Writers On The Move

Grammatical Memory

I wanted to write a post about parts of speech, subjects, objects and all that. One of the reasons is my annoyance over misuse of pronouns, especially two cases: after prepositions, and as subjects of an implied phrase, but I quickly fell into the mire of memory. You see, I remember all this stuff, the grammar, the parts of speech, the rules of usage, because my father drummed the rules relentlessly into my head. Almost every night at dinner featured discussions about some point of grammar.

In French, the rules are simple: if the pronoun is the subject of the verb, AND it comes right before the verb, it's the subjective form.
But in English, what is a subject is a little more complicated:

Jack is taller than I.

Why? Because "I" is the subject of the implied phrase, "than I am."

and:

It's I, or was, when I was in school.

Here are two old poem of mine. I give them to you unedited, in its original form, in spite of my itch to revise them.

This is why I remember my grammar.

If You Were Still Alive

In spite of what I know everyone says
About each successive generation

Being deficient,
Not as able,
Morally superior
Or grammatically correct

As the one before,

I am privately convinced
Of the truth of the proposition
That today's youth's knowledge
Of the English language

Is sadly lacking,

And that even those
Who should know better,

To wit,

Those writing for the local paper,
Do not know how to properly use pronouns

Or, indeed,

That English has a subjunctive,
A fact that you revealed to me
When I came home and told you
That French had a subjunctive but that

English didn't

So I just wanted to say that I still remember
All that stuff and that in spite of my

Extreme annoyance

At your continual repetition of the entire rule
And its complete explanation,
Every time I said,

"It's me"

I want you to know that every time
I hear someone misuse a pronoun
I not only mutter under my breath,
But I think of you and think,

"If you were still alive..."

Seasons

You took out the garbage
and got lost outside your apartment,
unable to recognize your front door.

That night you wandered naked
down the hall. I waited for you to flinch
as you recognized me, your daughter.

You never noticed me,
instead continued to the bathroom,
where you attempted, fruitlessly, to pee.

Your pubic hair was gray. When had
you gotten so old?

Where was the father who taught
me to make scrambled eggs,
pledging me never to add milk?

Where was the father who argued
about gerunds over dinner?

In the morning I took you to
Mount Sinai hospital, where
they diagnosed prostate trouble,
admitted you.

When we took your grandsons to see you;
you barely remembered their names:
your mind, once so sharp, now rusted.

We moved you to the nursing home
near Trinity Church. When we came to visit
we would go across to the church
and pray.

I had to take care of you.

It was my time.

Young Adult Author Visits

To foster instant creativity with the young adult age group you must give them activities that assure success without the pressure of judgment or harsh criticism. Just like the little ones they love games and short writing exercises.

RANDOM WORD CHALLENGE

Give each student ten random words, with one bonus word. Use each word to write an original poem or short story (flash fiction—one page or less in length) and then share each with each another.

1) Give each student this list of words and sample poem.

1. Window

2. Atlas

3. Wire

4. Opaque

5. Casserole

6. Figurine

7. Thistle

8. Storage

9. Chink

10. hackney
Plus: snorkel

Example of a poem:

Gazing out the grubby window

At the opaque day,

I strain to see a reflection

the figurine staring back at me.

This is a hackneyed life wrapped

and trapped in wire?

Be sure to leave time to analyze the words on the list themselves. What do students notice about the words on the list? What parts of speech–noun, verb, adjective–are they? What makes a “good”/creative/juicy/inspiring word for such an exercise?
Have kids choose 5 words to use in an original poem. You can ask them to slant the poem toward your book in some way.
Give them 5-10 minutes.
Ask for volunteers to read their poem.
What have they learned about writing and poetry from this lesson?
Another approach is to put them in small groups to work on the poem together.

PLAYING WITH LANGUAGE

Warm students up by asking what they thought about your reading excerpt: What did they like about it? What was it about? Follow up with “why” questions, and ask that students support their answers with specific words and phrases from the story. Write their thoughts on the chalkboard.
Give each student a handout with a story excerpt that covers the topic or topics you are covering.
Segue into questions that are more directly about the aspect of playing with language on which you want to focus (action words, dialogue, metaphors, etc). How does the author use specific words?

Action words: Underline specific word choices that bring the action to life. Describe how the imagery is crafted by action words?

Dialogue: Identify the characters in the story excerpt: their roles, status, age and relationship to each other. Discuss how the writer plays with the characters’ dialogue (distinct tone and word choices) to reveal information about each character.

4. Write a poem or short story in which you play with language in the manner of one of the author’s discussion.

Metaphors: Underline the metaphors in the passage. Why does it work or not work for you?

5. With their answers on the board, ask some synthesizing questions: What have they learned about playing with language from this lesson? How might they experiment with specific word choices and meanings in their own writing, in your class and in others they might be taking that semester?

BOARD GAMES

Directions: Give students a heads up about the board game they will be playing after your reading. Use index cards to create game cards with questions about your book on one side and the answers on the other side. Print game boards on card stock paper. Break the group up into groups of 4 or 5 students. You can use buttons as player pieces.

Roll die to see who goes first. Others follow in a clockwise direction. They roll the die, take a card, answer the question correctly and move the number of dots on ONE die. First player to reach the end of the game wins. Continue playing to find out who comes in second, third, and fourth place.

CREATE A MAP OF A NEW WORLD

Draw the map of an island on a crinkled up paper bag. This will show that the map is old.

Now add some features like mountains, caves, volcanoes, rivers, swamps, or lakes. (This is a great way to give your kids a geography lesson!) How about adding an old, deserted pirate town? Remember that islands don't have to be tropical. There are also rocky islands, jungle islands, and since this is an imaginary story, how about rainbow islands, candy islands, islands made of toys, or any combination of elements you want.

Decide who lives on the island. Maybe it’s a clan of long-lost Vikings, rock people, wacky animals, or talking birds.

Finally, start the story by bringing to the island a main character or two. What would happen when two kids get shipwrecked there, or a time-traveler shows up? They need to have a goal as well. It could be as simple as trying to get home, or finding an object that's needed to save the world.

Because you have a picture of your island it is easy to create a plot as your characters move from one part of the island to the other. Create a problem to overcome at each feature.

BIO POEM

Line1: Your first name
Line 2: Who is...(Descriptive words that describe you)
Line 3: Who is brother or sister of...
Line 4: Who loves...(three ideas or preople)
Line 5: Who feels...(three ideas )
Line 6: Who needs...(three ideas)
Line 7: Who gives...(three ideas)
Line 8: Who fears...(three ideas)
Line 9: Who would like to see...
Line 10: Who shares...
Line 11: Who is...
Line 12: Who is a resident of...
Line 13: Your last name

Example Bio-Poem

Allison Nicole

Creative, intelligent, fun, responsible, self-disciplined, and enthusiastic

Sister of Meghan Darby, Melinda, Chris and Harrison

Loves to create art, make up plays and commercials, ride Daddy's Harley, and run track

Who needs the telephone, her hair brush, macaroni and cheese, her friends and family

Who gives her MeMaw much joy, her father and mother much pride; brother and sister love

Who feels joy with her friends, creating art work, running, watching movies and eating

Who fears going from one room to another, not doing well on tests, zits and coming in last

Who would like to own a Harley, win the 880, see her room neat and tidy, win the lottery

Who shares her secrets, her worries, and her love with MeMaw

Who is an honor roll student, a typical 13-year old, a friend to Amber, Melissa and Christy

Who is a resident of Jacksonville, Florida

Chase

~~~~~
Author/educator Kathy Stemke

Trouble on Earth Day Book Tour:

Eighth Day of Trouble on earth Day Book Tour
http://slowandsteadywriters.blogspot.com/2012/04/earth-day.html

Seventh Day of Trouble on Earth Day Book Tour:

FREE EARTH DAY CARD FOR KIDS
FREE EARTH DAY CARD FOR ADULTS
http://educationtipster.blogspot.com/2012/03/get-your-free-earth-day-card-for-kids.html

Sixth Day of Trouble on Earth Day Book Tour-book Review
http://familiesmatter2us.blogspot.com/2012/03/book-review-trouble-on-earth-day.html
Fifth Day of Trouble on Earth Day Tour- Book Review
http://terri-forehand.blogspot.com/2012/03/book-review-trouble-on-earth-day.html
Fourth day of Trouble on Earth Day Tour- Fun Squirrel Facts
http://hookkidsonreading.blogspot.com/2012/03/it-is-my-great-pleasure-to-welcome.html
Visit third day of Trouble on Earth Day Book Tour
http://gritsandgroceries.blogspot.com/2012/03/day-three-trouble-on-earth-day-book.html

Please Visit the Second Day of my book Tour for Trouble on Earth Day http://barbarabockman.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/review-of-kathy-stemkes-pb-trouble-on-earth-day/
Celebrate Earth Day with Pictures First day of book tour for Trouble on Earth Day
http://susannedrazic.blogspot.com/2012/03/celebrate-earth-day-with-pictures.html

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Walking Through Walls Honored with the Children's Literary Classics Seal of Approval

As a 4RV Publishing author, I'm thrilled and honored to announce that Walking Through Walls has been awarded the Children's Literary Classics Seal of Approval! But, this post will also talk a bit about contests.

Literary Classics is an organization dedicated to promoting excellence in literature. Through AWARDS, BOOK REVIEWS, and SEAL OF APPROVAL PROGRAM, the committee helps you sort through the many books in circulation today. It is the CLC’s goal to help you select the finest books available. Additionally, the programs offer opportunities for publishers, authors and illustrators to receive recognition for providing excellence in literature.

This is the second award for my fantasy adventure based on and set in ancient China.In January 2012, Walking Through Walls won 1st Place in the Editors and Predators Readers Poll, in the Children's Novel category!

Walking Through Walls is a middle grade fantasy adventure set in 16th century China. Wang longs to be rich…and powerful. At twelve-years-old, he already knows more about the Eternals and their way of life than many of the adults in his village. Learning about these mystics takes his thoughts away from the possibility of working in the wheat fields all his life, like his father. Wang has far grander goals.

To check out the amazing illustrations done by Aidana WillowRaven, reviews and more information on Walking Through Walls go to: http://walkingthroughwalls.blogspot.com

*****

If you'd like to get your own copy for home or in the classroom (ISBN: 978-0-9826594-7-2), click the link:

4RV Publishing Book Store
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

You can view the Children's Literary Classics Review of Walking Through Walls at:
http://clcreviews.blogspot.com/2012/03/walking-through-walls-by-karen-cioffi.html

Contests and Exposure

I recently had a guest post on my site by award-winning and multi-published (80+) author Nancy Sanders. Working with her publicists and publishers, she learned a thing or two about generating exposure for her books, and one great way to do this is through contests.

Obviously, each author will need to determine their individual marketing budget and see if contests can have an allotted amount, but even if you’re on a tight budget, there are things you can do to generate visibility.

Nancy suggests first making a list of those award sites you’d like to submit to, keeping the free ones up first. Then, follow the guidelines of each and enter you book.

Try to keep in mind that it’s not necessarily about winning. Nancy advises that just getting your book “in the hands of judges” is important in itself. Many of the judges are important people in their own literary circles.

To find out more of what Nancy has to say on entering contests go to:
http://www.karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/2012/01/submitting-for-awards-by-nancy-sanders_25.html

You can also check out Nancy’s site for even more information:
http://nancyisanders.wordpress.com/awards/

Since, I think contests are an important promotional and visibility tool, I allotted as much as I could to enter those contests I thought would make a difference. Contests I entered the end of last year include:

Boston Globe Horn Books Award (No fee, 3 books)

SCBWI Golden Kite Awards (No fee, 4 books)

Newbery Medal (No fee, 2 books)

IRA Children’s and Young Adult’s Book Awards (No fee, 1 book)
International Reading Association

The Eric Hoffer Award ($50, 1 book)

USA 2012 Book Awards ($69, 1 book)

Children’s Literary Classics ($95, 3 books)

Notice that the first four award contests have NO fee. You can definitely be a cost-conscious marketer. And, again, whether you win no awards, one, two, or three awards, it’s the exposure and having the book seen by influential people that’s as important as winning.

Just a side note: I recently spoke with a librarian and she mentioned that the Newbery award is one of the ‘biggies.’ After that would come the state awards. So, take a bit of time and look into these awards . . . you never know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Additional Reading:

Writing Children’s Books – Genre Differences
Keep Your Writing Goals Front and Center
Children’s Writing and Publishing: The Traditional Path PART 1
Writing a Fiction Story: Walking Through Walls Backstory

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Award Winning Author, Freelance/Ghostwriter, Editor, Marketer

Check out Karen’s eBooks at:
http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com

Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
http://WritersOnTheMove.com
DKV Writing 4 U
http://KarenCioffiFreelanceWriter.com
http://KarenCioffi.com (children’s author site)

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Tips on Editing: Part 1

WRITER’S ON THE MOVE

Tips on Editing: Part 1

What is Editing?

By Nancy Carty Lepri

How many of us have delved into a good book only to find typos and/or glaring mistakes? I know it has happened to me on several occasions and with well-known authors. It makes me wonder who, if anyone, has edited or proofread this book before it goes to publication.

Seeing I am certified as an editor, I thought I would pass on some of my lessons to you with a round of articles about how to be more effective at editing manuscripts.

What is an editor’s job? First, you have to clean up any “messes.” And, remember the work belongs to the author, so if you are editing another’s work, do not try to rewrite it to your taste.

The Publication Process:

1. The author finishes the final draft and a publisher accepts it, it first goes to the editor.

2. The editor reads the text two or more times, correcting errors on content, grammar, punctuation, and typos, while working closely with the author.

3. The next step goes to the book designer, where the artistic element is coordinated to enhance the text and to design the cover. Then proofs are printed.

4. Book designers usually make proofs from the computer then send them to the author and the editor to double check for mistakes.

5. When the proofs are approved, they go to the printer to become the final product.

6. The final product results in the book.

The publisher is involved throughout this whole process and gives the final okay to the editor, book designer, and printer before the book is released.

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EDITORS:

1. Acquisitions Editor: this is the person who look for authors—basically they are agents or publishers looking for marketable books.

2. Developmental Editor: this editor works hand in hand with authors to help with rewrites, research, character development, plots and strengthen weaknesses.

3. Production Editor: this editor has strong analytical and organizational skills needed to get a book published. He or she manages the manuscript from editing through printing. Some production editors may be book designers or act as liaison to the printer.

4. Book Designer: these folks are knowledgeable in computer programs to format and design books.

5. Managing Editor: this editor manages the entire publishing process from accepted manuscript to finished product.

6. Proofreader: though this “job” is practically extinct due to computers, proofreaders compare galleys to the edited manuscript, looking for things that do not reflect the editor’s marks as well as any typos and misspellings.

7. Other editors: these include photo editors, subsidiary rights editors, fact checkers and permissions editors; basically jobs that are “in house” at a publishing company.

Light Editor responsibilities:

1. Spelling

2. Grammar

3. Capitalization

4. Punctuation

5. Numbered lists

6. Table of Contents

7. Table and Figure numbers

Medium Editing responsibilities: correctness and consistency of…

1. Numbers

2. Abbreviations

3. Gender Neutrality

4. Content and Style

a. Audience: does the text speak to its intended audience?

b. Logic and clarity: are the ideas presented logically and clearly?

c. Usage: are the right words used to convey the intended meaning?

d. Format: are titles, headers, sub headers, lists, tables and figures set up consistently?

Heavy Editing responsibilities: the need to look for and eliminate the following transgressions:

1. Redundancies

2. Wordiness, triteness

3. Vague generalizations

4. Weak sentence style

5. Organizational weakness

6. Lack of focus

FIVE LAWS TO EDITING:

1. Look it up: make sure facts, spelling, etc. are correct.

2. Be consistent: this is especially true for numbers and abbreviations.

3. Just because you see something in the “New York Times” doesn’t mean it’s right: even the “New York Times” can make mistakes, so make sure your work is accurate.

4. Editing is subjective: the need to be aware of current word usage as well as evolving usage and be flexible enough to adapt to the changes. This means the rules of punctuation, grammar, style and usage are not completely rigid and writers and editors have latitude in deciding how to proceed.

5. Perfection is the enemy of done: every editor longs for a perfect edit, but that is next to impossible. You will always find something you should fix, tweak, or finesse. If you keep looking for perfection, you will never finish your edit.

These rules are all the basics of an editor’s job, whether you are a professional editor or just going over your own manuscript. My next “installment” will introduce the tools editors use to do their job.

Nancy's March Posting

Hi friends....

I'm starting a series about editing for Writer's On the Move blog and my first installment will be released today, Wednesday, March 29. Hope you get a chance to hop by and leave a comment. Thanks in advance.

Nancy

TIPS TO ENHANCE YOUR WRITING LIFE

The life of a writer is often filled with deadlines and multiple, competing responsibilities. When I think of maintaining both a sense of inner peace and personal ambition the following quote by Lao Tzu comes to mind "By doing nothing one could accomplish everything.'"

As a busy mom, writer and psychotherapist, I rarely have time to "do nothing." As I type this entry after midnight, I have two loads of laundry in progress, a feverish child in my bed, and a desk piled high with work. A part of me thrives on burning the candle at both ends and having multiple projects in the works. However, a larger part of me, simply just wants to be relaxed and enjoy exactly where I am in this moment. For me, inner peace is simply about being in the present and knowing that everything will be okay, regardless of how crazy it seems now.

Meditation is a great way to infuse your day with inner peace. I try to set aside ten minutes each morning to simply sit and breathe. During meditation, I slowly breathe in and out through my nostrils and gently let go of any thoughts or worries. I allow everything to be as it is.

Having thoughts occur during meditation is as natural as breathing. I welcome the thoughts and then quietly let them go as I surrender to silence. At first, I found meditation challenging. I ,too, am ambitious. It was hard for me to sit still and I was eager to get started with the next item on my list. However, after a lot of practice meditation is now my favorite part of the day.

Paradoxically, I find that after this ten minutes of "doing nothing" but meditating, I am most productive. Some of my best ideas and freshest writing come to me after meditation. In a sense, meditation fuels my ambition yet also sustains my sense of inner peace.

In addition to meditation, my crockpot and my blender are two critical components to my writing work. These two inventions are wonderful tools to keep my family fed and fuel my brain for optimal concentration. Here are three of my favorite recipes. Enjoy!

Gingerbread Cookie Smoothie
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 cup of soy milk or skim milk
1 tablespoon organic honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
1 small ripe banana
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash allspicehandful of ice cubes

1. Place all above ingredients in blender. Process on high speed until very smooth. Serve immediately.

Vegetarian Creole- Style “Sausage” with Rice and Beans
Serves 8
1 package Boca meatless vegan sausage (found in frozen aisle of grocery store)
2 fresh organic tomatoes, diced
1 Vidalia onion, diced fine
1 small green pepper, diced
1 small red pepper, diced
4 cups organic vegetable stock
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning (or adjust to suit your taste)
1.5 cups uncooked brown long grain rice
2 (15 ounce cans) of dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1. Prepare veggie sausage according to package directions. Slice veggie sausage into bite sized pieces and place in bottom of 4 quart slow cooker.
2. Add tomatoes, Vidalia onion, green pepper and red pepper to slow cooker. Slowly add vegetable stock, brown rice, and Creole seasonings and red beans. Gently stir to combine.

3. Cover and cook on low setting for 5 to 6 hours. Serve and enjoy!

Serenity Smoothie

1 cup skim milk
1 cup nonfat yogurt
1 large banana, frozen
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
4 large strawberries, hulled
1/4 small cantaloupe, diced
2 tablespoons organic honey
1 tablespoon flax seed oil

1. In blender, combine milk, yogurt, banana, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, flax seed oil and honey.

2. Puree on high speed until thoroughly blended. Serve immediately.

Aileen McCabe-Maucher is the author of the book "The Inner Peace Diet" which was published by Penguin/ Alpha Books and released nationwide on December 2, 2008. She is a licensed clinical social worker/psychotherapist who has helped many people find inner peace and discover their unique life purpose. For more information please visit the site below.
http://innerpeacediet.blogspot.com/

In the Beginning

The beginning of your story, whether it is a short story or a novel, is the most important part of your book. It is where you hook your reader, and hooking your reader is a definite must. Many a book has been laid down only to never be picked up again because the reader found the first page or two to be boring.

You can have the best character ever created, but you need to get that character into some type of action that will grab and hold onto the reader's attention. He/she needs to be hungry for more and more of your story. So you need to choose an opening action that can be built upon. According to Chris Roerden in Don't Murder Your Mystery, "Caring about the main character is the ultimate hook." This is so true because you can build upon this in so many ways.

The reader needs to identify with the character's feelings, and there must be contradictions of some type. It is good to introduce the main character as quickly as you can into the story. The reader should wonder about who, what, when, where, how, and why. Curiosity will keep them reading. As the author, it is your duty to keep their curiosity going throughout the whole book until the end where you will satisfy and answer all their questions about the story and the main character.

Even though it may be necessary to include backstory and description, these can be added later in the story and must be kept to only what is needed to satisfy your reader's curiosity. Backstory can be worked into the action, adding more interest and adding fuel to the reader's interest. Adverbs and adjectives must be minimized also.

So what is the best hook? One that can be built upon? The main character, of course, and the problems with which he/she will be faced. Remember, the job of a hook is to stretch the reader's interest beyond the first sentence; and if the author does it right, the reader's interest will go well beyond the first chapter.

Which of the following would grab your interest?

It was a dark and stormy night.

Or?

Maggie's hands gripped the gun as she looked down the barrel at the fear in the eyes of the man who raped her.

Faye M. Tollison
Author of To Tell the Truth
Upcoming books: The Bible Murders and Sarah's Secret
www.fayemtollison.com
www.fmtoll.wordpress.com
www.fayetollison.blogspot.com
Member of: Sisters In Crime
Writers on the Move