Each One Teach One: Author Helen Hemphill -- Scene & Summary

Hailed as “a strong new voice in children’s literature” by Kirkus Reviews, Helen Hemphill’s debut novel Long Gone Daddy won the Teddy Award from the Writers’ League of Texas. Her second novel Runaround was named a Booklist 2007 Top Ten Youth Romance. The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones was the recipient of the 2008 Virginia M. Law Award from the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library and was named to VOYA’s 2009 Top Shelf List. Helen holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College and directs the Whole Novel Workshop for the Highlights Foundation.   Helen will teach a workshop with Linda Sue Park for the Highlights Foundation in October 2013, Building a Novel:  Scene, Summary, and Sentence.  

I first met Helen this past September when she taught a great 1/2 day workshop on "Scene and Summary" at the SCBWI Carolinas Fall Conference. 

Since the December holidays are a time when many of us writers have a little extra time to really begin revising those 1st or 2nd and 5th drafts we've been working on all year, to get them ready for submission, this seemed like a good time to have Helen give us some tips on how to make our scenes really pop!

Thanks so much Helen, for being with us today and next week!  Here's our Question 1:

We’re talking today about balancing “Scene & Summary” in our novel writing.  Before we jump into learning how to balance these two, Helen, can you please explain the difference between a Scene and a Summary? Also, how is a scene different from a chapter?

The basic goal of the novelist is to build a story though dramatic scenes that the reader can imagine.  The scene, then, is the core of the narrative.  It’s where events happen, character’s actions and dialogue are revealed, setting is shown, and the forward movement of the story takes place.  A scene happens in the “real time” of the novel (or in some cases flashback) and involves the reader in that moment.  More about scene in a minute.  Summary links the scenes together and moves the reader through time.  Summary can be as simple as writing, The next morning… or can be as rich in detail and observation as serves the story.  Both scene and summary are necessary for the narrative, but the scene is the backbone of the narrative arc. It’s funny, but lots of writers, including myself, start a novel by writing summary.  We tell the story.  I see that all the time in manuscripts for the Whole Novel Workshop.  But it’s not always the habit of an inexperienced writer. Recently, I saw Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Chabon speak about his new book Telegraph Road, and he mentioned how easily he would write twenty pages of summary, then realize he hadn’t written any scenes.  He then would start over because the dramatic core of the novel was missing. Readers need scenes to stay connected to the story.

So what is a scene?  I’ll borrow elements from John Truby’s Anatomy of Story.  First the scene must take the reader into the story, so there needs to be a goal for the character (not necessarily the protagonist of the novel).  He or she wants something to happen in the scene.  That desire will drive the narrative.  Secondly, there should be some opposition to the character’s goal.  Who or what stands in the way?  A scene can end with the desire of the character met, or it can end with a heightened element of conflict.  Either way, it’s written using action and dialogue and must in some way be linked in a cause and effect relationship that moves the overall narrative toward the climax.  Scenes can’t happen in random order.  Events need to build to something greater.  

Thanks, Helen. That's a great explanation! So it sounds like a scene is an individual situation which is just a small piece of time within the bigger story, that moves the story forward.  It requires a character who has a goal in that situation, and who is trying to acheive that goal, and who either succeeds or doesn't succeed in reaching that goal in the end of the scene, and then whatever happened in that scene leads us forward toward the next scene (or the next situation in the book). And all the scenes are to be linked together with summary info as needed, and these scenes and summaries move the book from page 1 to the end.

It's amazing how we all think we "know" these things, and then, like Michael Chabon said of his own experience, we get to writing less thoughtfully and we write everything in summary ("telling" the story) instead of "showing" it through scenes. Ack!  This is a great reminder!      

      So, Helen, can you give some suggestions as to what are some of the key things to always make sure to include in a scene to make it strong?

Stephen King recently wrote that a writer must visualize a scene in order to make it strong.  The writer must see what is happening through the imagery of the setting, of the characters’ emotions, and through the action of the scene and then he or she must make the reader see it. Writing scene shows the dramatic action of the characters, but that dramatic action must take the reader somewhere in the bigger arc of the story.  Scenes build to something greater. 

I'm now envisioning a bunch of little cartoon characters all named "Scene" rushing toward each other and wearing red capes that are flying in the wind, and as the link hands together trying to save some damsel in distress who is hanging precariously from a tall building the little scenes are calling to each other "link up, link up, together we can build to something greater!" :) Hee Hee Hee.  Perhaps I've had too much coffee today, Helen! But I love those last 2 sentences! It shows how each scene is a tiny piece of the story building together to get the whole story to where we're trying to go in the end!

1    Here's one last question for today.  Are there different types of scenes or different patterns that we can keep in mind when trying to write strong scenes in our novels?

There’s no set pattern or formula.  No silver bullet.  The scene must serve the story.  It must inform the reader about the characters while moving the story to its climax and conclusion.  Maybe that’s why writing scene is difficult for most of us.  There’s no universal example that works for all stories.  But there are lots of scenes that work for the stories being told.  I often analyze scenes in movies as a way to figure out something I’m trying to work on in a novel.  Classics like The Godfather or Casablanca are great for seeing how a scene works within the context of a story.  But I also love Cameron Crowe’s movie Almost Famous. 

Thanks Helen.  I'm sure that most of us will be watching a movie with family or friends at some point over this holiday season.  How about some of those great scenes in some of our favorite festive films, like the Jim Carey version of The Grinch who stole Christmas, The Sound of Music, and It's a Wonderful Life!

Happy scene scouting, everybody!  Let's all find a few scenes in our favorite films, note how they begin, what happens in the middle, and how they end.  Let's look for the scenery, the characters' actions and emotions, and their ramifications.  Then we can look at our own stories and figure out how to make our own scenes stronger.

See you next Saturday for more specifics on scene and summary!

Illustrator Intensive! & Future-Children's Book Illustrators in Haiti

On our trip to Haiti 2 weeks ago Writermorphosis didn't have a chance to
read a lot of books with children - because there just weren't many kids'
books around. :(

But we did get a chance to meet some young artists who had a great time
with colored chalk and the cement walls and gates of the orphanage house
where they live near Cap Hatian!

We visited these great kids, handed out colored chalk, and were
delighted by all the creative things they came up with!  It was wonderful
fun drawing with them!  And I think many of our Children's Book
Illustrators will agree that some of these young folks showed impressive
potential!

Pictures and smiles speak louder than words, so here are some photos. 

Next week we'll be back to author tips and interviews again here on
Writermorphosis!

Handing out the colored chalk...
Huge Thanks to Orphanage Director Rosamon for letting everyone draw on the
walls!

So intent on her artwork - it had to be pink.12 years old. No art training. Not too shabby!

 

Live-in orphanage director, Rosamon, who parents all 20 kids, joined in too,

as a wonderful example of the love of art (and also of great parenting)! 

It was a great day, and we left the chalk with them, of course, so that once

the rain washes today's art away, there will be many more days of

wall-drawing to come.

 

 

7 year old boys the world over draw cars!

 

 

As we wrap up this fun group of photos, just a note for

Children’s Book Illustrators out there who are considering attending

the 14^th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC this February.

It looks like the Illustrators’ Intensive on February 1^st, 2013 still has a

few open slots!  Click “Intensive 3,” below, for more info if you’re

interested!

INTENSIVE 3: JUST FOR ILLUSTRATORS: LESSONS LEARNED: A CANDID CONVERSATION ABOUT ARRIVING, SURVIVNG, AND THRIVING AS A PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATOR 

Writermorphosis visits Kids in Haiti

This Thanksgiving 2012 Writermorphosis went to Haiti to visit kids in and near the city of Cap Hatian, and to learn about their access to kid friendly books.


Here is a video of our trip, the kids, and what we discovered!

The video seems blurry on some computers so if you can't see it well, skip to the last minute of it for the fun videos of the kids we visited at a local orphanage near Cap Hatian.

Visiting the kids in the low income neighborhoods on the hill above Cap Hatian.

Visiting the kids who live down by the river where trash makes the water unsafe to drink.

Visiting the 21 kids at an Orphanage near Cap Haitian

We found that most books in Haiti are textbooks and below is the only fun kids' book we found on our entire trip. It's a coloring book that lists "Animals not found in Haiti."  It's printed in French, not Haitian Kreyol.

As in Haiti, many other impoverished countries also have hardly any children's books and very few public libraries.

This holiday season as you're considering gifts for friends, family, and especially fellow authors and rbook lovers, we hope you'll consider a gift to an organization that helps kids in "3rd world" countries get access to kids' books!

One of the largest such organizations, and one that Writermorphosis sponsors every Christmas to send books to kids who don't have access to them, is "Room to Read."   We don't advertise products for purchase here on Writermorphosis.  But we do encourage authors and Illustrators to share books with kids who need them in any way possible.  So today we're celebrating "Room to Read!"

Here's a link we hope you'll check out. It's a great video page showing how "Room to Read" is supporting and training local authors and illustrators in low-resource countries around the world, and printing and distributing children's books in new languages for global cultures who don't have access to kids' books.  It's really inspiring.  Check out the link on the webpage that says: "LOCAL LANGUAGE PUBLISHING: DRAWING ON SUCCESS TO AUTHOR CHANGE."

If that video for some reason won't play, definitely check out this great video about a 15 year old author from Nepal and how her book, published by Room to Read changed the lives of her whole family:

Please join us in considering "Room to Read" this holiday season to perhaps buy a gift, in honor of a friend, that will change the lives of hundreds of kids.

Next week we'll show you a group of children in Haiti who just might be future children's book Illustrators in the making!  Then it's back to author interviews!

Happy December!  Please share a book with a kid today.

I'm Off to Haiti. But here are 2 More Great Author Interviews you May Have Missed!

Hello All, 

As a reminder, it's November -- the month of Nanowrimo, U.S. Thanksgiving, and your local mall's favorite holiday, "Black Friday."

Many of us are spending time with family over turkey dinners while others of us are hiding in the closet, the attic, or the secret room under the stairs trying to keep typing away at that Nano novel despite the in-laws being in town. :)  We're also running off to use that "Black Friday" discount to buy our critique-buddy's newest novel off the Barnes and Noble shelves.  So, since we're all so busy, as announced last week, there will not be a new author interview on Writermorphosis until December arrives, and everyone can take a breath from Nano and begin pulling out their December holiday decor.  I personally am off to Haiti to hang out with some kids there for Thanksgiving this year and will give an update when I return.

But no worries!  You can still find great author advice on Writermorphosis this month.

Click on this week's "two more great interviews you may have missed," below:

INTERVIEW 1:

http://writermorphosis.blogspot.com/2012/08/each-one-teach-one-interview-megan.html

Each One Teach One Interview: Megan Shepherd YA Gothic writer Shares her thoughts and tips on PLOT MAPPING

INTERVIEW 2:

http://writermorphosis.blogspot.com/2012/07/each-one-teach-one-interview-childrens.html

Each One Teach One Interview: Multi-published Children's Book Author Stephanie Greene shares thoughts on writing and what she's learned about bringing a Character’s Emotions to Life.

Enjoy these great tips and experiences shared by brilliant authors, and have a wonderful Holiday and a very successful final week-and-a-half of Nanowrimo.  See you next week.

- Janelle

4 Great Author Interviews You Might Have Missed!

Hi all, as promised, because many people are busy with NANO (National Novel Writing Month,) we're not having a new interview this week or next week.  But No Fear!  Here are 4 great author interviews you may have missed! Check 'em out by clicking the links below their photos! Happy Reading.  And after the reading, Happy Writing, Revising, Submitting, and Getting Published!

"Each One Teach One" Interview --  Nonfiction and Fiction Author Kate Reilly talks about a no-nonsense approach to working with editors, agents, and the publishing industry.

Each One Teach One"Interview - YA/MG author Kathleen Duey talks "World-Building"

"Each One TeachOne" Interview: Picture Book Author Kelly Starling Lyons on Learning fromOther Successful Authors.

"Each One Teach One Interview" -- YA/MG Author John Claude Bemis – Discusses the Importance of “the personal touch”and networking in a writer’s life.

Thanks again Kate, Kathleen, Kelly, and John for these great interviews with tips and stories about how you have become successful authors! We can learn so much from you.

Each One Teach One: Author Joan Holub on Working with Illustrators and Art Directors

Before writing 130 books for children -- and she's still going strong with 2 new middle grade series' right now -- Author Joan Holub was an illustrator and an Art Director at Scholastic.    So today, in the final day of our interview with Joan, we want to address the concerns and questions that many authors have about working with illustrators and Art Directors.

Welcome back, Joan, let's jump right in with this first question:

Many first time authors worry that they’ve written a fabulous book but that the illustrator that will be chosen by their publisher won’t be able to visualize the story they’ve written correctly, and will possibly “mess up” the cover or other pictures in the book. Many writers, for this reason, wish they could choose their own illustrator, which in publishing today is generally not an option because decisions about which artist to choose are made by the art directors.

Since you are a writer who used to be a professional illustrator and an Associate Art Director in children’s trade books at Scholastic, it may amaze many people that you choose not to do your own illustrations in your books, but have decided to trust the illustrators who work with your publishers to do the art so that you “have time to write more books.”  Can you explain to newer authors who might be worried about the illustration process why you think having the Art Directors be responsible for the art in books is appropriate and should not be a fearful process?

Yes. I think we’re currently enjoying a golden age of illustration. There are so many amazing and varied illustration styles out there right now. And I think Editors and Art Directors are in a better position to choose the most suitable among them for our books. They regularly meet with art reps and view art portfolios. They’re generally pretty good when it comes to matching story to art. They’ve seen books soar to bestseller lists or fail miserably and have analyzed why that happened.

The Aladdin Art Director found Glen Hanson (Goddess Girls) and Craig Phillips (Heroes in Training). Their covers practically jump off the shelves. We love them. Readers tell us they love them. I wasn’t familiar with either these artists, so I couldn’t have suggested them. Our publisher had the vision to decide that they would be perfect for these series.

Most publishers are willing to entertain an author’s suggestions regarding artist selection. So make suggestions if you have some, but then sit back and let the Editor and Art Director do their jobs.

That said, speak up early if you have a problem with the publisher’s choice of artist or with something going on in the sketches. But be willing to entertain the idea that the publisher may be righter than you are. :o) I’ve rarely been disappointed by the art for a book of mine, though it has happened a couple of times. Out of 130+ books, that’s not bad though. 

Those are great tips, Joan, and some helpful reassurance.  Thanks!

Can you tell us about one of your favorite current or recent projects that you’ve worked on?

I knew that working with illustrator Tom Lichtenheld on Zero the Hero (picture book, 2012, Henry Holt) was going to be fun when he introduced himself to me by sending me a birdhouse illustrated with characters and speech bubbles from the manuscript. He even added some of his own hilarious speech bubbles. If you look at the book, most of the teeny tiny illustrations in the bottom corners of some pages were his idea. Like our editor, he really “got” what I was going for with Zero the Hero. My number one goal was that it be a funny book that entertained kids. All the math concepts? Those are secondary. Stuff I hoped kids would painlessly absorb along the way.

After the book was finished, Tom and I collaborated on the script for an animated book trailer short about Zero the Hero. There’s also a teaching guide at http://www.joanholub.com/ZeroTheHero.html

I love the birdhouse! What a great introduction! Perhaps that gives idea-fodder to the other illustrators out there who are reading this blog right now. :)

And I love the Animated trailer and teaching guide you guys put together.  Those are great ideas for the authors among us, as we work to make our books more sale-able by making them interesting and accessible to kids online and teachers in classrooms.

Thanks for those great strategies!

And here's one more fun idea.  Joan and Suzanne have an active facebook page for their Goddess Girls' Series where they regularly receive notes from young readers asking questions, discussing Greek mythology, and saying how much they love the books.  Tell us about that, Joan. How and why did you, Susanne, and your publishers decide that a facebook page specifically for the Goddess Girls was a good way to connect with readers of this series? And would you recommend this to other authors?

We created the Goddess Girls Facebookpage at because we thought it would be fun and that it might help get the word out that about the series. It connects us with readers who are enthusiastic about our series, which helps keeps us excited about writing the books.

Sometimes we get valuable feedback from Goddess Girls readers on FB regarding what they like and dislike. Sometimes we’ll ask readers to vote on which title they like best for an upcoming book. When we were trying to decide on a title for the Goddess Girls book that will release this December, we asked if readers preferred Pandora the Curious or Pandora the Nosy. Turns out that grown-ups preferred Nosy. But kids preferred Curious and thought Nosy was negative. We wound up going with Pandora the Curious.

Thanks so much, Joan, for all of your amazing tips over the past few weeks!  You're such a weath of info and I've gotten emails from a number of authors saying how much they've appreciated all the tips you've shared.

Now, since it's November, I know we're competing with Nano-Wrimo this month, as I, and many of us, are busy writing, writing, writing and writing those 50,000 words between now and the end of November.  (Yes, I'm there. My name is Tolk) So we're going to take a break on Writermorphosis. The next two week's posts will not feature a new interview, but will just highlight a few of the great recent author interviews readers may have missed here, plus some fun NANO comics. 

In the meantime -- HAPPY NANO-ing to all! Even experienced authors can use nano as a way to move new projects forward, so grab that coffee and write! : ) - Janelle

Each One Teach One: Joan Holub on Writing with a Co-Author

Welcome back everyone, to the third installment of this wonderful series of interviews with Joan Holub, NC Author of 130 books for children and middle graders.  Thanks to all of you who have been stopping by, and also those sending emails saying how much you like the series.

Let's jump right in!  This week we'll talk about writing with a Co-Author and having a fabulous web presence!

So Joan, you and Suzanne Williams are currently co-authoring each book in the Goddess Girls series – writing the first draft separately and then revising as a team. From what the two of you have learned working together on these books so far, what are some tips you can give to authors who are hoping to co-author a book with another writer? Are there reasons for and against co-authoring books that you think are important for writers to consider before jumping into such an arrangement?  And how have you and Suzanne been able to work together so well and so collaboratively – what tips can you give us?

Suzanne and I first met at an SCBWI meeting. We didn’t really know how we’d co-write when we started, but figured it out along the way. These are some tips I’d offer to other authors considering a collaboration:

1. Use the word “we.” Early on, Suzanne and I agreed to use the word “we” as much as possible when discussing the series with others or with each other. It puts us in the collaborative mindset. It keeps egos in check. It reminds you that your paramount goal is to jointly write a fantastic book.

2. Have a good work ethic. Don’t make your co-author work harder than you’re working. She won’t like it.

3. Be organized. Make a schedule of interim deadlines to ensure you’ll meet your final deadlines.

4. Decide if ownership of the work and the money split are a 50/50 arrangement or something else right up front.

5. Decide how you’ll write together. Will you sit at a table and write one book together, talking it out as you go? Or will you do what Suzanne and I do? We write our series books in pairs. I write the rough draft for one book while Suzanne is writing the rough draft for the book that follows it in the series (or vice versa). When the drafts are finished, we trade them and thoroughly revise each other’s work. We trade back and forth numerous times, which has the effect of making each book sound like it was written by a single author. Working like this takes trust, something that has developed between us over time and with the success of the series.

Those are great suggestions, Joan!  It really does sound like you and Suzanne have built a truly amazing partnership, and it's definetly something that anyone wanting to co-author a series or book can learn from!

One other thing that I think many authors can learn from is the facebook page that you guys have created for the Goddess Girls' Series.  The series has its own active facebook page where you post updates and regularly receive notes from young readers asking questions, discussing Greek mythology, and saying how much they love the books! How and why did you, Susanne, and your publishers decide that a facebook page specifically for the Goddess Girls was a good way to connect with readers of this series? And would you recommend this to other authors?

We created the Goddess Girls Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/goddessgirlsbooks because we both thougth it would be fun and that it might help get the word out about the series. It connects us with readers who are enthusiastic about our series, which keeps us excited about writing the books.

Sometimes we get valuable feedback from Goddess Girls readers on FB regarding what they like and dislike. Sometimes we’ll ask readers to vote on which title they like best for an upcoming book. When we were trying to decide on a title for the Goddess Girls book that will release this December, we asked if readers preferred Pandora the Curious or Pandora the Nosy. Turns out that grown-ups preferred Nosy. But kids preferred Curious and thought Nosy was negative. We wound up going with Pandora the Curious.

I think that's brilliant that you got feedback from your readers via the facebook page and used their suggestions to name the book, Joan and Suzanne! It's clear from reading the Goddess Girls' facebook page that readers go there to chat with you and share their ideas. I love the way you are also using the facebook page as a  venue to share extra educational "facts" about Greek mythology.  What a great idea!

Also, as other ways to connect with readers, here are some great examples of book marks and other hand-outs that Joan and Suzanne give out at book-readings and other events.

Thanks for the tips again today, Joan!  We'll all be back her next week to talk about working with Illustrators and Art Directors.

See you then!