Book Lists

A Moving Experience

I’m happy to be settling virtually into the Mixed Up Files clubhouse, and settling physically into my family’s new home in rural New England. While boxing and unboxing all my worldly possessions, I’ve given a lot of thought to “moving experiences” in literature. Authors most often use relocation as a plot device, but it can also highlight a book’s theme, demonstrate character traits, or show an aspect of the setting.

Plot Moves:

This is the most straightforward example. Typically there’s a character who encounters a new kid in class, or is a new kid in class, or has to deal with a friend or family member moving away. The move might be permanent, like Pip moving to London with great expectations, or it might be temporary, like Alice’s visit to Wonderland. The important thing is that if Alice decides not to follow the White Rabbit, the entire rest of the story fails to take place. The character’s move is what moves the plot.

Thematic Moves:

Into the woodsC.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe features a group of siblings who are relocated to the countryside during the WWII bombing of London. They then discover a magical gateway and move again, this time into the land of Narnia. That second move is necessary to the plot, but what about the first? Wouldn’t this story have worked just as well if it had been otherwise unchanged but instead had the siblings discover a portal in their own long-familiar London home?

Lewis used the initial move to introduce a theme and ratchet up the tension. These kids, moved from bomb-battered London to a seemingly safe environment, suddenly find themselves in more danger than ever. Out of the frying pan, into the fire. The move has created ironic tension, because the pastoral countryside is not the sanctuary it was made out to be. The themes of danger and safety are integral to the book and make the story more impactful.

Character-Revealing Moves:

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin presents a group of unlikely characters who compete to solve a mystery and earn the inheritance of a wealthy eccentric. At the start of the book, every one of these future contestants moves into the same apartment complex, which makes it possible to tell the story in a compact space. It’s a practical move, necessary to the plot, but it also spotlights the manipulative nature and social engineering skills of Sam Westing as he entices all of these people to uproot their previous lives even before the contest and its stakes have been introduced. If any of those families had decided to stay put instead, the entire intricate plot would have begun to unravel. By the end of the book, we see exactly how manipulative Westing has been, but it all starts with that big collective move.

A World-Building Move:

Harry Potter's luggage tagConsider the Harry Potter series, in which Harry moves from his uncle and aunt’s house to Hogwarts for each school year and back again for the summer. In his first year, Harry moves twice. First, he moves to a part of the wizarding world that’s a single semi-permeable wall away from the world we live in. From there, Harry and the other first-year students move by train to the pure magic of Hogwarts, which is as far removed from the muggle world as one can get. Most of the characters who make a similar double-move are muggle-born, like Hermione. Others who are native to the wizarding world only have to move once, like Ron and Draco. Every student is in for a magical year of new experiences, but readers have been introduced to a caste system that plays out more and more in later books.

How else have you seen a move used in your favorite books? Let me know in the comments, and thanks to everyone who helped me move my words onto this blog.

Using Your Resources

Hi, Mixed-Up Filer’s! May I just say MUF’s as in Moofs? Let’s go with that.  I coined it, so my pronunciation.

Anyway, since this is my first real piece for MUF, other than the interview I conducted with Shana Burg, which if you haven’t read it, why on earth not?? Go on and do it now. I’ll wait………… (whistling)…………………………(glancing at my watch)……………….Ah, there you are! Welcome back! Wasn’t she great? Anyway, as I was saying, since this is my first post, I decided to ask our fearless-leader, the Lord-High, Elissa Cruz, (I’m not sure why, but that’s what she makes us call her) Anyway, I asked her what should I write about?

Her reply was a simple, “Whatever you want.”, which seeing as how that will most likely be the last time she ever tells me that, I thought I’d take advantage of her edict and figured that the best thing to do for my first piece, would be to first introduce myself, and then explain how I came to be a member of this site. And then, I will discuss resources. And what do I mean by resources? I mean, taking advantage of everything at your disposal to help on your writing.

But first let’s start with, how did I become a part of MUF? It’s kind of a funny story actually. You see, like my esteemed-colleagues, I love middle-grade books and I love to write. Also like them, I had to apply to become a member of this site. However, unlike them, I had to apply many times. Many, many times. Did I say many yet? Anyway, after my thirty-seventh application, I received a very lovely e-mail from the aforementioned Elissa Cruz, asking me, that if she agreed to let me become a part of MUF, would I please stop sending the weekly delivery of rhododendrons to her house? Well, from experience, and as Jenny Finkel, the girl who I asked to my prom over seventy-three times, can attest to, I can sense when I’ve worn someone down. So, I readily agreed and here I am!

Now, about this post. I know, I know, get to the point already, Jonathan. Well, give me a second, I was just about to! See, I love to read Middle-Grade, which I guess tends to help if you’re writing for a site dedicated to it. But, I also love to write Middle-Grade, and that’s what I want to discuss. Writing and using your resources. Resources are plentiful for writers, but I’m just going to mention a few. Let’s start with this site (shameless plug). There are many different reasons why people come to sites such as MUF, I mean besides hoping to read one of my posts. Take why I came for example. Even before I became a member of MUF, the reason I always loved coming here, was to find out about what books were out right now in Middle-Grade. Mixed-Up Files gives a really cool and in-depth monthly release list, which invariably led me to buy one or more of those titles listed…every time. Yeah, I’m like a kid and have absolutely no will-power when it comes to books. Or comics. Or DVD’s. or… Okay, yeah. I see it too. I think I just might have a problem. But anyway, I checked off what I was interested in and knew what books to be on the lookout for. And if you read the author’s interviews, you probably noticed that time and again, the thing that’s mentioned most is “How’d you get my number, Jonathan?” But after that, the other thing that was mentioned a lot, was the importance of reading in your genre. It’s good to know what’s out there. Not just to get a glimpse of the marketplace, but because reading helps you improve your own writing.

And speaking of the author interviews, they are another feature to take advantage of. Usually, the authors wind up giving tips about what helps them or about their writing routines. I realize that what works for one, might not work for others, but I think even if one thing helps, it becomes worthwhile. You just might pick up something that you haven’t considered before.

Commenting on the articles is good too. It’s never a bad thing to ask further questions and reach out to others. You might get answers to something you’re interested in or get help about an issue you’re having. And I don’t just mean this site. While, I want you to stay here and spend as much time as possible on Mixed-Up Files, check out others as well. Different sites have different perspectives. It can only help you to see what benefits you (but, of course always come back home to MUF 🙂 )

Network and market yourself. And by networking, I don’t mean trying to make connections in order to see what somebody can do for you and help you out. Some actually do think it’s about that, but know up front, there are NO shortcuts. It’s about the work. It always comes back to that, doesn’t it? Your work. I know it may sound funny coming from someone who hasn’t been published yet, but nobody can say that I’m not putting in the work. That’s what counts in the long run. Nobody cares how many Facebook friends you have, if your story is in terrible condition. It’s how well you are able to revise and do the work and do what needs to be done to get your story in the right condition to be sold. And while the work is what counts, I’m just saying that using your resources, might make the work easier.

With that being said, still network. I know it sounds like a contradiction from the previous paragraph, but it’s not. Connect with other writers. Critique groups, conferences, etc. As for Facebook, use it! Join pages dedicated to writing. Friend other writers. I don’t mean bombarding specific writers with questions, because that’s a quick way to get unfriended. But, I am constantly amazed at how friendly the writing community is. I’ve seen people throw a writing question out as a status and been surprised by how many others rush to respond to it and help out their fellow writers. I’ve friended writers on there and discussed writing with, but haven’t yet met. And weird thing is? You come to feel close to these people and root for each other. But, if you’re a writer, you understand. You get it. Writing is a lonely, solitary profession, but perhaps could be a little less so when you’re sharing your experiences with others going through the same thing.

Well, that’s it for now. Elissa placed me on a strict word count and I’m getting close to it. It’s been a lot of fun and before I go, I’d like to first of all, thank my good friend, Lester Sherman for helping me with the research necessary for this article. But, even more important, I’d like to thank, Elissa Cruz, because in honor of my first post, she has vowed that if I receive over 500 comments from different, individual users, she will post pictures of herself wrapped like a mummy. Yes, a mummy. So, what are you waiting for? Comment away!

Jonathan Rosen is a high school English teacher, living in South Florida. He writes middle-grade geared toward boys, because he finds they share the same sensibilities and sense of humor. Jonathan has lived all over the world and is hoping to eventually find a place that will let him stay.

Getting the Grant

button, buttons, computerIf the words “grant application” make you want to bang your head against the keyboard, take heart.  You’re not alone!  I’m right there with you, key imprints in my forehead as proof.

Having morphed from a scientist into a middle grade author, I assumed I’d left grant writing behind in the dust.  Not true.  Grant writing is everywhere!  Starting a manuscript, finishing a work-in-progress, attending educational events, funding author visits, supplying libraries with books, sending your child to summer camp… you name it, there is probably a grant for it.

But really – why bother?  Like any busy author, teacher, or librarian you already spend lots of time in front of the computer.  Add parenting to the mix and, well – forget it.

Plus, writers deal with a lot of rejection already.  Who needs it?

Well, as time consuming and frustrating as grant writing can be, for me it’s a bit like buying a lottery ticket.  Someone is going to win that grant.  And it won’t be me – unless I apply.

Thanks to this stubborn perseverance (the same quality that got me published in the first place) I am pleased to announce that I am this year’s recipient of the Martha Weston Grant!  Which means that as you read this post, I will be attending the SCBWI annual summer conference in LA.

Yahoo!

On the wings of this success (and at the risk of upping my future competition) I encourage you to give grant writing a try.  Here are a couple of tips to increase your chance of success;

1. Apply, Apply, Apply…

… and then apply again.  In addition to enhancing your grant writing skills, grant committees will start to recognize your name if you apply for the same award year after year and hopefully give you points for dedication and perseverance.

2. Pay attention to feedback

Use feedback from grant committees to decide whether to submit the exact same application next year (if they’d reached their quota your type of project), make improvements (if they point out something specific), or give it a future pass (if your idea does not fit their mandate.)

3. Who did get the grant?

And why?  This will give you a better idea of what the committee is looking for and help you improve your application for next year (or make the decision to apply for something else.)

4. Details, details, details…

Like agents and publishers, grant committees read thousands of applications and they’re looking for an easy way to make the pile smaller.  Font and word count matter, as do deadlines.  Don’t have your application rejected because you missed the “received by” or “post-marked by” date.

5. What do they want?

Does the application come with a thick set of guidelines and a ten page form covered with blank boxes?  If so, they are looking for very something very specific (and someone who can follow instructions.)   Or do they just want you to send a letter of interest?  If so, they are probably more flexible and may be looking for someone with creativity.

6. Specific and Professional

Whether you are filling out forms or writing a creative letter, grant committees want applications to be specific and professional.  They are often looking for catch phrases, which you can find by looking at their mandate or examining the questions they ask.  They are also looking for recipients who will follow through, which is why they want to see the outline of a step by step action plan and not a broad, vague, or overly general idea.

Because readers of this website are so diverse in terms of profession, area of expertise, and regional location, it is difficult to include a comprehensive list of where to find grants.  But trust me – they are everywhere.  If you look, you will find.  Professional organizations often have grants (the Martha Weston Grant came to me through membership in the SCBWI.)  Most states and provinces have grants to fund author visits.  Governmental organizations have grants to support the arts.

Generally speaking, if a grant is well known it probably receives a lot of applications (ie. more competition!)  If you are keeping up with what is happening in your genre of writing or in your region’s education system, you will come across smaller, lesser known grants, that are more likely to support the specific work or program you are doing, which will greatly increase your chances of success.

Good luck!

Yolanda Ridge is the author of Trouble in the Trees and Road Block, two middle grade novels about the irrepressible Bree who has fought a bylaw against tree-climbing and battled the development of a highway through her grandmother’s farmland but has never written a grant application (yet!)