Probably the coolest place I’ve ever run writing workshops, I wrote with grade 4 to 8 students right next to Chris Hadfield’s spacesuit, the first Canada Arm, and northern bush planes.
MASC does excellent, important work, and they do it so well. I was honoured to be part of it, and to share stories with the kids and teens.
Just to give you a glimpse into the fine writing that happened during the week, here are two great lines from my workshops:
On loneliness: “He was nothing more than nothing in a school that had everything.”
Describing the conditions that lead to belly-aching laughter between friends: “High on Cheeto dust, Coca-Cola and sunshine. When even a brownie recipe can make you laugh.”
I now have a few manuscripts from kids and teens to critique, which I’m happy to do. It’s great to have the opportunity to encourage keen writers to continue to develop their skills after the conference is over.
Writing the middle of a novel is hard. I start out a first draft starry-eyed and eager to write, enthralled by my sparkly premise and seduced by my enticing characters. This book will be different. I know so much more about writing a novel now. I won’t get lost in the messy middle this time.
Words come easily. One chapter flows into the next. Then, at some point, maybe around chapter eight, I slooowww dooowwwnnn. Word production reduces to a trickle. My characters don’t seem so sparkly anymore. My plot tangles.
Can you tell where I am in my current work-in-progress? Yep. You guessed it. The messy middle.
Here are my tips and tricks for facing down the messy middle:
Re-visit Your Plot
I typically create a full synopsis before writing. Throughout the writing of my first draft, I stop to revise my synopsis periodically. It’s easy to find places to tweak wording, but more importantly, I find places to expand. Sometimes, I get stuck in the messy middle because I haven’t fully envisioned what’s going to happen in a section of the novel. I have the larger scenes in mind, but the nuances and details fill in as I write a first draft.
Take a Walk With Your Protagonist
I may be lost in the messy middle, but my protagonist can guide me through. Sometimes, I pause during the writing of my first draft to expand my character notes. Now that I’ve written a portion of the novel, I may have a better idea of who my protagonist is, and how my other characters relate to him or her.
Research Your Next Scene
I may become stuck because I don’t have enough detail to imagine the next sequence of scenes. Researching setting and other particulars can help me get back on track. Once I’ve researched information I may have been missing, I can write more specific notes about my upcoming scenes. If I’m lucky, I’ll slip into writing the next scene without even noticing. If not, at least I’ll have a better plan for what I’ll write, when I’m unblocked.
Write About Your Novel
I sometimes need to write journal entries about my novel. Typically, I ask myself questions about what’s blocking me or how I feel about the novel and its characters. My entries are rambling and sometimes grouchy or whiny, but they eventually help me figure out why I’m blocked. When I identify the block, it’s easier to clear.
Make Revision Notes About What You’ve Already Written
Sometimes I need a running start in order to tackle the messy middle. I re-read from the start of my first draft, making notes about how to revise and deepen. I try not to do too much revision at this stage, because I know I’ll see the manuscript more clearly once I’ve written a whole first draft. But if I discover my manuscript has traveled far off track, I wrestle it back into place. This process helps me to re-connect with what I’ve written and where the story is headed, kickstarting my writing again.
Make a Project Playlist
I love collecting songs that inspire my work-in-progress and even specific scenes. Listening to my playlist before a writing session can help me get writing.
Find Images to Inspire You
I also love collecting images that inspire my work-in-progress. I’ve collected photos of people who look like my characters, setting possibilities and artwork that captures the emotional tenor of my work-in-progress. If you like to draw, you could also sketch your characters and settings, even mapping your world.
Make a Daily Word Count
I have an over-active inner editor who likes to judge whether I’m writing well. I like to keep him busy by counting words. If I set a daily word count for myself, he’s distracted from judging the quality of my writing, which frees me up to simply get words on paper. I can’t revise if I don’t write a first draft.
I prefer to set my daily word count low. If I aim for only five hundred daily words, but I achieve one thousand, I feel positive. If I aim for fifteen hundred words and achieve one thousand, I feel discouraged.
Write To-do Lists
I like to break my big-picture goals into smaller daily ones. My yearly goals are vague (for example, write a first draft of novel A and revise novel B). But I break those down into realistic weekly and daily goals, depending on the non-writing tasks I also need to do. This takes the pressure off in terms of personal or publisher deadlines. As long as I’m meeting my monthly or weekly goals, I’ll get where I’m headed.
Find a Goal Buddy
I love solitude. On my high-school aptitude test, my top job was a long-distance truck driver. I figure that’s because I answered every question as the introvert that I am. Sometimes, I need to fight that urge for solitude and talk to writing friends about my goals. When I state my goals aloud to someone I trust, it helps me feel more accountable.
I know that frustration is part of the creative process. Yet, with each project, when the messy-middle stage arrives, I’m caught off guard. This manuscript feels harder to write than any other I’ve ever written. Where do I go from here? How can I move this project forward?
I’m about to dust off a few of these techniques to re-kindle my enthusiasm for my work-in-progress. Hopefully, some of these techniques will work for you too.
Hey, Toronto teen artists and writers! Check out the great events at the Toronto Public Library on March Break, including an open mic and workshops on photography, anime, cartooning, writing, and more. For a full listing, go here.
After you perfect your artwork, photography and writing, you can submit it to the TPL’s Young Voices Magazine. The submission deadline is Tuesday April 5, 2016. Work submitted after the 2016 deadline will be considered for the 2017 issue of Young Voices Magazine.
All submissions are reviewed by an editorial board consisting of teen artists and writers working with professional artists and writers, including me. If your work is selected for publication, you’ll be notified by the TPL. Good luck, and I look forward to reading your entries!
Do you want to see what the editorial board selected in 2015? To read last year’s magazine, go here.
I’ve been thinking about how best to concentrate this month, really focus during my writing sessions, since I’ve been noticing that I can be easily distracted at times.
Why am I more distracted than usual? Maybe it’s because of the intermittent nature of connecting with people through social media throughout the day. (I love connecting with my online network, really, but I also need writing time.) Or maybe it’s the bite-sized way we now consume online information, through 500-word blog posts and three-minute videos. (How often do I favour that three-minute video over the 20-minute one? Has my brain been reprogrammed to consume in small batches?)
So I began my personal mission for better concentration.
Step 1: Control my Use of Social Media
I’m a writer with discipline, so I don’t need an app that banishes me from Facebook or Twitter. But I maybe I don’t need to check in every 30 minutes? Or watch that cat video. Or that one. Or … you get the idea. (Maybe I still need some help with step 1.)
Step 2: Get More Comfortable
I know many writers like treadmill desks. (Right Arthur Slade and Mahtab Narsimhan?) Call me lazy, but I prefer to sit while writing. The problem is that the cold gets to me, so my latest writing tool is writing gloves. I love, love, love my cozy new gloves. Warmth matters. Who can write well without warmth?
Step 3: Seek Sounds for Better Productivity
With noisy teenagers in my home and construction workers often outside it, I’ve been trying productivity sounds to help me focus. The free websites Rainy Mood as well as Noisli have helped me block unwanted sound. But I hit the motherload of sound productivity when this blog post introduced me to Brain FM. Wow! I’m a huge fan!
What is Brain FM? It’s a website-delivered audio brainwave program designed to help us focus, relax, or sleep, depending on what we’re trying to do. I was a skeptic, until I tried it once. Four hours later, I was still writing and that tug to check Facebook and Twitter was a distant memory.
Step 4: Seek Goal Buddies
I love writing in solitude. But I’ve also been seeking out like-minded writing friends to help with productivity. Sometimes, I flee my lonely writer’s garret to meet friends at a library or coffee shop to write. I love the looks of quiet concentration on their faces and the conversations about our goals for our works-in-progress.
Step 5: Just Say No
As Steve Jobs famously said in this video, “Focusing is saying, ‘No.'” Life is busy, and it can be hard to chisel out writing time. Recently, I’ve been learning the power of saying “no.” I want to be tugged in fewer directions. I want to spend less time multi-tasking. I want to to focus on one writing task at a time, and do it well. Really well. So well, that when a child or teenager picks up one of my books and starts to read, my writing will be compelling enough that he or she won’t be tempted to check Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or Tumblr or anything else. At least until the book is done.
Chai is not native to troll country, yet Bog fell in love with this tender and delicious chai-seasoned beef after his contact with humans. A cross-cultural recipe for a good holiday!
Best wishes for the holiday season, no matter how you celebrate it.
Friday, December 4, 2015
14432 Rd 38, Sharbot Lake, ON K0H 2P0
Grades 7 to 10
Two readings of Punch Like a Girl to help raise awareness about violence against women and remember the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre on December 6, 1989.
WordPlay Writing Workshops
Monday, December 14 and Wednesday, December 16, 2015
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Toronto Public Library, Cedarbrae Branch
Ages 13 to 19
Who says writing isn’t fun? With fresh and inspiring story-starters, you’ll explore new characters and create captivating scenes. Spark your imagination and enjoyment of words while learning creative writing techniques in this hands-on workshop.
How to Create a Believable OtherWorld
Monday, December 21, 2015
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Toronto Public Library, Agincourt Branch
Ages 13 to 19
Whether you write about unicorns or alien planets, an imaginary world needs rules and structure in order to be believable. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to create a fully imagined fantasy or science-fiction world and the characters who live there.
Writing from Real Life: Writing Workshops for Teens
Saturday, February 20, 2016
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Toronto Public Library, Cedarbrae Branch
Ages 13 to 19 Register here
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Milton Public Library, Main Branch
Ages 12 to 17
Learn to create stories from real-life details. Explore how childhood memories, overheard conversations or even family history can be turned into great writing. Explore creative writing techniques and get constructive feedback on your writing!
April 19, 20, 21, 2016
The Canada Aviation and Space Museum
11 Aviation Parkway, Ottawa, ON K1K 2X5
The MASC Young Authors and Illustrators Conference turns 25 this year! If you are a student in grades four to eight with a passion for writing and illustration, you won’t want to miss this exciting day of hands-on creative workshops with some of Canada’s finest children’s authors and book illustrators.
I got a lovely note from a high-school teacher this week about my novel Take the Stairs. She wanted to let me know that my book is enjoyed daily at her school, and she thanked me for writing about taboo topics in a way that allows teachers to easily open dialogue on them in the classroom.
Like me, this teacher believes we need to acknowledge the rough realities in life. Today, I’m grateful she took the time to let me know that my book mattered to her and her students.
For teachers looking to use Take the Stairs in the classroom, a teacher’s guide is available here.
I’ve been a guest editor of Young Voices Magazine – the Toronto Public library’s magazine of teen writing and art – since 2007, and it never gets old. Last night, I helped to celebrate the 50th year of publication; so maybe the magazine is old, but the celebration is young, vibrant, and enthusiastic.
Just think about it! Fifty years of publishing great writing and art by teens! How many magazines can boast that? For a glimpse of the first edition of the magazine, click here.
The launch featured a message from Poet Laureate of Toronto, George Elliot Clarke, who said, “Toronto’s young writers and artists will continue to praise beauty and critique wrongs, starting right here, in 2015, and continuing right on to 2065 and beyond!”
It’s my pleasure to read submissions by Toronto teens with my group of teen volunteers. It’s an even greater pleasure seeing the newly published teens on stage, reading from their pieces and sharing the inspiration for their works of art. Like the cover artist for the 2015 magazine, who talked about how an incident in grade 7, in which a classmate was struggling with gender, inspired her piece about pride in oneself and self-acceptance.
Young Voices 2015
Out of respect for the youth, I can’t take photos or videos of the launch, but let me tell you that there was a lot of talent in that room. I love meeting proud family members, and shaking the hands of the writers and artists of tomorrow.
So please, if you know Toronto teens who love to create, steer them toward this magazine. Anyone can pick up a copy of the 2015 magazine at any branch of the Toronto Public Library. And submission guidelines for the 2016 magazine are here. As a bonus, Toronto teens can now get their writing critiqued by E-writer-in-residence Eve Silver. To follow, Eve’s post, go here. Write on!
I believe that an author’s first priority is integrity to the story. We must listen to our characters and take them where they demand to go. Yet we cannot deny the immense influence authors wield over their audiences. For children’s authors, this influence is particularly potent. The youth of today become the caretakers of tomorrow.
My latest novel, Punch Like a Girl, addresses a topical issue head on. In it, 17-year-old Tori develops a hero complex, trying to rescue others whether they want it or not, in order to avoid facing her own fears of sexual assault. At publication, numerous high-profile incidents involving sexual assault were in the headlines, bringing the issue to the forefront of traditional and social media, and pushing for a public conversation that is long overdue. For readers, I hoped my book would spark open discussion on what a healthy relationship looks like. I didn’t anticipate the very personal conversations I’d have with readers – in writing and face to face.
I’ve had teen girls ask me what to do about a friend who is in an unhealthy relationship. I’ve had inspiring conversations with survivors of domestic or dating abuse. I’ve had a teacher approach me to meet personally with a gifted young writer who wrote about her story of survival. These conversations show what a huge impact a book can have on readers. Enough to open their minds to a new worldview. Enough to make much-needed cultural shifts in our society, now and in the future.
For me, writing Punch Like a Girl was a way to understand the trauma and recovery process from the inside. It was about the building of a hero from the ashes of a victim, which is Tori’s journey. But it’s also becoming a talking point, sparking conversations about violence against girls and women. Tori and I have both learned about the power of community and how to punch back.
After interaction with readers, I’ve come to a few conclusions. Not only do we need to be good stewards of our earth in order to pass it on to future generations, we need to be good stewards of our youth. For authors, this means we need to recognize that, in creating content for children and youth, we have a social responsibility. I’m not advocating didactic, preachy, or moralistic lessons, since this doesn’t maintain the integrity of the story. However, social responsibility can affect our choice of story idea, the diversity of our characters, the actions our characters take, the changes they go through, and how we interact with readers during readings and workshops as well as online. As cultural critic Henry Giroux says, although creators want to make great art, we also have a responsibility to create a world in which great art can thrive.
Thanks to YA author and blogger Melanie Fishbane for this interview on her blog. I’m very excited about Melanie’s debut novel about the teen years of L.M. Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables, to be published by Razorbill Press in 2016. This is a novel not to be missed!
To read Melanie’s interview of me and my latest novel, Punch Like a Girl, click on the image below. Thanks, Melanie, for the great questions.
