novel and a quarter of it revised.
- three picture books written, which I’ve never done before.
- several new ideas that I’m nurturing.
I’ve also been reading kid lit more critically, assessing what works and why, and re-evaluating my revision process to figure out how to improve it. And I’ve critiqued many works-in-progress by other writers, helping them figure out their next steps.
For me, next year will be full of adventure, as I embark on a two-year MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. I have personal writing goals as well as academic ones for 2018, and I’m ready to work and play hard.
Best wishes for you and your writing goals. I hope 2018 is a creative year for you.
by Karen Krossing | Nov 27, 2017 | Mentoring, On Writing
Note: In August, I posted about my decision to return to school for an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA). You can read that post here. I’ll be posting about my journey regularly, so check back for updates.
In January 2018, I’ll travel to Montpelier, Vermont, for my first ten-day residency. I hear that it’s a magical whirlwind of lectures, workshops, and readings from morning till night. I hear that I’ll meet like-minded writers eager to learn more about craft. I hear that I’ll form life-long friendships and be changed in ways I can’t yet imagine. Bring it on!
After the ten days, I’ll return home to work on my critical and creative projects from a distance with my faculty advisor for my first semester. I’m very happy to announce that this semester will be a picture-book intensive, which you can read about here. I’ll be studying with four other MFA students, a faculty advisor with an expertise in picture books, and a professional illustrator.
Like most children, my enchantment with literature began with picture books read aloud to me by adults. As a young girl, I “read” The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit by Beatrix Potter to myself long before I could make sense of letters on a page. I liked to capture members of my family and recite my version of the story, over and over. In the book, Potter portrays a fierce, bad rabbit who bullies a nice rabbit and steals his carrot. At a young age, I could already relate to the bullying. Yet what fascinated me was how a man with a gun comes along and shoots at the fierce, bad rabbit. This rabbit ends up with no tail or whiskers, and the nice rabbit avoids the hunter’s gun. There will be justice in this world, Potter’s book told me, although you may not get your carrot back.
When my own children were young, I read them too many picture books to count. Now that they’re twentysomethings, we still find time to read aloud new books I bring home, and we regularly quote from old favorites. “A promise is what you were given and a promise is what you got,” my partner will sagely say, based on A Promise is a Promise, written by Robert Munsch and Michael Kusugak, illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka. “Strength is for the wise, not the reckless. –More cake, please,” my daughter will recite, quoting young Patrick Edward in Monster Mama by author Liz Rosenberg and illustrator Stephen Gammell. Picture books built the foundations of my joy in reading and, later, in writing. As children’s poet Charles Ghigna wrote, “It is the joyous power of picture books that turns young listeners into readers and readers into writers.”
Although picture-book writing is an art I’ve admired for many years, I’ve only begun to experiment with the form recently. With this semester, I hope to learn skills that’ll apply to both short-form writing (the sound of language, how to think in pictures, economy of language) and long (story structure and depth of characterization using few words).
I’ve been prepping for my first semester by reading at least one book by each of the VCFA faculty. It’s been a wonderful exploration, and a great way to get to know them from a distance.
As I count the days until it starts, I’m sure the semester will be full of trials and joys. Will I get across the Canada-US border without trouble? Will the winter driving in Vermont be treacherous? How will I adjust to residence life? Will the workload overwhelm me?
All I know at this point is, when I talk to recent grads of the program, they tell me they’d gladly start the whole process again, if they could.
Want more? You can read Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, and my final MFA post.
by Karen Krossing | Oct 12, 2017 | Book News, Mentoring, Presentation News
I was thrilled to to celebrate tonight with Toronto teen creators at the launch of the Toronto Public Library’s Young Voices Magazine 2017. Fifty-two years in print! Wow, that’s a lot of talent. It’s a honour to be a small part of this legacy.
Teen Creators: If you love to create, don’t miss the Young Voices Writers Conference on October 28. To submit to next year’s magazine, click here. You can check out back issues here, and pick up a copy of the 2017 magazine at your local branch! The Toronto Public Library also has its first ever Young Voices Comic Artist in Residence this year! The talented Tory Woollcott will be offering workshops for teens here!
by Karen Krossing | Aug 15, 2017 | Mentoring, On Writing
I’ve had a growing urge to learn more about writing craft. After graduating from university many years ago, I’m about to become a student again. In January 2018, I’ll start an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. It’s not Hogwarts, but I know it’ll be just as magical.
I’ve been a writer at heart since I personified my toy cars as a young girl. At age ten, I wrote comic books about a girl named Lucky Lisa and the dog I wished I had. At age seventeen, I scribbled angst-filled poetry about the meaning of life. In high school, I knew I’d try to write for publication, although I thought I’d have to take a sensible job first and write professionally once I retired. Imagine my surprise when, after ten sensible years as an educational book editor, I found the courage to quit my full-time job to make room for writing.
Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to learning writing craft through hours at my desk as well as through workshops like Peter Carver’s Writing for Children class at Mable’s Fables Children’s Bookstore, CANSCAIP and SCBWI conferences, screenwriting seminars with John Truby and Robert McKee, and personal critique groups.
Although I’ve achieved much with my writing, I feel the burn to learn more. How can I better translate my characters to the page? Deepen my revision process? Understand the emotional journey of readers and how writing craft guides it? I’d like to explore new genres and techniques. I’d like to discover new ways to mentor emerging voices.
For me, the Vermont College of Fine Arts is the place to do this.
Thanks to the many people who helped me during the application process: Harry Endrulat, Sarah N. Harvey, Melanie Fishbane, Shelley Tanaka, and the VCFA administration. For the warm welcome, thanks to program director Melissa Fisher, Tim Wynne-Jones, and Amanda West Lewis.
I’m honoured. I’m grateful. I’m ready. I can’t wait to begin this journey.
Note: For Part 1 of My MFA Journey, go here.
by Karen Krossing | Aug 1, 2017 | Mentoring, On Writing, Presentation News
The Weekend of Words Festival on September 15 to 17 in East Toronto will feature a series of reading, writing, and performance events and workshops throughout the east end, including the What’s Your Story, East Toronto? celebration of reading and writing.
As part of the festival, I’ll be running a free writing workshop on revision. Please join me!
How to Revise Your Writing
Where: East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Ave, Toronto
When: September 17
Time: 12- 2 pm
To make readers care, your memoir or fiction writing must be told with finesse. In this workshop, you’ll discuss how to re-envision a work-in-progress, explore the craft of revision, and learn tips for focusing and polishing your stories. Since this workshop will include writing activities, you’re welcome to bring a work-in-progress that you want to revise.
Thanks to the Ontario Book Publishers Organization, East End Arts and Toronto Arts Council for presenting this event.
For the Facebook Event page, click here. For the event flyer, click here.
by Karen Krossing | Jun 29, 2017 | On Writing
Summer has arrived and, for me, that means a slower pace and a different writing schedule. I don’t need to squeeze writing in. I have fewer demands on my time, like writing workshops and freelance projects. I can luxuriate in hours of mad scribbling out a first draft, reading through my pile of books in my office, and pondering.
I’m not great at making time for pondering. I’m usually eager to start writing. I want to see results. Patience is not my strength. Discipline is. I can stay on task. Bang out that first draft. Create a revision plan. Produce the book.
Author Anne Lamott said in her recent Ted Talk, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug if for a few minutes, including you.” This quote is now on a note above my desk. It’s my summer mantra.
What new insights can I discover about my work-in-progress, my fledgling ideas, my writing process, myself? Right now, I’m at a crossroad with writing. I feel that I have a new aspect of the craft to learn. I’m exploring new ways to write. I’m experimenting with different voices and perspectives. I’m even exploring a new genre within kid lit.
Maybe this new exploration will result in new publications. Maybe not. But the journey will not be dull.
One thing I love about writing is that I’m never finished learning how to do it.
by Karen Krossing | May 24, 2017 | Book News, Mentoring
It’s a wonderful day when an author gets an email that reads “My student loved your book!” Thanks to Bonnie, a Library Media Specialist in New Jersey, for letting me know that Punch Like a Girl has made a huge difference for one reluctant reader. Thanks also for posting the email as a Goodreads review. It’s a great reminder of why I write.
Dear Ms. Krossing,
I’m a high school librarian in New Jersey. I have a student who who is a reluctant reader and was unhappy that she had to pick a book for her sustained silent reading. I recommended Punch Like a Girl, which she renewed twice before starting. A few weeks later her teacher returned it and told me that the student loved the book so much she asked for more by the same author. This is a huge victory, and I thought you should know. We have only Punch Like a Girl in our collection, but I look forward to populating our reluctant reader collection with more of your books. Thank you – you deserve the credit for getting a reluctant reader to love a book!
Bonnie
Library Media Specialist in NJ
by Karen Krossing | Apr 30, 2017 | On Writing
I’m a fan of daily word counts when I’m writing a first draft of a novel. It helps me focus on my goal of simply getting it down on paper, allowing revisions to come later. As novelist Jane Smiley wrote, “Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist.”
Recently, I’ve made a change to my word-count technique that’s working well. Usually, I set a count of anywhere from 500 to 1500 new words on my work-in-progress per writing session, depending on how much time I have to write. Now, I’ve changed that to include new words about my work-in-progress.
Here’s how it works: If I have half a day to write, I might decide I have to write a minimum of 500 new words of my manuscript or 1000 new words about my story. I always double the number of words that are about my story, since they are messier and tend to wander.
I’m finding this new technique is a useful way to write through blocks and challenges because I’m spending my writing time gaining insights about my story instead of writing a bunch of manuscript words that I’ll probably throw out later. I also find that I’m less distracted during writing sessions because I always have a measurable task to focus on. It satisfies me to be able to measure my progress, and I like to proudly announce to my family each evening how much I wrote.
What might I write about my story? Here are some options.
Write About Characters
I write character notes before I start writing a first draft, but those notes aren’t always thorough enough. Let me explain using an example.
On my current work-in-progress, I had two more first-draft chapters to write, but I was stuck. Depending on what one of my secondary characters did next, my plot could resolve in a few different ways. I realized that I didn’t know enough about this minor character who had suddenly developed a larger role in the story. I wrote character notes about her and asked myself questions about her current state:
- How does she feel right now?
- What does she notice about her world?
- How does she view my protagonist and the other characters?
- What details from her personal history might be triggered right now?
- What secrets might she be keeping?
- What’s her goal in this chapter?
Write About Plot
I write a synopsis before I start writing a first draft, but I also allow it to evolve organically.
Continuing with my example, now that I understood this secondary character better, I could begin to image her next steps. I decided to write about my plot by brainstorming alternative ideas, depending on how this character might behave and how my protagonist might react to her.
The result was a change in plot from my original synopsis. I discovered that the big moment I’d been writing toward wasn’t the true heart of my story. A new destination had emerged—one that better suited my novel.
Write from a Different Point of View
Now I knew my secondary character’s next steps. However, I discovered that I still didn’t have the whole picture. I only knew broad strokes, rather than details of her actions.
I decided to write the chapter from her point of view—detailed scenes that would never appear in the book. It forced me to develop every nuance of her thought-process, motivations and actions. When I began writing my first draft again, I knew exactly what this secondary character felt and thought. Her dialogue and deeds came to life on the page, and my protagonist and I could get on with the story.
Journal About the Story
Finally, I might write a journal entry about my story. I use this technique when I need to sort out my feelings about it. Maybe I’m afraid that the novel isn’t working or that I’ll never create a readable story. I write about my fears, trying to turn them into positive ways forward:
- Why am I afraid the story isn’t working?
- What revision notes can I make that will improve the story?
- In what ways is the story succeeding?
After I’ve written about my story, I’m ready to write my actual manuscript again. When I do, my first-draft words are more targeted, with richer characters and better plot intricacies.
For me, it’s a win-win. I move my story forward, and I have a measurable result after each writing session. Even better, I eventually end up with a finished first draft to celebrate.
Hopefully, this technique will help you finish your first draft too.
by Karen Krossing | Mar 17, 2017 | Mentoring, On Writing, Presentation News
An East End Arts Initiative
Saturday, April 8, 2017, 1 to 4 pm
Danforth/Coxwell Library, 1675 Danforth Avenue, Toronto
Ages 16 +
FREE
Register here
Our lives are the fuel for our writing. The everyday places where we spend time, the people we meet, the events that still haunt us or inspire us — all of these infuse our stories, poems, memoirs, and rants.
Please join me for Art MEETS: Writing in Place — a writing workshop for ages 16 and up. Using fun and inspiring prompts, like six-word stories and writing based on photos, you’ll learn writing techniques and explore how your everyday experiences can enrich your writing. You can also bring a story, poem, memoir, or rant that you’d like feedback on, as well as your questions about writing techniques or how to get published. Designed for emerging writers and diverse voices, this inclusive workshop will also help you prepare your writing for two East End Arts writing opportunities.
My City My Six is a public art project in partnership with the City of Toronto, where individuals are encouraged to submit six-word stories to be included in a local east end and City-wide exhibition in September and October. What’s Your Story, in partnership with the Ontario Book Publishers Organization and Toronto Arts Council, is a writing competition for both established and emerging writers.
by Karen Krossing | Mar 1, 2017 | Book News, On Writing
Back in 2013, I was thrilled to hear that Penguin Canada would release a teen novel based on the life of Anne of Green Gables author L.M. Montgomery. What fun to fictionalize a Canadian icon who’d left us with so many literary treasures! I had perfect faith that the talented Melanie J. Fishbane would bring teenaged Lucy Maud Montgomery to life. Too bad I had to wait four years to enjoy the results.
I’m not known for my patience, but somehow I endured the long years of anticipation. Lucky me – I got my hands on an advanced reader’s copy. Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery will be available for purchase on April 25, 2017.
In Maud, Melanie affectionately reveals Maud’s life from age 14 to 18, including her time as a student in charming Cavendish, PEI, and her year living with her father and difficult stepmother in the frontier town of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Fans of Montgomery’s novels will adore this exploration of her bosom friends, her handsome and teasing suitors, her rigid grandparents, and the challenges she faced in pursuing her dream of becoming an author. But readers don’t need to be familiar with Montgomery’s books to enjoy Melanie’s absorbing prose. Maud is a heartwarming story by an author who is certainly a kindred spirit of Montgomery’s. You can check out Melanie’s blog or find her on Twitter.
Me: How did it feel to fictionalize a Canadian literary legend? How did you approach that task?
Melanie: There’s a tremendous responsibility to fictionalize someone whom people have an idea about. L.M. Montgomery left so many parts of herself behind, but it didn’t tell the full picture. She also crafted the idea that she’s Anne (or Emily from Emily of New Moon), and that’s how people tend to see her. She’s very precious to her readers, to Canada. I was also aware that her family would be reading the novel. I was compassionate about this, but I also knew I had to be true to my character and her story.
I read Maud’s journals, her autobiography, scrapbooks, and combed through her library at the Guelph Archives. I also read the letters she wrote to her best friend and cousin growing up, Pensie Macneill. And, of course, I read her fiction. I particularly looked at the Emily books because they are Maud’s portrait of a young writer. Some things are written in fiction because they are safer to explore. And then I listened to her. I interviewed Maud’s family, I walked her paths where I could. I travelled to both PEI and Saskatchewan. I embodied her physically and hoped that what emerged was as truthful to my character and her story as it could be.
The other thing I did is write papers. I found that it helped me to figure things out, maybe because of my MA in History. I gave a number of papers about Maud as teen writer, one about Maud’s experience with the “mean girls,” who in the novel are embodied in Clemmie, and a few on what I call “The Perfect Man Archetype” in YA literature. Here I explored the connection between Maud’s fictional characters and those in her real life. This helped me sift through the many questions I had.
Me: I agree that “some things are written in fiction because they are safer to explore.” That’s so true. On another note, as a writer, I felt very connected to Maud’s desire to write and her use of it to understand her world. Can you tell us about your personal connection to Maud as a character in your novel?
Melanie J. Fishbane
(Photo credit: Ayelet Tsabari)
Melanie: Maud came from a family of storytellers, and she wanted to tell her own story. I, too, come from a family of storytellers. My brother, Joel Fishbane, is a playwright and the writer of The Thunder of Giants. On my mom’s side, I have many creative cousins: Beth Dranoff, just got her first book published, Mark of the Moon; Shaina Silver-Bard, is a musician and playwright. And that’s just a few. On my dad’s side, I have a cousin who writes academic works, and one who writes about yoga. So Maud and I both come by it honestly. 🙂
On both sides of my family we tell our personal history, too. My Zaida Myer (who I dedicated the novel to) would tell me many stories about growing up in Toronto and being in the army in the Second World War. Right now, I’m soaking up my 94-year-old grandmother’s stories about immigrating to Canada in the 1920s and making a life in Edmonton and then in Toronto. In fact, one of the best compliments I got about Maud was when she told me the Prince Albert sections reminded her of growing up out West.
Maud is connected to her stories through her experience and listening to her family’s stories. She was very clear about this in her autobiography, The Alpine Path, and her journals are full of those stories. I had initially tried to get these into the draft, but it didn’t quite work out that way. But it was definitely a way for me to get into her character and her process. I’m inspired to write because of my family’s stories, and I think it was the same for Maud, too.
Me: You’ve recently completed a MFA in writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts – a program that a young Maud would have been thrilled to attend. How did the skills you learned there help you in crafting your novel?
L.M. Montgomery
(Photo credit: L.M. Montgomery Collection, Guelph Archives)
Melanie: It is true that she would have loved to be part of such a rich and vibrant writer community. VCFA taught me … everything. My advisors gave me permission to trust myself, listen to my characters, and honour my process. They also helped me understand that the story comes from revision and that all stories must go through this to find their truth. To listen to the feedback and (at least try) not to take it too personally (which was something I struggled with when I was writing my first MA). I realized in hindsight my advisor then was just trying to make me a better writer. What becomes important is the story, making it the best it can be. I learned plotting techniques, mapping, and the questions one should ask when writing historical fiction. Some of this of course I knew, but my advisors gave me more tools for my toolbox.
Me: I kept comparing Maud to Anne Shirley as I read, and your novel highlights similarities between them. Was one of your goals in writing the book to help readers understand Maud’s own fiction better?
Melanie: Certainly. As I said above, one of the ways I found Maud’s character was to read her fiction. That’s the way her readers discovered her. It was important to me, though, that there was room to breathe. Anne Shirley is her own fictional character that was birthed roughly 15 years after this novel takes place. By that point, Maud had experienced many more things that would have influenced the writing of that book. It was important to find Maud as a teenager and consider how she was separate from Anne Shirley. But I also needed to find the seedlings of the character Maud would one day create.
Me: You’ve mentioned your academic papers about the perfect man archetype in young-adult literature, so let’s talk about Maud’s beau’s in real life and the fictional beaus she created. How does her character Gilbert Blythe relate to Maud’s real-life beaus?
Melanie: Ha! Well, as you say, I’ve written many papers on this. Let’s see if I can do the short-answer version without giving away spoilers. There are two boyfriends featured in Maud, Nate Lockhart and Will Pritchard. Truthfully, it’s difficult for me to distinguish between the fictional Nate and Will and the real ones. Also, I’ve learned about the “real” ones through the lens of Maud’s journals, so I already have a barrier. But, from the sources, I can tell you that Nate was the Baptist minister’s stepson, and they competed often for grades in school. He was also a bit of a romantic and enjoyed poetry; he and Maud had those things in common. Maud and Nate’s relationship was up and down; they fought often, and there were times when they didn’t talk. Maud met Will when she went out West. He was better with the land than with words, but he encouraged her writing. I think he allowed Maud to be herself, as much as she knew how to be. Gilbert Blythe was Anne’s academic rival. He doesn’t always do things right, like Nate, and he has a romantic side – the heart in Anne of Green Gables. As Anne and Gilbert grow older, at least before they get married, Gilbert encourages Anne’s work. He’s the one who tells her to write about Avonlea. He loves Anne for Anne. Nate and Will both loved Maud for who she was.
Nate Lockhart
(Photo credit: The Shining Scroll, L.M. Montgomery Literary Society)
Will Pritchard
(Photo credit: L.M. Montgomery Collection, Guelph Archives)
Me: Will you give us a sneak peek into what you’re writing now?
Melanie: I’m writing another historical fiction. Different period. A young woman who has her consciousness raised about women’s rights because of something that happens to her best friend … and she decides to do something about it.
Me: Sounds intriguing! I look forward to reading it.
