As a humor writer, I’ve decided to start studying comedy writing as much as possible to hone my craft. I recently picked up a book called Comedy Writing Secrets (3rd Edition) by Mark Shatz and Mel Helitzer and it seems to be the only game in town as far as comedy writing is concerned. If you have any other books on comedy writing or writing humor, I’d love to know! I’d also love to know what picture books make you laugh out loud, so please share so I can study them as well!
Category Archives: Uncategorized
KidLit Summer School 2015!
If you haven’t done so, make sure you sign up for the KitLit Summer School that starts this week. The theme for this summer is “The Plot Thickens”. This is my first year doing it and I’m excited to get started. I’ll update you on what I’ve learned but you should definitely check it out yourself!
PB Pitch Time!
Fellow Picture Book writers! Do not forget the PB Pitch Party happening on Twitter today. Just add #PBPitch to your tweet! Here’s more info and good luck!
Sweet Retreat
“In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion.”
[The Minotaur]”
― Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays
Sometimes the hardest thing to do as a writer is to find time to write. I know that for myself, I often go to bed with the best of intentions: “I’ll write first thing in the morning and if that falls through, I’ll get some time in the afternoon and if that doesn’t work then I’ll write when the kids go to bed.” What happens the next day, you ask? Nothing. Life gets in the way-kids won’t nap, laundry piles up, the dog needs a walk. By the time the kids go to sleep I can hardly string a coherent sentence together.
I was lamenting about this problem the other day while bouncing a teething baby on my lap and I came across this link while scrolling through Facebook. A whole blog by School Library Journal about writer’s retreats for children’s writers! I gotta say that I read the page several times, day-dreaming about each retreat.
Look at those cozy cabins!
Wow, the view from that place!
Could I really sneak away to Oregon??”
While I probably can’t make it to Oregon (at least not this year), there were so many other retreats that seemed doable. The list had something for everyone and I am desperate to go.
“You mean there is a quiet place I could focus on my writing? No screaming kids? No barking dog? Sounds like heaven!”
So if you see me picking up pennies on the street, just know what I’m saving for. Hope to see you there.
Ooh Bigfoot? Here Biggy, Biggy, Biggy……..
Remember when CNN used to be a serious news source? It’s hard to even think back that far. Now it’s just a bunch of crazies talking about random sh*t to fill the day-except for Anderson Cooper, of course. That silver fox is an American treasure. Anyway, this little nugget of journalism (?) comes fresh off the CNN website and fell right into my little crypto-lovin’ lap.
I’m confused….this is his backyard but where is his house? The story makes it look like he lives outside and that glider is his “couch”???? How is the “expert” so sure that this guy lives on a bigfoot migratory trail? So many unanswered questions! What I DO know is that my poor bigfoot is so misunderstood.
What Ever Happened To Predictability?
What ever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy, evening tv?
(Okay, I may be dating myself there with that reference but I couldn’t help myself.)
I recently finished up an outline for my next story. It’s about a girl whose chance reading with a psychic leads her to discover her true destiny is as the one person who was meant to banish the Jersey Devil forever. The momentary elation of finishing a solid outline was quickly eclipsed by my old friend, self-doubt. Self-doubt whispers to me that it is sure there are dozens of Young Adult Jersey Devils books and they are all way better than anything I could have possibly dreamed up. Self-doubt also told me that my characters were flat and the whole story was impossibly predictable. *sigh* Despite anything self-doubt tells me, I’m going to plow ahead with a first draft.
Can a story be predictable and still good? Are there any great, predictable stories?
Not So Secret Agent Advice
I’m not near this point in my career but this article caught my eye and had some good tips for when I will be looking for representation. Do agents really ask you to get 8X10 glossies? That’s ridiculous. Although handing them some horrific glamour shots would be pretty funny.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/writer-tips-literary-agents_n_1894543.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003
I think the biggest thing is to do your research before you submit queries. Google is there for a reason! I Google the hell out of everything. Has anyone already started or gone through this process? What have you encountered?
Seeking: First Readers-Must Love Words
When you are in the process of writing a book, you always hear that getting trusted people to read your draft is one of the first steps to success. Even Stephen King talks of their importance in his autobiography/writing bible, On Writing. When you’re done with your first round of revisions you just hand over your story to your closest friends and your family, right? No way. Let’s face it, your friends and family probably like you. They probably like you a whole lot. Perhaps they even love you (perhaps), and this affection for you may cloud their judgment. So when they read your 100,000 word steampunk-vampire-historical-fiction written completely in haikus, they may actually tell you it’s great. It’s not. So who then do you trust to give you the critique that you need?
You could pay to have a professional proofread and critique your work. One agent/critique-r (critiquee?) I found will read your work for 4 cents a word. Pennies!?! I have those! Wait, my story has 60,000 words…*counts fingers*…okay, I can’t afford that.
Where do you get your first readers? I Googled it and there are no first reader “dating” sites. I imagine a first reader social media site where you can meet with other writers who want to exchange manuscripts for critiques (or long walks on the beach-whatever you prefer). You should be able to search for people by location as well as genre. This way, you can establish a group of regulars who can read your work and develop a rapport with. Until that happens, I guess you should stick with those you know and hope that your family and friends don’t like you enough to tell you the truth.
How did you get first readers? Have you used any of the writing social media sites and how did you like them?
Megan Taraszkiewicz 