Worth Watching: 101 Things I Learned in Film School

When I sign up to work Harvard Book Store events, I don't always pick the most fascinating ones. It's a nice plus if it's a cool author (Edwidge Danticat, last night, for example), but as this is my only source of income at the moment, I'll take pretty much anything that fits my schedule. Which is how I ended up working an event for 101 Things I Learned in Film School.

It was fortuitous: Neil Landau based his talk on the story-making side of the film business, which means the techniques he discussed were totally applicable to any other narrative-based enterprise... like, say, writing YA novels. I was mentally revising the WIP the whole time. And thanks to HBS' partnership with WGBH Forum, the talk is available here:

(The video is embedded below, but since I'm using a fairly narrow blog template here - one of those things I've been meaning to work on - you'll probably get a better view on WGBH's site.)

No, I don't have the mind of a fourteen-year-old boy

Really. But I was thrilled to see that my store ordered a copy of the reissue of Pauline Kiernan's Filthy Shakespeare.

My WNYIP* has a lot to do with people who dislike Shakespeare, so more entendres to choose from is always a good thing.

*Work Not Yet In Progress, because I won't let myself start it until I've completed one draft of the current WIP. I'm suck a taskmaster.

Four somethings

Something validating: Remember how I drooled over The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society? Booklist's book group blog just called it "a book that begs to be read in August." (The release date, by the way, is July 29.)

Something to try: Via Caroline Hickey, a suggestion to try writing a character's dream if you're stuck. (Yeah, I think Jo's going to have a few now.)

Something only I would get excited about: A "pulsating carbon white dwarf." Yes, complete nerd here. We already established that.

Something useful: In response to HipWriterMama's discussion of plot, PJ Hoover posted a copy of her Hero's Journey plot outline.

Kelly's Non-Fiction Monday

Since I didn't come close to having anything ready for a Non-Fiction Monday post this week (still trying not to add up the total time spent in my car this weekend), I was delighted to see Kelly of Big A little a put a twist to her post:

1. Choose any one of YOUR OWN manuscripts. It can be a picture book, MG novel, an adult novel... It makes no difference.
2. Turn to page 30 of your novel or page 3 if it is a PB
3. Find the 5th sentence.
4. Post the next 5 sentences of text.
5. Then tag 5 writer friends to do the same.
6. See if you can visit Your Tagged Friends and the Person who Tagged You to read their short excepts.

So here's the fifth sentence on page 30 of the WIP (the current page 30, at least - playing with fonts is always a good way to procrastinate:


Maude laid her head on my shoulder.

And the following five:

"Want John to play with me."

Not Maude too. I swallowed my groan. Who thought it would be a good idea to send Maude my way because she was pining away? Did my entire family blame me for the fact that John had to go back and tend to his future?

Lots of other writing, not much on the blog. Here's what's keeping me busy.

Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award Submission Guidelines

Each year, the PEN New England Children's Book Caucus honors emerging writers and writer/illustrators with its Susan P. Bloom Children's Book Discovery Award. Winners will present their work to the public at the PEN New England Children's Book Discovery Evening in April 2007, and winning manuscripts will be read by editors from Candlewick, Houghton Mifflin, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, or Little, Brown and Company.

Entrants must be residents of New England who have not been published (with the exception of magazines or self-publishing), and the submitted work (or another work) must not be under contract. We are able to accept only one entry per person, in one of the following four categories: picture books, novels, poetry and nonfiction.

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, February 1, 2007. Entries need only be postmarked by that date. If you want to be sure your entry has been received, enclose a self-addressed and stamped postcard. Please do not require a signature for delivery.

All work should be—in both format and quality—ready for consideration by a publisher. The Caucus does not determine ahead of time the number of winners or the categories to be represented. Winners will be notified by late March.

To submit your work, please follow these guidelines

1. Each submission of text should be approximately 10 pages in length, though picture books may be shorter. PLEASE NOTE: Manuscripts will not be returned.
   • Picture books: Send complete text. If you are a writer and not an illustrator, there is no need to send along illustrations. Author/illustrators should include sample illustrations or a book dummy, which will be returned if an appropriate SASE is provided. Do not send original artwork.
   • Middle grade or Y/A novels: Send one or two chapters.
   • Poetry: Send up to ten poems.
   • Nonfiction: Send one or two chapters, plus a brief outline or table of contents.
2. For longer works, submissions may include a synopsis or outline, although it is not required.
3. Include a short biographical statement about your experience and interest in the field.
4. Include a phone number and e-mail address (if available).
5. Enclose a business-sized SASE for notification of decisions.
6. Mail your submission to:
   • PEN New England/CBC Discovery Night
   • c/o Kim Ablon Whitney
   • 1663 Cambridge St. #3
   • Cambridge, MA 02138

Members of the PEN New England Children's Book Caucus will serve as judges: Susan P. Bloom, Susan Goodman, Robie Harris, Carol Otis Hurst, Lisa Jahn-Clough, Liza Ketchum, Lois Lowry, Leslie Sills, and Kim Ablon Whitney.

Currently 20,000 words, lots of transitions and a few plot holes to fill in.

Lois Lowry. Did you see that? Lois Lowry! (Check out her blog, which is where I found out about this contest.)