Happy Day, Thy Name is...

Edgar nomination!

Just ask me how much I worship the Mystery Writers of America. Go on, ask me.

Letter of the Month or Possibly Year (and response)

I love getting letters from readers. Well, I like getting nice letters. The angry, complaining letters I can live without. I don't get as many of those these days, because Alex and Sherman don't seem to provoke people as much as Alice did. Sigh. I miss Alice.

Anyhoodle, I received the following, immensely charming missive a couple of weeks ago and it reminded me how much I like getting mail. Also, I thought others might have some of K's questions. With her permission, I'm posting part of her letter and my response for any of you who might be interested in getting published.

Here we go...

Hi Mrs. Juby!

My name is K., and I am thirteen years old. I live in a tiny little town in Alberta called ________ [deleted to protect K's privacy]. We’re proud to say that we’re on Alberta’s map, so I guess we aren’t really that small. I just finished reading “Getting The Girl” last night and I haven’t stopped thinking about Defiling since I started that book. Last year I read all the Alice novels, and I must say they are the funniest things I’ve ever read in my entire life. >[Awww! Thanks!] They were so inspirational and thought provoking! I even performed a segment of “Alice, I Think” in the Rotary Music Festival last year, in the under 12 category. I won second place. The judges were laughing throughout the whole speech presentation. My friends say I’m a lot like Alice when I write, and sometimes in what I do too. I’m really out there sometimes, and I LOVE to laugh. So thanks for writing such great stuff! [NO! Thank YOU for writing such great stuff!]

I go to ______ School, and it’s a good place to spend seven hours a day, five days a week. What I’ve always looked forward to every year is Language Arts. I love to read and write, especially things that no one has ever thought of. Sometimes ideas for a story or dialogue hits me from out of the blue, and I have to write it down so I don’t forget. My major goal though, is to publish a book. [Sigh, I have been there! Well, not the liking school part, but definitely the wanting to publish a book part. But please, go on... Continue complimenting if you absolutely must.]

In grade six, ______ visited our school, and I told him that I wanted to write a book. He said that I should wait to get it published, for fear of being discouraged at a young age. I didn’t believe him, and in fact I was surprised to hear a writer advise me not to publish until I’m older. Whatever happened to reaching for the stars, following your dreams, huh? [Amen sister! I am with you all the way. What would have happened had not Christopher Paolini followed his dream? What about S.E. Hinton? Dream followers, all!]

Actually, I’ve had millions of adults tell me that I should wait until I’m older, that people won’t take me very seriously if I try and submit my novel to a high-class publishing company. My teacher’s marking pretty hard in Language Arts this year, but she hasn’t taken a look at my writing yet (wink wink)! [I'm still with you a hundred percent. My only quibble is the idea that any publishing company is high class. I assure you that they are not. You, on the other hand, are a different story!]

I wrote to ______, he wrote back, and I have submitted to writing contests. I know tons about planning, and I know I have yet a lot to learn, but honestly, some of the stories I wrote when I was eleven are better than some of the stuff my guy-friends write to this day! [Word.] I think with some time and perseverance, I could really write an amazing book, that teens would really want to read. My dream is to write a bestseller, and win tons of awards for it. [Again, I have been there. In fact, I'm still there.] I’ve wanted to be an author since I was in kindergarten, when I wrote my first story about a princess and a prince in a castle. [Mine was about a girl and a spaceship and a dog. I have a feeling yours was better.]

I love writing all kinds of things, and my vocabulary is basically like opening an Oxford Dictionary. I think it would be great to write a book that people my age can relate to, and really be interested in. I got exceptional grades in L.A. last year, and I had a great teacher. I think we’ve pretty much picked apart “Plot Diagrams” and “Sentence Structure” to death, and yet we’re learning more and more this year. Last year we could write simple sentences and quotations, this year we’re learning about predicates and clauses.I understand that a lot of writing is conventions, and all that technical stuff, but no story can be great without a great idea. I think kids can write some of the best stuff anyone will ever read because they can have such a naïve view of life and the world. They make things sound so simple, whereas adults can tend to over think, and over-analyse. [I'm glad you have that insight. Some people never get that.] Kids approach things in a curious way, and their imaginations totally make for great stories! I believe if you have a good idea, you can easily turn it into a good story with a bit of thinking and a lot of heart. [If I ran a publishing company, I would pretty much offer you a book deal right now. But I don't. So let's continue.]

So, I thought maybe one of my favourite authors could help me. How do I get a book published? How can I contact a publishing company? Do you have any advice for young writers who don’t want to wait for adulthood to become successful? I would really appreciate some advice. [Here's where I stop interrupting with comments and asides and start actually giving advice.]

Thanks for your time!

Yours in writing,

K.

Dear K.,

Words fail me as I attempt to describe how much I enjoyed your letter. I suspect it will be the best of 2009. But let me try to answer your question.

1. How do I get a book published?
First, write the book. Make sure it's great and that you've edited it as thoroughly as you can. Then look in either The Writer's Market or The Literary Market Place. These are reference volumes available in some public libraries. Look up publishers and see which ones publish the books you love and/or books similar to the ones you've written. These reference books will tell you what the publishers will accept from you: i.e. query letter only, outline, sample chapters, etc. You may also decide to try and get an agent. They are also listed in the volumes mentioned. Please note that it's harder to get an agent than a publisher for most writers.

2. Do you have any advice for young writers who don’t want to wait for adulthood to become successful?

At risk of sounding all sincere and earnest (heaven forbid!), I think you are already successful. Seriously. Your attitude is pretty much the best I've come across in recent memory. And at risk of sounding like a big old drag, don't expect being published to make you feel successful. It will, but only for about five minutes. Then you'll realize the bar keeps moving. One wants to be bestselling. One wants to be critically acclaimed. One wants to be optioned and made into a movie. One wants to win an Oscar. One wants to win an Oscar for one's acting! It's endless!

As for how to become a writer, here's what I suggest: read everything. Read the best writing that crosses your path and fall in love with great writers and study them. Not them personally, obviously, but their books. Write and write and write. If you come up with a great story and you tell it well, your youth will be a huge asset. That's the truth.

Thank you for the most outstanding letter so far this year.

xoxox

Susan

P.S. And my friend and fellow writer James McCann suggested that you get the publishing kit from the Canadian Children's Book Centre. It's packed with excellent information. Actually, so is James. You might want to look up his blog as well.

Hello 2009

I've found it a bit tough to hit the old blog after my last post. But one must move on, even if one is sad and a bit grumpy.

I have a particular method of grieving. First comes the emotional incontinence. This means tears erupt at sad or even just bad songs. Also at sunsets and sunrises. They also appear any time anyone offers condolences. Or says hello in a friendly manner.

Eventually, the tears dry and Grumpy Bird emerges. Grumpy Bird is highly irritable and gets into several altercations with the speeders in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, Grumpy Bird has words with a maniac woman in a mini-van who turns out to be a member of either the Hatfields or possibly the McCoys. In revenge, another member of the clan, this one driving a beat-up white sedan, attempts to hit Grumpy Bird and Grumpy Bird's dog as they are walking on icy street. Seriously. Mrs. Hatfield is so outraged at the suggestion that any member of the Hatfield family should do anything less than the speed of light in the 30 km hr. zone, that she attempts vehicular homicide. After they leap out of her way, she turns her piece of crap car around to scream obscenities at Grumpy and Grumpy's dog for "getting in her #!@^ way" and "endangering drivers who need to $#^! drive." Then she wheels around and speeds off, still spitting swear words out the window. Grumpy makes a note to call a realtor ASAP and I decide that it's time Grumpy Bird took a rest before one of the Hatfield family decide to torch our house.

That leaves me with my melancholy.

Which, as the days go by, is increasingly pierced by rays of sunshine, literal and metaphorical. First, I'm glad not to have been killed by one of the speeding Hatfields in our neighborhood. Second, I miss my horse and riding, but there is frantic housecleaning to be done and there is a husband to needle and whinge at about various things. Third, there are books to be written.

I even pull it together enough to decide on a few goals for 2009.

They are mostly writing goals and the usual personal improvement vows. But I'm also hoping to turn my computer off on Sundays. This is a revolutionary notion in my world. I only go camping to areas with plug-ins and, ideally, wireless. We'll see.

Anyway, thank you all for your kind messages and I'd like to thank the lunatic (Mrs. Hatfield) in the white car for nearly running me down. Nothing like a near-death experience to shake a person out of her blues.

Happy New Year, everyone!