Author Anne Ursu: Characters, Writing, and Voice in Middle Grade Literature

How do successful authors go about developing their characters? 

As writers, we are in a (privileged and somewhat daunting) position of being able to touch readers with our stories~ to have them find connections and parallels to their own lives within the pages of a book. To have them be inspired by characters who are real and flawed and frightened and brave, who face the dark and scary things in life, not without fear, but in spite of it. Characters who feel things, and think things. Characters who you'd like to hold hands with and bundle into your backpack to take with you for courage when facing your own challenges.

I'm absolutely thrilled to have Anne Ursu on the blog to talk about character development in middle grade literature. In addition to her novels for adults (Spilling Clarence, The Disapparition of James), Anne has written the middle grade books The Cronus Chronicles (a trilogy), Breadcrumbs, and The Real Boy. All of her MG books have characters who have stayed in my mind and heart long after I've turned the final pages. Anne teaches at Hamline University's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and lives in Minneapolis with her son and cats.

If you don't already own a copy of The Real Boy (beautifully illustrated by Erin McGuire), leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a hardcover. It is a very special book. And now, here's Anne:

How has your writing process evolved from The Cronus Chronicles to The Real Boy?

 

Breadcrumbs drawing: Erin McGuire

I wish I could say that I’ve really refined my process over these five books, learned from my mistakes and grown each time. But it’s always the same: I start with an idea, take some scattered notes, and then just plunge into the deep end. It usually occurs to me a couple of chapters in that I have no idea what I’m doing, and then I start snacking a lot to mask my despair.

I suppose the thing I have learned is that the fear is okay. I’m always terrified—but I’ve realized there’s no point in knowing how to write a book you already know how to write. You learn how to write a book by writing the book, that’s all. This doesn’t make it any easier when you’re staring down an endless tunnel with only the sputtering light of your own ignorance to guide you, of course.

Once you have a character in mind and a situation to challenge him/her with, how do you go about developing that character?

From The Real Boy

As you may have guessed from the above, I’m a very fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer. It’s more intuition than planning for me—I just start the book with a feel for the character and see what happens. I tend not to worry too much about what a character would or wouldn’t do, at least during the first draft—if they are doing it, then they would do it.

So, for example, with Hazel in Breadcrumbs, I was thinking of a comment a friend got on a report card in elementary school—“She’s doing better but she still stares out of the window and appears stupid.” That summed up the whole character to me; she had a strong imagination but no one really appreciated it. And then I just started writing, and everything unfolded.

You learn a bunch about your character by the end of the book, and usually most of my rewriting happens at the beginning.  Also, I seem to have a tendency in my first drafts to make my characters, in my editor’s words, more pitiable than sympathetic. So that requires a little bit of attention.

Agents and editors have said that the middle grade voice is one of the hardest to write. What advice would you give a middle grade writer who has plenty of plot ideas, but struggles to find their characters' authentic voice?

From The Real Boy

Read. Read out loud, and listen to audio books. Take apart the books you like—what elements make up the voice? How did this author create the sound of the character?

We treat voice like an abstract concept, but it’s just the expression of character on the page. How does your character talk? What kind of analogies might she use—what are her interests and preoccupations? How self-reflective is she? What’s her sense of humor like? What are her favorite words? Does she exaggerate? How do her emotions affect her voice? 

Sometimes I have students write bits of journal entries from their protagonist. It sounds cheesy, but every time I’ve done it the student captures something essential. It’s just a great way to get a feel for how your character really expresses herself, especially when she is living in a certain emotion.

In your opinion, what are three elements that should be part of any middle grade novel (i.e. action, humor, heart, ninjas, brownies, etc.)?

From Breadcrumbs

I want all my books to be summed up with the words “heart, ninjas, brownies.”

To me, middle-grade is entirely character-driven. I think one of the reasons that genre fiction is mainstream in books for young readers and not in books for adults is that kids and YA books have richer characters at the center of the story. The books still have a beating heart, someone to care about.

I can’t think of a middle grade book that doesn’t offer kids strength or hope somehow. I despise the idea that every middle grade book needs a perfect happily-ever-after ending, but I think you want the main character to have something from the experience of the book that’s changed her and you want to know she’s going to be all right.

And cats. There should be cats in every middle grade book. My prescription for middle grade success: Character, hope, cats.

What’s your favorite thing about teaching MFA courses in creative writing at Hamline University?

My program is a low-residency program in children’s book writing, and so most of the time I’m at home writing editorial letters on student work—we communicate by email. And then twice a year everyone in the program meets on campus for very intense ten-day residencies with workshops and seminars and lectures. I adore my job. When you go to residency, you realize everyone around you loves writing and children’s books and so “gets” you on that level—this is not an experience writers get very often. And no one asks you when you are going to start writing real books.  

I love the chance to be analytical about these books—as I said I tend to go by instinct and feel, but it turns out saying to students, “Oh, you know, you just…do it,” and flailing your arms around isn’t that helpful.

And so I’m learning along with the students, and the chance to dive deep into someone else’s writing helps your own grow by leaps and bounds. But my very favorite thing is watching someone’s writing transform in the program—they just find their spark. It’s amazing to watch.

 

A huge thanks to Anne for answering questions! Please leave a comment to be entered in The Real Boy giveaway (the winner will be announced next Friday). To find out more about Anne and her books, you can visit the following places:

Anne Ursu's Website
Anne Ursu on Twitter 

And here are two recent essays by Anne that you don't want to miss:

But What About the Children (an essay on how we talk about middle grade)

On Gender and Boys Read Panel

Increase Blog Traffic With This One Magic Item (and a giveaway winner!)

*The winner of Jenny Goebel's Grave Images is listed below*

Okay, so I haven't been the best at leaving comments lately, and I know I've missed out on some great posts by you all. Part of that is due to juggling two little ones at home, which has significantly cut down on my computer time.

Time Bandit #1

Time Bandit #2

Part of that is also because I don't check Blogger every day to scroll through posts. And if I miss a day or two of doing that, chances are, I won't go through enough of them to see older items (kind of like when you follow a ton of people on Twitter, it's easy to miss a tweet here or there).

Now, what I DO check every day is my email. I love, love, love when bloggers have an easy-to-find FOLLOW BY EMAIL button (which is exactly the reason I added one to my own blog a month ago). That way, post titles show up in my email box. Even if I don't have time that day (or even that week) I tend to save posts that catch my eye and read them when I have time to play catch-up.

My big suggestion (and it might be a no-brainer to some of you savvy bloggers out there, but it's a new revelation to me) to increase blog traffic is:

*Add a FOLLOW BY EMAIL button to your blog if you don't already have one
*Put it somewhere highly visible on your blog
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BOOK WINNER

Thanks again to Jenny Goebel for her wonderful interview on book launches! Via Random.org, the winner of her debut novel, Grave Images, is...

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Leandra Wallace!! 

Congrats Leanda! Please send me an email with your address so I can pass it along to Jenny.

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Next Friday: The amazing Anne Ursu, author of The Cronus Cronus Chronicles, Breadcrumbs, and 2013 National Book Award Longlist title The Real Boy, will be on the blog to talk about character development in middle grade literature! 

Book Launch Advice (and a giveaway!) with Debut Author Jenny Goebel

Welcome Jenny Goebel!

Jenny is a middle grade author from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Her book launch for Grave Images (Scholastic, October 2013) was last week at an amazing indie bookstore in Denver called The Tattered Cover. I was lucky enough to attend and it was fabulous (scroll to the bottom to see a YouTube video of the event). 

Her debut middle grade novel is a perfect read for anyone who likes endearing characters and eerie plots. I am not a fast reader these days, but I bought this novel last Saturday and emailed Jenny the following Monday about doing an interview and giveaway. It was devoured in just two reading sessions because I HAD to uncover the mystery and make sure Bernie came out unscathed (no comment on whether or not that happened).

Today she's stopping by to share insight and tips about one of the most exciting events in an author's career: THE BOOK LAUNCH. Indie and traditionally-published authors, pay attention~ Jenny offers some wonderful advice in her answers below.

1. How far in advance of publication did you start looking into 

your launch? Who were your points of contact (aka, who is the 

best person to talk to if you want to schedule an event?)

I’m pretty sure I started planning my launch party the day I 

knew GRAVE IMAGES was going to be a real live book. Okay, 

maybe even before that. Sheesh, in all honesty, I was probably 

fantasizing about releasing my precious little book into world 

long before the first word was ever written. But as for actually 

thinking about the logistics of the party (and not just what I 

would say on Oprah someday), I started attending launch 

parties for other debut authors about a year in advance of my release date.  It was while I was attending one such party that I discovered the awesomeness of the Tattered Cover Book Store. And then at another event I was given an introduction to 

Tattered Cover’s event coordinator. So my advice to people 

planning a launch would be to attend as many author events as 

possible in the months leading up to your release date. I’m sure 

you can call around looking for points of contact, but in my 

experience a face-to-face interaction is usually more fruitful. 

Plus, just think of all the great new books you’ll be introduced 

to while making the circuit!

2. How did you determine the right location and timing of your 

launch? Can you offer any advice on how days of the week 

might factor in or time of day might affect attendance?

One reason I felt The Tattered Cover was ideal for my launch 

was because it was centrally located for the friends and family I 

knew would be attending. As for the timing of the launch, 

everyone agreed that a Halloween themed event would be 

perfect for my spooky middle grade mystery, so luckily my 

publisher and the bookstore worked together to make it 

happen the Saturday before my book was actually scheduled 

for release. I did have the option of doing the launch one night 

through the week, but, as my book is written for a younger 

audience, I knew a school night would make it more difficult 

for children to attend. Another upside of having it 

midafternoon on a Saturday was that my guests could stick 

around and peruse the bookstore after the event, whereas the 

store would’ve been trying to close if we’d done it one night 

through the week.

3. Did you consider the purpose of your launch to be sales-based or celebration-based? A combination?

I would say my focus was primarily celebration-based. My 

friends and family have been cheering me on for quite some 

time and I wanted the chance to formally acknowledge their 

support as well as provide an opportunity to gather together 

and just enjoy each other’s company. With that said I also 

knew many of them had been waiting for the opportunity to 

purchase my book and have it signed, so sales did factor into 

consideration. I knew I wanted a venue where the books could 

be sold, and that I wouldn’t actually have to handle the 

exchange of money.

3. How did you get the word out about your event? Formal 

invitations/flyers?

That’s always the trick isn’t it? In addition to the bookstore’s 

advertisement through newsletters and in the local paper, I 

also sent out evites to just about every email address I could 

scrounge up, and I created an Event Page on Facebook. I also 

dropped off flyers and bookmarks to an elementary school I 

had previously taught at.

4. What did you include in your speaking points? How long was your “program”? Anything you would have changed?

Knowing that there would be a number of young children in 

attendance, I didn’t want to natter on for too long (which was 

totally fine by me), and I also wanted to keep it interesting for 

the adults. I’ve been to a number of events where the author 

chose to speak about their writing process and the journey of 

their book to publication. I think these types of speeches go 

over very well, especially when there are other writers in the 

audience. I tried to touch on these points briefly, but my 

primary focus was on the collaboration of author and reader 

and the magic that happens when the two meet. This was 

something I hoped everyone would be able to relate to. My 

program took around 15 minutes and included a reading from 

GRAVE IMAGES. Looking back, I probably would change the 

part where I burst into tears (Jess note: this was such a 

beautiful, heartfelt moment!); but, what can I say, in addition 

to being a day for my book to be released into the world, the 

event was an emotional release for me as well.

5. Can you offer any advice concerning refreshments? Amount, type, etc.

This is where those evite RSVPs come in really handy. 

Otherwise it’s very difficult to gauge what the turn out will be, 

and how to plan accordingly for refreshments. Once I had a 

vague idea of how many people would be there, I started to 

think about what would work well with my theme. I was 

fortunate to have my book launch landing close to Halloween, 

so it took less creativity on my part. (I ended up having 

pudding cups with headstone cookies sticking out of them, 

cupcakes decorated like eyeballs, and witchy brew.) But I’ve 

seen other authors come up with some very original ways of 

incorporating themes from their books into the refreshments 

they offer. For example, Melanie Crowder offered a beverage 

at her launch that was made from the aloe vera desert plant 

referenced in her middle grade novel, PARCHED. Whatever 

you plan, just be sure to check with your event coordinator to 

make sure the venue doesn’t have any restrictions on what you 

can bring in.

6. Any other advice on launching a beloved book into the world?

Try to remember that it is a celebration. It’s supposed to be 

fun! Don’t lose sight of that stressing over the particulars of the 

event. Typically, the people who turn out for these things are 

incredibly happy for you and excited to be a part of this 

momentous leg of your journey, so just relax and allow yourself 

to enjoy their enthusiasm for you and your book. 

Thank you so much! Jenny is giving away a copy of her book to a lucky person leaving a comment. To be entered, tell us: what is the best Halloween costume you've ever worn (or, if you weren't the trick-or-treating type, the best costume you've seen).

Book Description:

Thirteen-year-old Bernie's summer is looking pretty grim. It's hard to make friends when your family runs a monument company, and your backyard is littered with tombstones. It's even harder when your mother suddenly refuses to leave her room . . .

To make matters worse, her father has just hired a new artist to engrave the headstones--the creepy Mr. Stein. Bernie has a bad feeling about him right from the start, and after snooping around his cottage, she discovers an engraved portrait of their neighbor . . . a woman who promptly dies the next day. And it's not just a weird coincidence. The pattern continues, and Bernie realizes that Mr. Stein has begun engraving headstones before people die, which forces Bernie to ask a horrifying question: Is Mr. Stein predicting the deaths . . . or causing them?

*Cool aside, not only did Jenny own her own engraving business, but she also engraved headstone portraits, just like Mr. Abbot Stein, the mysterious drifter who comes into Bernie's life, thus beginning a spectacularly creepy series of deaths in her town.

LINKS:

Jenny's Website: www.jennygoebel.com

Jenny's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjennygoebel?ref=hl#

Jenny's Twitter handle: @jennygoebel

YouTube Video of Jenny's Book Launch 

(click the link)

Spooky Literary Destinations (and vote to help decide my daughter's Halloween costume)

Aaaaand, here is my second annual encore post of spooky literary destinations! Halloween is around the corner, so I thought I’d bring you five literary destinations that are surrounded by spookiness, but would still make for a fun family trip.

But first, if you would like to help decide my 4-year-old's Halloween costume for this year, here are her top choices (YOU CAN VOTE IN THE COMMENTS):

1. Panda Bear (advantage of this one is that it would be sweatsuit-based & therefore a warm choice~ my area of CO could be chilly that night).

2. Tinkerbell (she's got fairy sheets and loves the Tinkerbell movies)

3. Bigfoot Hunter (she's a big fan of the tv show Finding Bigfoot~ watches reruns with her dad and brother).

4. Cat Ballerina w/ a crown~ don't really know if this qualifies as a "costume" or is just a matter of putting on a bunch of stuff in her dress-up trunk. But she told me to put it on the list.

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Okay, spooky destinations....
Drumroll, please (and a big thank you to Wikipedia for assistance):

TRANSYLVANIA- This region of Romania (see the photo above for a landscape photo) is the location of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a novel that’s said to be (in part) based on the real-life horror story of Vlad the Impaler, who was said to have killed between 40,000 to 100,000 Europeans.

Click HERE for Transylvania tourism info. It looks like a gorgeous and friendly place for a vacation :)

SLEEPY HOLLOW, NEW YORK- Both in written and Disney form, Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, is a beloved and spooky tale. It takes place in the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town (based on Tarrytown, New York) in an isolated glen called Sleepy Hollow.

Now you can visit the real village of Sleepy Hollow, New York! The town website is adorable, and it looks like they host one heck of a haunted hayride! There are tons of community events, many hosted in the lovely Irvington Town Hall. The image is of the Headless Horeseman Bridge.

SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS-Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible is a dramatization of the real-life Salem Witch trials. It is the town of Danvers, once known as Salem Village, that was the main site of the hangings of nineteen people (14 women, 5 men). One man was crushed to death by heavy stones, in an attempt to make him enter a plea. 29 people were convicted of the capital felony of witchcraft. Seriously interesting and sad stuff.

Anyway, you should know that Danvers, the true site, changed its name specifically to avoid notoriety. Salem Town (Click HERE for a city guide) capitalized on its name and became the tourism mecca for witchcraft buffs everywhere.

As one visitor from Chicago noted, “The whole thing mostly happened down the road? Well, that bites. And here I was just getting into this nice déjà vu historical groove.”

ESTES PARK, CO-Stephen King once wrote an itty-bitty book called The Shining. Ever heard of it? It’s about a man who takes a job as caretaker of The Overlook Hotel in a remote area of Colorado. It’s said that a stay at The Stanley Hotel (pictured to the left) in Estes Park, Colorado inspired Stephen King to write the book.

I’ve been to Estes Park many times, mostly because of its location as a gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park.

It’s gorgeous and full of touristy shops. Jam-packed with visitors and locals alike. Mostly visitors, though. The town is a good hour from Denver, and the drive is beautiful. At 7,500 feet, the altitude feels much higher than my home at 7,552 feet. Must be bigger mountains and the slightly isolated feel. And the ghosties, of course. Like most mountain towns in Colorado, the weather is unpredictable, making it the perfect inspiration for one of the creepiest stories (and movies) of the season.

ELSINORE, DENMARK- Much of the Shakespeare play Hamlet takes place in Elsinore Castle in the Kingdom of Denmark. The actual castle you would visit these days is called Kronborg Castle (click HERE for historical info).

It’s one of the top tourist attraction and historical sites in Denmark, and is surrounded by a fortress area near the port to Elsinore city. The harbor is near the entrance to the sound between Sweden and Denmark. This might not seem like a Halloween tale to you, but there are ghosts, murders, and intrigue galore (despite this sunny photo of the castle, it's said to be haunted. Yes, that's right,haunted. Now hand over the entrance fee and get in line to see for yourself).

Happy Halloween!

BEST NEWS EVER!! (and a couple of cool FYIs)

Okay, before I share my own AMAZING news, there are a few other items to share:

PS Literary Agency Seeking Interns: Click HERE for a post describing internships positions and desired qualifications.

Mark Your Calendars: On Wednesday, October 16th, the finalists for the National Book Awards will be announced on television. I am so excited to watch this! Per a press release from the National Book Foundation,

"...the National Book Foundation will partner with msnbc’s “Morning Joe” to announce its 2013 National Book Awards Finalists, for the second year in a row. In addition, this year “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who are both authors themselves, will emcee the National Book Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, November 20 at Cipriani Wall Street, in New York."

Here are the 10 books on the Longlist for Young People's Literature (they're all great, but I'm really pulling for Anne Ursu's The Real Boy to be recognized):

• Kathi Appelt, The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster)
• Kate DiCamillo, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures (Candlewick Press)
• Lisa Graff, A Tangle of Knots (Philomel, A division of Penguin Group USA)
• Alaya Dawn Johnson, The Summer Prince (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic)
• Cynthia Kadohata, The Thing About Luck (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster)
• David Levithan, Two Boys Kissing (Knopf Books for Young Readers/Random House)
• Tom McNeal, Far, Far Away (Knopf Books for Young Readers/Random House)
• Meg Rosoff, Picture Me Gone (Putnam Juvenile, a division of Penguin Group USA)
• Anne Ursu, The Real Boy (Walden Pond Press/an Imprint HarperCollinsPublishers)
• Gene Luen Yang, Boxers & Saints (First Second/an imprint of Roaring Brook Press/Holtzbrinck)

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Okay, are you ready for my big news? Well, friends, I was going to keep this to myself, but in the spirit of getting excited about the National Book Awards, I've decided to share. I didn't even know I was up for this honor, so you can imagine my shock and delight when my daughter walked out of her room recently and handed me this piece of paper:

"I love you! You are the best! Wommy in! the Morld!"

That's right, I am officially the best Wommy in the Morld! Can you believe it? I mean, it's all so unexpected...after all, the Morld is a really big place, and there are so many worthy Wommies. Gotta love kids learning to write, huh? In addition to a few letter mix-ups, she's still getting the hang of exclamation points and how to use them. All she knows is that you use them when you're excited, which is why she put one at the end of each line in her note :) 

I'll leave you with photos of my little one, in dresses made by my CP Joy McCullough-Carranza (who is an available mentor for Pitch Wars- #19 at this link). She is a fabulous seamstress and her Etsy Shop is HERE.

Wommy & Daughter

Writing Tips from Pixar (and a contest reminder)

You may already be familiar with this, but a friend recently forwarded me Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling, and it was both a fun list to read through and wonderful food-for-thought in terms of story creation/revision. The two below are ones that really hit home for me~ click on the link when you have time for more!

PIXAR'S 22 RULES OF STORYTELLING

#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different. 

#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it (Jess Note: This has been my experience with every manuscript I've written. It's always during revision that I have an epiphany: "Ooooooh. So that's what this story is about"). Now rewrite. 

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Upcoming Contest

Click HERE for early info on the next Secret Agent contest on Miss Snark's First Victim. It will be open to submissions on Monday, October 7.

This month's contest will include the following genres:

• Young Adult (all genres)
• Middle Grade (all genres)
• New Adult (all genres)
• Adult Commercial Fiction (including Romance)

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Other News

My character development interview with The Real Boy author Anne Ursu is still in the cards and should happen within the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, here is Anne's blog tour schedule. Read the posts & enter the giveaways! This book is such a treasure!

THE REAL BOY BLOG TOUR: 

Monday, 9/30 – Maria’s Melange - Maria’s Take on The Real Boy + Giveaway

Tuesday, 10/1 – There’s a Book - Danielle’s Take on The Real Boy + Giveaway

Wednesday, 10/2 – sharpread - Colby Interviews Anne

Thursday, 10/3 – Novel Sounds - Elena’s Take on The Real Boy + Giveaway

Friday, 10/4 – Word Spelunking - Aeicha Interviews Anne

Saturday, 10/5 – The Hiding Spot - Sara’s Take on The Real Boy + Giveaway

Sunday, 10/6 – The Brain Lair - Kathy’s Take on The Real Boy + Giveaway

Monday, 10/7 – Read, Write, Reflect - Anne Talks Oscar with Katherine

Tuesday, 10/8 – Librarian’s Quest - Margie’s Take on The Real Boy + Giveaway

Wednesday, 10/9 – Buried in Books - Heather’s Take on The Real Boy + Giveaway

Thursday, 10/10 – The Book Monsters - Kristen’s Take on The Real Boy + Giveaway

Friday, 10/11 – Cari’s Book Blog - Cari’s Take on The Real Boy + An Interview with Anne

Saturday, 10/12 – Unleashing Readers - Kellee Interviews Illustrator Erin McGuire

Sunday, 10/13 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers - Gina’s Take on The Real Boy + Giveaway

Monday, 10/14 – Heise Reads and Recommends - Editor Jordan Brown Interviews Anne
Tuesday, 10/15 – Bulldog Readers Blog - The Bulldog Readers Debut Their Book Trailer

Giveaway Winner and THE BEST AGENT ADVICE I'VE READ THIS MONTH

Hope you all had a great week! Random.org's number generator has spoken and the winner of a signed copy of Of Witches and Wind, Book 2 in Shelby Bach's Ever After series and a copy of Of Giants and Ice (Book 1) is... 


(first, if you haven't read Shelby's wonderful advice on character development in a middle grade series, her interview is HERE) ...

ROBIN!!! Congratulations, Robin. Please send me an email with your address and I'll ship those lovelies out to you!

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Best Agent Advice I've read this month

I've said it before: if you're not signed up to receive the Nelson Literary Agency monthly newsletter, you're missing out. Click below to sign up. Look for the blue tab at the bottom left of the screen that says Newsletter:

Nelson Literary Agency

The September issue included an article entitled "Why Agents Stop Reading: A Case Study." In addition to pointing out three things that make an agent stop reading your pages (GO SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER to read those), there was a list of three key questions agents may ask themselves while reading. Agent Kristin Nelson suggested that we writers ask ourselves those questions as well:

1) Does each chapter or scene only do one thing (like introduce a 

character), or does it do multiple things, like introduce a character, 

add a new plot element, and also plant a clue that will be referred to 

later? Each chapter or scene needs all three.

2) Is what happens in each chapter or scene interesting all on its 

own? If not, guess what? You probably don’t need it.

3) Could any events be summarized in one sentence instead of 

playing out over a whole chapter or scene? If so, chances are good

your plot pace is off. If you can answer no–this is essential–then the 

chapter or scene is probably okay to keep.

That's all for this week. Remember, it's accomplishing those small steps that prepare us for the big ones!

Tess has started pulling herself up! Walking, here we come...