During my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, I wrote about how to revise picture-book manuscripts. I’m happy to share this as a two-part article in the CANSCAIP News.
The first part was published in the Spring issue, and it focuses on beginnings and endings. Now, the Summer issue includes the second part on how to revise the messy middle.
I’m finishing my third semester with my fabulous faculty advisor Will Alexander, author of fantasy and science fiction for young readers, including his most recent book, A Festival of Ghosts, which you must read if you haven’t already!
This semester, Will suggested on-point mentor texts and critical essays that shaped my thinking, he provided writing exercises that gave me techniques to address challenges, and he provided feedback that inspired and challenged me to succeed. He confirmed when I was on track and guided me with enthusiasm when I was not. He celebrated successes with me, both big and small, and truly cared about my development as a writer. Will, I’m so very grateful!
The third semester is all about the critical thesis, which is actually more fun than it sounds because you pick a writing-craft topic that you want to learn about in more detail. For me, that topic was culture and character development.
My premise was that cultural development is not only for characters who are labeled as diverse; it is for all characters. I limited this exploration to family culture, which shows where our characters first develop their beliefs, and peer culture, which shows where they apply those beliefs. I demonstrated that our characters’ cultural orientations provide motivation for how they feel, what they do and say, and how they change—all of which are basic building blocks for story. I developed character cultural development tools that writers can use to gain story insights as well as insights into how they relate to their characters, and I connected this topic to the #OwnVoices movement.
This topic is personally important to me because I want to authentically portray the diverse community in which I live and write. As writers, we’re familiar with how to integrate surface-level cultural elements into a story, perhaps by using slang, describing food or fashion, or using a festival as a setting. However, we should also understand the deep-level beliefs behind those elements. In addition, awareness of how our own cultural orientations differ from our characters’ will help us identify beliefs, feelings, and behaviours that come from ourselves, rather than them. It can also help us identify if we are the ideal writer to tell a particular story.
Now, my critical thesis will join the many others at VCFA’s Gary Library as part of their canon of critical thought on children’s literature. I must be a geek because that makes me excited!
This semester, I also read and analyzed books in a wide range of genres — picture books, chapter books, poetry, novels for kids and teens, graphic novels, novels in verse, short stories for kids and teens, fairy tales, nonfiction, memoir, and essays on writing craft. I listened to 21 audio-recorded VCFA lectures and read many critical theses.
For my creative work, my overall goal this semester was to explore the micro-level craft techniques for emotional depth on the page and macro-level techniques for the emotional structure of a story in both short fiction and novels. Here’s what I wrote over the last six months:
I wrote three flash fiction stories to play with how to generate emotionally deep characters.
I wrote and revised a new narrative nonfiction picture book, which I’m super excited about!
I wrote a solid draft of over three-quarters of a middle-grade fantasy novel that I can’t stop thinking about!
I can’t begin to explain all the ways this program has changed me as a writer. With one more semester to go, it’s not over yet.
My fourth semester starts in July with a residency filled with workshops, lectures, and readings — and a new faculty advisor. In my final semester, I’ll be completing a creative thesis and preparing a lecture. But first, I need a few weeks to rest up for the fun and hard work to come!
As one of my many explorations during my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, I wrote about how to revise picture-book manuscripts. Now, that writing has become a two-part article in the CANSCAIP News!
You can read the first part of the article here (in the Summer 2019 issue). This part discusses beginnings and endings. The second part will explore how to revise the messy middle of a manuscript.
I recently started Kan’t Draw Komics, and you can read my first one here. Since I just returned from the whirlwind of my third residency at the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) in Writing for Children and Young Adults, border crossings are on my mind. So my second comic is on that theme, and it’s actually based on a true story from one of my trips. I hope you enjoy it!
In this semester, I’m writing my critical thesis, which I’m very excited about, and I’ll share more about my topic later. When I started this program, I expected the critical writing to be a chore, but I discovered how much it feeds my creative work. I’ll also be working on creative writing projects, of course. I’m thrilled to be paired with the talented faculty advisor and program chair Will Alexander, author of fantasy and science fiction for young readers. His most recent book, A Festival of Ghosts, is a fun, ghostly romp!
I’m currently finishing up my second semester with my genius advisor Amanda Jenkins, author of the Printz Honor Book Repossessed, among others titles. My goal this semester was to understand how to convey authentic and deep character emotion in both revised and new manuscripts. It expanded to include how to structure a story based on a character’s emotional journey.
Here’s what I did over the last six months:
I read and analyzed books in a wide range of genres — picture books, chapter books, poetry, novels for kids and teens, graphic novels, novels in verse, manga, short stories for kids and teens, nonfiction and memoir. I listened to 20 audio-recorded VCFA lectures and a handful of critical theses.
I wrote short essays about how to use humor to maximize reader engagement with emotionally taxing characters and how to use micro-level tools to focus emotion in a scene. At the request of my advisor, I wrote a personal essay on why I’m drawn to write monstrous characters like Bog, since one of my works-in-progress has a monstrous character in it. I also wrote two long essays about power relationships and group dynamics in kid-lit families and peer groups.
I researched for my upcoming critical thesis, which I’ll write in my third semester, and I wrote a proposal for it. I’m super-stoked to start writing this!
For my creative writing, I wrote side writing about my works-in-progress as well as new manuscript pages. I focussed on two projects: a revision of a YA novel and first draft of an MG novel. My creative was focussed on depth of characterization and understanding the story that occurs off the page as well as on it.
I emerge from this first semester with this big-picture takeaway: how I can transform my writing process to achieve greater depth of character emotion and use that emotional depth to form the inner arc of a story. I’ve now got a handle on my characters from both my novel projects, and I’m ready to write them in a way that is both honest and deep.
My third semester starts in January with a residency filled with workshops, lectures and readings — and a new faculty advisor. I’m so grateful for what I’ve learned so far and I’m excited for the next steps!
