Remembering Your First Love

by Ron Estrada

When my son began his baseball career back when I was a long way from fifty, he played, like most kids these days, on a t-ball league. I, being a foolish young father who wanted to participate in all of my son’s activities (and my wife told me I had to) helped coach.

Ever been to a t-ball game? Any resemblance to actual baseball is purely coincidental.

Read More

Stealing History

by Ron Estrada

As I write this, I'm watching Vikings via the magic of Hulu, the binge watching hub of the modern world. I've watched a few of these historical fiction TV series, and while I cannot vouch for their historical accuracy, I can vouch for their entertainment value.

The writers of these shows have done what any good writer would do, historical or otherwise. Take a piece of what is fact and insert a bit of fiction into it. This is how we can "steal" a great segment of our story, all that bothersome background and setting. The writers of these TV shows did just that. We can, therefore, justify borrowing our settings from the TV show writers who have done all the hard work already.

Read More

Ready for Middle Grade Novels?

by Ron Estrada

We’re constantly told to write what we love to read. Easier said than done, because I find that most writers read a wide range of genres. But I had a long discussion with myself late last year and was forced to admit that I love YA novels, even the contemporary, nearly romantic ones.

But it didn’t end there. I think somewhere around the time I read Moon Over Manifest, I realized the frightening truth.

I’m a middle-grade geek.

Here’s the other cold hard truth I realized: actual middle-graders who love to read are honest to the point of cruelty and don’t give second chances.

Read More

Make the Sell First

by Ron Estrada

You are a salesperson.

Say it with me.

I (insert name) am a salesperson.

Let me tell you about salespeople, having spend most of my adult life working in close proximity with these folks. A salesperson will tell you what you want to hear in order to the "yes." After said "yes" is achieved, it is only then he'll tell you what you've really just bought. But you've already said "yes," so you're ten times more likely to go ahead with your purchase.

Read More

Building Your Own Cage

by Ron Estrada

Recently I received a phone call from my agent. Yes, it was “the” call. A big 5 publisher read my entire middle-grade manuscript and likes what she sees. However, if I don’t mind, please re-write the entire thing and here’s a better idea for the series.

Now, I’ve been at this for a long, long time. I’m way past pride. I have arrived at the “whatever you want I’ll do it because I’m going to die soon” phase of my career.

So the re-writing, as of this post, is almost complete. The first quarter of the book has been slashed and about a dozen chapters added to please aforementioned publisher. As much as I hate to admit it, the story is much better. I have yet to resubmit and sign a contract, but even if it doesn’t work out with this publisher, I feel my odds of success are greatly improved thanks to her input.

Same with the series suggestions.

If you’re like me, you have a tendency to box yourself in with your series idea. I had so completely sold myself on the concept of my Navy Brats series that I left no room for better ideas. I had intended to write about a different Navy Brat in the years spanning 1968 through 1984 because, you know, I lived it.

The publisher said (and I’m paraphrasing), “boooooooriiiiiing.”

Know what kids want to read about? War. The stuff in their history books. She loved my idea of using military families in my stories, but suggesting I use some recognizable historical incidents as my setting. She blasted my original Navy Brat series, even hated the name. So where does that leave me?

Free.

Suddenly, I’m not caged in by my own narrow scope for my book and series. To be honest, I was absolutely hung up with book two of my original idea. And not willing to change directions. Sure, I knew that a military brat in the middle of the attack on Pearl Harbor would be somewhat more interesting than the same brat in 1972 Hawaii, but I couldn’t see past my own self-imposed restrictions.

Now I’m already planning book two of the new series (still don’t have a good name) and reading up on the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. And this is exciting stuff! My middle-grade readers will eat it up.

So the moral of my story today is thus: when you get “the” phone call with a long list of suggestions, there’s a good chance the publisher knows what she’s talking about. And there’s also a good chance that your story and series will be much improved whether you get this deal or not.

What about you? Has a suggestion from a publisher or agent drastically changed the direction of your writing? Or are you, right now, stuck in a series you’re no longer excited about?

TWEETABLES

Building Your Own Cage by Ron Estrada (Click to Tweet)

I had left no room for better ideas~ Ron Estrada (Click to Tweet)

There’s a good chance the publisher knows what she’s talking about~ Ron Estrada (Click to Tweet)

Ron Estrada has multiple published magazine articles, including a regular column in the bi-monthly Women2Women Michigan. He also freelances as a technical writer, specializing in white papers for manufacturing and consumer products. He writes spec fiction, hovering somewhere between post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction (he prefers the term pre-Last Days), but has also dabbled in Mystery and Suspense. Turn-ons include long walks to Frosty Boy and dinner by Kindle light. His real-writer’s blog can be found at RonEstradaBooks.com.  You can e-mail him at rmestrada@ameritech.net or catch him (at pretty much any time) on Facebook. Twitter handle is @RonEstrada. CB handle is God’s Gift.

Read More

Telling Children the Real Christmas Story

by Ron Estrada

I have a bone to pick.

The audience gasps. “What? Ron is annoyed with something or someone? It can’t be.”

Ron waits patiently while you all laugh at your little joke. “Ahem.” Maybe not so patiently.

As children, we were all told the Christmas Story in Sunday School or by our parents or by the kid on our bus who’d attended every Metallica concert within a hundred mile radius. His version was a bit different.

But, you know what? At least his version was honest. Wrong. But honest.

Every year the Christmas Story went the same:

Mary gets pregnant.

An angel appears to Joseph.

Stuff happens.

Long journey to Bethlehem.

Cows and pigs and chickens.

Jesus is born.

More stuff happens.

Wise men drop in.

Snoopy wins first prize in the lights and display contest.

We heard the story so many times that we gloss over it when we read the first chapters of Luke. I think it’s time we stop glossing.

Did you know that it was only a few years ago that I realized that the wise men visited Jesus in a “house”? That’s what my many versions of the text say. In fact, many of the “facts” we learn as children are merely a Reader’s Digest version of the Christmas Story so we can get the kids off to bed early because, as you all know, the real Christmas Story is how many curse words fly out of Dad’s mouth as he begins the all night journey of “some assembly required.”

Okay, I take it back. Stop praying for me.

Now, admittedly, we’ve done better over the years. In our “reality age,” we like to see and read the truth as it happened. No sugar-coating. War movies now contain enough blood and carnage to satisfy the most avid gamer. When cowboys go off to do battle with the Indians, it turns out we were not always the good guys. And the adult movie versions of Christ’s birth and crucifixion are disturbingly realistic (I barely got through The Passion. I will not see it twice).

Hollywood is maturing. Novelists are maturing.

Is it time to allow our children’s version of Bible stories to mature as well?

Is it wrong to take our board books and include the next chapter of the David and Goliath story and show that severed head? Maybe.

Should we let the kiddies know that Lot’s daughters were a tad naughty after that whole pillar of salt incident? Probably not.

But is it too much to tell a child that the wise men probably showed up long after the birth of Jesus? Maybe as much as two years? I think they can handle that harsh reality. And they can probably handle many of the other details of the Bible often left out of the children’s versions.

Why am I on this rant? Because, if some of my favorite radio preachers and teachers are correct, Bible illiteracy is the number one problem among Christians. We cannot defend our faith because we don’t know it. Too harsh? I don’t think so. And part of that fault has to begin with how we write Biblical accounts for our children.

Yes, we have to condense some things. Simplify the language. Include a flannel graph. But we can help them along on their long journey of Bible study by giving them accurate details at an early age.

In my last past about writing for kids, I stated that we should never “write down” to our young audience. They’re smarter than we give them credit for. They want the truth. And maybe, just maybe, some of those ten year-old boys would find Sunday School much more interesting if a severed head did show up in the midst of their nice lesson (I’m thinking a pop-up book).

So what do you think? Are we sugar coating Bible stories too much for the kids? As Christian kidlit writers, should we begin the push toward accuracy and reality in our rendition of Bible stories?

TWEETABLES

Telling Children the Real Christmas Story by Ron Estrada (Click to Tweet)

Kids are smarter than we give them credit for. They want the truth.~ Ron Estrada (Click to Tweet)

Are we sugar coating Bible stories too much for the kids?~ Ron Estrada (Click to Tweet)

Ron Estrada has multiple published magazine articles, including a regular column in the bi-monthly Women2Women Michigan. He also freelances as a technical writer, specializing in white papers for manufacturing and consumer products. He writes spec fiction, hovering somewhere between post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction (he prefers the term pre-Last Days), but has also dabbled in Mystery and Suspense. Turn-ons include long walks to Frosty Boy and dinner by Kindle light. His real-writer’s blog can be found at RonEstradaBooks.com.  You can e-mail him at rmestrada@ameritech.net or catch him (at pretty much any time) on Facebook. Twitter handle is @RonEstrada. CB handle is God’s Gift.

Read More

Interview with Heather Day Gilbert, Author of the Indie Publishing Handbook

(~from Heather Day Gilbert) This is an unusual post, because it's actually my last post for Novel Rocket as a member of Ground Control. I've LOVED my year at Novel Rocket, interviewing people and sharing indie information with readers. But as my own indie career lifted off (a little rocket humor there), I realized I had to pull back on blogging and focus on writing/publishing books.

Friend and follow indie author Ron Estrada agreed to ask me some final indie-oriented questions for this interview. I appreciate his willingness to do so and will share that with you below.

Here's a little bio on who I am so you can find me on the web, post-Novel Rocket. :)

Author Heather Day Gilbert

HEATHER DAY GILBERT has independently published four books. Her debut novel, God's Daughter, has remained on the Amazon Norse Bestseller list and Amazon Norse Top-Ranked list for over one year. Her contemporary mystery, Miranda Warning, is the successful start to the Murder in the Mountains series. Her Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher shares focused advice on four key steps in the indie publication process. You can find Heather at her website, heatherdaygilbert.com. She is also active on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher on Amazon

About Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher: 

Are you dreaming of your own career as an independent author and self-publisher? 

This concise handbook covers the four key elements every self-publisher must oversee for successful book publication: (1) editing, (2) creating cover art and blurbs, (3) formatting and uploading books, and (4) marketing. Focused advice will help you maneuver these key elements, whether you outsource or learn to master them yourself. 

You'll also find a bonus section with practical tips from seasoned independent authors. 

Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher is your one-stop for basics on everything you need to get started and excel as an independent publisher.

Indie Publishing Interview with 

Author Heather Day Gilbert

by: Ron Estrada

RE: What should an unpublished author consider before going indie?

HG: Great question. I would say costs could be a factor, but then again, it is possible to indie publish at a relatively low cost if you can do things yourself or exchange services. My debut novel was produced for...I would say under $200. Maybe more like $100. But I was blessed with a brother who designed my cover and agent edits. Not to mention a crit partner who helped me upload and showed me how to format.

My debut novel, God's Daughter

But the primary thing to consider is the time commitment. You need time to make sure your edits are in place; time to land on the perfect cover; time to upload your books and check proof copies of softcovers; and MOST of all, you need to have time to market.

Yes, you can streamline the process for sure. But for that debut novel, you want to take time to nail all the four key elements covered in my Indie Publishing Handbook (editing; cover art/blurb; formatting/uploading; and marketing) as best you can right out of the gate.

RE:  I always hear “You have to write a series!” But I prefer to write stand-alone books. Will I have trouble being successful as an indie?

HG: You know, just a couple of months ago, I would've said yes, series are the only way to go. It's true, series can boost sales, especially if you have several books to release in a short period of time. It's also true going permafree (permanently free, as Traci Hilton talked about in this excellent Novel Rocket post) with your first in series can drive sales to the rest in the series.

BUT. Lately I've seen fellow indies find success with standalone books. Sally Bradley's Kept, for example. What happens with a standalone is that you don't limit yourself to one genre, and you're not releasing only the first in series, which leaves readers hanging on the line waiting for the next. I should know--I've done that twice! I have two starts to vastly different series out (Viking historical and Contemporary Appalachian mystery). I have readers waiting for the next books in both, and I probably ticked some off when I announced I was following up on the mystery series this year and putting off the Viking sequel until 2016-ish. ;)

So short answer long, I would recommend doing a series if you have at least two books ready to roll in pretty short order. However, even if you don't have two books in the series, sometimes it's just about stepping into the pool and getting your feet wet. Any book out (whether the start to a series or standalone) is a book in your repertoire, able to garner readers, so just make sure it's a humdinger! 

RE: Where and how should I market my self-published books? The options are overwhelming and I have so little time.

HG: Oh, dude, I hear that. I'm telling you, I've been marketing my books non-stop for over a year now. I watch the sales and when the numbers dip, I (obsessively) start casting around for a new marketing angle, be it a new review site, taking out an ad, running a special or giveaway, etc. It's exhausting and I'm officially pulling back on that draining "technique."

I really think it's different for every book, every genre. (Click to Tweet!) For me, I was blessed by going with a Christian review site (The Book Club Network). Although there was expense involved, such as sending out softcovers, it was well worth it to latch onto new and enthusiastic readers.

One of my other most successful techniques was ye olde going free on Amazon. Many say it's becoming passe, because people already have too many free books loaded on their e-readers. However, if you advertise at free book sites such as ENT (E-Reader News Today), you can find many new readers and simultaneously garner a number of reviews.

However, you run the risk of getting low reviews from readers who load random e-books without reading blurbs or sample chapters. It was a risk I was willing to take, but now that I'm about three books into the process, I've decided freebies aren't going to be part of my marketing arsenal so often (though I'm not eliminating the possibility of permafree with a first in series). But for the debut author, freebies and giveaways (such as softcover giveaways on Goodreads or on a blog tour) can be invaluable and build your readership quickly. 

One final strategy: as much as possible, be everywhere. I know that's literally impossible, but when you share pinnables and quotes from your book, when you tweet about your book, when you do an extensive blog tour, you'd be surprised that people often find you instead of you having to go out and find them. This is how I was contacted by a Canadian museum and also by a park in Colorado. Indies can reach all over the world with our books, which is so amazing to me.

So, bottom line: it's a hit and miss process. I would just recommend not spending big bucks right off the bat, as you're building your initial pile of royalties from that debut novel. Then for your second book, you'll have more income to play with. Of course, this is assuming you're as strapped for cash as I tend to be. LOL.

RE: Should I self-publish print books as well? 

HG: I really think it depends on the intent of your book and the reader demographic. For example, with my fiction, I'd be a fool not to get softcovers, because I do book signings and they demand it. Also, my local readers tend to read softcovers. Finally, my readers are ready to purchase softcovers the minute I announce the book has released (I love this! But I was unprepared for it with my debut. It took me a few weeks to get my first softcover loaded/proofed and some of the buzz had dropped off by then).

However, for my Indie Publishing Handbook, I decided to go e-book only for launch. This is because I assumed authors considering indie publishing would have to have to know how to navigate e-readers anyway! LOL.

But on the other hand, if I ever take my Indie Publishing Handbook to a writer's conference, I might try to get a softcover version up for distribution. That's what I mean by discerning the intent of your book.

RE: How do I design a cover?

HG: Cover art is definitely so important. I talked in my Indie Publishing Handbook a bit about opportunities that came my way based on cover art alone. For your debut, I'm convinced you want to produce the strongest cover you can afford.

I know some indie authors who design their own covers and they are amazing. Authors like Jan Thompson (Jane Austen Upside Down); Krista Phillips (A Side of Faith); Becky Doughty (Elderberry Croft); and Joanne Bischof (This Quiet Sky), just to name a few. These authors have what I call "the eye." It's a gift for putting together a visually pleasing cover that will sell.

I, however, don't possess this talent. So outsourcing covers is a must for me. This can vary in cost, from $200-$1000 or even more.

When you work with a cover artist, I think it helps to have your book completed, so you can identify running themes, key characters, etc. A good cover artist can ask questions, send you appealing comps, then design a cover that fits the mood of your book and places it recognizably in its given genre.

Personally, I want a cover that would stop ME in my tracks, because I write what I want to read. (Click to Tweet!) And yet it's always great to get outside input on your cover, whether it's from your crit partner, your Facebook followers, or an objective group.

However, keep in mind, indie authors can change covers if they feel their cover isn't working for some reason or another. For instance, I recently re-did this original Miranda Warning cover:

Original Miranda Warning cover

I had detailed in this Novel Rocket post how my brother and I developed the first cover, above. But because it was the first in series with the same main character throughout, it was going to be difficult to replicate covers with the same model. I needed to go in a different direction, and my brother didn't have time to do a re-do. So I hired a cover designer to come up with a more nature-oriented cover template for the entire Murder in the Mountains series.

This was the finished cover, and I'm very happy with the flexibility it gives us for future covers in the series:

Final Miranda Warning cover, now on Amazon 

Thank you for the questions, Ron! I just want to say another huge thanks to the Novel Rocket crew for letting me jump on board for a year. I've followed this site since I started writing and I will continue following it for relevant info on all kinds of writerly subjects. A special thanks to Gina Holmes and Ane Mulligan for helping me any time I needed advice on a post!

***Finally, comment below by January 22 to be entered to win a free Kindle copy of the Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher! (Click to Tweet!) Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!***

All the best to you Novel Rocketeers! Rockettes? Rock on! :)

--Heather

Ron Estrada has multiple published magazine articles, including a regular column in the bi-monthly Women2Women Michigan. He also freelances as a technical writer, specializing in white papers for manufacturing and consumer products. He writes spec fiction, hovering somewhere between post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction (he prefers the term pre-Last Days), but has also dabbled in Mystery and Suspense. He will be releasing his first YA novel, Now I Knew You, in February 2015. His real-writer’s blog can be found at RonEstradaBooks.com.  You can e-mail him at rmestrada@ameritech.net or catch him (at pretty much any time) on Facebook. Twitter handle is @RonEstrada. CB handle is God’s Gift. 

                                                                                                                                           

Read More

New Year's Goals that Make Sense

Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons and Paula Naugle

I love New Year's resolutions. I love the wha-wha-whaaa sound they make as they fizzle and die by January 3rd. A resolution is something announced from an elevated platform. Usually a bathroom scale. Resolutions are for lifestyle changes, not business.

And you, my friend, are a business.

What a business does is to establish goals for the coming quarter or year. Even weekly goals or quotas are put into place, sometimes on a big white board in the sales office. No big white boards for you (unless you're like my wife and fantasize about such things). In your case a Word document or spreadsheet should suffice.

The key to establish goals has been passed down from every corporation from General Motors to Bob's Bait & Tackle (you have to try his attack crawlers!). Here's what is what we all learned during our first year in the corporate trenches.

A goal must be two things:

1. Achievable

2. Measurable

Heavy stuff, huh? But you'd be surprised how many people can't grasp it. How many of you, in your very first days and weeks of writing, announced that you would finish your manuscript and find an agent that year? Those of you who are lying, see me after class. 

Novel Rocket covers a wide range of readers, so your goals may be different than someone at a different level. I'll use an average beginner--we'll call her Mary, and an average unpublished veteran--we'll call him Bob (he hates the bait & tackle business) as examples.

Mary's Goals:

1. Learn all I can about story structure.
2. Write 500 words a day, even if it's just gibberish.
3. Attend one writer's conference.
4. Find a critique\accountability partner or group.
5. Read one fiction novel per week both in and outside my genre.

Simple enough? Notice Mary didn't list "Get published" as a goal. Mary knows that she won't become a published author in a few months any more than she can start practicing law after one semester of college. 

I like to keep my list of goals short, five or six at most. I also like to split them up into categories. Number 1, for example, is about craft. It can be "Work on character development" or any other writing skill. It's helpful to have that goal in mind when planning that conference, right?

Now let's move on to the veteran, someone who's been at this for a while and is nearly ready to be published or self-publish.

Bob's Goals:

1. Learn how to show emotions on the page.
2. Finish 3 drafts this year.
3. Attend a conference focused on my genre (Thrillerfest, RWA, etc.).
4. Agree with my accountability partner to send daily or weekly progress reports.
5. Submit my last novel, Once Bitten Twice Hooked, to Agent A, B, and C. 

If Bob intended to self-publish, I'd modify that list to include hiring a professional editor and cover designer for Once Bitten Twice Hooked (feel free to steal that awesome title, by the way). If Mary can't find it in her budget to attend a conference, she can switch that goal with "Read one book per month on writing craft." 

It's your list, modify as needed.

Now on to part two of goal setting--it must be measurable.

You'll notice, from my two lists above, that almost everything on that list can be measured. Word count, completed drafts, number of books read, etc., are all easily measured. 

But what about that pesky number 1 on each list? How do you measure learning? We can write this off as the difference between business and art, but I think that's a bit of a cop out. A teacher gives tests to measure a student's progress. You can do the same.

If you don't have a critique group or beta readers, add that to your list. Let's say Mary is working on story structure. She doesn't have to finish a novel to see if her structure works. She can write the short synopsis and pitch it to her readers (The late Blake Snyder of Save the Cat fame said he would pitch his ideas to people in restaurants). Of course, structure and idea are two different things, but you get the idea. Even better if Mary has a mentor to look at her outline.

Bob can do the same thing. When he sends his manuscript to his beta readers, he can add a note--Keep a specific eye out for my description of emotion. 

If you have five beta readers and two say you have more work to do, you've scored a 60% on your test. What would mom and dad say? Right. Back to work.

Be sure to set your quarterly, weekly, and daily goals as well. Some of us prefer weekly because we have crazy schedules. Some like daily goals to hold ourselves accountable. It's up to you. But write it down. No, don't post it on Facebook. This is between you and, at most, you family and accountability partner\group. Then adjust as necessary as the year progresses. Hey, things happen. We get sick. We take a new day job. Babies get birthed. Adjust.

I'm going to add a final note. Be realistic in setting your goals. We all want to be Super Writer. But if your burn-it-at-both-ends schedule interferes with your devotional time, family time, or exercise, you'll crash. Take it from the guy who slacked off on his exercise last year and has spent the last three months with horrible back pain. Do you know how hard it is to get through NaNoWriMo when it hurts to sit down for more than five minutes at a time?

So set those goals as well. Mind, Body,  & Spirit, right? 

2015 doesn't have to be the year you get published or the year you sell ten-thousand self-published books, but it can be your best year ever. 

God bless all of my Novel Rocket friends and may your 2015 be amazing!

Ron Estrada has multiple published magazine articles, including a regular column in the bi-monthly Women2Women Michigan. He also freelances as a technical writer, specializing in white papers for manufacturing and consumer products. He writes spec fiction, hovering somewhere between post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction (he prefers the term pre-Last Days), but has also dabbled in Mystery and Suspense. Turn-ons include long walks to Frosty Boy and dinner by Kindle light. His real-writer’s blog can be found at RonEstradaBooks.com.  You can e-mail him at rmestrada@ameritech.net or catch him (at pretty much any time) on Facebook. Twitter handle is @RonEstrada. CB handle is God’s Gift.

Read More

Ready for Middle Grade Novels?

Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons and Andy Carter

We’re constantly told to write what we love to read. Easier said than done, because I find that most writers read a wide range of genres. But I had a long discussion with myself late last year and was forced to admit that I love YA novels, even the contemporary, nearly romantic ones.

But it didn’t end there. I think somewhere around the time I read Moon Over Manifest, I realized the frightening truth.

I’m a middle-grade geek.

Here’s the other cold hard truth I realized: actual middle-graders who love to read are honest to the point of cruelty and don’t give second chances.

Mind you, middle-grade covers a wide range of reading levels. The silly Diary of a Wimpy Kid type books are a far cry from the aforementioned Moon Over Manifest, which has been equally popular among adult readers. Both, however, are considered MG. Perhaps there are writers who can cover that range. But I think it’s safe to say that the new MG novelist should choose his or her narrow audience and write to that level. Middle-grade aged children develop at a rapid rate, many will go from chapter books to adult novels within a one year span (I was reading Stephen King at 12…my nightmares were spectacular!).

However, there are some commonalities that cover the accepted middle-grade range of 8 to 12, specifically differences between YA and MG.

• An MG character will tend to be very self-centered. The world revolves around 8 to 12 year-olds, as any parent can attest. A YA character, in her high school years, also tends to be self-centered, but will begin to see the world through the eyes of others. In fact, that’s a common character arc for a teen protagonist, from “it’s all about me” to “I’ll sacrifice for you.
• MG readers want snarky humor. Even if a horde of zombies is about to invade his living room, the MG character will think and say humorous things. Dialogue, especially, will be filled with one-line zingers. For boys, yes, potty jokes will always be the rage (try it, say “fart” in front of a group of ten year old boys and watch them erupt into laughter).
• So the drama. What adults see as minor blips in their day, MG characters must see as end-of-the-world scenarios. Her BFF didn’t “like” her Instagram photo of her first day of school outfit? Call the Marines and Dr. Phil.
• A great deal of tension (and we love tension, right?) is gained from the clique-ish behavior of middle-school kids. Split your characters into groups and set them against each other. Most of us can remember it. Yes, it’s still that brutal.
• MG readers are pretty darn smart. If they’re reading, they can handle three-syllable words. But they like a fast pace, lots of action, and–shall I mention it again?–humor.  Of course, action is easy when every little thing in the MG world is high drama.
• Adults can be present, and even major characters, but they cannot solve the protagonist’s problem. Just like in adult fiction, your MG protagonist must be clever, smart, and move the story forward herself to its final conclusion. Mom cannot save the day at the end.

Those are a few of the tips I’ve picked up while delving into MG fiction. It’s a fantastic world where we can dig deeper and release that youthful voice that we must often restrain in our adult novels. It’s not easier writing by far. Some of us have to reach back quite a few decades to find those feelings we shelved on our way to adulthood.

But when you do it well, it’s magic. And when your “slightly” older middle-grade readers latch on to a piece of their childhood through the words you’ve written, it’s like you’ve tapped into a whole new world.

As Christian writers, of course, we have another responsibility. Secular YA is already plagued with the world view, especially when it comes to sexual relations. Many also included a skewed version of Christianity. We have an opportunity to use our gifts and talents to reach children while they’re still developing their beliefs and opinions. We can impact that for God’s glory.

So how about you? Are you considering middle-grade for your next novel? I’d love to hear from you.

Read More