Tips from Writers and the Kid Lit Blog Hop #58

More writing tips from successful authors. Let us know if this is helpful. This post showcases the authors interviewed in May and June of 2014 and shares their advice for writers.

Start writing. There is only one guarantee with writing stories: if you never start, you will never finish. Don’t expect your first draft to sound fabulous. Just write. Fabulous comes with revision. You have to get your ideas on paper in order to rework them. Next, rework, rework, rework. Did we mention that it is vital to rework your story? The number of reworks required depends on your writing skill and experience. Once you have your best work, let someone that isn’t afraid to tell you the truth critic it.—J.S. Jaeger, author of Scrolls of Zndaria.

The hardest part of writing is finishing that first draft. Once that’s done, you’ve accomplished more than most aspiring writers will ever do. I never edit anything during the first draft. I wait until I’ve finished the last page, which can take anywhere from three months to a year, before I go back and start revising.—Laurisa White Reyes, author of The Celestine Chronicles.

The one thing that has always annoyed me when listening to anyone who has success is their fatuous advice. All I can say to any artist anywhere is that if you give up, you are lost, and just because you give your whole life to your art, you are not guaranteed recognition of any kind. This is the life you choose, that is the chance you take.—Daniel Nanavati, author of Midrak Earthshaker. 

Have fun! If writing’s not fun, why torture yourself?— Angelina C. Hansen, author of Julius Caesar Brown and The Green Gas Mystery.

I have learned several tricks during my ten year career of writing professionally.

First: It takes a lot of work to get a book written and published. While the publishing process is arduous, you can’t even begin that process until your manuscript is finished. Most people don’t discipline themselves enough to get the book done in the first place. So, if you want to write a book, you will have to set aside the time, daily, to write. Write the whole book and don’t look back! Once the book is done, set it aside for a while. Give it a rest! Then, go back and reread it. Do you like it? Hate it? Are you willing to make changes and revisions? Now is the time to make edits and revisions, not as you are writing initially.

Second: If you are interrupted during your writing time, or your allotted time is up, NEVER stop at the end of a chapter. Stop in the middle of a paragraph or even in the middle of a sentence. That way, when you come back, you already have a start!—Margi Evans, author of North Mystic. 

Write. That’s it. That’s the number one activity all of us must do. No excuses, no doubts, and no quitting. Because to get better, there is only one way, and that is to keep putting words on paper until we’re good at it. For some of us this might take years, but we really have no choice.

Most writers’ lives are a mess. Going in a dozen directions, overwhelmed by family and work, and trying to snatch a few minutes to write. This doesn’t work. You have to claim writing time. Make it a priority even if it’s only fifteen minutes a day. And find a method that works for you. I get away during the day to a coffee shop that doesn’t mind me lingering. Maybe once a month, I’ll go to a nearby state park, get a cheap room, and stay for a couple of nights. Whatever works. —Ben Woodard, author of A Stairway to Danger.

It would be the same as what they hear from everyone: write, write, write! Keep sending out query letters. If you want to self-publish, just be sure to do it absolutely professionally. Hire an editor. Pay a designer to make your cover. It's not about just putting something you love on Amazon and hoping it sells. Self-publishing is a serious business, and you become the publisher and have to take on all of those jobs. —Meg Dendler, author of Why Kimba Saved the World.

Find a writer's group and a critique group. If they don't have one in your town, join an on-line group. They are so important for feedback and encouragement.—Jacci Turner, author of Bending Willow.

 

Welcome to the 58th Kid Lit Blog Hop where we continue to develop a dynamic and engaged community of children's books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists.

On this Hop, Carpinello's Writing Pages interviews

YA author Dr. Tara Fairfield

and

Children's author Gloria Repp

You are always more than welcome to join us by popping in a post and hopping around to meet some of your fellow Kid Lit bloggers and authors! This week, we are excited to be including a Twitter Linky Party to be held in conjunction with the Kid Lit Blog Hop. These linky parties are designed to give you the opportunity to connect with and grow your network of fellow kid lit bloggers, authors, and parents through your various social media platforms.  

Hostesses:

Mother Daughter Book Reviews

Julie Grasso, Author/ Blogger

Cheryl Carpinello, Author / Blogger

Stacking Books

BeachBoundBooks

Pragmatic Mom

Reading Authors

The Logonauts

A Book Long Enough

Spark and Pook

Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!

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Kid Lit Blog Hop & Linky Party Rules *Please Read*

1. LINKY PARTY: Add the link to your Twitter profile page in the Twitter Linky Party list below. Be sure to visit at least the two links directly before yours, say hello and retweet a post and follow folks as per your interests. If you do not have a Twitter profile, you are welcome to link up a different social media profile (Pinterest, Facebook, etc.). 2. KID LIT BLOG HOP: Link up any Kid Lit related post in the Kid Lit Blog Hop. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.

* Don't link directly to your blog, it must be a specific post.*

* For Authors, we prefer you to link to your blog if you have one. Please link unique posts each time ~ no repeats please. *

* Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*

* Feel free to link more than one post.*

3. KID LIT BLOG HOP: Please visit AT LEAST the TWO LINKS from the Kid Lit Blog Hop directly ahead of your own and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you! 4. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you're linking up. If you'd prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links! 5. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!

Happy Hopping!

 

TWITTER LINKY PARTY

(***Please do not link a blog post here - see below for the Kid Lit Blog Hop***)

KID LIT BLOG HOP

Meet Colorado MG Author Margi Evans

Carpinello's Writing Pages welcomes fellow Colorado author Margi Evans and her newest story for MG readers North Mystic. Margi and I are both members of the Colorado Authors' League.

First, a bit about Margi:

I was born in Oregon and graduated from Oregon State University. I married my high school sweetheart and, together, we have raised five wonderful children. I am a life-long equestrian and, once I had time, combined my love for horses with my love for writing. I have published three equestrian trail guide books titled: Riding Colorado, Riding Colorado II, and Riding Colorado III. I also love fantasy and write for middle-grade readers under the pen name M.J. Evans.

Why did you pick to write books for Middle Grade?

After teaching young teenagers and pre-teens in the public schools for five years and raising five children of my own, I realized how very important developing a love of reading is, not only for educational success but also to experience the joy of a life-long hobby. I realized that my love of horse stories and fantasy could be combined in such a way to make reading fun for this age group. I also wanted to write wholesome, values-laden books that enrich lives. After completing The Mist Trilogy, which could be subtitled “The Horse-Lover’s Fantasy,” I decided to write a parody of the Revolutionary War with trolls and leprechauns. The result was North Mystic. While there is not a horse in it, I still had a lot of fun writing this new book.

What types of books do you like to read?

I read a huge variety of books from fantasy to political commentary, from historical fiction to spiritual/scriptural analysis.

When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

When I am not writing, you will find me on the back of one of my horses or teaching riding lessons.

Tell us about North Mystic and how the story came to be.

As I mentioned, it is a parody of the Revolutionary war. In this fun story, three children who are being raised in a condition of opulent neglect, follow a magical pathway to the leprechaun village of North Mystic. To their surprise, the leprechauns had been awaiting their arrival for hundreds of years. The tiny species had been promised that one day, three children would come to help them fight for their freedom from the trolls that come every fall to tax them of all their gold that they grow in the roots of their shamrock gardens. And so, the adventure begins!

Here's a peek at North Mystic:

Leprechauns in running shoes, trolls who are afraid of the sunlight and three children unwittingly prepared to lead a revolution…

A small assemblage of Leprechauns makes their home in a land they name North Mystic. The tiny species are the descendants of immigrants who escaped from Ireland during the siege of Viking pirates in the 900’s by stealing away in one of the Vikings’ own longships.

For several years, they live in peace and prosperity, harvesting their gold from the roots of their shamrock fields. But, alas, all does not remain so idyllic. A band of Vikings crosses the treacherous North Sea and arrives at their shores. The big brutes kidnap their children and demand a tax of all their gold, promising to return the next year with their children if the ransom of the next year’s crop of gold is paid to them.

Meanwhile, living in a condition of opulent neglect, the three Callahan children are, unsuspectingly, preparing to perform a great work. While their parents carry on their busy lives without them, the children are raised under the careful supervision of cameras, microphones and computer screens. On an otherwise ordinary day, the eldest child, Evelynd, discovers a trap door in the floor of the linen closet. Curiosity leads the adolescent and her two younger siblings, Avery and Drew, on an amazing adventure to North Mystic where their arrival had been foretold for hundreds of years.

Will the three children be able to help the Leprechauns secure their freedom?

Have you written other books? If so, tell us a bit about them.

As I mentioned earlier, I began my professional writing career writing equestrian trail guide books for Colorado. What fun doing all the research was! By “research” I mean that I had to ride all of those trails myself! I have also written the three books of The Mist Trilogy: Behind the Mist, Mists of Darkness and The Rising Mist (to be released soon.) These books tell the story of the noble and great horses that are chosen to become members of the Legion of the Unicorn when they die. In the first book, the reader meets the boy who eventually becomes the first unicorn rider when his horse is chosen to receive the training necessary to earn a unicorn horn. Meanwhile, one of the unicorns has become power hungry and desires to conquer and rule the world.

What’s next for your writing? Are you working on a new story?
Riding Colorado III-Over-Night Trips With Your Horse was just published this past spring. Now I'm working hard on a young adult novel titled In the Heart of a Mustang. I am excited about this new book which targets an older age group than my other fiction titles. You will notice that I returned to my love of horses for the subject matter of this book!

What advice do you have for other authors?

I have learned several tricks during my ten year career of writing professionally.

First: It takes a lot of work to get a book written and published. While the publishing process is arduous, you can’t even begin that process until your manuscript is finished. Most people don’t discipline themselves enough to get the book done in the first place. So, if you want to write a book, you will have to set aside the time, daily, to write. Write the whole book and don’t look back! Once the book is done, set it aside for a while. Give it a rest! Then, go back and reread it. Do you like it? Hate it? Are you willing to make changes and revisions? Now is the time to make edits and revisions, not as you are writing initially.

Second: If you are interrupted during your writing time, or your allotted time is up, NEVER stop at the end of a chapter. Stop in the middle of a paragraph or even in the middle of a sentence. That way, when you come back, you already have a start!

Anything else you want readers to know?

I love to talk to aspiring authors about what they are working on. I am willing to try to help in the process!

Where can readers find you and your books?

My fantasies and Riding Colorado III can be found on my website The Writings of M.J. Evans.

I also write a blog for horse lovers: Behind The Mist. You can sign up to follow it.

I love to hear from readers and friends on Facebook under Behind the Mist  - book  and North Mystic. Go to the sites and “Like” them.

My books are available in stores such as Tattered Cover and Barnes & Noble as well as on all the online sources and ebook format. My trail guide books are available in Tack and Feed stores in the Denver/Colorado Springs area.