I'm so EXCITED!!!

The

PERFECT

conference workshop is now available

The Lab: A Novel Workshop for 

Serious Writers

by Cheri Pray Earl

The Lab: A Novel Workshop for Serious Writers

From Scraps to (manu)Scripts: Conquering the Murky Middles: Rescue those stalled-out novel manuscripts from your computer boneyard and bring them to this new, innovative, paddling-through-the-murky-middles workshop. This is a workshop for our faithful writers who have polished two or three beginning chapters in a WIFYR workshop in the past, but who need help getting the rest of their novel on paper and submission-worthy.

Workshop Goal:  “Finish, Polish, and Submit” is the mantra of this workshop. 

For five days, you will work harder than you have ever worked before (and so will Cheri), you will work smarter than you have ever worked before, and you will experience writing success like you have never experienced before.

Preparing for the Murky Middles Workshop: 

Prior to the conference, students will submit a murky-middles portion of their work (two to three of their murkiest chapters), a brief description of the problems of those two-to-three middle chapters, and a chapter-by-chapter synopsis (two sentences per chapter) of the entire novel, from the first chapter to the last. This is the material you will work with for the five days of WIFYR, so choose wisely.

Workshop Content: 

Each day, Cheri will share a different solution to novel-writing problems including Plot, Conflict, and Pacing; Character Development and Voice; Setting and Description; Scene, Summary, and Dialog; Developing Themes and Introducing Backstory.

Daily Assignments: 

Participants will write and workshop specific scenes that emphasize plot, pacing, character development, moral conflicts, and so forth, in addition to revising their middle chapters and, in some cases, writing new ones.

Final Project: 

Participants will present two to three completely revised and murk-free middle chapters on the last day of the workshop, a revised and annotated plot outline, a plan for finishing their novel, and . . . they will confess their love for writing, each other, and above all, their workshop teacher.

 

Click on the image to find out more . . .

 

...a few weeks into the drafting process

Now the ideas start to gel a little more in my head. It's been a  week or two and I have been thinking of Philippa almost non-stop at this point. I dream her, I drive around with her and she is incessantly popping into every conversation I have. I feel sorry for anyone who has to be near me at this point. Philippa is like an invasive weed, Kudzo vine (for you Easterners), Morning Glory (for us Westerners), blanketing everything in it's wake.

It's probably a good time to mention that I hope you have chosen a good name for your character. It's going to be popping out of your mouth a lot. And. . . you are only starting. Oliver took me 5-6 months of obsession to get to where I felt comfortable enough to start letting him go, submitting (sending my grown baby out into the world) and letting another character move in.

Okay - on with the show -
I've consulted with Rodale's, I've been 'pitching' the idea around among my forebearing (wow, that's a new / old one, not sure I got the spelling on it) co-workers and book-ish friends. For some reason I find that the more I play with an idea, the more I banter around and test it out, the better it gets.

It's like being in the stacks with a kid, you know you're doing a good job 'selling' a book if the kid is practically jumping up and down to get the book. On the other hand, if their eyes glaze over, they shrug their shoulders, all while looking at their feet, you know you are either not doing a good job on the build-up, or you are pitching the wrong book to the wrong kid.

Anyway - back on topic, again -

I also went Googling for paraprosdokian phrases, where I found Garden Path Sentences and Linguistic Examples to go along with the Paraprosdokian Phrases I already had.

I find that if I can get that first line down, that ironic, twisted first taste of the story; and if I've hooked my audience with it, then I've got it. It doesn't hurt that I have some amazing co-workers who start to toss out additional lines, phrases and ideas! Not to mention my awesome kid patrons that I see almost more than my own kids.








Read on for a view of the next drafts . . .

In the beginning, before the first draft

An idea is born!
(How Philippa got her start)

Idea part 1:

I had an outreach program I was asked to do for Valentines Day. A storytime visit to a school.

I don't do Valentines Day books.
I did not find a single story worthy of being told in a program.
If anyone has one to recommend, I'm all ears, just don't recommend some sappy little lovey dovey thing, blech.

I admit it, my requirements are fairly strict: It has to be short enough to tell, if it's a book it needs to be large enough to share the illustrations, and it's got to be really really good. Bonus points if it's funny. We're talking a third grade class here, it better be funny.

I searched. I dug. I despaired. There was nothing that was lighting that spark of ... 'I can't WAIT to tell this one!'

I finally settled on a Cut and Tell story from the book Handmade Tales: Stories to Make and Take (OPL link) by Dianne de Las Casas: The Royal Paper Puzzle. A story about a princess who, upon her father's command to get married, devised a paper-cutting riddle as a test to winnow out her suitors. Intriguing, the puzzle part. I think I can work with this. But, as Valentine's day approached, I wasn't entirely happy. I felt a little blah about it all.

A storyteller cannot be 'blah' about a story. I knew I was in trouble.

As I played around with the story, I thought that maybe a prop would help, a princess puppet or something. Then--it happened. I was looking for my princess puppet when I found my troll puppet. Hmmm. Light-bulb (said in my most Gru-like voice).

The troll, a Folkmanis puppet, was very definitely a boy. It needed a makeover. I gave him a makeover.

Now, I had my hook, my spice, my pizzaz! Princess Penelope was a princess of uncommon beauty. Yessirree baby! She is most certainly uncommon now!

Valentine's Day came and went. The program was done. That was that. Move on to the next program I was scheduled for. (which by the way was FABULOUSLY fun - it was Pirates for St. Patricks - this part will come into play later, watch and see . . . )
  
Read more . . .

From First Draft to a Finished Work...

I recently submitted a post (Princess Philippa Potts) for another blog, a story, a less-than-500-word story.

As I debated on what story to submit, I was tortured by the decision to either submit a tried and true (workshopped and polished) work, or to go with a new piece that is just emerging as a story. I chose the newer work - mainly because it forced me to put some effort into it.

Now I regret that decision.

Oh, the agony!!! Crap, I even have typos in there!!! (sorry if I offend, but dang it, I'm pissed!)

Every night after working on a piece, I am filled with hope and great expectations. But by morning, when I do a re-read, I am mortified! To think that I thought there was any merit whatsoever in that piece of junk. I re-work through out the day. And then it's a repeat. Until, after months and months--50 plus beta readers and over 100 revisions--I almost have something I dare call a manuscript.

All of this for a mere picture book.

Bear with me, I'm leading up to something.

My main problem with putting out (posting) a rough work is that a lot of people don't realize that every writer is entitled to a crappy first draft. A work that is still in it's jammies, hasn't even gotten dressed yet, let alone put on make-up. A work that is riddled with bumps and fits and starts, certainly not seamless and polished. Aaaarrgghh!

If we could only see the first drafts of what ended up to be some great works, we might feel a bit better about our own first drafts.

It comes down to this, a librarian is almost like being a teacher. It's all about bringing people and information together. So this is the deal: I'm going to document a "draft to finished" process on that newer work that I recently submitted. Yes, the same one that I am mortified that I put out there for just anyone and everyone to see.

At this point I do not feel that this newer work will ever be publish-ready. It's just not good enough. I don't even know if the time I spend on this particular work in progress is just throwing good money (time) after bad. I am going to rip it apart, trash it and shred it to pieces - and if you really want to, you can join me on the journey.

I do happen to get a lot of new authors who ask me, as a children's librarian, how to get their picture book published. They want to know where to go from here.

First things first, how good is your manuscript? Who else besides your family has read it? How much reading have you done? How well do you know what's being printed?

Now let's dig a little deeper, let's get inside of an actual work in progress, let's see what really goes into the making of a picture book.

Get ready for . . .

The inside workings of a picture book manuscript during revision.

dated and documented

Oh, I get asked if I'm worried about someone stealing my picture book idea. Am I worried about posting it all online. Am I worried about copy write?

As I hope you already know - as you write it, anything you write is immediately under an assumed copy write. I personally worry more about not being able to get this particular manuscript published because--technically--it will already have been published, albeit only online. Not that I have faith enough in this script, at this point, to think it is worthy of bring printed.

That said, there is no new idea under the sun. Just new twists on old themes. I actually started the Philippa Potts idea after performing a cut and tell story The Royal Paper Puzzle from Handmade Tales by Dianne de Las Casas. Inspired by that first line, I gave it a hard yank to the left and started twisting. 


Tip of the day - Picture Books 101:

Most common question I get asked:

Are you illustrating your picture book? Or, Who are you having illustrate your picture book?

Answer: Traditionally you, as the author, will not find your own illustrator. The publishers have their stable of illustrators. In all liklihood you will not only never meet your illustrator, but never even talk with them.

It's a good thing. Think of it as two heads are better than one. Your illustrator will bring another dimension to your work, will bring things to the table that you, as the author, never imagined. Be grateful. Kids almost never write an author telling them how they LOVED the language and the wording. They WILL on the other hand be all over you asking,  "Where is that hidden character on page 3?" Let the illustrator do their job. It is, after all is said and done, a picture book.

Okay, I can't just leave this one there...

I have control issues. I admit it. I want to direct my illustrator! I want to make sure they know there is a secondary story going on that is not conveyed by my text. I LIKE picture books that not only tell the story they tell with words, but also tell by illustration. I know my book and I know that secondary story. I am almost more wordy in my illustration notes than I am in my text. Oh, you poor future illustrators to any of my books! I apologize in advance. I do promise that I will always be open to having more to the story, as provided by you. And, I will forever be jealous your talent. I'm an illustrator at heart, but lacking your talent, I can only paint with words.