Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Just For You, MG Writers!!

It's been a while since I've hosted an in-house crit session.  (Cutting back on the blog, etc. etc.)  But it's been on my mind to offer something specifically to those of you who write middle grade.

Why?  Well, I've noticed in my experience with our big contests over the years as well as with my clients that it is VERY CHALLENGING to nail that middle grade voice.  Often, that "adult writer voice" will seep through, stealing authenticity from the novel.

So.  I'd like to give some of you a chance for public feedback focusing on YOUR MIDDLE GRADE VOICE.

HERE'S THE DEAL:


  • The submission window will be open from 1:00 PM EDT today until 1:00 PM EDT tomorrow.
  • Submit a 50-words-or-less LOGLINE and the first 250 words of your manuscript.
  • The bot will accept 20 entries (this is not a lottery).
  • (If for some reason response is bigger, I'll open another 10 slots.)
  • Your excerpts will post on THURSDAY.
  • MIDDLE GRADE ONLY!  If you enter anything that's not middle grade, it will be disqualified.
  • Enter HERE.
Questions below!

17 comments:

  1. If the 250 words cuts off in the middle of a sentence, do you still submit exactly 250 wods?

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    1. No! Always end at a period. Never shoot for "exactly" a word count.

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  2. If we have entered an earlier version of the mansuscript, can we re-enter to see if we have improved since your last MG event?

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    1. Sure! It's been QUITE a while, so I feel like plenty of time has passed. :)

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  3. Darn! Too busy this week to enter and do my part critiquing, but I look forward to reading the submissions!

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  4. Form won't let me preview and submit. It doesn't seem to like my email address although I have repeatedly verified it.....any ideas?

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    1. Try a different browser. That often fixes the issue!

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    2. I had the same problem - try cutting your email and pasting it again. You also need to verify it - the site will prompt you.

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  5. Wow, up to 33 entries now? Go MG!

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  6. Darn. I waited until I got off work on the west coast and now the contest if full.

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  7. I missed entering this morning before the contest was full, but look forward to reading the entries! Thanks for the focus on MG!

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  8. I missed too. Glad MG is getting its time to shine though!

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  9. I know there’s been much discussion about the middle grade “voice” and how hard it is to pin down. I think that’s because MG kids are developmentally all over the place – I don’t think any one definition would fit a middle school population.

    I recently had the opportunity to read to a 4th grade class for 40 minutes. I armed myself with 6 novels in verse. SILVER PEOPLE, RED BUTTERFLY, CROSS OVER, BROWN GIRL DREAMING, INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN and FULL CICADA MOON. I gave them a brief summation of the stories and read from each book. This is a rural elementary school in central Maine – I thought I was really stretching here but also figured these kids would probably never hear of “novels in verse” any other way. These kids come from families that are struggling financially – struggling in any way you can imagine. They are not homes where parents read to kids or literature is high on anyone’s list. Anyway – much to my amazement I was a huge hit! Each kid had a favorite. It was great. I was surprised how many boys liked SILVER PEOPLE – not sure if it’s because the book opens with a story about an alcoholic dad beating his 14 year-old son or because animals had their own stories to tell. This was also the week everyone celebrated Dr Seuss’s birthday so that was also on the students’ minds. The kids had the last 5 minutes to choose a book to check out of the school library. More than one boy said, “I don’t care. This is still my favorite book.” And grabbed THE CAT IN THE HAT. So there you are – a fourth grade class and kids went for everything from BROWN GIRL DREAMING to THE CAT IN THE HAT. I don’t see a definitive middle grade voice here.

    A 12 year-old is so different from a 14 year-old. And to be honest I don’t think some of the books on this list are true middle grade books. I think BROWN GIRL DREAMING is YA. A reviewer of children’s lit told me that Jacqueline Woodson specifically left sexuality out of the memoir so it would be MG - but there’s more to MG than sexual orientation. I wish INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN had FULL CICADA MOON’s cover art because I think the stories are sophisticated – a real stretch for MG kids even though I’ve seen the suggested reading level for that book as low as age 8. Stretching is good but it’s important to recognize the challenge.

    So where does leave us? In the middle of a muddle I think. ; – ) Thank you so much for all the work you do. Best always, Helen


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    1. Love this perspective. Thank you for sharing with us. :)

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  10. So excited! Can't wait to learn more about voice!

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