The Writers Roundtable Intensive... Our Morning Panel on Voice and Critique Advice

Lin Oliver started things off by praising all of us Writers Roundtable Intensive attendees for being here, acknowledging how it's “a very brave thing” to put your work forward, and saying “today begins the hard work of writing.”

Sometimes the work you brought is ready… and sometimes it's not, and you need to be open and curious about where your path might take you.

Lin shared the inspiring story of Ruta Sepetys., who three years ago attended this Writers Roundtable Intensive, and received a very disappointing response to her YA.  One of her critiquers suggested that maybe that novel wasn’t really in Ruta’s voice.  Did she have anything else?  Well, she did, and Ruta started working on it. It has since been published, and this year "Between Shades of Gray" is an enormous critical and commercial success.  So for Ruta, the Writers Roundtable Intensive three years ago was a turning point, just not in the way she ever expected going into it.

And with that sage bit of advice and inspiration, Lin introduced the morning panelists on voice: 

Samantha McFerrin, Editor, Harcourt Children’s Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Nancy Conescu, Executive Editor, Dial Books for Young Readers

Michelle Nagler, Editorial Director, Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Lin Oliver (far left, standing) moderates the panel on Voice.  The panelists are Samantha McFerrin (left), Nancy Conescu (center) and Michelle Nager (right)

Each editor read an example of voice from a book they’d edited, and explained what it was about it that grabbed them. 

They discussed authorial voice vs. character voice, and covered a number of things to beware of when crafting your voice, including avoiding adult knowledge inserted in where it doesn’t belong, the issue of pop culture references, and knowing your details and getting them right.

A great tip for “writing in your groove” that came up: 

Read your manuscript out loud

The panelists and Lin shared their advice on participating in the critiques, including:

Don't defend yourself or talk during your critique - listening is so important.  

Take notes - something may resonate for you later

Stay open

Overall it was a fascinating panel and a great introduction to the morning's roundtable critiques.

Listening to Feedback with an Open Mind (continued)

Aaron: Recounting advice from Little, Brown editor Jennifer Hunt. An editor is like that really good friend who things you have a beautiful smile, but you have a little spinach in your teeth.

Nancy: We do want to help make that smile beautiful. Our feedback is always about making your work better. It's helpful to point out things like did the dialog sound authentic, is there a character that grabbed you, etc.

Courtney: Today everybody in the room's job is to see the spinach in your teeth. Use the time to talk about the spinach and figure out how to fix it.

Michelle: Sometimes editors are hardest on the things that we feel have the most potential. Those may be the ones we really pick apart because we want them to be great.

Courtney: Sometimes editors might come to you at an event like and say they see potential in your manuscript but it still needs work. If I see something in your writing and offer to work with you to get it in shape for acquisitions, take advantage of that. At that point, all I can promise you is my time, but I'm not going to take time to work with a writer on something that I don't think has that potential.

--POSTED BY ALICE

Listening to Feedback with an Open Mind (continued)

Nancy: We're looking at manuscripts a puzzles and trying to figure out the best way to make everything come together, so we focus on the parts that aren't working so the parts that are can be even better.

Aaron: When you come to something that needs to addressed, what's the best way to go about looking for solutions?

Michelle: That's a take-home. One don't solve things in 12 minutes. Part of my job I love is when I give a note to an author, and they run with it. You have to take notes and figure out how to make it work for you.

Courtney: This might be the first time you're getting professional feedback. Every agent or editor is different and will offer different feedback, but we're all going to point out the problem and things that feel off to us. You're the writer--it's your job to fix it. For us, what we're seeing is a first draft to us.


--POSTED BY ALICE

Listening to Feedback with an Open Mind

SCBWI's own Aaron Hartzler (who looks dashing is his bow-tie) is moderating the kick-off panel of the Annual Winter Conference Writers' Intensive on taking feedback on your work. The editor panelists include:

• Courtney Bangiolatti, Simon & Schuster
• Nancy Conescu, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  
• Michelle Nagler, Bloomsbury

Aaron: What works and what doesn't?

Courtney: Have a pen in your hand, write down comments, and really consider what both editors and agents have to say as well as your writer peers. Remember, we do this for a living. We want to make your manuscript better.

Aaron: What are you looking for as you start reading and giving feedback?

Nancy: You're looking for those sentences that grab you and good character. Be receptive to the feedback whether you agree with it or not. Really things about what editors and peers are saying. Focus on listening.

Michelle: Write down comments. Try really hard not to be dismissive. Put yourself in your critiquers shoes. We read and evaluate manuscripts constantly, considering not just whether your writing is good, but whether it's salable, has an audience.

--POSTED BY ALICE