Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The Incredible Shrinking Writer!


See? Diet and exercise do pay off! (I wish!) This humongous chair is at The Factory (a repurposed factory with antiques, shops, etc.) in Franklin, Tennessee. Sitting in it stirred up some thoughts about writing for kids. Climbing up there made me think about how important it is to remember that it's not easy being a kid today. The fun of sitting there reminded me to keep a sense of humor while writing. And the playful imaginings that came to me (I was a kid again, the chair belonged to a giant, I was the teensiest queen in the world, etc.) made me realize you have to let your mind wander freely in order to create!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

How to Write Humor for Kids



Kids love funny stories.

So do editors! They know that funny stories make reading fun for their readers, even the kids with poor skills or little motivation. They understand that humor can make age-old themes seem fresh. And they appreciate how moral lessons become more palatable and less preachy when served up alongside a serving of laughter.

How can you give editors what they’re looking for? Just write something funny.

If only it were that simple! Writing humor is serious business – and more difficult than most people realize. No one can tell you how to write a funny story, but here are a few practical suggestion for getting humor into what you write.

1) Make your character interact with a "little" kid. In a children’s story, a “little” kid is anybody younger than your readers. From the lofty reaches of your readers’ greater maturity and experience, a little kid’s mistakes, character flaws, and reactions are terribly funny. A further element of humor comes in with your main character’s frustrations dealing with the little kid. The Fudge books by Judy Blume are, of course, masterpieces in the use of this method, but it works well in short stories, too.

For example, the humor in my story, “Horse Fever,” (My Friend, February, 2001) comes from both little sister Ruthie’s belief that she can grow up to be a horse and big sister Amber’s difficulties convincing her of the truth. In the following scene, Amber tries to use a book about horses to get Ruthie to understand reality:

When we came to a picture of a colt, I said, “Why is that horse so little?”
“Because,” Ruthie said, “it’s a baby horse.”
“And one day it’ll be a grown-up horse, right?”
“Unless is wants to be a efelant,” she said.
“A what?”
“Efelant! You know, with a long nose!”
“Ruthie!” I cried. “A baby horse isn’t going to grow up to be an elephant!”
“You’re probably right,” she said thoughtfully. “Being a horse is the best thing. I bet that baby horse doesn’t want to change.”
“It can’t change!” I shouted.
“Amber,” said Ruthie very seriously. “The baby horse has to decide for itself.”

2) Let your main character dig himself a nice, deep hole. Whatever wrong thing the main character is doing, don’t let him get caught too quickly. Build humor by allowing him to succeed awhile, making ridiculous excuses, and fooling himself (but not your readers) that he’s going to keep getting away with things.

For example, in my play “Would I Lie to You?” (Just Deal With It! Funny Readers Theatre for Life’s Not-So-Funny Moments, Teacher Ideas Press, 2004) the main character tells big stories to impress the other kids. Of course, they eventually realize that she’s lying, and she loses everybody’s trust. Pretty deep hole, huh? But the main character digs herself in even further by pretending to be her own twin sister in order to get a fresh start! This situation provided lots of opportunities for funny interactions between the girl and the other characters before she had to do the right thing and ‘fess up.

3) Annoy your main character. If you want to really crack up your readers, bug the heck out of the main character while he deals with his troubles. For example, a story about a kid whose parents send her to summer camp even though she hates the outdoors has great potential for humor. But the story becomes even funnier if she has to partner up with someone who’s a camping fanatic. That secondary character can drive her nuts by relishing everything she detests!

A lot of funny things could happen in a story about an only child staying with a swarm of cousins, especially if the main character has a hard time adjusting to being around so many people. However, more humor might develop if the cousins live in a teeny house where the main character has to share a barracks-like bedroom and one little bathroom. The extra layer of aggravation could push the humor over the edge from amusing to hilarious.

4) Writer in first person. In a third-person story, you can report what your main character is thinking and feeling, but you can’t flavor the whole story with the character’s attitude. Compare these two examples, written about the same incident:

For the next week, Sophie’s brothers hid in their room, working on their Christmas gifts for her. They often borrowed art supplies from Sophie. And they told her that she would never guess what they were making. The boys were excited about their gifts, but Sophie didn’t expect to be impressed by anything they made.

Over the next week, the boys acted so-o-o secretive about the gifts they were making. They kept borrowing things from me like crayons and markers and other supplies. And they kept saying “mysterious’ stuff like, “You’ll never guess what I’m making, Sophie!” Like they could be making anything good with old tissue boxes and cardboard! (“A Handmade Christmas,” My Friend, December, 2001)

The second sample has a more humorous tone because every sentence is filtered through Sophie. Her underwhelming enthusiasm for her brothers’ homemade gifts couldn’t be clearer. Her attitude makes this paragraph funny – and sets the stage for later laughs when Sophie’s gifts are even worse than she expected.

5) Use funny event from real life as the seed for a story. The humorous anecdotes that people tell you...the family stories that crack everyone up...the embarrassing moments that eventually become cocktail party stories...Don’t write about them just as they happened. Almost NEVER does a real-life event make a good story when told factually. However, a funny happening can inspire a funny story.

For example, my grandfather visited my parents the night before their first Thanksgiving together. When he found they didn’t have the money for a feast, he insisted on buying them a turkey. The store had closed just before they arrived, but Grandpa got my parents their dinner by flapping his elbows and gobbling loudly until the store workers cracked up, reopened the store, and sold him a turkey.
In my family, we always laughed when my dad told that tale, and I often thought I might write about it. The problem was: it made a nice anecdote, but there wasn’t really a whole story there.

Eventually I realized that I could just use the incident as an inspiration. I wrote a story (and later a play) about a boy whose grandfather moves in and does all kinds of embarrassing things. (“My Roommate - Grandpa!” story - Pockets, May, 1993; play - Just Deal With It! Funny Readers Theatre for Life’s Not-So-Funny Moments, Teacher Ideas Press, 2004.) When the family’s financial troubles keep the boy from having the special feast he wants for his birthday, his
grandfather does my grandfather’s turkey act with the same results. The real-life incident became the pivotal moment that showed the main character the love behind Grandpa’s antics.

6) Remember that humor isn't the point. Sure, kids enjoy reading funny stories, but a good story doesn’t just make readers laugh. A good story makes them think and feel. Setting out to “write a funny story” without any purpose or direction usually won’t work. The story doesn’t hold together well, and the humor often falls flat because it doesn’t have a real point. Before you write, decide what you want your readers to get out of your story. If you can communicate those ideas and feelings through humor, then go ahead and write a funny story. If not, stick to a more serious style. Editors need good stories of all kinds!








Thursday, September 29, 2011

Wanna Write for Kids?


Then you need the best reference/guide/handbook/resource available. Yes, the 2012 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market is out! Besides the indispensible sections about publishers and what they're looking for, CWIM also includes nuts-and-bolts info about genres, formats, submission, rights, and other basics of writing for kids. In addition, the book is stuffed with fascinating interviews with editors and writers as well as informative and inspiring articles. (And I'm not just saying that because I'm one of the contributors!) Get it on Amazon or at the Writer's Digest Shop!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Get your hands on this great new blog!


Now that school has started, I wanted to spread the word about a new blog called HANDS-ON-BOOKS. It's written by three award-winning writers of nonfiction for kids -- Mary Kay Carson, Kerrie Hollihan, and Brandon Marie Miller. These ladies have written some wonderful books -- and now they have a great blog about fun and educational science and social studies activities that could be used with or without their books. Recent posts include fascinating information about various subjects (Thomas Jefferson, writing process, tornadoes, etc.) and hands-on activities like making a barometer, roasting a marshmallow with a solar oven, and making paper. This is a helpful and practical blog for homeschoolers, school teachers, and parents!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Great New Blog!


The kids' team at my publisher, Pauline Books and Media, has launched a great new blog for parents and teachers. They're posting ideas for using their books with kids as well as reflections, behind-the-scenes information, and more! Check it out and look for activities you can use with my book The Stepping Stones Comic Collection!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Is she here? Is she here?


Jackson has the most over-protective mother on the planet. He can't do anything without her hovering around! When she won't give him any freedom, he decides to take it. But is sneaking out to a party the right way to handle a stalker mom?
The humorous script described above is part of Stalker Mom and Other Plays, my collection of funny plays for teens available from Baker's Plays. Please check it out! Though BP is a traditional royalities-for-performances theatrical publisher, you can get single copies of the book here.
Also in the collection:
Sorry! Jessie struggles to run a club while coping with one member's sorry attitude
Girl in a Whirl Everyone takes advantage of Abbie, but she's too nice to stand up for herself.
The Grudge Laird thinks of himself as too easy-going to hold a grudge, but something's growing inside of him!
Thanks for your support!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Family Matters!



It certainly does! And Family Matters - Thirteen Short Stories, the new story collection from Pauline Books and Media, is all about families and how they matter to each other. Kids aged 8-12 will enjoy these fun-to-read stories, and teachers will appreciate the thought-provoking questions that follow each story. The book includes twelve stories by some fantastic kids' authors and one story of mine!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Ohioana!































The Ohioana Book Festival was fun! I talked to lots of nice people, met many of my fellow authors, and attended a lovely reception at the governor's mansion. Here are some photos!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Ohioana News





The Stepping Stones Journals will be my featured book at the Ohioana Book Festival on Saturday, May 7, in Columbus, Ohio. SSJ, an easy-to-read middle grade novel written in journal form, tells the story of four friends dealing with the ups and downs of life. Find out more about the book at Pauline Books and Media -- or stop by my table at Ohiana!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Ohioana Book Festival



I'll be signing my books at the 5th Annual Ohioana Book Festival in Columbus, Ohio on May 7th. I'll be one of over a hundred authors at the festival. Besides book signing, festival activities include book sales, panels, roundtables, author readings and discussions, entertainment, and a special area for children. For more info, click here. Hope to see you there!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Hooked!


I don't read a lot of books about writing because I need time to actually write! And, frankly, many writing resources aren't all that helpful. But I found Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton to be worth the read. It delivers useful information not just about beginnings but also about story structure as a whole. Edgerton also offers plenty of good writing examples and practical tips. His down-to-earth style and sense of humor made this a fun read, too.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Ohioana!

I just found out I've been accepted for the 2011 Ohioana Book Festival! This is a special event that increases awareness of Ohio writers. I'll be there to meet people and sign my books. The festival is May 7 in Columbus, Ohio. More info to come!