Need Inspiration? Consider Taking an E-Course

If you ever find yourself on a tight budget and you’re running low on ideas for new projects, consider signing up for a course on the Internet: It can help you interact with other writers, teach you new ways to work with unfamiliar genres and get you feedback on possibilities for your work–all at a reasonable price!

I would go to school forever if I could afford to. But since I do not have the funds to enrol in college and university courses one after another, I turned to an Internet course when I needed that extra inspiration. I had just finished a draft of a manuscript and I knew the lengthy, monotonous rewriting and editing stages would begin soon enough. But while I stepped away from my manuscript draft in order to gain some perspective on it, I hoped to start a new project; one that would get me thinking and brainstorming in a totally new direction. And I wanted to try something a little different from writing for the young adult audience.

That’s when an email from WOW! Women On Writing, an online publication and writing resource for women writers, landed in my inbox. Opening the ezine and skimming through the index of subjects for that issue, I became interested in a WOW! advertorial about e-courses being offered in various genres, taught by different instructors.

One course in particular caught my eye: Writing A Middle-Grade Novel, taught by Margo L. Dill, a children’s author and editor. The fee was nominal compared to the hundreds of dollars a writing course offered through Continuing Education courses can cost. But I was concerned whether I would get enough bang for my buck to make this investment in my next project worth my time and money.

After taking this six-week e-course, I was happily surprised by the results.

Some of the Pros of the e-course I took:

• The instructor, Margo L. Dill, was excellent. She was open to questions throughout the course that was run by email submissions to a Yahoo! group posting board. Margo was very knowledgeable about the genre and her first middle-grade novel is being published in 2012.
• I got to meet and interact via email with the other members of the class, who lived in the United States and Britain–aside from myself here in Canada–and it was useful we were all at different places in our writing careers.
• Despite having no real ideas at the outset, I was able to develop a story idea out of the brainstorming exercises we discussed.
• Feedback from Margo and from two critique exchanges with classmates offered excellent constructive criticism on the first two chapters I wrote for class assignments.
• By the end of the course I had a solid beginning to my middle-grade novel manuscript and I’d worked on a plan for continuing to write independently after the course.

The main Con of the e-course I took:

• It was only six weeks long which meant I had only written two chapters by the end of it–but considering the small fee, it was totally worth the money.

There are tons of e-courses available on the Internet these days: No doubt some are better than others. When it comes to taking a chance on the value and usefulness of taking an e-course, my experience was certainly positive.

YA Book Review: Sheree Fitch’s PLUTO’S GHOST

Pluto’s Ghost
Written by Sheree Fitch
Doubleday Canada, 2010
ISBN 978-0-385-66590-2 (pb) $14.95

Since Sheree Fitch’s middle grade novel, Gravesavers, is one of my absolutely favourite books, I was thrilled to purchase Fitch’s latest novel, Pluto’s Ghost. Written for young adult readers, Pluto’s Ghost tackles serious issues such as teen pregnancy and abusive relationships.

Fitch’s protagonist, Jake Upshore, is an underdog who easily endears himself to the reader because he is basically a good person despite his affinity for trouble. A quirky and complex character, Jake’s problems are anything but simple. He tells the reader how he’s “… an audio-olfactory-gustatory synaesthete,” and later gives examples to explain what this means: “Besides sniffing the world to understand it and hearing words like musical notes and sometimes seeing shapes and colours mix together depending on my mood … I have a few other challenges.” In addition to losing his mother when he was only five and abusing alcohol and drugs as a young teenager, Jake has been identified as having an anger problem called Intermittent Explosive Disorder.

Perhaps the issue that Fitch explores most thoroughly is the dyslexia Jake struggles with throughout the first-person narrative. Jake relates a series of traumatic events that culminate in a violent conflict. Jake is aware of his tendency to use run-on sentences—though we do not have to suffer many examples of this as readers—more often Jake’s narrative includes sentence fragments that mirror his casual speech style and he segues back and forth in time according to chapter divisions. In some ways the narrative structure parallels Jake’s difficulties in trying to process meaning from the written word adding an authenticity to Jake’s narrative role. Fitch masterfully weaves together Jake’s memories and maintains the tension and fast pace from beginning to end.

In describing himself, Jake says, “I’m a zigzag kind of thinker and talker … two steps forward, twenty back. My tale’s a bit twisted.” His self-esteem is bruised and battered reflecting the perspective held by many that he is trouble and not university material, also having a “so-called criminal record.” Although Jake uses many strategies to accommodate his literacy challenges such as looking up words in the dictionary and the thesaurus as he reads, sometimes placing a ruler beneath a line of text, he ultimately experiences frustration and fails to decipher the critical information that would tell him the truth he seeks in girlfriend, Skye Derucci’s diary. Describing how he views Skye’s cursive writing, Jakes says, “Goddam hieroglyphics to a dyslexic like me. … Staring at those sentences was like looking at rows of wiggling centipedes line dancing across the page. Reading and decoding would take all day and time I didn’t have.”

As Jake continues to tell his story, the reader cannot help but feel empathy for him and root for his success. He fights to keep going though his world is full of chaos. Despite his reading challenges, Jake enjoys writing songs, though he is unable to create endings for them. But Jake manages to complete one very long song when he draws his narrative to a satisfying close as a component of a writing assignment. Near the conclusion the reader understands the serious consequences Jake may face because he was not able to read through the diary.

Fitch does not disappoint with her latest offering. I highly recommend Pluto’s Ghost as a humorous and compelling read. For more on Sheree Fitch’s writing, fans can take a look at her Website —
http://www.shereefitch.com

What is my Platform and Why do I Need One?

Since I wrote about my writing group in my last blog post and I made special mention of the four women who have published books, it’s fitting that in this post I talk about book promotions and introduce Susan M. Toy, of Alberta Books Canada, a book promoter extraordinaire, fellow writer and member of my writing group.

But first–What is a platform?

Most of what I know about blogging and the need for a writing platform I learned from Susan, who has taught me how self-promotion will help me connect with my future readers for when I am a published author with a book to market. Quite simply, it is these readers who are potentially the audience for my writing and that is what an author’s platform is.

Do I need a platform?

As an emerging writer, my eyes are trained on the path to publication and my ears prick up when I hear there are ways to help myself meet this goal in addition to labouring away at improving my craft. Susan has grilled it into me that, yes, I most definitely need a platform–as does any emerging writer–since my best hope for selling lots and lots of books when I am published is to have a captive audience who is willing to purchase and read my work.

What is my writing platform?

My writing platform aims to cultivate an audience of Young Adult readers, those who write for the YA audience, those who publish YA books and those who sell and champion YA books. That means I need to focus on promoting my knowledge of the YA book industry by writing interesting blog posts and I need to network–remembering the importance of social networking sites to keep me in the loop with the latest news in the YA writing world and to update my “friends” on the sites with any news I have concerning YA writing.

But there is so much more you need to know about marketing your work than I can mention here. In order to be in the know about how to promote yourself as an emerging and newly published writer, you’ll definitely need to have a look at the following. First, for an excellent and in-depth look at the subject of writer’s platforms and the many things you can do to boost your readership, check out Susan Toy’s website.

Susan uses her vast knowledge of book sales and marketing from her earlier career in book sales to find innovative ways to get people talking about and reading the books her author clients have written. Susan focuses on finding potential markets and speaking venues for her authors that go above and beyond the reach of most traditional publishers’ marketing budgets. For more about Alberta Books Canada, check out an interview with Susan Toy, given by Pearl Luke of Book Club Buddy.

Writer’s Groups: How to Stay Sane as a Writer

Being a writer requires a lot more than skill in the craft of writing. You have to accept that rejection will be a big part of life–expect it even–and you have to hope you have talent, nurture that talent and work diligently to improve it, network, learn to edit, rewrite and edit some more; all the while working alone with no promise of success. In order to make your work life bearable I would highly recommend you join a writer’s group. But here’s the thing, finding a good one may not be as easy as it was for me. Luck, another component of the writing life, had it that I would end up taking a writing course and there meet the women who would form the beginnings of our writer’s group.

Writer’s groups can accomplish a number of things but most often people take part in them to find kinship and for support in giving and receiving critiques of their writing projects. My writer’s group has participated in writing swaps in the past and we continue to help each other individually as we find the need and reach out to fellow members who want to exchange critiques. More than that, my writer’s group is a support system made up of a group of women, many of whom I’ve never met in person, but we share in each other’s rejections, live vicariously through the successes and lend our ears and our hearts to encourage our fellow writers, slogging along as we do individually toward our personal writing goals.

My writer’s group came to be when a session of writing in the Humber School for Writer’s drew to an end and the online discussion board closed. I have to admit, I was one of the students who was too shy to contribute much to the discussion during the course, but I happily put my name in at the end when Susan T., one of the most vocal women in our group, arranged for us to start communicating in group emails. That was five years ago and our group has grown as friends and associates of members in the group have joined us.

While most of the women in my group hail from regions across Canada, one of our members lives overseas. The type of writing we do is as diverse as the women in our group. But we all band together and recognize the importance of celebrating our writing accomplishments big and small along the way. My bookshelf is getting larger all the time as I continue to invest in the success of the women in my group. Four such books make up publishing credits so far. I will mention each one in order of publication date.

Darcie Friesen Hossack’s Mennonites Don’t Dance; Thistledown Press: 2010, is a compilation of short fiction stories. This collection was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize for Best First Book, Canada/Caribean, and was shortlisted and placed as the runner up for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. I cannot possibly do justice to this beautifully crafted work in such a short space so I’ll attach a link to Darcie’s blog here:

http://www.whatlooksin.wordpress.com

Next, Teri Vlassopoulos’s Bats and Swallows; Invisible Publishing: 2010, is a collection of short stories that draw readers in and keep us coming back for more. This work of fiction was also shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. More on this absolutely fabulous collection can be found at Teri’s blog where you can also read about Teri’s experience creating zines prior to the publication of Bats and Swallows:

www.bibliographic.net/book

Third, Lisa McGonigle’s Snowdrift; Oolichan Books, 2011, is an account of her adventures skiing and snowboarding in Canada and New Zealand while on a break from her PhD studies and life in her native Ireland. Snowdrift came to be when Lisa’s talent was discovered at a writing retreat she had won a scholarship to in Fernie, British Columbia. What began as emails sent home to Ireland and to Lisa’s friends and relatives would be published as a non-fiction account of Lisa’s life experiences as a ski bum and snowboarder. Snowdrift definitely delivers as an entertaining, humorous and highly interesting read. More about Lisa’s writing and Snowdrift, can be found at:

http://straightouttadublin.blogspot.com

Fourth, Susan Calder’s Deadly Fall; TouchWood Editions: 2011, is a gripping mystery novel that definitely will keep you turning pages from start to finish. The first in a series, Deadly Fall, is a Paula Savard Mystery, promising more of this likeable protagonist. Find out about Deadly Fall‘s recurrent status on the Calgary Herald Fiction Bestseller list and more on Susan’s writing accomplishments at:

http://susancalder.com/deadly-fall

I should add that each of the remaining members of my writer’s group has her own list of accomplishments and talents, and to report on all of these would be much too great a task for this humble blog post. I do plan to add a blogroll of blogs and website links to members of my writer’s group just as soon as I can figure out the mechanics of how to do this. So be sure to check back at a later date for these links and more.

Meanwhile, in closing for today, I dedicate this post to you all, ladies: Amy, Athene, Carin, Cassie, Claudia, Darcie, Debra, Glenna, Jenny, Joanna, Joni, Judy, Kim, Lisa, Lynda, Maryann, Susan C., Susan T., Tamara, Teri, Trish and Vicky. Thanks for being there on the other end of my emails when I hit send.

YA Book Review: Beverley Brenna’s WAITING FOR NO ONE

Waiting for No One
Written by Beverley Brenna
Red Deer Press, 2010
ISBN 978-0-88995-437-3 (pb) $12.95

As a huge fan of Beverley Brenna’s writing, I was excited to pick up a copy of Waiting for No One, Brenna’s sequel to Wild Orchid. In Waiting for No One, Brenna begins a new chapter in Taylor Jane Simon’s life.

Taylor has Asperger’s syndrome but this is only one part of what makes her a unique character. In Waiting for No One, we learn that Taylor also has obsessive-compulsive disorder. More importantly, Brenna shows Taylor to be an interesting and sympathetic person above all else; one who has issues and conflicts that may or may not be different than those of her peers. This is what makes Taylor an especially compelling character, one that is easy for readers of all ages to relate to.

The plot is simple on the surface. Brenna’s protagonist, Taylor, explains why she is writing a book about herself: “The world can always use another book because there are so many different perspectives that can be shared, and every person’s perspective is important. Including mine: Taylor Jane Simon, age eighteen and three-quarters, would-be bookstore employee.”

Taylor cites statistics that 85% of people with Asperger’s syndrome are unemployed. She struggles with the possibility that she could end up being unable to support herself and therefore be unable to achieve independence from her mother. Sometimes Taylor has a hard time separating her own emotions from the ones she feels her mother projects upon her.

Taylor’s daily struggles to accomplish her goals create a lot of internal conflict for her. This is where Brenna’s ability to show Taylor’s perspective so naturally allows us as readers an authentic and believable journey inside Taylor’s thoughts and reasoning. On a trip to visit her father in Wyoming, Taylor and her father are at a rodeo. He wants her to enter a children’s contest to chase a calf with a ribbon on its tail to win a hundred dollars. Taylor says, “ … I refuse. I am not a kid anymore and it is embarrassing that he suggests it. Once I get a job, I can earn a hundred dollars easily, so I won’t have to rely on contests as a source of income. If I get a job. This thought makes me start feeling afraid and the sum of embarrassment and fear is anger.” Taylor understandably does not want to be limited by her challenges and she attempts to move beyond them so her status as a maturing young adult is not questioned. She wants to feel she has control over her life. This is something we can all relate to.

Aside from the issue of independence, Taylor repeatedly recognizes the theme of waiting as being one of her concerns. Taylor identifies with the characters in Samuel Beckett’s play, Waiting for Godot, and she finds strength in their hope while they continue waiting and waiting. Taylor shows us how she does a lot of waiting in life whether it is related to her dance classes at the church or the biology course she is taking at the university, to name a few examples. She is aware that she must pace herself in setting goals and that her challenges make new experiences particularly stressful. One important thread of the plot considers Taylor’s recent purchase of a new gerbil, named Harold Pinter. He provides her with companionship and the comfort of knowing she will not be waiting alone.

I definitely recommend this endearing novel to teen and adult readers alike. Fans of Beverley Brenna’s writing can find out more about her novels on her Website –
http://www.beverleybrenna.com

Keeping it Current for the YA Audience

I know, it’s been a long time since my last blog post. But, I’ve been slogging away to finish a draft of my YA manuscript and it has totally taken over my life. Recently, I received a critique commenting on my manuscript draft. The feedback was incredibly helpful because I’ve been over-thinking aspects of the plot for some time and the welcome outside thoughts have helped me move on to the next stage of editing.

One of the surprising comments I received, however, is worth noting here. Nowhere in my manuscript had I included much reference to the current social networking phenomena surrounding Facebook, Twitter, texting, etc. When I reviewed my manuscript, I realized that although I hadn’t thought of making my protagonist tech-savvy, there are lots of places I could insert references to social networking and make some changes within the narrative from phone calls to texting.

It turns out that it’s not even a matter of being particularly tech-savvy; but more often the norm for today’s tweens and teens to have an interest in these things. And I found this out through conversations I recently had with parents of tween-aged girls. In two separate instances, I spoke with mothers who mentioned their tween-aged daughters belong to Facebook. One of the girls had just joined and had made thirty-eight friends in a matter of days. The other girl is so taken with the social networking site, it’s easier for this mother to jump onto Facebook and to send an instant message to her daughter than it is to run down the stairs and tell her it’s dinner time.

With this new awareness, I’ve committed to update my writing now and in the future to include the tech-savvy habits so popular with today’s tweens and teens.

Recent Seminars I’ve Attended: CANSCAIP’s “Packaging Your Imagination,” and “Get Published! Seminar,” offered by the CCBC

I’ve been a friend of CANSCAIP and a member of the CCBC for about three years now, but until this month, I hadn’t attended any of the seminars for writers and for emerging writers.

Then, on November 6th, I was fortunate to attend CANSCAIP’s annual event in Toronto, called Packaging Your Imagination. It was held at beautiful Victoria College, U of T. The three seminars I chose to attend out of the twelve choices were Barbara Berson, Paul Kropp and Norah McClintock.

Barbara Berson, a former children’s publisher and editor, spoke on “Channelling Your Inner Teen: Publishing YA.” The second speaker was Paul Kropp who spoke about “Writing for Kids Who Don’t Wanna Read Nothin’.” The third speaker was Norah McClintock, who spoke on “Demystifying YA Mysteries: Your Questions Answered.” The Keynote speaker, Marthe Jocelyn, spoke at the end of the day to a large crowd of attendees. She gave an inspiring speech entitled, “Prophecies, Lies and Pearls of Wisdom.”

It was a busy day with a lot of valuable information offered and I came away with loads of notes and a feeling that I need to concentrate on my own fiction writing. Attending “PYI,” gave me the motivation to look at my YA manuscript in progress with a fresh perspective.

On November 20th, I made my way to Tinlids Inc., a children’s publishing wholesaler in Toronto, at 130 Martin Ross Avenue. This seminar, offered by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre brought together three panels of experts to discuss the subject, “So You Want to Get Published … Practical Pointers from Professionals.”

Sharon Jennings spoke first about writing fiction for young adults. She talked about her experience as a writer and a teacher of writing for the young adult market and gave some great advice to the audience, mostly emerging and want-to-be published writers and/or illustrators, about how to ensure our writing is filled with enough conflict. Elizabeth MacLeod spoke about her non-fiction writing career and how her experience as an editor in the industry opened doors for her. She offered advice on how to approach publishers with query letters and answered questions from the audience. Jim Zubkavich, a graphic novelist and artist spoke about his success and gave advice on breaking into this popular niche in the children’s publishing industry.

Next, we heard from Gail Winskill, the publisher of Dancing Cat Books who shared with us her experience in publishing and brought samples of books she has worked with to show us what she considers inspiring literature for children. Marie Campbell, an agent from Transatlantic Literary Agency told us her views: How agents benefit publishers and writers alike and she gave us helpful pointers on approaching agents with our work.

The third panel of speakers consisted of Itah Sadu, who owns “A Different Booklist,” an independent, community bookstore in Toronto and Maria Martella, who owns Tinlids Inc. Itah, a published children’s author and storyteller herself, spoke with great emotion on the connections to the industry that independent booksellers can offer to the aspiring writer. Maria showed us beautiful examples of some of the books she has chosen to offer the educational market she does wholesale business with at Tinlids Inc.

Again, I came away from this seminar with a feeling of invigoration towards my writing and the knowledge that the industry is tough to break into, especially in the current economy but, that good writing and professionalism can help make the difference for the persistent emergent author/illustrator.