The Parenting Problem in MG: #8 Adventures Happen Away From the Parents

We are on our final day of the 8 part series on the parenting problem in middle grade! We've been talking about ways to get the kids away from the parents, so that they can go off and do the really big things, and solve all the really big problems, which isn't so easy for the kids to do when parents are around to step in and do it for them. Or at least help way too much. If you've missed any of the other seven, you can get to them here: the Orphan, the Absent / Busy / Bad Parent, the Capable Parent / Capable Child, the Sibling as Parent, the Parents who are Missing Entirely the Present Family, but Adventures Lie Within the Range of Normal, and when Adventures Lie Outside of Where Parents Normally Are.Today, we're going to talk about getting them physically away. Far, far away.

Adventures Happen Away From the Parents

Characteristics:

This can happen with any parent dynamic-- it's all about getting the kids away from their guardians so that the adventure can begin. Once you get the kids away from parents / authority figures, you are free to take them on any adventure you'd like.

Okay, so yesterday we talked about the one where the adventures lie outside of where parents normally are. In that one, the kids go the places where kids normally go without parents. In this one, the kids go where they normally DON'T without parents.

Examples:

Okay, I'm going to do lots of examples on this one.

• In The Inventor's Secret, the two main characters have parents (and a grandpa who is heavily involved), but the action takes place at a boarding school for gifted kids, so they are physically separated from them.
• In The Runaway King, the main character isn't getting separated from parents-- he doesn't have any relatives-- he physically separates himself from his advisers and from his castle itself to sneak off and solve the big problems he couldn't from where he was.
• In Better Nate Than Ever, Nate hops on a bus to New York, and has his own adventures by himself in the Big Apple, while making his parents think he was at a friend's house.
• In Sunny Sweet is So NOT Sorry, all of the action takes place in a hospital-- one the two girls have gotten to themselves.
• In The Girl Who Could Fly, the main girl is taken by some evil people to something that's kind of like a boarding school. So she was physically removed from her family, although for most of the book, it wasn't by choice.
• Okay, let's talk Wizards. This is kind of a brilliant show, in that it treats this method very differently. The kids aren't physically removed from the parents, but they are removed. If you don't know the storyline at all, the kids can do magic, and are taught by their dad, who hasn't been able to do magic since he married their mom, who has never been able to do magic. So their separation is in their skills, not in location. They have to solve their own problems, since most of the problems are caused by using magic and the parents can't help.

And there you go! All eight! If you're an MG writer, which ones have you used before?

To those of you who celebrate Christmas, I wish you all a very happy Three-Weeks-Until-Christmas! (You're welcome for that panic-inducing friendly reminder. :))

The Parenting Problem in MG: #7 Adventures Lie Outside of Where Parents Normally Are

If you've been following along, we're on our 7th of 8 methods of separating kids from the parents / guardians / authority figures when writing middle grade books. One of the most important things to do, since the kids are the ones who really need to shine, and they can't do that if the adults are solving all the really big issues for them. And there are so many ways to do it! If you've missed any of the past ones, we've already talked about the Orphan, the Absent / Busy / Bad Parent, the Capable Parent / Capable Child, the Sibling as Parent, the Parents who are Missing Entirely and the Present Family, but Adventures Lie Within the Range of Normal. Today, we're on to the adventures happening away from the parents!

Adventures Lie Outside
of Where Parents Normally Are

Characteristics:

The parent situation can be anything you want it to be, because it doesn't have a strong bearing on the kids solving the problems, since most of the problems happen where the parents usually aren't present (such as school, bedroom, sports/music/arts practice, etc.).

Examples:

Okay, let's talk about these examples for a minute.

In Wednesdays in the Tower, the main character, Celie, is in the castle with her family. They're around, and she can go to them at any time, but all of the adventure parts-- and the parts where she really gets into trouble-- happen in her room or in the tower, or in parts of the castle where her family isn't.

In The Glitter Trap, all of MC Lacey's problems happen when she is either at school, walking to and from school, at a friend's house, or in her bedroom. Her family is there at home, but the parts where she solves the book's problems all happen when she's away from them.

And, of course, in P and F, the adventures happen in the backyard. (Well, and beyond, but that's where it all starts.)

Pros:

You usually never need to figure out how to get the kids away from their parents, because they already are, just by being in those places where kids that age are typically away from their parents anyway.

Cons:

All of their problems / problem solving generally have to take place within the physical areas where the parents would let them go on their own.

Tomorrow, peeps! TOMORROW, we'll get to the 8th and final method-- when adventures happen away from the parents. See you then!

The Parenting Problem in MG: #6 Present Family, but Adventures Lie Within Range of Normal

Hi, all! How is the writing going? Anyone just trying to recover from NaNoWriMo?

For the last while, we've been talking about how to get the kids away from the adults who like to... you know-- get in there and fix everything so the kids can't. Which, as cool as kids think that is in real life, isn't so awesome in books. Kids love to see kids doing the fixing. So far, we've talked about a lot of different ways to get the kids separated from the adults around them. We've talked about the Orphan, the Absent / Busy / Bad Parent, the Capable Parent / Capable Child, the Sibling as Parent, and the Parents who are Missing Entirely.

Today, let's talk about the family who is actually there with the protag!

Present Family, but Adventures Lie Within Range of Normal

Characteristics:
 
Generally a traditional family dynamic, where the family spends time together and is fairly functional. Most issues they run into are issues very normal kids would encounter. (And "traditional family dynamic" doesn't mean it has to be a mom and dad as the parents. It can any parent / guardian type. The big thing is that they are around, usually with siblings (or even cousins) in the mix, and that a lot of the issues or problems happen at home and with other family members involved.)

Examples:

I'm going to go with some kid TV shows here, because they are fantastic examples of the present family / normal adventures method.

In all three of these examples, the kids live with the parents, and a good portion of the time, they are at home. The rest of the time, they're at school or places nearby their home, usually with siblings there, too.

Pros:

• This type works really great for contemporary books, and is instantly relatable to kids.
• Since the parent(s) are actually around, you can include more conflict / interactions with them than you can with other stories where you are trying to separate them more. The kids still have to be the ones to solve their own problems, but they do get more input on how to do that from the other members of the family.
• There's more history, depth of motivation, and consequence when the parent(s) / guardians are present.

Cons:

• You generally can't have very big adventures or problems. And by "big," I mean big in reference to location (how far from home the story takes place) or breadth (so no saving the world :)). You can definitely go big in regards to the depth, though (or how serious the issues are).

Tomorrow, we'll tackle the method of when Adventures Lie Outside of Where Parents Normally Are.

The Parenting Problem in MG: #5 Missing Entirely

Hi hi hi! I hope your Thanksgiving was INCREDIBLE! Mine sure was. Times two. Since both mine and my hubby's families mostly live nearby, we get to have Thanksgiving twice! (But luckily they're on different days, because pie, people! PIE.)

So, for the last several days, we've been talking about writing middle grade, and how to get the parents / guardians away from the kids, so that they kids can do the really big, impressive things that solve the problems, without those pesky adults stepping in to save the day. So far, we've talked about The Orphan, the Absent / Busy / Bad Parent, the Capable Parent / Capable Child, and the Sibling as Parent. Today we are talking about those parents who are mysteriously MISSING.

Parents Missing Entirely

Characteristics:

Generally the parents are never even mentioned, as if they don't even (and didn't ever) exist.

Example:

Pros:

• It's the easiest method. Because, come on-- if there are no parents, then there isn't a single thing you have to do to separate them from the adults. They already are!

Cons:

• The reader will always (always, always, always!) question why. The real trick is getting the reader to not be bothered by not knowing why there are no parents / guardians.
• Only some books will have a whimsical or fantastical enough feel to pull it off.
• Without parents, the kids have no parents to please or to have as role models, and the opinions of parents really matter at this age. So with no parents, you lose that element of your story (and also lose out on some of the relatability kids will have with your characters).

Come back tomorrow, when we'll talk about a present family, but when adventures lie within the range of normal.

The Parenting Problem in MG: #4 Sibling as the Parent

Welcome back, everyone who's been following along! If you're just joining us, we've been talking about ways to get the kids away from the parents / guardians when writing middle grade. Because it's only when you get the kid separated from those who would fix all the really big problems that the kid gets to do it themselves. And that's what kids really want to read about when they pick up a middle grade book-- they want to see kids just like them being capable and doing the hard things that save the day. So far, we've talked about The Orphan, about the Absent / Busy / Bad Parent, and about the Capable Parent / Capable Child. Today, we get to tackle a Sibling as the Parent!

Sibling as Parent

Characteristics:

The parents are either deceased or otherwise unable to take care of the kids, so they are being raised by an older sibling.

Examples:

I'm going to use a couple of movies / TV shows as the examples, because try as I might, I can't come up with good book examples. (I know they're out there, though! If you can think of any of them, please mention in the comments, and I'll get some book examples up here.)

So in Lilo, her parents have died, and her older sister is taking care of her. In Carly, her mom is deceased (I think... I'm not sure I've seen an episode where it has said.) and her dad is in the military and always gone. So she lives with her older brother.

Pros:

• Let's be honest: siblings generally don't keep as good of an eye on a kid as a parent does. They just don't. And voila! This makes for kids who have much more freedom to go off and be heroes than they would otherwise.
• It adds an element of sibling dynamic that you don't usually get to explore. The sibling has to not only fill the role of the sibling, but also fill the role of parent, which gets things interesting.
• Sibling parents tend to be over/underprotective on random and unpredictable things, making them flexible in both good and bad ways.
• It's not overdone. (Ha! See above inability to list books... ;))

Cons:

• Coming up with a way to make the circumstances in which the kids would be being raised by a sibling believable can take a lot of work. 

On next Tuesday, we'll talk about parents who are missing entirely. Until then, have the most wonderful of Thanksgivings! I hope it's wonderful and glorious and filled with family and good times and pie.

The Parenting Problem in MG: #3 Capable Parent / Capable Child

If you've missed it, we've been talking about how to get kids away from the adults who so want to solve all the big problems, so that the kids can be the ones to solve them all. (SOOOOO important in middle grade books!) We've talked about two of the most common methods for getting the kids separated from the parents / guardians: The Orphan and the Absent / Busy / Bad Parent.

Today, we're talking about one of my FAVORITES METHODS OF ALL TIME. The Capable Parent / Capable Kid. I think what made this one work its way into my alley of love was the TV show Kim Possible. (A.k.a. one of the greatest cartoons of all time.) Kim's mom is a brain surgeon. Her dad is a rocket scientist. They're smart. They're capable. And they're around a good deal of the time. So how do the writers get Kim away from her parents so that she can go save the day? By making her capable as well. Uberly capable, in fact. So much so that her parents can trust her to go fix all the problems, and still make it home in time to do her homework.

Characteristics:

Consists of one or both parents (or even a guardian / guardians, such as grandparents, adoptive parents, etc.) who are capable caretakers. This works when the main character is also a capable child whom they can trust.

Examples:

In Rump, Rump's grandmother is his caretaker. She is a good guardian, and trusts Rump. So when he goes off to find his destiny, it works. In Sky Jumpers, Hope has good parents. There's also a bad situation where she can help, so she goes off with her mom's (but not so much her dad's) blessing. In Kim, they trust her to go off, because they know it'll be okay.

Pros:

• It is a method not used as common, so there's a lot more room for uniqueness.
• It can be nice to model good parents. It's something of a rarity.
• Sadly, a lot of kids don't get to experience this in real life, so it adds an element of fantasy / wish fulfillment.
• Teachers and parents appreciate when they aren't depicted as incompetent.

Cons:

• Extremely hard to pull off, especially repeatedly and especially if the book is more realistic. (I can speak to this firsthand! I got my capable character away from her capable parents just fine in book one. But repeating it gets more difficult-- especially if you're trying to do it in a way that doesn't make the parents / guardian or the child seem like they're making a bad decision, and without making the child defy the parents and sneak off, knowing that the capable parent has said no.)
• You get less sympathy for the character in this area. Nobody is going to cry crocodile tears for your character who has caring adult figures in their lives.

Come on back tomorrow-- we'll talk about the fourth method: the Sibling as the Parent.

The Parenting Problem in MG: #1 The Orphan

I think it's high time for some more posts on Writing Middle Grade! What say ye?

The biggest key thing in writing for a middle grade audience is LETTING THE KIDS SOLVE THE PROBLEM. Seriously. Issue número uno. And sometimes that's easy. But sometimes.... not so much. Why? Because responsible adults wouldn't let the kids be the ones to go off and save the world / do the really dangerous things / tackle issues all by themselves. They step in and help. It's what we do.

So the trick is to get them away from the parents or other responsible adults in their lives. For however long is needed in the story for them to really solve the problem on their own.

How do we do that? Make them all orphans? After all, Roald Dahl said, "Kill the parents!"

And that is definitely one way. For the next 8 days (skipping weekends and Thanksgiving, of course!), I'll talk about the eight different methods you can use to separate the kids from the parents/guardians so that they can be the ones to save the day.

First up: Let's go the route of Roald Dahl's suggestions, and talk ORPHANS!

The Orphan

Characteristics: 

Parents are usually dead or missing, and the child is either being raised in an orphanage, a foster home, or by absent / unfit replacement parents.

Examples:

In The Boxcar Children, the kids are orphaned and living by themselves in an abandoned boxcar, figuring out everything they need to survive. In The False Prince, Sage is living in an orphanage before he gets dragged into his adventure. In Harry Potter, Harry is an orphan living with mean relatives. All of them have lost their parents, and are trying to make it on their own.

Pros:

• The parents are conveniently out of the picture.
• You get instant sympathy for your character.Who doesn't feel bad for a kid who doesn't have parents? We pretty much instantly root for any kid in this situation.
• There's more at stake, since no one is coming to their rescue.When they don't have parents somewhere who care for them, there's no hope that they'll get saved by someone else.
• Kids find the concept fascinating. Think about when you were a kid. You probably wondered several times what it would be like if you were an orphan, and had to do everything on your own-- and had the freedom to do whatever you wanted whenever you wanted.

Cons:

• Because having orphans as main characters is so prevalent, it makes it harder to feel more fresh and integral to the story.
• To be able to function on their own, many times the character ends up thinking and acting like an adult, which creates a credibility gap.

Things to look out for:

Look at the reasons why you want to make your character an orphan. Is it integral to the plot? Is it so that you can force the character to grow up faster? To give them more responsibility? To leave them isolated and wounded and more vulnerable?

Or is it just a convenient way to get the parents out of the way?

It will be more compelling when there is a good reason for them to be parent-less.

Check in tomorrow, when we'll talk about the Absent/Busy/Bad parent. Until then, happy writing, all!

And if you live in Central Utah and want to get a jump on your Christmas shopping by getting SIGNED BOOKS (the best Christmas present ever, right? :)), I'll be hanging out with 10 other authors tonight at the Orem, UT Barnes and Noble. If you can, come by and say hi!

On writing your second published book

My second book went to copy edits yesterday.

I never thought I'd be so thrilled to be able to say that sentence! Book 2 has been a bear. It has challenged me, beat me to a bloody pulp, and raised me up to a higher skill level than I've ever known. It has both frustrated and elated me. And in the end, I'm really proud of what it's become.

photo credit: electropod via photopin cc

I've gone into publishing with my eyes wide open, thanks to the many writing bloggers who've been very honest about the process along the way. They helped prepare me for everything before I got to it. Now that book two is finally done, I want to talk about the struggles of writing a second* book, in hopes that it helps someone in the same way.

(*I'm not talking about writing your second book in general-- I'm talking about writing your second published book. It comes with entirely different struggles.)

Factors that make that second book hard:

• When you are writing under contract for the first time
• When you are writing the second book in a series
• When that series is a trilogy
• When you are writing a book when you have one out in the wild

Any one of those things make writing the next book hard. Combine two or more, and it gets infinitely more difficult. It's just the way it is.

Things I thought were responsible for making it hard:

• Getting reviews by professionals and by people you don't know will be crippling, and affect your ability to write. 
• That it would be tough to write knowing that people outside of your family and critique group were actually going to be reading it.

And just like I had guessed before writing a book 2, those things are true, to one extent or another, depending on your nature. But there's a LOT more to it than that.

Other things that made book 2 hard:

• Character arc. This was a huge stumbling block for me. Before I sold book 1, I had plotted the second and third book. "Plotted" as in "figured out the main plot." For some reason, I had not "plotted" the character arcs. On my next series, you can bet I'll be plotting the character arcs for the entire series along with the main storyline arc from the beginning, since character arc is every bit as important. At the very least, I'd suggest deciding what personality traits will cause them grief, and plant those in the first book.
• Starting over. When it's your first book that you sell, you've likely been working on that same book for a while. Polishing and polishing and making it prettier and prettier. Then when it sells, you work with an editor, and make it shiny enough to see yourself in. So it's understandable that you've forgotten how very un-pretty a first draft is. It can be a little frustrating. And make you wonder if you've forgotten how to write. It's important to somehow remind yourself that book one came out much the same way. Unpretty and all.
• Drafting / editing time. With book one, you got a chance to spend exactly how much time you needed on it. Years, even. You didn't have to query until it was all the way ready. If life got crazy and you needed to take a week off writing to keep things sane, that was fine. Book two? Not so fine. You've got a smaller window of time to write and edit it, so you need to make sure that time is well spent.
• Your editor hasn't seen it. If you sell more than one book, your editor likely has only read the first one, and bought the next + without it being written. Once you do write it, it may or may not be exactly what your editor was hoping for. There may have to be some adjusting to get your visions in line with each other.
• Giving readers what they want. In a series, it's important to repeat some of the things that worked-- the things that readers are hoping to see again-- without actually repeating any of it. Readers HATE when book one feels like a repeat of book two. And sometimes it's hard to guess what were the really successful parts of the book that you should include. And even when you are continuing the successful elements, it's important (and sometimes very difficult) to keep everything fresh and new. Expect it to need a lot more rounds of revisions (or just more intense rounds of revisions) to get the balance just right.
• Pressure to live up to book one. I'm not going to pretend this doesn't exist. Because even when you pretend it doesn't, you feel it. Right in the very center of your soul. And really-- it's not just that you have to live up to book one, but you have to exceed it. It's there. It's a thing. Ignoring it won't help-- you DO need to step up.
• Deadlines. The big D-word. And if you split it up into dead and line, it's two four letter words. It doesn't matter how tired or burnt out you are, or if you just aren't "feeling it." You have to tell yourself that it's time to work, and make yourself do it. I found it really helped to think of what authors I was most hoping to be like, and think how they would handle things. And then just figure if I wanted to be like them, I needed to step up.
• Most advice out there is for writing the first book. There is significantly less on writing a second book, especially on series arcs. But it is out there if you search for it.

I think the more you know about what to expect on this journey, the better you can prepare yourself for it.

If you haven't written a second book after getting one published yet, were there any things on the list that surprised you?

If you've already been through this, what was the hardest part for you? Do you have any advice you want to share?

Writing Middle Grade: A few random MG tips

Let's talk a few random writing middle grade tips.

Photo Credit www.wingif.com

(But first, a random gif that has nothing at all to do with what I'm writing, just because dang. This cat’s impressive.)

So here goes! Random writing middle grade tips:

• Sacrifice almost anything for clarity.

Try to be dynamic and clear at the same time. You should never confuse.

• Dialogue attributions should come as soon as possible. 

This is especially important in middle grade, because of how often they are read aloud. Here’s a few examples of the same dialogue, based off one of the first pages of Sky Jumpers:

“Nah. I was just enjoying how fresh the air smelled when I wasn’t standing right next to you,” Hope said. 

When you are reading aloud, even if you don’t do different voices for each character, you still kind of do. If you have to wait this long for a dialogue attribution, you might be getting the wrong “voice.” Let's look at another way of doing it.

“Nah,” Hope said. “I was just enjoying how fresh the air smelled when I wasn’t standing right next to you.” 

That’s an example where we introduce the attribution asap. If your sentence contains more than one clause, you can break it between clauses.

Or you can start with a beat that let’s us know who’s speaking before they even start:

Hope looked up at the ledge she’d stood on moments before that now seemed so teeny. “Nah. I was just enjoying how fresh the air smelled when I wasn’t standing right next to you.” 

Both of these last two ways work.

• In late, out early is extra important in MG. 

Take a look at each of your scenes. See if you can start it later or end it earlier, and see if the scene still makes sense. Don't ease into the scene-- jump in the middle. Keep it interesting.

• Awesome names are a huge plus. 

If they're fun to say, have meaning, interesting, outlandish. You can play around a lot while still staying within the tone of the book.

• Your viewpoint protagonist is generally 2 years older than your intended audience.

But not always. If your intended audience is 10-12, for example, don't make your protag 13. Kids change a LOT between the ages of 12 and 13. Thirteen is an age where characters act outside of MG issues, but aren't quite old enough for most YA issues. If your book is a solid MG book (which generally means ages 8-12, or grades 3-7), then keep the top age at twelve.

And lastly:

• Kids don’t want to see the forest, they want to meet the bear.

photo credit: Dave Toussaint (www.photographersnature.com) via photopin cc

So take them to meet it.

Miss any previous Writing Middle Grade posts? They can all be found here: MG Needs.

Writing Middle Grade: What your main character needs for readers to root for them

Photo credit: gifbin.com

In general, there are two things you need to have your readers root for your main character, regardless of the age group you write for. The first is sympathy. The second we'll get to in just a minute.

If your main character is sympathetic to the reader, they'll invest in them. If the main character isn’t sympathetic to the reader, then it really doesn't matter how unbelievably awesome your plot is or how interesting/unique/rich your setting is, because then the reader really couldn’t care less if bad things happened to your main character. So making a sympathetic character is hugely important.

Ways to make a sympathetic character:

• Make them good at something. (Even if it’s just something like making them be extra loyal. Make the reader wish they were them, if only so they can be good at that, too)
• Give them friends. (When they have friends, the friends can say how awesome they are. When a friend says they’re awesome, the reader believes it.)
• Make them rational. (Readers don’t want the main characters to be stupid. Occassionally, they can make stupid decisions based on their flaws, but usually not before the reader is invested in them, and not the bulk of the time.)
• Make the conflict personal to the main character. (Example: When my daughter was nine, she wrote a story about a girl whose parents had died and she had to go live in an orphanage. One day when she was alone at the orphanage, she answered a knock at the door. It was a pack of zombies, and a fight for her life ensued. As she was trying to escape the clutches of two of them, she realized that the zombies were her parents. Wondering if she had some kind of unresolved issues with me, I asked her why she made the choice to make the zombies be the girl’s parents. Her answer: "Because then it matters more to the girl. It’s not nearly so personal if it was just random zombies that she’d have no problem fighting." And she was so right. If it’s a story about a mean teacher, she just can’t be mean to some kids in the class-- she needs to be mean to the main character. It has to be personal to them.)
• Make them proactive. (Not reactive. They need to make choices-- not just wait for others to make the decisions.)
• Put them in jeopardy. (This seems logical, but it’s easy to miss when you’re in the middle of conflict. You can easily have everyone else / the plan be in danger, without your main character being in jeopardy themselves. Make sure they are.)
• Make them have hardships, unfairness, and make sacrifices.
• Make them love others and/or be loved. (This kind of goes along with giving them a friend--make them be a friend.
• Make them active, interesting, vulnerable, have things to lose, be in danger, be the underdog.

We like characters because we want to be like them
or because we are like them.

To make the most sympathetic character, find a balance between
superhuman characteristics and everyday characteristics.

But don’t stop once you have sympathetic characters! 

Rooting is more than just sympathy. Your characters can’t just be likeable and have hardships and danger. The second thing they need is to have a chance at winning.

photo credit: Loren Javier via photopin cc

Like in the TV show Phineas and Ferb. We like Candace— she’s a sympathetic character— but we aren’t rooting for her, because she doesn’t have a chance at winning. (Even though she did succeed in catching her brothers in that one episode, she definitely didn't win in the end.)(And of course, she's NOT the main character, so it's good we're not rooting for her more than the titular characters. For secondary characters, it's good they doesn't have a chance at winning on their own.) It's important to have your readers root for your main character, so it's important to give them a chance at winning. Make sense?

Characters are cool because of their strengths.

They are interesting because of their weaknesses.

The best characters have flaws (they make wrong choices because of themselves) and handicaps (something that limits, but not their fault), both which allow growth. Plant a lot, so you can continue to have them work on them if it becomes a series. There's not much more difficult than having their flaws overcome in the first book, then having nowhere to go for subsequent books.

And possibly most important:

Have your characters fail spectacularly, but not stupidly. 

You want the reader to still respect the character. To feel like they’re still smart, even after things go massively wrong. And yeah. We pretty much want things to go massively wrong. :)

Next week: A few random MG tips.

Quotes and Cookies: The best you can

Hello from Comic Con! I can't wait to give you guys an update! But for now, an awesome quote.

For a long time now I have tried simply to write the best I can. Sometimes I have good luck and write better than I can.

~Ernest Hemingway

I LOVE when this happens. That feeling when you read back through your stuff and think, "Wow! This rocks!" The way I see it, it's a percentages thing. Like for every X number of words you write, you get the good luck zing, and you write better than you can. The more you write (or rewrite)(or edit), the greater your chances of getting that zing, no?

Here. Have a cookie with zing. Maybe eating this will up our chances for the zing. What? It couldn't hurt, right?

photo credit: avlxyz via photopin cc

Writing Middle Grade: How to have your MG characters respond emotionally

Kids go through a lot of emotions as their world expands and they try to find their place in it. Sometimes it can feel like they’re being pulled between wanting the safe and known of home, and wanting the vastness of the universe.

Photo credit: gifbin.com
(Heehee! Get it? Being pulled between two things?)

So let's talk about the kinds of emotions that middle grade-aged kids face. These are the kinds of things you need to be aware of as far as your readers are concerned, and it's also something you need to be aware of to make your main characters as authentic as possible.

Emotions in Middle Grade Kids

• They have a strong sense of moral justice. (Which is why they feel so offended if everyone else their age gets a cell phone and they don’t.)
• They care deeply for things and people. (I've got a theory that says that's why 5th grade begins the age of drama. It's because they care so deeply about their friends, and feel the need to defend them on every. little. thing.)
• They like to do together activities, like clubs and team sports (and not just organized clubs-- many make up their own).
• They're not afraid to take a risk. (This doesn't necessarily mean jumping off a cliff or exploring somewhere dangerous / off limits. (Although it totally can. I've mentioned how big of a fan I am of jumping off a cliff, right? ;)). A risk can be things like daring to trust a new step-parent, to make the unpopular choice when  their friends aren't, or defending an unpopular friend.)
• They are intensely curious, and have a huge thirst for knowledge.
• They like to take action and get involved in things. They also have believable motives for why they do. They want the characters they read about to have believable motives, too.
• The why of things is extremely important. (That’s because they have transformed into reasoning explorers. They want things to logically make sense.)
• And something really important to remember:

Middle grade kids feel life is just so ordinary. What they wish
for MOST is for their life to be extraordinary.

photo credit: Malabooboo via photopin cc

So do what you can to give them that extraordinary-ness in the books you write for them. :)

Next Monday, I'll talk about what your main character needs to have middle grade readers root for them, which is SO. VERY. IMPORTANT.

Have a great week, everyone!

Writing Middle Grade: What's most important to a MG protag

First off, I need to apologize. I said I'd post this last Monday and then..... Remember those edits for book 2 that were trying to kill me? They were due. (And now they're in! Recovery time!) And then came a very unfortunately-timed power outage. Then your basic kids-home-from-school-for-the-summer stuff.

How about we just call this fashionably late? Deal? Okay. Then let's get to what's important to middle grade readers (and therefore, should be important to your MG main characters).

I’ve heard it said that in MG, authority figures are non-existent, whereas in YA, authority figures are the antagonists. And it’s true– MG readers want the kids to be the heroes. The ones to solve the problems. And that’s hard to do when they’re around authority figures who can do the problem solving for them. (Especially when the problem solving involves dangerous things that any sane, responsible parent would never let their kid do.) So it’s important to find a way to get them away from the adults who would fix things for them. To let them shine in the areas that are most important to them.

Some of the things that are most important to them are:

• Figuring out their own identity and where they fit in their world. (Whereas in YA, they are trying to stand out.)
• Taking on new responsibilities (in their family, at school, and/or among friends).
• Friends and school become much more important as kids try to figure out their place outside the home.
• They can be confusing times, but they also are enthusiastic and eager to learn.
• Middle grade readers can handle complex plots and issues (so don't hold back!), yet still love fun and over the top and serious (so don't hold back! ;)).
• They like to daydream about their future.
• They like planning and organizing events.
• They like games with more complex rules
• Some like a romantic element, but it almost always has to stay at puppy love. If you are writing for upper middle grade– we're talking middle school aged, grades 6-8 (which can be a more difficult market to sell in), then you have a little more wiggle room. You can deal with crushes and possibly even first kisses. If you are writing regular middle grade (grades 3-6), it has to stay pretty much the way kids that way are– they like like someone sometimes, but pretty much keep it to themselves. Sometimes they show it by playful punching, stepping on toes, etc., but it stays there. If you are writing a book marketed toward girls, you can get away with a little more crushing going on, but if it’s for boys and girls, it has to stay sparse.
• And no matter what the setting is, both lower and upper middle grade readers want to read about kids who deal with things as well as adults. Kids like feeling capable.

Younger middle-graders readers (grades 3-4, or ages 8-10) are big fans of books where the main setting is the home. Upper middle-grade readers (grades 5-6 and maybe even 7 or ages 10-13ish) are kind of over home being the main setting (but of course it can still be included in any lesser role). They tend to love school or trips to anywhere as their main setting.

Up next Monday: HOW TO HAVE YOUR MIDDLE GRADE CHARACTERS RESPOND EMOTIONALLY. Miss any previous writing middle grade posts? Or want to get to my PARENTING PROBLEM IN MIDDLE GRADE posts? They can all be found here: MG Needs.

Writing Middle Grade: It needs A SENSE OF WONDER!

Over the past four weeks, we've been talking about the five things that a middle grade kid (but really, not just MG kids) really crave in a novel, and that if you get some of each of the five, it'll be a much more fulfilling book. Guys! We are on the fifth one! If you've missed any of them, I've already talked about ACTION / ADVENTURE here and HUMOR here and SCARINESS here and MYSTERY here. Today, it's A SENSE OF WONDER.

Photo credit: gifbin.com

As much as science fiction would like to claim a monopoly on being able to evoke a sense of wonder, it’s much more than just the feeling that there’s more to the universe, and that it’s a large place. A sense of wonder can be evoked from the teeniest of things, and everything in between.

In Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction
the term sense of wonder is defined as follows:

SENSE OF WONDER n. a feeling of awakening or awe triggered by an expansion of one’s awareness of what is possible

To be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel

Ways to introduce wonder:

Let’s start with genres.

Fantasy is probably the genre most conducive to wonder. Think of the first time you read Harry Potter and how you felt every time a new magic spell or magic item was introduced. Fantasy gives you huge opportunities to introduce wonder! It's one of the big draws for readers. (Not to mention how much fun it is for the writer!) One important thing to remember if you’re using fantasy– it’ll work better if you focus on character first, and get reader firmly grounded in his/her world before introducing fantasy elements.

Speculative fiction is kind of a broad genre, covering what the world could be like if things were different. There are a lot of opportunities for wonder in speculative, because it can feel like fantasy without being fantasy. Sky Jumpers is speculative. One of the biggest sense of wonders in it— the Bomb's Breath— is something that feels like fantasy, but is actually science, and brings with it that same sense of wonder.

Speaking of science...

Science— Think of today’s science experiments– think of the sense of wonder you got ask a kid whenever your teacher did a science experiment. Or when you learn how something works now. My daughter is in 5th grade, and her teacher did experiments with them every day. My daughter always comes home struck by a sense of wonder. You can tap science to huge amounts for a sense of wonder.

Setting— This can be a huge one, especially because it’s easy. Think of where you’d love to go on vacation the most. You pretty much want to go there because of the sense of wonder it will evoke, right? Whenever you can, think about putting your characters in a more interesting setting. One that evokes more of a sense of wonder. Instead of having your characters walking home from school on the street, have them cut through woods. Or a construction site. Or a swamp.Or anywhere else that's more interesting and awe-evoking than what's normal.

Characters— I read a book called Stargirl. Have you read it? Everyone was raving about it. I immediately understood why, but at the same time, I realized that the reason people loved the book was because the character is quirky, fun, spontaneous, and very different. I have a friend who’s all those things, and in a lot of ways, puts Stargirl to shame. So when I read it, I didn’t have the same reaction as everyone else. That’s when I realized that characters can evoke a sense of wonder, too, and that’s why everyone loved the book.

Be careful if you are using a sense of wonder character that’s very outlandish that it can become too much if they are a main character. Use your instinct. If their personality is wearing you out, they’ll wear out the reader, too.

Animals— There are a ton of animal books out recently that kids love– Like Guardians of Ga’hoole, Seekers, etc. Kids love those because seeing the world through an animal’s eyes brings about a sense of wonder.

Looking at an everyday something— anything— very differently than you’ve looked at it before. When I was a kid, I read a book– I wish I remembered the name of it– about a kid learning life lessons from a neighbor. Anyway, the neighbor had him really study a one inch square part of the lawn, and learn everything there was to know about it. He watched how bugs interacted with others like them and with different species and learned how they used the space and I was completely and utterly fascinated. Looking at something very closely— or in a different context than you’re used to— can evoke a huge sense of wonder. It’s the reason that books like The Borrowers are so well-loved.

Two things to remember:

Don't try to squeeze a sense of wonder into everything, or you overwhelm your reader. With every bit of wonder, there needs to be a bit of the familiar to ground your reader.

You can’t create wonder yourself. What you are really trying for is to get the reader to really stop and think about what is possible. To stop and look at something closely.

The wonder they’ll create themselves.

Releases from your main genre doesn't mean boring. Changing things up a bit and adding in another element will make it a more fulfilling story, especially when you put in some of each of the five elements kids crave.

So.... We're on the last of the five elements. But this isn't the end of talking MG writing! Next Monday, I'll post about the kinds of things that are most important to an MG protagonist.

Writing Middle Grade: It needs ACTION / ADVENTURE!

There are five things that a middle grade kid (and most of the rest of us, too!) really craves in a novel. Chances are, one of them is really prevalent in your novel. If you can find a way to get in some of all five, though, the book will be much more satisfying to your readers! I've already talked about HUMOR here and SCARINESS here and MYSTERY here. Today, it's my favorite. :D Action and adventure!

Photo credit: captionedGIF.com

When people think "action" or "adventure," chances are movies come to mind first. Of course you can’t compete with the movies; nor should that be your goal. What you should do is capitalize on the things that books can do that movies can’t--- show thoughts and emotions. Capitalizing on that in action scenes is one of the main reasons why you hear "The book was so much better than the movie."

Seriously, guys, books ftw. Even when you're talking (or ESPECIALLY when you're talking) about action and adventure.

When Writing Action Scenes:

To make it more exciting, add emotion. Readers want to know how it’s affecting the character.

To make it more interesting, have clever dilemmas. Or clever ways to get our characters high up in that metaphorical tree and then to throw rocks at them. Don’t go with what comes to mind first. Keep thinking and come up with dilemmas you haven’t heard a million times before.

To make the reader root for your character, show the character being clever. It can take a LOT of brainstorming to figure out how to get them down from that tree after you did such an amazing job of getting them up there. And let's face it: it’s really hard when you need your characters to be more clever than you are. What we have that our characters don’t, though, is time to think. Do it.

To make the reader care, show lots of character. Readers care much more for the action if they care for the characters. It’s a time to show their character in the way they respond to everything.

Don’t go too long without action. I’m not saying your characters have to run for their lives or jump off a cliff (although I am quite fond of characters jumping off a cliff ;)). Action can be things as simple as running to make the school bus. Exploring a hospital while trying not to get caught. Being caught in a rainstorm. Something that gets the characters excited and moving. Preferably fast.

And never use lots of description during action scenes. It will bog it down. Every time. If where they’re going to be needs lots of description, have it be before the action. In a previous scene, if possible. If the best way to lay out the scene is during the action, keep it very short and sparse. Think of what the characters would actually notice when they were in that situation. If they just broke into the bad guy’s lair, stole his freeze ray, set off the alarms in the process, and are racing out of the building while trying not to get caught, they aren’t going to notice that the paint on the walls is pale yellow, and cracked and peeling at places. Or that the light fixtures look like they belong in an old castle. Or that there’s a pomegranate scent drifting through the hallways. They might, however, notice that the floor stones are uneven, making it hard to run. Or that the lights are flickering, plunging them into moments of darkness.

But possibly the most important thing with action / adventure is to make sure your reader cares about your characters, otherwise they won’t care what happens when your characters get into trouble.

And on to the 5th element every book needs... A SENSE OF WONDER! 

Writing Middle Grade: It needs MYSTERY!

Over the past two Mondays, I've talked about two of the five elements that if you include to some degree to your MG book (or any age group / genre!) it will make it more satisfying. If you missed them, I talked about HUMOR here and SCARINESS here.

Today, though, let's talk about MYSTERY!

Photo credit: gifbin.com

Some kids love mystery as a genre. But even when kids don’t choose to read mysteries, a mystery in a story– as simple as something the character wants to find out– can really keep a kid glued to a story.

Creating a mystery:

Build curiosity. Even if it’s something as simple as whether a character is a friend or foe. Or what that key they found goes to. Or what that one-eyed, four-legged creature who keeps poking it's head around the corner really wants.

Hint about things. Like a monster, a treasure, or what’s around the next corner.

Works well when there’s a threat to happiness. Because, come on. If the mystery is that the teacher has something in a brown lunch bag on her desk every eight days that she guards fiercely, what's the real motivation to figure out what's in it? Now if every day that the lunch bag appears, there's suddenly a pop-quiz, or the teacher doesn't come back from lunch but the mean substitute teacher does, or on those days hundreds of dragonflies swarm the school, then we care more about figuring out the mystery. (Okay, so maybe hundreds of dragonflies swarming the school would be cool, but you get my point, right?)

Don’t have it go on too long.  Have you seen the TV show Lost? For me, when I first started watching it, I was totally hooked by the mystery. Completely intrigued. But then they drug it on way too long without giving us answers, and I got frustrated and stopped watching. If you drag on a mystery for too long, the reader will feel played. Like you're just using a gimmick to get them to keep reading. At that point, it’s usually not worth it to them to play your game just to find out the answers, just like I stopped watching Lost. If you do have a mystery that has to go on for quite a while, give your reader breadcrumbs along the way. Give answers to little things, while still building the mystery for the big thing.

Remember:

The bigger you build the mystery, the bigger the payoff has to be.

Too big of a buildup= unfulfilled plot promise.
Too big of payoff= it doesn't feel earned.

Keep them balanced.

Two more things to remember:

If you want to keep something a secret from the reader, then your point of view character can’t know it. If they do and the reader doesn’t, the reader will feel cheated. If it's absolutely imperative that your main character knows the secret but you don't want your reader to know, and there is no possible way around it, then don't have the character on the page when they should be thinking about it.

NEVER try to build a mystery by making things unclear. That’s confusion, not a mystery.

Next Monday, It's ACTION / ADVENTURE!