Weekly Scratch: A MOVIE, AWARDS, DON'T TELL,

Hi folks, Our upcoming Schmooze on 5-25 at the College Station Barnes and Noble at 10 a.m. will feature a panel discussing the following : Q&A about MFA programs, SCBWI conferences, Highlights Foundation workshops, and others. Be sure to check calendar for other weekly events.  Have I mentioned that Sherry Garland's book VOICES OF GETTYSBERG has recieved a 2011 Storytelling World Resource Award for Stories for Adolescent Listeners?
A MOVIE

I want to see The Library of the Early Mind.  It's a documentary about children's literature.  Watch the trailer here.

AWARDS

Wondering who won the Edgar Award for juvenile books from Mystery Writers of America in 2011?

Wonder who were the finalists for the Mythopoeic Society's Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature?

Look,a new award to honor the exceptional writing in a picture book in the amount of $5000: PEN/Steven Kroll Award to Honor Author of an Illustrated Children's Book!

DON'T TELL

A good article about showing vs telling on the blog, The Blood Red Pencil.

I will toss some more scratch next week.   Have a good day, folks!

Weekly Scratch: Trends, Market, Tweet, Advice, Revolution, Laugh

Howdy, folks. Hope your work is humming. Keep looking up and believing good things will come. Our books reach all kinds of places, Brazos Valley . Proof: If you go to Minnesota's Children's Museum, you might want to read (among others) Kathy Whitehead's book ART FROM HER HEART. Our upcoming Schmooze on 5-25 at the College Station Barnes and Noble at 10 a.m. will feature a panel discussing the following : Q&A about MFA programs, SCBWI conferences, Highlights Foundation workshops, and others.  Here is a little blurb about Kathi Appelt at Chautauqua.
TRENDS

Here is an article about an upcoming trend in YA -- Myths. 

MARKET

Pyr is entering into the YA market. PW

TWEET

Why is Twitter useful?  Check out this little video.  Comments of a NEWBIE tweeter offers advice for the want-to-be tweeter.

ADVICE

Some great advice from J. K. Rowling (commencement at Harvard.) 

REVOLUTION

Production of all kinds of books in major decline.
Hot new site for YA writers...check it out - Figment.

LAUGH

Kurt Vonnegut and the curves of fiction. Good for a laugh and it might be some good writing advice too!

I hope something here helps you on your journey. 

Weekly Scratch: Opportunity, Publishing News, Revolution, Bestsellers, A Smile

Howdy, folks!  Hope you have had a chance to work on your writing this week. Keep digging and I'm sure you will find gold.    The SCBWI Magazine Merit Awards were  recently announced.

OPPORTUNITY

Lot of live query events going on over at Write-on-con (WOC).  Next week, Monday, May 16 at 9 PM Eastern Time (That's 8 PM Central Time :) ) at WOC,  Molly O'Neill, an Associate Editor at Katherine Tegan Books, Joanna Stampfel-Volpe, and Michelle Andelman of Regal Literary will show up for a live event.   Check it out if you have a book to pitch. 

PUBLISHING NEWS

Dial Books has a new vice-president of acquisition and development -- Jennifer Hunt. Check out the article.  

REVOLUTION

Did you know that some literary agency are becoming  publishing agencies too?

Ed Victor, an English based literary agency, has started publishing e-book and print-on-demand. Read about in PW. 

BESTSELLERS

Here is a round up of current best sellers:

The current Indiebound "Indie Bestsellers" list for Children's Interest.
Here are the current NY TIMES bestsellers for Children's Chapter Books  and Picture Books.

A SMILE

Did you just receive a requested manuscript? Good for a smile.

I will toss out some more scratch next week. Keep writing.

Weekly Scratch: First Lines, Micro Plots, On Character, Sequels, The Revolution, Hahaha

Howdy, Folks,  I hope your plots are stronger this week. Thanks Debra for a great program last week!  If you wish to apply for the Matha Weston grant that is open and the rules are at the SCBWI website. SCBWI Member's Choice Awards have been announced: The Crystal Kite Award.  Tammi Sauer wins the Oklahoma/Texas region's Crystal Kite honor with Mostly Monsterly. Here's the link to the Children's Choice Awards if you are interested.  Go Texans: Author of Year-Rick Riordan!

FIRST LINES

I thought this might be of some use to you on your journey to a great a novel.  This is a link to the first lines of a boatload of classics--Interesting Things: The First Lines. Here legendary librarian Nancy Pearl's offers a grouping of great opening lines.  Want a tweet of a first of children's book every day?  Here is the spot.   Here are over 1000 first lines of picture books.  And here's some first lines from books hot off the presses from School Library Journey's Fuse 8 and famed librarian Elizabeth Bird. 

MICRO PLOTS

Please consider posting your faves in the notes. I like to think about the micro elements of plots -- i.e. scenes. Here is an article that offers some useful guidiance on how to construct scenes.

ON CHARACTER

"Character is plot, plot is character." F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Here is a guy chatting about how to use the Enneagram to build character. This may of be of some interest to you

SEQUELS

I really liked this PW article on upcoming sequels and I thought you might like it too. 

THE REVOLUTION

Here is a mystery author musing about the rapidly transforming publishing world.

HAHAHA

You may feel this sometimes when you are writing your manuscript.  

Have a great day. May the 4th be with you. :)   I am so punny. See y'all next week!