Writing Through a Pandemic & Other Soul-Wearying Events #ChaBooCha

 

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay

2020 was a difficult year for most of us. Political strife and uprisings happened all over the world. A pandemic hit which led to many people dying and many others losing their jobs. People who stilled worked often were stuck working from home and those who were used to socialising with others found they had to distance themselves for the time being. Many people lost loved ones. It was an easy year for people to let themselves fall into despair.

And the feelings that this type of environment can bring about can often make writers find themselves less than inspired to write. When you're doing everything you can just to get by or trying really hard to stay optimistic, sometimes that is as much as you can do and when it comes to doing more, like planning, plotting and writing a story, it can just feel like too much.

So what can you do to keep your writing spirit alive in times that are stressful?

1. Write 

Believe it or not, the writing that you may find so difficult to do in times like this is exactly what you should be doing. If writing your story and immersing yourself in this separate world you are creating isn't enough, then just try writing your feelings down. Write about your hopes and dreams. Write whatever comes to your mind. Write poetry. Writing is known to be cathartic.

2. Exercise

Aside from being good for your health, exercise increases the endorphins released into your body which can lift your mood. When your mood is lifted, inspiration is easier to find. When inspiration is easier to find, the writing process becomes easier for you.

3. Go outside.

Many of us are feeling stuck inside way too much due to the pandemic, but there is no reason you can't go for a walk (unless the weather is miserable). So if the weather allows, put a face-mask on for safety reasons and take a leisurely outdoor stroll. Take in the sounds of nature and the feel of the breeze on your skin. Let it soothe your soul and then return home and try to write.

4. Create a different type of art.

Writing is one of the arts. But there are many other art forms that can inspire. Even if you are not good at drawing, try to draw something. Or maybe you can play a musical instrument. Or maybe you are like sewing or knitting. I frequently create photo-manipulations of fairies and mermaids, since I am not good at drawing. Even so, I still try to draw from time to time. It's not important whether you are good at doing one of these things, what's important is that you enjoy doing it. And it often works with different sides of the brain and can help refresh your muse. The most important thing is that you are creating something.

5. Listen to music.

According to medical research, listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory. According to Plato, "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything."

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Winners!

Today's prize winner of a copy of Yes! You Can Learn How to Write Beginning Readers and Chapter Books by Nancy I. Sanders, selected by a random number generator, is Mysticscribe!

Today's winner of  a choice of a critique (first three chapters of a chapter book) or a copy of THE ENCHANTED SNOW GLOBE COLLECTION: RETURN TO CONEY ISLAND (or any of her  other books - US only) is Yangmama!

Congratulations, Mysticscribe and Yangmama. Please e-mail me with your mailing addresses and I will get your prizes out to you immediately. 

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Giveaway

Today's giveaway is a copy of Inkwell: Simple Writing Practices to Restore Your Soul by Anne Elrod Whitney. If you are already a singed-up member of the challenge, all you have to do to be entered into the drawing for this prize is comment on this blog post. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator on March 21st, 2021. 

Welcome to the Chapter Book Challenge 2018! #ChaBooCha

It's time for another Chapter Book Challenge!

For those of you who are new to ChaBoocha, here is a little bit about the challenge (all of which you can find on the "About" page for this site):

The Chapter Book Challenge, otherwise known as ChaBooCha, was created by Rebecca Fyfe and first ran in 2012. It runs every year in the month of March. The challenge is to write one completed first draft of an early reader, chapter book, middle grade book or YA novel in the month of March, starting on the 1^st of March and finishing on the 31^st of March. 

During the month of March, there are helpful blog posts from published authors, agents and publishers to help members hone their craft, and there are prizes available throughout the challenge. 

ChaBooCha has a very relaxed atmosphere where members help each other to achieve writing goals. You can sign up on the website using the sign-up form, and you can also join the Facebook page for updates and information. There is aTwitter page at and members interact with one another throughout the year in the Facebook group.

It is completely free to join the Chapter Book Challenge. 

ChaBooCha's mascot: Nabu the badger

You also might be wondering about our logo. The Chapter Book Challenge logo is all about our mascot Nabu the Badger. Nabu loves to read, and he is really looking forward to all of the new chapter books, middle grade books and YA books that are going to be written and published as a result of this year's ChaBooCha. Nabu was named after the Babylonian patron god of scribes, wisdom and literature. Nabu became our "mascot" back in 2014, just two years into the Challenge.

This year's badge is going back to the basics. In 2014, when Nabu first joined us, we used our logo on the badge for that year's challenge, and this year, we are doing so again.

We have some authors and editors already set up to do guest posts for this challenge; some of them you might recognise.

Mira Reisberg
Melissa Stoller
Melissa Khalinsky

Adam Wallace
Alayne Kay Christian
Susan Lubner 
Victoria Boulton
and, of course, me - Rebecca Fyfe

Hopefully, more authors may be added as the challenge progresses, as this number of guest authors is lighter than we usually have for the challenge.

For those of you who were not with us in past challenges, we have several posts from previous challenges that might be helpful to you, from such authors as Tamora Pierce, Darren Shan, Angela Ackerman, Becca Puglisi, Lee Wardlaw, Yvonne Navarro, Nancy Holder, Nancy I. Sanders, Wendy Orr, Kimberly Griffiths Little, Emma Walton Hamilton, George Ivanoff and agent Carole Blake, among others. As is usual with ChaBooCha, there will be prizes during the month. You have to be signed up to the challenge in order to be eligible. There will be books on writing and trinkets and handmade goodies offered during select guest posts and an overall gift of a Kindle Fire for one lucky member. I'd love to hear from you in the comments what you are working on this month, or if you are still deciding.

Happy writing!

A side not to Australian members: Posts will probable come out to you a day late, quite frequently, due to the time differences.

ChaBooCha Regional Ambassadors

The Chapter Book Challenge has been growing year on year and, there are some things I cannot do because of the restrictions of my location, such as meet-ups. As a solution, in places where there are more than just one member, ChaBooCha has Regional Ambassadors. 

ChaBooCha regional ambassadors are the people who coordinate Chapter Book Challenge events within their region. In order to become a regional ambassador, there first needs to be more members in your region than just you, and your main duties are to arrange write-ins and meet-ups with other members within your region and also to spread the word about the challenge within your region.

Promotional materials, when they are in the budget, get sent out to our Regional Ambassadors, and printable files will be sent as well. A special RA badge will be created for RAs to use on their blogs and websites, if they so choose. Regional Ambassadors will receive a ChaBooCha RA badge to wear in their first year of joining as an RA and in their second year as an RA, they will receive a ChaBooCha keychain. As things move along, there may be more perks added for RAs. 

If you think this is a role you might like to take on within your region, send me an e-mail. (There is only one RA per region, but they may choose a co-RA.)

Teapot Tales anthologies

To help fund the challenge, from prizes to advertising to RA gifts, we have created a series of anthologies with stories all written and donated by members of the challenge. There are currently three Teapot Tales anthologies available for purchase and a fourth will be available soon. As it has taken me much longer to put together the fourth anthology in the series than normal, we will not be creating a fifth one this year, but we may put together another in the series at a future date. Proceeds from sales of the anthologies go towards funding the Chapter Book Challenge. The anthologies can be found on Amazon. There were also two themed anthologies written and contributed to by past members which also help fund ChaBooCha: Ghostly Echoes (Halloween-themed) and Jingle Bells (winter holiday-themed).

Teapot Tales: Volume 1

Teapot Tales: Volume 2

Teapot Tales: Volume 3

Ghostly Echoes

Jingle Bells

Badges and banners for you to use on your websites and blogs:

(right-click for full-sized versions)

Why Write for Children? #ChaBooChaLite #ChaBooCha

Why do so many people want to write books for children? There are as many reasons as there are children's authors, but I'll try to list some of these reasons below.

Childhood is fleeting. As children grow, their perspectives change. They lose some of their innocence. They start to see the world differently. And they are still learning about life, morality, choices and consequences. Childhood is the brief period of time when we can entertain them in a specific way, and when we can teach them, capturing their minds while they are still full of imagination.

Children need to believe that good can triumph over evil. In everyday life, things don't always happen for the better. Sometimes life can give people, even children, some hard knocks. But while they are still children, we can impart to them stories of good triumphing over evil and instil a sense of hope that they will need in order to make it through some of the trials life will eventually throw their way.

Children need to believe in magic. It doesn't have to be the magic of wizards and magicians, but the beauty that can be found in the world, in every beautiful flower, every new baby born, every wonderful creature living on the planet is a type of magic. Children need to believe in the beauty all around, and they need to believe that the impossible can be achieved in order for their imaginations to come up with impossible things and turn them into possibilities.

Children need to learn empathy. Studies have shown that children who read a lot are more likely to feel empathy for others. We have the ability to influence compassion and kindness in the children who read our stories.

Your reasons might not be listed above. I'd love to hear your reasons for writing for children in the comments.

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Give-away

One person who comments on this post will be selected by a random number generator to win a ChaBooCha teddy bear. As there are only a couple of days left of the challenge, you will be given until the 7th of October to leave a comment. The winner will be e-mailed.

Interview with author Neil Griffiths #ChaBooCha #ChaBooChaLite

Last March, I got in touch with Neil Griffiths, an author of multiple children's books who was doing school presentations in my area. He agreed to answer any questions members of ChaBooCha had for him, but we didn't complete the Q&A in time for the March challenge, so I decided, as the information was still useful, to post everything here during ChaBooCha Lite. 

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- How do you get into schools? What do you present, especially to different age groups & group sizes? 

I have spent the last 21 years working with schools, universities, colleges, libraries and family groups. At the very beginning I realised that to get well known you need to be prepared to travel and do long hours. So I covered all the UK to begin with and then began to travel worldwide.

I also made the decision in the early days to be me! By that I mean that I wanted to be as natural in my presentations as I could and base much of what I said on real experiences in my personal life and professional one too.

I also knew that I had to offer a unique experience during my sessions that no-one else offered.
So through long hours ( I am usually on the road by 4am!!) I gradually built up a reputation. I created a website but most of my bookings come from recommendations.

It has really helped that I was a headteacher (editor note: for those in the US, a headteacher is the equivalent of a school principal), giving me credibility with schools etc.

I have also been very flexible and versatile, being prepared to work with adults, children, teachers, parents, prisoners, in fact with any group who love children and want them to have a good start in life.

- Once you get your foot in the door, what do you send to the school in advance of the visit, so the children are prepared and excited about you coming?

Once I have been booked, I get a confirmation email and then send them one which outlines my visit and requirements. These are simple and easy to organise. I invoice after the visit.

- Freebies and activity sheets? How do you get students involved in the presentation? How do you keep students engaged? How is presenting a chapter book different from picture books? Do you read a chapter? And then do an activity? 

When in settings, I do interactive storytelling with ages 3 to 11 and offer training for parents on developing a love of reading and to professionals on how to support reading for life. The skill is to be able to quickly adapt a story for all ages and my techniques as a trained teacher of 40 years makes this much easier.

When working with children, I rarely read word for word from the book. I perform them and use puppets and props and get the children to play some of the characters for me. Then I have whole school activities as part of the role-play.

When presenting my chapter books I take part of the story and role-play that. The art of getting children interested is in the skill of the presenter. You must know how children tick, understand their humour and get down to their level. It is all about dramatic presentation that allows you to create wild moments and then quiet calm moments and that takes years to get right. I do not give out handouts or freebies.

- Tips on getting book sales? What are your best marketing strategies?

Marketing books is notoriously difficult. My advantage is that almost every day I am in a setting or at a conference so I have a captive audience.

I never pay for advertising as it is rarely effective and very expensive. I have a great website and really present my books well on the road  with an attractive stand that has front covers of all the books.

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Neil Griffiths was a Primary School headteacher for 13 years before taking on the role of director of a National Literacy Project for the Basic Skills Agency. This agency believed in Neil’s highly original Storysack idea and allowed him to promote it to schools and communities throughout the UK. After six years, Neil began to devote all of his energies to the project and set up what is now the worldwide, highly acclaimed, and award-winning Storysack® phenomenon.

Many publishers and institutions have asked Neil to contribute his wealth of experience to their projects over the years – his knowledge of learning, his gift of story, his passion for teaching, and his love of children – helping them to produce prized resources and to achieve success in the highly competitive educational market. He has created award-winning play resources, written a nursery curriculum, a best-selling resource book on creative play for Nelson Thornes Publishers, and imaginative material for the Early Learning Centre. He has developed a scheme for supporting English as an additional language for Harcourt Publishing and has consulted for a highly successful toy manufacturer.

Neil also finds time to write his own children’s picture books, published exclusively by Red Robin Books. They feature strong storylines, memorable characters, enchanting language, and arresting illustrations. They charm children and have sold in the thousands. Neil loves to tell a story and a story time with him is a rare and highly entertaining event as he magically draws his audience into his storyworlds.

Neil is also available for inspirational training worldwide. He is known internationally for his unique delivery, exceptional energy, and his rare storytelling gift.

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Give-away

On September 30th, one person's name will be drawn to win this Novel Under Construction writing journal. All you need to do is comment on this blog post by September 29th. You have to be signed up for ChaBooCha Lite in order to be eligible for this prize.

  

Inspiration for ChaBooCha Week 3 #ChaBooCha

So far in the Chapter Book Challenge, we are three weeks down and have a little over one week to go. How are you doing so far?

Weeks two and three can be tricky. The first rush of excitement and starting a new idea has passed and you have to work out how to get from where you are to the end of your story without losing your previous momentum. You might even be feeing a bit of writer's block at this point in your journey. For some of you, this is the most difficult part of your month of writing, but for others, this is a favourite part. Everybody goes about this writing business differently.

For those of you who are letting other things get in the way of your writing, I looked up some inspirational quotes to help you out.

1 - Fear can sometimes get in the way of our writing - fear of not being good enough, fear of rejection, fear of failure, and, in some, even a fear of success.

If fear is getting in the way of your writing:

Image found on Pinterest

2 - Procrastination is also a large culprit when it comes to preventing you from writing. I know I struggle mightily with a strong tendency to procrastinate. You need to remind yourself of the reasons you want to write your story and why you don't want to put it off any longer.

If procrastination is getting in the way of your writing:

Image found on Pinterest 

Image found on Pinterest

3 - Sometimes, it's your muse who is causing the problem. Either your muse is giving you new ideas that make you want to start working on something different or your muse has just decided to clam up and leave you bereft of ideas. This can be overcome, either through time, a change of scenery, or just by writing anyway - even when it feels like what you're writing is so bad you'll just have to re-do it later.

If it feels as though your muse is absent:

Image found on Pinterest

4 - Sometimes, as your story grows, you feel as though you've lost your passion for it. You need to remember what excited you about your story in the beginning, what drew you to write this particular story. If you never felt a true passion for your story, then maybe it's not the right story for you after all.

If passion is keeping you from writing your story:

Image found on Pinterest

5 - Sometimes life gets in the way of writing. It can be your kids taking up your writing time, or your health or your job (if you have one other than writing), or any number of things. And being busy can really drain your energy, which makes it even more difficult to be creative and to imagine your stories. We all have times like this. It's important to make time for you, to do the things that you love (like writing), in order to nourish your soul. You also need to take time to rest in order to replenish your spirit.

If a lack of energy is getting in the way of your writing:

Image found on Pinterest

Image found on Pinterest

Image found on Pinterest

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There is no specific give-away with this post, but if you comment on this post (and are a signed-up member), you will get an extra entry into the drawing for the Kindle Fire that will be done on the 31st. (All signed-up members of the Chapter Book Challenge automatically get one entry.)

Graphic novels and writing the comic script by Michael Norwitz #ChaBooCha

Because some ChaBooCha members are working on graphic novels, I thought it would be a good idea to have a friend of mine who has some experience in the area of comic writing give you some tips for writing comic panels, because the process is completely different from writing stories. Michael's post is below.

One of the hardest things to remember about writing a comic script, is that a lot of the skills you work on when writing prose have to be left by the wayside. The only person who will ever see the pretty metaphors and poetic imagery you come up with is the artist, and the artist doesn't care! In fact, it will get in her way when trying to figure out what you are trying to instruct her to draw.

Writing for comics is also different from writing a video or stage script, because every panel description has to be completely static. Pictures on a comic page don't move, so you can't show someone walking from one place to another in a still image, or performing multiple tasks. One of the mistakes I make all the time in my scripts is to have someone nodding their head or blinking their eyes, and even that sort of simple motion isn't something that can be depicted in a still image.

You also have to think about how many panels will fit on a page. As a general rule, I average 4-6 panels per page; 1-3 panels will make every event seem explosive and climactic, and 7 or more will tend to make actions seem cramped (and are best reserved for scenes of rapid-fire dialogue). 

You also don't want to crowd out you images with too much text.  Typically no more than two or three sentences per panel is recommended,

Remember that your artist probably has more experience with visual imagery than you do, and may need to make changes from what you have in your head. That doesn't mean if something is very important to you that you can't ask for a correction, but try not to be a "diva" writer and be prepared to have an open dialogue with her.

As an example of some basic formatting, here's a sample page from a script adapting a story my daughter wrote when she was eight:

PAGE ONE /6 PANELS:

TITLE: A Cat Tail

PANEL 1: 

A girl with blonde, wavy hair of about nine years old, in school uniform, is sitting by herself on a bench off to the side of a schoolyard.  She has a slightly distressed expression. 

PANEL 2:

A woman in her early twenties approaches the girl.  She is dressed in 'work casual,' but she has a plastic belt and sash around her waist and torso, obviously some sort of designated school authority figure.  The girl has risen to her feet and is holding the tip of her tail in her hand to show the woman, although the tail seems like it wants to be waving with a will of its own.

YARD DUTY:    What's wrong, Molly?

MOLLY:            I am a cat.  Look!

PANEL 3:

The woman on yard duty looks astounded.  She is holding a small pad and pencil which she has slipped out of her pocket.  She has torn off the top sheet from the pad and handed it to the girl.

YARD DUTY:    Then go down to the office.  Here's a hallway pass slip.

MOLLY:            Thanks!

PANEL 4:

Molly has arrived at the office, and is showing the receptionist the hallway pass.  The receptionist is a slightly heavyset woman with long brown hair which she has tied into a bun in the back of her head.  Her face is pretty although a pointed nose prevents her from being a classic beauty.  Her expression is more friendly than concerned, as Molly doesn't seem to be grossly wounded, although she is clearly a bit upset.

MOLLY:            Here is my hallway pass; I am a cat just so you know.

RECEPTIONIST:  Sit on the bench; we will call your mom.

PANEL 5:

Molly is sitting in the office, twiddling her thumbs, obviously feeling awkward as she waits.

PANEL 6:

Molly's mother has entered the office, and is hugged tightly by her daughter.  Her mother strokes her hair affectionately.  She bears a strong family resemblance to Molly, although her hair is dark rather than blonde, longer, and streaked with grey. 

MOLLY:            Mom, what took you so long? I was waiting for a long time.

PARENT:          Well, let's get out of here.  I will find you a new school for cats.

MOLLY:            Thank you so so much, Mom. 

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Michael's comic works have appeared in Octal, The Psychedelic Journal of Time Travel, Megabook, Rock Is Not Dead, and Irrational Comics' Pitch. Michael also has a Goodreads author page.

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Give-away

Today's give-away is a copy of the book The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics. All you need to do to enter in the prize drawing is be a signed-up ChaBooCha member and comment on this post. The winners will be drawn by a random number generator and announced on March 31st.

Working Your Way Through ChaBooCha 2017 by Melissa Stoller #ChaBooCha

So you're working on a chapter book this month with ChaBooCha. It may be your first attempt at a chapter book or it may be the fifth in a series.

Here are a few tips to help you work your way through the challenge:

HARNESS YOUR IDEAS

There are many posts about how to brainstorm ideas, and even a challenge dedicated to this topic called StoryStorm by Tara Lazar (https://taralazar.com/storystorm/). Grab a notebook and start thinking about ideas that you could use to kick-start this challenge!

Or maybe you have a picture book that sounds like a chapter book because the ideas are too mature for a younger reader. Perhaps you are writing a middle grade novel but your main character is too young or the situations would be more suitable for the younger audience of a chapter book. Try working one of those ideas into this challenge.

Pick one idea and get started. Write the idea on your computer or on paper, or dictate the idea into your phone. The main point is to harness the ideas from your mind and actually see them in writing. It’s much easier to edit a draft that exists than to stare at a blank page or screen.

OUTLINE YOUR CHAPTER BOOK

I realize that not everyone likes the idea of outlining, but I found this process very helpful for chapter book writing:

- Try breaking the story into 10 chapters (the classic number of chapters for a chapter book). This will resonate if you are a planner like me. Outline each of your 10 chapters very loosely in your actual document. Develop your plot and see how each chapter unfolds.

-Each time you go back to write your chapter book, work on one of the chapters. I worked in a linear fashion, so I started from the beginning and kept going. But, somewhere in the middle around chapter 5, I realized that I didn’t have a clear sense of what would happen in the middle. So I moved on to the ending chapters, and skipped over chapters 5, 6 and 7.  I worked on the three remaining chapters and then went back to the middle. For this particular book, this method worked for me. I had a clear vision of the beginning, and a somewhat clear vision of the end, but the middle was totally murky. Instead of getting bogged down and stuck in the middle, I worked around it.

-Don’t worry if your first draft isn’t great. Just keep writing. Getting your ideas on paper will really motivate you to continue writing and moving forward.

WORK ON YOUR CRAFT

Read, read, read! – Read chapter books. Try to read several chapter books each week of this challenge and beyond. Get to know the genre. What makes a chapter book different from a picture book or from a middle grade novel? Does your idea work for the age group of the targeted audience? Some chapter books I have been reading include: The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne; The Time Warp Trio by Jon Scieszka; Super Happy Party Bears by Marcie Colleen; The Fantastic Frame by Lin Oliver; Clementine by Sara Pennypacker; Dragon Slayers Academy by Kate McMullan; The Ballpark Mysteries by David A. Kelly; Mermaid Tales by Debbie Dadey; A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy; Sparkle Spa by Jill Santopolo; and The Haunted Library by Dori Hillestad Butler. There are many more – your local library or bookstore are good places to see what’s popular with young readers and what’s selling.

First few sentences – Make sure the beginning of the story grabs the reader right from the start. Here are a few examples from the chapter books listed above: “Welcome to the Grumpy Woods! Just Kidding. No one is welcome here. Turn around and go back.” (Super Happy Party Bears); “Ready! . . . Aim! . . . Wait!” yelled Sam. (The Time Warp Trio); “I can’t believe it!” Echo said. “It’s finally happening.” (Mermaid Tales); “I saw a giant orange pig on our swing set this morning,” said my little sister, Maggie. (The Fantastic Frame); “The school bell rang, and Aly raced out the door, holding on tight to her backpack straps.” (Sparkle Spa). These openers will keep me reading!

First chapter – What is the hook that will draw in your reader? Make sure that even after the reader is initially hooked, she will want to stick around and read the entire chapter and the rest of the book.

Chapter transitions – These last sentences in each chapter will pull the reader along seamlessly to the next chapter, all the way through to the end of the book. For example: “Then with a loud slurp, the quicksand swallowed up the wizard, this time hat and all.” (Dragon Slayers’ Academy); “The door blew closed behind them, and Kaz was trapped in this little room.  Trapped with a solid girl who could see him.” (The Haunted Library); “They dashed around the corner – just in time to see the cat disappear through a hole in the pyramid” (The Magic Tree House); “What are we going to do?” I asked. “I mean for real?” (Clementine). Don’t you want to read more!

The ending – Endings are so hard to get right! You want the reader to say Wow! Or sigh and smile! Or laugh! Or display another strong emotion. And if you are planning to write a chapter book series, you want to reader to come back for more. In my case, the last page of my first book features a snow globe from another location that is calling out to the main characters. Hopefully readers will be excited about the time-travel concept and ready to follow the characters to another adventure.

World building – do readers want to inhabit your book? What makes your book special? Does everything work consistently in your world? For example, if writing about kids living in outer space and attending a school at a space station, would the school need some type of oxygen filtration system? Would the kids be able to venture out without special suits and masks? What would gravity be like in this world? What kind of food and water would be available? You can design the rules for your world but it becomes believable when those rules work consistently and reliably.

Research – If you are writing about another time, are the little details correct? For example, if writing about medieval times, are the details about clothing worn and food eaten accurate for that timeframe? The first book in my ENCHANTED SNOW GLOBE COLLECTION SERIES, RETURN TO CONEY ISLAND, takes place in 1928 Coney Island.  I researched the clothing of the time, as well as details about the amusement park, the Cyclone roller coaster, trolleys from 1928, whether Nathan’s hot dog stand was opened yet (it was!), and whether the game skee-ball was invented yet (yes!).  I also researched the exact day and date that the story was taking place to make sure that was consistent.

REVISE!!!

The real work starts in the revision process! Revise for big picture and small picture points such as:

-Does your plot have a clear arc with a strong beginning, a middle that keeps the audience reading, and a satisfying ending?  Is the plot believable and consistent? Is the world that the characters inhabit plausible? If necessary, is your research about your world complete?

-Are your characters relatable? Will the reader care about them? Do they have well-defined personalities and perhaps some quirks and/or flaws that make them lovable? Is there heart and/or humor in the book?

-Is there a well-defined conflict? Are the stakes high enough? Will the reader care whether the main characters solve the conflict?

-Look at dialogue . . . does it flow naturally? Do the characters have strong voices? Are their styles of speaking consistent?

-Does the pacing work? Does the story flow smoothly through all the chapters to the end? Are there compelling transitions between chapters? Does each scene in the book move the story forward in some way?

-Review for finer points like proper grammar, sentence structure, and lyrical language.

LISTEN TO THE PROS

Aside from the amazing Chapter Book Challenge, I have participated in these excellent courses and other resources and each has helped tremendously with my chapter book writing:

The Chapter Book Blueprint – taught by Alice Kuipers through the Children’s Book Insider with Jon Bard and Laura Backes  (http://writingblueprints.com/p/chapter-book-blueprint-vip-power-bundle).

The Chapter Book Alchemist -- Co-taught by Mira Reisberg and Hillary Homzie through the Children’s Book Academy (http://www.childrensbookacademy.com/the-chapter-book-alchemist.html).

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (www.SCBWI.org). Join and interact with the large organization and with your local chapter.

Attend conferences and participate in online challenges such as Storystorm (https://taralazar.com/storystorm/).

Interact with your writing community on Facebook and Twitter.

JOIN OR START YOUR OWN CHAPTER BOOK CRITIQUE GROUP

Find a group of like-minded writers from this challenge, or from another challenge, group, or class you may be involved with. Work with them to start a critique group to comment on each other’s work as you write your chapter books.

You can also look for critique partners in the KidLit411 and Sub It Club manuscript exchanges through Facebook. I found my chapter book critique group through a class we were all taking through the Children’s Book Academy and we all participated in The Chapter Book Alchemist Class together (see above for details). We each posted a synopsis of our work in progress, and swapped chapters of our manuscripts as we went along. Thanks for all the helpful insights, ladies, you know who you are!

KEEP GOING

You will only know if you enjoy writing chapter books if you keep going! Don’t give up. You may not finish the challenge with a perfectly crafted chapter book (chances are you won’t!) but hopefully by the end of the month you will have harnessed a great idea and you will have made good progress on your writing. Set a goal to continue and finish!

I really look forward to seeing many chapter books that are generated from CHABOOCHA 2017 in libraries and bookstores very soon!

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Melissa Stoller is thrilled to be a Regional Ambassador for The Chapter Book Challenge! She is also an Admin for The Debut Picture Book Study Group. Melissa is the author of the chapter book THE ENCHANTED SNOW GLOBE COLLECTION: RETURN TO CONEY ISLAND (Clear Fork Publishing, April, 2017), and the debut picture book OLIVE’S MAGIC PAINTBRUSH (Clear Fork, March, 2018).  She is also the co-author of THE PARENT-CHILD BOOK CLUB: CONNECTING WITH YOUR KIDS THROUGH READING (HorizonLine Publishing, 2009, www.ParentChildBookClub.com). Melissa writes parenting articles, and has worked as a lawyer, legal writing instructor, and early childhood educator. Melissa lives in New York City with her husband, three daughters and one puppy. When not writing or reading, Melissa can be found exploring NYC with family and friends, travelling, walking on the beach, and finding treasures to add to her collections. Find her online at www.MelissaStoller.com, MelissaBerger Stoller (Facebook), @Melissa Stoller (Twitter), and Melissa_Stoller (Instagram). 

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Give-away

Melissa has offered a truly amazing couple of prizes, so there will be two give-aways with this post. Melissa is offering a critique of the first two chapters of one person's chapter book manuscript as well as a copy of her soon-to-be released chapter book, THE ENCHANTED SNOW GLOBE COLLECTION -- BOOK ONE: RETURN TO CONEY ISLAND. All you need to do to enter in the prize drawing is be a signed-up ChaBooCha member and comment on this post. The winners will be drawn by a random number generator and announced on March 31st.