Welcome to Write What Inspires You!
I'm delighted to host Best-selling and Award-winning children's author, Nancy Stewart on her latest virtual book. I had the honor of meeting Nancy in person in the fall of 2010, I can hardly believe how much time has past since our first meeting! I was unable to travel to Florida for the February 2013 Guardian Angel Publishing gathering and hope to meet up with my fellow "Angels" at the next gathering.
Without further ado, I present to you Nancy's guest post and be sure to follow Nancy throughout cyberspace during her latest virtual book tour. Welcome Nancy!
You
Have a Great Idea for a MG or YA Book? Now What Do You Do?
by Nancy Stewart
So you have a wonderful idea for a book. How can you turn that fabulous idea into a great book? And how do other authors do it? Certainly middle grade novels require a bit of
amping down, but with young adult, all bets are off. You can create the creepiest, meanest, or
most selfless and heroic characters you want without fear of doing so. In fact, young adult novels have become known
as “crossovers,” appropriate for teens and adults alike!
Let’s start with characters—protagonists and
antagonists. Immediately move them out
of the ordinary but not too slant. By
that I mean, keep them a little bit “everyman” while making them
non-ordinary. Most of us write
characters with which we can identify—those within our comfort zone. Get rid of that notion. Try writing about the hapless, the flawed,
those who are different than you but, of course, are still human with many of
the same desires and wishes. Hard to
do? Yes, but so worthwhile in creating a
complex and memorable character. (Think
Tennessee Williams, Ernest Hemmingway, Margaret Atwood.) In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood gives the Cinderella protagonist no quarter—and no
handsome prince to save the day. She’s
on her own, and the readers love it!
Have your characters do—not describe, or talk the reader
to death, or kill them with boredom. In
other words (and I hate to say it again but will) show, don’t tell. Let the people you’ve brought to life on the
page live, betray, love, and hate—all the time showing what they do instead of
describing how they do it.
Think of gestures you or others do. Things we’re not really aware of many times
on a conscious level. A look, a non-look when one should occur, a gesture, a
speech hesitation, too much speech, a realization that one knows s/he has said
too much, and s/he knows you (and perhaps the whole table) knows…I could go on
forever. These human markers drive
fiction, they drive the story, heck—they drive life! Use them to your advantage. But remember, don’t describe them, make your
characters live them.
If we (and I place myself first here) can infuse our
writing with such techniques, our stories will improve. They will stand out. They will shine. They will be art imitating
life. And who knows? They may be as true to life as life itself.
About
the book:
Bella and Britt are worried about all the trash appearing
on their beautiful beach. But what can
they do? Britt is leaving on vacation,
and Bella can’t solve the problem alone.
Without adults to lend a hand,
can they possibly save their beach?
Excerpt:
Bella, Britt and all their
friends built sand castles and filled moats with salty sea. But this summer,
the girls were worried.
“Look
at all this trash, Britt,” said Bella.
She
nodded. “Yeah, and I leave on vacation tomorrow. I can’t help pick it up!”
Next
morning, Bella walked along the beach alone. “Hello.” Bella said to the old
crooked beak pelican, perched on his piling. “Somebody has to help, and I guess
it’s me.”
Purchase
from:
NANCYSTEWARTBOOKS.COM
GUARDIAN
ANGEL PUBLISHING
AMAZON
BARNES
AND NOBLE
Nancy
Stewart Bio:
Nancy
is the bestselling and award winning author of the four Bella and Britt Series
books for children: One Pelican at a
Time (eighteen weeks on Amazon Bestselling List), Sea Turtle Summer, (which won
the Children’s Literary Classic Gold Award), Bella Saves the Beach (which won the Gold) and Mystery at Manatee Key. The authorized biography, Katrina and
Winter: Partners in Courage, is the
story of Katrina Simpkins and Winter, the dolphin. One Pelican at a Time and
Nancy were featured in the PBS Tampa special, GulfWatch. All are published by Guardian Angel
Publishing.
Nancy
is a frequent speaker and presenter at writer’s conferences throughout the
United States. She conducts workshops
and seminars and speaks to school children on writing and helping save their
planet. A blogger with a worldwide
audience, she writes of all things pertaining to children’s literature.
Nancy’s
travels take her extensively throughout the world, most particularly Africa.
She is US chair of a charity in Lamu, Kenya, that places girls in intermediate
schools to allow them to further their education. She and her husband live in Tampa and St.
Louis.
Bella Saves the Beach Tour Schedule
Monday,
April 22nd
Tuesday,
April 23rd
Wednesday,
April 24th
Thursday,
April 25th
Monday,
April 29th
Tuesday,
April 30th
Wednesday,
May 1st
Thursday,
May 2nd
Friday,
May 3rd
Monday,
May 6th
Tuesday,
May 7th
Wednesday,
May 8th
Thursday,
May 9th
Friday,
May 10th
Monday,
May 13th
Tuesday,
May 14th
Wednesday,
May 15th
Thursday,
May 16th
Friday,
May 17th
Nancy, congratulations on your latest release! It's always a pleasure to host you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
Connect with
Donna McDine on Google+
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist
