#CoverKidsBooks, Why Our Kids Need Books

Here, in New Zealand, media coverage of children’s books is poor. I was particularly interested when a fellow Kiwi author shared this online conversation about the topic of the under-representation of children’s literature in the media.

This was the original “call-to-action:” ‘#CoverKidsBooks invites you to join in a public conversation about children’s books.  Leave a comment, write a blog of your own, or tweet about it using the hashtag.  Tell us why children’s books matter to you, and what you’d like to see the media do to #CoverKidsBooks!’

The research by #CoverKidsBooks showed that children’s books ‘typically got 3% of newspaper review space, despite accounting for over 30% of the market.’

This is a subject close to my heart. *grabs soapbox*

I’ve never been able to understand why children’s books are so greatly undervalued. To me, children’s literature is as important as any other genre. Wake up, world, to the increasing rather than decreasing value of books for our kids! Wake up to the importance  of time spent reading for our children!

When I was growing up, we were given books as prized gifts on birthdays and Christmases. I can remember poring over each and every tome. They were treasured. The first book I ever received was at seven years old. ‘The Legend of Siegfried’ gripped me so completely, that it started off a lifelong passion for mythology and legendary storytelling.

In the original post, Laura Jackson Warburton commented, ‘I think there is still a massive amount of snobbery about children’s books. Not about one children’s book over another, but people tending to dismiss anything from YA down as ‘only silly stories’.’

Exactly. Why is that? What is this snobbery based on?

I’ve always been guided by the words of famous author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, in 1853, Children are now the only representatives of the men and women of that happy era (the golden age) and therefore it is that we must raise the intellect and fancy to the level of childhood, in order to recreate the original myths. 

The part of the CoverKidsBooks conversation to really spark my interest however, was when, in the original post, Emma Perry was asked whether children’s books were important.

Emma Perry: I think especially in the world today, where we’re bombarded by information and interruption, your relationship with a book is so important. I’d like to encourage my children to have that long-form thought and long-form imagination.

This was the key, I thought.

We, the parents of today’s children, worry greatly about the future awaiting them. We see our kids with their heads buried in their digital games, or, staring at mobile phones. We wonder how they will ever concentrate long enough to hold down a steady job or relationship.

Maybe that’s why children need to read books these days more than ever before in our history? Because reading helps our modern kids focus their easily-scattered attention for longer periods. Something has to happen to redress the effects of the continuous short-term gratification of playing digital games. Books may just be the cure. Huzzah!

*steps off soapbox*

It’s been proven that reviews and media coverage do sell books. Our children need good quality books, and not just in digital format.

With that in mind, what can we do to raise the profile and image of Children’s Literature?

Out of all the answers given in the original blog post, I liked the comment by Laura Jackson Warburton.

LJW: Daily book reviews in newspapers, not only of new releases from bestselling authors, but of debut authors and archive titles. A children’s book channel like MTV but with books, grabbing kids’ attention and helping books get into the right hands.  Top 10’s, book bloggers’ reviews, celebrities talking about books, book trailers etc would get kids thinking about books, talking about books in the playground and using pester power to get parents to buy the books!

Yes. These ideas are great!

Leave a comment, write a blog of your own, or tweet about it using the hashtag.  Tell us why children’s books matter to you, and what you’d like to see the media do!

#CoverKidsBooks – The Facts

#CoverKidsBooks – Booksellers

#CoverKidsBooks – Librarians

#CoverKidsBooks – Teachers

Keep on Creating!

Yvette K. Carol

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Any book that helps a child to form the habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him. ~ Maya Angelou

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My Other Love – Music

Hey, guys,

Will you do me a favour, and share this widely? It’s a great opportunity to support a worthy cause. Erik Weibel, young author and book-reviewer, and general, all-round rising star, deserves for this post to be spread as widely as possible. His rural school seeks donations for new band uniforms.

I mean, c’mon!

This is for you and your school band, Erik. I hope you get your new uniforms. I look forward to the photos and the blog post, when you do!

All the best, Yvette x

 

Don’t forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he wanted. He lived happily ever after. Roald Dahl

 

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Confused by Netiquette? Here are 3 SimplePimples

With more of our lives played out online these days, there are new expectations of social interaction. There are experts who tell us rules of “social media etiquette ” or “Netiquette,” as it is known.

To my mind it’s simple. Let’s conjure up some new rules. We’ll call them SimplePimples.

#1 SimplePimple~

Be true to yourself and treat others the way you want to be treated.

The people I interact with online are a community, of whom some are family, some are colleagues, and some are friends. So, I act accordingly. If you make a mistake, ‘fess up, make amends, and apologize. If someone continually makes the same sorts of mistakes with images, or words, or tone towards you on social media, and you don’t get the apology, cut them loose.

#2 SimplePimple~

The same rules of respect and tolerance we’d show each other face-to-face should apply online.

‘When we “add as a friend” we are entering a relationship based on social norms which are the rules that guide and govern human relationships.’ Kristen Lamb

Exactly!

Why the need to overcomplicate things? When you go to put something on social media, ask yourself if you’d be happy with your boss or your grandparents seeing it. When you communicate and interact with others online, be as polite and respectful as you would be face-to-face. You never know, you may meet these people in person one day and you’ll be glad you were courteous. Normal rules of conduct apply!

It seems that online, when people have a negative thought about what they read or see, they feel entitled to share it with everyone via social media. Why? It’s just what it is, negativity. And we don’t need more of that in our lives.

‘Why are some people so offended by pictures of food, selfies, flowers, puppies and life’s other simple joys? Some of us appreciate these moments so much so that we want to take a picture of it. If you don’t like it, then scroll on, just as you’re probably overlooking these moments in real life anyway.’ ~ Jenna Wawrzyniec

Personally, my rule of thumb is, if you’re not prepared to say what you’re saying online to the person’s face, then don’t say it. Think of karma – the energy you put out shall return to you in kind – the same applies in the virtual world.

If you take the analogy we are like a group gathered around the cooler, sharing the day’s gossip, then in any and every social gathering of the clan, there will be the occasional bore, the odd case of foot-in-the-mouth, and release of wind. Someone will show photos on their phone you have no interest in seeing. Someone else wants you to watch this clip on YouTube that you’ve ‘just got to see.’ That’s okay.

Everyone expects that. There’s room for everybody at the cooler.

#3 SimplePimple~

‘Spread the Love’

A long time ago, a beloved mentor of mine in business, said something that has stayed with me ever since. She said, ‘Don’t worry about the sales, or the connections, or the numbers. The only thing you ever need to worry about is to spread the love in everything you do. Every person you meet, every interaction, spread the love.’ She was the most successful and empowered woman I knew. I listened!

Spread the love. Let the rest take care of itself. Each day, I concentrate on my work, and on supporting and encouraging family and friends to the best of my ability. That’s why I adhered to the wonderful Kristen Lamb’s blog and books, and joined her creative hub, Wanatribe, because Kristen’s essential message was ‘We Are Not Alone!’ Kristen is my kind of gal. She advocates we build relationships and have fun doing it. That’s what it’s all about for me.

We understand netiquette is ‘essential in a civilized work environment or personal relationship.’ That’s fine. Most of us are adults and can play nicely around the cooler.

We also are able to lean in a little if someone takes a misstep. Believe it or not, we’re able to give folks the benefit of the doubt. We show a little lenience. If someone tags us into a photo looking the worse for wear, we go un-tag ourselves. We laugh it off. We’re big boys and girls now. No one really cares anyway. If someone tweets about their book constantly, we don’t read them. If someone rabbits on and on about their hot topics, we let them. We scroll on. It’s okay. There’s no need to call them out. No need for a media rant. We keep scrolling. But you’ll get the occasional nutter in any crowd, if they continue to re-offend, cut them off by unfriending or unfollowing.

Pimply Simple.

What are your pet peeves about the rules pertaining to the internet? What do you wish people wouldn’t do on Facebook? Or are you able to ‘scroll on?’

Pass the donuts.

Keep on Creating!

Yvette K. Carol

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Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. – Saint Francis de Sales

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IUEA 2015 Voting: Best Review Site, Promotion Site, and Resource Site for Writers…

This is reblogged from The Story Reading Ape’s site, because anyone who knows TSRA will know his blog is a fantastic active hub for writers. As my adopted grandfather at Toastmasters, Bruce, said this week, ‘as long as you’re sincere and supportive,’ it’s all good with him (as it is with me).

Posted on February 5, 2016 by The Story Reading Ape Someone has entered this old ape’s blog into this competition!It’s under The Best Resource Site Category.Chris the Story Reading ApeIf you’d like to vote for YOUR favourite SiteClick on the link or image below:iuea-2015-voting-best-review-site-promotion-site-and-resource-site-for-writers/

Source: IUEA 2015 Voting: Best Review Site, Promotion Site, and Resource Site for Writers…

Speaking of Mutant Babies, Let Me Apologize Now

I’ve committed the big “no-no” – multiple viewpoints in junior fiction.

I didn’t start out wanting to break the rules, it just happened. I’ve always written stories for children. I’ve always written them from the traditional single point of view. No dreaded head-hopping for the younger reader here.

Everyone’s heard the horror stories of authors who wrote books for young readers with dual points of view, being cited for their foolishness in the media. I remember reading an article in a children’s literature magazine a couple of years ago, where the critic said it was a pity the story was written from two different viewpoints, because this had “alienated potential readers.”

The general attitude towards head hopping junior fiction is roundly and rightly frowned upon.

I had no intention of deviating from this rule. Why risk dividing the small number of readers I might be fortunate enough to attract?

Then, in 2005, after attending a couple of weekend workshops with Kate de Goldi I started writing an epic-length story, the Chronicles of Aden Weaver,

A few years after this, I went to a writer’s class led by the wonderful author and columnist, Lindsey Dawson. One afternoon, I stayed behind after the session. I told Lindsey the essential elements of my story and asked her opinion on how to improve it.

Lindsey went up to the whiteboard. She drew an image which she said had “just come to her.” There were three different strands of helix spiralling up around a central column. Lindsey said that the central column was the plot and the strands circling it were the different characters’ story threads. And she encouraged me to think about the lives of the secondary characters.

I went home that night, I picked up my pen and started writing. To my surprise, the stories rushed out. Almost as if the other characters had been bursting to tell their sides of the tale.

Then, I wove the new story threads in and out of the old story thread, and it came together in a unique and interesting way. Did I dare show this mutant baby to the rest of the world? I knew they would come out and beat it to death with sticks and clubs.

When I worked on the first book in the series, ‘The Or’in of Tane Mahuta,’ my critique partners made it clear they did not believe head-hopping worked in junior fiction. I agreed, but what could I do?

Hoping for reprieve, I asked another friend who is an author for his opinion. He said, ‘Shifting POV is generally frowned upon, since the last thing we want is a confused reader.’

Although I wished to be able to adhere to the principle of single pov, I simply felt compelled to stick to at least two ‘heads’ for Book one. I couldn’t make the complex tale work otherwise. I knew I was treading on dangerous ground. Yet, I published my book anyway. And I expect to be lambasted for it at some stage if anyone beyond the circle of my friends ever reads it.

Currently, I’m writing the follow up in the series, ‘The Sasori Empire.’

At the outset, one of my critique friends suggested that I try writing the sequel from Aden’s point of view. ‘It’s much better because you allow the reader to have the experience of reading the story through Aden’s eyes. There will be more tension and surprises this way especially for your younger target audience.’

I agreed a hundred percent. So with the rough, raw material for book two, I went through the entire manuscript and changed it to a single ‘head.’ Only problem was, I felt as if all the life had been sucked out of the material.

Deflated, I went to my friend, kiwi author, Donna Blaber, to ask her opinion. Donna is a traditionally published author with 30 books to her credit. She knows her stuff. And she’s familiar with this series, having helped me out by being a beta reader with book one. I told her what I had done with changing everything in book two over to Aden’s pov. And I sent her (on her request) two chapters illustrating the changes.

I waited anxiously for her response.

Two days later, Donna emailed. ‘My thoughts are that the second book should follow in the same vein as the first book, otherwise I think it will be confusing. Save the different style for your next story/series. I (sometimes) give little regard for the so-called ‘rules’ because I believe they are there to be broken. However, in saying that, I think consistency in a series is important.’

I cannot even tell you the relief! This is what my gut instinct was trying to tell me. And don’t you love that freeing type of thinking? I was inspired.

It’s hard to explain. Even though I personally would prefer not to be the author of this Frankenstein: this multiple pov, anthropomorphic, fantasy fiction for ‘tweens, I am. It’s what the story wants. I shall have to take my lashings as they come.

What story wants, it gets. The dreaded, hoary-breathed, two-headed gargoyle of multiple viewpoints is what this story demands. That’s all I can tell you!

Has your story ever taken you where you didn’t want to go? Ever taken a risk and gone against conventions?

Keep on creating!

See you in the funny papers,

Yvette K. Carol

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Your intuition knows what to write so get out of the way. ~ Ray Bradbury

The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write, and draw, and build and play and dance and live as only you can. ~ Neil Gaiman

Ultimately, you have to be your own North Star. – James Preller

IWSG: Going Indie –The Mistakes I’ve Made So Far

 And this Wednesday it’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

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They say when you reach the top you’ve got to stretch back down and help others up the ladder. There’s also a thing, or there should be, of when you reach the bottom, or make a mistake and fall headfirst down a well, whereby you can share what you’ve learned with others, in the hope that they might avoid the same mistake.

I want to share the Number One mistake I’ve made as an Indie author so far, and my Hot Tip solution.

I’d worked on my book a long time when I started the process towards publishing. I think I “caught a glimpse of the finish line.” I became too eager to be done with the process, in other words, I started to rush. At the exact time I should have been slowing down and ticking all the boxes, I was busy planning the book launch and making sure the food was organized, and I skipped an important step.

“It’s harrowing independently publishing,” said a fellow writer friend. “No one understands what Indies go through to reach this point. It’s physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausting. We are running on adrenaline, on this super high, and then we crash,” said another author. I had heard it was an insane amount of work. Yeah, it was.

Sometimes you fall down, you get to see a new perspective — in the gutter, looking up at the stars. ~ Chuck Wendig

I worked with a designer over the look of the bookmarks and the number cards. That finish line, that had always been so far off in the distance, was so close. I began to run, then sprint. The days between me and the deadline of the book launch flashed past like marker flags, no sooner seen than forgotten.

Number One Mistake: I set an unrealistic deadline and rushed the end product trying to meet it.

I was staying up late and getting up early, and going everywhere at a run in between. I think I knew then, that I was not fully in control, but I didn’t want to admit it.

James Altucher said, “There’s a two-step solution to blame: a. it’s your fault. It’s always your fault. b. Have a Plan B on every decision.” I had no plan B.

A good friend who is a writer, advised me wisely, to ask for a galley of the finished typeset book to check before it went to print or digital publication.I did ask for a copy to proof. But did I read the whole book from cover to cover? No, I didn’t read the whole thing. I had read it five million times, I had paid a professional proofreader a lot of money, I had done what needed to be done. I really didn’t think I needed to read it again. I ran an eye over the pages, and they looked great, but I didn’t proofread every word. I had set a date for the launch. The printers needed to have already started printing to get the job done on time. I looked at that finish line and I wanted to cross. So, I approved it.

After my book was published and launched, my sister was the first person to read, ‘The Or’in of Tane Mahuta,’ and she emailed to say it was full of errors: words missing, words repeated, etc.

One friend thought the fault might have lain with the typesetter. “As a former book editor it sounds to me like he had problems with file management/version control.”

But to my dismay, when I checked the final version I had sent to the typesetters, it did have those errors present. That was when I realized what I had done. It was my mistake. As another author friend rightly said, “You need to own this part of it, too.” He was right. How did that happen?

“Another thing to consider,” Kiwi author, Donna Blaber said, “is if you accidentally added in mistakes when making amendments.” This is a very real possibility and is actually the explanation I’m leaning towards now. After some ferreting around in my files, I’m unable to find a more recent version of the manuscript.

After all the careful editing, and re-editing, and professional help times two, I still managed to send a manuscript to the printers that was full of mistakes.

When I went back to talk to the typesetter, he had some good advice which I pocketed in order to repeat it here. Listen up, Indies, and listen well. This is my hot tip to save yourself time, money and anguish.

Hot Tip: Find a local professional proofreader and pay them to check your precious book before and after typesetting.

Excellent Plan B. Face. Egg. Saved.

A good friend remarked, “You will get there. In the end, believe me, the process is forgotten and the only thing that matters — the only thing! — is the final book.”

I thought that was wonderful. The only thing that matters is the book! Don’t you agree?

Talk to you later,

Yvette K. Carol

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Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. — George Orwell

I always say that a creative career is you putting a bucket on your head and trying to headbutt your way through a brick wall. Sometimes you get through, but most times? The wall wins. Quit now. Save yourself the headache.~ Chuck Wendig

If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy. – Dorothy Parker

Four Reasons Why You Should Join a Critique Group

When you’re a writer, people always recommend you join a critique group. I remember, senior writers used to suggest I join one when I started out, and now, many years down the track, I recommend the same thing to others. But, why?

1: It’s that right-minded support that lifts us onwards.

One time, at a writing conference, a new author got up for her acceptance speech. Upon receiving a prestigious award, she said, “I wouldn’t be standing there without my critique group.” I remember thinking, does a critique group make that much of a difference? The year was 2011.

At that stage, I still hadn’t found the right group that felt like a fit, so the benefits of the critique group had failed to impact on me. Critique groups were an enigma I didn’t properly understand for the first few years of my attempts to participate. But then, I held a lot of my work back, and only submitted short pieces I was experimenting with rather than committed to. I didn’t trust the process enough at that stage to release into full immersion.

I started the networking group, “Writing for Children,” through Kristen Lamb’s, Wanatribe site, in 2012, and started to make friends with other writers. We were an instant mutual support system. They felt like family. Through the connections I made there, I met amazing author, Maria Cisneros-Toth. We both wrote for the same genre (Middle-Grade to Tween) and because trust was established, I shared with her my actual primary work-in-progress, ‘The Or’in of Tane Mahuta.’ That was the first time I surrendered fully to the critique process.

Right away Maria embraced my world and my story. Maria told me in no uncertain terms that I could write and she believed in me. Boy, that was just the injection of faith in myself I needed. I set to work with gusto. My confidence blossomed. And later, our critique group of two grew.

2: It’s working together side-by-side on our stories that builds relationships.

Having a functioning critique group is about having a live support mechanism. A member of my mailing list asked me how I managed to get a supportive network around me. I said you can’t sit back and expect people to come to you; you’ve got to go out and meet them. It’s just like when you go to a party. If you stand in the corner and don’t talk to anyone, you’ll be miserable. The onus is on you to make the first move. Go to social media hubs, like LinkedIn, and Goodreads, and Google+, and participate in conversations on message boards. You soon meet people. You start give-and-take relationships. You treat people the way you want to be treated and friendships naturally grow.

3: The critique group’s variety of viewpoints and opinions act like a small test group representing the viewing public.

With my story, I had done a lot of “world building,” yet I had lived with the story for such a long time, that a lot of facets of this world were familiar to me and made perfect sense. Showing this unique imaginary realm to my critique group was the first real litmus test. That was when the questions began. Why this? How that? I realized very quickly that in a number of areas, more explanation was needed, more clarity, and in some cases, new solutions.

This slice of the reading community giving you feedback, can be the difference between an idea working in the real world of the reading public, and not. You soon find out what works and what fails, and you get precious feedback on everything.

4: Giving critique to others hones our own writing skills.

Of course, at the same time, you’re giving critique too. When I did my first course in critiquing children’s fiction with Kate de Goldi, in 2007, Kate told all of us, in no uncertain terms, that learning to critique was as important as the writing. It was a skill we needed to practice, she told us. Learning to pull apart other people’s fiction editorially would hone our own fiction.

I have come to feel a truly vast appreciation for the benefits of critique. I know what the new author meant when she said in 2011, that she wouldn’t have been standing on that podium if it weren’t for her critique group. I can say my book, ‘The Or’in of Tane Mahuta’ would not be sitting on my bookshelf if it wasn’t for mine.

Do you have similar stories to share of your amazing friends, or your supportive critique groups?

 

 

Keep on Creating!

Yvette K. Carol

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“Revision is a personal thing, and it’s easy to become confused with too much input. You have to decide who to trust, but never just blindly do what you are told. Ultimately, you have to be your own North Star, while trying to understand and internalize the things that your readers might be responding to.” ~ James Preller