StoryGodmother Newsletter #11
Hello!
How are we in July? But here we are. So, what’s new?
EVENTS & COURSES
Thank you to everyone who came along to the free ASK ME ANYTHING event on Wednesday. Hope it was helpful for you. If you missed it, the good news is that I will be running more of these events in future, so please keep your eyes open.
These special subscriber-only ASK ME ANYTHINGS are free of charge, and just a thank you for being involved with the newsletter. I’m looking at doing some thematic sessions too (e.g. genres, different ages, writing craft aspects, etc.), so if anyone has any suggestions of what you would love an ASK ME ANYTHING on, please drop me a line at sparkles@storygodmother.co.uk
Chapter Book evening course
Six weeks from Tuesday 5th September, 7:30pm
Excited to say that I have been requested to run my chapter book weekend as an evening course. It will be starting in September, running from Tuesday 5th, 7.30pm. It will run as a six-week course, but with a week’s break (for writing) in the middle, finishing on Tuesday 17th October.
Places are limited, so please grab a spot early if you are interested. Tickets are available from Monday 3rd July 9am (nice and early, as I know many of us will be rather distracted over summer, and then September is here before we know it!)
For more info, or to book, check it out on Eventbrite.
Save the Date
Thursday 5th October, 6.30pm
Writing Magazine ‘How To Write A Picture Book’ webinar.
I know it’s a little way away, but just a heads-up! I’ll be running a webinar early October about picture books, so if you’d like to find out more about constructing a brilliant, outstanding picture book, please do come along.
More information soon.
WRITING CRITIQUE SERVICE
July slots for critiques have all been snapped up now – thank you to everyone who has booked one. I am now taking bookings for August slots! There are FOUR slots available for picture book, chapter book or middle grade books up to three chapters. Details of the pre-built packages I offer are on my website but you can also contact me with any bespoke requirements.
If your project is nearly ready and you’d like a deadline, consider this one. Contact me if you’d like to grab a slot or would like to find out more: sparkles@storygodmother.co.uk
UPCOMING EVENTS
Only a couple of weeks until the SCBWI Picture Book Retreat on 14th-17th July where I'll be speaking alongside the fabulous Jonny Duddle. I'm really looking forward to it and again, a big thank you to Clare Helen Welsh for inviting me along and organizing everything.
RESOURCES & IDEAS
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be adding to my online article library, which covers various aspects of writing for children.
Planting Plot Pants
People have been asking me a lot about plotting, 'pantsing' (writing without a pre-planned plot) and 'plantsing' lately, so I thought I would share a few quick thoughts here.
There is no right way to write
Firstly, when we consider any kind of creative projects, it’s important to remember there are rarely precise rules about how something HAS to be done. Rules can sometimes be counterproductive to creativity, and flexibility can sometimes reap the best results. As you do not have to write your stories in any particular way, how do you decide which is the best?
Personality
One way is to think about your personality. What are your comfortable ways of working? If you’re quite a spontaneous person, then trying to force your story into an organised plot may not work. If you enjoy organisation, then making the story up as you go might not suit you. What method will help get the most out of you as a writer? Having said that, I’m also a big fan of shaking things up, especially if you find yourself feeling a little stagnant or if you’re thinking of taking your writing in a different direction. If you always work in one particular way, why not try something different? How does that affect the way your projects develop?
Project by project
Sometimes it is helpful to decide how to write project by project. If you have a very good handle on your project (you understand the concept, the characters, the heart of the story), you may have enough to just start writing and see where it takes you. This may be particularly the case when you’re returning to a familiar world or familiar characters.
If you’re less sure, then plotting ahead of writing can help hammer out some of these areas and give you confidence.
Picture books
Picture books are an unusual type of book because usually they have certain format requirements for the traditional publishing industry. It is cheaper to produce them with 12 double-pages of story, therefore most picture books use this form.
As you know in advance that you have 12 spreads to work with, it can help to plot these out in order to hit the right beats at the right time of the story structure as you’re working to a tighter schedule. However, this mostly applies to stories with a traditional narrative structure.
Mix and match
Plotting and pantsing don’t have to be exclusive. You can mix and match in different ways. Plantsing is a combination of the two, often used to refer to having a vague idea where you’re going but seeing how it all plays out.
This often refers to plot – so you may have an idea of the starting point, and maybe the inciting incident, and what you would like the ending to be, but not a clear idea of how to reach that point.
However, it can also be used for characters. This is a bit harder to manage with your protagonist, and would probably take longer to edit, but is absolutely possible. You sometimes find you get more of a sense of your character as your write – so you can start with a vague idea of character, and then develop them along the way.
This also works for characters you meet during the course of the story. You don’t need to know all of the characters who will feature in your story. See who you bump into along the way.
It’s just a different way of writing. Writing a story is very much like completing a jigsaw puzzle. And you don’t necessarily need to have all the pieces visible to make a start.
Editing
Which method of writing you use may also depend on your preference for editing. A pantsed book is going to probably need more in-depth restructuring because it may meander a bit more. But you may get through a first draft more quickly. A thoroughly, meticulously plotted book may require less structural edits (although still prepare for some!) How do you feel about structural edits? That’s not to say that pantsed books always need massive in-depth structural edits, because sometimes they don’t. But if serious structural editing gives you a headache, then maybe plotting is better.
Also bear in mind the word count. It’s a lot of work to have to rethink and restructure a 70,000 word upper middle grade book as compared to a 5,000 word chapter book.
There are pros and cons of both. Mix and match. See how you feel. A little creative experimenting is usually a good thing.
END NOTES
I hope you found this newsletter helpful. Thank you for reading and all the best with your writing!
If there’s anything you’d like covered in the newsletter in the Resources section, please do let me know at sparkles@storygodmother.co.uk and I’ll see what I can do.
Thanks very much!
Story Godmother.