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.

Have A Manuscript Critique At The Conference? Agent Jill Corcoran's Best Advice For You!

Herman Agency literary agent Jill Corcoran shares what not to do - and what you should do - during your manuscript consultation!

Great advice!

Panel: Listening to Feedback with an Open Mind

Welcome to SCBWI TEAM BLOG coverage of the 2011 Annual Winter Conference. Check in often throughout the weekends as we offer live coverage of the conference as it happens.

Today offers a Writers' Intensive and an Illustrators' Intensive.

Before the Writers' Intensive critiquing kicks off, an agent and two editors are offering advice about handling a critique situation.

Edward Necarsulmer (McIntosh and Otis): Do your best to listen, but also understand that I'm just one guy. There are plenty of books out there that I've passed on that have become bestsellers. (He's found 3-5 novels through SCBWI events.) He gets that the idea of criticism in general can be hard to hear, but it's about turning off the defensiveness, and understand the critique for what it's worth.

Julie Strauss-Gabel (Dutton Children’s Books): The thing that surprises her most is when she asks, "What is this about." She find writers often don't really know what they're writing about--her assessment is very out of line with what the writer thinks she's putting on the page. Critiques are about being open--it's part of your professional process. There's nothing personal about it. At least stop to think about why you are hearing a particular critique or why certain questions were asked. If you're in a ccritique group, remember that they only work if they include honest discussion.

Liz Szabla (Feiwel and Friends): I find gold here. (She's currently working with two writers who she discovered at the SCBWI Winter Conference.) Remember that editors are thinking about your work in terms of the market. Go into a bookstore and really look at what the market is right now. She finds that a lot of writers are really surprised when she talks about market--but market is important. Critiquing with editors and agents, is a way to get another sort of compass as to where you are with your writing.

Beyond the Breakout

There are so many great opportunities when you attend a SCBWI conference. One of the most helpful of those being the professional one-on-one critiques. Every year countless stories float around the floor of an author being "discovered" during a critique. Have one coming up? Author Cynthea Liu has a great post on how to make the most of your conference critique HERE.

Suz

Wendy Loggia On Why SCBWINY10 Critique Day is like American Idol

--Posted by Lee Wind

The Next Step: what to do after a critique

Lin: Do writers need to start on the day that's different?

Ari: Starting on the day that's different is OK. Starting on the moment that's different can be tough because readers don't know enough about the story.

Wendy: Every book is different. It should be organic to the story. And it boils down to the writing, (I can help you with the plot, but I can't help you reshape your writing--it all comes down to that.)

Allyn: The problems I see with beginnings when it comes to picture books, is that they are not the beginnings of picture books, they're the beginning of chapter books. What I'm looking for is one sentence that make me interested, that's a clear beginning. Another common problem--manuscripts written in sing-songy rhyme with lots of alliteration and no narrative arc.

--POSTED BY ALICE

A Look Inside the Writer's Intensive

I just spent the afternoon observing and thoroughly enjoying a writer's intensive. It was led by the amazing Michelle Nagler from Bloomsbury. Each of the 7 authors got to read the first pages of their manuscript and then get a critique--an extremely thorough critique from Michelle. Then the other authors--including me!--got a chance to add our thoughts.

Wow. I had a talented table. A blend of YA, MG and picture books. Authors: Bridget Casey, Priya Ardis, Christina Jespersen, Jane Makuch, Sandy Opheim, Beth Beck and Allison Keeton. Some of my favorite moments were when we'd ask the author "what happens next?" It showed how intriguing their pages were.

After the critiques we had time to all sit and discuss the business. Michelle gave us insight into the industry and helped point out things writers might not think of when they're getting ready to start querying. This was my first intensive, and I'm sure everyone at my table agreed, this face to face time was SO COMPLETLY WORTH IT!!! Thanks, gang.

-Suzanne Young

The Next Step: what to do after a critique

Lin: What mistakes did you see.

Allyn: First-person narratives in picture books, and rhyme that's off. Picture books that are on themes that have been done so many times that they wouldn't be salable. (Read books, buy books, go to bookstores, she advises.)

Ari: Manuscripts that started in the middle of a scene.

Wendy: Pages that seemed crammed with information in the beginning. A lack of awareness of the marketplace and what's working

--POSTED BY ALICE

The Next Step: what to do after a critique

Lin: What did you see today?

Allyn: I didn't ask to buy anything today. I did ask everyone who sat at my table to send me something, but that thing might not be the thing we talked about today. Everyone should go home and think about that.

Ari: I got a lot out of being in a critique group and hearing the comments of the writers who brought up things I didn't think of. It just goes to show that every editor is going to thing a little differently about your work.

Lin: What advice would you offer writers on using the comments they got today?

Wendy: Go home and think about the comments you got today and decide what resonates with you. If you're consistently getting the same feedback, those may be the things you should concentrate on.

Ari: There's always a lot of negotiating between and editor and a writer. Think about the comments you got and if you don't think they'll work for your story, think of another way to solve them.

--POSTED BY ALICE

The Next Step: what to do after a critique

Lin Oliver is moderating the post-intensives panel on what to do post-critique.

Panelists include:

• Allyn Johnston, Beach Lane Books
• Wendy Loggia, Random House
• Ari Lewin, Hyperion

Stay tuned...

--POSTED BY ALICE

Hush now, don't explain

Great piece of advice from this morning's writers intensive panel:

Read Your 500 words.

Listen to the feedback.

Take notes.

It's like the Etta James song, "Hush now, don't explain..."


- Posted by Lee Wind