My Favorite Books: Charlotte's Web

As you've probably guessed by now, I'm an old school middle grade reader. While I like a lot of today's middle grade titles, I grew up with many of the older books that today are considered "classics". These books are what influenced me most in shaping my own writing style.

Take Charlotte's Web for example. The first time I read this book was when our teacher read it to us in 5th grade. I think today it may be considered 4th or even 3rd grade reading material, but I really enjoyed it as a 5th grader. I loved the idea that animals could talk and had their little own secret society in Farmer Zuckerman's barnyard.

E.B. White was such a great writer and had such command of the language. I could see the whole book playing out before my eyes so clearly. The emotions were vivid. He brought it all to life. The book had been so real that when I visited Sturbridge Village that fall, I was almost disappointed that the pigs and cattle and oxen didn't speak as they had in the book.

The values in the book also made an impression on me. Charlotte went to extremes to save her friend Wilbur's life, even as her life was ending. Wilbur paid back the favor by guarding Charlotte's eggs until they hatched. The book is truly a great story of
 friendship.

I was quite surprised when E.B. White popped up again when I was in college. I had never known much about his life, so I was surprised when his Elements of Style cropped up in an English class. Was this the E.B. White of Charlotte and Stuart Little? Yes by golly it was. Freaky. Then a little later on, I found out about his career at the New Yorker. I was astounded again. Clearly here was one talented writer for readers of all ages.

As an author I can learn a lot from E.B. White. I can not only admire the stories he wrote that appeal to both young and old, but learn from him as I peruse Elements of Style from time to time, cringing as he reminds me of some bad habits I've picked up over the years.

Yes, Charlotte's Web is a classic book written by an accomplished author who brought the world so much. That's why it's one of my favorite books.

Inklings: The Beginning, a Great Place to Start

Last week, we talked about writing an outline for your story. An outline is a great way to chart out its path by documenting the beginning, middle and end. I thought it might be a good idea to go into each of these sections a little more thoroughly. This week, we'll be talking about writing the beginning of your story.

So, how do you start a story? To tell you the truth, the beginning of a book is the hardest part for me to write. I've written two books and I've totally rewritten the first chapter both times. Check that--actually I rewrote the first chapter of my first book twice. On the second book I only had to redo it once. Even though I outlined my books, both times I thought of a better way to start it later.

 But why did I bother changing anything? The book was going along okay. I had made a start and was on my way. Why did I decide to go back and change how it started? I did that because a good beginning sets the tone for the entire story. In the beginning, you want to do three things:

• Introduction of character and setting--The beginning introduces the reader to the main character(s) and the setting of the story. This is the part of your story where the reader can get to know whoever the story is about and where it takes place. Perhaps your main character is a boy who lives in New Jersey, or a toad who lives on the third planet orbiting Alpha Centari. Whatever characters and worlds you dream up, the beginning is where your reader meets them.

• Hook 'em--The beginning is also the time to get them interested. You need to start your tale with something exciting--a hook. Starting right in the middle of the action is one good way to get your story off to a rousing start. Another is to begin with an off the wall first sentence. For example, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien starts, "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." This is very simple, but it gets you wondering. A hobbit? What's a hobbit? In fact, it was that very question that prompted Tolkien to write The Hobbit in the first place. Once someone is interested in the story, they'll want to read more.

• Get things moving--Once you've introduced the characters and the setting, and hooked them with some action or a good question, it's time to show them what this story of yours is all about.  You should introduce your main character to the problem they'll have to solve, the issue they'll have to tackle or the dragon they'll have to slay. It's time to send them out into the world to do what they have to do. As the story progresses, this problem will grow, but for now the best place to introduce it is in...the introduction!

Okay, now that you know what an introduction is all about, how will you attack yours? What can you do to hook your reader, get them to know your actors and the world in which they live and the problems they are faced with? It sounds like a tall order, but I know you can do it. After all, you have your outline. You know where you want to end up. It's time to head out on your writing journey. The fun has just begun!

What books have you read that have great beginnings? Share them in the Comments section below.

A Writer's Week #60: Getting Closer

This week was another good one. I thought I wasn't going to have a chance to get a lot of writing done because I was taking this week to do the final prep on The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion. I was able to achieve my goal of getting the final edit, introduction, author's notes and everything else set.

So now, I've sent the manuscript over to Ana Vogel for her to lay out. Once the art is added, we'll be ready to go. I really can't wait. I'm hoping that I'll be able to share the cover with you in a couple of weeks, and that the book will be out in early April.

School visits will be starting later this month, and I'm looking into selling both books at some shows locally in April and May. I'll be sharing everything with you as it happens. This is the fun part, where I can meet kids at school and chat about writing with them. The shows are fun too, because I always meet interesting people and make new friends at them.

Meanwhile,, in the midst of all this, I still managed to hit my writing goal of 2,000 words this week. The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang is up to 24,100 words, 22 chapters and 106 pages. I'm not sure how long this one will be. I was thinking it was going to be about 60,000 words, but I don't know. I'd say they're about a third of the way through, so that would mean the book would be just under 75,000 words. That sounds kind of long to me.

I was worried that the book might not have enough action in it. The Deliverers 2 had a decent amount in it, and so far I don't think this one does. I let my wife read what I have so far, and she thinks there's enough action and suspense. That reassured me that I was on the right track. Anyway, I'll share anything that develops with you next week.

My Favorite Books: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

This installment of My Favorite Books is all about the first book in a series that I resisted reading for a long time. I'm not sure why I did not pick up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone  by J.K. Rowling until 2000 or so. I suppose it was because the series was so wildly popular. I'm naturally suspicious of overly popular things, preferring to find hidden treasures on my own. Harry Potter was too accessible, too easy. Perhaps there was a little bit of jealousy there, too. After all, here was someone that had achieved my dream--to be a middle grade fantasy author, and a wildly successful one at that.

Old Cover

Finally, I broke down and read the first book. I was transfixed. After racing through it, I kicked myself for waiting so long to read it. It has everything I love--a boy who does not realize how special he is until a magical (literally) world is revealed to him, magic, friendship, fantasy, and all those owls at the beginning! Rowling did a truly masterful job of reinventing well worn elements of myth and legend, fantasy and magic, creating something brand-spanking new. I could only tip my hat to her.

I love the fact that Harry is a down and out kid, unloved, unwanted and unnoticed, who finds friends in the most strange and wonderful circumstances. I also love that he then has to prove himself and overcome challenges that help him grow. Simply brilliant stuff.

I loved all the books, some more so than others, but each one was a revelation. This series more than any other brought me back to reading middle grade/YA fantasy again.

New Cover

More importantly, it was one of the factors that got me thinking about actually sitting down and writing a middle grade novel. I had never really believed that I could write a full length book, having only written short stories and poetry until that point.  But Harry Potter had stirred my imagination, and I started tossing around ideas in my head.

Being a slow starter, it took a year or so until I actually hit upon something I liked. When my son Christian was born early in 2002, I decided that the time had come, and began writing what would become The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel. At the beginning, I had some vague idea of a series, but I just wanted to see if I could write an entire novel. I did, and now I'm working on book 3!

These books are proof that children still love to read, even in this age of smart phones, video games and the internet. Of course, I daresay that any teacher could have to me that, but I think we all owe a debt of gratitude to J.K. Rowling for reminding the general public that books are still the best way to get our kids' imagination soaring.

Inklings: Outlining Your Story

Last week I talked a little about the actors on the stage of your story--the characters. Having a story idea and characters to act out that story are good things to have when you're setting out to write. So, what's next?

Think of the process of writing a story like going on a trip. You start at the beginning and drive until you reach your destination. Great, but how do you know where you're going? When is was young, my parents used a map, but today we use a GPS.

When you're writing a story, you need to know where you're going, otherwise you'll get lost. How do you keep on track? Wouldn't it be great if there was a tool to help you do it? Guess what? There is! That tool is an outline.

The outline is your map. It helps you plan. Where does your story start? Where does it end? What happens in between? You'll want to have answers to these questions before you get started.

A good way to write your outline is to chart it out in your journal. This will help you get things straight in your head. Once you have written down a basic outline of how the story will play out, you'll be ready to start writing.

Now, just because you have an outline doesn't mean you have to stick to it if you find it's not going the way you thought it would. Many times when I write, things don't happen exactly the way I planned it. Sometimes I run into detours, kind of like when the GPS recalculates your route. The key is to always keep your goal--the story's ending--in sight. No matter where my story takes me, I have my outline to guide me.

Have you ever outlined a story that you wrote? Was it helpful? Were there any surprises?