Writing for Children Archives

Where do you get your story ideas? – KS Mitchell with Write Your World

It’s Mad About Madeleine Month: Mad Space Facts & Giveaway 2!

Happy Mad about Madeleine Month! (And you thought I was going to say Happy Valentine’s Day. Well, that too!)

First off, thanks to all the entrants in the Becoming Madeleine book giveaway and congrats to Kelly W. on winning the book!

If you’re sad you didn’t win, I’ve got great news. Giveaway 2 in the Mad about Madeleine Month begins today. This week’s giveaway is on Instagram! Head on over and follow KSMitch17 to enter to win this week’s awesome prize?

What is it? Glad you asked. I really wish I could keep this prize to myself, but I’m going to give you a shot at winning!

Madeleine L’Engle was an avid fan of physics, stars and all things space related. It’s one of my favorite things about her books. She always took the opportunity to weave space and science into her work, and she didn’t see a divide between science and religion. Instead, she encouraged her readers to explore the deep connection between these two tough topics.

Today’s giveaway honors a love of space, both mine and Madeleine’s. Head over to Instagram to check it out and enter.

Read on for some fun facts on space! Did you know…?

There are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of Earth. Astounded? That’s more than a billion trillion stars.
Most stars are between 1 billion and 10 billion years old.
Astronomers believe there may be at least 1 planet orbiting every star. Take that number in.
Scientists estimate that the number of potentially habitable planets in our galaxy (the Milky Way) is around 2 billion.
It’s highly likely that we (well, or our descendants) will find life on other planets. Will that life be in a form we recognize and one that can communicate with us? That’s the great mystery!

Now go enter the giveaway and see you next week!

“They are very young. And on their earth, as they call it, they never communicate with other planets. They revolve about all alone in space.”
“Oh,” the thin beast said. “Aren’t they lonely?”
― Madeleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time

Publishing News!

I’m excited to share that Vinspire Publishing has acquired my middle grade mystery series, Pen and Quin: International Agents of Intrigue.

12 year old twins, Penelope and Quin Grey Reyes are shipped off to Mexico to visit their grandparents for the summer. Pen decides to liven things up by advertising their services as international agents of intrigue. Soon they’re tracking down the Codex Cardona, a mysterious 400 year old Aztec book. When their grandfather is attacked, their search turns personal and Pen and Quin are vaulted into an international mystery.

I can’t wait for you to read the rest! Sign up for my newsletter for updates on the release date for Pen and Quin. Follow me on social media for information on my books, writing and life in general!

With books forthcoming from Vinspire Publishing and Glass House Press, 2018 will be an exciting year. Hope you’ll follow along and enjoy the stories!

5 Great Reasons to Attend the Arkansas SCBWI Conference this June

Although Arkansas is the proud host of quite a few writing conferences, the Society for Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference is the only major conference in the state focused specifically on writing for children. Here are my top 5 reasons for attending the conference!

The conference will host two editors and one agent from New York publisher Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic and Waxman Leavell Literary Agency. This is an easy way to get your work in front of editors and agents. That’s a BIG deal, and it’s not easy to accomplish.

This is a great opportunity to meet other writers from around the state. Writing can be a hard, lonely business. Use this conference to connect with other children’s writers in Arkansas and stay in touch throughout the year.

The conference is being held in the Butler Center in downtown Little Rock right in the River Market District. Spend a weekend in the capital and enjoy what downtown Little Rock has to offer.

The Arkansas SCBWI conference is NOT intimidating. This isn’t your overcrowded, get lost in the shuffle kind of conference. We’re a small, friendly group of writers looking to support one another. You will have the chance to speak with other writers, and you’ll get to chat with the industry professionals speaking at the conference as well.

Other conferences can be so full of writers that it’s hard to meet anyone, let alone talk personally with the editors and agents. Not so at the Arkansas conference.

Become a better writer. In the end, that’s what we’re all looking for, and the conference sessions will help every writer get better at every aspect of writing, from working on that book to pursuing publication and everything in between.

The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Arkansas will hold its annual conference June 16-17 in Little Rock. Find out more information at scbwi.org or on Facebook SCBWI Arkansas.

I’ll see you there!

Writing in the Gaps

After years of having a designated block of writing time every weekday afternoon, I’m doing what I’ve come to think of as “writing in the gaps,” those small spaces of time I can snatch when the baby is asleep, or happily focused on a toy (very small amount of time), or when someone can watch her for an hour while I try to focus.

Life has changed a lot for me recently. In the past year, we’ve moved from the city to a small farm, obtained thirty goats and sheep, numerous chickens, two dogs and another cat. We welcomed our first child in August and I signed a book contract right before her birth. So life is crazy. Finding time to do some serious writing? Even crazier.

Guess what? It’s tough. Much tougher than I anticipated. “I’m going to write two sentences while the baby’s distracted,” I joked to my husband one day. “It’s good to see you’ve adjusted your expectations,” he replied. Yup.

I recently went to a conference where a speaker asked if anyone had tried getting up an hour or two earlier to write/work/get stuff done. “How’s that working out for you?” Everyone in the room laughed. “Right, it doesn’t work for long,” she said. Now I feel less guilty for not getting up (or staying up) when the baby is still sleeping and writing, or for sleeping in until the baby wakes up. I might get up early some mornings, but right now writing is 10 minutes here, 20 there, read while holding the baby so she doesn’t scream.

I know this period won’t last forever. And I’ve found even if my writing time has diminished, my resolve to write hasn’t, but you know what has? The idea that being published is ALL IMPORTANT. It is important, of course. I want readers to like my work, buy my books, and recommend them to others so I can continue to write, but in light of being responsible for raising daughter, being a successful, amazing, best-selling author doesn’t seem as important anymore.

I still want my stories in the world. I still want you to read them, but I’m a little more patient about that process. So, two sentences or two hours at a time, I’ll keep writing. In the mean time, life is happening in between those gaps of writing and I call that a good thing.

Writing is a Marathon

As a runner and an athlete, the idea that life is a race I’m running has always appealed to me. I’m on a course but I can choose how I run this race. Do I sprint the whole way and burn out? Do I choose the way of the turtle, slowly but surely getting to the finish line? Do I fix my eyes on the runner just ahead of me and let her pace me, or do I blaze past her and hope I have the endurance to keep the pace?

And what does this have to do with writing?

My aunt recently mailed me a clipping from a daily devotional. She does this periodically and I’ve come to appreciate her thoughtfulness. There’s nothing like receiving mail (real mail!) from someone you love letting you know you’re in their thoughts.

The text of the clipping happened to be Hebrews 12:1-3. I don’t write much about faith on this blog, but it’s a deep part of my life, and that just happens to be one of my favorite verses, particularly this part: “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

And what does this have to do with writing?

If you’re a writer, you’ve probably noticed, writing is more like a marathon than a sprint. It’s a long, grueling process and the end of the race – publication, success, best-selling NYT author (hey, why not dream big?) can seem miles away – 26.2 to be exact.

Along the way, you’re going to encounter setbacks. Injuries that most often come in the form of rejection of your work. It’s not just disappointing, it’s soul-draining. You start to lose your way and wonder why the heck you’re even in this race because it sure looks like those non-runners are having way more fun and not throwing their precious time away on something that may never be successful.

So you consider giving up. You bargain with yourself. Maybe writing isn’t as important to you as you thought. Sitting down to write is hard anyway, finding (and protecting) the time to write is too difficult, nobody wants to read these stories, so maybe your time is better spent elsewhere. Maybe you should get a “real” job or pick up a hobby that doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out? Netflix, anyone?

Plenty of people entertain the idea of writing, dream about it, start a story, even finish that story, but somewhere along the way, running the race becomes too much. The injuries (rejection), weather (unexpected delays), even the crowd cheering you on (distractions), it’s too much to deal with. You’re already way too busy with life to keep pursuing something that isn’t working out.

A writing mentor once said to me, “I know plenty of writers who are way more talented than me who never published. They gave up. I didn’t.”

I’ve been writing consistently since 2004 when I moved to Yemen and suddenly needed something to fill the long evenings I used to spend with friends and family back home. So I started pursuing something I’d always dreamed about, thankfully ignorant of how difficult a road the writing life is. Over the past thirteen years, I’ve gotten better as a writer, more disciplined, though I have my moments, but I haven’t seen much success and I’ve certainly endured long periods of disappointment where I questioned everything.

But.

Let us run with perseverance.

I couldn’t quit the race. The thing about a race is you never know what’s around the next corner.

In June I submitted three pitches to a Twitter event called #PitMad, where authors pitch their stories in 140 characters and editors and agents browse the feed and favorite anything that appeals to them. When you’re pursuing publishing, anything that gets your work in front of industry pros is invaluable. Writers pay big money at conferences and workshops to do just that.

Originally I was going to pitch two stories, but I added a third when I realized the rules for the event allowed it. I was surprised when this third story, a young adult dystopian novel, merited the interest of a small press in San Diego. They favorited my tweet. I sent a query letter with a more in-depth pitch and a few pages. Then I had a request for fifty pages. Then the entire novel.

And then I had an offer for the series. It happened so quickly I could scarcely believe it. Yet it didn’t happen that quickly because I already had part of that marathon behind me. All that hard work, the training, the persevering. I rounded the corner on the course I’ve been running a long time.

I signed on with Glass House Press at the end of June to publish my young adult dystopian series. The first novel, Dreamers, is expected to publish in 2018. (Whoo hoo!)

Is that the end of the race?

I have a feeling it’s just the beginning, actually, and that I’m going to need all of that endurance I’ve built up, and all of that perseverance to continue.

But I’m excited about the race again, and that’s where a runner, and a writer, needs to be.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.

Hebrews 12: 1-2

Research at Nerdies

Most writers can tell you one of the most fascinating, and often distracting, parts of being a writer is the research. It’s one of my favorite parts of writing. I’ve learned so many things I wouldn’t otherwise because I needed the knowledge for my characters, or setting, or simply to fuel my imagination. From the history of the Incense Trail to Springdale, Arkansas in the 1950s, research has taken me to some interesting places, both online and in person.

Last week I headed out on my most recent research venture to Nerdies located in downtown Fayetteville. Nerdies popped up on my radar last year and I’ve kept an eye on this fascinating place ever since. Here’s Nerdies’ vision in their own words: “Nerdies is a new type of business which focuses on all us nerds out there by offering an environment where people of all ages come and pursue things that they are interested in. Nerdies provides a unique environment for all those people who think ‘smart is cool’ and are interested in pursuing activities they enjoy in this new tech world.”

Pretty cool, right?

So what sent me to Nerdies, besides this cool mission statement? Simple. One of my characters in my current story is a nerd. A video-game obsessed nerd. The only problem? I’m not much of a gamer, although I’ll debate the nerd identity with you. (Believe me, I can geek out on anything space related).

What’s a non-gaming nerd to do? Find a nerd who does love video games and observe. Nerdies is running some pretty awesome camps this summer for kids 8-14. I contacted Nerdies owner Brad Harvey and asked if I could sit in on a camp session. Brad immediately agreed. Soon I found myself sitting in a small room with several flat screens mounted on the wall and eight kids with laptops set up for the Mods to Minecraft camp.

If you don’t know about Minecraft, you’re A) not a gamer B) not a kid C) not a parent. I’m currently none of the above, so I wasn’t aware of the Minecraft phenomenon that’s been captivating kids the last few years until I decided to create this new character. When I started researching which game he would be obsessed with, Minecraft seemed the obvious choice. A simple search returned results like, “Ten Problems that Parents Can Have with Minecraft, and “A Parent’s Guide to Minecraft: 5 Reasons to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Cubes.”

Parents concerned? Kids obsessed? Sounds like the perfect set-up for a great character. Back to Nerdies. I took a seat and tried to stay out of the way. The kids were playing the game that afternoon and trying out coding they’d learned in the morning session. I listened in while they navigated the blocky, lego-like world. Here’s a slice of the conversations.

“It’s raining and snowing at the same time. Oh my gosh, I love it!”

“I’m in a really good world. I don’t want to die. I’m too young to die!”

“I have a dragon on my leash.”

“Stupid creeper just blew up my house. It was so good. Ugh.”

“Did you freaking kill me? Did you do that?”

“Stop killing people.”

“Okay, stop hitting each other.” (This from the 20 year old instructor, and he means hitting virtually, not physically.) “Don’t build something in someone else’s world if you want to keep it.”

Did you understand all of that? Neither did it, but as I watched the kids interacting with the game and each other, I was impressed by how much of a social experience this was turning out to be.

These kids were having a great time building their own worlds, and sometimes destroying them, fighting monsters, flying and interacting in others’ worlds. And their enthusiasm was out of this world.

My expectations for a quiet, introverted character who sits locked in his room alone playing Minecraft for hours may have to be adjusted.

And that’s why research is important, and hands-on, live research like this is the best case scenario for writers. It knocks down pre-held dispositions. It brings up new questions. It spurs the imagination. My character will be different from how I first imagined him. I want my readers, kids the same age as those I observed, to feel like this character is just like them.

Thanks to my day at Nerdies, he will be!

Minecraft photos via photobucket.com users blackbaseballcap and ZimPLUSDib. Nerd Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Guest Post: AllthewayYA

I am the guest blogger today on a great new blog called All the Way YA. Young adult authors discuss their journeys to publishing and how we can encourage each other through the often difficult process. My blog features the first time I’ve written about rejection as I’ve pursued publishing along with my personal struggle of infertility. Please check it out at All the Way YA.

Guest Post: How to Create Diverse Characters

Today I have a guest post on a great blog, Latin@s in Kid Lit. As the name implies, they cover all things related to Latino writers and characters in children’s fiction. Check out my post on how to create diverse characters and look around the rest of the site while you’re at it!

2014 going…going…

Is the month getting away from you?

Between the parties, holiday shopping, festive atmosphere, not to mention those early evenings, 2014 is slipping away quickly.

I’m staring at a note card pinned to the bulletin board above my desk, the one labeled 2014 followed by the three major writing goals I wanted to accomplish this year.

I love this habit of setting writing goals in January.

I hate it in December.

Today I see a checkmark by the first goal – finish that novel and send to agent. Done.

The next two? Hmm. It’s true I’ve started on my next book, but the goal? Start and finish. Ah, this revision thing is dragging on. This book has been more difficult to write than any other, but perhaps all books feel that way when you’re in the middle of revision.

That last goal? I’m not going to hit it. Not in 2014.

So, as I sit at my desk, revising like mad to finish Goal 2 (and this revision won’t be a final one by any means), and staring at Goal 3, the one I won’t hit this year, and Goal 1, that completed novel, the one I had high hopes for this year that haven’t yet come to pass, I’m starting to feel like 2014 was a struggle, that I haven’t accomplished much as a writer, that maybe I’m a failure at this writing thing.

So today, instead of focusing on those end goals, I’ll focus on the little things I have accomplished.

I’ve continued to write, mostly every day.

I’ve hit walls in writing, and struggled over them (sometimes it felt like right through them). I’ve not reached my goal to be published, but I haven’t given up, either.

I’ve had another year to pursue a career I love, with the support of people who love me.

So, 2014 goals? Thanks for giving me a jumping off point.

Time to enjoy the successes of the year, no matter how small, and start planning those goals for 2015.

2015 is wide open!

Did you hit some writing goals in 2014? Are you already planning your goals for 2015?

2015 Image courtesy of krishna arts, Goals Image courtesy of Stuart Miles and Sleigh Image courtesy of Mister GC at FreeDigitalPhotos.net