Charlotte Bronte Manuscript Sold for $1.1 Million

There were mixed feelings when the news broke just before Christmas that a small manuscript by the 19^th century novelist Charlotte Bronte sold for just over $1.1 million.

A French museum won the battle for the prize, to the despair of the Bronte Museum in England.

The sale was reported as “an auction record for a manuscript by the Bronte sisters” selling at twice the estimated sale price according to Sotherby’s.

For those who missed this in the news, the book was a hand written booklet no more in size than 1.5 X 2.5 inches with 4000 words over 19 pages.  It is believed that Bronte (more famously known for her 19th century classic “Jane Eyre” ) wrote the booklet when she was 14.

But for me, the reporting of this demonstrated one thing.  People love the written word, and are prepared to pay large sums for the paper version. 

Remember that when all those around you try to tell you that the computer has taken over and the printed word is dead.  This little treasure proves that they don’t know the half of it!

Good Writers Avoid Clichés

In my previous blogs on characterization, I have covered the issue of clichés.  Let me tell you, if there is any single offence that editors hate above all others, it is writers who use clichés.

Here are a couple of examples:

"Don't look now, but we've got company."

"It was as though I had known him all my life."

Other clichés occur in descriptions or images, such as these two:

‘The clouds were fluffy like bits of cotton wool.'

'Mr Kingsley had a heart of stone.'

The same is true of metaphors. Do not say things like: "John's father was a tower of strength",  It makes the educated reader wince.  More importantly, it makes editors wince.

If you submit work with clichés to a publisher, it will get rejected. Clichés truly are a sign of laziness and mark out the amateur.  They are a clear indication that you have written the very first thing that came into your head, with no thought or care.

For more tips just like this one, have a look at write-for-children

Can You Write a Book as Successful as Harry Potter?

There is not a set science in writing a successful children's book, and JK Rowling didn't expect such a phenomenal success with the Harry Potter series. Arguably, her success came from her passion to write rather than the expectation of wealth.

Never consider the ultimate success or failure of your book. Consider it a work of art that you want to perfect so that others enjoy reading the journey that you have created. Profit will come later if your book has been written with passion and vigour.

Some of the following tips will help you on your way to a successful book:

- Write background information and notes so that you are familiar with everything about the characters and their lives. This will then naturally convey in your writing.
- Use brainstorming techniques to discover different aspects of the story and broaden plot opportunities.
- Re-write chapters removing prolonged descriptions and discard sentences that give too much away.
- Check each chapter several times after writing to ensure the language, tone and grammer remains consistent throughout.
- For reference, draw sketches of story boards to help you identify the main pieces of each chapter and indeed the complete book. Sketches and photographs of significant locations that you intend to use will also assist you as you will find it far easier to introduce the character to such settings.

Check back on this blog for regular hints and tips to support your writing goals or visit write-for-children.

More on Characterisation and Style

I have posted comments before on building characters.  Have a quick look at my earlier posts if you are new to this blog, or need a quick reminder.  Today, I will link this to writing style.  

Good characterisation and description really adds spice to your story, but how does this link to your writing style?  A good writer avoids clichés and finds another way of creating images.   Here’s an example for you:

A teenage girl could be embarrassed by her aunt who, despite being over sixty, insists on wearing teenage fashions. The obvious cliché is 'mutton dressed as lamb', but not only is that a cliché, it doesn't reveal the full embarrassment potential. How about this instead:

“Auntie Margaret wore mini-skirts above varicose veined legs and trendy long earrings that only served to draw attention to her wrinkled neck.”

I hope that you agree that this makes for far better reading and instills an image in the mind!  Try this in your writing.  One word of warning though…..don't go overboard with these images or you will slow the narrative - and don't use too many of them, for the same reason. However good your style, you are primarily meant to be a story-teller, not an essayist!

Twilight Breaks Record to Top UK Box Office

This month we have again seen record sales at the cinema with the showing of the penultimate episode of the Twilight saga.  The movie took over £13.9 million on its opening weekend, making it the biggest opening of a US movie ever in the UK.

Top marks for all of you who have paid attention to the news reports on this and have made a mental note that the teenage market is hungry for great fiction.

By teenage market, I mean specifically teenage girls.  If you were to go into book shops and libraries and find out what is being bought and borrowed, you will soon discover that by far the greatest number of books for the teenage market are aimed at girls. Teenage boys tend, sadly, not to be great readers of fiction.   The politically correct lobby would like us to believe that this is due to sexual stereotyping, but like many of their deeply held beliefs, this is not really true. It is a fact of life that boys like the challenge of proving themselves in adventurous situations, whereas most girls are more interested in handling relationships.

Look at the crowds collecting outside of the cinema over the next two weeks and pay attention to what is written about this.  You will soon discover for yourself that there is true market potential for a well written teenage romance!

Visit www.write-for-children.com to learn more about writing for teenagers.

Bringing Out Your Characters

Previously I have touched on how to find your characters, how to describe them and how to give them personality.  I am going to expand on this a little more.

You have to be aware of every facet of your character's personality, because if you don't know it all, you won't believe in the character enough to present them as a rounded, credible person.

You can't go into a full physical description and personality evaluation of each character as they appear as this would be most tedious.  Instead, you need to work out what the readers need to know and when they need to know it. Then you can introduce other information during the story without making it obvious.  The correct method of describing characters is best summed up by the phrase, "Show, don't Tell."  Here is an example:

Example of Telling the Reader

Mary was a voluptuous red-head, but she wore too much make-up for a seventeen-year old.

Example of Showing the Reader

Mary added another layer of lipstick and powder, preening in front of the mirror and thinking "I knew this shade would go well with my hair. I hope Mum doesn't realise I pinched her 'Coppernob' rinse. Perhaps I should take another tuck in the waist here, just to nip me in a bit more."

I hope that you agree that the second example reveals far more about the character and delivers the detail in a subtle yet interesting way.

I hope that you find this and my other tips useful.  Good luck with your writing!

Tips on Finding a Children's Book Theme

So what is a theme? Is it really important if I have a storyline and a fantastic plot?

Well... the answer is YES. A resounding YES when writing books for children. Plots and sub plots will carry content to engage the reader, but the journey must be one that the reader can relate to. I mentioned this earlier in my previous posts.

The fact is that when writing books for children, it is important to define characters, scenes and surroundings that the reader can relate to. So, I doubt you would be shocked to here that when writing books for children - especially those between 10 and 14, the most popular theme, or sub-theme, for teenage books is..... wait for it.....handling relationships!

Sure it sounds basic, but lets make it clear. This is NOT easy. Children are complex people. A relationship theme that does not reflect on something the reader relates to, will have the writer dismissed as a fraud by chapter two.

In romantic stories for girls, go for boy/girl relationships - but appreciate how they develop. By starting with two opposites that do not communicate, which by some reason or another they are forced to communicate, you are on your way. You can now slowly draw these opposing characters together using your plots, characters and settings that you have planned for your children's book.

The same is said for adventure stories - but in this case, I suggest the relationship develops through the challenges that face a group of friends.

But relationships are not restricted to boy meets girl. School stories, for example, could concentrate on peer-group relationships in which two or three peer characters demonstrate stark differences in their nature which has influences on your main character.
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As a guide, here's a tip list of relationship themes just to give you an idea that relationship contexts can come from any situation:

Father & son or father & mother relationship, family, distant family, school friends, bully, bullied, older brother & younger brother or older sister & younger sister, split families, adoption, geeks, academic failures & achievers, bold & shy relationships, different background relationships, family history relationships, community, sport, music, holidays, art and drama, long distance relationships etc...

Until next time... Happy Writing!

How Long Are Children's Story Books

Anybody that is starting out for the first time will soon be hit by this very question. As an author, your book must be pre planned and the complete narrative is governed by some unwritten rules.

Clearly, the younger the audience the shorter children's story books become. But, children will follow the same rule of thumb as their reading skills develop which is that any children's story book must be readable in two or three sittings.

To achieve this, consider readers under 9 can read 10,000 words in three sittings, and children over 9 will read about 30,000 words in three sittings. These numbers change over time, so I recommend that before setting out on your own children's story book, do some research. Buy some of the best sellers, read them and analyse the following:

How many chapters are there? How many pages between chapters? How many plots? How many characters? This will give you a guide to the depth of your story book, how many chapters the story book should cover and the overall length.

If you do not follow the current book length trend dictated by publishers, you can assume your children's story book is headed for the trash can. Of course there are exceptions, but why take the risk?

For a detailed break down of story book lengths and how to pre-plan the structure, visit write for children which covers this issue as part of a complete course for the novice children's author.

Building The Personality Of Your Characters

Writing a children's book does not mean writing a simple book.  To create a real page turner you need to  fuel your readers imagination.

Previously, I have given some tips on how to develop interesting, believable characters.  This is key to writing a good story.  If you haven't seen my earlier post, "Building Characters The Easy Way" have a quick look at it now.  Today I am going to expand on this theme a little.

Once your reader has a clear image of the character in their minds eye, you need to get the personality of the character across to your reader.  If you choose your verbs with care, you will be able to achieve this without labouring the point.  Let me explain:

You should avoid verbs like 'walk' or 'looked'.   For example, "Colin walked into the room," is a waste of a sentence because it conveys little more than the (boring) transportation of a person from one place to another. "Colin strutted into the room," says far more (if appropriate to the story-line, of course!).

Similarly, 'Michelle looked at her teacher,' is a waste, because it conveys little. 'Michelle glared fiercely at Mr Jeffries,' says far more.

This applies not just when you introduce each character, but at regular intervals throughout your story. It reinforces the reader's first impression of the character, and serves to keep his interest engaged.

You can find more information on this in the course Writing For Children.  The website address is shown on my previous post.

Building Characters The Easy Way

Anyone writing books for children would know that detailed character descriptions are important. Children's books focus on characters with such detail because in general, the story is made up with very few distractions, very few sub plots, no passing characters and a solid main theme. When considering the types of character, a hot tip is to create a 'bank' of characters to draw from. This may sound difficult, but this hot insider tip makes this task so simple when writing books for children that it even assists in developing theme.

Spend an hour or two, or even an afternoon in 'observation' mode - just people watching. Children's characters stem from all walks of life. The old lady at the bus stop, the postman, a gatekeeper, farmer, cyclist. Anything. Anyone passing by will have characteristics. Note them down. Childrens books tend to cover an immense amount of detail when describing characters. In particular focus on attitutes - how do they interact with their environment; Actions - are there any particular activities that these people are doing that you would normally not notice - are they swift, slow, forceful, jolly? Habits - are these people doing anything that adds to their character - fumbling, walking in a particular way, doing things with their hands? Listen to the way they talk - what is their tone like, how do they address other people? Are they snappy, mild mannered, fast or slow talkers, loud, quiet or humble? Look at what they are wearing - a necklace? A hat? strange shoes? A specific jacket, trousers, belt, tie? What is their hairstyle like? Jot this down and you have an instant character. If and where you choose to place them in your childrens book is up to you. But in no time you will be able to create a whole bank of characters that will assist you in telling your children's story. These and other writers tips can be found in a concise course - Writing For Children. More information can be found at write-for-children.co.uk

Choose Your Viewpoint - And Stick With It!

Before you start to write, you must decide upon which viewpoint you will tell your story.  For new writers it may seem easier to tell a story from a "first person" viewpoint -  in other words, telling a story "as it happened to them".  It's easy to see why as this seems the easiest way to go about it - particularly if the writer has had a personal experience that could be developed into a good story.  To help you understand this, think about your last holiday.   Think about how easy it would be to describe what you did.  I am sure that you would agree that this would be very easy.  Not only can you describe what you did, you can also describe how you felt, what you saw, what you heard and how this had an affect on your overall experience of any given situation.  Now think for a moment about your friends or your family that you went on holiday with.  Try and describe what they did, how they felt and what they saw.  This is of course writing in the "third person".  This sounds a little more difficult doesn't it? - unless of course you were really paying attention (In which case 10 out of 10 for character observation!).

The trouble is, the former of these two examples, writing in the "first person" can become a very difficult way to write.  It is an easy trap to fall into as it seems so straightforward at the beginning and the easier of the two.  Whilst writing in the first person does have the advantage that it gives full intimacy with the main character, there is also an  important and limiting difficulty with using "first person" which is this:    Whether you choose to be the main character, or a subsidiary character telling the story, you can only describe what you saw, what you heard and what you thought.  You cannot know anything else that happened "off stage" - unless you were told about it and you must report it in those terms.  This sets you apart from the action if you are not the main character, and it is important for children to immerse themselves in the action.  

Neither of these two viewpoints are right or wrong.  What is important is that you choose the viewpoint that best suits your story.  Whose eyes and voice will you be using?  Whichever you choose, first person or third person, you MUST cointinue with it.  Changing viewpoint during a story is one of the quickest ways to mark out an amateur writer.  Think hard before you start, choose your viewpoint - and stick with it!
    

Children's Writers Should Not Time Warp

Today's blog is a simple lesson, although its title may at first appear confusing. Today, I am going to talk about time. It is absoloutley fundemental when writing for children that you give them a clear understanding of the books setting in time if it has an emphasis on the development of the story. It is all very well writing a book for an adult that describes scenes in such a way that a period can be imagined. However, when writing for children, the writer needs to make the reader aware of the period that the book is about very early on. Children always assume that a book is about the present. So, if you reveal that the period of the story is a hundred years in the past (or future) half way into your book, you will lose your reader as they have already created a mental imagery based on the present, and you have just scuppered them of it. They are not prepared for a time warp and will tire reading further. Bad writers do not receive even the slightest of praise from children - books to them are good, or not good.

There is of course no need to mention time at all and allow the reader to set their own time for the book. The simple rule is to either mention time and space early, or simply don't mention it at all. These and other tips can be found at write for children.

Childrens Books Are Not Short Stories

Short stories are not necessarily easier to write than novels or children's books, and besides, there is only the tiniest proportion of space for them on the market. Anyone that has tried to sell a short story will know that they are generally met by a closed door.
   
Short stories do not carry marketing power, they are difficult to turn into film or drama adaptations and whenever they have been, the result has been relatively dull, drawn out and a box office slump.

That said, there is nothing wrong with chasing a dream to become a well known short story writer. If that is your path, this blog is not for you. Writers using a short story format quickly become entailed in limitation that not only hinders the exploration process to develop character and theme, it curtails the newly trained mind to limits that prevent the depths of creativity needed to write a powerful and thought provoking read.
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Those gifted with the skills of short story writing are best suited for plays or TV soaps where a story can develop and resolve within a few scenes or a few parts of a number of episodes.

Consider this. When telling friends and family about an event that occured on holiday, the descripion is relatively brief, but the listeners will already be aware of the characters you travelled with, the style of holiday, the sort of things you are interested in, and the expected hazzards or discoveries you are likely to land on. Your story just fills in the gaps that they have already created in their imagination. Writing a short story does not fill in the gaps. Writing a complete book provides the tools for you to set your scene, develop your characters and lead the reader to the events that occur.

Writing Books For Teenagers - Some Tips

There is a divide with teenagers as their minds develop and follow paths of preference. While it can be said that interest in fantasy and science fiction comes to the fore during the transition from childhood to adult, such can also be said about a teenagers development in romance and indeed fear. These topics are covered well by JK Rowling as her books begin with a very simple story line and as the series progresses, although the boooks become more complex in fantasy, the plots and trails also feed out to other aspects that will relate to the reader. By the final book, Rowling is tackling love, hate, fear, fantasy and loss whilst tidying up any loose plots that have been seeded in earlier books.

By instilling a 'rite of passage' throughout the series, Rowling successfully forms a transition from childhood to adult status.

When writing for teenagers, it is unlikely that a writer will be considering a seven part series of such epic nature, but the theme and approach should remain the same. Stories set in the present time often include an element of the difficulties of coping with this transition - some are about an adolescent upheaval, others have it running as a sub-plot, while others just cope with it as part of the background.

A writer should consider social issues that every growing boy or girl can relate to - as detailed so well in The Secret Diaries of Adrian Mole (Aged 13 3/14) by Sue Townsend

UK sales of her books were immense and went on to be adapted for television and radio.

Apart from choosing an inviting title, pre-planning is extremely important. Consider both the plot and the development of the character, but keep in mind that a teenage reader relates more to the development of the character than specific events that occur. The key to writing books for teenagers is to marry the character and the difficulties they face with those same difficulties that a teenager reading your book is familiar with. By doing so, your planning stage becomes easier as the obstacles that relate to teenagers can be used to map the passage of the book.

Your readers should be able to work it out for themselves or at least be familiar with some of the pitfalls that your characters face, but you don't want them to give everything away, your journey should introduce an increasing number of obstacles with increasing complications. This is the skill of writing this type of fiction.

Writing a Children's Book and Pitching Your Story

Once you have finished writing a children's book - whatever medium you’ve written for, you’ll want to sell it. Anybody you mention your book to will want to know what your story is about before they read one word of your completed work. If what you tell them is not compelling, then assume your book is headed for the trash can.

Publishers simply do not have time to wade through dozens of pages of thousands of manuscripts. If you have spent the time writing a childrens book and your friends and family seem uninterested, then more than likely, a publisher will not be interested either.

Here are some bad pitches for well known children's books:

Harry Potter and The Philosophers Stone: “An instant classic that makes the Wizard of Oz look like a beginner"

The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe: “This book is a delightful, warm and exciting journey created with the power of the imagination.” 

Some good pitches for recent children's books:

Kiss of Death: A school trip turns into a nightmare when Kim and Wes leave the plague-village of Eyam with more than they bargained for, and a stolen artifact wreaks revenge.

The Last Book in The Universe: In a land dominated by vicious gangs, Spaz is alone. His foster sister is the only good thing in his life and she is dying. Determined to save her, Spaz bravely sets out into dangerous and forbidden territory, accompanied only by an old man, with his philosophies and memories of what the world once was. 

Written pitches for selling to the public are usually longer than verbal pitches you use to tell marketing people what your story is about. Both of the above book examples were written to attract sales from the buying public. When writing children's books, it is important to keep the story line simple. By doing so, your pitch becomes clear and understandable. 

Pitching is described in detail in this 10 part course available at write-for-children.com

Check the blog regularly for more insider tips! 

Writing For Children Hot Tip Number 1

Published authors who have written childrens books without any planning are seldom found.  Writers should never simply allow a story to unfold as they write. The complete map of a story needs to be put to paper first. As much as many writers fret and argue that free-flow writing is the best way when writing books for children, they will indeed fall into the 99-100 authors that find their stories in the waste paper basket. If anything, the book will start to ramble and lose clarity. Furthermore, it will be over detailed in parts and under detailed in others. This is NOT the way to become a successful author!

Writing children's books may seem simple, but it still needs a 'map' to keep the pace of the journey interesting. Begin with a synopsis and plan the readers journey in advance. Even writing a synopsis can save heartache. It is quite possible for publishers to read these to see the plots, twists and turns that you have planned to pen, which can lead to a publication. But first, to get your foot in the door, you need to be able to tell your story in a very short brief summary. A whole chapter of Writing Books For Children is devoted to this subject. If anyone has any hints or tips about mapping out a story, please comment.

Become a Children's Author

The name J.K. Rowling, author of the incredibly popular Harry Potter series is a recognised childrens writer the world over. Her Harry Potter novel - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was written in her spare time, with The Scottish Arts Council giving her a grant so that she could finish it. Getting it published proved difficult, but since publication in 1997, over 325 million copies of Harry Potter books have sold. Rowling made her success by refusing to quit. However, it would be fair to say that for every successful children's writer, many do not succeed. That said, children's authors are very memorable names. When one can only think of a handful of fiction writers, children's authors crop up by the bucket load and are by far the most successful. Take Hans Christian Anderson, Lewis Carroll, Dr Seuss, the brothers Grimm, C.S Lewis, Roald Dahl and Beatrix Potter as typical examples - all well known worldwide. You can read more about these famous childrens writers on this great teachers website. Better still, you too could become a successful childrens author. Now is a better time than any do find some free time, immerse into the fantasy world of fiction and start writing books for children. If you are keen to get started, start thinking of simple fresh plot lines and characters that have not been tried before. Look out for hints and tips coming to this blog and learn how to write children's books with ease!