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How To Be a Guest at Jennifer's Dinner Table
WOW! What a Kick-off to our SCBWI season. Jennifer March Soloway was our guest agent from the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and she was truly one to listen to. Immediately, she captured the audience in Demaray Hall at SPU last week with her charisma for books, the authors and illustrators behind the books, and those of us who are either dipping our toes into the craft to those of us who are so close to getting an agent. No matter where you are in the process, Jennifer was rooting for each of us!
Jennifer talked about her methods for reading through submissions and the slush pile. But the nuggets of her talk that never get old no matter where you are in the "getting published" process, Jennifer says that "... every rejection is a choice: to keep going or to quit." If you are enjoying the ride, you keep on going. If you are in the process of revising your work, this is the time to embrace the magical transformation of your manuscript or picture book dummy to that of published book. Here are a few key points from Jennifer's presentation that are must haves:
- A dynamic opening line
- A strong, engaging voice
- An intriguing premise that feels different from anything else
- An opening scene filed with drama that has enough context to immediately ground the reader in the world
- An irresistible character with high stakes
- An additional story thread that is also compelling
On Thursday, Jennifer taught a master class with more awesome information for perfecting our crafts. In a nutshell, there are three stages of writing:
- Writing for story - here is where you just write. No editing. Only writing.
- Revise for structure, plot, clarity, and character.
- Polish language at the line level - POV and word choice.
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| Recipe for page-turning best seller! |
Thank you, Jennifer, for spending two days with us here in Seattle. We are all looking forward to seeing you again - as our agent!
On another note, let's give a "SHOUT OUT" to Milagros Welt, aka Mili, aka Snack Mistress! First time out of the gate and she put on a spooktacularly delicious Halloween themed spread of snacks and beverages. I can't wait to see what November brings. Mili, awesome and thank you!
BOOK LAUNCH
Now, on to something that is super cool. Jay Asher is coming to town. And what's more, he is a client of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
"Jay Asher’s first book, Thirteen Reasons Why was and is a worldwide phenomenon. It’s been translated into 35 languages, spent over 200 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and sold nearly 2.5 million copies since its 2007 debut, making it a contemporary classic with staying power. It’s been named a Children's Best Book by the Association of Booksellers, an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, and has appeared on 16 state award master lists. Netflix is adapting it into a 13-episode series. Selena Gomez is set to produce the project from Anoynymous Content and Paramount TV, with a pilot penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal).
Described by Asher as the answer to Thirteen Reasons Why, his new book, What Light is a love story that's moving and life-affirming and unforgettable. Early praise:
"A beautiful story of love and forgiveness."—Stephen Chbosky, New York Times bestselling author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower"
When: Tuesday, 1 November 2016
7 PM
Where: Secret Garden Books
2214 NW Market St.
Questions: CONTACT Suzanne Perry
Events / Public Relations Manager
206-789-5006
Visit Jay's website at: http://jayasher.blogspot.com/
Hope to see everyone at Secret Garden Books on November 1st and at our next SCBWI meeting on Wednesday November 9th.
Cheers,
Kathleen
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