On Editing by Karen Pokras Toz #ChaBooCha

Thank you for inviting me to be a part of the Chapter Book Challenge. Today I'd like to talk about editing your chapter book. Now that you've written your book, you may think it's time to hand it off to your editor to let him or her work their magic and clean it all up, right? Wrong. After you’ve written your first (or even second or third draft), you still have a bit of work to do before it's ready for professional editing. It's time to get down and dirty with self-edits.

I know that each writer has his or her own system for self-editing, which is understandable because it's a very personal thing. After all, you've just spent quite a long time and a great deal of effort creating your masterpiece. I’d like to share with you the steps that I take when self-editing one of my books.

You may think: But I worked so hard! Isn't it already perfect? No. While self-editing admittedly can be frustrating, it is also eye-opening and the place where I personally believe I further develop my craft the most in my writing process. For me, it is a multi-step process:

1. I read through each chapter individually and critically, looking for content flow and plot holes. This is important, as quite often a great deal of time has passed from when I first wrote my early chapters. I ask myself: Did the story still progress the way I intended? Did I answer all questions brought up in the first part of the story? Did all the characters mentioned early on turn out as planned? Is there too much info? Too little info? Does the ending make sense? Etc, Etc.

2. I read the entire manuscript out loud ... to my cats. They usually fall asleep or run off somewhere in the first three chapters, but I try not to be offended. The purpose of the “read aloud” round is to hear grammar flow, repetitive words, punctuation errors, and things of that nature. In addition, reading aloud helps continue with anything I may have missed in step 1. I know that many of the types of errors I find here are ones that my editor would also find, but I like to give her as clean a copy as possible (& even with taking all these steps, she still finds plenty to correct).

3. Beta readers. This is not always step 3, but it is always within the 1st three steps. They are vital and always have great advice and suggestions. Choose readers who enjoy your genre and who understand your voice for maximum results. Some authors like to give their entire manuscripts to their betas at one time for an overall picture. I prefer to give out chunks of 3-5 chapters. That way, I get feedback such as “this is what I would like to see happen next ...” It gives me a better picture of where the reader’s mind is after reading certain chapters.

4. Incorporate beta readers’ suggestions into manuscript and repeat steps 1 & 2 until you feel your book is the best possible story you can write.

Now it is ready to hand off to your editor for a professional polish and shine.

Good luck and happy writing!

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Karen Pokras Toz writes middle grade and adult contemporary fiction. Her books have won several awards including two Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, the Grand Prize in the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, as well as placing first for two Global E-Book Awards for Pre-Teen Literature. Karen is a member of the Society of the Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). For children, her books include the Nate Rocks series, Millicent Marie is Not My Name, and Pie and Other Brilliant Ideas. For adult readers, Karen’s books include Chasing Invisible, and her soon to be released, Whispered Wishes series. A native of Connecticut, Karen now lives outside of Philadelphia with her family. For more information, please visit www.karentoz.com.

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Give-away!

One commenter will win a paperback copy of "You Can Write Children's Books" (second edition) by Writers Digest. Leave a comment on this post before March 31st at noon GMT to enter. Must be a signed-up member of the challenge to qualify. The winner will be chosen through a random number generator on March 31st at noon GMT.

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Winners!

Selected through a random number generator, the winner of a copy of  "Yes! You Can Learn How to Write Beginning Readers and Chapter Books" by Nancy I. Sanders is:

Kelly McDonald!

Congratulations, Kelly! 

"Pie and Other Brilliant Ideas" Book Blast & Interview with Author Karen Pokras Toz

Karen Pokras Toz has written a number of children's chapter books and has been kind enough to guest post on the topic of writing them both years that ChaBooCha has been running. So when she asked for hosts for the book blast for her new chapter book "Pie and Other Brilliant Ideas," I was more than happy to host it here.

Interview with Karen Pokras Toz

Tell us about Pie and Other Brilliant Ideas.

“Pie” is really two stories in one book. First it is about 12 year old Georgie Harris. Georgie’s family just moved to a new town to be closer to her grandmother, Jane, who recently moved to a nursing home. Because of the move, Georgie’s family can no longer afford to send her to dance lessons. Instead, Georgie spends most of her time baking pies to bring to her visits with her grandmother. The second story in the book is about Eve – Georgie’s grandmother’s roommate, who we quickly learn was a ballerina in Russia “back in the day.” Not only that, Eve studied and danced with a world famous ballerina named Paulina. Georgie loves to visit Eve and hear stories about what it was like to study ballet in a different time and country, and especially what it was like to dance with the great Paulina Strofsky.

What inspired you to write this book?

I grew up dancing and now two of my three children dance. I knew I eventually would write a book about dance – it was just a matter of time. I began writing Pie while waiting for my daughter to go on stage at one of her dance competitions last winter. The book originally was going to be about the competitive dance circuit – but turned out much differently once I got to know my characters (which is usually the case).

Are you working on anything new at the moment?

Of course! I’ve just started writing the 4^th (and final) Nate Rocks book – Nate Rocks the City. Normally, I write my Nate books pretty fast, but I find myself procrastinating on this one. I’m sure it’s because I just don’t want to say goodbye. I’m also working on another Adult Contemporary novel called “Woven Wishes” to hopefully be released this time next year.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’m a writer? LOL. It still sounds odd for me to call myself that. I don’t know what I am. I’m a mom, and I write. Sometimes if someone asks me what I do, I’ll say I write children’s books (even though now I also write adult books, too). But I have yet to say, “I’m a writer.” I guess after six books, it’s time, huh?

When and how do you find time to write in your daily life?

All three of my children are in school all day, so I try to squeeze in some writing time then. Of course, I always think I’m going to have hours and hours to myself to write, but after I get done doing the million other things on my “to-do” list, there are some days where it is hard to fit it in. Sometimes I just have to put everything aside, and remind myself that this is my job now. It helps that I love to write.

Any advice to aspiring writers looking to self publish?

Be prepared to put in a lot of time and effort – and time – and effort. You need to think of your book as a product, and yourself as a brand. As such, you need to put out the best product possible, and be prepared to compete in a very competitive market. This means – (a) write the best book you can possibly write, (b) put together a test market/group of beta readers, (c) have your book professionally edited, (d) have a professional cover made, (e) have your book professionally formatted, (f) put together a marketing/business plan – and most importantly, keep writing and improving your craft.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I don’t know if it’s a quirk, but I have to have coffee, I need silence, and I don’t outline. I generally have a very loose story idea and then let my characters guide me. Sometimes (like in Pie and Other Brilliant Ideas) the story goes in a completely different direction, and sometimes (as is the case with most of my Nate Rocks books) I have to steer my characters in a particular direction (Nate tends to get a little out of control.) Also, I always like to have a title in place before I start writing. I don’t know why – maybe that’s my quirky thing.

Of all the characters you have written, who is your favorite? 

Well now, that’s like asking me which of my three children is my favorite! So, no, I can’t really answer that one. I will tell you this – I had a great time writing Millicent Marie Is Not My Name, and I get a lot of requests to write more books about her. I don’t think I will, but she does live on with her very own blog on my website.

Is there a writer that you would love to co-write a book with?

It is no secret that I am a huge Judy Blume fan. Whenever someone compares my writing style or one of my books to her, I feel like I’ve hit the lottery (not in a monetary sense, but in a self-fulfillment sense). I recently (as in last year) sent her a fan letter (read – stalker letter) and was thrilled when I received an email back from her assistant wishing me well. However, I’m pretty sure I was put on some sort of ‘crazy lady stalker fan stay away from’ list. But – just in case they are reading this (In a ‘we should really be monitoring this nutjob’ sort of way)  well then ... Judy – call me ...

Do people judge a book by its cover? Who makes yours?

Yes, I do think so, and I also hope so! Now before you think I’m tooting my own horn – don’t. I do not make my own covers. I’m not nearly talented enough (in fact, I have zero artistic talent.) It was only by shear luck that I met my amazing cover artist Deana Riddle of Bookstarter.com. She is the genius behind the incredible artwork that I am fortunate enough to have on my covers. Thank you, Deana!!

What is your greatest challenge as an author?

Time. Writing is only half the battle – and if you really want to break down the time, it’s probably only a quarter of the battle. The other three-quarters is marketing and there is not enough time in the day to market and write. If you are also self-publishing you have the challenge of distribution thrown into the mix and the problem of having upfront costs to deal with – as you can see, there are many challenges – but there are also many rewards.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

Hearing from readers – whether through parents, educators, or the kids themselves. Nothing makes me happier than getting a note (whether it be via email, a tweet, on FB, through my website, through my blog, etc) that says my child usually hates to read, but I can’t get them to put your book down! THAT is what it is all about to me.

What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?

Two things really: When I first started writing my adult contemporary novel Chasing Invisible (titled “invisible” at the time) it was the first anything I had ever written. I hired a writing coach to read through the first few chapters and give me advice. She told me it was awful. (Don’t worry - I have since re-written that story more times that I can count & I am proud to say it recently won an award!) Anyway – she told me that I had a very young voice, and I should consider writing books for kids. I had never considered this before, but I put invisible to the side, and started working on Nate Rocks the World. That was awesome advice, don’t you think?

The next piece of advice I received was when I proudly handed Nate Rocks the World over to my editor – she said, “I know you are tired and want to take a break – but don’t. Start writing the next book.” I didn’t. But, it was great advice, and it’s something I do follow now as I finish up each book.

Can you see yourself in any of your characters?

I get asked this question a lot. Now that I have several books out, you may notice a trend with my kids’ books. They all have moms who have “issues.”  For example... Nate’s mom is a terrible cook and homemaker, Millie’s mom is a little bit of a shop-a-holic, and now Georgie’s mom is a little high strung. Let me say this. They may or may not be based on me. That’s all I’m saying.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

While I have always loved to read, writing was always my worst subject in school. I was always a math/numbers person. In college I took calculus and differential equations for fun (and they were!) I worked as a tax accountant until just recently and only started writing a few years ago. I have no explanation for why I suddenly felt the urge to start writing, but now that I’ve started, I can’t stop!

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little about me and my books – thanks for having me on your blog!

The story will grab you from page one, and keep you mesmerized until the last page. ~ Kristy James

My nine year old daughter and I enjoyed it very much. ~ Gman Writes

From the Award Winning Author of Millicent Marie is Not My Name

Ballet and baking pies – these are two of twelve year old Georgie Harris’ favorite things. When her parents decide to move closer to her grandmother’s nursing home, Georgie quickly learns the bad news: dance lessons are too expensive in this new town. 

Georgie spends most of her time baking pies to bring to her grandmother at the Willow Lakes Nursing Home. There she meets Eve, who inspires Georgie with stories of having danced with a world famous Russian ballerina many years ago.

As Georgie and Eve’s friendship evolves, their tales intertwine in this feel good story showing dreams really can come true.

Buy at Amazon and B&N

Giveaway

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A GWR Publicity promotional event paid for by the author. Giveaway is sponsored by the author who is responsible for the delivery of prize.The Chapter Book Challenge received no compensation for this post. 

Engaging the Reluctant Reader by Karen Pokras Toz #ChaBooCha

Engaging the Reluctant Reader
by Karen Pokras Toz

You love to read  - you always have. If you’re not busy with your family or other commitments, you’ve got a book in hand. Sometimes you read two or three different books at one time. You always assumed your children would grow into voracious readers also? Right. Wrong. Your kids barely want to read their assigned schoolwork, never mind anything extra. Does this sound like you? Well, this is me – and it’s one of the reasons I started writing chapter books for the middle grade reader.

So how do you convince that reluctant reader that reading is awesome? I went right to the source to find the answer – my own children. The response was unanimous: there is nothing fun to read. So I decided to prove them wrong. Before I knew it, Nate Rocks was born.

I keep several things I keep in mind when writing for the reluctant reader:

(1) Content – it needs to be easy to follow and on topic. If I lose the reader because they don’t know what’s going on or are bored with the subject, they are going to get easily frustrated, and move on to a different activity quickly.

(2) Tone – some authors like to jam pack their books with action. I think this is great. Kids love it. For me, however, I’m all about humor. My goal is to get your kids laughing. Have you ever seen a giggling kid leave the scene of something funny? Nope – it doesn’t happen.

(3) Parents/Educators – I want my books to be the books that parents and educators go to when trying to motivate their reluctant readers. Therefore, I try to make my books appeal to kids and adults. I (hopefully) accomplish this by keeping my books language appropriate. In addition, I always try to teach a lesson ... without the kids realizing I am teaching a lesson. For example – within my books you will find messages about anti-bullying, friendship, and respect.

In the end, if your child reads my stories, giggles, and asks for another book (whether one of mine or someone else’s), I have done my job.  Encourage the children in your life to read each and every day!

Karen Pokras Toz lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband and three children. Karen's middle grade children's novels: Millicent Marie Is Not My Name and the Nate Rocks series, have won several awards including First Place for Children's Chapter Books and the Grand Prize Overall in the 2012 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, as well as placing first for a Global E-Book Award for Pre-Teen Literature. Karen is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI). Her first adult contemporary novel, invisible, will be released this summer. For more information, please visit www.karentoz.com.

And now for the prize announcement! I bought a copy of "Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly!" by Gail Carson Levine to giveaway with this post. First, in order to enter, you have to already be officially signed up for the challenge. Then the only thing you have left to do in order to gain an entry for the prize is to comment on this blog post. You have until noon GMT on the 24th to enter as that is when I will be using a random number generator to pick the two winners.

Now, I understand that, as so many ChaBooCha members already buy writing books, some of you might already have the books offered as prizes during this challenge. Because of this, if you are drawn by the random number selector as a winner for this prize, and you already have the book, you can do one of two things; you can choose to give the book as a gift to someone else in the challenge, either anonymously or with your name attached and it will be sent directly to them instead of you OR you can choose ONE of the following four things from the Chapter Book Challenge 2013 shop.

Chapter Book Challenge 2013 Tile Keepsake Coaster

Chapter Book Challenge 2013 Square Coaster


Chapter Book Challenge 2013 Keepsake Ornament

Chapter Book Challenge 2013 Shot Glass

On Writing: Imagination is a Wonderful Thing - guest post by chapter book author Karen Pokras Toz

(Guest post by chapter book author Karen Pokras Toz)

So many people ask me where I came up with the idea for Nate Rocks the World, my middle grade novel about a 10 year old boy who draws cartoons that come to life in his head, starring himself as the hero. My answer is always the same – my three children of course. My oldest son is an artist, my daughter, when she was younger loved to make up stories with all her dolls and animals, and my youngest son loves to role-play.


But it’s not just my three children. The truth is, there is a lot of myself in Nate Rocks. I am a dreamer. I always have been, and I suspect I always will be. No - I didn’t dream of being an action hero or a cowboy as Nate does. My dreams usually involved singing and dancing on a stage (which looking back now is quite funny since I was the shyest little girl ever and really can’t dance or sing.) My favorite show was The Donny and Marie Show. For those who didn’t grow up in the 70s – this was what was called a “Variety Show.” There were a bunch of them on – Sonny & Cher, Captain & Tenille, & The Jackson 5 to name a few. But my favorite was Donny & Marie. They would come out on ice skates and sing, do some comedy sketches, and sing some more. My parents always let me stay up late on Friday nights to watch them.


I used to pretend I was Marie Osmond – I had the big hair and big teeth, so it was only natural. My parents had wood floors that I could pretend ice skate on with my socks. Then I would use what ever I could find to be my microphone. Marie was ‘a little bit country’, but I preferred to be rock n roll. My cat was my audience as I put on my show. Sometimes I would tape record it on our clunky old machine, never to be played for anyone’s ears but my own. It was fun being an international superstar in my own head.


Dream big and rock on!

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It was lovely of Karen to be willing to share where she gets her inspiration from for her books. I also asked her to to share her top tips for those of us who are just starting out in the chapter book writing world and here is what she said:

1. Don't be afraid to listen to your characters. When I was writing Nate Rocks the World, I had a general idea of where I wanted the book to go. However, once I really got to know my characters, I changed direction completely. Now looking back, I can't imagine the book turning out any other way.


2. Include children in the proper age group to act as beta readers. In my case, I have a friend who is a 4th grade reading teacher. He had his class read the book and give me feedback before it was published.


3. Have your manuscript professionally edited by someone who understands a child's voice.

About Nate Rocks the World:


Ten-year-old Nathan Rockledge cannot catch a break. After all, life as a fourth-grader can be hazardous what with science projects to deal with and recess football games to avoid. Everyone, including his best friend Tommy, seems to have bad luck when hanging around Nathan. Throw in an older sister who is a royal pain, a dad who is stuck in the past, and a mom who keeps trying to poison him with her awful cooking, and poor Nathan’s life as a fourth grader appears to be completely doomed.

Armed only with his sketchpad, his imagination, and his wits, Nathan Rockledge navigates the perils of the fourth grade in style, to emerge heroic, as Nate Rocks, proving that even a ten-year-old can accomplish great things.

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Karen Pokras Toz is a writer, wife and mom. Karen grew up in Orange, Connecticut and currently lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband and three children. In June 2011, Karen published her first middle grade children’s novel for 7-12 year olds called Nate Rocks the World. The second book in the Nate Rocks series, Nate Rocks the Boat, is to be published in the spring of 2012. Karen is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI), Association of Independent Authors (AIA), and the Independent Author Network (IAN).

To Learn More About the Nate Rocks Series:

Karen's Website
Karen's Blog
Karen on Facebook
Karen on Twitter
Karen on Amazon
Karen on Barnes & Noble
Karen on Goodreads
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