Novel

“How Pre-Writing Made Me a Better Writer”

When I started writing my first book, I was so excited. It was a shiny new story, and the possibilities were endless. The first few chapters were easy to write. After all, I had been thinking about them for several weeks while I created character profiles and sketched out the major plot points. But soon I began to lose steam. Getting words down was difficult, and I started to dread the blank page I had to face each day.

It took me over a year to write the first draft of that book. Sure, on some days it was easy to work, but more often than not I struggled to reach my daily word count goal. The really frustrating part was that I couldn’t figure out why. I knew where I wanted the story to go. So why was it so hard to write certain scenes?

I finally had a breakthrough after reading a book that suggested pre-writing each scene or chapter. Pre-writing sounds like more work, but I found it to be incredibly useful. Before I started writing for the day, I took out a notecard, labeled the chapter number, and I jotted down what was going to happen. I didn’t include many details or use dialogue, I just wrote what I wanted to happen, and I listed what characters would be in the scene. Doing this forced me to clarify my thoughts and really think about what was necessary to move the story forward. After that, writing became so much easier. I could finish each chapter more quickly instead of wasting time trying to figure out what to type. The blank page wasn’t so scary anymore.

Looking back, I should have known that pre-writing would help me. When I was still in school and received writing assignments, I’d usually procrastinate because I didn’t know what to write about. But when I started using an outline as a guide to tell me what information I needed to include in each paragraph, it wasn’t so difficult anymore. I could usually finish a paper in an hour or two, whereas before that it would take me several days.

I know a lot of people don’t like the thought of pre-writing, especially kids. But I like to think of it this way. When you have to travel to someplace new, isn’t it easier to have a guide to show you the way?

About the author: Melissa Hurst lives in the southern US with her husband and three kids. She writes YA science fiction and fantasy, which means she considers watching Star Trek and Firefly as research. She dreams of traveling around the world and maybe finding Atlantis one day. You can usually find her with a book in one hand and a Dr. Pepper in the other. Or consuming lots of chocolate.

The Edge of Forever is her debut novel.

About the book: In 2013: Sixteen-year-old Alora is having blackouts. Each time she wakes up in a different place with no idea of how she got there. The one thing she is certain of? Someone is following her.

In 2146: Seventeen-year-old Bridger is one of a small number of people born with the ability to travel to the past. While on a routine school time trip, he sees the last person he expected—his dead father. The strangest part is that, according to the Department of Temporal Affairs, his father was never assigned to be in that time. Bridger’s even more stunned when he learns that his by-the-book father was there to break the most important rule of time travel—to prevent someone’s murder.

And that someone is named Alora.

Determined to discover why his father wanted to help a “ghost,” Bridger illegally shifts to 2013 and, along with Alora, races to solve the mystery surrounding her past and her connection to his father before the DTA finds him. If he can stop Alora’s death without altering the timeline, maybe he can save his father too.

Thank you to Melissa for her post that I cannot wait to share with students!

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Doing It Over…and Over…and Over Again

“How long does it take to write a book?”

That’s one of the top five questions* I get asked when visiting middle schools. I like that question because it can be answered any number of ways.

My answer is always different, but it always starts with, “It depends…”

I wrote the first draft of Invisible, for example, in five weeks. Even to an eighth grader, that sounds fast.

But wait, there’s more! My first revision of Invisible took eight weeks. My second revision, a month. My editor then had some suggestions, and I took another month to revise it a third time. The final revision went quickly—just two or three weeks.

Total time from first keystroke to final manuscript? Six months of active work, spread out over about a year. That’s by far the fastest I’ve ever written a novel—and 80% of that time was spent on revising.

Eden West, the story of a boy who grows up  on an isolated doomsday cult compound in Montana, took twelve years. During those years of on-and-off writing and revising the setting changed, the number and names of the characters changed, the voice of the main character changed, the ending changed, and the title changed. I made two extended visits to Montana, where the book is set. I read seemingly endless pages of Biblical apocrypha, Mormon texts, and other scripture. The first few chapters I wrote were revised so often and so drastically that they are unrecognizable. Several times I had to set the book aside for a few weeks or months and let my subconscious work on it. Often, I worked on other things and simply let Eden West have a little alone time without me.

Typing a new scene, researching, revising, and dreaming are all parts of writing. Many of my best ideas come while I’m revising.

There may be writers out there who can write a publishable first draft, but I don’t know any. If there are any, I hate them. But the vast majority of us would no more forgo revision than we would eat an uncooked potato, or wear a pair of jeans that hadn’t been stitched together, or live in a home with gaping holes in the roof.

So how long does it take to write a book?

It depends…

P. S. The other four most asked questions are: 1)Where do you get your ideas?; 2) What is your favorite book?; 3) Are you going to write a sequel to (name of book they just read)?; 4) Will (name of book they just read) be made into a movie?

Pete Hautman’s newest book is Eden West published April 14th, 2015 by Candlewick Press. 

About Eden West: Twelve square miles of paradise, surrounded by an eight-foot-high chain-link fence: this is Nodd, the land of the Grace. It is all seventeen-year-old Jacob knows. Beyond the fence lies the World, a wicked, terrible place, doomed to destruction. When the Archangel Zerachiel descends from Heaven, only the Grace will be spared the horrors of the Apocalypse. But something is rotten in paradise. A wolf invades Nodd, slaughtering the Grace’s sheep. A new boy arrives from outside, and his scorn and disdain threaten to tarnish Jacob’s contentment. Then, while patrolling the borders of Nodd, Jacob meets Lynna, a girl from the adjoining ranch, who tempts him to sample the forbidden Worldly pleasures that lie beyond the fence. Jacob’s faith, his devotion, and his grip on reality are tested as his feelings for Lynna blossom into something greater and the End Days grow ever closer. Eden West is the story of two worlds, two hearts, the power of faith, and the resilience of the human spirit.

About Pete Hautman: Pete Hautman is the author of many books for young adults and adults, including the National Book Award–winning Godless and the recent Klaatu Diskos trilogy. He splits his time between Wisconsin and Minnesota. You can learn more about him at petehautman.com.

Visit the other stops on the Eden West blog tour: 

Word Nerds	May 19	https://thewordnerds.wordpress.com/
Creatures ‘n’ Crooks	May 20	http://cncbooksblog.wordpress.com/
My Book Views	May 21	http://my-book-views.blogspot.com/
The Children’s Book Review	May 22	http://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/
My Mercurial Musings	May 26	http://www.mymercurialmusings.com/
The Roarbots	May 27	http://theroarbots.com/
Unleashing Readers	May 29	https://www.unleashingreaders.com/
Hudson Booksellers	June 1	http://www.hudsonbooksellers.com/

GIVEAWAY!

Candlewick is kindly offering THREE copies of Eden West for giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to Pete Hautman for his guest post and Candlewick for having us be part of the Eden West blog tour!

**Thank you to Jamie at Candlewick Press for providing copies for review!**

Jake Marcionette was 12-years-old, he decided he wanted to write middle grade fiction for kids, by a kid, from a kid’s perspective. It’s been over two years since he signed with a literary agent, landed a book deal with Grosset and Dunlap (Penguin USA) and then saw Just Jake #1 make the New York Times Best Sellers list.

Today, he does a lot of motivational speaking to elementary and middle school kids.

His message is simple: He’s no different than you but, success, in anything, is predicated on hard work, relentless determination and doing what you love. Here are a few video clips of him speaking:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6eVgLIdYmo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqqTSJjHHy4

Today, we have Jake here at Unleashing Readers to share how he got to where he is now.

A Love for Reading Begets Passionate Writing

You can say I’m a big proponent of literacy. But I think a lot of people forget there are two components to the literacy equation: reading AND writing. I’m passionate about the latter but understand the critical importance of the former.

Let’s face it; reading is the glory boy of literacy. Reading is fawned over, hyped…it even has its own catch phrase “Reading is FUNdamental.” How do you compete with that? The answer is you don’t. Because reading is the cornerstone on which all learning and education rests and without it, future Shakespeares are unlikely to emerge.

As kids, we all have stories that need to be told. Our crazy thoughts, wild dreams, and creative interpretations reflect our individualism and personal journeys. I know there’s an inner author inside every kid but without first discovering the love of reading, the joys of putting pen to paper (or fingers to a keyboard) will be elusive.

So what about those students who have yet to discover the limitless world of reading? Are they precluded from becoming the next Patterson? Most likely YES but it doesn’t have to be that way. Perhaps all they’re looking for is the FUNNY!

As shocking as it may sound, I was once “that kid” who didn’t enjoy reading. Although I was indeed writing a lot at a young age, my writing didn’t turn the corner to “Passion Town” until I found books I didn’t want to put down. Thank you, Mr. Kinney!

I can personally attest that not every kid wants to read about gossiping mean girls, vampires, or books that encompass serious, teachable moments recommended by well-intentioned adults. A lot of kids just want to laugh.

When I discovered the not so nice Greg Heffley, his abusive older brother Rodrick, and gullible Rowley I went from a reluctant reader to a voracious consumer of books overnight. It was the spark that ignited the creative fire that had eluded me. I knew immediately that was the kind of real story I wanted to tell. And considering there weren’t many books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid (still aren’t) my focus became to put forth a comical, middle grade fiction series about school and life from a kid’s perspective.

Today, as the published author of the Just Jake series and a New York Times Bestseller, I’m provided with an incredibly rewarding platform. Being a firm believer that every kid can achieve greatness, I love visiting schools and getting everyone psyched up about life, finding your passion and putting in the hard work that it takes to be better every day. But the best part is when I hear from another kid that they now want to write their own book.

It being March and National Reading Month, I think it’s appropriate to keep in mind all the “reluctant readers” in your life and try to find the right spark to ignite their interest in the printed word. I’m no different than many other kids out there but without opportunity, potential is rarely discovered.

And if you’re looking for that one series that accurately (and hilariously) captures elementary/middle school life in a highly relatable context, perfect for grades 3rd-8th, Just Jake #1 might by the ticket. Forgive me! March is also the month of my shameless self-promotion as Just Jake #2: Dog Eat Dog‘s publication date is March 31st. Oh man…sorry! There I go again.

For all the teachers out there, you’ll be interested to know we’ve partnered with BigIQKids.com to create some awesome (and free) interactive learning lessons based on Just Jake #1 in the form of spelling and vocabulary lists and quizzes found here: http://bigiqkids.com/SpellingVocabulary/justjake.html

And, a very cool reading comprehension quiz with built-in game rewards found here:
http://www.bigiqkids.com/games/ReadingRewardGamePage.php

Thank you Unleashing Readers (Kellee and Ricki) for this incredible opportunity. You guys rock! And if you’re interested in more information about me please visit www.JustJake.com . Lastly, I hope everyone can follow me on Twitter @Jake Marcionette!!!!!

Thank you Jake! You are such an inspiration!

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