Twisted Tuesday: REWRITING, Step 3

So it's official. I completed my rewrite.
Totally.
In full.
All done.
Finished.
Tout est fait. I typed: THE END.

Just over 76,000 words, successfully incorporating an added plot twist, upped the unique voice element, axed characters, a change from past tense to present tense, a few personalized descriptives enhancing character development, and new possibilities for book II and III.

Yeah, I'm pretty psyched. Now, I'll be looking over beta reads and edits, and have one amazing author friends (waves at AE) yet to read, but I'm on the homestretch, readying to send my baby out into the great beyond and excited to start work on both my MG fantasies and picture books.

That's my ROW80 PROGRESS report.  Please take a gander over to my ROW80 motivation partners and encourage them in their writing progress: Susan's PROGRESS, Margo's PROGRESS, C.Lee's PROGRESS.

I have more to say about completing my REwrite, but I did promise to continue the discussion on REwriting from where we left off last week. So here goes:

In STEP 1, we examined our reasons for choosing to REwrite instead of REvising. STEP 2, we chatted about breaking the process of rewriting into scenes, and I introduced my index card method. If you haven't read them you may need to because this post is simply moving forward with the next steps in the process. Feel free to take a peek. We'll wait.

So, moving on to STEP 3.

SPLIT SCREEN:

4. I already have a new document opened which I've entitled Workspace: 'Title of Book', and cut and pasted the existing scene into that blank space. Now, I open up another blank document and start the scene from scratch, always having the old scene there as a reference--aka SPLIT SCREEN. Yes, I know there are programs out there to do such things, but this is easy, right in front of me, and I won't have to convert any material to a Word doc. when it's time to submit to an agent, publisher, or editor. 


I want to note that starting the scene from scratch means physically writing a new opening line with new intrigue, pulling the reader into the scene & chapter. This also helps me switch gears to a new mindset for where I want this REwrite to take the audience.


5. After I've written maybe the first two 'ish' paragraphs, I start referencing the index cards I've developed--the ones with the important elements from the original draft I know must be in the scene as well as the index cards of new info I want to weave throughout the scene, chapter, and eventually the story.


6. As I utilize my index card notes, I'm constantly referencing my document labeled Workspace: 'Title of Book.' Sometimes I find a dialog tag or descriptive that seems perfect for where I am in the scene. Waste not want not, right? By doing this, I'm also analyzing myself as a writer. I see where I've been and watch myself edit my own material, giving it life in a more consistent and concise way.

7. Then, I layer voice and description and elements to enhance the scene just as I did when filling out my simple index cards.

Next time, I'll refer to #6 above more specifically. How through this complete manuscript REwrite I've seen myself grow through dialog. J

I've also decided to slow down on blogging so I can get these beta reads and edits completed. I'll keep posting on Tuesdays and probably sporadically. My best as always and tapping fingers and feet....

Writing Middle Grade vs. Other Genres

I'd like to welcome back MG Author Kari Lee Townsend, who's been gracious enough to share with us her thoughts on writing middle grade as opposed to another genre.

What it’s like to write Middle Grade books versus Cozy Mysteries

 

Thanks so much for having me, Sheri. It’s great to be here. A big hello to all you folks in bloggerville J I’m here today to talk to you all about what it’s like to write middle grade books opposed to cozy mysteries.

For any of you who don’t already know, I am an author of two very different series. I write the Samantha Granger Experiment books about a teenage girl who touches a meteor and then takes on the powers of her cell phone, becoming a techno superhero called Digital Diva as she tries to find a way to reverse her “uniqueness.” I also write the Fortune Teller Cozy Mystery books about a fortune-teller in a small upstate NY town who uses her psychic gifts to work with the local detective to solve murder mysteries.

Both of my series are “tame” and appropriate for all ages and have fun, quirky characters, but the structures are different. When I’m in adult mystery land, the pace is slower and the focus is on solving the mystery. The books usually take place in a small town with a lot of fun colorful characters and an amateur sleuth playing detective. While with middle grade, the pace has to be much faster, filled with lots of action and adventure.

I am an at home mom of four children (3 boys and 1 diva). Their ages range from 8-16 which has really been a huge help to me writing wise. The biggest challenge for me has been in keeping the language authentic. My adult books have to sound like adult books, which let’s face it, is a lot easier for me since I am an adult J Where the middle grade books can be tricky. You have to be careful not to talk down to kids. They are a lot smarter than most people give them credit for. At the same time, you don’t want your characters sounding like an adult trying too hard to sound like a kid by using slang that will be outdated in a nano-second anyway.

Some of the best things I did to really get a feel for how kids talk and act is to watch Disney and Nickelodeon movies and TV series. Really listen to not only what the kids say, but how they say it. Many times I will read something in a MG book and think the piece of dialogue is a perfectly acceptable and correct piece of dialogue, but not at all something a kid of MG age would say. When in doubt, I ask my kids.

Really put yourself in the mindset of a 10-13 year old and carefully look at each sentence you write. Remember, it’s not just the dialogue we’re talking about. If you are in a kid’s point of view, then even the introspection, descriptions, analogies, etc. would all be from his or her pov. They wouldn’t describe the scene the same way an adult would. Save that for when an adult character is speaking in the book.

Lastly, don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s easy to slip up and think and talk and describe things like an adult because that’s what we are. Just make sure when you edit you look closely for those things. Ask yourself honestly, “Does this really sound like something a kid would say or do or think?” And then get a great critique partner to help you spot when something doesn’t sound quite right. Also, choose some kids from your target audience who read a lot and have them read it for you as beta readers.

Trust me, kids are totally honest and have no trouble pointing out your lamo parts that no kid would ever say or do...or at least mine don’t J

Good luck to you all. Happy reading and writing. To find out more about me and all my books, go to my website. www.karileetownsend.com

Thanks, Kari, for sharing your wisdom with us. And to top it off, she's offering up a First Five Page Critique of any MG or YA manuscript to one lucky Alleywalker!!

TO ENTER: simply leave Kari a comment below of why you enjoy writing either MG, YA, or both. Don't forget to leave your email addy. A winner will be chosen by Random.org and announced June 7th. There's plenty of time to enter, so tell all your friends. No extras necessary, but if you share via social media, just let me know in your comment with the link and I'll give a +1 for each, +5 for a blog post, +3 for sidebar. And yes, for this one you must be a follower. 

Thank you!! Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend! See you on Tuesday for PART 3 of the process of REwriting as I report on Progress.