Make me Laugh

Q: How can you catch a young readers attention?

A: Humor.

It’s a well known fact if you want to grab an audience you must make them laugh. Author Bruce Hale has some great tips for injecting humor into your writing. Bruce is the award-winning author of the Chet Gecko Mysteries (for ages 8-10), with titles that include: “Dial M for Mongoose”, and “The Possum Always Rings Twice”, and many more. Bruce suggests to insert humor in your writing you must use the rule of threes. How does this work?

Here is an excerpt from Bruce’s recent newsletter:

…Humor, whether written or oral, is all about setting up
expectations and then subverting them.  We laugh when surprised.

One of the easiest ways to create this surprise is with a list,
usually a list of three items.  The first two seem to logically fit
together, like, “Tall, dark…,” thus creating an expectation. When
you add a third item that doesn’t fit, like, “and bristling with
nostril hair,” the incongruity produces humor.

Of course, you’ve got to choose the *right* incongruous third item.
“Tall, dark, and happy” may seem to follow the pattern, but the
surprise isn’t strong enough, so it’s not funny.  ”Tall, dark, and
totally whacko” is stronger.  ”Totally whacko” has a very different
tone from “tall, dark” — plus, it’s got that hard k sound, which
comics love.

The best way to benefit from the Rule of Threes is to experiment
with it.  You may have to brainstorm quite a few alternatives for
that third list item to get one that works.  But that’s only
natural.  After all, many humor writers also believe in the Rule of
Nine, which states that for every ten jokes you come up with, nine
will suck.

So play the odds.  Trust the Rule of Nine and experiment with the
Rule of Threes, and bring more chuckles into your stories.

Even serious stories can use a dose of well placed humor it helps break the tension, and gives your readers a little break. Bruce has a site full of helpful tips including an article on how humor can help a story. If you’re looking for a way to inject a little levity into your story, I would recommend you check it out.

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

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November Reads

It’s not quite the end of the month, but here’s my November reads (for kids/teens). A couple of them were mentioned in an earlier post…

(I was looking for boy protagonists this month.)

• Hero Type by Barry Lyga. Teen hero Kross wrestles his inner demons and tries to find answers as to what defines a hero and also the meaning of patriotism. Thought-provoking but lightened by funny pranks. Nice job handling the emotions of a teen boy and portraying a group of friends  as well addressing some big issues without weighing down the story.
• Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan. Blake finds himself torn between two girls: his girlfriend and his friend that happens to be a girl. Interesting plot, premise, and weaving in of photography. I especially liked the supporting cast of characters.
• The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson. (See above post link) I knew there had to be a twist/surprise ending to this story–but it wasn’t the one I expected. Can’t explain without giving spoiler!
• Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli. (See above post link ) Fun to read a new book by such a master. Tough that the first of his books that I ever read was Maniac Magee. I’m always wanting that experience repeated.

For adults, I absolutely loved Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. These interwoven stories are incredible. They made my heart ache in the best of ways and the language and writing made me want to read them over and over again. So satisfying! This book won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize, but I read it because my sister-in-law passed it on to me.

Hmmm, what to read next?

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

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Thankfulness

It’s always a good time to be thankful…

Being thankful is easy for me. I am blessed in infinite ways.

What is harder for me is balancing my true sense of appreciation with what I hope for. Wishing and hoping sometimes feels contrary to being thankful. And my biggest hopes and dreams always come back to writing. It’s the one part of my life where I want more…

But thank you to all the many many blessings that keep me going on this journey. In no particular order:

My incredibly supportive family-both the one I grew up with and the one that is growing with me now…

My super blog buddy…

My UN sisters…

My weekly check-in group…

The Snail Society…

They have no idea of their influence, but the girls in my Girl Scout troop who still swoon and gush over the books they love…

San Diego SCBWI…

Picture Book Party group…

Vermont College past and present…

I told you I am infinitely blessed!

XXXOOO

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

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WRESTLING TIME

I don’t mean that it’s time to wrestle–I’ll leave that to my kiddos.  But I’ve been wrestling the issue of time in my writing lately.

One of the first tips I heard regarding plot management is to have a ticking clock – to include some sort of deadline or make sure the story fits within a finite block of time. This helps to keep the writing tight and moving and ideally minimizes including massive amounts of back story and irrelevant scenes. Keeping this in mind has helped me in some of my writing. But lately, time has been a great source of annoyance for me!

I wonder when C.S. Lewis came up with the solution of having Narnia be on a different time dimension from our world. Was it integral to his idea? Or was it something he had to come up with once he’d created  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Maybe he first thought I wonder what their family has been thinking all this time they’ve been gone. Guess I’ll have to start over… But really, his solution is massively convenient!  Unless you happen to be writing more realistic sort of fiction. And you aren’t the brilliant C.S. Lewis anyway.

I have noticed some clever and effective ways of managing time (realistically) in novels I’ve read lately.

JUMPING OFF SWINGS by Jo B. Knowles is a heartfelt look at teen pregnancy told through shifting viewpoints of four teens forever changed by the experience. The chapters are short but full of heart and emotion – they focus on  changing feelings and relationships. The story takes us from the moment Ellie gets pregnant through her pregnancy and into the time beyond–obviously a lot of time for one story. The book is divided into four parts: September, December, March and June which helps keep time clear without muddying the crystal clear prose. But even without those headings I’m in awe of how Knowles manages to let the reader know time has passed within the chapters without ever getting bogged down with trivial details and transitions.

(For another use of seasons marking time, check out the heart-breakingly beautiful RUBBER HOUSES by Ellen Yeomans.)

THE MILES BETWEEN by Mary E. Pearson takes place in “one fair day” in the life of Destiny Faraday and her three friends. Although this story has a hint of magical realism, the way time is managed does not rely on any time-turners or alternate dimensions of reality. Pearson has chosen first person present tense which seems to me integral to creating a rich and evocative story full of complex characters and emotion and change–all over the course of just one day. This is a road trip story and time and distance are intertwined. We know time has passed by the changing landscape and because we, as the readers, are along for the ride.

(A favorite all in one day story for adults is the funny and poignant BRIGHTEN THE CORNER WHERE YOU ARE by Fred Chappell.)

SMILES TO GO by Jerry Spinelli is narrated by Will Tuppence, a boy who likes to plan ahead but ends up strugggling with the things he can’t forsee or control. He is devastated by the news that protons can be destroyed–ruining his plan to be a part of the universe forever. Spinelli then marks time subtly by using Will’s own calendar system PD# to indicate how many days have passed since “The Day I Heard of the Proton’s Death” as well as using a Saturday night routine to mark time passing. But in addition to the subtle count down, I love how Spinelli sums up all the aching and agony of young love in brief –sometimes only one sentence–chapters. Like, “PD 156: I’m afraid she’s never going to smile at me again.” We don’t need to know how Will is spending his day because the yearning is all that matters.

Now if I could just find a way to get more time in my own life…

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

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Twitterpated

Twitterpated, according to the Urban Dictionary can be defined as:

• to be completely enamored with someone/something.
• the flighty exciting feeling you get when you think about/see the object of your affection.
• romantically excited (i.e.: aroused)
• the ever increasing acceleration of heartbeat and body temperature as a result of being engulfed amidst the exhilaration and joy of being/having a romantic entity in someone’s life.

The word was used in the movie “Bambi” by the owl to help explain the feelings people have in the Spring. More recently the word has gained a new definition:

• A mildly derogatory term for those obsessive communicators who use the online medium Twitter to tell their friends every small thing they’re doing with their day.

I must admit that my opinion of Twitter was affected by reports of people sharing the most intimate details in their life for the world to see. Why would an author want to do this? Unless you are a J. K. Rowling, would anyone care if you had oatmeal or eggs for breakfast? You can imagine my dismay when at our San Diego SCBWI October meeting they discussed the importance of social media namely; Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites.

It was with some trepidation that I jumped in both feet and joined the “Twitter Revolution”. I had only been on for a short time before it became apparent to me that Twitter was its own world, with its own language. I needed help, and fast. Help came from a series of wonderful articles on Inkygirl.com. Author Debbie Ridpath Ohi has managed to help demystify the coded jargon and tweets that make up the wacky world of Twitter. Through her insight I now see how an author can use Twitter to gain connections, learn new information, find people who share your same goals. You can also use Twitter to spread the word about events in your life, book related or not.

While I don’t think I will ever get to the point where I am sharing my breakfast menu on Twitter, I now see it for the valuable tool it can be, especially  for authors.

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

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Tales From the Slush Pile

Last week was a slow writing week for me. Due to illness, a mid-week school holiday, and basic scheduling, I had either one or both of my boys home everyday last week.  Since I find it hard to write when distracted, my precious writing time was cut short, very short, well it was almost none existent. Not to be daunted, I decided to use my free time searching for interesting sites on the internet.

During my search I came across a great site: Editorial Anonymous. This blog written by an anonymous book editor offers great insights, valuable tips, and links to other writing sites to check out . This site also featured a section that captured my attention, it was simply titled “Things Not to Send in Slush Pile Ever Again”.

The list included:

• flashlights
• shoe shine kits
• dead bugs
• photos of you
• photos of you dressed in formalwear
• photos of you dressed in your Halloween costume
• photos of you not dressed
• glitter
• confetti
• glitter confetti (I’m serious)
• dolls, handmade or otherwise
• dolls, especially not santa dinos
• tea, coffee, hot chocolate
• seed packets
• money
• dental x-rays
• farting handpuppets (mini whoopee cushion)
• woolen stockings full of jellybeans
• crates of tangerines
• contraceptives
• fake contraceptives

The writer in me was intrigued by this list. I could easily see why certain items were sent; coffee or tea for the editor to drink while they snuggle up with your precious manuscript, or maybe some fruit or candy  to snack on while the harried editor works through lunch to finish reading your masterpiece. I must say that some of the items listed above just stumped me, I really can’t see a reason why someone would send a shoe shine kit, dead bugs, or dental x-rays. This list served as a huge reminder to me, that while I may work on a manuscript to make it the best it can be, the editors have to wade through a lot of junk just to read it.

Writing on the Sidewalk

Suzanne Santillan

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Once Upon a Time…?

I love fairy tales. I love the comfort that comes from reading them; good always wins over evil, the princess finds her prince and the bad guy always seems to get it in the end. I also love to read new versions of fairy tales. As an author, I am curious to see how other authors take a story that we know by heart and twist it on its ear.

One such author is Jon Scieszka. In addition to his other wonderful books, he has written such titles as: “The True Story of The Three Little Pigs”, “The Frog Prince Continued”, “The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Fairy Tales”. These twisted versions are fun and take you in a direction that you never expected to go.

 

Another twist on the typical fairy tale is the book: “Once Upon a Time, The End (Asleep in 60 seconds)” By Geoffrey Kloske and illustrated by Barry Blitt.

This fun book is filled with humorously edited stories and clever versions of the classic tales we have grown up with.

Another favorite is “Falling for Rapunzel” written by Leah Wilcox and illustrated by Lydia Monks.

Written in lively verse, “Falling for Rapunzel” tells the story of the Prince who hears Rapunzel’s distress over a bad hair day and attempts to rescue her with hilarious results.

These are only a few of the hundreds of great twisted fairy tales out there. Can you think of any more?

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

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Polishing Tips from Mary E Pearson

Yesterday I attended a polish in revision workshop led by Mary E. Pearson. It was even better than I’d hoped. Besides being an incredible writer (A Room on Lorelei Street; The Adoration of Jenna Fox; The Miles Between) – Mary is an articulate and thoughtful teacher.

In preparation for the workshop, we were asked to bring first and last chapters of our manuscripts AND a flap jacket synopsis as well.

Writing my flap jacket synopsis was excruciatingly difficult. I struggled with deciding what details to include. And how to make my story sound a little bit interesting and maybe even worth reading. During the workshop Mary explained that she writes her flap jacket copy about half-way through her manuscript to help her stay focused and to remember what her story is about. She sees it as “a beacon and guide during revision.” It might change as she  goes on, but she keeps this in mind as she writes. Ideally, it poses “possibility” and “conveys the original what if that got you fired up to write the story in the first place.”

She had us exchange our flap jackets with other participants so that we could synthesize the information given into a one-liner. This statement includes the title, the main character and their struggle. Coming up with the one-liner was difficult too, but the idea was that it would be easier to do for someone else’s story since you don’t have the same attachment to minuscule details. We shared the one-liners and  I heard some really intriguing story premises. Mary’s suggestion is to keep this statement posted in your work place so you remember what story you are writing.

(I am trying to ignore the fact that the person who had mine could not do this for me. At all. The only one that couldn’t be done. Sigh.)

She also gave us tips on how to make our first and last chapters pop. I love her reasoning:

• First chapter determines if your book will be read
• Last chapter determines if it will be remembered

It’s such a treasure to hear something in a way that clicks – to think that this makes sense. In fact it’s brilliant. And  maybe, just maybe, I can do this. To think that it “must be the sound of possibility…” ( A Room on Lorelei Street, page 266.)

Thanks for the fantastic workshop, Mary Pearson and San Diego SCBWI!

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

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Philosophical Fifth Graders

While walking to the local library a group of fifth graders decided that:

• a butterfly is more fly than butter
• a sidewalk is more walk than side
• cross walk is more cross
• a tree house is more house
• a wood chip is both so it should be called a chood
• wind tunnel is too hard to decide so let’s call it a wunnel

Nothing like real live kid discussions to motivate!

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

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Thank you to Veterans!

It’s Veteran’s Day!

Thank you to all you brave souls who choose and have chosen to serve our country through military service. It is hard, demanding, and honorable work. Your work touches all of our lives in ways that many people don’t completely understand or appreciate.

And thank you to the families who support them!

One of my new favorite movies, The Lucky Ones explores the experience of three Veterans coming home from the war in Iraq for a month long leave. It is sweet and funny and thoughtful and heartbreaking, yet hopeful. And it makes you think about luck, synchronicity, and destiny. A nice way to spend some time on Veteran’s Day.

This month’s Notes From the Horn Book includes suggestions for books (for kids) about war. It’s a tricky topic. I also love the picture book, The Cello of Mr. O by Jane Cutler.

Sarah Wones Tomp

WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

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