A Master Class by Joyce Moyer Hostetter

Kids are returning to school. How about getting that shot in the arm for your own writing? Joyce is offering a one-day Master class on Sat. Sept. 19th. You will not regret it. I once had the great pleasure of sharing a room with Joyce. We're both quiet, enjoy reading and writing historical fiction, and love our Lord Jesus. At lunch, she critiqued the first chapter of my historical, encouraging me to finish. She is a wonderful writer and teacher. Here are my notes from that conference and the one before. And below are the details for the Master Class. I highly recommend it, especially if you are working on a novel.  

If you write fiction for children, young adults, or even adults you are invited to join Write2Ignite for our first ever Virtual Master Class. On September 19, 2020, multi-published author Joyce Moyer Hostetter will help us master four big elements in writing fiction.

·       Creating Memorable Characters — Tried and true strategies for creating characters.

·       On Writing Plot: What’s the Problem — Structure and the power of conflict in creating a great plot.

·       View Point and Dialogue— Dialogue that works overtime and strategies for creating an authentic narrator. 

At W2I we provide Christian writers of children’s and young adult literature with:

·       Instruction

·       Inspiration

·       Encouragement

·       Challenges

·       Community 

Our focus is on those who write for youth.

Our foundation is Christ and His Word.

Our Master Class format provides one-day workshops designed to help writers build specific skills. If taking your writing to higher levels is your goal, you will benefit from these Master Class features:

·       Instruction by master authors like Joyce Moyer Hostetter

·       Guided hands-on practice of new writing skills

·       Immediate feedback

This Master Class will be an online event using Zoom. If you’re not familiar with using that platform, no worry! We’ll have a practice session on Friday, September 18, 2020 just for you. 

If you’re not familiar with Joyce check out her Youtube video here. Her books are available through any bookstore.

We’re excited about this innovative opportunity. Hope you’ll join us on September 19, 2020.

Registration is just $79 for a full day of instruction, practice, and encouragement.

Click here to Register.

Reading, Writing, and Revising

I won another picture book over at Picture Book Builders! Jennifer Reinhardt's Playing Possum. I am quite partial to these nocturnal creatures even though they raid our garden on a regular basis, so I really enjoyed this book. Such a beautiful story that encourages the shyest among us to befriend another. Alfred and Sophia are a delight, as is her hat! At the back there's a description of the animals that appear in the book. I feel most like the porcupine :) 

I'd seen The Secret Life of Squirrels many years ago at B&N and decided I had to have it. I love watching squirrels and to have them photographed with miniatures is just darling. These aren't doctored photos--the author made the props and the squirrels came to investigate. She has a tripod set up to take pictures. The simple story and photos are beautiful. You must get it for the people in your life who love little things. 

I have always wanted to go to one of Darcy Pattison's workshops on whole novel revision but could never make it happen. Well, the next best thing is her workbook, Novel Metamorphosis. I've been using it the past couple of weeks to revise my historical and so happy with the greater insights I'm having as a result of the exercises she's posed. I'm not even close to being done, thanks to an accident at the very beginning of my writing retreat, but there's no rush, right? 

A Conversation with Carol Ann Soisson + Giveaway!

Here is the description of Snowmallows from Amazon: Twelve-year-old, David Griffin, is a baseball fanatic and a sixth-grade student. The weather in coastal Connecticut is unseasonably warm at the beginning of March, so David is distracted by his daydreams of being a star baseball pitcher. But then David learns that he has to pass Monday’s test on weather in order to pass science and live out his dream. David’s parents are doctors and his Grandpa is a weather scientist, so there will be no baseball season or season tickets to see his favorite baseball team play if David fails. David and his best friend, Jon, decide to search Grandpa’s lab in the family basement for something to help him pass his test. In the process, they discover the Snowmallows – marshmallows shaped like snowflakes that were scientifically altered by Grandpa to make it snow when they are put into mugs of hot cocoa. Unfortunately, David and Jon don’t read all the instructions on the bag and use too many Snowmallows. They set off a snowstorm that doesn’t stop – where snow piles reach 6 feet high in some places. David and Jon work with David's little sister, Emily, to stop the Snowmallows, but their solution, called Lemonthaw, causes a time shift. No one remembers the snow except the three of them. David fails science, is grounded, and will miss out on baseball season. Grandpa's the only person left who can help David stop the Snowmallows. Unfortunately, Grandpa's the last person he wants to ask. Snowmallows is a story for young people ages 8-12. Subjects included in the book are weather, blizzards, meteorology, family relationships, baseball, friendship, and faith.

Carol, heartiest congratulations! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me about Snowmallows. I loved it so much and am delighted that we can talk about it. I only wish this were happening in person, as we drink a cup of iced tea on my porch. Sorry, no hot cocoa in our 80 deg weather! 
Hi, Vijaya. Thank you very much for your interest in Snowmallows. I’m glad you enjoyed it and I’m excited for this – my first ever author interview – with you! I would love it to be in person, too. Not only because I’d love to see you, but also because 80 degrees on a porch with lemonade would be a lovely change. Although Emily’s favorite purple crocuses are blooming, we’re still having some cold days up here.

I’m a sucker for the story behind the story, so please tell me how you came about the idea and how it developed over the years. I want to know your background. Were you a dreamer like David or a nature-lover like Jonathan (love that they are friends, just like in the Bible) or like Emily, smart, or all of the above? 
To be honest, I’ve been working on Snowmallows for so long (since the late 1990’s) that some of the details are a bit blurry now. The original story was written as an assignment for a course I took at the Institute for Children’s Literature in West Redding, CT and the original manuscript was about 4,000 words. It was the longest creative piece I’d ever written. It included only the portion of the story about the children developing the Lemonthaw. I love these whimsical names. 
The original idea for the Snowmallows themselves came from my friend, Sharon. It seemed that whenever she drank hot cocoa with marshmallows, we would get snow. “The power of the cocoa” became a joke between us and Snowmallows emerged from that.
Another friend of mine, Cay, was so kind about reading the story through its various versions and changes. After one reading, she mentioned that she thought we needed to meet Grandpa. Grandpa was a great addition! And I like seeing multi-generational families in fiction. 

Having him as a real character in the story and not just a subplot was an idea I’d tossed around myself before that, so with that encouragement, I decided to go with it. The rest of the story – now about 40,000 words – developed. At first, I couldn’t imagine writing anything that long. But, as we both know, with God all things are possible. Amen!
As for my background, I would say that there is some of my personality in each character.  I was a good student like Emily, but I’m nowhere near as neat as her! I do have my head in the clouds at times, like David, but I’m not as brave at chasing my dreams. That’s why my college degree is in Accounting rather than writing – something with more stability – and why it took me so long to finish Snowmallows. I do love a good zoo, so in that way I’m like Jon. I also used to belong to an astronomy club.
It’s funny that you mention the biblical connection in the names. That was not done intentionally. I heard those readings of King David and his friend Jonathan one day many years into the writing of the story and realized that happened. It was a “God Moment” for me.
It is amazing, isn't it, how much your soul knows! I do so love these "God Moments."

I never thought weather was all that interesting until I moved to the South—we have hurricanes here (far more exciting than the incessant rain of WA). I even shared David’s lack of interest, yet I was hooked from the beginning and you kept reeling me in. I loved how you wove all the elements, including Griffin’s Greatest Fastball. They all fit neatly like a puzzle. I’m curious—was it easy? Everything came about so naturally.
Thank you for that. I love puzzles and I’m glad everything worked for you in the story. I tried to be careful with the plot because I was worried about things being believable for the reader. I’m glad it looked easy because it wasn’t all the time. I backed myself into many corners during the writing where I’d be stuck for a while. Then something would eventually pop up that would solve the exact problem I was having. Again, many “God Moments” with the production of the book.
One example of this was finding the information about the Chinook. I had no idea there was actually a weather pattern that could make winter weather turn to spring quickly. One day I ran across it in a book. It was just what I needed. I can also credit my ICL teacher with pointing out the term “fanning” in baseball. Lots of little things managed to fit together in the end.

The Chinook! When I read it in the book, I wondered how a woman from the NE would know about this! I lived in Eastern WA for many years and experienced the Chinook!
I'm surprised you experienced an actual Chinook. I hope the book lived up to your experience of it.
Oh yes. It's really amazing how much snow disappears overnight with the Chinook. I was most disappointed the year my snowman disappeared instead of him getting smaller and smaller.

I think the biggest obstacle in the writing, though, was the voice. They talk a lot about voice in writing classes, but I never fully understood what they meant. Snowmallows was originally written in third person and I really liked the story, but something was missing. I finally talked myself into trying a re-write to first person and it gave the story the piece that was missing – David’s voice.

As much as I love the traditional third person/past tense, first person so much easier precisely for staying in character. Did you have any trouble keeping it consistent over the years?  

I only made the change from third to first person a couple of years ago.  I started by just changing the "He did" statements to "I did", so to speak, to test if the first person would work better.  It did, so I continued.  Initially, it was a bit tough to check that I'd gotten all of those changes because I was so used to hearing it in third person in my mind.  But after that, when I could hear David's voice and personality, it was very easy to work on the manuscript in first person.

I love time travel stories and they’re so hard to do well. Yet, you blithely threw in a time anomaly and I was breathless reading how the kids would get out of that pickle! I love what Grandpa says, “…there are some things like time and weather that we should deal with carefully. Playing around with either is dangerous enough, but combining the two—that could be a recipe for disaster. Time is too fragile and important a gift to be used for something selfish.” Wow! So true. Yet, he was busy messing with Snowmallows year after year. How would he explain that? 
Grandpa would probably look toward the ceiling for a moment and rub his chin to think about that question. Then, he’d answer as follows:
“I have used the Snowmallows for two basic reasons. One was to woo the woman who became my wonderful wife. The other was to study winter weather patterns to try and make winter storms less dangerous so accidents like Marie’s wouldn’t happen in the future.” 
Then he would look at you over the top of his glasses and give you a sly smile. “Yes, the first one might have been a bit on the selfish side, but the second isn’t – and that has taken more of my time. I just never thought to approach the issue from the warm weather side. I needed my resourceful grandson for that!” Haha! But I'd still keep a close eye on him. 
I love how you wove in what prayer is and how faith and reason are not incompatible. In fact, they go together! Do you teach Sunday school by any chance? You explain these things really well. 
Thank you for that compliment. I do teach a fourth grade faith formation class at my church, but I’m sure by the looks on the student’s faces that they don’t find me that interesting! 😊 Ah, you don't give yourself enough credit. My kids attended an adult Bible study with us the first year we moved to SC and they'd often slouch or have a bored expression, but they learned a lot and were often eager to share the juicy bits in Genesis!
I revised the prayer scenes in spots because I didn’t want them to be too preachy. In the pre-edit document, in fact, I didn’t directly make the connection between faith and science. I wasn’t sure if I should. Then one of the wonderful people who helped me with editing, Kate, said that she wanted to see me make that connection more directly. That gave me the confidence to do it and I’m happy it worked well for you.
I treasure our time at the Highlights Barn where we met. Since you are within driving distance, have you made more retreats there?
I loved the Sharing Our Hope Workshop weekend, too, and I often pray for the friends we made there. I’ve attended a few more workshops there since then. The Indie Publishing Course was the most recent one I attended and that was invaluable to me in the process of publishing Snowmallows. I took so many notes in that class that my hand was cramped by the end of the weekend. That was a couple of years ago and I haven’t been back since then.
In addition to the Highlights workshops, I’ve taken two correspondence courses with the Institute of Children’s Literature in West Redding, CT and I’ve taken some webinars through Writer’s Digest. I also found the Self-Publishing Blueprint from Children’s Book Insider to be very helpful in explaining the self-publishing process.
I did try for a long time to submit my stories to traditional publishers. Most took a long time to answer and wanted exclusive submissions. After taking the Indie course at Highlights, I knew I could do it professionally myself, so I took a chance and started my own company called Shepherd’s Companion Press, LLC. It’s been a challenge getting everything up and running, but I’m excited with the work and I know it was the right direction for me.
It is really wonderful that we have the option of self-publishing. I've read many independently published books that are well-made. Freelance editors and artists rock!
Yes, I couldn't have done it without great freelance help.
What’s next for you? What are you working on?
What’s next? I’m still trying to let it sink in that Snowmallows is really in print! And, while I do have my own company for self-publishing, I also have a regular accounting job, so my time is split. 
Yes, self-publishing is a huge venture and you have to celebrate all the steps along the way! Congratulations on getting Snowmallows in print! That's a biggie. And it'll be a perfect gift for the Easter season.
I'd love it if people saw Snowmallows as a great Easter book. That would be a wonderful compliment. hope in the future that I can write something about the Rosary for children -- I love the Rosary -- maybe a beginner book like praying a decade a day so it’s not so intimidating or perhaps something where the children delve into the mysteries.  I also have some characters for another story about a princess running around in my mind, but I’m not fully sure yet where that story is supposed to go. I guess we’ll see where the Spirit moves.
The rosary is my favorite prayer, but I remember when I first learned to pray how much I needed to have pictures to help me to focus on the mystery. It took me several years before it became a meditative prayer. I've seen the change in my own children too. 

Do you have any advice for writers? You've had a long and interesting journey. What do you wish you'd known? 

I have had a long journey in regard to the writing, but I believe that God worked it out for His time and not mine. I would not have been the same person and Snowmallows would not have been the same book if it had been published 5, 10, or 20 years ago. I am thankful for how things happened.

This is so true. Sometimes when I wished that I'd not sat on Bound for 5 years after it was ready making the rounds I realized I wasn't ready to take the plunge to publish it myself back then. Everything happens at the appointed time.

What advice would I give? With only one book under my belt, I don't know that I'm in a position to give much advice! And the list of what I wish I'd known is probably too long for your blog.  But, I can tell you what I learned.  I learned that a writer needs to know enough about his or herself inside to be able to find the right path for them.  When I started in writing, I wanted to go the traditional route.  I had no interest in trying to publish myself.  But, as time went on and I learned more about myself and the industry, I found that I didn't share the viewpoint of many traditional publishers in a variety of areas.  I didn't want many of them to publish my book.  Then I took the time to learn about the self-publishing process and found that, as an accountant and a writer, I had the right skill set to do this myself and to do it pretty well.  I'm not saying my way was better than the traditional route, but it was the right path for me.  I think other writers should consider the available options and consider their own personality to help them make the best choice about their own path.

Wise words, Carol. I might have to pick your brain about the business side of things--I've been procrastinating on that front.  
Happy to help with the business side. Believe it or not, it took me a while to make the shift for my personal business. It's a strange transition from working in a larger corporation.
Is there anything else you would like to add/share?
I’d like to let people know about the website I’m developing for Shepherd’s Companion Press, LLC  https://shepherdscompanion.com/  There are free materials on the site related to Snowmallows – a short story about Emily, a quiz to see which character is most like you, suggestions for snow day activities (perfect for covid quarantine too!), and a word find puzzle about people of science who believed in God. I haven’t written a blog yet, but I’m planning for one to show up on the site in the near future and I’m hoping to put more resources for learning about weather on there, too.
I also want to thank you for this interview, Vijaya. You’ve helped me so much with the book so far. And, I’d like to thank everyone who’s taken the time to read Snowmallows. I truly appreciate the support.
Thank you so much.
You are welcome, Carol. It's been such a pleasure. I hope many children will get to enjoy the exciting adventures in Snowmallows. And I pray you and all yours have a very blessed Eastertide. I'm sharing an old picture from our time at Highlights--may our writing dreams sprout like these cheerful johnny jump-ups!

Friends, Carol has generously offered to give away one signed copy of Snowmallows to one lucky commenter. We'll do a drawing May 1, 2020. Thank you.

Carolinas SCBWI Recap

I try to go to one writing conference each year and this year was no exception, except that I was presenting, so I left a day early so that I could attend the illustration intensive offered by Mallory Grigg (she loves postcards :). She covered all the basics of the picture book in a short slideshow, but hearing her critique of each person's work was very educational, as well as the comments by the other artists, who are so accomplished, so beautiful. Not once was I made to feel like I didn't belong. I was encouraged to take an art class and to think about a story to go with my Indian folk art. Once upon a time... A big shoutout to Mo (Maureen Morris of Momo Collections) for driving there and back--it's always so fun to share a ride with writer friends.

Afternoon brought critique sessions and I was so pleased to see again, how exceptional they were. All were publishable and I could immediately think of a handful of publishers for each. I'm always so happy to have a part in another writer's success. Evening brought the faculty dinner (I got cozy with Donna Earnhardt and Samantha Bell) and don't you just love my new cup! Logo designed by Bonnie Adamson. I'm all about facing our dragons!!!  

I enjoyed visiting with old friends and making new ones and excited to see some of them this weekend--our Charleston critique group is growing. I love best that we have both writers and illustrators in our group because artists bring a completely different perspective to stories.

 

I loved Cynthia Surrisi's keynote: The Abstraction of Curiosity. Given that my whole life I've been driven by curiosity, her words resonated deeply with me. She shared her path to publication. She spoke about being overeducated (JD, MFA); however, it's the pursuit of excellence that matters as we make our "beautiful thing." There are as many paths up the slope as people and conferences like these really help exchange of information. We see "how to get your beautiful thing to fit." She advised to keep writing, try not to go insane, and to remain curious.

Do check out Jane Friedman's 2019-2020 Key Book Publishing Paths. Having published in many different ways, I will repeat that it's a great time to be writing and publishing because the Big 5 isn't our only option.

I loved the session on creating complex characters by Stephanie Fretwell-Hill. Again, because I like to read and write character-driven stories (in fact, every story begins for me with a character in a pickle...so plot and character have always been inextricably linked) this workshop was very enjoyable. Stephanie taught using great examples. She emphasized mining our own past and remembering how we felt, how conflicted we were. We can bring that emotional depth and complexity to our characters and stories. Oh, Stephanie likes character-driven literary fiction (I know some of you who are reading this write what she likes, so what are you waiting for?). 

Another favorite workshop was one on the Picture Book Biography offered by Lina Maslo and Alice Ratterree. I can't wait to read her biography of C. S. Lewis. Such a treat to get a sneak peek. Lina typically starts with the defining moment in her subject's life and then backtracks to share the moments that lead up to that point. She ends with the impact her subject has. I especially loved Alice's story about her brother and H. A. Rey--it would make a wonderful story for Highlights. What I loved is how the little details really make a piece of work authentic. However, that's not how you begin--it's just the opposite. Alice says to first research the era of your subject, then spiral in closer to the places he or she inhabited, and finally the clothing, the furniture, the telling details. A great piece of advice: put your reader first.

My workshop on Writing Memoir for Kids went well. Several people came to find me to tell me about the stories they want to write, so I'm happy that they'll take home some tools to craft their personal stories. I spent some time on marketing as well because I really want to see you all published. I cannot emphasize the value of writing for magazines. It's how I got my start, and although I know we each have our own path to navigate, magazine writing is a faster way to build your portfolio. 

I didn't make it to the illustrator Draw Off but I took some pictures the next day. We've got talent!

First Pages are always entertaining with Alan Gratz reading them, complete with sound effects!!! Plus, he keeps the editors on time. I am pretty sure Nothing Eats a Hyena will be a proper book very soon! Great voice!

Alan also gave us the closing keynote and it was brilliant. He started from the beginning from his birth in a sporty family (and it's true, the ball always manages to find you) but his gift was in telling stories. I loved that his mother edited his first story and made him rewrite it. Talk about getting trained early for editorial feedback! He used the Marvel comic book heros to illustrate his point about their Origin stories (the things that happen that define who you are and how you act). And what is brilliant is that when new information emerges, we can reinterpret them. This is called Retroactive-Continuity (in the world of comic books) and it's great for character development. The present defines the past. I loved this so much because it made me feel as though I were close to seeing myself as God sees me. I am becoming who I was created to be. It was that profound! Alan closed with: "Who are you? You *are* a writer or illustrator. Take this room with you."  What is Your Origin Story?  



This was an emotionally charged conference because our indefatigable RA, Teresa Fannin is retiring. She's been wonderful all the years I've known her and she's passing on the baton to Donna and Kelly. I was also preparing for Michaelmas. Mo got me to church with enough time to spot check the difficult bits and although I was tired, dousing my head in cold water was enough to refresh me. The moment I opened my mouth to sing--Benedicite Domine omnes Angeli--a peace descended upon me. The presence of countless angels and saints and our Blessed Lord Himself is palpable. It was a fitting way to end the conference. But for Robyn Campbell, it was the end of her life on this earth. I learned this on Monday and could picture her soul brought to heaven (painting by Bougeaureau, 1878). Mo had gone to her workshop on voice and remarked that Robyn hadn't been feeling well. Oh, how my heart breaks for her family. Requiescat in pace, Robyn. I will sing the Requiem Mass for you.

Write 2 Ignite: A True Witness Conference Recap

"Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it." My Gospel Reflection for today is up on CatholicMom. 

I've missed going to Write2Ignite, but with school and sports, it was a busy time in our lives. But this weekend Michael accompanied me and it was so lovely to be amongst faithful Christian writers. The conference team put together a great conference with a useful booklet containing all the conference information along with room to write, a notebook, pen, and chocolate! All in this pretty bag. I enjoyed all the keynotes so very much and delighted that the topics on my mind: writing memoir, the conversion story, and writing a controversial book all tied into the theme of being a true witness. I know I'll be back next year. Save the dates: Sept. 18-19th, 2020.

Even though I was busy most of Saturday, I had the chance to listen to a couple of workshops. The first was by Todd Williams, Editor-in-Chief of Union Gospel Press. He spoke about how God's Word gives us helpful insights about writing that's engaging. We have doctrine, commands, poems, letters, appeals, stories, mysteries, and so much more. He explained the five parts of effective communication--collecting ideas, organizing them, expressing them, must be understood by others, and finally the reader is changed. I will not forget that writing *is* Logos. He is looking to assign good children's writers for Sunday school materials. He emphasized how difficult it is to find people who can write for children. So, if this interests you, contact him. I like how precise he is--the qualities necessary in a good editor.

I also enjoyed Daniel Blackaby's lecture on Tolkein, Lewis, and the Christian Imagination. I've read much about the Inklings but it's always a delight to listen to people who've studied their works in far greater depth than I have. I'd forgotten how much Tolkein disliked Lewis' Narnia, saying they were "almost worthless--carelessly written jumble of unrelated mythologies." Talk about a scathing critique. Now that I understand my faith better, I might actually agree. Michael O'Brien gives a good account in his book: A Landscape with Dragons. I no longer read much fantasy, but if that's what you like check out Blackaby's books. 

Nancy Lohr, Acquisitions Editor at JourneyForth Books, gave such an inspiring keynote on Truth-FULL Writing. She spoke about the culture of relativism, how truth is a moving target. She quoted George Orwell: "In a time of deceit, telling the truth is revolutionary." We live in such times now and should look at this as an opportunity to share the truth. She reminded us that we cannot give what we do not possess already; we can only write what's within our gifts; write the felt needs; write to be light and salt. It was an excellent primer for my workshop later in the afternoon on writing controversial books. I would love to work with her on a book, except I've not written anything that meets their guidelines. 

The closing keynote was from Edie Melson on the New Paradigm of Social Media. I was sitting near a group of youngsters and they were chuckling over us old folks getting instructions on using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as they scrolled over their feeds. Edie mentioned that the majority of social media is conducted over a mobile device. She's not just an expert on this and other internetty things (she has a top notch blog called The Write Conversation) but a writer of inspirational books for creatives as well as novels. Her latest, Unruffled, is out today! Edie is wonderful, reminding us that perhaps the world of social media might be the darkest, that we need to be light and salt. I couldn't agree more... if that is your gift.

Here are some fun pictures of old friends and new, and the beautiful campus of Northern Greenville University. Glory, Glory to God!!!